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mostlysignssomeportents · 11 months

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Amazon's bestselling "bitter lemon" energy drink was bottled delivery driver piss

Today (Oct 20), I'm in Charleston, WV at Charleston's Taylor Books from 12h-14h.

For a brief time this year, the bestselling "bitter lemon drink" on Amazon was "Release Energy," which consisted of the harvested urine of Amazon delivery drivers, rebottled for sale by Catfish UK prankster Oobah Butler in a stunt for a new Channel 4 doc, "The Great Amazon Heist":

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-great-amazon-heist

Collecting driver piss is surprisingly easy. Amazon, you see, puts its drivers on a quota that makes it impossible for them to drive safely, park conscientiously, or, indeed, fulfill their basic human biological needs. Amazon has long waged war on its employees' kidneys, marking down warehouse workers for "time off task" when they visit the toilets.

As tales of drivers pissing – and shitting! – in their vans multiplied, Amazon took decisive action. The company enacted a strict zero tolerance policy for drivers returning to the depot with bottles of piss in their vans.

That's where Butler comes in: the roads leading to Amazon delivery depots are lined with bottles of piss thrown out of delivery vans by drivers who don't want to lose their jobs, which made harvesting the raw material for "Release Energy" a straightforward matter.

Butler was worried that he wouldn't be able to list his product on Amazon because he didn't have the requisite "food and drinks licensing" certificates, so he listed his drink in Amazon's refillable pump dispenser category. But Amazon's systems detected the mismatch and automatically shifted the product into the drinks section.

Butler enlisted some confederates to place orders for his drink, and it quickly rocketed to the top of Amazon's listings for the category, which led to Amazon's recommendation engine pushing the item on people who weren't in on the gag. When these orders came in, Butler pulled the plug, but not before an Amazon rep telephoned him to pitch him turning packaging, shipping and fulfillment over to Amazon:

https://www.wired.com/story/amazon-let-its-drivers-urine-be-sold-as-an-energy-drink/

The Release Energy prank was just one stunt Butler pulled for his doc; he also went undercover at an Amazon warehouse, during a period when Amazon hired an extra 1,000 workers for its warehouses in Coventry, UK, in a successful bid to dilute pro-union sentiment in his workforce in advance of a key union vote:

https://jacobin.com/2023/10/the-great-amazon-heist-oobah-butler-review

Butler's stint as an Amazon warehouse worker only lasted a couple of days, ending when Amazon recognized him and fired him.

The contrast between Amazon's ability to detect an undercover reporter and its inability to spot bottles of piss being marketed as bitter lemon energy drink says it all, really. Corporations like Amazon hire vast armies of "threat intelligence" creeps who LARP at being CIA superspies, subjecting employees and activists to intense and often illegal surveillance.

But while Amazon's defensive might is laser-focused on the threat of labor organizers and documentarians, the company can't figure out that one of its bestselling products is bottles of its tormented drivers' own urine.

In the USA, the FTC is suing Amazon for its monopolistic tactics, arguing that the company has found ways to raise prices and reduce quality by trapping manufacturers and sellers with its logistics operation, taking $0.45-$0.51 out of every dollar they earn and forcing them to raise prices at all retailers:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/25/greedflation/#commissar-bezos

The Release Energy stunt shows where Amazon's priorities are. Not only did Release Energy get listed on Amazon without any quality checks, the company actually nudged it into a category where it was more likely to be consumed by a person. The only notice the company took of Release Energy was in its logistics and manufacturing department – the part of the business that extracts the monopoly rents at issue in the FTC case – which tracked Butler down in order to sell him these services.

The drivers whose piss Butler collected don't work directly for Amazon, they work for a Delivery Service Partner. These DSPs are victims of a pyramid scheme that Amazon set up. DSP operators lease vans and pay to have them skinned in Amazon livery and studded with Amazon sensors. They take out long-term leases on depots, and hire drivers who dress in Amazon uniforms. Their drivers are minutely monitored by Amazon, down to the movements of their eyeballs.

