#Victoria Job Bank

[dw-flagler]

funny how much victoria places squarely on the shoulders of tattletale. she COULD HAVE STOPPED THE ENDBRINGERS AT ANY TIME but she DIDN’T just so that leviathan could KILL MY FAMILY. honey you sound insane.

[chronomally]

Everyone go see Blue Beetle I am not asking

[erodasfishtacos]

Boredom & Blind Dates [pt I]

summary: yn is a good friend, who's willing to go on a blind date so that her friend can try to pull the man of her dreams. the new bigshot doctor at the hospital she's works. the dinner isnt as charming as she hoped

word count: 5k

warnings: angst

author's note: hii! this was based off a request. the rest will be posted on patreon and there’s already another part up :)

You can subscribe for $3 USD a month here

+

Victoria was a friend that YN had made in college when they were both studying completely opposite majors but happened to be roomed in the same two-bed dorm.

They clicked instantly and just like their majors, they were also exact opposite in their personalities too but it somehow just meshed perfectly together.

Victoria was a social butterfly who did not have a fear of being the center of attention, going after whoever she wanted (and typically pulling them), and her confidence was impressive.

Despite how smart Victoria was, she had a tendency to come off a bit ditzy, and has been called an air-head more than twice in YN’s presence.

The boys in more prestigious majors like law and medicine usually didn’t find her carefree attitude as appealing.

While Tori snagged the frat boys, YN steered clear of them which worked because they had never once had a crush on the same man.

After graduation, it only made sense to move in together because Seattle was a ridiculously overpriced city but their job wages were competitive.

Victoria was a nurse, she worked on a surgery recovery wing, and complained about her job constantly because of the crabby patients and long hours.

YN worked behind a desk all day, very rarely having to interact with anyone but if she did - it was all virtual from home.

She was the head accountant for a social media marketing company which was a pretty high position for the few years of experience she had.

YN had always been serious, more mature for her age, and always excelled above everyone else in her grade.

It hadn’t been a surprise when she was valedictorian or made summa cum laude in her undergraduate and masters degree with ease.

YN didn’t party, didn’t love socializing out in clubs but would go when Victoria pressured her enough to do so, and it was fine.

YN had been so involved in establishing her career, creating a successful life, and making a name for herself that she didn’t have time for the things Victoria did.

Dating app hookups, one night stands from the bar, and casual flings that only lasted a few weeks was how Tori rolled.

Typically, at least once a month, she was bawling to YN about the latest dickhead who treated her like she was disposable but kept going for the same type.

YN had empathy to an extent, always uncorked the wine and half-listened to her rants about chivalry being dead while she was still thinking about an account she needed to work on because the deadline was coming up.

YN liked to think she lived vicariously through Victoria’s stories which worked for her because then she didn’t have to experience those things herself.

+

YN had been sitting on the couch, laptop balanced on the wide arm as she scrolled through work emails while catching up on her guilty pleasure reality show.

It was nearly ten at night but she was waiting for a reply from a customer with a time difference, work could sometimes be a whole day and night ordeal.

There was no question that YN was uptight, rarely - if ever relaxed, and did not have much time for anything other than what put a hefty sum in her bank account every two weeks.

Victoria tumbled through the front door in a way that is uniquely her - like a hurricane.

Her keys jingling, her water bottle bumping and sloshing water as she drops her purse on the floor unceremoniously with a chapstick rolling out.

She tosses all of her items in a messy pile on the ground with her bag, kicking off her tennis shoes, and nearly prances into the living room.

YN blinks over at her, the excitement of her arrival was a routine now, she no longer gets annoyed that her best friend makes an entrance like that each time.

“Babe, guess what,” Victoria squeals as she sits down right next to her on the couch, still in her magenta colored scrubs and her mascara smudged near her eyes.

“What?” YN replies as she mindlessly clicks refresh in her email, wishing for this message with the information she needs to appear.

“Our new Chief of Medicine started today! He was the head of neurology at another hospital. A literal brain surgeon which, of course I’ve met others but he’s like…the best of the best. They write news articles about him, his studies in medical journals, he’s a big deal,” Victoria is still excited as she nearly bounces in her spot, shaking YN’s laptop.

YN puts a hand up to make sure her computer doesn’t topple, still nonplussed as she looks at her friend, “What does this have to do with you? Is it just because he’s famous in the medical world?”

“No, he’s fucking gorgeous too. I didn’t think you were allowed to be as smart as he is while looking like he just walked off a runway during Paris Fashion Week,” Tori giggles as her cheeks go a bit pink, “He’s the hottest doctor I’ve ever seen.”

“Tori,” YN sighs, clicking her refresh again - nothing, “Again, what is this information leading to?”

“Well I bumped into him today, literally, in the hallway. We spoke briefly, he was polite but serious, and I felt like he was flirting with me. I feel like I have a chance with him,” Her roommate tells her, that same confidence present as ever that she can pull this big shot doctor.

“Good luck with that. I’m sure he’s married with kids,” YN replies somewhat dismissively, unamused that this is how her friend spends her time.

“Nope,” Tori quips back happily, “I googled him. He just made the New York Times list as one of the most eligible bachelors in medicine. Single as they come.”

“I thought you didn’t want to date someone who also worked in medicine,” YN reminds her, clicking refresh once again to no results.

“He’s the exception. If I could settle down with a fuckin neurosurgeon, chief medical officer like come on that would be my biggest achievement,” Victoria pulls out her cell phone, tapping across the screen.

And YN just…cannot relate.

YN only fell in love once.

Where she could fantasize about a life with that person, marriage, kids, a house but it was all fantasy as they were never official in that way.

It was crushed and YN made a promise to herself that she wouldn’t let herself dream like that again.

“Do you want to see a picture?” Victoria asks as she looks for an image to show.

As a stroke of luck, YN’s work phone starts buzzing, and it’s the client she was waiting for to email her, “I’m sure he’s as attractive as you say, Tor. I have to take this.”

Her friend mumbles something about her being in a relationship with work which is honestly not that far off at this point.

However, it gives her an excuse to lock herself in her office for a few hours to avoid the ideas of love, Victoria’s fantasy world, and think about nothing but numbers and percentages.

+

The next few weeks blend together for YN.

Every few days she actually catches up on her work.

Every few days Victoria recounts her very purposefully crafted run-ins with the chief medical officer to shoot her shot.

Victoria has always been forward, asking bluntly for what she wants but with such a seemingly intimidating man, she finally has met her match.

Her roommate deems the doctor as ‘playing hard to get’ but YN starts to wonder if she’s imagining the spark between them or if it’s truly there.

She talks about times where the doctor flat out ignores her in the hallway but brushes it off that he was extremely busy on a pressing issue.

But then there are times where he will pull her aside, gently by the wrist and ask her about how her day was going, and appear to be interested in her answers.

YN loved her friend but was wildly uninterested in these events, the only thing that kept her curiosity lingering was if she was actually going to snag the head of the biggest hospital in Seattle.

She doesn’t hear much for a week or two.

At least three months have passed since the doctor started.

And this finally appears to be a payoff when Victoria comes home with her usual hurricane routine of leaving a trail of her belongings as she comes through the front door.

“Oh my god, oh my god. Close your laptop and look at me!” Victoria announces dramatically as she rushes over to the couch, taking it upon herself to close the lid of YN’s work computer.

“Tori,” YN scolds with a grumble, she really didn’t appreciate it when her friend interrupted her work flow in the middle of her meticulously constructing a report.

“Hush,” She replies, brushing off her concerns, and patting YN’s thighs, “I need the absolute biggest, most massive favor from you ever. And I really need you to agree, I’ll owe you for eternity.”

This didn’t sound good.

YN blinks at her, expression still unamused as ever.

“Okay. I am going on a date with the chief,” Victoria squeals, high-pitched and loud, “But it’s a double-date, he was telling me he’s looking for a date for his friend. I offered you and he invited us all to dinner at The National.”

Fancy.

And YN tries to settle the itching annoyance at her friend offering her up without her approval but unfortunately it was a very Victoria-like thing to do.

Despite how uptight YN could be, she had a soft spot for her friend and would do anything within her to make her happy so instead of lecturing her about setting her up, YN agrees.

YN thinks about it as the days pass until the date, what’s stopping her from actually giving this a try?

The only information she received about her blind date was that he was also a doctor, orthopedics, and his name was Mitch.

YN dresses nicer than she had originally planned, in a form fitting black dress that shaped her chest phenomenally, making her smaller tits look full and lifted.

It also defined her backside well too, making it rounded and voluminous in a way that it normally didn’t look in her regular outfits.

YN hadn’t been with anyone in over a year, not even a casual hookup because she didn’t do those - she did commitment.

Maybe Mitch would be the one.

YN wasn’t one for magical thinking like her best friend but maybe this is what optimism was supposed to be like as opposed to her normal pessimist outlook.

Victoria dressed stunning as well, albeit a bit more revealing which was her go to, cut-outs along her ribs and the hem was nearly to her bum cheeks so she couldn’t bend over without revealing all of her bits and pieces.

YN was sure that the doctor she was pining after would take her home with her that night but she also knows Victoria is possibly looking at this to become serious.

It was all up in the air.

The National was a quiet restaurant, where business meetings were held and deals were made.

Everyone dressed in expensive outfits that made YN and Victoria’s seem a bit out of place but they blended in well enough.

