#meet the team: coding

[focusontheheart]

Meet the Team - Dev

You can also find @the-devil-fruit-tree on: AO3 @ silverwolf_fox

Hey there, y’all! You can call me Dev, and I’m one of the proud coders of Focus on the Heart! I’ve been loving Horizon Zero Dawn since the first year it came out and have been a fic writer across multiple fandoms for even longer. I’ve only written two oneshots based on HZD, but I’m really excited for the chance to utilize my coding skills for such an awesome project.

See the Q&A with Dev under the cut!

What is a favorite piece of work you've done (i.e. completed, working on, in concept)?

Of my two HZD fics, “Why Do You Care?” is my favorite, a Nil/Aloy that shows off her stubbornness, his caring, and a whole lot of hurt/comfort fluff.

I do stand by my other fic, “Glitch” and how fun a multi-chapter HZD/100 crossover exploration would be.

What are some of your favorite tropes to write, draw, or read?

Ooh, this is a tough one. I love soulmate aus and, for the fandoms that need it, time-travel fix-its. Plus anything that expands on world-building.

What is an unexpected thing or fun fact about you?

I love crafting, and one of my main mediums is crocheting yarn plushies

What has been your favorite thing about working on this project so far?

For years, Cait (Leader of Team Nil) has been my best friend and beta for my writings, and this has been my first chance to work on a fandom project together with her.

[mehrfh]

Honestly, for me anything dramatic in JinMao reunion would have felt odd, I am happy they kept it very usual business-like because these folks are way too professional even in most intense of circumstances. Like after LN5 epilogue the way they talk to each other for a long time is very professional. Although MaoMao's soft, unwavering, slightly shocked gaze was a nice touch. I think the way they turn to professionalism is actually a mutual defense mechanism they have developed to undercut tension/awkwardness/intensity at times. Moreover, it will be nice to see not-so-professional Jinshi in the later two scenes where this scene in retrospect will become funny. However, after the balcony scene, I do hope they do ‘not-so-calm’ Jinshi due justice in carriage scene because that was a SWITCH from how he was behaving till that point. And a very important portrayal of how he ACTUALLY felt about her absence. Till that everything was more or less a facade for him.

Moreover, I feel you get to see intense JinMao only after LN-8, LN-12 onwards is officially together JinMao. So, for me actual important scene is carriage one and maybe the latter one is cherry-on-top for absolutely feral Jinshi. Hope they do both of them justice like the Hunt arc...

[zan-the-second]

You left your typewriter at my apartment,

Straight from The Tortured Poets Department.

Yet another ttpd @ktmy-tf2 edit. They make me severely unwell.

[theprinceandthewitch]

Hmm... it's interesting how they made Luz wear a witch's cloak in Hunting Palisman - the episode where she introduces Flapjack to Hunter. This is also the episode where Hunter defies Belos by choosing Luz over him. He goes back to his palace empty-handed and he doesn't hand over Flapjack to Belos. Unbeknownst to Hunter, he is following Caleb's footsteps.

But then, in Hollow Mind, they made the choice to have Luz not wear her witches cloak - instead they made Luz wear a jacket with a giant "E" on it. They could have given Luz a completely different outfit like they did in Hunting Palisman. But they don't... they make her wear this specific jacket...

...They also make Hunter wear Caleb's symbol in Hollow Mind... an episode where Luz and Hunter are trapped in Philip's mind... where we can see paintings of the two most important characters in Philip's life - his brother and a witch from another world.

But I'm sure this is all unintentional.

You know, like this is:

oh, nbd, just a painting being paralleled with the scene happening right before our eyes

here's a more high def image of the painting

Oh, hmm, okay, this is a painting of Caleb standing next to a witch with short dark brown hair and who just so happens to be a witch from another world. Both of them are startled by Philip...

Hunter, the Grimwalker who looks the most like Caleb, is standing next to someone who ALSO just so happens to be a witch from another world with short dark brown hair... both are startled by Philip's monster form...

Hmm, must be unintentional I guess.

there's also this:

Mhm, okay, I see... I see, very interesting. Here we have Caleb being lead away from Philip by a witch from another world after the brother's have a fall out. This fall out marks the point of no return for them, as Philip later kills Caleb out of anger.

Hunter and Philip's relationship completely deteriorates because of Luz, which leads to Philip's decision to kill Hunter. She shows Hunter Belos' true nature and she offers Hunter sanctuary at The Owl House right after he finds out Belos has been lying to him his whole life... Luz saves Hunter's life and changes it forever.

Hmmm... very interesting

But I'm sure this is unintentional [I'm being sarcastic]

[smile-files]

i'm currently working on a text-based python bfdi simulator using stats and probability: i don't know how it'll turn out but i'm excited to try my best!

[foundationsofdecay]

work day is saaaaaved thanks meds for my life

[divinector]

Responsive Meet the Team Section Our Telegram Channel

[suthecoder]

So you have a zillion competing priorities RIGHT NOW

Take a deep breath

Write down the two or three things you gotta do in the next hour

Do the first one

[focusontheheart]

Meet the Team - Flynn

You can also find @farthaz on: Twitter @ farthaz

I’ve been playing Horizon since 2020 when I bought HZD, and fell in love with the franchise. But just recently I joined the fandom during the first months of 2023 looking for a way to express my love for the games. My coding career started as a hobby in 2019 and I focus more on data analysis. When I saw this project I decided to test and use my skills to create something for one of my favorite games and its incredible fandom.

See the Q&A with Flynn under the cut!

What is something you’ve always wanted to create for fandom? 

