#part of me wants to learn just so I can supply the demand

[ypno-enthusiast]

I know it’s a meme but dang is it hard to find a lesbian tist

[inkskinned]

you have to be sexy but you have to be sexy in a way that's kind of bloody. you learn this early because you are wearing a ruffled skirt and the snow around your ankles kicks little sand particles against your calves. baby's first catcall. welcome to sexiness! welcome to the eyesore of your own body!

you have to be sexy like high heels. like sculpted eyebrows. like lean stomach and highly treated hair. you have to be sexy like youth is sexy, which means you have to be sexy like boxtox and plastic. a 30 year old can be sexy but she's not going to be bloody, and they like the bloodiness of it. a 30 year old is sexy when she is a whiskey glass and a wooden desk.

but you need to be sexy like an open mouth. you need to be sexy like a bitten apple. like plucked skin and white-knuckling the waxing kit.

so sex is a performance, not an enjoyment. for a while, you just assumed everyone else was also in on the joke - nobody actually likes sex that much, right? like, some men probably do, but why would you? it is like a gender - your gender is sexy. your gender is the performance of sex. you are thigh highs and garter belts. which, to be fair, do make you feel sexy.

part of what does make sex good is that you can tell that other people want you, which means the performance of sexiness is both bloody and wanted, which is good, which means you are winning at having a body. being wanted is the prize. being wanted is the thing you are searching for, not hope. you think you are looking for a soft grave in easy loam, but that is bloody but not sexy. to be sexy you must be bloody like a red open sign. bloody like a handprint. this will make you wanted.

any wanted or unwanted body is subject to supply and demand, which is to say that the more demand, the better you are valued. you must be highly demanded to be valued. this is stated in matter-of-fact by some men. sometimes it is a priest that says it, and sometimes it is a podcaster, and sometimes it is the 45th president of the united states of america.

(if you do not have any experience with being told your value, i want you to grab the nearest bird to you and i want you to crush it into a thin paste in your hand. spit into the center, and then hold your fingers closed tight around it for days and days, long after the rot has set in. feel bones itch inside of your fist. this is only a fraction of what it actually feels like, but it will suffice for a moment.)

good sex feels like you have earned their desperation. you have earned your own value. for a while you operated under the understanding that everyone knew about the power structure, even him. that their desire to take you - the violence of it - means that you must desire to be caught. little prince, guardian fox - you would rather have cut your own arm off. you liked the secret, cunning little voice you keep tucked into a box. you think you are fucking me. i am not even here right now. you are fucking what i conned you into perceiving. this is a painting, not a person. dominion over the body before all things.

so you bend your body like a wheat shaft and learn the steps so perfectly that it almost seems graceful. (if you do not have experience faking your own connection to your body and sexuality, cut each of your articles of clothing just a little bit incorrectly. pour fishbones into each of your meals. this way, you will experience the average noon on a tuesday.)

you have to be sexy like light spilled over a desk, but not desperate. not a noose. you can't be sexy like an electric guitar, you are the acoustic. you have to be on top of the bull but you can't have control over the animal.

okay, okay. the little rabbit of your heart went to sleep so long ago that winter has ravaged your concept of the human soul. there's something very-bad inside you, something that has taken over, a little fetid and rabid animal, angry and hurting and willing to bite first.

oh but even that's a pain that's sexy. open your mouth. be careful not to let the canines show.

[wqnwoos]

dating seventeen (hyung line ver.)

hyung line (95s & 96s) x gn!reader — cw mentions of food in some — written while sleep deprived (heavily) and not proofread

maknae line ver.

seungcheol

is he your boyfriend or is he your sugar daddy. unclear.

would literally pay for everything if you didn’t stop him

also just sooo soft n cuddly with you :(

sits you in his lap and when he’s especially clingy he’ll literally just hold on

like he will refuse to let go and get all pouty and whiny and starts kissing up your neck and you’re like sir i love u too but please can i just go take a piss

ALSO 😭 probably gets jealous if you’re cuddling w kkuma and not him

or if she likes you better than him… he’s never going to get over it

i feel like he’s the type of bf who would take the couch when you guys fight — like no matter how mad he is, he would point blank refuse to let you take it

pulls out all the pet names for u too, ur his baby angel love darling sweetheart and there’s nothing u can do about it!!!!!

jeonghan

MENACE

constantly teasing you omg

but like in the most endearing way possible so you can’t even get annoyed at him

big on leaning. like leans his head on your shoulder and loves it whenever you do the same

also feel like he’d love to just plop his head in your lap and have you play with his hair

like he just drags your hand to it wordlessly and if you stop for a minute he starts whining

scolds you if you don’t eat properly or miss meals and stuff like that,, he hates it so much and it makes him worry :(

do not ask him if he would still love you if you were a worm. the answer will not be the one you want.

probably replies with “i might step on you”

or even “i’d go fishing with you as bait” and then convince you — because you love him so much that you want him to eat well, don’t you???

probably squishes your cheeks at random intervals just because he can

baby talks you while he’s doing it too 😭 like “my pretty baby, so cute”

boops your nose

also makes faces at you across rooms at parties to try and make you laugh in the middle of serious convos 😭

but also the best comforter whenever you’re nervous about something; holds your hands and breathes with you :((

joshua

guys this man is sO boyfriend i don’t even know where to start. it’s kind of sickening actually

i just see him being flirty asf,,, like u guys are already dating but he’s still being so SMOOTH

also classic gentleman — holds doors for you and helps you in/out of the car

opens up all your packets and cans and everything so you don’t have to struggle

probably kisses your hand too (like ok prince charming we get it)

demands cheek kisses,, like he will just wordlessly offer his cheek to you

and if you don’t supply them he will be very upset

also hear me out: little spoon joshua

ITS A CONCEPT I MUST SHARE like i can see him being both but also just the idea of him being little spoon is cute ok

also type of bf to carry u out the car and upstairs when you’re tired (where do i find a joshua plsplsplsplsdolsdkhfje)

worst texter please just call him

teases u like HELL if u want kisses. but also supplies them in the end so who’s the real winner 🤨🤨

jun

makes grabby hands whenever he wants you to cuddle him (which is a lot)

MAKES U BREAKFAST <3

and if you don’t eat breakfast (like me) you’re about to get a lecture on the benefits of it and all the reasons you shouldn’t skip it

feeds you random parts of his meals and he literally just does it unconsciously it’s like second nature to him

learns how to make all your favourite foods too :(

giggly kisses !!!!

this is something very important to me !!! giggly kisses !!!!!! smiles into it and u guys pull away laughing and he kisses other parts of your face and u guys are still laughing and idk just giggly kisses <3

also likes to bump his nose against yours after a kiss

also random but i feel like he would genuinely be so distressed if he saw you cry like that would physically pain him :(

if he’s taller than you then probably rests his cin on your head and does that thing where he opens and closes his jaw on top of your head (idk if this is too niche or what but it’s definitely a concept)

hoshi

FOREHEAD KISSER

like would randomly cup your face in his hands and give u a big smooch on your forehead and the only reason he gives is “cause i love you”

his lock screen / home screen is almost definitely a selfie of you two doing the horanghae (with faces all squished together and smiling and

makes you do the horanghae at the end of every facetime call

buys you tiger plushies (demands to see them whenever he comes over)

also has named them all different variations of his name (hoshi, soonie, hosh, horang…)

AND omg. drunk hoshi does NOTHING except talk about you

him just sobbing into mingyu’s shoulder like “i love them sO MUCH mingyu”

(mingyu is just patting his head and wondering if it’s too late to get you to come pick him up)

i feel like he’s so cuddly too like he just squishes u in his arms -squish-

also feel like he would get so worried if you’re sick??

especially if he’s away from you

like orders delivery to your door or sends a friend over to your house to check on you and texts you every hour like “have you eaten??”

and you’re like. babe i love you but i don’t need to eat soup every hour.

wonwoo

head patter. just keeps patting your head. reasons unknown.

(probably because he thinks you’re the cutest thing to walk the planet but like whatever)

i’ve mentioned this before but i feel like he just lets you do anything

want to try on his glasses? they’re all yours. want to play games and rUIN his killstreak? go ahead!! he does not mind!!!!!

also if you wear glasses too then he’d swap his for yours just to try it

hot take but he loves having you in his lap whenever you guys are at home — scoots to the side when you’re about to sit to make u sit on him and tease you

also sits you on his lap when he’s gaming

omg if you like reading he prob recommends books to you too

like you guys just reading your books together in the same room in comfy silence wow i’m so sad

also feel like he’s another one who just squishes your cheeks when he feels like it

just does the most heart fluttering things sooo casually and randomly 😭

like he’s telling you he loves you while you guys are doing laundry or you’re making 3am ramen and he’s like wow you’re so gorgeous or he calls you cute 47374 times a day

woozi

omg best person to just like. coexist with

you guys just in his studio and he’s doing cool music things and you’re just reading or something in the corner and you guys aren’t even talking

but it’s very comfortable and sweet and it just feels nice idk if this making sense

also such a hypocrite because he’s sending go to bed texts to you knowing damn well he’s staying up for another 4 hours

pretends to cringe if you say something cheesy but also kisses you on the temple to let you know that actually he’s obsessed with you

also so cliché and overdone but that’s because it’s TRUE — makes music for you

and lets you listen to random stuff he’s making on the side (but refuses to give you seventeen comeback spoilers no matter how much you beg)

even lets you mess around with his equipment and teaches you how to use it (if u don’t know already)

one of those bfs that has an arm around u always btw

like even when you guys are with friends, 9/10 times his arm is resting on the sofa behind you

laughs extra hard at your jokes only (zendayafied!!!)

also if his members are teasing you he will defend u <3 even if you’re wrong or saying something he doesn’t agree with (like milk before cereal)

an / hopefully will do the rest of the members soon!! also i’m sorry this is so unhinged and i formatted i’m running of like 3 hours sleep but i hope you enjoy!! i’ve been xompiling this for a while whenever i cant sleep 😭

[angelsdxmise]

METANOIA

Pt. 2 to ORPHIC

𓆩ᥫ᭡𓆪 when Bakugou is paired with a girl that’s not spared a glance for a project, he wants to explode. Why does his mind keep going blank when he looks at you then?

Contains: tiny bit of angst, readers a little hopeless, imagine the rest urself, there might be profanity idk i dont remember

a/n: 2.7k words 😔 plz consider reblogging and sending requests! btw pls remember italics mean reader is thinking. enjoy the fic ❤️

Your dorm room matched your personality somehow, and then again, it didn’t. 

It had posters, a TV, and a bookshelf filled with figures from your favorite mangas, decorative sculptures everywhere, and classic LEDs. Your room seemed to also have a main color, which was black. Though it managed to maintain some color. 

Thank the gods you had cleaned your room when you finished eating, because if you hadn’t it would’ve been very much flammable. You usually wouldn’t be worried about it, but since someone who has quite a destructive quirk turned up to your dorm demanding to be let in, you felt relieved.

A low, calming rhythm played on your speaker as you reviewed your slides. An herbal incense flooded your senses as you relaxed. You were so calm that you almost forgot Bakugou was next to you.

“Hey, I think you forgot to add my quirk’s drawbacks.” You flatly spoke. You never looked away from your laptop as your brows furrowed in utter concentration. You moved your hair out your face, slightly fanning yourself as you breathed out short huffs. You closed your balcony doors and turned your fan off to have your incense earlier, which you may have regretted.

Bakugou held back a long groan as he added another slide. “Tell me what they are.” He grumbled in a stale tone. He wanted to plug his nose and ears since he wasn’t used to such a strong smell. While you explained your quirk drawbacks and the reason for them, he cut you off in the middle of the sentence to ask,

“Is that a Rob Zombie poster?” 

Your head perked up in acknowledgment as you lost focus due to your zeal. Does he like Rob Zombie? Am I dreaming right now? “Uh, yeah.. do you--do you not like him?” You stammered out. A pang of shame ran through you, he was just a boy with a bad temper. There’s no point in being so scared.

“Why else would I be asking about it?!” He yelled, which put a beaming smile on your face. “Sorry! You don’t—I mean, you just surprised me!” You quickly explained, “I can play some of his songs, or you could just put your own playlist on my speaker.”

You took his phone and connected it to the speaker which temporarily paused your music, and handed it back to him which he aggressively snatched. Once he finally picked a playlist after scrolling endlessly, you actually ended up having similar music tastes. “I never took you for someone who liked a lot of rock bands, but for some reason, I’m not that surprised.” You played with the bracelets on your wrists as you admitted the last part of your sentence.

Bakugou took note of this and took his fingers off his keyboard. “You’ve learned something new then.” He shut his laptop and put his study supplies in the bag. Your voice made him pause for a moment. “Could you uh, send me the playlist? You don’t have to, I just like your taste.” 

He set his bag down and looked at you. “Give me your phone number.” He abruptly said, taking you off guard. “Huh?!” 

“I need your number to send the link, dumbass!” He snatched your phone out of your hands and made a new contact of himself. He didn’t even bother giving it a name. He kept muttering words you couldn’t make out, so you felt a little scared. When he stood, you quickly called out a thank you which he acknowledged with a small wave before closing your door.

At the sound of your door closing, you just sat there processing what happened. A smile didn’t leave your face and you didn’t feel any shame to force it to go away. Days like this were unusual for someone like you. Being on good terms with the most hot-headed student at UA. It’s best to say you had a peaceful sleep that night.

For once you had hope for your school life. Maybe you could save your social life a little. But, of course, your desires seem impossible to reach once you return to class. 

Your head rested against your desk as one of your hands reached down to pull your tights down, then came back up to cover your ear. It seems today was a cheerful day for the others as you overheard many of them talking about how their project would get full scores for how lucky they were with their partners.