Neither have been to the location before because it was reservation-only and you had to have enough of a name in Seattle to bother calling.

The fact that the chief was able to get them a table, at relatively short notice was flex in itself, showing off what clout he held in the community.

YN wasn’t impressed, per se, felt like it was a bit-show off but nevertheless it was a nice experience that she’d never likely have again after this night.

Victoria gives the hostess their name before they’re being guided towards the back of the restaurant, it lit dimly enough that it would be hard to see the menu.

As they arrive at the table, there’s two meticulous dressed men sit across from one another, both handsome in different ways.

However, one has a big smile and stands up whilst the other stays seated with a scowl that seems permanently etched on his face - light wrinkles to show for it.

The man who stands up reaches for YN’s hand, kissing the back of it, and introducing himself, “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve been looking forward to it all week, darling. I’m Mitch.”

“YN,” She replies even though he already knows, allowing the kiss and giving him a polite smile back as he pulls out her chair for her.

Victoria walks around the table, somewhat awkward as her date doesn’t get up or offer to move her chair out, only a curt, “Hello, Victoria. You look nice.”

“Thanks,” Tori blushes easily, YN has to refrain from rolling her eyes at the interaction, she always fell for the rudest, douchey men on Earth.

This doctor was no different as he says back in his chair, shoulders broad, and back straight, head held high as he watches Mitch help YN in her seat.

“Thank you,” YN brushes her fingers against Mitch’s shoulder as he sits down, making eye contact with her date once again.

He had these sincere brown eyes, a shy smile, and his long hair was pulled back into a ponytail as he nods at her.

Mitch wasn’t her type, though she wasn’t picky, and was willing to give anyone a chance - he just wouldn’t be someone she would pick herself.

Maybe that’s a good thing.

“What’s good here?” YN asks Mitch as she opens her menu, it was a small list of entrees, most that YN had only seen on cooking shows or never even heard of.

“I haven’t been here. Styles here is a regular but that’s because he’s the big name ‘round here, well according to London Times - everywhere,” Mitch teases as he glances up at his friend.

Styles doesn’t even lift his lip in a half-smile, his eyes dart to YN before his friend, “The Steelhead Trout is good as is the Filet Migon.”

YN’s eyes trace back over the menu, heart seizing a bit as the numbers next to the entree - realizing that was the price was a bit of shell shock.

She knew that Mitch would pay for her but she felt guilty about ordering something that was well over a hundred and fifty dollars when she would never pay that for dinner herself.

“I think I’ll just get the thai salmon,” YN replies as she glances over, it was the cheapest option, not by much but still.

“There’s peanuts in the sauce,” The doctor tells her as he glances up from his own menu to look at YN.

YN brow furrows at him, lips turning down, and about to say something when he adds, “Victoria informed me that you have a severe peanut allergy and to choose a restaurant that could prepare your food properly.”

YN blinks to process before looking over to Victoria, “Thanks, Tor.”

“I’d rather not see freshman year thanksgiving happen again,” Victoria jokes but there is some real concern there from such a traumatic incident.

YN had accidentally come into contact with some type of nut that sent her into an anaphylactic shock.

They couldn’t find her epipen for a good two minutes until they did and were able to administer her medication until she could make it to the hospital.

Victoria had anxiety about food in their house for ages, paranoid about her own contact with the allergen, and always made sure everyone was aware of YN’s condition.

“I’ll get the filet then,” YN sighs, giving up on picking a cheap option as she closes her menu, and the waiter pours a red wine into her glass.

YN was not in the mood to drink, preferring to sip on her water instead as Victoria and Mitch emptied their first glass quickly.

Victoria’s date sipped more sophisticatedly on his, swirling it like a proper snob before taking a minuscule sip as if he was savoring it.

Mitch seemed very interested in YN, asking multiple questions about her work and personal life, he put an arm around the back of her chair which YN didn’t necessarily mind as they spoke.

From what YN could see, Victoria was not having as much luck with her date as their conversation appeared strained, her friend was doing ninety percent of the talking, and Harry was nodding with an expression of boredom.

After the soup and salads arrive, Mitch and Harry start to chat about something going on with the hospital protocols.

Victoria tries to add in, he doesn’t acknowledge her but Mitch does instead after an uncomfortable pause of silence between them.

YN stays quiet, unable to add anything, and after a moment, Mitch huffs out a laugh, “Enough work talk, we’re excluding YN.”

Harry raises his eyebrow at her, “Need to be the center of attention?”

“Hey,” Mitch frowns, rubbing at YN’s shoulder, “I didn’t mean for it to sound like that. I’m sorry if I just-“

“You’re fine,” YN waves her hand dismissively, giving her friend’s date a displeased glance that Harry returns the scowl just like he’d been doing all night.

Victoria is oblivious, as she tends to be, and is much too focused on keeping her date’s attention to worry about anything else.

“What do you do for work?” Harry asks her, randomly cutting off a story that Victoria was telling about a patient that eloped recently.

“I’m a head accountant for a social media marketing company. What about you?” YN returns the question with sickeningly sweet politeness.

She felt like Harry was a pompous prick, taking pride in his rankings, education, and had a better than attitude that YN really felt was unappealing.

To act like she didn’t know shit about him was the perfect way to irritate him apparently.

It works.

The way his teeth clench together as the wrinkle between his brow deepens further, he straightens his suit jacket before leaning forward to appear casual.

“I’m the Chief Medical Officer of The Hospital of Seattle, a neurosurgeon specializing in spinal cord injury as well as stroke and trauma, I own three outpatient medical practices, as well as instruct other neurosurgeons on new techniques and equipment,” Harry boasts, to be fair, it was extremely impressive.

There was no doubt that the man sitting across from her was extremely intelligent, she’s probably never been around anyone as smart as him but it didn’t excuse his attitude.

You can be intelligent and humble at the same time.

Apparently Doctor Styles did not get the memo.

“That’s nice,” YN replies as she takes a very small sip of wine, even though she was impressed, it didn’t reflect in her bored tone.

Harry scoffs, sitting back, and licking the front of his teeth.

His eyebrow was raised as he repeated in disbelief, “That’s nice? Nothing else, huh?”

Victoria’s eyes dart nervously between the two, she grips Harry’s bicep, “I think it’s the most impressive thing I’ve heard. Not to mention the medical journals you wrote for or the volunteer work.”

YN tucks her bottom lip between her teeth, tampering down a smile at getting a reaction out of her friend’s date, just as she had hoped.

“S’really not as impressive when the person needs to flaunt their accomplishments so extravagantly,” YN shrugs as she puts down her wine glass, nonchalant as ever, and acting as if she was being casual.

Tori delivers a kick to her shin underneath the table, along with a scolding look for her to drop the attitude with Harry because it was ruining their date.

YN pulls back because she did feel guilty at getting into it with this doctor who Tori was trying to pull and she wasn’t increasing the chances with the snide comments.

Harry is about to respond, his ringed fingers clenched on the table, and there were tattoos peeking out from the cuffs of his suit that were very undoctorlike, “You know what I think-?”

“Uhm,” Mitch coughs awkwardly to break up the tension that was getting thick and cloying between everyone at the table, “Victoria, where did you get your nursing degree from?”

The conversation breaks off, Victoria and Mitch start chatting as YN and Harry remain pretty much silent throughout the appetizers.

Victoria is forward, trying to touch her date when possible.

A brush of his hand here, a squeeze of his bulky bicep there.

Though Harry doesn’t shrug her off, he also doesn’t return the favor at all.

He is nearly statuesque, unmoving, and able to sit very still for long amounts of time.

Of course, maybe that is overly obvious because of how all over the place her friend was at all times, unable to sit still for more than a few minutes without needing to adjust the way she’s sitting or fiddle with something on the table.

YN wonders if this whole thing was set up for Mitch and Harry just settled for being on a date with Victoria to help his friend out.

The thought hurt her to think about because she wanted better for her friend.

YN enjoyed having a job that paid her well, more than most people her age were making but it didn’t define who she was.

Doctor Styles seemed to be his entire job as his personality.

How boring.

When Harry manages to get the topic back onto a work issue, YN cannot help but let out a yawn that she very half-heartedly tries to cover with her hand because she could only hear so much about a spinal surgery before she’s zoning out.

Victoria is hanging onto his every word, asking questions, and being overly interested in a lackluster story in his monotone, deep voice that could honestly lull her to sleep because of how bleak and morbid he sounded.

However, when she yawns, no one at the table notices but Harry.

His eyes have darted over to her a few times while he’s been talking, almost to gauge her level of interest, and when she yawns, he visibly huffs before continuing - his words a bit more harsh and a flutter of annoyance twisting into his cadence.

YN had neglected her date during this whole time, in full honesty.

Victoria and Mitch seemed to have a great conversation.

When YN talked to Mitch, he was nice enough and easy to have a conversation with but his boss across the table was distracting and apparently felt the need to constantly be the center of attention even though that’s what he called YN out for. 

It’s rude, YN knows it is when she excuses herself to the bathroom mid-story, placing her napkin on the table before swinging her purse over her shoulder, and navigating into the dimly-lit restaurant towards the back.

YN goes into one of the many stalls, a larger bathroom, and sits down.

She didn’t have to go to the bathroom but she had just needed a break because…

What the fuck.

What the actual fuck?