I always wanted to create something inclusive and that helps bring people together. This is the perfect way!

What are some of your favorite tropes to write, draw, or read?

I like to write and read all kinds of ships… And admire people’s drawings lol.

What is an unexpected thing or fun fact about you?

Sometimes people IRL mistake me for a boy and lose their shit when I talk to them with my sweet girly voice lol

What has been your favorite thing about working on this project so far?

Getting to know so many talented folks from different countries and paths of life!

[vlovann]

Clothing stores don’t give a damn about what their product looks like anymore.

If you do, you’re doing too much which automatically makes you suck at your job somehow. They hate you now. You’re gonna be fired directly or silently in the end.

This is a lot because it happens too often and I need to let it out somewhere I can’t be fired from.

TL;DR at the bottom. You’re welcome.

Here’s a new one: The manager isn’t always right.

How many of you have been told that something you know is important…isn’t. That it’s “not a priority”? That you’re “overthinking it”?

🙋🏻‍♀️

That’s their favorite phrase isn’t it?

How many of you wake up and can’t get back to sleep on your off day because your brain wants to argue with your boss about something as simple as ORGANIZING?

🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️

How many of you have been left to feel like you can’t do anything right because you can’t do it by one specific person’s standards that doesn’t even understand the task at hand but controls whether or not you can afford to live?

🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️

Yeah…this is what I’m dealing with. Here’s my rant:

⭐️ Keep in mind, I am an artist (specifically character design) and an aspiring fashion designer. I want to open my own physical shop one day. Sooo…color, visualizing and making outfits is kiiiinda in my blood. It’s very much a passion.

🤦🏻‍♀️

I’ll start off with this…*ahem* VISUAL MERCHANDISING IS NOT JUST ABOUT “TEEHEE SIGNS AND MANNEQUINS.” It is about making your store look visually appealing to customers. I love dressing mannequins. It’s my favorite part of it, but…it’s just that. A part of it. I can understand that.

More than one place has treated it like that, shamelessly, I’ll say my past jobs at Forever21 and Nordstrom. Fuck them. I currently work at a fashion liquidation store. Somewhere that doesn’t even have a directive to follow and I was told to basically make shit up.

My current boss has claimed he fought the district manager to hire me because they needed somebody to help with visualizing. I’m starting to think this was a bold faced lie and somebody else they wanted to hire declined.

Because…

Well…then I started visualizing. I started colorizing the product, buttoning, tying, lacing, zipping, etc. Apparently, that’s not visualizing?

I have talked to all of our employees and my fellow management. You know what they told me?

They don’t care. They don’t like doing it so they don’t.

That’s whatever. I’m here now. I’ll help and I have the power to at least teach them how to.

You know what else? This really pissed me off internally.

It’s because they let the customers who come in and disrespect the product dictate whether or not they organize the fucking store and uphold the image of the company. The customers that put their entire stack of stuff in the wrong colors, the wrong size, or the wrong product all together. When the go-back rack is RIGHT THERE. They have submitted to the customers that don’t care about customer service workers and don’t care about making their jobs harder.

So no. It’s not about prioritizing other things. It’s about not wanting to put in or make time for the effort.

Gods this feels so similar to my experiences dating men 🤦🏻‍♀️

Do we listen to the person who actually cares? The one who comes in almost every day in a unique and coherent outfit instead of sweatpants (unless you schedule her to work 8 days in a row, closing almost every day while you and the other assistant get 4 days off)? The one who literally finds organizing stores calming?

NOPE

We listen to the ones that don’t care!

Riddle me this, Batman…

If you could hire somebody for any amount of time to organize your closet, would you rather:

A. The organizer take the time to “overthink” the details, but everything has a place and it’s easier for you to maintain without them?

Or

B. The organizer pick everything up off the floor and hang it up in a random spot and leave?

Can’t put text under a poll so please comment on/reblog this with your answer and optionally additional input. Or just think about it.

Let me tell you why organizing is important…in case you genuinely don’t know.

If you made it this far, you’re listening more than the people that are supposed to. You’re probably in the same boat. I’m sorry, dude. Here’s some rations to stay adrift 🍱🥗🍟🍿🍉🍎🍓 Don’t eat me, we’ll eat the rich corporations when we get to dry land 🏴‍☠️

1. When somebody is in a hurry, they can’t take the time to scavenge the racks to find what they’re looking for before they have say an interview, a first day on the job, a first date. They will walk through the racks looking for an ounce of organized product to look through. If they don’t find it, they leave to look somewhere else.

Congratulations, you lost a sale because you refuse to take the time to organize.

2. Someone is looking for a specific dress. Let’s say a champagne strapless lace up dress. You definitely have it. You go looking for it in the sleeveless section, knowing it’s supposed to be there, but it’s not. It takes like 5 minutes too long. Your customer is getting impatient. Says she’ll do it herself because obviously you must just be incompetent. She can’t even find it, scolds you, and leaves. Bonus point when you’re walking by the next day and you find that it’s been shoved in with the long sleeves in the middle of the navy blue section. You could’ve avoided that whole interaction.

Congratulations, you lost a sale because you refuse to take the time organize.

3. You’re the manager of a shop at a mall or plaza. You have competition. People look in your store as they walk by see that your shop is unorganized, your employees are being forced or applauded not to care where they put things because it’s not important, while other customers are walking all over you, leaving clothes draping over racks, not even taking 3 seconds to hang it back up. They keep walking, heading over to the store across from you.

This store has a team of people making sure their product always looks nice while someone who would rather stay at the register does so to make sure customers are still being taken care of. Their racks are color coded, sized, buttoned, zipped, tied, etc. Their mannequins look stylish. This store is easier to shop from.

