#open app markets act | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mostlysignssomeportents · 1 year

Text

How to save the new from Big Tech

This Saturday (May 20), I’ll be at the GAITHERSBURG Book Festival with my novel Red Team Blues; then on May 22, I’m keynoting Public Knowledge’s Emerging Tech conference in DC.

On May 23, I’ll be in TORONTO for a book launch that’s part of WEPFest, a benefit for the West End Phoenix, onstage with Dave Bidini (The Rheostatics), Ron Diebert (Citizen Lab) and the whistleblower Dr Nancy Olivieri.

It’s no longer controversial to claim that Big Tech is a parasite on the news business. But there’s still a raging controversy over the nature of the parasitism, and, much more importantly, what to do about it.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/18/stealing-money-not-content/#beyond-link-taxes

This week on EFF’s Deeplinks blog, I kick off a new series on the abusive relationship between Big Tech and the news, analyzing four different dirty practices and proposing policy answers to all four:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/04/saving-news-big-tech

The context here is that various governments around the world have taken notice of the tech/news problem, and are chasing a counterproductive “solution” — the “link tax,” where tech firms are required to pay for the links and short snippets their users or news search-tools make to news-stories. In some cases, the “tax” is indirect: tech is required to negotiate a payment to make up for other misdeeds (like ripping publishers off with ad fraud).

You can argue that this isn’t a link tax, it’s just pressure to bargain, but because these rules typically ban platforms from simply blocking publishers’ content if they can’t reach an agreement, they become link taxes: “You must carry links, and you must pay the sites you link to” isn’t meaningfully different from “You must pay for linking to those sites.”

This “must-carry” dimension — requiring tech firms to publish links to sites they don’t want to link to — has lots of things wrong with it, but in the US, must-carry has a showstopper bug: it contravenes the First Amendment and any law with a must-carry provision is unlikely to survive a court challenge. So people who care about protecting the news from Big Tech predators — like me — need to try other approaches.

But no matter where you are, requiring tech to pay fees to news is the wrong approach. For one thing, it’s a solution that only works for so long as Big Tech stays big: that means that efforts to break up Big Tech, force it to pay taxes and fines, and limit its profits (say, through privacy laws that end surviellance ads) are incompatible with link taxes and adjacent proposals.

The big risk here is that news outlets will become partisans in the fight against shrinking Big Tech, because news companies’ destinies will be linked to the tech giants’ own fate. More immediately, there’s the risk that news companies that depend on negotiating payments from Big Tech will not act as the effective watchdogs we need them to be.

That’s not just a hypothetical risk: in Canada, Big Tech entered into negotiations with the Toronto Star — the country’s widest-circulating paper — ahead of a proposed “news bargaining code” that was working its way through Parliament. Once that settlement was reached, the Star abruptly killed “Defanging Tech” its excellent critical series on the tech giants it had just climbed into bed with:

https://www.thestar.com/news/big-tech.html

Another important risk from “bargaining codes” and link taxes is that they tend to favor the largest and/or most sensationalist news companies, who have the leverage to bargain for the highest sums. In Australia, Rupert Murdoch’s NewsCorp bargained for a sizable payment from the tech sector — but then it laid off its news workers. Merely transferring money to media giants doesn’t mean an increase in investment in news. That’s especially true in the Canadian context, where a US vulture-capitalist fund bought out the National Post and its nationwide affiliates and then loaded the chain up with debt, while hacking newsroom staff to the bone and beyond. There’s no reason to think that tech payments to the Post will go anywhere except to the financial speculators who are its major creditors.

Meanwhile, the proposed US version, JCPA, has a payout schedule based on the number of clicks a news outlet generates for each platform — a metric that will see the lion’s share of money going to the far-right clickbait sites that push conspiracy theories, disinformation, and culture-war nonsense — and see floods of social media traffic as a result.

Any solution to the tech/news conflict should benefit the news, and the workers who produce it — not the shareholders of the giant companies whose short-sighted consolidation, mass firings, and sell-offs of physical plant created the hyper-concentrated, brittle news sector of today:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/16/sociopathic-monsters/#all-the-news-thats-fit-to-print

Luckily for the news, there’s a whole bushel of policy levers we can yank on to make the news better, stronger, and more sustainable, even as tech monopolies and the surveillance they rely on are consigned to the scrapheap of history.

In this series — which will publish weekly over the next four weeks — I’ll dig into four policy prescriptions for making a better news that is free of Big Tech, not dependent on it:

I. Break up ad-tech: Following the lead of Senator Mike Lee’s AMERICA Act, we must end the ad-tech sector’s self-dealing. Ad-tech scoops up 51% of every ad-dollar. That’s thanks to the ad-tech companies practice of offering marketplaces in which they represent both advertisers and publishers: that’s like a game where the referee pays the salaries of the head coaches for both teams. If we pare back the ad-tech tax to, say 10% and split the difference between advertisers and publishers, then every publisher will see an immediate 20% increase in their top-line revenue, without having to “bargain” for a “voluntary” payment from tech companies.

II. Ban surveillance ads: America is long overdue for a federal privacy law with a private right of action. When we finally get such a law, surveillance advertising is dead. Ad-tech has long argued that people like ads, so long as they’re “relevant,” a state that can only be attained through continuous, invasive surveillance. In reality, no one consents to surveillance — which is why, when Apple gave its users a one-click opt-out from spying, 94% blocked spying (unfortunately, Apple only blocks its competitors from spying on Apple customers; even if you opt out of spying on your Apple device, Apple will continue to spy on you).

The natural successor to surveillance ads is context ads: ads based on the content you’re looking at, not the surveillance data an ad-tech platform amassed on you without your consent. Context ads are intrinsically better for publishers: no publisher will ever know as much about a reader’s behavior than a spying ad-tech platform, but no ad-tech platform will ever know as much about a publisher’s own content than the publisher does.

That means that the benefits of a ban on surveillance ads wouldn’t just be an end to creepy internet spying — it would also transfer power from tech companies to news companies, online performers and other creative workers.

III. Open up app stores: 30% of every dollar spent on app-based digital subscriptions is claimed by two companies, Google and Apple, the mobile duopoly. This app store tax is a pure transfer from news to tech. The EU’s Digital Markets Act and the proposed US Open App Markets Act are both designed to kill the app store tax. Dropping mobile payment processing fees from 30% to the industry standard 2–5% will instantaneously make increase the revenue from every subscriber by 25% or more.

IV. Make social media end-to-end: Tech platforms’ predictable enshittification strategy always ends with publishers no longer being able to reach their subscribers unless they pay to “boost” their content. Social media companies claim to be facilitators of the connection between publishers and audiences, but in reality, they take those audiences hostage and ransom them off to publishers. An end-to-end rule for social media would require platforms to reliably deliver material published by accounts to their own followers, who asked to see that material.

The debate over news and tech starts from the erroneous — and dangerous — assumption that the platforms are stealing the news media’s content, by letting their users talk about, quote and link to the news. This isn’t theft: if you’re not allowed to talk about the news, then it’s not the news — it’s a secret.

The platforms are stealing from news, though: they’re not stealing content, they’re stealing money. Between sky-high ad-tech rakes, app store taxes, and ransom demands to reach your own subscribers, the tech companies have grabbed the majority of money generated by news workers and the companies they work for.

Ending this theft will produce a more sustainable and robust source of funding for the news — without compromising news companies’ ability to aggressively hold tech to account, and without propping up financialized, hollowed-out media monopolies at the expense of an independent press.

Catch me on tour with Red Team Blues in Toronto, DC, Gaithersburg, Oxford, Hay, Manchester, Nottingham, London, and Berlin!

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

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/18/stealing-money-not-content/#beyond-link-taxes

[Image ID: EFF's banner for the save news series; the word 'NEWS' appears in pixelated, gothic script in the style of a newspaper masthead. Beneath it in four entwined circles are logos for breaking up ad-tech, ending surveillance ads, opening app stores, and end-to-end delivery.]

Image: EFF https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/04/saving-news-big-tech

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

#pluralistic #eff #end-to-end #big tech #monopoly #news bargaining codes #link taxes #open app markets act #ad-tech #antitrust #digital services act #breakups #america act #privacy law #app store breakups #app stores #digital markets act

58 notes · View notes

don-lichterman · 2 years

Text

Google Agrees to $90 Million Settlement With App Developers

Photo: Kirill Kudryavtsev (Getty Images) Small app developers pried $90 million from Google in a legal settlement announced Friday, hot on the heels of a similar agreement with Apple. In a blog post Friday, Google said it had agreed to pay $90 million to settle a lawsuit with app developers who claim the Android maker abused its market dominance to unfairly charge them a 30% fee for in-app…

View On WordPress

1 note · View note

blackmoonlightexpress · 10 months

Text

About the mixed response in China & why I think TTEOTM will prevail in the end 💪

Saw the "Badly Received in China?" post earlier and thought to share a longer take on the situation in China, why are there so many antis, and my own predictions on its future.

First, a clarification, TTEOTM has been an massive hit in China. The data speaks for itself in every way you can measure commercial success: viewership, platform membership, app downloads, social media heat index, advertisements, merchandise sales, unintended tourism GDP contribution. The drama has shattered records and outperformed all the recent xianxias, which you'd never dare to expect for a drama with no dingliu (顶流) that airs exclusively in the dead April slot on a platform that's 3rd (sometimes 4th) amongst online streamers. (Some day I'll create a master post just on the stats.)

The only area it falls short on is critical response. It's not just the low Douban rating (opened at 6.x and now dropped to 5.6). The three Bs - Douban, Weibo, and Bilibili (which you can think of as China's IMDB, Twitter, and Youtube) were full of attacks against the show. This included trending topics on how the actors looked (LYX too thin, BL looking old/big/overshadowed by CDL, CDL 照骗 not looking as good as in photo) as well as allegations of plagiarism and drama behind the scenes between cast & crew members. A lot of people watched video edits that twisted the facts and had a poor impression of the drama and even left 1/2-star reviews on Douban without ever watching an episode. (This type of brainwashing is more effective than you'd think. I've been reading a lot of negative posts about the Little Mermaid movie and almost caught myself writing something negative about it without ever watching.)

As all of this unfolded, I kept asking myself, why all the smearing? Who is behind it? And why TTEOTM in particular?

A lot of what appears to be normal user activity is driven by water armies, marketing accounts, and "black" hot search ranking, all paid. This is all backed up by photo evidence captured by netizens. It comes down to commercial interests of rival platforms, productions, actors. This actually happens to every drama that is threatening in some way (almost a proof of success), but TTEOTM attracted more anti $$$. Why? For one, it's seen as the secret weapon that could elevate Youku's status as a 3rd/4th player to a close 2nd to rival and even at times overshadow Tencent. It's no coincidence that, Bilibili, which is owned by Tencent and has way more daily active users than Youku, has promoted hate videos and limited the traffic of fan videos - at some point not even recognizing the drama's Chinese title in search results. (Bilibili used to be a haven for LYX fans and a platform LYX has partnered with extensively. This flipped 180 degrees since he no longer has any unaired dramas with Tencent.)

TTEOTM is also a target for rival productions. It's got big name stars with solid acting reputation, one of the hottest IPs, and high anticipation from all the promotional materials - they've been super loud in letting everyone know that they have better costumes, special effects etc Meanwhile, there's a massive pipeline of unaired xianxia dramas that stick to the old formula and will likely feel dated after people have watched TTEOTM. People even started questioning how some productions with bigger rumored budgets ended up with cheaper-looking promotional materials, costumes, CGI (read: embezzling). So if you've invested in xianxia 101, you'd really want to discredit TTEOTM and stop people from watching it.

But there's also rival fandom jealousy, which is almost worse. Someone asked which fandom is behind it, I would say everyone. There are only so many "resources" to go around in the "entertainment winter" and it's a zero sum game. LYX and BL are both already big stars but still not at the top yet. They are big enough to threaten the dinglius, but not big enough to be accepted as having "made it" by other rising stars. E.g. Yang Mi, Yang Zi, Xiao Zhan receive a lot of hate too, but it's less realistic as a prospect to bring them down. In contrast, the smearing of Bai Lu actually kind of worked. (And I'm really talking about the fans. The actors probably leave it to their agencies/companies.)

