#Hybrid Platform Lift

[singukieee]

—my all time favourite bts fics (pt. 3) ᯓᡣ𐭩

consists of my personal favourite bts fics that I've read countless of times. including those from other platforms, such as Wattpad, AO3, and Patreon.

For some works that are cross-posted between tumblr and wp/ao3, I'd only link them to the latters bcs I find it easier to read and navigate the stories on those. but I also tagged all the authors I know are here and linked the rest so you can check their blogs out yourself!

I'll also separate this list into several parts simply because there's too many... So it'd be easier for you guys to navigate!

red means unfinished

blue means finished

🗯️ editor's note

(sorted by alphabetical order)

Merilia by saylilirose

"Mermaids are not real!" That's what you and Namjoon hear everywhere you go. It's funny that you're hidden in plain sight, although perhaps popping a tail in front of strangers wouldn't end well for you. That's what you've come to learn. You've also learned, to hide yourself very, very well. Until- "NO-DON'T JUMP-SHIT!" You and Namjoon are joined by others, not by choice.

🗯️ mermaids and insane drama oooh yes

Moonchild by @yoongiofmine (paid on patreon but so worth it)

Working at a coffee shop that only opened in the late hours of the night was the most exciting thing about your life, really. You never had that many friends, your love life was nonexistent, and you just couldn’t explain the feeling of not belonging that chased you no matter where you tried to find your place. It was when seven very handsome strangers came into your life that weird things started happening around you and within you. Could they be the ones to fill in what’s been missing? Or would getting involved with them and their world put you in danger?

🗯️ aaaah so good!!! so well-written, gahh plott so great, identity crisis (human or...?), werewolf drama.

My Muse by Zennnoe

I felt my lungs suddenly stop and a coldness brush onto my face, I gasped loudly clutching onto my chest. Dropping down onto my knees trying to grasp whatever air in-front of me. But I was at dance practice. So why did it feel like I was breathing underwater? I soon felt the hands of my close friends lift me up and lay me down as I try to takin in as much air as possible, for her. Soon the staff swamp me and I hear them talking about her, my other half. I soon clutched onto my stomach and I shouted loudly in so much pain, pink fluorescent patches bloom onto my skin. Yes they looked pretty. But the reason why they were there was not. As I try to reach out I grab one of my friends hands tightly and request for one thing. "My music. Pass me my music." I beg. This is the only way for me to reach her…to help her. My beloved soulmate.

My Soulmate are IDOLS by tinyeyecat

In a world where soulmates exist and people receive their soul bonds (a red string of fate, body exchange, timer tattoos…etc) when they turn 20… Wet dreams are not the norm for Amber. She should not be haunted by men she doesn't know, let alone by the world-famous boyband, Bangtan. But on the day of her birthday, Amber switches bodies with the idol on stage and finds out that the members of the boyband are her soulmates. All seven of them.

🗯️ this is one wild story... aren't all emi ree's stories so wild tho? but also well-written. (epilogue is on Patreon).

Not My Hybrids by Ghosstwriterss

When Y/n is pressured to volunteer at a hybrid rehabilitation/adoption Center, and asked to house 7 hybrids to help them become comfortable with humans and the idea of adoption, who is she to say no?

🗯️ the kind of story where mc's so freakin nice I don't think she's human. but yea it's all worth it.

One Kiss by DuraWrites

In a world where soulmate exist, where you can only know your soulmate through a dream. Confirm through a kiss and complete the bond through love-making. Han Bora just celebrated her 22nd birthday and not long she started having dreams of her soulmate. Correction. Soulmates. Already being a fan of this popular K-pop group, she immediately knew that her soul is tied to all seven of them. It was a dreadful yet thrilling thought as the realization of being the soulmate to her favourite artists hit her. But it isn't just as easy as it seems. Because she was the only one who had the dreams. So She has to prove to them she's their soulmate. And the only way to confirm that is through ONE KISS. How will an average girl find her way to that untouchable top to prove to the biggest boyband that she's their soulmate? Come along and let's dive into this crazy mess of a journey together.

🗯️ one kiss is all it takes... literally

Out of Time series by Alphathyx

🗯️ so freakin sad wtf but that is why there's an alternate ending. soo good and heart wrenching.

❶ Out of Time

A story about a girl named, Hana who has suffered a chronic condition all her life that would soon take her life one day. But with her final wish, she uses it to see BTS, but the boys decided to have more in store for her. Join Hana, and the members in a fluff filled adventure before time runs out.

❷ Out of Time: Young Forever

The alternate ending for 'Out of Time' and bonus chapters

Parfait by fullspectrumfangirl

Alpha bands are a popular entertainment schtick. Handsome, powerful, talented, they sell the fantasy of availability as much as they sell their music. After all, everyone knows a pack is incomplete if it only contains alphas. Omegas and betas dream of being a part of the balance. Unfortunately, this is more than just marketing. A band needs to function as a pack, but with only alpha members, bickering and infighting are almost unavoidable. Beta managers help, but there is another common tactic that helps the talent maintain equilibrium: house omegas, hired companions who stand in for the missing pieces. BTS is a wildly popular seven-member alpha band. They are known to be particularly kind and humble, but they are still struggling to keep house omegas for their pack. None of the prior candidates have wanted to leave, but one member has protested them all. What is the missing ingredient in their otherwise winning recipe?

🗯️ again, idk what to say but it's good! a really well-written story with great plot.

Peculiar Pack by @daydreamindollie

You’re a successful hybrid writer and psychologist, who takes in seven hybrids one stormy night after finding one of their pack stealing from your garden.

🗯️ cute T.T

Petrichor by @purpleyoonn

You had been working at Bangtan Corporation for almost two years now, and not once have you ever laid eyes on your bosses. That was, until you met them when out with some of your coworkers. Now, you almost wish you hadn’t. Almost.

🗯️ courting... yes please! and again, I love possessive mates.

Plump by koozip

Meeting Namjoon's close friends was something you've been anxious about since meeting him. You wanted them to like you. Starting off with a group chat seemed like the perfect way around your fears. You weren't sure how they'd feel about you in person. So when they fell in love with you and your lovely curves, you were taken by surprise. You soon realize that you're stuck with the seven handsome men for the long run. The chronicles of chubby y/n and her new smitten friends. Based around the group chat named 'chubbybear' that started it all.

🗯️ gosh this one's just warm and sweet, especially for fellow chubby girlies out there!

Rainy Days by Peanut_The_Sugar_Glider

Life had dealt you a rather crappy hand, but you kept on fighting, you kept on existing day by day. On a gloomy day however, you feel as if it all means nothing, as your beloved pet had past away and she always was there to cheer you up and enjoy the gloomy weather, making it less sad and depressing. Be it fate or otherwise, movement catches your attention outside. And your life is never the same after. You never will have to worry about being alone, and you find yourself enjoying the rainy weather.

🗯️ despite the title, this story feels like a warm hug.

Redamancy by strawberheecake

In which Yn met an unknown pack of hybrids living on a land she inherited. Feelings bloomed as the pack helped her weather the storm that is her greedy family.

🗯️ another neat and well-written story <3

Retribution by Babydoll_Blue

The Bangtan Boys were known around campus for being heart breakers, but when they made poor Seul-ki cry, Y/N and Mina decided it was time for retribution. Forming a plan to ruin their images, Y/N sets out to seduce them all.

🗯️ revenge gone wrong... or right? wtf am I typing, just read it guys.

Rose & Thorns by @minniepetals

A lone rose, a little broken, until Jungkook came along and the two of you saved each other, and in doing so, Jungkook showed you a world where he shared with his six other mates.

🗯️ a dramatic and warm story. I'm such a simp for soft but strong MCs like this one.

Safe House by SweetBreadFictions

In a dystopian universe where hybrids exist, the government had turned a blind eye to the mistreatment of hybrids. These persons were used, abused and treated in the most unfair ways. To escape the evil owners, hybrids make their way to the rumored district of freedom called Area 613. To help these refugee hybrids, an underground railroad had been developed by kind people. Being sympathetic to these persons, you run a safe house stop for the hybrids during their journey. As you help these hybrids, seven of them decide that your safe house might be better that any rumored district of freedom.

🗯️ I love when the relationships develop one by one so you got attached to allll of them.

Sanctuary by @softykooky

Some people are lucky enough to be born into a family that loves them. others meet their family in a coffee shop while on the run from the korean ambassador, while they’re holding a man at gunpoint and beating him to a pulp for treason against their syndicate.

🗯️ :")👍

Seven by Worldwidehandsomeyouknow

Life is boring. Same thing, day in and day out. Nothing new or exciting ever happens. I just want something, anything to happen! Well something happens alright. Seven somethings in fact

Sheltered by Gracie30102

What Namjoon thought was trouble turned out to be a blessing as he rescued a wounded kitten who would capture his packmates hearts little by little.

🗯️ s o f t.

Soulmate to You by OT7oramI

When a vaccine leads to unexplained symptoms, the world erupts into panic. What happens when one girl finds out she is soulmates to all seven members of the largest group in the world?

🗯️ another well-written soulmate story! this synopsis doesn't give justice to this freaking good story so just read it please.

Spring Day by @nunchiimagines

Becoming a part time english teacher wasn’t exactly the ideal startup you had hoped for yourself when you first moved to Seoul, South Korea. Luckily, you loved working with children and you were grateful to have found a well paying job with housing included so soon after university. Amongst your class, however, are 5 boys who seem to be constantly ostracized not only by the rest of the students but also by the other teachers and staff members. Becoming attached to you fairly quickly, you’re unintentionally tasked to be their permanent caretaker during their stay at school, even staying past the hours you were needed until they were picked up safely. However, what you didn’t expect was to catch the hearts of their seven older brothers, the leaders of a notorious and well known mafia family in Korea.

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 4 | NAVI

[thistoowillpasss]

The Levers Between

This is a post of the levers that exist in the Lands Between. Yeah, the DLC isn't out, we're talking about the levers.

There seems to be a few consistent styles across the lands, while some are more specialized. Not all doors or lifting platforms have levers--some are exclusively pressure plate operated, notably certain divine tower lifts. As a disclaimer this is not all the levers, I'm probably missing a couple that I can't remember or be asked to go take a picture of.

Wide Use Levers

Mining Tunnel levers tend to be these, a surprisingly eloquent but robust lever, probably designed to deal with a lot of dust and debris. They are similar to the style used in Raya Lucaria, although with less embellishment. I'm tempted to say the metal is copper? They're exposed to the elements in one way or another, after all.

Another very common lever style, most often seen in catacombs for doors--but not The Heavy Door, only non-specific doors and/or lifting platforms. For some reason they appear to have a heavier base, I'm going to assume the mechanism works with perhaps chains or some other medium that would require more craft/heavier parts than the tunnel levers.

Heavy Doors always have this specific style of lever, which is unique to them outside of a few niche cases, example being the divine bridge:

We can see similar styles in the handle and lever itself, but the base is decorated in a specific way. All Heavy Doors use this type of lever.

Region-Specific Levers

Specific areas in the Lands Between have their own type of lever, implying faction relation and/or tradesman unions. These are not entirely locked within their own space, and sometimes are seen in other places, but it's kind of a generalized aesthetic within specific areas.

Limgrave/Stormveil and Weeping Peninsula tend to use a lever with erdtrees on it, using varnished wood for the base. These are sometimes in the lower areas of Leyndell as well, closer to the urban district than the capital.

^example of a Leyndell urban lever

Raya Lucaria and affiliated territory (I.E. some of the witch rises) use this lever, a solemn palette on a sturdy metal base. It is similar to catacomb levers, but has a refinement that serves better outside of a tomb. I think they might be in other places than Liurnia, perhaps underground.

A specific type of lever is used for spaces pertaining to royalty, which alleviates it of region locking in the same way these other levers are.

This is a royal lever, seen in Leyndell upper district, Volcano Manor, and the Haligtree--including the plaza, not just at Elphael. It is interesting that Miquella vouched for levers instead of pressure plates, tbh I feel accessiblity would be a concern for him and he would go for plates more often 🤔but there's a bit of a hybrid system in place, so maybe it works out.

The underground (Siofra, Nokstella) also have a specific style to their levers, similar to the catacombs in style, while also being the main space where a wall-mounted lever is used.

Farum Azula, far away from the lever unions of the Lands Between, has their own lever style, a heavy stone lever with some neat designs in the interior rim of the wheel.

Niche Levers

the two big ones.

[sleekervae]

Under the Blooming Moon | Woosung x Reader

Masterlist

A/N: Something a little different, but since listening to The Rose and Woosung's solo work, I've had this scenario kicking around in my head for a while. Had to get this one out of my system and omg I think this is the longest thing I've ever written on this platform 🥲

Summary: Every year the blood moon rises, potential mates gather with their wolf pack for The Union. A carnal game of cat-and-mouse parlays into the wolves finding and claiming their mate for life, and Woosung already has his heart and claws sunk onto his omega best friend...

Warnings: light violence, blood (biting, scratching), some allusions to sexual harassment, werewolf smut

⋆ WORD COUNT — 8.2k

It was that time of year again. The air had picked up a particular sharp chill as it blew through the trees of Namhae Pyeonbaek forest, branches bustling and scattering loose raindrops across the thick thrush. The rains had fortunately lifted hours ago, setting the stage for what was sure to be a messy and chaotic night.

The moon hung high over the tree canopies, deep ruby in colour, with beams of sinister red light slicing through breaks in the leaves to provide only small semblances of light, all of which were drowned out by the roaring bonfire in the middle of the forest. What was just a typical spacial phenomenon to the lay eye represented a far more lecherous promise.

Far off from any trails or where humans dared to lurk, the wolf pack had gathered for their annual Union ritual. They were all relatively young, equal parts eager and anxious with a libidinous, insatiable appetite for tonight's activities. While the ritual sounded dastardly and vile at first, at the end of the day it was a massive cat-and-mouse game, a competition for beta wolves to find and capture their perfect life mate.

And Woosung had already his eye on his potential prize.

While the other beta wolves engaged in lively banter and indulged in drinks, he chose a more reserved and introverted approach, leaning against the weathered trunk of a thousand-year-old pine, sipping cautiously from his plastic cup. His intense gaze remained fixed on Iseul, undeterred by her unawareness as she conversed with her friends. Her soft bangs and long, dark locks swayed in harmony with the gentle breeze, occasionally brushing against her exposed skin, causing him to detect a subtle shiver running down her spine due to her lack of a coat. However, Woosung was well aware that Iseul had knowingly embarked on this evening's adventure, and if their plans unfolded as intended, a jacket would be the least of her concerns.

