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mostlysignssomeportents · 1 month

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Amazon illegally interferes with an historic UK warehouse election

I'm in to TARTU, ESTONIA! Overcoming the Enshittocene (Monday, May 8, 6PM, Prima Vista Literary Festival keynote, University of Tartu Library, Struwe 1). AI, copyright and creative workers' labor rights (May 10, 8AM: Science Fiction Research Association talk, Institute of Foreign Languages and Cultures building, Lossi 3, lobby). A talk for hackers on seizing the means of computation (May 10, 3PM, University of Tartu Delta Centre, Narva 18, room 1037).

Amazon is very good at everything it does, including being very bad at the things it doesn't want to do. Take signing up for Prime: nothing could be simpler. The company has built a greased slide from Prime-curiosity to Prime-confirmed that is the envy of every UX designer.

But unsubscribing from Prime? That's a fucking nightmare. Somehow the company that can easily figure out how to sign up for a service is totally baffled when it comes to making it just as easy to leave. Now, there's two possibilities here: either Amazon's UX competence is a kind of erratic freak tide that sweeps in at unpredictable intervals and hits these unbelievable high-water marks, or the company just doesn't want to let you leave.

To investigate this question, let's consider a parallel: Black Flag's Roach Motel. This is an icon of American design, a little brown cardboard box that is saturated in irresistibly delicious (to cockroaches, at least) pheromones. These powerful scents make it admirably easy for all the roaches in your home to locate your Roach Motel and enter it.

But the interior of the Roach Motel is also coated in a sticky glue. Once roaches enter the motel, their legs and bodies brush up against this glue and become hopeless mired in it. A roach can't leave – not without tearing off its own legs.

It's possible that Black Flag made a mistake here. Maybe they wanted to make it just as easy for a roach to leave as it is to enter. If that seems improbable to you, well, you're right. We don't even have to speculate, we can just refer to Black Flag's slogan for Roach Motel: "Roaches check in, but they don't check out."

It's intentional, and we know that because they told us so.

Back to Amazon and Prime. Was it some oversight that cause the company make it so marvelously painless to sign up for Prime, but such a titanic pain in the ass to leave? Again, no speculation is required, because Amazon's executives exchanged a mountain of internal memos in which this is identified as a deliberate strategy, by which they deliberately chose to trick people into signing up for Prime and then hid the means of leaving Prime. Prime is a Roach Motel: users check in, but they don't check out:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/03/big-tech-cant-stop-telling-on-itself/

When it benefits Amazon, they are obsessive – "relentless" (Bezos's original for the company) – about user friendliness. They value ease of use so highly that they even patented "one click checkout" – the incredibly obvious idea that a company that stores your shipping address and credit card could let you buy something with a single click:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1-Click#Patent

But when it benefits Amazon to place obstacles in our way, they are even more relentless in inventing new forms of fuckery, spiteful little landmines they strew in our path. Just look at how Amazon deals with unionization efforts in its warehouses.

Amazon's relentless union-busting spans a wide diversity of tactics. On the one hand, they cook up media narratives to smear organizers, invoking racist dog-whistles to discredit workers who want a better deal:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/apr/02/amazon-chris-smalls-smart-articulate-leaked-memo

On the other hand, they collude with federal agencies to make workers afraid that their secret ballots will be visible to their bosses, exposing them to retaliation:

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/amazon-violated-labor-law-alabama-union-election-labor-official-finds-rcna1582

They hold Cultural Revolution-style forced indoctrination meetings where they illegally threaten workers with punishment for voting in favor of their union:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/31/business/economy/amazon-union-staten-island-nlrb.html

And they fire Amazon tech workers who express solidarity with warehouse workers:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/amazon-fires-tech-employees-workers-criticism-warehouse-climate-policies/

But all this is high-touch, labor-intensive fuckery. Amazon, as we know, loves automation, and so it automates much of its union-busting: for example, it created an employee chat app that refused to deliver any message containing words like "fairness" or "grievance":

https://pluralistic.net/2022/04/05/doubleplusrelentless/#quackspeak

Amazon also invents implausible corporate fictions that allow it to terminate entire sections of its workforce for trying to unionize, by maintaining the tormented pretense that these workers, who wear Amazon uniforms, drive Amazon trucks, deliver Amazon packages, and are tracked by Amazon down to the movements of their eyeballs, are, in fact, not Amazon employees:

https://www.wired.com/story/his-drivers-unionized-then-amazon-tried-to-terminate-his-contract/

These workers have plenty of cause to want to unionize. Amazon warehouses are sources of grueling torment. Take "megacycling," a ten-hour shift that runs from 1:20AM to 11:50AM that workers are plunged into without warning or the right to refuse. This isn't just a night shift – it's a night shift that makes it impossible to care for your children or maintain any kind of normal life.

Then there's Jeff Bezos's war on his workers' kidneys. Amazon warehouse workers and drivers notoriously have to pee in bottles, because they are monitored by algorithms that dock their pay for taking bathroom breaks. The road to Amazon's warehouse in Coventry, England is littered with sealed bottles of driver piss, defenestrated by drivers before they reach the depot inspection site.

There's so much piss on the side of the Coventry road that the prankster Oobah Butler was able to collect it, decant it into bottles, and market it on Amazon as an energy beverage called "Bitter Lemon Release Energy," where it briefly became Amazon's bestselling energy drink:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/20/release-energy/#the-bitterest-lemon

(Butler promises that he didn't actually ship any bottled piss to people who weren't in on the gag – but let's just pause here and note how weird it is that a guy who hates our kidneys as much as Jeff Bezos built and flies a penis-shaped rocket.)

Butler also secretly joined the surge of 1,000 workers that Amazon hired for the Coventry warehouse in advance of a union vote, with the hope of diluting the yes side of that vote and forestall the union. Amazon displayed more of its famously selective competence here, spotting Butler and firing him in short order, while totally failing to notice that he was marketing bottles of driver piss as a bitter lemon drink on Amazon's retail platform.

After a long fight, Amazon's Coventry workers are finally getting their union vote, thanks to the GMB union's hard fought battle at the Central Arbitration Committee:

https://www.foxglove.org.uk/2024/04/26/amazon-warehouse-workers-in-coventry-will-vote-on-trade-union-recognition/

And right on schedule, Amazon has once again discovered its incredible facility for ease-of-use. The company has blanketed its shop floor with radioactively illegal "one click to quit the union" QR codes. When a worker aims their phones at the code and clicks the link, the system auto-generates a letter resigning the worker from their union.

As noted, this is totally illegal. English law bans employers from "making an offer to an employee for the sole or main purpose of inducing workers not to be members of an independent trade union, take part in its activities, or make use of its services."

Now, legal or not, this may strike you as a benign intervention on Amazon's part. Why shouldn't it be easy for workers to choose how they are represented in their workplaces? But the one-click system is only half of Amazon's illegal union-busting: the other half is delivered by its managers, who have cornered workers on the shop floor and ordered them to quit their union, threatening them with workplace retaliation if they don't.

This is in addition to more forced "captive audience" meetings where workers are bombarded with lies about what life in an union shop is like.

Again, the contrast couldn't be more stark. If you want to quit a union, Amazon makes this as easy as joining Prime. But if you want to join a union, Amazon makes that even harder than quitting Prime. Amazon has the same attitude to its workers and its customers: they see us all as a resource to be extracted, and have no qualms about tricking or even intimidating us into doing what's best for Amazon, at the expense of our own interests.

The campaigning law-firm Foxglove is representing five of Amazon's Coventry workers. They're doing the lord's work:

https://www.foxglove.org.uk/2024/05/02/legal-challenge-to-amazon-uks-new-one-click-to-quit-the-union-tool/

All this highlights the increasing divergence between the UK and the US when it comes to labor rights. Under the Biden Administration, @NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo has promulgated a rule that grants a union automatic recognition if the boss does anything to interfere with a union election:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/06/goons-ginks-and-company-finks/#if-blood-be-the-price-of-your-cursed-wealth

In other words, if Amazon tries these tactics in the USA now, their union will be immediately recognized. Abruzzo has installed an ultra-sensitive tilt-sensor in America's union elections, and if Bezos or his class allies so much as sneeze in the direction of their workers' democratic rights, they automatically lose.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/06/one-click-to-quit-the-union/#foxglove

Image: Isabela.Zanella (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ballot-box-2.jpg

CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

#pluralistic #unions #coventry #amazon #union busting #qr codes #foxglove #one click to quit the union #labor #gwb

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nahimjustfeelingit-writes · 17 days

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HBCU CONFESSIONS.

Part Two

The Great Conversation: A Historical Introduction to Philosophy sat on a circular table within the study hall of the dorm building. Erik was dressed down in a red graphic hoodie that read Lost Tribe in black letters with the map of Africa on the back. He paired it with grey joggers and Jordan retro 11’s. He checked his I-watch for the fifth time. It was going on 5:20 pm and Valencia hadn’t shown up yet. Erik wished he’d gotten her number.

Two minutes later, Valencia came rushing over, carrying her books in the crook of her arm and a flustered expression on her face. Erik sat up straighter in his seat and his eyes couldn’t help but scan her body. She was still wearing the same curve-hugging dress she’d worn earlier that day. Her braids were now up in a ponytail with a few hanging in front of her face.

She sat her bag down beside the table and before she could even pull out her own seat, Erik was behind her in a flash. Valencia’s back stiffened and she gasped. Erik gripped the back of the chair and slid it out across the carpet. Valencia couldn’t help but notice how Erik towered over her. He was standing at 6’3. She looked up at him with a faint smile and bashful eyes.

“Thank you, Erik.” She says with a light voice.

“You’re welcome.”

They each took their respective seats. Valencia opened her bag to retrieve her book and her notes. Erik waited patiently, staring at her with a slight, dimpled smirk.

“I’m so sorry, I’m all over the place.”

“No worries, Valencia.”

She finally had everything in order. Valencia exhaled and sat her palms down on the table to calm herself. She giggled and Erik couldn’t help but to laugh himself.

“I’m not always late, you know.” Valencia said to her defense.

“Can’t always expect to be on time every single time.” Erik replied with a smirk.

“I knowww,” Valencia tucked a braid behind her ear, “But you’re a TA. This isn’t a great first impression.”

Erik folded his arms against the table and leaned in. He quirked a brow up at Valencia, staring her down through his gold-rimmed glasses.

“You have a point,” Erik swiped the bottom of his lip with his tongue, “Prove to me that you know your shit, and I won’t hold it against you.”

Valencia turned away because she couldn’t stare him in the eyes.

“You have a deal,” her eyes darted towards his face then down towards her lap.

Erik’s eyes burned with mischief. He loved that she was shy and he wanted to push her limits. See how far Miss Valencia could go.

“Aight, let’s get started.”

Erik opened his textbook.

“Where exactly are you in class?” Erik asked.

“Free will,” Valencia sorted out her notes, “Yes, Free will.”

“Okay…”

Erik combed through the textbook until he found where he needed to be.