But none of this is "Amazon" – it's all run by an "entrepreneur," whom Amazon can cut loose without notice, leaving them with unfairly terminated employees, outstanding workers' comp claims, a fleet of Amazon-skinned vehicles and unbreakable facilities leases:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/04/17/revenge-of-the-chickenized-reverse-centaurs/

Speaking to Wired, Amazon denied that it forces its drivers to piss in bottles, but Butler clearly catches a DSP dispatcher telling drivers "If you pee in a bottle and leave it [in the vehicle], you will get a point for that" – that is, the part you get punished for isn't the peeing, it's the leaving.

Amazon's defense against the FTC is that it spares no effort to keep its marketplace safe. As Amazon spokesperson James Drummond says, they use "industry-leading tools to prevent genuinely unsafe products being listed." But the only industry-leading tools in evidence are tools to bust unions and screw suppliers.

In her landmark Yale Law Review paper, "Amazon's Antitrust Paradox," FTC Chair Lina Khan makes a brilliant argument that Amazon's alleged benefits to "consumers" are temporary at best, illusory at worst:

https://www.yalelawjournal.org/note/amazons-antitrust-paradox

In Butler's documentary, Khan's hypothesis is thoroughly validated: here's a company extracting hundreds of billions from merchants who raise prices to compensate, and those monopoly rents are "invested" in union-busting and countermeasures against investigative journalists, while the tools to keep you from accidentally getting a bottle of piss in the mail are laughably primitive.

Truly, Amazon is the apex predator of the platform era:

https://pluralistic.net/ApexPredator

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

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

My next novel is The Lost Cause, a hopeful novel of the climate emergency. Amazon won't sell the audiobook, so I made my own and I'm pre-selling it on Kickstarter!

#pluralistic #release energy #channel 4 #amazon #corporate intelligence #labor #unions #amazon labor union #the great Amazon heist #catfish uk #oobah butler #delivery service partner

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robertreich · 3 months

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Boeing Is Everything Wrong With American Capitalism

Excuse my language, but why is Boeing such a shitty corporation?

Their planes are literally falling apart in the sky.

At least six Boeing planes have had parts fall off this year — including an exit door in mid-flight. A whistle-blower has accused Boeing of a “criminal cover-up” of its safety failures.

But beyond this one company, Boeing’s descent is a case study in how American capitalism has become so rotten. Let me explain.

I’m old enough to remember when people used to say “If it’s not Boeing, I’m not going.”

But in 1997, everything changed when Boeing merged with McDonnell Douglas and became the only major maker of commercial aircraft in America. With no domestic rivals, it no longer needed to stay on the cutting edge of innovation.

Executives at Boeing who once specialized in engineering were replaced with Wall Street types who looked down on the engineers. One money-hungry CEO described those who cared too much about the integrity of Boeing’s planes, and not enough about its stock price, as “phenomenally talented assholes.”

To keep Wall Street happy, Boeing began spending billions on stock buybacks that pumped up the value of shares — money that could have been spent on safety and innovation.

It doled out hundreds of millions on campaign contributions and lobbying to lower safety standards, rake in massive government contracts, and boost its bottom line.

To cut costs, Boeing outsourced roughly 70% of its design, engineering, and manufacturing rather than rely on its experienced union workforce.

To further undercut its union, Boeing opened an assembly plant in South Carolina, a notorious anti-union state. Executives reportedly told managers not to move any unionized employees there.

This quest for profit resulted in massive quality control problems that were reported by engineers and machinists, but allegedly ignored by management. All of this inevitably led to the deadly safety issues Boeing faces today.

And because of Boeing’s monopoly-like power, it has been largely immune from any repercussions for its poor performance.

Boeing made it seem like it was punishing executives who led it astray by firing them, but still rewarded them with “golden parachutes” on the way out.

Folks, Boeing’s troubles should serve as a cautionary tale. It’s reflective of broader trends in our economy over the past forty years. Monopolization. Wealth siphoned off to rich shareholders at the expense of everyone else. Cutting corners on safety to save a dime. Bashing unions. All while spending big money lobbying the government.

Boeing may have become a shitty company, but that doesn’t mean we have to put up with it.

The government has the power to increase antitrust enforcement to bust up big companies — something that we are already starting to see in other industries.

