#in exchange for leveling everyone up to 70

[fingertipsmp3]

Need someone to make a “you wouldn’t last an hour in the asylum where they raised me” meme but with old school runescape

[beelmons]

Mandatory team-building exercise

Pairing: BAU x Fem!BAU!Reader (becomes Hotch-centered) Genre: Smut (18+, minors are not encouraged to interact or read this story) CW: unprotected sex (i do not encourage), slight exhibitionism (not really, but ppl know stuff), jealous!hotch (a lil only), hoeing around, reader is bisexual Word count: 6,795 (very sorry about this) Summary: After a night of drinking, your boss proposes a bonding exercise so the team can get even closer: Everyone must make out with you, and you have to choose who kisses best. A/N: I got too carried away with this, no idea if i did any good, but here you go. Tag list (tagging everyone who reblogged and voted hotch): @ssamorganhotchner @montyfandomlove @hotchners-sweetheart @hey-dw @cassiemartzz <;3

Best part of going to O’keefe’s was wrapping the night up at Rossi’s, slightly tipsy, laughing about everything, and generally enjoying the genuine personalities of your friends, no masks or guards up, which was something hard to do at work. David’s house was a place where you could bare your soul and still feel safe. 

“...and I swear, everyone just thought it was the most normal thing.” JJ said while swinging her glass of wine around, and the people around her let out a light laugh. 

“I bet Rossi could agree with that, couldn’t you?” Morgan directed the question to Dave “After all, it’s your fault that we don’t get to fraternize with other agents, ain’t that right?” his comment made everyone laugh once again. 

“No, no, never within the same department. I was in the bureau during the 70’s and 80’s, you didn’t get that many women out here, let alone in the BAU. By the end of my career, we only had two female agents in this unit and I had already been married thrice. So, do the math, if I had wanted to sleep with someone from the same unit, it would have had to be…” he made a pause for dramatic build-up “well, Gideon.” 

The entire team let out a disgusted yet amused grunt at the mere idea of seeing two of their former bosses interacting in such fashion. You watched Spencer’s face be particularly crumpled, he was possibly picturing it in vivid detail by accident, consequences of having such a bright mind, so you decided to grab the hand that was holding his long island tea and push it gently towards his lips. You giggled at how he automatically obeyed and swallowed down a rather big gulp of his beverage. 

“I’m just glad these are problems we don’t have to face in the BAU, you know, fraternization between agents.” Hotch said, taking a sip off his glass. 

The silence that took over the group was deafening. Accusatory looks were being exchanged between everyone, and they could notice how certain glances lasted longer than appropriate. Hotch didn’t usually stay long enough to see how the nights ended, when everyone was too hammered to call their own cabs, or too impaired to question themselves whether the person they were kissing was or was not part of the team. 

“Well, I think this is a conversation you kids should have without your parent present.” David, who was way faster at reading the situation compared to the unit chief, got up from his chair, leaving his glass by the table. Aaron sighed in what seemed like disappointment, and immediately followed Dave's actions. “No, no.” the older man quickly put a hand on his shoulder indicating him to sit down “I think it’s better if you stay; do some bonding. I’ll be in my room, sleeping, don’t be afraid to be noisy, the place is soundproof, just make sure to leave the alarm active once you leave.”

Incredulity washed over the unit chief as he watched his fellow team leader walk away from the situation. The eyes had turned to him instead, silently questioning about the decision he was going to take. It was a bit awkward to discuss your personal affairs with your boss present, sure, but it’s not like you didn’t have a relationship with him. Hotch, reserved and all, knew each member to a level of intimacy that few others could be able to reach, and had protected them in ways no other superior would approve of.  

“Whatever I hear today will come through the ears of your friend, not your superior, but there’s no discussing this back at the office, understood?” the boss clarified as he went back to his seat, his hand reaching for the scotch he had left on the table. There was a second of doubtful silence, people were unsure how safe it was to share such private, and risky, information. Hotch started to catch up, feeling slightly unwelcome and bothersome, so he let out another sigh.  

“Elle was Reid’s first time.” you spurted out of the blue, trying to ease the anxiety that was probably growing within your superior. 

“Hey!” your partner yelled out, being sat next to you on one of the couches, clearly offended that he was the scapegoat to the situation. 

“Greenaway?!” Morgan asked from across the living room. 

“Do you know any more Elles, Morgan?” you said, your eyes rolling. 

“How did you even land that, kid?” the dark-skinned man continued to ask. 

“I’m not really a fan of discussing my sex life out in the open, which is why this was told in confidence to my close and dear friend” the young doctor shot you a quick glare with a hint of anger on it. 

“Oh, so now it’s a sex life?” JJ teased. 

“Totally.” you said, taking a sip of your own drink before continuing “Because he told me this two minutes before he shoved his tongue in my mouth, and his fingers down my pants.” 

“No way!” Prentiss let out while everyone else laughed in surprise, Hotch’s eyebrows simply slightly raised at the confession. 

Reid was sinking on his seat, his ears reddened from the looks that he was receiving. You made sure to squeeze his thigh lightly and shoot him a smile, which deflated the uneasiness that he was feeling. You didn’t mean any harm, and there was no wrong in letting the secret out in front of your most cherished friends, they would have found out one way or another. 

“Morgan and I made out once.” Garcia interrupted the teasing in order to protect her favorite boy wonder from any further teasing, and Derek drew a smug smile on his face at her affirmation. 

“Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me.” Hotch contributed with an absolutely unphased expression, or so until another idea ran through his mind, his brows furrowing in concern “Hold on, was this on company time?” both suspects froze in their place and exchanged questioning, guilty looks. Regardless of the answer, their expressions had been enough to give them away “you know what? it’s better if I don’t know.” 

“That office is certainly cozy, don’t you think?” JJ said once again, her eyes traveling between you and Penelope. 

“Impossible.” Derek’s eyes spread wide open, his jaw basically dropping “Please don’t tell me the three made out in Garcia’s office and didn’t invite us to watch” he let out in a pleading, hurt tone. 

“Four.” Emily barged in. 

The men in the room seemed to melt at the revelation, the expression being quite literal for Morgan who slid down the chair in defeat, landing on his knees as if he had been shot in the cruelests of fashions. Spencer could only furrow his brows and let his mouth fall open, already trying to picture the situation. 

“Was it like, taking turns on each other? or the four of you putting your lips together in one single kiss?” the blond asked in order to assess the spatial situation better. 

“I’d say it was kind of a free-for-all sort of situation.” Prentiss answered him. 

“At some point, I’d close my eyes and whomever’s lips came to mine, I was fine with it.” JJ commented, earning a flirty giggle from the rest of the girls around her. 

“You women are killing me.” Morgan said once again, but a sudden epiphany seemed to come through his brain, and he turned in your direction with a pointed finger “Wait a second. That means you have been through everyone’s lips?!” he said in surprise. 

“You’ve made out with her too?!” Garcia said in an offended tone. 

“Christmas last year, got a little carried away with that mistletoe kiss.” he admitted “But nothing further than that.” 

Everyone’s eyes turned to you, the crowd had a mixture of accusation and admiration on their faces, depending on who you looked at, and their staring was making you a little uncomfortable, if you were being honest. 

“Have you all looked at yourselves? This is a ridiculously hot group of people. Being bisexual is very hard with a team like this.” you argued in your defense and decided to down whatever liquid was still inside your glass. Their faces seemed to light up with a hint of shyness. Everyone thought so, of course, but compliments on your physical appearances were not something you exchanged frequently. It was nice to hear once in a while. 

“Did you ever end up sleeping with someone?” Hotch’s question took everyone by surprise, yet they were intrigued enough to allow him to ask uninterrupted. 

Your eyebrows raised with slight offense “Come on, Hotch, I’m not a slut. The closest I have come to was Reid, and even so we stopped because I didn’t want to jeopardize our jobs.” you complained. 

“Sorry, that was not my intention-” he began, until Reid’s question cut him off. 

“Who’s the best?” he asked. 

“Spencer!” JJ yelled accusingly. 

“No, no, let the kid ask.” Morgan put a hand in front of JJ’s chest, trying to keep her opinions from coming out. Yet again, you were put as the center of attention, but you decided to shrug off the question. 

“It’s not like I keep track of each time!” you let out, pushing your friend by the shoulder playfully at his suggestion “Most of them were really far apart from each other, and it only happened once with each one of you.” you clarified, your eyes traveling to Aaron, as if you were trying to justify yourself to him. 

“So, what I hear is: if they were to happen one after the other, then we could find out?” Emily questioned in your direction. 

“There’s a pretty spacious coat closet by the entrance.” Reid pointed out. 

“Oh, we could make it into a competition, and whoever wins gets to sleep with her!” Garcia blurted with a little too much excitement. 

“Wha-” you tried to complain in confusion “Stop your horses, I don’t even get a say in this?!” 

“No.” Hotch stated. The way his eyes were stern, yet completely determined, caused a sensation in you that could only be described as lust. He was always commanding, but there was something about him instructing you to do the dirtiest things to your coworkers that had gotten you excited “This is now a mandatory team-bonding exercise.” his words came out almost like an order.  

There was yet another exchange of looks, this time excited ones, between the team members, and they decided to look at you for approval. “Okay, but sleeping with me is one hell of a prize, and I don’t seem to be getting anything out of this. So, how do I win, and what do I win?” 

“Seems fair that you have a reward as well if you achieve your desired result. How about, if no one is able to convince you to sleep with them, you get one of their vacation days each.” Hotch proposed. “Garcia and JJ, since the two of you are committed you don’t have to actively participate, but you will place a bet on the member you think she’ll most likely succumb to, if you win, you get the loser’s vacation day.”  

Your mouth crooked with pleasure, an expression that your partners mimicked. You were feeling exposed, in the good way, in the kinky way. You still took a second to consider, you knew there was no going back if you agreed to this, but yet again, these were the people you had trusted your entire life to, your job, your safety, your dignity. They would never do anything to undermine you, and their respect for you wouldn’t waver for something like this. 

“We have to set some rules, though.” Spencer weighed in “Only mouths and hands allowed in the erogenous zones.” 

“You worried that if we allow something else you’ll lose?” Morgan teased.

“Mhm, sure, we know what you’re trying to compensate for with those biceps, Morgan. I’m not afraid of you.” his friend teased back. There was a short moment of playful conflict between the two, when Derek pretended to jump menacingly towards Reid, yet he was stopped by Penelope’s hand on his chest. 

“Okay. I’m game.” you agreed along with a nod of your head “Who wants to give it a try first?” you asked, taking a look at the entire group. 

Bunch of eager hands raised at the cue. Morgan’s and Prentiss’s almost touching the ceiling as they competed to see who could raise it higher. JJ and Penelope, who were unfortunately not single at the moment, could only laugh at their little quarrel. Your finger moved rhythmically, pretending to select at random while humming a classic ‘choosing’ song. Ultimately, your digit landed on Prentiss and you wiggled it to indicate her to follow you; she stood up to reach for your hand, allowing you to lead her towards the closet by the entrance. 

She locked the door behind her and turned around with her hands extended towards you, trying to find your body in the pitch-dark small room; your eyesights finally adjusted to the lack of light and you could barely make out her shape. 

“You sure you’re good with this?” she double-checked once her limbs landed on your waist. 

“Em, I love the commitment to consent, but stop talking.” you ordered. 

