#Incentive charts

[placid-styles]

i want to keep data on the gang like i want to study them behaviorally i want to write their ieps

[futureghost97]

day 1 of having a sticker chart and I have 11 stickers with the opportunity to earn more :) the majority have come from my monthly tasks but I got a couple weekly tasks and a few daily tasks done as well. I fear I will not hit my hydration goals for today which is upsetting but unsurprising

[warriorfujoshi]

hhiiiiiithere i saw one post from you about lobcorp (which i have jus t started playing)

just wanted to say. hi. and also tell me about your agen ocs

HELLO HELLO ANON!!!

i do so want to tell you about all our nuggets, but after writing about only sergey, one out of ten, the post became disgustingly long. so i will tell you about the others in individual posts! which will come at a later time.

but if you want to know about the others before then, our branch is named branch morse, and thusly you may find more of the shenanigans tagged as such here! and perhaps you may glean something from my bad habit of dropping memes and leaving.

anyways!!! SERGEY!!! HAPPY SERGEY SATURDAY, YOU'RE ALL FINALLY GETTING HER BACKSTORY

(Art by my best friend!!! @/gashaconsword on Twitter!!!)

Sergey

they/she/he | 27-36 years old due to unexplained time shenanigans (but we just treat them like they're 36 at this point) | 169 cm | Totally not the Welfare Team Captain

Sergey is sort of our main nugget. Our mascot, if you will.

Instead of working with abnormalities, one typically finds Sergey hanging out in the main rooms – napping, flipping through risqué magazines about robots, or simply sipping soda – minding their own business. Gruff, aloof, and dry-humoured, their behaviour being tolerated by management often puzzles newer hires.

Before being hired, Sergey lived a lonely life in the Backstreets, eventually joining a Syndicate out of a desperate desire for somewhere to belong. They were content to turn a blind eye to the cruelties they and their "family" performed, as long as it gave them a home. The perfect attack dog, they ripped into anyone who dared stand against their organisation with tooth and claw. But one day, they were ordered to take out a family, children and all. They protested to the higher-ups… but for all their vicious loyalty, they were nothing more than a weapon, one in an arsenal of many. The family was killed, and for their insubordination, Sergey would be next. Just when they had no choice but to run from the "home" they had so desired… the letter of employment from L Corp arrived.

They never want to be so blind ever again. So Sergey puts up a gruff facade, avoiding connections with any of their fellow employees. However, though they wish they didn't, they do care. A lot. They're the first to leap into action for suppression when an abnormality breaches, and their lazy facade is, in a subconscious way, them "conserving their energy". Despite seeming to be a tired mid-30s slob, they refuse to indulge in any vices besides sugary sodas, all so they can be prepared to save lives at any moment.

Sergey has a huge embarrassing crush on Chesed. They don't know how he looks through the cognition filter, and have brute forced themselves into becoming robosexual. (That's where the magazines come in.) They have a collection of Chesed merch they designed themselves, ranging from badges to plushies. They keep it all hidden in a closet, so their room looks somewhat barren. (And yet, they're still the sanest employee…) The only thing they don't keep hidden is the body pillow. That one they sleep with.

Sergey is basically the Welfare Team Captain, but they refuse to acknowledge their appointment and constantly beg Chesed to pick someone else.

Excluding atypical circumstances, Sergey is allowed to work with just their favourite abnormality, Wellcheers, if they want. Because they're the cutest and the managers' favourite ♡

Sergey's friends constantly tease them about their big sappy heart. Despite the bullying, they're something like the pride of the branch, and everybody counts on them. They're even nicknamed "The Guard Dog of Hell"… by Courtney. Sergey hopes it doesn't catch on.

After particularly stressful days, Sergey often treats their coworkers to some delivery pizza or something. They rarely join in the partying and prefer to stay on the sidelines, keeping watch while nursing a soda.

Sergey is in a situationship with Goodie. It's messy, but long story short, they love each other, they've both just got mega issues. They'll work it out in the end. They're the most normal workplace romance we've got…

They like to draw and have a cute, Sanrio-esque art style. (They're not that good at drawing robots, so they want to commission Robertus…) Besides Chesed, they like to draw shrimp. They also like to cook! They don't dress up that often, but they like outfits like miniskirts and heels too. They're mostly deadpan, but get flustered when complimented, especially on these hobbies.

They kind of have this doggirl thing. Hey, we all cope.

[avonmom]

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[celestialprincesse]

Following up from this idea here!

⋆˙⟡♡

The last twelve months had been surprisingly productive for Simon. He'd been reticent at first, pushed back against the barrage of support provided for him by both the military and those who'd remained close to him outside of mere workplace obligation. That said, it hadn't taken him long to realise how big of a change a civilian lifestyle would be after twelve years of active service. Therapy had been an uphill battle, but Tina, the nice lady he saw twice weekly, who specialised in supporting veterans and those suffering with complex PTSD, was as patient as a saint, and had eventually helped him to open up.

He still, however, struggled to find a new sense of purpose. Life had become quiet, sluggish and static. When Tina had suggested he get a pet, he'd tentatively agreed.

"Hi there! How can I help you today?" Is the sweet voice that shakes him from his thoughts, bringing him back to reality only to realise he now stands at the front of the queue, before the desk of his local adoption centre.

"I'm looking to adopt..." He trails off, somewhat awkward and still a little unsure of whether there's some sort of protocol with these things. "A dog. I'm looking to adopt a dog."

After having quietly filled in the required forms, nervous under the warm gaze of the front desk attendant, he allows himself to be shown to the kennels in which the canine residents of the centre play, sleep and eat. With a nervous, almost shy gaze, Simon takes in the rowdy pack of dogs before him, before crouching to meet the crowd of wet noses coming to check him out.

"Have you got any preferences?" You pipe up from behind him, absently scratching behind the ears of a three legged Bernese Mountain dog, Lucky, who stands loyally at your heels.

"Just - um," Simon murmurs, looking between you, the dog at your feet, and a funny looking beagle, intent on sniffing at the contents of his pockets. "Just some company really. Therapist told me I needed a reason to get out, so..."

Taking his silence as an invitation to speak up, a pensive hum fills the room as you flick though the chart listing the animals currently up for adoption, and what their ideal situation would be. "You said you're quite physically active?" You probe, shooting him a glance.

"Yeah. I run and stuff. Like to try and stay fit."

Another hum of confirmation breaks the quiet as you rule out some of the less mobile options, and, having seen the way he grimaced at a slightly dishevelled Chihuahua, you take the incentive to rule out the smaller lap dogs too. You can't help but to note the way he looks between you and your own little canine friend, a look you've seen countless times on the faces of clients, the look that says that they're interested.

"I'd introduce the two of you, but she's already spoken for I'm afraid." You hum, a wry smile pulling at your lips when you note the expression on his face, surprised at your astute observation. "She's not exactly the most mobile, either."

"Oh, yeah. Right." He stammers back awkwardly, shooting you a bashful smile.

"I do, however, have someone that might take your fancy?"

Taking the laminated sheet from your offered hand, Simon is met with a grainy image of an earnest looking dog, big, marble eyes seemingly staring at him from off of the page.

"He only came in a couple days back. Golden shepherd mix from what we can tell. About four and really good natured. He's at the vet right now, but we could book you in to meet him when he's back?"

"I'd - yeah - That'd be great. Thanks." He nods, a pale blush colouring his cheeks.

Better still, when he leaves the adoption centre with a beginners pet care brochure, flipping through the pages on the walk back home, he's met with a hastily scrawled phone number, and a little smiley face below it.

⋆˙⟡♡

[talesofsonicasura]

To Save A DogDay

I couldn't help but write this after seeing the constant dedication of saving the giant toy doggo. So here's something to assist you guys in the effort. I've done some research(even though Google was being an ass) and took a look at this particular post by @dafloof

First off, DogDay is surprisingly big despite being cut in half. If I have to compare his size then think of those giant plushies you win from a theme park or carnival game. Thus the only possible carry for the average person to safely escort him is bridal or hanging off like a koala on the side due to the grab pack. He might be able to shrink himself to a more manageable size if DogDay is similar to CatNap in body structure.

Although that doesn't mean the task is impossible outside of adrenaline. DogDay may be big you got to think about his possible weight. Bigger Bodies are still toys with the Smiling Critters being plushies. How much of him is stuffing and not organs?

The necessary body parts for him to still be alive are the lungs, heart, brain, stomach, and some sort of skeletal structure. Here's a weight chart for the average human. (Although these might be smaller if harvested back as a child than an adult.)