YN would be crawling out the bathroom window if Victoria wasn’t with her.

YN hears the door open and she just knows it’s Victoria.

She is definitely going to give YN a piece of her mind for her attitude at the table and she really can’t blame her because she was not being on her best behavior admittedly.

When YN pushes open the stall, already starting her speech, “Tor, I know you’re probably pissed but -”

However, YN stops mid-setence when she sees that it was not Victoria standing across from her.

No, instead it was Harry, leaning back against the sinks with his arms crossed and a scowl worse than anything that he had displayed at the table across his face.

“Already dating again?” He asks unhappily, the slight crack of his deep drawl gives away the jealously laying behind those words, “That’s pretty fuckin’ rich, innit?”

“Don’t you dare,” YN hisses back, defensive and straightening up, “You don’t have any room to talk.”

“I have plenty,” Harry grits out, his gaze unwavering, his hand twitching like he wants to reach out, “You fucked everything up, not me.”

The awful thing is that YN wants him too.

“That’s not true,” YN murmurs softer, trying to keep the feisty edge in her voice but struggling.

The emotions that she was attempting to hold in at the table were much harder to bottle up when they were standing face-to-face like this.

“You like Mitch?” Harry ignores her rebuttal, his knuckles were white where they were gripping the kitchen sink, “Think he’s nice? Boyfriend material?”

“It’s none of your fucking business,” YN snaps back, finding her bravado a bit more.

“Come here,” Harry orders, voice quiet but sharp, demanding, and it sends a chill down her spine.

“Harry-” YN begins to argue but finds herself walking forward, her heart pounding hard enough that it hurts and her hands were shaking as she clung the strap of her purse as a lifeline as her heels clicked against the tile.

“C’mon, dove,” His voice is sweeter, more goading until she’s close enough to touch.

Her lips parted in nerves, excitement, dread.

His hand reaches out to curl around the nape of her neck, fingers lightly pressing into the sides of her throat and though it was gentle, it was possessive - rooted in the jealousy of what was going on tonight with their dates.

Harry brings her towards him by the hold he has on her, until her hands are laid on his chest, and he’s leaning down as he tilts her head up.

He brushes their lips together, once, twice, and on the third time, YN pulls back and takes a few steps away from him.

“You can’t just do that,” YN huffs, grabbing a tissue from the counter and dabbing at the corners of her eyes to prevent the tears from falling and ruining her makeup, “I’m on a date. You’re on a date. It isn’t fair to either of them.”

Harry laughs unhappily, shaking his head as pushes away from the sink, heading towards the door but before he leaves, he bites back, “I don’t think you have room to be talking about fair. You obviously don’t fuckin’ understand the concept of it. Pull yourself together before you come back out.”

YN knows it immature, proves his point but gives him the middle finger before going back to dabbing at her eyes - fuck, she wishes she didn’t cry around him.

She wondered if it was worth sneaking out the window and facing the wrath of her friend later.

+

ahhhhhhh.

let me know your thoughts. this was difficult to write but im glad it turned out how i wanted it too! what do you predict?

😙😙😙

[princessbrunette]

bunny dragging Rafe around all the cute little stores on her shopping day. he’s just all unbothered but ofcourse he taps his black card for anything and everything she picks up off the shelf

⋆ ˚｡⋆ 🐰ྀི ୨୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

rafes always a couple of steps behind, tapping at the keyboard of his phone as he furiously berates someone via email. he doesn’t particularly need to look up, simply following the sound of your kitten heels tapping along the black tiles of victoria secret, and the occasional “ooooh, this is cute!”

you brought rafe along because you enjoyed spending time with him. even if you could tell all the girly shit really wasn’t his thing, he didn’t mind tagging along based on the fact you were tottering around the mall in a tiny skirt and he knew guys would be bothering you. it also was kind of a turn on for him to be the one always swiping his card for you, a power thing perhaps.

he nearly walks into the back of you when stop abruptly, spinning around wafting two tiny lacy scraps of fabric in his face.

“pink or white, rafey?” you whine, like the decision was life or death. he hums, zoned out as he hits send before pocketing his phone, blinking at you.

“…what?”

“pink or white?”

he scratches his cheek, carelessly gazing between the two. “both. s’not like you gotta choose — m’a fuckin’ walking piggy bank, clearly.”

you giggle, wrapping your manicured hand around his bicep — dragging him along. “someones grumpy.”

“got some god damn asshole blowing up my email. it’s like no one wants to do their jobs anymore.” your boyfriend complains, subconsciously reaching for his wallet once more once you reach the check out. standing on your tiptoes, you smush a glossy kiss against his cheek, pressing your body against him as the checkout girl rings up your items, placing them into the pale pink bag.

“i’m sorry daddy, atleast i know how to behave.” you flutter your eyelashes up at him, disregarding the awkward gaze of the check out girl. he smirks at your unabashed nicknaming, eyes not leaving yours as he taps his card on the reader.

“yeah, damn right you do.”

⋆ ˚｡⋆ 🐰ྀི ୨୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

[dilfl0v3rss]

choso x reader who skipped school (college) and hung out with her friends and was lying saying she was going to school everyday until her grades came in the mail and she got dealt with

YESSSSS BAEEEEE

you knew your boyfriend didn’t play that lazy shit. you were to be up every morning, dressed, ready and on time for your classes. it was a tight schedule and you felt like you were having no time to relax, so you just stopped. now of course choso wasn’t just going to let you stop going to class so you continued to make it seem like you were going just to keep him off your back. you’d wake up, get dressed at the same time you used too, and be out that door by 10:30 just like usual. the only difference is instead of you making your way to campus you would make your way to the mall or starbucks, or a fancy restaurant with your friends.

you didn’t mean for it to drag out for so long, but you were just so tired and drained when it came to all the lectures and papers so each time you thought about it the farther away you turned from it.

“gimme a kiss fore you go baby” choso mumbled, his chest bare to you as he sat up on the bed. his job blessed him with a day off today and as much as you wanted to just stay with him, you knew it’ll blow your cover. “f’course papa” your lips caressed each others briefly before you were walking out the door. you quickly skipped towards your car, giggling as you pulled out your phone to see where you and your girls were hanging out today. choso was going to go back to bed, but decided to stay awake and do some work around the house since he hasn’t been home like this in awhile.

a couple hours have went by and he noticed that you haven’t called him between classes like you usually did when he was off during the week. a flush of embarrassment running through him as he thought of his clinginess. “miss my girl” he mumbled as he pulled out his phone to send you a quick text. halfway through his message he heard the doorbell ring, his head instantly turning towards the front door as he rose from the couch in the living room. choso quietly looked through the front blinds, waiting for the mailman to be completely gone so he can come out and get the mail without having to throw on a t shirt.

as he sat back down on the couch, papers in hand, he read through each piece of mail he got. “bank, insurance, insurance again, victoria’s secret…..academic office? wha-” choso cut himself off as he slowly opened up the envelope, the sight of your grades along with the notice about your attendance made him almost rip the paper in half. you haven’t been to your classes in two weeks and your grades were a damn mess. “the hell?” he mumbled, thoughts of you leaving everyday clouding his mind as choso tried to think of what the fuck you possibly could’ve been doing these past two weeks.

he knew you weren’t cheating on him, the thought not even crossing his mind as he clicked on your location. he tried to refrain from doing this, not wanting to seem like a control freak, but since you wanted to act up he was going to have to be a little stern with you. as he looked at where you were choso could help but chuckle. “the damn mall, f’course” he mumbled as he looked at your little bubble moving towards what looked like the parking lot. he knew you weren’t going to come home right now because he was home, but since it just so happened to be the time you’d take to have lunch between classes he decided to give you a call.

as you looked at the picture of your boyfriend on your phone, a small smile graced your features. you had no idea what he knew. “hi babyyyy” you yelled, making choso smile on the other line. “hi mama, miss you” you giggled, throwing your bags in the car before sitting in your seat. “maybe i could come see you. just got outta class” you lied through your teeth. choso’s anger only grew as he listened to you lie to him like it was nothing, his jaw tightening as he kept a straight face while he talked. “i’d like that, been thinkin bout you all day” his deep voice made you smile, a tingle running up your spine as you quickly started your car. you told choso you’ll be home soon before the two of you hung up and you started your journey.

as you were on the way choso made sure to put all the mail away, only leaving the slip he got from your school in his hand as he waited for you on the couch. you rushed to the house, happy as you made every light and there was zero traffic since you didn’t even have to take the highway like you did when coming home from class, the mall was literally right there. as you walked towards the front door, you didn’t even have to knock since choso opened it for you. “hi papa!” you squealed before giving him a bunch off kisses on his cheeks. he wrapped his arms around your waist, giving you a tight hug. he inhaled your scent already knowing you were spraying yourself with different perfumes in the mall because of the mix of aromas coming from your shirt. “got here quick baby, usually would still be on the road right now”

your heart dropped at his words, a quick lie flying from your lips to get him off your tracks. “i just missed you so much i might’ve drove a little fast, don’t be mad at me” you looked up at him, chin on his hard chest as you gave him a pout. choso smiled down at you, his anger already shooting through his arms as he began to squeeze you a little tighter. “never” he said before letting you go. he watched you prance over to your room, not a care in the world running through your mind as you lied to your boyfriend for the second time today. “how was class? learn anything new” he mumbled, his body leaning in the doorway as he watched you plop yourself onto the bed. “boring as always learning the same old thing” you were on a role with these lies today.

choso finally couldn’t take it anymore, slowly walking up to you before leaning both of his hands next to your thighs. just from the look he gave you, you knew you were in trouble. “so when are you gonna stop lying?” his deep voice sent chills down your spine as you looked into his tired eyes. you were too scared to lie, opting for some waterworks instead which made him scoff. “i-it was getting t-to hardddd. i couldn’t keep uppp” you whined, earning yourself a quick hand around your throat as choso stood up to his full height. he slowly dug his hand in his pocket and pulled out the paper, showing you your horrendous grades as well as the attendance notice at the bottom. “so instead of asking me for help, you skip class for two weeks?” you looked up at his angry face with watery eyes, your throat already getting dry as you tried not to cry anymore.

you knew you were wrong and choso knew you were actually never planning to stop, so he was happy he caught you when he did. “turn the fuck over” he grumbled, his hand lightly pushing you back by your neck as he released you from his hold. you whined, slowly turning over in the bed and raising your ass high in the air the way he liked. choso ignored the praise he’d usually give you, getting straight to the point as he began to rub the flesh of your asscheeks through your tights. “you lied t’me three times. lied about being in class, about driving home from class, and about how this imaginary class was boring” you listened intently to what he was saying, taking notice of the way he was slowly pulling at the top of your tights.