From his earliest memories, Woosung harbored a deep desire for Iseul. Their mothers had been best friends, and they had envisioned their pups sharing the same bond. Time proved them right. Raised side by side, they navigated the challenges of being hybrids in a world often unforgiving to their kind. In the face of adversity, Woosung and Iseul clung to each other, learning to rely on one another. This dependence evolved into a lifelong friendship. It was only when Woosung encountered his first heat cycle that he confronted a truth far more profound: his longing for Iseul extended beyond the boundaries of friendship. She was the one he wanted, fully and without consequence. However he was a little awkward back then, and the idea of confessing his feelings to Iseul was just as daunting as the notion of being scalped for a hat.

But he wasn't a teenager in his first awakening anymore. He had grown up, worked on his self confidence and -- of course -- his body. Obviously, there was nothing he could do about his height, he felt he was finally up to the challenge to pick and claim Iseul.

If she would have him, though. There was indeed the possibility that she would shut him down about as gently as a... well... a wolf.

Many betas pursued mates by resorting to quite vile and degrading methods, but Woosung and his friends weren't about that. They remained steadfast in their conviction, undeterred by the ridicule they sometimes faced from larger betas. For Woosung, the idea of a mate was intrinsically tied to mutual desire and respect. He wanted her to be as willing and eager to be with him as he was with her.

"Woosung? Earth to Woosung!" a pale hand waved in front of his face, breaking him out of his trance and his focus landed on one of his best friends, Dojoon. The happy-go-lucky beta chuckled at his shaggy-haired friend, "Where'd you go? I was talking to you,"

Woosung cocked a brow, "Where did I go? I've been here the whole time," he sassed back.

"You know what I mean," Dojoon rolled his eyes, "You're staring at Iseul again, aren't you?"

"I am not," Woosung replied sharply.

"Oh-ho-ho, yes he is," their other friends, Hajoon and Jaehyeong suddenly appeared at Woosung's other side, "He's been staring at her like Jaehyeong stares at ramyun,"

He glowered at the younger betas, "Aren't you guys supposed to be stalking potential mates instead of me?"

"Don't say it like that," Dojoon grimaced, "It makes us sound like animals,"

Jaehyeong cocked a brow, bumping Hajoon with his elbow, "Who wants to tell him?"

"You know what I mean, smart-ass," Dojoon scolded back, "Why are you even here? I thought you and Ji-Woon were already a thing?"

"We are, technically," the youngest beta shrugged back, "But she wanted to do this so we can make it 'official', or some shit,"

"Aw, adorable," Woosung smirked, "You better hope Muscle-Brain-McGee over there doesn't claim her, first," he nodded in the direction of the betas gathered closer to the fire, where a handful of them surrounded the pack's beloved figure, Yung. Yung was in the midst of shotgunning a beer can, encouraged by the echoing chants of his friends. With a mighty gesture, he tossed the empty can into the grass, then raised his fists triumphantly into the air, proudly displaying his array of bulging muscles through his snug t-shirt, captivating the attention of everyone around.

Hajoon rolled his eyes, "What a show dog," he muttered. Woosung couldn't agree more, the view of Iseul in the warm glow of the fire much more interesting to him, anyhow.

However, he was surprised when he shifted his gaze and discovered that she was already watching him, suppressing a mischievous smile. The shock nearly caused Woosung to fumble with his drink, but he managed to maintain his composure and playfully winked in her direction. Iseul chuckled softly and discreetly waved back in response.

Dojoon chuckled beside him, slinging an arm around his shoulders, "God, you are so obvious,"

"Oh, leave him alone, Dojoon," Jaehyeong scolded.

"And who are you to scold your alpha?"

"Well, for one: he's taller than you," Hajoon decided, "And he's the only one out of us who's actually got a mate,"

"Can't argue there," Woosung snickered.

On the other side of the bonfire, Iseul only swiveled her head when she caught wind of the boisterous revelry. She couldn't help but see Yung and his friends' juvenile behavior, and despite Yung's chiseled physique and k-drama good looks, she found his personality less than appealing. Naturally, she scanned the sea of radiant faces until her eyes locked onto Woosung, who met her gaze just moments later. Her heart skipped a beat when he winked at her, his charming, boyish grin quickly replaced with an expression of distaste as his friends took the piss out of him.

Woosung had been her most trusted confidant, privy to secrets about her that not even her closest girlfriends knew. She had observed his transformation from a slightly awkward, endearingly nerdy teenager into a sharp and agile young beta. He stood out in their pack as one of the few wolves who treasured her intellect, determination, and confidence over her physical attributes. Even during the times when she felt like the least among the female pups, as they underwent their awakenings and developed in ways she hadn't, he never failed to make her feel beautiful. Her fondness for him had gradually evolved into a subtle crush, particularly when she witnessed his prowess during pack hunts. It wasn't just about his physical appeal; she loved him regardless of his shaggy wolf's cut or sharp cheekbones. Not that she'd dare admit it, but he was the only one she ever thought of when she experienced her heat cycles.

If anyone was going to claim her tonight, she secretly hoped it would be Woosung.

"Iseul, stop staring," her friend, Duri, poked her shoulder, "You're being obvious,"

"What?" Iseul whipped around.

"Yeah," her other friend, Chae-Won, nodded, "Don't pay those mutts any mind,"

"I wasn't, believe me," she assured them.

"Good. Here's to hoping they won't pick up our scent," Chae-Won sighed, grimacing at the thought of Yung or one of his friends forcing her down, "I'll castrate one of them if I have to,"

"Ji-Woon's already covered," Duri smirked at their friend, "Jae had her scent pegged loooong ago,"

Ji-Woon gawked at her, scolding her with a whisper, "You didn't tell anybody, right?"

"That you two are already fucking? No, your secret's still safe with us," Iseul chuckled.

"Good," Ji-Woon huffed, "If the alphas were to find out --"

"They'd give you a stern talking to about breaking ritual and that would be it!" Duri assured her.

Chae-Won chuckled with amusement, "I bet I know someone who already has Iseul's scent pegged,"

Ji-Woon grimaced as she turned to Iseul, "Ugh! If that muscle-headed-meatball even comes within a hair of you, I'll tear out his gizzard and feed it to the strays," she growled, talking about Yung

Iseul rolled her eyes, "Chae's talking about Woosung, Teen Wolf,"

"Oh!" Ji-Woon nodded, sneakily stealing a glance at the group of boys behind them. She offered a fleeting smile when her gaze settled on the silhouette of her man engaged in conversation with Woosung. She then briefly assessed the older beta before returning her attention to Iseul, "No, I won't tear his gizz out,"

"How thoughtful of you," Iseul chuckled back.

A prolonged, resonant howl echoed through the air, capturing the attention of all the betas. They turned to face one of their alphas, Yoongi, who stood at the center of the encampment. Yoongi was a robust, unflappable, and sagacious leader, earning the unwavering respect of every beta under his and his brothers' protection. It was an exceedingly rare sight to witness alphas co-leading, given the often intense clashes of egos and struggles for dominance. However, all seven of them brought unique and distinctive qualities that made their pack one of the most formidable in South Korea.

"The Union is about to start! All participating betas are to meet at the edge of the clearing -- asap!" he called.

"At start of project!" his co-alpha, Jimin, called from behind him.

With that the mass of excited (and quite horny) betas migrated to the edge of their makeshift campsite. Duri sighed as she walked arm-in-arm with her friends, gazing longingly at Yoongi and Jimin, "If only alphas were allowed to participate in the Union,"

Iseul cocked a brow at her, "You forget they're the fucking alphas. They don't need to participate in this shit," she pointed out.

"Yeah! If Namjoon points at me and tells me to get on all fours, I'm there without question," Chae-Won nodded.

A familiar voice from behind the girls called out, "C'mon, girls. She's just saying that because she wants the privileges of alpha's mate," Dojoon said.

The girls turned around, smiling appreciably at their friends. Duri spoke up first, "And you don't fantasize about being alpha one day?" asked curiously.

"Of course he does, just not the boring parts," Woosung pointed out, "Diplomacy, security, pack treaties, mange breakouts..." he shuddered at the last one, "Nasty stuff,"

"Says the guy who spent a full two days lounging in a literal mud bath," Iseul teased back.

Woosung smirked back at her, "I didn't hear you complaining, Iseul," he pointed.

"I lost a bet; I wasn't supposed to complain," she replied, "You're lucky I didn't catch ticks,"

"Like I'd let that happen to you,"

Their friends meanwhile exchanged knowing glances between them, the boys tittering amongst themselves as they followed the male betas. Jaehyeong passed Ji-Woo and tossed a saucy wink her way, and the young beta couldn't help but blush and smile with giddy. Duri looped an arm around Ji-Woo's shoulders, tutting at her.

"God, you guys are gross," she commented with a smirk.

Ji-Woo rolled her eyes, peeling Duri's arm off of her as she followed the females, "Oh, go fantasize about Jungkook,"

"If Yung catches you, not even your wet dreams will save you," Chae-Won teased back. Duri flipped her off, she and Chae-Won chased after Ji-Woon meanwhile, knowing Iseul would catch up with them.

The young beta crossed her arms, nervously nibbling on her inner lip as she locked eyes with Woosung. His usually dark eyes were now speckled with gold, radiating beautifully against his illuminated complexion in the warm, flickering glow of the fire.

"So... are you ready?" he asked, praying his own anxiousness didn't show through his exterior.

They started walking together, "Am I ready to get shoved face-first into the dirt while a neanderthal tries to fuck me into his submission? Sure, why not?" she replied.

Woosung chuckled, "Sounds like you don't plan on getting caught tonight," he noted.

"If I can help it," she shrugged back, "You get the better end of the deal, anyhow: you get a say in who you want," her lips fell into a pout and Woosung saw he never saw anything cuter that night.

"Very true," he nodded, "But you never know, maybe you'll be tracked by somebody who would treat you right?"

"And maybe Duri's going to become an alpha's mate?" she chuckled back, "You have to agree though, Woo, this whole blood moon ritual is kind of ridiculous. For the twenty-first-century, anyway,"

"Maybe. But I like to think some of us adopted the twenty-first-century way of thinking," he replied.

"Besides you, I can't think of a single person," she said, "... Well, your friends are alright, too,"

"I'll let them know you said so," Woosung simpered.

They were coming to the starting line, with the girls grouped separately from the boys, all anticipating the howl to begin. Iseul glanced at Woosung, her stomach filled with excitement as the adrenaline surged, and her curiosity reached its peak, "So... out of curiosity... is there anybody here you're hoping to mate with?"

Woosung looked around, hoping he could throw her off his intentions as she shook his head, "I don't know. Obviously someone very obedient, submissive, knows how to cook and clean but fucks like a banshee, obviously," he smirked at her, living for that annoyed expression overtaking her face. She smacked his arm and he simply laughed.

"I know you're only joking, but if any part of you is serious I hope you die old and alone," she huffed.

Woosung's smirk never left as he started for his group, walking backwards to keep her in his line of sight, "In that case, you better hope I don't catch you, Iseul!" he teased.

Iseul tittered under her breath, her confidence flaring as she cocked her chin up, her own dark eyes illuminated with flecks of gold, "... I might not fight if you did," she admitted.

How it was that seven small words could get his heart racing so quickly he had no idea, but Woosung swore his mind blanked out as those seven words echoed in his head. There was a possibility that she was just teasing him, but then he knew when she was kidding around. Something in her tone told him she wasn't this time.

He couldn't help the pep in his step as he turned around, running to find his friends to tell them, "Dojoon!"

The group of female betas were chattering with giddy, some of them dressed skimpier than others, some had slipped notes into the pockets of potential suitors they wanted to tip off. And from the smell, so, so many of them were smack-dab in their heat cycles. Either way, the surrounding atmosphere was thick with lascivious anticipation, and of course there was a little bit of fear involved, too.

Iseul glanced behind her nervously, hoping to spot any trace of Woosung in the sea of faces. She caught him briefly, warming up with his friends for what she'd promised to be a long chase ahead of him. He caught her eye briefly, neither of them paying attention as Jimin reiterated the rules they'd heard time and time again. He winked at her again.

Iseul swore her heart stopped.

"Are you ready, girls?" he announced. The female betas let out a chorus of sharp howls, the sound echoing through the trees and across the horizon. Woosung could distinguish Iseul's pitched tone from miles away, her passionate howl igniting a fire in his core.

"Then... GO!" Jimin's call transformed into a prolonged howl, nearly overwhelmed by the sounds of excitement and squeals as the girls sprinted off into the shadowy depths of the woods. They usually had a minute's head start, but they all knew it wouldn't be long until the boys were upon them.

Iseul tried to keep close to her friends as best as she could, though when she looked over her shoulder again she was dismayed to find she was on her own. Nevertheless, her blood was pumping steadily, her legs burning with adrenaline and her feet thundered across the muddy landscape as she ran as fast and as far as she could. She leapt over bushes and careened around tree groves. Already she could hear howls and screams of the other females echoing through the trees, some twisted with salaciousness and eroticism. The boys were already prowling through the forest, and it wouldn't be long until they came upon her, too.

She slowed down at an old pine, stopping to catch her breath. It felt as though she had been running for hours, when Iseul knew that five or so minutes had only passed. This game wasn't supposed to end until dawn broke over the horizon, or until the males and females had found their mates. Either way, the night ahead of her was long and already the air was thick with the stench of sweat and sex.

Disembodied cries of lust continued to rattle her heightened hearing, intermingled with predatory howls. She could pick out Jaehyeong's pitch in the cacophony, and she had to wonder if he'd already pounced and claimed Ji-Woo, just like she'd always gone on and on about. Iseul shook her head at her friend's fantasies, never the less finding her enthusiasm endearing. Among the racket, Iseul could also pick out Yung's howl; a deep, ground-shuddering sound that reflected his own brutishness. She didn't like how close he sounded.

While she continued to run, Iseul came to the alarming realization that she hadn't heard Woosung's howl, not even once, not even when the boys initially set off. She couldn't help but wonder where he went, debating whether or not it was safe to call out to him, or if she'd gone too far for him to find her. But the latter was ridiculous, she knew he had her scent down to memory, if he wanted her he could find her easily.

That is... if he even wanted her in the first place. Who was to say he even took her previous pass at him so seriously.

The sharp snap of a twig pricked at her ears and Iseul turned hastily on her heel, her fingers curled God willing she needed to unleash her claws. But alas, there was nothing behind her.