It should also attach strings to government contracts and subsidies to ensure that private corporations are working in the best interest of the country, and not just their bottom lines.

It should ban stock buybacks, which were illegal before the Reagan administration, so profits are put back into improving the company, including the safety of products, rather than solely padding investors’ wallets.

Union power should be rebuilt, so that workers can once again act as a countervailing force to Wall Street.

And we should continue the fight to get Big Money out of politics.

It’s not too late to reverse course and chart a new flight path.

#youtube #Boeing #travel #video #videos #politics #Wall Street #Greed

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shewrites02 · 3 months

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I don't know if it's okay to make a second request but can you make 14 for Zoro too? It's okay if you don't want to<333

Prompt Fourteen | Zoro x Reader |- “You said you loved me last night.” “Drunk words don’t mean shit.”

A/n: This is apart of my 400 follower event. I've decided the prompt will be more of drabbles, than full fics. Check the prompt list here: 400 follower event

WARNING: NSFW (I knowww i said no nsfw, but this one just kinda happened lol)

I'm so sorry for the wait, I hope it lives up to all your expectations! Enjoy :)

Word Count: 1.1k

How did you allow yourself to get here? So swept up and enamored with the swordsman. The first mate. Your crewmate- had life really been that cruel to you? Or was this manufacturing of your own doing? Don't think you'll ever get the answer to that., at least not now. Not staring into his drunken eye swooningly in the way you do.

"What?" Zoro asks, bringing the bottle to his lips again. You shrug, turning your face so he can't see the giddy grin that creeps up. Or the way your hands fly to your face at the feeling of warmth.

Zoro doesn't wait for your reply. Instead, his lips met yours in a slow, sloppy, passionate kiss. You can still taste the alcohol that coats his mouth.

There were many times the swordsman has tenderly kissed you, but never have his lips tasted this intoxicating. It has you wondering what the pirate may taste on your lips. The vanilla of your lip gloss? The booze you had downed before sneaking into the green haired pirate's quarters? Or maybe it's just desire. A desperate primal need to savor the first mate .

"Touch me Zoro." You beg, though it's unbecoming. Although sober you will be cursing the memory tomorrow. You beg the swordsman for what only he can give you.

"Mhm ... you feel so good." Zoro grunts into your ear.

His arms wrap around your waist pulling your bare chest flush against his. You nuzzle your head into the crook of the swordsman's neck. Attempt to muffle your moans in his skin. The slow purr of Zoro's jagged breath has you questioning how much longer you'll last.

"Fuck, Zoro-" Your breath hitches in your throat at the fire that crawls across your skin. A burn that only intensifies with each thrust the swordsman makes.

"I'm gonna -"

The coils in your stomach snaps before your warning makes it to Zoro, but it is of no concern. The swordsman is chasing his own relief. He holds you tighter, continues to fuck you through your high. His hold has moved from your waist to the cheeks of your ass. In quick fluid motions he is lifting you up before fully sheathing himself back into your heat. His fingertips burrow into your skin with growing fervor. The irregular, hurried pumps let you know he is close.

"Fuck-" Zoro exhales in a ragged breath. The thread of his restraint completely unravels as he shoots his cum into you. His forehead lays against yours while his dick twitches inside you.

"I love you so much." He whispers planting a kiss to your temple.

The following morning you wake to find yourself alone in the swordsman's quarters. The sheets ruffled, and cool to the touch in his absence. You try to fight against the furrow of your brows. The way your heart clenches at his stealthy escape. You knew the relationship- or lack thereof- you had with the pirate. Causal. Just sex. Were you foolish to believe his lust filled words were going to change that?

You unwrap yourself from the sheets. Dress in last night's clothes, to go creeping back to your quarters. You hear the rumbling of your crewmates in the galley. The sounds of breakfast beginning. The commotion has you moving in a hurried pace, praying that none of your friends would venture their way into the hall. Had no answers for all the questions they were bound to ask. It isn't long before you are presentable. As you approach, you can hear Luffy inquiring about you from down the hall.

When you push the galley doors open the entirety of the crew is at the table . They all stare back at you , awaiting an excuse for your tardiness. One that is not going to come. With a smile you take your place next to Chopper. The seat across from Zoro.