Stomach: 2-4 pounds/lbs

Brain- 2.5 pounds/lbs

Heart- 0.25 pounds/lbs

Lungs- 1.8 pounds/lbs

Human Skeleton- 15-25 pounds/lbs

Average weight here 21.05 - 31.05 lbs. His arm bones might be reinforced similar to the Prototype but they still wouldn't be that heavy. For carrying in your arms, 35- 55 lbs is what the the untrained person can hold. Body weight contributes to how much someone can carry with a 139 lbs untrained woman being able to deadlift around 74 lbs. For men it is 125 lbs for 148 lbs.

Adrenaline can help contribute to this as there have been feats done by people in dangerous situations. One example being a human mother fighting off a polar bear to protect her kids or someone moving a car by themselves to get free. We can do insane things when it comes to survival.

There's also the mental side to this. Our brains actually diminish the perception of how strong we are by 40%. If you carry something you love or cherish like a person, then they can weigh less just from that viewpoint. Sometimes thinking like the Little Engine That Could will make a difference.

Now I am not forgetting the dangerous little critters. There are ways to deal with them and have enough time to bring DogDay along. In his cell, there are two ports they can crawl out of. Blocking these whether by flares or stuffing them with nearby items can do the trick.

Second is bribery. We aren't restricted to the environment like in the game and throughout the facility there are intact vending machines. The toys obviously need to eat but seem unable get into the machines. YOU CAN.

Break the glass and stockpile as much snacks as possible. Finding bags or boxes to carry them wouldn't be hard. Offer these to the little Critters in exchange for DogDay. You can open one bag for further incentive as the chance to get a special treat is something no one will be able to resist.

DogDay might be able to drag himself so breaking the chains with the Grab Pack or a different tool is possible. They are probably rusty thus easier to break. It will obviously hurt for DogDay to drag his body so stealing something like a cushion from CatNap's hideyhole could ease the pain.

Should that not be the case then other options are available. Considering Playcare is a fun house, you might be able to find scooterboards or a platform cart to carry him. If not then a makeshift sled to pull DogDay about is the next best move.

Now there's actually another escape route. A duck ride that you couldn't access in the game due to bugs. I think Mob was planning for a chase down there as it is fully fleshed out with puzzles and an environment.

DogDay can hold onto the boat while you solve the puzzles to get out. For those who hadn't chosen bribery then flares will keep pursuing Little Critters away. Maybe set a fire as you escape since there's plenty of items to make a molotov cocktail if crafty enough.

I suggest finding some walkie talkies as someone needs to look after DogDay. The area under the statue can be a possible safe spot but being able to contact Kissy Missy and Poppy will better the chances of his recovery than just survival. Both know the factory's inner works enough to remain hidden so they might know where to find supplies. A possible ally with valuable info can sway them to help.

There is also the option of coming back to Playcare. DogDay might still be alive as you can hear his muffled cries during the chase. He might be worse for wear due to the little menaces piloting him like a bootleg Megazord. Walkie talkies can help you page Kissy Missy to help with escorting the Bigger Body safely.

It is possible to save DogDay if you are smart or crafty enough to use the environment. The factory offers a lot of potential options to help with that. Do know that you can turn a simple water gun into a flamethrower.

Why follow the rules of the game when there are ways to break them?

[decolonize-the-everything]

And since democrats don't want reform, they'd never go for it. That's how that post went.

4 days later:

So she's pandering to Trump's voters instead.

Specifically white women who support Trump and republican women harmed by Republican misogyny.

And I've talked about that too, the support among WW for Trump is growing and has grown over the years, it's even visible on the chart above of elections stats.

White women are the biggest threat to Kamala's presidency, I've been saying it for weeks; if Dems want to win liberals need to start turning the minds of their magat family members and stop yelling at marginalized leftists online. Cuz there's no way we're voting for Kamala without some heavy incentive/reform and she's not willing to provide it.

This person was pissed at me for saying it out loud and they weren't the only one.

But you know what?

Your fascist girlboss knows I'm fucking right.

And listen, I can understand and get the need to vote blue for the sake of it being minimally easier to organize under. But her? Kamala who's recruiting white supremacist women as voters in hopes they'll support Roe v Wade enough to elect her? Kamala who is trying to get white supremacist women as voters instead of saying Free Palestine even once? "Top Cop" Harris who wants KOSA to pass like a trojan horse for censorship and free speech limits? Kamala who's literally advertising that she'll be harsher on the border than Trump was?

She's going to be easier to organize under?

Maybe, but I don't see how she wouldn't also create more people that organizers like abolitionists need to be serving. Especially when that policy is going to be combined with legislation equating protesters & allies to terrorists (like we see with pro-palestine and cop city protesters) and with stronger immigration policy. My father in law volunteers at the border and they don't have a pot to piss in let alone beds to sleep in, but it's illegal for them to leave until they've been processed and then they need a place to go immediately or get thrown in jail cuz San Diego hates homeless vagabonds or whatever. They're overwhelmed and have built a prop up tent city; the city even lied about money it gave them.

I don't see it. When she's catering to Trump supporters instead now anyway?? I really don't.

She's empowering and enabling them, giving them a voice in government instead of leftists who just wanted her to stop associating our country with war criminals & justifying war crimes.

Like?

At this point it's not even about Kamala. It's wild so many people are cool with fascism as long as they aren't being treated as badly by the fascist as the people that fascists hate most.

So can I be mad disrespectful for a minute?

A lot of ppl have no sense of self preservation or self respect and it shows. Why does it need to be that much worse for someone else for you to care about yourself? Why does the situation need to be life or death before you put your foot down?

How is your fear that much stronger?

Do you just have no boundries? Or did you decide to let your country break all of them?

Way too many ppl don't have a bottom line. I read it somewhere recently, but evil has no bottom. It can always be worse and get worse. Eventually you have to fight back or you're just another evil digging to the bottom, too.

I'm disabled and can't get out of bed.

....what's everyone else's excuse for not fighting back? I don't know what we're waiting for? Bravery?

Like I'm sorry.

I'm sorry that this is our reality and history keeps happening to us and changing us over and over.

Can people more abled than me PLEASE realize that you CAN take control of the narrative and change history instead though?

If you are not fighting physically against it then fight against the white supremacist rhetoric in your family; don't just supervise white supremacy grow there. Idc how tiring it is to deal with, imagine how tiring it'll be when you have to hear them pretend to be sorry as project 2025 officers drag you off, imagine how tiring and harmful it is for marginalized people right now with all time high police killings and white supremacy so rampant even democrats are starting to cater to it.

I still need allies and accomplices to beat this bitch, please. someone tell me what happened to all the allies that understood they were there to do things poc can't; like talk to and be heard out by racist white people (like their family) without a hate crime happening. Like take risks poc can't. Like take risks queer people can't.

I know not all allies are like this, before y'all get started, btw. But god fucking damn are they in short supply.

I feel like every other post on my dash rn is about how doing nothing but voting blue is the justifiable action for someone's personal well being and marginalized people should just understand that instead and y'all have got to be kidding me

- a very tired and disabled Ojibwe person

[squoxle]

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷𝐃𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞-𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐭 ~ 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐒𝐮𝐧 𝐟𝐟 18+

*𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒂 𝒄𝒂𝒇𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒚𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒈𝒖𝒚𝒔.*

✩✩𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘴：ⓌⒶⓇⓃⒾⓃⒼ

<<𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠/𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐱, 𝐩𝐞𝐭 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐲 𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐢𝐭-𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲, 𝐮𝐧𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐱--𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐯𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞

𝑆𝑚𝑢𝑡 𝑆𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝐻𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑤／𝐹𝑖𝑟𝑒 𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝐸𝑚𝑜𝑗𝑖❤️‍🔥

✩𝑃𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔：𝐂𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐞!𝐊.𝐒 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏.𝐒𝐇 𝐱 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧!𝐚𝐟𝐚𝐛!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

☆𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑟𝑒： 𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡/𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭/𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞

☆𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡：3,090

☆𝑆𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑦：𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐟𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶╔══ ≪ °❈° ≫ ══╗︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

"Good morning, Miss. Y/N," the doorman greeted you as you entered through the large revolving glass doors of your office building.

You were currently working as an intern to be a newsreporter and your job was to write exclusively for the "Goût du Paradis" or "A Taste of Heaven," a food segment in a popular French-themed magazine. However, you were in charge of this segment on all platforms, including "the print in the magazine, the article on their blog, and the recording for their vlog," you could hear your manager's voice repeating in your head like a broken record.

Veronica, or Ronnie as you often called her, was probably the chillest manager you've ever seen. She was like a super supportive friend that was also your boss. She always wore her hair in a sleek and sexy bun, leaving out a few strands to frame her face. The mole that sat above her plump lips and her tailored monochrome suits made her look even classier.