“What do Philosophers believe about free will?”

“Uhm—”

“Don’t look at your notes, tell me.”

Valencia was startled by Erik’s command. She cleared her throat and started playing in her hair.

“Uh—well I know that it’s a requirement for agency, rationality, creativity…”

“Okay, that’s good. So, as far as accounts of Free Will, what exactly is the Faculties Model of Will?”

Erik glanced over at Valencia. She was pondering his question.

“…It’s the dominant view of the will for much of medieval and modern philosophy…their possession of certain powers or capacities…”

“Very good. They also possess the capacities for intellection and volition. Another way of saying this is that free agents alone have the faculties of intellect and will.”

Valencia clicked her pin and scribbled down what Erik said like a good pupil. Erik continued to throw questions and topics at her, challenging Valencia. It was the way he did it that helped her retain the information.

“I’m so used to just…reading from my notes over and over.” Valencia said.

“It’s the active recall. Don’t get me wrong, using notecards is okay, but all that time you spend creating fifty cards, you can use this study technique by asking questions about the subject you want to learn after reading the subject, which will help you retrieve information deeper. You want it to go deeper, right?”

Valencia stared at Erik with a dazed look.

“Valencia? Did you hear me?”

“Ye–Yes—”

“I said, deeper, right?”

Valencia chewed on her bottom lip. Erik wanted to chew on it himself…

“I do. I want to remember the information better. The method helps me out a lot.”

Erik smiles at Valencia and she glanced up at the ceiling with a blush. He couldn’t visibly see the heat creeping up her face, but her cheekbones and half-smile was enough to tell. They went on to cover one last topic, Epistemology. After another thirty minutes, their study session was complete.

“You got it, just a little more practice and you’ll be set.” Erik encouraged.

“I hope so. How did you get so good at everything?”

Erik laughed, “Everything?”

Valencia giggled into her hand. She couldn’t stop smiling. It was the most adorable thing Erik had ever seen. Her giggling and smiling was infectious. This is probably the most Erik has ever smiled and laughed in one sitting.

“I mean—what I’m saying is—I saw your achievements and you’re pretty impressive. I aspire to be like that.”

“…Thank you. What are you studying again?”

“Psychology. I want to branch off into Neuropsychology. I plan to go back to school for my PhD.”

“There’s so much you can do in psychology. Believe it or not, I wanted to major in psychology at one point but engineering just stuck to me.”

“Why engineering?”

Erik gave Valencia a lopsided grin that showed off a glint of confidence. She focused on his plump lips, porcelain teeth, and gold slugs.

“There’s so much you can do. You can choose to work on projects that benefit society, help clean the environment, develop prosthetic aids, create clean and efficient transportation systems, find new sources of energy, alleviate the world's hunger problems, and increase the standard of living in underdeveloped countries. The possibilities are endless. And on top of all that, you make a lot of money…”

Valencia couldn’t tell you everything he was saying honestly. This man was too fine. The way his voice sounded to her ears felt like asmr.

“…job security and excellent job prospects—”

“You’re like, very attractive.”

Erik rested his hands in his lap and cocked his head. Valencia jerked her head in the direction of the window and shook her head.

“That came out unexpectedly,” Valencia laughed with embarrassment, “But you are—”

“Thank you.” He drew in a long breath, “Coming from someone as beautiful as you…”

Valencia held her breath. She hung her head and smiled. Internally, she was jumping up and down.

“Thanks,” Valencia fidgeted.

“Anytime, beautiful,” Erik continued to stare at her while his fingers tapped on the table.

“Are you from Houston?” Valencia questioned with a timid voice.

“Nah. I’m from California. That’s where I live currently but I decided to come back here for my doctorate.”

Valencia nodded her head. She crossed her right leg over her left thigh and leaned in with her elbow on the desk. That gesture showed that she was warming up to him.

“I love California. I have an aunt and a few cousins that live there currently. They’re in San Francisco.”

“That’s where I’m from. Oakland. I’m staying in LA right now though. Are you from here?”

“Yes. Born and raised in Houston.” Valencia replied.

Erik stretched his arms above his head.

“Tired?” Valencia asked.

“A little. I worked out really early this morning and I had to deal with that party.”

Valencia giggled, “I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault. I didn’t see you there.” Erik said.

“Rochelle used to let us get away with a lot…”

Valencia looked over at Erik.

“I know. Which is why she’s no longer your RA…”

Her body shivered slightly. The air was too cold in the building. She thrust her chest out unknowingly and Erik could see the outlines of her erect nipples through her dress. He leaned back in his chair to admire her fully.

“I’m not an uptight motherfucker but I’m not gonna let these students walk all over me. I have a great rep here at TSU and I wanna keep it that way.”

“Oh, no, I totally understand,” Valencia reassured him, “I love that you follow the rules. Rochelle acted as more of a friend and she really didn’t know how to discipline…”

Hm,” Erik licked his lips, “I’m really good with discipline.”

“Oh?” Valencia says. She felt her body tremble.

“I’m very assertive. I tend to…take the lead in situations. It can come off as aggressive…sometimes I have to work on that.”

“Okay…”

Valencia rubbed her arms.

“Cold?”

“A little—”

“Here…”

Erik stood up and proceeded to take off his hoodie. Valencia paused, staring at Erik’s torso. He had on a white T-shirt underneath that clung to his biceps and chest. The muscles put her in a daze. He handed her his hoodie from across the table. Valencia accepted it and pulled it over her. It fit her like a dress. She fixed her braids and smoothed down the wrinkles in the hoodie. It smelled like him. She fought to press her nose into it.

“It looks good on you.”

“You think so?” Valencia wasn’t so sure.

“Yeah. So Valencia, do you mind if I have your number?”

She was not expecting that. Her eyes went wide with surprise.

“Is that okay?” Erik asked with furrowed brows.

“YES!”

She covered her mouth with her hand. She didn’t expect to scream it. Erik was cracking up.

“Yes, it’s okay. I’m sorry I don’t know why I yelled like that.” Valencia toyed with one of her braids, “Yes you can.”

She retrieved her phone and unlocked it. Erik did the same. They exchanged numbers and switched back.

“That way, you know how to get in touch with me if you have any questions about philosophy or just…anything in general really.”

“Definitely. Thanks so much, Erik. I really appreciate you.”

“Anytime. And you know you can always knock on my door…”

Oh, yes. He does have a dorm on the same floor as hers. She beamed at him and he smiled back.

“Sure…I can do that.”

They both stood up and gathered their things.

“Well, this is goodbye for now. I have to get ready to meet some friends tonight.”

“I hope I didn’t hold you up,” Erik tucked his textbook inside his bag.

“No, no.”

They stood there for a moment, staring at each other. Valencia broke eye contact first and turned away to leave. She glanced back at Erik, giving him a final wave goodbye before heading towards the elevators. Erik returned the wave with a smirk, his eyes never leaving Valencia.

—————-

Cindy, Skai, and Brielle were sitting in a booth nursing mixed tequila cocktails. Skai was sitting next to Brielle and Cindy was third-wheeling. She rolled her eyes every time Skai and Brielle would eye-fuck each other. Valencia texted Cindy’s phone that she just parked and is on her way in.

The Poetry Party Live is a college hotspot. They’re known for playing great music, having tasty food, and drinks that sneak up on you. It was definitely a more romantic vibe that Friday evening. So many couples were on dates. Cindy spotted two professors in the booth in front of them. Professor Boyd and Professor Parham.

Valencia came in and she searched the throng of people until she recognized Brielle’s ginger coils. She changed into an orange dress that compliments her mocha skin. Cindy looked up and over her shoulder, waving Valencia over with pleading eyes.

“What took you so long?! I’m dying over here!”

“My bad. I had a tutoring session that ran a little late.”

“They’ve been torturing me,” Cindy cringed, “And Dior isn’t here yet.”

Valencia frowned.

“Who invited Dior?”

Cindy pointed to Skai. Skai sipped her drink with a guilty look.

“I’m sorry! She really wanted to come. You still don’t like her?”

“No, I don’t, Skai. She’s weird.”

Skai rolled her eyes. Brielle laughed.

“Is she drunk already?” Valencia asked.

“You know she is. This is her third one.”

“Brielle!”

“It’s a Friday night and I passed my lab practical!”

“WOOHOO!!

Skai bounced up and down in her seat. Valencia squealed, reaching over to shake her friend excitedly.

“YES BITCH!—oh shit, I’m loud as fuck.”

Andrea looked up from her seat in the booth over and noticed Valencia. They locked eyes and waved to each other. Brielle glanced over her shoulder at Andrea. James turned around with a smirk on his face and a glass in his hand with dark liquor.

“Oooh! Ya’ll on a date?!” Cindy teases.

“Yes, we are,” James replied with a chuckle, “Hope you’re ready for that test on Monday, Cindy.”

Cindy shot James a playful glare that had everyone laughing.

“I’m kidding! Enjoy!”

James turned back to his date and the girls snickered.

A waiter brushed past Valencia and Brielle shouted to get her attention. She halted her footsteps, long ombré braids swaying against her back. She smiled and made her way over to them.

“Need anything else ladies?”

“Our friend just showed up! Can you get her a—”

“Long Island Iced Tea please.”

“Okay! Can I see your ID?”

Valencia opened her small white Telfar bag and plucked her license from her wallet. She showed the waiter and she put a thumbs up.

“Almost your birthday!” The waiter said.

“Yeah! Twenty-two.”

The waiter sauntered off and then a round of applause erupted around them. A full-figured woman with sister locs made her way on stage. She stopped in front of the mic, testing it to make sure it was on. She scanned the crowd with a warm smile before introducing herself. The instrumental to Floetry Say Yes started playing. She was blanketed in spotlights and the rest of the club was shrouded in low ambience.

“This one is called Enticing Night…”

whisper light, a sigh so deep,

In tangled sheets, secrets keep.

Your touch ignites a fevered glow,

As fingertips trace paths below.

On velvet skin, my hands explore,

Each curve, each line, I yearn for

more.

She paused, appreciative hums making her words all the more real.

Breath mingles in the heated air,

A rhythm builds, we're lost in where.

Our pulses race, in sync they beat,

In this embrace, our worlds complete.

“Thank you…”

Snaps filled the room.

“That was good,” Valencia accepted her drink.

“Dior!”

Skai stood up to get her attention.

Valencia looked up at Dior fighting the urge to roll her eyes. She didn’t understand what Dior didn’t like about her, maybe it was because of Isaiah? As far as Valencia knew they weren’t together. And she didn’t want him anyway. Dior scooted next to Skai, directly across from Valencia.

“Brie, Cindy, Val…”

“Hello,” Valencia waved.

“Why ya’ll chose this place? Ya’ll don’t wanna shake some ass?”

“Girl, we did that last weekend. It’s okay to switch it up,” Skai argued.

“I feel like I need whatever Brie sippin’ on because she is lit!”

“Peach Tequila!” Brielle shouted.

“Okurrrr. I’ll have that then…who the waiter?”