Other fandoms are especially bitter in this case because TTEOTM really upset the status quo and commonly accepted truths in a way that kind of discredits everyone else. A lot of the below have been used by fans of dinglius as excuses for when a drama doesn't perform:

Youku is a rubbish platform and Youku exclusive web dramas will never have high viewership

It’s impossible for an actor to break out twice within the same genre

An actor can only develop a big dedicated fan base with CP marketing

Breakout hits are always unanticipated dramas that come out of nowhere

Autumn/Spring is a dead slot. Hits can only come out of the summer and winter holidays.

IMHO A lot of the intense hatred comes from long held beliefs being proven wrong. LYX has always been thought of someone who’s borderline A list and B list, yet the opening viewership of TTEOTM is like double that of dramas led by bigger stars. It would have been less threatening if it started low and slowly gained traction because the drama proved to be good. But the initial hype speaks to the market power of a LYX xianxia, so a lot of people wanted to see it fail and looked for faults everywhere.

Moreover, because TTEOTM had an explosive opening, it did not have enough time for word of mouth to develop before people started bashing it. If you look at Douban ratings, shows that fewer people watched tend to have better reviews because only fans bother to rate it. Starry Love and Back from the Brink, both harshly dismissed as flops by the industry, both have >7.0 on Douban. Meanwhile, people love to hate on a show that is receiving a lot of hype - suddenly they are held to completely different standards even if the budget is similar. Why are people more accepting of the rise of Dylan Wang and Esther Yu in LBFAD? In the end because the expectations were pretty low. They were able to build up a fan base while no one was watching.

Finally, TTEOTM does have lots of production problems, some of their own doing and others not their fault. Either way this left the drama less defensible in the face of scrutiny or tucao (吐槽) culture. The production is very ambitious and took risks, but did not deliver everywhere. It's got parts that look like a blockbuster film and parts that look like a B grade TV show. I personally did not like some of the editing, lighting, cinematography, color grading, special effects, makeup. AND this is precisely the type of production details Chinese viewers LOVE to fixate on. Meanwhile, compared to western viewers, they are more forgiving about things like mediocre acting, dubbing, slow pacing, repetitive tropes or storylines, uninteresting characters. (I think this has something to do with cultural differences around rewarding perfect execution over innovation/risk-taking, sum of the parts over parts that carry the sum.)

And then, there are creative choices that are daring and controversial. These are not problems per se - for every viewer that hates it, someone loves it because it's different. But this perhaps explain why its score has dropped further, even in non-Chinese platforms like MDL, even amongst fans of the show. For example... (spoilers ahead)

Opting for a bad/open ending, knowing that it'll upset some fans, but sticking to it because they feel that it protects the overall integrity of the story (no deus ex machina). Of course, most viewers prefer a happy ending. It would have been easy to just give people what they want. The screenwriter doesn't even have to come up with a new ending for god's sake! However, almost every xianxia that has come before has resurrected the lead character after the big climax. Viewers have been making fun of the cop out: What's the significance of life and death if everyone just reincarnates?

Packing lots of details in a fast-paced, highly complicated, non-linear plot, trusting viewers to be engaged enough to use their brain, rewatch, and discuss outside the show (a bit like Christopher Nolan films). The downside of this is that it's hard to edit out a scene. There's also high risk of viewers getting confused and complaining that the plot makes no sense. Even though most things do if you go several layers down, some rightly point out that they just want to be entertained and the drama should stand on its own.

Making this a male lead centric (大男主) drama, which is rare in the xianxia genre that more recently has targeted young women exclusively. The story shifts from focusing on LSS's mission to TTJ overcoming his fate, perhaps at the expense of the romance (a criticism I see a lot from viewers looking for a pure love story). However, for context, viewers in China (including CCTV itself) have been complaining that the xianxia genre has lost the "xia” (heroism). It's gone from Chinese Paladin, which is about ordinary people overcoming odds to become heroes, to stories that are just about pretty people, who happen to be gods, falling in love since the success of Eternal Love and Journey of the Flower. TTEOTM brings the focus back to "zero to hero" character development, so this is also a change that many welcome.

Allocating a crazy portion of budget and screentime to superhero fight sequences. I agree with all the critics who say these scenes don't add much to the story, the B roll looks better without CGI, and they could have kept other scenes instead. BUT guess which scenes I find myself rewatching and showing off to friends the most? Episodes 14, 15, 32. Because it is thrilling and glorious. Plus after enduring so many Marvel films over the years, I'm pleased to see a version that's genuinely Chinese (not some pan-Asian BS), rooted in our philosophy and martial arts tradition, featuring Chinese faces that have real kungfu training.

Going over the top on aesthetics - colorful costumes, hair accessories, and heavy makeup. A violent reaction against the simple pastel aesthetics that have dominated xianxias over the years. Of course, lots of people hated on the eyeliner and found the extravagant visuals distracting.

However, even with all its flaws, I'm glad it aired and did not wait for perfection. (A lot of May dramas did not go live last minute due to "technical problems" i.e. government censorship. These days, airing = success.) In addition, I predict that over time people will come to appreciate TTEOTM more. Here's why:

1) A lot of dramas now widely lauded as classics started out with poor ratings. Over time, the noise will die down and make way for what really matters - compelling acting and story. Empresses in the Palace (2011) opened with a Douban rating of 2.7 out of 10 (yes, this bad). Viewers didn't like the casting choice. They thought the actors looked bad. There were also issues with the costumes. Over time, its rating increased to 9.4. It's now a show rewatched so loyally that data analysts use its viewership to track market size. Similarly, a lot of the issues people have with TTEOTM are superficial. The things that matter most like acting are good, and even if you dislike the story and editing choices, it did manage to keep 70M people watching and engaged till the end, incl. people who don't watch a lot of TV or like this genre.

2) Moreover, when people look back or rewatch, they tend to focus on just the highlights, and TTEOTM is full of memorable scenes. There are also so many standout memes/gags (出圈梗) that will live in our cultural fabric forever. Fans on Douban were surveyed on who they would have chosen as the director instead and still overwhelming "rehired" Kuk Kok Leung. Biases aside, I think people realize that you could have a better executed drama overall - higher production value, greater consistency, more attention to detail, BUT you might also lose a lot of the things we loved. I don't know if another director would have allowed TTJ go full creepy/evil/weak in the first few episodes or filmed all the steamy love scenes without a modesty backlight. TTEOTM feels so different because it breaks ALL the rules (see above) that I'm not sure if dramas in the future will try to replicate. If they do, TTEOTM would have started a trend. If they don't, TTEOTM will remain the only option.

3) Only dramas that inspire passion will stand the test of time. There are plenty of dramas that score well but don't inspire passion - they will fade away over time. The TTEOTM fan community is intense - there's so much discussion and engagement everywhere. Its Douban group is the #3 most active ever (measured by # of comments). Its MDL page has 68K comments, highest of all aired CDrama. Its Douyin topic has close to 29B views, highest of all costume drama. (Interesting to note that TTEOTM has an excellent reputation on Douyin, the platform with the most active users and least amount of toxic fan activity.) Fans have spent >25M RMB on merchandise, an unprecedented amount - 3M RMB on a character that appears for <10 mins (OG Devil God). It's got to have done something right because this is way more buying power than the fans of LYX and BL combined. And in my N=1, I've not been this excited about a franchise since Game of Thrones and then Harry Potter.

Bottom line, you might have liked it, liked it with regrets, hated it... but if you're spending the time to read this post, all the way till the end, you've become a luna-tic (or 烬神病人)!

#till the end of the moon #black moonlight holds the be script #luo yunxi #bai lu #tantai jin #ye xiwu #chang yue jin ming #chinese drama #cdrama

204 notes · View notes

beechersnope · 9 months

Text

Summer of Cum Days 22/23/24: felching, coming in pants, cuckolding

logan/oscar & mark/oscar, warnings for accidental voyeurism/exhibitionism, non-monogamy, semi-public masturbation, and a stuffed animal used in a sexual context, 1280 words

***

The bear was an inspired idea.

“Are you at the factory?” Oscar asks curiously. He’s wearing a long t-shirt like Logan asked; if someone happens to walk in unannounced, they shouldn’t see anything out of the ordinary on the screen of Logan’s phone.

“Yeah,” Logan replies. He pushes one of his AirPods back in with a slight grimace. The left one always seems to fall out. “They called us in early to do some marketing thing, but then it turned out they only needed Alex for like, ninety percent of it, so I’ve just been sitting in this conference room for like an hour.”

“Poor baby,” Oscar says mockingly before his face turns serious again. “We can always reschedule, you know.”

Logan shrugs. “I was actually kinda thinking it might be hot if you got me all worked up even though I can’t do anything about it.”

“Yeah?” Oscar replies with a grin. “Gonna get yourself hard for me and go take some photographs, then?”

Logan flushes. “They’re just headshots.”

“Hmm. Just for me, then.” Oscar sets down the phone on the bed, and for a minute, all Logan can see is a flash of his thigh and a glimpse of the pale, downy fur of the gigantic stuffed bear he’d bought for Oscar on impulse right before the break.

“Can you still hear me?” Oscar asks.

It’s a bit quieter, but still clearly audible, so Logan compensates by turning up the call volume.

“Yeah,” he says. “Should I switch to the thing?”

“No, not yet.”

Logan listens intently as Oscar’s mattress creaks under his weight and then settles again.

“Okay,” Oscar says a few seconds later in a higher, breathier tone. “You can look now.”

Logan nearly drops the phone in his haste to bring up the app. BearCam, it’s called, which is a stupid, if not practical, name for it. He holds his breath while the feed loads, and then nearly drops his phone again when Oscar finally comes into view.

He’s straddling the bear, shirt rucked up around his waist to reveal nothing underneath. His hips are lifted just a few inches, revealing the strap-on harness attached to the life-size stuffed animal and the accompanying dildo already sitting snugly inside his pussy.

“Fuck,” Logan gasps.

“It’s good?” Oscar checks. “I can reposition the head, maybe, if it’s not a good angle.”

“No,” Logan replies tightly. “No, it’s good.” He’s already starting to get hard, and yeah, fuck, maybe this wasn’t the great idea he’d thought it would be all of five minutes ago.

“Okay, I’m gonna—” Oscar doesn’t even finish the sentence, instead just sinking down onto the strap-on cock with a loud groan. It’s a little bigger than the toys he usually uses when they’re on opposite sides of the world, and his thighs tremble with the effort of lifting himself off of it again.

“Can you, like—lean back?” Logan asks, throat closing up with every uttered syllable. He doesn’t think he’s gonna survive this now, and if he were any smarter, he’d probably tell Oscar that they should stop. Pause. Save it for later.

Oscar does as Logan asks, bracing himself on his palms against the mattress with his thighs splayed wide. He’s so wet that Logan see the gleam of it on the silicone as he fucks himself, slow and deep at first, and then a little faster, until quiet frantic moans slip out from between his lips that have Logan’s cock twitching in his pants.

Logan was determined not to touch himself at all during this little experiment—at least not until he got back to the apartment—but the way Oscar is squirming on the end of the shiny silicone cock as Logan watches him through a fucking nanny cam instantly tears his self-control asunder, and he breaks, shoving a hand down his pants right as the door to the conference room flies open.

Logan manages to act fast. He mutes his end of the Facetime call and whips his hand out of his jeans quickly enough that he doesn’t think Alex has cottoned on to what he was actually doing, though there’s a suspicious look on his face as he approaches the table.

“You’re not watching porn, are you?” Alex asks, and well. Maybe Logan hadn’t been so subtle after all.

Logan shakes his head, Oscar’s moans still echoing in his ear. He intentionally avoids looking at the screen of his phone and prays that he can manage to get Alex out of the room before Oscar comes. “On a call,” he says through gritted teeth. “With Oscar. I’ll be done in a few minutes.”