You walked over to your desk and logged into your computer to check the stats on your latest post. You had to monitor the engagement activity to make sure that you weren't falling behind on the charts. Sometimes you've had to create an ad that would draw more people to check out your segment or offer an incentive like a free gift card for 5 random readers. The gift card idea was actually more useful than you anticipated, it has helped you so many times that it's become an addition to your write-up.

"So far, so good," you thought to yourself as you sipped on your vanilla latte. "Now, I need to figure out what I'm gonna do next," you scratched your head before opening a new tab.

"Bonjour, darling," Veronica smiled through her thin framed glasses, cutting through your thoughts. "Morning, Ronnie." "I just got a hot new topic for your upcoming article. You can think of the title on your own for this one, but basically you're going to be reviewing this cute petit café. Apparently, it has been around for a few years. But recently it has grown to be very popular and we want to know if it's really worth all the buzz," Veronica slid a yellow filing folder across your desk.

"Oh my god. Thank. You. You're a lifesaver. I was just looking for what I should write about next," you said opening the folder to see whatever information Veronica had already gathered. "Tsk tsk. You give me too much credit. I'm just looking out for you. Plus I'm kinda curious myself," she smirked. "Oh, I have one more surprise for ya," she continued before pulling a dark blue plastic basket from behind her back. "Sapphira's!!" she beamed. "I know how much you love this place, so I bought you breakfast. A grande vanilla-almond latte with extra whipped cream and a cream cheese bagel with fresh fruits."

"Aww, Ronnie. Thanks, but you didn't have to do this. And I already had coffee." "First of all, I'm like your best friend and you know that I'd literally die for you. Second, I know you're drinking that coffee from the lobby. That is not coffee. That is dehydrated rabbit turds ground up with mop water and octopus milk. I have delivered to you treats from the gem gods. So drink up, enjoy your breakfast, and start working on that article ASAP," Veronica said before walking off to her office, leaving behind the basket of goodies.

You were too much in shock to even give a response. You should've been used to it by now, Veronica always said some of the craziest things to make a point.

Before leaving the office you wrote down your usual notes to keep you on track and packed up your fully-charged Nikon Z8 camera. In your opinion, this was the most well rounded camera on the market. You had been using it for all of your past articles and the quality is flawless.

You walked outside and climbed into a taxi that was tainted with the scent of cigarettes, an aroma that singed your nosehairs and made your eyes water. Fortunately, the café was only a 15 minute drive away. However, a 15-minute drive soon became 45-minutes and you had no choice but to roll down a window. Just a little bit of fresh air to relieve you of this metallic, yellow gas chamber.

The driver tried to keep you entertained as the two of you sat in traffic, but it was hard to understand his heavy Brooklyn accent.

"Sorry about this here traffic. I mean, hey, if i could, I'd fly ya right over this mess." "It's okay," you sighed. "Hey, you wanna here a crazy story?" "Sure." "Being a taxi driver comes with a whole lot of wackos. I mean, seriously. There was this one time that I had a guy crawl in the backseat completely wasted. I mean, pissy drunk. Crazy part was that his girlfriend or whatever was sober. She started sucking em' off in the back seat while he was passed out and then he randomly started coughing. My guess is he was about to get off. That's when he uttered this ungodly groan and puked right on the back of her head. But she didn't even stop. She kept on sucking. I kicked them out as soon as I was able to stop because I don't like that type of activity in my car."

"Wow...that's crazy." "I know right. Do you wanna hear another story?" "Umm, no that's alright." "Hehe. Hey, what'dya know. Looks like we're right where you wanna be."

You looked out the window to see the quaint little café. It sat on the corner of a reletively quiet street. The perfect location to feel like you had really traveled to France. Honestly, the entire strip felt like a mini city in Paris.

You payed the taxi driver before stepping out. "He actually wasn't half bad, but that story was crazier than I expected. And the strong scent of cigarettes burned my lungs...thank god for windows. Now, I need to focus. I'm here to write an article," you thought to yourself.

Before entering the café you walked around to take a few pics of the surrounding area. You also made sure to record a few videos to fill in time for a VoiceOver on the vlog.

You tucked your camera into your bag before walking into the café. Immediately, your senses were overwhelmed. The intense aroma of fresh baked bread, coffee, and vanilla filled your nose, while the Gymnopédie No.1 played gently around you. The volume was just loud enough to set the mood without being a distraction, but what was even more beautiful was the interior design. The minimalistic, Euro-Korean vibe was unique and the tables were arranged perfectly. There was plenty of space to move around, and enough seating for about 20-30 people--including the seating outside and the two miniature balconies. It was romantic and whimsical at the same time. The pastel pink walls were adorned with paintings of bikes, flowers, cityscapes, and of course food.

"Maybe this is what keeps people coming back?" you thought to yourself, but you knew deep down that you should always look beyond the surface as a reporter. "I should try some of the food here. Unfortunately, it's already kinda late so I'll only be able to stay for a snack and maybe an early dinner before I have to go back to the office."

Luckily, there were only a few people here today, so you wouldn't have to waste time blurring out the many faces that preffered to stay anoymnous. You walked over to the register to place your order.

"Hello. Welcome to Kape-Café, what would you like to order?"

You were still shuffling through your bag looking for your wallet when the person at the cash register spoke to you.

"Oh ummm--" you stuttered as you looked up. You didn't expect to see a guy that attractive. He literally looked like a model. His skin was like porcelain, so clear that it almost appeared reflective. And his eyes were like pools of honey, both delicate and bold.

"Umm...I'm-I-I-I've never actually been here before, but I'm doing a review on this café. So, I'm not sure about what to order. Do you have any recommendations?" you couldn't believe that you were actually letting a guy you don't even know have this affect on you.

"Pull yourself together girl. You've got a job to do," you tried encouraging yourself.

"Yeah. I can tell you've never been here before," he replied. "How?" "Well, it'd be hard to forget a face like that," you couldn't help but blush upon hearing this. "I'm Sunoo by the way. And you are?" "I'm Y/N." "Well, it's nice to meet you, Y/N. I like to get familiar with my customers. It makes me feel like I have a sort of connection to them, ya know what I mean?" "Yea."

"So, tell me. Are you more of a sweet or savory girl?" "Umm. Well...I like more sweet food than I do savory, but I kinda wanna get a taste of the whole menu here if that's okay." "Oh. Yeah. I get it. Do you have any allergies?" "None that I can think of, why?" "How about I just surprise you?" "Surprise me?" "Yea, I'll surprise you with something savory and something sweet. If you're here to write a review, I want to make sure youre getting the best of both worlds," he winked.

"As tempting as that is, I think I'd like to know what I'm getting into." "Hmm, well how about I bring you one sandwich, one dessert, and one drink? That way you know what you're getting, but at the same time you don't." "Okay, I'll trust you on this one."

"Perfect," he smiled. "You can sit wherever you like and I'll get to work on your order right now." "Wait! I didn't get a chance to pay for it yet." "Don't worry about it. You can pay afterward," he said before heading to the back.

You looked over the menu just to get an idea of the pricing here. "Hmm, it looks like I'll end up paying no more than $20. That's not bad," you strategized to yourself.

"Are you having any trouble decideing on what to order?" A voice asked, but this one was different from the guy at the cash register.

You looked up to see yet another painfully attractive employee.

"Oh, umm...no actually. I've already sorted it out with your co-worker, Sunoo." "Well, I hope you don't mind if I get you something to drink while you wait." "Thank you, but I'm okay. He's already preparing me something and I don't want to bother you." "Are you sure? I really don't mind. I'm working on a new drink anyway, so it'll be free of charge." "Hmm, well alright."

The tall, platinum haired walked behind the counter and began working on your drink.

"Dammit. I didn't even catch his name," you thought to yourself. "Wait. What am I saying. I shouldn't be thinking about dick right now. I'm here for a job and that's what I need to focus on."

You pulled out your camera to take a picture of the menu as well as a few shots from the table. Afterward, you started filming a panoramic video from your seat which was interrupted by the platinum-haired barista walking to your table carrying a wooden tray. Hopefully, the camera didn't catch the way you flinched at his arrival. Either way, you knew that you needed to take another video just in case.

"This looks like a lot more than a drink," you chuckled. "Well, I thought you might want something to eat with it," he continued, placing a small cup and tray in front of you. "These just came out of the oven so be careful." "What are they?" "Minnabuns. They're basically minature cinnamon buns."

"Oh. Cute," you said, examining the treats before tasting a bit of the cream cheese frosting. "Just like you," he smiled as your eyes met. You could feel your face burning up. "Are all the guys here like this? Attractive and flirtatious?" you thought to yourself.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you, but it's true." "Thanks," you smiled shyly. "I’m Sunghoon,” he said extending a hand. “I’m Y/N,” you replied as you held his hand. “Nice to meet you, Y/N,” he said, raising you hand to his lips as he placed a delicate kiss on the back. “You should try your drink while it’s still warm,” he suggested as you reached for the cup. “Ouch!” You quickly pulled your hand back as the cup was much warmer than you anticipated. “Here, let me help,” he said lifting the cup and bringing it to your lips.