Cindy pointed at the young girl who was currently clearing off a booth.

“She got a phat ass butt,” Dior bit down on a long acrylic french nail, “She can have all my monies…”

“You’re such a whore for some booty, Dior.” Skai jokes.

Valencia giggled. She swirled her straw around her drink before taking another sip. Cindy rocked back and forth in her seat, singing along to Beyoncé Check Up On It.

“Hi! I’m Chanel…”

“Hi, Chanel, I’m Dior. I wanted to order what she had.”

“Okay, ID?”

Dior flashed her ID at Chanel while giving her a seductive look. Valencia and Cindy share a look before laughing into their drinks.

“you fine. You like girls?”

Skai slapped Dior on her arm. Chanel laughed at Dior.

“I have a man, but thank you.”

It was so cringe.

Chanel walked away and Dior’s eyes were glued to her ass like flies on shit.

“You need to chill. What’s up with you and Brooke?”

“That bitch? Girl…”

Dior and Skai talked about her drama while Valencia excused herself to the restroom. Brielle ended up following her. They entered the bathroom and Valencia let Brielle go first since she was on the verge of pissing herself.

“You never told me who you tutored with!!!!” Brielle yelled.

“My crush,” Valencia smiled.

“For real?! What does he even tutor?”

“A lot of shit but it was for philosophy. He asked for my number.”

Brielle flushed and damn near shoved the door open. She gawked at Valencia before they switched places. Meanwhile, Andrea exited the stall next to theirs and she walked over to the sink to wash her hands.

“So basically that means he’s into you? So the HBCU blog was the right thing to do, huh?”

“Yep! If it wasn’t for the advice the owner of the blog gave me, I wouldn’t have made it this far!”

Andrea slowly dried her hands while hanging onto their every word. Valencia flushed and left the stall. Andrea tossed her paper towel and stood within the mirror to fix her ponytail. Valencia caught her eye in the mirror and smiled.

“How’s everything going this semester, Valencia?”

“It’s going good. A little harder than last semester but I’m close to graduating so that’s good.”

Andrea nodded her head with a bright smile.

“You got this girl. And good luck with your crush…”

Valencia giggled. Andrea left the restroom, holding the door open for a woman to enter.

Back at the table, Andrea scooted into the booth to find another drink. She gave James a look and he chuckled.

“You know I have a lot of work to do tomorrow, James.”

“That’s why you need this drink. Take a damn break.”

Andrea rolled her eyes sassily before grabbing her drink. She toasted with James before taking a sip.

“What took you so long to ask me out?”

Andrea peeked at James from the top of her glass.

“I didn’t want to cross any boundaries. I didn’t wanna look like that guy friend who only wants one thing. That’s not what it is with you.”

“I get it,” Andrea sat her drink down, “I’ve crushed on you hard since undergrad…”

“Same. I always thought you had a thing for Daka though.”

“Seriously?” Andre laughs, “Everyone says that.”

“I see now it’s like a brother and sister thing.” James said.

“I used to sit back and watch you run after all these chicks…Thinking back to that Kappa party, my Delta sistas kept hassling me to tell you how I felt…”

Andrea traced the rim of her glass with her finger. James watched her intently.

“I’m just happy both of us get to sit here and express how we really feel.” James said.

“Me too.”

James cracked a smile before reaching over to grip Andrea’s soft hand. He stroked the top of her hand with his thumb.

Valencia and Brielle walked past their booth and settled into theirs.

“…That D9 party is gonna be lit tomorrow night!”

“I’m tryna go. Took y’all long enough!”

Brielle slipped past Dior and Skai to take her seat. Valencia sat down and pulled out her phone.

“You still talking to Isaiah?”

Valencia looked up at Dior.

“No. I’m over him.”

“Oh wow, what happened?”

“He wasted my time and he’s annoying as hell.”

Dior let out an obnoxious laugh, “YEAH. I could have told you that.”

Valencia looked towards the ceiling.

————

-I know it’s late, you’re probably not up. I just wanted to thank you again for your help 🥰 he asked for my number today! I don’t think it was because he’s interested but it’s a step, right?

Valencia sat alone in her dorm room wearing Erik’s hoodie and some panties with her braids tied down with a satin scarf. She sat at their desk with the television on in the background.

-I’m here ☺️ I’m happy I could help. If he asked for your number, I’d think it’s because he’s interested. It’s a big step actually.

Valencia typed a reply.

-You think so? I mean, he did flirt a little today. I just get so nervous around him.

Erik was in the middle of sprucing up his gold boots. He’s wearing a pair of red briefs with no shirt. It felt weird staying in the dorms when he has his own room at the Omega Psi Phi house. He picked up his phone to see the message that Valencia sent him.

-Don’t be. Try to be more open with him. See where it goes 😏 did you do anything special tonight?

-I went to this poetry club with some friends. Had two drinks and I’m a little tipsy now. It was an okay experience.

-...Is there anything that could have made it even better?

-yes 😭 if I was spending it with Erik. I wonder what he’s doing right now.

-you should text him. See what happens.

Valencia looked over at her phone next to her.

Fuck it. She had a little liquid courage.

Valencia: Hi ☺️

She made her way back to the blog

-I did it! 😭

Erik fell back against his bed. He typed a reply.

Erik: Hello 😌

Valencia: I hope I didn’t wake you.

Erik: I’m up. How was your night?

Valencia: it was alright. You?

Valencia nibbled on her nails anxiously.

Erik: Hazy. Had a little smoke session.

Valencia returned to the blog.

-Is it too late for a dare?

-Definitely not lol. This is fun. What’s the dare?

-I dare you to send a risky text. However you want to.

-How risky though?

-😈

Erik waited to see what she would do. He wanted to see how far she would go. The fact that she would have preferred to spend the evening with him made him wonder what they would have gotten into.

Erik: Did you crash on me?

Valencia:

She couldn’t believe she sent that picture. She tossed her phone on the bed and stood up from the desk. Valencia paced back and forth. Hands covering her face, heart racing, stomach in knots. Did she do the right thing?

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…

That picture was meant for Isaiah and boy was she happy she sent it to Erik instead. She’d heard her phone vibrate minutes ago but she was too scared to see what he said. Valencia walked over to the bed and picked up her phone. She pressed it against her chest, scared out of her mind. Overthinking per usual. Finally, she looked at his text and boy was she glad that she did.

Erik: Shit girl 😍

Erik: 😍😍😍😍

Erik: I can’t stop staring 😩

He didn’t expect that at all. That was the furthest thing from what he expected. He sat up in bed and drooled over that picture. That ass up and that beautiful arch. He wondered what other pictures she was hiding. He loved her body so much. He knew exactly what to do with all of that. Play into his size kink. His dick was brick hard. No pussy in almost a year. The longest he’d ever gone without sex. He could have easily linked with his ex girlfriend on campus but he pictured himself digging Valencia’s guts out whenever the fuck he pleased.

Valencia: 😛

Erik: You tryna tell me something? 👀

Erik: I see you do like it deep…That tutoring session was necessary after all 😍

Valencia was over the moon thrilled at Erik’s reaction to her pic. So much that she was jittery. Back on the blog, Valencia quickly typed.

-I can’t believe I sent him a risky photo. I thought he wouldn’t have liked it but I was wrong 😂

Ping.

Erik went back to the blog messages. Wouldn’t like them? Was she crazy! He loved them! Boy was he happy that he found out about Valencia when he did. He wanted to put her in that position. Arch that pretty back over the edge of his bed, slip her panties to the side, and slide his dick in deep and slow. He wanted her to feel his length. He had a big toy dangling between his legs. Girls with that type of body can take dick. Girls who arch their backs like that need the dick.

-No. if the feeling is mutual, why would you think that?

-IDK. I’m always overthinking shit. 😭

Valencia had to take a second to rethink what she was doing. Sure, she wanted to do unspeakable things with Erik. Nasty things. But she felt she was coming on too strong. Maybe she should dial it back a little…make him …yearn for more? Tease him. He’s older and definitely has more experience. He’s probably used to woman throwing themselves at him. No. Valencia was going to do the opposite. Who said she couldn’t be shy and purposely excite and sexually arouse while withholding gratification?

She left him on read.

Valencia logged out of the blog and shut off the light for bed. She pulled her duvet back and just then, Brielle came in. She had her curly, ginger hair up in a puff. Her pleated skirt was situated higher around her waist, showing some of her ass. Her cropped shirt was dangling from her shoulder and she looked freshly fucked.

Brielle noticed Valencia was still awake and she gave her an enigmatic smile.

“I’m surprised you’re still awake.” Brielle whispered.

“I’m surprised you’re still walking,” Valencia laughs.

————

It was 6 am and Erik stood on the race track and stretched his quadriceps. Flexing his toes in his green Nike running shoes, he took off running. He liked to go for a run around the track before he did any strength training. AirPod Max Pro’s over his ears, shirtless, and black running shorts on, Erik was a mission. In the zone, the heavy bass from the rap song he was listening to fueled him.

Erik made it around the track once before stopping to take a sip of water he’d left at the bleachers. He jogged over to grab a drink and when he looked up he saw his ex girlfriend from undergrad, Jeanette, stretching her hip flexors. She glanced up at Erik and waved to him. Erik returned the gesture. She stood tall and made her way towards him. She’s wearing a track and field outfit, similar to what she wore back then when she ran.

“Stevens. It’s been a while. How are you?”

“Good. You?”

“Great. Have you been avoiding me?”

Erik arched a brow.

“Why would you think that?”

“I don’t know…you’ve been back for a minute now and I haven’t had the chance to catch up with you. It feels like you’re dodging me.”

“Nah, Jeanette. I’ve been busy. What happened to that dude? The one that keep running his mouth?”

Jeanette broke out in a fit of laughter. Erik was dead serious. That nigga better be lucky he don’t go to TSU. That nigga better be lucky Erik didn’t find him yet.

“Erik, relax okay?”

Jeanette caressed Erik’s sweaty bicep. Erik eyed her down with a stony expression.

“What do you really want, Jeanette?”

“Whatchu think?”

Erik carefully moved Jeanette’s hand away from his arm. She kissed her teeth at him.

“I haven’t seen you in years. You look good…real good.”

“I know,” Erik smirked cockily.

“Still got that big ass ego…”

Erik glanced down at his I-watch. He needed to finish his run.

“Well, it was nice seeing you, Jeanette. I gotta finish my run…”

“Mhm, am I gonna see you at the D9 party tonight?”

“Of course I’ll be there.”

Erik backed away towards the track. Jeanette placed her hands on her hips, eye-fucking Erik while continuing her stretches.

“Ima put this AKA ass on you tonight, Daka!”

Erik sprinted off with a shake of his head.

Some time later, Valencia had finished swimming laps and doing a bit of water aerobics with weights. Her body was sore and drenched. After taking a shower, she gathered her things and walked out of the gymnasium. On her way back to her dorm, Valencia wasn’t paying attention and she almost collided with someone as she was leaving.