Then, there were the booming voices of annoying teenage boys. Especially Mineta. You felt like you should start wearing pants to school in fear of him crawling under your desk and violating you in every way possible. Is this what Hell is like? Am I in the deepest circle?

Thankfully the class had quieted down immediately when Aizawa burst through the Class 1-A doors that were ginormous for some apparent reason. His voice made your head lift up in a stalled manner, as you felt sluggish today. You had been skipping on your nightly skincare, so your eyebags were still a little noticeable. 

You set your head in your palm as you wrote what you could manage, but ended up dozing off near the last hours. Even with a good sleep, you still managed to be exhausted. It’s difficult to live. 

You and your mom had left your dad and moved to Musutafu. You had to take what you could get when you got accepted into U.A. Honestly, you felt envious of people such as Yaoyorozu and Aoyama. You never really bought from designer brands when times were rough, and your mother had to alternate jobs.

As school ends and you’re on your way back to the dorms, you decide to take a quick walk down to any convenience store you can find. You held onto the strap of your backpack as you walked into the closest one, your eyes scanning for some bento sets. 

Once your eyes had landed on them, you selected one and made sure you had enough money to spare after purchasing it. Usually, the cashier for this store was shitty and had an attitude for no reason. But of course, you didn’t know his life so you tried to not judge. 

Confusion took hold of your senses as you didn’t see any cashier there. Oh well. You placed half the amount the bento costs on the counter, not necessarily stealing it, but giving what you felt he deserved. You put the rest of your money in your backpack’s side pocket as you made your way back to your dorm. 

A long walk is an understatement. It felt like 10 years was what it took to walk up that hill, wiping your forehead constantly as short huffs came from your throat. You opened the door to the dorms and darted straight for the elevator. The cool air made you relax for a moment before a beep came, and your feet dragged you out.

You woke up as your eyes spotted a small pouch sitting in front of your door. What’s this?.. you mused for a minute before picking it up and opening the door, a sudden warmth hitting your skin as you reached for your fan. You shut the door behind you as you hurriedly sat on your bed to open it up.

You reached for a small note that was inside which read, “I don’t know how you handle that herbal shit, use this.” Oh, it came from Bakugou. Your hands found another item, a cylinder-shaped object that made your eyes brighten in excitement as you quickly pulled it out.

He got me incense! An expensive one at that, no way! You flipped the incense packaging around, which read ‘Kitowa’. 

You stood to turn your fan off and went to your nightstand to replace your current incense with the gifted one. Once your lighter’s flame had hit the tip of the incense stick, a light woody smell filled your room which made your body slump and release a huge breath you didn’t know you were holding.

I should send him a thanks, it’s the least I could do. You reached over for your phone and opened his contact. You quickly typed out a ‘thank you for the incense Bakugou! It smells really nice.’ and stared at your message for a moment. You were pondering over your own message, and also making the realization that you were nervous.

You were genuinely nervous and giddy at the same time to send this text. You got over it anyway and made haste to throw your phone across the bed before kicking your shoes off and face-planting into your pillow. You didn’t make an effort to change as you succumbed to the exhaustion.

A loud knock woke you up, your eyes didn’t open as you sat up, trying to process what was going on. Another loud knock sounds and your eyes shoot open. What the hell? “Coming!” you groan out as you stand from your bed. Stumbling over your shoes and bag you reach your door, opening the handle. You’re met with the face of Bakugou. Okay, I’m definitely awake now..

“Change your clothes. There’s dinner downstairs and you haven’t come down at all.” His jagged voice interrupted your thoughts. “Wait—whaaa?..” You muttered, rubbing your eyes. “Hurry up.” He grabs the handle and closes your door.

You’d be lying if you said you didn’t have the fattest grin on your face after he closed your door. You dug through your clothes, throwing on a pair of black sweatpants and a misfits band shirt. You grabbed your phone and stopped for a moment as you looked at the notification.

***: it's no problem 4:03 P.M.

***: where the hell are you? dinners been ready for 10 minutes come down 6:47 P.M.

He ended up coming to your dorm 5 minutes after he sent the last message. You put some socks on before opening your door up again, and you tried to swallow down the lump in your throat as you saw Bakugou with his back leaning against the wall, with his arms crossed.

His signature frown was still plastered across his face as his eyes set on you. “Move your feet faster, extra.” He rasped out, already heading for the elevator, you quickly followed behind and attempted to make an effort to hide the shock on your face.

He somewhat punched the common room button, and you flinched when he did.

He pressed the button to close the doors more gently.

The ride down was a bit awkward, but you found comfort in the silence. Once the doors had opened, you walked out behind him. He grabbed your wrist suddenly and leisurely pulled you to his side as he kept walking, never letting go until you made it to the kitchen.

A few classmates noticed and pointed it out to the rest, as you lightly scratched the back of your neck in embarrassment. I guess I’d be staring too if I saw someone with such a bad temper hanging around me. you thought as you grabbed a bowl. “Get me one too.” Bakugou insisted, and you stopped for a second. Reaching your other hand up, you said, “You haven’t eaten yet?” as you grabbed the second bowl and set it down. 

“I’m just grabbing seconds,” He began to fill his bowl as he glanced at you. “Everyone’s already eaten. The losers are gonna do a movie night.” Your eyes lost their light at the sound of that. Of course, nobody told you. You drowned in your own dismal as you filled up your bowl with food. The smell made you feel slightly better, but it was nowhere near happy.

Once you were done, you turned to Bakugou. “Thanks for bringing me down, I’m just gonna head back upstairs.” You spoke in a brittle voice, and before you could reach the elevator you heard his footsteps coming from behind you. You could tell he made an effort to catch up.

He didn’t turn his eyes to you or offer an explanation after he pressed his floor's button, and didn’t allow you to go to yours. You frowned, “What’re you doing?” He finally looks at you. “Back to my dorm.”

whaa.. HUH?

“Wait—what?” You couldn’t process his sudden words as he took your wrist once more in his free hand, dragging you along with him to his dorm. He opened his door and ushered you to the bed before closing it.

You reluctantly sat down, as it was the second and only time you’d been in his dorm for any purpose other than school. He sighed as he sat down with his back against the bed frame, and pulled his laptop out from his bag.

“If you don’t sit next to me, you’re not gonna be able to watch the movie, you idiot.” His words made your ears blaze with heat and you carefully scooted next to him, making sure not to spill any food. “Got anything you wanna watch?” He asked as he took a bite of the hotpot.

“Hmm.,” Your eyes drifted to the side as you thought, “What about The Florida Project?” You suggested, “It’s not on Netflix, we’d probably have to find a random website to watch it.” 

He smiled faintly, he’s seen that before and so have you. “I’m fine with that.” His tone was softer as he clicked away to find a website to watch the movie. As he pressed play you scooted a tiny bit closer to watch it.

Midway through the movie you both finished your bowls and made slight comments on every scene, and he evilly laughed at most of the sad scenes while you scolded him for it.

As the movie reached the end, you had been leaning against him with your head on his shoulder. He had one hand behind his head and the other resting against his thigh. You nearly cried.

As the movie finished, you fell asleep against him. He abandoned the movie a while ago, but not on purpose. He took a little time to think about you since you’d been running around his mind without consent anyway.

Not only were you pretty, but your personality seemed to be a calming point for him. You, yourself, seemed to tell him to chill. You liked similar things, and you introduced him to incense which he secretly had on his shelf, above his bed. He had also ended up putting in orders for a few new posters after seeing your room.

He took the chance of your sleeping state to quietly shut off his laptop and hesitantly reached his hand around your body to rest it on your hip. He rested his head against yours as he rubbed small circles on your skin.

You shifted a little and his heart jumped, not wanting you to think he was some sort of pervert. Bakugou was slightly sure that his classmates were asleep, so he decided to carry you back to your dorm.

You awoke the next morning in your bed, sluggishly rising up and stretching as your joints popped. 4:32 read the time, and you definitely couldn’t go back to sleep now. You decided to take the extra time and get ready for school.

You smoothed out your skirt as you took your seat, and this time you didn’t rest your head in your palm. You felt like you finally rested your body. Your eyes darted up as you heard a thud in front of you. It was.. Bakugou?

He crashed into the seat in front of you, putting his elbows on your desk and turning his body to you. “Let’s uh.. study at that new cafe that opened up.” He looked away as he huffed the words out, suddenly interested in the outside world.

Is he asking me on a date or something? “Oh.. I mean,” His heart dropped and his brows furrowed as you started to talk. He had doubts about you saying no, and it seemed they were coming true.

“Sure.. I was gonna ask you, actually.” You giggled, setting your hands on the desk as you tapped your nail occasionally against it. He turned back to you, and he had a genuine smile plastered across his face as he didn’t leave this time immediately. He stayed, and he talked with you.

And he would do it many, many more times.

pls do not post anywhere w/out permission

[blossiewossie]

— Lawless Affair

pairing : gojo x reader x geto genre : business men au (lawyers), smut rating : mature word count : 2k+

shoutout to @junqkook for helping me with learning the ways of tumblr and for helping me prep to post; i still have lots to learn but you made it less intimidating teehee ♡

— note : hihi this is my first time using tumblr and also posting on tumblr, pls be kind. also, i put down 'smut' but the spicy stuff could come in a later part (when i eventually write it, lol) enjoy!

“Ah, ____, I see you’re all set up at your desk!,” you heard someone exclaim behind you.

Spinning around in your chair, you look up to see one of your new colleagues smiling cheerfully at you while holding a woven basket full of supplies. Her silky black hair was tied up in a half-up do with a cute pink bow on it, completely encapsulating her bubbly personality.

“I’m sorry to bug you, but I brought you these!,” she exclaimed brightly, plopping the basket down. She reached in and started pulling out different items for you to use to decorate your cubicle, including a bunch more bows of various sizes.

“Thank you, uh…,” you trailed off sheepishly, glancing at the spot where you were told to wear your name tag on her shirt before realizing she didn’t have hers on.

“Oh, where are my manners?!,” she cried out loud. “I’m Utahime Iori, but you can just call me Iori! I figured since it’s your first day here with us, I’d give you a hand with decorating your spot!”

“Cut it out, would you? You’ll scare her away!,” demanded another colleague. Turning your head towards the new voice, you spot a woman with silver hair sashaying towards you, her heels clicking against the floor. She came to a stop next to Iori and nudged her before turning to you with an apologetic smile, while Iori coughed awkwardly.

“Sorry about her, she tends to overwhelm our new hires with her presence. I promise she means well,” says the new woman. “I’m Mei Mei,” she says.

“Hi, I’m ____,” you say back, laughing as Iori sticks her tongue out at the unimpressed colleague.

You tell them you appreciate how welcoming they are, as you were feeling quite nervous about today. After all, not everyone gets a chance to work at a prestigious law firm under one of the greatest lawyers of the country.

The two women quickly assure you that you’re in good hands and the topic is quickly changed as you all started getting to know each other. Many moments, and laughs, later, you are all exchanging numbers so that you could contact each other outside of work. As the two women say their goodbyes and you turn to face your desk, Mei Mei stops in her tracks and returns to your desk once more.

“Just a final thought. I want to give you a warning,” her voice drops to a whisper, while she glances around carefully.

Intrigued, you lean in, eager to hear what she has to say.

“Whatever you do, do not let him in your pants.”

Sputtering wildly, you look back at Mei Mei with a shocked expression while she has a curious look on her face.

“I’m not letting anyone in my pants, wha-,” you start to stutter out when Mei Mei’s palm splats across your lips, hushing you immediately.

Mei Mei glances around once more before removing her hand.

“The big boss has a friend that likes to linger in here when he has nothing else to do at his own firm,” she says softly. “We cannot speak ill about him freely, but as your friend now, I must warn you. Do not fall for his games. He has slept with every new hire we have had. You don’t want to be tangled up in his mess.”

Straightening up, she looks around once more before nodding at you. Turning on her heel and flipping her silvery locks, she walks away while yelling out a loud ‘Nice talking to you, ____!’ before entering the hallway and disappearing.

Shaking away your thoughts, you straighten back towards your desk and smile amusedly at the basket left behind by your new friends. Digging through, you find a couple of bows of your favorite color and start piling them up on the side, reminding yourself to put them up before you leave for the day.

As the day drags on, you commit to your work meticulously, organizing and storing files away in their proper locations. You hear your coworkers occasionally walking around, but all is silent for the most part.

The next thing you know, BANG!

The door leading into the office area slams open and you see someone’s leg outstretched, as if they had kicked the door.

Startled, you scoot back and stand to lean over your cubicle to see what the commotion’s about as some of your coworkers do the same around you. Some of them have a wide grin on their faces while others roll their eyes and continue on their work as if nothing has happened. You notice most of the women around you are the ones keeping an eye on the door. Must be the hot-shot, you think to yourself.

The outstretched leg at the door set itself down and the man behind it walked in, exuding all the confidence in the world with his stride. You trail your eyes from his covered legs up, appreciating how well his slacks accentuated his long limbs. They continue to make their way up his torso to his chest, where he’s sporting a snug, white button-up with the top buttons lose. His matching suit jacket wrapped seductively around his arms, showing off their physique as he swung them nonchalantly by his side. Finally you raise your eyes up to his face and your breath hitches in your throat.

His eyes — they’re like the color of ice, but there’s more to it. They’re almost paradoxical, the way they sparkle with light but also glint with a hint of darkness. Paired with such breathtaking eyes was his unique hair color, as white as snow. The man was a walking epitome of winter, beautiful yet dangerous. And his smirk, that tied it all together.

Before you was an angel with devilish intentions.