Within seconds, your own arms wrapped around her neck urging her to come closer; she obliged, happily, and her own head bent forward to meet your lips. You could taste the faint flavor of her balm, which you identified as piña colada. 

Her lips moved slowly, yet sensually, the hands that were gripping your hips pulled them closer, and you could heart the rustling of your clothes rubbing together. After a couple of seconds, her tongue began to prod your bottom lip, ever so chivalrous asking for permission. You chuckled amusedly at the gesture, and she took advantage of the opening to slip in. 

Emily liked to take her time, not really taking control, more like exploring a place that always felt familiar and was revisiting just then. On your side, your fingers curled into the slightly messy hair, and your body rolled on its own to be feeling more of her against you. 

You could feel her hand dragging upwards over your clothes, she traced the side of your body and caused your shirt to come up a little bit, the cool air felt interesting against your now hot skin, and so a sound slipped past your lips. It was Emily’s turn to laugh, pulling away so she could make out your eyes. 

“Better than last time?” she asked, her face not leaving yours. 

“Mhm.” you could simply hum, still breathless from the session. 

“Do you have enough material to work with, judge?” she teased, her nose grazing yours in a playful manner. 

“You will be hard to top, Em.” you admitted to her as your body pulled away. 

“Not the first time I’ve been told that.” she joked “I’ll send in the next contestant, who do you want me to get?” 

“You know what? Just send in whoever you’d like, surprise me.” 

She smiled before sneaking out of the narrow room. You were left alone with a bunch of coats and purses, your idea building anticipation within yourself. Spencer or Morgan, who would come through that door? You were dying to know. Although, if you were being honest, there was only one other person you wanted in there with you. However, you weren’t sure if the team-bonding exercise applied to him as well, he was the sole pair of lips you were dying to taste, and still the only ones you hadn’t. 

Your train of thought was interrupted by the opening of the door; you jumped slightly in your place, and the man that was entering the room could notice. 

“Whoa, sweetheart, you that excited to see me?” Morgan chuckled at your startled reaction, and he swiftly closed the door behind you. 

“You’re a pleasant surprise, yes.” you said trying to ease your nervousness. Morgan made you particularly uneasy, not for anything bad, you were just sure that man had some sort of a psychic ability, he would always guess what you were thinking without even opening your mouth. 

“You were expecting someone different, weren’t you?” he stood before you, towering over your body. 

He took a couple of steps forward and you retracted until your back eventually hit the wall, he continued to pace forward until the gap between your bodies almost disappeared; being caged in by him, your hands traveled to your front, and they landed on his chest, almost as if you were trying to put some space in between you. 

He caught up to your actions, observant as he was, and so he raised his own hands to cup your cheeks. Your eyes had adjusted to the darkness once again, and you could see the natural glim of his as he looked into you. 

“We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to, alright? We can just pretend like we did until Hotch gets his turn.” he reassured, and your mouth dropped open. 

“Why would you-” you started to try and justify yourself, but he cut you off with a laugh. 

“I’ve got an eye for tragic lovers.” 

You sighed a little bit; Morgan had to be a mind reader, there was no other way. As if he was doing just that, his arms fell back to his sides and he stepped back to give you more space. Your hands desperately clung to the front of his t-shirt, not allowing him to escape any further from your grip. 

“Hold on.” you told him “There’s no need to pretend, he already thinks we’re going to do it, so what’s the harm?” 

The room was a bit too dark for you to make out his specific facial expression, but you were sure his eyebrows were raised in a startled surprise. 

“Damn, you’re good at convincing.” without further delay, his hands darted back to the position on your face, and he used them to pull you forward. 

You felt his lips on yours immediately, he was less gentle than Emily, but nonetheless chivalrous. You had to grant him access to your mouth, and he quickly obeyed your desires. His fingers moved back to the nape of your head, keeping you in place against his mouth as his tongue danced fervently around yours. 

Your hands had moved back to his chest, using them to stabilize yourself since his strength and mild roughness was making you lose your balance. You couldn’t help the slight squeeze that you gave his pecs, being that they felt firm under your fingers. Derek took your initiative with the touch as an invitation to do so as well. One of his arms fell down, and sensually slipped to your lower back, he was cautious, lowering inch by inch in search of any sign of complaint or rejection, but you didn’t provide  any, and his palm gently began to caress the area of your ass. 

Your hips rolled unconsciously against his, his breath hitched inside his throat as you did so to the point where he had to pull apart to catch it back. He didn’t want to leave you unattended, therefore his head tilted to the side to take a gentle nibble at your jaw before he moved down to your neck. The hand on your neck joined the other on your rear, adding much needed pressure to his front; you let out a pleased sound, and it was his sign to retract. 

He stole a quick, last peck from your lips before he pulled back. “I think I’ve done a good job.” he said with a cheeky tone.  

“Certainly, contestant” you went along with the joke and he answered with a laugh “Please send in the next test subject” he nodded at your instructions and calmly walked out. 

Thanks to Morgan’s comment, you realized that Aaron was probably game as well, and the mere thought of him appearing behind that door at any given second was making you nervous enough to begin pacing around the small room. You yet again reacted when the entrance was open again, and you must have made a movement or expression that indicated disappointment, because Reid pursed his lips at the sight of you. 

“Not who you were expecting?” he asked before he closed the door behind him, and you could notice the tint of sadness in his voice. 

“Come on, don’t be like that.” you reached out towards him in an attempt to find his hands, and when you finally did you pulled him closer to you “You know it’s always a delight to make out with you.” you tried to reassure him. 

“It’s mutual, you know?” he said, his hands still in yours. 

“I figured, I am an excellent kisser” you teased. 

“That’s not what I meant.” his voice seemed more stern than usual “You and Hotch.” 

You were thankful for the darkness that didn’t allow the blush of your face to be seen; after a couple of seconds, you cleared your throat, trying to avoid sounding too hopeful. 

“You don’t have to force yourself to kiss me” he added “Plus, I don’t know how comfortable I would be doing so while you think of another man.” 

Your eyebrows raised at his candor. Vulnerable Spencer could always sway you, mostly because you knew none of his words ever held an ill intention. He was honest to a fault, and you always felt compelled to soothe his anxieties. 

“Then be good enough to make me forget.” you almost let out as a whisper. 

You knew it would have to be up to you to take control with him, so you cupped his face and quickly dragged him down to your level to press a kiss to his lips and shut up whatever other excuse he was going to emit. Spencer was much more familiar with your lips compared to others, barely any foreplay before his tongue was already massaging yours sensually. His fingers gripped your hips in a similar fashion he had done before (that one time you were telling the rest of the team about). 

He pushed you backwards a bit, having you pressed against an already too familiar wall, and you could feel his knee slipping past your thighs, right in between them. His lips continued to work around yours, gently nonetheless, but you could feel the grip on your hips getting tighter, and you realized he was trying to move them, bringing friction to your front. 

A light moan slipped past your lips straight into his mouth, so his body moved forward to press against you a little tighter. “Isn’t that cheating?” you took the opportunity to say. 

“It’s not.” he answered before taking another kiss away from you “My mouth is where it’s supposed to be.” 

You giggled at his logic; Spencer was just that good when it came to loopholes. You were too focused on the pleasure that was taking over you as your clothed crotch continued to rub against his leg to actually care. Your hips started to take a rhythm on their own, and your kiss turned into a session of adjoining lips panting in unison. His fingers kept digging further into the skin that he had managed to expose due to the movement. 

At some point, your head dropped back to allow yourself to get lost in the moment, and you felt his lips attack its base with open-mouthed, yet non-invasive, kisses. Your legs began to shake and Spencer pressed against you to keep you up, your light orgasm running within every vein of your body. 

He let out a light chuckle as he pulled away from you, making sure you could keep your balance. “Bet Morgan didn’t do that” he said proudly. 

You hit him in the arm and pushed him towards the door with a smile, watching him smugly prance his way out. You laughed to yourself to disguise the anxiety that began to overwhelm you. You made sure to fix your clothes in a somewhat presentable manner, and you unconsciously pressed yourself back against the wall, as if you were too scared to meet him face first. 

Your heart felt like jumping straight up out of your chest when the knob finally twisted the damned piece of fine wood open. For the brief moment the hall light illuminated the insides, your eyes met, you could see the startle in his eyes once he noticed the way you stood there seemingly frozen by his appearance. He couldn’t bear the sight, his hands immediately darting to your face without having even shut the entrance. In a blink, his entire presence was right by yours, and his nose rubbed desperately against your own, almost as if it had taken all of his strength to stop himself from kissing you right away. 

“Can I?” he asked in a mutter. 

“Yes.” you barely let him finish his question when you answered. 

Your firm and resolute agreement was nothing but a turn on to him, and his lips pressed passionately against yours without a second thought. You struggled to catch your breath as he devoured every inch of your now plump skin. His hands were nowhere near quiet, either, they presumed permission to explore as well and traveled south to where your lower-back, and any work you had done to tidy your shirt was long gone, being that he was heavily bothered by the fact that you were clothed.

The tip of his fingers were carefully memorizing the areas where your skin curved, every so often gripping selfishly with the intention of leaving at least a faint mark. You wondered how he could keep going without taking a break, and as if he could read your mind he pulled away.

“That’s plenty to be able to judge your performance.” you joked, suddenly aware that this had all begun because of a silly game you had tipsily come up with. 

“I’m sorry.” he said, his hands fixing themselves on your face instead, keeping it still to have you at the same level as him. 

“What for?” your eyebrows furrowed questioningly, even if in the darkness he couldn’t quite see your expression. 

“It’s not enough for me.” his lips smashed onto yours once again with a similar force “Please tell me this urge isn’t one-sided.” he tried to reassure himself. 

“It’s not.” you hurried to clarify, and your hands tugged at his shirt to serve as guarantee. 

Aaron reached for the hem of your top and swiftly pulled it over your head, giving your aching lips a second of rest. Once your breasts were partially freed, you noticed him bend over, and one of his hands moved the remaining fabric away to expose your nipple; the way his mouth so hungrily latched to it made you shiver with pleasure, your right limb moving to his hair, and the left one covering your mouth to stop the loud moan from coming out. He didn’t take long to bring your other nub attention as well, and caged, throaty whines began to fill the room. 

You could feel his erection pressing against your hip; he would roll them from time to time just as a reminder of the effect you had on him. You couldn’t process all that, though, if you were being honest, his every move, kiss, and suck driving you further away from sanity. As if his mouth wasn’t already doing wonders around your chest, you bolted up when you realized one of Hotch’s hands had found its way inside your pants, toying with the elastic band of your underwear. 

“Aaron.” you removed the cover from your face to let out an aroused moan of his name. 

He finally let go of your upper body, his back straightening to be close to your face once again “Tell me,” he almost whispered “when he was doing this to you, were you thinking of me?” 

When you didn’t jerk away from his touch, he moved past the last restrictive garment, and one of his digits trailed up your entire slit, an experimental feeling to gather your reaction. To his pleasure, you melted into his touch, and the lack of light didn’t allow you to see the wide smile it generated on him. He took advantage of your approval to slip his finger inside your cunt. 

“Cat got your tongue?” he teased as the aforementioned began to painstakingly slowly twirl within you “Tell me, is there anyone else that can make you this agitated? So wet, so desperate to be touched?” 

“N-No” you tried to answer in one go, however, the way the tip of his finger caressed your walls in search of reactions was not allowing you to think straight. 

“I’ll ask you again.” he said, his tone ever commanding “While he was touching you like this, did you secretly wish it was me?” he kept pressing his initial line of questioning, that you were too gone to remember it was about your little anecdote with Reid. 

