#I know the only reason is ‘they partnered with Amazon as a place to take your returns’

[rukia-writes]

Greek pantheon x WW! Reader

A/N: I had an idea 💡

Zeus: our training will be glorious!

⚡️Power, beauty, intelligence. Say less. Zeus defeintely wears his heart on his sleeve and he definetly loves training with his powerful partner.

⚡️Even if his beloved hits him directly in the face he just loves it and the lasso?! Zeus: Kinky.

⚡️Zeus finds the lasso of truth interesting 🧐; because if they ask what’s he’s been up to while tied with it he always says” I was thinking about you.” Which is the truth. If he gets a hold of it and captures his Amazon Zeus has some interesting questions ⚡️

⚡️Everyone in Valhalla knows Zeus and (Name) are training because they hear “Boom” and see shockwaves throughout the realm.

⚡️During the giantomachy I’d imagine it would play out very differently; the two definitely kicks some ass and have each others back. All is fair in love in war and if Zeus can he’ll save his beloved only to wink and say “You owe me one love.” As he proceeds to fuck up more soldiers.

⚡️Zeus definitely loves to be picked up by his WW! S/o and they are able to fly around Valhalla ♥️ Zeus also likes to woo so his amazon lover should expect gifts 🎁 and little love poems.

⚡️When the time comes he definetly asks his beloved to be in the ragnarok; he has 100% faith they’ll crush their opponent.

🗡️ Ares and his beloved train all the time and everytime he learns something new; in the beginning Ares wasn’t the best but he learned and he’s only getting better even if his s/o is still stronger than himself.

🗡️Sometimes Ares brags about his s/o but it comes from a good place; he just knows his WW! S/o is just powerful and sometimes she will have to kindly tell Ares to knock it down a few pegs.

🗡️ Ares won’t admit it out loud but he loves WW! s/o a lot especially when they fly and they can carry him in their arms ♥️ and when they kiss in the sky Ares will always remember it.

🗡️ Ares is scared of the lasso of truth because his beloved always asks him (while being tied up) “Did you eat my food when I wasn’t looking?” Or “Did you take my shield out today? It has several dents on it.” And Ares has to tell the truth 🥴🥴 but he knows his beloved Amazon will forgive him.

🗡️If his WW! S/O gets picked for Ragnarok Ares will be there and he’ll be cheering and doing a little bragging. Hermes doesn’t mind it because it’s true.

🦁 Like Zeus combat and love mix and training always comes off as nice blend because the two exchange blows but sneak in a few loving moments.

🦁 the two definitely debate about Hercules getting a shield; Hercules doesn’t like it but his beloved Amazon says it’s essential. if Hercules has a mission in Midgard he definitely takes her with him and if there are any monsters terrozing they definitely put an end to them.

🦁 it’s funny because IF his beloved ever takes damage Hercules is very protective of them and he’ll definitely try to get payback. Even though he knows his love is okay.

🦁 Hercules loves that his WW! S/o can fly and will sometimes ask if they will give him a lift; they definitely kiss in the air a few times. (Bitch I’m jealous)

🦁 Lasso of truth has no power here. Hercules always tells the truth. So when he gets tied up he just laughs and says “I always tell the truth.” ♥️ however while Hercules could definitely use the lasso he doesn’t.

🌸 LOVES HER WW! S/O so much.

🌸 “Kick their ass babe!” “How strong, my love is the best.” “A beautiful body with intelligence.”

🌸 before the two get together she’s the biggest fan; the biggest fan. The reason Valhalla knows about (Name) is Aphrodite. Especially in meetings. A monster is in Valhalla? She volunteers for them to go …just so she can play damsel in distress and she knows her idol will save her and when it happens she’s smitten.

🌸 Even though Aphrodite isn’t a fighter she’s definitely there to support her lover anyway she can; if her WW! S/o is training she’s there with water. (And it’s only for her love; if anybody’s else is there ..that’s their problem.) Outfit torn from battle? Aphrodite makes sure her WW! S/O gets an new outfit or she tries to fix it. ♥️

🌸 Their love is definitely sweet; and in Ragnarok she cheers for them and supports them anyway she can. (We’ll ignore that Aphrodite gave her WW lover a tight hug before fighting with shower of kisses 😽

🌸 the lasso of truth is scared of Aphrodite (lmao). Aphrodite tells the truth…a bit too much. “The lasso compels you! Where is your favorite place to be kissed.” “My goodness, I like to be kissed on my cheek-oh! Also my neck and don’t forget my chest-“

🌸 Aphrodite: 100

Lasso of truth: 0

💀The picture of his brothers in his throne room also has a big picture of his WW! S/o. All the while in the background as Hades reads a book as his beloved is round house kicking demons that decided to cause trouble in Helheim that day.

💀 in the Gigantomachy even though Hades handles the titans by himself he wishes he could have seen his WW! S/o take on Gaia and her army. Hades heard it was like watching Athena fighting and when Hades sees the soldiers on the battlefield that she handled he just melts on the inside.

💀 the two train sometimes; Hades in his later years doesn’t do it as much but he will do it for fun if she asks.

💀 Lasso has no power on Hades really, so he asks to borrow it to use it on his brothers. Hades has caught Zeus and Adamas. One day he will get Poseidon. So far he knows more about his brothers; he’s definitely the favorite brother. ♥️

💀 No demon has escaped Helheim with these two; the two are a power couple. When Nostradamus is sentenced to Helheim (Name) feels like he shouldn’t be there and definitely takes the boy in. Which Hades doesn’t protest. Beelzebub has tried to take on the Amazon of Helheim (a title she has earned) and definitely sees why Hades likes her.

🔱 Power Vs Power

🔱 “It’s decided then! We take out their army and destroy our enemies!” (Name) “Wonderfully said! Let us destroy them!” (Zeus) “…” (Poseidon)

🔱 Most of the time Poseidon doesn’t say anything because he respects his WW! S/o strength and intelligence as she does the same for Poseidon. The Greek pantheon prizes strength in all forms and Poseidon believes his WW! S/o will get the job done even if he doesn’t say it.

🔱 The gigantomachy had to been a sight to see as the two were a force to be reckon with. Poseidon destroying his enemies while his beloved Amazon not only keeps up him in combat but helps out others. Yes. Poseidon is secretly preparing a wedding but his beloved doesn’t need to know that.

🔱 Poseidon loves that his WW! S/o can fly and sometimes he hates it. Like in battle, he loves that because it’s such a proficient power and yet if his WW! S/o sneaks up from behind him and scoops him up in her arms there is nothing he can do and it takes him by surprise. Air kisses? No. Put him down first. Instead they get water kisses (since WW can breath underwater and I’m going to assume so can Poseidon) ♥️ (now Poseidon doesn’t mind air kisses in the air if the two have their intimate moments 🫣. Actually they all of the Greek pantheon like that. I’m just saying.)

🔱 lasso of truth is Poseidon’s enemy and he always dodges when his WW! S/o tries to tie him up with it. Poseidon doesn’t like the lasso on HIM because he can’t hide behind his wall. It’s not that he lies, but if he doesn’t want to share something then he just gets grumpy. (Since he has to tell the truth) However! If it’s simple questions like “Who is your favorite brother? The lasso compels you!” Poseidon doesn’t mind questions like that. Although If his beloved isn’t careful Poseidon will tie her up too and get her to answer A LOT of questions 😈 (like her favorite jewelry stone for marriage)

🎼 After a long day of fighting/training Hermes definitely likes to relax his sweet and kick ass amazon. Sometimes by playing music and whatever relaxes her. After a rough battle if she asks for something Hermes will provide; he doesn’t spoil her. Of course not. ♥️

🎼 Hermes didn’t believe in love at first sight but when he first saw her destroying Gaia’s soldiers in the gigantomachy he definitely experience a fiery heart ❤️‍🔥

🎼 in Ragnarok he silently cheers her on, and if Ares has a question (which he does) Hermes gives concrete details of her power and strength. Maybe in too much detail. ♥️

🎼 Loves, love the fact she can fly and always commends her for giving him a lift sometimes with a kiss and sometimes just with a smile. ♥️ Won’t talk about the two using her flight powers for other purposes 🫣

🎼 Hermes has a love/hate with the lasso of truth, if it’s used on others that’s fine but like he would prefer if she not use it on him. So, he dodges if he can.

🎀Rukia-Writes🎀

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

“My sense is that Meghan's market is more of the TJ Maxx demographic.” Interesting assessment of Meghan’s market. From a business perspective, brands who end up at TJMaxx, Marshalls, etc. (owned by the same company TJX) are typically bought in due to 1) supplier has made too much (overstock) and it isn’t selling 2) it’s getting close to the end of its expiration dates (close out) and it sold in at a much cheaper cheaper price to TJX. She’d still need a regular place to sell before she tries to offload (usually at a much lower margin / maybe even a loss) to TJX. I’m basing this on my experience with working in food industry and resorting to these retailers for the same reasons.

Exactly my point. The TJX brand is the end of the line for so much product and merch these days (especially fast fashion) that it's inevitable Meghan's products will end up there if this turns into the deal she wants to be. The key thing is that she needs product first. That she launched without a real product is very telling.

To me, what I think it says is that she's not getting the investors or partners that she wants so she launched ASAP to use the media's hype as part of her negotiation or recruitment strategy. (In addition to taking advantage of Kate's absence, of course.)

I made a suggestion in an earlier post that Meghan's competitors are the socialite/influencers that are launching their own brands or already have brands. A great many of those brands use print-on-demand dropship merch. They save on overstock storage and production fees by only keeping a limited selection in stock and marking up their own prices to cover "demand."

I see Roop heading in that direction. If they can't find a distribution vendor (e.g., Kohls, Target, Macy's, etc.), they'll do dropshipping but at such low quantities they always sell out - which is the same tactic Meghan uses when she wants to be a fashion influencer (she wears something already heavily discounted and with so little stock that she can take credit for "selling out").

What is interesting, and why I think Roop has a good argument for exclusivity with TJX companies, is Rae Dunn. Most of her product is sold exclusively through TJX and she has a deal with a company called Magenta Inc., an online retailer that's thought to be behind Rae Dunn products in places like Amazon and Walmart.

So there's precedent for Meghan/Roop to sell exclusively with TJX, with perhaps a side deal for an online storefront like Magenta offers. But that's not the audience or market Meghan wants (even though she herself is the "wine mom" elder millennial motivational-quote-spouting stereotype that buys Rae Dunn and shops at TJX stores so it's a natural fit). She wants Roop in luxury marketplaces that prices out the very people who would actually buy Meghan's product.

She's stuck between a rock and a hard place. I think she realizes it now while watching the metrics on social media plateau from a total lack of engagement and total absence of content (hence throwing Mandana under the bus in Page Six). Which is surprising. Given the way she rolled out Sussex.com with the IG Vancouver kickoff - four or five days straight of new Sussex content and material - I expected the same thing with Roop; 1st day - social media launch, 2nd day - lunch papwalk, 3rd day - product launch, 4th day - "checking out my product" charity visit/papwalk, 5th day - Netflix cooking show promo, and so on.

I know, I know. Stop giving her ideas. I'm trying!

[godstaff]

Wrong message.

I really, really, don't want to start a new controversy, but I don't care if it does.

It has occur to me that Wonderbat, besides all the logistic impediments it raises, it makes absolutely no sense in the life and upbringing of Diana of Themyscira. Her culture taught her not to trust in men and the Patriarch's World. Unfortunately, Bruce Wayne and specially Batso are the epitome of what that represents, talking about toxic masculinity, so she doesn't have any reason to even look at him in a friendly, least of all a romantic way. She can work with him as a colleague, with reservations, but not much more than that.

Besides, Bruce's critical part of his secret identity comes from posing as a disolute playboy, womanizer and alcoholic. This works for Tony Stark because he is all that. Not Bruce. How long do you think Diana will put up with that? How do you think her mother will tolerate this situation: the utmost public humiliation of her daughter by a male pig?

In better times, Diana ascended to Olympus to take her place as the Goddess of Truth.

Yet, nothing about Bruce is real: his face is a mask. His body is an armor. His strength is usually enhanced by gadgets. He needs vehicles to move around. His identity is a fake, he even thinks his god given face is a fake and his mask is the real thing. He must constantly keep his fragile mind in check so he doesn't fall into madness. He needs life support to go into space or underwater. Diana, pretty much like Superman with Lane, can only go as far with him as his technology allows him to.

Yeah, you'd probably say Bruce doesn't really chase after women and doesn't really drink. How long do you think he can pretend before one of those scorched women finds out and and blows the whistle and sends Bruce's secret down the drain. People can also think Diana took pity on his personal tragedy and background and fell for him as a charity erra nd, but that doesn't work either since he's nothing but an asshole all the time.

All situations between Diana and Bruce require by unspoken accord Bruce acts like the dominant partner...just because of who he is and nobody wants his ego bruised because Wonder Woman publicly challenged his authority.

She must adapt to him, even though she's light years ahead of him. Have in mind Diana is not Clark, she doesn't giva shit about his public image and these are woke times and women must be respected, even by Batso. Ain't it right, girls?

Batso fans love these scenes

A smug bruce scolding a submissive Diana. How long will modern society tolerate them? Why would she, a proud Amazon, even submit to a man weaker than her? An emotionally unstable man at that?

Answer that to me, woke girls, please.

You may say Diana abandoned her home chasing after a man. Truth is she went after her desire to knew the world and to help in a dire international conflict which promptly would've reached her home, knowing nazi ambition of wanting to conquer the whole planet. It was just a matter of time before they do it if action wasn't adopted. Diana decide to adopt it. No, it wasn't because of a man: Trevor was the catalyst, the one who opened her eyes to the global situation (Yeah: the emotional woman couldn't resist a man's charm, and had to follow him) just the excuse, so readers at the time could understand it. Diana was adamant, though, she would have no permanent relation with him until peace on Earth wasn't achieved

Then why would she put up with Bruce. Because he's smarter? He's not. Because he's tougher? He's not.

But he IS just human. Only human. She's a lot more than that. Marston created Wonder Woman in an age there wasn't any respect for women, yet, he made her an early femenist icon. No surprise there: he had to respond to two women at home. Some may look it like he was a dominant Alpha having two spouses to serve him. Knowing women, I think he was just the Boy-Toy of the two women and an outstanding efficient provider for their household, so they kept him.

Diana is an independent woman, even being a princess. She had no problem leaving her lavish lifestyle to pursue her goals, all alone in a hostile world, with odds unfairly against her. Bruce can't do anything without having an entourage of people serving him all the time. He's a CEO, after all. We all know how those jerks are.

All in all, the relationship between Diana and Bruce sends a wrong message about Wonder Woman and what she represents. When she's besides him, she's is no longer a strong woman but another teen fangirling for the Bat and he playing the annoyed tough male who can get all the women, so he doesn't want any.

She no longer takes the decisions, because he has to be in charge all the time. She has to be at his service, so he can function. Like everything in Wayne's Manor, she must indulge his every whim or endure another one of his tantrums. She must blindly accept the bratty spoiled child he had with another woman. Not a request from his part, but an imposotion. Like I've said: she must adapt to him. He's incapable to adapt to things other of what he has already planned.

It seems like a lot to me. Why all the burden must be put on Wonder Woman? I couldn't, wouldn't accept that Wonder Woman, I can't respect her.

I no longer give a fuck about DC Comics and their stupid decisions. I care about the fans and their rather low standards, but that too isn't my problem anymore.

[morningstarlucemon]

Cheap Sketches!