The swordsman has not met your eyes since the moment you walked in, and now was no different. His eyes cling to the plate as though the breakfast is the best Sanji has ever made.

It was an odd sight to see. The stoic swordsman, who had seen you naked , can't bring himself to look at you. Is he embarrassed? Does he regret what he said? You don't push him, wouldn't dare in the presence of all your friends. Just sit quietly eating at your food.

The watch on your wrist beeps aggressively at the top of the hour. A feature you are starting to regret asking Usopp for. The blaring reminder is just more evidence of how oddly the green haired pirate is acting. With a huff you push yourself to your feet. Give one last glance around before exiting the crows nest. You are moving faster than your mind can think. Before you have the opportunity to talk yourself out of it, you're storming to the pirate's quarters.

You don't bother knocking before barging right in. Zoro jumps from the bed startled by the sound. His brows furrow to the center of his face while he stares deadpan at you awaiting an explanation. An expression you return ten fold.

"We are supposed to train today... like we do every day."

With a huff the pirate rolls toward the wall turning his back to you. Mumbles something about being 'too tired' and to just train without him.

"You're being weird because you said you loved me last night!"

This has freed the pirate from any slumber that plagued him. He is now sitting upright, eye wide staring back at you. For a brief moment Zoro shifts his gaze away from you.

"Drunk words don't mean shit." he huffs.

"Is that so swordsman? cause your behavior surely isn't that of a man who didn't mean shit."

Zoro opens his mouth to speak but words don't follow. Just aimless sounds as he fumbles. Can barely maintain his composure as you are approaching with a devious smile.

"You're avoiding me. Admit it." You tease in a whisper bent at the waist to eye the swordsman. Your hand meets his cheek , you feel the warmth before the red tinge peaks on his cheeks. "Is roronoa Zoro too scared to admit his feelings?"

"I'm not scared of shit."

In all of this back and forth the pirate has not shied away from you once. Tried to reclaim any personal space for himself . Instead he remains firm in your presence, even welcoming of your touch.

"I can tell you I love you." He mutters, darting his eyes to the lone porthole .

"Uh? Say that one more time Roronoa."

The swordsman grasps your cheeks pulling you forward till your lips meet his. The kiss is not gentle, or soft. It is rough, demanding, but passionate all the same. Everything the pirate is.

"I said I love you. Don't be a brat now."' Zoro reprimands against your lips .

If you enjoy my content or if you have $5 to spare , please consider donating it to Besan . she is a mother trying so desperately to get her family out of Gaza. She is still so far away from her go fund me goal!

Operation Olive Branch Spreadsheet

I know everyone may not have the means to donate, but if by some chance you have an extra $5 to spare please consider donating it to the families trying to escape the Gaza strip.

#zoro roronoa #one piece #zoro x reader #zoro x y/n #oneshot #fanfic #roronoa zoro #zoro roronoa x y/n #zoro roronoa x reader #roronoa zoro x reader #one piece zoro #one piece strawhats

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zvaigzdelasas · 11 months

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21 Oct 23

President Joe Biden is making a new case to the American public for shipping arms, ammunition and other military supplies to the wars in Ukraine and Israel. His argument: many of those supplies are made in America — and that’s good for American jobs.[...]

That argument — which namechecked 2024 battleground states Pennsylvania and Arizona — comes as Biden makes a reelection pitch centered on his efforts to create jobs and revitalize domestic manufacturing in sectors such as clean energy and semiconductor fabrication. [...] And now that message includes arms manufacturing. The administration is pushing to ramp up the defense industrial base to pump out more artillery shells, missiles and other weapons for the U.S. and allies. The newest aid proposal, released Friday, includes $61.4 billion for Ukraine, of which $30 billion is for direct Ukrainian military aid.[...]

For Democrats who have been eager to see Biden more actively selling the war supply effort to weary voters, the made-in-America angle is a welcome sign of political vigor. They acknowledge, though, that it is not a sure-thing political wager. “To anybody that actually wants to, in good faith, make the decision, it’s certainly a really important and, I think, persuasive argument that this is about American jobs. It’s about helping actually bolster our entire defense manufacturing enterprise,” said Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.). “But I fear, and past behavior has shown, the MAGA extremists aren’t actually making this decision in good faith. They’re making it based on Russian propaganda that’s been propagated by Trump and everybody else.”[...]

