#i mean i'm not... unproductive...
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can't believe i'm on year 4 of this game and still managing to dick around 75% of the days
#stardew posting arc#i mean i'm not... unproductive...#finished the community center. got everyone to 10 hearts. maxed out every skill.#but skull cavern? ginger island? nah i'm good#mr. qi checking his watch at level 100 wondering where i am:#me making every type of jelly wine juice and pickled item in the game:#i'm just vibing#getting home early every night so i don't miss the second dialogue option with my spouse#(he's a doctor he would be sooo sos sad if i stayed up too late)#stardew valley#sdv
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I feel for lucanis' stiltedly, gracelessly, helplessly stumbling over and around 'Rook, I -- want...' so much. these days I find myself genuinely breaking down into tears whenever I even touch 'I want...' or 'I wish that...' in my head and I think it's to his credit that he manages to at least avoid that indignity in front of his crush even if he is trying to have this conversation while hiding in the pantry (perhaps an unpromising start from the outset one might argue)
#taash' blunt yet clearly well-intentioned 'you can't hide in here' lighthouse comment. lucanis is in his little mgs stealth box peering out#going '...who says I'm hiding' and I'm like. okay babe. keep telling yourself that if you need to I won't take a man's crutch away#without being able to give him something better to lean on that's just mean and also unproductive. but I'd feel amiss#to not point out that you do have onions for roomates#(I do absolutely not go to mgs btw I just know the meme through gamer osmosis haha)#dragon age#dragon age: the veilguard#dragon age: the veilguard spoilers#dragon age spoilers#lucanis dellamorte
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The biggest gift of therapy is going "I cannot control you" when someone decides to be a doodoo head at me
#Creepy chatter#I see you have chosen the doodoo route#I will not follow into the doodoo but you may continue without me. Deeper into the doodoo.#At work when someone riles up others on the team I'm just like 'the doodoo will not take me but I will address the doodoo as unproductive'#Being mean is not nice#But also my job involves some degree of professional shit eating while I get thangs done so I am doodoo adjacent sometimes#I did not bring this doodoo into my day but god as my witness I can choose to not make more of it
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"guys we're so screwed" "democracy is dead" girl we've BEEN screwed. it's BEEN dead. if you're only feeling it now, i'm afraid you haven't been paying enough attention. however that doesn't mean the progress we've made so far wasn't progress, nor that the fight ends here just because it feels harder now. we've all had our own worst day ever and we all lived through it. don't lump me in with your hopeless, doomer ass statements. feel what you feel and take all the time you need, but if you're not gonna use your grief or anger or dread or whatever to fuel you into making actual change, be it big or small, then stop projecting your debilitation onto people who have never had a choice but to fight for a better life for themselves and the ones they love. if you're not going to partake, the least you could do is to stop giving up a fight that doesn't even belong to you.
#woohoojazelyn thoughts#us politics#i will whine and bitch abt trump all i want#but some ppl don't understand how unproductive and unhelpful it is forfeit everyone's will to combat his fuckery#i get equally irked with 98% of ppl who say they want to move out of the country to escape it#its another thing of like 'i'd rather daydream abt this farfetched yet semi-possible idea#rather than use my brainpower to help out the folks around me who Do Not have the means to even consider that route'#'i'm allowed to express my feelings out loud!' then make them your own feelings not everyone else's. fuck man
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Isn't it great how a few people (often kids) being kinda annoying and wrong turns into a sitewide "hey let's do ace discourse!" thing again even from people you'd otherwise trust?
#things I'd post to main if I wasn't a scaredy cat#fuck it I'm actually tempted to#no that's just going to turn into a fight isn't it#ugh#it really does make me think considerably less of people#congrats you've rejoined the zeitgeist of like...the 2010's (the sitegeist)#communist theory of uh.... kinda just being mean about ace people?#like in a completely unproductive and mean-spirited way
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ayo i'm not dead!
#sorry i haven't been on folks#and in saying that for the 3475982th time i'm also admitting i'm just trash with keeping on top of things currently#and have been for the past year or so#/factually/#older moots know this isn't new#other people warn mutuals for a half week break meanwhile i get overwhelmed one day and poof for half a month randomly#generally not a great way to do things..#and i'm sorry for leaving beloved folks in the dark too. i don't mean to. i'm just at my wit's end occasionally#granted 90% of it is real life stress threatening to manifest on here which can't be helped sometimes so the need to remove myself is fair#but in acknowledging that like a healing anxious adult or whatever i have to also recognize that this hobby used to unwind and calm me#so i'm in the process of wrestling with how to.. make it that again for myself? in a way that doesn't bug me#for example how to just be Around without feeling unproductive with threads and the like. be fine with Writing Slow TM (rp and dms alike)#+ other things i have to bare knuckle through#this isn't so heeheehoohoo craziest thing happened in real life like usual because hey i'm not unique in my experiences and this IS the-#-whole point of a hobby that involves community. that you could just chill with the gay people on your phone no matter what happens#so i think i'll be doing that.. somehow - in moderation and without too much pressure preferably#and sort of figure out how to be Here#and on my other two blogs hsdfjsk#/negative#? i guess?#i really came back w/ the full burnout jumpscare#but it really has been A Whole Year of this
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dunno how other folks in customer support do it but i genuinely enjoy helping solve folks' problems so i try to sound as friendly as possible. this in turn means if i'm like "your response is appreciated" and "cordially," chances are you're 3 passive-aggressive messages past my limit and i'm exploding you with my mind
#the limit is skipped over immediately if you call me an ai or a robot#like from that point on i just hate you and will not try to look into things extra for you at all#i don't mean like i'll actively not help. i'll still help#i'll just do it 100% adhering to process with all the unnecessary steps i'll usually look over to spare you the headache#congrats! i'm your new headache now.#get fucked#okay this also depends largely on the day#like if its my first client and im fresh into my shift ill roll my eyes and decide i deserve a break after dealing with this#but if you're one of my lasts and it's a few minutes to midnight and you're also being unproductive#as in#literally explained a process to a guy today and he went 'another robot message'#like no dude you just dont speak english past a 6th grade level and anything professional sounds like a tech manual to you#get your head out of your chatgpt shaped ass and realize youre getting turned into an office meme by being like this#anyway LMAO
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girlrotting
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got all my shit back into residence so to all the people in my inbox. I will be cracking on with some writing
#I'm a weird little backwards freak in that my “winter break” was very unproductive for my creative projects#which I guess means it was really a break??? idk I would have liked to get chapter 4 out
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tried to put together my new shoe cabinet, quit five minutes in because the drill thing is refusing to cooperate.
#it's 10pm and this was my only plan to salvage the day from being unproductive#i mean i've been always been unproductive but i'm trying to change that🙄
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(michael kaiser x reader // 18+ MDNI // cws: yandere kaiser, stalking, reader smokes cigarettes, toxic behaviors // wc: 2.2k)
"so you really did it?"
"did what?" you ask, exhaling a puff of cigarette smoke into the frigid air. your fingers are numb.
"break up with him!"
"kaiser?" you snort, taking another drag before speaking. "i guess? i called things off earlier today, but we weren't actually dating. so it's not like it's really a breakup."
"... sure."
your friend on the line hardly sounds convinced. but it is... true. you and michael kaiser never dated. you never had a label, never discussed any type of commitment or potential future together. though you had spent more than one weekend (try a dozen plus) at his apartment, oscillating between cuddling, fucking, and being in each other's presence's in a way that was distinctly not platonic—
you and michael kaiser were never dating. you were not together. (Regardless of him flying you out to one match in Vienna, and the another in Rome—) you weren't dating.
you never were.
you never expected to either. michael kaiser was transparently damaged, and handling it in an unproductive, destructive manner. you saw this from a mile away, but entertained your chemistry regardless. maybe it was the influence of a few drinks and a few heated arguments that got you in bed with him to begin with, despite clocking his toxic tendencies early on.
you fought a lot, for not being a couple.
care made kaiser squirrely and angry. kindness made him snap. aggression, biting and clawing— angry sex that metastasized into something carnal and closer to a fight resonated with him far more than little affections. you only saw moments of vulnerability from him when you were both fucked out and exhausted. or, when he thought you weren't looking. you felt him pet through your hair while he thought you were asleep, more than once.
you broke up with kaiser because you couldn't handle things as they were anymore.
maybe you wanted to be loved. maybe you wanted to be held, openly and tenderly. maybe, you wanted a partner and not a man with an ego problem who fucked like a god and treated you like invasive creature nine times out of ten when you showed him affectionate.