She didn’t have the best workout today because her mind continued to wander. She still hadn’t replied to Erik. The thought made her smile to herself. She shouldered her gym bag and took sips from her water bottle. As she approached her dorms, the man that distracted her was busy texting on his phone while listening to music. His head popped up and he paused in his tracks, staring Valencia down hard.

Valencia spotted Erik opening the door for her and she automatically grew timid. She tucked her chin and gave him a shy wave. Seeing him in person was completely different from texting him last night. The recollection of what she sent him hit her like a freight train. Her heart was practically rattling around in her chest cavity. The closer she got, the more his penetrating stare commanded her.

“After you.”

“Thank you…”

Valencia felt so exposed in her little gym shorts. He was directly behind her. She could smell his natural musk and it sent shivers throughout her body.

“Mm…mm…mm…”

She couldn’t contain her shaky exhale. He was probably picturing himself bending her over right there…

“Sleep well?”

Valencia blinked her eyes up at Erik.

“H–Huh?”

“…sleep? Did you get some rest?”

“Yeah! Sorry…”

“I figured you went to sleep since you left me on read and shit…”

Erik pressed the button for them to get on the elevator. Valencia avoided his gaze, her eyes looking around her.

“Valencia?”

She snapped her head in his direction. He was already on the elevator. She could tell he was fighting a laugh. Embarrassed, she walked in.

“You’re hella distracted…I’m the one that should be acting like that after what you sent me last night, girl...”

Valencia took in a breath. He did things to her body she couldn’t control. The trembling, the uneven breathing, the wetness that drenched her panties. She was in lust for this man and she needed him to fuck her. She wouldn’t say that to his face though.

“I…I have a lot of work to catch up on…and I’m really hungry…”

They left the elevator and Erik walked slowly so Valencia could catch up with him. She spotted Skai and Cindy sitting in the lounge studying and when they noticed her they gave her a weird look. Erik looked down at Valencia, biting his bottom lip openly so she knew that he was feeling her. Valencia slowed down her footsteps in front of her dorm room door. Her eyes discreetly roamed Erik’s body. His russet skin glistened with sweat and his muscles looked defined and sculpted. His locs were messy and resting against his forehead. He looked so fucking edible.

“This is me,” Valencia pointed to her door, giving Erik a quick glance with a smile, “I guess I’ll see you later…”

“You guess?” Erik cocked his head back.

“I—I didn’t mean it like that.” She spoke with a barely audible tone.

Erik startled her by reaching out to caress her arm. His hand stroked from the back of her upper arm, past her elbow, and down her forearm until he was holding her hand in his firm grip.

“You know you have a lot of explaining to do, girl.” Erik whispered.

He smelled so fucking amazing. His natural scent crowded her. She wanted to press her nose against whatever area that had exposed flesh. Lick his skin to see what his sweat tasted like—

“Do you know about the D9 party tonight?”

Valencia twisted her lips to fight a smile.

“I do. Are you asking me to go?”

Her eyes dropped down to her hand in his. She swayed from side to side.

“I am. I wanna see you there.” Erik said.

Valencia’s cheeks hurt from how hard she was smiling. She tried to hide her face so Erik took it upon himself to lift her chin.

“You gonna be there, Valencia. I want to see you there.”

She blinked at Erik slowly. His eyes dropped down to her juicy lips. He wanted to taste them…

“I’ll be there….”

“You better.”

Erik stroked her chin with his thumb. It sent shockwaves throughout her body. Straight to her pussy. It was such a small gesture that held so much dominance. Erik finally let go and backed away, his eyes dancing up and down her frame while he drew his plump bottom lip into his mouth. His eyes were low and almost sleepy-like and it made him look dreamy. Valencia giggled and looked away, unable to hold his gaze.

“We should get lunch later.” Erik said raising his brows.

“I’d like that.” Valencia replied.

“Aight, I’ll see you then, beautiful.”

He turned and strolled down the hall with a gait.

#nahimjustfeelingit-writes #killmonger imagine #killmonger fanfiction #killmonger smut #erik killmonger

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yandere-collections · 1 year

Text

Yandere!Actor X Streamer!Reader

male yandere oc x gender neutral reader

This yandere is a semi famous actor. His name is Vince Cantrell and most people know at least one or two movies he’s been in, like when he played the heartthrob of a love interest in the smash hit Guardians of Time trilogy. He’s a rather aloof and eccentric person, choosing to remain hidden away in his manson completely isolated from humanity. He hasn’t acted in a while, taking a break after the sudden death of his parents. However, he can sometimes be persuaded into doing things for marketing, interviews and such to build hype for new projects which was how he met you for the first time.

You were a moderate sized streamer, usually reaching a few hundred viewers during regular streams. You got a real bump in viewership after you played the licensed game sold as a tie-in with the Guardian of Time series based on the movies. In it, you had to think fourth dimensionally in order to strategically build and defend a self sustaining agency in its own branch of reality. Because you played it, and were good at it, the game did far better than projected as thousands of people tuned it at a time to see what you could do, finding inspiration in how creative you were at pushing the games boundaries.

The devs took notice of how you lead to a direct boost in sales, giving them the chance to make a sequel with an even bigger budget. That’s when they took the opportunity to invite you to promote the sequel by playing an early version before the final release as a way to show off all the new features. And the best part? You would be doing it with Vince Cantrell since his character from the movies was prominent in the game as well. It was meant to be a prerecorded casual interview with gameplay that you would then stream on your channel the week before the game’s release.

You met Vince an hour before you were to begin filming, having to go through make-up and staging. He shook your hand, not thinking much of you at the time. You seemed nice, he supposed after you moved away to respect his space instead of crowding up close, he hated people who invaded his personal space. You both took a minute to look the other over. He wore his character’s signature outfit, a black business suit with sci fi elements and electric green accents to match with his eyes. It stood in contrast to his stark white hair, making his features even more striking, almost inhumanely pretty. You on the other hand were dressed in some of the nicer clothes you owned, something closer to business casual. You thought you looked nice and you were happy enough with your appearance, but knew you couldn’t compare to him, not even mad about the distance between you two. If only you knew the emotions swirling inside Vince. He was actually a bit embarrassed, feeling like his costume was a bit too ostentatious compared to you. He admired how down to earth you were and how well you pulled off the look without feeling the need to hide behind excessive wealth and glamor, unlike most people he worked with. If Vince took off all his layers, would he like the person underneath? Would you be willing to show him how?

After introductions, a pair of makeup artists practically pulled the two of you to your chairs under uncomfortably bright lights. Although Vince was used to this treatment, you clearly were not. He even had to hold in a chuckle after seeing your displeased face, failing after you shot him a betrayed look. The studio’s side door opened as the director and one of the devs came through, drawing attention with their arguing about which aspect of the production to focus on, the interview or the game. They came to a stop in front of you two to debrief you on what the two of you had to do while on camera, things like what features to talk about and what to talk about with each other. Pretty standard stuff but Vince was charmed by how earnestly you listened and nodded along.

The two of you were taken to a simple set comprising of a computer with two chairs and a themed backdrop. You and Vince were then left alone, sitting in your chairs while everyone moved around you, setting up lights and cameras. You averted your eyes from the actor seated next to you, not knowing if you should talk to him or even what you would talk about.

“So, what is it you do again? For a job, I mean. They tried explaining it to me but I was a bit confused.”

Of course Vince was mostly throwing you a metaphorical bone so you could feel more at ease with him but he was genuinely interested in learning more about you.

“I livestream myself playing games for my audience. Sometimes I’ll make edited videos but it’s mostly the streams.”

“And people watch you do this instead of playing themselves?”

“Yeah! Sometimes people can’t afford games or they want to see if it’s good before they buy it. But other people like watching people experience something they like or the sense of community with other viewers.” You looked a bit nervous as you explained it to him and Vince felt the urge yet again to put you at ease. He couldn’t stand the idea of you feeling uncomfortable around him.

“I guess I can see the appeal. You’re an entertainer like me,” he said, not really knowing what else to say. After all, he didn’t really get internet culture. It must have been the right thing to say as he was treated to the sight of your face lighting up with the brightest smile accompanied by a blush, looking a bit flustered by his comment. Adorable.

“I’m glad! A lot of people don’t think streaming is a real job so I’m always happy when someone at least tries to understand it.”

You then asked him a couple questions about his work. He was happy to answer, especially since you refrained from asking anything too personal, but he was more interested in learning more about you. Your favorite color, your favorite game, everything. With each new thing he learned, his hunger for more grew. You were just as good at pulling information from him, especially with the way you would light up with each fact he gave and deflated with each nonanswer. He would do anything to keep that smile on your face.

“Alright you two! We’ve got everything set up on our end. Let’s boot up the game and then we can get started!” the director shouted. Vince nearly glared as you were jolted out of the conversation, sheepishly nodding as you woke the computer from sleep mode and double clicked the icon on the screen.

And then, it was time to start. You had a hard time concentrating on what to say with the stage lights and all the cameras pointed at you. Sure, you were used to facecam but this was nothing like that. You nearly jumped out of your seat when you felt a pair of lips brush against the shell of your ear, right before the cameras began rolling.

“Just focus on me and the game. You’ll forget about them in no time.”

Vince was once again treated to you blushing, smirking as he pulled away. He saw no harm in a little bit of flirting, especially when it was so easy to pull such a cute reaction from you. He then pasted on a smile, taking the lead in introducing the two of you and the company behind the game while you composed yourself enough to take over.

“Well, let’s get started!” you said after the intro. “I’m super excited to play this since the sequel was so much fun. And it’s not everyday I get to play games with a famous actor like Vince Cantrell!” He felt his heart warm as you looked at him, a teasing glimmer in your eye. Time to turn up the charm.

“I’m even more excited, if you can believe it, to experience this game since I’m with you,” he said, holding eye contact. “But I’m afraid I don’t know that much about video games. Hopefully I won’t slow you down.”

You laughed at that. “Don’t worry, it’d be my pleasure to teach you. You’ll know everything you need to when I’m done with you.”

The next couple hours flew by for you two. It was like you had both forgotten the cameras and were in your own little world. It was the most fun Vince had had in a long time, ever since his parents died. You were the first person he felt he could genuinely connect with, not as an actor but as a person.

In between interview questions about his role in the movie and the flirty comments you two exchanged, you showed off the features of the game. Vince took this opportunity to crowd in close, pressing against you in order to look at the screen. You eventually coaxed him to play a little after promising to keep your hand over his to help with the controls.

“And if you click this menu right here, you’ll see some things they added in the sequel. Like pet shops! They officially added pets after I found a bug that let you domesticate wild animals and everyone in the community fell in love with it and asked for it to become a proper mechanic.”

“So if we place this down our citizens can buy pets?”

“Yep! You can choose what pets you want to stock and customize the building. And after a while, the pets may cross breed and make new species.”

“Interesting…” he muttered, caring more about the feeling of your hand on his. Not that he was bored, of course not! He thought he could listen to you talk about game mechanics for hours on end, just to hear your voice.