Okay, i need the money to come in a LOT faster. So-- i'm offering in-stream sketches for $30 a piece. I'll work on them for approximately 30 minutes, and they'll mostly look similar to the example above. Rules -- 1.) ONLY contact me via my Discord: shinigami_of_excellence . I MAY NOT SEE YOUR REQUEST OTHERWISE. 2.) Accepted payments: PayPal, KoFi, Patreon donation, GoFundMe donation, and Amazon List Purchases. You will need to send me a screenshot or other confirmation of payment (your name as it will show up in the received payment). 3.) Payment up front. 4.) I reserve the right to turn down comms for any reason. Won't do: - animal death/cruelty - non sexually mature characters in sexual situations (littlespace and aged-up characters are fine) - hate art (queerphobia, racism, ablism, etc.) Will do: - almost anything else - Just ask. Worst i'll say is, "No thanks." STREAM LINK: https://picarto.tv/ShiniDraws ___ My partner and I are disabled queer folk facing homelessness. We finally both have emergency plans in place, but we need moving money. We also will likely need to split up unless we can get enough money to get a place together very quickly. We've been together for over six years and we have cats and a dog we take care of as a couple, and we're trying our best to stay together. We need to be out of our current living place by February 14th, and I need to know where I will be going by January 31st. I have until then to earn as much as i can to put towards finding somewhere to live. All funds will go to moving expenses, household necessities, and rent wherever we end up going. My goal is to get to 5,000 before I stop streaming. I will be trying to stream CONTINUOUSLY until this goal is reached. If i am unable to do so, i will take breaks to sleep, then promptly resume when i awake. I'm going to be working on commissions and trades the majority of the time. I'm going to attempt to get as many finished as possible. All donations help, even something as small as $5. If you cannot donate at all, please share this post around social media, discord servers, and anything else you can think of. If you know someone inside the US willing to take in the two of us, our four cats, and my service dog, please contact me via Discord at shinigami_of_excellence . Here are the links to help us: Our GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/4da28a83 Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/shinigamiofexcellence/goal?g=33 PayPal: https://paypal.me/excellentshinigami?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US Amazon List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2CE66WB1CWVZ9?ref_=wl_share Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/shinigamiofexcellence STREAM LINK: https://picarto.tv/ShiniDraws FOR THE CUSTOM ADOPTS: You may request a custom adopt using my pony base or my canine base for $20, or using one of my previous lines from my tummyache adopts for $30. You can suggest any color pallet, themes, or whatever you'd like. I will do them on stream. Simply send a donation with the note "for an adopt," then contact me via Discord. I will also do sketches in stream for $45. Same operation: donate with tag, then contact. Please, please, please. We are running out of time.

Posted using PostyBirb

[the-pale-goddess]

Do you HC Ethan & your MC used condoms every time they were together before becoming a thing? (2 occasions in book 1 and the first time after the chemical attack) If yes, were there moments of “we have to go and buy them” or one of them happened to have them? (especially after the ethics trial when they go to MC’s place). Would they have gone at it without them (Ik they’re doctors but they’re also humans)?

I’m terribly sorry for taking so long to answer your ask, dear! Thank you for thinking of me and my OTP ❤️ As far as I recall, I’m probably in the minority again kdbkdbdkbd

Yes, yes, a thousand times YES. I may not include this tiny yet extremely important detail in my fics too often (uhm, I think I mentioned condoms only in my very first fic Miami Heat, oops kdbdkbdk), but I HC that E&T did use protection every single time before they became a couple.

Safety is of utmost importance to Ethan; he would always make sure to protect both himself and his partner. What’s more, I believe that the mere possibility of unplanned pregnancy would scare the living daylights out of him be enough for him to do everything in his power to prevent that from happening—at least when we meet him. You know how E&T’s story unfolds kdhkdhdkdh 

Ethan doesn’t strike me as the type that had a pack just in case because: 1) he’s not a player 2) he doesn’t do one night stands 3) his relationship with Harper was over and he didn’t seek a new one.

Luckily, he did happen to have a pack of condoms when Tiffany’s quick visit (Book 1, Ch 15) extended to a fuckfest sleepover…Dr. Denial bought it in Miami after a rather eventful morning (that will hopefully turn into a fic sometime soon).

Pregnancy was one of Tiffany’s biggest fears as well. For that reason, she felt the need to have an emergency pack and always came prepared. Acting on an irrational impulse, she put one in her Miami luggage…For nothing ksbkdbdkbd They used this very same pack during the night after the trial.

Those three additional times before The Amazon Escape happening in my HC obviously included condoms as well. Ethan realized that an emergency pack can be a necessity in his case ksgkshsksb

They definitely wouldn’t have sex without protection then. Since Tiffany wasn’t on the pill in Book 1 + half of Book 2, they would always use condoms and it was perfectly organic for both. However, they waved condoms goodbye when Tiffany started taking birth control pills and their sporadic encounters evolved into a fantastic sex life kshkshskshk

[brenthellerblog]

Scaler Academy Review with Proof

Hello community, I am one of the ex-Scaler students from the April Batch. I got a job from Campus Placement and I got only one referral in the entire one year. Sadly, I need to pay them, hence I wanted to make people aware of some facts backed with proof, so that they do-not fall into this trap. I have seen a lot of things written about Scaler in the recent month. Scaler came out in public with a video on "What we do and Why we do", where they said their curriculum is focused on learning and not on jobs. But they end up getting disappointed, like most of us in our did.

In India, rarely people will come out in open to speak, because no-one wants to risk their future, so do I. People join such courses thinking that we do not need to pay now, we will pay when we get job. Hence they just join without giving it a second thought. But the main disappointment starts when you start paying installments for 24 months without getting any help to land up a job from the people whom you are paying. Let me bring to you some interesting facts about Scaler which proves that they sell their course on referrals and maximum people do join Scaler thinking that.

Their course costs you around 4.5L if you have a job paying around 15L base. It might cost you more if you have a good base salary. It is 15% of your base for 24 months.

We were near about 200 people in our April Batch who joined for the sake of a backup that Scaler might help us. Gradually with time, it appeared to us that they were hoping for us to get a placement on own rather then putting efforts to place us. Once we guys got a placement on own, the EMI plan was setup immediately, and they blacklisted us for future referrals since we crossed the slab. They say that they will keep referring us, but they don't once you are placed. The sole reason is they have got their money from you.

Only referrals were provided to Amazon which is considered to be a mass recruiter in India now, and every 3/10th people on Linkedin provides you a referral. Referrals to Lido learning was provided, but the people from my batch backed of, because the company had a legal case running. However some did join it, after joining those people had to use their laptops in work, they were not even provided with laptops, and those people are paying their installments and are really upset with the way they were cheated.

They state that they have 500 partner companies with them in their website. This is one of the other lies they have been spreading, they hardly have 8-10 companies, and they also hire a max of 10 people every year. If they had 500 partner companies, why were referrals not provided to us, May and June batch for Uber, Booking.com, Netflix, Google, Facebook, Tower Research etc?

In their recent video they released, if you ask them about referral stats, or anything is posted which goes against them, you will find that comment deleted withing an hour. Their new batch started this week, where to enroll people they published a blog which claims that 97% people were placed from the batch. The moment you take the entrance test and select people, you know those people are some of the best talents in India and will get a job. They released their placement stats, where you will not find a company which they mention in the above image.

Moreover they have not added a stat count on how many referrals did they provided to FAANG or other companies, which they boast of during the enrollment. The companies listed below are not even the names they mention in their websites. They have added 4 count to Amazon placed people in the name of PPO just to fool people around and boast them of fake numbers. Amazon Interns have confirmed that Amazon never confirms PPO chances before the internship ends. Moreover, Amazon did a intern drive for entire India and this was open to all. They claim to refer people to De-Shaw. What they simply do is, they go on to Careers site of De-Shaw and fill up your application form, and you get a test link(saying this because referral test of De-shaw is of 70 minutes, and the career site test is of 100 minutes). Then they term this as a company referral. Link to blog.

They have banners which states that there are all the top people teaching the course. Truth is, the people in the banner hardly take 3/4 classes each for the sake of the banner they posted. Most of the classes are taken by some guy who is not that good, or someone who is graduating in 2020 without any industry experience. Previously they gave good slabs to people joining them, they have started giving slabs of 7/8 to the new batches, which is a clear indication that they do not have companies to refer too.

They have some set of mentors who take the mentor sessions for the sake of 1.5K that they get per session. On an average every guy does 7-10 sessions. This is because whenever you approach Scaler for referrals, they will carve out a reason of the ground. Sometimes it will be, your problem % is less, sometimes your attendance, sometime your mentor session is less. And at the end when they are not left with reasons, they come up "What we do?, Why we do?". They claim they spend lacs of rupees for every student, hence their fees is that high. Let me bring you up some calculations.

Average 8 mentor sessions costs 1500 * 8 = 12k.(Source: Mentor). Everyday a class is taken by an instructor who teaches roughly 50 people(50 because most of the people do not join classes after 2/3 weeks) for 2.5 hours. In India, the average fees for an instructor teaching is 3k/hour at a maximum(it is 2k/hour on average). Lets take 10k. So 10k/200 = Rs 50 per day. Every month they have 20 classes, at max they will have 140 classes in 6 months. I have taken the extreme higher limit of everything. Which eventually costs you 7k across 6 months. Since they are not providing you with referrals, I am not adding any money count to it. They for sure do-not have 500 partner companies, lets round off 12 + 7 = 19k to 25k. The profit margin which they are making is immense, 4.5L — 25k is 4.25L per student. I say per student because, maximum people will eventually get placed with the talent they possv when you are binding them for 1.5 years under you in the name of a contract.

I started practicing at Interview-Bit in my second year. I was so pleased with the platform they had then. Then the Scaler thing came up giving us so many hopes. But eventually it is all about making money. The so known good guys(Abhimanyu and Anshuman) are exploiting Indian talent to earn big. This needs to stop. I will urge everyone to share this post as much as you can, the exploitation of talent needs to stop.

[paypant]

6 Ways To Get Paid To Advertise For Companies: Helpful Tips

With the rate at which businesses embrace digital technology, the opportunities to get paid to advertise for companies are endless. Businesses want their products and services on as many faces as possible. They know how far their products and services can go with the help of the internet, and they are not sleeping on this opportunity. However, they need capable hands and influence to achieve their business goals. You can make money by advertising for companies with the right skills and social capital. We will show you some of the ways in this article. 

How Do I Get Paid For Ads

With the increasing competition among businesses today, there is an urgent need to reach their target audience faster. This has made advertising for companies a lucrative source of income. There are various ways you can use this opportunity and get paid to advertise for companies. The exciting thing about this opportunity is that you can take them as a full-time or passive job.

Become A Social Media Influencer Undoubtedly, social media has become one of the most powerful tools for businesses and advertisers. Companies that know how to maximize social media thrive better than their counterparts. For this reason, many businesses are searching for a social media influencer to promote their business. Becoming a social media influencer is not a walk-in-the-park job. It requires consistent content creation. The truth is that when you add value to your audience, you get engagements and subsequently grow your followers.  Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are some popular places where you can get paid to advertise for companies. However, the amount you get to advertise for a company depends on your number of followers and your social media influence. For example, an average Instagram influencer with about 100,000 followers earns approximately $400 per sponsored post.  Companies That Pay You To Promote Their Products On Instagram The exciting thing about being an Instagram influencer is that you can get an opportunity to collaborate with some of your favorite brands. Many companies need Instagram influencers to help create ads, sponsored posts, testimonials or unbox a package. Most times, these companies reach out to influencers that create content in niches related to their industry and pay them to promote their product. For instance, Fabletics, a brand selling male and female activewear, did about 2700 sponsored posts by collaborating with Instagram influencers. Other companies collaborating with Instagram influencers include Fashion Nova, Lululemon, Walmart, Amazon Fashion, Pretty Little Thing, and more. Review Sponsored Products On Your Youtube Channels As a youtube influencer, you can get brands you can help review and promote their products on your channel. In addition, reviewing sponsored posts on youtube is a great way to monetize your social influence on the platform. Usually, a company pays you for reviewing their products and recommending their services. In other cases, the company gives you a few free products for you to unbox and promote to your audience. However, before you get an attractive offer from a company, you must build a quality audience on your channel and convince the company that you can obtain a minimum number of views. The best way to do this is by going for advertisers in your niche.  Affiliate Marketing Affiliate marketing is a passive way of advertising where a company pays an affiliate to generate traffic to its products or services. It is one of the most demanded services in the market today.  Affiliate marketing isn't only a powerful means to make lots of money by advertising for companies, but one can also build it into a passive income stream. For instance, you can continually earn commission from an article promoting a product as long as it remains on the internet. You can start a business as an affiliate marketer by partnering with an affiliate network. These affiliate networks link affiliate marketers to companies that need them. However, you might be required to pay an affiliate fee.  Building A Blog Gone are the days when blogging is just done for fun and out of passion. Today, blogging is the new media, and if you are familiar with the modus operandi, you can make fortunes from it.  Owning a blog is easy; building one requires commitment and persistence. However, it becomes more demanding when you intend to use your blog for advertising.  Despite the demanding nature of blogging, it is still one rewarding field you can venture into. Some ways you can make money by advertising on your blog include paid reviews, CPM ad networks, pay-per-click advertising, pop-ups, and more.  Sponsored Post A sponsored post is a dedicated blog post where the author discusses a brand, its products or services. The discussion bothers on sharing details about the products or services, how to use them, and their benefits.   Ideally, companies pay bloggers to create sponsored posts for them. They can do this by approaching the company involved via email and communicating their interest in creating sponsored posts for the company. Alternatively, they can also check out sponsored post websites to create a profile. From here, companies who need them to advertise can quickly contact them.  Ad Networks To effectively monetize your blog, you need to do more than sell ads directly to brands. With a good ad network, you can adequately manage your ads and maximize your blog potential faster.  Most ad networks have an already established relationship with famous brands and businesses. Using their services will help you benefit from these relationships, thus allowing you to advertise for companies. 

As a blogger, you wouldn't have to worry much about creating ads for companies when you partner with a good ad network. For payment, most ad networks use CPM, CPC, and CPA.  With CPM, you get paid based on the ads' number of impressions. While with CPC, you get paid based on the number of clicks the ads get. Furthermore, with CPA, you get paid based on the number of purchases or signs up from your ad. Google Adsense, Infolinks, Monumetric, AdThrive, and Skimlinks, are some popular ad networks you can use to manage your ads.  Get Paid To Advertise On Your Car Getting paid to advertise on your car is as simple as it sounds. A car owner receives a commission for promoting a company on their vehicle. The process is called car wrapping and is a lucrative way of earning passively.  The amount you earn from car wrapping depends on the miles you drive per month and the area of your car covered with the ad material. For instance, a full wrap gets better pay than a half wrap. Nevertheless, some companies pay you a flat rate rather than per mile.  Companies That Pay You To Advertise On Your Car The car advertising business is a legit way of making money. Some third-party companies require car owners to place ads for brands and businesses. They serve as a middleman between brands and car owners. So while the brands get their products to reach more people, the car owners earn a commission.  Free Car Media, for instance, promises car owners about $400 per month earning for placing ads on their cars. However, you could make less if you don't drive during the day.  Carvertise's primary targets are delivery riders and rideshare because of their wide reach and guaranteed exposure. A car owner can earn between $400 - $1500 per ad campaign for Carvertise.  On the other hand, there are companies like ReferralCars, where you earn on a commission basis. Other popular car advertising companies you can try include StickerRide, Wrapify, Nickelytics, Pay Me For Driving, and more.  Be A Google Ad Specialist Google is the most popular search engine used by people worldwide today. You can use Google Ads to promote your business online and reach more audiences. Although not every company has the knowledge, experience, or resources to run an effective advertisement campaign with Google ads, what they do is to partner with an ad specialist.  As a Google ad specialist, a company expects you to plan, set up, optimize, and manage for them. You can manage ad campaigns by working with an agency, an in-house team, or as a freelancer. 

What Is Paid Advertising For A Company?

Paid advertising is any online advertising where advertisers bid to get their ads displayed on relevant platforms. This advertising method is in the form of an auction where advertisers willing to pay more money win an ad space. It is similar to PPC advertising, where advertisers pay for clicks or impressions. The effectiveness of paid advertising for a company depends on the business type, industry, and goals. However, paid advertising drives more traffic and conversion than organic promotion, as it provides immediate results. Therefore, we encourage start-up businesses still struggling to establish a foothold on the internet to use paid ads to reach their target audience. 