“i’m feeling nice today so i’m not gonna count the amount of times you’ve been lying t’me for the last two weeks, but you still getting a punishment for it eventually, understand?” you internally whined, your face going into a frown as you looked straight ahead. “y-yes” choso gave you a quiet “good” before gripping the back of your tights with both hands and ripping the fabric down the middle. you gasped at his strength, letting a whine slip as you realized he just ripped up for favorite pair. his big hand landed a hard smack on your ass, making your body jolt forwards before he used his other hand to quickly grab your waist. “ima spank you three times ‘kay?”

you nodded your head while giving him a quiet “okay” before choso continued on. “that first one was for your whining so it doesn’t count. you don’t get to be upset when you get caught being bad y’hear me?” you slowly nod your head, your cheek squished in the sheets as you closed your eyes and braced yourself for the consequences of your actions. choso kept his eyes on your ass, knowing the sight of your teary face would weaken him. he slowly raised his hand, letting each day you woke up and lied to him play through his mind before landing a rough slap on your ass.

you immediately moaned from the contact, your pussy soaking your panties as you tried your best to hold still for him. “what was that for mama?” he asked, his rough palm rubbing around the area as he awaited your response. you had to take a deep breath before you spoke. “f-for lying about being in c-class” a smirk adorned his features at your obedience. choso didn’t expect you to be able to speak, but the need for forgiveness always seemed to get you to do unspeakable things. “good girl” he mumbled, his deep voice sending more wetness through your underwear as you felt his hand leave your ass again.

the second slap was a bit harder, making your entire body jerk forward as you quickly tucked your lip behind your teeth to keep you from screaming. “unt uhh baby i gotta hear you. how you gon talk t’me while biting your lip like that huh?” you slowly complied, freeing the glossy skin from the confines of your mouth as you felt his hand begin to rub up and down your back. choso slowly released himself from his sweatpants, rubbing his thick dick along the fabric of your wet panties as he spoke. “tell me what that one was for baby” he groaned, the feeling of your arousal sending shivers down his spine. “was f’lying ab….about driving home f-from class….please daddy m’so sorryyy” your moans were music to his ears. choso slowly moved your panties to the side, a low “mhmm” leaving his throat at he looked at your glistening folds connecting to your panties with strings of your arousal. “what’s this last one for mama?”

you opened your mouth to speak, but were cut off by the feeling of his rough palm colliding with your ass. the sound so loud it bounced of the walls as he sunk his dick deep inside your entrance. a loud moan escaping your mouth as you felt inch by thick inch of him being sheathed inside of you. “ooohhh fuckk i can’t” a rough slap was brought to your ass again at your words. anger ran through choso’s veins as he listened to you lie to him again. “stop it baby, yes you can” he started at a slow pace, letting you feel each and every part of him as he kept a tight grip on your hips. his dick dragging in and out of you, touching everywhere all at once as he let you moan and whine into the air. “why you makin me do this t’you, huh? why couldn’t you just ask me for help?” his deep voice caressed your ears as you felt his pace begin to quicken. you wanted your words to come out, but the faster he fucked you the harder it got for you to think. coherent words being replaced with mumbles and whines. choso chuckled at the state of you, his dick twitching he put his hands flat on your back to deepen your arch.

“papa pleaseeee” you whined, your walls tightened around him as you felt his dick begin to push into your stomach. you went to reach for his abs, lightly trying push some of his inches out, but you were met with a big hand around your wrist. whines flew from your lips, your tears continuously soaking the sheets as you tried to plead with the man behind you. “p-please i can’t ch….cho-” “s’not my name mama. if you finish that sentence ima make you go to your next class after this. with my cum leaking down your thighs” he roughly threw your hand back in front of you, continuing his brutal thrusts as he watched your pussy take each and every inch of him. “why couldn’t you jus ask for help? you know i’d never tell you no to somethin like that”

your eyes rolled to the back of your head, your mind all over the place as you confessed the reason for your actions to your boyfriend. “d-didn’t wanna bother you. y’work too much….work too hard and never rest….just wanted you t’rest papa” choso’s eyes softened at your words, his thrusts slowing at he pulled you up to him by your neck. his broad chest pressed against your back as he spoke deeply in your ear. “that’s not the way t’look out f’me mama. cause now i gotta do even more work to catch you back up” a low cry left your lips as you realized how right he was. cries if “m’sorry” and “please don’t be mad at me” flew from your lips like a prayer as you felt choso regain his quick and deep pace.

“s’okay tho baby, papa’s gonna be off work for a couple weeks since the building is under construction. ima get you right on track” at that you felt his thick fingers rub quickly on your clit. his thrusts deepening as he continuously hit your g spot. your body melted into his arms as you felt your release begin to approach you. “d-da m’gonna cum…can i?” everything in choso’s brain was screaming at him to tell you no, but the sorry, far away look in your big, brown, glossy eyes weakened him to the point where he felt his release approaching him as well. a low groan escaped from his lips as he quickly nodded his head. “yea mama give it t’me. don’t worry about a thing jus let papa handle it okay?”

without a reply the both of you chased after your orgasms. your hips moving back onto choso’s dick, clenching around him tightly as he continued to rub quick circles around your clit. “c-cum in me p-please” you whimpered, tears running down your face as you and choso connected your lips together. he sloppily kissed you, moaning a “mhmmm” as he let both of your salivas mix together. before long neither of you could focus on the kiss as your releases crashed through you. your lips parting into each other as you felt your juices squirt all over the bed as well as choso’s cum shooting deep into you. “fuckk baby” he moaned, his head falling back as he clenched his eyes shut. “m’sorry pa” you breathed, your hand slowly moving back to caress the back of his sweaty neck.

“i know mama, jus don’t do it again”

bonus!!

you practically sprinted into the house, your slides flying off your feet as you went straight to your room to your boyfriend. choso was just getting out of the shower, towel wrapped tightly around his wet, muscular body as he used another towel to dry his hair. “baby baby baby baby babyyyyy” a smirk grew on his face at your excitement, his tongue swiping over his pink lips as he gave you a deep “hmm” you skipped towards him, your hands behind your back as you looked up at your beautiful boyfriend.

“lemme see mama” he said, a chuckle erupting from his chest as he watched how quickly you pulled your phone from behind your back. choso inspected your screen, scrolling through the different grades you’ve been getting in each of your classes. “an A in anatomy, A in psych, A in sociology, ooouuu a C in stats? wassup wit that i thought we was doing well?” choso gave you a confused look, waiting for you to let him know what was going on. you sighed, eyes reverting to the ground. choso opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the sight of your latest exam from your stats class. the big 95% being exposed to him in red ink.

a smile grew on your face as you spoke. “he said he was a little behind on grades so once this is in i should have a B!” a smile spread to choso’s face now, his big hands grabbing at your waist before giving you a light kiss on the lips. “m’proud of you, good job” a hint of mischief twinkled in your eyes as you gave your boyfriend and expecting look. “sooooo….can we?” a chuckle flew from his chest as he gave you a sexy smirk, his pearly white teeth peaking from his lips as he looked you up and down. “on your back mama, spread your legs real wide f’me” his deep voice rang in your ears, making you move almost instantly towards the bed.

you quickly removed your pants and panties before laying on your back in just your pretty pink crop top. choso made his way to his dresser, pulling out the black vibrator he promised to use on you if you got all your grades up. he slowly walked towards you on the edge of the bed, his towel wrapped securely around his waist as he leaned his body over yours, his hands right next to both sides of your head as he leaned down to plant wet kisses on your neck. “been working hard, huh mama? been doin all your work like daddy said?”

you quickly nod your head yes, your eyes already rolling just from the sound of his deep voice. “yes sir” choso slowly kissed down your body, moving to his knees until he was face to face with your glistening pussy. “what’s this for baby?” he asked, the sound of the vibrator powering on making your walls clench in anticipation. “f-for being a good girl” choso lowered his mouth to your clit, letting his wide tongue run up and down your folds before moving two of his fingers towards your entrance. he lowered the vibrator down until it was only mere centimeters away from your clit.