Iseul, feeling a mixture of panic and indignation, turned around to find Yung's towering and imposing figure looming over her. His eyes bore a determined look, flecked with fiery gold and oranges, and his intent was clear - he was ready to claim her as his mate by any means necessary.

"Hi Iseul," he greeted, feigning politeness, taking a step forward. She took a step back, her worst nightmare coming true.

"Oh. Hey Yung," she said, doing her best to keep a brave front. The fact was she couldn't lie; she found Yung quite intimidating to be around on normal days. A frat-party-eque sex fest was even worse.

"I found you," he noted, his smile disgustingly lecherous.

"That you did," Iseul took another step back.

"So, you know what that means for us, right?" he asked, taking a step closer.

"That I didn't run far enough," she gaped back, not eager to a chase but she was willing if she needed to.

Yung chuckled darkly, "Oh, don't be that way, Iseul. You know the rules of the Union..." he reiterated, reaching out to stroke back her hair.

Iseul moved her head away, glaring sourly, "Yeah. The rules state you need to catch me, not just find me. That's just lazy," she pointed out.

"Somehow, I think you'll grant me the exception," he noted, "You and I would have beautiful pups together,"

She simpered back, "Not in this lifetime, show dog,"

Yung reached out, attempting to grab her, but with a swift movement, she extended her sharp claws and scratched him across his cheek. Yung yelped in pain and surprise as the sting of her claws met his flesh. It was a warning, a defense against his forceful advances.

Iseul wasted no time. She turned and bolted into the trees again, away from Yung, her heart pounding with a mix of fear and determination. Yung, nursing his bleeding face, roared in frustration as she disappeared, picking off her scent and taking off after her.

Sure, he was fast, he was practically the golden boy of the betas, but he wasn't as fast and agile as Iseul was. She knew he'd be hot on her tail and she had to find somewhere to hide, she'd even take the bog if she could find it. She didn't know where she was going, hell she couldn't even concentrate on looking straight ahead. Yung's vile scent was still in her nose and so long as that scent lingered, she knew she wasn't safe.

Rounding a grove of trees, Iseul was ready to hurl herself into the thrush when a pair of arms grabbed her. She screamed, fighting like a caged animal when she heard a familiar, soothing voice.

"Calm down! Calm down, Iseul! It's me! It's Woosung!" her friend held her tight against his chest as he fought to keep his grip on her. Iseul then relaxed, surrendering in his arms as her body suddenly felt incredibly heavy.

"Oh, thank God!" she panted, "I was this close to being mauled," she pinched the air with her pointer finger and thumb.

Woosung took a whiff of the air, "Don't thank the big guy, yet. Yung's still coming,"

As though on cue, the mighty werewolf emerged from behind the tree trunks, taking both of them off guard. He snarled viciously at Woosung, his own claws bearing from his fingertips.

"Let go of my mate," he growled.

Woosung shook his head, "Yung, c'mon -- we can talk about this. You know, like -- civilized men?"

Yung chuckled with pity, "We're not men, Woosung. We're barely human. And you have what belongs to me. I want it back,"

Iseul snarled back, "Oh, fuck you! Calling me an it!?" if she was stronger then Woosung she would've lunged for the beta, but Woosung held her fast against him. She could feel his heart thundering through her back.

It was then that Woosung had an idea, the only way he knew he could get Yung off of Iseul's back. Though, Iseul may not forgive him for it.

"She's not yours though, Yung," he pointed out, "I can smell her, you didn't claim her,"

Yung scoffed, "We were about to get there,"

"Not even in your dreams," Iseul spat back.

"But that means," Woosung continued, "That if you didn't claim her, then she's still fair game," he gave the bigger beta a cocky smirk. Yung's expression went from sheer anger to panic. He knew what Woosung was thinking.

"Don't do it," he warned him, "Don't you even think about it,"

Iseul caught on. If she wasn't so frightened, she may have been a little excited at what he was proposing. Woosung's breath cascaded down her ear, his vice-like grip on her loosening as he brushed his nose across the swoop of her neck. She smelled so fucking good. Iseul shuddered.

"I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear. Before Iseul had the chance to even ask, she felt his sharp teeth puncture the skin where her shoulder met her neck.

Her scream echoed across the forest.

As quickly as he latched on, Woosung released his bite. But the damage was done; her heat had overwhelmed her the moment he'd broken her skin. A sharp, pleasurable sensation coursed from the crown of her head to the tips of her toes. Her heat had never felt so visceral before, consuming her to the point she fought to catch her breath. She could feel her blood trickling down her chest, and even more vividly, she could smell her own blood within Woosung's mouth.

Yung's spirit deflated, his claws retracting, and the once-ferocious gleam faded from his eyes. He understood the futility of his situation; that fighting back now would lead the alphas to exile him from the pack, not that it would make a difference if he did.

Iseul belonged to Woosung, now.

With a scathing snarl, Yung spat at the dirt, backing away slowly, "Fine. She's all yours. You enjoy," he turned on his heel and disappeared in the dark.

Both Woosung and Iseul sighed with relief. Woosung wiped his chin with his hand, guilt shuddering through him at the sight of her blood staining his hand. Guilt... but also a twinge of desire.

"He's gone now," he let her out of his arms. Iseul took two steps before she collapsed against a tree trunk, her legs as wobbly as jello and her skin felt as though it was caging an inferno. Woosung dashed to grab her before she could hit the ground, "Woah! You okay?"

She nodded, she let him set her down gently on the ground. Her breathing settled, as did the adrenaline coursing in her blood. Iseul was dirty, exhausted, but when she looked up at Woosung, sleep was the last thing she had on her mind.

"I'm fine," she huffed, averting her gaze to the clumps of grass and weeds before her, "That was -- oh my God!"

"I'm so sorry, Iseul. I didn't know what else to do," he crouched before her, laying a comforting hand on her knee. She was hot to the touch, every inch of her felt as though it was burning. Though she wasn't in pain.

Iseul cracked a smile and she placed her hand over his, "It's okay. Really, I'm okay," she assured him, "My dry-cleaning might have some questions about this, though," she pointed to the blood seeping into her t-shirt. Woosung simpered quietly, jokes were certainly a good sign.

"Does it still hurt?" he asked, his concern still sprawled across his expression.

She shrugged listlessly, "Not so much, anymore. I'd rather it was you than... you know," she sighed, "... Um... does this mean that...?"

"I think so," Woosung admitted, "We're mates, now,"

He expected Iseul to unleash a barrage of curses, to scold him for his reckless behaviour, but her hand on his remained steady. Her head fell back against the tree trunk, her eyes shimmering with flecks of gold, more radiant than Woosung had ever witnessed. She was utterly captivating, and the scent of her blood only intensified his smoldering desire.

What a dichotomy, he thought.

If Iseul wasn't so exhausted in that moment, she may have let her baser instincts win. She may have begged Woosung to take her hard and fast against this tree, to make her scream for him again and again. But Woosung wasn't just any werewolf, he was her friend first and foremost. And he already seemed so spooked from before.

"Well... do you wanna sit with your new mate until she regains the ability to walk again?" she asked, suppressing a chuckle.

Woosung's smile was genuine now, his tense shoulders relaxed as he gladly obliged her. He took his place beside her, careful of the bite as he looped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close. She smelled so tantalizing, his desire for her continuing to bubble in his gut and he prayed she didn't notice how he adjusted himself.

Iseul cuddled up into him, his familiar musk so comforting and the skin of his arms a cool contrast to hers. She didn't bother to suppress her smile when he laid a kiss on her temple, she felt as safe as she possibly could out here, under the blooming moon.

Indistinctive howls and moans continued to echo through the night, haunting Woosung and Iseul like harping banshees as they walked through the forest. While they couldn't see anybody, they knew better. There were couples thrusted into bushes, cloistered in the trees, copulating in the shadows and all around them.

The fire had definitely gone out by now, but the smell of burnt wood and kindling was as sharp as ever as it drew the pair back to their camp.

Any sting from Woosung's bite had subsided by now, but Iseul's state of desire remained the same. Nevertheless, she walked hand-in-hand with Woosung, silently processing what had just happened. Woosung really claimed her, after years and years of debating whether or not she should make the first move, praying that one day he'd come up to her and ask her himself, he'd really done it. Sure, it wasn't as romantic as she originally imagined, but the intent remained the same.

"So..." she sighed, "Are you gonna' rush and tell Dojoon and them what happened?" she asked, a mocking smile on her lips.

Woosung cocked a brow, glancing down at her curiously, "They might ask why I smell like your blood, so..." he chuckled, "But I'm not gonna -- I won't run and gossip with them, if that's what you mean,"

"That might be a tough one to play off," she simpered, "Did you follow me?"

"Hm?"

"Did you follow me -- back there? Or, did you just happen upon me like some sort of white knight?" she asked.

Woosung grinned sheepishly and his gaze averted to the ground, "I may or may not have been following your scent. It's easy to pick you out by now," he said.

Iseul smiled back, "Lucky you had," she replied, "Although it did kind of hinder your chance,"

"How do you mean?" Woosung asked, picking off the glimmer of mischief in her eyes.

She shrugged bashfully, "Well -- you didn't really get a chance to catch your mate properly. You know... after a ten minute chase, it's supposed to be filled with anticipation and sexual tension until you finally take her under a tree or something,"

Woosung cocked a brow, a sly smirk curling at his lips as he stopped in his tracks. Iseul stopped a couple steps after him, her gaze profoundly captivating.

"Is that what you want, Iseul?" he asked, taking a step closer. She wasn't intimidated as she had been with Yung, though she couldn't help the apprehensive pinching swirling in her gut as he looked at her that way. Something within him suddenly changed, shifting from the familiar, carefree Woosung to a more primal and instinctual version of himself.

She liked it a lot.

"... Maybe I do," she replied truthfully, "What would you say if I told you that... I only ever wanted you to be my mate?" she took a step closer as well.

Woosung though he was dreaming, he must've been. But the prickling breeze and the howls wailing over his head assured him over otherwise.

His excitement began to grow again, he cursed at himself for wearing fitted jeans because he knew that Iseul would be able to pick out the tent in his pants if she looked.

"I would say that I've longed to hear you say that for nearly my entire life," he admitted, bringing his chilled hand up to her cheek. Her skin wasn't as hot as before but she still felt so warm, the blood on her neck still tacky as his fingers fluttered down to her collarbone.

"How about I give you a five minute head start?" he offered.

Iseul gulped at his words, suddenly feeling her blood rushing to her cheeks. She was elated when the flecks of yellow and gold reappeared in his irises. She bit at her inner lip, a newly renowned adrenaline bubbling in her gut.

"A whole five minutes?" she queried, "Are we feeling confident?" she brought her hand to his chest, fingers flexing against the indent of his pectorals.

"Very," he leaned in, approaching her lips with his own. Iseul's eyes fluttered closed for a moment, waiting imminently to be lured into his trap before he whispered into her ear, "Your time starts now,"

Like a shot, Iseul pivoted on her heel and swiftly disappeared into the woods once again, a surge of renewed vitality propelling her as she ran. Woosung never truly appreciated the expression "I hate to see you go, but I love to watch you leave," more than he had in that moment, her slim physique but a flashing memory before his eyes though nevertheless her smell was still thick in his nose.

Iseul wasn't sure where she was going, much like previously she was itching to get as far away as fast as she could. Only difference here was she found herself laughing as she ran, coursing with giddy. She knew Woosung was a formidable hunter, he'd be on her in no time. Nevertheless, the chase this time was a little more more tantalizing than the last. She leapt over thrushes and ducked around trees, running until her legs burned and her chest began to tighten. She was excited, but it didn't mean that she was going to make this easy for him.

She finally stopped when she came to a clearing, dimly lit from the reddened tinge of the moon. The cacophony in the air had diminished, with many of her fellow betas either having found their own partners or chosen to remain hidden. Meanwhile, she was certain that numerous males had surrendered and retreated back. It was probably somewhere after midnight now, maybe closer to one in the morning? So much had already happened in such little time and yet Iseul still had so much energy to burn, anticipation prickling at her spine as she cased the area. There was no sound, not even a smell.

Iseul became nervous after ten minutes of waiting, wandering around the trees or stopping to stare up at the moon. She waited for the first whiff, the first crack of a twig or squelch of mud, giving her ample time to take off should she need to. If she even wanted to.

Her head whipped around when she heard a snapping in the distance, her apprehension elevated as she began to back out of the moonlight.

And then she smelled him. He was here.

She froze suddenly when her back made contact with something unexpected — not a tree trunk, but a chest. Almost immediately his scent overwhelmed her, the tip of his cold nose brushing softly across the unscathed side of her neck, her warm breath eliciting goosebumps over her skin. All thoughts of running vanished in a snap, her baser instinct taking over as his arms wrapped around her slim figure.

"Does it count now?" he tittered into her ear, his tone low and laced with a darker promise.

"Yes. Now it counts," she muttered, her voice just brushing above a whisper, "You took your time,"

"I wanted you to feel like you were winning," he teased, turning her so they came nose-to-nose. His face was infinitely closer now, maybe because her fingers were pressed against his nape, subtly pulling him lower. It didn’t take amazing eyesight to notice the tent growing in his pants. At this point her juices were trickling into her pants.

“I think I did win,” she looked at his lips. She loved the deep dimples in his cheeks; she had wanted to kiss them since she first noted them.

“We both did,”

She nodded, her fingers sliding under the edge of his t-shirt.

He shivered as he laid his lips against hers, simply pressing them there, pushing them gently against her own before disclosing them slightly with a barely-there lick. He moved back an inch to look at her, make sure she was alright.

Iseul's eyes were closed, her cheeks soft and warm under his palms, her lips inviting and thicker now that blood was rushing to them. Just as Woosung realized he wanted to stare at her some more, her eyelids lifted gently. Looking at his lips, she stretched forward, laying a peck on his dimpled smile before breathing out and sucking his lower lip into her mouth.

His growl was inhuman once he felt the warmth of her mouth on his tender skin. His hand went to the back of her head, pulling her closer while his other palm landed against the small of her back, her legs open so he could slot his hips between them, his pelvis meeting hers eagerly.

“Dammit. You’re beautiful,” he moaned, his mouth tracing her jaw. His mind raced at the thought all the sinful things he could do to his little eager mate.

She nodded and stretched her neck for him, offering him her throat. He bit instantly -- without breaking the skin this time, not even giving her time to think about it, causing her to moan and press her crotch against anything that could dull the edge of pleasure.