“And let me bring up the color wheel so you can see all the options for customization. Go ahead and pick whatever you want. See, you’re already getting it!”

“Only because I have you to help me. We’d probably need to spend far more time together before I could do anything like this on my own. Maybe I could come over sometime?” You looked a bit taken aback by that. Sure, he was laying it on a bit thick and playing up his incompetence but it wasn’t really his fault, not when you were so completely enchanting that he would do anything to get closer to you. It was exciting, having to take the initiative. Most of the time people pursued him, wanting the attention of someone rich and handsome while not actually caring about him at all.

“Ha ha, maybe,” you laughed, brushing off the comment. You both continued with the game for a little while longer until you got the signal to start wrapping up. You announced the game’s release date and also said you would be doing a give away for some free game keys in your chat when the video premiered on your channel in a few weeks time.

“AND… CUT!”

And just like that, it was over. The lights shut off and you slumped, no longer having to be “on”.

“I don’t know how you do stuff like this so often. I’d never survive,” you sighed.

“You get used to it. Besides, you did really well. You’re great on camera.”

“Really? Well I guess that makes sense even if my setup is way more casual. And you definitely helped a lot! I would have been a wreck without you helping me.”

He tried not to let it show how much that affected him but it was hard for him to hide how pleased he was hearing you say that. It was only natural you would recognize his rightful place was by your side. There was just one thing left for him to do.

“I was serious, you know. About coming over and playing games with you. You could even stream it if you wanted.”

You bit your lip. “Really? You’d be okay with that?”

“More than okay, I assure you. I had a lot of fun today and would love to see you again in a less formal context.”

“Oh…” You trailed off, considering it as Vince felt his heart crawl up his throat. Please say yes. “Um, sure. That sounds fun. Let’s exchange contact info and see if we can set something up. I expect you’re way busier than me so let me know when you have some free time, okay?”

And with that, he was in. The actor watched as you entered your details into his phone, eyes narrowed like a predator. You then walked off with a wave, eager to get home and wash the day off in the shower. Vince smirked as he watched you go.

You may not realize it now, but you were already his. After all, once Vince Cantrell decided he wanted something, nothing could stop him

(Hope you enjoyed! There will be a part two to this, when I get around to it)

#not the happiest with this #yandere x reader #male yandere #yandere imagines #yandere oc #yandere actor #yandere actor x reader #my writing

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riddles-fiddles · 11 months

Note

hello asdfgsjdldkl this is a half fluffy half spicy request, how would you feel about writing a fem/gn mc who is autistic, but here’s the twist (lol)—their special interest is kink/bdsm? maybe they’re a bit shy about it at first since it’s not exactly something you just TALK about but one day they somehow end up infodumping? with Lilia, Idia, Vil, and Malleus, if that’s okay? (bonus points for mc being a sub ghjkslahsksl) (also if you’re not sure about how to write an autistic mc that’s totally fine, thank you for your service /gen ajshsjskdkl)

I tried to write this based on how my ADHD brain works with my special interests, so I hope this isn't as terrible lol also since you didn't say which kinks you'd like to see, I kept them a little bit more on the generalized side. If you'd like something more specific you can request again. Anyways thank you kindly for this lovely request, I had lots of fun writing it /gen <3

Synopsis: the boys are very intriguided to know about your secret special interest~ Characters: Vil Schoenheit, Idia Shroud, Malleus Draconia, Lilia Vanrouge Tags: NSFW, smut with context, bondage play, master/servant, power play, spanking/impact play Notes: gender neutral reader (unspecified body parts), everyone is 18+, excuse any grammatical errors,,,

•·.·''·.·•ˏˋ°•*•·.·''·.·•ˏˋ°•*•·.·''·.·•ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

Vil looks down on you with an amused expression as you moan and buck your hips up, searching for the friction you so desesperately need from his hands. You were pressed against the couch with your wrists firmly tied up on your back and your legs held apart by the leather belts, your dripping arousal entirely exposed and unable to wiggle too much, keeping you on the edge of your climax as you relied on Vil's painfully slow and light touches. It all started from one of Vil's fashion jobs. Being one of Twisted Wonderland's most beloved supermodels, he was offered to take a catwalk under the name of a high-end brand trying to test a new niche of clothing and creative display: a mix of kinky props and everyday clothing, with emphasis on office attire.

Vil looks absolutely dazzling on his violet blue formal shirt, sleeves rolled up his elbows to expose the shoulder-lenght latex gloves. A black leather chest harness hugs his figure perfectly, highlighting his curves and accentuating his proportions, his clothing, paired with the sensual makeup, gave him a rather imposing, bossy feel - the perfect face of a dangerous temptation, especially for you.

So much you can't help but unload all the little details about harness fashion you know about, about how they can be used to better pick on certain body parts, how they can be used for bondage and how you would love to try some on-

"Hush now, my precious nightingale. I love it when you sing for me like that, but…" He coos softly, his breath tickling against the hot skin of your cheek as his fingers came to press against your lips, gently nudging them open; a taunt and a promise of something more to come. "…I would hate it if the agency's staff came into my dressing room to find you like this."

Your eyes widen, suddenly remebering that anybody could walk in on any second, curious about the amount of noise coming out of Vil's room. As you slowly part your lips to welcome his gloved fingers, you hear a low chuckle of satisfaction coming. "Good puppy," Vil's whisper melts on your ears like dripping honey as his fingers make their way between uour teeth, playing with your tongue. "You deserve a reward for being so well behaved."

"Y-you feel so g-good, darling…" Idia groans in contentment before slamming his cock deep inside you once more. A shaky, devilish laugh rolls off his tongue as he watches the way you struggle to keep you hand steady, trying your best to pour some tea without allowing even the tiniest drop to stain the sheets.

Idia was the one trying to suggest new things for you two to try out - on his own nerdy, embarrassed ways. He was too scared to openly admit his kinks, thinking that maybe you could find him a weirdo, so he would casually comment about something like he was just talking about the news, or even pointing out something unusual on a character from some anime.

However, Idia soon discovered about the hype of cat maid cafés, and as he 'innocently' showed you some of the recipes and how you could pick your maid's personality, he was surprised to see how it had sparked your interest, his face going alight as you passionately unravel about your love for cute maid outfits and how you do own one. Idia wasn't one to make bold moves, but that was just too good of an opportunity to let it slip away from his fingers, so he lightly suggests to see you with it…

And now you found yourself full-on roleplaying. Taking in the role of a humble, diligent maid to your master, you faced multiple challenges as Idia reveled on your misery, trying to keep yourself composed while serving him.

Idia's fingernails dig on your hips, pulling down on the black skirt as he bucks up against you, low gasps leaving his lips. You need to bite down on your lips to contain a curse, holding onto the teacup between your hands for dear life. "So cute and obedient…" You shiver at his praise, his voice laced with dark desire, pushing you down on his lap.

You are surprised by his hand possessively wrapping around your chin, forcing your face to turn to him. Before you can mouth any sound, he captures your lips, making your grip finally falter, droplets of tea splasing over Idia's legs.

"Oh no, seems like you've made a mess… better clean it up quick if you don't wanna be punished, huh?" He smirks with mischief, his pointy teeth grazing over your shoulder threateningly.

You shudder in antecipation under Malleus' firm grip around the back of your neck, pushing your face down into the sheets. His throaty growl lingers over your body, leaving goosebumps under your skin. "Mine," Malleus rasps, his teeth sinking down on your back, leaving behind a perfect mark. "And I'll make sure everyone knows who you belong to." Malleus is very curious regarding everything that involves human nature, entertained by even the simplest of things. It wasn't uncommon to find him nose deep inside books, drinking in the particularities of the ones so exquisite for his fae standards.

While spending the afternoon with you in Ramshackle Dorm, quietly fidgeting through your phones and simply enjoying each other's company, he accidentally looked over your smartphone right in time to catch you scrolling down on a Magicam post about 'power play'. His interest is immediately piqued, intrigued by whatever it meant; Malleus points it out, interested to know more about it, and as you eagerly explains what it means, Malleus nods and hums in understanding, his mind working out on this new discovery.

"That's a very exquisite concept. Tell me, Child of Man, would you be willing to give me a practical demonstration on the matter? I'm certain I could understand it better this way."

You tried to keep Malleus pinned down on the bed, your hands firmly wrapping around his wrists to keep him still. Your attempt in dominance only the Fae Prince, who effortlessly turned you to lay on your belly, restraining you by the arms. "Looks like I am the winner of this little dispute. Shall I indulge in my prize now?"

"Easy now, sugar bat. If you tense up too much, it will hurt even more." A low chuckle rolls off Lilia's tongue, mischief mixed with tenderness etched on his cherry-coloured eyes. The paddle on his hand slowly runs over your warmed thighs, the sensitive skin shivering and squirming under the rough leather feel, teasing and threatening to strike once more.

"Back in my day, those devices were used as torture tools to coax prisoners into talking about their secrets. Now, they are used in intimate rendezvous to give pleasure induced by pain." Lilia giggles, an innocent smile gracing his lips - a very fake one. The glint on his eyes suggesting some sly, hidden interest, like he wasn't just silently reading the fanfiction you were writing on your phone.

"So, you're interested on the complexities of pain and pleasure, huh? Would you like to indulge in a demonstration? I'll be more than happy to lead you into this forbidden experience, my dear." How could you deny such a confident, tantalizing suggestion? You knew a lot about the theoretical thing, having read a lot about fiction or even health-related articles about BDSM and impact play. Despite being shy about it, you knew you could trust Lilia.

"You're doing very well, sweetheart," Lilia's whisper is sweet and reassuring as his fingers gently thread between your locks, a soothing gesture in contrast to the dry impact of the paddle against your buttcheeks, marking the skin with a pinkish colour. The leather leaves a stinging sensation, making you gasp and squirm over Lilia's lap. He leans in to press a soft kiss on your forehead, a sly smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "Only ten more to go."

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blackmoonlightexpress · 11 months

Text

Fun Facts behind TTEOTM!

Creative Team

Till the End of the Moon is the second TV drama produced by newcomer Otters Studio (獭獭文化), which was originally set up for dangai/BL drama Immortality (皓衣行), also featuring Luo Yunxi.

The Hangzhou-based Otters Studio is a subsidiary of Nanpai Entertainment (南派泛娱), the company owned by Kenneth Xu (aka “Third Uncle" 南派三叔). Xu is best known as the novelist and screenwriter behind "Grave Robbers' Chronicles" (盗墓笔记).

A big part of TTEOTM's core creative team also worked on Immortality. And a lot of the Immortality team came from Ashes of Love (2018) with Luo Yunxi. This includes...

