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wileys-russo · 2 months

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Babe I just saw this TikTok and if you felt up for it and have nothing else to do maybe you can make a blurb about R or maybe a Player pranking their girlfriend by hiding in the jacket on the door or something lmao.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGeu9tCRE/

decided to go for ms Misa with this, a clown jump scare II m.rodriguez

this was it, you were finally going to get your revenge.

months, no years, of being the but of the joke, the victim of the countless pranks and the heart attacks from all the jump scares. all of your pathetic attempts to even the score and you were finally about to get a notch in your belt.

no more would you get the infuriating mock pout of sympathy and the pitiful kiss to your cheek or ruffle of your hair with the 'nice try amor, maybe next time.' as if you were just an amusing little source of entertainment.

you'd tried, no begged, for them to stop. though it seemed the more you did so or tried to get even it spurred the clowns on even further to mess with you.

you thought that when one of them had finally grown into her ears and you realised she was actually quite sweet and cute, you might have the protection one expects comes with a girlfriend as sometimes hot headed and passionate as misa.

but no, if anything once the two of you were officially together it only seemed even more of a green light for not just her but the rest of her little circus to continually mess with you.

you got a brief reprise when playing at club level together for real madrid, misa had less of her little playmates around then to spur her on and help with her antics.

but it was national camps where they really thrived, and you suffered at their hands.

it had gotten to the point you knew they kept score, noting down in a little blue book how many times each of them could scare you during camp, leaving you horribly on edge and double checking every corner and every room you walked into.

your other much more mature and level headed teammates took pity on you and attempted to provide aid, warning you ahead of time as best they could when they heard wind of potential set ups which you were immensely grateful for.

you'd originally had no plans of retaliation, instead taking on board irene's advice to just ignore them and as best you could give them no reaction to feed off of knowing that often spurred them on more than anything else.

mapi and leila used to be two of the worst, constantly jumping out from corners or hiding under your bed after swiping your key card with nimble fingers, relentlessly competitive with one another for who could gain more points for scaring you each camp.

then came jenni and virginia, upping things by adding in not only the jump scares but also ridiculously juvenile pranks that had a scowl near permanently etched into your brow the entire camp as you started to make it a routine to be constantly checking over your shoulder.

then it was misa and patri, patri who very easily picked up on your crush on the goalkeeper and her most trusted accomplice and unbeknownst to you tried her very best to use these little jump scares and pranks to force misa to recognize her own unrequited crush on you.

needless to say, it worked. but that did not mean you were no longer fair game.

and so after a morning filled with people jumping out at you from corners and cupboards and your own girlfriend even going as far as to hide herself under one of the canteen tables and grab your ankle when you least expected it causing you to scream and spill half your lunch down the front of you.

her laughter stopped the moment she pulled herself out from the table and saw the near murderous look on your face and the training top now soaked with a delightful mix of recovery shake and tandori chicken.

"no, stay. you leave the poor niña alone to go and change before gym!" alexia grabbed the back of your girlfriends top and yanked her down in her seat as you hurried out of the canteen, ona and aitana quickly following after you.

"its only a joke ale, relajarse." jenni chuckled, not at all phased by the witherly dry look thrown at her by the younger girl who kept a firm hold on the goalkeepers top who stared at the door which you'd exited after like a kicked puppy.

"to you. there are lines, and lunch should not be a time where she needs to fear you idiotas!" alexia rolled her eyes and let go of misa who sank into her chair with a huff, pushing her lunch tray away from her with a scowl.

assuring ona and tana that you were fine and sending them back down to lunch you quickly stripped and changed, wishing you had time for a shower but heading down to the gym knowing lunch was likely already finished.

as soon as you appeared your girlfriend was right by your side attempting to apologize and pull you into a hug. "its okay amor." you promised caressing her cheek as her face lit up. "really?" she asked eagerly.

"no! aléjate de mí." you quipped sharply, your elbow ramming into her stomach as she doubled over with a groan and a grunt and jenni nearly fell backwards off the weights bench clutching her stomach with laughter.

"cariño por favor!" misa called after you still with a groan as you flipped her off and paired up with ona who couldn't keep the grin off her face, alexia slapping your back proudly as she passed to go pair up with irene.

clearly sensing your distaste and simmering anger misa kept her distance though you could still feel her pouty expression and longing puppy dog eyes following after your every move despite that.

during a quick water break you felt a tap on your shoulder, turning around with a scowl expecting it to be your girlfriend but your face immediately softened seeing vicky stood there instead.

"off your phone during gym!" you laughed as she opened up tiktok and brushed you off with a shake of your head. "not for me, for you. look!" she held up her phone and you, and ona whose head popped up beside yours, watched a quick video.

"its cute." you chuckled, a little unsure why she was so intent on showing you as both vicky and ona gave you a strange look. "what?" you frowned back at them cluelessly.

"do it to misa, estúpido!" vicky rolled her eyes as ona hummed her agreement and you scoffed. "that? she will just laugh at me!" you protested as both girls disagreed. "maybe. but its also your best bet at scaring her back for once amiga, anything more...complicated, you could not pull off." ona chuckled honestly as vicky nodded eagerly.

"sí! so what have you got to lose?"

so now this was it, you were finally going to get your revenge.

was it the grand super slam get backs of all get backs you wished you could pull on not only misa but also all of the girls who found endless amusement in picking on your easily frightened nature? no.

but it was still a notch in your belt and you'd take it.

you hurried off the very moment the session was called to a close, gone in a flash so fast your girlfriend barely saw the back of your head before she blinked and you'd dissapeared.

you knew she needed to sit with the physio for awhile to have her shoulder checked after taking an awkward fall this morning which gave you a small window of time to get ready.

now you'd be lying if you said you didn't feel somewhat ridiculous, your body curled up into itself as you heard her key click open the front door to her hotel room, likely having knocked on yours to find nobody answered.

you both had spare keys to one anothers rooms, but with light fingers you'd swiped yours from misa's bag so she couldn't access your room, and it was near certain she still thought you were mad at her and had refused to open your door for her.

which gratefully meant she would not be expecting you in her room let alone curled up in her jacket on the back of the wardrobe door.

you heard her huff and puff as she made her way about the room, and waited until you heard the squeak of her throwing herself down on her bed with a deep sigh.

you'd thought ahead and left your phone in your room, hearing her groan and mumbled to herself as she tried to call and text you but they went unread and unanswered.

if there was one thing about your girlfriend you knew to be true it was that she often got so caught up in her own head, needing a moment of silence to reflect and process what was going on which you knew to give her space for after hard losses, allowing her to come to you once she was ready.

so like now you heard the room go quiet, misa caught up in her own head and unknown to her, right where you needed her.

you counted to three and gently dropped down, your girlfriend too busy thinking to see your legs ever so carefully hit the floor as you silently slipped out of her jacket and turned, misa still not noticing you.

"hola amor!" you yelled as you leapt at her, launching onto the bed as the girl let out a blood curdling scream and fell right off of it landing on her ass as you collapsed into the mattress laughing.

"finally! finally i got you! i scared you!" you cheered happily bouncing up and down on the bed as the goalkeeper scowled up at you and crossed her arms.

"you got me once. grow up!" you squealed as she stood and pushed at your shoulder mid bounce almost sending you toppling off the bed before you caught yourself.

"yeah i did, and thats a win for me mi vida. put that in your stupid little blue book!" you teased with a grin so wide it almost split your face in half as the girl huffed and sat down on the bed, refusing to meet your eyes and glaring at the wall.

"mis, mi amor you are not allowed to be so pouty and moody after you have spent years terrorising me and i got you back once!" you warned, standing up and staring firmly down at her with your arms crossed.

"i do not terrorise you!" misa frowned as your eyebrows raised questioningly. "okay, maybe i could be a little nicer." the girl grumbled as you scoffed and your eyebrows raised even higher.

"vale vale! ven aquí sexy." the goalkeeper balled your shirt in her fists and tugged you down and on top of her, pout still lightly playing on her lips as she leaned up to press them to yours but you pulled away, sitting up as your legs straddled her hips.

"i'm not kissing you, not till you apologize for lunch which you seem to have forgotten about." you reminded as the girl winced and smiled sheepishly, hands tracing circles on your bare thighs.

"lo siento mucho, mucho, mucho. mi niña muy bonita!" misa apologised sincerely, sitting up herself and kissing all over your face as she repeated the words over and over.

"vale! but promise me, no more messing with me while we eat? that means lunch, breakfast, dinner, all of it." you warned sternly as the girl nodded and mumbled a promise against your lips as you finally let her kiss you properly for a moment.

pulling away you pushed at her chest as she laid back down and you curled into her, exhaling as you relaxed to the sound of her heartbeat, strong hands curved around your back holding you safely in her arms.