“Oh my god. Oh my god. OH MY GOD!!!” You screamed internally as Sunghoon looked into your eyes.

You were surprised to taste such flavors. The cappuccino was bold. Coffee just strong enough to taste but not overpower.

He gently pulled the cup away and placed it back on the table.

"How was it? Oh- Hold on," he said as he cupped your chin and wiped the top of your lip. "Sorry, there was foam covering your pretty lips," he smiled. "Oh, uhh, thank you." "You're welcome, Princess. Now you can try my minnabuns. Trust me, you'll love them," he said, picking up one on the minnabuns between his fingers before placing it in your mouth. Your eyes widened as the minnabun--and Sunghoon's fingers--touched your tongue. "Wow! All of this stuff is really good," you thought to yourself.

"It's good huh?" Sunghoon smiled. "Mhm," you nodded your head. "Does the princess want some more--"

"Ah, Sunghoon, this is my customer. You need to go watch the register," Sunoo pouted as he carried a tray over to you. "Oh can't you see I'm in the middle of something?" "I don't care." "Aww you're no fun," Sunghoon said before walking back over to the register.

"Sorry, he's not usually like this," Sunoo said as he placed your order on the table.

"Thank you and it's okay," you smiled.

"But I really can't blame him. You are very pretty and I would love to take you out tonight after my shift to get to know you a little more," he smiled with a lustful look in his eyes. "Well, I'll go and let you enjoy your meal. And don't worry about paying. This one's on us," he continued before walking off.

"Work is gonna have to wait. I am not missing out on an opportunity like this. I can get to it in the morning. The deadline isn't until Thursday anyways," you though to yourself.

After snapping a few pics of your food you ate the tasty meal that Sunoo brought out to you. When you were done, you wrote down a few notes about your day, careful to exclude any spicy details.

You hadn't even noticed hoe the lights were dim and the lobby was completely empty. You gathered your things neatly together in your bag before placing your empty tray on the counter.

Sunghoon came from the kitchen to grab your plates, "I hope you enjoyed yourself," he smiled. "Yes, I did," you replied. Shortly after, Sunoo exited the kitchen door, no longer wearing the white shirt and apron from before. "You ready?" he asked. "Yea," you nodded.

"Just follow me. My car is parked back here, in the employee's lot," he said as he walked you outside. You were surprised to see Sunghoon leaning against the hood of the vehicle. "I hope you weren't expecting to have fun without me Sunny," he huffed with a smirk. "Well it's kinda hard to do that when we live together," Sunoo rolled his eyes. "Yea, whatever," Sunghoon said before hopping in the driver's seat.

"So, where are we going?" "Home, we don't like drinking in public when we have work the next day. But if you want, you can join us on Friday," Sunoo smiled from the passenger seat.

Sunghoon turned up the radio before whispering something in Sunoo's ear. The two of them began exchanged a few hushed words before they both took turns to look at you. "We're almost there," Sunghoon said.

Now you were feeling a bit uneasy about getting into a car with some guys you met the same day, but there was nothing you could do at this point except to hope for the best.

The drove through a neighborhood before finally stopping at a house.

Sunghoon turned the car off and Sunoo stepped out and came around to help you.

After going inside, Sunghoon got some drinks going.

❤️‍🔥: The exact details of how you got to this point are a blur to you now. The last thing you remembered was having one too many drinks and sharing one too many secrets and now you were sandwiched between two guys. Sunghoon fucked your pussy from behind while you sucked the Sunoo's dick. "I love the way you moan on my dick," he smiled, caressing your face before grabbing a handful of your hair. Sunghoon continued to grip your waist tighter as he fucked you harder.

"She's so pretty, isn't she Sunghoon?" "Well all I can see from here is her ass," Sunghoon said before flipping you over on your back. "Hmm, you're right Sunoo, she is very pretty," he continued before going down to play with your pussy. Sunoo kissed your lips and your neck before sucking on your tits. Sunghoon lifted your legs over his shoulders as he continued to eat you out. This cycle of switching and fucking ended after you had gotten off so many times you couldn't even remember your name. :❤️‍🔥

The next morning, they gave you a few treats from the café and dropped you off at work. "Bonjou--Oh, what's got your smiling? Was the café really that good?" Veronica giggled. "It was amazing," you giggled back. "Well you gotta tell me everything." "I think you'll be happy to read my blog," you winked. "Oh my god, what is it you tease? Wait! Is that from the café too? Did you actually go back there this morning? Why can't you just tell me now? I can't wait any longer. I'm literally burning with curiosity." "Hehe, slow down, Ronnie. I'll tell you tonight okay. And yes I did go back this morning." "Hmm okay," she pouted.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶ °❈° ︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

❀𝚃𝚊𝚐𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝:

@chlorinecake @hoyeonheeseung @nikohiroshi @sussyjake @furious-eagle @cherrriesss @abbyizzy @weyukinluv @addictedtohobi @thatonenoona @wavykook @givemeyourtmihyun @jaeljn @hoonmywk @valennshit @19-yunalyn @hoonbby @frostedblankets @hoonsyo @no-mannerism @perfectxserendipity @chubbibish @ihrtlix @bunniesforsoobin @thereadersparadise @thatbooknerdfr @aiden2001 @belongstoheeseung @jakeybabe @donut-crazs @rizzhee @nikimeows @woonieees @uarmyxtae @rebecca-johnson-28 @they2luv1naia @isa-2007 @silcry @riverscafe @pearlwhitesoul

[demigodsanswer]

Ballet AU Drabble: Percy knows all about Annabeth's romantic history, now she wants to find out about his, and all the women in New York who are probably still fantasizing about his kind smile and pretty eyes and also his tongue.

Drabble got longer and spicier than I expected. Will probably post to ao3 soon. Set two weeks after chapter 12

Rating: M

~

They’d been going out for two weeks, and Percy had spent half of those nights at Annabeth's apartment. Tonight was one of them.

He was half on top of her already, kissing her lazily, one of his legs slotted between hers. They hadn't decided if they'd take things further yet, but the idea was tantalizing. It was their two week anniversary after all. It was a good reason to celebrate.

But Annabeth couldn't focus her mind on his gentle touch or the teasing thigh up between her bare legs. She had promised Percy that she would work on her jealous impulses (and she was), but tonight she was losing that battle.

"I talked to Katie Gardner today," she started, pulling away from the kiss.

~

Katie was in the second cast of A Midsummer Night’s Dream as Hermia, and so she had been sharing all of Annabeth and Piper's rehearsals. On each five minute break, Katie and Piper went back to working out Piper's astrological birth chart. They'd offered to do Annabeths, but in her post-breakup months of soul searching she'd briefly dipped into crystals and astrology to no avail. She didn't like what the stars told her about herself, and the shiny rocks were too expensive for what they were -- shiny rocks.

Piper had been the one to suggest the figure out Percy's birth chart.

"He's a Leo," Annabeth and Katie said at the same time.

"I did his birth chart for him years ago," Katie said. "I don't remember his rising, but I remember he was a Cancer moon, because I was surprised at first," she looked at Annabeth, "but he really is very sensitive and sweet." It almost sounded like a Percy Jackson sales pitch, and Annabeth wanted to tell Katie that it was unnecessary. She was sold on Percy Jackson in every way. And he was the same with her. 

Annabeth just nodded. "Yeah," was all she managed to say.

Katie had gone on to explain -- either ignorant to Annabeth's bubbling jealousy or indifferent to it -- that she was so happy for Percy and her. "He's such a great guy," Katie said. And she would know. They'd gone out for six months a few years ago.

Logically, Annabeth knew Percy had been with other people. He was far too skilled to have been a virgin when they first slept together. But she hadn't thought about just how many company women he'd probably been with. How many of their mutual co-workers knew ... what she knew about her new boyfriend? His mouth alone … Christ. How many times would she have something like this conversation? Katie, thankfully,  politely didn't mention anything about Percy's skills in the bedroom.

"Why did you break up?" Annabeth asked. "If you don't mind ..."

Katie gestured with her hand as if to say it's not a problem. "We didn't have a lot in common. We had fun together, but when Nutcracker rolled around, we just didn't have enough incentive to keep seeing each other. Nothing dramatic." Annabeth didn't ask about the kinds of fun they had together. "But you two? You guys seem great together."

"A Cancer and Leo? Is that a good match?" Piper asked.

Katie nodded. "It's a lot of big feelings, but as long as you communicate, it should work out great."