His wrist twisted in a way that allowed him to penetrate deeper, owning a moan that you tried to subtly suppress. 

“Yes!” you cried out in the lowest tone you were able to, still oddly aware that the rest of your coworkers were outside. 

“Let him know.” he basically growled against your ear, you lacked contact in your lower body for a second, only to let out a loud, uncontained whimper once he added a second finger to the formula. You grabbed for dear life onto his biceps, trying to keep your balance as he continued to thrust his fingers inside and out, your head also laid against the crook of his neck, unable to keep yourself facing him as he spilled dirty nothings in your ear. 

“Aaron, please.” you begged as your hips tried to get him even further within you “I need more.” 

The arm that was helping you keep still moved so his fingers could tangle in your hair, his grip allowed him to tilt your head back with a gentle tug, not quite enough to hurt you, but firm enough to force it a little. 

“I’ll fuck you so good you’ll forget every word but my name.” his mouth pressed against yours once again to give you a reaffirming, rough kiss.

He removed his hand from your downside, and it energetically began to search around for the top he had removed earlier. Unable to find it, between other pieces of clothing and the darkness of the room, Aaron decided to remove his own shirt and hurried to throw it over your shoulders. 

Your face reddened at his intentions, he was trying to cover you so the rest of the members wouldn’t see you literally half naked. Once he was comfortable with how many buttons he had hooked, he grabbed your hand to guide you outside the narrow closet. 

Unfortunately for the both of you, and his subordinates, the only path towards the guest rooms, that Dave had prepared earlier, was to follow the hallway that crossed the living room area on the side. You braced yourself mentally, your hand covering your face as you began to feel the confused sights of your coworkers during your little parade. 

“Last one out set the alarm.” you could hear Hotch command, but you didn’t dare to look back at your friends, or him for that matter. 

The rest of the group simply stared at how their shirtless superior was dragging a girl, their very best friend, who was wearing his shirt over what was obviously a barely clothed chest, to the rooms their other boss had prepared for a very specific purpose. They exchanged puzzled looks in complete silence until Emily spoke up. 

“Anyone know the alarm code?” she asked. 

Back to you and Aaron, he had chosen the closest door he could find open. As soon as you stepped in, he grabbed your hips once again to press them against his, his erection made itself known against them, and you couldn’t help but to curiously wander one hand down. Your foreheads met and so did your eyes as you palmed his front; he let out an airy quiet moan. 

Not able to take his frustration any longer, he twirled in his place along with you, making you stumble and fall on your back on to the bed. He landed right on top, his palms against the mattress cushioning the fall so he wouldn’t lay his entire weight on you. 

There was no exchange of words, only a quick glance at your covered bottom that you understood as a command. Your back arched upwards and he could steal a glance of your perked nipples rubbing against his lent shirt. Shortly, you began to wiggle underneath him to remove the pants that you were pushing down along with your underwear. Once you were exposed, garments missing somewhere around the area, Aaron sat on his knees to unbuckle his belt. 

The second his member became exposed, you let out a pleased gasp, which prompted him to smile in a rather shy way. Your legs subtly spread apart, revealing more of your intimate parts, and he understood that as an invitation to enter. His tip trailed slowly up and down your entrance, but before you could complain, he began to push in. He was as desperate as you were, and the way you let out a soft whine at his size. 

Once he had pushed all the way in, he reached for your hands, intertwining your fingers together and pushing them all the way over your head. He could get a clear view of your face and breasts, and once he made sure you had adjusted to him, his hips began to move. Another moan escaped your lips, so he leaned down to meet his mouth with yours, planting a passionate, deep kiss to it. 

You could feel yourself being filled by him, soft noises coming out of your mouth into his at the gentleness of his thrusts. Said gesture, however, wouldn’t seem to last long, and you noticed in the way the grip of your hands felt tighter with each one. 

“No one else can touch you like this.” he pulled away from the kiss to focus on the side of your neck, you felt his lips attach to the skin and roughly suck on it. Aaron pulled away to admire the redness that spread on the spot, proud of the mark that he knew it was going to leave. 

“No one else.” you reassured, your back arching a little at the pulsating pain on your neck. 

“Good girl.” he praised, his hips snapping with a particularly rough thrust that caused a low ‘fuck’ out of you. 

“Don’t hold back your voice.” 

He repeated his movement, and this time you squirmed trying to free your hands, a loud, throat-deep whimper resonating around the otherwise empty room. He smirked at the volume of the sound, yet his hips continued to pound in you, the initial slow movements gone from his rhythm. 

“Aaron…” you whispered in between moans “I want to cum.” you tried to beg. 

“Not yet, sweetheart.” his eyes glimmered with certain darkness

His hips changed angles even when his current speed wouldn’t give in, the way he was pushing now allowed your clit to rub slightly against his lower torso with every thrust, probably so he wouldn’t have to use his hands and set yours free. 

“I need to know I’m the only one who can fuck you like this.” he growled “I need you to say you’re mine.” 

“I’m-” you were about to start talking when he snapped his hips roughly, and you could feel him slide all the way in, his balls making a loud clapping sound when they hit the skin on your ass. The sound you made was loud, almost like a scream, and you were sure whoever was still outside certainly heard it. 

“What 's that? Couldn’t hear you.” his mouth had curled into a smug smirk. 

“I’m yours, Aaron. I’m all yours.” you cried out, your wrists once again twisting in an attempt to free themselves. 

He muttered another praise and let go of your hands, which could only fall flat to your sides and grip onto the sheets of the bed; he leaned back to be sitting on his knees once again, not allowing his member to slip out of you, and grabbed at your hips to slide them onto his lap. He held them in position as he continued to thrust, but one of his thumbs snuck to the upper part of your cunt, rapidly teasing the sensitive nerve bundle. 

You kept slightly gritting your teeth, your walls clenching around his shaft without mercy, and even if it was not obvious on his face, you could tell by the way his member throbbed inside of you that he was about to reach his limit as well. 

“Cum.” he suddenly commanded, and you didn’t need anything more. 

You allowed yourself to be engulfed by your climax, your body twisting itself and your hands pulling at the fabric beneath them, your legs also curled, basically pushing your partner in your direction, not even giving him the option to pull back. 

On his part, his head was thrown back, and you could see the way his adam’s apple bobbed with the loud groans he let out, his fingers gripping tighter on your skin, however this time the mark that his hold would leave was a complete accident. 

He didn’t pull out once he had spilled himself completely into you, instead, his body dropped forward, his arms slipping under your body to hold you close to him, head on your chest, eyes closed, just trying to take in the fact that he had just made love to you. 

“Aaron?” you said with a curious tone, your arms wrapping around his back and allowing one of your hands to tangle in his hair. He answered with a short hum, too tired to give you an actual answer “Does it bother you that I made out with the rest of the team tonight?” you asked, nervous that it would have hurt him in any way. 

“No.” he said matter-of-factly “As long as I only get to do it from now on.” 

You shared a light chuckle, and without noticing, the both of you drifted off to sleep. 

The next morning was a bit awkward for Rossi, being that he was not expecting to see the entire team, save for you and Hotch, curled on his living room furniture. JJ, Reid, and Emily had curled up together on the larger piece, while Morgan and Garcia cuddled on one of the individual seats. The clearing of his throat woke everyone up in a startle, and they looked around confusedly for the missing members of the group. 

“What the hell happened last night?” David asked no one in particular. 

“We were playing a game, and we must have fallen asleep waiting for it to end.” Garcia said with a slightly suggestive, yet groggy, voice, and Rossi decided it was better not to ask. 

“By the way, how do we interpret this?” Emily asked “Who won?” 

“Do you even have to ask?” Morgan scoffed, and Emily shrugged in defeat. 

“Then, who won between the two of you?” Reid asked, pointing at JJ and Garcia. 

“No one, really.” Jennifer replied. 

“What? You both failed? Who did you choose?” Morgan inquired. 

The blondes exchanged looks to see if they had had the same thought, and so they replied in unison once they had figured they were correct. 

“Spencer.” their tones were flat, almost as if the answer was obvious. Reid lit up in a smile, wiggling his eyebrows victoriously at Derek. 

“What?! No way you would just pick him!” he was baffled at the answer. 

“Girls talk, Derek” Penelope told him “Let’s just say Elle reviewed his service with five stars.” 

The group broke into a shared laugh, and Rossi only interrupted so he could inquire on the whereabouts of his friends. 

“Where’s Aaron?” he prompted. 

“One of the guest rooms.” Reid said. 

“And is he with…?” Dave continued. 

“Yup” the five members said in unison, referring to you. 

“Also, Rossi, if you don’t mind, I kind of have a design suggestion.” Spencer turned in the direction of his superior

The older man raised his eyebrows, curious about the words that were about to come out of the younger’s mouth. “Let’s hear it.” 

“Please make all the rooms soundproof.”

[sexhaver]

everyone i see making talisman tier lists keeps dumping on Beloved Stardust (the new DLC talisman that caps your virtual dex for cast speed in exchange for +25% damage taken) but like... cast speed really really REALLY matters in this game and having to get your dexterity to 70 to cap it basically forces casters to use katanas and whatnot to actually use that stat for something. what if i want to cast spells fast but also bonk shit with colossal weapons without sinking 60+ levels into an otherwise useless stat? everyone sees the +25% damage taken and balks while forgetting that it's simulataneously freeing up, again, 60+ levels worth of stats to more than offset that by putting them into vigor and endurance instead. and that's to say nothing of the PVP applications where those 60+ levels are also fucking with your matchmaking range on top of forcing you to spend hours genociding Albinaurics at Palace Approach Ledge-Road

[sourcreammachine]

LOONY PARTY MANICFESTO 2024 SUMMARY

[not a pejorative, party founder Screaming Lord Sutch was himself bipolar]

tdlr: “we are fighting this election on the basis of CHANGE… LOOSE CHANGE as this is all we’ll have left under a labour/conservative government”

💷ECONOMY

reduce taxes to 5%

get rid of value-added tax as it adds no value

ban the tipping of flies

convert number 10 and number 11 into a hairdressers called Government Cuts

abolish stamp duty because stamps are too expensive

fit airbags to the stock exchange, ready for the next crash

halve dole queues by making jobseekers stand two-by-two

improve quitters’ self-esteem by encouraging them not to start in the first place

🏥PUBLIC SERVICES

employ 80.00 teachers, police officers and nhs staff

reduce pregnancy from nine to seven months

reduce hospital waiting lists by using a smaller font

reduce class sizes by shrinking desks and making students sit closer together

glue unruly pupils together because if you can’t beat them, join them

give pensioners an ice lolly allowance when temperatures exceed 70°

🏠HOUSING

build five million new homes

aid “levelling up” by providing free spirit levels

🚄TRANSPORT

fill five million potholes

introduce an ROT to make sure all roads are carworthy

fit vehicles with a bungy rope to save fuel on the return journey

save money on paint by painting double-yellow lines where you CAN park rather than where you can’t

create the world’s biggest carwash by punching holes in the channel tunnel

👮FORCE

send all MPs who misbehave to rwanda

reduce net migration by making sure all nets are secured firmly to the ground

make terrorists wear little bells so we know where they are

replace border guards with GP receptionists to stop anyone getting in

introduce a court of human lefts

reduce prison overcrowding by releasing innocent prisoners

oppose capital punishment as it is not fair to londoners

🌱CLIMATE

wind farms to be constructed across the country where all will be encouraged to break wind

get more green cars on the road, with politicians having fluorescent green so everyone can see them coming

paint the grey squirrels red

greyhound racing will be banned to stop the country going to the dogs

puddles deeper than 7cm will be marked with a plastic duck

🗳️DEMOCRACY

MPs will have to sit in stocks during surgeries while constituents throw custard pies at them. companies to be encouraged to design new stocks, to be sold at the stock exchange

introduce a “cooling-off period” to allow voters to change their mind

replace the foreign secretary with a UK one

[hyog-blog]

Our Song Season 3 - I came for Liu Yuning, stayed for the comedy of it all

I continue exploring this gorgeous Chinese singing rabbit hole (alternative name - Singing with Legends), and it still delivers. The premise is the same - younger singers join the seniors to perform old and new songs and exchange their experiences.