"...that still leaves me many many hours of the day to scare you anyway cariño."

#woso community #woso #misa rodriguez #misa rodriguez x reader #woso x reader #woso fanfics #woso imagine #answered asks #woso blurbs #espwnt

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inuyashaluver · 5 months

Text

wingwomen - leah williamson

leah williamson x reader

description: in which you and your best friend are dragged to a double date to play wingwomen for your friend, fortunately you both get a free meal but you end up getting something you’ve both been dreaming of

warnings: swearing, so long but i had to capture the pining!!!

⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆

you and your best friend, leah are in love with each other. everyone knows it..except for the both of you. you’d think the lovesick expressions and longing glances would say everything but the two of you were absolutely clueless.

—

you met years ago at a match with your national teams, australia and england. you were introduced through mutual friends, caitlin and steph, who were the ones that managed to convince you to move to arsenal. you and leah were eternally grateful to the both of them.

“leah, this is (y/n), (y/n) this is leah” caitlin waved her finger back and forth between the two of you, you smile at each other shyly, leah went to exchange a handshake but you pulled her into a hug instead. she hesitated for a second but hugged you back, she’s never felt so safe in a stranger’s arms.

when you pulled away, you couldn’t help but smile brightly, a light shade of pink evident on both of your cheeks. she was taller than you and it made you slightly nervous, she was also gorgeous so that also made you nervous. if only you knew, leah was in an eternal battle with herself debating whether she could pull you into another hug, she also wanted your number but she was terrified.

“you were so amazing, leah” you gush, giving her a light squeeze on the arm before letting it go. “you as well, you’re brilliant” she smiles at you, caitlin exchanges a look between the two of you and smirks to herself. “you know, leah’s a year older than you, chicken” caitlin teases, you instantly glare at her, pinching her arm and making her yelp.

leah raises her eyebrows amusingly, “chicken?” you look down bashfully, sighing before muttering up some courage to look in her eye again, “when i first signed for australia, caitlin thought it would be a great idea to call me chicken because i was 17 and tiny” you rolled your eyes at the memory but leah smiles at you. she opens her mouth to say something but her name gets called by beth and she quietly curses her.

“sorry, i’ve gotta go, i hope to see you around?” leah smiles hopefully and you nod, pulling her into another hug. “i hope so, williamson” you say cheekily, making the girl laugh before she waves at you and caitlin.

you watch her in fascination before turning back to caitlin, to see she was already looking at you with a mischievous grin. “what?” you groan, giving the girl a shove, she just laughs and shrugs. “nothing” she laughs, you glare at her again and count to three and she sprints off.

—

when you walked in the arsenal training grounds for the first time, leah had to do a double take. there stood the girl she’d stalked on instagram almost everyday for 6 months and asked caitlin and steph about for 6 months was standing there. next to caitlin and steph. in an arsenal training uniform. smiling at her.

steph calls leah over and you instantly pull leah into a hug, she instantly returns it and gives you a light squeeze, lifting you in the air briefly and making you laugh gleefully. “you’re a gunner?” leah exclaims after she places you down, holding both your shoulders and giving you a light shake.

you, caitlin and steph laugh at her surprised face. “yes i am, williamson” you smile and leah returns it. “well, this is exciting! you need a tour, come with me” she hurriedly grabs your hand and gives you a light tug, pulling you along with her to give you a tour of the facility. in reality, you already had a tour, but you weren’t complaining about the one on one time with leah.

—

you’d now been the best of friends for over 3 years. you both assured people that it was strictly platonic, unaware that both of your hearts would ache every time you had to say it.

so here you were, at training, cuddling in your cubby (not uncommon at all btw) while a desperate caitlin is on her knees in front of you. “please!” caitlin pleads, looking at both of you with a desperate expression.

leah was sitting on the wall of your cubby, her legs spread while you slotted in between them. your back rested against her chest while she wrapped her arms around your waist and rested her cheek against yours. you were holding her hands and playing with her rings (hm, friends alright), looking at caitlin with a concerned face.

“i’m a little confused” you say sheepishly, leaning further into leah and letting out a little huff. “what exactly do you need us to do?” leah lets out a little laugh in your ear and a little shiver runs up your spine, you shake it off and look at caitlin again. she groans in frustration, throwing her head back and looking at you in disbelief.

“were you even listening to me?” caitlin exclaims, giving you a slap on your thigh and gaining a protective glare from leah that caitlin just rolled her eyes at. you nod but she’s not convinced. “it's because blondie over here is giggling and whispering in your ear” caitlin accuses, pointing her finger at the taller girl behind you. you giggle and lightly squeeze leah’s hand, you can feel her smile on your cheek and you can feel yourself growing warm.

“your point, foordy” leah smirks, giving you a light squeeze and pulling you impossibly closer to her body. she was so warm and inviting, both of you never wanted to move. “you both suck, anyway, i need you both to come on a date with me and katie because i’m too nervous to go alone.” caitlin explains like it’s obvious.

“i don’t understand why you’re nervous when you’ve known her for ages.” you question, caitlin raises her eyebrows at you, “you’re one to talk, chicken” your eyes widen and you tense against leah, leah was about to ask what she meant by the comment but you quickly change the subject.

“so, you want leah and i to double date you?” you conclude and caitlin smiles at you proudly, “so you’re not stupid!” caitlin jokes and you let out a little laugh, leah narrows her eyes at her. “watch it, foord” leah warns and caitlin just waves her off, you feel leah’s lips graze the side of your jaw and you tense. she moves down to whisper in your ear out of genuine concern, “you okay, love?” you slightly turn to make eye contact with leah and nod reassuringly, feeling the blood rush to your cheeks immediately.

leah nods and rests her chin on your shoulder as you turn back around. leah gives you a little squeeze on your waist and you have your answer. “alright, caity, we’ll come if you pay for the meal” you mock, leah laughs brightly, “that’s my girl!” leah exclaims brightly, taking one hand off your waist and holding it in front of you for a little high five. you smile at her term of endearment and slap her hand gently, caitlin just scoffs but agrees, “fine, thank you! dress nice” caitlin gets up of the floor and kisses you on the forehead while she claps leah’s shoulder.

you feel leah’s arms tighten around you but you think nothing of it. it was then time for training and leah moves her hands to your hips, giving them a squeeze to indicate for you to get up. you get up and hold your hand out which she happily accepts while you help her stand. she stretches with a yawn and slings and arm on your shoulder to walk you out towards the pitch.

“why did we agree to this date?” leah giggles, giving you a little kiss on your temple as you both walked. “we need to help out caity” you say sympathetically, wrapping your arm around leah’s waist and placing your hand in her jacket pocket.

“nothing wrong with a best friend date, lee” you cringe as the words escape your lips. leah slightly frowns at your words but nods with a pained smile. “yeah, exactly, a date with my best girl” she winks at you and walks you over to the rest of the team.

it was freezing outside, so when you were having your team talk, you naturally stood behind leah and placed your hands in her pockets.

she places her hands on top of yours to keep them warm, she was incredibly thankful you’re behind her. she was so incredibly red from your contact, she was completely swarmed with butterflies, unaware that you were panicking by your bold actions. you were being too obvious and she didn’t even like you like that. (idiots)

you pair up for training and it goes well, both of you were serious but would goof off from time to time. she hugs you every time you do something well and you both blush profusely, all your teammates exchange knowing looks and smirks as they watch you both interact. many of them wanted to speed things up but they knew you both needed to come to terms with your own stupidity with mutual pining on your own.

you and leah would giggle and whisper to each other frequently, but the two of you this time we’re just talking about katie and caitlin. “i knew they liked each other” you pull leah down to your mouth as you spoke in her ear, her bangs lightly tickle your forehead as you do. “it was so obvious” leah speaks in your ear as everyone has a quick break. you laugh and nod along with her, if only the two of you would realise this for yourselves.

after training was finished, you and leah waited for each other as she was driving you home. you both carpooled together as you lived 5 minutes away. you say bye to the girls and throw caitlin a wink, and she smiles nervously at you. you were all meeting at a nice restaurant in london at 6.

when leah pulls up to your flat, she does her regular routine, walking you to your door, giving you a tight hug and leaving your doorstep as soon as you close the door. she drives home with a thumping heart and a nervous grin, she was going on a date with her best friend that she happens to be in love with.

as soon as you closed the door, you door your usual routine of cupping your warm cheeks and smiling brightly at the thought of your best friend that you were in love with.

you get ready, full of nerves. you had to call caitlin numerous times just to ask what to wear, getting no help whatsoever. you just decide to wear something nice but comfortable, making a little extra effort for your pretty best friend.

you sit on the couch and wait for leah to ring your doorbell, you were so incredibly nervous, you couldn’t stop fidgeting. at 5:30, leah arrived.

you open the door to see her looking absolutely breathtaking while holding a bouquet of your favourite flowers in her hand with a sheepish grin. when leah sees you, her breath hitches, she shamelessly checks you out and looks down for a moment. “fuck me” she mutters under her breath before looking at you with a bright smile.