(you just want to be loved.)
the luxuries and innate chemistry of your relationship simply wasn't worth it.
so, you broke things off. over text, because it seemed the least messy.
[you]: hey, what we have isn't working for me anymore. i don't want to see you any longer. i care about you a lot, but what we have is not sustainable. i wish you all the best, michael.
(you try not to be too affectionate with your message, lest you rile him up. you want to be gentle, but not too... emotional. it's better this way.)
you block him after sending the text. clean breaks— it's kinder in the long run, isn't it? even if it hurts more in the moment.
you sigh into the receiver, tossing your cigarette butt to the side, "i mean it, we weren't ever serious."
"if you say so."
you kick at the snow beneath your feet. there's an inch or two of it on the ground, coating the cobblestones of the path you walk on. the river that cuts through your city runs, despite the cold. there's no one around, and it's peaceful beneath the amber-tinged street lights.
"you don't sound convinced."
"because i'm not." your friend pauses. "... have you seen his instagram story from today?"
"nope," you pop the word from your lips. "i blocked him."
"already?"
"immediately."
"damn. that's cold of you."
"you don't know kaiser like i do," you shake your head. it's better this way, to be cleaner.
(you have always been able to foresee the way that man would tear you apart, if you misstepped too grievously.)
"well regardless," a notification comes up on your phone. your friends has sent a screenshot of kaiser's story. "look. he flew out to your city."
your stomach drops. sure enough, the screenshot has a location stamp over a photo of kaiser's deft hands, twirling a flute of champagne from what is clearly a first class seat.
"... maybe he has a match."
(he doesn't. you know this; there's no league that plays in your city.)
"or, he's coming to see you!"
"that would be insane," you laugh. that bastard... wouldn't, would he? he is... was halfway across the world.
"it would be romantic."
"it would be insane," you repeat.
you turn on your heel, back the way your came through the parkway. your apartment is... about a mile away, maybe. it's dark and cold, but you can probably get back there quickly. you're not sure where this particular sense of haste comes from—
but it's a frantic sort of feeling.
your friend pouts, "you have no sense of romance then, i guess."
(and your friend doesn't know michael kaiser.)
anxiety pitches around between your stomach and lungs. you swallow, and it feels too dry.
"i promise i do," you shake your head. "that's the problem."
"sure. tell me more about it later, 'kay? i gotta get ready to go out. let me know if your man shows up!"
your stomach rolls. "gotcha."
"bye bye!"
the line goes dead. your drop your arm to the side, your phone like a deadweight in your hand. you take a few steadying breaths, looking out at the rush of the river. the roar of it is just far enough away to not be overstimulating. the rest of the night is blanketed in snow and stillness.
you nearly trip as you begin to walk again, panic unfurling in your chest with each step.
(there's no way michael came all the way to your city, on a fucking last minute flight no less, for you. there's no literally no fucking way.)
why would he anyway? to try and salvage your not relationship? that hardly logical. there has to be another reason— his team has had him in a few PR campaigns lately, maybe... maybe that's it.
(you know that you are lying to yourself.)
you slip, just for a step or two, on some ice that's beneath the layer of fluffy snow. barely, you keep yourself upright, your arms flying up to find your balance once more. you take a steadying breath, pressing a hand to your chest.
"you should be more careful."
the blood in your veins freezes, numb and chilled like the air around you. your head jerks up.
kaiser sits on a bench, about ten paces in from of you. his arms are spread out over the back of it. he regards you with a tilt of his head, almost playful.
he looks you up and down, voice full of poison, "you could have hurt yourself."
"why the fuck are you here?" your voice barely manages to stay steady.
"why wouldn't i be?" kaiser shakes his head, a laugh bubbling in his chest. the cadence of it makes you feel nothing but unease. "i've got a match in London. i'm just picking you up."
"what are you talking about?" you swallow, audibly. you know that he hears it.
"don't be obtuse." he stands up. your stomach fills with leaden dread.
"you don't be obtuse," you snap back. "we're done. this—" you point between the two of you, "— is over."
"that's a mutual decision." he steps toward you.
you step back. "no, it's not."
kaiser is faster than you, he's up against your front in a moment. it makes you stumble back, nearly falling on the same patch of ice as before.
deftly, he gets an arm around your waist. the force of it is immediately too much, too tight, too hard. you're pulled against him, chest-to-chest. you brace your hands on his shoulders, some attempt at distance, but he doesn't budge. he stares down at you, the cold heat of his own presence engulfing you effortlessly.
"i-it's not," you whisper, voice wobbling. "you need to leave."
"you're an idiot."
"please let go."
"now, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" kaiser smiles, something acidic that you can almost taste.
he bends the two of you, so your back arches. you scramble against him for some purchase.
"there's nothing to 'let go'," his sneers. you hit your fist against his shoulder. "you're coming with me to London, and you'll stop throwing this tantrum now, or along the way."
"it's a not fucking tantrum!" you snap at him. your voice matches the roar of the river. you meet his gaze, angry slipping into your tone as it so often does with him. "we are done. i don't want anything to do with you, michael— especially now. i can't believe you hopped on a fucking plane to, what, harass me on my own turf?"
his palms circles your jaw in a swift, uncomfortably fast movement. the pressure of him is unyielding. you can't look anywhere other than him.
the way he looks at you scares you, now more than ever. the frigid blue of his eyes is haunting and as hollow as it is full of vitriol. anger. all directed at you.
"i 'hopped on a plane' to take you home," kaiser dips you further. if he wasn't holding you, you'd crash to the ground. "i should've done so earlier, but i didn't expect that you'd lose your shit so quickly."
you weren't—, "i’m not—"
his grip on your jaw grows tighter. from a distance, this may look romantic to an onlooker.
from your position, you are in the jaws of a beast that you thought you had escaped.
"you're mine—" he pats your cheek, hard, as he tells you. the angle is bad, given it's with the same hand that's holding your jaw. your brain rattles inside of your skull. "don't think you can run away just because you got a bit scared."
"that's not why i broke up with you—"
"but, it is."
you want to cry, run away, jump in that goddamn fucking river. "no—"
"i get it," kaiser noses into your cheek. he's just as cold as you are. his voice is too soft; it unnerves you. "it's scary, loving someone. i'm scared too"
"i—" you don't love him, you can't love him—
he pulls back just enough to dip your body as far as it can go, and look into your eyes, his own pupils blown.
"let's be scared together," he says, just above a whisper, before slotting his lips against yours.
you slam your fist on his shoulders, his chest, the back of his head— you don't fucking care. whatever you can reach. kaiser doesn't relent. instead, he licks into your mouth. kisses you filthy in a public park just because he can.
maybe his words seem romantic, if you were to recount them to someone else. maybe. maybe someone could read his plane ride to you as a grand, romantically-driven gesture.
but, as he holds your head squarely in place, and fucks your mouth with his tongue, stealing your words and breath in tandem— you know, so lucidly, that none of kaiser intent here is 'romantic'. not in a way that's normal, that's sane.
no, this is the only way a deeper connection can exist for him, you think. the hand on your jaw slips down to your throat, holding you there. it's a collar and kaiser's holding the leash.
you whimper; you feel so foolish. you feel so fucking stupid for thinking you could disentangle yourself from him so easily.
"do you get it now?" kaiser says against you lips.
all you can do is nod, it's all the action he allows you.
all of the fights and tension that made connection between you before so intoxicating— it evolved into this. it was always destined to. you've been ensnared since day one, but didn't have the foresight to see you.
kaiser did, though.
as he pulls away, you're light-headed. he rights you and steadies you at the waist. he pats your head and even coos at you.