Humor is strong in this one. In one team there's a comedic duo (quite literally, every time they interact and perform something they make everyone LOL extremely hard) of Xue Zhiqian and Chui Na Li Sha. I had no idea who these people were before the show - I just recommend you watch them live. Their personalities are funny, but their performances are very powerful. He's a very passionate singer with a British rock vibe, she's a slightly overweight girl who acts like a stand-up comedian, has a gorgeous voice. and dreams of becoming a singer. Anyway, all the other members have their funny and exciting moments - the 70-something senior still sings with so much passion! His partner is a cute guy who had to learn lots of Cantonese to sing the songs (which sounds like a totally different language compared to Mandarin, he even used pinyin transcription to be able to read it). Well, the dedication levels are also high, the younger singers do not disappoint.

The host, Mr. Lin, is a 50-ish guy with a smart face and an impeccable taste in suits. He's incredibly intelligent in communicating with everyone, both the babies and the seniors and has a great sense of humor to support all the silliness. This season is really just too funny, I'm enjoying it greatly.

Liu Yuning at one point got paired with 3 gorgeous ladies and came up with a group name National Beauty (well, him included in the list, of course). Seemed so happy, ahah))) I see, you boy XD Two beautiful seniors and a sweet young girl, it's like a dream come true. Anyway, being the only guy in such a rose garden is always a cool choice, but only if a man can pull it off (naturally, he has the looks, the voice, the stage presence, and enough personality to create a beautiful balance with the beauties). You have to love his voice - it never ceases to amaze the audience.

I also have to say that his pairing with Penny Tai is awesome - she's a very open, talented, and easy-going woman, with an amazing voice and lots of emotiveness and charisma, they matched perfectly in their energy and voice ranges. It was hilarious when she met him for the first time, though, that height difference was EVERYTHING XD She's a very petite lady and he looks even taller beside her. They had lots of cute moments together, especially when they discussed how she's too shy to look into a man's eyes when singing (love songs in particular) which they did with LYN all the time. Lots of jokes ensued after that XD But I do have a thing for older women/younger guys combos, and that cute height difference, hehe. Can't help but ship them a little. I think they've paired again in Season 6 of the same show unknowingly XD It must be fate.

Anyway, this season was very emotional, with lots of creativity, beautiful stages, and humor. It's like watching a real-life drama or a musical, singers are very emotional people. Everyone's personalities are also unique, there wasn't a single boring moment on the show.

[moltengoldveins]

Homie, I’ve got insomnia, it’s five hours past my bedtime, and I got just one question: 

*slams fist on table* WHERE is the 150k pre-clone-wars-era qpr Emeraldduo fic where Techno is a creedbound beroya under the Haat Mando’ade and Philza is a Jedi Shadow??? Where they meet under random circumstances chasing the same bounty while Phil is pretending not to be a Jedi and they become (Allies? Partners? Friends??) and Techno asks Phil to help the Mando’ade out with this One Excursion only for Phil to reveal his powers saving Jaster from betrayal (because I SAID SO) yadda yadda “I feel so betrayed” yadda yadda “you’re my ancestral enemy” yadday yadda a ton of angst and they don’t speak to one another again until the senate sends the Jedi to Galidraan. Phil takes one look at the mission report and goes “oh, HECK no” and flies himself out there just in time to keep Dooku from going all Murder on them, and talks everyone down to a decent level of calm. Jaster is suspicious, but Does owe Phil a life debt, so he’s willing to cooperate. They uncover a Strange Conspiracy with money leading to Strange Dead Ends. Hm. Odd.

Techno is meanwhile off-world burying his feelings hunting down an ‘escaped pet’ for a rich lord, under the assumption that this in fact an actual animal and not A WHOLE TRAFFICKED FORCE-SENSITIVE CHILD WHAT- (it was Exceedingly obvious the guy was talking about a person ok, like painfully so) kinda panicked, up one whole child, and now bountyless, Techno KNOWS Jaster is really busy on Galidraan right now but he needs Help gosh darnit. He’s gonna go get help. There is lots of bonding with this traumatized child as he attempts to get halfway across the galaxy in his ship (options for names for the ship the Blood God, the Blade, and Carl. Phil’s ship is called the Angel of Death, because duh.) 

Cue dramatic reveal when they get there that Phil is on Galidraan and a very fun sequence in which Wilbur, Jedi Knight and former padawan of Phil’s, takes one singular look at the child (Tommy, it’s tommy, we all know it’s tommy) and decides “this is My Padawan now.” There is a brief custody battle between Techno and Will resulting in shared cultural exchange and switching off on holidays in exchange for Will getting Tommy 90% of the time. Phil is assigned as the Haat Mando’ade liaison by the council to investigate these Strange Proceedings, which in the one hand: yay! A job that keeps him out of the gutters and away from fancy dinners! On the other….. Techno’s been assigned as his escort. Woo. 

Cue epic plots, fun shenanigans, and tons of technobabble as these two idiots unravel the centuries-old plots of the Sith by being really blunt, really chaotic, and really hypercompetent. They spar a lot, meditate a lot, and talk about Philosophy. Sun Tzu is mentioned often. They kill a few Sith. It’s great. 

The fic ends with Phil becoming the first mandalorian jedi in like a thousand years because ✨character development ✨ and because Techno took literally no seconds before flat-out clan-adopting Phil, they’re in the same clan, and he can show him his face. They hug and it’s great and the galaxy is saved and they raise Tommy together whenever Will doesn’t know what he’s doing (a solid 70% of the time) WHY DOESNT THIS EXIST- 

[smexyanimepotatosstuff]

Vampire shenanigans

A hogwarts legacy fanfiction which contains vampires and shenanigans in at least one chapter.

This will be the intro to the fic and the MC so it's shorter than regular chapters will be. I make no promise of consistency at all, but I will pour my heart and soul in finishing the whole which will consist of at least 10 chapters. Later in the fic there will be chapters that may be unsuited for minors, and I will mark it accordingly, but this intro is perfectly fine.

I'd like to thank @sebswebs and @choccy-milky for inspiring me with their writing and amazing personalities and give them credit for at least 70% of my new found bravery to post something.

TRIGGER WARNINGS WHOLE FIC:

Female MC, blood and gore, death, eventual smut (which will not be too important to the plot and can thus be skipped), mostly made up vampire lore, toxicity, Mentions of loneliness, SHENANIGANS.

TRIGGER WARNINGS INTRO:

Female MC, tiniest bit of blood, mentioned loneliness, Anne being a sassball, mention of death, sadly no vampires yet.

By clicking 'more' I will be under the assumption that you read the warnings :)

If you were to ask anyone at Hogwarts who knew MC to describe her in one word, the answer would be, with frightening consistency, kind. A trait many students admired her for. She was a nurturing type of witch who excelled at potions and herbology as well as healing charms. The first two being given in the regular curriculum and the latter being taught to her in the medical wing where she volunteered some of her free time in exchange for knowledge and experience. Anyone in need of anything could always count on her to offer her help when she felt she could provide it, causing her to get a small reputation as the mom of their year. Whether it was a snack, a quill or discreet healing of singed eyebrows, everyone who knew her didn't doubt to ask. 

Her amicable reputation however didn't necessarily translate into social prowess.    Even though everyone liked her well enough, there weren't too many people she considered her friends, never mind the seemingly unreachable position of what she imagined having a best friend would be like. This was fine by her seeing as she much rather tended to her plants and studies than chat most days. Still, she'd have the occasional longing stare to those bands of friends who seemed joined at the hip. She could walk up to most classmates and have a lovely conversation but she could never quite reach a level of friendship beyond the 'wave and smile when I pass you in the halls' and 'small talk should we happen to be sitting next to each other' stage of getting acquainted. She blamed this to her aspirations of becoming a skilled healer and just being too infatuated with her work and studying, but deep down she still felt a pang of loneliness books just couldn't rid her of. Still, MC remained kind and studious and mostly in solitude for the first of her Hogwarts years. That was until she, quite literally, ran into a certain group of slytherins during her 4th year. 

It had happened whilst she was a bit distracted walking towards the great hall. Her tendency to finish a chapter before doing anything else had caused her to be a bit late and less careful about where she was going. She rounded a corner right as a boy dramatically extended his arms causing her to stumble and immediately after trip over the legs of someone who was sitting on the floor. She let out a surprised yelp and hit the ground with a thud and a soft 'ow..'. "Merlin Sebastian, look where you're flailing your arms! Are you okay!?" She heard a girl say right beside her. MC nodded her head and gently rubbed her arm which had taken the brunt of her fall. "Don't worry, it was just a bump." MC said sheepishly as she let the girl and the 'arm flailing' boy help her up. 

Upon closer examination she recognised them as the Sallow twins and connected the trip-inducing pair of legs to Ominis Gaunt. "Nonsense, these dimwits should stop blocking the halls and mind their bloody surroundings… and go to dinner because I'm starving." Anne said, looking at boys with visible irritation. "Hey! I was the epitome of elegance, gesturing to make my point even more clear to Ominis. There just happened to be an unfortunate collision." Sebastian quickly retorted, clearly not one to take blame. "Yeah well if you had been the epitome of eloquence you wouldn't have been gesturing in the first place because I'm blind." Ominis shot back, standing up from his seated position. "Well if you hadn't-" Sebastian had started until he heard Anne gasp. The bickering boys turned to the source and quickly shut up as Anne examined the small scrape on  MC's elbow, surrounded by a slightly bigger bruise that produced a miniscule trickle of blood. "She's BLEEDING from her WOUND and you haven't even apologized." Anna chastised whilst MC stood frozen watching the chaos unfold around her. 

That was until she couldn't take it anymore and started laughing due to their antics. The three of them immediately shut up and had to laugh for a moment as well. "Don't worry it's an easy fix." MC said after a moment of collecting herself and nonverbally cast a charm to fully heal the minimal damage on her arm. Sebastian and Anne gawked at her for a moment whilst Ominis was left in the dark, until Anne yelled out. "You just cast a nonverbal and perfectly healed your bloody arm!" She gently took hold of MC's elbow and traced the scrape-free skin with fascination. "You did? That's quite impressive" Ominis said whilst Sebastian was eerily quiet. Anne was just about to comment on MC being the cause of another miracle when Sebastian closed the distance between them and looked at her with stars in his eyes as he burst out: "teach me. Please teach me how to do that." MC was a bit startled by his sudden enthusiasm and nearly stumbled backwards again but Sebastian firmly grabbed her shoulders and shook her slightly as he continued. "I've never seen anyone cast a nonverbal with such ease, let alone of our age. I have been trying to figure it out for ages an-" before he could shake her to nausea Anne smacked him up the head and pulled him off. "Back, you Neanderthal. Mind your manners you giddy geek. You haven't even asked her name and you're already harassing her with questions."