Annabeth hated when the stupid stars were right.

~

"I talked to Katie Gardner today."

"Oh?" He asked. "Did she tell you anything embarrassing about me?"

"She told me you were a Cancer moon," Annabeth said.

Percy furrowed his brow. "What?"

"We were doing Zodiac birth charts," she said, trying to get back on topic, but Percy interrupted her before she could move on.

"Oh yeah, she was always super into those. Always seemed kind of dumb to me. No way the stars control who we are," he said. He kissed her again. "What's yours?"

"I'm a Cancer sun, Virgo moon, and Capricorn rising," she said, growing more and more frustrated and anxious to get to her point.

"What does that mean?"

"It means I'm an overly emotional control freak. Let's move on," she snapped at him.

Percy held back a laugh. "Yeah, see? Totally inaccurate." She rolled away from him, but he followed. "No, come back, I'm sorry. What did you and Katie talk about?"

Annabeth took a deep breath. "I didn't know you and her used to go out, is all."

There was a beat of silence between them.

"That was like four years ago," Percy confirmed. "Does it matter?"

"No, it ..." she rubbed her eyes with the heels of her palms, pushing her glasses up to her forehead as she did. When they settled back down in front of her eyes, she saw she'd smudged the lenses. "It doesn't matter. I'm not jealous of Katie -- and don't worry, I didn't say anything mean to her -- but how often should I expect to have that conversation?"

She was trying to approach this with some kind of grace, but she felt herself floundering.

"What sort of thing?" Percy asked.

"Look, you don't need to tell me if you don't want to, but you know how many other men I've slept with," really what singular other man I've slept with, but that didn't matter, "I was just wondering how many company women you've been with."

Percy smiled and kissed her forehead. "I don't mind telling you. Just company women or all of the women I've been with?"

Annabeth shrugged trying to act so casual about it. "Whatever you're comfortable with," she said. She was aiming for nonchalant, but she feared she was terribly chalant.

"I've gone out with technically two company girls. Katie and ... Piper," he said, "although Piper was just one date, and we barely kissed."

"You went out with Piper?" She asked.

"Yeah, but, you know that scene in Mean Girls where Janice and Damian kiss? It was a bit like that."

Annabeth almost laughed.

"Only two? Really?"

"Yeah, and then there was my girlfriend at SAB, Cally. I lost my virginity to her. She's a soloist out at PNB now. Haven't talked to her in years," he said. "And then there was Lily. She's a dancer on the Broadway side, and a friend of a friend. We went out for almost a year actually."

"What happened?" She asked.

"It was mutual. We weren't feeling it anymore. We broke up about a year ago. But she did pick up on the fact that I was getting feelings for someone else," he kissed her. "I told Lily it didn't matter. The woman I had a crush on was getting married, but that didn't help."

Annabeth laughed, realizing who he meant. "You're such a liar," she said.

Percy kissed her, a long, deep kiss that almost made her forget about their conversation. "I am not," he said. "It was 'Diamonds' rehearsals, and I," kiss, "couldn't," kiss, "stop," kiss, "thinking," kiss, "about you."

"What about me?" Annabeth asked.

Percy's hand slid down her side, toying at the waistband of her panties. 

"Where I'd take you out to dinner, what museums we'd go to, all the things we could dance together," he kissed her again as his hand slid under the fabric, "how I'd touch you, where I'd touch you," he slipped a finger inside her, curling it a little to find that spot that quickly had her seeing stars and coming apart in ways that turned Percy into a mad man. What little arousal she'd built up while kissing had been squashed by talks of his ex-girlfriends, but without much effort, Percy brought it back tenfold.

"Who ... who else?" she asked before she lost control of herself completely.

Percy stilled and slipped his finger out of her. "That's it," he said.

Annabeth shook her head. "No way."

"Way," he promised, moving to kiss her neck and collarbone.

"Three? You've only had sex with three women?" She asked.

"Four counting you," he said, his kisses moving up her neck to her jaw, "and we should count you, shouldn't we?" He asked, his fingers slipping back into her panties.

"Yes, but ..."

"But what?"

"How are you so ... good at it?" She asked.

Percy laughed. "I don't know, I just listen? I mean, for one thing Katie and Lily were bisexual, so if I was going to compete with women I needed to make a real effort. And I'm not kidding when I say Silena and Piper have given me so many tips over the years. When I started dating Katie, Silena pulled me aside -- middle of the day, fully sober -- and explained that when a woman said she was about to cum, it meant don't change anything about what you're doing. Don't go faster, deeper, harder. Just keep that pace."

So it was Silena to whom she owed a fruit basket.

"Alright," Annabeth said, "I believe you." He kissed her, smiling against her mouth as he finally got to continue touching her. "I don't know if I'll have anything to teach you for the next girl, though."

Percy frowned against her mouth, slowing his fingers but not stopping them or removing them.

"There's not going to be a next girl, Annabeth," he said. Her heart beat hard in her chest, and she couldn’t tell if she was thrilled and aroused or on the edge of panic at his words. 

"You don't get to possess me," she said.

"I'm not asking to possess you," he curled his fingers inside her, and she lifted her hips involuntarily, seeking him out. "I'm telling you that whatever you need, whatever you want, whatever will make you happy, I'll do it. Anything, Annabeth. Anything."

"I want ..." oh god, "I want," she was close already. She still had her goddamn panties on and she was close, "I want," her brain supplied a long list of dirty things she wanted from him in the moment, "I want," he was smirking. He knew he was going to make her soak her panties and her side of the bed, and he wanted her to do it. Well, if he was going to get what he wanted, then she was going to put him to the test, "I want the moon," she said with a smile.

He kissed her, his hard cock still in his boxers grinding up against her hip. "Alright gorgeous, I'll get it for you," he promised, before tipping her right over that blissful, toe-curling edge. 

~

Four days later, he handed her a light blue cardboard box with a bow on it.

"What's this?" She asked.

"It's a present," he said. They were in her apartment again. He had planned to stay at his own place that night, but she’d woken up with her period that morning. She was cranky and her back hurt. So Percy had come over to keep her company. She was on the couch sewing more pointe shoes while he'd done the dishes. Annabeth hardly expected more gifts than not needing to touch wet food.

Annabeth opened it. It was a pair of earrings, silver with little dangling stones. Gray, iridescent, and familiar.

"Gray moonstones?" She asked. In her brief crystal phase, her moonstone had been her favorite.

"I've sent emails to Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos about getting to the actual moon, but I don't know if they'll respond. So, I hope these are okay."

She pulled him in for a kiss by the front of his tee shirt.

"They're perfect," she said, tears already in her eyes. She started to take out the diamond studs she usually wore. "You know, moonstones are a sign of new beginnings? They support emotional stability, and inner growth?"

"Huh, you know, maybe all this," he held his hands out in front of him and wiggled his fingers as if to pantomime woo woo witchy shit "isn't so dumb after all."

"Oh no, it's complete nonsense," she said, clipping in the first earring. "But it's fun and pretty."

[thegildedbee]

Blanket/Weather: May 17 & 18 Prompts by @calaisreno

Lhasa remains steeped in darkness, even though the stars at the roof of the world are beginning to fade as night closes its eyes. Sherlock carefully weaves in-and-out between the long-haul lorries in the crowded service area, moving towards the one that will clandestinely carry him to its destination in Shigatse, which will place him in the vicinity of a rogue copper mine. This improvised transport strategy allows him to slip surreptitiously from town, thwarting the restriction on international visitors that they be accompanied by guides anywhere they travel within the captive region. Careful to remain undetected, he slips through the back door of the attached freight container; once safely inside, he casts light from a pen-sized torch across the boxes, gauging how to arrange a space to conceal his presence.

The blend of noises outside the truck crowd in on his awareness, amplifying his sensation of confinement – snatches of conversation, mostly in Mandarin, random laughter and occasional shouts, the peremptory staccato of a horn, the groaning metallic scraping of engines downshifting, the crunching of gravel under moving vehicles. He sits down, pressing his back against the side wall, knees bent, his hands and fingers idly flipping and spinning the pen torch. After a few moments he stops, puzzled at feeling pulled off-kilter, unsure as to why. This moment, now, is just one more to get through, as are the moments to come over the next five hours, and then in however many days lie ahead. The waiting, the dark, the placelessness – these are all familiar companions; he’s practiced at tamping down his resentment, and meeting each of them with resignation. He allows his mind to drift, seeking to surface useful data . . . and when it comes, the result suggests an odd source -- the similarity of his physical position to that last day before he disappeared, sitting preoccupied on the floor at Bart’s laboratory, bouncing a small rubber ball, waiting for events to unfold. He rubs at his forehead, and exhales with an irritated huff, frowning, displeased that he’s let the memory intrude.