You swore you could see the women in the room swoon instantaneously as the mysterious man waltzed his way around, stopping to chat with different people. Clearing your throat, you duck back down into your seat and try your best to continue where you left off in your work, suddenly feeling a rush of heat between your legs.

Jeez louise, you think to yourself.

Never in your life has a man made your body react like that from just looking at him. Sure, you’ve read some spicy stories here and there that made you want to touch yourself, but just his mere presence is making you feel more than all those stories combined.

You bite your lip as you continue typing, trying to ignore the conversations around you. Soon after you started to finally concentrate and your shoulders relax, a deep hush fell across the room as another set of footsteps make their way into the room, this time from your right side, where the boss’ office was.

“Ah, Satoru, I thought I’d find you here,” said a velvety voice.

Looking up, you realize your boss has stopped right in front of your cubicle as he spoke to the mysterious man. You recognize his voice from when he joined the human resource manager’s call to congratulate you on getting the job, but now you finally get to put a face to the voice — and what a face it is.

His eyes were closed as he smiled towards the mysterious man, making the latter return it with his own smile. His arms were crossed lazily, making his built arms and his toned chest puff out of his navy blue suit. His hair was tied up messily into a bun, with strands coming down the left side of his face, framing it nicely. You could see his ears, pierced and adorned with dark circular earrings. He stood tall, his frame towering over everyone but his friend, who had started to stroll leisurely towards him.

Gods, does being attractive come with being a lawyer?

“My, my, is that any way to welcome your friend, Seguru?”, said the man, Satoru.

You file that name into your memory, making sure to keep it there for later.

You peek through your lashes as the handsome man finally stops in front of your cubicle as well. Squeezing your thighs tightly, you listen as the two lawyers chat absentmindedly and try your best to type quietly. You do your best to tune out their conversation out of respect, but you can’t help stealing glances at them

As you went to look up at them once more, you realize the man Satoru was now looking at you curiously while your boss continued talking. Your breath hitches again as you stare into his twinkling eyes. Time seems to slow as all you can see is him.

You don’t realize your boss stopped talking until he clears his throat to get his friend’s attention, swiftly ending the intense eye contact between you both. Blushing bashfully, you glance back at your boss to see he was already staring at you with an eyebrow raised. He smiles and turns, facing you now.

“Ah, ____. I forgot to come introduce myself to you. I am Seguru Geto, we talked briefly on the call with Mr. Yu, the human resource manager.”, he said proudly, reaching his hand out to you.

You shake his hand as you spoke, noticing how small yours was in his.

“Hello, Mr. Geto. I’m honored to meet you!”, you say brightly, returning his smile with one of yours.

Your boss' smile widens as he turns his body slightly towards the mysterious man and stretches his hand out to him with his palm up.

“This is my friend and the owner of our sister firm, Satoru Gojo. You’ll see him here as he tends to visit us quite often while he lets his fellow lawyers pick up his slack.”

Your hand is suddenly lifted, taken by the handsome man himself, as he places a gentle kiss on it, his eyes never leaving yours.

“Hello there, ____.”, he says slowly, as if tasting your name on his lips, his smile now a smirk once more.

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Gojo,” you stutter out, yanking your hand back to your chest. You can feel your cheeks heating up again as you shyly look up at him. He sends you a wink as Mr. Geto wraps an arm around his shoulders and starts walking back towards his office, hollering for everyone to get back to work and apologizing for the interruption.

Your eyes follow their leaving forms, trying to decipher if this is real life. Before the door to the boss’ office closes, you see them both stopping to chatter, glance your way with smiles, and exit the room.

You look back to your computer once more, feeling the same heat rush between your legs from before. Now it wasn’t just because of Mr. Gojo, but also because your boss is an attractive specimen as well. A naughty thought of being with both of them crept into your mind, making you bite your lip intensely. The air around you felt warmer than before.

Leaving your desk, you quietly tell the clerk to the side of you that you’ll be going to the bathroom, getting a thumbs up in return. You quickly make your way down the hall to where the bathrooms are located. Rushing towards the sink, you turn the faucet to the cold water side and wet your hands, bringing them up to your face and neck as you look at yourself in the mirror. You notice your bottom lip was a bit red, bringing back your earlier thoughts. The sudden thought of being with both of your senior lawyers made your pussy tingle.

Groaning, you throw your hands back under the cold water to try and distract yourself from your naughty thoughts. You think back to your friend’s warning from earlier. Curiously, you wonder why she didn’t give you a heads up on how much of a hunk your boss was as well. Maybe he’s married, you thought as you dried your hands. Tossing away the napkins, you straighten up your blouse and skirt before nodding at the mirror in satisfaction.

Spinning on your heel, you make your way out of the bathroom and into the hallway. Turning back towards the office area, you walk forward — only to slam into a wall.

Faltering back a couple steps, you feel a pair of hands reach out to steady you.

Quickly apologizing, you look up to see none other than Mr. Gojo looking down at you with a concerned look.

“Are you alright, ____?”, he says, looking you over, probably scanning for any injuries.

“Yes, I am. I’m sorry, I didn’t see you-,”

“This is why I told you not to walk backwards,” said Mr. Geto abruptly, rushing forward from behind Mr. Gojo, stopping behind you to look at you as well. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

You realize now that both men are standing on either side of you, each one scanning your frame from the front and back. You look back up towards Gojo, his eyes now settled back on yours, an eyebrow cocked with a sideways grin. You glance back behind you to see Geto’s eyes surveying your body, lingering on your behind for a moment, before bringing them back up to meet yours, a mischievous smile gracing his lips. You swallow the lump in your throat and cough, before nodding to both of them that you’re okay.

The two men make eye contact before looking back at you and nod as well, both of their eyes twinkling as if there was an inside joke that you missed out on. Shuffling your weight from one heel to the other, you apologize again for not looking at where you were going and excuse yourself so that you can go back to work.

Walking away quickly, you couldn’t help but hear them chuckle to themselves as they talked in hushed tones. Before you reach the end of the hallway and enter the office area, you turn your head back to look at them — only to see them already looking at you with matching smirks on their faces.

Sitting down at your desk, you only had one thought on your mind as you tried to continue your work once more:

What a first day at work this has been.

[highfantasy-soul]

Storylines NATLA Cut

While the 8 episodes of season 1 managed to weave together most of the plot lines (or at least themes from the episodes) from the animated show into the live action, there were a few notable storylines that were cut. I wanted to go over those plots and speculate as to why they might have been cut and whether we might see them in future seasons woven in (like how a couple things from future seasons were woven into this season).

Imprisoned

One of Katara's first big leadership moments was in episode 6 of the animated series when the Gaang stumbles upon an earth nation village taken over by the Fire Nation. All their benders had been rounded up and sent to a prison so that they couldn't fight back - the Gaang obviously get involved, plot ensues, and Katara gets herself arrested so that she can find the prison and free Haru (the earthbender she inadvertently gotten arrested). With the help of Aang and Sokka providing the earthbenders with some coal to bend, she inspires them to fight back and they free the prisoners.

I think this storyline actually naturally fits much better in book 2: Earth. The focus of season 1 of the live-action was water bending and the avatar state - I think a storyline focused on earth bender resistance fits perfectly in season 2 where we get to see even more of how oppressive Fire Nation rule is and how they're 1) seeking to take out all the other benders and 2) doing their whole imperialist thing with stealing natural resources from the populace they're colonizing.

Katara has her moment to speak on her mother with Jet in episode 3 of the live-action and I think it's a natural change to keep the rebellious side-character count manageable for now. Jet fills the role to show Katara's desire for rebellion and standing up to the fire benders and while I think the Imprisoned storyline is really important, I think they've got plenty of room to do that in season 2. A big part of that story was Katara leading people to stand up when they hadn't been before and I think there's a nice homage to that in the final episode of the live-action when she gets all the women in the North to stand up to Pakku and demand to fight.

So I don't think they've fully nixed this storyline, I think they'll include it in the Gaang's trek through the Earth Kingdom on their way to Ba Sing Se. To me, the live action is doing a better job at building the characters rather than starting out with them fully formed. Katara has learned through the first season of the live action about all different leadership styles and has grown emotionally to a point where she's not only confident in standing up against injustice, but also leading others in that fight against oppressors. I think moving her leadership skills from episode 6 of season 1 to season 2 will let us really see her journey to that point rather than just having her start there.

2. The Pirates

In the animated show, Katara doesn't get the Waterbending Scroll until episode 9 of season 1, everything she does with waterbending up until that point was just stuff she figured out herself. In the animated show, the Gaang stops and Katara starts training Aang in waterbending, he shows off and washes all their supplies away so they have to go into town to buy more. This is where Aang randomly buys a bison whistle (why a shopkeeper in the Earth Kingdom would have a bison whistle is not explored) and the group also is invited onto a pirate ship to brows their wares. Katara notices a waterbending scroll and it's far too expensive for them to buy, so Katara steals it from them (as they made it clear they stole it from its rightful owner). A main theme of this episode is showing how naturally gifted Aang is and Katara getting frustrated because she's had to work so hard for her little bit of waterbending and Aang just surpasses her immediately. Zuko and Iroh show up looking for a pai sho piece and shenanigans ensue with the Gaang fighting off both pirates and Zuko, but of course, they manage to escape.

So the two main things in this episode were 1) getting the waterbending scroll so Katara could learn more formal forms and 2) dealing with how the dynamic of the group changes as Aang easily surpasses Katara in waterbending power.

I like that the live action tied the waterbending scroll directly to Katara's family and them hiding their culture to keep it alive until the time came when they could revive it once more. I think it's a much more impactful way for her to get the scroll than just some random pirates. It also allows her to actually train from the beginning rather than just being naturally good - in the live-action, Katara really has to work at her waterbending and get help. While she's a naturally fast learner and super powerful, she needs at least some form of guidance whether that be how to get in the right spiritual mindspace for bending or the physical movements for different forms provided by the scroll. Animated Katara has already been doing very advanced moves (bending water out of Aang's lungs, lifting a fish, throwing water and freezing it, etc) and it doesn't really feel like the animated show continues to show the new stuff Katara learns from the waterbending scroll - it's just the water whip and then the scroll is forgotten (almost like this is an episodic kid's show where each story is largely self-contained and plot points rarely arc into other episodes).

As it's the episode were Aang really starts learning waterbending and they've held off on having that part of his journey in the live action for now, it makes sense that they nixed it. It's a fun character building episode, but in the grand scheme, everything accomplished here can be accomplished elsewhere (and possibly in season 2). Katara feeling a bit miffed that Aang picked everything up quickly while she had to work really hard at it can easily be moved to season 2 when they address Aang learning the new bending styles. I also like how they moved him getting the bison whistle at a random shop in this episode to Bumi having made it for Aang back when they were both kids.

Of course, they do give easter eggs for this plot as well as the great divide one in episode 6 of the live-action, so it's possible the Gaang did have similar adventures, just off-screen.

3. The Fortune Teller

I'm perfectly fine with them nixing the plot of this storyline and moving the themes of 'take destiny into your own hands, don't look to others to tell you what to do without examining their methods of determining your own destiny' and scattering it through the entire season. The hard plot sets up Kataang as a couple which I didn't particularly like, nor did I feel like it followed the actual theme of the episode. Katara is obsessed with believing everything the fortune teller predicted and for part of the story, the lesson is 'that's bull, make your own destiny, just because she said it doesn't make it true' but then when it comes to her marrying a powerful bender, suddenly that lesson is thrown out and she realizes that Aang is a powerful bender so maybe they will end up together? It felt like a lot of mixed messages with the goal of setting up a 12 year old with a 14 year old and like I've said before, I'm not a fan of child romances. Once they turn 15, ok, but 12? No.

4. Aang's part in Bato of the Water Tribe

I think it was a great beat in the animated show to have Aang so afraid that Sokka and Katara might leave him for their "real" family - then have them confirm to him that they're with him all the way. The storyline does hammer home how alone in the world Aang feels and his fear that everyone will leave him either because they have 'family' of their own or his path is just too difficult. While the character beat was good to include, I think it's too big of a character beat to be relegated to only a portion of an episode in the live-action. I think if they want to explore Aang's fear of abandonment, they'll need to spend a good deal of time on it not only because it's a big part of him but also because to this day, some fans haven't forgiven Aang for hiding that map - if they want to do it justice, we're going to need more than a quick blurb to understand Aang's motivations and give the audience time to forgive him. 

I'm glad they took Sokka's part of that episode and gave him the spotlight - and the spotlight could remain on celebrating Water Tribe culture rather than having Aang in the background making throwing up faces at everything. I think that the live action can still add in the ideas around Aang's insecurity over Katara and Sokka leaving him to go back to their people, and if they add it into season 2, I think it'll hit even harder after already seeing Bato in that season 1 flashback.

5. Sokka's Strategies

 20 episodes in the animated show gave Sokka a lot of opportunity to come up with unique strategies to win in unexpected ways such as using explosives to 'open' the door to Roku's temple, the ventilation shafts to get the coal to the earth benders in Imprisoned, and him tricking the pirates into fighting Zuko and co. While at first, I thought not having so much of that in the live-action was taking away from Sokka's character, on a re-watch, I realized that they didn't remove it, they actually gave the origin for it. Sokka's character journey in season 1 of the live-action was about him accepting that he could be more than 'just' a big strong warrior to help his people, he was allowed to explore his ingenuity too. It's only after he meets Sai the Mechanist that he starts to come up with plans to get them out of situations or form battle strategies. I think it was a great, subtle, way to show Sokka coming into his own and beginning to come up with great plans alongside his warrior skills.