Congratulations! You lost hundreds of sales because you refuse to take the time to organize.

Double Congratulations! The only customers you’re attracting are the ones who have never once worked in retail or have sympathy for those that do! You’ve made a reputation amongst Thieves and Karens for easy pickin’s!

Four, the new hire who wants to organize to make things easier on herself and others, poor thing, but you won’t let her, is “taking forever” to do the go-backs. You go over there to professionally tell her she sucks at her job, she’s an idiot, and tell her she needs to get better or else. She explains that she doesn’t know where to put anything because it’s all out of order and it’s stressing her out. You basically tell her “that’s a you problem”. The next day, she hands you her two weeks notice, saying she found a better opportunity.

This is the same employee who customers appreciate the fact that she takes the time to fold their clothes as she rings them out instead of throwing them lazily in a bag.

It’s very obvious she cares. Just too much for you. In reality, it’s just that she cares more than you and you feel threatened, so you want to push her out so she can’t take your job which she doesn’t even want to do. She just wants to work somewhere for someone that will value her input and skills.

Congratulations! You lost a valuable employee who could’ve helped fix your brand’s reputation for being a “dirty store”.

😤😤😤

I just…DON’T UNDERSTAND!?!?!

How can organizing NOT be one of the top priorities? Their logic doesn’t make any sense and it’s fucking maddening 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

What’s funny is that my SM has told me he wants to be a traveling merchandiser for the brand and yet he treats me like this over THE SIMPLEST visual task. If you ask me, I don’t think he’s cut out for it unless he can comprehend these basics.

What’s also funny is that when I worked at Forever21 the direct managers also treated me like shit over wanting to make the store look good which was a heavy task if you’ve ever seen an overstocked Forever21. The district and specialized, overhead managers came in and vocally appreciated me in the middle of talking to the store manager when I was organizing the racks. I thanked them loudly. I felt so pettily and insanely happy. I couldn’t hide my smirk.

We made it! 🏙️ Now go feast on the flesh made of little green pieces of paper.

Please share your stories like this! I’m curious to see where else this could be happening and what your experiences are.

TL;DR - Make store wook pwetty? Customers find things! They will like shop! They buy from shop! They come back and gib you more mo-nies, yeah?! What will they do? Incwease sales?! Yes, that’s wight! Wisten to empwoyee concewns? What will dat do? *GASP* You get to keep them! YAYYY! You’re such a smart, bwainwashed corpwate swave! Yes, you are! Good job! Now go! Be fwee!

[rosemaryhoney27]

“Meet the Parents (And Their Armory)”

When Danny said, “You guys should meet my parents,” the Batkids had collectively paused.

Jason: “Aren’t those the ones who tried to dissect you?”

Danny: “They got better.”

Damian: “You are very casual about attempted vivisection.”

Danny: “Welcome to the Fenton family, baby.”

Dick: “This can’t possibly go wrong.”

Steph: “Famous last words.”

FentonWorks — Amity Park

The Batkids stepped out of the Fenton RV, staring up at the lime green, Frankenstein’d-together house with a giant ectoplasmic turret on top.

Tim whispered, “That building violates every safety code I’ve ever studied.”

“Which means it’s perfect,” Jason grinned.

The front door burst open.

“DANNY-BOY!” Jack Fenton roared, charging out in a hazmat suit and hugging Danny so hard he phased to avoid cracked ribs.

“And these must be your little friends!” Maddie beamed. “Are they in your ghost hunting club? Vigilante group? Paranormal protection gang?”

Jason: “...Yes.”

Inside the Lab

Danny’s siblings (by chaos, not blood) stood in awe-slash-terror as Jack proudly showed off the Fenton Arsenal™.

“We’ve got Ecto-Blasters, Specter Snare Cannons, the Ghost Gabber 9000—”

“That one doesn’t do anything,” Danny stage-whispered. “It just yells ghost puns.”

“—and of course, my favorite,” Jack said, hefting a glowing, bazooka-sized monstrosity, “The Fenton Anti-Creep Stick™!”

“Can I hold it?” Jason asked immediately.

Danny: “You really, really shouldn’t—”

Jack: “You absolutely can!”

Danny: “—oh god.”

Jason grinned like a kid in a candy store as he hoisted the Anti-Creep Stick and blew a crater in the backyard. “I LOVE YOUR DAD.”

Gift Time

“So!” Maddie chirped. “We made each of you a custom ghost-defense item!”

Danny: “...Please be small.”

They were not.

Jason got a pair of twin ecto-revolvers — glowing green, sleek, with ghost-seeking tech embedded in the handles. He was in love.

Tim got a pocket-sized spectral scanner that unfolded into a full laptop. (“It hacks through dimensions,” Maddie said proudly. Tim nearly cried.)

Damian was gifted a miniaturized spectral scimitar. Jack added, “It sings your theme song when it powers up!” Damian smiled — a terrifying, sharp little smile.

Steph got an ectoplasm glitter bomb launcher. She immediately set it off in the kitchen. Maddie was delighted.

Dick received ecto-infused grappling hooks that let him swing through walls. He hugged both parents on the spot.

Later That Night

The Batkids lounged on beanbags in Danny’s room, covered in marshmallow goo from Fenton family s’mores night.

Steph: ���Your mom tackled a ghost into the barbecue pit.”

Tim: “Your dad gave me a hug that cracked my ribs.”

Jason (stroking his new guns lovingly): “I’m moving in.”

Danny: “You’ll regret that at 3AM when the fridge starts screaming.”