He disciplines himself to shift focus, to stay in the present, by mentally rehearsing the two major tasks he needs to complete today, barring any unfortunate developments that would require starting over. He’s here to neutralize two confederates of Moriarty's syndicate who work for a multinational energy corporation – the first is an enterprising engineer overseeing the digging of an illegal mining pit, the second an executive at the corporate headquarters in Lhasa, who is diverting impressive amounts of monies to the both of them. (Sherlock has no desire to know the whys of their circumstances – whether, in addition to greed, their actions are due to incentives, or blackmail, or outright threats; all he needs to know is that they’re beholden to the dictates of his enemy's network and any bounties they dangle, and are therefore a potential threat to himself if he returns, and to his friends.)

He arrived in the Tibetan Himalayas three days previous, but he’s had to wait impatiently to implement his objectives, betrayed by his body, waiting to gradually shed the debilitating effects of altitude sickness, in his muscles, his stomach, his lungs. He grudgingly admits to himself that the downtime, however, was probably necessary, allowing him to catch his breath in more ways than just the one that's so currently urgent.

The last fortnight had seen him – as Gabriel Vernet, a director at a French biopharmaceuticals start-up – in an unrelentingly tense journey in which he’d conducted business, fake as well as real, in Singapore, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Macau, and then through Sichuan to Chengdu for the flight to Lhasa. He’s been traveling on papers and an operative legend courtesy of the British government for this leg of his odyssey; while he prefers to chart his own course, unencumbered by the high-handed and condescending auditing of his brother, he had conceded to his better wisdom of seeking aid from London while being shadowed by ever-present governmental representatives of the People’s Republic of China -- as well as floating in and out of view of particularly vicious groups of gangsters operating in Southeast Asia.

His knowledge of Mandarin has been essential in keeping his forward movement going; it helped Vernet to facilitate cooperation from the sources he sought out, high and low. It also allowed him to expand his reconnaissance, especially when those on whom he was eavesdropping assumed that the sharply-dressed businessman within earshot was unable to understand their conversation. As a result, he’s obtained a wide-angle view of activities that he might not have been aware of otherwise, beyond his immediate remit. He’s learned, for example, from ancillary figures, of Chinese mobsters from Fujian, who have been tearing through various states in the U.S., muscling their way into the astonishingly lucrative illicit cannabis market that has accompanied legalization. 

He’d crossed cyber-paths again with the Mexican cartel he’d come across digging through the dark internet in Tallinn – the one funding Nigerian meth labs to supply Asian buyers. Here, it’s reversed: Fujian gangsters are using the cartel to smuggle thousands of Chinese workers into the United States to produce illicit drugs –  trafficked in to do agricultural labor at burgeoning marijuana grow sites. Trapped by fences, surveillance cameras, and guards with guns and machetes, the captive immigrants create tens of billions of dollars alone in states such as Oklahoma – a location that's an attractive target due to the abundance of cheap land, the lack of regulations on the size of cannabis farms, and a scarcity of police personnel with the language capabilities needed to translate communications and infiltrate networks. For what it might be worth, Sherlock had passed along what he’d learned to the CIA’s Crime and Narcotics Center.

He’ll be on a tight schedule in Shigatse today, needing to collect photographic evidence of the illegal mine, and still leave time enough to make it to the railroad station platform, and mingle inconspicuously amongst the groups boarding the local train bound for Lhasa. Once he's settled aboard, he’ll add the pictures to the files of documentary evidence he’s carrying on his mobile, and, as they near the city, he’ll press send and deliver the folder to one of the corporation’s higher-ups who is eager to rise even higher. Once the recipient verifies the information contained in the anonymous gift, he’ll be thrilled to gain credit as the conduit for the revelations it contains to his superiors in Beijing. 

They’ve made good time on the road, and Sherlock stands up and stretches, releasing the kinks in his back, and jogging in place to get his adrenaline running. In his worn camping gear, he’s dressed completely different from Vernet, in his bespoke suits, with his expensive leather briefcase, and the expected Rolex watch. 

The fact that copper mines require supplies of water will lend him the needed cover afforded by yet another identity – there are wetlands in the area, and it is unsurprising that a Canadian wildlife biologist on an international team will be there on foot, surveying the habitat of the black-necked crane. If anyone questions him, he’ll indicate that each of the members of the team have temporarily spread out to cover a greater area. There has been a great deal of anger, within Tibet and worldwide, at the damage done to the plateau’s environment due to China’s resource extraction agenda and its urbanization policies– the protections that the PRC is extending to the vulnerable black-necked crane population have been a public relations plus for them. The birds are currently in the vicinity, completing their breeding cycle, and as long as he can get in and out quickly, Dr. William Scott’s presence is likely to pass with little scrutiny, as long as his papers are in order. 

Several hours later, Sherlock is relieved that his tracking efforts have paid off with actionable evidence – meaning that there will be no need to scramble for a new plan. After verifying that his file has been successfully delivered, he slumps in his seat, stubbornly indifferent to releasing himself from being on high alert. He knows that letting down his guard is when sloppiness can creep in and mistakes made, but having been awake for more than 24 hours and in action all day long at an altitude that still leaves him easily winded, relentlessly reminding him that breathing is problematic, is taking its toll. One last detail – dropping his mobile so that it lands on the train tracks when he exits – and then, in less than an hour, he can be seated in the hotel's oxygen lounge and restore his body and mind.

As they near the station, he shoulders his rucksack, ready to act out the fiction that he’s attached to one of the groups he’s sat nearby, and pulls out his mobile in order to remove the sim card. But when the screen lights up after he turns it over in his hand, he’s startled to find a text message notification -- receiving messages is not supposed to happen, ever, on this unit. No one has the number, save one person. This is not good. This is very much not good.

He takes in and releases several breaths to try and lower his pulse rate, hoping that when he clicks on the icon that he’ll find nothing more dramatic than someone misdirecting their text. At first glance, the message does appear to be irrelevant; at second glance, however, it is evident that the innocuous platitude it contains is negated by the fact that it is written in code.

His anxiety spikes at deciphering the communique: emergency action needed, abandon the hotel -- which means he'll not be returning to the inviting bed, the soft pillows, the warm blanket. There is no indication of why, or of what comes next, other than that he’ll be met at the station by a man who will identify himself as a tour leader from the Council for the Preservation of Sacred Alpine Cranes, and that he is to reply in Mandarin that he was honored to have seen four pairs of the noble birds nesting safely when he inspected the field site.

Other than this terse instruction, he has no idea what he’ll find once he leaves the train, and whether or not he is walking into a trap. And as he gazes out the window at the dark clouds beginning to gather in the east, he sees that the weather may be turning against him as well.

........................................................

@calaisreno @totallysilvergirl @friday411 @peanitbear @original-welovethebeekeeper

@helloliriels @a-victorian-girl @keirgreeneyes @starrla89 @naefelldaurk

@topsyturvy-turtely @lisbeth-kk @raina-at @jobooksncoffee @meetinginsamarra

@solarmama-plantsareneat @bluebellofbakerstreet @dragonnan @safedistancefrombeingsmart @jolieblack

@msladysmith @ninasnakie @riversong912 @dapetty

.............................................................................

[stars-n-spice]

Silly Squad Alignment Charts

Because I thought it would be fun and silly :)

Find out more about the Silly Squad here!

Of course, have to start with the classic:

Hunter will say they have food at home and it's literally like probably two slices of bread, a bottle of ketchup, and a head of lettuce

Viram KNOWS how to cook so you best be happy to eat her food instead of having Mcdonalds

Khea and Echo it depends on their mood whether they pull up and order a single black coffee before leaving (Echo would never do it if Omega is in the car)

Crosshair doesn't even like their coffee but he does it to be a little shit

Feel like Tech is also kinda in the middle because he'll be like "Technically we have food at home-" but he also needs his caffeine

Phee will ALWAYS pull up to the Mcdonalds, especially when Omega's with her. Then Omega always holds it over Hunter- "Well, PHEE takes ME to Mcdonalds!"