He Fang (Screenwriter) - Immortality

Luo Xuan (Screenwriter & Associate Producer) - Immortality

Huang Wei (Costume Designer) - Immortality

Guan Dazhou (Music Director) - Immortality

Wang Yirong (Lead Producer) - Immortality

Wang Haiqi (B Unit Director & Action Director) - Immortality & Ashes of Love

Tsang Mingfai (Makeup Designer) - Immortality & Ashes of Love

Shen Xufei (Special Effects Director) - Immortality & Ashes of Love

Hua Tian World Concept - Immortality & Ashes of Love

Wang Haiqi was the stunt coordinator who trained Luo Yunxi in Ashes of Love

Part of the creative team came from Huanyu (Bai Lu's management company, aka the production company of Yanxi Palace). This includes award-winning art director Luan Hexin, Huang Xinyao (Yue Fuya) and Liu Min (Nan'an).

This is the second time Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu have paired up in a drama. They previously played a couple in modern workplace romance Love is Sweet (2020). Bai Lu expressed interest publicly in pairing up with LYX again in a costume drama numerous times.

In addition, a number of Love is Sweet actors have minor roles or cameos in TTEOTM:

Zhao Yuanyuan (Qiao Na aka Yuan Shuai's colleague who has a crush on him) plays the Moon Goddess

Cheng Chang (Jiang Jun's father) plays Ye Xiwu's father

Deng Jinghong (Jiang Jun and Yuan Shuai's shady client) plays Ye Xiwu's brother Ye Zeyu

The popularity of TTEOTM has generated renewed interest in Love is Sweet on iQiyi. In the first half of 2023, Love is Sweet is ranked #5 on Yunhe's "old/classic drama" list, receiving 360M views (10M views/episode), equivalent to airing a new medium-budget drama.

Two actors in Ashes of Love also have minor roles in TTEOTM:

Wang Yifei (Shuihe aka peacock princess in Ashes of Love) plays the Devil God's lieutenant Siying

He Zhonghua (Heavenly Emperor aka Runyu's father) plays the King of Sheng, again terrorizing Luo Yunxi's childhood

In addition, a number of TTEOTM actors play minor roles in the unaired Immortality:

Huang Yunyun (Yue Yingxin) plays Song Qiutong

Zheng Guolin (Qu Xuanzi aka Susu's father) plays Jiangxi

Huang Haibing (Zhaoyou) plays Nangong Zhangying

He Zhonghua (King of Sheng) plays Nangong Liu

Geng Yeting (Ye Qingyu) plays an unknown role

Production

The source novel (黑月光拿稳BE剧本) was optioned by Otter before it was complete due to strong early hype around the IP and interesting characters & premise. It's one of the top 10 most-saved web novels of that genre on the Jinjiang platform. Its title literally translates to "black moonlight is guaranteed a bad ending screenplay".

The screenplay was written for 40 episodes, which was edited into 50 episodes of probably 45 mins each. The original plan (based on governmental records) was to air 34 episodes as part 1 and 16 episodes as part 2. However, the NRTA (Chinese government agency that regulates TV) closed the loophole around airing two seasons back to back early this year, which is why TTEOTM was edited back down to 40 episodes of 55 mins each so that it could air in one go.

TTEOTM changed its Chinese title twice. It was originally named 月照千峰为一人 (The moon shines for one person). It was then renamed to 长月无烬 (long moon without Jin/ember, also a pun for without limit or endless), which is the official publication name proposed by fans of the web novel. Right before the booting ceremony, it was renamed 长月烬明 likely for auspicious reasons (especially after the LYX accident and Immortality not airing)

Some keen netizens have noticed that if you break apart the characters of its Chinese title, 长月烬明, it becomes 长月火尽日月, which literally means....

长月 (long moon) - how people refer to the drama, in its short form

火 (fire) - Chinese internet lingo for explosive or popular

尽日月 (to the end of sun and moon)

(Gotta give one to Chinese people for coming up with auspicious names)

Luo Yunxi was injured right before production began when filming his final scene in Light Chaser Rescue. He got punched in the mouth by a costar which required emergency surgery and left a scar on the top left corner of his mouth. Production was delayed as a result. Bai Lu had to film her solo scenes first starting Oct 19, 2021. The booting ceremony took place on Nov 6, 2021 after Luo Yunxi joined the set.

Luo Yunxi was the first actor to be cast, according to an interview with the producer. It is rumored that he might have even picked which novel to adapt as Otter initially optioned both "Black Moonlight" and "Black Lotus Casebook". Bai Lu is also the "only choice" for Li Susu according to Yu Zheng.

Yin Tao (Who Rules The world, Love & Redemption, and Ancient Love Poetry) was originally considered for director, but he worked on the Blood of Youth instead. In the end they went with Kuk Kok Leung, an award-winning veteran TVB director who has adapted 7 out of 8 Jin Yong novels. One of the Cantonese songs Luo Yunxi kept singing on set is the OST of the 1983 Condor Heroes where Kuk served as Assistant Director.

Sun Zhenni (Pianran) and Zhao Shiyi (Fuyu) won their roles through open casting call. Sun Zhenni was a big fan of Bai Lu, and the two became close friends during the shoot. She is 1/4 German Jewish through her paternal grandmother.

Chen Duling (Ye Bingchang / Tian Huan) briefly dated Xichao Wang (who plays Jing Mie, the demon god's other lieutenant). They were apparently introduced by Yu Zheng (boss of Bai Lu's studio).

Luo Yunxi and Sun Zhenni are the only actors who dubbed themselves in the drama. Bai Lu is dubbed by Duan Yixuan, who is also the voice behind Linglong in Love & Redemption.

This is the second time Luo Yunxi plays a dragon god (Runyu is the first). This is also the second time Bai Lu plays a character who leaps off the tower to her death in a costume drama.

Post-production was rumored to be delayed and then rushed due to a number of reasons, including covid which hit the special effects team hard and the last minute change of the 40-episode rule.

Promotion

During the premiere day, celebrities posted on Weibo to promote the drama in support of Luo Yunxi (usually actors only ask for this favor when it's a really important project to their career): Huang Xiaoming, Tan Songyun, Wu Jingyan, Chen Yuqi, Cheng Xiao, Victoria Song, Zhang Ruonan, Huang Xuan, Chen Yao. The most noteworthy ones were Chen Xiao (whose drama was also opening on the same day) and EDG (the esports team that LYX supports)

#till the end of the moon #luo yunxi #bai lu #black moonlight holds the be script #cdrama #chang yue jin ming #chinese drama #tantai jin #tteotm #ye xiwu #ashes of love #immortality #2ha #love is sweet #leo luo

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starlightshadowsworld · 6 months

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Atsushi being the one selected to go to the Port Mafia.

And everyone at the Agency is really encouraging and that it's okay and you still got us.

Than one by one they all head to Port Mafia headquarters the night before to threaten everyone.

And I mean, everyone.

Kyouka reminds everyone that she may not be an assassin anymore, but she hasn't forgotten anything.

Junichiro casually brings up that time he took down the Black Lizards and almost killed Mori.

Kunikida is just seething, glaring and prepared to throw hands with anyone and everyone should the need arise.

Kenji is just smiling, saying he hopes Atsushi has a good time.

Dazai is just, staring at everyone coldly. Silently making sure they all know he could ruin them all.

Ranpo is serious, eyeing everyone with the "If you do anything to him... I'll know" look.

Yosano makes some very... Very creative threats and promises to deliver on them all with a smile and the revving of a chainsaw.

Katai sends his regards, somehow threatening even with the Futon. Something about spilling every secret they have faster than they can blink.

Lucy gets involved with it too, and somehow so does Ango not that anyone sees him.

Fukuzawa made his own well in advanced.

The next day Atsushi rushes in, a bundle of nerves and determination only to see everyone looks much more freaked out than he does.

The only one who isn't is Chuuya, I fact he looks quite amused before schooling his features and gesturing for Atsushi to follow him.

Atsushi doesn't mention the person he was told to shadow is nowhere in sight.

#atsushi nakajima #bsd atsushi #bungou stray dogs #armed detective agency #bsd kunikida #bsd kyouka #bsd kenji #bsd katai #bsd chuuya #bsd yosano #bsd dazai #bsd junichiro #Bsd #bsd ranpo

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iamthemess · 3 months

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Oh poor me, slaved away to create such rubbish. (It's fic time again so as usual I am here to degrade myself for Tumblr)

sneak peek at

The Akutagawa's (Coming to Ao3 very soon)

Mysterious port mafia family bathed in darkness or the agency's newest members?

gen/ can be read as romantic or platonic sskk/other ships but is not a ship reliant fic.

tags: Canon divergent plot, Atsushi meets Akutagawa instead of Dazai, Canon divergent personalities due to canon divergent plot, found dysfunctional family, siblings being siblings, Atsushi centric, or is it?, happy ending.

The warning tags for the rest of the fic: canon Atsushi orphanage experience, Abuse, implied child abuse, Implied cannibalism, Murder, violence, suicide contemplation, Implied SA, human trafficking, sex trafficking, portrayal of street life (BSD style), I'm so sorry that is not in my list of experiences so I gotta take some guesses and creative liberties, The mafia being the mafia, graphic violence.

The Akutagawa's

Around the big table, the agency employees were all seated silently. Yosano, Dazai, Junichiro, Kunikida, Kenji, and Ranpo. Their eyes shifting between the papers on the table and the white board.

Some first assumed it was a joke or an error. Not that anyone would be foolish enough to do something so audacious, but the president was not a fool or a joker.

Even Ranpo, who was rocking back and forth in his chair and staring at the ceiling, appeared to be lost in concentration.

Everyone shuffled nervously for a while, then Kunikida, as usual, took the lead. He gets up from his seat to give the president his respect and speaks first.

“I’m sorry, president, but this isn’t within our ability. We can’t do it.” Kunikida apologised to the president as he bowed.

He’d been looking over every inch of the proposal and couldn’t bring himself to any conclusion but failure.

“I didn’t ask if you could do it. I’m telling you to do it.” Fukuzawa announced to the room. Everyone instinctively nodded under the pressure of the president's commanding voice.

Yosano stood up abruptly from her seat. Often the second to take charge after Kunikida. “President, it isn’t possible. This is suicide.”

She tried to argue her case without seeming rude, but Fukuzawa only sighed as he listened to the complaints of his subordinates.

“The abilities special division seems to think we can do it.” Fukuzawa sighed again and pulled out a folder from under the desk.

Compared to most of their case files, it was rather small. One could almost assume there was nothing inside it at all, but the papers from inside were quickly spread across the table for all to see.

“They’ve given us additional information.”

The detective agency's newest case was of utmost importance to the government, concerning the worrying growth of power within the Port Mafia.

Specifically, the ability user and assassin Akutagawa Ryunosuke and his family started to decimate every corner of the underworld over the past few years. At this point in time, they devastated the underworld as Port Mafia royalty and the mafia’s black dogs.

The thought behind such people, if the government wanted to deal with them, was to find a reputable assassin more capable than the Akutagawa's, but after an unspecified number of failed attempts, it became glaringly obvious that that plan wouldn’t work. No assassin could best them.

Feeling the weight of their brutal defeat and the count of their casualties by the Akutagawa's, the government turned towards the only other people they could think of to deal with this kind of job.

Their backup plan landed in the hands of the detective agency. To meet with the abnormal family and convince them to take sides with the government.