"are you done now?" he begins to walk you with a hand at your lower back— back in the direction you came. probably toward the nice hotel in the center of town where he undoubtedly has a suite. where he'll fuck you stupid into the king mattress. "if you cry, i'll just make it worse."
'worse'.
you shake your head, hard and fast, and suck down any tears beading at the corners of your eyes.
he seems pleased. "good."
there's nothing you can do but walk by his side. this has always been his design, even if you couldn't see it. regardless of any attempts to sever things and run off, even cleanly, this is where you'll end up.
hip-to-hip, with his hand on your lower back. with the promise of pain and pleasure doled out to you in equal measure.
as you step through the doors of the, as expected, upscale hotel, a wave of warm, fragranced air hits you. and with it, some part of you sags, defeated so simply. crushed. you sniffle and rub at your eyes.
(you don't see kaiser smiling at your side. you don't see the way he slips the concierge a wad of bills with the understanding that he'll be given a room far away from others, and that you won't be disturbed.
he has work to do. you— were going to fucking leave him? he— he needs to make sure that you understand that that is not your choice to make.
and, as he sees you, stifling tears and shaking like a leaf, your little act shattered so seamlessly, he thinks you really are starting to get it.)
you are his.
#lore writes#drabbles#kaiser x reader#michael kaiser x reader#kaiser x you#michael kaiser x you#okay. anyways.#tw yandere#he fascinates me and haunts me#i am chewing#digesting LOL#i will read this for grammar in the meantime SOUUUUP
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Deal,
..in which reader and chris make a pact to never be bored again
notes: silliness, bestfriends, sickening fluff, oblivious, cutesy, they both have crushes on each other lol, cuddles, underlying feelings.
You're currently on your bed, having exhausted everything you could to keep yourself entertained, but for some reason, tonight none of it's working.
You pick up your phone to click on the FaceTime app, dialing Chris's number.
"Hello?" You hear coming from you phone, the unmistakable rumble of Chris's voice causing your lips to turn up in a smile.
"Hey, what're ya doinnn'" You ask in a tone that almost has a childlike tease to it. You can hear him laugh through the speaker of your phone, and even with it not being the most clear, it still makes your heart jump a little.
"Just playin' fortnite, what else would I be doing on a Saturday night?" He responds in that smooth, quiet voice he always gets when he's tired.
"Well, I'm like super bored right now, sooo would you wanna come over and watch movies together?" You say with a nervous lilt to your voice, even though you both are bestfriends, you obviously don't want to bother him while he's doing something he wants to do.
"Course, watching movies with you beats getting a measly fortnite Royale anyways," He teases, and you can already see the fumble of the facetime camera as he gets up from his gaming chair and turns off his PC.
"I'll be there in ten, I better see snacks, and you wrapped in blankets when I get there." He wiggles his eyebrows playfully, and with a soft "Yeah, yeah," you hang up, a giddy feeling bubbling in your chest as you prepare for your movie marathon.
When he gets there, a permanent smile has already fought and crawled it's way onto your face. You're sitting on the couch, blankets piled around you and an array of snacks on the coffee table.
"I didn't expect you to listen to me," He snorts, setting down his keys with a thud. He then dramatically runs over to you, flopping on the couch like your body isn't right below him.
"Ow, Chris!" You exclaim, giggles spilling from your lips. You give him a playful glare as he settles on top of you, his head resting on your chest and his body in between your legs. Unbeknownst to you, his heart is pounding at the same speed as yours, the close proximity between the both of you making his head spin.
You settle comfortably with the blankets on top of you both, your fingers finding their way into his hair and twirling the soft brown locks in an almost reverent way.
He picks the movie, a stupid, childish Pixar flick that ends the night in giggles and childhood nostalgia, although your focus is mostly the boy cuddling on top of you. all you can see is the way his head rests against your chest and how your breathing is in sync, how his eyelashes flutter softly on his cheek like a dance.
The movie ends, and he looks up at you, his chin resting on your chest and almost making your heart melt with how absolutely adorable he looks.
"Hey, you know you can always call me, right?" He murmurs softly, his warm breath fanning over your face. Not in a gross way, but more like a comforting reminder of his presence.
"I mean it, for anything, even if you're just bored." He says with a light chuckle at the end, a sweet smile on his face, one that you were almost sure was going to make you burst one day.
"I know, I sometimes just don't like asking because I don't want to make you feel obligated to come over, you know?" You reply with a small smile of your own, your fingers still gently toying with the brown strands on his scalp.
"Let's make a deal," he says with a silly smile. "Let's never be bored again, if either of us is bored, or even just wants company, we call. Doesn't matter what time it is or what the other is doing." He holds his pinky up, looking at you like he knows you'll take it, and you do.
"Deal." You murmur quietly, and for the rest of the night, neither of you are bored or lonely. no matter how unproductive your time spent together is.
୨♡୧ @bernardsbendystraws for the dividers ୨♡୧
✮ soph's notes: got this idea from a c.ai chat lol, btw requests are open! I'll do just about anything except smut (I'm just not comfortable trying that yet especially as a new writer lol)
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ @cherryswifeyy @ribbonlovergirl @slvt4subchratt @sturnsblogs @oopsiedaisydeer @backwardshatnick @izzylovesmatt @viviansturns @courta13
comment on this post to be added to the main tag!
#☆˚ 𝑺𝒐𝒑𝒉 ˚☆#ˏˋ°•*⁀➷#chris sturniolo#sturniolo triplets#christopher sturniolo#chris sturniolo imagine#chris sturniolo x you#chris fluff#chris x reader#christopher sturniolo x reader#sturniolo fanfic#the sturniolo triplets#matt sturniolo#nick sturniolo
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Robo i miss my male wife (Nightowl)
In order to fill my void, what would the Blooming panic Ll’s do when they miss there partner 🥹
dw since I'm in charge of the askbox rn Robo can't put him down we're safe here
Quest will acutely feel those hiccups that happen when there's a sudden void in your daily routine. Putting the second mug back in the cabinet, automatically adjusting to your presence on the couch– or if you haven't met yet, checking the chat client when you're usually online. He's used to loneliness but this is a new one, and he just sort of rides it out, waiting until the day your side of the bed is warm again. If you're married he twists the ring on his finger and stares at nothing in particular for a spell, then sends you a text to let you know he's thinking of you.
Nightowl is the opposite– too much love and energy and nowhere to put them will make him a little chaotic. He makes an attempt to do the things he doesn't get to do as much as when he was solo: takeout joints only he likes, spending way too long shopping for new jewelry, sitting out in the cold and doing studies of interesting buildings. When that doesn't work he sends you a message or six, probably including a pitiful selfie and/or a photo of what you're missing. He counts down the hours on the watch or the days on the calendar and dreams up the ways he'll welcome you back on your return, over and over and over again.
Xyx would send a couple goofy pictures of him or Cat; depending on how far along you are in the relationship, he'll either tell you to hurry up or just say "come home soon, love". He finds things to fill his time– might as well get all his work done now, means more time with you when you return– and when all that is done or stops distracting him, he makes a reservation for something he knows you'll like. Then, he reads, and tries to sink into the book before he can sink into unproductive thoughts. You'll be back. It'll be alright.
Toasty acts a bit like they're used to, falling into their routine before meeting you. More gaming, more browsing, begrudgingly moving their cups and plates to the kitchen. This time, though, they look out the window more, check their phone, drum their fingers on the desk. If you can't call, he plays a video just to hear your voice, then gets a little embarrassed.
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The Break Room
Harmony Cobel x female reader
You've been a Severed employee for two weeks now, and you are causing all sorts of problems with your unproductivity and your attempts to send a message to your outie. Ms. Cobel has no other choice but to see to it that you really learn your lesson in the Break Room
Word count: 6.2k
Warnings: spanking (with a ruler), fingering, dub-con, mommy kink, bratty bottom reader, top Harmony, slight voyeurism (kind of?), no spoilers
A/N: wrote this to cope with finishing season two of Severance last night and I'm a sucker for a mean older woman (I'll be back to agatha shortly)
Ding!