Tay is the definition of a bastard (no seriously)

Phee is bastard (affectionate) but would technically be more of "Badass" than anything

Khea, Crosshair, and Tech are the Bitch Trio and if you put them in a room together they WILL tear each other apart (emotionally most likely but Tech will goad Crosshair and Khea into physically fighting each other while he records)

Majority of the squad is Babey though

Echo is also "Bad Ass" but he could also be a Bitch if he wanted

Hunter is Bastard just because I think it's funny

Dumb Bitch Hunter my beloved <3

Echo is sad dick because he has no dick

I use dumb affectionately with Wrecker (not with Hunter and Tay)

Tech just has big dick energy to me idk

Khea's a sad hoe but she'll never admit to it (the being sad part)

If you've noticed, I really like making fun of Hunter that's why he's there in the dumbass squared category

Wrecker, Khea, and Phee are all smart as fuck but have more fun pretending that they aren't really

Tay is good at pretending that he is smart - he is not

Then of course, Tech, Cross, and Echo are all smartasses

This fit so perfectly I was dying

Hunter is laughing nervously because he's aroace lmao

Omega would be like "Thanks! :D" and just carry on

Jung would most likely do *thumbs up* instead of finger guns though

When you pair up the couples, it's funnier

If Tay said "I know" after Cross told him that he loved him, Crosshair would dump him on the spot

Khea tells Wrecker she loves him for the first time and he short circuits and probably would say something along the lines of "YEET!"

Viram and Echo both have issues and would not be able to comprehend why someone would love them - I'm sure Echo's got insecurities and Viram knows she's a workaholic and therefore difficult to be in a relationship so she apologies in advance

If Phee told Tech she loved him and he went "a horrible decision, really" she'd probably laugh

And of course, who doesn't love Phee? If you don't, get out of here.

Crosshair could care less, he ain't dealing with that shit

Tech would say this ominously as if he's seen the future and knows your death is imminent meanwhile Khea's is more of a - "you probably will because everyone close to me has already died" sort of way :/

I feel like Omega might also be "i'd die for you first" too

Hunter, Viram, and Echo don't want to deal with that shit either, they've already got so much loss, guilt, and other things on their plate

Tay's probably not listening when someone tells him they'd die for him while Phee's like, "Oh, neat. Anyways, as I was saying about my last adventure-"

Jung is ready and willing to put his life on the line and Wrecker would probably more like a "Nu uh" because he's got your back and would look out for you

Phee will also do it for some credits or a cool treasure

Tay is going to fight god (and he's going to lose)

Tech could do so much more than take down the government, but he needs incentives (him and Phee can take down the government together <3)

Khea is a bounty hunter, her job literally requires her to stab people sometimes in order for her to get money

Crosshair would stab without anyone needing to ask him

Echo's taking down the government no matter what, but especially if Rex asks him to come along

Jung is going to fight god if you ask them to (and he'll win)

Viram is the type of friend who is an excellent tutor and you end up understanding the concept after getting her help meanwhile Omega will explain what she knows and then the homework becomes a group project of figuring out what the fuck it's asking

You can copy Hunter's homework but there is no guarantee that the answers are right (most of them are wrong)

You can copy Jung's homework and there's a high chance the answers are right

Khea had better things to do than homework - like get frustrated over it and cry for a bit before giving up on it

Phee did some of the homework but she'll only help you out if you give her something in exchange

Wrecker and Tay, beloved himbos, they had no idea and even if they did do the homework, you wouldn't want to copy off of them

Crosshair also didn't do the homework but he also doesn't want to respond

Tech and Echo both did the homework and it's correct but they don't tolerate copying work to even have suggested it is offensive so now you're left on read

[solarwynd]

didn't jungkook also have a photocard event for buying the song as well? i'm sure that helped with sales. it's a little funny because hybe is obviously not treating ngl like a fan song where as ctt was very much so treated like a fan song. jimin didn't even get a discounted price for sales.

At first I was like “there’s no way they did that.” But then I went to go check my weverse notifications and sure enough they did lmao.

I can’t really knock it cause it’s not really incentive from what I read. Like how with fan meets, they’ll require you to buy an album to even enter. It’s just a raffle to get them in general, but still all this effort and promo? They really shoulda just came out and called this thing a single like they did it for Take Two cause at least it wouldn’t have come off so fake and tacky as it has. And if Hybe or JK come out this week (if it does chart) tryna play up the “fan” aspect of it, like they didn’t just piggy back off festa and BTS sentiments to try and weasel a semi hit song for that man out of it, it’s really gon irritate me bad.

[chiscribbs]

Hey guys, some quick notes:

The plot is on pause today, since I need to focus on completing my submissions for the main bracket (and maybe take the opportunity to answer some asks that have been piling up). Any on-going interactions will be saved in drafts and responded to tomorrow or a little later.

In the meantime, since the next round of polls is just around the corner - allow me to provide some incentive to vote my kiddos through!

For each round that Grown Apart AU wins, I'll post some special behind-the-scenes content! Including (but not limited to):

Main character profiles

An ACT I relationship chart

Never-before-seen character designs

Inside info about Big Mama's Assistant

One of the completed ACT I story beats

Childhood snippets

GA SHELLDON's concept art

If any of these sound like things you'd be interested in seeing, then please consider casting your vote for Grown Apart in the @tmntaucompetition!!!

Thanks and happy voting! ❤

[nico-esoterica]

Rachel Chinourir—I read her chart and started crying at midnight after listening to her music

Newly 25, this super star’s experiencing her 2nd house profection year. This means that the name of the game for her this year’s gonna be all about how she’s providing for herself and proving she can be self-reliant. She’s establishing herself as an adult during that stressful period in your mid 20s when you start finding that blurry distinction between yourself and what your environment demands you be. Add an exploding fanbase and platform into the mix and whiplash is the cherry on top.

Especially since the last eclipse cycle occurred on her 1/7 axis—this means that with her Scorpio stellium, she was going through it and underwent several personal transformations and ‘realizations’ is what I’m hearing in regards to how she sees herself versus what she’s been forced to be out of survival. It was a very emotionally messy period for her for a while. But what came out of the rubble of her previous emotional life was this unbreakable will to draw that boundary and keep it firm. “I’m not like the rest of you” is what I’m hearing intuitively. Feels related to mental health. Or “I will not be”—another possibility.

(rectified time - isn't exact but close) In my experience, people with strong Scorpio influence are sponges of generational trauma they’re viscerally made aware of from an early age. An artist who comes to mind is Willow Smith who has a Sun-Mercury in Scorpio with its ruler empowering it from her 4H of home and family lineage. In recent years, we’ve learned about her family and its issues.

She’s come out of a rough period of trying to do what all m/zillennials were told regardless of the Pluto in Cap global recession hitting in ‘08—”No matter what happens, you MUST get your degree. You NEED to get that super stable job because that’s the only way you’re going to have a future.” That’s very loud in her chart to me because that Pluto was moving through her 3H of early childhood education and experiences and was forming a gnarly square over the past couple years (beginning of pandemic) to her late Aries Saturn. Means there was pressured incentive for her to ‘get her life together,’ notably from a father or authority figures in her life.

She’s always been capable but even if she could ‘hold’ said stable job, her mind was always elsewhere. Daydreaming and scribbling lyrics and poetry is what I’m hearing/seeing by looking at her Pisces Moon and Jupiter co-present in her 5th. Creative classes and activities or even artistic programs she excelled in. But the latter planet being Retrograde makes me think that she doubted her talents despite an abundance of people reassuring her that she’s gifted. Beyond gifted and has always been. Her 9H ruler of higher education (and I can see this also meaning specialized programs) being well aspected in her 5H of creativity tells me as such.

With Pluto consistently hitting her water planets since roughly 2010, because this is a planet of crisis and rebirth, she’s most likely dealt with both internal and external pressures that, on one hand, were god damn awful (her natal Sun-Uranus square on her ¼ is LOUD) and supplied a mental health minefield, they also gave her a super power for expression. She learned she found a home for it in the arts. With such an overwhelming amount of Scorpio in her 1st, it puts a psychic target on your back. You constantly feel attacked and this will be doubly true if her MC’s at a later degree in her 10th because it’ll be squaring her Mercury (and Chiron, potentially), meaning that whenever she opened her mouth, she got lambasted for it.

It’s giving, "Fix your mouth—Who do you think you’re talking to??” Her having a 10H North Node with Uranus co-present in Aquarius in her 4H with her South Node illustrates that, and I can speak about this from experience, was simply ‘different.’ Usually, having a 10/4 North vs South node link means that you, quite literally, want to catapult yourself from where you came from. You find it limiting to the point of being suffocating. Especially w/ her 6H Saturn ruling her houses related to everything family and early experiences related—Means there was an expectation about how she was supposed to act and a ‘path’ she was meant to follow and she couldn’t fit her edges within the smooth yet predictable edges of that circle—Cycle. When you have Uranus in these houses, especially in Saturnian signs like Capricorn or Aquarius, this means that your environment will often flow one way and you will flow the opposite or in several directions at once. It means that you are potentially on different generational and socio-political axes and will contribute to feeling like Marvin The Martian in your own home. It often leads to finding refuge in creative outlets. And we find that next door with her IC, Jupiter, and Moon in her 5th.