Conclusion

The demand for effective advertising campaigns from companies will not end anytime soon. Therefore, this is a legit means of earning a living for yourself. The great thing about some of these opportunities is that you don't need to end your current job to embrace them. They are pretty flexible and one of the fastest ways to make passive income. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the good ways to advertise a business? To get the best from advertising your business, you must use the right tools and partner with the right people. Social media marketing, press releases, engaging content, paying an ad specialist, and more are effective ways to advertise a business.  How do I get paid for advertising? You can get paid for advertising by engaging in affiliate marketing, creating blog sponsored posts, influencing social media, managing Google ads for companies, and more.  How to make money on Instagram without selling anything? You can make money on Instagram by being a brand ambassador, influencing companies, or creating sponsored posts for them.  What company will pay me for advertising? Both popular brands and small businesses need a form of advertisement to promote their products or services. If you have all it takes to achieve that, an interested company will pay you.  Read the full article

[ghwosty]

No for real if you would have told me just 10 years ago that the US based retailer Kohls would still be around and not another victim of “the great brick and mortar chain die-off” I would have asked you what strain were you smoking and can I have some

[thebibliosphere]

So I'm currently unemployed because I got fired for taking too much sick leave (it was legally sketchy blah blah blah but in the end I just can't work and take care of myself and investigate my mystery health problems at the same time). So I've been spending more time writing!

I really admire your writing and loved Hunger Pangs. I'm looking forward to the poly elements developing and I'm wondering if you have any advice for writing about poly. I've made one of my projects a snarky take on "write what you know" ... Apparently what I know is southern gothic meets Pacific northwest gothic, chronic illness pandemic surrealism, and falling back-asswards into threesomes.

I know this is a very open-ended question and I don't expect an answer, I'm just curious about it if you have the energy. As a writer, trying to write honestly / realistically about polyamory/enm, I'm curious if you have any thoughts on what's different about portraying monogamy or nonmonogamy in books, romance or erotica or otherwise.

I'm trying to read examples but it's hard to find examples that fit the niche I'm looking at. Excuse me if this question is nonsense, it's the cluster headaches.

I'm sorry to hear you've been dealing with all that and solidarity on the cluster headaches. But I'm glad you're finding an outlet through writing! And I hope you're happy with an open-ended ramble in response because oh boy, there's a lot I could talk about and I could probably do a better job of answering this sort of thing with more specific questions, but let's see where we end up.

There's definitely a big difference between writing polyamory/ENM (ethical non-monogamy) and what people often expect from monogamous love stories.

Just even from a purely sales and marketing standpoint, the moment you write anything polyamorous (or even just straight up LGBTQIA+ without the ENM) you're going to get considered closer to being erotica/obscene than hetero romances. It's an unfair bias, but it's one that exists in our society. But also the Amazon algorithm and their shitty, shitty human censors. Especially the ones that work the weekends. (Talking to you, Carlos 🖕.)

So not only do you start out hyper-aware that you're writing something that is highly stigmatized or fetishized (at least I'm hyper-aware) but that you are also writing for a niche market that is starving for positive content because the content that exists is either limited, not what they want, or is problematic in some fashion i.e. highly stigmatized or fetishy. And even then, the wants, desires, and expectations of the community you're writing for are complex and wildly varied and hard to fit into an easy formula.

When writing monogamous love stories, there is a set expectation that’s really hard to fuck up once you know it. X person meets Y. Attraction happens, followed by some sort of minor conflict/resolution. Other plot may happen. A greater catalyst involving personal growth for both parties (hopefully) happens. Follow the equation to its ultimate resolution and achieve Happily Ever After. 

But writing ENM is... a lot more difficult, if only because of the pure scope of possibilities. You could try to follow the same equation and shove three (or more) people into it, but it rarely works well. Usually because if you’re doing it right, you won’t have enough room in a single character arc to allow for enough growth, and if ENM requires anything in abundance, it’s room to grow.

And this post is huge so I’m going to put the rest under a cut :)

There's also a common refrain in certain online polyam/ENM circles that triads and throuples are overrepresented in media and they may be right to some extent. Personally, I believe the issue isn't that triads and throuples are overrepresented, but that there is such minuscule positive rep of ethical non-monogamy in general, that the few tiny instances we have of triads in media make it seem like it's "everywhere" when in actuality, it's still quite rare and the media we do have often veers into Unicorn Hunter fetish porn. Which is its own problematic thing. And just to be clear, I’m not including this part to dissuade you from writing "falling back-asswards into threesomes." If anything, I need more of it and would hook it directly into my brain if I could. I'm just throwing it out there into the void in the hope that someone will take the thought and run with it, lol.

I’d love to see more polyfidelitous rep in fiction, just as much as I’d like to see more relationship anarchy too. More diversity in fiction is always good.

Another thing that differs in writing ENM romance vs conventional monogamy is the feeling like you need to justify yourself. There's a lot of pressure to be as healthy and non-problematic as possible because you are being held to a higher standard of criticism. Both from people from without the ENM communities, and from the people within. Granted, some people don't give a shit and just want to read some fantastic porn (valid) but there are those who will cheerfully read Fifty Shades of Bullshit and call it "spicy" and "romantic," then turn around and call the most tooth-rottingly-sweet-fluff about a queer platonic polycule heresy. That's just the way the world works.

(Pro-tip for author life in general: never read your own reviews; that way madness lies. I glimpsed one the other day that tagged Hunger Pangs as “ethical cheating” and just about had an aneurism.)

And while that feeling of needing to justify yourself comes from a valid place of being excluded from the table of socially accepted norms, it can also be to the detriment of both the story and the subject matter at hand. I've seen some authors bend so far over backward to avoid being problematic in their portrayal of ENM, they end up being problematic for entirely different reasons. Usually because they give such a skewed, rose-tinted perspective of how things work, it ends up coming off as well... a bit culty and obnoxious tbh.

“Look how enlightened we are, freed from the trappings of monogamy and jealousy! We’re all so honest and perfect and happy!”

Yeah, uhu, sure Jan. Except here’s the thing, not all jealousy is bad. How you act on it can be, but jealousy itself is an important tool in the junk drawer that is the range of human emotion. It can clue us in to when we’re feeling sad or neglected, which in turn means we should figure out why we’re feeling those things. Sometimes it’s because brains are just like that and anxiety is a thing. Other times it’s because our needs are actually being neglected and we are in an unhealthy situation we need to remedy. You gotta put the work in to figure it out. Which is the same as any style of relationship, whether it’s mono, polyam or whatever flavor of ENM you subscribe to* And sometimes you just gotta be messy, because that’s how humans are. Being afraid to show that mess makes it a dishonest portrayal, and it also robs you of some great cannon fodder for character development.

Which brings me in a roundabout way to my current pet peeve in how certain writers take monogamous ideals and apply them to ENM, sometimes without even realizing it. The “Find the Right Person and Settle Down” trope.

Often, in this case, ENM or polyamory is treated as a phase. Something you mature out of with age or until you meet “The One(tm).” This is, of course, an attempt to follow the mono style formula expected in most romances. And while it might appeal to many readers, it’s uh, actually quite insulting. 

To give an example, I am currently seeing this a lot in the Witcher fandom. 

Fanon Netflix!Jaskier is everyone's favorite ethical slut until he meets Geralt then woops, wouldn’t you know, he just needed to find The One(tm). Suddenly, all his other sexual and romantic exploits or attractions mean nothing to him. Let's watch as he throws away a core aspect of his personality in favor of a man. 

Yeah... that sure showed those societal norms... 

If I were being generous, I’d say it’s a poor attempt at showing New Relationship Euphoria and how wrapped up people can become in new relationships. But honestly, it’s monogamous bias eking its way in to validate how special and unique the relationship is. Because sometimes people really can’t think of any other way to show how important and valid a relationship is without defining it in terms of exclusivity. Which is a fundamental misunderstanding of how ENM works for a lot of people and invalidates a lot of loving, serious and long-term relationships.

This is not to say that some polyam/poly-leaning people can't be happy in monogamous relationships! I am! (I consider myself ambiamorous. I'm happy with either monogamy or polyamory, it really just depends on the relationship(s) I’m in.) But I also don't regard my relationship with a mono partner as "settling down" or "growing up." It's just a choice I made to be with a person I love, and it's a valid one. Just like choosing to never close yourself off to multiple relationships is valid. And I wish more people realized that, or rather, I wish the people writing these things knew that :P

Anyway, I think I’ve rambled enough. I hope this collection of incoherent thoughts actually makes some sense and might be useful. 

----

*A good resource book that doesn't pull any punches in this regard is Polysecure by Jessica Fern. It's a wonderfully insightful read that explores the messier side of consensual non-monogamy, especially with how it can be affected by trauma or inter-relationship conflicts. But it also shows how to take better steps toward healthy, ethical non-monogamy (a far better job than More Than Two**) and conflict resolution, making it a valuable resource both for someone who is a part of this relationship style***, but also for writers on the outside looking in who might have a very simple or misguided idea of what conflict within polyam/ENM relationships might look like, vs traditional monogamous ones.

** The author of More Than Two has been accused of multiple accounts of abuse within the polyamorous community, with many of his coauthors having spoken out about the gaslighting and emotional and psychological damage they experienced while in a relationship with him. A lot of their stories are documented here: https://www.itrippedonthepolystair.com/ (warning: it is not light material and deals with issues of abuse, gaslighting, and a whole other plethora of Yikes.) While some people still find More Than Two helpful reading, there are now, thankfully, much, much better resources out there.

*** Some people consider polyam/ENM to be part of their identity or orientation, while others view it as a relationship style.It largely depends on the individual. 

[melo-yello]

💤Can’t Sleep💤 w/ 💥🪨KiriBaku🪨💥 HeadCanons

Pairing(s): KiriBaku X black!reader, Eijirou Kirishima X Katsuki Bakugou X black!reader

A/N: fluff and ANGST. Like lots of ANGST. I had a rough week and honestly not very much sleep. What can I say. Sue me, I wanna hug and somebody to watch a movie with.

💤💥🪨 Lay on your stomach opening and closing your eyes as you try and convince yourself to sleep. Kirishima snores softly with an arm around Bakugou’s waist. He’s been pretty stressed lately so he gets to be middle spoon. Baku in turn has an arm draped over your shoulders.

💤💥🪨 The soft and peaceful looks on the boys’ faces are nothing but safe and warm and reassuring . Yet here you are unavailable to close your eyes long enough to drift off to sleep. Each time you close your eyes your heart attempts to tear a whole through your chest. The dim red light of the clock reads 2:56 as you slip out of Baku’s embrace for a glass of water

💤💥🪨 You settle on Jasmine tea instead. Quietly pulling a the kettle from the cabinet and turning on the tap just before placing it on the stove. You busy yourself in your phone in order to banish any form of thought from your head. Soon just blankly browsing through TikToks as you wait for the water to boil

💤💥🪨 The hair on the back of your neck stands at attention as you hear heavy footsteps and the creaking of the bedroom door. Short angry grumbles are traded with deep groggy grunts as the footsteps close in on your position. You glance up to see the time is now 3:22 and you hear the kettle whistling for the first. Mostly likely what woke your boyfriends to begin with. You scowl at the kettle.

💤💥🪨 “fuck you.” you curse under your breath snatching up the kettle to quiet it’s shouting as the two set of red eyes fix on you in the dim light of kitchen. Kiri’s long red hair pulled back into a messy plat, and Baku’s fluffy ash blonde sticking out in all directions except for the right side flatten to the side of his skull

💤💥🪨 “Oí, Chuchu Soul, do you have any idea what time it is?!!” Baku squints tiredly placing a hand on his hip. “That’s actually a good one.” You giggle surprised by his creativity. “I know right?! And they used to call him uncreative.” Kirishima smirks between a yawn. “ Well?” Bakugou’s features don’t change. More likely mad that he’s awake at this ungodly hour than anything else. “Was it another panic attack, Pebble?” Kiri questions walking to rest his hand on your lower back. You don’t acknowledge his soft gesture and busy yourself with pouring the newly hot water into your large mug with it’s awaiting tea bag.

💤💥🪨 “Run that shit back, Eiji?!? When was this?” Bakugou’s foggy apathetic sleepiness raises to concerned confusion . You curse under your breath for the third time tonight. Kiri racks his tired brain for an explanations as he trades tired glances between the temperamental blonde and the vaguely suspicious one blowing at tea. “Pebble you didn’t tell him about Friday Night?” He frowns looking down at you. “...i forgot...” you whisper sipping the overly hot tea and burning your tongue. Hell you wouldn’t have told him either, but he was right beside you when it happened.

💤💥🪨 That Friday night. You couldn’t speak. You stood in a dark room. Small and cramped. No windows. No doors. Just glowing ink on one wall in barely legiable font. Prove It. As soon as you touched the lettering it went blood red and the water began to pool at your feet. You begin to lose your composure trying to find an exit. In seconds the water is at your waist. Then your neck. Then the ceiling. Like that you’re choking and sputtering trying to find. The walls go translucent. Larger than life figures with unmistakable silhouettes and Pro hero customs hold your box in each hand. You bang tight fists to gain their attention. Your blood mixes with the water and you could barely breath. You thrashed across the sheets desperately trying to snatch yourself from your current nightmare. Suddenly Kiri shaking you awake and he’s coaching you into breathing again.

💤💥🪨 The memory of utter helplessness washes over you all over again. You sigh in frustration as tears pool at the corner of your eyes. “Come here, Pebs.”

💤💥🪨 Without another word, Kiri scoops you up bridal style and takes a seat on the couch placing you in his lap. Baku takes the seat next to him gently taking the hot tea from your trembling hands. You hadn’t even realized they were shaking until you touched his steady ones. “Babes, we hafta talk about this. Including Friday, this makes 3 days of shitty sleep. That’s not good or sustainable, Knucklehead.” Bakugou sighs placing the mug on the coffee table before wiping away a tear rolling down your cheek.

💤💥🪨 “It’s not like I don’t wanna do better, Kats. Eiji. I’m just...” you trail off mid explanation. You clasp fingers over your soft lips. Opening twice to speak, but only croaks come out. You try very hard to find a tangible reason for your reluctance to sleep, but there were none. Kiri squeezes your shoulders reassuringly and plants a gentle kiss on the top of your bonnet.

💤💥🪨 “We know you’re trying, love. It’s ok to be scared sometimes. Even the resident hardass, Katsuki still gets nightmares.” Kiri offers doing his best to let you ride these feelings out while comforting you as well. “Yea.”Baku’s grip tightens at the mention of his own nightmares before leaning his head on your legs

💤💥🪨 “I just can’t trust it ok! It’s scary. I’m panicking in sleep now?!! I’m only getting worse and now I crying about. FUCK! I’m just a scared bitchy crybaby who can’t sleep.” You sigh overwhelmed by all the physical closeness and their consistent and unwavering support. You mentally kick yourself for the not realizing sooner that you trusted them enough to hurt like this in front of them. There’s something that unnerves you about that. Tears streaming at full force at this piont

💤💥🪨Kiri holds you firmly to chest tucking your shaking form under his chin. Baku moves to wrap an embrace overlapping Kiri’s arms. “Just let it all out, Babygirl.” He hums leaning his head on your shoulder. Your chest tightens and your fingers curl into angry fists. Suddenly your frighteningly fierce temper rears it’s ugly head.

💤💥🪨 “No no no NO! Stop It! STOP ACTING SO NICE! STOP ACTING LIKE I DESRVE THIS! BE DISAPPOINTED! BE UPSET!! TELL ME TO TRY HARDER! TELL ME TO TAKE BETTER CARE OF MYSELF! TELL ME IT’S EASY! REALLY EASY! BE ANGRY I’M FUCKING IT ALL UP! BLAME ME! I BLAME ME! I blame me... I blame me for not being...better.” You fume trying to push them away. You do your best to squirm out of their gentle comfort and tender embrace your lovers have you wrapped in. Neither one of your boys moves. “No way, Pebs.” Kirishima says resolutely. “Not a fucking chance, Teddy.” Bakugou nods with the same unchanging confidence. The rage in your chest melts as fat tears and roll down your brown cheeks.

💤💥🪨 A heaving and broken sob racks your entire body as you fall apart in their arms. Anger subsides into terrified uncertainty and overwhelming futility settles in its place. Tears and mucus flood down your face and soak Kiri’s t-shirt. Sniffles from above draws you out of the dark thoughts swarming around you. Surely enough tears drip slowly down Kiri’s cheeks. Instinctively you cup his face with trembling hands. “...Sorry.. I’ll be strong...just gimme a sec” he mutters as his broad shoulders slump and he moves to bat away the falling droplets. Bakugou grabs his hand and kisses it while wiping the red head’s face. “Eijirou, you don’t have to. Not right now” You sputter between choppy breaths.