The elevator doors open—you’re back again, like you never left. The white walls of the Severed Floor make you shudder as you step out. The seemingly infinite stretch of the hallways makes you want to scream. Every attempt at breaking out, of getting your outie to let you out, has been futile. Even your resignation attempt after your first day was denied.
You hear your first name and first initial of your last name being called and you turn around. Mr. Milchick, the supervisor of the Floor, jogs toward you with a dopey grin on his face. His cheerful demeanor does nothing to raise your sullen mood. You wonder if his superiors told him to be extra nice to you.
“Well, good morning to you too!” he says, chuckling at the frown that etches deeper into your face. “I just wanted to let you know how appreciative we are that you’re here with us. Lumon could not do it without you and we are eternally indebted to you for that.”
“I don’t even know what we’re doing here,” you scowl and he laughs joyfully, as if he didn’t hear anything you just said.
Mr. Milchick begins to talk about something else, but your mind is moving rapidly to figure out a way to get a message to your outie past the security detectors. Writing on yourself won’t work, swallowing a message won’t work. You hadn’t tried throwing a piece of paper into the stairwell and then stepping out to read it, but you suspected Lumon had detectors in that too.
Maybe…maybe if you could break up a message into parts and take them home one day at a time, it would be meaningless enough to get past the detectors. You’d just have to hope that your outie would be able to put it together.
A risky move, but it might be the only option. If that doesn’t work, you’re not sure what else to do.
“And here we are! Macrodata Refinement!” Mr. Milchick announces as he pushes open the white doors as he does every morning, like you’ve somehow forgotten where you live your small and meaningless life.
Your coworkers are already at their desks and they look up from their computers to smile at you. You give them a half-hearted wave as if to say yep, still here and briskly walk over to your seat.
The computer is already on and the rolodex flips to the second card. In the two weeks going on what feels like ten years that you’ve been here, you’ve gotten through one card. Everyone was so happy when you finally finished but it felt more like pity to you.
A sea of numbers stares at you, demanding to be sorted into four boxes. There isn’t much rhyme or reason to how to group them or which box to put them in; apparently you’re just supposed to know. It was explained on your first day that they evoke different feelings in you. You roll your mouse around aimlessly for five minutes—you know how long because you keep looking at the clock on the wall, willing time to move faster—looking for any sort of emotional response associated with the numbers, but there’s nothing.
Can the numbers sense your apathy at being here? Maybe you have to actually care about the job in order to get in touch with them.
That would certainly explain why Grant M. has the best performance in your department—he’s basically walking Lumon propaganda. You’re tempted to ask him how he comes to work every day so joyful: whistling down the corridors, bobbing his head to some imaginary tune while he sorts numbers, happily pouring the small container of dry roasted edamame from the vending machine into his mouth on breaks that he cuts short because he just can’t wait to get back to work. You’ve caught him reading the Lumon handbooks far too many times and he’s quoted it at you many times to show you why it’s a privilege and an honor to work here.
It’s even worse because Grant M. sits right to the left of you in the weird shape the desks are arranged in, so he’s able to peek over the mossy green partition at any point and make a passive aggressive comment about how he wishes his department members would take work as seriously as he does, or how he’s filled up fifty-seven percent of a box and he’d love to see that hard work from other people.
Even now, he’s peering over at you, just enough for you to see his messy brown hair sweeping across his forehead and the rim of his blue glasses that are too small for his face.
You roll your eyes and lower the partition and Grant lurches back like he’s been caught. His brown eyes meet yours, his lips curl into a sneer, and he jerks his head to the side to get his hair out of his face.
“Working hard or hardly working?” he asks in his voice that makes it hard not to slap him. It’s nasal and croaky and you repress a grimace.
You smile tightly at him. “Just getting into it.”
And before he can launch into a speech about the nine core principles of Lumon, you draw the partition back up and stare bullets at your computer.
As you absentmindedly draw circles with your mouse, you decide to try putting clusters of numbers into boxes at random, just to see what will happen. There’s a sick sort of pleasure you get from the thought of screwing up whatever data you’re supposed to be refining.
The numbers go into the box and your eyes widen—it worked. But then the box shakes from side-to-side and then throws up the six numbers, which slot neatly right back into the grid on your screen.
You slump back into your chair.
“Psst,” someone hisses and you look up to see your other desk neighbor, Nick S., looking over the partition at you. His straight brown hair falls to his shoulders and his eyes have a twinkle in them. He smiles at you, showing his crooked teeth, and you can’t help but grin back at him.
Nick is the closest thing to a friend you have. His rebellious streak calls to you, a twin flame to yours, and the two of you make it through the boring days together, mostly making fun of Lumon, or Grant when he’s not around.
“I can taste meat on my breath,” Nick whispers excitedly. “Do you think my outie had a date or something? Usually I taste nothing.”
You pretend to think about it before smirking. “Or maybe your outie just forgot to brush his teeth.” His face drops and you reach into the container of mints on your desk. It was a reward for being punctual every day your first week.
The participation prizes here are bleak.
Nick pops it into his mouth and crumples up the wrapper. “Hey, watch this.” He swivels around in his chair and tosses it in the direction of the trashcan about ten feet away.
The wrapper lands maybe five inches away and you cry out.
“Excuse me, some people are trying to work here,” Grant snipes and you and Nick look at each other, shoulders vibrating from your silent laughter.
“Can we all just please get back to work?” your other deskmate, Ryan W., asks exasperatedly. You’ve had the least amount of interaction with him. He’s the youngest and seems miserable, but it’s hard to tell if he’s miserable because of working here or because of the rift between you and Nick and Grant. He never picks a side, but you think you see him smirking sometimes when you and Grant are arguing.
Nick rolls his eyes but turns back to his computer so you’re left to your own devices. Because you’re still working through your new plan of how to get a message to your outie, you decide to shoot mints into the trash can while you mull it over.
The first one soars right in.
The second one misses by a mile.
The third one hits the edge of the can and bounces out and you groan audibly.
A warm hand touches your shoulder and you spin around. Mr. Milchick stands there, even his mustache looking displeased.
“Ms. Cobel would like a word with you,” he says. Grant snorts and you glare at him through the partition before standing up and smoothing your sensible gray dress. This isn’t the first time you’ve had to talk to Ms. Cobel, the manager of the Severed Floor. She’s intimidating, but there’s something about her cold exterior that does something to your stomach—like you want to get in trouble just to get her attention.
“Lead the way, then.”
You follow Mr. Milchick down the winding hallways, a right, a left, another right, another right, until you lose track of which way you’re even going. You suspect that he may have led you around in a circle a few times, just as retribution for the trouble you cause.
You finally get to the room with Mr. Milchick’s desk and then he knocks on the door to Ms. Cobel’s office.
“Enter,” a low voice calls out and Mr. Milchick gives you one last glance, maybe meant to be reassuring, before opening the door.
The office looks the same as it did on your previous visits: two chairs in front of the large wooden desk that Ms. Cobel sits behind, a few paper boxes stacked in the corner, the three piece artwork hanging behind the supervisor, depicting maybe a storm. On her desk is a thick computer, a speaker, a phone, and a small model sculpture of Kier Eagan’s head, the founder of Lumon Industries.
Ms. Cobel beckons you forward, her silvery hair, straight and falling past her shoulders, glinting in the light. She’s wearing a dark blue blazer over a dark blue turtleneck, which seems to bring out the color in her eyes. The swell of her breasts draws your gaze but then she says your first name and the initial of your last name in her slow, drawn out cadence, and it makes you shiver.
“It would appear that you are having trouble focusing,” she says quietly but commandingly. You look down at your black dress shoes against the blue carpet. “I know you are unhappy here, but you need to get your work done. It will do you no good to resist.”
You shrug and stay quiet. If you resist long enough, surely they’ll have no choice but to fire you.
Ms. Cobel’s lips draw into a thin line. “We have been patient with you these past two weeks. We at Lumon understand that it can be a tough transition for Severed workers. However, our leniency is waning. If you do not stop these foolish attempts to contact your outer self or to hinder your department’s progress, I think a trip to the Break Room will be in order.”