His hands went from her waist to the backs of her thighs, squeezing firmly, "Jump,"

"What?"

"Jump!" Iseul barely had her feet off the ground before his large hands held her fast against him, her legs wrapping around his torso. Then his knees were in the ground, using his core strength to lay her down under the tree canopy. He hissed when his muscles released.

“Did that hurt?” she asked, ready to fuss over him.

He shook his head curtly, “Listen, I don’t care about how far we go, okay? We can take this as slow as you want, we don't even --”

“Let’s play it by ear, mh?” she cooed, cupping his cheek as he kneeled over her.

He nuzzled his cheek against her palm, “Let’s do that," and he went in for another kiss.

She was teasing his lower lip with the tip of her tongue, making him frown as he tried to chase after her, “You've always been like a kid chasing for a treat, haven't you?”

“Just kiss me, you tease!” Woosung chuckled as he grabbed her face, pushing his open mouth against hers, his tongue making its way between her teeth, against her palate, caressing hers lewdly, slippery flesh against slippery flesh.

Iseul's hips grounded against his naturally, his palms lowering to grab her ass and lead you through the motion.

His own hips shyly pushing into hers caused her blood to boil, her skin flushed as her body temperature skyrocketed, “Keep moving on me,” he huffed out, his right hand leaving her hip to tease the hem of her shirt, “Can I?” he asked, waiting at the threshold of the naked skin below.

“I can take it off if you’d like,” she whispered, kissing the side of his neck.

“God, yes,”

The shirt was gone in a second, leaving her flushed chest clad only in her bra.

His focus went to her breasts immediately, “Oh.”

Iseul smirked and laid her hand on his, leading it to her left mound, making his fingers grab onto it, “You can squeeze it,”

He nodded and closed his eyes, relishing in the soft material. She was glad her bra was a thin cotton piece; she could feel him closer, harder, better.

Woosung watched her expression as he started massaging the flesh, gripping it energetically and pulling whimpers from her lips. He stopped immediately, “Too hard?”

She shook her head and giggled, “No, it's perfect. It’s perfect when it hurts just a little— Just like that, uh…” her eyes rolled back and her eyelids fluttered, “Just fine, Woosung. Damn perfect,”

He grinned, rutting his hips harder against her, “You like when it hurts?”

She hummed, too busy finding the perfect angle to meet his thrusts. “Kinda,”

Experimenting, he felt for her nipple pushing against the fabric before pinching it between thumb and forefinger, making her whimper even more. Her jaw fell slack before her back arched, her hand coming over her lips, a weak purr leaving her throat.

“Harder?” he asked, his free hand helping her grind against his thigh, gripping her asscheek, squeezing it, “Do you need it to hurt more? Better?”

She was far too gone to actually formulate sentences, no matter how small. The feel of his cock hardening, lengthening against her core was far too intense. She could feel it twitch and stretch, pressed against the zipper.

“Iseul,” he called for her attention.

She gave a small moan that meant both pleasure and acquiescence.

Deliberately, attentively, he pushed the cup of her bra down, studying the tender, thin skin of her breast while his lips pressed into her neck, leaving trails of kisses as he caressed her breasts, her hips, everywhere he could reach. He lolled his tongue out and managed to lick her nipple with the very tip of his tongue.

“Fuuuck, Woo, please, God… Just fuck me. I wanna cum. I— please. Make me feel good, Woo,”

He liked hearing her beg for him, he liked it way more than he ever thought he would. Somehow her pleas hit so much deeper within him. Maybe it was because she always looked so independent and self-sufficient, that feeling needed by her turned him on so wildly and inexplicably.

He nudged her left nipple with his lips, teasing it softly before sucking it into his mouth. The moan she emitted made his hips jut forward, a low grunt echoing in the air as he reckoned he needed to take his jeans off, still, having her warm torso against his was too much of a revelation for him to part from her hot skin.

Her hands buried into his hair as he swirled his tongue around her nipple before suckling on it lightly. Her body grew heavier at every movement trying to keep herself focused while his lips slid down her stomach to her aching core.

The wolf knew once he got this close to her beautiful heat there would be going back. Every day the taste of her would end up lingering on his tongue until he got to taste it again. This girl did things to him he could never explain to even her let alone anyone in the pack. Woosung was swift as he popped the buttons on her jeans, shoving her pants impatiently until he had her fully, vulnerable to him. His tongue moved up from her leaking hole to her throbbing clit. He couldn’t help but smile a little at how her whole body jerked at the new found pleasure.

Iseul felt how his tongue licked at one particular spot that jolted a surge up her pine, her body jerking. In seconds, she felt his lips wrap around the small nub, coaxing light moans to slip out of her while her fingers still tangled in his hair, “Woosung…”

His moan rattled vibrations against her core. With a slight pop, Woosung broke from his light snacking and bit into her thighs, a little treat just for him.

The smaller wolf giggled affectionately, caressing his head before he crawled over her. Propping herself up on her elbows, she watched Woosung strip himself of his clothes until they were both now bare. Her lust blown, golden eyes stared down at his twitching, hard member before licking her lips.

“Spread your legs,” he only had to tap her knee gently for her to move her legs apart more than enough for him to sneak in between. Wrapping his fingers around his cock, he rubbed the reddened tip against her clit making, elated as her head fell back, “You want it, baby?”

Iseul nodded frantically.

“I can’t hear you," his tip poked at her slit. The little game tortured him as much it did her, but he wanted to hear her beg again.

“Yes, I want it...” she jerked her hips against his movements, gasping when the tip of his cock entered her slightly, “I want it so bad,"

She always knew how to touch that extra nerve in his body every all the time. It was almost magical how Iseul had so much control over him by being so perfectly submissive. Woosung pushed his cock into her snug little hole with soaked ease, her cunt flowing, making it all the more harder not to just pound her into oblivion. His hips moved slow, letting the sounds of watery sloshing ring in his ears. Arms pressed down the sides of her body, caging over his mate as he relished in her warm walls.

Iseul held onto his forearm as she watched her pussy getting stretched by his cock. The amount of times she dreamed of this happening was a little embarrassing. Now that it was happening, she had him snug inside of her felt so invigorating, she could giggle in glee.

Their foreheads pressed together softly as Woosung whispered, “Is this good?”

She nodded, gasping and moaning. “Yeah…”

The one word was all that needed to be uttered for him to quicken his pace a little, skin slapping against skin ever so slightly. Woosung shifted down to his elbows now as he caressed her cheek, nosing at the base of her neck near her previous bite. His tongue drifted over the dried blood.

“Look at you,” he chuckled darkly, “I wanna' mark you again. Can I?”

“Please, Woo,” she begged, wrapping her arms around him,“Do it”

“Good girl,” He cooed.

When he opened his mouth and bit down — her voice echoed in a heavy cry, laced in pure lust and ecstasy. Woosung groaned, his knot sensitive as she clenched and pulsed around him. Her blood was sweet in his mouth as he broke the skin, pulling his canines out before licking over the wound to seal the punctures.

She now had matching marks, teeth punctures on either side of her neck.

And she fucking loved it.

“You're mine. You're all fucking mine,” he whispered breathlessly, still thrusting into her steadily.

“I'm yours,” she cupped his cheek, struggling to keep her gaze as the pleasure tickled her every nerve. “I always have been...”

Lips pressed against hers, tongue exploring everything he knew was willingly submitted to him tonight. Once the kiss broke the softness melted along with it as the beta pounded into her cunt. Arms back up, muscles popping out furiously before hooking one of her legs around his waist.

Her moaning became an uneven pattern melting into the sounds of their wet skin grinding and slapping against each other. As soon as Woosung leaned in closer, Iseul muffled a few of her whimpers into a heated kiss while her hand moved down to find that little nub, rubbing it to match with his thrusts. The tight ball in her lower belly exploded before she could even expect it, her legs trembling and a flurry of moans passing her lips.

Woosung felt her walls clench around him, already feeling the pressure around his cock push him closer to his orgasm. His thrusts grew a little more brutal, pawing at her hips and hammering into her while she gave him that beautiful, innocent smile to reassure him it was okay to keep going despite her sensitivity.

“Cum inside me…” she whimpered, her body literally shook with the force of his thrusts.

Her adorable whisper was all it took for the wolf to finally come undone, filling his mate up with his seed in sloppy and rough thrusts. Only until the last drop did he pull out slowly watching a little bit of his release dripping out of her.

“... That's it,” Iseul giggled, brushing his shaggy hair out from his eyes, "We're stuck together,"

Woosung's boyish grinned returned, his nose poking into the crook of her shoulder again as he collapsed on top of her. His scalding body was a surreal contrast to the cold, wet ground beneath her. All traces of the dominant wolf had vanished from his eyes, irises still flecked with gold as they adored her.

"You're mine," he cooed, laying a kiss over her pulse point, "You're so much more than just my mate, Iseul,"

"So are you," she awed, "I'm curious, though..."

"What about?" he asked.

She didn't want to ruin the mood they had, but she had to know, "... If we didn't mate tonight, would you have picked somebody else?"

Woosung gulped, not knowing how to tell her that he had eyes on her for the longest time, to the point that he rarely noticed the appearances of the other female betas. While he acknowledged their attractiveness, he also realized that many people were indeed "pretty." Nobody even came close to Iseul's beauty, “Probably not. None of them would taste as good as you,”

Iseul giggled, swatted at his bicep, “You didn't know what I tasted like until now.”

“No, but you smelled really fucking good,” he smiled, nudging her cheek with his nose, “I thought I lost you earlier… just for a second,”

Her head shook with dismay, "No one's gonna' mess with us, now. I’m yours now, remember?” she lay a small kiss on his chest.

Woosung caressed her cheek, not being able to help mimicking a little smile of his own, “You’re mine,"

[yacinthemorning]

Tailored to Your Liking

Chapter 8

[First] [prev]

Summary: Tumble Town attracts all sorts of misfits looking for a fresh start on the frontier, but everyone still needs clothes. Be it extra limbs or high temperatures, Jimmy caters to every hybrid's needs.

Ships: Jimmy/Tango (slow burn romantic), Grian/Mumbo/Scar (romantic), Joel/Lizzie (romantic)

Warnings: Implied traumatic events, awkward flirting

The air was thick with smog, arid landscape rushing past at incredible speeds, and the tracks roared below. Tango hung on for dear life as he leaned over the edge to see in front of the train. A whistle went off. He nearly jumped up to his death. The engineer gave him a wide grin, eyes shining through his thick glasses while the snakes that had braided themselves atop his head glared at him.

“You ought to be more careful, sweetface.” He teased. “She doesn’t like little creatures hanging off her sides. We have a brush for that!”

Tango rolled his eyes. “Who’s the one that basically built her, Keralis? It’s fine. I just need to…”

“Get a good view?”

Everything went dark, engulfed in a tunnel among the uneven terrain. It whipped by in seconds and Tango was nearly thrown by the flood of light as it opened onto the sight brightly striped mesa walls and golden shrubs. At the heart of it sat a town, not nearly as little as it was when Tango last saw it. Even still, the water tower still stood heads and tails above everything else, even the no-longer-so-new train station rapidly coming into view.

Tango took a deep breath, willing his heart to stop pounding so heavily. Keralis eyed him with a knowing look. “Almost home?” He asked with wide smile.

The train began to slow beneath them, every mechanism Tango had carefully drawn out dancing as it should. Tango closed his eyes, taking another deep breath. “I hope so...”

There was a small crowd at the station, some passengers waiting to get on, some companions looking for family and friends. XB coordinated the transfer seamlessly, only a small twitch in his fins indicating his impatience to return to the cover of the train. Tango couldn’t blame him. Tumble Town may be run by a fellow merfolk but it wasn’t exactly ideal with its dusty breeze and beating sun. Tango grabbed his bags and slipped off the engine, circumventing the crowd. Only a few faces among them were familiar, even fewer glancing at him with recognition. There was only one person among them Tango sought out, though.

“Tango!”

His head twisted, tail on end, before he broke out into a huge grin. He dropped his bags and open his arms wide just in time as blond curls and curly horns engulfed his vision. Zedaph managed to lift him full body off the platform. “You’re here!” He shrieked excitedly. “You’re really back!”

“I’m here!” He agreed, hugging his old friend.

Once he was back on solid ground Zed stepped away looked him over. “Look at you, you’ve barely changed these past three years! Same hair, same clothes, same ugly mug-”

“Hey!” He laughed.

Zed ignored his protests, instead patting his belly, “Somehow even skinnier than before, too! Were you always this skin and bones? I’ll have to tell Impulse and Skizz to add some lard to the stew, fatten you back up!”

He huffed, pushing his friend away. “I’m not a cow going for slaughter.”

“You might as well be.”

And that was likely more true than Tango hoped. So, he changed the subject, “How’ve you been? How’s the town?”

It wasn’t the subtlest, clear from the look Zed gave him, but the ramling played along anyways. They picked up Tango’s bags and began to walk. “Fine, fine. It’s so much busier than it ever used to be with the rail passing through. Fwhip is pleased, Doc is not. I’m partial to agreeing with Doc on the matter, they scare away all the critters!”

“You sure it’s them scaring them?” Tango joked, which got him a shove.

“I am, thank you very much!”

Though the town had grown in size it still felt the same. Perhaps that was because, in the grand scheme of town construction, two years wasn’t especially long. It was sill little old Tumble Town. Barely any two story buildings except main street where all the business were, and Lizzie’s manor at the end of it. More hybrids ran around than Tango had ever seen even in the big cities, and along with them a bit of an eclectic construction style to accommodate them. The roads were still dirt and the only light posts were around the mayoral office.

It had changed, but it still made his heart warm.

They reached Impulse’s bar soon enough, and the regulars were a much more familiar crowd to Tango. Skizz lifted his mug to him with a huge grin, “Hey buddy, welcome back!” Which caught the attention of the rest of the patrons, who followed suit. Among them was Scar, who raised his cane instead.

“Tango, my big city man!”

“Hardly.” Tango sat down between the two, with Impulse already in front of him with a plate of food and comforting smile. “I’m glad to be out of there for a while. City folk are the most unfriendly people I’ve ever met no matter where I go.”

“Well, it’s hard to compete when you’ve experienced Tumble Town!” Said Scar, which got a round of mild cheers from the bar goers around them. “Happiest place on earth, don’t you know?”

Tango grinned, “You got me there.” Then he began to dig into his food.

