#Client Perception Management

[marketxcel]

Shaping Perceptions: Brand Positioning in Wealth Management

Explore our case study on brand perception and strategic positioning for a prominent wealth management company. Witness the art of building trust and value in financial services.

[firefly-fez]

@agentpenguinmann Thank you for your insight! That makes much more sense now

Is posion immunity/resistance something you could lose via that kind of liver damage or is resistance built up through a different part of the body system?

Also I live how many angsty Yor-has-liver-disease hurt/comfort, whump, and worried!twilight this opens up…

A lot of character a is injured and hiding it fics have no real reason to not seek help other than sheer stubbornness but I’m loving the drama of Yor not wanting to lose her family by letting on the extent of her liver damage and how she sustained it and trying to hide all this from someone as perceptive as Twilight…. and of course Twilight weaving and dodging to explain how he can notice and accurately diagnose such a thing like you’re suppposed to be a psychiatrist, sure you went to medical school, but isn’t this a little outside your specialty? okay sure you learnt to recognise the symptoms because you frequently work with patients who struggle with addiction or alchoholism who suffer similar damage that’s believeable enough. now explain how you know to recognise the specific symptoms of mithridatism right down to the specifications of a highly illegal poison that’s only ever used in illicit circles…….. Yor could pass it off as alchoholism and confess to struggling with the trauma of her childhood like it’s not not plausible, but it wouldn’t fool Twilight but if he did want to confront her on it directly there’s only so far he could push before he gives up intel about himself you know… hmmmm little tidbit this has so much potential

I don’t understand how Yor can have such a high tolerance to poisons while also being the biggest lightweight ever. how does someone immune to pufferfish venom get drunk that quickly. how.

[satzumosupremacy]

Elite Bodyguard Series: Pt.10

Desperation

Male reader x Jeon Somi

Tags: Smut, literally face fucking, daddy kink

2.8k Words

You have a history with Somi. Back when you were a freshly new bodyguard, she repeatedly sought out your services. Regardless of whether the close relationship you shared with her is just a distant memory for you, she still thinks of you from time to time—perhaps more often than you'd expect. And here you are, reminiscing about the old days and walking in front of Somi as she follows behind.

“Oppa, y’know my song was inspired by you.”

“Fast Forward?”

There’s a reason why Somi isn’t your client anymore—she switched agencies, that’s the only reason. You advanced quickly, gaining many celebrity clients along the way. It’s the law of attraction: when people seek top talent, companies turn to you. And when Somi needed to make a decision on her own career as an idol, she only had two choices: move to a different agency or continue to have you by her side. It was a hard choice for Somi until she came to the obvious conclusion. You didn’t hold any resentment; you understood her decision. This was all business anyways.

However, the glares in your eyes weren't always so friendly. Your presence was already intimidating, with the black suit, sunglasses, earpiece, and sometimes even a holster at your hip. You didn't smile much, but you got the job done. Initially, Somi thought you were a cold person, but that changed once you became her regular bodyguard. The more time she spent with you, the more her perception shifted. Despite your cold and intimidating appearance, you cared for and protected your client. That was the job you had signed up for.

“I took part in the lyrics,” Somi says, causing you to stop short before opening the door and look back at her.

“What do I have to do with your song?”

“I don’t know,” she mumbles. “Just.. just missed you, Oppa. Don’t you miss me too?”

You couldn't give her an answer when she expected a 'yes,' but you remained silent. Was it wrong to forget about her? You had her phone number, but you never called or texted. Not even to wish her something like a 'Happy Birthday' or 'Happy New Year.'

Somi glances around to make sure no one is watching. Once she's certain both of you are alone, she takes your hand. “I know we are parting ways again after this. But can we catch up? I don’t want you to leave.”

“I think your manager is waiting, Somi. We can catch up next time. Promise?”

“But remember the promise you made with me last time?”

You're clueless. Her question was too vague. It's been years. "What promise?"

“May I come over, Oppa? You’ve seen my place. I never saw yours.”

Somi never slept with you, but it was obvious that she wanted to fuck at the hotel when you went overseas with her, which didn't went her way anyways since this was all business. “Does Chaeyoung talk about me to you, Somi? I’m sure she said something.”

“Oppa, just once. Please?” Somi’s begging for you straightforwardly, you can tell from her eyes that she’s been lonely for far too long. “Aren’t we close? How many years have we not seen each other? It’s been too long, Oppa.”

There’s also not a single lie that you can tell Somi was interested in you, not just sexually, but also romantically. When times change, it’s questionable when you and Somi parted ways.

“Ennik,” you say softly. “Somi.”

“Yes?” she smiles and lets go of your hand.

“Come home with me.”

She chuckles, “finally, you’re not playing hard for once.”

———

“Daddy?” Somi says cautiously out of the blue as you pull into the driveway.

“Is that like one of your kinks?” you chuckle.

“You don’t like it?”

“I’m not judging. I don’t mind it, Somi.” You turn the car off and close the garage door. “Let’s go inside.”

She's unusually quiet, waiting impatiently as you both exit the car and walk inside. There's no doubt that Somi won't let you off the hook the moment you step in. She's hungry. She's lonely. As you shut the door calmly, before you can even turn around, she gets on her knees with her hands in her lap, looking up at you desperately.

"Give it to me, Daddy," she softly pleads once you see her kneeling, slowly placing her hands on your pants and pulls down slowly.

“Somi,” you take a breath, "how much did you missed me?"

"So much." Somi leans closer, staring right at you from below and getting a whiff of your crotch.

"Then show me how much you missed me. Be a good girl."

Somi doesn't respond, but you can see it in her eyes that she wants to be proven worthy. And slowly, Somi bites onto the waistband of your boxers, then pulls it down with a wicked smirk, and you felt her nose dragging against your skin.

She’s not someone who you just met. You know that she's a horny one at heart. Somi didn't want to waste any time. Her breaths came shallow and quick, as if each breath were full of desperation. She gulps and stares at your cock the moment it flings out of your boxers. But before you give her a taste, what's the fun without a small tease? You already have her in a chokehold, and she wouldn’t want to escape it.

"Take off your shirt," you demand, caressing her cheeks. Somi didn't even hesitate and takes off her shirt, revealing a black bra as you stare at her cleavage. Her tit's are round and perfect, more than enough to where you would want your face in between.

“Good girl.” you say, smirking.

She leans closer again and only stares at you after a quick kiss on the tip of your cock. “I’ve been fantasizing about you. I thought about you late last night."

“I’ll make it come true, Somi.” You say, brushing her hair and getting a clear view of her beauty. Once her mouth opened, she wanted only one thing: to taste you. But knowing how desperate Somi is, you're not letting her. Not this easily. You pull her hair back and she gasp, staring up to meet your gaze.

Somi gulps, which was loud in this quiet house. “Daddy,” she whispers. You saw your own reflection in her eyes as she looks at you.

“Open your mouth,” you say, wanting to be in control. Quietly, she opens her mouth without hesitation and you slap your cock right on her cheeks, not once, but twice as she flinches and smiles, then Somi wickedly chuckles.

“I’m such a slut for you.”

“It should be that way,” you say, a deeper tone that made her heart to start fluttering. Your cock was right in front of Somi. She’s impatiently waiting like a good girl. “Keep your mouth open and your tongue out.”

Again, she listens to everything you demanded. Her eyes gleamed, begging you so desperately to the point she’ll do anything just for a small taste. And as you’re curious to how desperate she was, her salvia starts to drip off the tip of her tongue.

You slap your cock right on her tongue, then held her nape with no intentions on letting Somi have it her way. You’re planning to ruin her face. She deserves it. There’s no excuse if Somi’s been waiting for this day. And with a small thrust into her mouth, she chokes once you reached the back of her throat. You push harder, slowly every few seconds without pulling out your cock.

Somi's throat expands, and you could feel her trying to choke, when it’s only a weak one with your cock deep in her throat. She leans back, almost falling behind, and you intentionally did it to pin her against the wall. She closes her eyes shut, face trembling to how deep your cock was in. Well, you weren’t trying to make her pass out, but you did start to worry and gave Somi some room to breathe.

She takes a deep breath with your cock still in her mouth. Without a response, Somi grabs onto your hips, bobbing and tilting her head slowly. You couldn’t help but smirk at how much of a slut you made her. There was no sense of pride from Somi. She's going crazy for your cock.

“Good girl,” you groan, complimenting Somi. “Go ahead, have it. Take it.”

“Mhm,” she murmurs. Then there’s a long hum, the type of hum of tasting something delightful. You felt her perfectly manicured nails digging into your skin as she grips harder and harder, cock disappearing in and out from her mouth. Saliva drips down from her chin and right onto her cleavage. You give a hard thrust and her head’s now against the wall, perfect as you smirk to what wicked intentions you have for her face—a hard face fucking.

Somi closes her eyes, letting a tear out by how hard you were thrusting into her mouth. It’s the tears of happiness that everyone gets after getting what they’ve been longing for. You decide to suddenly stop, still with your cock deep down in her throat. And with your thumb on her face, you wiped her tears, smudging her mascara in the process. She looked more of a slut at this point, and you aren’t complain of seeing Somi like this when her hair is sticking to the wall.

“Good girl,” you say, more softly with a deeper tone. “You look so fucking beautiful like this.” Praising her is a cheat code, she loves being complicated and praised at, especially if it’s from you. You’re well aware of how much you meant to her. It’s no secret.

And it’s clear that you’re using her mouth like a toy, she’s choking and gagging. You could care less while you chase this peace of mind from a singer’s mouth. Somi’s not stopping you, neither would you want to.

“Fuck,” you groan softly, taking a quick breath, and seeing how much of a mess her face was and pulls out. Saliva drips down to her tits after she spits more out to make a mess. You love it how she’s just a slut taking your cock like there’s no tomorrow. Her lips are coated in saliva as she worships your cock with her lips pressing right on it.

“Am I being a good girl, Daddy?” she mumbles, lips on the tip of your cock.

“You are. Maybe you should stop talking and show me that you’re even better than a good girl.” Somi’s face was all fucked, a whole hot mess. She’s even more beautiful like this.

“I want it all over my face, Daddy.”

“Should maybe get ready then.”

You grab onto her face, squeezing her cheeks with your fingers and palm right on her chin to make Somi look up at you. You were once her love interest. You were her protector. And now, she’s on her very knees, in a mess taking your aggression. Somi couldn’t say anything, she’s more mesmerized by your glare. You push your cock back into her mouth to make Somi gag and continue to choke all over your cock.

“Fuck, your mouth feels so good,” you groan. Your cock was shoved deep down to the point it bulges out her throat. Her eyes are closed, tears slowly coming down her face. You felt saliva dripping all the way down to your balls. Her small mouth couldn’t take it, but she's not stopping you from using her like a toy.

Your cock begins to throb, violently more as you keep shoving your cock into her mouth. There’s a whole mess on her tits as it’s drying out layer by layer. Somi’s taking it like a slut that she is. It doesn’t matter how rough you were, Somi loves the way your cock throbs. After a deep gasp, and a moan, you pull out. Webs of saliva flows out her mouth and on your cock down to her chest.

She grabs onto your cock to start stroking it. Somi knew what to do. She wants to make you cum all over her face. Her hands squeezes your cock, stroking it faster and faster while looking up at you.

“Make me cum, Somi,” you uttered quickly. “I’ll cum on your pretty face.”

“Give it to me, Daddy,” she murmurs. Her mouths wide open, tongues out, eyes all closed.

You cum by her small hands squeezing and stroking your cock, releasing all the built up sexual tension for years, but all Somi can feel was how much cum there was on her face. With a bright smile, and a couple flinches from cum shooting onto her face, she finally got her fantasy to come true. It’s warm. It’s thick. Just what she’s been craving for.

Somi’s face is the definition of getting face fucked. Her hairs a mess, cum all over her lips, cheeks, and even up to her hair as she couldn’t open her eyes but smile. Then strands of cum stretch and drip down her chin to her tits.

“What a mess,” she utters after swallowing your cum, and the biggest smile you saw from her today. Somi scoops all the cum on her face and licks every single finger.