Damian: “Your father attempted to high-five me. I allowed it. Once.”

Danny snorted. “He’s gonna cry from happiness later.”

Meanwhile, in the Fenton Kitchen

Maddie sipped her tea. “They’re good kids.”

Jack nodded, eyes misty. “Do you think if we adopt them too, we can finally start that Ghost Hero Team I always wanted?”

Maddie smiled. “Let’s give them snacks first.”

Group Chat: [Batfam + Phantom of the Groupchat]

Jason: Can I call your dad Pops?

Danny: ...I literally do not have the power to stop you.

Steph: i want to go back next weekend. ghost dodgeball rematch.

Damian: I defeated the kitchen specter with honor. Fenton called it a “heckin’ good whack.”

Tim: I still don’t know how the toaster is haunted.

Dick: Best parents. A+++ would let them arm me again.

Danny: they’re already building a tank for you.

Bruce: WHAT DO YOU MEAN "A TANK"

Danny: Too late B. You’re a Fenton by association now 😎

[jellyfishsthings]

Miscommunication is key

navigation , dc navigation

WARNINGS: funny miscommunication, the kids love you (maybe a bit too much)

requests are open

dividers by @cafekitsune

It started, as all catastrophes in the Manor did, with eavesdropping.

Tim was in the hallway, allegedly “cleaning the thermostat” (read: tweaking the heat setting so Steph would stop stealing his hoodies), when he heard voices coming from Bruce’s office. Your voice. And Bruce’s.

Tim had no idea what the argument was actually about. Something about boundaries? Trust? Printer ink? But the tension in your tone made his stomach clench. When Bruce said, “Maybe we need to take a step back,” Tim’s heart dropped.

He called an emergency family meeting in the Batcave.

“Dad and Mom are getting divorced.”

Jason looked up from his sandwich. “They’re not even married.”

“Details!” Tim cried, pacing like a war general. “We could still be split up! This is how it starts. A little coldness, a few missed dinners, then boom—visitation schedules and emotional trauma.”

Dick blinked. “Do we... get split up?”

“Technically, no,” Damian said. “We’re all legally tied to Father. Except for Jason and Stephanie.”

“What happens to us?!”

“Don’t panic,” Steph said, reading from her tablet. “Worst case scenario, we stage a legal rebellion and declare the manor a sovereign child-state.”

“Or,” Tim said, eyes wide, “we get adopted. By Mom.”

Silence.

Then chaos.

“She’d never say no to me,” Dick said confidently.

“I’ll bribe her with cookies,” Jason offered.

Damian narrowed his eyes. “I call emotional manipulation.”

Cass held up a whiteboard: Why not all of us?

So it was decided: Operation Adoption began at dawn.

They convened in the attic. Because the Batcave was under Bruce’s territory, and this was neutral ground.

Dick paced.

Damian sharpened a pencil aggressively.

Cass ate grapes and watched everyone like she was waiting for someone to cry.

Stephanie had already made t-shirts. “Team Mom 4 Lyfe.”

"We need a plan," Tim said, eyes red from Googling "how to stop a divorce you caused by being a messy adult child."

Jason held up a sheet of paper. “What if we ask her to adopt us?”

Dead silence.

Damian blinked. “You mean legally abandon Father?”

Jason shrugged. “It’s called strategic custody realignment.”

Phase One: Woo the Parent

You found your morning coffee already made.

By lunch, your office had been vacuumed, your planner color-coded, and a tray of Damian’s surprisingly excellent macarons appeared on your desk. Something was clearly up.

Dick followed you around like a golden retriever. “You look radiant today. New serum? Or just naturally ageless?”

“You want something,” you said flatly.

“Who, me?” he asked, wounded. “I’m just basking in the presence of my favorite future legal guardian.”

You blinked. “What?”

Jason appeared in the doorway. “Can I interest you in... a bribe?” He held up an embarrassing baby photo of Bruce in a sailor outfit.

“Jason—”

“Don’t make us pick sides in the fake divorce!”

“What fake divorce?!”

“Mom” Steph said, slipping in dramatically, “we’re prepared to make a case. Visitation is a nightmare, and you make the best pancakes. We’ve chosen you. Please accept custody of all emotionally damaged gremlins present.”

You stared at the room of hopeful, slightly unhinged faces.

“Did Bruce put you up to this?”

“Not unless he’s also asking for custody of Alfred,” Tim muttered.

Then Tim slid to you a small note, like they did in those spy movies he liked,  that said "Meet us in the living room in five"

Phase Two: The Pitch

The moment you entered the living room, the lights dimmed.

“Hello?”

Dick dropped from the ceiling.

Literally.

“Hi,” he said cheerfully, landing in a perfect split. “Can we talk?”

All five of them appeared like spirits of guilt, blocking your path to the kitchen. You sat them all down. “Okay. Walk me through your logic.”

Tim pulled out a graph titled Projected Emotional Outcomes Based on Custodial Assignment.

Jason had prepared a PowerPoint. “Slide one: Why Mom is the Superior Parent.”

Slide two: A chart comparing your hugs to Bruce’s handshake-head-pat combo.

Slide three: An animated pie labeled “Pancakes.”

Damian presented a legal document signed in crayon: WE THE CHILDREN CHOOSE THE COOLER PARENT.

“Steph notarized it,” he added.

“She forged my signature,” You whispered.

Steph held up a PowerPoint remote. The TV flashed on. First slide: "Why You Should Keep Us In The Event Of Inevitable Divorce."

You blinked. “Excuse me—what?”

Tim cleared his throat. “We’ve noticed rising tensions in your domestic interactions.”