“that’s right ma. s’for being a good girl”

[sweetvirgin]

untitled! — takuma ino + black oc. wc 1.2k

feel free to black!reader insert. ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆ friends to lovers implied, sfw. they are 21+, takuma too slept on idc. more fics coming for him 🎀

quartz was obsessed with depop. she basically lived on it. in fact, she could do away with most media apps all together. the only ones she needed was depop, pinterest, tumblr, and spotify. occasionally she dipped into tiktok for a little laugh and every now and then, she saved an unofficial track to her otherwise abandoned soundcloud. but depop? that was her baby. she absentmindedly scratched the chin of her purring cat — selenite — as she scrolled through the money trap.

there was an unrivaled rush of euphoria she got when she came across a good find. the pleasure she got when she saw five people had the item saved in their bags but she was the lucky son of a bitch to snag such a desired piece. she felt sinister and devious, giggling to herself. it was quite sadistic of her, but she couldn’t help it. in the world of depop, finding good, authentic fashion artifacts was a real-life skill. especially when so much of the app is crawling with fast fashion listings. shein and romwe have polluted so many reseller sites and thrift stores. but when you knew where to look, you could find hidden gems. just like this dress. perfect for her aesthetic, but her jaw dropped when she saw the price. a bank-breaking four hundred dollars! whew.

it had no likes and nobody saved it in their bags. but its price meant that she couldn’t ensure that the item would be hers by the time she had the money set aside, whenever that would be. with a little frown, she sent a link to her best friend, takuma.

( quartz<3 — look how cute this dress issss. too bad its $400 )

after sending the text, she quickly went back to depop and browsed more affordable alternatives. little victoria’s secret slips that somewhat mirrored the initial thing she wanted. she begrudgingly added them to her collections, knowing it wouldn’t be the same but at the very least she could spare her bank. she was making about $900 a week in tips at her serving job. every last penny went to rent, groceries, or selenite. she simply couldn’t justify a $400 purchase. not with her $1,400 rent. not including utilities. and that was a steal in chicago! she was shocked nobody died in this apartment for her rent to be so low compared to the city average.

she was pulled from thoughts of the political and economic state of the world when a message from her best friend popped up at the top of her screen. she didn’t hesitate to click the notification — she didn’t give a fuck about texting quick with him. she loveddd talking to takuma. his joy, his energy, his input. all valued by her. he thought he was dumb, thus, he undervalued his contributions to a conversation. but sometimes, texting or hanging with him would be the highlight of her day.

( takuma!!:) — that would be so cute on u. but ur right. that is a lottt of money )

on the other end of the phone, takuma analyzed the dress. it was surely a dramatically romantic one, but that was quartz. a romantic. his best friend would wear the most jaw-dropping statement pieces simply to run and grab some groceries. she had a love for life, so every day was an occasion. to simply be alive filled one’s life with romance. and not romantic like date nights and dream weddings. but more like being enthralled by the mundane — leaves changing colors, sunsets, and whatnot.

he envisioned the dress on her: complementing her deep copper skin, her waist-length knotless (with curls) braids being pinned up with one of her ornate hair clips. he imagined her trying the dress on for him and spinning around so he could get a full 360, then excitedly asking him what he thought of it. and as always, his friend was unabashedly beautiful. but funnily enough, for someone so romantic and obsessed with beautiful things, she really didn’t think she was one of them. that’s not to say she hated herself, but she felt so removed from that self perception that she didn’t really consider herself beautiful or ugly. she simply existed. quartz described that as “freeing,” and he would have to agree. but sometimes, he wished they could trade eyes. so she understood the way she looked at changing leaves and glamorous sunsets is how he viewed her… hm. he pondered. then his eyes widened at a realization.

lightbulb moment! maybe he couldn’t trade eyes with her, but he could buy her this wonderful dress so that she could — at least for a split moment — acknowledge the beauty she was! he had a lot in savings, and he didn’t really find himself wanting anything enough to use it. in fact, he sometimes forgot about it. but this seemed like a worthy cause. if it’d bring joy to quartz, then it’d bring joy to him. and $400 wouldn’t be too much of a dent in it. wouldn’t take more than two weeks to reimburse it.

his phone buzzed with an incoming notification and he clicked it. the phone’s screen transformed from the depop page to their shared imessage chat. eyes scanning over the screen, he read the text.

( quartz<3 - ikr.. my broke ass can NOT afford that so lemme gone head put my phone down )

acting unassuming, takuma just reacted with a “haha” and the two of them texted some more. eventually, the conversation diverted from her depop woes and she asked if she could swing by so they could watch a movie together. he, of course, obliged. but not before quickly rushing to depop to put an item in his bag and check it out before anyone else could. the entire time, the beanie-headed man beamed. it’ll take about ten to fourteen business days, but her face when she opens that depop package up will have been worth it!

a couple hours later, when quartz was already nestled in his couch in the middle of the movie, she quickly checked the depop listing. just to see how her future dress was faring. but much to her dismay, the “buy” button was replaced with “sold”, and she — pouting — kissed her teeth in disbelief.

“what’s wrong, quartz?” takuma questioned.

“somebody already bought it!” she complained, twisting her phone around to show him the depop listing. “who can just drop $400 on a dress!”

feigning shock, takuma replied with an exasperated, “no fucking way! i’ll beat their ass!”

flopping back into his plush couch, bundled up in his heavy blankets, her face fell in disappointment. she sighed through her glossy lips. “please do.”

takuma stretched a comforting arm around her neck in a gentle embrace and pulled her closer into him in a chaste side-hug. “aww, don’t even worry about it. you never know. you might find something wayyy better later on.” she hummed in response and continued watching the movie, pout unwavering.

he consoled her, but smiled coyly to himself. little did she know… :3

i need more takuma. i need more takuma. i need more takuma. and i will write another takuma fic tomorrow because i love takuma.

[darkmaga-retard]

The deeper you dive into Ryan Routh’s past, the more suspicious it gets.

The Vigilant Fox

Sep 20, 2024

On Thursday evening, Jesse Watters raised some serious questions about the would-be assassin in the latest attempt on Trump’s life. The deeper you dive into Ryan Routh’s past, the more suspicious it gets. And when you piece it all together, none of it makes sense.

Take a moment to consider Routh’s circumstances:

How was Ryan Routh, “a man with no money for child support,” able to suddenly start living in a pricey house in Hawaii and afford flights to Taiwan, Turkey, Poland, and Ukraine?

Why has Routh “never served a day in jail” when he has “100 different counts” to his name?

Why was Routh's fiancée, who just lost her job at Victoria’s Secret, okay with him flying to Ukraine for months at a time?

How was he able to feed himself in Ukraine when he only had “$68 in [his] bank account.”

“And everywhere he goes, he gets press from the local papers to the New York Times to Newsweek.”

The whole thing stinks, and it suggests that someone other than his “fiancée” was supporting him.

[pinkorchidsinspring]

I just would like to bring up this heavenly cover, (if you haven’t watched her cover of this you need to) because I have many things to say after reading comments, and just watching it.

(This cover aired October, 2014)

I love that she’s so “straight” that not only did she not change the pronouns, but her and the interviewer said the song was from a woman’s perspective.

Let’s simply go through the lyrics shall we? Here’s a little key for my organized babes reading my complicated explanation 😘

Orange: Karlie

Pink: Taylor

Blue: 1989

Green: evermore

I was scared of pretty girls and starting conversations

Taylor was scared of pretty girls, does that sound like any supermodel we know?

This guy decides to quit his job and heads to New York City

Taylor quit her life back home in Pennsylvania & Nashville and headed to New York City, and lived near who? Cornelia street anyone?

This living situation obviously resulted in quite the album called “1989”.

This video came out on October 9th, 2014, it was obviously promo for 1989 which came out October 27th, 2014.

We obviously know and realize that part of 1989 is about Diana Aragon and Taylor’s relationship with her.

We also realize that by the time both this interview and 1989 came out Taylor had publicly known Karlie for 11 months.

However this Victoria’s Secret fashion show⬇️ was actually taped in November of 2013, so they had officially known each other almost a full year privately.

So the way she didn’t change any pronouns and was so happy singing it because of this lack of change, implys her happiness with whatever relationship they had going on. Whether that be platonic or romantic.

This cowboy's running from himself

Taylor is running from herself and the pain she caused herself with her last relationships. And of course Incidentally references her not yet planned 9th studio album.

And the song called “cowboy like me”

You're a cowboy like me, Perched in the dark

Telling all the rich folks anything they wanna hear

Eyes full of stars

Hustling for the good life (fame +riches)

Never thought I'd meet you here (at a VS fashion show? 😏)

It could be love

Wonder who that songs about… anyway-

And she's been living on the highest shelf

Karlie is a supermodel, she makes bank, and gets the highest tier treatment.

Closest thing to Michelle Pfeiffer that you've ever seen

(Michelle pfeiffer left, karlie kloss right) If you skip to 2:20 in the video, Taylor cannot keep a straight face simply out of anticipation to sing this lyric. She’s grinning up to her eyes. 💗

A little bit self explanatory why this cover wasn’t done just for promo isn’t it?

Taylor communicates with us. People just don’t listen.