💤💥🪨 His usually unwavering features muddy with insecurity. A fairly uncommon expression for someone so death defyingly optimistic and confident. “But it’s what I’m good at. If I can’t be strong for the people I love most then what good am I?” He retorts apathetically tightening his grip as the tears still trickle. You slink an arm around his hips, and place your face to his chest. “Bullshit. You’re plenty strong enough for us, Eijirou. Stop being so hard headed!” Bakugou raves putting a hand behind his neck and his forehead against his for emphasis before continuing, “You’re allowed to feel more than one thing. You are complex and unique and fearless and fearful all in one. You’re human, Eiji. It’s ok.”

💤💥🪨 “Katsuki, you’re so compassionate and kind.” You hum softly and absentmindedly almost. You don’t know why this observation came but it just feels right. Eiji smiles leaning in the blonde’s embrace. “Honestly Kats, you love remarkably deep and painfully unselfishly. Thank you.” Kiri hums kissing his cheek and you do the same. Hot little tears rest at the corners of his dark red eyes. Most of the public thinks he’s some kind of angry asshole devoid of any softer emotions. Comments on your relationship often criticized Katsuki for snagging partners ‘much nicer than he deserved’. And just like that you are scooting over to make room for Bakugou in Kiri’s lap. 

💤💥🪨 “Such a shitty little week.” Baku sighs with misty eyes. There’s a small comfort in the collective collapse washing over the three of you. All of you holding the hurt from the others in hopes it would just fizzle away like a bad dream. It didn’t. You sob, Kiri sniffles, and Baku lets two hot tear slip from his glassy eyes. None of you break contact with each other. Your fingers linked with Kiri and Baku’s in the opposite hand. A head glued affectionately onto the red head’s broad shoulder. After what seems like a lifetime and you can’t cry anymore and feeling a surprising amount of relief sinks onto you, you clear your throat.

💤💥🪨 “Wanna watch How to Train a Dragon?” You rasp with tired and strained vocal chords. “I’ll get the popcorn.” Kiri sighs kissing each of you on the cheek as he ushers you both out of his lap. He sashays into the kitchen to find a bowl and the popcorn. Baku stands handing you your cool tea as he grabs the remote. Flipping decisively through Amazon Prime, he queues up the movie as he settles onto the far side of the couch to lay out fully. You sip contently tucking your knees to your chest so you can press the soles of your feet into his. “That tickles.” Bakugou deadpans wiggling his own toes. Soft giggles flutter out of your chest.

💤💥🪨 Kiri strolls back in the room with two large bowls of popcorn and a blanket on each arm. He bows presenting them to their proper owners. Movie theater butter for Baku and kettle corn for you two to share. You sit your now empty mug on the coffee table as Kiri retakes his original spot and you settle comfortably into his lap cocooning you both in a cozy weighted blanket. Baku draped in a light throw typically the first to complain about being hot. The DreamWorks title sequence floats across the screen, and wave of peacefulness falls over the tired trio. Less then five minutes in, you and Bakugou snore quietly as Kiri’s heavy eyelids fight to watch the next couple scenes

[boldlyvoid]

Amoreena | chapter twelve

Chapter Twelve

main summary: Heaven is a real place and it's located exactly 14.6 miles away from the FBI, Quantico Headquarters. Off behind a small park, under a fantastical willow tree surrounded by wildflowers, in every colour young minds can imagine.

Don't forget, heaven also comes with angels.

Chapter Warnings: spencers mom has a bad day at the doctor's and so spencer thinks he's going to have a bad day too but he ends up having the best day of his entire life.

talk of pregnancy, celebratory sex, oral (female receiving), grinding, no penetration, serious deep talks after sex about their most depressive episodes, sharing trauma and making sure they know the other is loved regardless of what goes on in their mind. it's a rough one so read with caution

word count: 4.5K

from the beginning <3

He was up before Amoreena, awaking for the second time that morning to the sound of his alarm, kissing Y/N on the forehead before leaving their bed, she simply laid there and watched him get ready.

Most of his clothes were here now, every time he was near his apartment he brought more and more things home with him. Because that wasn’t his home, it hadn’t been for a long time, even when he lived there it was just a trove of books and a bed he slept on occasionally.

They were probably going to move all his stuff over in the summer, after the second wedding… after the girls meet Taylor, and hopefully when Y/N’s actually pregnant and not too sick or tired to help.

“Come here,” she whispers before he can slip out of the room, “kiss your wife.”

He can’t help but smile as he bounds towards the bed, jumping in and wrapping her up in his arms. He smothers her face in kisses, making her laugh, still half asleep as she let him manhandle her.

“I love you,” he reminded her.

“We love you too,” she replied with a smile, answering for Amoreena even though she was still asleep down the hall, “don’t wake her up yet, she needs all her rest for today.”

“I’ll be quiet,” he responds with a smile, kissing her again before he finally gets out of the bed, if not he would have stayed there forever.

He tiptoes down the hall and into Amoreena’s room, kissing her sweet little forehead lightly before exiting just as quietly. It was like he was never there.

He snuck down the stairs quietly, locked the door behind himself on the way out, and took off down the driveway in his old blue Volvo amazon, paying extra attention to the path for any kitties or Rufus out on their morning strolls.

It didn’t take long for a happy day to go sour when he was in a doctor's office with his mom. Those were the worst places he could go with her, especially on a bad day. Her mind was playing tricks on her, she really didn’t like hospitals or government buildings, even lawyers' offices stressed her out.

Today she was convinced he wasn’t really her son, Spencer, and that he was actually leading her to be a government experiment. It was hard to see her struggle, especially on a day they needed to ask her serious questions while she sat still. It was the fact she had to stay awake for 24 hours that triggered the episode, the EEG requiring her mind to be deprived of sleep. It was rough, she barely knew him. They wouldn’t have the test results for a while but he already knew it wasn’t good.

He dropped her back off at the home as quickly as he could, not able to deal with the verbal abuse any longer, he didn’t even say goodbye. The woman he dropped off was his mother on the outside but not on the inside today. It was really hard to look at her and know her, but not see that same look in her eyes.

By the time he’s returning to the farm, it’s 11:45 and he’s exhausted.

He finds Y/N in the bedroom, lying in bed in just a t-shirt and her underwear, completely sound asleep with the blankets thrown off the bed. She looks so beautiful, he slips out of his clothes to match her, sliding into bed beside her and just looking at her perfect face.

He presses a kiss to her shoulder that startles her awake, “oh god, Spencer!” she places her hand on her heart as she calms down.

“Sorry,” he smiles, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in closer.

“How’s your mom?” Her tired words meet his ears and his smile dies.

“Not great, really don’t want to talk about it yet,” he was honest with her, snuggling in closer as she hummed in agreement to drop it. “How was Amoreena’s morning?”

“I told Amoreena I wouldn’t tell you, but I don’t need to you to freak out in front of all the kids or cry or pass out in front of all them, but there’s a positive pregnancy test on her all about me project,” she explains it like she’s about to say it’s just Amoreena’s from 8 years ago…

He pulls back slowly, looking into her eyes as she smiles wider and wider, “you’re pregnant?”

She nods her head as her smile gets bigger and toothier, she’s wrapping her arms around him so tight it’s like he can’t breathe for multiple reasons.

“We did it, Spencer, I made you a daddy again,” the words carry from her mouth in a beautiful tune.

He’s holding her back so gently, afraid to squeeze too hard and hurt her and the tiny little life that’s starting inside her. He’s silent, overjoyed but absolutely dumbstruck at the fact it’s real. A month ago he thought about walking into traffic after work and just seeing what happened, now he was a father of 2 with a wife and a happy farm and a life that was good.

A life he deserved.

All thanks to a beautiful little girl with an interest in dinosaurs and making new friends. Amoreena was an angel sent from heaven, improving both of their lives greatly, and now they were making another.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, oh my god yes, I’m just,” he didn’t know what words to say and it was evident. “Amoreena knows?”

She nodded softly, “she now knows girl parts make eggs, boy parts make sperm, and that adults have sex but you can only make a baby at 25, she really didn’t seem to be all that interested in the science, but she’s excited to be a big sister.”

“Wow,” it all caught up to him then, he placed his hand on her stomach softly, “hi little one.”

Y/N laid back against the bed, pulling her shirt up so he could see the barely-there bump, “It’s mostly leftover’s from Amoreena, but yeah, there’s another one in there.”

He couldn’t help himself from running his hands over the curve of her stomach, thinking about Amoreena being in there once upon a time and how tiny she must have been. It was even weirder to think that a part of her was once even in him.

“It’s strange to think that I jerked off into a cup and you made the most perfect kid on earth with it… it just feels like it doesn’t add up. She’s so perfect I can’t believe she was once a part of us both,” he can’t help but let his inner monologue seep out, she didn’t mind it, she loved hearing how his mind worked.

“I can’t wait to see you holding this little one,” her hands joined his on her stomach, the shape of her forefingers and thumbs making a heart over her bare belly.

Spencer leaned in and kissed right in the middle, beside her belly button, in love with whoever was in there already.

“Amoreena had a dream last night too,” Y/N cuts into his little moment, “guess how many sisters she said she had.”

“8?” Spencer can’t help but smile.

She nods, “I don’t know what it is about this house but the good dreams always come true, who knows how many babies are in there right now.”

“I hope just one for now,” he says in all honesty, “I really want time with just one little one, you and Amoreena. A family of four for a bit and then the twins, that’s how it was in the dream.”

“Did they have names?”

“You called them Elly, Junie, tho and Cordelia, and you said there were 3 sets of twins, two after Cordelia,” he remembers it all as if he was really there, whispering all the words against her stomach, his cheek resting on the band of her underwear as he laid between her legs with his arms around her.

“Amoreena, Elizabeth, Juniper, Theodora, and Cordelia were all the options I was choosing from last time,” she says with the widest smile, “how the heck did your mind know that?”

“It felt very real, which is why I was so worried about where I was, I don’t know how I could have missed anything but now I know that part was just my anxiety,” Spencer rationalized it. “Amoreena probably had the better version of that future in her dream last night.”

“I was having a great dream before you came back,” she teases him, running her fingers through his hair as he continues to kiss her stomach.

He loops his fingers around the band of her underwear, sliding it down just low enough to really kiss where that baby of his is hiding out. She lifts her hips into the contact, letting him slip them down her legs and completely off, she spreads her legs even more.

He takes his time pressing a kiss to every single inch of her, her skin is soft, her leg hair is prickly on his hands and his cheeks but it’s nice, he rubs his face against her like a cat marking his territory as she continued to scratch his scalp.

He spread her open with two fingers, he presses a soft kiss to her clitoris and all the way down to her opening before licking a wet stripe up the sensitive skin. The moan she releases is the loudest one he’s heard on her yet, it was really the first time he’s been allowed to really enjoy her.

“It’s important for your partner to help with the stretching in the third trimester,” she teases him, “but they don’t mention anything about starting too early being a bad thing.”

“I don’t want to disrupt anything in there,” he worries aloud, letting her decide if it’s okay.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” she laughed, “I don’t think you’d reach them, but if you’re really worried there are other ways to help.”

“Such as,” he asks, lowering his face back down to her wet heat, continuing to explore her with his tongue as he expects her to talk.

“You, um you can, shit, wow,” she props herself up on her elbows to get a better look at what he’s doing as she stalls for a few minutes, “just rub yourself over me, Spencer please, I want more of you.”

She grips him by his cheeks and pulls him up into a kiss, both of them rushing to push his boxers down and off his legs, she spreads her own once more so he can press against her.

His hard cock resting flat against her, rubbing back and forth as he spreads her wetness around with him. The head gliding over her clit just the right way as she held him close to her body, kissing down his neck and sucking marks all over his chest.

She was desperate for him and who was he to deprive her, so he rocked into her more, grinding down harder against her body and making her shaking lightly. It felt better, more intimate, more euphoric than any other sex he’s had, just being close to her had him on the edge faster than he expected to get there.

She’s chanting his name then, head tossed back against the pillow as she digs her fingers into his asscheeks, holding him so close to him he can feel her orgasm rush through her. She stills, bucking up into him one last time as he finishes all across her stomach.

His hands are curled around her cheeks then, holding her perfect face in his hands as he hovers over her, using everything in his power to not crush her or the baby. He’s trying so hard to steady his breathing, so is she, they just smile at each other, laughing lightly at how in love they are.

“I love you,” he says on impulse, “you’re so good to me.”

“Look at all the good you’ve given me,” she whispers, “it would be wrong for me not to love you for everything you’ve done for me, whether you were aware of it or not.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not going to tell you about my depression while your cum dries between us like glue,” she laughed at how crude it sounded.

He laughs lightly too, rolling off her to see just how much of a mess they made. “Tell me in the shower?”

“Seems appropriate,” she agreed, taking his hand and following him into the bathroom.

He loved the old feel of her bathroom, the green linoleum and floral wallpaper, the pink towels and bright orange shower curtain, it was happy and bright and the perfect place to laugh for half an hour as they washed each other.

She has him pressed against the shower wall then, water trickling over them gently as she stares into his eyes, “I don’t know how to say it without it coming out really scary,” she finally resumes the conversation they were about to have in the bedroom.

“I’ve probably been in the same mental state, I’m not going to judge your method of choice,” he explains it in a way that she’ll know he really, really gets it.

“I had a few suicidal thoughts when my grandma went to chemo before I chose your sample and before I did all the hormones, I was thinking why should I stay and bring another life into my misery when I could just die first and not have to see her go through that anymore,” she sucks her bottom lip into her mouth as she stops, letting him digest all the words.

“Did you try anything?” He’s not sure why he’s asking.

She shakes her head, the best no he’s ever seen in his life. “My grandma noticed on my birthday when I wasn't coming down for breakfast like normal, I was really depressed and so we went out and talked and had lunch together for the first time in forever cause she wasn't feeling sick, I’ll never forget it. It was the best and worst birthday of my life.”

“I’m the worst husband ever,” he says, taking her by surprise, “I don’t even know your birthday.”

It makes her laugh, taking her out of the sadness as she realizes he really doesn’t judge her, he gets it completely. “January 16th, 1986, three minutes after Evan,” she manages to say it with a smile.

“That’s the date Maeve died,” both of them stare at each other in shock, wondering just how many other coincidences they had out there to figure out.

“How many days after did you donate?”

“On the 19th,” he confirmed without taking a breath, “holy shit.”

“We both were suicidal on the same day,” she covers her mouth with a wet slap, laughing at the worst thing she’s ever said, it’s the shock and the emotions of everything catching up to her right then and there.

“Oh my god,” he laughs in response, both of them laughing as they hugged in the corner of her green shower. “we are fucked up.”

“Soulmate things,” she shrugged, holding him even tighter.

He wished she could see his face then, the looking that overcame him as he heard the word soulmates. She just called him her soulmate. He licks his lips, taking it all in and almost hyperventilating, she can feel the way his breathing changes as she looks up with concern.

“What?”

He shakes the thoughts out, swallowing sharply as he makes eye contact with her, “nothing.”

“No, I know that look Spencer, what did your brain say to you this time? I will go in there and kick its ass,” she pokes his forehead then, threatening his anxiety to fuck off.

“I never thought I’d get to hear someone say that to me, it’s stupid,” he felt too vulnerable suddenly, sky and closed off.

“Who hurt you?” She asks in complete curiosity, wanting to know why he can’t imagine someone loving him.

“My parents,” it slips out before he can catch it, “I love my mom. I always have to preface that, she did what she could but it was nowhere near enough. I don’t hold anything against her, I just hate that that’s how it was, that she had bad days at all because they always shine brighter in my memory than the good days.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have pushed you,” she worries this time, seeing the hurt on his face and feeling like she fucked up, he can read her micro-expressions easier than anyone else.

“I would have told you soon enough, my dad left because of my mom's illness and he made sure I knew he didn’t want me. I don’t care that he kept up with me on the internet, the fact he didn’t even care to let me know he lived 10 miles from me my whole life makes me feel sick. I was 14 point 6 miles away from Amoreena this whole time and I would give all my fucking organs to go back in time and be with her from day 1, I don’t get how he could just not love me?” The rant comes out of his mouth for the first time ever, the same thoughts that have been there building for 40 years bursting at the seam.

She reaches behind them to turn off the water then, stepping away from him while he cools down a bit, “Yeah, no I get it, I hate him too now. That's so fucked up, honey, I'm so sorry.”

It makes him huff out a laugh, “I’m sorry, you’re not my therapist you don’t have to deal with all that.”