“You’re missing more, Somi,” you say, wanting her to lick your cock clean. She crawls on her knees to suck you off without a word. “There’s some on your hair too.”

“It’s fine,” she says after pulling off your cock with a loud pop. “You taste good.”

“Was I too aggressive?”

“Kind of. Tolerable thought. But why should I complain?” She then leans in again to give your cock a quick kiss. Her chest is pumping after being used as a toy.

“Water?” you say, wanting to give her some care.

“No,” she whispers shyly.

You grab your pants and gently hand Somi her shirt. She’s still on her knees with the shirt rolled up into a ball as she covers part of her chest. “It’s not a problem if you want get in my panties if you’re thinking about it right now.”

Well, you did give her a hard face fucking. It’s only right that you give Somi a time to rest. As you put on your pants, she’s just staring down at the floor, lost in thought.

“What are you thinking, Somi?”

“Are you gonna kick me out?” she says, looking up at you. There’s a pure moment of silence, you couldn’t believe what she just said. After face fucking her? Why kick her out?

“Do you want me to, Somi?” you smirk, teasing her when you aren’t planning on kicking her out.

“You want my pussy? I’ll give it to you right now for as long as you want. Please let me stay for a while, Oppa. Please, Daddy?”

You’re dumbfounded to why Somi thinks that you’ll kick her out. “Calm down, let’s go sit on the couch. I’m not telling you to leave.”

“Oh,” she embarrassingly says and puts on her shirt. After Somi stands up, she follows you to the couch and sits right beside you. Somi couldn't belive that she got naked and took your cock like a slut. Neither did she want to fully admit of being one.

“How was it since you changed agencies, Somi?”

“I really missed you. I couldn’t stop thinking that I might of made the wrong choice to leave you behind. And now you’re with Twice.”

“I’m just a bodyguard,” you chuckle.

“So what? You’re so comfortable to be around with. Isn’t it obvious?”

You shrug, “don’t know.”

“Oppa,” she takes a deep breath. “Was it also obvious that I was interested in you?”

“It was. Why are you bringing this up, Somi?”

“If I can’t buy your love, I’ll sell you my body. That’s the most I can do for you to want me in a way.”

You sigh, “there’s gotta be a better way to word that, Somi. C’mon.”

She then sits closer to you and puts her head on your shoulders, “we never had a proper farewell to each other. I want to thank you for everything.”

“It’s..not like I’ll never take you in as a client again, Somi. If both our schedules are right, I don’t mind taking you.”

“Really, Oppa?”

“When’s your next concert? I’ll come with Chaeyoung.”

“Why come with her when you can be alongside me like we used to? Be backstage and we can eat at a restaurant after with my manager. I want to treat you for everything you’ve done with me.”

“Just text me, Somi. I’ll be there if your agency reaches out to me.”

“Mhm, I can’t thank you enough.”

“Do you plan on spending the night here?”

“I’m busy tomorrow morning, Oppa,” she sighs.

“I’ll take you home later, Somi.”

A/N: Lost motivation to write more, but hope this is enough. Half ass edit too.

[periwinkla]

Maya Fey's character is written in such a charmingly, heart wrenchingly subtle way. She has to face all manners of tragedy, but she always has that smile on her face and presses on, feigning happiness and lightheartedness. It's honestly somewhat disturbing. How can someone smile so seemingly easily after such tragedy? Can you imagine going to your sister’s workplace, expecting to spend a quiet evening together, and instead... you see a slumped silhouette against the wall of the window? She spawns the most crazy things out of her mouth just to fill the silence sometimes. Why? Sure, it may be for the game's comic relief… but sometimes it appears a tad forced? Like it’s because she wants to build a relationship with Phoenix - like her sister asked her - and doesn't quite know how to. He’s the only person that can understand what she’s going through. She’s suffering. He’s suffering. So she needs to fill the silence somehow. And she drags him along most times, she is the one that decides they should take Power’s case, after all. After Edgeworth's trial she feels useless (even though she clearly was the reason Phoenix could save him... can you believe she just charged in against Von Karma? that's insane) and goes back home to resume her training so she can help Phoenix again. After Edgeworth's ‘death’, Phoenix didn't keep in touch. Although she didn’t know about Edgeworth, she knew that the whole year had been hard on them both in the first place... so she grew worried, and basically bargained with her client to go and get him and drag him to Kurain. Phoenix can get back into taking cases just because she's there to cheer him up. So she needs to be strong! Even though she's suffering tremendously as well. Mia isn't there anymore and now she also needs to take care of her cousin because apparently she can’t even have her aunt to rely on, because for some reason the universe decided to give her the most complicated family drama imaginable. When they face Franziska? She's awfully perceptive. She's only 18, and instead of being angry at Franziska's behavior, she wonders how she can be so strong? And she seems to admire her? Would a 18 year old accused of murder think that of the accuser? That's frankly baffling. It shows maturity far beyond her age, to think of the true feelings behind people’s behavior despite what it means for her situation. And then she gets kidnapped. And still, she feigns being fine… Then then Hazakura happens. All that and she's still thinking about other people! She tries to protect Godot, even though it's a moot point. She tries to be strong for Pearl - as Edgeworth points out - and she tries so hard to not make everything affect her. She takes everything in stride but also suppresses her feelings. And she's very very good at it, even. She seems fine. Franziska is baffled at her nonchalance, and somehow Edgeworth is the one who needs to explain it, perhaps because they had similar experiences and their tragedy is linked to the same root. Edgeworth tried to repress his feelings as well (although he is, by contrast, very very bad at hiding them) so he knows what he's talking about. I quite like that scene at the end of AA3 because that makes it deliberate on Takumi’'s part that he wanted to write her that way from the start. (it also adds to the development of 3 characters at once: Maya, Miles and Franziska) Her misfortunes don’t end here, either. SOJ happens. Kidnapped again, accused of murder again. People she trusted betray her and she finds it in her heart to forgive them? And now she also has a ton of responsibilities. And she needs to appear even stronger now in front of other people, because they depend on her. She’s still cheerful though. Because she needs to be. She first needs to be strong for Phoenix, then Pearl, then for the whole village of Kurain. And she manages to be, somehow. I love when characters are written this way. Once you have all the pieces together, if you go back and analyze their behavior, it makes the experience so much richer and so much more meaningful.

[paradiseprincesss]

Ooo I have been loving ALL your fics and your robert fischer one gave me an idea… the reader is a call girl who grew up poor, he hires us and after a while slowly falls in love with her and feels guilty and happy ending for both of my sad babies🥹

pov - robert fischer x reader

hi anon! I'M SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG but i love this - robert fischer will always be a soft character in my mind, i feel like he's just...like that. i just feel like he's a sad and lonely guy with the sweetest heart - i need a robert fischer in my life fr.

summary: as a call girl, your life was chaotic. ever since you were a little girl you had struggled with both self acceptance and self love, but you suddenly meet a client who changes your perspective of everything you thought you knew.

word count: 4,444 exactly lol

warnings: smut 18+ minors dni!!, oral (fem!receiving), p in v, kissing, swearing, mentions of toxic household, daddy issues, mentions of escorting/prostitution lol

…to be loved is to be changed.

you never know when you'll meet the one that changes everything - fate is funny that way. you don't know when they'll show up in your life, maybe you already know them, maybe you don't.

"god, you have no idea what it's like for me! i was struggling to pay my tuition. i'm doing what i have to do to get by, mom!" you scream, tears streaming down your face.

"then go get a job," she yelled back at you, "being some old mans escort is not a real job!"

"i'm- jesus, i'm a call girl it's- it's just different, okay? and it pays well. i can't continue to pay for college if i don't do this. you know a regular job doesn't pay shit." you say, your hands trembling as you argued with your mom.

the one figure in your life that was supposed to show you unconditional love wasn't there for you; but you didn't hold any animosity towards her. she was struggling as much as you were. did.

not anymore.

you hated this - fighting and arguing with her. it hurt you deeply. but, you did what you had to do to get by. your father wasn't in the picture, and your mother worked two jobs but that was barely enough to make ends meet.

your whole childhood was tumultuous, you grew up in a home with a single parent, the other one gone without a trace. you didn't know love growing up, and honestly, it fucked up your perception of the world - of the word love.

you put your all into school; it was the only thing that distracted you from your home life, and you were good at it. you managed to get pretty good grades in high school, no less than an A- in any subject you took, and post-graduation, you got into a pretty good college in your area.

you had moved out the day you turned eighteen, eager and excited to go out and blossom in life; but reality hit you, hard.

rent was expensive, and paying for college? god, that was a struggle in itself. you worked the odd job here and there, whether it was a cashier job or waitressing job, but neither paid enough. you did a little online research and came across escorting. the only thing that really enticed you was the paycheque - and my goodness was it a hefty one.

you kept this life of yours a secret - but you told your mom the truth earlier when she came by to visit you. she was surprised to see the apartment you were living in; decked out and lavish. she'd asked you where you had gotten the money to pay for this from, and you told her what you were doing.

turns out your mother wasn't too happy about her daughter being a glorified escort, and after arguing with you, she slammed the door in your face, which left you a sobbing mess.

but at least you had money now, right?

after scoring a position with a lucrative company which you couldn't disclose for...certain reasons, you received your first job. then you booked another, and another, and soon, you were a top money maker there.

with a face like that and the body you had - you were not short on cash, let's just say that. you were getting paid thousands just to make appearances with rich men - and getting paid tens of thousands to sleep with them.

as much as you loved the cash, you were miserable on the inside. money got boring after a while, it was just another part of your unexciting, depressing, melancholy life.

diamonds and designer bags couldn't fix the hole in your heart, they couldn't fix the emptiness that lingered within you.

if there was someone who understood this feeling better than anyone else - it was robert fischer.

sure, he never grew up poor or struggled to have money, but he knew damn well that money couldn't solve all your problems. in fact, having a lot of money came with more problems, he thought.

robert didn't know love - it was unfamiliar to him. none of his ex-girlfriends loved him, they just loved his money. they didn't care about him, they just cared about cashing in.

and every time he broke it off with them, they would tell him "don't leave, i miss you" - but he knew better than that. they didn't miss shit but the money, designer bags, and the lavish lifestyle.

after a particularly agonizing day at work, robert came home to his penthouse; head clouded with stress. honestly, it had been months since he had sex - been forever since he just felt loved or had any form of intimacy.

he craved it real bad.

so, he sighed as he dialled the number on his phone, waiting as the line rung quietly. quickly, someone answered and he put in his request - "i'll give you fifteen grand to send over your best girl," was all he said over the phone, quickly giving his address over afterwards.

and that is the story of how you ended up as robert fischers personal call girl - but that was just the beginning.

when you first met robert, you were pleasantly surprised. usually, your clientele consisted of old, rich men who were (at least in your opinion) disgusting. however, robert on the other hand was handsome, young, kind and rich on top of all that.

he was your best client thus far, and you were his favourite girl - not that he had any other girls, anyway. he paid you way more than any other man did, and he tipped generously on top of that.

soon enough, you were only seeing robert - exclusively. for work reasons of course. and he tried to tell himself that, too. that this was just sex. it didn't mean anything, right?

wrong.

he pushed you down onto the bed gently, running his hands all over your body while his lips caught yours in a deep kiss. today, you were waiting for him in his penthouse wearing a baby pink, lacy babydoll with matching pink panties and some stockings.

robert damn near lost his mind when he saw you in your lingerie, his cock was straining against his pants the second he laid eyes on you - sprawled out on his bed, biting your lip teasingly.

"fuck, i love you in pink." he groaned against your lips - but what he was really trying to tell you was "i love you."

he positioned you so that you were now sat up against the headboard of his bed, propped up against the plush pillows looking like a princess. slowly, he took his hand up to your thigh, blue eyes still locked with yours, and teasingly started to take your stockings off. he did it excruciatingly slow with the other one, too.

once your stockings were off, he looked at you with admiration. he truly thought you were the prettiest thing he had ever seen. ethereal. "can i?" he asked softly, his hands now trailing down your inner thighs, dangerously close to your clothed heat.