Mr. Milchick sucks in a breath next to you and you scoff. “What’s wrong with that?”
Your question is ignored and Ms. Cobel looks to the supervisor. “Mr. Milchick,” she says, her voice cutting deep, “can I trust that you will see to it that MDR has no more distractions?”
He nods and you half expect him to salute as well. “Of course, Ms. Cobel. You can rest assured that everyone in that department will be hyper-focused, absorbed, and concentrated on their work.”
Ms. Cobel tilts to her computer, no longer looking at either of you, and Mr. Milchick takes the dismissal as it is and leads you back to your office.
“It really is easier if you just do your work,” he tells you gently. “You need to accept that you’re a Severed worker now, and this is your job.”
You don’t answer and he stops walking, so you pause too. He steps closer to you and sighs heavily.
“I’m just—I’m just asking you to please try and make the best of it, okay? This can be a fun thing, if you let it. You have a great team in there, so let’s go in there with a new attitude and get some work done!”
It’s meant to be a pump-up speech, yet there is nothing it makes you want to do more than laugh hysterically. Did he really think that would work?
Mr. Milchick gives you what you think is meant to be a reassuring smile and resumes walking. It’s not much longer before you’re in front of the doors with Macrodata Refinement printed on the outside and he slips his keycard into the slot. The light flashes green and you reluctantly make your way to your desk, feeling the eyes of your colleagues on you.
Grant looks like he wants to gloat but you give him a nasty glare before he can open his mouth. Ryan turns back to his computer and you notice that his spiky hair is bleached blonde as opposed to the red it was before. His outie must’ve had a fun night.
“Everything okay?” Nick whispers and you nod, sitting down and pulling yourself to the desk. Mr. Milchick is standing in the corner of the room so you can’t say much more.
The numbers swim in front of you on your screen and you stare at them, trying to feel something. The only thing you feel is your eyelids starting to grow heavy.
What do the numbers represent?
Maybe they add up to a total for something?
Maybe they don’t actually mean anything and you’re getting paid to do meaningless work?
Maybe they represent letters—
You jolt, suddenly awake. Numbers representing letters. While you don’t know if that’s what it is, you just got an idea.
If you can figure out a way to get a number through the security detectors, one day at a time, you could spell out a message to yourself. You just need a way to make it look like not a message.
So that rules out writing numbers on scraps of paper, because they’ll argue that you had some sort of agenda by doing that and you’ll get caught.
But…
“I’m going to the supply closet,” you announce, shooting out of your chair. You hurry over and yank the doors open, switching on the lights. You grab a sticky note and look frantically because if they’re not here—and then you find them.
On the third shelf in the corner.
A mesh pencil cup containing four rulers sits sandwiched between glue sticks and tape dispensers. You grab one and walk back to your desk, trying to control your rapidly beating heart.
You write the numbers one through twelve on the sticky note and then the corresponding letters underneath. You can use the letter A through L to make a note.
How are you going to do this? Break the ruler into pieces? Make a little dash above each number and attempt to bring the whole thing out?
“Nick,” you hiss. He looks over at you. “Have you ever, like, brought office supplies home? From here?”
He leans in closer because Grant peers over the partition at you. “One time I forgot I put a pencil in my pocket when I left. It was there in my pocket the next day. I’m sure they checked it though.”
Your breath catches. So it’s possible, if it’s something mundane like that. Although you’re really regretting that you don’t wear a watch right now, because it seems much less of a risk to leave this kind of message that way.
But for the first time, you actually have hope.
You stare at the sticky note, trying to piece together what to say. You can’t spell OUT. You can’t spell HELP.
Something clicks and with a sharpie, you draw a dash above the eight, a dash above the five, and two dashes above the twelve.
H-E-L-L.
Will your outie understand what you’re trying to say? This might be your best shot. You just have to get lucky.
But the hand that clamps on your shoulder, the touch familiar at this point, drains you of all hope.
“Come with me,” he says, low in your ear, and your muscles tense. All his pleasantness from earlier is gone, replaced by a severe sternness he only has when someone is in trouble.
Nick gives you a compassionate look while you see Grant shaking his head at you. You’re tempted to throw the sharpie at him but you restrain yourself.
How’s that for exhibiting Benevolence, Grant? See, I know the nine core principles.
Mr. Milchick picks up the ruler and examines it, before sliding it into his pocket. He walks out and you get up and follow him. He takes you in a different direction than Ms. Cobel’s office and you get the strange sense that you’re descending, even though the floor is straight. The air seems to grow thinner and colder.
He pauses outside a smooth white door and inserts his keycard. On the wall next to is a plaque with the words Break Room. The hair on the back of your neck stands up.
The door opens, revealing a long, dark hallway, leading to another door.
Mr. Milchick gestures for you to go first and you hear his footsteps echoing behind yours as you walk down the corridor.
“We warned you,” he says gently before reaching around you to push open the door.
The room is dark, almost too dark for you to see anything, but you can make out the faint outline of a table and two chairs. You hear the faint sound of whirring and it’s familiar yet foreign all at the same time.
“Have a seat,” Mr. Milchick says, pointing to the chair against the wall. He sits in the chair on the other side of the table and there’s a click and then a bright light momentarily blinds you.
When you become adjusted to it, you realize that there’s a thick piece of glass between you and him with words written on it. He adjusts the knob of a machine on his side, the projector, you guess, and the words become more focused.
“You are going to read this statement to atone for your actions and you are going to mean it,” he instructs you.
Your forehead wrinkles as you scan over it. It’s a weird apology of sorts, but you’ll say anything at this point. You take a deep breath. “‘Forgive me for the harm I have caused this world. None may atone for my actions but me and only in me shall their stain live on. I am thankful to have been caught, my fall cut short by those with wizened hands. All I can be is sorry, and that is all I am.’”
Mr. Milchick purses his lips and there’s a sinking feeling in your stomach. “I’m afraid you did not mean that. Say it again.”
You laugh. “What? I’m not—”
“Say. It. Again.”
The words have burned themselves into your retinas and even when you close your eyes, you still see them. “‘Forgive me for the harm I have caused this world. None may atone for my actions but me and only in me shall their stain live on. I am thankful to have been caught, my fall cut short by those with wizened hands. All I can be is sorry, and that is all I am.’”
“You didn’t mean it. Say it again.”
This time, you slouch back in your chair and cross your arms over your chest. You’re not going to say it and you’re going to waste the rest of both your days. Will this be enough subordination to get fired?
“Say it,” he orders, his eyes glittering in the light.
“Or what?” you challenge. “Why the fuck am I going to repeat this stupid statement if I don’t mean it just so you can make me say it again?” You stare at him defiantly while he rubs his hands over his face, trying to figure out what to do.
And then the door opens.
It takes you a minute to make out the silhouette.
Ms. Cobel.
“Any chance you’re here to let me go?” you ask, voice cracking. She huffs and steps into the room, letting the door slam shut behind her, and you’re able to see the restrained fury on her face.
She slowly walks around to Mr. Milchick’s side until she’s behind him and rests her hands on his shoulders. “This must be a new record for the least amount of attempts completed before refusing to say the Compunction Statement.”
You shrug. “I aim to impress.”
One of the corners of her mouth quirks up, almost in amusement. “Well I’m afraid I will need to take matters into my own hands, due to Mr. Milchick’s incompetence.”
He splutters and looks up at her, agape. You watch her dig her fingers into his shoulders.
“Mr. Milchick, you are no longer needed here. Please attend to the rest of MDR and make sure none of them are attempting to write secret messages to their outies.”
He takes a deep breath, something looking a lot like contempt in his eyes, and stands up.
But before he can walk out of the door, Ms. Cobel adds one last thing. “Leave the ruler.”
Mr. Milchick freezes and withdraws it from his pocket before handing it over. Your eyes track the movement, feeling your heart race even more. There’s something happening in your stomach, a feeling you haven’t felt before, not in your two weeks of this Severed life.
He leaves and the door shuts behind him, leaving you alone with Ms. Cobel.