“I’m your wife, I deal with that regardless. In sickness and in health remember?” She reminds him, “depression is just as real of an illness as cancer. I don’t want you to keep these thoughts from me. I want to know about every paper cut, every splinter, every bad thought that crosses that beautiful mind because I love you.”

“As long as you always remember that too,” he makes sure that she knows he feels the same. “Don’t keep anything from me thinking it’ll ruin the happy atmosphere of this kingdom, Amoreena would tell you that a castle is only as strong as its weakest brick. If you crack we all tumble.”

“My foundations are strong, if not Derek’s a renovator right?” She raised her eyebrows, making another joke. They were always going to be okay.

“Speaking of, how are we going to house all 12 of these children you plan on having?”

"We, smartie pants, we are having," she tosses the shower curtain out of the way then, stepping out and wrapping herself in a towel, “I was thinking we add a few more rooms, nanny and pop were always adding on to this place, it would be nice to fix it up a bit.”

“I can see if Derek wants to help, or we can find a contractor?”

“Well, Alli still has another 8 weeks till her baby comes, so you might as well do something with Derek here in that time,” she agrees with a smile, “my nanny left everything to me, so I have a decent amount saved still for whatever you guys think the house can handle, I just want it done safely, and it has to match.”

She was bossy, he loved every second of it. “Yes ma’am,” he smiles as he steps out, drying off beside her.

Y/N couldn’t stop smiling at him as she watched him fluff his curly wet hair in the mirror, “how would you like to go out and get our first kid a big sister present before the graduation?”

“We never had a chance to read on Saturday, would you want to get her a big sister book and read at the tree?” Spencer suggests, making eye contact with her reflection in the mirror, even backwards she’s beautiful.

She nods with a smile, “sounds great, daddy.”

He wraps his arms around her before she can leave the room, kissing her neck and shoulder as she squirms, trying to get away from him but failing on purpose. “Spencer, seriously we have to go.”

“Then don’t call me daddy,” he whispers in her ear, and he can physically feel the way it excites her.

“We will revisit this later,” she says with a stern look as she pulls away finally, dropping the towel on purpose as she walks towards her new closet.

She was going to be the death of him, and hopefully, that wasn’t for a long time. Hopefully, he thought right then and there, that the moment he finally does die, he dies is beside her. Happily in his sleep, as they’re in their 90’s, and in a perfect world she’d slip away with him.

“Can I ask a dumb question?” He rushes the words out, taking her up on that offer of hearing all the bad thoughts.

“Always,” she smiles.

“When we get to heaven, stay with me? Pick me instead of Stephen for the forever part?” He’s not sure why he’s crying, or why he’s thinking about it. But it’s where his mind went and she said she’d always follow.

She tilts her head to the side, dropping her shoulders as she sighs, “we can set Stephen and Maeve up with each other.”

It makes him smile, she always knew what to say. “Who knows, they could be the reason all this happened.”

She nods then, “I like the thought of that, they deserve to be happy together, I’m sure they would like each other.”

He really believed they were soulmates then, that something bigger set up all these dominoes and he was so excited to watch them fall. To see where they landed, the beautiful pattern that they would reveal. The wonderful world he was creating with her was always going to be amazing because something greater than them said so.

—

She looked more beautiful than he’s ever seen her as they rolled up to the school. She was physically glowing, her hair was perfect, her dress laid over her stomach in the right way that he could see proof she was with child, even if she called it leftovers from the last one. It was his favourite part of her, it was where she made the best person they knew.

They walked around to the back gate, hand in hand, smiling wide as they walked into the little classroom. There were balloons and streamers everywhere, they had little cupcakes all set up and all of them were in matching blue caps and gowns.

Amoreena waved at them when she saw them, not allowed to leave her seat from where they were practicing their ceremony. It was unbelievably adorable, Spencer couldn’t help but be that Dad who took a million photos on his cellphone. He was never going to miss another moment.

JJ wrapped her arm around him sneakily, startling him as she hugged him, “hello Spencer Reid, father and husband,” she teased him. “Still weird thinking of you as a dad.”

He wanted to tell her, but she’d know soon anyway once she saw the all about me project, “shit,” Y/N says from behind him as she realizes too. “Tell her.”

“We’re having another one,” Spencer whispers in JJ’s ear before she can even react.

She smacks his side as she pulls back, staring at him with her mouth wide open. The same face Henry made when he saw Y/N for the first time, completely shocked and nervous, “oh my god?”

He nodded, “we’re not telling anyone, I was supposed to find out on her all about me project but she didn’t want me to pass out in front of all the kids.”

It made JJ laugh, shrugging as she agreed with the idea, she pulled away from him and wrapped Y/N up in her arms, hugging her ever so softly. Y/N closed her eyes and pressed their cheeks together as she accepted the thank you, knowing JJ was just happy to see Spencer succeed.

She placed a hand on Y/N’s tummy before pulling away fully, “I always hoped I’d see the day where Spencer made a little genius, I still can’t believe Amoreena is his sometimes, that hasn’t really hit me yet, but this… this is real. I’m so happy for you.”

Y/N cried a little, wiping her eyes as she laughed it off, “okay, sorry this is a big day for me, my first baby is graduating, this baby is trying to grow a heartbeat, it’s all a lot.”

“I get it, believe me,” JJ agreed, placing her hand on Y/N’s lover back and holding her close to her side. Bonding in that moment, making Spencer’s heart swell.

“Where’s the cowboy?” She changed the subject, looking for Will.

“Oh there’s a case in Kentucky, I missed Henry’s graduation, so I’m here for Michaels while he’s on the case, it’s only fair,” she explained with a smile, content with how their life and relationship worked.

“Do you want to sit with us?” Y/N offered, pointing at the folding chairs, taking a seat with JJ in the front, sitting between her and Spencer so she could talk to both of them before the ceremony.

It was lovely having them become friends, his first love and the last one he'd ever have.

They passed out tissues (thank god) before the ceremony, Y/N and Spencer both using at least 5 as they watched Amoreena get her tiny scroll of paper, move the string on her hat to the other side and then wave at them. Spencer took at least 100 photos of her, unable to stop how proud he felt that he made her.

What Amoreena failed to mention was that she was chosen to be the class valedictorian, surprising them with a tiny speech at an even tinier podium. It was so cute, both Spencer and JJ recorded it to remember for later.

“My class chose me to talk to everyone because I’m the oldest, lots of my classmates like to think of me as an older sister,” she smiled right at her parents, hinting at the fact she knew when she thought Spencer didn’t yet.

So he played along, looking surprised at the word choice.

“I’ve had the best two years with all my friends in this classroom, Miss Kennedy was the nicest women they could pick to make sure we learned everything we need to before grade school starts,” her words were definitely chosen by her, possibly reworded by her teacher but definitely from her heart.

“My mom taught me the alphabet, she taught me how to spell and count, she taught me lots of things that miss Kennedy taught in here, at first it was hard being the kid who knew more, but then it was fun getting to help everyone else learn,” she continued with the most enthusiastic voice, going off-script as she thought of more. “My dad, though, he’s taught me how special our family is. How special it is to get to meet new people and learn about the world with them, I’m so glad my parents made me so I could learn with all of you these past 2 years.”

All the parents were crying, she was able to touch the hearts of everyone around her. At the age of 7, she was more well-spoken, more understanding and grateful than any of the adults in that room.

“I’ll see you all on the big kid yard next year!” She cheered, jumping up and down and clapping, all her friends rushed to the stage for a big group hug.

His little girl was so unbelievably loved, the way she deserved.

tag list: @shemarmooresfedora @spencers-dria @spookyspence @reidsfish @manuosorioh @mochionly @samuel-de-champagne-problems @jswessie187

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

Hey slug, thanks for the hard work you and your team do for the fandom!! me and some friends were discussing this and i thought it would be nice to see ur answer to this (only if it doesn't bother u, of course!!): what characters do you think parents would give a big thumbs up if you introduced them as your partner (in terms of personality and traits)? I personally think Hifumi or Ichiro would be the best son-in-law...

What an entertaining question. Believe it or not, I’ve given the matter some thought before for reasons entirely unrelated to this, so presenting: Hypnosis Microphone Men and Whether or Not You Should Bring Them Home to Your Parents.

Since there’s a wide age range among the cast members, assume that the “you” in question is roughly each character’s age.

Ichirou: Absolutely. This man is objectively a dream boat. Runs his own successful business? Check. Respectful to people of all ages? Check. Cooks? Check. Cleans? Check. Good with kids? Check. Take Ichirou and marry him before your parents marry him themselves.

Jirou: As far as high school boyfriends go, Jirou’s not a bad choice. He’s a sweetheart, popular, plays music. Doesn’t do drugs in the school bathroom. Could have better grades, but hey, you can’t win them all. He seems like he’d have you home by 8 pm. You know what? Sure. Why not? You could do worse.

Saburou: Saburou is the kind of middle school boyfriend that your parents openly like and privately dislike. What I mean is that he’s very polite to most elders and super smart, so he’s the kind of kid who is entirely unobjectionable, but he’s also the kind of kid who would try to mansplain your parents’ jobs to them. Worst of all, he would be entirely correct in what he’s saying. Your parents probably want to punch him, but they don’t because assaulting children is illegal, not to mention immoral. They will breathe a collective sigh of relief when he finally breaks up with you so he can focus on studying for the Science Bowl nationals.

Samatoki: I am so torn on this one. On the one hand, he’s every parent’s worst nightmare. He smokes indoors, has an awful temper, and is a fucking gangster, for pete’s sake. Yet he can also be a sweetheart who cooks for you and does everything to treat you right. I’m really stumped. Probably the best solution, if you’re really wanting to get in on that Aohitsugi ass, is to cut out the middle man and date Nemu instead. She is perfect in every way, so your parents will love her.

Juuto: If your parents watch Antiques Roadshow, then he will have a lot to bond with them about. Otherwise I think he’d be that kind of person who tells stories about himself way too loudly at family dinners, and after he leaves, one of your parents pulls you aside to say, “Your boyfriend’s really kind of an asshole, don’t you think?” I guess date him if you’re okay with your parents thinking you have cruddy taste.

Riou: I feel like the hard part here is luring him out of the woods and into a family dinner, but from there, it should go great. He’s over 6 feet tall. He can cook well. He has a strong sense of purpose and knows what he wants to do in life. Most importantly, he has a wonderful heart AND every survival skill known to man. He will change the oil in your parents’ car, fix the leaky pipe you’ve been meaning to get around to for six months now, clean the hood above the stove, and then swap recipes and heartfelt compliments with whichever parent does the cooking. Who cares if he doesn’t have a stable income? You don’t need that with guns like those. (insert flexing Riou image here)

Ramuda: I’m trying to think about the concept of a) dating Ramuda and b) introducing him to a set of parents, and I’m drawing an utter blank. There is nothing but “???” in my mind. I’m going to hazard a guess that this one would be a terrible idea.

Gentarou: Wow, your parents had no idea you were dating a prince of a tiny little kingdom in the Mediterranean AND a Harvard law graduate AND the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize AND the man who discovered a cure for cancer in an expedition deep into the heart of the Amazon rain forest. Look at you! What a catch. Only attempt this if your parents are gullible.

Dice: As much as I love Dice to death, this one is a no. Your parents do not want you dating a homeless man with a gambling addiction and bad table manners. Plus, the MIL here seems hard to get along with. Nuh-uh.

Jakurai: Absolutely. You’re in your 30s, so your parents are at least middle-aged. Probably they have some joint problems or some back pain. Jakurai can let them kiss that pain goodbye, and in return, they can let him kiss you! A win-win. He also boasts a handsome salary, has a lovely house, and seems like he’d be super respectful in a relationship. Yes. Go. Marry him.

Hifumi: If you’re a girl, you’re probably going to have to sit this round out. If you’re a guy or nonbinary... yeah, you’re probably going to have to sit this round out too. See, if you have a mom, how is Hifumi supposed to meet her? I guess you could... idk... stick a lampshade on her head and expect him not to notice. That could potentially work, but it’d raise a few awkward questions. If you do happen to live in a female-free household, though, you’ve hit upon the golden opportunity to make this man yours. You can replace every instance of the word “wife” in Judy Brady Syfer’s famous essay “I Want a Wife” with the word “Hifumi” and still have it make perfect sense, and it shows.

Doppo: I can’t in good conscience recommend this one. Sure, he’s hardworking and certainly polite enough, but does he have the time to respond to your emotional needs? Hell, does he have the time to respond to his own? If you invited him to family dinner, there’s a good chance that he’d need to work overtime and miss it. He’d apologize and buy you flowers to make up for it, but you know he’d also be worrying about the cost of those flowers, so... is it really worth it?

Kuukou: For some reason, my parents actually like Kuukou (although I think he’s also the only character they know besides Ichijiku), but I don’t think this would hold true for most parents. He sounds good on paper, but he’d probably make a disparaging comment about someone’s ass in the first five minutes. Perhaps if you tape his mouth shut and tell your parents he’s doing a vow of silence, then yes.

Juushi: As far as high school (is he still in high school?) boyfriends go, Juushi’s not that bad either. He’s shy but sweet. Respectful. In a band, but the kind that makes money and doesn’t operate out of someone’s garage. Yeah, you know what? Go for it. You could do worse. Just scroll up on this list if you need proof of that.

Hitoya: Yeah, absolutely. Hitoya has a great career and a fantastic attitude. He doesn’t take shit from anyone but can still be polite in the correct contexts. He also seems like the type who would get into a serious relationship and treat his partner right. Fuck it up. I support your love.

Sasara: Yes. He has the exact type of humor favored by parents of the father variety. Plus, he’s a famous comedian. There is good money to be had right there.

Roshou: Absolutely. Rather shy but very talented, hardworking teacher who obviously puts his heart and soul into his job? Of course. As long as he doesn’t death glare your parents, it will work out fantastically. Plus, he can talk about sports! That’s a thing that parents like, right?

Rei: Absolutely not. You remember last May when your parents answered a call from the IRS telling them they were about to lose all their money unless they gave the nice man on the phone their bank account password right at that very instant? He was the nice man on the phone. Why the hell would you bring this threat into your parents’ home? Look, you’re in your mid-40s. Your parents are getting up in years, and they want to see you settle down and be happy with someone. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this is not it. Why are you with Rei in the first place? Is it the fur coat? Listen, you are a grown-ass adult, and you can buy yourself as many fur coats as you want. I believe in you. It doesn’t have to be this way - you deserve better.

[girl-with-cat-eyes]

Wednesdays

Summary: Wednesdays are Janus Picani's busiest day. Between meetings, snack day, soccer practice, and art club, he's running around like a chicken with his head cut off. This Wednesday, however, is sure to change the lives of the Picani family forever. Jan's sure they can handle it though.

Ships: Platonic Moceit, thvi

A/N: I've been rewatching the old Reba sitcom from the 2000s and I'd forgotten just how good it was. Good enough that I wanted to write an au for it. Thank you so much to @amazon-me-bitches and my lovely qpp @forever-forgotten-angel for beta reading this and helping me to work out the kinks with the plot. As always, leave a comment if you like this. Enjoy!

For most people, Mondays were their busiest day. It made sense; returning to the workweek, school, etc. For Janus Picani, however, the title of busiest day went to Wednesday. His firm always had partner meetings, they were Emile’s day to bring class snacks, Remy had soccer, and Virgil had art club. On top of that, Jan’s therapy sessions were Wednesdays, which meant he had to make sure all of his work was done 15 minutes early so he could get to his appointment on time. Safe to say, to say Wednesdays weren’t exactly his favorite day.

“Emile! Get down here! You don’t want to be late for school!”, He called upstairs as he finished making breakfast sandwiches. Virgil stood across from him, packing lunches for his brothers.

“He probably can’t find his backpack. He left it down here after he finished his homework.”

Janus sighed, “This wouldn’t be a problem if he just left his backpack down here every night. Remy go get your brother and tell him his backpack is down here.”, the young boy got up, rolling his eyes and Jan had to bite back a sigh. Remy had always been his sassiest child.

“Why can’t Virgil do it?”

Virgil raised an eyebrow at him, “Because I’m making lunch, I can go get him if you want to make your own sandwich ?”, Remys shook his head and ran upstairs, Virgil chuckling at the sight.

Janus finished plating breakfast and turned to thank Virgil, frowning when he saw that Virgil had only made two lunches. He looked pointedly at his son, “You’re not eating?”, he asked.