"m-mhm." you hum with a small nod, trying not to lose your mind. keeping your composure around him was proving to become more and more difficult every time.

he hooked his finger into the waistband of the tiny, lacy, pink thong and pulled it down your legs, groaning softly at the sight of your cunt all soaked for him.

"you're soaked. i can see it." he said lowly, and it takes every fucking ounce of self restraint you have in your body not to moan at the way he says it.

"y-yeah. s'cause of you, robbie." you say softly as he spreads your legs open, his mouth watering at the sight. he peppered kisses onto the insides of your thighs, teasingly kissing everywhere except where you so desperately needed him to kiss you.

"please." you whisper, and that was all he needed to hear before he was lapping up your pretty pussy. he licked a stripe up your cunt and you let out a desperate moan at the feeling of his mouth on you.

he continued to eat you out as if it was the last thing he'd ever do, making your head spin. you were moaning his name over and over, begging him to let you cum on his face as he sucked on your clit.

he took one of his fingers and slowly started to pump it in and out of your soaking hole. "oh fuck, i-i need you inside of me." you pleaded, feeling yourself getting closer and closer to release.

"only if you cum on my tongue, baby." he says between your legs, and you started to gasp and moan as you felt your orgasm approach you at full speed.

"i'm- gonna cum!" you desperately cry, feeling yourself cream all over his face as he took every last drop of it.

he sat up wiping his mouth and chin, glistening with your slick, and smiled at you dopily - he was in heaven.

“lay back on the bed for me, princess.” he commanded softly, and you oblige immediately. as you find comfort within the huge, king-sized bed and soft pillows, he unbuttoned his white dress shirt and undid his tie, taking it off while you watched like a predator stalking its prey.

next came his slacks, which he was rushing to get out of. as his cock sprung free from his boxers, your body felt like it was going into overdrive. robert got between your legs and took hold of your hips before lining his cock up with your drooling entrance.

slowly, he pushed in and the both of you let out sinful sounds. sex never had any meaning for you - it was just your profession, you didn’t know any different. but when he was inside you, when you let him into you - things felt...different.

robert was in way too deep to get out now (both figuratively and literally), and he slowly started to thrust himself in and out of you at a slow pace. one thing you noticed about robert, especially when you guys were fucking, was that he never broke eye contact.

nobody had ever fucked you so sensually before, let alone with such care. he fucked into you gently, the both of you moaning and breathing heavily, and he got lost in your pretty eyes.

he loved you - and he knew it was wrong.

it was the one thing you shouldn’t do when hiring a call girl - fall in love with her. he knew he shouldn’t fall in love with a woman who’s literal job was to pretend that she loved you and fuck you right, but he couldn’t help it.

robert - like you - didn’t know what love was until he felt you. until he knew you.

“f-fuck, faster robbie.” you whispered, breathless and feeling almost out of touch with reality with how good he felt inside you - it was like he was made for you.

“god, you’re so fucking tight. you- ugh, you feel so good, baby.” robert moaned, and you could almost hear the desperation in his voice. “i’m already about to cum, jesus-“ he stammered, voice strained.

“then cum, ah-.” you urged, wrapping your arms around him in a way that was a little too intimate for it to just be part of your job.

“how much extra do you want, ten grand?” he panted as he fucked your pretty pussy, feeling you tighten up around his hard cock.

“wha- robbie, what?” you try to talk properly through the pleasure he was bringing you; it was overwhelming. you weren’t sure why he was bringing up payments and money now of all times, this had been discussed already at the beginning of…whatever this agreement was.

“how much to make you mine? please - i love you.” he said, losing himself in the feeling of you.

you felt your mouth go dry as the words fell from his lips, and in a panic you struggle from underneath him, trying your hardest to push him away.

“wait- wait, stop-“ you say all flustered and panicked. this wasn’t supposed to happen - this should never happen between you and your clients.

he stops as soon as you say the word, and you backup into the the headboard of the bed anxiously, grabbing the blankets to cover yourself up as soon as he had pulled out.

you had never known love before, so when you heard those words, it sent you into an abysmal spiral.

“i-i’m sorry, i just-“ he stammered, the two of you looking each other awkwardly, and robert felt his heart break in two silently.

“don’t apologize, it’s my fault.” you sigh, looking down.

“no, cmon- i shouldn’t have said that.” he said back, and you glanced at him for a second - he looked like he was hurting. like it physically hurt him to tell hear you turn him down in a sense.

you felt a tear run down your cheek, and you wiped it away, already embarrassed enough. this had never happened in front of a client before.

was robert just a client, though?

before you had a chance to answer your own question, robert answered it for you. he took his hand out, gentle and soft, and wiped the tears away from your cheek.

“what’s going on?” he spoke softly, and you just shook your head, avoiding all eye contact.

“i- please, i’m so embarrassed. i’m sorry. you don’t need to pay me for today.” you whisper.

he shakes his head, and grabs a robe that he had draped over the ottoman in front of his bed, and quickly threw it on. you stayed with the covers pulled up over your chest and the rest of your body, watching him carefully.

he approaches you cautiously, and without another word he pulls you into his embrace - warm and inviting, just like him.

it felt like the missing piece in your chaotic, incomplete puzzle that you called your life.

words failed you in that moment, but it felt foreign. the feeling of being loved, being comforted, being vulnerable was new to you. you didn’t know such feelings could exist - at least, you grew up thinking that anyway.

"i'm really sorry, i shouldn't have said that." he said softly, petting your hair gently. "no, it's- fine. i-i don't know why i reacted like that." you reassured him, not quite knowing the reason behind your erratic behaviour.

"we don't have to continue, okay?" he reassures you in a soothing tone, and you let yourself fall into the feeling of his touch and embrace for a moment too long, before coming to your senses.

"t-thank you," you mumble, "i just don't think i'm in a good head space right now."

"and that's okay." he reassures you once again - he was really good at that. "why don't we just end todays session and i'll see you again next week, same time?"

"yeah, okay. i'm sorry, robbie." you murmur, and robert could feel his heart beating rapidly as you said his name like that - the name you called him.

after that, you had left in a rush (and felt super unprofessional about it), profusely apologizing for what had happened but he kept telling you that it was okay.

once you got back to your place, you ran a hot shower for yourself to collect your thoughts and calm yourself down. after that, you got into bed and fell asleep quickly, exhausted from the day you had.

the next morning, you woke up feeling groggy, and frankly - still super embarrassed from yesterday. cringing at your own actions, you felt like you just wanted to curl up into a ball and never show your face again.

why did you react like that? why did you have to make a scene? why did robert's confession throw you off so badly?

deep down, you knew the answers to these questions.

you reacted like that because you grew up around constant chaos and poverty, you didn't know what it was like to be cared for, to be loved. you made a scene because for someone who's never known love, facing the unknown was terrifying.

but why did robert's confession throw you off? why?

you sat there in bed, wondering. wondering to yourself why he would want you of all people - some call girl he ordered because he was bored. why wasn't he with some other girl who had come from money like him? come from class? why would he chose you?

in that moment, it went right over your head, but his confession threw you off because you didn't feel worthy. you didn't know how to trust - you couldn't see yourself the way robert saw you, after all.

suddenly, you heard your phone buzz beside you. looking a the notification, you found yourself shocked. you had received an e-transfer from robert of double the normal amount he was paying you.

your jaw dropped and you had to re-read the numbers in your account to really make sure this was real. in a state of shock, you look through your contacts and give him a call in the spur of the moment.

"hello?" his slightly raspy morning voice answered, and you felt your heart do a little flip at the sound of it - but you pushed it aside.

"hey, robert, it's me," you say, taking in a breath, "i...you didn't have to pay me, i told you."

he sighed on the other line, "no, i shouldn't have...told you what i did. i'm sorry, i...i've been thinking about it."

you stayed silent, unsure of what to say next, but he continued talking regardless. "can we talk? i'll pay you for your time."

"you don't have to do that, robert. and yes, yeah let's, um, talk." you say to him, and the two of you arrange to meet at his at three.

you get yourself ready, doing your hair in your favourite hair style and your makeup all glamorous, throwing on your favourite saint laurent heels with a matching satin mini dress.

you rush out the door, and hopped into your car, speeding off to his place. usually, he would send a driver out to yours, but you were off the clock. he insisted over the phone, but you urged him that you could drive and it was fine.

as soon as you got to the building of his penthouse, he buzzed you in and you made your way up the elevator. after knocking on the door, he opened it with a small smile on his face. he was wearing the usual - suit and tie, of course.

as he welcomed you in, he told you about the meeting he had at his office earlier that day - hence the whole suit and tie getup.

"anyways, i'm sure i'm boring you with the details about my work meeting." he says, laughing softly and you smile. "not at all, it's refreshing to hear you talk about other parts of your life besides...you know, the usual stuff we talk about."

he smiled back at you, but it seemed he was having trouble getting his words out - he didn't know how to tell you what he wanted to tell you.

"er, please know that, fuck- i just, i didn't mean to scare you away with what i said." he stammered, clearly flustered.

"...what did you mean, robert?" you ask meekly, avoiding eye contact. he slowly steps a little closer, closing the gap between the two of you.

"i have feelings for you." he says, voice strained out of sheer nervousness.

"don't say that," you sigh, "this- us, it isn't real. it's just like, playing pretend."

you so desperately wanted to say, "me too, i fell for you too," but your insecurities stopped you. even though you worked in a profession where you were paid to be pretty, paid to look good as arm candy, you felt inadequate all the time. you didn't feel pretty - you felt indifferent. sometimes, you didn't even know who you were.

there was a lot of baggage that came with you, but it was nothing that would ever scare robert off.

"i know what it's like to 'play pretend,'" he said, emphasizing his words with air quotations, "i've done that for the last ten years of my life - with every woman i've ever dated. they pretended to like me for me and not my money, and i pretended that i didn't see what they were really doing."

"you're literally paying me to sleep with you, robert. this is transactional." you say, trying to convince yourself into thinking that was the truth.

"god- it's not. it's not, you know it, i know it. we both know it." he exasperates, and you look away again as he continues. "i can feel it in the way you touch me, the way you look at me, the way you say my name, i can tell. and i know you can tell by the way i hold you, talk to you - the way i don't want anyone else but you."

as he confessed, you felt your cheeks go pink. you didn't realize that he was this much of a romantic - it was kinda cute. it was obvious that he was so serious about this, but you on the other hand...

you weren't too convinced. you had never received such attention, such care or such...love before.

"why are you lying to yourself?" his voice snapped you out of your anxious thoughts, and you finally found the courage to meet his gaze.

trying your hardest not to get lost in his ocean eyes, you manage to get a response out. "i-i don't know. i guess i just don't understand it. i don't understand how you could like, fall in love with someone who does...what i do."

he sighed softly, tilting your chin up with his finger, forcing you to meet his gaze once again. "let me help you understand, then."

one second you were trying to deny every lovey-dovey feeling you had for him - and the next his lips were on yours. it just happened so naturally.

in that moment, you could feel every insecurity, every anxious thought, every piece of pent up trauma and trust issues subside with him.

he wrapped his arms around your waist lovingly, holding you in his embrace as he kissed you softly.

you were off the clock, and so was he. neither of you were your personas anymore. you weren't just some call girl anymore (not that he ever saw you as just that), and he wasn't robert fischer of fischer morrow right now - he was just yours.

you were the first to pull away from the kiss, and you looked up at him with a small smile, which he returned.

"you have no idea how much i care about you." he whispered softly, "i wish you could see yourself in the way that i see you."

his words struck a chord for sure, and you felt yourself getting teary eyed again. "jesus, robert - stop making me cry." you laugh softly, trying to hold back the tears.

"i want to know who you are - not the usual work stuff. tell me about your life." he said softly, keeping you close.

and so you did - you did exactly that. that evening, you had spent the whole time getting to really know each other. from childhood memories to what you ate for breakfast that day - no parts left out. he told you about himself too, and finally, you felt safe.

you finally felt like the years of walls you had built up were gradually coming down, and all the baggage you accumulated over the years was slowly fading.

you looked over the terrace of your suite in your lace slip, taking in the beauty of the eiffel tower which you could see from your luxurious hotel room.