The special divisions unit is sure that the detective agency can somehow convince these assassins, of their own free will, to completely switch their allegiance.

Everyone was fuming at such an unreasonable request they weren’t even allowed to deny. The best they could do at that moment was look at the additional information provided and try not to roll their eyes. They already had the same details on the siblings that were provided.

Akutagawa Ryunosuke, male

DOB: March 1st

172 cm

Port Mafia solo assassin, all orders taken directly from executives or higher authorities.

address: Akuatgawa residence

street address: N/A

Akutagawa Gin,???

DOB: February 14th

???cm

Port Mafia black lizard commander

Address: Akutagawa residence

street address: N/A

The information provided by the special division was more or less the same as their initial intelligence, but as they glanced over the papers, they realised there was more going on than they first suspected. There were two extra names.

Akutagawa Ryunosuke

Akutagawa Gin

Akutagawa-Kyouka Izumi

Akutagawa??? Initial A.A.

Akutagawa-Izumi Kyouka

DOB: November 4th

???cm

Unknown occupation

Address: Akutagawa residence

Street address: N/A

Akutagawa-Kyouka Izumi was formally known as Kyouka Izumi until the age of 14, after her parents were murdered. She disappeared from any record for several months, until her sudden name changed to Akutagawa-Kyouka after being adopted by a fake couple under an alias. Despite this, her public record shows her real name and not the alias of the family that adopted her, as stated on the adoption records.

A.A. (Akutagawa ???)

There is no available identification.

The pure existence of there being a fourth person is plain scepticism born from rumours between mafia members low-ranking and executives alike. At this moment and time, they are a ghost, created by convincing rumours starting a year ago. A Port Mafia squad, under the instruction of Akutagawa, witnessed a mysterious person with a seemingly close relationship to the squad leader take out an enemy organisation on their behalf. No one could see what they looked like due to them being covered in Akuatgawa’s ability, Rashoumon.

If the existence of this person is proven to be true, do not, under any circumstances, approach the dangerous individual. If said rumours are to be trusted, making contact will result in death.

chapter 1/6

This is the calm before the storm.

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foxbirdy · 1 year

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can you talk a bit about what you do as conservation work? i’ve seen a couple of your posts float around (the seasonal worker comic and the one about the remote island) and have looked into conservation stuff a bit myself and it all looks super cool!! i was just looking for a bit of a more personable take that what job sites describe

Of course! :) A lot of the work I've done has been in either trail maintenance, habitat restoration, or biological fieldwork, with a little bit of outdoor recreation stuff mixed in. Pretty much all of those things (barring the outdoor rec) have been in partnership with or working directly for government agencies (DNR, USFS, BLM, NPS, USFWS, etc.)

Trail work is very trades oriented - you are using tools (generally handtools - especially if you are working in designated wilderness, which prohibits any kind of mechanization) and your body to build effective infrastructure that will last a good, long time. Project work covers a huge range - brushing trail, digging tread, building structures, fence repair, rock work/wall building, etc. Often you have to work with natural materials on the project site, because hauling in lumber or stone is not feasible. It's hands-on & technical work, and it needs a lot of creativity! Your end goal is that no one knows you were there at all, because your work blends seamlessly into the landscape. A lot of people who hike or mountain bike don't realize how much effort and complexity it takes to maintain a trail! It's a very secret service, & I think there's something really beautiful in that. It's dirty, hard work, and you'll very likely go long periods without access to service or utilities (lots of treating/filtering your own water, camp-cooking your meals, showering in the creek, and sleeping on the ground).

The habitat restoration I've done has generally involved the removal of invasive plants & the planting/seeding of natives. This is also pretty intense physical work! You might have to get certified/trained in working with herbicides, which are sometimes a necessary tool in fighting invasive plants. Hack-splash or drill-fill are the most commonly used herbicide techniques in restoration, because broadcast dispersion is considered a last resort. That involves individually treating each invasive plant with herbicide, using minimal amounts and concentrations to limit the effect on the surrounding ecosystem. The two biggest restoration projects I've worked on are the re-planting of disturbed alpine meadows (50K plants in about six weeks) and the removal of invasive coconut monocultures from native rainforest (hacking down palms with a machete, and spraying/injecting the cut stump with a small amount of herbicide to prevent it from coming back).

My biological fieldwork has been mostly marine-oriented - I've done a lot of work with seabirds, as well as coral reef survey & tagging sharks, mantas, tuna, and dolphins. My seabird work involved monitoring nesting colonies (counting babies, tracking growth) with some tagging, banding, and sample collection as well. The seabirds I worked most with were several different booby species, Greater Frigatebirds, Red & White-tailed Tropicbirds, noddies (both black and brown), & terns (white & sooty). Most of the marine tagging I did was using handline fishing techniques, and required me to have a lot familiarity with/certifications for boat operation & seamanship. Biological fieldwork has definitely been lower labor-intensive than trail work or restoration, but still requires a lot of hiking & hauling gear around remote (& sometimes treacherous) terrain! You will also have really intimate exposure to animal bodies and death, and will probably (definitely) get pooped on/thrown up on/bled on at some point.

A big common theme throughout these kinds of jobs is the ability to work in small groups, in isolated places, for long periods at a time. I hope this was the kind of information you were looking for in terms of what the actual work is! Feel free to reach out/message me if this didn't actually answer your questions <3

#sorry this got so long!#beckett.txt #asks #conservation #conservation work #anonymous #id is in alt text!#beckett.jpg #faq #dirtbag tag

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kuampinc · 3 months

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powdermelonkeg · 1 year

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This has been bugging me for a while now. Because of the racist elements surrounding Ganondorf and the Gerudo as a whole, is it morally wrong to write him as the villain in fanfics (even though he's a canon villain)?

Hoo boy. What a question.

I personally don't think so (other people's answers may vary, please DO NOT take me as the one final answer on this topic), AS LONG AS you're mindful of a few things.

Portraying the Gerudo as a whole as bad isn't a route you ever want to go. OoT's Gerudo are an example of this; a whole clan of people, and they're all thieves? No. BotW handled this part well by making them a distinct, fun-to-be-around people (they have a whole list of other issues, but they're not villains) that you could befriend and work alongside.

Giving Ganondorf valid reasons to be angry with the royalty and want power leans into a different problem you need to handle delicately, in that he/his people are oppressed. Them being oppressed isn't a problem on its own, but it's an oversaturated cliche that belittles POC's agency in the narrative and likes to glorify their suffering; why do so many stories about POC have to be about their struggles under a terrible regime?

You have more leeway with an established Ganondorf than one you make yourself. We know how Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess's Ganondorfs act, and a fanfic that keeps them in character is working with the pieces you've been given. With those, it comes down to asking why Nintendo made their main villain look SWANA (Southwest Asian/North African) yet AGAIN. With an OC Gan, you have to be careful to make him the villain without making him the face of his people or boiling it down to "white people save the world from angry brown man." And that's very tricky to do properly.

Don't make Ganondorf's existence a thing that his people have to atone for. TotK did this, at least in the English translation (and possibly as a byproduct of traditional Japanese ideals of honor). Riju's ancestor said her reason for granting her a secret stone is because she believes it's the Gerudo's fault for making Gan—that is a BIG no. He's his own person, he should be responsible for his own actions.

Especially with an OC, there are a few ways to mitigate the damage Ganondorf does as a character creatively:

Have the real Ganondorf be a good man, but the power-hungry dictator be a curse that took over him and/or replaced him. You can really lean into the horror with this one as everyone slowly realizes their king isn't the man standing in front of them; where's Ganondorf, and how much have they been telling this doppelganger?

Have Ganondorf's ascent to power be a hard-fought one, and follow his descent into obsession more closely. In TotK, Rauru says Gan's a "hero to his people," rather than only acknowledge that since he's the one man born every 100 years it means he's got a right to rule, as it was in OoT. Could he have waged a civil war in Gerudo, and won it? Is he a hero to his supporters only?

Make the struggle one of a point of view. Ganondorf believes he has a right to rule; why? Is it something he should have gotten by tradition, but was shunned because someone better than him came along? Does the Hyrulean side of things look more like a conspiracy to take something of his (hello, Triforce of Power) if you see things from his eyes? Has he seen the world fall, read the history books, and wants to stop the cycle before it continues, but can only do so by force? You can go with a self-fulfilling prophecy on this angle.

Make Link or Zel not white, possibly even of Gerudo heritage. This isn't a perfect solution, but it's the most straightforward and has lots of worldbuilding potential—the problem with a lot of things that make something racist isn't that they exist, it's that they're the ONLY thing that exists. If you've got five white characters in a movie up against a black villain, that's racist; it's visually reducing who's good and who's bad to the color of their skin. If you've got a mixed cast of white and black people on the heroes' side, and a black villain, you've repaired that significantly, because you can no longer glance at the cast and point out who the villain is by anything but their costume design. In LoZ specifically, we've got some new opportunities; Sonia isn't white, so not all of her descendants should be. Link could hail from Lurelin Village. Zelda could be the result of one of her parents being a Gerudo; people ship BotW Zel's mom with Urbosa anyways, so it's not like no one will be receptive to that.

Alternatively, make another Gerudo man that has to go head to head with Ganondorf alongside Link and Zel. One Gerudo male is born every 100 years; logically, there should have been one during the Calamity, and another one during the Upheaval. Or you could have Gan be one of a set of twins. Again, not a perfect solution, but it helps to mitigate stereotypes by having more characters in play. Compare BotW/TotK's Gerudo to OoT/MM's Gerudo, it's a VAST improvement in terms of how the narrative describes them as a whole.

Design-wise, there's a couple things you should not do:

Don't make Gan green as a stand-in for being brown. He's still POC-coded, you just upped the other-ing factor. "Haha, see this bad guy? Isn't he STRANGE looking?" That's the kind of vibe making him green portrays.

Don't make him or his supporters darker than the other Gerudo. If you want skin tone variation like BotW has, have a mix between both sides of the conflict. And ESPECIALLY don't make him literally black in skin tone (staring at Twilight Princess Gan).

Don't make his outfit overtly sexy. That's not to say he can't be attractive, but exposing his skin to make him shirtless and hot isn't fixing his monstrous-ness, it's objectifying the people he represents. Remember the problems with the vai outfit? Exactly like that, just on a guy. Also, it's terribly impractical for the desert; Wind Waker Gan had much more sensible clothes than TotK.

All in all, a lot of "fixing Ganondorf" should fall to Nintendo to repair in future entries, where their character design team needs to take a good long look at what they're putting out there before they make another villain. Your job, if you're fanfic-ing him, isn't to make him a perfect character or vindicate him; it's to handle what you WERE given with care and add to it in a better direction than the designers took it. And because it's fanfic, you have so many different ways you can do that.

And if this is too intimidating a prospect to tackle, there's Vaati, Malladus, Bellum, Majora, Ghirahim, even the Horned Statue in BotW/TotK you could break free and run away with.

Go wild.