Alex wrinkles his nose a little in mild disgust. “Of course, you are,” he says with a sigh before turning to leave the room again. “I’ll tell them you’re taking a shit,” he adds, and then the door swings shut again, cutting off Logan’s half-hearted attempt at laughter in response to Alex’s ribbing.

Logan quickly scrambles to pick up his phone and leans back in his chair, thighs spread to give himself as much room as possible to squeeze a hand down the front of his jeans. The app has disappeared from the screen somehow in the time that Logan has neglected it, though he can still hear the harsh, guttural cries emanating from Oscar’s mouth echoing loudly in his ears. He could probably get off to just that, he thinks, but Logan wants to see him when it happens.

Logan pulls up the app again, and his eyes nearly bug out of his head.

Oscar is on his stomach now, face mashed into the soft, white chest of the stuffed bear, but he isn’t alone.

Mark is behind him. Mark is inside him, and Logan feels a flash of heat deep in his belly as he thinks about how full Oscar must be, with the dildo still inside his cunt and Mark fucking his ass so hard the whole bed jerks with every thrust.

Logan knows he should unmute himself, say something. He knows that Oscar couldn’t have explained anything to Mark because there had been no audible interruption to the endless string of moans that had come through Logan’s AirPods, so that means Mark must have, what—just walked in on Oscar and started fucking him? Just like that?

The thought doesn’t upset him nearly as much as it should. Logan knew they fucked around sometimes, especially when they went to Australia together so Oscar could visit his family, but he’d never asked for details, never expected them. He certainly hadn’t expected this.

Logan keeps watching, his jaw hanging slack as Mark’s thrusts get faster, and then he’s coming, the jerky, abortive movements of his hips against Oscar’s ass unmistakable. Mark pulls out a few seconds later, and Logan only has a moment to wonder if he’s going to make sure Oscar comes too before Mark leans down and buries his face between Oscar’s legs.

Logan’s cock jerks against his hand. There’s a painful throb in his balls as he feels himself spilling into his underwear, his vision blurring as he watches Mark lick his own come out of Oscar’s ass while Oscar writhes and cries and humps the bear underneath him until he finally comes too, so loudly that Logan feels his balls seize up again like his body thinks it can wring another orgasm out of him right after the first.

Then the video cuts out. Logan stares down at his phone, devastated. Wi-fi signal lost. Fucking worthless Australian internet.

Somehow, Oscar's wi-fi shitting the bed (again) feels more like being cucked than actually watching another man fuck his boyfriend.

#summerofcum2023 #f1 rpf #f1 smut #loscar #oscarmark #my fic

141 notes · View notes

danganronpa-headcanons-imagines · 9 months

Text

Danganronpa Love Languages (DR1)

[ DR THH | SDR2 | DR V3 ]

Makoto Naegi - Gift Giving

Makoto kinda struggles with self confidence in relationships. He's always seen himself as plain and unremarkable so he often ponders what he really offers in your relationship. He's just kinda your basic boyfriend type in his eyes. On the other hand, you are so gorgeous and funny and talented and etc etc etc. Doing regular romantic gestures is great to him of course, and he does them all the time. But Makoto loves to specifically get you gifts that fit you perfectly. No matter the occassion he is always ready with a gift that will absolutely blow your mind. It's odd, it's almost like he has a chart of everything you like and dislike. Either way you are super grateful everytime and he earns a passionate kiss

Aoi Asahina - Quality Time

Aoi is a love bug and doesn't hesitate to show that. It doesn't matter if you guys are in public or not she is gonna fawn over you. Your hand will basically never be empty when you're together. The thing she looks forward to everyday is spending time with you doing anything and everything together. Donut dates, beach visits, rock climbing, watching movies, it's all great. She especially adores swimming with you! It's already her favorite activity, adding you into the mix is just the cherry on top. At the start Aoi loves to get competitive and hyperactive, racing and playing games. But near the end she loves to just float next to you calmly

Byakuya Togami - Gift Giving

Bruh we know Byakuya is a hardass, and unfortunately that doesn't change in a relationship. He'll still be hard on you and kind of a prick, but to be honest you signed up for this. Despite how combative he can be, sometimes he'll drop his barriers and get more gentle and kinder with you. Starting to compliment and talk more affectionately, holding hands, stuff like that. PDA is still up for debate between you two, but on dates he's more open to it. One thing that does stay consistant no matter his mood is him getting you stuff. Byakuya has got the money, and likes to flaunt it. But he doesn't spend his money on just anyone, you have been deemed worthy of both his love and fortune. Half of the time it's just basic expensive things like jewelry and cars. But the other half is actually really well thought out presents that shock you at how much they fit you. Occasionally you'll even recognize an item you talked about months ago

Celestia Ludenberg - Gift Giving

This woman loves and dreams of living the good life, and for her partner she feels the same. In her eyes you deserve just as good of a life and the honor of ruling with her. Being a world class gambler, Celestia is not a stranger to gaining money and prized possessions. A lot of the money she wins from the betting tables she uses on your relationship. She likes to buy you the highest quality items on the market and take you on extravagent dates to wineries and restaurants. Nothing but the best milk tea and cakes for you. When it comes to betting items and possessions, Celestia gets more strategic. If nothing being offered interests her personally, she thinks about what would interest you instead and aims to win that. It's usually not things you've specifically asked for, but she knows you too well. So in the end you love them and get a lot of use out of them, so win win! Just make sure to give her nice gifts in return

Chihiro Fujisaki - Acts of Service

Chihiro is a ball of anxiety and no self esteem. He has a lot of identity issues and feels bad making you deal with that. He never intends to make it your problem but it gets hard dealing with a lot of troubles alone. Everytime you sit and listen to his problems he is so eternally grateful. In return he knows he can confidently help you with technology in any way you need. Chihiro can fix your tech, help you code, make new programs/apps to help you with certain tasks, whatever you desire. Even if it's something insignificant like a way to keep track of your screen time across devices, he'll find a way to make it easy. You should never feel embarrassed asking him for help, he is always happy to do so. Sometimes when you boot up your computer you'll even see Chihiro added something cute to your desktop like pixel chibis of you two holding hands, or just a sweet message

Hifumi Yamada - Words of Affirmation

Hifumi is odd with relationships. Being used to 2D girls he isn't familiar with real life interactions and romance. There aren't dialogue options and dating requirements in reality. So with you it was definitely foreign. You honestly had to teach him how to be... well, normal is an accurate word. Once he managed to become a bit more sane and grounded, Hifumi is actually capable of having engaging conversations with you. Debating about your favorite anime and manga is a favorite of his (he can get suuuuper heated). He also is just more open with his affection. He will constantly compliment you in his own unique way, and compare you to a lot of his 2D crushes. Sometimes he'll just straight up worship you for a day. Just roll with it and realise this is how he expresses his love

Junko Enoshima - Quality Time

Let's be real, no one thought Junko would ever love anything other than despair. She thought so too! But something about you was... different. You intrigued her in multiple ways, you weren't dull like Mukuro or wishywashy like Mikan. You were independent and intentionally toed the line of Hope and Despair, making Junko want to desperately drag you under. Now it couldn't really be classified as "Love" in a traditional sense. It was less of a romantic relationship and more of a ruler and concubine. She more enjoyed playing with you. But despite this she holds you in higher regard than anyone else, even more than her sister or Monaca. She likes to keep you by her (even resorting to chaining you up if needed). Junko is gonna bring Despair to the entire world, with you by her side

Kiyotaka Ishimaru - Words of Affirmation

Get ready, your ego is gonna go through the roof after dating this man. Kiyotaka absolutely adores you and shows it constantly. You aren't immune to his scolding and speeches, but that doesn't mean he isn't overwhelmingly positive. Whenever you do anything successfully like cooking eggs or making a basket, you can expect him loudly clapping and applauding you happily. Even if you don't do a good or job or straight up fail, he'll still be there reassuring you. He's just so proud of you! Having the motivation and drive to pursue what you want in life is inspiring to him and deserves praise in his eyes. Kiyo also has the unfortunate habit of bragging about you in public and putting you on the spot. If someone mentions a skill you're good at, you will instantly be volunteered to show how it's done (he means well, it's just the 'tism)

Kyoko Kirigiri - Words of Affirmation

Kyoko is a woman of little romantic words. Even in your relationship she doesn't say much, and can be quite distant as well, not being used to romantic gestures. Hell, it took awhile for her to fully process what was going on when you gave her flowers the first time. But as your relationship proceeded she softened up and became more open as well. Her words were still quite serious and pointed, often being longer monologues. But she isn't afraid to be vulnerable and tell you how she genuinely feels. When she is feeling especially affectionate, she likes to hold your hands, look you in the eyes, and say how much she deeply loves you. It isn't her intention, but everytime you turn into a blushing mess, making her let out a rare chuckle

Leon Kuwata - Physical Touch

Give him hugs please. Leon just adores holding you and kissing you, especially if you are shorter than him. Leaning over to kiss you on the forehead is always a treat. But don't you worry if you tower over him, this man will climb you like a tree to get some lovin'. In a less joking way, he genuinely just feels super comfortable with you. His days can be pretty rough with his temper towards certain people and his Ultimate identity problem, but the moment you wrap your arms around him, all his problems melt away. No more anger or frustration, just bliss and relaxation and lust. Yeah... wholesome cuddling is great, but you know what's better for this baseball star? Saucy touches and flirting! Always expect some cheeky squeezes when you're around Leon

Mondo Owada - Words of Affirmation

Being a manly manly man who has been taught to represent masculinity, Mondo is veeeeery inexperienced with relationships and can be a bit insensitive. But let's get this straight, he is NOT misogynistic/homophobic/transphobic in the slightest, Mondo don't roll like that. He don't give a shit what you are, he's gonna suck at romance anyways lol. He knows he can come off as very aggressive and sometimes loses his cool, and feels bad whenever he scares you. To make up for it, he likes to take time to lower his voice and talk to you softly. He'll explain his emotions and assure you it isn't your fault at all. He's just got a lot going on. In public he is much more hesitant to show affection due to his hardcore image. But when you guys are alone together he really softens up and becomes super mushy. I'm talking stupid pet names and saying how much he loves you

Mukuro Ikusaba - Acts of Service

Through and through, Mukuro is made to please. Both her military training and relationship with her sister has conditioned her into being accustomed to serving those she cares about. With you it's no different, no matter what is it you desire she will do without hesitation. She would even kill for you (this is not a joke, do not joke about this with her, there will be blood shed). It often gets to the point that you have to sit her down and have a serious conversation. It's hard for Mukuro to understand, she just loves you so much and wants you happy. Seeing you frown is so painful. If you manage to get through to her she will calm down a bit, but will still be at your beck and call

Sakura Ogami - Acts of Service

Sakura naturally is very protective of her loved ones, and once you started dating it became even more apparent. She is always around to protect you from any danger, even scaring off a bear once while you were on a walk. You'll never face any harm with her around. She also packs extra things for you in your bag. Extra water bottles, hand towels, tissues, etc. You never know when you'll need it, it's great to be prepared! Sakura is also decent at cooking but knows she isn't the best in the world. She mainly knows how to cook protein rich dishes and power foods, so she tends to cook on days you guys go to the gym. As a little bonus she always makes extra protein shakes for you in the morning, to keep you nice and strong and healthy

Sayaka Maizono - Quality Time

Being an idol is hard work. Long hours, stressful events, crazy fans, and the worst is the constant days away from her loved ones. It's already bad with family and friends, but with you it hurts even more. Especially if you have been dating for awhile it can get agonizing to be away for months at a time. Whenever she has time when she isn't performing or going on tour, she likes to spend as much of it with you as possible. Sayaka likes to go on walks with you and just talk for hours. She loves the sound of your voice! Hell it's also so much fun teaching you her choreo (if you can't dance she WILL laugh). But when she is gone for a long time, she makes up for the physical absence by doing video calls with you. Sayaka makes it a routine to call you and ask about your day, making sure you spare no details