“you look absolutely gorgeous, babe” leah says in awe, handing you the bouquet. you smile back at her and pull her into a tight hug with a quick kiss to her cheek as you clutch the flowers. you breathe in her scent and you both stay there for way longer than a friendly embrace but whatever. “look at you, lee! you look hot” you hold her hand and drag her in your house, both yours and her cheeks burn crimson at the comment.

you lead her to the kitchen and look for a vase to out the flowers in. she watches your every move in awe, her heart tingling at the slight domesticity. once you find one you were satisfied with, you and leah engage in small talk as you arrange the floors, thanking her profusely for them as she waves you off. leah drives you both to the restaurant to meet up with a shy caitlin and katie.

“hello, lovebirds” leah teases as she places a hand on the small of your back, you laugh at their pink cheeks. “yeah yeah, whatever” caitlin groans, nodding her head towards the door to enter. she holds katie’s hand and you and leah fangirl behind them, whispering and giggling to each other in amusement. while you’re waiting to be seated, the manager comes up to you with an apologetic grin.

“we’re so sorry, we don’t have any tables for 4, only 2 tables of 2” he looks like he’s going to throw up, you step in immediately, “no problem at all, that’s completely fine” you smile reassuringly and he smiles appreciatively. leah nods with you and you both glance at caitlin who also looks like she’s going to throw up too. “you’ll be fine” you whisper, she looks at you nervously but nods, asking the manager to lead you to your seats.

to everyone’s amusement, the tables were on complete opposite sides of the room. you and leah get seated and you notice the girl in front of you looks flustered. “are you okay, lee?” you ask, grabbing her hand on the table and rubbing your thumb over the back of it. leah hesitates for a moment but nods, your frown. “do you want to talk about it?” you say softly, leah looks right into your eyes and swallows.

“how about we order first?” leah picks up her menu and browses the options. you nod, not wanting to push her and make her uncomfortable. “okay” you smile. you both order and begin to eat, you both swear it was one of the best things you’ve eaten, probably because caitlin was paying.

you and leah fall into conversation, offering each other bits of your meals, feeding each other and giggling. you can’t help but wonder how caitlin’s going but leah has about 99% of your attention right now. “i think this is the best date i’ve been on” you admit truthfully, leah nods instantly. “definitely the best i’ve been on” leah smiles at you and you melt.

you glance nervously at your plate before looking at her again. leah does the same thing, both of you look at each other so bashfully, it would startle anyone you knew. “you’re so pretty” leah utters, both of your eyes widened as you stare at each other. “you’re beautiful” you whisper as you lean forward towards her, she smiles and moves closer to you.

“i think i’m ready to talk” leah sighs, you perk up and hold you hand out again and she gratefully accepts it. “when we agreed to this date, i was a little upset to be honest” she murmured, holding onto your hand tightly as she felt it tense in her hold. “oh” you breathe out, “why?” you say so sadly, leah looks at you in shock.

“baby! no i said that wrong, fuck” she blurted, reaching for your other hand as she gave them both a gentle squeeze. your heart jolts at the term of endearment. “i just meant that i wanted to go on a date with you under different circumstances” she admits, eyes trailing over your features. “different circumstances?” you question and she nods softly.

“i’m going to admit something and you need to promise not to hate me” she begs, you look at her offendedly, “i would never hate you, lovey” you say softly, smiling at her to continue. leah felt herself melting into a puddle under your gaze. you sitting in front of her illuminated by the warm candle light on the table gave her this newfound confidence she didn’t know she had.

“okay” she breathes out, “i’ve been wanting to go on a date with you for a long time” you were trying to brace yourself for rejection. “as friends right?” you mutter sadly and leah’s eyes widen. “no! not at all actually” she says shyly,

“i wanted to go on a date with you, more than a friend, and i wanted to be the one to ask you” leah confessed, you look at her with wide eyes and your jaw slightly slack. she looked concerned by your reaction so you snap out of your trance. the girl you were in love with felt the same. someone needs to pinch you.

your face completely shifts, an elated grin overtaking your features. “are you serious?” you say, unable to stop grinning, causing leah to grin uncontrollably. “dead serious” she mocks your tone and you laugh. “i’ve wanted the same thing for a long time, williamson, took you long enough” you joke and leah laughs amusingly.

“oh what! this isn’t just on me, why didn’t your cute little face say anything?” she objected half heartedly. “i didn’t know you felt the same” you exclaim and leah looks at you in genuine shock.

“are you actually taking the piss?” she laughs, “don’t feel the same? i worship the ground you walk on” leah emphasised and you can’t help but smile, “well why didn’t you say anything?” you protested, “i didn’t know you felt the same”

you’re perfect for each other. “leah catherine williamson, you’re fucking joking!” you say in disbelief, sweeping her hands, “it’s pretty clear that i’m obsessed with you, i put my hands in your pockets!” you cry and leah laughs.

“i know” she says proudly, “i’ve been thinking about it all day and knew i needed to make a move” leah smirks at you and you giggle, moving slightly closer to her and your knees brush against each other under the table.

“how do you think the other two are going?” leah whispers, you let out a laugh and glance above her, they were in the same position as the two of you. you nod your head to them and leah looks over, smiling so brightly. “pretty good i think, baby” you joke and leah tenses, “baby?” she smirks.

you’re eyes widen, “oh, so you can say it and i can’t?” you say offendedly, going to drop her hands but she grips them tightly. “oh you can definitely say it, baby girl, i like it a lot” she claims, both of your cheeks are burning and it’s incredibly crystal clear to both of you now.

caitlin comes over to the two of you with a smirk and a thumbs up, she paid already and said her and katie were leaving. “don’t do anything we wouldn’t do” you wink at her and she just glances between the both of you confused.

“i think we would be doing the same thing” caitlin says simply and you and leah both freeze, caitlin laughs at both of you before yelling over her shoulder. “stay safe” such a little shit, you thought.

leah leads you out by the hand over to her car and opens the door for you, you kiss her cheek appreciatively and she smiles so brightly as she walks around to the drivers side. when she drives to your house and walks you to the door, she’s about to leave but you pull her close to you. “it’s a little late for you to drive back now, do you wanna stay?” you say shyly, leah nods quickly and wraps an arm around your waist.

you both change into comfortable clothes (she had numerous clothes her from your many sleepovers) before settling on your couch, cuddled up with a movie. it took about 15 minutes into the movie before you get caught staring at leah. she just grins knowingly, placing a hand on your cheek before pulling you closer to her.

“is this okay?” she says against your lips and you nod enthusiastically, she breathes out a laugh before leaning in to place a sweet kiss on your lips. it’s familiar, soft and tender all at the same time. you place a hand on the back of your neck to keep her close to you and a couple minutes later, you’re tugged in leah’s lap.

she looks up at you with blown out pupils, her breath fanning over your lips as you card your hands through her hair. “i love you” she breathes out and you can’t help the shit eating grin that makes its way on your face. “i love you too” you say without hesitation. you and leah stare at each other for a minute, taking in the situation.

her hands are resting on your hips and running her hands up and down them. you gently scratch her scalp while you lean down to place a kiss on her cheeks, her forehead, her nose and finally her lips.

she hums into you immediately, kissing you back passionately before she suddenly parts from you. you whine and she looks at you breathlessly with a smile present on her kiss bitten lips.

“will you be my girlfriend?” she says breathlessly, moving a hand up to cradle your cheek.

you nod instantly, “if you’ll have me” you say cheekily, she lets out a little laugh, “oh i’ll definitely have you, and i don’t plan on letting you go” she admits and you can’t help but hug her tightly. she holds you tightly, rubbing comforting circles on your back.

“you’re such a sap, lovey” you part with a kiss to her cheek. “only for you” she says cheekily, placing a quick kiss on your lips. “will you be my girlfriend?” you mock her accent and she rolls her eyes amusingly. “definitely” she scoffs, smiling and kissing you sweetly again.

you make sure to text caitlin a thank you as the blonde you love sleeps soundly on your chest. her hands are buried under your shirt and resting on your skin. you both slept easy that night and training was certainly interesting the next day.

“is that a hickey?” caitlin screams as she hugs you hello and the entire change room breaks out in screams and chatter. you let out a groan and glare at leah. she holds her hands up in surrender as you narrow your eyes at her. “sorry, baby” she mouths half-assed, clearly proud of herself.

you shake your head and leah walks up to you, hugging you and kissing your cheek affectionately. smiling brightly when your arms immediately wrap around her. “so the plan worked then?” beth laughed and looked at caitlin. caitlin’s eyes widen when you both snap your heads to her. “what plan?” you question, leah scowls at caitlin who is now hiding behind katie.