Cass handed you a binder titled Custody Proposal: Draft 1.

Dick pointed at a bar graph. “Notice that under your influence, emotional stability in the household has increased by 46%. And we’ve had fewer vigilante-related injuries. Except Jason. But he’s a wild card.”

Jason saluted with a juice box.

You pinched the bridge of your nose. “You think Bruce and I are getting divorced because we argued?”

Damian crossed his arms. “Historically, that is how war begins. ”

Cass stood.

She held up flashcards. One had a stick figure with a cape hugging a heart. Another said ‘We Love You.’

Then she did the unthinkable.

She signed: Please don’t leave us.

Stephanie wiped away a tear. “It’s not manipulation if it’s true.”

Then Cass handed you a video montage she’d edited titled “Adoption: A Love Story,” scored with sweeping instrumental music and slow-mo scenes of you handing out snacks.

Damian climbed onto your lap. “You’re warm and you smell like cinnamon. That’s mom stuff.”

Your heart cracked, then melted.

“I’m not leaving Bruce,” you said gently. “We were arguing about printer ink.”

Silence.

“...Printer ink?” Tim asked weakly.

“He keeps buying magenta in bulk! Who uses that much magenta?!”

The kids slowly looked at one another.

“Abort mission,” Dick said.

“Too late,” Cass signed. “I already filed the motion with the fake Batkid Court.”

“Look,” you said, softening, “you don’t need to panic. Even if Bruce and I ever did break up, you’re not losing me.”

“Promise?” Tim whispered.

You cupped his face. “Swear it.” 

Jason sat beside you on the couch. “I get it if you ever want to get a divorce. Bruce is...Bruce. But you? You’re the only one who remembers to buy snacks we actually like. You’re the one who puts notes in my lunch that say, ‘Don’t stab anyone, even if they deserve it.’ That’s love.”

Dick: “And you help Bruce. Even if he’s being a Bat-Butt.”

Damian knelt. “Legally, I am already a Wayne. But if you filed paperwork, I would accept a hyphen.”

You couldn’t breathe.

Pause.

“So you’re saying we wasted $40 on matching ‘Adopt Me’ t-shirts?”

Later that night, you walked into Bruce’s study and flopped dramatically onto the couch.

“Your children tried to get me to adopt them today.”

He looked up from his paperwork. “Just today?”

“They had charts.”

He nodded. “Ah. The charts phase. Comes right before the emotional blackmail.”

You stared. “This has happened before?”

“Oh, absolutely. You’re the third person they’ve tried it with.”

You gasped. “Who was the second?”

“Alfred.”

You considered this. “They have good taste.”

Bruce smiled faintly. “They love you. That’s all this was. A weird, mildly terrifying love letter.”

You leaned back. “I almost said yes.”

“You still can. We’ll co-parent.”

“Until the magenta ink breaks us.”

He chuckled, kissed your forehead, and added, “Alfred already drafted the adoption paperwork. Just in case.”

Outside the study, eight Batkids listened through the door, celebrating silently.

“See?” Dick whispered. “Still a family.”

Jason wiped away a fake tear. “Group hug?”

“No,” Damian said. “But I will allow a high-five.”

Cass gave him one. It was perfect.

And the family stayed very much intact.

[applejade]

Secretary

warnings: smut, spanking with a belt, aggressive language, strap licking, boss and secretary relationship, strap sex art of Sevika is by Ochakka_b on twitter

After months of searching for a job, your friend from college had finally been able to pull some strings and land you a secretary position in her workplace.

It had started out so well. Your friend helped you settle in, you started to make friends with your coworkers and it seemed as if your boss had already taken a liking to you. 

But as time went on at your new job, the relationship between you and your boss started to change.

The squeezes on your shoulder after you successfully did what she asked began to linger longer than one would consider professional. Every time she'd call you to her office to give you another task, she'd gently grip your chin and force you to make eye contact as she spoke. 

And while she got noticeably more touchy, she also got more mean. She would find random small things to criticize you for, find ways to humiliate you in front of your coworkers, and then would call you into her office to have a “talk” once you finally stood up for yourself.

Of course, these “talks” included no talking. She only used it as an excuse to punish you the way she truly wanted to. 

But you didn't want to leave. You needed this job and with every cruel act, you became more desperate for her approval. Aching to feel her warm hand cupping your cheek again when she praises you for a job well done.

That doesn't mean you couldn't try to get back at her though.

Since she loves to insult your “prudish” fashion choices, you decided you'd wear something a bit more revealing today to get her attention.

You wore a tight black skirt that hugged your figure and threatened to show your panties at the slightest bend. Coily hair pulled into a high puff and black stockings.

You sensed her presence before you heard her dress shoes clacking up behind you. A sudden hand gripping the back of your thigh just below your ass almost caused you to spill the coffee you were making for her. 

“Meet me in my office when you're done. I need to speak to you”

Her lips grazed your ear as she whispered. Your breath hitched and you leaned into her.

You replied with a “Yes ma'am” and she stalked away to her office.

You dropped off the coffees you made for the team and gulped down a few swigs of your own in an attempt to prepare for another ‘scolding’ from your boss.

You opened the door to Sevika's office and she glanced at you from her seat behind her desk

She gestures for you to come to her and you hesitantly walk over and stand in front of her spread legs.

She gives you a sharp glare and whips your body around. Your ass faces her and you know she can see the glimpse of underwear peeking from underneath your skirt. 

You hear a scoff from behind you “What made you think this was appropriate?”

“I don't understand. I thought you wanted me to dress like this?”

Her grip on your hips becomes tighter and you wince a bit.