I know some fans of the OG show absolutely love every side quest - and more screen time in plots that aren't all that important give a lot of space for character 'down time bonding' that a tighter story structure just doesn't have room for. I think that most of the animated show's character beats and lessons in each of their episodes was really good (with a few exceptions - one of which in The Great Divide I think the live action actually took and made much BETTER) but when making an adaptation in a completely different format, stuff is just going to have to be left on the cutting room floor.

I LOVE everything the live action added in it's place (expanding Aang and Zuko's conversation during the Blue Spirit section of episode 6, all the Fire Nation royal family stuff, everything about Gyatzo, and Sokka and Katara's spirit visions) so I'll forgive leaving out some beats from the OG. I still think that several of these storylines will make their way into season 2 in one way or another, so I'm holding off on fully declaring them 'nixed' from the live action.

[frostycatblr-fandom-files]

Fireside Friendship [Mando x GN!Reader]

Warnings and Information: No real age rating for this one. This is just good, wholesome fluff where you and Mando go camping between one of his bounties under the guise of "survival training" for Grogu. No real indication on what season of the show. One brief moment of panic on Mando's part when Grogu goes temporarily "missing". Helmet stays on. Campfire games/stories. No description of Reader's gender or looks [If I've slipped up, kindly let me know]. Second person POV. Some swearing.

I haven't watched The Last of Us, but can you spot the nod to it?

Word-count: 3,700

This little one had an amusing proclivity for trouble. For the fifth time in as many minutes, with delighted babbling, the little green child started chasing after another three-eyed amphibian he'd spotted. You found the boy adorable; those big, sweet eyes, and ears that moved with his emotions, the six curious little fingers that demanded to touch every little thing this galaxy had to offer. 

Even things that would make him sick, like this frog with a powerful hallucinogenic compound that it was capable of secreting through its skin as a defensive measure.

That was not something his guardian wanted to deal with or find out of it most effective topically, or worse yet, orally. The gleaming beskar and dark t-visor of the man's helmet whipped around in a blink. He dropped an item back into the supply crate, calling out sharply over the vocoder. "No, Grogu-!" 

While the little one's legs were short, he could be surprisingly fast. You were faster. Swooping him up yet again before he reached the gurgling banks of the little river, you turned a deaf ear to the protestful whines and fussing. "Gotcha, ya little womprat. Stop wandering off, kiddo. And I'm not putting you down. Gonna give him a heart attack." You weren't falling for his pity-me coos anymore.

The exasperated huff of an exhale was probably meant for you this time more so than the other half of Clan Mudhorn. Up until recent days, you were unaware that Clans could be so small.

"What," you tease, guessing that underneath the helmet, you're being given a very pointed glare, "you think I don't hear how worried you get?" Another huff. Softer, this time. His shoulders go slack. 

"You're welcome, by the way." you add, playfully bouncing the little guy in your arms. The action makes him erupt in a peal of giggles and squeals. Gloved fingers now go limp along with the rest of him as he watches the child, "Thank you," his arms reach out now, "I can take him." 

You shake your head softly, holding Grogu gently to your chest, and the little one leans into the gesture. Large eyes peer over in the direction of the beskar-clad figure, a silent plea, or perhaps an effort of persuasion, that Grogu wishes to remain with you a moment longer. "It's okay. I've got him. You can go ahead and take care of what you need. I'll keep Grogu entertained." You promise, carefully dropping onto your butt and tucking your legs under you in a comfortable manner to hold the endlessly curious little lifeform in your arms as long as his guardian needed.

A third huff, but this time, full of gratitude and relief. "Thank you… I guess that would make getting everything ready a lot easier." You nod silently to say of course. You'd been happy to help when he stopped at the local cantina and asked if there was anyone he could hire to take him to a safe but secluded part of the forest on this planet. You'd been happy to give him your name, which he rarely used, strangely, and learn his “nickname” in kind when you asked who was looking to hire you. You'd been happy to meet the "little one" he'd spoken of when he led you back to his ship after the "contract" (just for formality's sake) was completed. You'd been happy to spend these last few days guiding this man and his… son, perhaps, through what was practically your backyard. 

You knew this forest well. All the best spots for trapping and hunting and fishing. The gentlest rivers for soaking your feet to cool off. The gusty clearings that were rife with docile native fauna. So when the drink-slinger who worked the joint day in and day out told him "Your best bet is taking them along. They've lived out here all their life." and this Mandalorian, clad in stoic beskar and a helmet he's never once removed in your presence, didn't need more convincing than that. 

Continuing to gently bounce Grogu in your arms, you look over to the hired gun who hired you for a guide. "May I ask you a question?" He's stacking and unstacking items in the cached supply crate. You wonder what he's looking for, but it's not what you have in mind to ask. "About you." you add.

There's no pause in his work when he answers you. "I suppose."

"Your helmet? Do-"

"I took a Creed." he fires off, all too quickly. In a low breath, Mando as you've been calling him offers an uttered apology. He's a little tired after the day's hike in his armor. He shouldn't have lost his temper with you, it wasn't exactly fair of him. He's sorry. 

"Easy…" you laugh, attempting to placate the surge of his temper, "I figured there's gotta be a reason by now, Mando. It's really none of my business why. I just wanted to know if you ever found it uncomfortable to sleep with your helmet on, or if you've accounted for that with specialized padding."

You believe the question surprises him. That perhaps for once in many a blue moon someone isn't asking him to remove his helmet, or why he wears it. That you acknowledge why he wears it is none of your business. "'Specialized'-?" Mando shakes his head, chuckling softly. It's perhaps the first time he's done so without it being directed at Grogu. "No. Not really. It's something you learn to get used to, in my way of life, after you've sworn the Creed." 

You nod. "Fair enough. May I ask another?" He simply nods this time, turning back to the crate. "Just what are you doing in the cache? You've been sorting it out since we got here." 

His search halts when he finds three ration packs to bring back to the future fireside. "Trying to find what's freshest for us to eat."

"Oh, that's kind of you, but you don't have to worry about freshness too much," you chuckle, "it'll all be less than a standard month old. I stock these caches myself. They're for anyone to use. Hunters, fishers… people who just want to go camping. Even mercenaries. I've been doing this for a long time." you say with a little gesture of your hand, indicating the pines and the cache and the fire pit you've dug. 

His head and the helmet with it tilts softly to the left. "Is there anything you don't do? You agree to help strangers, hike three days out into a remote forest, and have helped me show Grogu how to survive. Or, try to." Grogu breaks into a gurgle-y laugh at the mention of his name, little hands straining hard to reach over to Mando. "He… might have been too young for this after all. Grogu probably sees this as some sort of fun camping trip."

It's the most Mando's spoken in a while. He's more a man of action than words, you suppose. You're okay with that. "Well… Leave the planet, I guess. I've been here my whole life. The Empire doesn't care to come here, either." Mando just nods to show he understands as he joins you on the forest floor, Grogu now settled in his lap. 

You're okay with the fact he mostly communicates through nods, shakes, expressive hand gestures or single-shouldered shrugs. Perhaps he doesn't interact with others regularly, not like this. It's your understanding that Mando is a bounty hunter; you've just never heard of one that traveled with a child. That's not exactly a profession one takes with the intention to make friends in mind. But he was polite, courteous, and civil; at least, if Mando didn't see you as a threat to himself or Grogu. 

You'd seen how fast he whipped the IB-94 blaster from the holster at the first whiff of perceived trouble. Someone had been snooping around his ship, eyeing the landing struts. Mando transformed into a whole new person before your eyes.

Cold. Calculated. Dangerous. The soft voice under the vocoder was now a sharpened knife, the chilling threat of an experienced mercenary. 

"Back off. That's my ship." Mando had frozen up when you planted your palm on top of the '94 and directed the business end to the dusty landing strip. 

"Hey-hey, that's just Maj. Maj knows his way around a fair number of ships since he spent a lot of time on Tatooine in one of the trade ports; he's only seeing if you need repairs." 

The weapon was holstered just as smoothly as it had been unholstered, but the act of returning it was slower than the retrieval. "... Apologies. Does Maj speak Huttese? There is one repair I would allow him to make." 

"He does, yes." 

By the time you, Mando and Grogu would make it back to the place you called home, the cantina and shipyards, Maj would have the starship fit for flying. Fit for the next bounty, wherever it would be for this gun for hire. That'd be another two days, if you really took your time to hike out of these woods. Or, if you had to constantly mind Grogu, making sure he didn't wander off in search of tasty goodies every three minutes. 

The little lifeform's appetite seemed bottomless. You'd never seen such a species before, so you couldn't tell if this tiny thing was always this voracious, or if he was entering some kind of growth spurt soon. Curiously, Mando didn't know either. 

"I don't know what his species is. He was… originally a bounty. A job. But I got attached. So I took him back." was all Mando had to say on that particular matter. It left you to speculate as you got the fire started, and Mando cautiously let Grogu clamber from his lap and gingerly toddle about. 

Back, hm? Wonder what exactly that entailed. 

But really, it wasn't any of your business. He clearly cared for Grogu, glancing at the little one every few seconds with a minute movement as he shuffled through the sparse grass of the clearing this river cuts through. 

"Do you need more tinder?" Mando offered between glances at the child, watching you feed the growing flame with measured breaths after you had announced you wanted to get the fire going before nightfall. 

"This is plenty." you assured him. Through the dark, impassable visor, you could tell Mando was watching the movement of your hands, the clues of confidence in your craft as you fanned the flames higher. "There. Should be able to get some water from the river and boil it for the rations, now."

"Boil water?" 

"Yes," you replied, "you grabbed stew rations on purpose, right?" 

The sharp twitch of his head read as surprise. His voice was full of pauses. "I wasn't aware that's what these were. Are they… any good?" 

You offered a smile and a shrug. "It's food. It'll fill your belly. It'll keep you warm. That's the only thing I could hope for out here, if my situation was dire." you answered truthfully. "Thankfully, it's not. The stew has a nice, savory flavor to it. The little one might like it." Glancing around, you note that Grogu has wandered off, away from the radius of light that breaks up the deepening shadows while the sun slinks below the horizon. He's now by the river again where the grass is much taller, fuller.

Mando, however, does not immediately see the child. "Grogu? … Dank farrik, I should have kept an eye on him. Grogu? Grogu!" 

Pausing in his play, Grogu answers with a soft Wah? while his hands are in water up to the wrist, previously splashing around. The sleeves of his tan clothing are sopping wet. 

You're beginning to wonder how much visibility that visor affords Mando. Or if he's just so panicked he's not thinking clearly. "Where is he?" You lay a steady hand on a beskar-plated knee as you get up and dust down the seat of your pants and your own knees. With an assuring smile, you call over to Grogu that he needs to stay put. Turning back to Mando, you say, "I kept an eye on Grogu, he's by the river. I'll get him and some water to boil." 

For a brief moment, you wish you could see the relief, the realization that Grogu is safe, across every feature of his face. But the helmet stays on. And the helmet will stay on even when it comes time to eat.

"How's your stew?" Your head is turned like you would call over your shoulder, but you look out straight ahead into a living sea of bark and twig and leaf. There are soft spots of dancing, pulsating light off in the distance. 

Fireflies. 

Such a fascinating spectacle. What a shame their numbers are in decline… Rumors about some kind of great sickness wiping them out, slowly, surrounds them. All very strange and confusing. 

Much like the man you currently have your back to so he could eat in relative comfort. The most you'd seen of the man beneath the beskar was the lower jaw, which had afforded you a few clues. Facial hair. A tanned complexion. From there, you could probably deduce a few more physical characteristics. Likely dark, curled hair, if he had it. Brown eyes, maybe hazel. 

"Decent." Mando offers after speaking in a soft voice to Grogu. He speaks little with the helmet on. Even less when he has it inched high enough to eat and sip from the ration pouch by tipping the end just high enough to let gravity assist him. "Grogu likes it." 

"Oh good." you return to staring straight ahead, out into trees at the edge of the clearing. You'd seen something creeping slowly in the distance while the water had boiled, something large and stocky and hooved. 

"What is that?" 

"Not a threat. It's docile. The most dangerous thing in this forest is you, me, and the youngest member of Clan Mudhorn." You'd teased. 

That's when you learned that Grogu was fifty. It was Mando who was the youngest, technically speaking. 

Mando calls your name softly. "What's so funny?" 

"Oh, just… Grogu being fifty. Again." 

Mando sighs sharply and repeats your name with a disapproving tone. You get the sense he's not truly upset or annoyed with you for giggling to yourself for the sixth time, but more surprised. In his own way. Much like he'd been about the helmet. Surprised by how… refreshing it felt to simply have his answer taken as it was. No follow-up questions. No insistent reassurance that he could simply just break his Creed and shed his helmet, his anonymity, the face that was perhaps safest to show the galaxy. 

Nothing other than acknowledging that you have no entitlement to picking apart the minutiae of him. His helmet. His identity. It spoke of your character. He appreciated that about you. 

He speaks your name again. But this time, it's part of a renewed introduction. "My name is Din Djarin." 

"Din Djarin…" you repeat, testing the name on your tongue, and you find it makes you smile as you release that last syllable, "it has been a very nice, but long three days getting to know you, even if I couldn't help you with Grogu's survival training." There's a hand on your shoulder, the cue that you're welcome to turn around now; he's reset the helmet on his head, and now he's ready to repeat the process of the last few nights by the fire. 

Silly little stories. Childish little games. Simple things to pass the time until the siren song of sleep was too much for the little one's eyelids to bear, and he would fall asleep in someone's lap. The first night Grogu had drifted off in Mando's arm, little nose touching the cool metal of the breastplate. The second, Grogu had come to you, mumbling and drooling over your shoulder as you held him while listening to the story behind their clan signet. Who he would choose tonight remained to be seen. 