Virgil shrugged, “I’m gonna get lunch at school today. They’re having burritos.”, Janus nodded. As long as he was eating. Patton came downstairs before he could reply, Remy and Emile in tow.

“I found these two trying to play on the Switch.”, Emile and Remy sat down, guilty little grins on their faces that told Jan that they didn’t regret it, “Good thing I went to check on them.” “Good thing indeed.” He handed Pat a plate, pouting a cup of coffee for his husband? Ex? Janus wasn’t sure what to call the man he’d been married to for 20 years, separated from, hadn’t divorced, and who still lived in the house with. Regardless he poured him a cup of coffee, “Ok so you’re taking Emile and Remy to school and I’ll take Virgil. I’ll pick up Remy and you pick up Emile and-” “-and I’m catching a ride home with Thomas after theater. I’m working on the sets for Little shop today.”, Virgil piped up and Jan had to hold back a grimace at the mention of his boyfriend. He like Thomas, he really did. In terms of high school boyfriends, Thomas had been nothing but a gentleman. But the thought of his son dating still upset Janus deep down; according to his therapist, he was grappling with the thought of his baby growing up.

“Ok.”, he replied, keeping his thoughts to himself. It wouldn’t do any good to speak them when they were his problem to deal with, “I’ll pick up takeout on the way home.”

“Jan? I was wondering if you’d want to come to the restaurant today for lunch?”, He turned to look at Patton. Based on the tone in his voice Janus knew that this wasn’t just a friendly invitation to taste a new menu item. He sighed: he’d been planning to work through his lunch today so he could get out on time.

Regardless, this seemed serious, “Ok. I’ll be there at noon.”, he promised. He quickly finished his breakfast and looked over to Virgil, “Ready to go?”, he asked. He nodded and finished pouring his iced coffee and they were off.

The ride to Virgil’s school was as quick as always. Music played lowly on the radio, lowly on the radio and Janus hummed along. It would be peaceful if not for the fact that Virgil kept fidgeting and staring out the window. Something was up, “Ok. Something’s wrong. Spill.” Virgil turned to look at him, “What? Nothing’s wrong.”, He straightened his face, trying to appear calm. Janus didn’t buy it for a second, “I’m fine.” “Virgil James Picani. I have known you since you were born. I have held you for night after night. I know you inside out. And I know when you’re lying to me. What’s wrong? Is someone bothering you?” Virgil shook his head. “No. It’s just that Mr.Prince, the drama teacher, wants me to be Seymore’s understudy. And I know the chances of me going on stage are rare but I don’t want to take that chance. And I don’t know how to tell him without letting him down.” “Baby bat, just tell him the truth. I’m sure he’ll understand.”, Virgil nodded. The issue seemed to be solved, yet Janus had a feeling that there was something else wrong. But before he could ask any more, they’d arrived and Virgil was getting out. “Love you, Dad! I’ll see you after school!”, Janus shook his head, trying to keep his concerns down. He’d ask Virgil after school. It was fine.

Being a lawyer certainly had its perks; financial security being a prime example. Meetings running long weren’t that though. Janus sighed as he rushed into Pat’s. The warm lighting and delicious smells greeting him. Even if he’d preferred to work through his lunch, Janus couldn’t deny that the thought of Patton’s cooking made his mouth water. There was a reason people came from near and far to this place.

Speaking of Patton, Janus spotted the bespectacled man sitting in their usual booth, a bottle of wine waiting there. He smiled at the thought and sat down, “I thought you weren’t a fan of day drinking?”, he quipped. Pat rarely drank at all, but especially not during the day. “I’m not but I know you don’t mind a glass of wine at lunch.”, Pat poured him a glass, “Salmon or duck?” “Salmon.”, Janus answered. Patton made a delicious pan-seared salmon with risotto and kale salad. It was delicious and sounded lovely right now. Patton nodded and ordered that for him and glazed crispy duck for himself. “So.”, he began as he buttered a roll, “What did you want to discuss?” “Who says I have something to discuss? Maybe I just wanted to have lunch with you?”, He was stalling obviously. Trying to get time to steel his nerves.

Janus raised an eyebrow at him, “You and I know very well that Wednesday is our busy day. If you wanted to just have lunch you would have asked on another day. Therefore this is something important that you don’t want to talk about in front of the kids. So what do you want to discuss?” Patton sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Whatever he wanted to talk about was weighing heavily on his mind. After some time he finally spoke, “I want to finalize our divorce.”, he spoke quickly, like he wanted to get the words out of his mouth as fast as he could.

Janus nodded; he supposed it made sense. They had been separated for over a year now, they slept in separate bedrooms, and they hadn’t had sex since long before they separated. While they still cared for each other, the love they once shared was long gone. The only reason they were still married was the cost of getting a divorce. Considering they’d spent 20 dollars on a courthouse wedding neither had been too happy to shill out thousands of dollars to end their marriage.

The question was why now, and why couldn’t he say it in front of the kids. They’d sat them down months ago and explained that while they loved each other and would always be a family, they weren’t in love anymore. Virgil had taken in the best; being the oldest, he’d seen the signs for a while now. He’d taken it upon himself to comfort his younger brothers. Remy tried to pretend that he was fine, but both Janus and Patton knew better. He’d taken the thought of his family splitting up harder than he was showing. They’d both spoken to him about it, reassuring him that they’d always be a family. And they’d started having family activities every Saturday. Emile had taken it the hardest. The six-year-old didn’t truly understand what was going on. They were still having conversations explaining what it meant. Janus had even begun researching child psychologists at the recommendation of his therapist.

“Ok.”, He spoke, “Why now though? I thought we’d agreed that divorces are too expensive…. You met someone.”, the realization hit Janus like a ton of bricks. Everything made sense. Pat would feel guilty about pursuing someone else while married, even if they were separated. And he wouldn’t want to talk about this in front of the kids until he knew for sure that it was serious.

Patton nodded, “I did.”

“Well, tell me about him. I care about you regardless of our marital status. And I want to know about the person you’ll be bringing around our kids.”

“Ok. His name is Logan and I met him a few weeks ago. He came in here for dinner and he’s just the cutest. He got so excited when he found out we use crofters in our thumbprint cookies and our victoria sponge.” Patton smiled fondly at the thought, “We’ve been on a few dates and… It’s not just a fling. I can see a future with him, Jan.”

Jan took a sip of wine, “Ok. I’ll ask around for good lawyers when I get back.”,

Patton squealed and hugged him, “Thank you so much Jan. Maybe I could invite him over for dinner sometime. That way you could meet him and I could introduce him to the kids.”, Their food came at that moment, which meant Patton had to stop hugging him. Janus was thankful; he’d never been the type for hugging. Except with his kids.

“Ok. But you have to tell them about the divorce first. Deal?” “Deal.”

Virgil was generally considered a good kid by his peers and teachers. Quiet perhaps, but overall a good kid. He didn’t break rules, got good grades, and overall kept to himself. The one anomaly about him was that he was dating Thomas sanders, or rather that Thomas Sanders was dating him. Thomas was a bright and outgoing person; if this was a 2000s sitcom, he might have been considered popular. Not only that, but he had a fairly popular youtube channel where he did skits, challenges, and more. Virgil barely even had social media. They were a couple regardless, and Virgil was known as a good kid.

He didn’t feel like a good kid as he watched the Chipotle employee make his bowl. He’d signed himself out of school early along with Thomas, and now they were getting lunch. The thought of skipping school kept buzzing around his head, even though he’d gotten all of his assignments from the classes he’d be missing. Besides he had bigger problems to worry about.

He sat down beside his boyfriend and took a bite of his food, “What am I going to do?” He asked in a small voice, fear lacing his tone. Thomas reached across the booth and squeezed his hand.

Hey,”, Thomas whispered, his voice soft and reassuring, “It’ll be ok. I’ll be right here no matter what.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”, Thomas squeezed his hand, “Now really eat, you skipped lunch yesterday.”, Virgil nodded and the rest of lunch passed silence. The pair simply enjoying their food together. Virgil grinned and poured queso onto his bowl and smiled at his boyfriend.

“You’re so cute.”, he whispered. Thomas blushed at the compliment and Virgil considered it a win. Sooner enough they were done with their meal. Virgil stood up and gathered their trash, “I’m gonna go the bathroom.” “Ok”, Thomas nodded, “I love you no matter what.”. Virgil smiled and went to the bathroom, anxiety twisting his stomach in knots.

Janus sighed as he drove home. Patton had messaged him earlier that he was making dinner and Jan didn’t have to pick up any takeout. Of course, that made Jan’s life easier, but it also meant that they were going to talk over the divorce with the kids. Great. He peered at Remy in the backseat, sipping his chocolate milk without a care in the world. God sometimes Jan wished he were a child still. Childhood was so much easier, “I think your Dad is making dinner tonight.” Remy looked at him, “I thought we were going to pick up takeout?” “He messaged me saying that I don’t need to pick up any food.”, Remy nodded and smiled before looking back out the window. Janus understood: Patton was an amazing cook. Hopefully, they’d all be able to eat after this. God, how would Remy react? He’d already taken the separation hard. And Emile, he barely understood what divorce was. And Virgil, the oldest, the one who buried his feelings the most. He probably wouldn’t want to talk about it and would bury his feelings to help his brothers.

They pulled into the garage, Remy grabbing his stuff and running inside, “Take off your shoes and change before you get mud all over the house.’, he called after him. Janus took his time collecting his things. ‘Just go in. Better to get it over with.’, his thoughts raced around his head like an angry swarm of bees. He took a deep breath and walked inside.

The smell of garlic and tomatoes washed over his sense, Patton was making Italian food. He took a deep breath, enjoying the smells. Patton stood next to the counter, buttering a long baguette for garlic bread. He looked up and gave a reassuring smile, but Janus could see the nervousness in his eye, at least he wasn’t alone in the feeling, “Hey.” He greeted, “The lasagna is almost done and I’m making garlic bread right now. There’s stuff for caesar salad in the fridge if you want to help out.”

Janus nodded and took off his jacket before washing his hands and making said salad, “Where’s Emile and Virgil?”, he asked, praying that he sounded casual. The salad offered a great distraction from his thoughts, greeting parmesan meant he didn’t have to focus on this upcoming family discussion.

“Virgil is helping Emile with his homework. He’s learning addition.”, Patton supplied as he put the bread on a tray, placing it in the oven. “There are brownies in the fridge. I figured we could make sundaes. Hopefully, it’ll make the conversation easier.”, Janus nodded. Remy and Emile might not realize it but Virgil would know something was up. Pat rarely made dessert on weekdays.

Soon enough dinner was done and all five of them were sitting around the table. Virgil still looked anxious and Janus wanted to bang his head off the table. There was no way he’d be able to ask what was wrong after this conversation. Why did this have to happen tonight?

Patton smiled, “So how was school guys?”, ‘Subtle Pat, subtle. Why don’t you just hang a banner above our heads that says We’re getting divorced’. Janus took a large sip of wine so his thoughts would stay in his head.

“Ok,” Remy spoke up. “But I keep getting headaches during the day. The lights in the class are too bright.”, This had been going on for a while now. The fluorescent lighting of the classroom seemed to give Remy migraines, and his teacher wasn’t budging on letting him wear sunglasses to prevent it.

“I’ll talk to your teacher in the morning.”

“My day was good Daddy.”, Emile grinned, “We learned about ecosystems.”, Janus smiled. Emile was so young and innocent.

“Virgil?”, The teenager in question looked up from where he’d been staring off into space. He took a quick bit of lasagna before speaking.

“It was fine.”

He was lying. Something was wrong and Virgil was trying to act like he was ok. Janus wanted to ask more questions, to figure out what was bothering his son. It wouldn’t work though. Virgil guarded his privacy with his life. Prying would only make him more tight-lipped. Janus just had to wait for Virgil to come to him with what was wrong, and in the meantime, hope that it wasn’t serious.

Besides, even if Janus thought it was a good idea to ask, there were other things at hand. Patton nodded to him and he knew it was time. “Your father and I have some news.”. Patton began. Janus held back a groan.

“Are we going to Disney World?”, Emile was practically bouncing in his seat at the thought of such a trip.

“No.”, Janus made a mental note to talk to Patton about a family vacation. Maybe it would help reassure Remy and Emile that they were all still a family. “It’s not that. You all know that we’re always going to be a family right? No matter what happens we’ll always be together.”, Virgil was ghostly pale and Remy had his fists clenched. He didn’t even have to say it. They knew.

His middle son jumped up, “No.” He was tearing up, “You promised.”

“Remy..”

“No! You said we’d always be together.”, Tears began running down his face. A knot formed in Janus’ throat. Why did they have to do this?

“And we will. No matter what.”, Patton tried to soothe. It was met on deaf ears.

“No, we won’t! That’s what they all say! They say nothing will change but it does. Next thing you know, you’re in different houses and splitting custody and no one will want me. And then I’ll be back in foster care.”

“Remy that won’t happen. We love you.”, Janus wanted to take his son in his arms. Wanted to hold all of his children and promise them that they still loved them all, and the divorce wouldn’t change that. But Remy ran upstairs, the sound of his bedroom door slamming shut echoing through the house.

“What’s going on?”, Emile’s face was contorted, confusion visible. Of course, he wouldn’t fully understand what was going on. The six-year-old had barely understood the separation.

Patton sighed and knelt down next to him, “Your father and I are finalizing our divorce. We won’t be married anymore.” Emile blinked.

“Why? I thought you weren’t getting one?” Patton sighed, “Things have changed.”, Emile blinked at him. This was going wrong. It was too soon. They should have eased them into this idea. Shouldn’t have sprung it on them like this.

Understanding bloomed in Emile’s face. His next words were a whisper, so quiet that Janus almost didn’t hear them. But he did, and it felt like getting hit by a truck. “Are you divorcing cause Virgil’s pregnant?” “EMILE!”, Virgil shrieked. Janus felt like he was watching this from above like it was a tv show playing out in front of him, and not his life. He looked next to him. Patton appeared to be in a similar situation.

“It’s the truth.”

Finally, Janus found himself able to speak. There were a million questions inside of him longing to get out, but all he could say was, “What?”

Luckily Patton was able to voice one of his questions, “Virgil, is this true?”. Virgil refused to make eye contact with either of them and Janus knew it was. His eldest child looked almost ashamed, shoulders tense and body hunched over.

“Virgil…”, He started, but he was upstairs before Janus could continue. Janus shut his eyes. Amazing. One of his kids was pregnant at 17 and another thought he was going to be sent back to foster care. His head met the table with a groan. Patton rubbed his shoulder.

Emile still stood in front of them, “Am I in trouble?”, he asked, voice shaking. Janus leaned forward and picked him up. He bounced Emile on his hip, stroking his back.

“No baby.”, He ruffled his hair and booped his nose. “You aren’t in trouble ok. Everything is just kinda stressful right now. But none of that is your fault, ok?” Emile nodded and buried his face into Jan’s chest. Patton joined the hug, stroking Emile’s back and humming softly. They sat there in this position for about 10 minutes before Janus pulled away, gave Emile a kiss on the forehead, “We love all of you so much and the divorce won’t change that ok?”

He nodded and Janus stood up, “I’m going to go talk to Remy, he might be easier to get to open up than Virgil right now.”, He handed Emile to Pat, who bounced him on his hip.

“Ok. I’ll make a pot of hot cocoa to take up. Hopefully, it’ll get him to open up.”, Janus nodded in thanks and made his way upstairs.

Remy’s room was as dark as ever, the twelve-year-old liked to leave the lights in his room dimmed. Janus peaked his head in, seeing him laying on his bed, face buried into his pillows. “Remy?”, He called out. The child in question didn’t respond but Janus knew he was awake, “Can I come in?”

There was silence for a moment and Janus thought about what he would do if Remy said no. He wanted to respect his privacy, but at the time this was a conversation that needed to happen. Remy thought he was going to be sent back to foster care and Janus couldn’t let him just think that. Luckily Remy soon answered, “Yes…”

He walked in slowly, eyes trained on his son. His son who was terrified that he was going to be sent away. He swallowed, “Remy you aren’t going to be sent back to foster care. I promise that.”

Remy sniffled and his heart broke for his middle child, “That’s what they said last time. They said they loved me and I’d never be sent away again. And then they said they were getting a divorce and it wasn’t a good time for them to adopt a kid.”