While Biden’s message might resonate with some voters, it’s not getting much traction with House Republicans who oppose more aid [to Ukraine] at least not yet. Interviews with House GOP lawmakers on Friday showed that even those who feel Ukraine aid is justified aren’t buying Biden’s argument.[...]

Ukraine has been striking Russian logistics hubs using Lockheed Martin’s Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, or GMLRS, that are partially made in Lufkin, Texas — a city of 34,000 people that saw its paper mill and foundry close over the last two decades.

It’s represented by Republican Rep. Pete Sessions, a Ukraine aid supporter, who said Friday that the U.S. has an obligation to protect Ukraine under its post-Cold War security commitments. [...]

The U.S. has awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System launchers that fire GMLRS and are made in Camden, Ark., a town of about 10,000 people that’s 100 miles south of Little Rock. Republican Rep. Bruce Westerman, who represents Camden, said critics of government spending can be surprised to know some of that spending is going back to communities like his. “I actually had some constituents text me last night and say $100 billion is a lot of money to give away, and I made the point that a lot of that equipment is made in my district,” Westerman said. [...]

A bigger driver for House Republicans to back Ukraine aid may ultimately be whether they can extract border security concessions from Biden and Senate Democrats. Biden’s supplemental request includes $13.6 billion for security efforts at the U.S.-Mexico border. Republicans are also seeking border policy changes from the administration, and see a Ukraine funding request as an opportunity for leverage. “I’d be really surprised if Republicans wanted to let Russia win more than they wanted our own border secure,” Crenshaw said. “So I think that is the grand bargain that needs to happen.”

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krunaldigitalads · 4 months

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For more Details Click here : https://www.sspumpsindia.com/

#fire-fighting pumps #fire-fighting pumps manufacturer

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simsinter · 4 days

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#Fire Fighting Equipment #Blasting & Painting Equipment #Special Trucks Equipment #Couplings Fire Hoses #Couplings Anti Corrosion #Power & Hand Tools Kits #Paint Spraying Equipment #Airless Electric Guns #Topcoats Equipment Near Me #Hydraulic Equipment Near Me #Coupling Equipment #Hydraulic Equipment Manufacturers #Hydraulic Tools And Equipment #Hydraulic Equipment Suppliers #Hydraulic Lifting Tools #Hydraulic Pump Manufacturers in Cameroon

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rjzimmerman · 16 days

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Excerpt from this story from Canary Media:

The country that once boasted the world’s first coal-fired power plant is now set to eliminate the highly polluting fossil fuel from its power grid.

In late September, the United Kingdom will shutter the Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station, the country’s last operational coal-fired power plant. The closure indicates just how far the U.K. has come in its bid to do away with dirty sources of electricity.

The rapid change was made possible by the U.K.’s embrace of wind power, both on- and offshore. Over the last decade, this form of renewable energy has surged in the U.K., from generating around 8 percent of the country’s electricity in 2013 to 29 percent in 2023. Coal has plummeted over that same time period, falling from 36 percent of power generation to 1 percent last year — and then to a (literally) vanishingly small portion this year.

The country’s grid cleanup comes amid a backdrop of declining electricity demand. The U.K. used 17 percent less electricity in 2023 than it did in 2013, per Ember, as households adopted more efficient appliances, natural gas prices rose, and its economy shifted away from energy-intensive manufacturing jobs. Demand has continued to decline even as the country has started to embrace heat pumps and electric vehicles.

As a result of the U.K.’s rapidly decarbonizing grid and falling electricity demand, emissions from the country’s power sector have taken a nosedive, helping the nation reduce overall emissions to the lowest levels since 1879 — three years before that first coal-fired power station was even built.

Still, planet-warming fossil gas remains the single biggest source of electricity in the U.K. The country has led the way in moving past one form of polluting power, but now it will have to do the same with another if it is to meet its rapidly approaching goal of decarbonizing the grid by 2035.