 Right as Sebastian tried to interject, Ominis added: "Worst of all, we still haven't apologized to…?" "MC" MC said with a small smile. Anne gestured to Sebastian and with the look of a guilty child he began: "I'm sorry for hitting and effectively pushing you.." " and I'm sorry for accidentally tripping you.." Ominis added "And I'm sorry for not catching you." Anne said to conclude the triple apology. MC couldn't help but feel a bit warm inside from their visibly close relationship and fun personalities. "Each of you is forgiven. How about we walk to the hall now and get Anne that dinner. I was on my way there as well. "A woman after my own heart, let's go!" Anne said, locking their arms and immediately dragging her along before the boys could react.

 MC chuckled at her spontaneity and looked at her side when she felt Sebastian who had caught up, slotting his arm with her free one as he said: "Seriously though, what you did back there was nothing short of incredible. I've heard about you helping out in the hospital wing but I didn't expect this. I'd beg on my knees for even some pointers." He said with a playful smile. A small blush creeped onto her cheeks and MC let herself be guided by the twins. "I could try to teach you. But it may not end up being a healing charm, would that still be okay? It would take some effort from both of us, but with some dedication we could pull it off." "I want to learn too! Please teach us both." Anne interjected, pulling MC a bit closer to show off her puppy eyes. Before she could answer Sebastian spoke up again: "yeah right. First making me beg for it and then reaping the rewards yourself you little sneak" Elle laughed and promised to at least try to  teach both the Twins and Ominis should he want it. (He did). Between the bickering and the hasty goodbye at the entrance of the hall MC caught herself wanting to speak to the slytherins again after today. 

If you were to ask anyone at Hogwarts who knew MC to describe her in one word, the answer would be, with frightening consistency, kind. A trait many students admired her for, but unbeknownst to anyone, would be the cause of her untimely death. 

[she-wolf09231982]

Chapter 2-The Prodigal Soldier Returns

Summary: The day of the Super Solider Serum infusion arrives, and you may or may not emerge as the next gender bend Captain America. Either way, you survive Howard Stark’s experiment, and carry the torch supporting and defending the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic…and possibly intergalactic.

58 years later, Nick Fury and agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. discover Steve Rogers still alive and cryogenically preserved in ice. Rogers is returned immediately to New York for rehabilitation and recovery from his 66-year slumber under ice. When Steve is finally acclimated to his new 21st century life, he eventually bumps into you at the compound.

Author Note: Steve Rogers x Female!Avenger, Captain America x Female!Avenger, Y/N, L/N=Wolf, Reader!EnhancedAvenger, Avenger name She-Wolf, Avengers, Marvel movie references, Howard Stark, Maria Stark, Peggy Carter, Nick Fury, Agent Phil Coulson, S.H.I.E.L.D., story begins in 1953 ends in 2011, Military and Medical terminology, Pre/Post Captain America: The First Avenger, Pre Avengers

*Bold Italics represent character thoughts and flashbacks

~~~~~~~~

1953

The lab room suddenly became chaotic. Alarms started to sound off on the heart monitor connected to the Vita-Ray Chamber and red warning lights flashing. Your face began visibly wincing from pain in the window of the encasement you were locked into.

The serum made your blood pressure spike, edging you close to what could be a heart attack.

“Howard! Cut the infusion! Her heart rate is dangerously high!” Peggy called out over the commotion of white lab coats running around.

Howard Stark began to rush over to the main controls to shut down the serum transmission when he suddenly heard your voice through the container.

“NO! Keep going!” You pushed. You’ve worked too hard to stop now.

Peggy and Howard exchanged concerned glances.

“Stark, she’s only at 70% completion. If she’s already struggling now imagine what will happen to her at 100%.” Peggy cautioned.

Howard looked at the serum percentage meter indicating how much of the I.V. was imported into your blood stream. The meter continued to rise… 75%...80%...85%...

He glanced at your face in the viewing window of the chamber. Your eyes shut tight; jaw clenched doing your best to not black out.

…89%...90%...

“Stark??” Peggy yelled.

Your heart can take no more. Your heart rate reaches its limit causing you to go limp inside the box.

“Shut it down!!” Howard called out as he raced to the Vita-Ray Chamber door to force it open as fast as he could. Peggy joined him to assist.

You had flat lined. The sound of a steady drone from the heart monitor filled the room.

The extreme heat of the chamber had expanded the metal from within, making the door almost impossible to open.

One of the lab coats brought a crowbar to pry the latch. After a little bit of muscle and leverage, the door sprung open. Steam projected outward overflowing the room, blocking the view of you. Howard and Peggy began fanning the air so they could see you.

There you were, still vertically strapped in, head resting on your shoulder, eyes closed…still not breathing.

“…Howard.” Peggy said with breathy distress while looking at you.

Howard walked up to your lifeless form, placed two fingers to your carotid artery on your neck to locate a pulse. As soon as he pressed into your skin your eyes sprang wide open.

You gasp loud and harsh, frightening everyone in the room, causing Howard to fall backward into Peggy.

Exceptionally confused and panicked, your eyes darted side to side trying to get a grasp on what had just occurred. As the heart monitor machine came back to life beeping frantically, the lab started humming again, everyone calling out results and observations over eachother from their stations.

“Heart rate is detected and, on the rise…”

“Oxygen levels at 100%…”

“Blood pressure is getting high, Mr. Stark…”

“Her muscle mass increased by 70%!!”

“If we don’t calm her down, she may go into shock, Agent Carter…”

Peggy took the initiative.

“Everyone, simmer down!” She commanded the room. All the lab coats froze.

She walked over to you and in a soothing tone, spoke to you.

“Y/N, you’re going to be alright. The experiment was a success. You did it.” she said calmly.

She held your face firmly between her hands, so you focused on her. Your breath was short and fast as Peggy continued.

“Deep breaths, Wolf. In…” She inhaled with you.

“Out.” She exhaled with you.

You repeated this until you finally relaxed.

Howard approached you. “Y/N, how do you feel?”

You took a minute to assess yourself.

You noticed your white pajama set was suddenly quite snug. Some parts were even torn especially in the shoulder and thigh area. The hem of your pants that once hung closer to your feet were now shorter revealing your ankles and calves.

“I feel…taller?” You respond first. “And sweaty.”

Stark’s mouth curved into a triumphant grin. The serum worked. And it showed.

Your body was evidently more toned, developed muscles straining against the fabric of your white outfit. Pants now hanging at your calves instead of below your ankles, you’ve obviously grown at least 5 inches. You were a colossus compared to former your self.

Howard offered his hand to help you out after releasing the safety harnesses, but you stumble out like a newborn giraffe as both he and Peggy catch you before you hit the ground.

“Get a wheelchair over here now!” Stark called out.

He looked back at you. “This is the beginning of something big, Y/N. You are going to be part of some of the greatest stories in America’s history.”

You only nod at first since you are too weak to be excited about anything yet.

“Mr. Stark, I’d like to take a nap first if you don’t mind?” You finally responded.

The room chuckled in unison.

~~~~~~~~

2011

You spent the next 58 years battling local crimes in New York, and eventually deploying overseas mostly assisting medical squadrons or rebuilding critical structures for allies and joint forces in combat zones. You were utilized during conflicts such as The Vietnam War, Desert Storm, and The Global War on Terrorism. You were especially useful during Operation Iraqi Freedom clearing potentially hostile locations with Special Forces and patrolling with convoys to secure safe passage for American military to travel.

The Super Soldier Serum’s organic preservatives left you looking and feeling your best since the infusion in 1953. You didn’t look or feel a day over 25 in over five decades because of it. However, you were only able to withstand 90% of the serum’s deposit, therefore you weren’t at full potential of your superhuman capabilities, unfortunately. Nonetheless, you were still a success story in Howard Stark’s eyes.

Sadly, in December 1991 while you were tasked to a recovery detail in Eastern Europe, you returned to American soil to be met by an Agent Nick Fury with grave news. Howard Stark and his wife, Maria, were killed by a HYDRA assassin while you were away. This information absolutely ruined you. You didn’t take Howard’s death very well. You progressively became a shell of your former self, sinking into a depressive state. Since then, you became quite an introvert and kept a low-profile spending most of your time at the gym, in the library reading, or in your sleeping quarters.

Through it all, you still led a life of service to your country when called upon in memory of your surrogate father. Nick Fury assumed command of S.H.I.E.L.D. by this time and took you under his wing, making sure to commission you with new assignments to continue Stark’s legacy.

Even though you were one of Howard’s greatest accomplishments in decades, a resurfacing discovery by S.H.I.E.L.D had the entire compound particularly energetic today. You were leaving the gym and noticed all the lab coats buzzing back and forth whispering to eachother. You also hadn’t seen Fury in a few days, which was unusual because you would usually get a debrief from him of your assignments every night for the following day.

As that thought crossed your mind, he appeared before you.

“Y/N, just the woman I’m looking for. Come with me.” He ushered you down the hall.

You were utterly perplexed, but continued to follow him down the halls having no idea where he was taking you.

“Director Fury?” You began.

He continued walking at a brisk pace. “Hm?” was his response.

“Forgive me if I’m not up to speed on what’s happening here, but….”

You tread lightly about asking too many questions because Fury’s mind was obviously busy, and you weren’t sure if he was really listening to you. You pause as you arrive at a long observing window that peered into what looked to be a hospital room. He gestured towards the window.

“Have a look for yourself.” He invited.

You walk up to the glass and look through. In the hospital bed laid a man peacefully asleep.

Your heart stilled as you stared at this alluring stranger.

He had a thick head of blonde hair, disheveled strands laying softly across his forehead. A chiseled jawline, perfect nose, flawless skin, and the longest lashes any woman would be jealous of. And dear God, arms that look like they could crush concrete.

You stood there with your mouth agape staring at this brawny, angelic creature in front of you.

Fury tilted his head to the side observing your reaction. He was mildly entertained by your moment of shock that rendered you completely speechless.

“You know who this man is, Y/N.” He finally tells you.

You shake your head to snap out of your hypnosis. You look at Fury and raise an eyebrow at him. Clearly indicating you didn’t understand.

“Is that a question or a statement, sir?” You ask.

Fury chuckled as he continued.

“This, my friend, is the one and only Steve Rogers…TheCaptain America.” He explained.

You narrowed your eyes at him in disbelief.

“But sir…” You began.

“Yes, I know, but we discovered him conserved cryogenically under ice a few days ago.” He explained.

You look back through the window.

“Alive? But…how?” You manage to ask.

“Well, blood tests revealed that his blood contained excessive amounts of glucose as a result of his liver processing his glycogen storage, thus lowering the freezing temperature of blood-borne water and creating a 'cryoprotectant'. This process is similar to those of hibernating bears and wood frogs that metabolize glycogen in their liver to circulate ample amounts through their body to reduce the osmotic shrinkage of cells and prevents them from freezing. This, however, has never been seen before in humans.” Fury explained in a ‘matter of fact’ manner.

Your confusion must have reflected on your face because he reiterated by simply saying,

“Howard Stark’s preservative components in the serum allowed Rogers to survive freezing temperatures.”