Janus sighed and began stroking his hair, “And I’m promising that no matter what we’re not sending you back there. We love you. You’re our son, our wonderful son who we love so much. The divorce is between your father and me. And I won’t lie and say that it won’t affect you or that nothing will change, because things will change. A lot of things will change. But the love that your father and I have for the three of you? That will never change. It’ll never fade or go away. And we’re never sending you back.” He smiled slightly and joked, “Besides we threw away the receipt. No returns.”

Remy giggled and Janus knew he’d been successful in cheering him up. Remy sat up and hugged him tightly, tears still flowing freely, “I love you both. This is my home, my family. I don’t want to lose you.” “I know baby, I know. What does Stitch say?”, He hoped that a reference to Remy’s favorite movie would lighten the mood even more.

Remy sighed, “Ohana means family.” “And?”

“Family is never left behind or forgotten.”

Janus nodded and kissed his head, “And you’re our ohana. And we hope to yours. We’re here for as long as you want us.”, Remy smiled and Janus knew that even if it took some time, everything would be ok with him. He sat up. “Patton should be up here in a few minutes with cocoa and I’m sure he’ll want to talk to you. So I’ll sit here with you until he gets up here and then I’ll give you your privacy. Ok? Besides I need to talk to your older brother.”

Remy nodded, “Is Virgil ok?”

Janus sighed, “I don’t know. But I intend to find out.”. As if on cue, there was a knock on the door and Patton peaked his head in. He held a tray with four mugs of cocoa topped with whipped cream. Next to them sat a plate with brownies.

“Can I come in? I brought cocoa.” He smiled encouragingly. Remy nodded and sat up off of Janus’s chest. Patton came in, taking two of the mugs and some of the brownies. “The rest are for you and Virgil.”

“Where’s Emile?”

“In his room with a covered mug and a brownie watching Aladdin. He’ll be ok.”, Janus nodded and took the tray before leaving.

Janus stood outside of Virgil’s room, trying to figure out what to say. What did you say when your teenage son was pregnant? Most parents were worried about their sons getting someone pregnant, not their sons being pregnant. Then again, not everyone had a trans son. He sighed and knocked, “Virgil? Can I come in?”

Unlike Remy, who took his time answering, Virgil’s reply was almost immediate, “I don’t want to talk, Dad.”, Janus sighed. Goddammit. This is exactly what he was fearing. He couldn’t just leave his son alone right now. His pregnant son at that. Virgil was pregnant. He groaned.

“Baby bat, please. We need to talk about this.”

“I don’t want to talk.” “I have Pat’s hot chocolate and brownies.”

There was a pause. Then he spoke, “The door’s open.”, Janus opened the door slowly. Virgil sat in the middle of the bed, knees tucked against his chest. Tears ran down his face in inky black trails. Janus’ heart ached for him. He looked at Janus and sniffled, “Go on. Yell at me about what a horrible mistake I made.” His heart lept into his throat. Janus remembered having a similar conversation with his sister 18 years ago. How she was pregnant and her boyfriend ran off on her. Janus hadn’t known then how his life was going to change forever. And now his son was pregnant.

“I’m not here to yell at you V.”, He sat next to him, handing Virgil the mug of cocoa. He took a sip of his own, “How long have you known?” Virgil shrugged, “I only found out today. But I suspected it when Dad mentioned that one of the waitresses at the restaurant was pregnant. I’m about a month along.” Janus nodded, “Does Thomas know?”, he was met with a nod. “And what does he think?”, more memories of his sister rushed to the surface. His sister saying that her boyfriend had ran out of town when she found out that was pregnant. That he took the rent money and she’d been evicted. He was brought out of his memories by Virgil’s next words.

“He says he loves me still. And he supports me no matter what I choose.”, Well that was good. Janus didn’t know what he would have done if Thomas had abandoned Virgil. It would have been unpleasant that’s for sure. Now for the hardest question.

“You have options; you don’t have to keep the baby if you don’t want to. Do you have an idea of what you want to do?”, Virgil looked up at him and Janus once again was overcome with memories of his sister. Adelaide saying that she didn’t know what she was going to do but she was keeping her baby. He and Pat letting her move in. Recording home movies for the baby. Rushing her to the hospital while she screamed in pain in his backseat. The doctor saying that she lost too much blood. Holding Virgil in his arms.

“I want to keep the baby.”, there it was. The thing that Janus had known deep down that Virgil would say from the moment he found out about the pregnancy, “I know I have options and I know I’m young and this probably seems stupid but I want this baby. I just... You took a chance on me when mom died. You and Dad weren’t looking for a kid when I was born but you took me in anyway. You took a chance on me. And I’m taking a chance on this baby.”

Janus sighed, “You’re just like your mother you know that. Just as stubborn and just as loving. And you know what? She was just as determined to have you, even if it wasn’t the best time. And I’m going to tell you the same thing I told her.”, He hugged Virgil close, “I love you so much. And if you want this baby then your dad and I will support you no matter what ok? We’ll help you out. I promise.”

Virgil smiled at him, “Really?”

Janus nodded, “Really really. Now I think you should invite Thomas over tomorrow. I want to talk to him.”. Seeing the look on Virgil’s face he added, “I’ll go easy on him. I just want to know he’ll be a good dad for my grandchild. And you two need to tell his parents.”

Virgil nodded and there was a knock at the door, “Come in.”

It was Patton, “Hey. Emile and Remy are both asleep. How is everything?”

“Well Pat, we’re going to be grandfathers.”

Patton smiled and sat down next to them both, “I see. And everything is ok?” Virgil nodded, “Yeah. Everything will work itself out.”, And at that moment Janus knew it to be true.

A/N: Unlike some of my other works, this one is going to be a series of one-shots. I think I'll be able to handle that better than chapter fic. It'll also feel more like episodes of a sitcom. I really like the feel to this and I'm open to prompts.

[holylulusworld]

His butterfly

Summary: Dean claimed you - what will happen now?

Paring: Alpha!Dean x Omega!Reader, Omega!Jody x Omega!Donna

Characters: Sam Winchester, Ruby

Warnings: language, arguments, love-hate relationship, enemies to lovers, smut, unprotected sex, fluff, a not so cocky Dean this time, mentions of infidelity, mentions of the first time (nothing graphic), implied oral sex (fem rec)

Sequel to: Broken Butterfly

“Let me help you,” Dean opens the door to the bathroom for you, helps you step inside the showers, and rummages in his bag to find shower gel. “Sorry, I only got guys stuff.”

“Should do the job, shouldn’t it?” You snicker watching Dean hurry under the stream. He is adding some of his shower gel onto a washcloth to gently clean your body. Carefully Dean runs the fabric over your shoulder, glancing at the mark he left.

“Do you hate me now?” One arm wraps around your waist when he buries his face into your neck to lap at the still stinging bite mark.

“Don’t lap at the wound. We need to…,” Dean shushes you, sliding his tongue slowly over the wound, and oddly, the pain is gone.

“Let me, sweetheart. I know a few things about omegas, our bond, and dynamics. My salvia will help to heal the wound quicker.” You smile at his words, tilting your head to grant him better access. “You did not answer my question.”

“I don’t know how to feel about your claim, Dean. We were good together back then but now we fight all the time. Your words sting and the misogyny, I cannot live with that kind of man,” you answer honestly, sighing deeply at the mess Dean made.

“I…I said those things to rile you up, not to hurt,” unlike his usual cocky-self Dean grumbles behind you, still lapping at his claiming mark on your neck. “I would never do such a thing to you, Y/N. I wanted your attention.”

“Acting like an asshole is not the way to get an omega’s attention, Dean. Why didn’t you act like your brother?” Dean growls when you mention his brother, even presses his body closer to yours.

“You’re mine, not Sam’s,” possessively Dean purrs against your throat, lapping at his mark. “My omega, no one else’s. This butterfly is mine to keep.”

“Gosh, Dean. Stop acting all out.” You shiver at the feeling of his swelling cock against the crack of your ass. “I mean…Jesus you are hard again.”

“Can’t help it, ‘mega. Close to you, I feel like the young alpha, a pup.” He whines, nuzzling his cheek into your neck. “I never forgot about you or our first time. I was so nervous, but you guided me, even though, it was your first time too.”

“I was scared and nervous too,” you smile at the memory, slowly grinding against Dean’s swelling length. “You were gentle and careful, and so young. I loved the whines; you sounded like a puppy.”

“Back then, I was a puppy, sweetheart. You were the one turning me into a man, an alpha only for me to stray around and look for other omegas. I regret being a young and dumb alpha for years. I just didn’t know how to approach you after the break-up.”

Dean groans when you move your hand to the back of his neck, to bring him close enough for a messy kiss.

“I want to feel my alpha, now…” Your order lets a smirk appear on Dean’s lips and he knows – by claiming you he is in for a treat. “Dean, stop playing with the washcloth and satisfy your omega.”

“Son of a bitch, I claimed a brat,” you grin, pressing the palms of your hands against the tile wall. “Let me just prep you, butterfly.” Dean’s lips ghost along your shoulder and you wish there was more time for foreplay.

“Dean, we’ve got no time. In not half an hour we need to attend the meeting and explain why I have to…fuck me,” faster than you can blink Dean runs his fingers up and down your slit, moaning behind you at the slick coating his digits.

“Always so sweet for me,” his hand sprawls over your stomach, pressing you back against him. “Beautiful and feisty.” Nibbling at your earlobe he slips the tip in, listening to the tiny whimpers leaving your lips. “Soft and hard. Strong and so vulnerable sometimes.”

“D’…” He slides inside, holding your body against his when you start to tremble. “Feels so good, alpha.” You address him with his presentation, this time not to mock him but to tell him you accept your bond.

“You feel even better, Y/N. So tight but warm and wet,” you whine, hearing Dean’s praise. “You are made for me and I am made for you.” Open-mouthed he kisses your skin, moaning against you.

It is a deep growl leaving his chest when he starts to roll his hips bringing you out of your haze.

Dean takes his time, like the first time you were together. “God, you can’t knot me now, Dean. We got to…” He slides back out to turn you around, help you to sling your legs around him. “What?”

“I want to watch your face when you cum for me, omega,” his throaty purr let all resolve to give him hell melt away. His cock slide back inside and you are too far gone to care when screams erupt from your mouth, letting the alpha lose it too soon.

“Fuck, no…I need to bring you over the edge first,” one arm slung around your body Dean moves his hand between your bodies to flick your clit, slowly rocking his hips. “Please, baby. Need to feel you cum.”

“Dean, it’s fine,” you watch the alpha warily. His face flushed, eyebrow knit together he looks at your crotch, sighing deeply as he begins to soften. “It was nice, baby. I do not need to cum every time.”

“You have. I’ll make it happen…”

“We are going to be late…” Legs shaky from Dean’s assault you watch the alpha look up from between your legs. Chin plastered with your juices just like his plump and swollen lips he grins.

“I made it. Damn, look at the mess I made between your legs.” Proud Dean looks at the sheets underneath you. “Did it feel good?”

“Dean, stop fishing for compliments. I can’t feel my legs, so yes, it was damn good…” He nods, looking at your sex again.

“One day I want you to have my baby,” your eyes round at Dean’s confession but you remain silent. “I mean if you want some.”

“I never thought about having kids. Maybe I like becoming mother, teaching the girls to become angry amazons…” You giggle when Dean crawls back up your body to kiss your fiercely, letting you taste yourself on his lips and tongue.

“I think that was a yes…omega…”

“When do we get your things?” Dean rushes after you, tries to get your attention while you check on a few points on your agenda. “Sweetheart?”

“I never said I’d move in with you, Winchester,” you smirk, patting his chest before you straighten your back to prepare for the storm that will come the moment you open the door to the conference room.

“Wait-what? No, no…you are my omega and I want you to live with me.” Eyes focused on the mark he left Dean purrs to make your change your mind. “Please?”

“Better,” you pat his chest, pecking Dean’s cheek to earn another low purr. “You’re such a good little pup.” Dean’s mouth falls open when you open the door, looking over your shoulder, expectantly. “You coming, my strong alpha?”

Ruby’s eyes narrow, just like Jody’s and Donna’s when you walk into the room, a fresh claiming mark too prominent on your neck.

“He…he forced himself on her!” Ruby snarls, jumping over the table, only stopped by Sam who holds the angry omega back. “Let me go, I’ll kill him.”

“How could you, Winchester!” Jody grits her teeth, ready to attack the alpha who claimed you.

Dean looks around the room. Angry eyes are focused on him, even the ones from his fellow alphas. He swallows thickly, letting out a noise sounding like a wail.

“Dean and I have to tell you something important,” you clear your throat, grasping for Dean’s hand. “Last night Dean and I had a long and fruitful conversation. We wanted to unite our packs and decided it’s for the best to mate.”

Sam chokes on air whilst the omega he still holds back snarls into Dean’s direction, not believing a single word leaving your lips.

How could you admit Dean and you gave in to your instinct followed by a careless claim on your alpha’s side?

“Dean claimed me and when the bond strengthened, I am going to do the same to set an example against misogynism.” Dean huffs next to you, knowing you want to punish him for his alpha behavior. “My alpha is man enough to see we need a change.”

“Who will take your position, Y/N?” Ruby gasps when you hand her the clipboard, giving her a warm smile. “Me? But I am horribly at negotiating.”

“Correct,” you smirk, patting Ruby’s hand. “That is the reason I trust you, Ruby. I know you will give them hell.” You glance at Sam who awkwardly glances at Ruby’s mating gland, purring low in his throat. “I mean, Sam is a great partner.”

“He is…” Ruby clears her throat, turning her attention toward the conference table. “You heard Y/N. We will return to our tasks and cheer for the happy couple.”

“What was that about claiming me?” Dean whispers in your ear whilst you dig your nails into his hand. “Y/N…”

“Well, fair is fair, Winchester. You bit me, I’ll do the same,” you grin now, patting his chest. “You’re lucky if I do not leave a mark on your dick.”

“You wouldn’t…” Dean follows you like a puppy when you walk toward the place reserved for guest listeners. “Omega. You wouldn’t bite my cock…right?”

“I do not know yet, alpha,” you pat the seat next to you, still grinning. “I will decide later.”

“I can be a good alpha, Y/N.” The alpha takes your hand in his, squeezing it lightly. “Promised.”

“We will see…Winchester.” You lean back in your chair, looking at Sam who discusses the next point on your agenda with Ruby. A smile crosses your lips watching the couple fight over the next decision.

Dean sits next to you, watching you the whole time, a smile on his face. He believes he got it all by biting you but – he is terribly wrong.

What he does not know is that you made him yours - not the other way around.