Toko Fukawa - Quality Time

Dear lord give her time. Years of bullying and just traumatic issues has worn her down in many ways, and due to this she is not good at romance. Combative, accusatory, paranoid, it's an ordeal dating Toko. Throughout the first few months she is gonna be on full guard and you're gonna need a chisel. After giving it sometime, she will be opened up way more. There will be more genuine smiles and moments with her, hell she'll even be able to handle cuddling with you without having a full blown panic attack (she'll still be hyperventilating at the end tho). It's all new to her and can be hit or miss depending on her attitude, but she really likes just spending time with you in some capacity. If Toko's in a good mood watching a movie or going on a dinner date is ideal. But if she is NOT feeling it, you can expect a more simple interaction with her mainly just in the same room as you. Her go to is reading while sitting next to you. It's simple and not nerve-wracking

Genocider Syo - Physical Touch

Unlike her other half Toko, Genocider is waaaaaaay more bold and kinky. I ain't gonna sugarcoat it, she is gonna ravage you whenever possible. It doesn't matter your gender or body type, she is READY at all times. Constant public groping and french kissing galore, don't even get me started on what you do in private. Stares from others doesn't faze her, honestly she tends to threaten anyone who shows judgement. Oh and by the way, if you let her cut you a bit during intimate times? You are officially her one and only. It's much rarer to get her feeling more mushy and soft, but she can manage to do the occasional romantic gesture (this mainly boils down to buying you weapons or offering to kill your enemies, but hey it's the thought that counts)

Yasuhiro Hagakure - Physical Touch

Bruh this man needs you for comfort. He's already pretty paranoid so it isn't like it's a surprise. Being surrounded by so many drastic personalties throws him off, and that's not even taking into account his fortune telling abilities (no matter how hit or miss they are). So when he sees you, you can expect him to either collapse into your arms or instantly envelope you in a deep hug. Something about your presence just calms his mind. So get used to casual PDA, Yasuhiro isn't afraid to openly hold your hand or kiss you in front of others. To be completely honest he's shocked he bagged a 10 like you! It doesn't help that most don't believe him when he talks about your relationship. So anytime he can prove to the world you're HIS partner, he's gonna show off

----------

{Like my work? Consider tipping me on Ko-fi! Every little bit counts~}

136 notes · View notes

csuitebitches · 1 year

Note

On your becoming more well read: what are some reliable somewhat accurate news apps you’d recommend? Also can you make a post on books to read?

The reality is that no media is fully reliable. There’s no such thing as fully accurate reporting. The best we can do is read everything with a pinch of salt.

The next bit could be a little controversial but it is something everyone needs to hear.

In order to form opinions, you must be able to read and consume all sides and spectrums.

That means reading left wing AND right wing news, no matter how aggravating either are.

You can’t tell good journalism from bad journalism unless and until you’ve experienced both. The same way, you cannot form opinions about a certain topic until you’ve seen all major sides to the topic.

Having said that:

News:

* Annual Review (website) : academic articles, short academic articles, popular articles

* CNA Luxury (website) : all things lifestyle, luxury, fashion, food, living

* BBC

* CNN

* Fox News

* Medium (for personal opinions and weird reads)

* Bloomberg

* Wall Street journal

* Yahoo finance

* New York Times

* Google news app (great if you want to quickly consume news without spending too much time)

* The rest are specific to my native country and my native language

Newsletters:

* Bloomberg open and close (markets and finance)

* Emerging tech brew (technology)

* Morningbrew

* CFO brew (because I’m interested in finance)

* Seedtable (this is the best newsletter you could subscribe to if you wanted to subscribe to just one. It’s business and entrepreneurship related but it’s very diverse- biotech, healthcare, money… it’s fabulous. A man called Gonz Sanchez sends the newsletter).

* A couple of others which are personal and selective because I belong to a certain HNI business organisation because of my family

Being well read doesn’t just meaning the act of reading in today’s world. You have to know things, people and communities.

Other methods:

I’m constantly on the look out for events, conferences and networking opportunities. Regardless of whether it’s virtual or in person (I appreciate both). The said organisation I’m a part of arranges some of the best, most influential personalities in the world to come and talk (I attended a business conference where Mona Kattan spoke; another one where Terry Crews spoke about failures; so you get my point about how big these things are).

If you don’t know where to start, I’d say start with asking your bank. Banks in my country tend to host events, lectures and conferences and as your account grows, your access to selective conferences gets stronger.

Another avenue is work; college; university, you know the usual. Ask your boss if they know of any work related conferences happening.

Look up online to see what’s happening as well in your city. Museums often host events too.

Try attending a wide range of events - art, classical music, finance, motivational speaking, history, religion - it will shape you up a lot.

Charity/ volunteer work is another solid way. You need to interact with a lot of people. Choose what you truly like - is it nature, animals, children, old people, education? Do what you gravitate to naturally. And do it because you genuinely want to help, not just for networking and brownie points.

And I’ll definitely make a reading list sometime :)

Edit: I’ve created a free newsletter with the intention of making you well-read with minimal effort on your side. Sign up here! Launch: 8th January 2023.

#c suite #powerful woman #strong women #ceo aesthetic #c suite aesthetic #personal growth #beauty #working woman #empire #that girl #q/a

218 notes · View notes

sashaisready · 2 months

Text

The Blood Pact: Chapter 12 - All in

Bucky Barnes Vampire AU x Female Reader

Reeling from a bad break-up, you're desperately trying to find a new place to live but the Brooklyn rental market is a complete nightmare. You take a chance on an intriguing newspaper ad and enquire about a room in a shared house, where you'd be living with two mysterious men. The catch is that they want something other than your money for you to pay the rent...the one thing they don't have

Series Masterlist

Chapter 13

Hiiii. Warnings for some mild violence in this chapter, plus vague references to previous emotionally abusive relationship. Otherwise the fluff is BACK. All hail the fluff. We're going to start ramping up the drama for the last few chapters so let's enjoy the calmness for now!

It had been a few days since your fight and you had managed to avoid Bucky entirely, or maybe he’d managed to avoid you. He must’ve been feeding elsewhere as only Steve had been around for his sessions. You only left your room to eat and spent a lot of time out of the house in the evenings. You’d gotten pretty good at it with plenty of experience after your last argument.

You knew it was petty and silly. Part of you was desperate to make up, apologise for upsetting him and explain yourself properly. But another part was still hurt by his reaction, you had put yourself out there by revealing an insecurity and he’d responded with anger. You knew he was likely reacting out of hurt, but he’d hurt you too, and it hadn’t exactly put your fears to rest.

Steve must’ve known something was up as he would’ve noticed your absence around the house - you and Bucky were normally joined at the hip. You knew he wasn’t overly comfortable with your ‘relationship’ anyway so didn’t want to burden him by sharing the gory details. He would eye you suspiciously when he found you by yourself in the kitchen, tentatively asking how you were and if you wanted to talk – but you merrily brushed him off each time, the frozen smile permanently tattooed on your face.

You’d replayed that night in your head a million times. It gave you whiplash thinking about how in mere minutes you’d gone from laying with him in post-orgasmic bliss to essentially insisting he go out and have sex elsewhere. It made you felt nauseated wondering if he’d done just that, you’d heard the sound of the front door opening and closing over the last few nights and imagined it was Bucky going to find either dinner or a conquest (or both in one).

Sometimes when you replayed the events you imagined doing something differently. Sometimes in your memory when he asked what was wrong you pretended you were worried about a work deadline and just swerved the whole fight entirely. Sometimes you still tell him but much more articulately, assuring him you’re not blaming him and it’s your own insecurities acting up. Sometimes you run to him just before he leaves, enveloping him in your arms and telling him you’re sorry for hurting him. He kisses you and buries his face into your neck, he tells you that everything will be okay, and you have nothing to worry about.

But no scenario you could dream up would replace the reality, and what really happened.

Your thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of your stomach gurgling. Dinner time. You grimaced, knowing you need to eat but not wanting to risk going downstairs and bumping into Bucky. You’d been putting it off since sundown, annoyed at yourself for not thinking ahead and grabbing something earlier. You picked up your phone and opened a food delivery app, thinking you could just rush to the front door and take your meal to your room with minimal chances of seeing him. Then tomorrow you can prepare something in the day and heat it up right before he wakes. Maybe he’ll go out again tonight, anyway.

You scoff at how ridiculous you sound. You know how silly it is to treat your meals like a military operation in your own home just to avoid him - and it’s not like you can keep this up forever!

You’ll have to see him eventually. You knew that.

But not now. Maybe tomorrow.

But just not now.

You aimlessly scrolled through the food places on your phone when you heard the doorbell ring from downstairs. You strained your ears to hear someone open it and then the drone of low voices chatting in the hallway. Probably one of Steve and Bucky’s little minions dropping off more antique packages. You tuned it out and resumed the task at hand, carefully weighing up whether to get your usual or be adventurous and get something new.

A few minutes later you’d just hit the order button and were checking your confirmation when you realised the background hum of the voices downstairs had risen into full on shouting. You sat up, surprised. Steve and Bucky were always so professional and cool headed with their business. You cocked your head to try and hear more, unable to make out exact words but it was clear something was going down in the kitchen.

Unable to curb your curiosity you opened your bedroom door, tentatively popping your head out and peering down the staircase.

“Buck!! Stop!” You heard Steve shout.

Something hard clattered to the ground and the shouting got louder.

“You’re going to kill him!” Steve yelled.

Forgetting your mission to hide from Bucky, you sped down the stairs full pelt. You weren’t sure what sort of back up or muscle you could offer or what exactly Steve couldn’t already handle - but you couldn’t stand by and let Bucky potentially maim some poor guy caught in his crossfire.

You flung yourself through the kitchen door at top speed, socks gliding you across the tiles as you nearly slid over in your urgency.

“What’s going on?!” You yelled as you hurled yourself inside.

The sight before you made your jaw drop so quickly you were surprised it hadn’t hit the floor.

Bucky had someone pressed up against the kitchen wall by the throat, the victim’s legs dangling and face turning purple as he grunted and tried in vain to free himself from Bucky’s chokehold. Steve was fruitlessly tugging on his friend’s shoulders, desperately trying to shake the captive loose.

They all turned to look at you as you took in the scene and you realised who the subject of Bucky’s wrath was…

…Peter.

“Bucky…put him down” you said so quietly it might as well have been a whisper.

Bucky glared at you with one of his trademark stares. He grimaced but complied, freeing Peter and stepping back. Peter slowly slid down the wall coughing and spluttering as he frantically clutched at his neck.

“What the fuck is going on??” You demanded angrily as you moved towards Peter, taking his hand and helping him to his feet. You span around to the sink and poured a glass of water, handing it to him as he shakily accepted it.

You looked expectantly at Bucky who just sighed deeply and glared at Peter. If looks could kill…

“He came over to see you” Steve explained calmly. “Buck told him you were out as he didn’t think you’d want to see him. Your friend here didn’t believe him, barged inside and starting throwing his weight around. Bucky…didn’t take too kindly to that” he admitted.

You glanced over at Bucky who just shrugged nonchalantly in response.

“Fucking psychopath” Peter squeaked from behind you, his voice pitchy and breathing strained from the attack. "Nice roommates you've got here..."

He wrapped an arm around your hip and you smacked it away so violently he let out a little groan. You were happy to help him up, but you weren’t his ally in this scenario.

“No. Absolutely not” you growled, waving a warning finger at him. He raised his hands defensively and stepped back, rubbing at his neck and carefully sipping the water.

From the corner of your eye you saw Bucky’s frame tense up when Peter touched you.

“He stormed in looking for you and was talking shit about you” Bucky finally mumbled, his eyes briefly flicking to Peter before looking at you. You could almost see the anger pouring off of him.

“He said to tell you that you’re stupid to try and avoid him, and you’ll never find anyone better than him” Bucky spat. “He can’t talk about you like that in my house. In your house”.

You bristled at the strong words, glaring over at Peter for a second who looked away with embarrassment. You glanced back at Bucky who seemed to be moments away from wrecking Peter, or at the very least, an expensive kitchen gadget.