"s'pretty, just like you." robert says, wrapping his arms around you from behind, placing a soft kiss behind your ear. "good morning, mrs. fischer."

ah, that's right.

you were mrs. fischer now - newly married and happier than ever. after that fateful night in roberts penthouse, the two of you just clicked. it was fate, no - destiny. it was like something you had never known before, the pull between you two was on a metaphysical level, and for once, you didn't fight the fall.

now, nearly three years later, you were taking in the gorgeous view of paris in the early morning on your honeymoon.

your wedding was beautiful - private and intimate - but beautiful. it was just the way you imagined it would be; everything you dreamed of. robert had proposed to you a week after you graduated from your program in college, and the two of you were happily in love - still happily in love, and always would be happily in love.

you decided to quit your call girl job, as there was no longer a need to work anymore at all. robert covered all of your finances, never once did you ever pick up the bill with him. he supported you in everything that you did, always being there for you and showing up for you when you most needed him.

he never judged you, never belittled you, never made you doubt how much he loved you. it was like he had superpowers with the way he was able to permeate through all the past trauma you had. it didn't matter to him if you were working in the escort business before he came along; he simply didn't care.

your past is in the past for a reason, that wasn't you anymore. you were a different woman now. softer and no longer had her guard up constantly. sometimes, you felt like he knew you better than you knew yourself.

because he loved you for you. he taught you how to be grateful for yourself, to show up for yourself, to love yourself the way he loved you.

"i love you so much, honey. god, i love everything about you." he said softly, kissing down your neck, making you giggle.

"mm, i'd love to see me from your point of view." you say, taking in the breathtaking view of paris, and your new life.

[iamsherlocked-1998]

NUTS AND ENGINES

SUMMARY: A visit to the mechanic and a new beginning.

WORDS: 1200

WARNING: Nope, only that the reader is a Mandalorian here and not Din, so when I say "Mando" it´s about her.

In the bustling spaceport of Mos Eisley, Din Djarin worked diligently in his small mechanic's shop, surrounded by the hum of engines and the clatter of tools. He was aware of the fame he had built up over the past few years, known for his ability to repair all manner of spacecraft, Din considered himself a quiet and solitary figure, but affable and cheerful, content with the mild isolation of his work.

One day, a mysterious figure dressed in Mandalorian armor entered his shop, seeking repairs for her ship. He couldn't help but shudder a little, his scant knowledge of them based on perceptions from childhood when he was rescued from the ashes of what used to be his forgotten home before being sent to this piece of land to live with a relative he barely knew.

The first day she just hung around the workshop and briefly introduced herself as Mando, but an old friend from an adjacent cantina managed to find out that the enigmatic woman turned out to be a renowned and legendary bounty hunter with a reputation that preceded her. Intrigued by the enigmatic Mandalorian before him, the next day Din offered to work on the ship, eager to test his mechanical prowess.

"It could use a tune-up and my usual mechanics are taking a break, how many credits would that be?"

Djarin offered a sardonic smile.

"Well, that's something you can't know until you check it out in depth, sweetheart, but I promise I'll give you a good price" (That was accompanied by a slight wink in a crude attempt to get attention).

The Mandalorian just nodded softly and left without another word, leaving the man blushing intensely. That wasn't even close to what he regretted the most. As Din delved into the intricate repairs of the ancient ship, which could well be described as a relic, he reflected on the other, much more interesting things he could be doing, but he was still a man of his word and he wasn't going to give up. Despite the two brief interactions, he couldn't help but feel drawn to the stoic yet captivating presence of the Mandalorian warrior. Their conversations were meaningful, with an unspoken understanding floating in the air between them, especially when the woman simply rolled up her sleeves and began to help him.

"Where did you learn?" (The question surprised the dark-haired man, but he wasn't going to waste the opportunity).

"Well, when I was young I spent a lot of time alone because my uncle wasn't a man of many words and even less with alcohol, so one day I went to the city and signed up as an apprentice, that's how I earned a living and killed time".

The woman turned her visor to the ground thoughtfully.

"Is that where you got the necklace from?"

He was about to ask when she looked where the jacket was leaning, it was a kind of tool box where he kept an amulet from the worst day of his life. A mythosaur.

"No... I don't like to talk about it but your people helped me in a time of need and I preferred to keep it".

"I could say the same".

The man reached for a dirty rag to remove the oil dirt from his hands. A sigh of understanding left his lips.

"Is it true what they say, you always wear that helmet?" (He pointed to his own face inquisitively).

"This is the way".

The days passed in apparent tranquility, the young woman had become a little more vocal and was proud of having gotten a kind of laugh out of her once. However, before Din could finish his work, chaos erupted in the spaceport as a group of bounty hunters descended upon the girl, seeking to claim the bounty on her head. Instinctively, Din sprang into action, using the few skills his uncle, a man better with his fists than with words, had instilled in him, upbringing to support Mando and fend off attackers.

He and his peculiar client barricaded themselves behind a set of scrap metal. The woman had a sharp aim that made him think with pity of their targets if they weren't in this situation.

In the heat of battle, Din entered the ship for added safety while his partner dealt with several stray undesirables mercilessly. He inadvertently discovered a secret Mando had been hiding: a small, green creature emerged from a cubbyhole of sorts, looking frightened and immediately turning its face away when the mechanic approached.

"Hey... little one, it's okay" (the man extended a finger for the boy to hold, which helped, as he was able to pick up the baby and find a better place to hide).

So that was the reason the woman was so scrupulous about emptying the warehouse before starting work and always left for a while, maybe she knew someone nearby who helped her with the child.

Once she understood that the man was inside, the child's guardian (mother?) entered the ship abruptly and prepared to take off. Apparently the rescued pupil was named Grogu, he had a connection to the Force like nothing Din had ever seen before, although the Mandalorian never heard of it. This revelation struck a chord within Din, awakening emotions and memories long buried in him, when he lost his parents as a tender infant.

A few hours later Grogu entertained himself by floating Din's necklace through the air, the only thing he could rescue when the attackers were too many and left without further delay.

"He is amazing" (Djarin meant it, he understood that any self-respecting person would want to keep him safe).

"He is" (The woman used a surprisingly soft tone) "You can't go back to that place, now they will look for you too".

With no choice but to leave the safety of Mos Eisley behind, Din made the fateful decision to accompany Mando and Grogu on their journey, his heart torn between the prudence of duty and the new connection he felt towards them.

“I suppose there is no other remedy, at least for now. Would a mechanic suit you?”

The hunter said nothing but the playful clicking of fingers on the control panel expressed all he needed to know.

Weeks turned into months. As they traversed the galaxy together, facing danger and adventure at every turn, Din and Mando found themselves growing closer, their bond forged through trials and challenges that tested their resolve. In the quiet moments beneath the starry sky, Din found solace in the reserved woman’s unwavering strength and determination, while she discovered a depth of compassion and loyalty in Din’s open character that touched her heart. Casual touches turned to frantic kisses in the darkness of the ship’s belly.

Amidst the chaos of their unpredictable lives, love blossomed between the stoic Mandalorian bounty hunter and the intrepid mechanic, tying their destinies together in a story written in the stars. And as they sailed across the vast expanse of the galaxy side by side, Djarin and Mando knew that in each other they had found something worth fighting for: a love that transcended the boundaries of space and time, binding them together in a bond that was as unbreakable as beskar steel.

NOTE: This was really funny to write, maybe I'll write about this universe again, the fic is an idea of @toomanystoriessolittletime for the 8k celebration, hope you like it 🤗💕

[avoidantrecovery]

my thoughts on rejection sensitivity, fawning, criticism and how i want to get better about them

these are just some notes/me thinking aloud/me writing notes to myself and putting things into perspective/connecting some dots. maybe others can relate.

✦ abandonment/rejection based trauma leads to... ✦ needing to be accepted and liked by any- and everyone (fawning) to restore safety/ensure feeling safe which leads to... ✦ due to being stuck in trauma response/having a trauma rewired brain: strong sensitivity and fear of any kind of rejection or criticism, which leads to... ✦ responsibility for your emotions and self-perceptions are outsourced (for the lack of a better word) to (random) third persons (who are not even aware of this). which leads to... ✦ difficulty to interact and communicate with people without crushing hypervigilance, anxiety, numbing, strong emotional reactions... leads to... ✦ random third parties and their reaction to us (be it via facial expressions, tone, conversation, action or inaction, etc...) now makes or breaks our emotional state ✦ a positive reaction gives us (if we're lucky) positive emotions (dopamine, safety, elation) a negative reaction however leads to the exact opposite -> we are at the whims of random people ✦ inevitable negative feedback then leads to severe negative emotions including anxiety, shame, self-devaluing and self-abuse ✦ this becomes a cycle of wanting others to reflect that "we are good" back to us in places where it's not relevant and will lead to negative feedback and rejection, isolating and then doing it all over again.

what to do instead?

✸ realize that this is a cycle that is happening and why (trauma) ✸ be mindful and have self-compassion for your past (fawning) behaviour to avoid shame and self-hate (you were stuck in a trauma response, not doing it on purpose) ✸ realize that minute reactions of all people doesn't have to matter to you. this is something you have to practise day in day out, because your brain is stuck in this mode. ✸ it's fucked up that we often have to deal with people who are outright hostile and having a negative reaction to that is normal and healthy. however, everyone who has ever felt the overwhelming crushing sensation of rejection sensitivity knows there is a difference between that and "a healthy negative reaction". ✸ we shouldn't have to internalize and emotionally tattoo every minute thing someone else says or does to us, esp. if they are hostile ✸ it shouldn't control us for the rest of the day, week, month or even longer ✸ there is nothing we can do to control others behaviour (even by prostrating and fawning to the max), it is not even our responsibility, but we can try to better manage and process our own emotions to ensure we are not constantly dysregulated. ✸ use "the levels method" to sort to what degree someone's feedback matters to you ✸ realize that you will probably fall back into old behaviour patterns because "nerves that fire together, wire together". meaning it is through repetition that we form new habits and it's by reducing "firing" old behaviour patterns that we are able to eventually let them go.

the levels method

✸ level 1: random strangers on the street: 0.5/5 ✸ level 2: random people you see daily (neighbors, barista, etc...): 1/5 ✸ level 3: work/school people 2/5 (only professional/educational stuff matters, do not take things personal or internalize professional critic as personal critic, i know this is hard and often unfair) ✸level 4: acquaintances and friends: 3/5 ✸ level 5: family and good friends: 4/5 ✸ level 6: your own selected loved ones 5/5

☞ i just came up with this little method that i will try to use to weigh my emotions and how seriously i have to take people's reactions to me. again, it's not easy and it's something that has to be practised to get right. however, the idea is to get away from processing the random reaction of a stranger, or even of a co-worker or client, with the same intensity and seriousness of selected loved one whose feedback i obviously care about a lot.

what if i don't have loved ones?

✸ this is one thing that has been bothering me ✸ i think for some people the "outsourcing" of emotions onto other people and that whole cycle, is intensified by not having any selected loved ones due to isolation etc... ✸ it's likely that you will, perhaps without being aware of it, begin to look for emotional feedback (to feel safe due to trauma brain) from people who fall within level 1-level 3 or 4. ✸ people need social contact and if there is nobody else around we might look to have our emotional needs met by people who aren't even aware or responsible for that ✸ i am currently in this situation and all i can do for now, until i do find new selected loved ones, is to be aware when i do it and steer away from it when it happens. ✸ if you are in contact with family or friends, this can be a better outlet as random strangers or classmates/co-workers

(not medical advice, just thinking out loud)

[teufelsabbiss]

Story-idea: Shen Yuan and his sister transmigrate

There are a lot of good stories already with Shen Yuan transmigrating into a young child that gets adopted by Shen Qingqiu. Most don't account for a glaringly obvious problem in this setup - Shen Qingqiu's hate of men. And I think boys are very much included in that sentiment. So what if Shen Yuan and his meimei transmigrate and she's the reason they get picked up?

Shen Yuan and his sister could have a traffic accident, maybe she's driving him while he's furiously tipping his last hate reply. Both are transmigrated into siblings that are sold to a brothel. Luckily they are both too young to offer full services yet and do chores instead. Shen Yuan doesn't recognize the brothel's name from the book, so he thinks they are at least out of the way of any revenge or wife plots until they can escape. Turns out they won't stay there long enough to even come up with a good plan.