"What would you like to do?" you ask, tucking your feet comfortably under you. Realistically, only so many campfire games worked with just two people who were old enough and capable of talking, and only one of them with a visible face. And the sort of tall tales and oral retellings typically told over flame tended to take on a moodier, unsettling tone. Scary stories would only serve to make Grogu sleepless and antsy. 

"We could play a question game." Mando suggests, hands swinging out to his left and his right as he shrugs. Like he's showing you he's unarmed. "Easy enough to abandon. Simply just… talk." 

"Good idea, uh… Could I call you Din? Would you be alright with that? Feels a little strange to keep calling you "Mando" now that you shared your name with me." 

"I suppose." Din answers with your name, and you can hear the change in his voice that happens when you believe he's smiling. "You first." 

You ponder on what you'll ask him first. Nothing intrusive. Nothing too prying. Your goal is to ask questions that are just innocuous, innocent, and general. "Do you have a favorite color, Din?" It's such an easy, throw-away sort of question, that it surprises you when he takes a minute to mull it over. 

"I'm not sure. Just one color?" 

"Okay," you concede, "you're welcome to go with more than one if you'd like." 

Din's fingers fold over one another, hands tucking under the chin. "Does chrome count as a color? I'm kidding-!" he says before you would have the chance to say anything, "Maybe it's easy to guess why I'd say green. And red; but not the Empire's red. What're yours?" You don't have to spend quite as long nibbling your bottom lip in thought. You tell him it's the color that makes up most of your wardrobe, and the color you painted your bedroom walls in, or wished that you could. Something about the color made you feel good inside. Made you smile. 

A memory from a long time ago with a very important, special person in your life was connected to it, too.

It was Din's turn to ask the question before you were to answer, and then turn it back to him so he could answer it himself; that's how this game worked. "If you knew you had all the credits, fuel and supplies to get you there, no matter how far away it is from here, what planet would you go visit?" 

Wow. You weren't sure. "Just enough to get me there? Or would I have enough to get there, and also then come back to this planet?"

"You'd also have enough to come back here, if that's what you wanted, yes." Din assured you. "Your home planet clearly means a lot to you."

Boy, did it ever. The prospect of never returning, the mere idea, wasn't something you'd ever thought of much. Yes, you want to go explore some part of the galaxy, maybe some distant day, but it's just not on the table for you, currently. 

"Well… maybe some place with something new to experience. Like, um… what's a planet without forests?" Din listed off a few planets and their respective sectors from memory, some you'd heard, others you hadn't. "Maybe I'd visit one of those first. What about you; where would you go?" 

Din hesitated to answer, hands dropping from his helmeted face. "Maybe Aq Vetina. Or Concordia, if I knew for certain either were safe. Definitely somewhere we," he gestures to Grogu (who's been tossing little sticks into the fire under your supervision) and himself, "would be safe from the Empire." 

"Fair enough. I don't like them either. Nosy Imps…" Taking a breath to collect and steady yourself, you shake off the thought of Imperials and their stifling regulations and their banthashit before you return to the game that doesn't really feel like a game. It feels more like you're building a better friendship with this Mandalorian decked out in beskar and packing heat. 

The weapons were a factor of his religion, evidently. That one had been harder to wrap your head around, admittedly, since you had been paid to take him out to a very safe forest with little need for protection against the animals that made their home within it. You really weren't concerned about the other people you might encounter, either. It was spawning season for many of the fish, and fishermen didn't really arm themselves with a slug-thrower or blaster. Just knives, if anything. 

It was now your turn to ask the question both of you would answer. You were struggling to think of anything else but the following: "Do you… have many friends, Din? Or, any?" 

Din answers this one quickly. "It's a short list." 

"Oh yeah? How short?" Both of you don't know it yet, but this is the point your game ends. It's just chatting from here on out until Grogu has decided that he wants to sleep, growing bored enough of you and Din talking about things that don't interest him and not being allowed to wander away from the fire anymore to continue splashing in the river.

Din puts down a number of fingers, holding up both hands deliberately to make certain the number sinks in. 

"That short. Well, I'm not that surprised. Bounty hunters don't exactly make more friends than rivals." you say with a chuckle. "Kinda… sad, in my opinion. You seem like too nice a person for the profession; I think you deserve more friends,  Din Djarin." 

Another gloved finger curls into his palm. 

And with that lilt in his voice as he talks through the vocoder that suggests he's smiling, Din says your name before he speaks seven simple words that warm you to your core more than the fire that sits in the middle-space between each of you.

Words that make you feel just as honored as being the one Grogu decides to fall asleep with.

"Then let's add you to the list."

[Masterlist] [Requests: OPEN]

[matan4il]

To @heres-the-marvel-tea, darling Chrissy! How are you?

I got your ask, and you're absolutely right, the Six Day War was a defensive one. I'll try to help as much as I can in explaining why.

I'll apologize for how long it took me to reply, real life has been kicking my ass, leaving me with very little free time, and in what I had, I had trouble finding resources in English that don't leave important factors out. BUT then I found an incredible timeline of events, which gives a really good idea of the lead up to the war, in addition to giving links and resources for each event. So I'll give a short overview of the main factors, point out important dates on the timeline, add a few links here and there, then add the timeline link at the end. The timeline is also easily searchable with the "search page" function (Ctrl+F on a computer). Please tell me if together, my overview and the timeline cover what you need, if not, I'll do my best to help with whatever's still missing!

Here's an overview of the war's causes:

Egypt blockading the Straits of Tiran, cutting off Israel's fuel supply from Iran (which Israel was friendly with before the Islamist regime took over). This act endangered the lives of all Israelis, and therefore was considered a "casus belli," a cause for war (Israel officially stating this since 1957 can be found on the timeline under May 19, and The Times pointing out this info can be found under May 23). This act in and of itself, which was decided on and announced on May 22, 1967 and enacted on May 23, was enough to conclusively define the war as defensive on Israel's part. In terms of the rules of war, there was no need for anything else.

Even before that, Egypt broke the terms of the ceasefire achieved at the end of the Sinai War in 1956, inserting Egyptian military forces into the Sinai Peninsula (on Israel's border with Egypt), and demanding that the UN supervising force leave the Sinai. Both of these moves were a violation of the ceasefire, AND were needed if Egypt wanted to attack, indicating to Israel their aggressive intents. Egypt's forces entered Sinai on May 16, and the UN force (UNEF) was told to leave on May 18.

An Egyptian plan to strike Israel first was meant to be launched on May 27, but Egypt had to cancel it, when it became evident to the Egyptian president that Israel found out about this intended military strike (found on the timeline under May 27. Israel got the intel about the attack at almost the last minute, on May 25, and worked urgently to make sure the Egyptians would learn that their plan had been exposed).

Egypt worked to forge a multi-army Arab alliance, through a series of agreements (such as the mutual defence agreement with Syria, signed on Nov 4, 1966, I'm linking this one 'coz I believe it's not covered on the timeline, and the one Egypt signed with Jordan, found on the timeline under May 30), which basically aligned the Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian armies, as well as auxiliary forces from Iraq and Saudi Arabia. This was another indication of the Arab aggressive intentions to start a war against Israel.

Iraqi and Saudi soldiers entered Jordan (found on the timeline under May 27), and together, these forces were situated just right to attack Israel in the area where the country is narrowest (14 kilometers wide, roughly 7.5 miles), cutting it into two, and separating Israel's forces, supplies and command, which is a huge strategic threat.

The aggressions from Syria against the Israeli population were intensifying. One aspect of the friction revolved around "The Water War": in 1955, in a US brokered deal, Israel was granted 40% of the Jordan River's water, but despite the Arabs getting 60%, they refused to ratify the accord, because it would have meant recognizing the legitimate existence of Israel. In Jun 1964, Israel started the National water Carrier project, using water from the Jordan River for agriculture in the Negev Desert, which the Arab League had determined was a threat to the entire Arab nation. Accordingly, Syria first tried shooting at Israeli patrols protecting the project, which led to Israeli counter strikes. So instead, Syria tried diverting away from Israel the water flowing from Syrian territory into the Jordan River, endangering Israel's water supply. Another aspect was (as you said) Syria firing at Israeli civilians, especially in territories that Israel agreed to keep de-militarized after the Independence War. That wasn't supposed to stop civilians working the land there, but Syria decided otherwise, targeting Israeli farmers working in these areas, and fishing in the Sea of Galilee. This led to repeated clashes, including the unprecedented downing of 6 (!) Mig 21 fighter jets (back then, THE terrifying Soviet threat, given to Arab armies) by Israel on Apr 7, 1967.

These threats forced Israel to recruit its reservists (found on the timeline undere May 17, 19 and most importantly, May 23), paralyzing Israeli economy, as all of these people weren't working. In other words, it's not just that it's not sensible for Israel to sit and wait for the Arabs to strike first, it was also financially unsustainable. Israel needed to address the military threat to its people, and it needed to do so as soon as possible, to avoid the collapse of Israel's economy, and the harm that would cause to the country's population.

Lastly, The Israeli Prime Minister at the time, Levi Eshkol, tried to solve the issue of the blockade through diplomatic means. He sent Israel's Foreign Minister, Abba Eban, on May 24 to Paris, London and Washington, to ask for the world's help in solving without war the issues of the UNEF's removal from Sinai, the introduction of Egyptian army forces there, and the blockade, but Israel got none. Regular Israelis realized Egypt, Syria and their allies were headed for war, and people were petrified over what would happen if the first military strike would land when, where and how this coalition of Arab countries chose (you have to remember that Israel wasn't considered a military power until after the Six Day War, so the question of how would one small country do, if taken by surprise on multiple fronts, was justifiably terrifying. People talked about the destruction of the country, a second Holocaust. For me personally, I think nothing got me to realize just how existential the fear was, as hearing about it from Holocaust survivors, such as painter and child survivor Samuel Bak). So, Israel had no choice left, it had to land a preemptive strike.

HonestReporting's Annotated Timeline of the Six Day War

I really hope this helps! Let me know? Sending so much love! xoxox

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[vex-bittys]

Bittybones Chapter 8: Organics and Botanicals (part 4)

Apparently, my bittybones really enjoy trashy reality television. Corvus the Kara bitty, Egg the Softbones, Buttons, Yanberry, and Phantom stared enraptured as stupid humans (basically all humans) said and did stupid things in crystal clear HD with surround sound. I'm not one to look a gift distraction in the mouth, so I proceeded with my idea for the Good Boy Points, or G.

I started by digging a collection of small Mason jars out of the cupboard from my brief stint as a person who thinks she can make her own sauces, pickles, and preserves. Canning one's own food is an art form in which I possess zero talent, and I ended up wasting a significant amount of time, money, and produce with very little to show for it aside from burned fingers. I've learned my lesson though: just get store bought. My standards aren't all that high anyway (you did adopt that shirtless asshole…).

Since I still had the jars, I decided to turn my DIY failure into a DIY opportunity! I dug out another box stuffed full of forgotten craft projects that had also surpassed my limited talents. Choosing seven equally sized jars, I got to work decorating. These would be excellent banks for the Good Boy Points, and nobody would judge my sub-par construction (that's what you think)!

I adorned each jar with a name tag, leaving the lids off because I don't have the tools to make a slot in them, and I wouldn't know how to use the tools even if I did. I wrapped the mouth of each container with a different color of dyed suede cord: red for Red (your favorite!), teal for Brassy, blue for Buttons, purple for Yanberry, black for Corvus, pastel pink for Egg, and yellow for Phantom. 

All I had left to do was make the actual Good Boy Points. I wanted my boys to have something tangible to show for their good deeds. I took some thin sheets of balsa wood that, once upon a time, I tried to use to make (rickety) bitty furniture for Red. My carpentry career ended in a tragic bitty bed collapse (i almost dusted). Now I punched out tiny circles with a hole punch, catching Buttons’ and Berry’s attention.

I showed the pair of curious bittys the shimmery paints that I wanted to use on my wooden counterfeit currency, and they immediately volunteered to help with the painting. Soon, the three of us had created an assembly line, churning out quite a substantial supply of bronze, silver, and gold “coins.” Sure, Buttons and Berry ended up partially gilded, but we accomplished our task… just in time for lunch!

I may be bad at crafts (and building furniture and dating and paying attention to your precious edgy bitty), but I can whip up an ooey, gooey delicious grilled cheese sandwich in a matter of minutes. I even graciously added ham to one of the sandwiches for my little meat maulers. I handed out bitty-sized cubes of toasted bread and melted cheese without ham to Corvus, Egg, and Buttons and ones with ham to Berry and Phantom. With a deep, calming breath, I entered the bedroom to deliver lunch to the inmates.

Red snatched his mini sandwich out of my hands then turned his back on me to eat it. I gave his head a little scratch anyway, and he growled halfheartedly. Brassy accepted his sandwich with a bit more manners (kiss ass), but he still pouted while he munched. I turned back to Red only to see two cheesy pieces of bread somehow stuck to the ceiling of his bitty house while Red himself held the ham between his jaws and shook it like a rabid dog (woof).

The introduction of Good Boy Points could not happen soon enough, so I collected Red, Brassy, and the ruined bread and headed for the living room. An irate Red demanded the remains of his lunch (it's mine!), and I reluctantly returned it to him, expecting it to end up on the living room ceiling. He ate it thankfully, but refused to let go of my hand when I tried to set him down next to his bitty brothers.

As soon as Brassy noticed Red's clinginess, he latched onto the hand that held him with his arms and legs. I resigned myself to my fate and allowed each of them to perch on one of my shoulders. Red promptly wrapped himself in my hair (i didn't want to fall) and glared balefully at the world around him.