You sighed heavily. Clearly you were the only one who could fix this. What else is new?

You turned to Bucky.

“Of course he was, he’s a narcissistic asshole - he comes sniffing around for me like a stray dog when he’s having problems with his girlfriend. But you can’t let him get to you, Buck, you’re better than that”.

You heard Peter make a noise of protest behind you.

Bucky nodded at you, biting his lip and clearly trying to calm himself down. You turned to face Peter once more.

“And you! I don’t know what happened with Sharon or why the hell you think you have a right to come into my home, frankly I don’t care - but you have no business here. You’re done. Get the fuck out and appreciate how lucky you are that I was here to keep your windpipe intact” you snapped, angrily pointing towards the door.

Peter’s jaw clenched, clearly this wasn’t how he expected his impromptu visit to go.

“And what if I go to the cops about him?” He hissed over to Bucky.

“Then I’ll politely explain to them that you, my ex I’m on bad terms with, pushed your way into my house, trespassed on private property and he, my roommate and landlord, was defending his property and me because he feared for my safety” you jeered.

“Besides, do you really want to further piss off the guy who just had you pinned up against the wall with one hand?” You added smugly. “If you ever come back here again, I won’t be here to save you next time”.

Peter grimaced, rubbing his bruised throat as if remembering how it had felt to be in that position. Without another word he shot you an angry glare and headed out the door. Steve followed closely behind, checking he had definitely left the premises. You heard the front door slam and Steve reappeared.

“He’s gone” Steve sighed. “Do you think he will go to the police? I can catch up with him and hypnotise him quickly so he doesn’t remember anything.”

You shook your head. “No need. He’s a big coward at heart. He won’t say a thing, and I doubt he’ll be back. It’s good that he remembers exactly what happened because it means he will likely leave me alone now”.

Steve nodded.

“Thanks Steve. Sorry about that” you told him.

He shook his head. “I’m just sorry you had to deal with it. Let me know if you ever want to send a bunch of scary guys to his house” he chuckled.

You laughed back, but knew he probably wasn’t entirely kidding.

Steve looked knowingly between you and Bucky before leaving the room.

“Right. You” you said firmly, pointing at a clearly uncomfortable Bucky. “Living room. Let’s go”.

🩸

He was stiff and awkward as he sat down on the couch. You took the armchair opposite, not wanting to crowd him.

“Buck…” you started softly.

He shook his head. “Don’t…” he whispered.

“I just…” you tried again but he didn’t give you a chance.

“I’m sorry” he butted in.

“Hey, it’s okay. I know you were just defending me, but you didn’t need to do that, alright? He’s a jerk, but really not worth it. Certainly not worth you getting in trouble for”.

He laughed, his posture softening. “Oh, no, I’m not sorry about that. No regrets. I’d do that again in a heartbeat”.

You rolled your eyes, unable to hide your smirk. “Buck…” you scolded.

“He can’t ever speak about you like that” he said firmly, as if there was no room for argument.

You didn’t approve of violence but couldn’t help but be a little pleased Peter had been taken down a peg. And a very base, primal part of you felt flattered Bucky had defended your honour, even if you’d never admit that to him (or even fully to yourself).

You shot him a look of disapproval.

“I was never going to kill him” he shrugged nonchalantly. “Just…scare him a little”.

“Mmm. Well you achieved your goal…”

You watched him smile back at you. Fuck, you’d missed that smile…but then something occurred to you.

“Wait, if you aren’t sorry, why did you just apologise?” You quizzed.

He stiffened again, his brows knitted together as he cautiously looked back at you.

“You know why” he said gruffly.

It was your turn to tense up, dropping your gaze to the floor. You were so caught up in the drama of Peter that you’d almost forgotten your fight. It still felt raw, painful. You’re not sure you could cope with rehashing it all now.

“I’m sorry, Doll.” He repeated. “You caught me off guard and I lashed out. It was really shitty. I was just hurt by the idea that you think I would ever use you like that”.

You met his eye, smiling weakly. “I’m sorry too, Buck” you said with shyness. “I didn’t mean to accuse you of anything, I just had it at the back of my mind and-“

“No, I get it” he said gently. “I can see why you’d think it, I forget sometimes you’re navigating all this for the first time. I pushed you to tell me and then I lost it. My reaction didn’t exactly put your mind at rest. And I know you’re still working through some stuff your ex did to you, I should’ve been more sensitive”.

You exhaled, feeling your body relax as you listened to him. You could feel as the she sheer relief of him understanding was removing all of the tension from your muscles. You smiled widely in return.

“Thank-you Bucky, and I know I could’ve said it better so I’m sorry about that too”.

He got to his feet, striding across to your chair and sinking into a crouched position so he was level with your face. You felt your stomach swirl with how he looked at you, unable to resist reaching out and cupping his chin. It had only been a few days but you’d missed him so much.

He did it so quickly you weren’t even sure how, but he managed to momentarily scoop you out from the chair and manoeuvred himself underneath you, pulling you back down into his lap as you squealed with surprise. He firmly wrapped an arm around your waist and gave you a delicate kiss. It felt like home. You didn’t even notice you were practically purring.

“I’ve missed you, Doll” he whispered and pressed his face against yours.

“I’ve missed you too” you replied softly. “Have you been alright? Have you been feeding?”

He grinned, clearly touched by your concern. “Blood bags and a friend’s familiar. Nothin’ on your supply, though”.

“Wow. Thanks, I guess?” You laughed.

You couldn’t help the next question bubble up from your throat. You knew if you didn’t ask now, the not knowing would consume you entirely.

“That night I - er - said you should go out, and uh, aside from food, get what you needed” you said with trepidation. “Um…did you? Do that?” You looked down at your hands.

He gripped your chin and tilted your face to look at him.

“Of course not” he told you, punctuating his response with a small kiss. “I hadn’t seen you so assumed you were avoiding me. So I gave you some space. But I wouldn’t go and do that”.

You smiled back at him, the relief flowing through you.

“You were right before, I haven’t been upfront with my feelings, so let me fix that right now. Doll, you’re very important to me. It’s not just sex for me, or feeding, it’s you. I’m all in, okay?”

Your eyes filled with tears, not quite believing you were finally hearing the words you’d wanted to after so long.

“I’m all in, too” you responded hazily.

He kissed you again and you held him tightly, finally back where you belonged.

#Vampire bucky barnes #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x reader #the blood pact fic #james bucky barnes #Vampire bucky au #Vampire bucky x you #Vampire bucky x reader

20 notes · View notes

mariacallous · 3 months

Text

A battle for control is taking place inside iPhones across Europe. While Apple introduced new rules that ostensibly loosen its control over the App Store, local developers are seething at the new system, which they say entrenches the power Apple already wields over their businesses. They’re now breaking into a rare open revolt, mounting pressure on lawmakers to step in.

So far, they have accused Apple’s new business terms of being “abusive,” “extortion,” and “ludicrously punitive.”

“Apple holds app providers ransom like the Mafia,” claims Matthias Pfau, CEO and cofounder of Tuta, an encrypted email provider. The tech giant treats iPhones as its territory, Pfau complains, tightly controlling developers’ access before taking a chunk of their profits. “Anyone wanting to provide an iOS app must pay a ransom to Apple; there’s no way around it.”

For years, Apple has rejected Tuta app updates if they include links to the company’s website, he says. Like all iOS apps, Tuta has also been unable to take in-app payments directly from its customers. Apple acts as an intermediary and charges a fee. Pfau was hoping the App Store reforms mandated by the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) would make companies like his less tightly bound to Apple. Instead, he is left disappointed by the new terms on offer. “What they came up with is the best proof that they are massively abusing their market dominance,” he says. “Apple is basically behaving like a dictator.”

Apple was designated a “gatekeeper” under the DMA after the EU decided that the App Store acts as an important gateway between businesses and consumers. The company, along with other tech giants, has until March 7 to make a raft of changes. To avoid fines that can reach up to 20 percent of global revenue, the smartphone maker announced its new rules in late January.

The rules technically make it possible for users of its hardware to download apps from alternative app stores and also for developers to use their own payment systems—bypassing Apple’s commission.

But in order to access these new features, developers have to sign up to new business terms. Those terms include restrictions that disincentivize any developers moving away from the status quo, according to Pfau. If his company Tuta were to take advantage of the new system, iPhones would issue warnings—known by critics as “scare screens”—informing users about security risks linked to using payment systems that are not managed by Apple. From Tuta’s testing of how popups affect in-app upgrades, he estimates these warnings would dissuade 50 percent of users from proceeding with their purchase.

Additionally, although the new terms allow Pfau to make Tuta available in an alternative app store, they would also expose the company to a “core technology fee” every time it was downloaded or updated more than 1 million times in a one-year period. Pfau accepts that Tuta, which he claims has over 100,000 paying subscribers, might not have to pay this fee in the first year. “But we are growing,” he insists. “So we would definitely have to pay it within the next couple of years.”

For Sweden’s Spotify, the download fee is more of an immediate problem if the company were to accept Apple’s new business terms. “With our EU Apple install base in the 100 million range, this new tax on downloads and updates could skyrocket our customer acquisition costs, potentially increasing them tenfold,” Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said on X soon after Apple released its proposal. “While Apple has behaved badly for years, what they did yesterday represents a new low, even for them.”

For that reason, Spotify, like other apps, believes it has no choice but to stick with its current agreement, Ek elaborated in a call with investors last week. That means still paying commission to Apple and listing their iOS app exclusively on Apple’s App Store. “No sane developer wants to pick any of the new terms,” Ek said. Sticking with the current system doesn’t make the situation worse for companies like Spotify, he added, but it does mean they are missing out on revenues from users buying products such as audiobooks, a new focus for the platform, through the company’s app. (Spotify does not sell audiobooks in their iOS app in order to avoid Apple’s commission fee.) “So some of these more innovative things that we would like to do, we’re currently restricted in doing on the iOS ecosystem.”

Apple maintains its changes are compliant with the DMA while also being necessary to protect its EU users’ devices from the security risks that, it says, are introduced by the new law. “Apple’s approach to the Digital Markets Act was guided by two simple goals: complying with the law and reducing the inevitable, increased risks the DMA creates for our EU users,” says Apple spokesperson Julien Trosdorf. “That meant creating safeguards to protect EU users to the greatest extent possible and to respond to new threats, including new vectors for malware and viruses, opportunities for scams and fraud, and challenges to ensuring apps are functional on Apple’s platforms.”

App developers don’t have much power on their own to make Apple change course. But they hope their criticism will force the European Commission, a branch of the EU’s government, to take action. After the March 7 deadline, officials are expected to assess both Apple’s proposals and the market’s reaction. “Now [the European Commission] must reject Apple’s proposal and even consider imposing a fine if no further improvements are made,” says Sebastiano Toffaletti, secretary general of the European DIGITAL SME Alliance, an industry group.

Andy Yen, CEO of Swiss email and cloud service Proton, is less diplomatic. “If I was the European Commission, I would probably look at this as an insult,” he says of Apple’s proposed business terms. “It’s a slap in the face.”

29 notes · View notes

mostlysignssomeportents · 11 months

Text

To save the news, repeal the app tax

Today (June 7), I’m keynoting the Re:publica conference in Berlin.

Tomorrow (June 8) at 8PM, I’m at Otherland Books in Berlin with my novel Red Team Blues.

Big Tech steals from the news, but what it steals is money, not content. Talking about the news, excerpting it, linking to it, quoting it — these are all beneficial, normal news activities. If you can’t talk about the news, it’s not news — it’s a secret.

But tech does steal from news. A variety of monopolistic tricks allows tech to interpose itself between reporters, publishers and outlets, and the audiences they serve. By creating chokepoints between the news and its audience, tech can extract gigantic sums from the news.

And because the news itself is dominated by the same kinds of extractive, vicious, gigantic corporations, the shit flows downhill: the first victims of attacks on news profitability are news workers — reporters, technical staff, illustrators, photographers. A news outlet has to be really starving before it turns to the money claimed by vulture capitalists who buy distressed debt, or hedge funds who roll up papers, or wealthy owners.