A few days after they were sold, his little sister has to wait on one of the clients. Said client is very displeased to see such a young girl there. To make it worse for the brothel owner, the little Shen sister is very cute and funny and so apparently somehow manages to immediately worm her way into the guys heart and he promptly buys her contract.

He tells her that he has no bad intentions towards her, but will instead take her to his sect to learn cultivation. She doesn't really believe him at first and also refuses to leave without her brother. He's not overly happy that he has to buy a boy as well, but does it readily enough anyway.

Miraculously, after their contracts has changed hands, the brothel owner dies under tragic circumstances. You see, he was killed by a resentful ghost. But luckily the aforementioned client just happens to be a cultivator who was on a mission and just got there on his way back to his sect. And while he was too late to prevent the tragic death, he got rid of the ghost quickly after the murder. Case closed; what a relief for the local authorities! One of the prostitutes is happy to take over the establishment.

The Shen siblings aren't stupid, their new owner obviously murdered the guy and fooled the guards with this bullshit ghost story! No complaints about that, really. It does however also mean that this guy is unscrupulous and it will be more dangerous to get away than before. Learning that the man is actually the scum-villan Shen Qingqiu definitely doesn't make the situation better.

But then they get to Cang Qiong and are officially accepted into Qing Jing peak. The Shen sister immediately becomes good friends with Ning YingYing, who is about the same age as her new body. Which means Luo Binghe isn't there yet and everything awful can still be averted.

I think it would be really funny if the sister got very attached to Shen Qingqiu, who dotes on her as much as Ning YingYing, and Shen Yuan freaking out about this. Not only because he's constantly worrying about her getting molested and she vehemently insisting that's never going to happen, but also! How can his sister like the Scum-Villain of all people in the slightest!!! “Why, meimei? You're usually so clever and perceptive! What's wrong with you?!���

And then one day Luo Binghe joins and the Shen sister is now almost constantly clinging to Shen Qingqiu's skirts and he's not mistreating the protagonist (no matter how much he wants to) because it would upset his little babygirl. Can't have that.

[multidimensionalguidance]

📚💸 Career + Wealth Analysis 💸📚

One of the most frequent questions astrologers receive from their clients when doing a chart reading is about their career, profession or work.

The labor we do on an everyday basis is essential when it comes to our finances and self fulfillment. It can either be something we enjoy doing that meets all of our needs, or what brings a paycheck yet lacks inner satisfaction.

There are several ways to confirm if the work you are doing is activating your Venus properly, and you may wonder why that planet in particular? Simple! Venus is related to finances, luxury, and comfort. The jobs that align with our Venus sign tend to be the ones that not only fits into our financial needs, but also provides a genuine feeling of contentment.

So, if you want the straight forward answer to “What career/field/job/hobby can help me create wealth and feel joyful about it?” Then Venus is your short answer. Remember that wealth will look differently for everyone since we all have different perceptions of how much money is truly enough to have the lifestyle we dream of.

Look for the Sidereal sign that your Venus falls in, find below the careers or fields related to it, and confirm for yourself the difference in your wealth accumulation once you incorporate it into your life.

Note: please keep in mind that if your Venus is conj, square or opposite a malefic planet/s (Mars, Saturn, Rahu/Ketu), there will be some natural resistance or challenges that you will experience throughout life with work, job, profession, or financial matters. Venus in Virgo, Scorpio, and Capricorn to a degree could also experience similar experiences.

The house where this planet is placed also tells a lot about the way your job manifests in your life (places, people, etc). Now, there are many ways to remediate any negative effects, so no need to be concerned or feel doomed.

There are many advanced Vedic Astrologers who mostly focus on remediation of planets that are in difficult or challenged positions, so take a look at the options available if you ever feel like there's an extra difficulty for you in those matters.

♈️➡️ Vocations that require independence, daring and the pioneering spirit: entrepreneurs, pioneers in any field, idea people, those who initiate new projects, troubleshooters, directors, adventurers, executives.

Firemen or fire fighters, forest rangers, engineers (metallurgical), members of the armed forces, firearms experts, police officers, machinists, mechanics, iron and steel workers, locksmiths, welders, athletics that involve speed and daring, race car drivers, contact sports, boxers, dancers, movement therapists, physical education instructors, surgeons.

♉️➡️ Vocations dealing with the earth and substance: farmers, ranchers, agriculture instructors, landscape architects, gardeners, rock collectors (semi-precious gems), builders, carpenters, building contractors, concrete pourers, chiropractors, massage therapists, computer programmers.

Occupations involved with money and finance: bankers, bank tellers, stock brokers, financiers, money managers, investment advisors, security analysts, treasurers, economists.

Artists, sculptors, jewelers, pottery makers, fashion designers, tailors, florists, musicians, singers, voice teachers, throat specialists.

♊️➡️ Vocations involved with communication or transportation: authors, proofreaders, ad copywriters, screenplay writers, editors, reporters, teachers, lecturers, linguists, speech therapists, librarians, bookstore owners, publishers, magazine employees.

Radio operators or disc jockeys, television producers, telephone operators or repair persons, telemarketers, stationery store owners, journalists, salespeople, printers, book distributors, clerks, office workers, secretaries, typists, typesetters.

Messengers, mail carriers, taxi drivers, bus drivers, railway employees, plane pilots, accountants, jacks-of-all-trades. Can engage in two or more occupations at once.

♋️➡️ Vocations that nurture: physically or emotionally (especially through food): caterers, restaurant owners, chefs, cooks, bakers, waiters and waitresses, confectioners, dairy farmers, grocers, food distributors, nutritionists.

Social workers, counselors, psychics, nurses, family therapists, preschool teachers, children's writers, tioners, caretakers, water-related occupations, plumbers, swimmers, lifeguards, fishermen.

All careers dealing with the home: realtors, hotel managers, innkeepers, homemakers, governesses, maids, laundry workers.

♌️➡️ Performers of all types: actors and actresses, playwrights, entertainers, dancers, singers, musicians, movie stars, circus performers, jugglers, clowns, sports figures, teachers (good teachers are entertainers), amuse ment park owners, speculators, gamblers.

Leaders of all types: executives, managers, government officials, politicians, foremen, judges, athletes, salespeople, the profession of selling, promoters, dia: mond and precious metal brokers, gold workers, heart specialists, all vocations involving children.

♍️➡️ Vocations dealing with analysis, detail and technical expertise: statisticians, accountants, book-keepers, computer programmers, teachers of technical subjects, stenographers, critics, inspectors of all types, draftsmen, graphic artists, technical illustrators, crafts-people, specialists.

Health occupations and the social services, mental health workers, therapists, psychiatrists, psychoanalysts, social workers, employment counselors, nurses, doctors, massage therapists, respiratory techairians, dental hygienists, dentists, secretaries, office managers, food service worker, nutritionist, waiters and waitresses, dieticians, veterinarians, zoologist, sanitation workers, janitors, public health officials, house cleaners, butlers.

♎️➡️ Vocations that pursue balance, harmony and justice: negotiators and counselors of all types, marriage counselors, wedding related businesses, diplomats, labor arbitrators, judges, lawyers, managers, salespeople.

Occupations dealing with beauty: artists, architects, painters, illustrators, photographers, fashion designers, fashion industry workers, milliners, color consultants, clothing store owners or salespeople, beauticians, hairdressers, cosmeticians, interior and exterior decorators, cosmetic manufacturers and dealers, jewelers, florists, candy makers.

♏️➡️ Vocations that focus on uncovering hidden secrets: researchers, muckraking journalists, investigators, detectives, physicists, occultists, those who work behind the scenes, espionage agents, psychics, astrologers, all matters dealing with death, funeral home directors, morticians, cemetery workers, insurance salespeople, soldiers, those working under the earth, undertakers.

Those who work as healers. all medical practitioners, physicians, nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, surgeons, pharmacists, pathologists, past-life investigators, hospice workers, chemists, music therapist, musicians.

♐️➡️ Vocations dealing with exploration, travel and adventure: explorers, astronomers, travel agents, airline employees, flight attendants, astronauts, import-export agents, foreign correspondents, language interpreters, traveling salespeople, promoters, customs officers, athletes of all types, archers, sporting goods manufacturers, horse trainers, breeders and jockeys.

Occupations dealing with higher knowledge: philosophers, college professors, ministers, theologians, missionaries, preachers, orators, publishers, metaphysical writers, philanthropists, lawyers.

♑️➡️ Vocations dealing with administering and organizing: administrators of all types, managers, business owners, executives, government officials, politicians, judges, manufacturers, coordinators, principals at schools, wardens, disciplinarians, buyers, consul-tants, vocational counselors.

Occupations that work with form and structure: architects, contractors, builders, carpenterivil and rivil and get industrial engineers, economists, chiropractors, orthopedic specialists, osteopaths, miners, landowners, mountain climbers.

♒️➡️ Vocations dealing with progress and inven-tion: inventors, scientists, educators, researchers, astrologers, social workers, psychologists, futurists, humanitarians, social reformers, United Nations workers, employees of world relief organizations, future-oriented occupations, astronauts, airplane pilots, aviators, parachutists, hang glider pilots, solar energy researchers, physicists, radio and television technicians, electricians, electrical engineers.

♓️➡️ Vocations of a spiritual, healing or artistic na-ture: religious workers, priests, monks, nuns, sisters of mercy, rabbis, clairvoyants, mediums, charity workers, prison workers.

Physicians, faith healers, psychic healers, nurses, hospital workers, psychiatrists, psychologists, hypnotists, anesthesiologists, podiatrists. Poets, musicians, writers (inspirational, fantasy, metaphysical, science fiction), actors, dancers, painters, artists, entertainers, comedians, singers, filmmakers.

Water-related activities, fishermen, sailors, divers, swimmers, lifeguards, marine scientists, oceanographers, bartenders, oil industry workers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Is your Venus sign all you need to know to find all the clues and perfect descriptions to tailor your ideal professional life? No, but it is a huge start in a small way and with short information.

If you guys would like to go more in depth with career astrology, then also take your time to check the following, and find the common theme:

•10H sign + where its lord is located

•D10 Lagna (Dasamsa chart)

•Mahadasha planet in your chart, the house its located, and where the lord goes.

[horizon-verizon]

So I didn't watch the episode and have gotten wind that Hugh is Saera's son in HotD but that he doesn't describe her as the very successful & well known brothel owner and proprietor that she canonically was. Which is weird bc even if he left before she really took off, there's no other indication in HotD thus far that she is still one of many, more vulnerable brothel sex workers of Planetos who must give up a portion of their wages according to the owner's style or will. Hugh's knowledge of Saera is the only knowledge thus far for the locals and non bk readers, so the first "public" perception & understanding of Saera is through this man "ashamed" to have been her son he seemingly never came to terms with. And her being a SW appears as if it is a leading reason (aside from some others not reveled) why he left Volantis for KL.

She exists to characterize Hugh and it's done with focus on her sexual "deviance" in like with Alyssa's being used in a deviant sexual dream forced on Daemon. It's not her being used to characterize Hugh that bothers me but their way of doing it is to leave it as sexual shame of female sexuality through the stigma of sex work when there was much more to Saera. Similar to how there were more & better storylines from Alyssa to use for Daemon's "redemption" arc.

Yes, I've seen the tweets and comments about the karma of Saera's son being the one to bond with Jahaerys' dragon. How this reconnects the two through a bastard (a "result" of Saera not acting as a "proper", sexually limited and "chaste" woman-girl) as well as adds an interesting layer to Hugh's eventual betrayal (as one of Jaehaerys' chief anxieties and issues against Saera was the distribution and availability of dragons--in her escape from his forcing her into septahood, she tried to get to Balerion it is said and he saw this as her "stealing"). And that anxiety has been evident in F&B since Elissa Farman stealing what would become Dany's 3 dragon eggs. His fear being that there would be new dragonlords popping up that not only would/could endanger the world (he specifically said they didn't need another Old Valyria) but would rival the Targaryens and his own authority/grasp on power. These are all actually very good points, and yeah, this is one example of HotD's better writing and storytelling.