She tuts as she drags a finger down the length, pausing at each of the dashes you drew.
“This was a smart one,” she admits. “Took us a bit to realize what you were doing. But, as we’ve told you many times, any correspondence between your Severed selves is prohibited. So say it again.” She jabs the ruler at the projected words but you shake your head.
Ms. Cobel scoffs and stalks over. You watch until she’s right in front of you, and then her hand flies out to seize your hair. You let out a surprised gasp as she pulls you up.
But you’re only face-to-face for a moment before her hand moves to your back and she bends you over the cold table. You have to crane your eyes up to look at the words in front of you.
Your stomach is growing hot, an unfamiliar feeling between your legs, and Ms. Cobel chuckles from behind you like she knows.
“You could end this now,” she reminds you. “Just mean your apology and we can get back to work.”
“I can’t,” you choke out. “I’m not going to sit here and say it over and over again for the rest of the day.”
She sighs like she was expecting it and you feel the ruler against your spine. You suck in a deep breath. “Well, then,” she says quietly. “How about we make a deal?”
You don’t answer, but you tilt your head forward for her to go on.
The ruler moves lower. “You will say the Compunction Statement ten times, and after each time, you will receive a spank. After those ten times, your disobedience will be forgiven and you will be free to return to work. Or, you can just say it and mean it and I will spare you the physical punishment.”
You could fake it, you know. Maybe even pretend to cry a little bit so she’ll take you seriously.
But a part of you is curious. So you do nothing.
Ms. Cobel exhales slowly and the ruler is gone from your back. There’s a tense moment of nothing before you feel her fingers pulling at the hem of your dress. Your mouth parts but no words come out as she drags the fabric from your knees up until it’s hiked up around your waist.
Her breath hitches and she drags the ruler against the waistband of your underwear. “Well, well, well,” she drawls and you have no idea what she’s talking about. “That’s interesting.”
“What?” you croak, mouth dry.
But she slips back into her role. “Say it.”
This time, you do with no hesitation.“‘Forgive me for the harm I have caused this world. None may atone for my actions but me and only in me shall their stain live on. I am thankful to have been caught, my fall cut short by those with wizened hands. All I can be is sorry, and that is all I am.’”
The ruler snaps against your scantily clad ass before you have a chance to prepare and the sting shocks you. You jolt forward against the table, a whimper tearing itself from your throat, and you close your eyes to stop the room from spinning.
“Again,” she orders quietly.
“‘Forgive me for the harm I have caused this world. None may atone for my actions but me and only in me shall their stain live on. I am thankful to have been caught, my fall cut short by those with wizened hands. All I can be is sorry, and that is all I am.’”
She hits you even harder this time and you wonder how they’re going to explain this to your outie self. You’re certainly going to be feeling this tonight and tomorrow and probably for the next few days.
Without being prompted this time, you read it again.
Tears spring in your eyes after the third hit and the slap reverberates around the small room. Your skin is burning and you can almost see the red welt that you’re going to have.
Again.
“You could’ve avoided this,” Ms. Cobel says. “It didn’t have to be this way. But you will learn your lesson.”
You cry out on the fourth spank, tears leaking down your cheeks. You stick out your tongue to catch the saltiness.
Again.
The fifth spank makes you scramble for purchase on the table, nerve endings lighting up all through your body, and your head starts to swim. Every inch of your body is on fire.
“Remember this pain and why you are receiving it. If you follow the rules, you get rewarded. But if not…Again.”
The six spank feels dull compared to the other ones, but maybe that’s just because your skin has been hit raw to the point of losing feeling. The hurt is bleeding and blending into something else and your body is throbbing now, hungry but you don’t know for what. The ache is coming from between your legs, radiating through you and making you pant desperately.
Your seventh repeat is much more broken and slurred and you think you skip over some words here and there but you can’t focus your vision enough to confirm.
She spanks you again, but this time it’s below your ass on the very highest point of your thighs, so it burns all over again.
“Just to make sure you’re not getting too complacent,” she whispers and you can barely hear her over the sound of your breathing. “It seems that you’re enjoying yourself a little too much.”
You barely get through the eighth attempt and your hips are bucking wildly the whole time, trying to get some sort of relief between your legs.
“Stop squirming,” she hisses and then spanks your ass again.
The nine repeat comes out in breathy gasps and moans and is this what it’s like to be drunk? Not being able to think straight or talk normally? There’s a fog in your mind that’s overwhelming you and all you can think is one more.
What are you supposed to do after this?
Ms. Cobel tsks lightly before spanking you for the ninth time.
You stutter through the statement for the tenth and final time, definitely skipping and combining words but you couldn’t care less. She should be happy that you can still talk right now.
But for the tenth spank, she grabs you by the hair again and spins you around. Your bare and bruised ass hits the edge of the table and you gasp in pain. Ms. Cobel stands in front of you, a dark look in her blue eyes, and her tongue darts out to lick her lips. The ruler is still clenched in her hand and you’re not sure what’s going on.
She pushes on your shoulder and nods down, and you piece it together slowly. You sit on the table, wincing again, and slide back until you can lay down comfortably with your legs bent up so your feet are on the table. You finally look down and see what caught her attention earlier—your underwear is black and lacy and fancy.
What was your outie doing when she put these on?
“Last one,” Ms. Cobel says and then smacks the ruler down hard against your cunt. It connects with your clit and your back arches painfully off the table as you let out a loud moan. Sparks fly through your body and you lay there for a moment in a stupor, dazed with pleasure. Your clit is pulsing and you feel more wetness gush into your underwear.
You lie on the table, completely spent. Your cheeks are wet and sticky and your vision blurs. There’s a mess in your panties, you can feel it.
“Very good,” Ms. Cobel purrs, sounding different than she usually does. Like she’s affected too. “Since you took your punishment well, I think it’s fair you get a reward. Lumon is all about rewarding excellence.”
Before you can ask what she means—or laugh at the ridiculousness of that—her fingers cup your cunt over your underwear. You gasp loudly as she rubs up and down and tuts condescendingly.
Which only makes the problem worse for some reason.
“With all the acting out you do, I should’ve guessed you were just looking for someone to put you in your place,” she croons.
You open your mouth to retort, but she finds your clit and presses against it hard, shooting down any thought in your head.
“Maybe you won’t find your work here so unpleasant now,” Ms. Cobel muses as she pulls your underwear to the side. She strokes her fingers through your folds, spreading your wetness all around, and the squelching sounds make your cheeks burn.
She seems to like it.
And then she pushes two fingers into you roughly while she examines your face. Your walls clench around her and your hips buck up again to get her inside you. There’s already a mounting pressure inside your core and when she rubs at your clit, it intensifies.
“Oh—fuck,” you whine and you think she almost smiles.
Ms. Cobel curls them further inside you and the whirring sound from somewhere in the room grows louder. “Such a naughty girl,” she tuts, “breaking the rules like you do. But it’s okay now, because I think we’ve figured something out that works.”
An explosion of flashes happens from behind your eyes and words fall from your tongue uncontrollably. “Yes, please, mommy—”
She gasps, completely unrestrained, and her thumb swipes hard against your clit. Her fingers twist roughly, stroking your walls, and your head drops hard against the table. Your ass is throbbing and sore and it only makes the growing feeling in your core worse.
“You’re going to be mommy’s good girl from now on, aren’t you?” she asks and you nod frantically.
Ms. Cobel pauses for just a moment and you clench around her to draw her back in, but then she fits a third finger into you. You take it easily, the stretch only giving you more pleasure, and you’re not sure you’ll ever be able to get any work done ever again.
But why would you want to, if this is what it gets you?
Now the only message you want to give to your outie is to wear something a bit more scandalous tomorrow, rather than the business professional dress.
“When I count to three, you are going to come for me,” Ms. Cobel says, quiet but domineering. Heat flares inside of you. “You are going to come for mommy.”
“One.”
She thrusts inside you faster, waves of pleasure rushing over and over of you.
“Two.”
Her thumb circles your clit roughly and you let out a loud keen while trying your best to ride her hand on the table. You’re about to come, you’re struggling to hold it back, biting your lip until it bleeds, you can’t—you need—
“Three.”