She pauses for a while like she's considering whether she wants to hurt you or fuck you.

“Bend over” She orders. You hesitate and look back at her. 

“Why? You're gonna punish me for nothing? I'm not breaking the dress code.” 

She stands and presses her body flush against your back. Her mechanical arm grips your cheeks and your face is pulled to face hers. 

“Keep playing with me and see what happens.” 

You try to stand your ground even as her grip starts to hurt your jaw.

“I ain't scared of you." you whisper

Her brows raise and her eye twitches. You can see her visibly trying to hold back her scowl as her grip tightens.

“Fine” is all she says before she releases your face and bends you over her desk.

You gasp as she roughly lifts your skirt out the way to reveal a pair of lacy black panties underneath. You attempt to block her hands and pull your skirt back down, only to have them gripped and held behind your back.

“Uh uh. Don't try to back out now. This is what you wanted.”

She switches your wrists to her mechanical hand so she can rub circles into your clothed pussy.

“Prancing around with this skimpy ass skirt on. You thought I wouldn't notice you coming to work dressed like a hooker?” 

Her flesh hand leaves your pussy and you hear the sound of a belt unbuckling. 

Your breath quickens in fear and anticipation. You can handle a couple spanks but this is a punishment she'd never done before. You start to squirm, trying to free your hands from her grasp but she doesn't budge.

She huffs out a husky laugh “Acting like you don't want it. Where'd all that attitude go, huh?”

“Wait Sevika, please!”

She lands a slap on your pussy and your eyes start to water.

“What do you call me?" She says.

You sniffle in reluctance and stay silent. 

She slaps your pussy again, this time harsher and directly on your clit.

“Say my name, bitch”

you cry out “Ms. Sevika!”

You can hear her smirk when she praises you

 “Good girl” she says as she finally takes off her belt completely and snaps it against your ass without warning. 

You let out a squeal and she whips you harder the second time.

“Shut up” she says firmly “You want them to hear you?”

“No, ma'am” You whimper and bite your lip to muffle your screams.

She gives hit after hit until you're sobbing and begging for her forgiveness and eventually - she accepts it.

She pulls you upright by your puff and squeezes your cheeks together with her flesh hand. Your head is shaken gently as she coos at your tear soaked face.

“aww poor baby. You've never been punished like that before, have you?”

“uh uh” is all you can mewl through your smushed lips.

She mocks your pout and wipes the tears from your face.

“Please” you whisper

“Please what, baby?”

“Please touch me”

A smirk spreads across her ebony lips while she slowly moves your hand down to her pants.

You feel a bulge beneath her clothes and make eye contact with her. 

Was she planning for this?

“Take it out for me” she orders

You slowly turn around to pull her pants down and pull her strap out.

She tells you to get on your knees and you do so without hesitation.

Her flesh hand strokes her strap like she can feel it and you try not to salivate. She taps the thick purple plastic on your lips. “Get it wet”

You lick her strap all over until there’s saliva dripping to the floor. Her hums and slight moans make you dizzy and you attempt to fit it in your throat until a sharp hand tugs your head back.

“That’s enough” she says before she pulls you to your feet by your puff. You don’t even have enough time to wipe the spit from your mouth before she bends you over the desk again and shoves her fingers inside you. 

It only takes a couple minutes for her to finish prepping you. The ‘punishment’ had your pussy leaking enough for the prep to not even be necessary.

She lines her strap up to your hole and you feel her push into you. 

By the time her thrusts start picking up speed, your mind is already deep in the clouds. All you can think of is the push and pull of Sevika’s strap and her degrading encouragements

“Yeah, take this dick, slut” 

“This is all your little mind can think of, huh? Poor baby just wants to be fucked”

It doesn't matter what she says, everything is answered with whines and a mewled “uh huh” 

Her thrusts get harder the louder you moan. She slaps your ass as you start to fuck yourself back on her dick, coaxing you into going faster.

Your pussy clenches the closer you get to your climax and Sevika swears she can feel it.

“Cum on this dick, baby.”

Her permission makes your pussy gush and you shudder through your climax.

She continues fucking into you while your body goes limp. You put your hand on her rocking hips, attempting to stop her movement. 

“M-miss, please. No more-”

She shushes you almost instantly, putting a hand around your mouth, making your back arch in the process.

The squelching of her strap pounding your pussy and the friction on her clit tips her over the edge. She grunts out a moan and slows to a subtle grind until she eventually stills.

Heavy pants and the smell of sex fills the room. She slowly pulls out of you and gently pulls you up to her chest.

She kisses your cheek down to your shoulder and pulls your lacy panties back up. She grabs a long cardigan from the back of her chair and wraps it around you.

Your mind is completely emptied as her husky voice whispers in your ear to go back to your desk.

You sit through the rest of the work day in cum soaked panties until she comes up behind your chair and grips the back of your neck. As you ride in her car, on the way to her apartment - you plot your next act of defiance, hoping she’ll put you in your place again.

[shadelorde]

Murderhelion means so much to me actually. They have a relationship and it's definitely queer but it's not the human definition of romantic or sexual. They are both aroace. They share intimacy through the feed and it feels so natural its basically subconscious. The first thing Perihelion does upon meeting Murderbot is expose its entire code to it, just for an unfathomably tiny amount of time. Murderbot meets Peri and trusts it enough to modify its entire body relatively soon after. Peri sees MB having an Awful time and puts on a show for it without even asking. MB gets captured and Perihelion Immediately trains all of its missiles on the colony it was captured by without hesitation and it takes an entire TEAM of people to talk it down from blowing everything up. Peri will casually jump into MB's mind. It got captured and tortured and its memory gets fucked with and it was shut down and it used every single inch of processing power it had to find Murderbot because it knew it could save it. The two of them have no human label for their relationship but they trust each other so easily that they can become essentially one being when they have to. whatever they have going on is FANTASTIC

[luna-azzurra]

Romance List Prompts

Forced Proximity “Oops, There’s Only One Bed” & Other Nightmares (aka: trapped together, forced to talk, and now I’m noticing your eyelashes??)