However, going back to Hugh saying Saera was just like "regular" sex workers who have to answer to higher authorities and were more vulnerable to many sorts of parties (clients, abusive and greedy brothel managers & owners, other citizens/subjects bc of the stigma against SW, etc.) -> again, Saera eventually became a brothel owner and very well respected/known. With seemingly a lot of influence in Essos as well as a great name in Westeros even infamously--she wasn't a nobody anywhere, is what I ]'m saying and HotD makes it seem as if she kinda is when she's filtered through only her ashamed son as being like less autonomous-authoritative sex workers. It doesn't matter that she was at one point that and she "spoiled" herself (which no, she didn't); even she was asked atp whether she'd take the throne or ascend, to which she declined AND I speak to how HotD is allergic to female authority figures--which even if she had more power in Essos, she's still a figure of authority nonetheless--acting like authority figures without self-effacing themselves (Rhaenyra) or being totally un-self aware and insufferable (Alicent) to make them a false idea of "decent".

So unless the show will give us some sort of context of smallfolk not knowing of her life aside from "she disappeared" or that her later life was only recorded and disseminated in books they don't have access to thus Hugh never found out what was up w/her later life, it's very easy to make as if either she was always a "lower" SW OR Hugh simply decided that it didn't matter what she was other than she was a SW. Which would tell us a lot about his character, his values, clue us in one the trajectory of his story in a curiosity-peaked sort of way & thus add some nuance both to him and to her. And she had other sons who showed up to the GC of 101 [look back to 1x01, where they are tallying up votes for the next ruler b/t Rhaenys and Viserys]...

Wouldn't news of these sons spread throughout KL, so how could Hugh not know of these sons who quite obviously brought so much evidence of their wealth that could very well have at first come from their shared mother? Or do these sons just not exist in the HotD universe? Without these questions answered, it seems they are just doing themselves a disservice when they have the opportunityt to make their world more "believeable" and "lived-in". Like it'd breathe so much more life than a mere mention of Saera's later life, but even the mere mention from any more unbiased source would add a regard toward the lore than currently.

Again, again, again, he is thus far the only source the show gives us as to her fate.

If it turns out that she never managed to be an owner and proprietor in the HotD universe, then this is pretty reductive just as how they portrayed Alyssa to be.

Alyssa was reduced through sex/a sexual depiction/interaction into being a device for Daemon's arc of self development when they had him eat her out in a dream, and that could have been literally anything else: Alyssa taking him out on his first ever dragon ride as an infant; him watching her die slowly from childbirth but still interacting; her at the training yard and trying to get her brother/his father's attentions as a child; her dumping the wind on their brother Vaegon's head as a child when he denigrated Daella's intelligence [Daella, the grandmother of Rhaenyra, which thus could have brought another layer or reminder of his and Rhaenyra's need for unity and their already-there connection, how he needs to step up more for her and in a less "oppressive" way since the writers want to claim being more "feminist" even though I still think Daemon's entire Harrenhal arc is an unfair and illogical illustration of him and his capabilities/role in Rhaenyra's life/claim]; etc.

This was local's first intro into her & any connections she has to any--yes, Daemon esp--living or recent Targ they know of. And she is made into a participant of incest the Targs do not practice to show to Daemon he's being way too self absorbed looking for any sort of family who believes in him instead of reigning in his most dramatic urges? Once again, why is it okay for Alyssa to be in that compromising position if she has to be a device for this specific arc? You can't express anything that concerns family, Targs, and women without it sexually objectifying or inflicting worse or noncanonical violence against women?! Is this not what happened with the Alicent-Larys foot scene & making Alicent Viserys' rape victim? Dameon killing Rhea when he categorically DIDN't in canon?

With Saera, yes, you can argue they didn't have time to flesh her out and thus opted for a quick confirmation of her being Hugh's mother...the execution of the news leaves much to be desired.

The framing of the news and how it defines later possible depictions...bc you know that if she is brought up or described later, HotD fans are going to bring up HotD to try to "explain" her. Even her bk character. And--once more, IF HotD doesn't elaborate and use her bk!characterization--which is highly unlikely as she's served her purpose & this show is hefty with the male gaze--HUGH's either uninformed or outright reductive outlook will be the prime/only source for her life and how she fared outside of Jaehaerys' and Westerosi sexism's influence.

Instead of giving us three separate scenes of Alicent's "psychological journey" that really just went back to square one (I do watch the trailers for the episodes) as:

in the trailer for epi 8 of this season, she still presses Aemond to not fight the blacks "like this" or with indiscriminate violence....she has already done this! Allt this really does is show how "helpless" she's become. That's all her "spiritual" arc--or whatever her stans call it, esp the tradcaths and tradwives--epiphany tour amounts to. How full of regret she is in and how viewers have to sympathize with her bc "she didn't know".

it really doesn't matter if she came to Jesus bc things have been out of her power for years before the usurpation and she still enabled the war to happen through her lack of basic observation (yes, yes, she grew up in a very conservative Catholic-esque medieval church setting, that doesn't give her the right to escape accountability for abusing the power she did have over Rhaenyra in court)

nothing will change as for plot points...Aemond will continue to ignore her pleas for less violence unless he thinks whatever plans she cooks up will be more strategic than whatever he plans...bc this has never been Aemond's concern and she herself fostered it into him and all his siblings all their lives that Rhaenyra must be defeated/not become Queen....from what we have seen in HotD, "peace" has never been companion to that goal before 1x08..so...

Why are we focusing so much on Hugh's arc when he was a rapist and in the show also reduces his own mother?

This is all IF they don't at least also mention that she became a renowned proprietor. Just bc one "sold" their body to survive and continued to make money off of it, doesn't mean that there is significance in how she managed to survive and thrive apart from the desires of the social paradigms she was born into. Or that SW defines the entire worth of a human being.

[cevansbrat0007]

Okay so kind of a dramatic ask, but what if Andy bear was out of town for a business trip. And reader just had a shit day. She just wanted to come home and cuddle her man, but he was gone. So she just cries. And lays down. Doesn’t want to eat, shower, you know how a bad day gets you down. She calls Andy to hear his voice and just loses it and cries. How would our Andy talk her off the ledge and be there for her from a far?

Safe With Me Warnings: Fluff, Cursing, Minors DNI ___

So, that's not very dramatic at all. Andy really shines in these moments, because it's not often that his overly headstrong Baby Girl lets him in without a little prompting. Especially early in their relationship.

When she lets down her guard and allows herself to be vulnerable, that's when Andy knows that his woman feels safe with him.

The first time she allowed herself to have a moment with him was when he took a trip to Washington D.C. - right after the events in The Key. While it may have taken a little convincing, Baby Girl did finally agree to stay at Andy's place until her asshole of a landlord, Rodney, got around to fixing her heat.

A couple days into her stay at Casa Barber, she had a really bad day. It was one for the books. We're talking shitty clients, missed deadlines, issues with the commercial printer. You name it - everything that could go wrong did. And she unfairly took quite a bit of heat for mistakes and hiccups that were not her doing.

And all she wanted was to crawl into bed with her Andy Bear and have herself a good cry. She knew he wouldn't hesitate to wrap her up in his arms, sitting patiently while she took her time getting settled in his lap. And once she was comfy she could just let it all out.

They usually FaceTimed every night, or at least they tried to. But she also didn't want to necessarily bother him either. However, it also didn't stop her from climbing into his bed, grabbing his pillow, and burying her face in the soft fabric so that she could inhale his scent.

That way she could maybe pretend that he was there. That, instead of a pillow, she was curled up with the real thing. Her Big Man.

Because she's in a mood, instead of waiting for him to initiate their nightly call she decides to take a chance and dial him early. And when he doesn't answer, she resigns herself to the fact that he's probably busy with more important things. So she leaves him what she hopes sounds like a bright and cheery voicemail before simply giving up.

Because she's a grown woman. And she doesn't want to be a bother. So it's back to wallowing she goes. She doesn't want to eat. She doesn't to shower. She's lucky she somehow managed to strip off most of her clothes before getting in bed, even though she left them all over the bedroom floor.

And she'll be damned before she picks that shit up and puts it in the hamper.

But let's remember that this is Andrew Barber we're talking about. And he does not play when it comes to his Baby Girl. This man - her man - is also unbelievably perceptive. And when he hears the little hitch in her voice he automatically knows something is up.

When he calls her back via FaceTime roughly ten minutes later, she does eventually allow him to see her face onscreen. Albeit, after a fair bit of coaxing on his part. But Andy already knows she's not fine. He doesn't necessarily need to see her face to put all that together.

But his gorgeous girl also needs to be reminded that it's okay to not be okay - especially with him.

"Aw, sweetheart...it's okay." He coos, his gentle eyes filled with concern. "It's okay. You're safe with me. Take your time and let it out. And then we can go from there."

As it all comes bubbling out of her, Andy leans back and listens patiently. While it goes against his instincts - that pragmatic part of his brain that tells him to swoop in with a solution and save the day - he realizes that what his Baby Girl needs now is his ear.

And what's more, she needs his support. It doesn't matter that it's coming long-distance. Even though the only thing he wants to do right at that very moment is hold her close.

While she's talking, her ever-attentive boyfriend quietly busies himself with ordering takeout from her favorite Chinese spot. He makes sure to order all of her favorites - cashew chicken, house special fried rice, egg rolls, potstickers, crab rangoons.

All of it.

And then he takes it even further, surprising her by having it delivered right to his front door. Meanwhile, Andy orders room service so that they can share a meal together.

Turns out, that's just what she needs. By the end of their date, his sweet Baby Girl seems to be almost back to her old self. But just to be sure, he graciously volunteers to hang around while she runs herself a bubble bath so that she can enjoy a nice soak. Under his watchful authority, of course.

Andrew Barber is nothing if not supportive.

Later on, when she's fresh out of the bath and wrapped up in one of his old t-shirts, he reads her bedtime stories until she falls asleep. He makes sure that her last thoughts are of him before she drifts off. It's only when he hears the consistent sound of her low, even breathing that he finally ends the call.

Because while you can say a whole lot about Andy Barber - you can never say that he doesn't love his Baby Girl. Both on good days, and the really fucking bad ones too.

___

Does that answer your question, my dear? Let me know your thoughts. Thanks for the ask!

[myjustice]

REGINA OF ALL WATERS - FURINA DE FONTAINE .

an independent & private roleplay blog for furina de fontaine/focalors from the video game genshin impact by hoyoverse. blog is oc, multi fandom, & duplicate friendly. portrayal is influenced by biblical elements & acknowledges the canon material with influence from personal headcanons & interpretations.

general mature content warning applies. minors please dni.

rules to be taken into account before following under the cut...

(oo1). BLOG + ACTIVITY. my blog activity is dependent on my availability which, as an adult with a busy life, means i will not be available 24/7. i'm relatively new to the tumblr rp space, i've always roleplayed on twitter or ' x ' as it so stupidly rebranded, so please practice some patience & consideration as i get accustomed to the rp etiquette here. i appreciate it.

(oo2). DRAMA. don't involve me. i don't care what rumors are spreading from person a to b or what b is saying about a, just don't come to me with such pettiness. aside from being too old i'm just too tired to humor it.

(oo3). DUPLICATES. i absolutely ADORE the idea of other furinas/focalors so please feel welcomed, i would love to interact with you~

(oo4). SHIPPING. this is not my main focus, but i'm open to it should it get to that point.

(oo5). PET PEEVE #1. i am a social media manager with many clients so my exposure to the internet is almost daily, but that does not mean i'll be available here. if i post a thing or two & can't get to dms do not take it personally. i promise i will get to dms in due time & when i have the time.

(oo6). PET PEEVE #2. a huge DO NOT for me when it comes to furina is infantilizing her. PLEASE do not infantilize furina or even imply it. it's ridiculous that i need to say this, but she's not a child. if that is your perception of her i respectfully ask that you do not interact with this blog.

(oo7). VISUAL STIMULI. i do have some lightly edited icons i can use for rps, but if i use them or not is dependent on my personal mood. i'm not very picky. if you do have a preference please let me know.