Mild chatter echoed around him, asking about his work or telling him about some ridiculous thing that happened. It was almost perfect. A familiar bar, good friends and food and drink, laughter and teasing abound. It was warm and comforting and every good thing one could want. It was truly…

Well, it was almost.

“So,” Impulse started, caution in his voice that immediate sobered the whole group. “When are you gonna…?”

“That’s the question, ain’t it?” Tango groaned, leaning back to look at the ceiling rather than face his friends’ wary looks. His claws wrapped around his necklace, the ends of the feathers slightly frayed from playing with it too much. It’d frequently been his only comfort on the most stressful and soul crushing days of work.

“You just gotta go, buddy.” A large hand patted him on the back.

He knew that, of course, but it didn’t make it any less intimidating. He glanced back over his friends, “Y’mind if I leave my bags here? Just in case.”

“You always got a place here.” Impulse assured, then made a shooing motion. “Now get going before it gets dark.”

Tango didn’t need to be told twice. If he stopped to wait for it he’d simply never go. He saluted goodbye to his friends and made his way down Main Street. It was quieter now, leaving an all too familiar building well within view the whole walk. A few hanging plants had been placed and there was a new sign in the window, but like everything else it had remained mostly the same.

He took a deep breath and went in.

The bell on the door jingled the same jingle it had the first time Tango was there. Fabrics were strewn about the workshop, a sign of mid-project Tango had come to learn. One long piece of cotton was left hanging from the sewing machine, a new model he’d seen often in the city. The one Tango had made was pushed against the wall behind it between button drawers. A little brass bird sat atop it.

Soft yellow feathers shook slightly in acknowledgement of the bell, shielding the man hunched over a pattern from view. “Yes, give me just a minute!”

“Guess one more couldn’t hurt.”

Jimmy stiffened, feathers raised on end. There was a moment, then his head shot up, wide eyes locking on Tango, who shrunk down between his his shoulders with an awkward smile. Like everything else Jimmy was left of familiar, his hair longer, a new scar on his jaw, a slight bit of stubble left unclear whether it was intentional or just between shaves, and an unbuttoned blue vest Tango had never seen before. But it was still the same warm brown eyes and sharp nose, same well-preened buttery yellow feathers and copious freckles.

If he could sweat he imagined he would be as he waited for any further reaction from the shocked avian.

His brow knit, nose scrunching up as he spun around fully. “Are you kidding me?” He snapped, making Tango jump and his tail curl around his leg. The avian marched up to him, “You can’t even send a letter to tell me you’re coming? Let me just look like this for when you arrive?” His wings jerked with his hands in emphasis to his appearance.

Tango wasn’t given time to reply, yanked forward into a bone-crushing hug. The sparks in his hair immediately settled along with the feathers in Jimmy’s wings. Jimmy’s nose burrowed into the crook of Tango’s neck. He smiled, relaxing completely into the hug and weaving his own arms just under Jimmy’s wings. “Look like what? Handsome? Perfect?” He teased.

“Oh, shush!” The avian’s voice warbled, tightening his hold. Tango thought he might let go then, but he remained, and Tango let him. What simultaneously felt like an eternity and only a second passed in comfortable silence. Only the smallest chirps interrupted. His eyes fell closed, and the slightest rumble emanated from his chest.

Finally, Jimmy very reluctantly pulled back. His breath was shaky as he refused to completely detach from the blazeborn. Red eyes scanned his face before they darted down to the gold chain around his neck. He pulled a face that made Tango worried he’d start crying again then and there. They cast downwards instead. “How… How long will you be here?”

Tango’s tail drooped slightly, smile stretched. “If things go well? At least a year.”

“What?” Jimmy’s gaze shot back up, eyes wide and shocked. And hopeful.

“They wanna connect the rail up with the west coast.” He started to explain, nodding his head in what he hoped was the right direction. “Aaand it just so happens that some plans made by a very smart and handsome fella put Tumble Town in a pretty central location for some infrastructurizing. More or less.”

“Oh, Tango!” His voice turned into a twitter as his hands cupped the man’s face.

“And what sort of engineer would I be if I didn’t come look after my own project?”

He barely got the words out before he was lifted off the ground and spun around to the tune of a very happy avian. “You ridiculous mad man!” Jimmy laughed. “You impress a couple rail-men and you think you can just do whatever you want?”

“I’m making it happen, ain’t I?” He pointed out, snickering along as well at his own audacity. Things Tango from a few years ago would never dare try. That was before he’d been given the opportunity of a lifetime thanks to his friends, and wouldn’t dare to let himself squander it. He hadn’t spent the last three years working overtime to worm his way into the heart of the Luxo Company for nothing, even if those years felt twice as long as the decade of work before it. For more reasons than just work.

“Oh, do they treat you well, then?” Jimmy asked, worry dampening his excitement.

Tango laughed, “Not in the slightest! But I can handle it.” He quickly added when he saw Jimmy’s wings droop.

“You shouldn’t have to.” Jimmy huffed. “Where’s their main office? And my pen. I have a letter to write.”

“Nooo, you do not.” Tango shushed him, putting his hand over the taller’s mouth when he tried to protest, receiving an indignant look. “C’mon. I don’t wanna think about work anymore today. I got a very pretty man in my arms that I wanna look at a little longer.”

It took a pleading look and a few combs through his hair, but Jimmy conceded. They migrated over to Jimmy’s desk, where they’d spent so many days before. Tango’s gaze couldn’t help wandering back towards his sewing machine. Jimmy shifted, dragging it closer. “Something inside broke I think. Katherine was kind enough to buy me a replacement in the meantime, but it’s not as nice. I was hoping you would…”

“I’ll take a look.” He immediately agreed, tilting it back to look at the needle. “I was wondering also, if you could fix my robes? I snagged the sleeve a while ago and-”

“Of course.” Jimmy chirped, expression relaxing. “Always.”

There was another pause, shorter this time as Tango reached for Jimmy’s hand. “I’m home.” He said, still shaky with nerves that refused to go away. Not until Jimmy gave him the warmest smile Tango’s even seen and pulled their hands close to his chest.

“Welcome home.”

[green-kat331]

My Friend Spider-man

Pt:5 "Hybrid"

(Spider-man x reader)

Pt1/ Pt2 / Pt3 / Pt4

Warnings:None

As your feet lift off your balcony platform, you yelp loudly and tightly hold on to Spider-man's hand. His hand sticks to yours securely, but you weren’t going to risk it. You look down to see your balcony now a distance away and the road is full of cars as it usually was, but now you have a full view of the street and the entire block you live in. The wind blows through your hair and your feet kick under you in protest of Spider-man’s actions. 

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!?!?!” you yell fearfully as the hero swings around with you. The wind blocked anything that he might’ve said. Suddenly, you went flying through the air. The hero quickly catches you as you scream during the freefall.. You wrap your arms around his neck and your legs around his waist, koala clinging to him so he wouldn’t let you go. You bury your face in his neck. His arm around your waist tightened. You could feel how he chuckles at your reaction. “It’s alright, just look, you can’t miss this…” He says in a comforting tone. You shake your head at this “No, no, I’m not looking down!” You shout into his neck. He chuckles again. After a few minutes of fear, you no longer feel the wind hitting against you and he stops moving around. But you continue to cling onto his neck and waist. “Come on, just look, it's alright… I got you…” He says in a more soft and relaxed tone. You swallow nervously and peek from under your arm to see where you stood. 

“Where are we?” You ask moving your head back to bury into his neck “You gotta guess.” with a sigh you look ahead of you at the New York buildings from so high up this makes your heart beat faster and bury your face into his shoulder once again. “Are we on the goddam Empire state building..? You ask, turning your face back and dig your nose into his shoulder. He stood silent for a bit before answering, “Yeah…” 

“I’m gonna kill you…” 

“How was I supposed to know you’ll guess it on the first try?” He asks with bewilderment in his voice, “This is one of the tallest buildings in New York. How would I have NOT known!?!?” You argue back, moving your face from his shoulder to look at him. 

"Also, before you decide to swoop in and lift me off my balcony, I would appreciate a warning next time! What if I had a heart attack? Then what would you have done?!" 

He groans, annoyed that he's getting lectured, then makes you untangle yourself from him to stand on the tall building. You immediately bring your hands to your face and cover your eyes. "Come on, just… just look at the view. You're not afraid of heights, are ya?" 

You let out an annoyed mumble, "No… not necessarily.... but that doesn't change the fact that this is dangerous for a regular person like me. I could fall!" 

He chuckles "It's alright cuz I'm here to catch you."

You move your hands and stare angrily at him. "It's better if you didn't put me in the situation in the first place!"

He lets out a loud audible sigh, then walks closer to your side and places his hands on your shoulders. He nudges his chin to the view. You close your eyes and take in a deep breath before peeling them open and looking at the view he is so eager to show off. 

Your body relaxes, and your eyes widen when you see the incredible sight. Spidey holds your shoulders tightly as you turn your head and step to look around more from the top of the building. You’re silent from the amazement, spider-man points in the direction, making you squint your eyes and try to look closer. “There’s lady liberty,” He says, his voice careful. You smile and look at his masked face. 

He moves his head to look at yours, white-lensed eyes facing directly at you. 

“You’re one weird guy, Spidey… I mean, capturing a girl to show her a tourist attraction…It’s quite the fantastical feat.” The spider chuckled. 

“I didn’t capture you.”

You shrug your shoulders. "Meh, debatable.” 

He shakes his head and sits down. Spider-man rests his arms behind his head and lays down relaxing on the tall building without a care in the world. You do the same next to him. The sounds of the busy New York street blaring below you, the winds muffled most of the sounds. 

“Ya know, you’ve never asked me what my secret identity is,” Spidey states. You look at him, surprised. It’s true, in the many questions you threw at him, you never asked Spider-man to reveal himself or even insinuate who he could be. You look back up at the sky again, thinking about your answer.

“I’m curious, everyone in this city is…but I know you wouldn’t tell me,” You sigh again.  “and honestly, I'm okay with that. Maybe the whole mystery aspect of this is what draws me to learn more about you, about why you do what you do…but whoever you are, I'm sure you’re great.” You say, giving the hero a small genuine smile. 

Spider-man looks at you for a moment, moving his arms to host himself up so he can sit up and look at you. There is silence between you two. His mind raced for a moment, thinking about what you said. He opens his mouth to speak… "___–” 

“Oh, crap! I have to go see Peter!” You exclaim, cutting the hero off. He jumps slightly from your sudden exclamation. You turn to him. 

“I’m sorry for cutting this short, but I gotta go see my friend. He probably wants to talk to me about the report, and I have to thank him for the photo!" You stand slowly, legs wobbling as you stand on the tall building.

"O-oh yeah, yeah, totally." Spidey says, also standing much more confidently than you. He is quick to wrap his arm around you, resting them on your waist, respectfully.

"Ready?" He asks, pulling you closer to his chest. You wrap your arms around his neck.

"Yeah sure. Just get me home quick, please." You say, squeezing your eyes shut and holding the hero tighter.

Without warning, Spider-man jumped off the empire state building with you clutched in his arms. You screamed as the two of you were free falling. He shot a web to a nearby building and the two of you swung through the air with grace.

"AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"

Maybe not.

Once the ringing stopped in Spider-man’s ears, it wasn't long until you saw your beloved balcony. You cling onto him as he steps on the rail and the two of you are back on the glorious tiled floor.

You don't let go, however, still recovering from the whiplash you nearly received from falling down extreme heights.

"Come on, I've got a city to maintain, and you've got a boy to meet." Spider-Man chuckles, setting you down, and patting your hair back in its place, gently tucking misplaced pieces of hair behind your ear.

As he turns to leave, you reach out.

"Wait." He turns.

"What's up?" He asks so casually, You pause and think over the words you were about to say.

"Thank you for knowing I trust you." His head tilts and a smile peaks at the corner of your lips.

"I know you wouldn’t have done that if you knew I didn't trust you." It sounded so corny once you say it out loud, but Spider-man didn't laugh or chuckle or even tease. Instead, he stepped back on the rail of your apartment balcony and shot a web.

"I'll see you later, ______." And with that he was gone, once again off to save the city you call home.

--------

Your foot taps on the porch quickly, almost impatiently, after ringing the doorbell of the Parker residence. You hold a rolled up newspaper in your hands and scan your eyes through your section for what seems to be the hundredth time.

Finally, the door opens and you see Aunt May. She smiles warmly when she sees you and ushers you in.

"_____! What a surprise!" She exclaims, guiding you to one chair and gesturing for you to take a seat, and she rushes to go get you something to sip on.

"Did Peter not tell you I was coming over?"

You asked curiously. Peter is usually good at letting May Know when You were gonna visit. Whether she admits it or not, you know that you're her favorite out of Peter's handful of friends. She even framed your first article next to Peter's first newspaper photograph.

May shakes her head when she comes back with a mug. "No, but no need, I know everything. Your section was amazing. I couldn't put it down.  Shame on Jameson for painting Spider-man in such a bad light. He's a hero and if you believe in him. Then so do I." She says with a brighter smile radiating with pride.

You look down at your mug of steaming tea and smile warmly to yourself "Yeah… He's Grea—" "Sorry I'm late May, Oh _____, You're here too" Peter says running through the front door.

You and May exchange surprised glances, taken aback by his sudden appearance. You stood up and firmly placed your hands on his shoulders, gripping them tightly. "Did you see it? Did you read it? What did you think?" You question before he could even enter the room fully.

"Uhh… It's great. Honestly ______. I've never seen you so nervous after publishing before." Peter laughs, taking out a few things from the plastic bag he brought. A couple of bandages and a sewing kit.

Strange, you never knew Peter could sow. You ignore the purchases and groan back into your seat. "I know, I know, but this is my first big block. What if people think it's lame..." You feel a whack on the top of your head and quickly look at the source. Aunt May gazes down at you with a stern glare, holding the same newspaper you were reading before.

"Don't think such nonsense ______. You've spent too much time around Jameson. It's making you paranoid. Now I'll leave you both to it," May says before walking off to another room.

You turn your head to look at Peter again.

"She doesn't really mean that, does she?" You ask with a sheepish smile. Peter only shrugs in response, making you sigh.

"She's right though. I've never seen you be so hard on yourself. You're such a confident reporter."

"Yeah, well, that was all stuff I didn't care about, like local sports or whatever happens at college… but this. Spider-man...I'm passionate about what he does, about...him.." Peter is silent for a moment, probably just letting the tense air clear for him to speak.

"Well, New York would be even more out of its mind not to listen to you… Spiderman, too."