#UK #coal energy

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suryaurja023 · 2 months

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wood fired water heater manufacturers-Surya Urja System

Surya Urja System is a leading manufacturer of wood-fired water heaters, providing durable and efficient solutions for hot water needs. Our heaters utilize renewable wood energy, ensuring an eco-friendly and reliable supply, perfect for off-grid and rural settings.

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blissfulip · 9 months

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Dopamine

On AO3:

Viktor x f!reader

Rating: Explicit

Tags: enemies to lovers, slow burn, angst, dubious science, mostly canon compliant, no use of y/n, chemist!reader, eventual smut.

Cw: explosions (no casualties), rude language.

Words: 1.6k

[A/N: tags and content warnings to be updated in each chapter, updates weekly.]

Part 2 Part 3

Chapter 1: A Forced Vacation

The sound of the blast was loud and echoing, which made Viktor believe the explosion must have happened nearby. Jayce's immediate reaction after uncovering his ears was to go out the door to try to find the source, but Viktor stopped him, reminding him that they didn't know if there was fire or anything dangerous outside. The announcement came shortly after when a muffled voice urged them to evacuate the academy building through the speakers on the ceiling.

"Please remain calm; a small-sized explosion has taken place at the manufacturing facilities; there is a chance there might be potentially harmful compounds in the air, so please make sure to correctly place the gas masks provided at the beginning of the academic term, you may situate them under the emergency equipment cupboard near the main entrance of each laboratory room, we reiterate: please remain calm as you evacuate the premises."

"Small explosion?" Jayce huffed as he retrieved the masks from the cupboard. Both of them did as they were told and calmly but energetically walked down the hallway to get to the main entrance of the building, where dozens had already congregated.

No one seemed to be affected by the recent developments except for Viktor; he even overheard a group of people excitedly chattering about possible places to have fun during their sudden evening off. Interruptions already annoyed him profoundly, but the importance of the breakthrough he recently had made this untimely interference ever more infuriating. He was leaning on a wall, impatiently tapping his cane against the concrete floor, when Jayce decided to investigate the matter, and the expression on his face when he came back was less than encouraging.

"So?"

"I don't think we'll be able to return to work, at least not today."

"What happened, though? What was the explosion about?"

"Uh…one of the quenching systems blew up; not sure I understood the reason why." Jayce hoped Viktor didn't catch on to the reason for his hesitation, but he did; it was a lost cause.

"Ha! I should've known it had to do with the chemistry department; it's almost like she is scheduled to create chaos at least once a month." Viktor started to raise his voice and gesture excessively.

"Come on, Vik, cut her some slack; they didn't expressly say she was directly responsible for any of this."

"When is it not her fault, though? It's almost like she lives to hinder my work!"

"Why are you so angry? Did you misplace your caliper again?" You said, appearing from behind Jayce with a playful pout only to annoy him more intentionally.

"If it isn't the source of all my problems," Viktor said, rolling his eyes.

"What did I do now?" You said, laughing ironically.

"I had an inkling that such a monumental mishandling could only be your fault." he hissed.

"you're wrong as usual, Sparkle."

"You designed those vents!" This accusation struck a nerve in you. And any mood for playful banter had been substituted by indignation.

"First of all, I'm a chemist, not an engineer, so if anything, it's a testament to my brilliance that those scrubbers have been working at all, and as a matter of fact, they would have continued working perfectly if it weren't for you."

"What do we have to do with any of this?"

"The sizing of the quenching system I put in place was appropriate until the hextech team came to be, and you two decided to start pumping out microelectronics all the time, the amount of suppressing agent that has to be pumped through the system to accommodate for the things you have been manufacturing exacerbated the machine, of course it was gonna explode eventually!"

"Why didn't you adjust the sizing then?"

"Because it's not my job! I'm here to research organic materials, not design your machinery. I warned the council, and they didn't seem to care, so if you have a problem, take it up with them for not hiring the appropriate people for the job."

"How can you be so offhand about what happened? This could've been fatal had there been people in the facility."

"Oh, get off your high horse, Viktor, you're only mad because I'm involved, and you're being forced to interrupt your work. Don't pretend like you care."

"Of course I care. Do you think I'm a monster?"