(oo8). PERSONAL INFORMATION. hi!! thanks for reading my rules i appreciate you <33~ you can call me hana. my pronouns are she/her/they/them. & i am 28 yrs old. if you could drop a like on this post to let me know that you read my rules i would appreciate it, drop by any time!

[heartsoft]

(  kim  yong ji,  cis-woman,  she/her  )     KI  YEONA   :   the  thirty year  old  survivor  that  joined  the  crescent  apartments  safezone one  month  ago.  when  the  infected  swarmed  the  streets  the  first  night,  yeona  managed  to  survive  on  their  own  because  of  how  perceptive  +  resilient  they  were.  however,  when  they joined  up  with  the  group,  it  became  clear  just  how  distant  +  sensitive  they  are too.  now,  they've  established  themselves  as  a  hunter  within  the  group,  thriving  at  the  job  because  of  their  marksmanship  and  rifle.  (  riyu,  she/her,  21+,  pst  )

OVERVIEW.

full  name  : ki yeona birthdate  : 6  september  (  30  ) hometown  : jeju island,  sk gender  +  pronouns  : cis  woman  +  she/her orientation  : demisexual zodiac  : virgo occupation  : hunter , shaman family  : roh sangwon (father, 70, deceased) , ki areum (mother, 68, deceased) , roh ujin (brother, 41, deceased, mercy killed after being bitten by mincheol) , roh giwon (brother, 41, alive) , roh mincheol (brother, 39, deceased, was turned from a bite) , roh iseok (brother, 36, unknown, never came back from scavenging) , roh yongsun (brother, 34, alive)

BIOGRAPHY.

yeona's fate was sealed the moment she took her first breath of air. born as the only daughter in a sea of brothers, it was her duty to uphold the musok reverence that had been passed down from generation to generation in her mother's side of the family. before she could understand what her inherited role as a ki woman meant, yeona was a little girl immersed in the rhythm of ranch life in jeju island first, finding joy in the movement of playing with her brothers and exploring the ranch rather than listening to stories of ancient gods and spirits.

despite the high expectations that weighed heavy on her shoulders, yeona's induction into musok was a slow one. when she wasn't undergoing informal training with her mother for early exposure, she would often sneak off with her brothers on their hunting trips. it was through their careful instruction that she learned how to handle a rifle at twelve, and through her own merit, her marksmanship sharpened to near perfection. it was a secret well kept amongst siblings who felt for the little girl who would go on to grow in a world completely different from their own. and despite being worlds apart, the siblings were extremely close and often looked out for each other.

months before her eighteenth birthday, yeona began to have strange yet vivid dreams of death and chaos. uncertain as to why she was having these horrifying dreams, she ultimately decided to keep quiet, though the impact of these visions lingered and left a major toll on her mental health. while on her hunting trips with her brothers, yeona began to take notice of crows and foxes at every turn. feeling as though she were losing a grip on her sanity, the veil of uncertainty was lifted when she confided in her mother about the signs she was seeing. her mother would only go on to interpret these patterns as omens. a week later, yeona was officially initiated into musok as an apprentice under her mothers guidance to refine her knowledge.

while some of her siblings left the ranch to travel following their parents' deaths, yeona stayed behind with the rest of her brothers where she would spend the rest of her twenties fulfilling her role as a well respected mudang in the community, providing the locals and surrounding clients with rituals for blessings and divination. although yeona remained satisfied with her work and believed she was living up to the training her mother left her with, there was always a part of her that wished she could travel the world just like her brothers did. when she turned thirty, she decided to pay her eldest brother a visit in san francisco. life was seemingly coming together for yeona, the prospect of travel was fresh and exciting, but as luck would have it, the dreams that she had at eighteen began to revisit her on the plane trip there.

the chaos, the destruction, the death and screams.. nothing could have prepared yeona for what was quickly unfolding upon exiting the plane. hell had risen to earth and all she could do was hope she could find her brother. fortunately, she was able to find safety with a random group of survivors who knew their way around the city better than she did, ensuring her survival during the darkest time of the apocalypse. unfortunately, that didn't last very long and when their numbers dwindled to zero, yeona was alone in a world that was not her own. two months somehow rolled along and by a stroke of luck, be it from the gods she devoted her life to or her deep seeded desire to survive, yeona finally crossed paths with her brother who eagerly brought her to safety in the crescent apartments safezone.

EXTRAS.

yeona had way too many brushes with death, too many close calls for her own comfort. the first month, she managed to get her hands on a rifle after successfully killing a police officer who had attacked the group and claimed the lives of a few. to this day, she still prays for the peace of those who died and thanks the officer for lending her his weapon that got her out of many more sticky situations afterward.

she still practices shamanism, though in private, and firmly believes the gods and her spirit stones are what kept her safe all those weeks alone in the wastelands. she was able to retrieve the rest of her tools after arriving to the safezone and has continued to serve those who believe in the practice, providing anyone who wishes with prayers and talismans to ensure their safety.

yeona has had different people from across the world seek for her help prior to the apocalypse. as a result, she became near fluent in english and understands it more expertly than she speaks it. she often appears quiet and distant in conversation, but this is mostly because she is taking her time finding the proper words to engage. she sometimes goes days without speaking at all because her mind is in constant distress and would rather her actions do most of the talking.

in the two months where she fought for survival, yeona was able to learn how to memorize and navigate certain parts of the city. initially, she was simply one of the many survivors trying to reel back from the horrors she had witnessed, but when her brother failed to return from a scavenging run a month ago, she decided to offer her skills and became a hunter for the safezone. although she has ulterior motives of her own that might put her or others at risk, it is satisfying to bring home food that isn't canned or expired.

despite the apocalypse gravely altering her personality, she has managed to remain altruistic in honor of her mother. she would rather peel off the shirt on her back to provide someone else warmth than to watch them suffer. despite the exposure to death and gore, she is still extremely sensitive to it all and privately mourns for the world that she never got to experience. she has developed a certain wariness that makes her intuition all the more sharper. less trusting and more perceptive, she is able to notice little details, be it in her surroundings or in people.

[queereldritch]

Snippy from the chapter 4 of my pinned Stranger Things fic! This is a dream Eddie has about Henry being a catboy :D.

------

“HENRY FOR FUCKS SAKE, C’MON!”

Jane looked over to her brother’s locked office as their newest secretary’s voice reached a pitch.

“No. Nooooo! Leave me alowwwwnnoooooooOOOOAWWWWWWRRRRRRRAUGHHHHHRWWWW!”

Henry’s voice going from coherent words to an absolutely wrenching cry for help gave her all the context she needed.

The sound of ripping furniture that followed the still almost ear splitting cat-song of despair made her burst out laughing, unable to hold back any longer.

Eddie Munson, for all his laid back demeanour, did not have patience for some things, apparently.

Dirty cat-hybrids seemed to be one of them.

“MRAWWWWWWWWWWWRRRRRR!!!!” was followed by the barely perceptible sound of the showerhead in her brother’s office.

Max Mayfield, their liaison with the local landscapers, was barely managing to hold back her own laughter.

“D-did he fall -skneeee- in the muddy ditch ag-ain? Pbftttt-” she managed to get out between wheezes.

Jane didn’t even try to answer, too busy gasping for air. He had, in fact, fallen into the muddy ditch again. Despite the even taller fence they had put up.

Finally, Max seemed to get her snickers under control. “Was -snrkkk- was it a bluejay again?”

Jane shrugged. Honestly, she wouldn’t be surprised if it was, but if that was the case, she was getting him a t-shirt. Knowing bluejays, it was probably the same one as last time. They were related to crows, after all. If it had been her, she would 100% had taken the chance to get Henry to jump into a muddy ditch again for nothing but shits and giggles.

As far as office-baths went, the fact that Henry was the CEO of their company and effectively Eddie’s boss was a moot point for them both as the chocolate-eyed brunet was also his fiance.

It was explicitly stated in his contract that he couldn’t be disciplined for reasonable attempts to keep Henry safe and hygienic. But that, realistically, didn’t hold as much weight as the engagement ring on Eddie’s finger.

Henry’s pleading yowls in response to the (to him) crime that was a cold office bath was thankfully not as ear-splitting as it used to be since the extra sound dampening had been added around the door. It was too bad they couldn’t completely soundproof it because security reasons.

The rest of the office wasn’t even trying to look busy anymore.

Jonathan Byers, their web editor and a labrador-hybrid, had his ears lowered and his tail tucked between his legs in sympathy for the cat-hybrid’s plight. Nancy, his non-hybrid girlfriend, was rubbing his back comfortingly.

Had Robin been here, she’d have been laughing her ass off. If it turned out to be the work of another bluejay, she’d probably even start a scoreboard, being a bluejay-hybrid herself. But it was her day off.

She would be so sad she missed this but Jane spotted Steve with his phone out, obviously taking great joy in telling her exactly what she was missing.

“RAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRWWWWWWWWW-hcuppp!p’chu!t’chu!-mmmmMRRRRRRRRRRWWWOOOOOooooooo!!!”

Thankfully even Henry had to stop to breathe, eventually.

And it seemed to be just in time for Eddie to finish getting him clean again because the showerhead shut off not long after.

“Doesn’t he shower at home though?” Max asked softly.

Jane snickered. “Ya. It’s the water temperature. The bathroom at home feels like a sauna when he’s done showering. Can’t do that here or it’ll rot the ceiling and we’ll lose the damage deposit. Besides, he gets treats after.”

The building was just a rental after all.

Poor bastard. If he didn’t have a meeting with a client in an hour, they could’ve rushed home to wash him off.

While Jane could still hear grumbling coming from the closed office, she was thankful Henry had stopped trying to make the injustices of office baths known everyone’s ears bleed.

If she listened closely enough at the door, she could probably even hear Eddie soothing him with cooed reassurances and praises. She had no doubt he was being covered in kisses too.

And being fed duck with cheese and warm goat’s milk.

She was admittedly slightly jealous of the hybrid sometimes. Even though she could easily buy those things for herself, that wasn’t the point.

He would also undoubtedly be getting coddling from almost every person in the building, as his yowling had been rife with ‘poor, unfortunate, innocent creature forced to experience The Horrors’ and not even Jane could resist that level of dolefulness.

Henry’s twin, Edward Creel, who hated his name with a vengeance and ‘would much prefer to be called Dee, thank you very much Jane’, would scoff at his behaviour and mock him, completely ignoring that, as a snow leopord-hybrid, he wouldn’t be feeling the cold water nearly as much as Henry would.

Or maybe he just liked riling up his younger brother (by one whole minute which was apparently a large gap in twin time). That seemed more likely, if Jane was honest with herself, seeing as Henry’s preferred mischief was filling water in empty milk cartons and then randomly swapping them in with the actual milk whenever his twin was over. And only then. He never did that when it was Alice visiting.

The man was on leave for his annual summer vacation with his husband, and Jane’s old middle school teacher, Scott Clarke. They were going to the Caribbean this time on a short expedition to the Amazon Rainforest before going to a resort in Brazil that Jane couldn’t even pronounce.

He would also be getting an update of what had happened today, but from Jane herself. Because she did very much like seeing them cause trouble with each other.

Meanwhile, in the now-quiet office, Eddie was laying on the newly re-shredded couch in an old nightgown waiting for his and Henry’s suits to dry. At least the mud had come out easy. They really should get the dryer upgraded. It was a miracle the office building had the facilities for one on the floor in the first place.

Henry was in a bathrobe seated in the small armchair near him, eating his duck and cheese cuts with an empty glass set on the sidetable.

His tail was flicking happily behind him, forming a loose question mark, and a low purr was rumbling from his throat. The sound was making Eddie unconsciously relax into the soft couch.

They thankfully still had about a half hour left before Henry’s meeting, so hopefully the clothes would be dry by then.

He let his eyes linger on the hybrid in the armchair as the blond licked his fingers, feline ears twitching to and fro as he listened to things around him that Eddie could only guess at. Henry would need a shave soon, if he was feeling up to it.

Struck by a sudden urge, Eddie hauled his ass off the couch and went to stand in front of his fiance. Before Henry could do more than blink his sky-blue eyes at him, Eddie bent and kissed him full on his soft, pink lips. As the taste of Honeyed Duck and some sharp, fancy cheese Eddie still couldn’t pronounce burst across his taste buds, he deepened the kiss to the tune of Henry’s even heavier purring. It was almost making both their chests rumble.