“well you two were taking forever!” caitlin defends, quickly bolting towards the pitch. when you and leah run towards her. “whoops” beth laughs, lacing up her boots as she heard the screams of terror coming from outside.

as it turns out, there was never a table for 4 - it was planned all along by caitlin. she payed the manager extra for the little gimmick. though, you and leah weren’t really complaining, you both got the girl and that’s all that mattered.

⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆

you know the drill - just pretend it’s you !! ily wally

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leahwilliamsonn: got a free feed and the girl of my dreams

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yourname: sap

↳ leahwilliamsonn: for you only, my girl

yourname: my girlfriend is so beautiful

↳ leahwilliamsonn: my girlfriend is gorgeous

↳ yourname: i love you

↳ leahwilliamsonn: i love youuu

caitlinfoord: where’s my thank you?

↳ yourname: thank you for the free food!

↳ leahwilliamsonn: yeah thank you! the food was fucking delicious

↳ caitlinfoord: that’s not what i meant

#woso #woso community #woso fanfics #woso one shot #woso x reader #woso imagine #leah williamson x reader #leah williamson

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reasonsforhope · 5 months

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Paywall-free version

On the outskirts of Austin, Texas, what began as a fringe experiment has quickly become central to the city’s efforts to reduce homelessness. To Justin Tyler Jr., it is home.

Mr. Tyler, 41, lives in Community First! Village, which aims to be a model of permanent affordable housing for people who are chronically homeless. In the fall of 2022, he joined nearly 400 residents of the village, moving into one of its typical digs: a 200-square-foot, one-room tiny house furnished with a kitchenette, a bed and a recliner.

The village is a self-contained, 51-acre community in a sparsely populated area just outside Austin. Stepping onto its grounds feels like entering another realm.

Eclectic tiny homes are clustered around shared outdoor kitchens, and neat rows of recreational vehicles and manufactured homes line looping cul-de-sacs.

There are chicken coops, two vegetable gardens, a convenience store, art and jewelry studios, a medical clinic and a chapel.

Roads run throughout, but residents mainly get around on foot or on an eight-passenger golf cart that makes regular stops around the property.

Mr. Tyler chose a home with a cobalt-blue door and a small patio in the oldest part of the village, where residents’ cactus and rock gardens created a “funky, hippie vibe” that appealed to him. He arrived in rough shape, struggling with alcoholism, his feet inflamed by gout, with severe back pain from nearly 10 years of sleeping in public parks, in vehicles and on street benches.

At first, he kept to himself. He locked his door and slept. He visited the clinic and started taking medication. After a month or so, he ventured out to meet his neighbors.

“For a while there, I just didn’t want to be seen and known,” he said. “Now I prefer it.”

Between communal meals and movie screenings, Mr. Tyler also works at the village, preparing homes for the dozen or more people who move there each month.

In the next few years, Community First is poised to grow to nearly 2,000 homes across three locations, which would make it by far the nation’s largest project of this kind, big enough to permanently house about half of Austin’s chronically homeless population.

Tiny-home villages for people who have been homeless have existed on a small scale for several decades, but have recently become a popular approach to addressing surging homelessness. Since 2019, the number of these villages across the country has nearly quadrupled, to 124 from 34, with dozens more coming, according to a census by Yetimoni Kpeebi, a researcher at Missouri State University.

Mandy Chapman Semple, a consultant who has helped cities like Houston transform their homelessness systems, said the growth of these villages reflects a need to replace inexpensive housing that was once widely available in the form of mobile home parks and single room occupancy units, and is rapidly being lost. But she said they are a highly imperfect solution.

“I think where we’re challenged is that ‘tiny home’ has taken on a spectrum of definitions,” said Chapman Semple. Many of those definitions fall short of housing standards, often lacking basic amenities like heat and indoor plumbing, which she said limits their ability to meet the needs of the population they intend to serve.

But Community First is pushing the tiny home model to a much larger scale. While most of its homes lack bathrooms and kitchens, its leaders see that as a necessary trade-off to be able to creatively and affordably house the growing number of people living on Austin’s streets. And unlike most other villages, many of which provide temporary emergency shelter in structures that can resemble tool sheds, Community First has been thoughtfully designed with homey spaces where people with some of the highest needs can stay for good. No other tiny home village has attempted to permanently house as many people.

Austin’s homelessness rate has been rapidly worsening, and the city’s response has whipped back and forth... In October [2023], the official estimate put the number of people living without shelter at 5,530, a 125 percent increase from two years earlier. Some of that rise is the result of better outreach, but officials acknowledged that more people have become homeless. City leaders vowed to build more housing, but that effort has been slowed by construction delays and resistance from residents.

Meanwhile, outside the city limits, Community First has been building fast. [Note from below the read more: It's outside city limits because the lack of zoning laws keeps more well-off Austin residents from blocking the project, as they did earlier attempts to build inside the city.] In a mere eight years, this once-modest project has grown into a sprawling community that the city is turning to as a desperately needed source of affordable housing. The village has now drawn hundreds of millions of dollars from public and private sources and given rise to similar initiatives across the country.

This rapid growth has come despite significant challenges. And some question whether a community on the outskirts of town with relaxed housing standards is a suitable way to meet the needs of people coming out of chronic homelessness. The next few years will be a test of whether these issues will be addressed or amplified as the village expands to five times its current size.

-via New York Times, January 8, 2024. Article continues below (at length!)

The community versus Community First

For Alan Graham, the expansion of Community First is just the latest stage in a long-evolving project. In the late 1990s, Mr. Graham, then a real estate developer, attended a Catholic men’s retreat that deepened his faith and inspired him to get more involved with his church. Soon after, he began delivering meals as a church volunteer to people living on Austin’s streets.

In 1998, Mr. Graham, now 67, became a founder of Mobile Loaves and Fishes, a nonprofit that has since amassed a fleet of vehicles that make daily rounds to deliver food and clothing to Austin’s homeless...

Talking to people like Mr. Johnston [a homeless Austin resident who Graham had befriended], Mr. Graham came to feel that housing alone was not enough for people who had been chronically homeless, the official term for those who have been homeless for years or repeatedly and have physical or mental disabilities, including substance-use disorders. About a third of the homeless population fits this description, and they are often estranged from family and other networks.

In 2006, Mr. Graham pitched an idea to Austin’s mayor: Create an R.V. park for people coming out of chronic homelessness. It would have about 150 homes, supportive services and easy access to public transportation. Most importantly, it would help to replace the “profound, catastrophic loss of family” he believed was at the root of the problem with a close-knit and supportive community.

The City Council voted unanimously in 2008 to lease Mr. Graham a 17-acre plot of city-owned land to make his vision a reality. Getting the council members on board, he said, turned out to be the easy part.

When residents near the intended site learned of the plan, they were outraged. They feared the development would reduce their property values and invite crime. One meeting to discuss the plan with the neighborhood grew so heated that Mr. Graham was escorted to his car by the police. Not a single one of the 52 community members in attendance voted in favor of the project.

After plans for the city-owned lot fell apart and other proposed locations faced similar resistance, Mr. Graham gave up on trying to build the development within city limits.

In 2012, he instead acquired a plot of land in a part of Travis County just northeast of Austin. It was far from public transportation and other services, but it had one big advantage: The county’s lack of zoning laws limited the power of neighbors to stop it.

Mr. Graham raised $20 million and began to build. In late 2015, Mr. Johnston left the R.V. park he had been living in and became the second person to move into the new village. It grew rapidly. In just two years, Mr. Graham bought an adjacent property, nearly doubling the village’s size to 51 acres and making room for hundreds more residents.

And then in the fall of 2022, he broke ground on the largest expansion yet: Adding two more sites to the village, expanding it by 127 acres to include nearly 2,000 homes.

“No one ever really did what they first did, and no one’s ever done what they’re about to do,” said Mark Hilbelink, the director of Sunrise Navigation Center, Austin’s largest homeless-services provider. “So there’s a little bit of excitement but also probably a little bit of trepidation about, ‘How do we do this right?’”

What it takes to make a village

Since he moved into Community First eight years ago, Mr. Johnston has found the stability that eluded him for so long. Most mornings, he wakes up early in his R.V., feeds his scruffy adopted terrier, Amos, and walks a few minutes down a quiet road to the village garden, where neat rows of carrots, leeks, beets and arugula await his attention.

Mr. Johnston worked in fast-food restaurants for most of his life, but he learned how to garden at the village. He now works full time cultivating produce for a weekly market that is free to residents.

“Once I got here, I said, This is where I’m going to spend pretty much my entire life now,” Mr. Johnston said.