I sat down cross legged on the floor and introduced my newly invented reward system to the boys with the reality show playing, forgotten now, in the background. The bittybones crowded around to check out their individual jars, and I explained that all good behavior would earn the bitty a Good Boy Point or G for short. No good deeds or bad behavior meant no G, though no G would be removed from a jar once awarded.

By this point, the two bittys who had stubbornly demanded to be held (me!)(And me) changed their minds in lieu of investigating the pile of freshly painted Good Boy Points. I continued my planned speech about the G, telling my potential good boys that their points could be redeemed for treats at the bitty shop or grocery store, specially requested items if I could find them, or the greatest reward of all: special one-on-one activities with me!

(sign me up!)

Yanberry happily exclaimed that he couldn't wait to redeem his G for a flamethrower, which led to a discussion about things my boys would not be buying with their points. They were not allowed to “draw me like one of their French girls” (i asked) especially since the only bitty with that much artistic talent only wanted a flamethrower. They would also not be joining me or watching me during showers or baths (I asked that one). I made a blanket rule forbidding all perverted, sexual, or dangerous uses of G which made Red, Brassy, and Berry sulk. 

I concluded my presentation by placing the first official Good Boy Points in Buttons’ and Berry’s jars since they had helped me with the project. I then awarded a G to each of my bittys for behaving during my explanation. Red tried to argue that he saw Phantom winking at me, and I had to point out that I did not consider winking to be bad behavior (it's a gateway bad behavior!). 

I very politely neglected to point out that I do, however, consider stealing to be bad behavior, and me and my five well behaved bittys had all pretended not see Red and Brassy stuffing quick handfuls of G into their pockets like the tiniest of kleptomaniacs.

(how dare you accuse us of such crimes)

I guess they didn't realize that the paint on some of the Good Boy Points hadn't completely dried yet.

It's hard to feign innocence when the gold, silver, and bronze evidence is sparkling on their sticky little palms.

(shit)

-

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[writeious-hand]

Holding Out for a Hero: Part 2

Okay, so it seems people want more of this... I have ideas, but to be clear I am VERY BAD at updating and keeping up with a project. But I'll do my best. I have a job that is very demanding during the weekdays, so if there are updates they will be on the weekends.

No Beta, we die like men.

Xenk x Cleric!OC - angst, and mentions of a break-up/ghosting?

Alariel had almost forgotten what he looked like.

To any other, it would seem like he was unaffected by the passage of time. But she could see the barest touch of lines on his face, the slightest fade to the color of his hair. The age showed most in his eyes. He looked... tired.

Not like she should care.

Not like she didn't still care.

But she felt like all the progress she had made since he left went back down the drain as soon as their eyes met. Instead of being the mature eleth she had become, she was back to being the lovesick young girl who didn't know better. Who believed in the happily ever after once the knight and the princess go riding off into the sunset.

She allowed herself a moment. Just one before the walls she had been working on for so long came back up.

"Why are you here?" Her voice was as cold as steel.

"I have sworn to aid these people in getting rid of the threat of the Wizards of Thay. I didn't realize..." Xenk had started strong, but quickly lost his stoic confidence in seeing the moment of heartbreak lingering in her eyes. They continued staring, no words passing between them and the entire group felt tense.

Edgin started to speak but was almost immediately interrupted.

"Then I apologize, but I must be leaving. I am sure if you have him, you would not need help from a lowly knowledge cleric like myself." Alariel refused to speak his name again. It would be accepting that he was here, that he had returned to her and any memories she had of him were already working to the surface of her thoughts.

"But we need your help!" Edgin moved around to block her path away from them. "We need to kill these guys for good, and according to Xenk-" She practically flinched when Edgin said his name, "you are the only one that can do that type of magic."

"You need my help?" She responded to Edgin but was talking to Xenk.

"That's what he said." Hogla got elbowed by Kira.

"I just learned that there is some bad blood between you, but whatever this gentleman did I am sure was entirely a miscommunication. -"

"Oh yes, I'm sure breaking off our engagement and ending our courtship was just a miscommunication." Edgin took a step back from where he had almost reached out to grab her arm, realizing he had fucked up. "That leaving me behind with just a letter and his ring was just an honest mistake and telling me his love wasn't enough to make him stay was just an accident."

Even Doric hissed in pain at that one. Her words struck the paladin like crossbow bolts.

"No. While I understand the dangers the red wizards possess and wish you luck in your endeavors to put them to rest for good, I cannot... I will not put myself through the pain. I'm sorry, but I think it is high time I leave Loudwater. My mission here ended weeks ago. I will send a letter to my home temple in Cormyr, and ask them to grant you safety there, but I will promise nothing more."

Edgin let Alariel walk away after that.

She gathered her supplies and packed up her many journals and quills, the travel desk folding up along with her many quills and pens. Alariel was moving like she had been enchanted, it wasn't until she was shoving the fur blankets from her bedroll into her bag of holding that she realized she was even crying.

He had been distant the week before he left, at the same time closer than he normally allowed himself. Brushing the hair from her face, lingering hands after helping her onto her horse. But then she woke to a cold fire pit, and an empty chamber. Not that they had even shared a bed, the paladin took his vows much too seriously for that. But the other bed in the room didn't even look slept in.

She had found his ring on the dresser, and the letter tucked into her journal, in his pages.

Alariel,

By the time you are reading this, I will be far from you. That is assuming you sleep in to your normal hours. If you awake earlier, I ask you not to come after me.

It brings me no joy to write this letter, but I have realized something vital. This relationship is harmful to both of us and while I have enjoyed your company, I know my fate. So I leave you this ring, in hopes you will find someone who deserves it more than I do.

While I do not renounce my love for you, I do not wish to prolong your pain any further. It would be cruel of me. This was inevitable.

You have your mission and I have mine. We are pulled in opposite directions and it is my sincere wish that our paths will never cross again.

Xenk Yendar

And she had gone 100 years hearing nothing of her ex-fiance but rumors on the wind. She had heard he was around the Sword Coast but that had been decades ago and assumed he had moved on. She had tried to move on, but few respected her path and lifestyle, her journey of collecting the stories of the common folk and heroes alike. Those who did understand, their lives were fleeting compared to her own. It was inevitable heartbreak.

She wiped her tears. Now was not the time to fall apart. Alariel could be on the road by the evening, but she would at least take a day to say goodbye to the friends she would be leaving behind in Loudwater, like Zedroar and the children she taught the legends to. With any luck, she would never see Xenk Yendar again.

[incarnateirony]

FBBC are not moving brewing anywhere. All their brewing for distribution was already done off site by a mass non dedicated fbbc facility which will continue to happen. No in-house brewing for the taproom anymore and they laid off their main day to day person (Shelby) their brewer, their social media manager and another tap room staff member. Some of us live and work here, don’t belittle us with “expanding” especially when the people in charge have been apologetic and honest.

"Some of us live and work there" says person trying to incorporate themselves anonymously in "some of us" without committal language, showing definitional psychopathy in the interest of attempting to spread your false information.

They had a 15 barrel keg system. It is not enough to keep up with national distribution. They did lay off the guy, because he has less experience in what they're leaning into for new IPA variants and was essentially an apprentice, they got them a Real Beer Boy Now. Cope.

For people that work and live there you sure are shit at knowing what he's told his friends and employees

I know you miserable hobgoblins in wigs love rooting for failure but you're just gonna come up empty handed here. You're all such miserable piles of shit that hate your lives you want to pretend you understand his P&L, or his business assets. Or his supply and demand issues being the good kind. Or his upped hiring requirements. Or anything. You are miserable leeches that want everyone to be as much of a miserable failure as you are and look online for people to peck at for it, and it doesn't change reality. He's successful, you're not. And FBBC is fine and on a growth curve. Sorry to disappoint the banshees in the room looking for blood to feel better about themselves.

Pretending, anonymously, and fakely, that you working there as Rando McGee, which you probably don't, because it actually has a very limited staff, and they're basically all accounted for, that you "working OR living" near him gives you insight to why he's buying up larger facilities and moving production/releasing the old apprentice for a new master. You don't get business wits about what the actor is doing because you share air with him.

Now, if you are, somehow, amidst a group where SOMEONE is telling the truth of being an employee, you might advise them to shut their trap, because it won't be hard to figure out who it is. Because they'd either need to be an unloyal fan or some part time shitheaded employee that feels important for serving Celebrity Beer. Because anyone who knows what the fuck is happening is accounted for. so you know. If you're this vicious or misinformed you're on a very limited list of idiot candidates.

All this tells me is you spoiled brats don't understand the phase of downsizing and asset redistribution for growth plans. Holy shit. Get a job. Get a business.

Some of us have had far more genuine information for years running direct from sources or at worst second degree. To use your very whiny and sensitive phrase as a reaction to your false narrative shattering and people questioning you, "Don't belittle us."

Go back to your trust fund or husband and 2.5 kids and leave the grownups to talk about business. Yall gonna scream sexist too like that doesn't collectively describe 99% of you lifeless pieces of shit accurately. It's not your gender, it's your self hatred fused to privilege being turned into everyone else's problem while you wave your hands like a toddler telling adults how the world works because it's never been relevant or a challenge you've had to deal with in your bubbles. I am literally fucking over being explained by the upper class middle aged version of basement dwellers how a world they've never acted in works. We don't have to humor your shit, man (gn).

I will ABSOLUTELY belittle the shit out of you until you learn to stay in your lane and stop pretending you can manifest your AO3 RPF fics to reality with a llittle Intentional Misunderstanding And Elbow Grease.

[the-delta-42]

The Walking Dead Game What Ifs: What if Carver had another doctor?

[First] [Previous] [Next]

A Second Opinion

What if Carver had another doctor?

It was the morning after they’d been captured by Carver and they’d all been woken up by Troy and a couple other people. The gate opening admitted Carver and another man, who made a beeline for Sarah.

“Bill, I’ll be taking Sarah,” Said the man, looking at Carver, “I’m going to need someone to help hold people down while I stitch ‘em up.”

Carver gave the man a dismissive wave, before issuing orders to the rest of the group.

Half-an-hour later, the man, Doctor Abrahms, ran Sarah through medical techniques and procedures. Abrahms, looked down at the dead pig he had Sarah stitching up.

“You’re doing a good job.” Complimented Abrahms, making Sarah look up, “I understand you saw your grandmother… kill your mother when all this started. It was the same with me, except it was my wife and my eldest. Have you spoken to anyone about it?”

Sarah shook her head, getting a low growl Abrahms, “Sarah, while your father may discourage it, you need to talk to someone about it, work through it. Part of your anxiety problem is that you’re bottling it up, and Carlos constantly shielding you isn’t helping.”

Sarah was silent, instead picking at the stitches.

“Sarah, kids around your age don’t usually rely on their parents to hold their hand,” Abrahms continued gently, “I know you think your father is protecting you, but he’s not going to be around forever. A good example of that is Clementine.”

Sarah stopped picking at the stitches and looked up as Abrahms continued, “From how she acts around the rest of your group, her parents were clearly killed, and she’s seen people die in front of her. Now, we’ll have to wait until her leg’s better, but I’ll hazard a guess that she’s pretty handy with a gun.”

“I…” Sarah paused, “I know that she can stitch herself up.”

Abrahms frowned, “Why was she stitching herself up?”

“Luke and Pete found her in the forest, she’d been bitten by a dog.” Answered Sarah, making Abrahms’s frown deepen, “They… they thought it was a Lurker bite and locked her in the shed.”

Abrahms frowned, before looking over at Shel, “Shel, can you take her to Reggie, please?”

Shel looked surprised, but nodded, taking both girls up to the roof, while Abrahms went to talk to Carlos.

ASO

They just finished eating when the yard’s gate opened and admitted Carlos and Abrahms.

“Carlos, what’s going on?” Asked Nick, as Abrahms stalked over to the beds and roughly woke the other workers.

“Carver wants the girls…” Carlos sighed, “to go on a supply run.”

“He wants the girls to be trained to deal with Walkers.” Corrected Abrahms, glaring around the group, “So, who’s idea was it to stick a child in a shed in the middle of winter?”

“What?” Demanded Kenny, getting a snort from Abrahms.

“Oh, didn’t you know?” Asked the doctor, “Clementine was bitten by a dog, tore her arm up pretty badly. From what I was told, she had to stitch herself up.”

“Clementine was probably exaggerating.” Nick tried to dismiss, getting a glower from Abrahms.

“Clementine didn’t say anything.” Growled Abrahms, glaring at Nick.

Carlos opened his mouth, only for Abrahms to cut him off, “Don’t. You’re already on my shit list, don’t test my patience.”

Carlos closed his mouth, making Abrahms look at the two unnamed workers, “Jane, you’ll be going with them, since, according to Bill, you’re familiar with Walkers. Mike, since the girls will be learning how to protect themselves, you’ll be acting as the messenger-slash-supply runner for the next few days.”

Abrahms turned and started leaving when Rebecca called out to him, “Dan! Where’s Alvin?”

Abrahms stopped, before sighing and walking back over to her, “I know people are saying you’re paranoid because you’re pregnant. But, Bill’s not leaving Alvin in good shape. I’m doing what I can to ease his suffering, but there’s only so much I can do while Bill’s watching him. So, I suggest you hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.”

Rebecca swallowed, before nodding. Abrahms returned the nod and walked out of the yard.

ASO

Abrahms was watching Carlos as Sarah learned how to dress a wound when Troy burst in carrying Clementine.

“She’s bit on her leg.” That was all Troy had to say before Abrahms took Clementine and rolled her left trouser leg up.

“Right, Sarah,” Abrahms looked at Sarah, “Tell me what you see.”

“Um, s-she has a Lurker bite in the middle of her shin, a-and t-the bone’s visible.” Stuttered Sarah, getting a nod from Abrahms.