You nod, “I see. You could’ve just led off with that, sir.”

~~~~~~~~

With Captain America resurrected, the atmosphere at the facility completely shifted. Agent Phil Coulson addressed the public to officially confirm Steve Rogers’ return. Which was an absolute honor for him since he was a huge fan of Captain America and everything he represents. All the lab coats walking around were all a flutter about Captain America’s presence in the building…especially the females which made you utterly nauseous.

You, on the other hand, thought everyone was being overdramatic. You were particularly curious about what would happen next, though. What did this mean for S.H.I.E.L.D.? For America? Where did this leave you? Questions stirred relentlessly in your head for days. Every thought of what could happen next now that Steve was back didn’t have a good outlook for you no matter which way you spun it. These intrusive thoughts keep your brain busy, causing you to lose sleep at night.

You became very irritable with the few people you came into contact with throughout the day, so you decided to spend more time training in the boxing gym hitting the heavy bag. Fury frequently gave you direct orders to hit the showers and sleep it off, which you begrudgingly comply with out of respect.

Fury knew you were less than pleased by Steve’s return, and he was correct in assuming so. Your mental and emotional balance was already thrown off by the passing of Howard and Maria. Now you felt your livelihood hung by a thread because of the sudden homecoming of the prodigal soldier. You felt resentment and anger with every passing thought. And as assignments grew scarce, there were less deployments to redirect your attention leaving you with little to no outlet for your concentrated emotions.

One sleepless night, you once again find yourself hooking deep punches into the midriff of a 100 lbs (45.359 kg) Everlast boxing bag. Your hands only ever wrapped in sports tape, your knuckles are constantly bruised and swollen by the excessive number of times you spend pummeling the cylinder sack.

Sweat beading on your forehead and soaking through your shirt, hissing out loud every time each hand makes contact, you’re so deep in the zone surrounded by fire and wrath that you didn’t notice Steve had entered the room. He stood there watching you intensely while holding his gym bag in one hand, as he held a towel in the other. You deliver one final blow to the bag, sending it across the room like a projectile into the brick wall opposite you. You stood there panting, staring at the pile of other destroyed boxing bags that you’ve launched with your fits of physical rage.

“Wow.” Steve said impressed with a half-smile.

You turn your attention to him, meeting his blue eyes from where you stood. Your eyebrows furrowed still trying to catch your breath. You realize it was only him, so you turned away without responding, (not before pursing your lips together in disdain while rolling your eyes). You pick up your hand towel and wipe your face, then retrieve a new heavy bag, lifting with one hand effortlessly hanging it, replacing the one you just demolished.

Steve coughed awkwardly, sensing the thick air in the room between the two of you.

You started to stretch in front of one of the mirrors that had a ballet barre, completely disregarding the man behind you.

“We haven’t formally met yet.” Steve stated.

You let out an audible exasperated sigh. You barely glance over your shoulder, almost acknowledging him, waiting for him to continue.

“I’m Steve Rogers. Brooklyn. It’s good to finally meet you…”

His voice was smooth and resonating…Like honey. He spoke deep from the chest and his voice projected, yet he didn’t need to yell. His voice just traveled through the room to you like music and almost had you melting into a puddle.

“Get it together, idiot…” You told yourself.

You decided to remain cordial. Even though you’d rather not engage with him at all, it’s what Howard would’ve wanted.

“You know who I am?” You finally responded with your back still facing him.

“I know of you, yes. Word is you were my protégé after I disappeared.” He replied.

“Is that all that was said about me?” You asked.

“Of course not.” He assured confidently.

You turned around while dabbing your neck with your towel, then draped it around your nape holding each end with your hands. You looked at Steve and started to walk towards him. Steve was positively handsome, and although he appeared intimidating and confident, he still had little experience interacting with women…especially if he found them attractive. As the gap closed between the two of you, his heart proceeded to beat faster. Your supersonic hearing picked it up right away, and you relished the effect you had on him.

Steve tried to diffuse his ascending apprehension as you stood feet from him.

“Um,” he started to scratch the back of his head bashfully, “if you’re up to it, maybe you can show me around the compound sometime?” He suggested.

You raise your eyebrows and inquisitively squint at him. Your mouth involuntarily curled into a grin because he looks so stinkin’ cute standing there tensed up in suspense, holding his breath, waiting on your response.

“Sure, Cap.” You say curtly. Steve let out a sigh of relief.

“Wanna start tomorrow?” You ask him.

“Uh, sure.” He replied.

“Meet me here at 0800?”

“Ok!”

You nod at him, shoulder your backpack and breeze past him without another word, leaving him slightly stunned and bewildered.

He watched you leave until he couldn’t see you anymore.

“Phew…that was exhausting.” Steve said out loud to himself.

You chuckle to yourself because you were totally close enough to hear that.

You kind of felt bad messing with him, but you’re the one that has seniority here. Even though he’s older than you and is the original super soldier, he’s “the man out of time” having been asleep under ice for almost 70 years. The horrific things you’ve seen and experienced during those years have hardened your heart and you weren’t one to coddle anyone anymore. Not even America’s favorite poster boy from Brooklyn.

~~~~~~~~

At 0745, you walk into the gym and see Steve sitting on a stool in a corner of the boxing ring. You shoot a perplexed look at him and smirk.

“How long have you been here?” You call out to him.

He looked up.

“Long enough.” He said simply smiling back.

“Waiting to go a few rounds with me, Cap?” You ask almost too flirtatiously.

Steve scoffed then stood up.

“No ma’am, I would never hit a lady.” He responded.

“I’m no average lady, Rogers.” You replied sternly. You weren’t about to let him categorize or underestimate you.

Steve’s smile faded to a look of fascination and curiosity.

“Should we head out then?” You ask.

Steve nodded and exited the gym with you.

~~~~~~~~

“I never knew a place could have so many…levels.” Steve said as you walk off the elevator where the living quarters were.

Up until now, you were the only one residing in dorms. Now Steve shared this building with you but had his room in another wing. It had a common area, an impressive kitchen, dining and living room and a full gym on a separate floor.

“S.H.I.E.L.D. obviously spared no expense.” You stated.

Steve nodded in agreement. He continued to admire the surroundings.

“So? What do you think, Cap?” You finally ask.

Steve looked at you confused.

You gesture to everything around you.

“All of this. What do you think?”

Steve let out a puff of breath and looked around again in thought.

“Well…” He started “it’s going to take a lot getting used to.” He finished.

“Mmhm.” You hum.

He continued.

“But I’ll manage.” He added confidently.

“I sure hope so.” A voice rang out from across the living room area.

Director Fury stood at the doorway, then proceeded to walk towards you.

“Director.” You greeted as he approached. He nodded at you.

“I see you two are getting along just fine.” Fury said with an almost visible smirk.

You released a faint laugh.

“Y/N has been very hospitable.” Steve responded earnestly then looked at you with a soft smile.

You felt yourself blushing when your eyes met his.

“Snap out of it, you idiot.” You scold yourself.

“Good, because one day, you’ll need to work as a team.” Fury explained.

You snap your head at Fury with anger rising in your chest like lava.

“Director??” You ask almost with panic in your voice.

Nick Fury released an irritated sigh, rolling his eye before facing you.

“Y/N, we discussed this. Why do you insist on acting this is the first time you’re hearing this?”

“Because, sir, I never agreed to it.” You pointed out.

“Last time I checked, Wolf, my title is ‘Director.’ I don’t need your consent nor your approval.” Fury retorted in a very parental tone.

Steve just sat, arms folded across his chest while his eyes flitted between you and Fury like he was watching a tennis game.

“With all due respect, Director, I refuse.” You declared.

“Excuse me?” Fury dared you to repeat.

“I refuse.” You restated boldly.

Fury began to open his mouth to reprimand you until Steve cut in.

“Ok now this is escalating quickly.” Steve said while inserting himself between you and Fury.

“Director, perhaps allow Miss Wolf and I to build more rapport before talking about working in the field together? We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.” He suggested.

Fury studied Steve, then looked at you.

“Fine. Understand this now, though, when you two are called upon, you will be responding…together.” Fury declared.

You only respond by crossing your arms. Fury turned on his heel and exited, leaving you there with this annoyingly reasonable and infuriatingly gorgeous super soldier.

~~~~~~~~

[shuttershocky]

I'm just sending this ask in to you 'cause I know you like DOTA - If someone hasn't picked the game up since... 2019, would it be easy to get back into it? (Also the noise I made when I realized I last played it was 2019... yeesh.)

Now is the best time. They changed the ENTIRE game in the biggest patch I've ever seen last April 20 (and I mean even bigger than 7.00 adding talents) so if you play now everyone is just as confused at all the new shit as you are.

Some stuff you'll find that no one has ever seen before:

Roshan has two pits now, he's in the bottom right of the map during the day, and top left of the map at night. When the time of day changes this fucker runs out of his lair and bashes everybody in the way while he travels to his new pit.

There are new neutrals called Tormentors, the second strongest neutrals in the game just behind Roshan. Rather than attack they have rapidly regenerating shields that also reflect 70% of damage taken around them, which means a super high DPS hero that solos Roshan like Ursa will get the shit beaten out of him. The more heroes are around the less damage you take (since the damage is shared), so you need your team usually to take a Tormentor down. If you do, the killer gets gold, and an aghanim's shard is given to one of the two lowest networth heroes on your team for free (so it's a way to boost your supports, helpful if your support heroes have really strong shards but they're poor as fuck since they're, you know, supports)

There are Twin Gates now on the map, the biggest map change in the history of Dota. Going into one gate at the bottom of the map near the Daytime Rosh pit teleports you to the top of the map near the nighttime Rosh pit, meaning you can teleport to top and bottom without needing a TP scroll. You can easily outflank the enemy by by using the gates, as they'll be watching your towers for TPs and may not be expecting you coming from behind via the Twin Gates.

The Map is just 40% bigger. Like they expanded its size. it's fucking gigantic now. There are 12 new neutral camps to accommodate for the massive size. It makes ganking a bit harder since there's so much more jungle to explore just to find the enemy carry farming neutral camps, but that just balances the twin gates making ganking really fast too. From how giant the map is, it also becomes harder to ward as you simply dont have enough wards to cover the map, you need to be much more strategic.

I don't know if you reached the neutral items they introduced at the end of 2019, but just in case you haven't, there are special items that killing neutral creeps can drop. They've been reworked in this new patch so that killing neutrals can drop neutral tokens, and using these tokens lets you exchange it for one choice among a selection of neutral items. Neutral items have a special 7th slot in your item slots so you can only carry one at a time, but hey free items you don't need to buy with gold, it's free shit! If you get a neutral token after you already have a neutral item, you can teleport it back home to base to share with your team. It's free items.

Every 7 minutes, a rune spawns next to the two Tormentors called a Wisdom rune, which grants experience to whoever picks it up + the lowest exp hero on the team (if the lowest exp hero picks it up, it's shared with the second lowest). For very obvious reasons, this is really strong, so you want to defend the wisdom rune on your side of the map while stealing the enemy's wisdom rune. it can really pull your supports up in levels when they're lagging behind, and those brave enough to enter enemy territory to steal their wisdom rune get rewarded.

Every 3 minutes, a healing lotus spawns in the lotus pool. These are pools located in your safelane and in the enemy safelane. A healing lotus gives a small burst of HP and mana, but you can stack multiple of them to make a bigger and bigger lotus until it gives +900 HP and mana in one use. not a critical objective, but nice to have in apinch.

If you think this is huge and incredibly hard to keep track off, then congrats you're with everyone else. There's no better time to hop in while everyone is just as new and confused as you are.