Everyone at the village pays rent, which averages about $385 a month. The tiny homes that make up two-thirds of the dwellings go for slightly lower, but have no indoor plumbing; their residents use communal bathhouses and kitchens. The rest of the units are R.V.s and manufactured homes with their own bathrooms and kitchens.

Like Mr. Johnston, many residents have jobs in the village, created to offer residents flexible opportunities to earn some income. Last year, they earned a combined $1.5 million working as gardeners, landscapers, custodians, artists, jewelry makers and more, paid out by Mobile Loaves and Fishes.

Ute Dittemer, 66, faced a daily struggle for survival during a decade on the streets before moving into Community First five years ago with her husband. Now she supports herself by painting and molding figures out of clay at the village art house, augmented by her husband’s $800 monthly retirement income. A few years ago, a clay chess set she made sold for $10,000 at an auction. She used the money to buy her first car.

“I’m glad that we are not in a low-income-housing apartment complex,” she said. “We’ve got all this green out here, air to breathe.”

A small number of residents have jobs off-site, and a city bus makes hourly stops at the village 13 times a day to help people commute into town.

But about four out of five residents live on government benefits like disability or Social Security. Their incomes average $900 a month, making even tiny homes impossible to afford without help, Mr. Graham said.

“Essentially 100 percent of the people that move into this village will have to be subsidized for the rest of their lives,” he said.

For about $25,000 a year, Mr. Graham’s organization subsidizes one person’s housing at the village. (Services like primary health care and addiction counseling are provided by other organizations.) So far, that has been paid for entirely by private donations and in small part from collecting rent.

This would not be possible, Mr. Graham said, without a highly successful fund-raising operation that taps big Austin philanthropists. To build the next two expansions, Mr. Graham set a $225 million fund-raising goal, about $150 million of which has already been obtained from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, the founder of the Patrón Spirits Company, Hill Country Bible Church and others.

Support goes beyond monetary donations. A large land grant came from the philanthropic arm of Tito’s Handmade Vodka, and Alamo Drafthouse, an Austin-based cinema chain, donated an outdoor amphitheater for movie screenings. Top architectural firms competed for the chance to design energy-efficient tiny homes free of charge. And every week, hundreds of volunteers come to help with landscaping and gardening or to serve free meals.

Around 55 residents, including 15 children, live in the village as “missionals” — unpaid neighbors generally motivated by their Christian faith to be part of the community.

All missionals undergo a monthslong “discernment process” before they can move in. They pay to live in R.V.s and manufactured homes distinguished by an “M” in the front window. Their presence in the community is meant to guard against the pitfalls of concentrated poverty and trauma.

“Missionals are our guardian angels,” said Blair Racine, a 69-year-old resident with a white beard that hangs to his chest. “They’re people we can always call. They’re always there for us.”

After moving into the village in 2018, Mr. Racine spent two years isolated in his R.V. because of a painful eye condition. But after an effective treatment, he became so social that he was nicknamed the Mayor. Missional residents drive him to get his medication once a week, he said. To their children he is Uncle Blair.

Though the village is open to people of any religious background, it is run by Christians, and public spaces are adorned with paintings of Jesus on the cross and other biblical scenes. The application to live in the community outlines a set of “core values” that refer to God and the Bible. But Mr. Graham said there is no proselytizing and people do not have to be sober or seek treatment to live there.

Mr. Graham lives in a 399-square-foot manufactured home in the middle of the village with his wife, Tricia Graham, who works as the community’s “head of neighbor care.” He said they do not have any illusions about solving the underlying mental-health and substance-use problems many residents live with, and that is not their goal.

“This is absolutely not nirvana,” Mr. Graham said. “And we want people to understand the beauty and the complexity of what we do. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else on the face of the planet than right here in the middle of this, but you’re not fixing these things.” ...

From an experiment to a model

Community First has already inspired spinoffs, with some tweaks. In 2018, Nate Schlueter, who previously worked with the village’s jobs program, opened Eden Village in his hometown, Springfield, Mo. Unlike in Community First, every home in Eden Village is identical and has its own bathroom and kitchen. Mr. Schlueter’s model has spread to 12 different cities with every village limited to 50 homes or fewer.

“Not every city is Austin, Texas,” Mr. Schlueter said. “We don’t want to build a large-scale village. And if the root cause of homelessness is a loss of family, and community is something that can duplicate that safety net to some extent, to have smaller villages to me seemed like a stronger community safety net. Everybody would know each other.”

The rapid growth of Community First has challenged that ideal. In recent years, some of the original missional residents and staff members have left, finding it harder to support the number of people moving into the village. Steven Hebbard, who lived and worked at the village since its inception, left in 2019 when he said it shifted from a “tiny-town dynamic” where he knew everyone’s name to something that felt more like a city, straining the supportive culture that helped people succeed.

Mobile Loaves and Fishes said more staff members had recently been hired to help new residents adjust, but Mr. Graham noted that there was a limit to what any housing provider could do without violating people’s privacy and autonomy.

Despite these concerns, the organization, which had been run entirely on private money, has recently drawn public support. In January 2023, Travis County gave Mobile Loaves and Fishes $35 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to build 640 units as part of its expansion.

Then four months later came a significant surprise: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development approved the use of federal housing vouchers, which subsidize part or all of a low-income resident’s rent, for the village’s tiny homes. This will make running the village much more financially sustainable, Mr. Graham said, and may make it a more replicable blueprint for other places.

“That’s a big deal for us, and it’s a big deal on a national basis,” Mr. Graham said. “It’s a recognition that this model, managed the way that this model is, has a role in the system.”

Usually, the government considers homes without indoor plumbing to be substandard, but, in this case, it made an exception by applying the housing standards it uses for single-room-occupancy units. The village still did not meet the required ratio of bathrooms per person, but at the request of Travis County and the City of Austin’s housing officials, who cited Austin’s “severe lack of affordable housing” that made it impossible for some homeless people with vouchers to find anywhere else to live, HUD waived its usual requirements.

In the waiver, a HUD staffer wrote that Mr. Graham told HUD officials over the phone that the proportion of in-unit bathrooms “has not been an issue.” But in conversations with The Times, other homeless-service providers in Austin and some village residents said the lack of in-unit bathrooms is one of the biggest problems people have with living there. It also makes the villages less accessible to people with certain disabilities and health issues that are relatively common among the chronically homeless....

Mr. Graham said that with a doctor’s note, people could secure an R.V. or manufactured home at the village, although those are in short supply and have a long waiting list. He said the village’s use of tiny homes allowed them to build at a fraction of the usual cost when few other options existed, and helps ensure residents aren’t isolated in their units, reinforcing the village’s communal ethos.

“If somebody wants to live in a tiny home they ought to have the choice,” Mr. Graham said, “and if they are poor we ought to respect their civil right to live in that place and be subsidized to live there.” But he conceded that for some people, “this might not be the model.”

“Nobody can be everything for everyone,” he said.

By the spring of 2025, Mr. Graham hopes to begin moving people into the next phase of the village, across the street from the current property. The darker visions some once predicted of an impoverished community on the outskirts of town overtaken by drugs and violence have not come to pass. Instead, the village has permanently housed hundreds of people and earned the approval and financial backing of the city, the county and the federal government. But for the model to truly meet the scale of the challenge in Austin and beyond, Chapman Semple said, the compromises that led to Community First in its current incarnation will have to be reckoned with.

“We can build smaller villages that can be fully integrated into the community, that can have access to amenities within the community that we all need to live, including jobs and groceries,” Chapman Semple said. “If it’s a wonderful model then we should be embracing and fighting for its inclusion within our community.”

-via New York Times, January 8, 2024

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orcelito · 1 year

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Amazing what a weird brain state will do for you [cleaned my stovetop for the first time in months]

#speculation nation #still havent done the dishes. nor have i started with the chicken #i was defrosting it and then i was like 'man i dont want to deal with smoking burners'#coil stovetops fucking suck lmao. i kinda gave up on the soot under the one i use the most #big one's clean tho and that's what matters. and so is the months-remaining pasta sauce crust #now im gonna start cutting the chicken. just Look at me go!

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luckyladylily · 5 months

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Right now is not the time to play voter chicken. There are so many things riding on the 2024 US election. If conservatives gain full control we are likely looking at:

Complete loss of any environment protection gains in the past 4 years and potential loss of even more environment protection, like clean air laws.

National transgender obscenity laws effectively banning trans people from existing. There are already prototype laws being pushed in West Virginia. Without any legislative roadblocks going national is entirely in the cards.

A national ban on abortion on the books as law.

A complete stop to all efforts at student loan forgiveness and, perhaps more importantly, efforts to ease the burden of student loans on the poor, which would push millions of Americans into poverty and more into deep poverty by costing them hundreds of dollars a month. (My family, for example, would be out nearly 2400 dollars a year, and I have a relatively low amount.) This will kill people as they can't afford basics like shelter and food any longer.