It took you years to push Dean to finally claim you. The alpha has no clue that from now on, you will rule his life…

A/B/O Tags

@gublergirls​

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

SPN Forever Tags

@donnaintx​

@screechingartisancashbailiff​

@fallen-wolf22​

@sister-winchesters99​

@mogaruke​

@the-is13​

@helloitsmeamie203​

@sandlee44​

@strayrosesbloom​

@notyourtypicalrose​

@thewinchesterco​

@marvelfansworld​

@hobby27​

@gh0stgurl​

@flamencodiva​

@jay-and-dean​

@voltage-my2dlove​

@h-o-l-l-i​

@dayasvalkyrie​

@wittysunflower​

@supernaturalenchanted​

@shikshinkwon​

@yolobloggers​

@hhiggs​

@laxe-from-outer-space​

@ilovefanfic86​

@linki-locks11​

@eggingamazinglove​

@trumpettay​

@fandom-imagines1​

@thenamelesschibi

@waywardbaby​

@straycuties9​

@drakelover78​

@stuckys-whore​

@zxph-yr​

@i-love-superhero​

@ten-tenya-iida​

@deepmuffinspymaker​

@katsav17​

@heyitscam99​

@fandom-princess-forevermore​

@neii3n​

@exo-nova​

@cocklesbelli​

@echoesofpassion​

@shatteredabby​

@deanmonandnegansbitch​

@sea040561​

@lemondropirwin​

@lonewolf471​

@wronglanemendes​

@juniorhuntersam​

@helpmeluci​

@goodgodimaweirdperson​

@shadowkat-83​

@alltimesamantha​

@officialmarvelwhore​

@meganywinchester

@miraclesoflove​

@maniacproffesor​

@hollymac79​​

@kayla-2000​​

@gracefultrenchcoat494​​

@babygirls-fav​​

@spnwoman​​

@amiquette​​

@stormchasingchick32​​

@geekofmanyforms​​

@jessica-marsh09​​

@spnficgirl​​

@shut-themoonscone​​

@thequeenreaders​​

@countrygal17a​​

@atomicfandombomb​​

@kteelou​​

@soryuwifeyxx​​

@defenderrosetyler​​

@shortwinchester​​

@maybesomedaygayyyy​​

@sixth-seance​​

@sabascio​​

@that-place-called-middle-earth​​

@the-broken-angel-13

@bunnybaby89​​

@pandabiiissh​​

@maddiedott​​

@lilulo-12​​

@theoneandonlymelol​​

@mblaqgi​​

@clawsandshotguns

@justsomedreaming​​

@cassiopeia-barrow​​

@its-the-timey-wimey-winchesters​

@mscarter213​​

@jo-like-josette​​

@mep6811​​

@prettydeaneyes​​

@rvgrsbrns​​

@deanwanddamons​​

@tearsforhan​​

@waywardbabie​​

@certaindeanwinchesterforcastiel​

@belovedcherry​​

@amandamdiehl​​

@emaanjffri​​

@sycochick​​

@nickyrose3123

@abeautifuldiaster124​

@matsumama​

@rynabarnesrogers-reading​

@homeorbust​

@emoryhemsworth​

@lunaticgurly​

@sofiiamdeansgirl

@xxlikeheavenxx​

@spnbaby-67​

@wonderlandfandomkingdom​

@heartislubbingdubbing​

@kitkatd7​

@doctor-hp-mcu​

@lovefromthewinchesters​

@coffeebooksandfandom​

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

Dean/Jensen Forever Tags   

@spnfamily-j2

@supernatural-bellawinchester​

@negans-lucille-tblr​​

@deans-baby-momma​​

@thefaithfulwriter​​

@squirrelnotsam​​

@roonyxx​​

@underthewrap​​

@deansgirl-1968​​

@spn-dean-and-sam-winchester​​

@butifulsoul125​​

@lyinginthegingerlocks​​

@neen-illustrates​​

@janicho88​​

@woodworthti666​​

@thevelvetseries​​

@dreaminemz​​

@akshi8278​​

@midnightsilver16830​​

@mrspeacem1nusone​​

@ria132love​​

@caligraphee​​

@the-witch-in-silence​​

@justanotherwinchester​​

@multisuperfandom​​

@jason-todd-squad​​

@jadesupernatural​​

@psychicforest​​

@luciathewinchestergirl​​

@magssteenkamp​​

@palefiregiver

@tranquility-or-chaos​​

@jxackles​​

@michellemxndes​​

@addictedtofictionalcharacters​​

@gabifernandessn​​

 @waywardrose13​​

@team-free-will-you-idjiot​​

@myopiamystical​​

@rintheemolion​​

@isthatabutterfly

@bluecornflowers​​

@rosalynshields​​

A/N: If your name is crossed out Tumblr won’t let me tag you.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

can we adress how toxic some of these self/harm and suicide fics are?? as someone who has struggled with these issues, treating them as just a way for the two characters to get together, or one character to be the savior who cures someone of their problems? I'm so frickin over it. continuing to put your partner in limbo by threatening this behavior when they don't give you enough attention is a symptom of something major. This is not something i like seeing romanticized. at all.

[CONTENT WARNING FOR ENTIRE POST: heavy discussions of trauma, suicide, self harm, depression, political issue mentions, and eating disorders. Please proceed with care. I am not cutting the post because I think the message is important, so scroll past until my icon disappears <3 Stay safe, My Lovelies.]

Hey Nonny

Okay, I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt here because you mention you DO have struggles with these issues, so I’m going to state right up front here and say I AM NOT DISREGARDING YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AT ALL. Your view of this topic is valid, and it’s not something I am ever going to say is wrong for you. 

I would like to offer an olive branch, here, Nonny, and give you an alternative take on this, because I’m concerned that perhaps you are still coping with your own struggles and in return, you unwittingly and unintentionally are coming off as unsympathetic to other people’s coping mechanisms.

I KNOW how hard it is to see another view when yours is the only one that seems right, especially after a tragedy or after dealing with heavy things. But all I am asking is for you to temporarily extend some empathy as I discuss my thoughts in this post, and I apologize in advance if I come off as dickish, because, again, it’s hard to see past your own feelings, and I tend to give a “firm but understanding” approach to asks like this. It’s NOT meant to call you our personally. Just asking for an open mind.

I will tackle this ask in a similar fashion to this post here, which talks about shipping vs fetishization so CW for that, as well as like this post here, where we discuss pet peeves. My assumption here is that Nonny is unsure about what “romanticizing” actually entails, and how much this ask is basically Gatekeeping Fiction 101, a thing that’s been going on since the beginning of storytelling. The ask is perceived by me to be emotionally unaware of how unsympathetic it actually sounds, and in turn can unintentionally upset people who engage in these stories.

First thing’s first, Nonny, and I said it before, I GET IT. I understand what you’re going for here, why you feel it’s toxic, and why you think it shouldn’t exist. Here’s the thing, though: what you’re ACTUALLY calling for here is censorship and gatekeeping because YOU PERSONALLY take issue with something, want the fandom specially curated just for you, because it PERSONALLY OFFENDS YOU. And that, it itself, is what’s really toxic, here. Just because YOU are offended, does not mean that it’s not helpful to SOMEONE ELSE, and it’s selfish to make such a demand of people.

Let me explain.

As I mention in the link above re: shipping, many people read and write fics to cope with the reality of their own experiences. Nonny, your experience is NOT the same as someone else’s. Your pain is NOT universal, and you DON’T KNOW what that author has been through; for all you know, they spent 6 months in-hospital after attempting suicide, and they are now simply processing their trauma through storytelling. 

Or, “continuing to put your partner in limbo by threatening this behavior when they don't give you enough attention” ? It’s a VERY REAL THING that ACTUALLY happens in real life, and perhaps it happened to that author, or they want to write an alternate ending to their pain.

Or, “one character to be the saviour who cures someone of their problems?” is something a suicide survivor WISHES someone did for them. Because they feel alone in the world and don’t want to be alone anymore.

These stories are simply escapism for people, either to learn about or share what these mental illnesses do to people, or are the “fantasies” of survivors, of their ideal outcome to their own tragedies. Coping with guilt over the loss of someone they feel they could have saved. The brutal truth about realty.

And sometimes, it is because some people need a good cry and a feel-good happy ending, because real life? Well, it rarely has those happy endings and so few opportunities to let us cry, and sometimes life is just easier when we view it through the eyes of fictional characters. Do you not want someone to save you sometimes Nonny? And I mean metaphorically here, too. Someone to just take all of your hellish burdens off those shoulders for one day. Someone who will come in to save you from yourself. I know I do.

And, well, sometimes, Nonny, it makes people feel less alone in this socially distanced world.

They’re not glorifying that issue Nonny. They’re telling their story.

Here are some thoughts:

Romanticization: Some trendy teen outlet selling a shirt with “mentally diseased” written across it.

NOT Romanticization: A character in a story coming to terms with a diagnosis of mental illness and learning ways to adapt. Their partner is involved 100% and they learn together.

Romanticization: Sherlock merchandise being sold with “I’m a high functioning sociopath” (not mention ableist as all heck)

NOT Romanticization: A character self-harms because of depression, and character B helps the character through their pain and together they get proper therapy and treatment.

Romanticization: Calling yourself “OMG I’m so bipolar!” because it’s trendy.

NOT Romanticization: A clinically depressed author, who survived a suicide attempt, wanting to tell their story through characters the world is already familiar with, and one that a touchy subject can be expressed and understood by other people, because they’re not ready to write the “real” book. Fandom is a safety net for them.

See what I mean Nonny? We don’t KNOW what kind of pain these authors have PERSONALLY been through, and to censor them from having their voices heard and their stories told is just not on for me.

And let me be clear: YES OF COURSE romanticization happens EVERYWHERE. I am not denying that. But your ask is coming off like EVERY STORY EVER WRITTEN is glorification of something. By your logic:

Disabled people shouldn’t write about their disabilities because they’re romanticising themselves.

The authors with medical degrees shouldn’t write realistic med-fics because some where in the world, ONE person MAY HAVE had a similar experience as Character A and B.

Someone broke their foot in ballet so they shouldn’t write a story about a ballet dancer who broke their hip because it may offend ONE ballerina SOMEWHERE in space and time who got sideline at the prime of their career? 

Stories about LGBT+ people shouldn’t be written because homophobes think it’s icky.

We shouldn’t write about wizards because it offends high school catholic pastors (an actual thing that happened)? 

How about cancer stories because kids die of cancer all the time? 

Non-fiction autobiographies about holocaust survivors is not okay.

Science books offend flat earthers, so we shouldn’t write those.

Books about the Big Bang and a 4.5 billion-year-old earth offends creationists, so burn those.

A now-adult child rape victim writing their survival stories to help get their often-in-power abusers behind bars are taboo.

True crime stories from detectives on those cases shouldn’t be told because they weren’t the victim.

Non-fiction in general because someone somewhere may have had that one singular thing happen to them.

How about coping with grief over a parent’s sudden death because I personally might find offense in that since that was a horridly traumatic experience in my life?

Do you see how progressively out of touch this argument is? (the answer to all of these: authors should be allowed to write them, because stories make us human). Your argument leads down the very dangerous path to censorship of books, the internet, and history... to have people only read and learn what someone else dictates, leading to... well.

I’m not trying to be a dick here, Nonny, I’m really not. But I think you’re really missing the entire point of fiction and story telling. I feel you’re failing in the empathy game here, and failing to understand what romanticizing really actually is. 

Whenever I get asks like this, I always feel like the Nonnies don’t really know much about pre-Ao3. I come from “early internet” fandom age, and I’m talking before tags existed. Back when I had to go buy a book at Coles and guess what was in it based on a cover description. No “amazon reviews”. No “harmful content warning” stickers. You just picked up that book, and sometimes you get a sweet story about a friends exploring an alien landscape, and other times WHOOOPS ACCIDENTAL ALIEN SEX I DIDN’T SIGN UP FOR. And sometimes, it ended with a dark story about death, and the reality of coping with it.

Twenty years ago, books on the shelves at bookstores and libraries were the only place you could do your reading and they certainly do NOT have tags on them... Modern tagging of stories are a REALLY recent thing introduced probably no less than 15 years ago and was perfected by Ao3 (which was started in 2009). 

These days, there is no excuse if you only consume fanfiction on Ao3. Fics are tagged with proper possible-trigger tags 90% of the time. They have a VERY METICULOUS filtering system. You aren’t being forced to read the fics, you don’t have to read the fics, so use those tag filters, they exist for a reason.

So, with that in mind, I genuinely DON’T GET this attitude about people wanting everything sugar coated and saccharine by default. Especially when you can LITERALLY CURATE YOUR OWN CONTENT. Life isn’t sugar coated. And fiction shouldn’t have to be either. People tag fics with triggers for a reason.

As they used to say back in my early internet days: Don’t like it? Don’t read it. Don’t comment, skip, next story.

And to put this ALL into perspective, so that you don’t think I’m talking out of my ass, I’m going to reveal something here: Do you know what fics I can’t read, Nonny, because they trigger me? Eating disorders. That’s self harm, Nonny, in a very different way. But you know what? I know that those fics DO help other ED people so I’m not going to sit her and tell people NOT to rec or write them. And some of those authors who write those stories are processing their own ED through those stories, healing in their own way. And you know what I do when I see one of those fics? I don’t read them, move on, next story.

I’m sorry if you perceive this as me being harsh with you here, Nonny, and you DON’T have to agree with me and you can block me and never talk to me again, and I’ll understand. As I stated at the beginning, I’m offering an alternative perspective, and helping you to see that some people take comfort in these types of stories.

I think what this all boils down to Nonny, after all of this, and rereading your question a final time to see if I missed covering anything, is that (and feel free to shit on me if I am wrong here) I’m getting the impression – as an unprofessional outsider looking in – that you’re still struggling with your inner demons, whether you realize it or not. The tone and brashness of your ask has me believing this... It feels like it was written after a trigger-moment and you needed to vent AT someone because you are alone, and that hurts my heart so much. I truly hope you find peace in your mind, soon, and I hope you have someone to talk to professionally, or at least a friend. (tw under link, suicidal ideation discussion and links to phone numbers that can help you). I only wish the best for you, my Nonny.

Anyway. I welcome other people to chime in here, respectfully, and let me know if I have the wrong take here. Because I genuinely don’t think I do, but I am not a professional, so my entire thing that took me 3 hours to write here is probably moot. I’m especially interested (on anon in my asks if you’re not comfy with revealing yourselves) on thoughts from other people who have survived the original topics here, as well as any therapists and authors as well.

Take care of yourself Nonny. And please curate your own content for your mental health. Ao3 has an “exclusionary tag system” as well, please use it. *hugs*

[irwinkitten]

teej and frankie’s guide to twitch etiquette

aka a guide for dumbasses who stan michael clifford /j

so i have already made a post about people doing the ‘unofficial raid’ but after talking with @calmlftv we realised that there needs to be a twitch etiquette for those who are going to start using the platform because michael is streaming again. 

(this is not going under a read more because there are some people that NEED TO READ IT) 

1. don’t spam. it’s simple enough to understand, it is both annoying, and also clogs up chat and frustrates mods. (spam can include, emotes, caps lock and copypastas. do not do it.)

2. check the streamers rules if they have them. there are rules in place not only for the comfort of the viewer, but they are also there as part of the streamers boundaries. (if you need help finding the ‘!rules’ command or any command in general, just ask the chat. there will be mods watching, and other viewers will help too.)

3. if you’re timed out from chat for any reason, do not argue with the mods about it. it’s most likely one of the bots that has timed you out. more often than not, bot time outs are up to a minute, so just cool your heels and don’t get angry in chat when you can talk again.

4. when stream ends, do not go to another streamer going ‘UNOFFICIAL ______ RAID’. it is not only rude, but also annoying and for the streamer, it can be disheartening. if you do not want to watch the person they choose to raid, don’t. go to your favourite streamer and just join in. they’d appreciate that more, instead of the unofficial raid. 

5. DO NOT SELF PROMOTE IN CHAT. if you are new to streaming/twitch in general, do not do it. it’s rude, and more often than not will get you banned. this also includes going ‘oh i’m going now, i’m starting stream’ etc. the streamer won’t want to know, and they will be annoyed by it. it’s basic respect between streamers. 

6. let’s talk about discord. some streamers have a discord server, if they have it linked or posted somewhere and you join it, always take a look through the welcome channels. most will have it set, so that you can only read a set amount of channels before agreeing to the rules. FOLLOW THE RULES OF THE DISCORD SERVER. DO NOT USE THE SERVER TO ADD THE STREAMER. DO NOT PING THE STREAMER. If you need something or have any questions or concerns, there are mods in place! Go to them! USE THIS PLATFORM TO MAKE FRIENDS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY! 

7. don’t ask to be gifted a sub. it’s rude. it has big ‘pick me pick me’ energy, and more often than not, will get you timed out. there is an algorithm to twitch gifted subs, and it’s a bit shit. but it just means that you gotta be patient and wait your turn. (if you can’t afford to sub to a twitch streamer, don’t feel like you have to. also use twitch prime if they’re partnered, it’s free if you have amazon prime.)

8. DONT TRAUMA DUMP ON THE STREAMER. THEY ARE NOT YOUR THERAPIST. They are humans and have their own boundaries. it does not matter how much they have helped you through a shitty time, they ultimately do this for their enjoyment and for others to watch and share with. trauma dumping takes that away from not only the streamer, but the viewers as well because there will be people who get triggered and ultimately ruins their viewing experience. go to therapy instead if you need to trauma dump.

be kind, have fun and use common sense when in chat. think to yourself, do i want to really see this in a chat? if the answer is no, don’t do it. 

this isn’t a strict list of rules, this is just a guide. it will ultimately make your twitch viewing more enjoyable in the future, especially if you decide to stick around and watch other streamers that aren’t michael clifford. this is a general catch all list for those that are new to twitch because they wanted to watch michael. this is to help your own viewing experience and not ruin it for others. be respectful and enjoy your streams!