Link to my other song analysis’

[revscarecrow]

Agreed or Disagreed - There is no realistic reason to not assume that corporations would not have the thirteenth amendment abolished if they thought they could get away with it.

Agreed partially because they are already benifiting from the thriteenth amendment. The thirteenth amendment reads as follows (bold added for emphasis)

"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

The justice system is incredibly racist, often convicting on shakey grounds and priorizes non violent offenses like drug possession both of which are helpful to companies because they make good slaves. Using slavery they can make bank while cutting labor costs out almost completely (still gotta pay the people that work at Walmart a minimum wage).

Multiple companies already use slavery to make products in America. McDonalds for processing meat patties. Victoria's Secret uses prisoners to sew together products. Starbucks gets their cups made in prison with slave labor. Sprint uses slaves for call centers etc.

So I agree that while they could have more slaves (which they obviously want) they are pretty happy to use the ones that the government already provides. They would pay you less than minimum wage if they could but they don't want to use slaves for customer facing jobs (except sprint I guess).

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

Here's the archived link.

It's an interesting article about the back-and-forth this week over Charles's birthday. Did the Sussexes really call? Did Charles really talk to them?

The backstory: Victoria Ward broke the story that the Sussexes called Charles for his birthday. She says that Harry called and they spoke, and Meghan hopped on the line for a bit to speak, and they separately sent Charles a video of Archie and Lili singing 'happy birthday.'

Some takeaways:

"The fact that the Palace does not deny there was a call means we can safely assume that there was indeed a conversation" -> Not exactly true:

The Palace never comments even if there was a call. Personal calls to the BRF falls under the palace's "we don't speak about their personal lives" mantra.

Charles denying that there was a call would be terrible PR. It's a better strategy to keep quiet and let him rack up some "good Pa" PR points.

Meghan's PR from 2016/2017 claimed she had all sorts of meetings and phone calls with the royals that the Palace never addressed. The Palace's silence complicitness was very much "let's not and say we did," which this whole mess reeks of.

Usually the more specific and detailed something is, the more likely it's a lie. If Harry's press release had been "I called Pa for his birthday" it would be much more believable. But "I called Pa for his birthday and we spoke and then Meghan talked to him and then we had our kids make a video for someone they've never met to sing 'happy birthday' and we sent it to him" is suspect.

"The King always finds it exasperating when the media focuses on what he would see as trivia rather than the important work that he does, and there is a multiplier effect when the distraction involves Harry - doubly so in a week when the King is bracing for the release of the final series of The Crown on Netflix this week, poring over the death of Princess Diana." -> Harry's gotta get that Netflix connection.

"The King and Queen worry that if stories about phone calls and private conversations make it into the public domain they will be accused of leaking to the press, even if it's obvious it didn't come from them." -> The palace isn't Victoria Ward's source, even though it looks like it.

"...[Meghan's] attempt to launch a lifestyle and wellness brand. Planned as a rival to Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop empire, the launch had been heavily trailed for this autumn, but has now been put back to the other side of Christmas, at the earliest. The reason for the delay is unclear, but she has been given a rough ride by the US media of late and may want to wait until her approval ratings recover - something that a healed relationship with the Royal family would surely help." -> Meghan is Victoria Ward's source and:

She has no money (or backers) for the lifestyle and wellness brand.

She's banking on boosting her SEO with The Crown, Scobie's book, and Christmas-at-Sandringham-Reunion PR to make her the money she needs to launch the new brand.

She is expecting the public to take her side when Scobie's book is published.

"Toning down criticism of the King and Queen in any briefings the Sussex camp have given to Scobie is in itself a kind of olive branch" -> Scobie's book is a hit job against William and Catherine.

Interesting how the Sussexes are now openly and publicly admitting to their collaboration with Scobie for Endgame...especially after going to such lengths to obscure their involvement in Finding Freedom.

[allwormdiet]

Arc 3: Agitation, Concluding Thoughts

Everything happens so much

Again, WILD to me that we're already past the bank robbery with this one arc, that was so much faster than I was anticipating

I wonder how much of the breakneck pace is down to the serialized updates; the pace might have been fucked up if there were several weeks of nothing but hangouts in-between Taylor joining the Undersiders and the bank job, but as an archive reader it feels. Like there's still plenty of meat on the bone, but it's lean meat. Not much fat for flavor.

Not to say the flavor has been bad so far, really the opposite. I continue to really like the Undersiders, even when Taylor doesn't. I'm so ready for Rachel to get her chance to shine, awful un-smile and all. I'd like Alec and Taylor to get along better but I don't know if that's gonna happen, there might just be a water-and-oil thing going on. Brian is interesting for how boring and serious he's trying to be, can't wait to learn more about that. And Lisa... I think Lisa is my favorite so far. She's so smug, it's great.

Taylor continues to evolve before our very eyes, going from someone who quails at the thought of actually joining a gang of thieves to someone who takes down multiple heroes in one fight and rides off into the sunset with sheer joy and a shitload of money. She's so good at this and so naturally terrifying, it's incredible to see her work. I could read about her being a criminal forever.

The Sisters Dallon continue to make their presence known, and I suspect the rest of New Wave will show up at some point. For all that I have complicated feelings about Amy's future, for now she's still mostly just an object of pity. Can't imagine the smack to the head is making her feel any better, or how close Tattletale got to revealing that particular skeleton in the closet. Victoria is more clear-cut, thankfully; she's well-meaning but still pretty careless with her strength and aura, and the hardball she plays with villains is a lot less fun when it's targeting someone who isn't a Nazi. Ideally she starts being more careful sooner rather than later.

I remain disappointed with Armsmaster, this arc could've gone a lot more differently if he'd been even slightly less of an egotist. I continue to hope he's plagued by this for years to come.

Man what even comes next. How soon is Coil rolling up? Does Bakuda start her shit next arc or is that not for a bit? All my expectations for the pacing on this story have been utterly thrown at this point, it's weird but I'm not complaining.

[chatonarya]

Enciodes: I don't care what it personally costs me, I'm going to make Kjerag a great country and improve everyone's lives, because I believe in everything Kjerag could be. I love it so much, I can't stand by and let it be destroyed.

This dude (his official EN VA): tHe yoUnG lAd wALked a PatH of rEvEnGE!

Revenge is the literal furthest thing from Enciodes's mind. Yes, it was a form of roundabout revenge to frame the other clans the way he did in BI, but his motivation has always been improving Kjerag and it's to that which he has always been dedicated.

Tell me he had revenge on his mind while his hands were shaking trying to broker a deal with Viscount Walden... while he emptied his bank account for Degen... while he said Ratatos could have the same amount of power she had before after BI... while bringing heaters and fertilizer to the land... while giving Kjerag's and Victoria's Infected good well-paying jobs and medicine... while working so hard to build Karlan Trade...

Tell me you haven't read BI without telling me you haven't read BI. Tell me you don't understand his character without telling me you don't understand his character.

Enciodes is one of my favorite characters and it pains me to see this, from an official source to boot.

[murdleandmarot]

Hi hello to you! For the ask game(s), 2, 6, 10 and 14? And 🖐️🐌🎭 (for bluebelle, I'm not aware if you have other ocs :0)

YAYYAYAYAYAYAY MORE BLUEBELLE ASKS!!!!!!!

Hi hello!!!! Thank you so much!!! Ooo these ones are making me think……

2. She is 1000% down to do whatever shenanigans of the week the rest of the gang is up to. When I think of this, I’m mostly picturing her with other OCs, but in general, if it’s her friends, and she’s comfortable enough, though she’s not as loud with her ideas, she will 100% help you rob a bank.

6. It definitely depends on the situation. She doesn’t encounter many situations that go against her moral code, but if she did, it wouldn’t take much more than a threat against her or the people that she loves. Bluebelle will stick to her morals, but she is not willing to risk injury or harm to her friends, or to herself, though the latter of the two depends on the situation, and how bad morally the action is.

10. Bluebelle’s backstory is already pretty much a fairytale au, but that’s still a go to, but outside of that is a detective sitcom with the rest of the gang. And this is not because I’m watching Psych for the first time what do you mean.

By Detective sitcom I mean anything from Murders She Wrote to Scooby Doo. Just her and her friends investigating spooky situations. It’s so so fun.

Bluebelle would be the quiet type best for gathering intel undercover, as a security guard or something, mostly where her job would be snooping around. She would NOT be good at talking to suspects or witnesses. She could just if push came to shove, but it’s just not her forte.

14. Bluebelle just really, really wants to be loved and trusted. Victoria is her person, so she really, really cares what she thinks. Misto and Plato definitely less so, but only by a slim margin. Bluebelle cares so so much for her people, and wants them to do the same for her

I’ll do the silly emojis under the cut bc whew this got long :DD

I already did the handshake one :)))

🐌: this snail is now her new best friend. She will not go anywhere without this snail. Bluebelle has been trusted with this snail’s life and she will NOT fail.

🎭: Probably Mary from JCS(Jesus Christ superstar).

Woah…another alw musical…..is it too late to say I’m sensing a pattern….

I think she’d really relate to I Don’t Know How To Love Him, and probably have a pretty easy time dipping into those complicated and upsetting feelings you have to be in to sing that song, (I am calling myself out 100%).

[inposterumcumgaudio]

Thoughts about class structure in Wellington Wells?

Ooh! A challenge!