[rosheendubh]

just as point in fact…no one ever paired Tywin Lannister and dad-bod in the same sentence…

—Just sayin’…a mid-60s/maybe early 70s, lean, mean, ruthless, pragmatic, cunning, disciplined, battle-machine. He walked into that throne room when Cersei was about to kill herself, and her son, with more presence than Filoni’s rendition of Thrawn (no fault to Lars, but he was both not well cast, and not well directed) could to an entire ISD hanger’s worth of Fart-Gas Zombies held together by red duct tape chanting his name…which is also quite out of character, whether from Legends/canon EU books. Thrawn’s characterization with Zahn is many things, but excessive displays of aggrandizing isn’t one of them (cue: the apologetics for “but 10 years in Exile”)…it also doesn’t help that none of the actors look like they’re taking their lines seriously (and with the over-long, melodramatic pauses, long-range 10000 yard stares, and ChatGPT level dialogue, who can blame them?—no honestly, I’ve seen ChatGPT dialogue that sounded exactly like that exchange between Sabine and Ahsoka on the ship, with her training…down to the actual tags/and descriptors), and move through the space around them so stiff and hesitant, you can tell no time was taken to smooth out scenes largely cast on green-screen between the production team, and the actors. Which is why, even the action bits appear awkward, and without much dynamism.

—To each their own, but this portrayal of such a pivotal character is definitely Filoni’s (horridly, but only IMHO) misconstruction. —and as for Ezra and Sabine’s reunion…*wah-wah-wah*—whaaaa??? Anyone recall Sansa and Jon Snow’s embrace after ALL THE ABSOLUTE SHITE they’ve survived over the years? I will still rewatch that moment—ya’ll should too. It’s very cathartic compared to Gazoo-moment everyone was rewarded with, between Ezra (“Hey, Girl, Waz’Up-Word”)-lost-boy-for-a-decade-SpaceAladdin, and Sabine (I’m supposed to be in my late 20s/30?-with the emotional maturity of a teen who just lost cell phone privileges-so flipping annoying-you wish Shin actually had gutted her and decapitated her…omg—how do people think she’s *sooo awesome*—and goes shrill on a Wolf-Horse for…reasons?? Oh, dramatic tension, she’s a very tortured and *fiery* warrior…I’m a woman, and a feminist, but this ain’t how ladies should be written…this is how fanboys think STRONGFEMALECHARACTERS act…take a pass, go watch EmilyBlunt in ‘TheEdgeofTomorrow*…).

—GoTs has A LOT OF ISSUES (mostly with S7/S8 of GoT, and its early Season1 episodes were admittedly…difficult. For a while, I called it LotR with T&A$$…but by that SeasonFinale, as Daenerys stepped out of ashes with 3 lil’Bebe Dragons, and Jorah kneels to her, vowing that line, “Blood of my Blood”—a line that could have fallen in flat-trope-tripe—hell no, hello, Drama Hook. We were on Team Dany…). —Genera differences aside, Team Filoni needs to take some lessons from what the GoTs writers/producers learned as they re-vamped (apparently, an even worse original filming of S1E1 of GoTs, that went back to the drawing board, it was so awful…so urban legend/DenofGeek alleges)—get fresh eyes to look at what you’re doin’ dudes…and maybe someone who’s read the actual source material. But isn’t in love with it—like Gilroy. I still think that’s why ‘Andor’ carried such a different essence—and a much needed sophistication for how science-fiction, and SpaceOpera ought to land. Fuck, go read some DeathStalker too, if you’re looking for bombast with tropes, and a good time. Watch bloody ‘The Expanse’. Someone mentioned, if Filoni required a lesson on how to communicate back-story as a balance between narration, and scene progression, to bring a largely uninformed audience up to speed on a Universe/World building Plot mythos with which most audience isn’t familiar, watch the first 15 minutes of ‘Serenity’. And maybe the entire Season of ‘Arcane’?. —which leads to the ultimate conclusion, Thrawn shouldn’t have been used by Filoni at all in ‘Rebels’. They needed a BigBad, and he ought to have just contrived his own generic Imperial of the Week. Which is what he did. And named it Thrawn. And yes, I know, supposedly he consulted Zahn. I’m more convinced, Zahn is diplomatic, and either felt (as he’d mentioned a few years ago), he was done writing Thrawn’s arc, and so, resigned his BlueManArtLovingAdmiral to the Disney drain of EU archives from which Disney borrows when it can’t be bothered to create its own original characters; or, he’s going to quietly retcon Thrawnius back into Zahn shape—given the rumors of recent months where he seems to have reconsidered revisiting Thrawn/Chiss arcs. Who knows? —My suspicion with ‘Rebels’ (of which, I completely can figure out the story-line, *secret*—it’s not that complicated for anyone who’s read any sort of children’s literature, or young adult books through their youth. Yes, I’ve tried watching episodes—it’s a cartoon made for kids—would’a loved as a kid…probably/maybe? As an adult, I’m wondering what other fodder people read and watch to consider this *quality*). I think what no one admits is, the animated series needed a big name from popular Lore to draw viewers, so there was computer-animated, cartoon-Thrawn…Filoni’s Disney Imperial. —okay, soap box rant done—we all have our OPs. I’m holding out for Andor/S2, but after that, cancelling Disney+. Actually, might even cancel before, and just renew when Andor/S2 comes out…

[cleverthylacine]

🤡 What's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh?

🎶 Do you listen to music while you write? What song have you been playing on loop lately?

🎉 What leads you to consider a fic a success?

A line that made me laugh. Okay. You have to understand that I am normally not given to this particular level of humour, but Whirl will be Whirl.

Swerve couldn’t help laughing with everyone else, but the laughter died down really fast, because thick, grey, sparkling smoke had begun to billow out of every seam and crack in the RodPod’s shell, and it smelled like liquid rust and organic rot.

“Frag!” Nautica shouted, swinging her wrench, as Velocity held her in place: “You are not going in there—”

“You blow exhaust in there?” Whirl asked Megatron. “Because wow, silent but deadly!”

Sometimes I listen to music while writing, and sometimes I don't. But I often do. And I have so, so, SO many playlists. Enjoy!

Recently, the two songs I've had on repeat the most have been "6 Underground" by Sneaker Pimps and "Don't Sweat the Technique" by Eric B. and Rakim.

Incidentally, "Don't Sweat the Technique" is the ultimate Jazz bop.

Apparently, I'm one of the few TF fans who is really, really not into metal, except for 70s glam rock and 80s hair bands, which...I don't consider metal, personally. I say this because occasionally I get asks about this; I have no metal music recs and likely never wili.

I am, however, your go-to person if you want to know what folk and country songs match up with what Decepticons.

What leads you to consider a fic a success?

Engagement. I just want to talk about my blorbos!

I think I embarrassed someone when they said that it was mean of Tarn to be using Soundwave's voice and I said, "thanks for telling me that, because I didn't intend for it to come across that way--what I meant was that he was using a modulator like the one Soundwave uses! let me see if I can fix the phrasing!"

...and they never commented again. But I wasn't upset! I was grateful. I was happy to know that I had miscommunicated so I could fix it.

(Tarn was negotiating with someone. Since it's well known that he can kill with his voice, and that for many things he won't negotiate, he was trying to show that he was sincere about wanting to negotiate.)

I don't like the type of so-called concrit where someone's trying to get me to write the fic they want to read (there is one person I stopped discussing my fics with because they wouldn't stop trying to get me to make my Decepticons "evil"), and I really don't want to hear from people who think characters like Ravage and Grimlock shouldn't be 'shipped'.

But if I have slipped up on a typo, or have phrased things unintelligibly so that you're getting weird images, please tell me.

[unmeiha-arc]

drk 30-50 + mild stormblood spoilers under the cut! copy/pasting my liveblog meta from my archived blog

koharu literally ties her self worth to her honor for a very, very large portion of msq. like, we’re talking all the way up to the end of 4.3, which is when she does all of drk 30-70 in one go. when you first encounter fray, he tells you that dark knights don’t care about that and if you want to be a dark knight, you can’t either. in a roundabout way, it can be looked at as fray telling her to stop fucking doing that, that’s not healthy.

AND THEN THIS. she held onto the belief for so, so, so long that if she had just stayed in doma that she could have done something, that maybe her family would still be alive and this dialogue, right off of finally, finally freeing doma, especially after the tsuyu arc, just… is so, so, so important. it’s essentially fray telling her it’s not your fault and you need to stop trying to martyr yourself to make amends for something that’s not your fault. and that’s something she needs to hear. even if she doesn’t consciously realize it, her subconscious does and it desperately wants her to listen.

of course you’re questioning her commitment. she’s afraid. healing is hard and terrifying and you’re ripping out her biggest insecurities and putting them on display for her, but she still keeps coming back to you because somehow, for some reason, you know that, she knows you know that, and something about that puts her at ease. something about someone telling her outright to actually value herself and not what she can offer is something she needs, and wants, to hear, even if it’s hard.

and god, just the thought of the way fray speaks to the other npcs during the questline. i think it’s generally accepted that fray doesn’t actually make a physical appearance in front of other people outside of the first quest (as a corpse) and the level 50 quest in whitebrim, so this is fray speaking like that through koharu. it’s koharu speaking like that. it’s so far removed from how she actually is -- stiffly formal to the point that it actually sounds kind of awkward -- that it wouldn’t surprise me if someone thought she was having a fucking mental break, which, like… isn’t too far from the truth, i guess.

AND LIKE… THIS KIND OF RESPONSE FROM THE NPCS? HER LITERALLY LOSING TIME/NOT BEING AWARE OF THINGS SHE’S DOING?? SHE’D BE CONFUSED AS FUCK, TOO. what do you mean me? that was fray, i literally just stood here while he went off, why are you looking at me like that? and that would only scare her more.

and we see how afraid she is in fray literally begging her to please just fucking stop, you have to stop, this is going to kill you one day, please please please. but, haha, she sure fucking doesn’t stop, does she? even if she forgives herself for doma, she’s the warrior of light, she can’t just walk away from that.

OR CAN SHE? FRAY LITERALLY OFFERS HER A CHANCE TO RUN AWAY AGAIN. LITERALLY KOHARU HERSELF CONSIDERING RUNNING AWAY AGAIN. HER BIGGEST REGRET WAS RUNNING FROM DOMA AND SHE’S FACE TO FACE WITH THIS CHOICE AGAIN.

if you’re familiar with my fray playlist at all, you know that it’s in chronological order and that this song specifically corresponds to this specific dialogue exchange.

AND SHE ALMOST DOES IT. she almost takes fray’s offer to give up and leave, to say to hell with it, to hell with them all and just go. doma is free and an ascian is traipsing around in zenos’s body and she’s tired, so, so tired, and she just wants to stop and fray wants her to stop.

but she doesn’t. during the course of this questline she has faced that regret and come to terms with it and accepted that, even if she regrets leaving she couldn’t have done anything, but instead of repeating what she considers her biggest mistake she decides no, not again, this time i’m not running and faces both fray and herself head on.

30-50 is generally considered the warrior of light is tired of being used by everyone as a human weapon questline, and that’s not entirely untrue for koharu but for her there’s more to it. for her, she allows (and even encourages) herself to be used in that way because she hates that she didn’t do all she could to save her home and family so 30-50 is more about her forcing herself to come to terms with what happened to doma and her choices both before and after to stop herself from working herself to death to try and make amends (to her king, to her country, to the dead, to herself) for that. it’s not just i’m tired of being a weapon, it’s stop trying to martyr yourself, too.

not that she listens to that part. looking at you shadowbringers.