You let go and your orgasm tears through you like an explosion, making your vision go blank and sending you into a state of euphoria you’ve never felt anything close to. She doesn’t slow down and keeps going and you choke out moans while you try but fail to catch your breath.
“I can’t take—please, mommy—too much,” you pant while she smirks wickedly, but slows and then stops.
Ms. Cobel pulls her fingers out of you and you feel a rush of liquid seeping from your cunt. She pulls your underwear back on and lays her hand on your thigh as a gesture of tenderness.
But she seems to realize what she’s doing once you sit up and she quickly steps back. “Get situated and then get back to work. I trust you’ll be able to focus much better now.”
In a haze, you nod and she forces a smile before picking up the ruler that she had thrown on the table beside you and then walks out of the room.
You carefully climb off the table and pull your dress down.
The clock above the door says that you still have six hours left in the workday.
——
Ding!
The elevators open—you’re back on the surface, back as your outie. When you step off, you notice the soreness in your backside.
The security guard scans you and permits you to go ahead into the changing room. You exchange your badges and grab your phone and keys and then go down to the parking lot.
There’s a note on your windshield, which will be the reason for your soreness.
Your full name is on the envelope and you open it.
While on the Severed Floor, your innie sustained a minor injury to her rear when she was reaching for paper clips in the supply closet, fell backwards, and hit the edge of a shelf. Included is a ten dollar gift card to a restaurant of your choice.
You snort. Surely that’s not really what happened.
But you know how to find out.
It’s a short drive home, only about five minutes since you live in the subsidized Lumon housing neighborhood. The white Volkswagen Rabbit is already parked in the driveway and you pull up next to it.
You unlock the door and step inside. The first thing you hear is the whirring of the coffee grinder and you smile to yourself. It’s a noise you’ve come to associate with home.
Kicking off your shoes, you walk into the kitchen, where your wife, Harmony, is cooking dinner and brewing a cup of coffee for herself. Her silver hair catches the overhead lights and contrasts nicely with her maroon robe. She smirks when you enter and you hold up the note.
“Apparently I hit my ass on the edge of a shelf in the supply closet,” you announce. “Seems like you had some fun. Is it bad that I find you fucking innie-me hot?”
“Oh, I did have fun,” she says, reaching into her robe and withdrawing a ruler. There’s a jolt inside you, like you recognize it but you don’t know why. “The underwear was a nice touch.”
You grin at your wife. “I’m glad you liked it. And I’m glad innie-me finally decided to act out enough to get your attention. I’ve been wearing lingerie for the past week ever since you said you like when she’s bratty.”
Harmony snorts and grabs her cup of coffee and walks over to the couch. You follow, still in your work clothes.
“Will you tell me about it?” you ask.
Her pupils dilate just a bit. “Oh yeah? You want me to tell you about how I bent her—you—over and spanked you with the ruler ten times? And how you got so fucking needy for me that I had to turn you over and fuck you with my fingers?”
Your breath catches. “Fuck.”
Harmony smirks. “You called me ‘mommy’. Like you fucking knew, even in there.”
A shiver runs through you, followed by a heavy heat. “Well, how about you, mommy?” you simper, fingers seeking her leg and pushing her robe up her thigh. “Did I take care of you?”
“That might be for tomorrow. I’m sure you’ll do something that warrants it,” she says, teasing slightly.
Your tongue pokes between your teeth and you move to straddle her. “Or,” you whisper, leaning down to nip at her exposed neck, “you could let me take care of you right now.”
Her underwear is already soaked through when you finally reach down between you.
“Yes,” she sighs and you can’t wait to hear about her and your Severed self more tomorrow.
#harmony cobel#harmony cobel x reader#harmony cobel x female reader#severance#harmony cobel smut#covsfics#the break room
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hey i was wondering something and i wanted to know your opinion on it
Why is it problematic to say i hate men but not white people or straight people
(i'm a trans south east asian man btw)
I'd say on, like, a casual exasperated level, its not problematic to say "I hate [x]." It gets problematic when your venting about a group becomes your sole lens of viewing + interacting with that group.
Like, its entirely alright to be frustrated with behaviors common to cishet white men and express that in a vent by saying you hate them. But... its like how people make the correct point that they shouldn't be expected or obligated to give all their energy to coddling people with power over them, but translate that into "i never have to care about a member of this group at all" which directly conflicts with just. being in a community? Like women should not be expected to be caretakers for men, but people in a community need to take care of each other. When the only way you engage with a group of people is by expressing hatred and asserting how much you aren't obligated to care about them, its easier than people think to find yourself dehumanizing them.
Which does not mean "you are just as bad as a racist/misogynist" or "you are oppressing them"; you are An Individual whose biases are not necessarily backed up by powerful systemic powers. But, for one, its very easy for those biases to be used by systemic forces: with men, misandry is very easily used to justify all kinds of violence towards marginalized men & people perceived as men. You also have situations where people will say the Holocaust "wasn't as bad" as, say, US slavery, because it was "white on white violence," or saying the Armenian genocide also wasn't that big of a deal because "it was done to Christians and Christians are always killing people" (two real things I have seen been said). And, again: if you are going to care about community and restorative/transformative justice and all that, you need to be able to give a shit about all kinds of people who you live with. You need to be able to see them as whole beings you are capable of connecting with on some level. You don't personally need to date or befriend men, but you do need to be able to give a shit about men in your community.
Its fine to feel annoyance and anger and use "hatred" to express that. But the problem occurs when people take "its okay to be angry with your oppressors and not spend all your energy coddling them" and make that the end-all be-all of their relationship with people of whatever group; revolutions can't accomplish compassionate goals when they are run on hatred. Very hooksian concept but "love" (as in "a combination of care, commitment, knowledge, responsibility, respect and trust", not in a strictly emotional sense but as an action) is a skill that is as vital as understanding class dynamics and protest tactics. Maybe you don't need to love everyone, but try to have the capacity to love anyone; the ability to physically care for someone you don't emotionally like is, I think, a vital step towards truly challenging and bringing down the kyriarchy.
Basically its about recognizing when your venting stops being an outlet and starts being a way for unproductive feelings to shape how you view other people.
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— SO I MARRIED MY ANTI-FAN ౨ৎ SES
O2O. eunseok vs seunghan
✸ SYNOPSIS ! : congratulations! you have been invited to korea's #1 romance reality show 'We Got Married' where you will be living with your co-star like a married couple. but what will you do when you find out that your husband is actually your anti-fan?
author's note 𐬹 ۫ ۪ feels so good to be back :)
(1.98k words, not proofread)








YOU WANDER AROUND THE APARTMENT in search of any entertainment, bored out of your mind. Today is a day-off for you, Eunseok and the production team. Which means that there are no cameras filming you for today, giving you the freedom of doing whatever it is you want to do.
The day went by quickly as you spent it on nothing but your phone; texting Seunghan who has somewhat become your new friend and scrolling through your social media.
It is during near your bedtime when you realise how unproductive you have been today. So you decide to put your phone away and wander around the apartment in search of anything to entertain you.
The sight of Eunseok setting up his phone in the living room stops you in your tracks when suddenly an idea comes up in your mind. Grinning to yourself, you walk up towards Eunseok on your tippy toes to surprise him.
Eunseok on the other hand isn't exactly cluless to your plan. He has his back facing you as he struggles to find a good angle where he can balance his phone while simultaneously move his hands freely. His front camera mirroring him.
At the corner of the screen, Eunseok catches the sight of you creeping up on him, the mischievous glint in your eyes couldn't have been more obvious. Eunseok struggles to hold back a grin the more he sees you, finding you absolutely adorable.
"I can see you, you know? " He says with a laugh, his back still facing you.
You visibly stiffen for a few seconds, your lips falling into a soft pout and your eyes looking defeated. Eunseok observes you from the screen of his phone, the grin he is holding back now displayed in a toothy way.
"Do you want me to pretend I didn't see you the first time so that you can surprise me? " He suggests with a playful tone. Your pout deepen and it seems as if you don't appreciate his suggestion.