So the English love class distinctions and hierarchies and shit. They can hear each other's accents, make tons of socio-economic assumptions based on them, and decide exactly how much respect is owed.

Like most structures in Wellington Wells though, class structure is a crumbling facade built on a shifting foundation. It doesn't bode well for anyone looking for stability in their station, but it does also offer a lot of upward mobility for the more industrious in what would have been the lower classes.

Because we live in a capitalist world, we tend to think of class structure as being built on wealth and everything else follows from that. Money, however, has diminished value in Wellington Wells. If the butcher has no bacon to sell, it doesn't matter how many sovereigns you can offer him for it.

So instead it becomes those things that would follow from one's money that determines one's place in the pyramid.

Location

At face value, class does seem to be divvied up by location. If you're able to get into The Parade, you must be in the upper crust. Only the richest, most important people can get a Letter of Transit and all the fanciest businesses are in there. William Godwin certainly argues that the emerald city is hoarding all the food like fat cats while the people in The Village are eating charcoal.

But I think the requirement of the Letter of Transit is more about social utility than class, although these things can go hand in hand.

If you look at the businesses that inhabit the Parade, you'll find most of Wellington Wells' bureaucratic and civil service offices, several social organizations, as well as the bank, a law firm, and Turing Electric Security's corporate HQ. Basically all stuff that benefits from and relies on social stability. If you live or work in the Parade and thus have a standing Letter of Transit, it's not because you are wealthy necessarily. Arthur certainly wasn't rich if he was renting from Mrs. Hudson.

No, if you're allowed to come and go as you please (letter in hand, of course) it's because you've been determined to not be a threat to the status quo. It's like that Upton Sinclair quote. "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it." The people in the Parade are especially motivated not to see any problems and to insist that everything is fine, even though they are much more likely to be exposed to the realities here. They are trusted to do this. Indeed, the Department of Archives, Printing, and Recycling and the Sanitation and Book Disposal offices require employees possessed of great strength for cognitive dissonance in order to protect the rest of the village who might not.

Being this sort of person certainly does help one along the path to upward mobility. Most of the best paying jobs are located in the Parade so getting in is the first step. But it's only one of many variables in the class status equation.

Home Ownership

Like most things in Wellington Wells, housing is in short supply. As more buildings fall into disrepair, more and more people are forced to shack up in the ones that remain which is why most homes in the Village are populated by seemingly unrelated people and many further are even sharing beds. This is only exacerbated by people being forced to abandon their family homes in the Garden District (and only gently eased by others having to return there after becoming Downers).

But there are those who own homes all to themselves. Sally Boyle notably has her own home (but is demonstrably broke when we play as her), Nick Lightbearer has a house to himself, Gemma Olsen and Dr. Faraday do as well, Dr. Verloc is said to have inherited his from his uncle. Victoria Byng has an actual fucking mansion to herself. Both Lawrence brothers owned homes and indeed the Colonel's daughters are quite antsy to inherit.

Inheriting is the only realistic way to obtain real estate in Wellington Wells anymore, as sales are likely few and far between unless you're speculatively investing in neighborhoods that are undergoing gentrification "beautification". As for everyone else, they're all waiting for Mrs. Chaney's house to hit the market and be sold for an obscene ransom, likely to be turned into another rental for six or more Wellies to share. Or if those six Wellies pool their funds and manage to beat out the other offers, they could form a co-op. Gotta be optimistic!

To that end, there are two notable examples of this and I think they are very different responses to housing scarcity with similar outcomes: Thomasina House and The Hippocratic Club.

Thomasina House is inhabited by Criers. Though not expressly stated in the game, many Criers are married to men serving in the Victory Memorial Camp and have been since the war. (Soliders have lines mentioning their wives and there was a cut quest where you could spy on a soldier's wife in the Village for him.) Soldiers do collect a reliable paycheck, so presumably most Criers are being supported that way. Otherwise (or in addition) some have jobs themselves (Mrs. Pankhurst's sewing shop, Madame Wanda's Reform Club). While I don't think any Criers are what we'd call rich, I don't think many of them are poor either. None of the Criers in Thomasina House speak of any work, so we can assume they're comfortably retired.

So it begs the question why a group of them would choose to live together if they could afford to live alone.

While living communally like this is cost effective, I would bet that for many of them, it's just the community and security of living with other women of their same age. When walking around Thomasina House, one does not hear of any arguments or difficulties living with one another. Additionally, once (if) one's children have moved out of the house, a home large enough to house them is now too much work to maintain. Maybe even you let the kids have the house to give them a leg up. Moving to the home for ladies of a certain age is basically the Wellington Wells version of boomers selling their McMansions, downsizing to a smaller and less expensive home, and living off the profit.

Contrast this to the Hippo Club, where Doctors live.

I think the Hippo Club is the opposite situation happening: men who would have expected to be able to secure homes for themselves with the money their education should have brought them cannot. It's not that they aren't well compensated; I'm sure Doctors still make a fine living. It's just that there are no homes for them to buy. The Doctors who live at the Hippo Club got in the game too late.

Imagine putting all that effort into your studies, expecting to make your mom proud, and yet here you are, in your 40's beyond, living with roommates who won't do their share of the chores and are constantly fucking with you.

It's no wonder Sam is fed up and Dr. Hughes won't even let anyone else on his floor.

The Hippo Club is essentially a frat house. I would suspect the house is actually owned by Wellington Health Institute so its inhabitants feel no pride in or ownership over it. They are notably immature. They pull pranks on each other, vandalize the premises, they've no discipline for keeping the place tidy, and they have interpersonal quarrels. That they do not get along suggests that some of them at least only live there because they have to.

And it makes sense that there's a sense of arrested development there. If society does not fulfill its end of the bargain and give them the means to advance in their lives, then they will happily - defiantly - stay at their current one!

There is one sure way to know where someone is on the class scale though: do they have a maid?

Victoria has a live-in maid. We never meet her, but she's enough of a fixture that the Constables expect her to make them a sandwich every day.

Nick also had a maid, although his probably cleaned other people's homes as well, if she can afford to quit.

Although there are outliers that should not be counted:

Keeping Up with the Burne-Joneses

This one is tricky because as in real life, one can affect the look of wealth without actually being wealthy. Especially in a world where there isn't a lot you can buy to be conspicuous about it. Compliment machines, custom happy face masks, designer drugs. Coffee beans without quotation marks and butter to make a cake for an office party perhaps.

I'd say if you've got a unique outfit in the game, you're probably achieving this one. Victoria, Sally, and Nick all have outfits that where made only for them.

I think the most conspicuous consumption in the game has to be Sally's pregnancy dress.

This dovetails with another opinion I have, that Davey Hackney designed Wellington Wells' mod fashion not just around the idea of optimistic modernity, but also to use less fabric because - again - limited supply of material. The mod look requires even less than war time rationed 40's styles; it was merely the trick of convincing the people of the new aesthetic (in real life, the mod style was a backlash to the 50's New Look and its yards upon yards of fabric but because England lost the war here, there's never a New Look to rebel against).

That a girl can now buy a bright new dress in a simple cut made of no more than three yards of fabric keeps the economy moving and the morale high. Davey Hackney is doing his patriotic duty. There's a reason his atelier is in the Parade.

But Sally's pregnancy dress flies in the face of that. So much so that I don't think this was trendy at all. It might even have never been available for anyone else to buy.

I like to think Sally pitched this to Davey in this way: yes, you're going to make a really weird - "outrageous" and kinda ugly if we're being honest - dress and no one in their right mind will want to buy it. But that's okay because it will cost so much that they wouldn't be able to afford it even if they were mad enough to want it. And Davey went for it because while he does love to make money, I'm sure, he also loves exclusivity. What is even the point of being rich and fabulous if the prole hovel is filled with lookalikes wearing Mrs. Pankhurst's admittedly good knock-offs? But this? Mrs. Pankhurst cannot afford to make this. And frankly, she wouldn't understand it at all. This? This is a statement!

But Sally is just the model here. Yes, she's got this one-of-a-kind dress made of an offensive amount of fabric in this context, but she probably didn't pay for it either. It's another favor. Sally is actually just the expression of Davey's conspicuous consumption!

Money, Power, Women

In America, first you get the money, then you get the power, then you get the women. At least in 80's Miami. In 60's Wellington Wells? Ehhhhh.

General Byng probably has some generational wealth going for him that he and Victoria are benefiting from. Seems unlikely Victoria could have secured a house that big unless her father bought it years ago. They clearly have money and they appear to have power.

But do they actually?

As we come to learn in Victoria's DLC, she's not really that powerful at all. She organizes social events and makes very important decisions and about very important things. She's in charge of a relatively important document management department, but that's still just middle management. You'd almost get the impression that she's been afforded a lot of latitude as General Byng's daughter and now everyone is just giving her "big" jobs to let her feel important.

General Byng, on the other hand, would seem to have actual power. The constabulary is under his thumb and even Dr. Verloc's Doctors are cautious about overstepping his bounds... except he readily admits that his powers are limited by the Executive Committee, who has cast him out to the Victory Memorial Camp.

But as we find out in Ollie's act, the Executive Committee aren't exactly a force to be reckoned with either. (And as far as class goes, we have no way to know but they look like Just Some Guys).