[sewmice]

Same person as the ask about the collab rant: I’m only saying what I did because I cleared the 150k mark yesterday and am finally free of event, despite setbacks. So technically I’m done, but BOY did I wish I was a day ahead. I’m a maths person, so calculating the optimal way to play comes naturally, your advice about using weak cards to play 0 LP games that still level up EXP/affection/item drop level seems obvious, but international fans who cannot read Japanese probably have yet to figure things out.

For anyone reading this: for collab events, ALWAYS use the eligible card with highest overall stats even if it’s not your favourite boy. If he is not fully maxed out in level AND board, make sure you keep feeding him after each game. If you have more than 1 card with the same overall high stat, use the one that has the same attribute as the song. If you have control of the whole team, pick the most powerful 7, and ditto for guest. Don’t think too hard about attribute unless you have an excess of maxed out SR and UR. The end score directly impacts your resource drop! So if you have newly pulled a SR or UR and it’s at level 1, use the resources earned from your best team and best item drop level song AND highest possible full combo difficulty to farm the levels/board until you can power the rare card up. When it becomes your top 7, put it on the team and replace the weakest member. Avoid duplicate members where possible, to ensure 7 different boys get affection increases per game. If you have booster items, always use it on 5 or 10 LP game. If you stuff your combo up during a high stakes game, pause then quit the game and try again - your items and LP will not disappear.

Resources are unevenly distributed by type, board items are limited in the item exchange and LP does not increase with rank, so play strategically. Try to do a talk with each boy 3 times daily, even the max affection level ones, as each can give you 3 mission points, that’s a daily maximum of 54. Try not to put on new outfits for boys who have max affection, go get keys from the board and unlock a new affection ceiling and come back to it, otherwise the affection increase of a new outfit is wasted.

I’ve been wanting to scream this advice from the rooftops since 1 month ago, so I’m sorry for the rant, I really hope fans who are free to play can take advantage of the system and lessen the time they have to spend grinding. Gacha games are predatory by nature, so make sure you get your time and moneys worth!

(sorry I went to bed right after I answered the first ask and have been busy all day)

YES TO ALL OF THIS!!! I think a lot of people were SL players and understand the gist, but like yes! Play efficiently! Especially if you're not gonna spend money! I don't go full calculating on it, but I pay enough attention to do it enough in a lazy way. Also plenty of people in an old SL Discord and some other servers have been sharing tips after they did the math.

Like I'm using a level 70 SR Ai for the whole event because even though he's not my favorite QN member, he's my strongest card eligible! And I made sure to level him up right away. His board....I only just finished. But I think everyone is universally suffering in getting medium gems right now lol.

I think the only thing I'm not being super efficient on is the bond stuff. I'm too lazy to get all into adding that to my routine. I just do my tapping for the daily mission and maybe remember to grab Otoya because I would like to work on him too and don't have ANY usable card of him orz.

[bitcoincables]

Bitcoin Price Could Surge Above $100,000 Following SEC Approval of Spot ETFs

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved 11 spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which could potentially push the cryptocurrency's price above $100,000 for the first time. Experts have been optimistic about bitcoin's future, with some predicting the price to reach up to $200,000 by the end of 2025. The recent approval by the SEC is seen as a significant development that could attract institutional investors to the crypto space.

Bitcoin's price has surged by 70% since October and is currently at its highest level in nearly two years. However, despite the positive market reaction, some analysts view this as a "buy the rumor, sell the news" situation. The approval of spot ETFs is expected to bring in substantial inflows into bitcoin, potentially driving its price further.

While many experts are bullish on bitcoin, not everyone shares the same optimistic views. Former PIMCO CEO, Mohamed El-Erian, believes that despite the SEC approval, bitcoin's role as a global currency remains limited. The SEC itself remains skeptical about bitcoin's potential as an investment and highlights its speculative and volatile nature, as well as its use in illicit activities.

Original article: Click here to read the full article

[tombeane-blog]

The End Of Mankind As We Know It - Fadeout And Objectaphilia

(Warning: Contains a male only viewpoint. Your perception of misogyny may vary.)

Earth's population is within a few decades of reaching an irreversible turning point.

In many countries, developed or not, the people are no longer having enough children to replace themselves.

We don't notice this now because increased life spans and other factors temporarily mask the trend. The population is still growing but not for much longer.

(The Fadeout) A total collapse or transformation is going to take place in global economies.

No matter whether a country is a democracy, socialist, a dictatorship, or even communist - it needs growing internal and external markets to survive.

Less people, markets shrink. No matter the ideology or frantic machinations of the government - in order to survive, the dwindling population will force governments to spend less, build less, progress less.

The population decline may not play out the same in different countries and at the same rate. But as one country starts to shrink, it will affect markets with any country in which it shares commerce.

Government handouts and investments shrink, jobs disappear, exports and imports are reduced. The trends gain speed towards the ultimate economic transformation of civilization as we know it.

People today are more and more disinclined to take on the task of having and raising children. Some to save the planet, others maybe because it is too expensive.

As governments flay wildly at the problem using higher taxes for some, tax breaks for others, wage and price controls - this well just accelerate the trend. People will not want to have more kids. Not even the 2.1 required to maintain the current population levels.

Sooner or later economies and governments begin to decay or suddenly collapse. Globally this will happen over a period of 75-200 years.

But no matter how current experts interpret, parse, cherry pick or misinterpret the data, global economies and populations are in for a rough ride for a century or two.

But one specific trend may supercharge the decline because it will balloon the collapse and grow the shrinking. (weird word pairings huh?)

What is it? Yep yep yep, we're talking sex now!

More specifically, Artificially Intelligent Sexual Companions.

In the modern world, men are more and more treated as 'the problem' and the solution to 'the problem' is to delegitimize and feminize men in order to root out the toxic masculinity. So I ask, "Who wants to stand tall, be masculine, work hard, raise sons to do the same and be stigmatized as toxic for doing so?"

And women have been told since the 70's that, 'A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle'.

So what happens is, more and more young males grow up in a digital fantasy world, never developing social skills. Men who have no interest dating real women, much less build a family.

I don't want to anger you folks (OK I will) by going through 99.9% of human history of male and female roles. I'll just state that a main biological driver for most men is to have their egos stroked and to be provided with sex on demand. So women throughout evolution stroked men's egos and gave them sex in exchange for the safety and security required to nurture and raise their offspring. Nature evolved hormonal attraction. But human society called it love and made it a binding familial proposition to ensure the growth of mankind.

Men came to accept, and really like this arrangement overall and in fact, really loved the woman. Women liked the security and stability it guaranteed and even loved the man.

(Here is a typical Male-female conversation that hasn't changed much over thousands of years) "You numbah one Joe. Small ones hungry. You need get more meat next time. Me love you long time." "Move female. Me watching Monkey's play Coconut Ball. Tell small ones hush. Get meat later. Bring fermented grain."

Family life is great. Spouses are great. Kids are great. Everyone loves it.

But now, all of this is changing before our very eyes.

Guys growing up in the digital world will not develop the skills to woo a real women - even if they want one - which they probably won't. Women more and more choosing a career and providing for her own life without men's support and without kids. Trading a long term relationships for occasional hookups.

(And The Objectaphilia) Just speaking for the guys - what happens when they can get all the ego stroking and sex without any strings attached? Bald, pudgy, un-bathed and unshaven - guys can meander around town, meeting up with their bros - a beer in one hand and the latest Letitia model 17.3.5, a young, beautiful, individually programmed, volupionated gal clinging to their left arm. She's smiling, programmed love in her eyes, obviously enthralled with the man's every word.

"You numbah one Joe. You so handsome. All other men numbah 10. Me love you long time"

And like a car, men can get a new model whenever they want? Smart ones, quiet ones, loud brassy ones that play pool and like football. The list is endless. Want a harem? No problem.

Want a kid that looks just like you? Buy one tailor made. Keep him in the closet when you aren't playing catch in the back yard.

Of course there will be many men who will resist this. But less and less men will want a life lived the old fashioned way. Not enough will want to commit to a real woman and have the 2.1 kids that it will take to stop the coming collapse.

As all this plays out, A.I. will take over almost all jobs, do all the farming, keep all the lights on, provide all the burgers, give us all the entertainment we demand and in general, serve the dwindling population. The fewer and fewer will be well cared for by A.I.

I can not, and will not, speak for women. Will they want an Artificially Intelligent Companion? You gals are gonna have to wrestle with that one.

"You know they ain't thinkin' about no man These women ain't playin' no secrets, no more They playin' a wide open hand" Johnny Winter - Bad Girl Blues

[audio-luddite]

Stuff.

I had an interesting exchange with PT the tube Guru about certain electronic components. I do not want to trigger them by mentioning the parts (weak humor attempt). I am still processing it.

I was following up on some more information about the transformer in my Franken-Amp in response to a question. I found the manual, and it gives a part number and that is it. Beyond that the jungle drums say it was made by Hammond (in Canada!?) and produced a rail voltage of 75V. She is huge and heavy.

Image from the 'net.

And that is as far as I took it.

While looking around the files on my computer I found a pdf of an old (of course) 1974 issue of "Stereophile" magazine. I had to read through it. I grabbed it a couple years ago as it is a bit of a watershed issue. In it there is a review of the Dynaco ST400 Amp, the Dynaco Pat 5 preamp and two Audio Research products the D76 and SP3a.

In summary at the time of publication the very best solid state amplifier available was the ST400. The very best tube amplifier was the ARC D76. The very best Solid State Preamp was the PAT 5 and the corresponding tube unit was the ARC SP3a, but not better by much over the little Pat5.

The ST400 was better than the Crown DC300, The Phase Linear 400 and 700. The P-Ls do not surprise me, the DC300 is/was an impressive beast popular with rock bands.

Depending on your speakers and if you wanted to compensate for something or other in the bass or extreme highs Solid state was better than Glass or visa versa. Fun read especially when you know how the story ends, if it has even ended.

Since then the ARC units are classic, collectable, but not great by today's standards. If you want to buy "Class" then good on you. Both are flabby to lumpy in the Bass and quite soft but lovely in the highs. I heard them both back when I could hear the flyback transformers on a TV.

The Dynacos have gone through a cycle of "they are all crap" to they were OK, to approaching desirability in the used market. Typical price is $700 USD in a recent ad. It can be a lot less if repair is needed. No romance though.

The ARCs are silly pricey as "collectable". Recent SP3a's are listed over $3000 typically. That ARC Classic 60 is, oh the price is down to $2250. It is the grandson of the D76. A basket case wreck of a D75 was selling for over a grand as first, needed a few grand in repairs if even possible, but yes there is that romance.

The ST400 is the daddy (uncle?) of my Franken-Amp. So take a ST400, strip out all the protection circuits and hot rod the living crap out of it and you have my beast. There is no Hardness in the treble and there is no cross talk in the stereo image. So by the late 70s even to the 80s it is at SOTA level. Ha there you have it.

When I actually fire the beast up I am happy with it. I gotta occasionally remind myself of that. I have to take a pill or maybe a scotch to suppress the tweak head in me. It comes in waves.

Remember everyone there is no best, just what you like. The goal is what you hear, not what you use to hear it. Really I mean it.

Good morning / evening to all, especially you PT.