Eunseok's grin grows bigger if possible, finding you absolutely adorable when sulking.
"Come here, sit beside me. Don't think I haven't realised how you were basically pacing around the apartment for the past 15 minutes. " He says as he taps the empty spot beside him.
You don't hesitate to head over towards him and occupy both the spot beside him and his personal space as you lean forward on his arms. You then grab one of his arms and drapes it on your stomach, cocooning yourself into his warmth.
The small intimate act makes Eunseok lightheaded as butterflies erupt in his stomach. That must've been due to the amount of chocolate he has consumed today, mustn't it?
Eunseok fail to even believe his own words the moment the tip of ears turns pink, making him slowly lose focus.
"What are you doing? " You ask your husband who has been fixing the position of his phone for the past few minutes, seemingly trying to find the perfect angle. You tilt your head up to meet Eunseok's gaze, unconsciously snuggling closer to him. "Are you trying to take a picture? Could've just asked me you know, I'm pretty good at taking pictures. "
Eunseok almost laugh at your assumption. If only you know the real reason he's setting up the camera, you would probably be frowning and asking him why. You probably will also have your eyebrows meet from an adorable frown.
"I'm gonna have a video call with my members, why? " He says softly, finally getting the angle he's looking for. He leans back on the couch and pulls you along with him. He's cautious though, fearing that you are able to hear his loud heartbeat if he pulls you in closer.
You say nothing as you scroll on your phone, giggling to yourself at a silly cat video on your TikTok For You page. You lightly tap on Eunseok's arm to show him the video, your giggles only getting louder as you keep on rewatching the video.
After the video replays for three times, you finally lift your head up to take a look at Eunseok's reaction. Surprise overtakes your body when you catch Eunseok staring into your eyes.
He doesn't stop— no, he continues to stare at you even when he gets caught in the headlights.
Your cheeks grow warm. You want to look away and bury your face in the pillow beside you, maybe you might even pretend he wasn't just staring at you. However, you somehow just cannot take your eyes off of him.
The same thing goes for Eunseok.
A vibration from your phone causes you to look away from him. You fish put the small device from your back pocket and check the notification. Seunghan has sent you a message.
hannie ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა
eunseok is about to beat my ass via discord Pls help me. 🙏
Your eyes narrow at the text message, a confused hum escaping your mouth. Eunseok takes note of the sound and glances at your phone. He immediately sees the text message sent from Seunghan.
You know Eunseok is watching your screen so you simply turn to look at him. "What does he mean by this? " You tilt your head, confused.
Eunseok opens his mouth to answer but he struggles to find the right words for it that won't make him sound insane. You tilt your head further and Eunseok finds himself getting distracted by your beauty.
You look so adorable from this angle, he thinks. The position is perfect. He has your back pressed against his chest as his right arm rests on your shoulders. Your rounded eyes looking straight into his. The smell of your sweet body lotion invades his nose and he loves it so much. Most importantly, the warmth of your body provides comfort to him— like a soft blanket on a chilly autumn evening.
A loud ringing sound coming from Eunseok's phone causes the both of you to break the eye contact. Eunseok hesitates but the sound is too loud to his liking.
He looks at the phone he has just set up snd see an upcoming discord video call from 'RIZZLERSSS 😏🔥'. He sighs deeply, reaching out to decline the call. However you stop him, asking him if it's Riize's discord server.
"Are your members in there? " Your eyes sparkles when you turn to look at Eunseok again. He hesitates a bit but eventually mutters a small yes. You gasp, your body turning around to face his as your left hand touches his right shoulder. "Can I talk to them, please? "
Eunseok wants to decline, knowing the true nature of the video call. However the sparkles in your eyes are just too captivating. Actually, it might be your touch on his shoulder because he swears he can feel himself getting hypnotised. He can't say no to you anymore.
"Of course. " His smile crooks as the words leave his mouth, yet he presses on the accept call button, putting both of you in the call.
"No we can't cancel this, how else am I supposed to see you guys e-fighting? " Sungchan says to Seunghan who is trying to convince everyone to leave the call.
They continue to bicker for a little while until Wonbin points out the small screen with you and Eunseok inside. "Is that Eunseok— and Y/n? " He says, confused.
You give him a little wave along with a smile. Unmuting the mic, you greet them excitedly. "Hi everyone. Hi Seunghan! " You wave a little more enthusiastically at Seunghan, missing the way Eunseok's eyes narrows at it. The rest of the members looking uneasy, especially Seunghan.
"Where's Sohee? " Anton asks, trying to break the ice. Everyone only realising then that one of their maknaes are missing. Shotaro shrugs, "Probably blowing up the toilet. I saw him eating the 2x spicy buldak for dinner. "
The call is silent for a few seconds. No one knowing what to say. Normally, their call has never been silent. However, the presence of you makes a few of them shuffle in their seats awkwardly.
"You know what fuck this. " Sungchan says before clapping his hands. "Welcome everyone— and Y/n— to the fight of Eunseok and Seunghan! "
You frown in confusion, your body turning back around to face Eunseok. "What do you mean fight? You're gonna fight Seunghan? How, virtually? "
Eunseok's body tenses for a moment, his eyes not meeting yours. Instead, he looks over to his members over the call and sends a help signal through his eyes.
Sungchan chuckles awkwardly, his hand rubbing his nape. "Well Y/n, Eunseok here is super jealous of Seunghan for getting your attention so we, as per his request, set up this call for them to fight! " He ends his speech with a toothy grin.
"Is this what this is about Eunseok, you're jealous? " Your tone unbelievable at the newly found information. "Is this why you were grumpy this morning? " A chuckle leaving your lips this time.
Eunseok finally looks down on you and nods sheepishly, his lips pursed together. "I mean, I'm your husband and this is supposed to be our honeymoon yet you're giving Seunghan all the attention. "
You laugh louder this time, the sound of it resonating within the four walls of your living room. "So you're telling me you did all this just because you were upset I didn't give you my attention? Oh Eunseok... "
Your eyes look at him with sympathy but your lips are teasing him with a smile. "You're so cute when you're jealous. Now tell me, what do I have to do for you to stop jumping on Seunghan? " Your hands reach up to pinch on his naturally flushed cheeks.
"Follow me on twitter. " Eunseok mumbles quietly, embarrassed at his own request. You tilt your head, not catching his words. "What did you say? "
Eunseok turns his head away from you, refusing to look into your eyes as he repeats his words louder, "Follow me on twitter. "
Did you hear that right? There's no way Eunseok is telling you to follow him on Twitter only because he's jealous with Seunghan. You must've been hearing things wrong and it seems as if everyone else are thinking the same.
"Eunseok be so fucking for real. " Seunghan is the first one to break the awkward silence. One nasty look from Eunseok is enough to shut him up.
"Okay guys, not too much on Eunseok, he's just jealous. " You defend, surpassing a smile. Eunseok opens his mouth in protest but gets cut off by you, "Now if you guys don't mind, we will be leaving the call because apparently my super jealous husband wants me to follow him on Twitter. Bye! "
The small screen that belongs to you and Eunseok disappears the moment you leave the call. You laugh and pinch Eunseok's cheek after you press the 'follow' button on his account.
"You're so silly sometimes. " You say, your nose scrunching as a result of you smiling a little bit too hard. Eunseok can't help himself from grinning like an idiot, shamelessly admiring how pretty you look like when you smile.
"Yeah, I guess I kinda am. " He replies with flushed cheeks.
On the other side, a beat of silence passes by after you leave the meeting. The members look at each other in confusion until Shotaro speaks up for the first time that night, "What the fuck. "
Sohee, who joins the meeting late as a result of him blowing up the toilet looks at everyone in confusion. "Where's Eunseok? Why are you guys so quiet? " He asks.
Sumgchan shakes his head, still stunned, "I don't know either man. "



yn's new priv's layout btw:

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#✩ - so i married my anti-fan#riize fluff#riize x reader#eunseok x reader#eunseok fluff#song eunseok x reader#riize scenarios#riize imagines#riize texts#riize smau
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