“Okay, first course of action?”

“Tourniquet her leg.”

“Where?”

“Just above the knee.”

Abrahms nodded, using a knife to cut Clementine’s trouser leg open, and applying the tourniquet, “Okay, what next?”

“Um…c-cut the leg off just below the knee.” Guessed Sarah, getting another nod from Abrahms.

“How do we stop the bleeding?”

Sarah froze, her eyes darting around, “Um, um, er, w-we burn it?”

“The correct term is cauterise,” Said Abrahms, “but yes, that’s the correct course.”

Sarah nodded, as Abrahms stuck a needle into Clementine’s leg. After making sure that Clementine had little to no feeling, he grabbed a fire axe and a bottle of whiskey. Uncapping it, he handed it to Clementine, “Drink this, it might taste disgusting, but it’ll help.”

Clementine shakily nodded, before taking a swig a coughing it out. Abrahms chose that moment to swing the axe down.

ASO

Clementine looked down at the thick padding of gauze on her leg, it was blood strained, but Abrahms and Carlos made sure it was doing alright. A guy called Stan made her a new leg, but Abrahms had told her not to walk on it for a few weeks. Mike had relayed that to Luke, who was helping them plan an escape from the outside. Clementine had taken a risk and told Bonnie about Luke, she’d managed to smuggle Luke some food, and find him somewhere safer to hunker down.

Luke didn’t like waiting, but agreed to stay until Clementine’s leg had healed enough for her to learn to walk on it.

ASO

Clementine winced as her leg hurt, but she’d made good progress with walking on it. Her limp was almost unnoticeable, and she could go at a light jog. She had watched Jane kick a walker’s leg out and drive a screwdriver into the monster’s brain. Deciding to follow the old woman’s example, Clementine kicked the prosthetic leg out and stabbed it in the head with a hunting knife when it came down. Glancing to the side, Clementine saw Sarah whaling on a walker with a baseball bat, while another girl tried to shove a machete through a Walker’s chin and into its brain.

Clementine noticed another Walker stumbling up to her, with her repeating the technique Jane was using and dispatched the Walker. From the roof, Abrahms watched with Carver.

“It’s almost like she never lost her leg.” Mused Carver, making Abrahms frowned.

“I’ll give Stan credit where it’s due.” Abrahms glanced at Bill, “What do you plan on doing with Reggie?”

“What do you mean?” Asked Carver, frowning as Clementine kicked a Lurker with her prosthetic leg.

“He’s done everything you asked, reported on their movements, told us that Nick’s in favour breaking out again, made sure that none of them are poking around the pen, hell, he even suggested that I ask Sarah about the group.” Said Abrahms, crossing his arms, “Of course, I would’ve asked anyway, especially since Sarah’s skills would be better put to use as a medic, but sooner or later, Reggie’s going to realise that he isn’t getting back in the bulk of the community.”

“Are you gonna tell him that?”

“No.” Abrahms frowned down at the girls, “Hold on, what’s that?”

“What’s what?” Asked Carver, as Abrahms took a pair of binoculars from his belt.

“There’re three people in the treeline,” Abrahms handed Carver the binoculars, “A child and two adults.”

Carver frowned, before grabbing his radio, “Troy, Tavia, there are three people just inside the treeline, get them.”

ASO

Clementine absently rubbed her stump, thinking over the past few weeks, Troy and Tavia had Bonnie take her, Sarah, the other girl and Jane back inside, while they went to the treeline. They returned empty handed. Then Reggie vanished, at first, they didn’t notice it, until Bonnie brought their attention to it. Clemetine asked Abrahms about it, as well as Shel, the woman who’d been helping her learn to walk again. Both refused to say anything.

Then Carver presented Reggie to them, black and blue. Saying he’d been stealing from them, keeping medicine for himself. He even said that Reggie got Clementine bit. Then they hanged him. His legs kicked as he suffocated, before he died. Carver then had Clementine put a reanimated Reggie down. Abrahms had let out a low whistle, complimenting Clementine’s shooting.

Then Abrahms came into the pen and told them that Alvin had died. Alvin had wanted to see Rebecca before he died, but Carver wanted to see the man suffer, keeping his reanimated body in his office as a trophy.

Clementine’s stump had healed enough for her lose some of the bandages. She’d heard from Kenny that Luke had flagged them down and proposed an escape plan, they’d gotten pretty far in planning it when Carver found Luke and Carver got Kenny’s name out of him. He’d beaten Kenny hard enough to destroy his left eye and was going to kill him, only for Rebecca to go into labour. Doctor Abrahms had delivered the baby, with Rebecca naming him Alvin, and had assigned Clementine to watch over him.

“Why her?” Asked Nick, getting Abrahms’s attention.

“Babies require a lot of attention,” Said Abrahms, before gesturing to Clementine with his head, “She’s way ahead of Sarah and Becca when it comes to Walkers and, presently, her leg limits what she can do. She’s the most logical choice.”

“Where’s Rebecca?” Carver made his presence known, getting a sigh from Abrahms.

“She’s in there,” he gestured into the ‘delivery room’ behind him, “She’s asleep, I think.”

Carver nodded and walked into the room. Abrahms watched him go, before leaning over to Carlos, “Get the others, tell them it’s time.”

“What about Rebecca?”

“She’s dead.” Abrahms glanced around, “I think she couldn’t go on without Alvin.”

Carlos frowned but nodded. He grabbed Nick’s shoulder, and they ran to the yard, while Abrahms went to pack up his tools and supplies. Kenny joined them a minute later, when Carver stumbled out of the room, a deep bite on his neck.

“She’s turned!”

“Pity.” Growled Kenny, bringing a crowbar down on Carver’s head, as Rebecca’s Walker stumbled out of the room. The Walker growled as it reached out for Clementine, making the girl put her down.

Abrahms returned with the bags packed, he glanced at the dead Walker and Carver’s destroyed skull, “Alright, let’s go.”

ASO

The group stopped at an old Civil War site, with Clementine and Sarah watching over AJ, as Luke, Abrahms and Kenny looked back at Howe’s.

“That herd’s just circling around.” Abrahms handed Luke the binoculars, “Herd’s don’t do that.”

“Maybe they do.” Suggested Kenny, but he didn’t sound like he believed himself.

“Since when?” Asked Luke, as Jane joined them.

“When what?” Asked Jane, as Luke handed her the binoculars.

“That herd, they’re circling Howe’s.” Explained Luke, as Abrahms rolled his eyes and Kenny scowled, “They don’t do that.”

“They do if they’re being guided by Whisperer’s.” Said Jane, lowering the binoculars, “If there are Whisperer’s there, then we need to move.”

ASO

Clementine quietly watched as Vince’s group and Mike left them, while their group continued down the path. They’d walked for a few days, before they reached an ice-covered lake. They’d chosen to walk around the edge of it, since Carlos didn’t think the ice would hold them and respond well to Clementine’s leg. Abrahms and Carlos kept an eye on Luke, Kenny and Clementine, they eventually split up with the rest of the group when they reached to town.

The group managed to find an RV that worked and were now in a somewhat warm environment and, after finding out about the capacity limit, Vince and his group had gone back into the town with the promise of finding them when they got to Wellington.

As the RV trundled away, Clementine let out a soft sigh, feeling the pain in her stump lessen. Feeling Sarah’s head resting on top of hers, Clementine went to sleep.

Next Story: What if the Cabin group found Ericson’s instead of the Ski Lodge?

[starspray]

BTS for what your life is?

BTS: I’ll write a DVD commentary about my personal favorite passage from [that fic]

What Your Life Is was so much fun to write! I'd never done anything with Harad before and it was a lot of fun to do some worldbuilding there, and to figure out all the OCs--who they were, what their relationship to one another was, etc. I have a fair amount of notes that never made it into the fic, that I jotted down before I knew where the story itself was going to go.

It's a TRSB fic, for @independence1776's gorgeous moodboard. Fun fact, IIRC said moodboard was made with me in mind because I'd made a joke about having written Maglor being more or less forcefully befriended by smaller and hairier creatures (hobbits twice and Roverandom once) several years in a row for TRSB. I was extremely excited to snag it during claims!

It's very hard to pick a favorite passage but I'm very fond of this one:

"Father also wanted to ask if he can bring the family here before the storm season begins in earnest," said Mathos. "He does not feel it is safe anymore for anyone known to do business with Elves. And he promises to bring extra supplies." "Yes, of course," said Maglor. "You would all be welcome. I'll go tomorrow—" "You can't go!" Nanaia protested. "Haven't you been listening to what Mathos is saying?" Iset demanded at the same time. "I don't plan to draw attention to myself," Maglor said. "Besides, if what Barca told me is true, they all think I walk around dripping blood everywhere." "Huan will draw attention, and you know that he won't be left behind," said Iset. "He drew very little attention when we were there just a few weeks ago," said Maglor, "and I can change both his and my appearance if I must." "You said you couldn't, last time," said Iset. "I cannot shrink him down to the size of a cat," said Maglor, "but I can give him the seeming of—oh, I don't know, a pony or something. If I must. Huan can take care of himself, and I can of course change my own appearance." When Iset still looked skeptical he added, "I have sung the Lay of Leithian for you before. Do you remember Felagund's arts? If he could make himself look like an orc, I can certainly change my hair color." "You are not Felagund," Iset said, in the same tone that Vanna used to scold the twins when they tried to imitate the great heroes of their favorite tales. "No, I am not," Maglor agreed, only barely resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "I am the one who taught him. It just takes more time and effort than I care to expend on a routine shopping trip. This will be different." "You aren't going to go to the temple, are you?" Mathos exclaimed. "Maglor, you can't!" "Everyone around here seems very sure of what I can and cannot do," Maglor said. "I have walked this world for more than three Ages of the Sun, remember, and faced far more serious dangers than a few Men in dark robes who believe they can bring Morgoth back from the Void with a few chants."

Maglor has just learned that the Sons of Elrond were looking for him before disappearing, and both fortunately and unfortunately for him he is surrounded by people who would very much like him not to endanger himself, but who also have been living with him in peace and (relative) safety for a long time, so they don't really know precisely what he's capable of. I love a Maglor who is both competent and confident--he's not very happy about this turn of events, but he's not going to shy away from doing what he has to, especially if Elrond's kids are involved.

I also really like the idea of Maglor having taught Finrod both music and magic back in Valinor, though I haven't done anything else with it.

What I liked most about writing this fic was now unsolitary Maglor is, in a pretty big departure from how he's typically written (and how I typically write him) post-Silm--it was part of Indy's premise with the moodboard, and it was so much fun to write a big complicated household/found family for Maglor to be a part and nominal head of. And I got to make OCs galore! There are a grand total of four canon characters present in this almost 20k word fic, and I think it's great.

[cloudlessnightskyline]

pt 1

Okay i'm rereading the webtoon so. thoughts. (if you notice any spelling mistakes please ignore them im on an energy drink and time is weird)

"Several years in the future" (abt the apocalypse). the usage of "several years" makes me think its like. 4-5 years AT MOST. because i dont think we call anything more than 5 several?

"players". sjs says "about 2 years from now" except we have a 1 year timeskip. so that means in sometime around 12 months players are going to start getting chosen?? which is shorter than i thought tbh

"That's how Dawon Guild became one of the top guilds" okay. listen. we know this probably doesn't happen in a day or two, right? it should have taken at least months. and since sjs says he put time into learning all abt weapons, we can further speculate abt the exact time everything started going to shit.

so there was enough time since the guildleader was chosen for him to both raise their guild to the top and let sjs invest in weapon learning? that takes at least sometime from a couple months to maybe a year or two. (there were still people knowledgeable about weapons alive)

so this would put the apocalypse. i am thinking roughly around 2-4 years from current time? the players need time to get acquainted with their skills and have enough time to grow to face the apocalypse.

okay time to theorize more. went back to reread and sjs says the difference in weapon creation is the amount of mana.

Sjs also says he's creating the weapons with little mana? and he's already a D-ranker. what happens when a rank A or B creator gets that knowledge? they can put more mana into the weapons, so they could potentially be stronger than sjs' ones?

yth also makes a comment about the sword. "higher than b rank". why is this a surprise? how do creators work? when a rank B creator standard-generates a sword, is it rank B? Or is it the same as a rank C or D creator's sword??? god i love worldbuilding

Are creators a rarity? surely his old guildmaster could have found another creator? potentially C class, since his whole guild is C class except sjs, so why does he settle on D class sjs? i dont think its abt money since he could probably hire a class C creator and still spend less money than on all the daggers he'll need to keep buying

speaking of which

"do you know how much money we spend on weapons?"

weapons are important in this world!! weapons are very very important so its obvious they'll be expensive. this leads to my question: why are they expensive?

I think it's probably due to a lack of supply.

good weapons are hard to come by and even cheap weapons are expensive. there's so many different classes in rpgs, there's bound to be one that has less people in than others. there are so many we can see in this.

i think, at this point in time, there just hasn't been a way for creators to make indefinite weapons, which means people had to rely on blacksmiths, but there's only so many blacksmiths in the world.

lack of supply + high demand = high prices

obviously this gets solved in the future (either due to players getting weapons from the system or creators just figuring it out due to gaining knowledge)

but this makes me wonder!! why only in the future? surely, somewhere out there, there's gonna be at least one creator who got invested into weapon making, right? this is just swirling around in my brain i had more things to say but it vanished so

yth says "most creators", but he only lists sjs as the exception. "it was as if the limitations didn't apply to him at all". so pretty much this means no creator ever decided they wanted to know more about weapons and i think this is sad.

anyways!!!!