Not a lot of places where the organizational chart is a fucking circle. And I would say only half of these people come from means. Johnny Bolton was probably compensated fairly for his service (gotta head off the M in MICE, after all), but apparently he needed a side hustle if he was running a bookstore too. Chief Constable Peters probably isn't diving into his Scrooge McDuck vault of sovereigns after a long day of patrolling the bridge. Nor is Penelope Snug, even if she's actually in charge of all infrastructure and not just motilene.

Haves and Have-Nots

There is only one real solid class distinction in Wellington Wells: Wellies and Wastrels.

Even here though, there's nuance. It's not so easy to say that the worst Wellie life is better than the best Wastrel life.

For one thing, I think there are some Wastrels who chose the life, rather than being forced into it. Ollie obviously did this, but I also think Eric Liddell chose the Garden District intentionally since running is forbidden in the Village. I also think Nigel Lawson's a good candidate for this narrative, someone who could return to the Village but chooses not to.

By contrast, the suicide party in Victoria's DLC had histoplasma mushrooms. Wherever would Wellies have gotten those unless they'd tried their luck in the Garden District before deciding to end it all?

The thing about Wastrels though is that usually in a class structure, you need people on the bottom in order to have someone for the upper classes to exploit and build their wealth on the backs of. Wastrels are not being exploited though; they've been abandoned, exiled. Downers serve no purpose in Village society and so they've been cast out entirely.

If there was a way to make money off Downers, aside from selling them Sunshine, I'm sure some enterprising individual would have thought of it.

Maybe it's just that money has a finite upper limit on how much happiness it can buy you when happiness is also a choice you're free to make on any street corner and there's little else for sale.

[paulagnewart]

Sonic the Oz-Hog Act 4/12: Knux Readux!

Knuckles the Echidna Volume 2 issue 1 AU Publication Date: 14th April 1997 Price: $2.70

Spinoffs. No self-respecting media can live with them. No self-aggrandising media can live without them. And for those of us who lived through the space year that was 1997, corporations were chomping at the bit for a slice of those sweet spinoff dollarydoos.

Best place to start and witness such influence would be, arguably, the cinema. After Baz Luhrmann's blockbuster remake Romeo + Juliet spent weeks atop the box office, the majority of March was a bitter struggle between Wes Craven's thriller Scream and Cameron Crowe's football drama Jerry Maguire. A fascinating if ultimately pointless grudge match between two distinct genres. For all their efforts, neither claimed victory when by month's end, a film 20 years their senior blasted both off the map. The Star Wars Special Editions had arrived.

The promotion (and merchandise deals) was huge. A New Hope proved an instant hit, swiftly followed on 10th April by The Empire Strikes Back. Everything old was new again, and the re-hits just kept coming. Audiences pounded the pavements, eager to revisit Jurassic Park when its sequel The Lost World saw release on 29th May (only a week after its US premiere, a then-impressive feat). Superhero buffs ignored the winter freeze to watch Batman and Robin on 26th June, a film often lauded yet pulled respectable numbers and local reviews at the time.

Speaking of space, following a successful campaign through latter 1996, the Oddbodz were back. Smith's Chips and Glow Zone launched their second series of 61 collectable glow-in-the-dark cards featuring a myriad of wacky, wicked and occasionally controversial space-themed characters. If gross-out humour wasn't your speed, ripping into packs of Thins, Ruffles, Cheetos or Doritos chips instead offered adventures in a galaxy far far away with official Star Wars 3D Magic Motion and Techno Tazos.

After the toyline's initial launch in January, Beast Wars had successfully put Transformers back on the map, though kids would have to wait at least three more months to see their favourite characters in animated action. To Channel 7's credit, they at least gave the program a decent timeslot. More than can be said for Channel 9's decision that April to broadcast the all-new Star Trek: Voyager season 2 and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4 at the ghastly time of 11pm weeknights.

In spite of the former losing 30 minutes off its timeslot, the rivalry between weekday morning children's entertainment continued between Agro's Cartoon Connection and Cheez TV. Both were banking on the spinoff craze, and viewers waking up 14th April could choose between the premiere of Power Rangers Zeo episode 'Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise', or the premiere of Earthworm Jim episode 'Darwin's Nightmare'. For the musically inclined, American rockers No Doubt had enjoyed 8 weeks atop the music charts with the third single on their third album, 'Don't Speak'. At least until April saw them bumped off by Aussie pop prodigy Savage Garden and their third single 'Truly Madly Deeply'.

But of all the spinoffs to arise and bedazzle locals, after three years of development and an exclusive preview party the night prior, SEGA World Sydney opened its doors at 4pm on Saturday 22nd March 1997. Touted in print and on TV as "Australia's Largest Indoor Theme Park!", it offered hours of unrivalled entertainment and programs for Sydneysiders and visitors alike. Anyone who could afford its hefty entry fee lost themselves in all the games and rides they could handle (except Mortal Kombat, which was pulled last-minute). An escape into pixilated fantasy guaranteed to forget their real-world troubles for several hours. Mundane adult things like Victoria and Western Australia's brief yet brutal summer bushfire seasons where 3 lives and some 59 homes were lost. Or how after one year into the top job, captain conservative John Howard faced international anger over comments at the United Nations General Assembly, and local anger over casual dismissing threats by extreme right-wing rival Pauline Hanson's One Nation party.

Be it stage shows, costumed cameos and all types of merchandise featuring their antics, fans of Sonic, Tails, Sally and Robotnik were in paradise. Unfortunately the same couldn't be said for a fifth member of the cast. For someone who enjoyed strong popularity and a species originating right there, SEGA World put the bare minimum effort into giving Knuckles the Echidna his own time to shine. A remarkable oversight undoubtedly leaving young fans wondering where that embattled echidna was hiding. As luck would soon have it, they needn't look far.

Nestled comfortably among the shelves between Sonic issues 45 and 46 came Knuckles: The Dark Legion. Sales had proven strong enough (or at least stronger than Tails and Sally's comics) to warrant the development of a second miniseries. Exciting in its own right, only amplified when exclusively announced through AOL in January 1997 it would evolve to a fully-fledged ongoing spinoff. No longer was trotting off to the newsagents exclusively a Friday end-of-month treat. Knuckles' arrival meant a mandatory Monday mid-month booster for us deprived of Mobian adventures.

Over the course of its 32 issue run, Knuckles the Echidna was, much like Endgame two months later, once praised as a pinnacle of Archie Sonic. Fans adored the series, giving ol' Rad Red his own unique mythos and adventures. While Sonic naffed around aimlessly in a post-Robotnik world, we saw Knuckles as the cool, 'mature' comic. He had stakes. He had drama. Quite a turnaround after the heavy criticism its writer took in late 1996 over Sally's leaked demise. Within months he was described as "a kewl writer!", or "one of the ONLY "good" and "balanced" writers Archie has", or how they're "so much better then sonic comics now its not funny." with "all the good villains and family members." Fans swarmed en mass to his WWWBoard, creating their own stories, characters and entire websites tied to the Brotherhood and Dark Legion. Not everyone agreed on the book's mission statement "Why does everybody liek it so much? All it is really is a bunch of Penders' characters running around with slight appearacnes by Chaotix and occasionally knuckles himself.", but it made a lot of other people happy. Enough for both The Dark Legion and Lost Paradise reissued as 'back catalogue' orders to selected comic book stores in late 2004.

And just like Endgame, those nostalgic memories have since dissipated when adults reflected on his tales with matured, scrutinous eyes. We grow. We learn. We reevaluate on what was once adored as adolescents, realising perhaps those good times weren't all that good. Maybe the series and characters were fine in concept but lacked competent execution. Maybe our childish expectations meant they were never good to begin with and the critics were right all along.

The youthful, creative glory days from the late-90's to mid-2000's of Knuckles of an Echidna, Kragok Comics, Echidna Gals, Dark Legion HQ, Echidnapolis, Knux Redux, Tisha-Li's Dark Legion Camp, Kensuke Aida's Julie-Su Shrine, Echidnoyle, Shattered Moonlight, Knuckles 9000, Kiri Megami's Chaotix Hideout, Darkest Mysteries, and of course True Red's mighty Knuckles Haven have long passed.

It's from learning said past our futures are forged, but do any of these characters have a future? Do they even deserve a future?

Or maybe it's just best they're all forever banished to the Twilight Zone of cultural irrelevance.

Next Time: For years I said it wouldn't be done. Yet promises, like the hearts and cheekbones of fictitious rodents, were made to be broken. Will May's hedgie rectrospect-y truly be worthy of such hate? Or have revisionists painted a far worse picture over the past two decades?

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[wodscallop]

Oy, I can't decide if I want to finish Ward or not... On the one hand, I really want to experience the story and see where things go (also, Tattletale. Long may she reign). On the other hand, it feels like the buildup is taking A While without much of an overarching plot besides "Victoria needs an job" (in fairness, I'm only on 3.6, but by this point in Worm Taylor was about to rob a bank).

It's *interesting* and I'm curious about the changes to the status quo (especially with the changes to triggers), but I think fundamentally I just don't find Victoria or the new setting to be as compelling as Taylor and Brockton Bay (plus, the pacing and genre are completely different and I'm having to readjust to both).

I'm not gonna say that Ward is bad (or that Ward is good), but getting through it is taking more energy than I have right now.

(part of my issue may also be that so far very few characters from Worm are returning, so I'm having to shove a whole lot more new stuff in my brain)