#loz #zelda #totk #totk spoilers #botw #ganondorf #discussion of racism #what an ask to get at 1 in the morning #i'm of the mind that things don't have to be perfect to be tactful #but handling flaws and villains well (esp with LoZ) is a delicate art #i am pretty confident in this post's contents tho after a loooot of practice #so hopefully it tackles it well #real coffee hours #long post #ask bee #edit: HATE the bug that moves my readmore hate hate hate

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btsyeonu · 7 months

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👣. !!: YEONU’S PROFILE & FACTS ‧₊˚

↺ 💌 ࣪ ˖ ∿ author’s note , @ the way i already have a whole love interest in mind for this man who is literally absolutely perfect 😍😍 i wanna see if anyone can guess who from the ‘ideal type’ desc lol but at the same time i also have somebody else in mind hmm, anyways enjoy!!

⊂ THE ✶ BASICS ⊃

╭・ฅ🕸﹕birth name - kim yeonu ( 김연우 ) !

﹕・ฅ🕸️﹕nicknames - korean hinata shouyo , prodi-g , international rizz master , prince of daejeon , hype boy , bangtan’s ace card , mr “he’s large but i’m in charge” , worldwide moneymaker guy , ceo kim !

﹕・ฅ🕸️﹕birth date - december 30th , 1995 !

﹕・ฅ🕸️﹕age - 29 ( korean age ) / 27 ( international age ) !

﹕・ฅ🕸️﹕zodiac sign - capricorn !

﹕・ฅ🕸️﹕birthplace - daejeon , south korea !

﹕・ฅ🕸️﹕hometown - yuseong-gu , daejeon , south korea !

﹕・ฅ🕸️﹕residence - gangnam-gu , seoul , south korea !

﹕・ฅ🕸️﹕nationality - south korean !

﹕・ฅ🕸️﹕ethnicity - south korean !

╰・ฅ🕸️ : languages - korean ( 100% – mother tongue ) , japanese ( 80% – fluent ) , english ( 40% – amateur ) , mandarin ( 40% – amateur ) , spanish ( 30% - learning ) , tagalog ( 10% – beginner ) , hindi ( 5% – beginner ) !

⊂ PHYSICAL ✶ TRAITS ⊃

╭・ฅ🕸﹕height - 5’5 ft | 165.1 cm !

﹕・ฅ🕸️﹕eye colour - black !

﹕・ฅ🕸️﹕natural hair colour - black !

﹕・ฅ🕸️﹕modifications - multiple ear piercings , nose piercing ( temporary ) , tattoos !

﹕・ฅ🕸️﹕blood type - o negative !

╰・ฅ🕸️ : faceclaim - lee jihoon a.k.a woozi ( seventeen ) !

⊂ CAREER ✶ INFO ⊃

╭・ฅ🕸﹕stage name - YeoniX !

﹕・ฅ🕸️﹕positions - lead rapper , main dancer , vocalist , face of the group , centre !

﹕・ฅ🕸️﹕representative emoji - 🦊 !

﹕・ฅ🕸️﹕debut date - june 13th , 2O13 !

╰・ฅ🕸️ : group - bangtan sonyeondan ; bts !

⊂ PERSONAL ✶ INFO ⊃

╭・ฅ🕸﹕mbti - enfj-t !

﹕・ฅ🕸️﹕family - mother , father , younger sister , younger brother !

﹕・ฅ🕸️﹕positive traits - receptive , reliable , passionate , altruistic , charismatic !

╰・ฅ🕸️ : negative traits - unrealistic , overly idealistic , condescending , intense , overly empathetic !

⊂ HIS ✶ TRIVIA ⊃

HE WAS BORN in yuseong-gu , DAEJEON , south korea.

HIS FAMILY CONSISTS OF: mother , FATHER , younger sister and a younger brother , BUT HE only regularly keeps IN TOUCH with his father.

EDUCATION: daejeon JUAN elementary SCHOOL ; daejeon OESAM middle SCHOOL ; korean ARTS high school ; global cyber UNIVERSITY.

he is TRANSGENDER ftm ( female to MALE ) and was OUTED against his WILL in 2O15 after a series of BABY photos ARISED of him looking ‘feminine’.

YEONU has always had a PASSION for making MUSIC ever since ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. he HAD his own little BAND that would often PLAY at TALENT SHOWS.

he was very POPULAR with the GIRLS in school BECAUSE of his IMMENSE musical talents and OUTGOING personality. he THINKS the boys didn’t LIKE HIM so much because of this.

he was easily SCOUTED by the BIG THREE and various AGENCIES after a VIDEO of him and his BAND playing at a TALENT show was uploaded online.

he CHOSE to go with BIGHIT for many REASONS. he wanted more CREATIVE FREEDOM with his music, he WANTED to be able to COMMUNICATE with management openly and he just LIKED the vision that BIGHIT had.

he was the SECOND member to join BIGHIT after NAMJOON. yeonu and namjoon have KNOWN each other the LONGEST out of all of the MEMBERS.

HOSEOK SAID yeonu drinks MILK at least twice a DAY. he thinks it WILL make him TALLER at some point and that YOONGI actively encourages this THOUGHT PROCESS. (14.09.16 VLIVE)

YEONU says the BODY PART he is most CONFIDENT about is his BICEPS.

he also states that one GOOD thing about his HEIGHT is that he can be CARRIED around by the OTHER MEMBERS all day. YEONU is actively the member who has to use his FEET the least to GET to PLACES because he has a PERSONAL CHAUFFEUR at ALL TIMES by his SIDE.

initially his MEMBERS did not know YEONU WAS TRANSGENDER until he was OUTED.

his FAVOURITE colour is RED & GREY.

when ASKED to rank the MOST ATTRACTIVE member, he said that PERSONALLY, namjoon was EXACTLY his type, but JEONGGUK comes at a CLOSE second. he thinks RM is the most ATTRACTIVE member in BANGTAN.

he is described as a ‘MUSICAL PRODIGY’ for his all roundedness in MUSIC. he can play many INSTRUMENTS, produce and COMPOSE songs, as well as WRITE lyrics etc.

he has 220 SONGS attributed to HIM as a SONGWRITER and a COMPOSER as of 2O23.

his FAVOURITE NUMBER is 10.

he is a GREAT COOK but doesn’t LIKE to do it often unless it’s for himself. ONE of his LOVE LANGUAGES is when he COOKS for someone to show his GRATITUDE.

he CHOREOGRAPHED the dance for NEWJEANS’S debut single ‘ATTENTION’.

HE SAID he often CHECKS his hashtag on X to see the type of content ARMY posts about him. (19.08.22 WEVERSE LIVE)

he was nicknamed ‘KOREAN HINATA SHOUYO’ for his INCREDIBLE ability to defy GRAVITY. he can JUMP the highest within BANGTAN.

he went to HIGH SCHOOL with JIMIN and TAEHYUNG. the three BOYS were said to be the ‘RADIATING TRIO’ amongst their PEERS.

YEONU’S BIRTHDAY is on the same day as TAEHYUNG’S. it was on THEIR REQUEST that the two always do JOINT lives for their BIRTHDAYS to celebrate with ARMY.

IN THE DORM, YEONU is in charge of keeping the TOILETS clean.

HOBBIES: working OUT, writing POETRY, learning to PLAY VARIOUS instruments, reading, GOING on WALKS.

he knew he WANTED to be a RAPPER after coming across hip hop duo OUTKAST. he has MANY of THEIR albums still to THIS DAY.

HE IS deemed the SCARIEST member within BANGTAN, especially during COMEBACK season.

YeoniX’s MOTTO: “NOT everything is a LESSON. sometimes you just FAIL and that’s OKAY TOO.”

when they were living TOGETHER in the dorms, YEONU said he would OFTEN scare the other MEMBERS unintentionally because they would COME INTO the kitchen to FILL up their water BOTTLES at night whilst he was THERE eating a SNACK without any LIGHTS ON.

he is the FATHER to two pet DOGS. one is a MALTIPOO and the other is a GERMAN SHEPHERD. their names are LUCKY and CHAM.

people’s FIRST IMPRESSION of YEONU is that he’s a CHARISMATIC sweet talker. everyone always GRAVITATES towards HIM and he is said TO BE the life of the PARTY.

YEONU is ranked as one of the BEST dancers within KPOP. he stands AMONGST others such as TAEMIN, hoshi, KAI and his fellow members J-HOPE and JIMIN.

YeoniX’s IDEAL DATE: “i WANNA go to the GYM together and WORKOUT. then after that, we CAN go to my house and we can learn a CUTE dance COVER, maybe do SOME karaoke TOO. and when we’re really tired after SUCH A LONG day, we can CUDDLE up against EACH OTHER and fall asleep. that would be MY ideal date.”

💬 — OTHER MEMBERS ABOUT YEONIX.

RM: “i like to THINK i know him VERY well. he may ONLY seem CUTE to some PEOPLE, but there’s a MULTITUDE of SIDES to his personality. he’s built HIS CAREER, his LOVE, EVERYTHING, from the ground up. he’s a real FIGHTER. i admire HIM.”

V: “he’s like a MIX of the OLDEST and youngest COMBINED. SOMETIMES i’ll see him and i think he COULD easily fool others into THINKING he’s the MAKNAE, but then his SERIOUS face intimidates ME. he could be the HYUNG type too. he’s an all rounder in EVERY WAY.”

SUGA: “the FIRST time i saw him, i had to PAUSE for a SECOND. it was like looking INTO a MIRROR. we have very similar faces, BUT THEN i found out about all of his talents. THIS GUY is way beyond my LEVEL. some people JUST have that gift. YOU CAN’T rival IT.”

JUNGKOOK: “he ALWAYS looked out FOR ME when i FIRST joined the COMPANY. not that he DOESN’T now, but i really WANT TO return the FAVOUR towards this HYUNG. i want to PROTECT him with MY LIFE.”

JIN: “ah, THAT GUY? he thinks BEING CUTE will get him out of trouble. he makes THESE silly sound effects and then SMILES at me… i have to tell MYSELF, ‘aish i CAN’T lose this battle.’ it’s like a WAR ZONE out there.”

J-HOPE: “he’s way TOO COOL, honestly. for SOMEONE of his talents, i don’t think the K-POP category is enough to CONTAIN him. he’ll PROVE his international WORTH. he’ll outdo all of US. i don’t doubt it.”

JIMIN: “i think we’re the CLOSEST. we went to HIGH SCHOOL together and he was very POPULAR then. seriously, it was like EVERYONE wanted his attention. i have to TAKE certain measures now when we’re AROUND STRANGERS. he’s too IN DEMAND.”

IN THE DORM he used to HAVE a room to HIMSELF, but it WAS always RAIDED by the other MEMBERS. (180327: BTS’ JHOPE & JIMIN – MORE MAGAZINE MAY ISSUE)

YEONIX’S IDEAL TYPE is someone who will LOVE ALL parts of him EQUALLY. he wants SOMEONE who is attentive to their SURROUNDINGS and is SOFTHEARTED underneath a FIRM persona.

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