Breaking to give them both some air, Eddie smoothed Henry’s still slightly damp, blond locks out around his ears and pressed a short kiss to his head. As Henry took heavy breaths beneath him, still letting out soft purrs, Eddie tucked the blond’s face under his chin, bracing a hand against the back of the armchair to take some of the strain off his hips.

He chuckled as Henry took the chance to run his tongue under his chin. Eddie reckoned he could probably use a shave, himself, as he frowned at the feel of Henry’s tongue on his growing stubble.

He sighed, letting the older man continue to groom his face.

He had barely made it out of his SUV earlier that morning when the mournful yowling had started. All he had needed to do was check the CEO parking spot for Henry’s ride to guess what had happened.

Hauling the mud covered, crying-slash-complaining cat-hybrid out of the ditch, to the barely concealed snickers of the landscaping team, had gotten Eddie so dirty that he would have been better off not showering before he left home.

“Murrrrrrrrrrrowwwwwwowowowowowowowowowowow” was the tune of Henry’s grumbling the entire way into the building.

“Yeah babe, I know. Bad bird. How dare it not hold still for your wonderfully planned catch? I know. You would have caught me a very big bird, wouldn’t you? Such a good boy~, trying to catch me presents.” Eddie had placated, trying to both soothe the blond’s ego as well as guide Henry to his office without him realizing what was coming.

Usually, Henry would dust his clothes off and groom/brush himself, but he was covered in mud this time (again , technically). And he had a meeting in an hour, if Eddie had remembered correctly.

Eddie had managed to get to his office, too, quietly shutting the door behind them and ignoring everyone’s whispering.

Unfortunately, Henry had caught on when he started to unbutton his shirt and Eddie was sure the entire floor had heard every note Henry could muster from that point on until the soaking wet end.

Bringing his focus back to his fiance, Eddie hummed at the feel of the man’s tongue on his collarbone, leaning to let the nightgown’s strap fall fully off his shoulder so Henry had more of him to ‘groom’. He didn’t have anything more than peach fuzz below his neck right now, but the attention from Henry felt nice.

Maybe he could take him to the community centre this afternoon so the man could catch some (stuffed) birds and work off some energy.

Finished with his grooming, Henry set his face against Eddie’s chest, purring low. Eddie took that to mean his husband-to-be was no longer miffed about the cold bath. He gently held Henry’s head against him and nuzzled into his hair, pressing his mouth against the silky blond locks.

They stayed like this for a few more moments before Henry reluctantly pulled away saying he needed to go review his pitch for their client.

Eddie stretched and declared he’d take a quick snooze until the clothes dried. Nothing in his calendar was so urgent that it couldn’t wait twenty minutes.

After setting an alarm on his phone, the brunet settled down on the couch. He would have to remember to tell Jane to get her brother that shirt.

[disco-elysium-via-polls]

🎵 Whirling in Rags, 8 pm

GARTE, THE CAFETERIA MANAGER - "Can I help you?" He arches an eyebrow.

3. "Garte, I saw another *thing* at the Whirling..."

GARTE, THE CAFETERIA MANAGER - "Another thing -- great. I love those."

"Klaasje. In Room #3. She nicked the phone line."

GARTE, THE CAFETERIA MANAGER - "Why?" He stops himself. "No. Fuck it. I don't wanna know. I don't want to know why these degenerates do what they do. I thought we had *one* good guest in the building..."

SUGGESTION [Easy: Success] - He really doesn't like it being Klaasje.

"Yeah, I bet you didn't want it to be her."

"Well, anyway, mystery solved. I don't like loose ends."

"You have Lena. Lena is a good customer."

GARTE, THE CAFETERIA MANAGER - "What's that supposed to mean? Fuck you, buddy -- she's not my taste. Good thing she pays for her stuff on time, I'll forward her the bill and be done with it."

+5 XP

VOLITION [Easy: Success] - Hmm... wow. She really isn't his taste. Her spell hasn't spread here.

GARTE, THE CAFETERIA MANAGER - "Now was there anything else? I have, like, four thousand coasters to stack and then I need to wash dishes because it turns out I have to do that too now."

3. "There's something else I want to ask about."

GARTE, THE CAFETERIA MANAGER - "Yes?"

4. "Garte, I need to sing karaoke now."

GARTE, THE CAFETERIA MANAGER - "No, you *don't*. It's not happening."

COMPOSURE [Medium: Success] - He tries not to look at you -- it's dangerous to *acknowledge* the karaoke man.

"Yeah, but..." (Look him in the eye) "Johnny Law is about to tear it up sad-style."

"Why do you even have the PA system if no one's going to use it?"

"It's part of my quest of self-discovery. Help me."

"This is my way of apologizing for the trouble I've caused. Please let me say I'm sorry."

"You're right, it's not the right time yet."

GARTE, THE CAFETERIA MANAGER - "The Whirling doesn't need more *sad style*. That's one of the styles it can do without right now."

3. "It's part of my quest of self-discovery. Help me."

GARTE, THE CAFETERIA MANAGER - "The Whirling's not a charity or a musical therapy clinic, it's a commercial establishment. You're going to scare away the customers."

2. "Why do you even have the PA system if no one's going to use it?"

GARTE, THE CAFETERIA MANAGER - "It's for the..." He begins confidently, but then stumbles on his own words. "It's for no one. It's a prop. I'm not letting anyone use it after the Great Karaoke Catastrophe of '44."

"What happened in '44?"

"It's not a prop. It's for your clients. I know it's used."

"When was the last time you had a band play here?"

GARTE, THE CAFETERIA MANAGER - "A lot of people got killed because some asshole wanted to sing karaoke."

"It's not a prop. It's for your clients. I know it's used."

GARTE, THE CAFETERIA MANAGER - "Okay, yes, it's for *some* clients," he admits reluctantly.

"I'm a real client, I've paid my bills and I have the right to use the karaoke machine."

"Okay, *fuck* me then! Just FUCK me!"

GARTE, THE CAFETERIA MANAGER - "Hah! Well!" He comes up with a counterargument. "We don't have any tapes. They all got stolen."

DRAMA [Challenging: Success] - He's lying. But whatever, you don't really *need* his lame tracks.

"It's all right, I have my own song with me." (Give him the tape for "Smallest Church in Saint-Saëns".)

GARTE, THE CAFETERIA MANAGER - The man in the vest and the violet shirt stares at the tape you've just given him. He begins to frown. Hard.

AUTHORITY [Easy: Success] - This is the look of a man who's *defeated*. He knows he's out of excuses.

GARTE, THE CAFETERIA MANAGER - "Fine. Fine. Climb on that stage and do your thing, just get out of my hair." He shakes the tape at you. "I'll plug it in for you. Damn this karaoke machine..."

PERCEPTION (HEARING) [Medium: Success] - "I'm having it uninstalled," he mumbles to himself.

INLAND EMPIRE [Easy: Success] - Oh yeah. Time to do the damage.

And we still have half an hour before the evening ends. Nice.

KARAOKE STAND - The stage is all set up for your performance. Feels... silent. You can hear the pellets creak under your feet.

SAVOIR FAIRE [Easy: Success] - You feel a little dizzy. A little *unsteady*, suddenly.

GARTE, THE CAFETERIA MANAGER - "So, are you ready for your... *thing* now? Let me know when I should turn on the karaoke carousel."

"Look, Kim, I'm going to sing karaoke!"

Put your lips against the microphone -- test it.

Look around the room first.

[Drama - Formidable 13] "I'm ready, Garte. Hit play."

[Leave.]

KIM KITSURAGI - "I can see that." The lieutenant steps away from the stage, ready for your performance.

2. Put your lips against the microphone -- test it.

KARAOKE STAND - Immediately a loud feedback noise startles the room. You feel like an amateur. How are you supposed to hold the mic? Should you just *sing* into it? Where should you stand?

3. Look around the room first.

KARAOKE STAND - The bar is full and buzzing with chatter. No one is paying you any attention, but still you feel your knees turn to noodles. Okay, now a couple is looking at you! Even worse...

INLAND EMPIRE [Easy: Success] - They are going to hate you.

4. [Drama - Formidable 13] "I'm ready, Garte. Hit play."

-1 Too close to the mic. +1 Superstar cop.

We could have gotten way more modifiers to this check.

DRAMA [Formidable: Success] - The air is thick with anticipation.

Someone dims the lights as the music starts... Okay. Here we go...

ANCIENT REPTILIAN BRAIN - "I would often go there. To the tiny church there. The smallest church in Saint-Saëns -- though it once was larger.

How the rill may rest there. Down through the mist there. Toward the seven sisters -- toward those pale cliffs there

I would often stay there. In the tiny yard there. I have been so glad here -- looking forward to the past here

But now you are alone. None of this matters at all."

DRAMA - A lazy applause fills the room. You feel your hands shake as awareness of your body returns to you.

Thank you, Ancient Reptilian Brain.

"I want dedicate this song to whoever wrote me that fucking letter. I still love you. Thank you very much, asshole."

"I'd like to dedicate this song to my partner, Kim Kitsuragi." (Nod to the lieutenant.)

"I'd like to dedicate this song to Garte for letting me sing it. It's all shit, Garte."

"I don't want to dedicate this song to anyone. I performed it for myself."

DRAMA - This guy really carried you.

[thegodthief]

I had fallen into a role at work that I was not hired for. It was convenient for everyone else because things got fixed in minutes or hours instead of days or weeks. And like all things convenient, it became taken for granted.

After weeks of complaining to my boss about the feature creep, two things happened that made me take a public stand.

(1) A clerk complained to their boss that I was disrespectful because I would not drop the time-sensitive work I was hired for to help them with something they had written instructions for.

(2) A person in a different department used my name to social engineer approval for a process I had explicitly refused to touch because it was a very, very bad idea. When the process was discovered, they tried to claim I had approved it but was unable to deliver the email required as proof. I almost got in big trouble with corporate until it was proven that no one in the approval chain ever talked to me.

The following day, I announced that I would no longer do work outside of my job. Everyone laughed it off. I emailed the approval chain informing them to do whatever they need to do to secure their processes but I would no longer represent my office to them. My boss realized I was serious and supported me when he realized how much damage that social engineered approval could have done.

An email (with read receipts) was sent to everyone informing them that I was no longer the office bitch and here are the steps to follow when something needs fixing. For weeks, I still had people calling me because surely I would make an exception for them, and they're important to the office so any slow downs will be my fault.

"Put it in writing. Email me, copy my boss." No one did. No exceptions were made. I was suddenly regarded as rude and disrespectful. I got so much old work done!

Yesterday, a gadget was moved from one office to another. The clerk tapped impatiently at my door. "This will only take you a moment, I'm sure." I didn't know about the gadget and thought a client was being a problem.

"I can't do my job until you get this working."

I laughed. Deep, rich peals of joy. "No."

"But you have to! You did it before!"

"Two things have changed since I installed this last year. I don't have Admin rights anymore. Boss has to approve any off-label work for me. No."

"Can't you do anything?"

"Reboot your computer and let me have the manual."

I took the manual to their boss. The same boss that the clerk complained to about me before. "Just to let you know, your clerk needs this installed on their computer and I can't help them."

"You weren't supposed to be bothered for this. I'll take care of it, thank you."

The clerk wasn't happy with my (in)actions. But I wasn't done yet.

This morning, I waited for other office folk to be present so when I walked past the clerk, I had witnesses.

"Oh hey, about the gadget, did you get the office manager's email about support procedures? You know I'm not listed there, right? If something happens and rebooting doesn't fix it, follow that chain. I'm not Support, can't support, won't support."

"But it's so easy for you."

"No. It's not, and that lack of perception is part of the problem. I am Not Permitted to help anyone in this office with these things. So I'm going to stay in my lane and drift."

They had the grace to wait until they thought I was out of earshot to begin bitching about how wrong I am for not helping them because it's easy for me and how inconvenient their new task is. I laughed, put my earbud in, and got back to my work without any further concern.