Anything that can’t go on forever eventually stops. Tech’s ripoffs have reached a breaking point, and there’s a broad coalition of journalists, media companies, audiences and politicians ready to do something about this. Now the question is: what should we do?

Whatever we do it should:

Maintain broad access to the news;

Make it easier for new news outlets to pop up;

Make it easier for new tech outlets that carry the news to pop up, too.

It shouldn’t simply transfer funds to bond holders who own newspaper debt, or shareholders of media companies, or billionaire dilettante news proprietors. It shouldn’t make the news and tech into “partners”: we want the press to hold tech to account, not join forces with it.

A month ago, EFF and I started publishing a five-part series of policy prescriptions “saving the news from tech.” Part one was the “curtain raiser,” setting up the whole program:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/04/saving-news-big-tech

Each week since, I’ve published a specific policy recommendation. The first one was breaking up the ad-tech industry, on the lines suggested by Senator Mike Lee’s AMERICA Act:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/05/save-news-we-must-shatter-ad-tech

Next was passing comprehensive privacy law, which would kill off surveillance ads and force a switch to “contextual ads” (ads based on what you’re looking at, not who you are):

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/05/save-news-we-must-ban-surveillance-advertising

Both of these proposals are aimed at reducing the share of ad money claimed by tech, especially the ad-tech duopoly of Google/Meta. Ad-tech claims more than 50% of every ad dollar spent, thanks to their chokepoint on ads. The ad-tech market is a cesspool of fraud, abuse and creepy practices. Fixing ads would make everyone better off, by freeing us all from ubiquitous commercial surveillance, and it would make the news better off, letting the news claim a much larger share of ad revenues, whether they are large media brands or independent reporters covering a niche subject in depth.

This week’s installment turns to subscription revenues. When Steve Jobs launched the Ipad in 2010, he set himself up as a daddy figure for the traumataized press, promising them a return to subscription-based business, with seamless payment processing through the apps in his walled garden:

https://memex.craphound.com/2010/04/01/why-i-wont-buy-an-ipad-and-think-you-shouldnt-either/

But since then, the mobile duopoly of Apple/Google has simply recapitulated the abusive extraction of the ad-tech industry, but for apps. Both companies charge a whopping 30% to process in-app payments, and both companies have strict rules banning app makers from evading this 30% app tax by steering customers to the web to complete payments:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/06/save-news-we-must-open-app-stores

The companies — nominally bitter competitors — have nevertheless converged on this 30% vig, allegedly without any anticompetitive collusion. Apple uses Digital Rights Management (DRM) to lock people into using its App Store, threatening anyone who reverse-engineers its devices to add competing stores with five year prison sentences under Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Google’s Android does have a facility for “side-loading” apps that aren’t in its app store, but the company uses a web of commercial requirements and technological tricks to prevent a competitor from emerging:

https://theplatformlaw.blog/2023/05/24/why-the-proposed-commitments-offered-by-google-to-the-uk-competition-authority-regarding-in-app-purchases-are-wrong-and-will-make-the-situation-of-app-developers-worse/

The result is a massive transfer from the news to tech: payment processing normally costs 2–3%, but these companies manage to take a 30% bite out of every subscription dollar collected in-app. Some very large outlets like the NY Times can drive readers to sign up on the web and escape the app tax, but the additional friction costs even these large publishers a fortune in lost subscribers — and smaller outlets have even less leverage over readers and are corralled into paying the app tax, making it a regressive tax indeed.

Unrigging the mobile payments market would produce good results far beyond the news, of course. Games publishers, independent creators, and office and productivity app makers would all benefit from no longer having to pay the app tax. And so would their users: these app makers are passing on most of those payment costs to us, and we end up paying them, because there are only two major mobile platforms and they both charge the same app tax.

In the EU, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) will force app stores to open up, paving the way for alternative app stores:

https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/25/22996248/apple-sideloading-apps-store-third-party-eu-dma-requirement

In the US, there’s proposed laws like the Open Apps Markets Act, which is likely to be reintroduced in this legislative session:

https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-blackburn-and-klobuchar-introduce-bipartisan-antitrust-legislation-to-promote-app-store-competition

The mobile duopoly hate this, of course, and claim that forcing them to permit rival app stores would put users’ security at risk. It’s true that this could happen, but it doesn’t need to: security and openness are compatible:

https://www.schneier.com/essays/archives/2022/01/letter-to-the-us-senate-judiciary-committee-on-app-stores.html

Next week, I’ll conclude the series with a post on applying the end-to-end principle to social media, to prevent platforms from holding a publication’s subscribers hostage in order to extract “boosting” fees from media. Once that’s out, we’re going to gather all these posts into a single, downloadable PDF, suitable for sharing with the news junkies in your life, your friends in the media business, and your elected reps.

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

https://pluralistic.net/2023/06/07/curatorial-vig/#app-tax

#pluralistic #eu #saving the news #news #app tax #app stores #mobile #copyfight #eff #big tech #antitrust #open app markets act #digital markets act #dma

17 notes · View notes

tartagliaxx · 2 years

Text

。SINCERELY, YOUR BAD INFLUENCE

━━ PAIRING: scaramouche/reader

━━ GENRE: fluff

━━ SUMMARY: the pile of bills waiting to be paid had exhaustion weighing over you like a feasting ghost. good thing that your dear lover was someone who's proven to be adept at fighting off your worries in more ways than one.

━━ CONTAINS: modern!au, established relationship, reader is an office worker, domestic fluff, crude language, scaramouche is implied to be a former member of a gang/mafia, conversational mentions of violence, lowercase intended

━━ VALENTINE’S 2022 EVENT SPECIAL (LATE POST)

EACH step was made with purpose, which is to say, each step was made with a murderous glint in his eyes as he confidently walked the streets leading back to his home. a sick sense of pleasure throbbed underneath his skin, expressed in the victorious smirk on his face as his eyes watched the passers-by avoid him without so much as a complaint. never mind the fact that he was wearing your oversized hoodie or the fact that he was barely cradling four bags filled with grocery items on his own, scaramouche was just as terrifying as he was back in his heyday.

a familiar ringtone broke the silence he kept as he walked and he groaned as he fumbled with his things before opening his messaging app. though, of course, you had to be blind to miss the way the mood around him shifted. gone was the murderous glint in his eyes as it was replaced with an exasperatedly tender gaze. had the strangers not witnessed the way scaramouche nearly bit their head off for staring just a few seconds earlier, they would've been confident to say that they passed by two different people who just looked scarily similar. still, between their own busy lives and the possibility of being involved in a petty fight should they breathe in the direction of a ticking time bomb, the people left him to his own devices — just as they should do.

"where are you?" the text read and scaramouche scoffed at the cold way those words reached him. then again, what was it that he was hoping for? a few heart emojis? a disgustingly, cute nickname? he could only grit his teeth as he feels heat pool in his cheeks. typing back a quick reply, he pocketed his phone before resuming his trek home. the faster he got there, the less the chance that he'll embarrass himself by simultaneously combusting in the middle of the road because of his straying thoughts.

at home, you groaned as you stretched, back aching from the sitting position you held for hours straight. it has been a while since you had the luxury of not having to go overtime at work and you figured that it would be nice to spend it with your grump of a lover who has "subtly" expressed his displeasure over the lack of attention you were giving him these past few weeks. to your surprise, he wasn't home and was in fact, fetching groceries when you were sure it was your turn to do so. lips twitching upwards fondly, you felt your heart clench in adoration. nothing beats acts of service when you're about to pass out from exhaustion.

as if on cue (and you wouldn't be surprised if scaramouche really had a sixth sense for when you're about to fall asleep without giving him so much as a glance), the door opened to reveal your lover whose frown worsened as he spots you from afar. moving closer, he eyed you up and down before squinting — a tell that he does right before he's about to ridicule you out of concern. something about his "you look like shit" actually means "are you okay?" in his prominent language of tough love. wanting to be spared the rudeness today, you beat him to it by giving him a sugary smile.

"welcome home, honey boo! how was your trip to the market?"

scaramouche froze, before a sharp glare was directed at your laidback position on the couch, "what did you just call me?"

"hm? what was that, honey boo?"

your typically collected, although also mostly feisty, lover grimaced but the adorable blush that colored the tips of his ears made him look softer than he actually was. it was difficult maintaining your composure when he was so easy to infuriate but this time, the laughter that bubbled deep from the depths of your core was something you didn't even bother hiding. instead, you helped him set the groceries on the coffee table before pulling him into you as you laid against the fluff of your throw pillows with a sigh.

"oi, let me go. i need to put the groceries away."

"later..." you groaned as you nuzzled your face deeper into his neck. an action that worsened the already vibrant hue on his cheeks, "didn't you say you wanted my attention last week, schnookums."

scaramouche jabs a finger at your waist, "shut up or i'm leaving."

you loved him and you love the act of teasing him even more but at the end of the day, you were a human who instinctively clung to the idea of preserving your life from ferocious, little people like your lover. deciding that you're going to live for at least another fifty peaceful years, you silently snuggle up to him. right, this was better... there was no need to tell him that the way his arms were firmly wound up around your waist — occasionally even tugging you closer — was enough to tell you that he had no intention of leaving the couch anytime soon.

from his position, he could hear the rhythm of your heart clearly and the way you would occasionally sigh in contentment. he's far from being religious and the colorful words he spouts on the daily are enough to have him excommunicated under multiple counts of heresy and blasphemy but if he were to be truly honest and vulnerable with himself for a change, this — you and him and silence, separated from the rest of the tumultuous world — is heaven. it's either that or heaven is nothing at all.

after all, what could paradise offer that could top the way your fingers ran through his hair, massaging the parts that hurt whenever something or, rather, someone, decides to give him a headache? your hand falls from his hair and to his back, tracing swirls and shapes down his spine and it took his all to not shiver as little zaps of electricity traveled with your touch. right... this has to be heaven, the only kind he'll believe and turn holy for. confident now that you won't see his face, scaramouche leaned up to brush his lips over the side of your neck — lightly, barely there but loving, all the same — before closing his eyes. the groceries could wait.

it was half past seven when he awoke once more and immediately, an irritated grumble left his lips at the notable lack of your presence. standing up with a low whine, scaramouche moved towards your home office knowing that that's the only place you'll be at this hour.

"what the hell are you doing?"

you hummed in reply, not shocked at the annoyed tone he was using with you when he purposely announced his irritation for the world to hear with each loud stomp he made on his way over to you, "there was an emergency at work. i just need to get this done quick."

"you're at home. stop slaving yourself for your shitty boss."

you don't respond, too busy typing an email for your colleagues and scaramouche didn't like the lack of response as before you know it, he had turned your swivel chair in his direction and flicked your forehead.

"ow! what—"

"you have thirty minutes to fix whatever it is that your incompetent co-workers fucked up. if you're not by the dining table by then, i'm throwing the router in the bin and knocking you out so you'll actually get a decent amount of sleep, you moron with shit for brains."

knowing that there was no room to argue with him, you nodded in defeat, something that made scaramouche snicker, "now, how hard was that?"

"ugh, romance is dead i swear..."