This makes your shoulders relax a bit. A small smile spreads across your face, making Peter visibly relax as well.

"I couldn't do it without you... you know that, Pete?" 

He smiles, his classic warm smile the kind that could relieve all your worries because Peter is just that kind of guy.  

Then he looks down at this lap, glances back at his backpack, then looks at the door frame where May walked through. He's thinking, but about what you wonder.

"How long have we known each other? 5 years?" Peter asked, his shoulders clearly tense. You tilt your head in confusion at the sudden change in tone.

"Yeah, around that time. Why?" You asked with a slight chuckle. He scanned over the tiled floors till his honey brown eyes met yours.

"______, I wanna tell you something... but you can't freak out." Peter states a slight panic in his pitched down voice, the sound reverberating in his chest.

This makes you sit back straight in the chair. He has your fullest attention.

"Yeah, yeah, what's wrong Pete?" 

He swings his bag onto his lap by a single strap and zips it open. "______, I'm—" 

Ring!

Ring!

Ring!

You spring to your feet grabbing your phone in a rush and turning to answer. It’s Jameson, he wants you in the office now. To be specific...

Quote " _____I want you in my office now before I throw you and your typewriter out of my company!! " unquote 

You turn back to Peter not noticing his shocked expression.

"Sorry Peter, Jameson wants me in the office and I'm afraid he'll rip my head off if I don't." 

Peter blinks, taking his hands out of his bag and letting his shoulders drop. "O-oh okay...I'll meet back up with you at the library, okay?" Peter says back. You give a passing nod, quickly gather your things and walk out of the Parker home onto the busy New York streets.

-----

Finally, making it to the Bugle was no sweat for you, but meeting eyes with the merciless reporter was like handing your pride over to the jaws of an alligator. But this is your career. Your future as a reporter depends on this moment if you can't handle Jameson… Well, honestly, who can handle Jameson?

Anyway, you walk up to the soundproof glass, the only thing saving you from the eardrum bursting demands coming from the man. But when you walk in you hear what might be the worst sound of all.

Silence.

Shit. He hates it and he'll fire me on the spot unless I can convince him not to.

"Good morning Jameson." You start but he doesn't answer the greeting instead he stands up.

"_____. You proved yourself a promising reporter, you get the news, write a detailed little article about it and I publish it. See how that works?" 

"... yes sir." 

"Good, so tell me why you decided to write a front-page article about Spider-man and all the "great things he's done for this city?"" He uses finger quotes to enhance his sarcastic question. “Kid, if I wanted a cutesy little article, I would go to a preschool show and tell.”

"But...you published it. Sir..." 

"I know! And everyone's loving it! Now more people will be asking for 'good ol' neighborhood Spider-man!' Is this what my career has become, catering to thoughtless fangirls Blah blah blah BLAH BLAH!" 

You didn't hear anything past that. "People like my article?" You ask, eyes wide with shock. His anger didn't dull your smile in the slightest. On the contrary, it only made you all the more proud of yourself. 

"People are loving it! That's what you said!" You jumped with joy, making the reporter cross his arms and scowl 

"Woo! Woo! Thank you, Mr. Jameson! I'll get that next article for you in a snap!" You say from excitement not bothering to hear his protest. 

"Oh, yeah!? Well, make it more interesting next time, no more of that praise crap! I want some real news!" He shouts, shaking his fist in anger as you skip out of his office.

You were on cloud nine, the stars hanging around you and sparkling you up for all to see. 

You leave the Bugle with your nose pointed high and walk the streets of New York clutching your satchel protectively. All was good, all was right, all was— Crash!!

You jump from the startling sound and turn to the source of the sound, quickly spotting a strange… monster? It wasn't like anything you've seen before, only able to describe it as a hybrid between Doc Ock, Lizard and Green Goblin. 

As terrifying as that sounds, it didn't compare to seeing it with your own two eyes. 

Scales ran down its spine and covered its entire body like a green metallic armor and its tail split into four parts. Lashing out at buildings. And clawing through walls, the ruble fell to the ground, making everyone panic. 

You felt the same, but by some miracle, your first instinct wasn't to run or scream...you just stood there and watched. Screams for help echoed in your ears and you just ran towards the rubble. 

It’s a nearby small clothing shop connected to a complex. You push through the clouds of debris. It’s stupid; you knew that. Spidey must be rubbing off on you. 

Even so, he wasn't here, and you are the next best thing. You ran into the shop guiding people out and helping them escape the slowly falling apart building. You cough, covering your mouth from the dust getting into your lungs. it covered your hands and got in your hair in the gray sand.

A woman calls out from a hidden area in the far end of the shop. Blocking your eyes, you walk deeper to try and find them narrowly avoiding falling tiles and breaking lights. It looks like she is trapped in the staff room, behind the broken door and a large plank that fell from one wall and hit the door frame. 

"I'm going to help you out of here!" You shout. She looks at you, her eyes wide with fear, and nods her head, reaching out to grasp your hand for any sort of comfort. You squeeze it back. Somehow, the cold already got to her.

Releasing her hand, you took a step back and crouched to get a good grip on the plank. 

Your legs shake as you try to push up but it wouldn’t budge, you turn to push with your back but that didn't help either. You stood back up and took her arm. “I need you to back up as far as you can for me, okay?” You say. 

The woman nods and backs up. You do the same, then rush up and kick the door, making it snap, then a loud crash makes you look ahead. Several broken tiles fall from the ceiling and land on top of the woman she lies on the ground. You cover your mouth and kick the door over and over and over again, but it wasn't big enough for you to crawl through. 

In desperation you call out into the destroyed store, but nothing answers. You resume kicking and pulling, then a hand on your shoulder breaks you from your movement. You look to your side and see Spider-man.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

The sounds of your breath pounded in your eardrums, shaky and wheezy. In your hazy state, you could only shake your head and point at the woman trapped.  

He rushes to push the plank aside. Like it weighed nothing, it crushed on the ground and a cloud of dust flew into the air. He pushes the tiles away and picks the woman up and he walks up to you with his other arm open.

“Alright, let's get out of here.” 

“No…take her first.” 

“_____-” He tries to reach for you again. You shake your head and back away.

“No. Spider-man, take her first. She needs help, much more than I do.” You state firm and unmoving. He wants to argue back, but doesn’t have the time. Frustrated, Spidey lets out a sigh as he readjusts his grip on the woman and swiftly swings out of the building. You watch on, then hear more crashing behind you. Suddenly, an eerie breathing sensation brushes against your hair, sending a shiver down your spine. Slowly, you turn your head, feeling a sense of dread consuming you. To your horror, the creature from before stands a dangerously close distance from you. Standing at an intimidating height of approximately 7 feet. Its grotesque appearance sends a chill through your bones - jagged teeth protrude from its mouth, while its body is covered in scales resembling green metal. Long, metallic tendrils extend from its form, ruthlessly tearing apart the walls of the shop, creating chaos and destruction in their wake.

“SSSSPIDER-MAN,” it hissed, making you shudder in fear. You fall back and crawl backwards, making distance between you and the creature. It throws its head back and roars with anger, using its claws to throw planks and break through walls, searching for the hero full of rage. You bite your lip, keeping yourself from screaming. Gripped by the fear of being discovered, you instinctively retreat to the far corner of the shop. Huddled in a tight ball, your eyes remain wide and fixated on the monster's relentless search. 

After minutes of waiting and with newfound confidence, you cautiously unravel yourself and crawl low to the ground, determined to escape before being seen. But you don’t have that much luck. The monster spotted you quickly and roared again. You scream and stand up to run, throwing whatever is in your way at the beast. The ground rumbles under your feet and the monster lands in front of you. The impact as it hits the ground sends you flying back.

Before the horrific creature could catch you another figure jumps in front of you protectively. “Spidey…” you whisper, covering your mouth. He shoots webs at the hybrid’s face, covering its eyes in the sticky white thread and blinding it momentarily. Without missing a beat, Spider-man swiftly runs and kicks it down before shooting more webs around it, turning it into a cocoon, he then turns around, picks you up and jumps over the monster, flying you and him out of the building.  

He holds your head tightly against the side of his face, cradling you tightly. He says something as he swings around the destroyed shop and whatever it was remains unheard. You were in shock, a close brush with death for any normal person like you. 

You lack the clarity to say much to let him know how you were feeling. You want to tell him you’re fine that the monster didn’t affect you severely but that would be a lie. When he finally lands on the hard concrete ground, your haze fades. “Let me go…” you say softly like you were afraid of saying anything more. He obliges and steps back, still holding your arms, which you pulled away. “______…?” 

Your eyes remain on the ground, heart beating in your ears, your breathing labored, and the feeling of panic makes you shut down. Slowly, you back away from the hero and turn away, walking back home without another word.

~~

A/N: Hi guys, I'm sorry I haven't updated this fic in a year, I thought I would get more time to work on it but college is just as stressful as when I first started lol. I'll try to get it finished this month now that I'm finally on summer break. Thank you for all the support you've given me. <3

[lightfury13]

My Space rider ocs

Name: Callie

Gender: Female

Pronouns: She/her

Age: 25

Height: 5’5

Species: Springer spaniel

Job: Captain of her crew

Appearance: She has white fur and brown splotches all over her body. She has a heart shaped splotch on the middle of her forehead. She has a short fluffy tail that has a dipped end. She mainly dresses in comfy clothes when not on the job. She always wears blue (or purple if she runs out of blue) ribbons on her ears.

Power: Shape-shifting. Not the type where you can change into any person but change into any animal.

Personality: She is an up beat and high energy person. Literally, she cannot stay still for more than five minutes. Although, if you get her talking enough, she will be so focused on it that she could stay still while talking for hours. At the same time, she cannot keep her mouth shut even if her life depended on it. She’s learning to control that but still slips up at times.

Fun Fact: When she gets a big emotion, watch out! She can get overwhelmed very easily and start shifting into random animals while pacing around.

Name: Cindy 

Gender: Nonbinary

Pronouns: They/them

Age: 26

Height: 5’7

Species: Hybrid of a Calico cat and a Japanese Bobtail

Job: Second in command 

Planet: Kesshō (crystal in Japanese)

Appearance: They have the same patterns as a normal calico cat but their spots are pink and purple. Since they are part Japanese Bobtail, their tail is short and very puffy. 

Power: Crystal growing. When they make a certain twist with their hands, different colors of crystals grow. (For example: With two flicks, a clear crystal grows. When a swirl of their hand, a purple crystal grows) They have learned how to make specific color combinations with the help of their crew. 

Fun Fact: She, River, and Callie made a “short puffy tail only” club for fun.

Name: Sam Squirrel

Gender: Transmasc

Pronouns: he/him

Age: 27

Height: 6’0

Species: Red Squirrel

Job: Engineer

Planet: (He and Callie are from the same planet) Estrellatopia

Appearance: He has a long fluffy tail which curls up at the end. Like a real squirrel, he uses his tail to balance on high platforms or beams. He has a large white stripe going down his face. He has a white/cream stripe on the underside of his tail. He has pointed ears tufts that cause his ears to flick once in a while. 

Personality: Sam is VERY protective of Felicity. He is like the older brother of the crew. He spends a lot of his free time practicing new combat skills. Although, Cindy can convince him to come out of the training room for Callie’s weekly “Crew-bonding game night”. It’s one of the only times he ever lets his guard down. He can be one of the bravest critters of the crew, but also the kindest (Second to Callie).

Fun Fact: Callie does not let him on the couch during the first few weeks of summer b/c he sheds a LOT. (in the wild, Squirrels will grow a very thick layer of fur to keep them warm and shed it off during the summer)

Name: Felicity Fox

Gender: Female

Pronouns: She/her

Age: 23

Height: 4’8

Species: Island fox

Job: On field agent

Planet: Gardenia

Power: She can create, grow, and repair broken plants. 

Appearance: She has gray fur on the top of her body, orange in the middle, and white on the bottom. She has multiple pink streaks going through her bangs. She pierced her left ear with small star earrings.

Personality: A true party animal. She loves to sing along to any Kesha song (her favorites are “Die Young” and “Tik Tok”) She has a confident, stylish, and glamorous attitude. She treats the world as a stage and loves performing, singing, dancing and engaging with her fans on social media on her mobile phone. Her performances mean a lot to her, and she wants to lift others up with her singing. Felicity loves everything that is pretty and elegant, she also has a love for more sinister things, a side that perfectly balances the one she shows to everyone else. One example is her love for scary and gloomy things, like ghosts.

Fun Fact: She managed to convince River that there’s a ghost in the left entertainment wing. To this day, he still takes the long way around.

Name: River

Gender: Male

Pronouns: He/Him

Age: 20

Height: 4’8

Species: Reindeer

Job: Navigator

Planet: Hoʻomaha (Hawaiian for Relax)

Appearance: His fur is a tawny brown with white on his snout and neck/chest fur. He decorates his antlers with holly leaves and red berries. He has a black and pink speckled nose. His cheeks are lined with freckles.

Personality: He is the most sensitive person in the group and is peaceful. It's very difficult to anger him. His infectiously pleasant attitude often endears him to others, and he returns the affection. Because of his sensitivity, he is also prone to fear and anxiety and usually feels isolated. He can also be clever at times. Although it rarely happens, if anyone does anything to put his friends in danger, he can get pretty angry.

Fun Fact: He and Felicity are best friends when it comes to discussing the Harry Potter movie and book series. He looks up to Sam like a brother and a mentor.

Name: Goldie Bear

Gender: Transfeminine  

Pronouns: She/Her

Age: 24

Height: 5’6

Species: Brown bear

Job: Chef

Planet: Aluria

Appearance: Goldie has light brown fur around her muzzle and on her paws. Her main fur color is dark brown. She has a light brown heart patch on her eye.

Personality: She is a kind hearted soul who will be willing to take down a whole army if it means protecting her crew. She loves to bake and cook, always trying to find a new recipe to try. She loves ballet and dances at her aunt's studio on her home Planet. 

Fun Fact: She is allergic to chocolate and makes her own so she doesn't break out.

Name: Dally Dalmatian

Gender: Nonbinary 

Pronouns: They/them

Age: 24

Height: 5’6

Species: Dalmatian 

Job: On field agent 

Planet: Draconia

Power: Fire manipulation and creation

Appearance: Dally has an “X” shape on their face made completely of small spots. Both of their ears are a solid black and they have spots on their arm which makes it look like they’re wearing fingerless gloves. They always comb his fur into a part.