With Saturn transiting here since last year, she’s been establishing herself independently as an artist and has been met with great upward momentum and success. The craft she’s been nurturing and building for years (Saturn) trining that Scorpio stellium is presenting rewards for that work and her willingness to be vulnerable in an oversaturated industry that relies on gimmick and polish. Her Mercury-Neptune sextile exact in a fame degree that’s also making a lovely aspect to her Moon—Her music is uncomfortably intimate and honest, especially to anyone that’s neurodivergent or on the margins (strictly going by her chart alone). These qualities in music’s current landscape are rare and they’ll be what distinguish her as an artist and keep her fed. 

But with her benefiting from the current eclipse cycle firing up her 6H of what many of us ‘do’ for a living w/ her Saturn here (in preparation for her Saturn Return), her biggest challenge is not letting her perfectionist anxiety over her work’s ‘worthiness’ to others with their eyes officially on her cause her to self-sabotage or become self-conscious. She’s got the audience and has built it up but with explosive momentum and ‘overnight’ success comes the potential for our boundaries to weaken because we’re suddenly hyper-aware of ourselves.

Due to her tendency to self-monitor (most likely as a learned response), her Scorpio Mercury ruled Virgo Mars can cause her to suffocate her own self expression because she’s so used to being fucked with. And with that Mars ruling her fame degree Retrograde Aries Saturn, she never knows when enough’s enough—Have I done enough? Is this even good? I know it’s good! But is it really? Maybe I should work harder. I’ll work harder—Cycle, Rinse and Repeat. This is giving child of immigrants energy. I know so many of you feel called out by this right now.

Her debut album’s release looks promising. The 2H for her ruler of the year (Jupiter) is in Capricorn and she started blowing up on socials during Saturn’s months (Jan-Feb). The activation points where we’re going to see the most activity will be during this release in Aries and Taurus season (April-May). What’s interesting is that since the upcoming eclipse in April is hitting the album chart’s Mercury (almost exactly) a whole month prior, I fully anticipate a notable person (esp w/ Aries placements) to pull another Adele and uplift her or vouch for her in some way.

When Adele did, Jupiter was exactly opposite her Sun and it occurred during those Saturnian months and their charts have a bundle of points suggesting very strong synastry. It also happening right before Rachel’s lunar return with Adele’s NN hitting said Moon natally honestly felt like fate if we’re going strictly by the stars alone. And I also predict she’ll go viral during Virgo season (her lord of the year ruler’s 10H) because in September, the Gemini Jupiter floating around will be applying an exact square to her natal Jupiter. I think it’ll be totally beneficial but it can represent her adjusting (or needing TO) that’s uncomfortable at first (related to her image, sound, etc) that’ll benefit her in the long run. Jupiter in Gemini in her ruler’s chart in its 7H is giving contracts or boundaries-type vibes. Or even social expectations.

After writing this I heard The Hills and Maybe I'm Lonely and felt my old self seen in a way I don't think I've ever related to an artist expressing. Is this what it felt like when young Gen Xs in the 90s heard Hole or Nirvana's soul-piercing vocals for the first time? Because I honestly have chills.

That Scorpio Stellium of hers in her first and her 29 degree Mercury are indicators of the potential for meteoric fame in the eyes of the collective, but it'll be close and intimate.

When she comes to LA, I'm buying a concert ticket.

[reallygroovyninja]

Fluffy idea for you where Clarke and Lexa are struggling trying to potty train their kid

Lexa sighed, running a hand through her hair as she watched Everly stubbornly refuse to sit on the potty. The toddler, arms crossed and lips set in a pout, stood resolute in the middle of the bathroom, defiantly shaking her head.

Her dark hair fell in unruly waves, a perfect blend of Lexa's rich chestnut and Clarke's lighter, sun-kissed tones. Everly's striking blue-green eyes glared back at her parents.

"Come on, Everly," Clarke coaxed, her voice gentle but firm. "You have to try. Remember, big girls use the potty."

Everly's eyes flickered with a stubborn glint as she continued to shake her head. "No potty!" she declared, stomping her foot for emphasis.

Lexa knelt beside Everly, trying a different approach. "How about we try for just one minute, and if you do, you can have a sticker for your chart? Remember how much you love your stickers?"

Everly's resolve wavered for a moment, but then she shook her head again. "No potty!"

Clarke exchanged a look with Lexa, both of them feeling the frustration mount. They had read all the books, tried all the tricks, and still, Everly refused to cooperate. Clarke ran a hand over her face, trying to stay calm.

"Maybe we should take a break and try again later," Lexa suggested, sensing that pushing Everly any further might only make things worse.

Clarke nodded, though she felt a pang of disappointment. "Okay, Everly. No potty right now. But we will try again later, okay?"

Everly gave a satisfied nod, clearly relieved to be off the hook for now. She toddled out of the bathroom, already distracted by her toys in the living room.

Lexa stood up, stretching her arms above her head. "I don't know how much longer we can keep this up," she admitted, her voice low.

Clarke wrapped an arm around Lexa's waist, pulling her close. "We'll get through it," she reassured. "She's just being stubborn. Wonder where she gets that from?" Clarke added with a smirk.

Lexa chuckled softly, resting her head against Clarke's shoulder. "Definitely from you."

Clarke laughed, pressing a kiss to Lexa's temple. "We'll keep trying. Maybe we just need to find the right incentive."

Lexa nodded, feeling a bit more hopeful. "Yeah, we'll figure it out."

[definitelynotshouting]

(scared) What... what happens if Grian explains right off the bat when he's found out? (shaking)

in reference to the tags of this ask

So like. A really huge part of what Scar's plan entails in canon-- and yes, it's Scar doing this partially on purpose-- is the inherent kindness of the hermits. You bring a starving, dying man back into the fold, and you can absolutely bet that the VAST majority of hermits will at LEAST let him stay until he's healthier again. This is a deliberate move on Scar's part!!! The urgency of the situation (plus the familiarity) creates more of an incentive to let Grian in and then let him linger, which gives him a chance to grow his roots again and make up with the hermits. Scar wants him home again, permanently, and in this game its basically ALL about buying time.

So what happens when you take away that sense of "he's gonna die if we dont keep him here" urgency?? Well...

Well, in an au where Grian fessed up instantly abt the starving and making games when confronted, there's a lot more room to think about it. In some ways, hunger!Grian's canonical reaction to shut down and just let them furiously throw them out was a lot kinder and ultimately worked to his advantage-- nobody got any answers, so they started looking. People are more willing to talk to him if only to understand why. There's a clear element of "i was just doing this to survive and i feel fucking horrible about it" that is,,, pretty undeniable when you've got the person in question self-harming pretty severely about it. And yes, there's pity. Not always a bad thing, and in this case thats the element Scar is deliberately tugging on to make Grian's stay a bit more palatable until he can reintegrate himself

But when you have time to think about it, without that immediate evidence, without that sense of raw urgency sorta blanketing everything so people dont question as much-- what you get is a more measured, and ultimately more negative outlook. The hermits OF COURSE take the time to help Grian figure out how to feed without using people's emotions. They're kind like that. They do care. But theres now more time to think about this, more time to decide yeah, thats valid, sure, but he still used us and hurt a lot of us and also we didnt consent.

Essentially, what im getting at here is that in a hunger au variant where Grian fesses up immediately, the hermits do help him figure out a way to feed without relying on others... and then when thats all sorted out, a vote is called, and Grian is politely but firmly requested to leave. So he loses them anyway, and without the benefit of a mystery to help bring him back.

Thats not to say the vote wasnt awfully divided, there were plenty of people who were at the very least okay with him staying. But with more time and less distance to think things out, a lot of the folks who fall into the "wary but willing to hear him out" category in canon (i have a whole chart fiejfjdj) ended up moving to the "we dont want him here" side of things because they found themselves understandably uncomfortable with the situation and the harm caused by it to others. To their friends.

Basically, its enough of a majority vote to get Grian kicked anyway and without an opening to return. And in this au, i dont think he would return. The au as i have it outlined is that Grian ends up spending years alone on a singleplayer world, falling into his grief and into the rote cycle of surviving but not thriving, until Iskall (one of the people who wanted him to stay) meets him in a market hub and eagerly gets back in touch with him.

Its very much one of those aus that really SQUEEZES your heart, bc its about the loneliness, and the emptiness of losing your entire community, and knowing it is your fault. Its about what happens when you fully isolate because of guilt and forget what its like to be happy because you wont LET yourself be happy. And its about relearning what its like to be a person instead of personified misery. The recovery in that au is SO much harder, so much of a more difficult road (which is saying smth considering canon's is already super difficult), and takes a lot more time and effort on Grian's part. Its a good au, one im really sinking my teeth into and chattering about in dms, but my gods is it significantly worse in many ways to canon hunger au