Restrictive and privacy compromising obscenity laws. Right now multiple red states require photo ID to be collected by every website that distributes adult material. Remember, they are trying to get all queer materials declared obscene as well, this isn't just about porn.

Restrictive and privacy compromising laws in other areas. For example, Utah already has a law on the books that goes into effect on March 1 which requires age verification for all social media users, permission from parents for any social media use for a minor, and automatic curfew functions for social media for minors. This is transparently an attempt to cut off young queer people from their peers or force them to out themselves to potentially queerphobic parents.

Restrictive voting laws will make voter suppression even worse. Again, prototype bills already exist in many red states, going national is a virtual certainty if conservatives get control of the national government.

I restricted myself to just things with prototype bills at the state level or have been key republican talking points that i could remember off the top of my head. It is no exaggeration to say that there is a real difference between even a deadlocked government like we have now and a conservative government that is measured in human suffering and death.

It is a virtual certainty that most of these will happen with a conservative controlled government. Frankly, I doubt we have the ability to stop even one of these things via protest or public outrage. Our best and probably only chance of stopping these and other terrible laws is preventing a government that would pass these laws.

#us politics

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lena-in-a-red-dress · 2 months

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Blue and Fire Engine Red, Pt 6 (smexy times ahead)

To Kara’s surprise, steak dinner happens at Lena’s apartment. From how little Lena has shared so far, she’d expected to wait weeks or months to see where Lena lives. It’s not until she arrives that Kara realizes exactly why Lena is so willing to let Kara into her inner sanctum.

It’s completely void of personality.

Well, Kara allows, it could be that a lack of personality could be a personality in itself. And there are photos, but they all feature Lena and her crew. All smiling– all recent. Nothing to suggest Lena had a life before National City. She spies a punching bag in one corner, but the rest of the furniture is worn and basic, suggesting the place had come pre-furnished by a landlord who didn’t particularly care about aesthetics. It’s spartan and plain– forthright in a way that actually fits Lena. Still…

Kara wishes the space could have given her a better look at Lena’s inner life.

The kitchen, at least, is functional enough. Enough that Lena is able to season and sear her steaks to perfection, with some fresh asparagus sauteeing on a side burner. And she does it all with a smile, chatting with Kara as well as she had on the way home. A capable multitasker, Kara notes, though it’s less than surprising.

Lena seems incapable of being incapable at anything.

The meal is served up on non-descript plates– at least they’re ceramic and not paper, and Lena does lower the overhead lights to set the mood. Kara moans when the first bite of steak hits her tongue. Moist and savory and perfectly seasoned, it puts anything she herself could have made to shame. The asparagus is also perfectly softened without being mushy, retaining enough of its texture to allow for a bit of a crunch at the center.

“Are you sure the Army didn’t put you on the chow line? This is delicious!” Kara groans.

Lena smirks, taking a sip of her wine. “You think ‘chow’ tastes like this?” An arch eyebrow dispels that notion. “Nah. Not so much.”

“Well, wherever it comes from, color me amazed and impressed.”

Kara takes another large–too large– bite, and has to spend several quiet moments chewing her way through it. When she swallows– still too large– she tilts her head.

“Is there anything you’re not good at?”

Lena’s eyes warm with mirth, but takes a moment to consider.

“Jumping rope.” Lena shrugs. “I hate it. Can’t stand it.”

“But you can do it?”

Lena waves away the answer.

“Then it doesn’t count!”

Lena laughs. “Alright, alright… um. Okay. I can’t draw to save my life.”

It’s a surprisingly candid answer. “Really?”

Lena nods. “Any required art classes were passed on charm alone.”

Kara grins. Lena eyes her suspiciously.

“What?”

For a moment, they play a game of silent chicken as Kara waits for Lena to say the words, and Lean waits for Kara to confess what she already suspects. Finally, Lena caves.

“You’re an artist, aren’t you.”

Kara laughs, tickled by the suspicion at odds with the twinkle in Lena’s eye. “Maybe…” she draws out, unable to help the taunt. She relents when Lena’s eyebrow climbs dangerously close to her hairline. “Okay, fine. Yeah. I am. Kind of. At least, I was.”

“You were?”

“Not much opportunity to flex my brush skills on a cop’s schedule,” she deflects, unwilling to dull the mood with the somber reality. If Lena suspects the deeper reason, she gives no indication.

Instead, she tilts her head. “Well, I’d like to see some of your work, sometime.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Lena confirms. “If you’re willing to share, of course. No pressure.” She takes another sip of her wine. “I just know that anything you do would be amazing.”

Lena’s voice is low and throaty, and Kara senses the shift to a mood far more intimate than playful banter. “In that case, you would be right,” Kara confirms, leaning forward across the table. “Play your cards right, and I’ll prove it to you. Again.”

“Uh uh,” Lena returns, leaning to meet Kara midway across the table. She pecks a tantalizing kiss to Kara’s lips. “Tonight is my turn to go first.”

“Oooh,” Kara purrs. “I don’t mind the sound of that.”

She plays a light drumroll on Lena’s ass as she clears the dishes, which only receive a quick rinse before being forgotten in the sink. Lena’s attention turns to Kara, who feels the weight of her focus like a planar shift. The rest of the world ceases to exist, narrowing to the two of them alone.

They haven’t even reached the threshold of Lena’s bedroom before warm lips caress the skin of her neck. Her flesh prickles with goosebumps, a frisson of desire coursing through her. She wants this, and the flutter of nerves in her belly only heightens her anticipation. She’s never wanted anything– or anyone– as much as she wants this, wants Lena. She doesn’t know what Lena has in store for her, and doesn’t quite know how her body will react to her ministrations. If her current arousal is anything to go by, Kara suspects she might not survive what’s to come. And she’s perfectly fine with that.

Lena guides her with gentle hands to sit on the edge of the bed. For a moment, Kara thinks she’ll sit on her lap, like the last time on her couch. But instead, Lena lays her back, leaning over her with a muscled arm holding her up.

“Tell me what you want,” Lena murmurs between slow languid kisses. Kara whimpers into her mouth, making Lena’s lips curl in a smile against hers. “That’s not an answer, love.”

For a moment, Kara struggles to think, but Lena doesn’t relent in her ministrations. It takes long minutes of nearly losing herself in the sensations before she manages to conjure her wish.

“Let’s go slow.” she murmurs.

Lena pauses immediately, but Kara keeps her from pulling away by cupping her cheek. Lena gazes into her eyes, studying her to understand the meaning behind her words. Then, slowly, a low fire sparks deep in her gaze.

“How slow, exactly,” she asks, low and silky.

Kara lifts her chin to kiss her. “As slow as possible.”

Nodding her understanding, Lena runs a velvet touch up under Kara’s shirt; slow enough to count each and every rib. “And where would you like to start?”

Breath hitching when Lena hits a sensitive spot just under Kara’s breast, Kara tries to blink her way to at least partial coherency.

“Do you have a vibrator?” she gasps.

Lena nods, nuzzling Kara’s ear. “Excellent idea, darling.”

Finally, Kara releases herself to the experience. Lena takes her time with her, going deliciously slow as she raises Kara’s shirt by inches, kissing every exposed bit skin on her way. Not just kissing. Licking, nibbling, suckling. She lingers on Kara’s breasts, brushing her thumbs over pebbled nipples as she diverts back to Kara’s lips.

Slowly but surely, Kara’s skin heats with pleasure. But when her breath starts to quicken, Lena draws herself away. Without Lena’s body heat against her, chill air washes over her, making her groan. She squeezes her eyes shut in frustration.

“Now, now,” Lena tsks. “I want you to watch.”

Kara’s eyes fly open, and she props herself up on her elbows to watch as Lena unbuttons the fly of her jeans. Her fingers dip beneath her waistband, and Kara’s breath goes ragged in her chest. But just as smoothly as they slide under, they slip back out, and Lena shimmies out of her pants.

She kicks them aside as soon as she steps out of them, and Kara is left to ogle smooth, tones legs. Lena may not match Kara for height, but her legs are long and packed with muscle. Kara’s mouth goes dry.

“Jesus fucking christ,” Kara mutters.

Lena saunters closer, a satisfied smirk on her face. “Well, hopefully he won’t be the one fucking tonight.”

She tilts Kara’s chin up. Kara lets her mouth gape, just enough for Lena to see the invitation and take it. Her tongue slides over Kara’s, then curls languorously up and along the roof of Kara’s mouth. She sucks against Kara’s upper lip as she withdraws, and Kara lists after her when she sits back on Kara’s knees.

“Do you want to see more?” Lena croons.

Kara swallows thickly. “All of it,” she croaks. “I want to see all of you.”