Personality: They’re a dare-devil, sports loving, parkour master.They love everything athletic. Their favorite sports are tennis and volleyball. They’re a ball of pure energy and are like Callie. But, they can stay still for longer.

Fun Fact: They hate and are afraid of Zucchini. (Mainly Goldie's fault)

Name: Hollyhock

Gender: Female

Pronouns: She/They

Age: 24

Height: 5’8

Species: Horse

Job: Medic

Planet: Catatonia

Appearance: She is a Clydesdale horse with a blonde mane and tail.They usually tie their mane back in a braid or a ponytail. Her forehead has a small star shaped scar on it.

Personality: Hollyhock’s a southern gal who prides friendship and honesty above all. They love farm fashion and wear a flower clip in their mane. She talks in a southern accent and loves Goldie’s apple pie.

Fun Fact: They practice the art of makeup. Usually, either Cindy or River volunteer for her to practice on.

Original Space Rider Au by: onyxonline.tumblr.com

[novantinuum]

how about first impressions part 3 for the wip game!

uwu bless u fwiend, for picking the OC infested one I am very excited about rn :D

For those who haven’t checked it out, this is my silly little Gem hybrid OC fic I have! It features my OC Jean Maverick traveling to Beach City for the very first time (a few years post canon) to finally make contact with other Gems and learn more about this side of their heritage.

Part 3 features a whole tour of Little Homeschool with Bismuth, and it’s been fun coming up with headcanons for what their student housing is like. Here’s a little preview:

_

The final stop on Bismuth’s tour is the dormitory, which is housed within the central tower.

“Now, many of the Gems who attend our school are at a delicate transitory stage in their lives,” she says, leading Jean through the front entrance of the dorm. “Plenty of them have never been alone for more than a second, so the concept of ‘personal belongings’ and having a space that’s all their own is… well, for lack of a better term, alien.”

They nod as they follow Bismuth through the building’s lobby, each and every step bringing a new curiosity to gawk in awe at. Damn, this place is insane! The whole core of this tower is open air, with a set of transparent elevator-like pads stationed at the middle to ferry folks up and down from each level. There’s tons of greenery and light brightening up the space, and a number of railed walkways arcing across this central atrium from different angles every few floors. These walkways even have flowering vines hanging from the undersides, giving this building a strikingly organic vibe despite its concrete heavy architecture style. It all feels very… oh, what’s the style Dad always said he likes again—? Very, uh… very solar punk. Yes, that’s it. A sort of combination of solar punk and neo-futurism, what with all the bold angles and sweeping curves represented here.

A few Gems wave at Bismuth as the two of them pass by, heading towards the lift system.

“Thus, when building this school,” their tour guide continues, “we settled on dorm style accommodations, hoping that it could provide a nice balance between community and solo living for our students.”

“How many students are housed here?” Jean asks, stepping up on the platform with her.

Bismuth taps her fingers against the diamond shaped screen inlaid in the half-wall that separates the lifts— probably imputing a floor— and the crystalline platform jolts to life. “Currently? About a hundred seventy or so,” she responds, turning back to face them. “And our roster rotates all the time. But the school itself serves plenty more— there’s a lot of Gems who choose to warp in for their classes, and others who only attend one or two.”

They hum in acknowledgement, falling quiet to enjoy the smooth ride up to one of the upper levels. 

[fountainpenguin]

"We ain't gotta make up- just kiss me! We could straight-up blame it on the whiskey..." (x)

---

New Dog's Life chapter today! ~ 3rd Life series fan-season

Chapter 25 - “Reheat (Cleo, Martyn)”

❤️ Read on AO3

💛 Start from Chapter 1

💚 More Pixels Imperfect fics

And the award for "Most Zombiewood song I've ever heard" goes to...

---

Is it morally okay to pretend your hitbox gives you enough collision to seduce your ex-soulmate when your queerplatonic partner (who is the admin) catches you sneaking outside the server hub to bury each other alive and you're trying to cover up a crime? Asking for a friend.

AKA - Realizing you're less scared to fake date your ex than ask your allay hybrid partner to lift his ban on dirt blocks is one heckuva wake-up call.

(First 1,500 words under the cut)

---

ZombieCleo - Zombie

Status: Frustrated; getting into character

Historian, museum curator, and stadium gamemaster

💙  🧡  💚

No lanterns or torches light this sliver of a cave. Only the glow of one another's eyes, plus the occasional sparkle of the meerkat soul Martyn's cycling back into the system. Cleo can see in near total blackness and Martyn's probably much the same - the perks of being undead - but the way the irises gleam above that grim frown is so familiar that it rattles and stings inside her chest.

Back on Double Life, he used to sit slumped over his dining table just like that, alternating between staring at the wall or shoveling bread, carrots, and cut steak in his mouth by the fistful. Cleo could see him through his windows from across the ravine, though considering how sloppy of an eater he was when he thought no one was watching, she didn't make a habit of it.

Nothing's changed. They were acquaintances before - a zombie and a phantom whose paths crossed whenever she came looking for Bdubs - and nothing's really changed. It's business and for peace, and she wonders if she's doing it wrong. It's supposed to be some heart-wrenching thing, isn't it? Fake dating?

It hasn't set in yet, I suppose. Martyn's making this easy, though. For all his sassy quips and grandiose indulgence in one-liners, he's taking this as seriously as an injured spawnling in his arms. They fumble as he bends his head and she tries to get close enough to see what she's doing without stabbing flower roots through his ear. She's leaning weight on him and he holds them steady. She can hear his beating hearts in the silence of the dark, dark tunnel.

The thing is, they're both experienced players. They've both played a nice mix of SMPs. They're doing roleplay prep. They're running through the safety checks. This is steady and easy. They haven't stepped off the platform yet or plunged into the unknown. Improv's jarring, but there's a nice passion to be found in not following a script.

Set the building blocks. Do the safety checks. Start the performance. Never tell Scott that it isn't true. This is their business. Scott doesn't need to know.

Cleo tucks the blue flower behind Martyn's ear, pressing gently through the spot his blond hair sprouts short and tight against his skin. "Just one," they tell him, because this is already far enough. The turf is crumbly and dangerous beneath their feet. Not literally. Scott ran this whole place up and down with bedrock like a dragon breathing fire. Martyn holds their wrist, his other hand down in his pocket, and honestly… she can respect that. He wants to touch, and she knows he wants to touch, but it's nice that he pretends. She touches the flower to his temple. "You lose this and I'm going to be so cross."

"Got it." Martyn reaches up to trace the flower petals with his fingertips. He pets it like a lizard clinging to his head. "So is there any hidden 'zombie culture' meaning I need to know about this?"

'Zombie culture' is a questionable term, honestly, but they humor him as they thread the stem just a little farther back. "One is like… Holding hands. Two flowers is more like hugging in public, arms low, and three is a sort of pre-courtship thing. Four is like if I walked around wearing your jacket."

For the sake of metaphor, they ignore the obvious: that the jacket would respawn on him if they moved more than a chunk or two apart. Martyn doesn't, because he's petty, and Cleo thumps him in the chest.

"Look, just… Mm. My flowers are different- They're flowers and you're wearing them. I figure that makes the most sense- implying something's going on behind closed doors." Her hearts thump high in her chest, but that's got a lot less to do with Martyn and a lot more to do with the vague, frightened figure that is Scott scrambling towards them as fast as he non-teleporting legs and muffled wings can take him.

"Wait- Your flowers can separate from your skin?" Suddenly, he looks way more interested in the science than in the fake courtship scheme in the first place. "Are these real? Does this work with carrots?"

Cleo looks at the blue flower in her hand, then at him. "It's just a visual overlay of my pixels, Martyn- like how your boots turn into crocs. I'm giving you pixels that just look like flowers."

Something flickers in his face like a shadow on the moon. "You're sharing pixels with me?"

"Yeah? You literally eat my pixels every time you log me out."

"Well, yeah, but…" He exhales. Bending his neck, he gives her more room to work the flower through the edge of his hair. "Right, okay. So we're keeping up appearances, then."

"I mean, if you'd like to. Scott's going to have questions. We need a backstory." Cleo looks at him. He looks at her. Even with his fangs, they set their teeth identically. It's like they're linked even now. Cleo sighs. "No, no… I know."

"Look, if you're not comfortable-" (He doesn't have to finish.)

"Holding hands won't give us much to build on in terms of story. We need to ramp it up. Go bigger if we risked sneaking out here. Hold still- You're getting two more flowers."

"Ooh, what?"

Cleo pulls a second flower from their hair. The roots resist, but a long, steady tug finally convinces them to slide loose from her pores. She reaches up to Martyn's head. "Now, if you intend to flaunt these, let me give you some tips. These don't wilt, but the roots dig through skin to get a firm grip. They always start at the left ear and work their way around like a headband. With three, you make a triangle."

Martyn shakes his hands back and forth. "No, uh… Cleo, I kind of want to start dating again."

"What? WOW! Oh, you are headed for-"

"No, no, no! I mean… Oh my word."

Martyn breaks into wheezy laughter, then gestures towards the edge of the perimeter with a shifting wing. It's way out of sight down the slope. They're up near the whirring moat- just far enough in that it might be believable they didn't notice the door seal shut, but close enough that Scott won't have a hard time finding them. He'll have to climb a few fallen rock heaps and squeeze through a dangerously tight passageway, but that's on him. This was his design.

"No, I meant- Netty's logout anniversary… I gave myself time- I really did! I've been wishy-washy with my bachelor status for a long while - even had a 100-day fling with Mumbo - but I'm officially single and ready to mingle again. I'm trying to figure out… Look, two flowers is enough between us, I think? Don't want to signal myself as off the market."

He winces as the stem pricks the soft skin of his head. Cleo ignores it, pushing deeper. She says, "I can do a polycule headband for you instead, if you like. It's a different pattern."

Martyn coughs another laugh. "Do you know how long I've been trying to get a date? Scott's never gonna believe I got two. Is there a design for 'hot single phantoms in your area?'"

Cleo holds back a chuckle, shoving the second flower into place with a little less grace and ceremony. It's the mental link with Scott that's wobbling her concentration. Scott's rushing, but having a difficult time. His anxiety rings across their allay bond, though he's probably trying to avoid attention if he can. If people are watching him and he can't teleport, he'll do his best to assure them nothing's wrong. "In the decor customs? I wouldn't know. What do single phantoms do to puff themselves up like big, strong men?"

"There aren't single phantoms. Even if you decimate a flock, the last one will go join a new one. We don't really live the 'single' life. We're skin and bones and we scavenge- Take away the flock and we get beat up."

"Oh, poor you."

Martyn laughs again, fingers brushing across the blue flowers behind his ear. His tail ticks against the bedrock wall and Cleo can hear the soft beating of his hearts, one after the other. Martyn doesn't make eye contact and he's an info dumper. It's what he does. She adds more flowers as he waxes on a moment more about captains sharing food and love hearts and full moon nights. When he stutters out, mumbling something about betas, Cleo can't stop the sputtered laugh.

"Wow…"

"It's not like, literal-" Martyn shakes his head. "Whoa, hold on- let's get something straight- Bdubs and I aren't a pair-off! I was still wee little Martyn when he took me under his wing. Freshly out of EVO! I finished the rest of my Education courses here in New Star; Bdubs has literally known me since before my fangs grew in. I was silver spoonfed 'til I graduated."

"I can always introduce you to my friends. Y'know, like- 'Hello everybody: my soulmate is single.'"

"Aw, no…"

[Full chapter on AO3 - Link at top]

[beardedmrbean]

Meta Platforms, the billionaire's social media empire, will reportedly cut thousands more jobs.

Mark Zuckerberg made clear: 2023 would be the year of efficiency at Meta Platforms.

He proposed a severe austerity plan that could be hardened further at any time. And critical to the effort at Facebook's parent were cutting massive numbers of jobs and tossing projects deemed unimportant.

"Meta’s Year of Efficiency," the company's  (META) - Get Free Report chief executive called 2023 in a blog post last month. "As I’ve talked about efficiency this year, I’ve said that part of our work will involve removing jobs -- and that will be in service of both building a leaner, more technical company and improving our business performance to enable our long-term vision."

The pivot in strategy, which followed "rapid revenue growth year after year," stems from the fact that the "world economy changed, competitive pressures grew, and our growth slowed considerably," Zuckerberg explained.

"We should prepare ourselves for the possibility that this new economic reality will continue for many years," he warned.

Meta's Jobs Bloodbath Is Not Over

As a result, the social-media stalwart cut 21,000 jobs from last November through mid-March. First came a wave of 11,000 cuts on Nov. 9, followed in mid-March by another 10,000.

And the bloodbath is not over, according to the latest reports. Meta plans to eliminate thousands more jobs. According to Bloomberg News, an internal memo has been sent to managers, asking them to prepare for tough new announcements. 

The job cuts, which total 4,000, are expected to affect Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. 

They would also affect Reality Labs, the division that houses the group's metaverse projects -- Quest virtual-reality headsets. In 2021 and 2022, Reality Labs, which is supposed to build the company's next big thing, recorded a cumulative loss of nearly $24 billion, including $13.7 billion just last year.

"This will be a difficult time as we say goodbye to friends and colleagues who have contributed so much to Meta," Lori Goler, Meta's head of people, wrote in the memo.

A Meta spokesperson confirmed the reports but added that it was the execution of announcements made in mid-March. The spokesperson then referred to the CEO's blog post.

Meta  (META) - Get Free Report plans to reorganize teams, while the remaining employees will be reassigned to work under new managers. 

The company has asked North American employees who can work from home not to come to the office this Wednesday in preparation for the announcement.

The company had 86,482 employees as of December 2022.

Meta Efficiency Update Expected in Q1 Report

Meta on April 26 is set to report first-quarter results, during which Zuckerberg will no doubt provide an update on his "Year of Efficiency." 

Investors particularly want to know whether these drastic cost reductions have started to bear fruit at a time when the company, like other tech firms, has joined the artificial-intelligence ​​arms race.

In the fourth quarter of 2022, Meta's revenue fell 4% to $32.1 billion, while net income dropped 55% to $4.65 billion. 

Facebook monthly active users were 2.96 billion at Dec. 31, an increase of 2% year over year.

"After restructuring, we plan to lift hiring and transfer freezes in each group," Zuckerberg said in his March's blog post. 

"Other relevant efficiency timelines include targeting this summer to complete our analysis from our hybrid work year of learning so we can further refine our distributed work model. We also aim to have a steady stream of developer productivity enhancements and process improvements throughout the year."