...this is getting too long im making a separate post abt the rest of my thoughts

next part ->

[sullustangin]

Fluffy February Day 9: Storm

SWTOR

Time: 3648 BBY (5 ATC)

~~

All the lights went out in Virtue’s Thief.  Everything went dead silent for a second, including, much to Eva’s panic, the life support system.  Then the backups kicked on.  She sat, terrified, in the pilot’s seat, with the orange glow of the emergency lights.

She’d taken her first nightshift on the Thief, and she broke the ship.  Somehow. Ma was going to kill her.  Absolutely.

And indeed, Eva heard the second her mom’s boots hit the floor.  Shit, she’s up.

Dad wasn’t going to be.  He was probably going to sleep through the whole thing, as he did these days.  Getting out of bed was a two-man operation, and her mother was already on the way to the cockpit. 

Eva turned to Huck, who was riding shotgun in the co-pilot’s seat.  “Remember, you’re not allowed to kill me, no matter what she says.  I’m only 15.  It’s your primary function to ensure I survive –”

“Interruption: to the date of your majority on your chaincode card.  Correction:  the chaincode card supplied to me by your mother.  That is already 21.65 years old.  Conclusion: my primary mission of ensuring your survival to the Republic age of majority has already been a success.”

Eva gave him a filthy look that only a foiled teenager could.  “You can be a real massive bag of robo-dicks, Huck.”

“Objection!  -- ”

Just then, the door hissed open.  Athene Corolastor’s red hair was braided tightly to keep the curls under control, and she’d thrown on a thermal top over her sleepwear and put on the socks with the little grips on the bottom that she and Eva squabbled over.  “What happened?”

“I don’t know, I swear to the Three Moons.”  Eva leaned back the captain’s chair, away from the dashboard.  “We were going along fine – and then it all shutdown.”

Athene frowned.  “No contacts on the sensors?”

“Not even space junk or an asteroid.”  Eva tapped at the nav computer.  “We were on the course you plotted before going to bed.  Didn’t touch nothing.  Just made sure all the green lights stayed green.”

Athene nodded, distractedly.  “I think…” she trailed off.  She consulted the trajectories she’d charted and the current state of the ship.  “We might have nicked the edge of a geomagnetic storm.” 

Eva made a face.  “How’s that happen?” 

“Local sun might be throwing solar winds and agitating the planetary magnetospheres – mostly self-contained, but if things line up, they can get cranky enough to mess with planets that are in the system – or are passing through hyperspace at the time.”  Athene rattled off the explanation as if it were nothing.  It was needed to know for the business of galactic smuggling; the rest of her education (and Eva’s) was nowhere near as impressive.  Athene motioned for Huck to get out of his chair.  He immediately acquiesced and disappeared down the hallway.

Eva nodded, as if she understood any of that.  “So not my fault?”

“Nope, not at all,” Athene replied, eyes still watching the lights on the dashboard slowly go green again.  “You just hope it doesn’t happen in hot pursuit or take you out in a less than friendly territory.”

Eva slumped into the chair in relief.  “I thought I broke the ship.”

“Happens to all captains, at some point.”  Satisfied that the ship was recalibrating and resetting appropriately, Athene let herself sit down in the co-pilot’s chair.  “Just part of learning the ropes.  What you can predict… and what you can’t.” 

Eva let out a sigh.  “Feels like I’m always going to be learning – never a master –”

“Honey, don’t think you’re going to be one of those skypirates from those books,” Athene cut her off before she could whing.  “We’re small-time.  You’re clocking 1500 hours as if you were some real important pilot that would fly ships that took people places; this is all pretty demanding, for what we are…”  Athene shifted in her seat.  “But I want you to learn it right.  I want you to be ready for anything.”

“Magnetic storms,” Eva gestured out the front viewport.

Athene nodded.  “Fires.  Hyperdrive failures.  Fuel issues… All the things that are going to be yours one day.”

Mother and daughter exchanged smiles. Virtue's Thief was destined to be Eva's, hopefully far, far in the future.

The door chimed and slid open, and in skittered Hylo the cat, unable to bear being separated from Eva a second later.

And then his paw hit something on he way up the dashboard and the ship was plunged into darkness –

“..but I never had a cat on here before.  That can be your new problem with the Thief.”

“…can you at least help figure out what he did?”

“…yeah.”

~~

@fluffyfebruary

[dairy-farmer]

Thalia was still breastfeeding Damian when she left him at the manor, and no one realises for a few days until he nervously asks if there’s a wet nurse for him? Basically Tim ends up becoming Damian’s wet nurse, and Damian is never weened?

Damian starting puberty and his lil cock getting all hard while he nurses, so obviously that means Tim ends up jerking him off whenever he’s drinking? This happens in public too

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ tim breastfeeding damian will always have a special place in my heart!!!!!!!❤️❤️

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

i can completely see talia having a very logical reason behind her continuing to breastfeed damian until he's well into adolescence and that was for his safety. no one can poison talia or another wet nurse's milk unless talia or they have been poisoned and the likelihood of that happening is incredibly low since only well trained assassins have the honor of breastfeeding damian.

damian's diets get supplemented with small things that can't be tampered with like fruits and nuts but damian's primary form of nutrition is from breastmilk.

that's all damian knows and all he wants because he is UPSET when the family learns he's still breastfed and try to wean him. damian is starving, his stomach hurts so much and he's so hungry but he doesn't want the food they keep offering him! milk! he wants milk!

they try to accommodate him, try not to show how weird it is that damian is almost a preteen and still being breastfed but honestly given everything else about him, this thing is basically harmless.

they try to push damian into eating real foods but he hates the taste, the texture. he wants sweet milk, nice and warm and filling!

damian almost bursts into tears when dick comes back from the store one day, smile wide and excited as he presents a tin of formula.

"poison!" damian accuses him as his eyes sting with unshed tears. "you want me to be poisoned don't you! any servant could slip poisons into the supply and put my life at risk!!!"

they find out that not only will damian only eat breastmilk, he'll only drink it straight from the tap. or the tit, rather.

it's the safest way, the only way to ensure his food hasn't been tainted or poisoned.

it's been days and they can all hear damian's stomach as it growls with demand but damian says nothing, just standing tensely and the family is getting worried. even tim who has no lost love for the kid.

damian is so small. he's still just a kid and he hasn't ingested anything aside from an occasional water bottle.

they're getting desperate. bruce is growing increasingly worried and he's a second away from calling up a lawyer to draft an NDA and hiring a wetnurse to come and feed his preteen son.

bruce is about to. he's going to. they're at the dinner table and damian's food remains untouched, his glare almost harsh enough to burn through the table.

damian's growl makes a particularly mournful sound that has bruce wincing and alfred's brows briefly furrowing in deep concern.

it's immediately followed by the scrape of a chair and tim standing up with a frustrated look on his face.

"alright, that's it."

dick's mouth parts, his brows twitched in concern as he presumably is about to say something to stop tim.

when tim begins unbuttoning the front of his shirt.

they stare.

bruce, dick, and alfred as tim slows to a stop beside a glaring damian's chair and lets his dress shirt hang open before similarly exposing two little breasts covered with a sticky gauze that tim peels away to reveal the cutest pink nipples bruce has ever seen. they're perky and pretty and letting out the distant sent of milk-

oh.

milking.

tim was milking. he was even wearing milk guards to prevent leakage. bruce knew that sexually mature omegas produced sympathy milk if around a pup for a long enough.

tim's stores would likely be very small, his tits would also be hyper-sensitive because they're not truly equipped for nursing- they're more for show.

but it's the best they have and damian, after a moment of staring nearly leaps out of his chair to take tim's offered tits into his mouth.

tim makes a grimacing expression of pain as damian latches on and begins nursing.

"greedy pup." tim grits out as his grimace grows deeper.

oh, that sensitivity must be hell on tim's poor omega tits. bruce can see how the skin around damian's mouth is already growing red with the force and ardent sucking of a very hungry pup.

tim runs out of milk before damian can be satisfied and damian paws at tim, tears visible in his eyes as he pup-whines for more. the sound tugs at something in all their heartstrings because tim gets this creased look in his face as he quickly strokes the side of damian's cheek.

bruce checks on tim later that night. he walks into his room and is greeted by the sight of tim shirtless and stroking at his little tits that are bright red with suction and teeth marks surrounding each nipple. bruce can tell they'll purple into bruises in a few days.

this isn't sustainable. not as things are. tim, without enough milk, will endure a lot of very painful nursing at the hands of damian who is far too old to be breastfeeding and therefore using a sucking force much stronger than that of young pups. but the less milk damian can swallow, the harder he'll try to get it out of tim's poor abused tits.

bruce feels guilty for asking. for sitting down beside tim and explaining the situaiton.

that damian is not eating, will not eat unless it's breastmilk. how he's been starving for almost a week.

bruce offers his plan. to use NDAs and wetnurses to make sure damian is fed. but things slip through the cracks and eventually people may catch onto damian's...special interests.

bruce winces at the phrasing because it's not like it's anything sexual for damian. he's simply eating. because he's hungry.

fuck. the media would spin this to something wildly perverse wouldn't they? even if it involves two of bruce's children.

but then tim, to bruce's surprise (or not really to his surprise, tim has always been the type to bend over backwards for bruce), agrees.

he nods with an air of seriousness.

"i'll do it." he tells bruce.

the next day tim is given an injection and given a prescription of pills.

within three days tim is producing higher volumes of milk.

within months those little tits have grown bigger, more noticeable with how much they've swelled with wonderfully sweet milk.

bruce notices and sees the changes every day at the table.

when the family is at the table for breakfast, lunch, and dinnner damian sits on tim's lap, head resting on tim's shoulder as he slowly nurses until he's had his fill.

during school days tim tugs damian into the unisex bathroom with a lock on it and eats his sandwich while damian nestles under his chin and drinks.

it becomes commonplace. at some point, the rest of the family sheds the discomfort they initially had.

bruce isn't sure when but at some point the hostility between the two of them also fizzled away. maybe it was genuine or maybe damian was taking the saying of 'don't bite the hand that feeds you' to heart.

either way the family becomes accustomed to the sight of tim on the couch and then damian coming along and nudging him for space before curling up on his lap and crawling under the loose cotton of his shirt to reach tim's breasts.

the family mostly doesn't notice. which may be why it completely slips their mind to tell jason about it.

"what the fuck?"

the entire family is suddenly alert and at attention, damian pulls out from under tim's shirt and starts darting his gaze around. there's droplets of milk in the corner of his mouth that has yet to be wiped up.

they look around for what could've prompted the reaction. they find none.

only jason sitting in a nearby armchair because he's joined them for movie night. only instead of staring at the screen he's staring at tim and damian, expression incredulous.

"what the fuck was that?"

it's a hack job of an explanation with damian having gone silent as dick awkwardly tries to tell jason about damian's...dietary restrictions.

jason stares at them like they've lost their minds. but he accepts it.

he throws occasional glances at tim and damian's direction when damian starts up again and crawls under the front of tim's band tee.

they can all hear the somewhat muffled sound of nursing but it must be especially loud to jason because his body shifts and he's pointed more towards tim, who is ignoring him, than the tv.

but eventually, jason too learns to accept and ignore this new normal.

things take a turn though when they're at a gala.

none of them realize that damian tugs on tim's sleeve, that he pulls him out of the room and away from them. that they both return half an hour later without a hair out of place.

tim and damian don't mention their abrupt departure either.

until the next morning when they're greeted with pictures of the night before. they're pictures from above of tim and damian in a stairwell with tim pressed to the wall and damian's face buried in his chest, his mouth clearly latched on one of tim's nipples with his eyes closed in bliss.

the paper runs the story and it sells like hotcakes.

an affair!! between the two youngest wayne sons!!! scandalous!!!

PR is on damage control instantly. they're hard photos to deny, it's pretty clear what was happening.

until tim recommends they make a simple move.

that they tell the truth.

PR does a good job of flipping the story on its head and turning the scandal into something so much more heartwarning.

two packmates struggling to connect with each other. a lifetime of following a special diet and the sympath milking.

it helps that a recent pediatric journal encourages packs to continue occasionally breastfeeding their pups until they present, that it helps with their bond formation, and sociability, it reduces anxiety and has a lower chance of the pup developing depression.

the fact that tim was feeding damian straight from his tit is scrapped as eccentricity from rich people and it being a way for them to bridge their bond and grow closer.

in a few months, tim is able to freely breastfeed damian in the cafeteria with only occasional looks and whispers shot their way.

breastfeeding pups out of infancy steadily grows more popular.

by the time damian fully presents it's not uncommon to see older siblings or parents whipping out their tits and feeding their whining younger siblings or children.

for the the rest of the family things are still largely the same.

only that damian can no longer nurse in public anymore and that he's far too large to sit on tim's lap anymore.

people saw how damian shot up in height, how he grew as broad as bruce- that coupled with that pediatric article journal more than helped to push breastfeeding for a pup's development.

still...however. even after presenting damian still insisted on drinking tim's milk.

well that and-

damian popped off tim's tit to let out a soft grunt. the rest of the family focused on their meals, all pointedly ignoring the slick sound of tim's hand as he pumped damian's cock and squeezed at the base so his knot couldn't form.

damian desperately humped into the fist as he curled tim closer to him. tim was placed neatly on damian's lap, straddling him for easier access to his tits as well as easier access so tim could jack him off.

damian had started developing erections around puberty. it was awkward for everyone to just...have them there.

so tim had gotten into the habit of rolling his eyes when he saw damian was hard and stroking his cock until he came splattering white cum into the palm of his hand.

and every time when damian finished, his mouth dropping off of tim's tit so he could pant, tim would just wipe the wet hand off on his thigh and mutter under his breath.

"greedy pup".