Lena smiles, pleased with her response. She grips the hem of her shirt with her fingertips, and slowly begins to pull it up, up, up over her abdomen, her breasts, and finally her head. Dark hair flows through the neck opening, swishing around Lena’s bare shoulders. When Lena’s fingers move to her bra, all higher function vacates Kara’s brain. The little strip tease that follows sends bolts of arousal down through Kara’s core, pooling between her legs. Soon, only Lena’s underwear remains.

When Lena twists to deposit her bra on the pile with the rest of her abandoned clothing, Kara catches sight of a dark smudge on Lena’s ribs, but it flashes out of sight and out of mind when Lena turns her attention back to her.

Thankfully, Lena makes quicker work of Kara’s own pants. Soon Kara is completely and enthusiastically nude, and Kara notes that Lena makes no mention of how wet she is. Kara’s glad for it– she suspects it will be her default state whenever Lena’s eyes take on this sort of glint.

She jumps when the first rumble of the vibrator tickles the inside of her thigh. She inhales through her teeth, and is answered by a palm pressing flatly against her labia and clit.

“Easy,” Lena coaxes. Her lips still smirk though. “Don’t want you getting worked up too soon, do we?”

The even pressure on her groin eases some of the edge that had been building within her, and she manages to take a breath that relieves any more. Even so, she knows that once Lena gets to work with the vibrator, she would be hard pressed to draw this out as long as she hoped she could.

Lena isn’t one to disappoint. She plays Kara like a fiddle, taking her tantalizingly close to edge after edge, before drawing her back down again and again. Her technique is expert– the vibrator seems to trace patterns everywhere but her clit. Her labia, her bikini line, even the bottom edge of her belly. Sometimes, when Kara lingers too long on one edge, a warm tongue soothes her clit, dulling the hungry ache.

“Hanging in there?” Lena checks in once Kara stops squirming.

“Barely,” Kara gasps, panting.

“You are so hot,” Lena purrs. “You’re doing so good.”

That alone almost almost pitches Kara over the precipice. She curls her fingers into the sheets, gritting her teeth. “Soon,” she warns.

“Just say the word, baby. I’ll get you there.”

Lena starts again, taking her time tracing more patterns around her ultimate destination. Slowly, inevitably, the pressure building to unprecedented heights. Kara’s never been attended to like this, never been read so plainly, so intuitively. It’s as though Lena has already memorized her body, chasing every sensitive part of her with expert precision until even the ebb aches as deliciously as the flow.

When Lena brings the vibrator closer to her clit than she has so far, Kara cracks.

“Now!” she gasps.

The vibrator has hardly touched her clit when Kara hurtles over. She can’t help the cry that escapes her, loud and long and desperate. She’s never made a sound like this before. She doesn’t realize Lena hasn’t moved the vibrator before she’s tipping into a second orgasm, then a third. The last lingers for long, long seconds and only then do the vibrations cease.

The whine that Kara issues is inhuman to her own ears, but Lena only chuckles as she climbs up to check on her.

“Still conscious?”

Kara grunts plaintively, as her fingers slowly release the sheets.

“That was– whoah!”

Lena’s exclamation is swallowed by Kara’s mouth on hers, lunging for a kiss before full conscious thought has even returned. Lena melts into it, letting the kiss deepen and last until Kara is the one to break it.

“Amazing,” she finishes Lena’s sentence for her. “That was amazing. You’re amazing.”

Lena’s cheeks flush under the praise. “And you,” she returns, “are a glutton for punishment. You lasted longer than I thought you would. Much longer.” She licks Kara’s upper lip so sensually, it almost makes Kara ask for another round. Almost. “Good girl.”

Kara sighs. “I don’t know if I can return the favor,” she confesses. It kills her to say it, but she barely feel her toes. Lena laughs. “I’m sorry…”

“Please,” Lena dismisses, still laughing. “That’s possibly the greatest compliment I’ve ever gotten.”

Kara blinks. “Ever?”

“Ever,” Lena confirms. She smiles, her eyes warm and full of comfort as she gazes down at Kara. “How about an early night then?”

A sigh escapes Kara. “That sounds…”

“Amazing?” Lena teases.

“Yeah,” Kara confirms contentedly. “Amazing.”

#supercorp #blue and fire engine red #smexy times #Kara gets her turn #I hope you all like it #pls give me your thoughts #wanna make sure its worth continuing

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incorrectbatfam · 1 year

Note

Duke and Tim middle child antics?

I know Jason and Cass are also middle children but Duke and Tim are the Middlest if you know what I mean

They walk around the house opening doors but not closing them

Their secret TikToks are of them doing increasingly stupid dances on patrol and seeing how long it takes for the others to find out. Right now they're at 232 videos and counting

They duct-taped Barbara's Pringle can shut. She blamed Damian

Jason forgot a bottle of Coke outside. Tim and Duke set up a science experiment watching it over the course of 9 months. It gained national recognition. The rest of the batfam never noticed

They recorded an album of Dick's shower singing

Their favorite track: Dancing Queen (L'Oréal remix)

Yeah Damian exists but let's be real Tim and Duke are the only Gen Z batkids

They dyed each other's hair and no one batted an eye

Dick bought two pairs of Ray-Bans and both went missing the next day. He blamed Jason even though Tim and Duke were right there, rocking their matching shades

They locked Damian out of his Club Penguin after too many failed password attempts

They also convinced him the Batmobile had a secret chicken incubator function

Steph loses her charger often but rarely notices because either Alfred or Bruce will replace it when she does. Tim and Duke, meanwhile, collect them and plan on regifting them to her on the 10th anniversary of losing her first one

Cass knows where they hid her hairdryer, but it's in Tim's room and no amount of survival training could prepare her for that

Bruce forgot to add Duke to the family phone plan so Tim hacked the account and added Duke himself

Sometimes Tim and Duke get lumped into a single entity during headcounts and just watch as everyone panics thinking they're missing a person

#tim drake #red robin #duke thomas #signal #batfamily #batfam #batboys #batkids #batbros #batsiblings #batman family #dc comics #headcanon #tw food mention #ask #anonymous

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honkifurhoary · 2 years

Text

Emmanuel the Emu: A Story of HPAI Mismanagement

Emmanuel, the TikTok-famous emu owned by Taylor Blake of Knuckle Bump Farms, made national news last month when Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) hit the farm. According to Blake’s initial Twitter thread, Knuckle Bump Farms lost 99% of their avian flock- over 50 individuals- in only three days. These deaths were attributed both to the disease itself and to a cull carried out by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, who did so with Blake’s permission. Emmanuel and a black swan named Rico were the only two survivors, with Emmanuel left unable to stand, unwilling to eat or drink, and quickly fading. Hundreds of thousands rallied behind Emmanuel on social media as Blake documented Emmanuel’s progress, reaching out to public figures like Dr. Pol of The Incredible Dr. Pol and Bindi Erwin of Crikey! It’s the Irwins for help when she failed to find any other sources for emu rehabilitation. But soon, controversy emerged.

Early on, avian influenza experts expressed concern that Blake was not wearing any PPE when interacting with a presumably HPAI-positive bird. Avian influenza is transmissible from bird to human which, combined with the virus’ ability to mix genes and rapidly change, means that PPE is universally recommended when dealing with a suspected or confirmed HPAI outbreak.

In response to concerns, Blake explained that “Emmanuel freaks out whenever we approach him wearing a mask” and that the farm is on a state-mandated quarantine for 150 days, which is the amount of time HPAI is estimated to survive in the environment under ideal conditions. This quarantine reportedly only allowed Blake, Blake’s girlfriend Kristian Haggerty, Blake’s family, and veterinary professionals to enter the property. “I have taken every precaution recommended by the FDA” Blake stated, referencing the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) rather than the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Many people, including HPAI experts, found this explanation unsatisfactory and instead decided to contact the FDACS and USDA directly. Both the FDACS and USDA work collaboratively to manage avian influenza outbreaks in Florida. Dr. Danielle Stanek of the Florida Department of Health clarified that the DOH can recommend that private individuals comply with CDC guidelines, which includes wearing full PPE when interacting with HPAI-infected birds, but they cannot mandate that they do so. Therefore, Blake’s decision to forgo PPE was hers to make, even if it wasn’t in accordance with the recommendations of the FDACS, CDC, USDA, and Florida DOH.

Just as discourse between experts and Emmanuel fans reached its peak, Blake announced that Emmanuel tested negative for HPAI. Instead, Emmanuel’s sudden decline was attributed to stress. “Emus are incredibly susceptible to stress. He was incredibly overwhelmed by the state coming in and euthanizing our flock . . . He stopped eating the day they depopulated.” His lingering issues- the inability to stand or walk independently, twisted neck (torticollis), continued inappetence and dehydration, and lethargy- were caused by a nighttime collapse that left Emmanuel “thrashing on the ground for hours, trying to get himself up”. “He never once had a single symptom of AI, other than not eating”, Blake stated.