"Of course not. You're definitely well known for being big on safety protocols." You said with a clear tone of sarcasm.

Viktor knew you were right and could not argue against that, but he wanted to retort. He wanted very badly to say anything at all. Unfortunately, you had already turned on your heels to walk away from them, leaving him with narrowed eyes and a deep frown.

"You kind of set yourself up for that one," Jayce said casually. He had been quietly witnessing you two fight as he usually did. Viktor gave him a furious glare as a response and walked back to his dormitories resentfully quiet.

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

Murmurs could be heard coming from the entrance of the laboratory wing. There was a strong feeling of emptiness in your stomach as you approached, that you usually would have attributed to not having eaten anything that morning; however, this time, it was a clear fear of facing the consequences of the previous afternoon’s incident. It hadn’t been your fault; you were as angry as the next person, and for an institution with that many wealthy investors, the Academy had a silent policy of spending as little as possible on as few departments as they could. Everyone knew that with the unlooked-for creation of the Hextech team, the investments in all the other research departments had been drained to be allotted to the council’s golden duo; there had been multiple coffee machine conversations about it. Yet, you were anxious.

They wouldn’t blame you, would they? Viktor did, and if there’s something that son of a bitch was good at beyond tightening nuts and bolts was persuading a crowd. What prevented him from convincing all your colleagues that this whole debacle was your burden? All that muttering was probably him rallying up a crowd to lynch you.

You breathed in. When have you been afraid to face him before? This was unlike you.

I don’t owe anything to anyone. That idiot can badmouth my character as much as he likes, but he can’t argue with the facts.

You relaxed your shoulders and unclenched your jaw.

“Get a grip, damn it!” You said to yourself quietly as you put on a laid-back cast and opened the door to the main hall.

No heads were left unturned when you walked in. Some faces were neutral, some carried the type of warm smile of someone who would be happy to see you, there was that one guy from the poli-sci department who was a tad too smug about your entrance, some seemed worried, and one of them—the bane of your existence—looked at you with a pronounced frown, eyes narrowed, and mouth turned upside-down.

"What's everyone doing here? I thought I was late already. Did I miss a memo?" You said with a casual tone, a painfully obvious attempt at masking the existential crisis you were having just moments earlier.

"Labs are gonna be closed for a month; something about them needing to disinfect and ventilate potential harmful agents from the facilities."

Part of you was glad it had been your friend Moira who spoke up first, but on the other hand, you feared the silence before the storm, and you were soon proved to be justified in doing so.

"I hope you are happy."

"Why would I be?

"You just cost us a month’s worth of work." Viktor sneered through his teeth.

"I'm sure you can afford that. Differently from the rest of the research departments, you don't have the risk of losing your funding if you don't churn out constant developments, so I don't see why you are so upset."

"This isn't the first time you have gotten in the way of my work. You could say I've boiled over."

This is when people started to walk away. Your 'explosive' relationship with Viktor wasn't a novelty to anyone, and they knew better than to try to intervene. It had been more than a year at this point; you resented him for not admitting the preferential treatment they were given by the Academy, and he resented you for some…unfortunate accidents that had delayed his work before. You both knew you had some fault in each of those things, but stubbornness and pride had prevented you from admitting this to one another. To his dismay, Jayce had had to play mediator, the child of a divorce that never happened.

"Except this time, it wasn't my fault, but of course, you'd jump at any opportunity to blame me for something."

"Maybe if you were competent enough to complete the task you were given, it wouldn't have happened."

You were livid.

"I played engineer for a couple of weeks and designed a machine that worked without a hitch for 3 years. You are an engineer and can't get any of those little prototypes of yours to work. Remind me who's incompetent again?"

"Woah, okay, that's enough. Let's all go home and relax, okay?" Jayce said, already dragging Viktor from his cane arm and not allowing him to proffer any of the offenses he intended to.

How dare he say you were incompetent? You were head and shoulders above him in every possible category. Fine, perhaps he had an edge when it came to discipline. And organization. Maybe charisma, somehow everyone liked him. You understood why. He was handsome too, charming even…

Maybe if he— No. don’t even start.

#viktor #arcane viktor #viktor arcane #viktor x reader

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