"tragic. happy valentine's, brat."

laughing at his jab, you went back to work with renewed motivation and aggression as you deleted a few lines from your email that came out sounding too polite. seriously, he and his gremlin attitude were rubbing onto you.

in the kitchen, scaramouche stared at the ingredients in front of him. he wasn't a bad cook per se, he just wasn't the best. cooking was usually left in his... acquaintance's hands. the annoying ginger head dropped by too often for his liking and when scaramouche told him off for lounging around his home when he brought nothing to the table, he began bringing tupperwares of food made by his mom instead of taking a hint and not coming over anymore. still, you were thoroughly amused and well-fed given the strange turn of events so he learned to take it in stride. the less work for either of you, the safer it was for the rest of the world.

staring at the vegetables in contempt, scaramouche huffed before scrolling through his contacts where at the top, your favorite fast food restaurant's delivery hotline was saved for all the times you found yourself craving something he can't possibly make. hesitating, scaramouche glanced at the vegetables again before giving up and dialing. while there's less romance now that he's proven incapable of making a proper homecooked meal that's not eggs and bacon, he knew that credit's still due as he recited your order, memorized through the heart and well, the number of times this situation has occurred.

so what if there's no candle-lit dinner, scaramouche argues as he continues to defend his choice fifteen minutes after he placed his order, at least you'll be eating something that isn't burnt today.

to his surprise, you finished five minutes before he expected you to and you were even pleased that he had ordered in instead of cooking. too much work you said, but scaramouche figured that you've just been watching too many romanticized sitcoms as of late. the rest of the night was a blur of doing your nightly routines side by side, no different from a regular day and frankly, he liked that. over the top, corporate benefiting actions were never his style anyway. what he did remember was that you had sloppily laid your body over his last night, effectively knocking the air out of his lungs as he was left to support your entire weight without any sort of warning. the high-pitched evil voice that reigned the insides of scaramouche's head urged him to push you off of him to return the utter lack of regard but one look at the dark circles under your eyes and he was sighing in defeat. how detestable... if he had known that he would keel over for someone so weak, he would've laughed and thrown a world-ending fit of rage earlier. you were neither great nor mighty but, good heavens, you seem to have a knack for making his blood boil. he knew that some people are born gentle and kind but you? you were overflowing with so much goodwill in your heart that you might as well adopt those annoying, little cherubs that are glowing and praising every single one of your self-sacrificial acts of kindness behind your back.

really, what was he thinking when he fell for a saint?

now conscious, scaramouche toyed with the idea of telling you off and guiding you back into his stellar path of becoming a grudge-holding menace of society. it's definitely not a concern for your well-being that's bringing this thought into mind. it's just... scaramouche sighed, before directing his gaze to the continuous pinging of your phone from far away. he should really give your overindulgent coworkers a piece of his mind. stopping in his tracks, a devious grin and manic look crossed over his face. something that was hurriedly removed as you let out a muffled whine, now also roused from sleep.

"wait... what's happening?"

scaramouche smiles and that was when you knew that something was awfully wrong, "good morning to you too."

shivering slightly, you reluctantly left the bed in favor of getting to work on time. if things went south because of him... well, you'll think about that later when it does occur.

noon approached much too swiftly and before long, it was your lunch break. you could skip lunch, you mused as you eyed the towering pile of papers you had to get through today but before you could begin working on another one, a small bag was placed in front of you haphazardly.

"...scara?"

"why are you looking at me like that with your blank eyes?!" he seethed as a soft pink brought color to his face again, "it's your break, right? there! i bought you lunch because i made too much!"

you doubted the legitimacy of his last statement but before you could tease him or thank him for that matter, he was already scurrying off. shaking your head, you opened the bag only to be greeted with a neon pink post-it with "stop sucking up to your scum of a boss and report him for passing his workload to you. it's not like i can't beat him up if things go wrong" written on it. stifling a laugh, you opened the container to be greeted with the leftovers from last night and freshly cooked eggs made exactly the way you like them.

that man, really... you giggled to yourself as you began typing a report to the hr.

each step was made with purpose, which is to say, each step was made with a murderous glint in his eyes as he confidently walked out of your office and back to his home. a sick sense of pleasure throbbed underneath his skin, expressed in the victorious smirk on his face as his eyes watched your hopeless colleagues avoid him without so much as a complaint. nevermind the fact that he was definitely acting like a househusband just as ajax teased him to be or that he's shorter than everyone he passed by, scaramouche was just as terrifying as he was back in his heyday and the scaramouche of back then is all too happy to be the monster that terrifies those who dare exploit what's his.

taglist / be added or removed here

@genshiningg @serenareiss @cloudybillows @abblebabble @scaraslover @ttaechi @sugarysylz @favonius-captain @kageyama-i-want-tobiors @lowilaufeyson @starforecasts @pumpikun

#genshin #genshin imagine #genshin scenario #genshin x reader #scaramouche x reader #genshin impact #genshin x y/n #genshin x you #genshin self insert #genshin fluff #gi x reader #scaramouche #scaramouche fluff #scaramouche imagine #scaramouche scenarios #scaramouche x y/n #thank our lucky stars!#—𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

438 notes · View notes

trigunsbbygirl · 11 months

Note

If you’re open for requests could I get a part 2 to Nai being isekaid onto Earth? Maybe when he starts to adapt and get used to the concept? Thank you and feel free to ignore if your requests are closed!

I've seen so many drawings of Knives working fast food on twt and its so fucking funny I love it so much. he would evaporate if he worked in my city during tourist season. but anyways, always down to talk about reverse isekai. hope you enjoy it!!

•it doesn't take long for Knives to get used to how things work on Earth. in fact, he finds a few similarities on Earth and Gunsmoke: you go to school, graduate, get a job, pay bills, buy groceries and so on.

•it's the way the corporate world, government and social media works that he has a bit of a harder time understanding? Knives gets it, he understands the concept and how greed consumes but he's still baffled by it all.

•I won't get into much politics or the saddening things that are happening around the world, but every once in a while, when watching the news, Knives will turn to you and just say 'I am considering returning to my old ways.' and you just hum in agreement.

•he also has a hard time adjusting to being around so many people almost all the time now. even though he stays inside your home most of the time he can still hear people talking, cars driving by and airplanes. it takes him a while to get used to all the noise.

•Knives only really goes shopping with you out of curiosity. he wants to see all the things that are on Earth even if he says he doesn't care. (overtime he starts going with you to make sure you're safe and that he can protect you.)

•I think he'd quite like farmers markets though. it may be busy but he can push through it for the fresh food.

•this man has zero online presence. the only account he would ever have is a youtube account if you and Vash (mainly Vash) managed to convince him to make one to post his music. other than that, he refuses to make accounts for Twitter or Instagram. he sees no point in it.

•Knives doesn't use a diary, but he does write what he did that day on the calendar app. his notes are very blunt too, 'went to zoo. interesting animals.' 'went grocery shopping. boring.' 'celebrated their birthday.. was fun.'

•he also doesn't text much and when he does the messages are short and straight to the point. "what do you want for dinner?" "when are you coming back home?" "we are out of x, pick some up on your way home." and he leaves you on read a lot too.

•also uses proper punctuation and dots the ends of his sentences. he rarely uses abbreviations and slang. the first time Knives used lol you acted like it was the biggest thing ever and he just replied 'stop freaking out.' then promptly left you on read.

•now let's say Knives somehow gets an ID, ssn and all that stuff. like the universe said go help pay bills and gifted him those stuff or smth.

•I've been seeing Twitter talk about Knives working at McDonald's in a modern au and yeah that's funny, but this is a reverse isekai and Knives is still dealing with his kill all humans mentality. if he worked customer service or at a restaurant he may genuinely say fuck the military consequences and consider mass genocide after one too many bad encounters. plus Knives would just be like 'why would I serve an inferior being?'

•but I could see him working at a small local book store or library. it's quiet, not too busy and Knives gets to easily learn about new books or books he may never have ended up hearing about. not much really happens, but one day more people than usual come in to buy a certain book. Knives mentions it to you and you have to explain how a Trigun fan account recommended 'This is How You Lose the Time War.' he has to take a second to take the information in.(I'm so sorry I just had to add this in nsvsjwhks- iykyk-)

•he still has a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that people enjoy Trigun. Knives tries not to think about it a lot, it weirds him out. the fact that a lot of people know about his past, trauma, and apparently, future makes him feel a little queasy and gross. he knows there's nothing he could've done and though no one knows he's actually there, it's still really invasive to him.

•anyways, if Knives learned how to drive, he would be very responsible. the only time he'd break any laws is speeding 10 mph above the speed limit on the highway, but everyone does that so he just joined in.

•whenever someone near him is driving like an asshole he sits there with a death glare. he's there thinking, 'I could ruin your car with my blades. I won't, but I could.' (he wishes he could but he knows many cars have a dashcam and that would cause bigger problems than just legal ones.)

•if it weren't for him living at your place, Knives would have little to no decorations in his home. maybe a few plants and coasters on the tables and books that he likes on a bookshelf, but that's kinda it. he might frame some of his paintings and hang them up. (I can see him with hanging vine plants)

•he gets into gardening a little, maybe hydroponics. Knives doesn't really want a big garden, but he'd like to grow a few vegetables and herbs.

•Knives still doesn't sleep, but over time he will join you for bed and cuddle you as you fall asleep. though after a while, Knives will get out of bed to do his own things. it takes a while for him to get into the idea of just sleeping, but he starts to indulge himself as he realizes how comforting it is to lay with you and rest.

•he starts to surprise you with romantic dinners, like he'll have candles lit up, a slow melody playing in the background. afterwards Knives will draw a bath for you and if you want him to, he'd gladly join you. either way, he's helping you wash up, telling you to just rest after the day you've had. it's the least he could since he can't work.

•overall he does end up adjusting quite well, it just takes him a long time to accept that he does have to live among humans and that the goal he's been working towards for years is practically undoable now. and it takes even longer to start indulging himself in other hobbies and his emotions that start to grow. (although I think his view on humans won't exactly change. but he acknowledges that there are people who are fighting for the greater good.)

#trigun x reader #millions knives x reader #knives x reader #trigun headcanons #reverse isekai

78 notes · View notes

djhamaradio · 3 months

Text

I do not have a brand because I am not a corporation.

I lost my job recently and had to log back into my LinkedIn account. The whole thing felt forced and weird because I never use the app and I never post anything and suddenly I posted an alert showing I was open for work. The whole process felt weird because everyone in my network seemed to be confused because everyone on there is an ace at networking and using their personal brands to show people what they have going on in their work lives and I felt like a faker. Same way I feel when I am told I am not effectively branding my radio show and my escapades in the record digging world to become a vinyl influencer (not sure if that exists). The whole thing has me depressed because I get the feeling my inactivity is not helping with my job prospects. And no matter what advice I read on Forbes or whatever blog about personal marketing I’m never going to be good at it. I lack the brand consistency or whatever it’s called because ultimately I am not that committed to this world of personal branding. The article above from the wonderful folks at Vox reminds me that this is one of the legacies of late market capitalism everyone is merely a sellout but we don’t have interests or passions anymore everything we do or say has to be leveraged for likes and followers. The thing I find most intriguing about this world is the pervasisveness of hucksterism, and just pure fakery. I find people employing awful vague corporte phrases like maximizing productivity to describe their day to day lives.I find people posting shit about how one can leverage their brand to build a following that will lead them to make a living off social media. it is all disgusting but more than anything speaks to just how much consumerism, and capitlism in general has infected every sacred facet of human life. We have all become brands, and as brands your ultimate goal is to sell, sell and sell. Sell agressively, sell even if it means lying and sell with your consumer in mind. I look at myself I truly joined social media to connect with friends, at some point I left Facebook because my conservative family had joined and thewas now on they had an issue with my Halloween costume (Me dressed as a member of De La Soul and my girlfriend at the time in. slutty Nun costume), so I deleted the account and stuck with IG. On IG aI liked sharing music banter, odd ball humour and rap references with my small cast of friends who get it, and I use it to let people know when my radio show is on. My show is decently popular and I dont make a living doing it, I do DJ gigs on the side and I make decent guap doing it but would absolutely never do that for a living. The DJ gig funds the record collecting, and the radio show is a creative outlet that is all it is. I dont give a shit about branding, even though in a sense I am acting like a brand but I am not selling you anything. I put myself out there simply to say hey check out what I am doing and let me know if you fuck with it other than that no biggie. I aint out here saying if you listen to my radioshow your dick will grow bigger, all the chicks will like you and I am offering somekind of solution to one of lifes ills. My purpose is simply to say hey dont know what you doing but tune into my non-commercial uninterrupted absolutley amteurish radio show where you get to hear me play funk, soul, jazz and african music, for its on sake and not to sell but plugs or lawn mowers. The branding shit is particularly insidious because it makes us forget that there was a time when people congregated because they shared deep interests outside of the capitalist objective, think about stamp collectors, book clubs, bowling leagues and in my case a group of guys who drive around the midwest frequenting record stores spending huge amounts of hours scouring dollar record bins for prized records (This is also a dying art but I digress). I think at the heart of it social media has democratized aspects of the creative world. I just want to live in a world where I am not a brand.