HPAI symptoms in birds varies depending on the species and the individual. In chickens, HPAI often presents as respiratory and digestive distress, followed quickly by death. In other poultry species, symptoms may also include the nervous system, causing “tremors, twisted necks, paralyzed wings, laying down and pedaling”. Ratites- referring to the diverse group of keel-less birds that include emus, ostriches, rheas, kiwis, and cassowaries- also tend to develop neurological symptoms. Notably, emus can present with twisted necks (torticollis), ataxia (discoordination), leg and wing paralysis, inability to stand, decreased food and water consumption, purple discoloration or swelling of the legs and head, and lethargy. This corresponds with many of the symptoms Blake has documented in Emmanuel. And it should, considering that Emmanuel did test positive for HPAI.

Test results completed on October 27th, 2022 at the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories showed that Emmanuel’s serum sample, collected six days after the start of the outbreak, contained antibody levels that were consistent with recent infection.

When Blake announced Emmanuel’s stress diagnosis, she was likely relying on information provided by a rapid test, which can provide results within 48 hours. These tests detect viral proteins that indicate active infection and virus shedding. Serology tests, on the other hand, look for the presence of antibodies produced in response to infection, not necessarily active infection. For an indeterminate number of days prior to the sample collection (October 17, 2022) Emmanuel had an active HPAI infection that, rather than stress, likely led to his rapid decline.

Why, then, was Emmanuel not included in the state’s cull on Knuckle Bump Farms? An email between Dr. Michael Short, the FDACS’ Animal Industry Director, and Kassandra Curiel of the FDACS’ Office of the Commissioner, answers this question. Dr. Short states that “USDA guidance is that ratites (emus and ostriches), black swans and exotic pet birds do not have to be euthanized due to lower risk”. Blake echoes this on her Twitter, when she says that “the state only focused on the “super spreaders” which are poultry species and ducks. Ratites aren’t included because they typically aren’t as susceptible.”.

This allowed Knuckle Bump Farms’ four emus (Emily, Eliza, Elliot, and Emmanuel) and three black swans (two unnamed females and Rico), to be exempted from the cull. I cannot find any reference, either in USDA literature or anywhere else, that supports Dr. Short’s statement. In fact, all the literature that I reviewed and all the experts I talked to during my research only confirmed the devastating effects that HPAI can have on both ratites and black swans. This, coupled with the fact that three of Knuckle Bump Farms’ four emus and two of their three black swans died when “the virus hit them extremely hard and very quickly”, calls Dr. Short’s statement into question.

The USDA was also unable to substantiate Dr. Short’s statement. When asked how exemptions to culls were determined they explained that, rather than look at individual species, the USDA classifies HPAI-infected domestic birds as either commercial, backyard poultry, or backyard non-poultry. These definitions ascribe risk of potential HPAI spread by determining the level of contact a poultry premise has with other poultry premises. If a private farm or private household, where the poultry does not have any contact with poultry beyond the property, has an outbreak then they are classified as a non-poultry premises, even if they have chickens, turkeys, or other poultry birds. These non-poultry premises can thus be exempted from culling all their birds by being placed on quarantines by state officials, provided that they adhere to the quarantine and continue to not have contact with any poultry facilities. Knuckle Bump Farms does not sell poultry products; therefore, they were classified as backyard non-poultry and eligible for quarantine. The FDACS seems to have added their own interpretation onto this guidance when they specify ratites, black swans, and exotic pet birds as “lower risk”. I reached out to Dr. Short for comment but received no response.

This isn’t the only time Dr. Short and, by extension, the FDACS demonstrated faulty logic. In that same email between him and Curiel, Dr. Short used this comparison to explain why a citizen’s concern about Emmanuel’s exemption from the cull was unfounded.

“I have heard of only one report of a clinically ill human, over the past 1.5 years of a national response to the current avian flu outbreak. The risk of HPAI to the owner is much less than occurred with household pets that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). I am assuming no one would advocate to euthanize all pets testing positive for Covid (At least I have not heard of anyone asking us to euthanize pets).

The risk of avian influenza is constantly occurring with all the wild birds in South Florida. My understanding (not being a human health expert) is the risk to people, especially children and those immuno-compromised at public or private lakes, ponds and waterways from the AI being shed by water fowl is much greater than the sick emu at knuckle bump farm.”

Dr. Ben Golas, a VMD and postdoc with the USGS who is currently working on avian influenza research, weighed in. “It’s a bit like comparing apples and oranges to talk about risk of transmission of COVID vs. HPAI. With COVID, our primary concern is human-to-human contact. [. . .] With HPAI, farm animals are euthanized not only because the disease spreads within the farm flock like wildfire, but also to prevent spreading infection locally to other farms, because HPAI virus can be stable in the environment.”

The CDC agrees. “There is no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to people. […] It’s important to remember that people are much more likely to get COVID-19 from other people than from animals. There is no need to euthanize or otherwise harm animals infected with SARS-CoV-2.” When it comes to HPAI, however, they emphasize that human-to-human spread is rare and often limited to only a few individuals. Bird-to-human transmission is the primary method of human infection, with each new infection increasing the risk that a new, more virulent strain will emerge. This, along with the potential for massive bird-to-bird outbreaks that could devastate both wildlife and industry, is why complete depopulation (euthanasia) is standard for HPAI and not COVID-19.

The FDACS seems to be operating on contradicting and unsubstantiated information when it comes to managing HPAI outbreaks. Unsurprisingly, the employees seem equally conflicted in their internal emails regarding Knuckle Bump Farms. One Florida USDA representative noted, while forwarding a citizen concern about Blake’s lack of PPE, that “her face is real close to a bird that has HPAI”. Another USDA employee responded “actually, in one of the pictures she appears to be kissing it on the head.”. Dr. Kendra Stauffer of the USDA wrote, “. . . part of the allowing the pet bird to live was that there were rules the owner was to follow from DOH, which clearly she is not”.

Other employees, however, were eager to show their support. Commissioner Nikki Fried of the FDACS posted a photo of her, Blake, and Haggerty, and later posted a photo of herself drinking Knuckle Bump Farms’ branded beer while wearing an Emmanuel t-shirt.

Fried’s support generated a lot of concern, particularly amongst local farmers. One Florida emu farmer stated, “my disappointment and concern is 100% with the actions of Nikki Fried as Agricultural Commissioner to allow some birds to be exempt from depopulation, including emus, for no quantifiable reason. Emus are susceptible to HPAI. Emus in other states have contracted HPAI in this current outbreak and they either died on their own or were put down. Research shows they are susceptible to HPAI, and can spread it to other birds and humans. The decision by Fried and FDACS makes no sense and it sets a dangerous precedent.”

Considering that Blake has over 847.4K followers on Twitter, 938K on Instagram, and 2.4 million on TikTok, the precedent the FDACS and USDA have set here is, indeed, dangerous. Many of Blake’s followers learned about avian influenza for the first time through her documentation of Emmanuel’s illness and the state’s response to the outbreak. “I watch for Emmanuel updates every day! This has also been a great lesson for many people in farming education.”, one follower said. Another echoed this sentiment, saying “Thank you for taking the time to let us know what’s going on, and answering questions. You truly are an educator”.

Herein lies the problem. Knuckle Bump Farms is a small, backyard operation. Through social media, however, they reach millions. This specific outbreak of HPAI and its subsequent (mis-)management by the FDACS and USDA has now set the standard for many, rather than the exception. Blake’s public failure to comply with PPE recommendations, the lack of transparency regarding Emmanuel’s true diagnosis, a similar lack of transparency within the FDACS and USDA regarding this outbreak, exemptions to cull protocols made with seemingly no supporting data, and a publicly-elected official openly (and financially) supporting Blake through this process, all pose a serious threat to public confidence in HPAI management and future public health. The concerns of farmers, virologists, public health workers and organizations, wildlife rehabilitators, and animal sanctuaries have been ignored, particularly when they asked whether Emmanuel’s fame and the risk of public backlash led to the FDACS’ decision to leave him and several other symptomatic birds alive. It seems, through this research, that there is more support for this theory than the narrative we’ve been provided until now. It is my hope that, with the publishing of this information, the very real concerns raised by people directly effected by HPAI will be given the weight they deserve.

Please take this opportunity to learn about avian influenza from reputable sources:

Protecting Birds from Avian Influenza

Avian influenza and PPE

CDC Avian Influenza

USDA HPAI Response Plan

Florida Avian Influenza Update (Oct 2022)

A huge thank you to the following experts who generously answered my questions: Dr. Ben Golas, Dr. Jim Wellehan, and Dr. Jennifer Riley.

#emmanuel the emu #hpai #avian influenza #florida #avian flu

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