✧ They hate each other. Of course they do. But now they’re snowed in at the same remote cabin. One bed. No signal. Nowhere to run from each other or their feelings. ✧ They barely know each other, just enough to be annoyed in passing. Then they get stuck between floors, in the dark, and suddenly all the things they don’t say become impossible to ignore. ✧ They agree to a long-haul drive for mutual convenience. Cue broken-down car, sketchy motel, and sharing snacks like it’s an act of war. By night two, they’re sleeping back-to-back and trying not to notice how quiet it gets when the other person isn’t talking. ✧ They’re both responsible for watching someone else's pet/kid/home. They bicker like divorced parents. They bond over chaos. And somewhere between late-night takeout and arguing over dishes, they accidentally become something like a couple.

Forbidden Romance “We Shouldn’t, But God We Want To” (aka: slow burn with a side of inner turmoil)

✧ They were raised to hate each other. But then they meet, outside the context, outside the war, and start to realize they’re not what they were taught. And it wrecks them both. ✧ They’re assigned to protect someone who is completely off limits. Flirting is forbidden. Feelings are dangerous. And yet? Every glance feels like a confession they can’t afford to say out loud. ✧ Teacher/Instructor x Student, but make it ethical and age-appropriate. It’s a short-term class, a writing retreat, a combat training course. The power dynamic is there, but so is the connection. They try to keep it professional. They fail. Beautifully. ✧ Best Friend’s Sibling... They’re off limits. Point blank. But the tension? The tension is screaming. Especially when the best friend keeps leaving them alone together, completely unaware.

 Grumpy x Sunshine “Why Are You Like This?” (aka: emotionally constipated x aggressively full of feelings)

✧ Roommates from Opposite Vibes... One’s all color-coded calendars and 7AM smoothies. The other hasn’t done laundry in three weeks and growls before coffee. They clash. But one rainy day, the sunshine one leaves soup on the grump’s desk with a dumb little smiley note. It breaks them. ✧ Coffee Shop Owner x Frequent Customer... Grump runs the quiet, broody café. Sunshine comes in every morning with messy hair and too much enthusiasm. The barista rolls their eyes, but they always remember their order. Always. ✧ Hired for the Same Job. Grump is practical. Sunshine is chaotic. They’re forced to collaborate. The tension is delicious. Especially when the sunshine one starts to get under the grump’s skin and into their heart. ✧ They're on a team. The world is ending. The sunshine one makes jokes to stay sane. The grump one acts like they don’t care, until the sunshine one gets hurt. Then suddenly they’re soft, scared, and furious about it.

 Extra Angst & Emotional Damage For the Writers Who Like to Hurt (and Heal)

✧ “You Remembered?” They thought the other didn’t care. They’re used to being forgotten. But then, in the quiet, the other person says something, something small, something specific, and it hits like a train. ✧ “I Would’ve Picked You Every Time” They lost each other once. Circumstances. Timing. Fear. Years later, they meet again. And this time? This time the truth comes out. And it’s raw, and ugly, and healing. ✧ “Don’t Look at Me Like That” They’re breaking. Mid-fight. Mid-confession. One of them cracks and says the thing they swore they wouldn’t say. The other just looks at them soft, wide-eyed and it’s too much. ✧ “I Never Stopped Loving You” Classic. Heart-shattering. Should only be used when you want your readers to cry at 2AM while whispering “why did you do this to me”.

[nineteenninety-six]

sincerely thank you for your service on writing about 2 of my favorite things— bounty and abbot ilysm u hv no idea. Anyway, since requests are open i was wondering your take on how it would be like if jack is married to shen's best friend and everyone thought reader is shen's wife and shen is so tired and just out them both leaving everyone shocked. i really love your jack characterization and would like to see more of it. Thank youuuu in advance :))

Pairings: Jack Abbot x Reader. John Shen x BFF!Reader

AN: omg ily too <3 bounty gets so much unneccessary hate and thank you for the love (and sorry for the long wait.)

TW: mentions of an car accident. medical inaacuracies (pls dont kill me)

As you did every day, you entered the hospital with John Shen, both of you carrying take out coffee cups from the local coffee shop where you met up before every shift, and, like clockwork, the nurses watched you with eager eyes and gossiped behind hands and charts.

You and John were two peas in a pod, platonic soulmates, attached at the hip ever since meeting during your intern year at PTMC and you rarely left each other’s side in the past four, almost five years and even now, when you both recently completed your residency and became attendings, things hadn’t changed between you two.

You and John exchanged looks when you reached the lockers, laughing at the nurse’s behaviour as you dump your bags and jackets away.

“Are you ever going tell them that you’re married?”

You pull the simple chain that rested around your neck and reveal the rings that rest on there. Your engagement and wedding rings home when you were at work.

Honestly, it wasn’t like you were actively trying to keep your marriage a secret but considering who you were married to, you’d rather keep it down low to prevent further gossip or drama. Your husband, Jack, on the other hand kept his ring on but no one dared to ask him anything about his wife and so it was your little secret. The only other person in the hospital who knew about your marriage besides John was Dr Robby and that was because you and Jack needed witnesses when you eloped.