#duppy echoes #djhamaradio #college radio #late market capitalism #the internet #influencer culture

15 notes · View notes

vikingsarememes · 8 months

Text

Of Broken Rabbits - Part 1

Next Chapter

Characters: Ivar “the boneless” Ragnarson x Reader, Bjorn “Ironside” Ragnarson

Summary: Y/N is being forced to marry the cruelest of Ragnarsons to keep the peace of her hometown, she sees Ivar’s cruelty first hand and finds an ally in the most unexpected places.

Word count: 1422

Warnings: mild aggression and violence

A/N: Hi, so… it’s been a while since I published any kind of fics here, so yeah, enjoy and let me know what you guys think!

Credits: photos from Pinterest, editing app is picsart

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

You wept as you walked down the aisle with your white dress and flowers crown, cursing the day you heard the news, you were happy, the daughter of an Jarl that lived in Oslo, a place far from Kattegat, but gods decided that when you go to buy milk in the market with your brother, the king of Kattegat would come across you and admire your presence.

He had threatened your father and brother, you either marry him or he will terminate your entire village, you had begged your father to decline, telling him of a death sentence that he was agreeing on, his first was sent to madness, his wife was murdered by him alongside with his unborn child, but your father reminded you of your duties and sent you off to marry him, sealing your fate with doom and misery.

He sat at the end of the aisle, a crown on his head and a man in white robe ready to marry you, all eyes on you as you tried to held back tears, your father didn’t attend the wedding nor allowed your brother, you were all alone, the ceremonies went hazy the moment you arrived the altar, it was meaningless conversations and congratulations from different people.

After the wedding you were accompanied to your husband’s chamber, he requested to have private time with you, everyone respected their kings’ wish, you stood frozen in the middle of the room “don’t worry, I have no interest in your body” he had told you, untying his leg braces, lifting the damaged ones on the bed to rest “then why did you marry me?” He shrugged “because I wanted to” his answers only made your blood boil “go on, make yourself comfortable, this might become your home for a while”

You took a deep breath to calm yourself down then took off your white dress and replaced it with sleeping gown, you crawled into the bed, sobbing quietly, that’s when you felt his breath on your neck, your eyes were open wide “I know you are awake and that you can hear me, if you tell anyone that nothing happened between us I will sacrifice you to Loki” he whispered, you felt your body trembling with fear.

That night you cursed your father and brother for not being strong enough, for not telling him off, for giving you to a monster as if you were nothing but a replaceable treasure of theirs.

The celebratory week passed quietly, Ivar ignored your presence unless someone was watching, his brothers looked at you with pity, knowing too well that you are miserable in this marriage, who wouldn’t be? Imagine marrying the bloodiest man, one that can not walk, one that can not defend you, one that can not give you children, one that can not love.

When you walked down the alter that day, your father’s words repeated themselves “a woman who knows how to love a man can make a rock turn into water” you had hope, that your presence will matter to him, that perhaps he will love you or at least acknowledge your existence, you had hope that the rumors were untrue, but you were nothing more than an arm accessory to him.

He returned one night, wet from the rain, barely able to stand with his crutches and braces, a feeling of worry took over you, you rushed to his side and wrapped an arm around his shoulder to drag him into the bed, he pushed your hand away “don’t, I’m fine” he said aggressively “let me help you, no need to play a strong act in front of me” you whispered, soothingly, but your gesture was met with a slap on the face “I said I’m fine woman!”

You fell on the ground, your hand right where his handprint was left, with tears in your eyes, you looked at him “you- I wish I never met you” you said, picking your fur coat and running outside of your marital chamber, sobbing, you stood in the rain, trying to wrap your head around what mistakes have you made for the gods to be so cruel to you with this marriage.

You cursed yourself, you cursed him, you cursed your father, and your brother for being too weak to save you from this doomed fate, you prayed for Odin, for Freya and even for Loki to have mercy on you and take your life.

You were sinking in sorrow that you didn’t notice the man standing in front of you until he cleared his throat, your weeping eyes moved to his sight, Bjorn Ironside, Ivar’s brother “Y/N, what are you doing here?” he said, stepping closer, you shook your head, he noticed the handprint on your cheek and sighed “did Ivar do that to you?”

“Why would you allow such a monster to marry? You are the son of Ragnar, the bravest, yet you couldn’t find the guts to tell him that wedding me is not right” you bursted, the man looked at you with pity, he took off his cloak and covered your already wet one “let’s go somewhere warm before you fall ill” he spoke softly, you rejected his offer and handed him his cloak “let me be, perhaps I would die and my misery will end”

The man sympathized with you, truly, but you knew he wasn’t able to do anything about your situation, you knew he wasn’t going to help you, all he could do is pity you.

Bjorn stood next to you until you calmed down, your guessing was to protect you in case anyone decided to take advantage of your vulnerability, and when you were finally calm, you returned to your bedchamber, the maidens prepared a warm bath for you, and you tried to relax as much as possible, ignoring the man staring at you from the bed.

Once you felt warm enough, you dried your hair by the fire and headed to your shared bed, your back to him, if you can’t get out of this marriage you might as well ignore it, you closed your eyes, that’s when you heard an apology, followed by the placement the gentlest kiss on your cheek, the one where he hit you, a kiss that you couldn’t believe is coming from the same man.

You didn’t move or say a word, you waited for him to sleep before you could, although he apologized but part of you still feared him.

The next morning you woke up with him gone, and three maidens showering you with food and gifts “what is all of this?” you asked sleepily “King Ivar had requested that we bring you our finest” the maiden had replied, you examined the items, fresh fruits, gowns of silk, cloaks of the rarest fur, jewelry from different raids, the gesture was nice, if only it wasn’t to beg for your forgiveness “and where is king Ivar?” you requested “breaking the fast with his siblings and the earls, do you wish we call him?” you shook your head.

“Tell him that I reject his gifts when you see him” you told them then returned under the fur blanket, the maidens’ faces were colored yellow of terror, who dares reject anything from the king “but my queen-” one of them pleaded “I don’t remember stuttering” you snapped, they lowered their heads and left the room at once.

It didn’t take long for Ivar to storm into your bedchambers, angry, you knew from the sound of his unpaced crutches and the dragging of his foot, he glared at the maidens who knew it was their cue to leave “why are you being difficult, huh? I apologized, I brought you gifts, what else do you want?” he yelled at you, you rolled your eyes and sat up “I want for you to leave me alone!” you snapped “I can have you beheaded for picking that kind of tone with me”

You scoffed “please do, it is a better fate than a lifetime with you!” your answer caught him off guard, he was surprised, speechless for a moment, you could swear that you saw sadness in his eyes as well “fine! You can stay here until you rot” he said calmly, then looked at the maidens “she is not to leave the room until she accepts my offerings, if she does not wear one of the gowns and the jewelleries and come dine with me, then she is free to starve to death”

#vikings #ivar the boneless #vikings fanfiction #ivar ragnarsson #ivar vikings #ivar #ivar lothbrok #vikings ivar #ivar x reader #bjorn x reader #bjorn ragnarsson #vikings bjorn #bjorn lothbrok #bjorn ironside #Of Broken Rabbits

42 notes · View notes

wizardfrog69 · 1 year

Text

୨⎯ "finding you masturbating" ⎯୧

Idk how to title this, but it's the Moriarty the patriot characters x gn!reader

Btw idk to put so instead I'm gonna be putting gif of the characters cuz I'm lazy

Also requests are wide open if you want me to write about anything! :)

Cw!: nsfw

Please if you don't feel comfortable with nsfw/nsft content do not read this

Feat. William, Louis, Albert, Sherlock, John, Hudson, Milverton, James, Sebastian, Mycroft

William James Moriarty:

He truly didn't expect to see you and thought you were off in the market or something

Didn't seem to have a reaction but in fact he was a but shocked? He just really didn't expect it

If you two are courting then he will go up to you and ask if you need "help"

Will gladly help, also makes sure to lock the door behind him

No one knew where he was for a while untill they heard your moans 🥰

If you the two of you weren't courting and just friends or something then he would leave and never mention it again

If you didn't notice him then you will never know he was ever there

Tries telling you to lock your door

Louis James Moriarty:

Runs away cutely

Is probably low key blushing

If The two of you are courting:

He would leave as soon as he enters and doesn't speak a word of what you were doing

If the two of you weren't courting:

Leaves faster then he enters

Man never knew you before in his life

Who are you?

Also most runs away everytime you enter a room

Idk he just finds it really embarrassing, finding you like that

Silly goofy little man fr 😔

Albert James Moriarty:

Why am I using courting so much? Oh well ig we gonna need to go to so many different weddings 😒

Whatever

He will stand there like 0.1 seconds too long

Weather you're courting or not you notice him and try to hid yourself cuz like he just chilling there

But he leaves

Unless you want him to stay 😏

If you two are courting then he will probably tease you a bit

But if you're not then he won't mention it

But like he wants to make fun of you 😔💔

Sherlock Holmes:

All the gifs of him is just him smoking or playing the violin

Not complaining tho 🤭

It just kinda baffles me the amount of smoke everywhere

Moving on

He would just be there like 🧍‍♂️

He would just like leave and go for a smoke probably

Like how would he react to seeing someone have a wank yk

If you're courting:

He would most likely just go up to you and tell you to just come to him before your hand(s)

If you're not courting:

He would just turned around and leave

Never speaks of it again

John H. Watson:

WHY ARE MOST OF THE GIFS OF SHERLOCK? BROS NAME IS JOHN J-O-H-N BUT NO SHERLOCK LIKE WHAT ? this app is getting confused or everyone hates John

Poor john

He's married though so this is simply platonic

Anyway

He would freeze in his steps once he opened the door

Quickly ran away

He ran where the pepper grows

Will feel really awkward

God I hate the word 'awkward' it's so hard to spell

But yeah

Miss Hudson:

Idk she wanted rent or something

Idk how many house she's the landlady of

Or as one would say, landbastard

If feel half dead yall

Whatever

She was shocked and didn't really expect for her furniture to be used in such a manner

Kinda left and was disappointed?

Yeah I feel too tired for this, I'll come back to do the rest later

Charles Augustus Milverton:

I'm back~

Charles' is such a silly little man

Why am I including him?

Idk but deal with it, not a big fan of him either but like I'm including him for some reason

He's more on the perverted side

He would like to stay and watch but he won't

Man I wanna steal this man's furniture so bad rn 😔

Mainly to piss him off

Anyway he would probably just stay there until he can remember it and leaves

Stays like 2 seconds

James Bond:

Bro I forgot everything about this man's personality

Oh well

Honestly he would leave and act like he never saw anything

Literally the same thing I've said for all of them

He doesn't find it shocking or anything and wouldn't pay it no mind

Doesn't care, like at all you're just doing your thing yk

Sebastian Moran:

How is this man's whole personality drinking in my head? 💀

If you're courting:

He will join

Just like steps up to you, take your hand(s) in his, kisses you and tells you to ask him next time and proceeds to masturbate you

Yeah, idk how to make that into a normal sentence

Fred Porlock:

Im not gonna write anything for him

So apparently he's 19

He doesn't look 19

Thats all i'm saying

Mycroft Holmes:

You don't know how long it took me to find this only for it to be poor quality

There wasnt anything better

He never even walks in the room

Hes a gentleman and he would never even dream of walking in on someone doing something so private

He also respects people (I hope)

#william james moriarty #louis james moriarty #albert moriarty #sherlock holmes #sherlock holmes mtp #john h. Watson #miss hudson #charles augustus milverton #james bond #sebastian moran #mycroft holmes #mtp #moriarty the patriot #yuukoku no moriarty #ynm #mtp x reader #nsft #mtp nsft #ynm nsft

100 notes · View notes