“I don’t plan to no…unless it’s upsetting you. It isn’t, is it?” You frown at him, concerned that the whispers are getting to him.

“No,” John laughs, “I’m just curious of Jack’s reaction.”

You tuck the rings back under your shirt and laugh, “Well, you know Jack and for him, the less people who know the truth the better.”

A trauma was called in just after midnight and it was all hands-on deck, multiple casualties from a multiple vehicle collision which currently had you kneeling over a patient on gurney performing CPR after they suddenly coded in the ambulance shortly before arriving at the hospital. The gurney was being rushed to trauma two where a team and a crash cart was waiting for you.

Soon you’re standing back as Abbot yells, ‘clear’, making sure you’re not touching the patient as the shock goes through them before you’re back performing CPR for another two minutes before Abbot calls for another shock and you step back again as the patient is shocked once more. This time their pulse returns and they’re intubated and moved to the ICU.

You release sigh as you peel off your gloves and throw them in the bin. Your arms burn and ache but you don’t have time for even a five-minute rest since you have the rest of the victims from the MVC waiting for treatment. Unbeknownst to you in the midst of everything your chain slipped out of your scrubs, your rings on full display.

Maddison, a nurse, is walking past you when she double takes at the rings resting on your chest.

“Are those…rings?” Maddison blinks in confusion before she reaches a guess, “Are you married?”

“Oh!” You tuck the rings back under your scrubs, “Yeah, I am.”

“To Dr Shen?!”

Before you could deny it, Maddison is pulled away to help another patient and you know the rumour that you’re married to John would have spread all around the hospital by the end of shift.

“Hey, you did good just there.” Abbot makes his way over to you, gloves off, arms crossed as he stared you down, making eye contact with you. The classic Dr Jack Abbot stare.

You smile and shrug off the compliment, “It’s no big deal, just doing my job.”

“You’re good at your job, you’re a good doctor.” With that Jack pats you on the arm before he leaves the trauma room.

Jack at home and Jack at work were two different people. Jack at home was sweet, loving, doting, the perfect husband in many ways but Jack at work was completely detached and indifferent. You weren’t complaining as this was something you both agreed on but it was still jarring at times.

Trauma dealt with, you finally had a moment to sit on a computer to complete reports and respond to emails but the brief respite from patients meant you were fending off questions from curious nurses.

“Maddison said you’re married…” Amira starts, “Is it true?”

“Yes Amira,” You sigh, “She’s telling the truth.”

“For how long?” Colleen asks.

“Two years, three in a couple of months.”

“And you didn’t tell us or invite us?” Amira pouts.

You smile at the memory of you and Jack getting married at the courthouse on a whim, only calling Robby and John on the way there.

“We eloped. Very last minute.”

“So, you’re Dr Mrs Shen now?” Jasper interrupts.

You frown at the words but Abbot’s voice cuts through before you can.

“Mrs Shen? What are you talking about?”

John is just behind Abbot and gives you a wide-eyed look as Amira explains.

Amira gestures between you and John, “They’re married. Not that you’d know anyway, they didn’t tell anyone.”

Jack slowly turned to face, eyebrows high on his forehead as he looked at you, the tiniest smile on his lips.

“Oh, I didn’t realise.” Jack’s smile turned into a teasing grin, “My apologies Mrs Shen.”

“We’re not married!” You and John groan out loud.

“You know you don’t have to lie right?” Colleen looks unimpressed, “I mean most of us have caught on. You always arrive together, with coffee and you always have lunch together whether you go to the cafeteria or go out, hell I’ve seen you bring lunch from home to share with each other.”

“Well, when you put it like that” You murmur after a moment of silence, “Regardless, I’m not married to John.”

“So, who are you married to?” Jasper questions.

“Does it matter?” You huff.

“Yes! Is it someone we know? Is he another doctor? Are they nice to you?” Amira babbles excitedly, “Are they rich?”

You couldn’t help but laugh at the last question, “Hardly rich but we are very comfortable Amira if that’s what you were concerned about.”

Amira nods along as if that was the reason behind her question, “Of course, of course.”

“Of course you’re comfortable, you’re on two doctor salaries.” John mutters underneath his breath but everyone heard it clearly.

“So, you are married to a doctor.” Jasper nods, “Someone here obviously…maybe Dr Robby?”

“It’s not Robby” You roll your eyes.

“Walsh?”

Even Abbot looks over at Amira in shock at her guess, no doubt wondering the reasoning why she guessed Walsh.

“No Amira!” You bark out and laugh incredulously.

“And you’re sure it’s not Shen?”

“Oh my Godddd” John groans out, rolling his eyes in frustration, “She’s not married to me, she’s married to Abbot!”

“John!” Your eyes widen in shock as you spin to face John and realise Jack had done the exact same thing.

“Sorry I couldn’t take it anymore!” John sighs, “The constant gossiping, everyday and night…I couldn’t take it anymore.”

“So, you eloped with Dr Abbot?” Colleen asks.

Jack made his way over to you and pulled your chair away from the desk and held his hand out for you to grab and pull yourself up, “She did. And now I’ll be taking my break with my wife and I expect it to be interruption free, am I understood?”

The nurses nod and quickly scatter and Jack begins to lead you away for the aforementioned lunch when he turns back to John,

“And Shen? Your big mouth just got you covering my shifts next weekend.”

“Hey, what?!”

Jack turns to you, “How does a weekend away sound?”

“Ooh, sounds great.” You hum as you walk away with Jack.

“Oh man…” John mutters as he watches the two of you disappear around the corner.