In other words, Meta isn't done cutting jobs yet.

[circadiananomaly]

It…. It is done… Time; 13 hours over 3 days, because again, this is my first digital drawing in pretty much a year… Program used was Ibis Paint X. Despite the color layer giving me grief, I never should have switched to MediBang; it cleared my gallery twice…

Small update; Added his ability and his eye color cuz I completely forgot before.

Meet Derrick! A complete rework of Nicholas; I lifted the restrictions I put on myself and let myself be cringe and free.

Yeppers! Brand spanking new background color; it is not longer a blinding white! Woo!

Meet Derrick! He’s a Hitmonlee/Lopunny Hybrid! Ah, shit, I forgot about his height. He’s 5 feet tall, a literal inch taller than average. It’s a funky little fella, usually minding his own business and battling while looking good in his outfits, lol. The third outfit is basically thigh high shoes, btw! I may rework them into thigh high platformers; who knows?

I am going to try to see which of my other pokesonas I can rework at this point. But yeah,,, my drawings will be fairly slow as I got things to do, and I’m getting back in the swing of things.

I hope I can get in a new drawing within the next few days.

- Cicada, very glad my brain finally decided that this piece was done… [:

[soft--dragon]

I posted 1,609 times in 2022

1,596 posts created (99%)

13 posts reblogged (1%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@soft--dragon

@fluffallamaful

@tasmanianstripes

@spectral-ask-memes

@rowlets-are-seriously-round

I tagged 1,605 of my posts in 2022

#dragons asks - 1,539 posts

#b3an1e io - 143 posts

#joker anon - 129 posts

#nicodiangelofanboy - 124 posts

#crownin the stars - 115 posts

#bat anon - 101 posts

#squirrel anon - 68 posts

#sh0rt cak3 - 63 posts

#wolf anon - 37 posts

#artymiswritesfics - 36 posts

Longest Tag: 65 characters

#i recommend anyone who loves bedrock bros and fluff to go read it

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Light-Hearted In Limbo

Inspired by this ask here

I changed the prompt a bit, hope that's okay &lt;3

Word Count: 3,368

Warnings: A bit of a depressive episode in the beginning but it leads to hurt/comfort and a lot of fluff :D

This is a SFW tickle fic, if you don’t like that then don’t read :)

ALL PLATONIC, PLEASE DON'T INTERACT SHIPPERS

A low, flat hum echoed in the depressive cold of the platform. It made the space horribly eerie, chilling to anything that could hear it. Though, as far as Wilbur Soot was concerned, nothing heard him. His fingers were raw with how long he’d been scratching his nails down the walls, but he couldn’t stop himself from doing it over, and over, and over again. His glazed eyes were locked to the dried blood on the concrete, the previous attempts of escape of his eternal prison stared straight back at him. 

This was his purgatory. A constant, repetitive pattern that never stopped. He was going to suffer this fate forever, he knew it, it was practically written on the wall alongside his blood. He was never escaping. Never. Never. 

“-ilbur! Oi! Wilbur!” 

Hands landed on Wilbur’s tightly drawn shoulders, the contact burning through the thick trench coat wrapped around the man’s shoulders. He couldn’t keep the scream from wrenching from his constricted lungs, swiping out at the thing attacking him and curling up tighter. 

“Hey! Jesus fucking christ, don’t hit me dickhead!”

In his panic, Wilbur tried to shove at the hands still digging into his skin. “Let go of me! Let go- don’t hurt m-me- please-”

The hands left his shoulders almost immediately and Wilbur shuddered, the cold drowning him once more and making his heart ache for the warmth to return, even if it had been overwhelming. He hunched in on himself, shivering against the freezing floor. 

The silence was louder than his previous yelling, the stillness in the air making the man’s skin crawl. Then, a small sigh sounded out, making him flinch and press closer to the wall.

“Wilbur, I’m not gonna hurt you.” The gruff voice was quiet, concern lining the edges.

Recognition tingled in the back of Wilbur’s brain and he hesitantly lifted his head to risk a look. A pair of orange eyes looked back at him, framed by mutton chops and gnarled, chipped horns. 

“S-Schlatt?” Wilbur croaked, staring at the semi-translucent ram hybrid in front of him. After all this time in his hellscape, had he finally lost it? 

The man before him let out a small breath again. “Yeah,” he moved back a bit, not to crowd the brunette. “You look like shit.”

Wilbur blinked rapidly, making the ram hybrid come more into focus. Schlatt was squatting on the concrete, watching him with careful eyes, his ears bent back in clear apprehension of Wilbur freaking out again.

So, Wilbur slowly let go of the vice grip on his knees, then kicked Schatt’s ankle.

“Fuck!” Schlatt fell back with a yell, gripping his foot tightly and gritting his teeth. “What the fuck man?! Why’d you do that?!”

Wilbur fully sat up, eyebrows high and teeth gritted together. “You scared the crap out of me!" he snapped.

Schlatt grumbled, rubbing his stinging ankle. “Yeah no shit, I can see that- fuck that hurt man, the fucks wrong with you?" 

Wilbur was too busy trying to wrap his head around the situation to really acknowledge Schlatt's griping. "How did you get here?" He asked. 

The ram glared at him but the pain in his ankle seemed to have calmed as he answered gruffly. "Got bored."

Wilbur stared at him for a moment, the cogs in his head screeching against each other as he slowly processed that nugget of information. "Bored? How the hell did you leave your limbo?" 

Schlatt shrugged. "Don't know. Don't care. I figured it out somehow." He dropped his hands behind him, propping himself up. "I wanted something entertaining after years of pure hell." 

Something angry curled in the base of Wilbur’s gut, and he glared at the man. “Don’t expect anything from me, I’m still pissed at you.”

Schlatt dipped his head to the side almost patronisingly. “Still? Dude, it’s been like, what? Ten years since everything happened? Why can’t we just go back to old times?”

See the full post

173 notes - Posted June 18, 2022

#4

Give Us A Laugh, We Miss It

Inspired by this ask here

Word Count: 2,178

Warnings: None

This is a SFW tickle fic, if you don’t like that then don’t read :)

Ranboo's sing-song voice hummed out in the room, “Not gonna get me~”

“How do you not laugh at anythin’?” Tommy demanded, slapping a hand into the armrest of his chair as he turned to look at the masked teen beside him. “We really can’t see you trying not to- ya know-” He pulled a face as if holding his breath and bringing a hand to cover his mouth, emphasising Ranboo’s advantage of the mask hiding his features, only for the teen to throw his hands up in a helpless shrug.

“No- I just haven’t- I legitimately have not laughed,” he replied, his own words tapering off at Tubbo’s mutter of, ”I’m gonna rip it off.” His eyes were impishly glinting, which were the only things seeable in the fabric of his red hoodie that was practically drowning him. The narrowed pair of eyes were locked right on Ranboo’s black and white face covering. 

Ranboo leaned away with an unseeable smile of amusement. “Don’t you dare rip it off.”

“I have scissors.”

“Don’t rip it off.”

The threat however, was indeed acted upon later that same night. 

When they hit end stream, Ranboo slipped off the glasses and mask with a content sigh, his eyes squinting with his smile at the pair on either side of him.

“That went well I think,” he commented, “can’t believe I’m the one that got you both to lose though.”

“We weren’t expecting you to make a balls joke!” Tommy defended, tapping at his keyboard to send a message to his editors about the vod. 

“I didn’t, I was just stating a fact!”

“Bullshit, you knew what you were doing,” Tubbo grumbled, glaring at his phone which was being flooded with Twitter notifications from the tweet he was forced to make from losing the challenge. 

Ranboo chuckled quietly, folding his glasses and placing them on the desk alongside the iconic mask, stretching his arms back over his chair. He was unaware of Tubbo staring at him rather intensely. 

Tommy however, scoffed loudly. “Oh, so you laugh now that the cameras are off? Such a bastard.”

The faceless streamer gave an offended noise. “What? We’re not doing the challenge anymore! Why wouldn’t I laugh now?”

Tubbo leaned towards him, a devious smirk on his face as a plan formulated in his head. "That’s a good point Ran, we haven’t heard you laugh in so long. I think you owe us some laughter.” 

Ranboo gave him an odd look, confusion evident in his face. “Huh?”

Tommy, who had taken part and fallen victim in Tubbo’s schemes before, knew exactly where the boy’s mind was headed, and he turned in his chair slowly, a mischievous grin stretching on his face. 

Now, Ranboo was running laps of Tubbo’s house, screaming like Wario as Tommy and Tubbo skidded after him, cackling madly as they tried to cut off the American from escaping.

“Bugger off! Both of you! Just- Tommy, crAP!” Ranboo had to slide on the floorboards with his socked feet to avoid running straight into the blonde, changing course mid-motion to bolt towards the kitchen instead. 

Tommy gave a yell of outrage. “Oi! No- Tubbo catch him! Catch him!”

Tubbo absolutely leapt across the space, managing to grab Ranboo around the waist and cling on with surprising strength, planting his heels into the ground and laughing when the boy almost stumbled to the floor. "Got him! I got him, Tom!”

“Hold him there!”

Ranboo dropped an arm to Tubbo’s side, squeezing quickly at the skin and delighting at Tubbo’s squeal of alarm, the boy immediately scrambling away from Ranboo and releasing him. Unfortunately for the tall teen, Tommy had skidded in front of the kitchen doorway, blocking off his one way of escape. 

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173 notes - Posted August 15, 2022

#3

Meetups in Florida

Inspired by this ask here

Word Count: 2,866

Warnings: None

This is a SFW tickle fic, if you don’t like that then don’t read :)

Meeting Dream was one of the biggest, coolest, pogchampest moment of Tommy’s life.

The guy was just so awesome! The moment Tommy knocked on the door and it opened to reveal Dream in all his 6’3 glory, he’d cracked a grin and pulled Tommy into a warm embrace. Tommy clung on, the hug making him giddy beyond reason.

“It’s good to finally see you kiddo,” he spoke softly, Tommy was able to hear the smile in his voice.

“You too big man,” Tommy’s voice was just about a whisper, in awe of the whole situation. Dream was right here, he was hugging him, this was happening.

Sapnap was just as ecstatic to meet Tommy, sweeping him up into his arms and spinning him around, laughing with the boy as he clung back to his friend.

“The gremlin child is in the house!” Sapnap whooped, stopping in his excited spinning and simply bear hugging the teen close.

“Aye! I’m not a child, bitch!”

“First cuss in the house and he’s barely been here five minutes,” Dream laughed from where he was leaning against the wall.

“But he didn’t deny he was a gremlin!” Sapnap grinned, gently putting Tommy down and ruffling his hair affectionately. “It’s awesome to meet you bud.”

Tommy pretended he wasn’t leaning into the hand messing with his curls, his toothy smile spread across his face. “You too Sap Nappitus."

The rest of the day was filled up by relaxing together and planning the vlog they were going to film the next day. Dream was suggesting visiting his favourite places that would allow Tommy to see Florida. While Sapnap offered a petting zoo, knowing Tommy's love for animals and wanting to indulge the kid.

In the end, they decided to do both. Vlog Tommy's tour of Florida, but leave the petting zoo off camera. The adults agreed that not everything had to go on film, Tommy didn't have to be pumping out content the entire trip. Some moments could be left for them to enjoy.

The entire time they were talking, Tommy had been leaning on one of them. He’d pre-warned them he was going to get clingy during the meet up, and got an amused “It’s okay Toms, you’re more than welcome to." And with that reassurance, Tommy became the human embodiment of a barnacle. Whether he was touching a knee to one of theirs, leaning on their side, or simply hugging them close, Tommy was in full ‘clingy raccoon mode’. Dream and Sapnap may have sent boastful texts to Wilbur who promptly sent them a photo of his middle finger and a plane ticket to Florida.

They weren’t sure if the second picture was a joke or not.

To Dream and Sapnap’s delight, Tommy was just as sweet and kind as he was off camera. His internet persona was completely gone, leaving one of the more adorable teenagers they’d ever met.

Sapnap gave Tommy bear hugs constantly, ruffling his hair and gently flicking his forehead when the boy said a particularly cheeky comment. Dream kept carding his fingers through Tommy’s curls when he leaned into the older man’s side, dropping nicknames and compliments left and right when he saw fit. Tommy was relishing in the contact and praise. He usually got it from Wilbur, and having to visit America without him sucked, the loneliness was suffocating. However, with the people he was meeting and spending time with, it helped the ache in his chest.

The hours were whisked away, soon night approached and the trio were kicked back in the lounge, sharing stories and laughing, simply enjoying each other’s company in person after being stuck behind a screen for so long.

Tommy had eaten the snacks provided, but when you’re a 6’3 teenager and still growing, you tend to need a larger portion of food. Sapnap grinned at him when Tommy’s stomach growled, already pulling out a takeaway menu and throwing it at him.

“I’ll go pick it up when we’ve ordered,” he said, standing and going to find his phone.

Tommy, who was leaning on Dream’s shoulder, held the pamphlet up to the man. “What you getting?”

Dream hummed, leaning over to read the name of the food place before dropping his cheek into Tommy’s hair. “Burger,” he replied simply.

The blonde snorted with a fond eye roll. “You are so American.”

“Don’t worry Tommy, I’ll bring you onto our side one day.”

“No- No you won’t, I’m a proud British boy, I will never leave my old ways bitch.”

“Yes you will,” Dream grinned, hugging Tommy closer and squeezing a bit. “I’ll bring you over to the land of guns, burgers and gators!”

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177 notes - Posted January 14, 2022

#2

Welcome Home (Don't Leave Just Yet)

Inspired by this ask here

Word Count: 960

Warnings: None

This is a SFW tickle fic, if you don’t like that then don’t read :)

ALL PLATONIC, DON'T MAKE ME GRAB MY NERF GUN >:(

"Toms-"

"Shut up."

"Tommy, I have to get up."

"No you don't."

"I can't stay here forever."

"I'll make you. You're my personal pillow. You're not moving."

Ranboo sighed heavily, (fondly,) and carded a hand over Tommy's fluffy hair. "I leave for a few weeks and then you become a barnacle?"

"I'm much cooler than a barnacle, bitch," Tommy readjusted his arms and smooshed his face further into the crook of Ranboo's neck.

The taller streamer tried not to flinch at the contact, his smile widening as Tommy's breath tickled his neck. "Oh really?" He teased, "much cooler than a barnacle?"

"Obviously yes, that's what I just said."

"Would a barnacle still be able to cling onto rocks if it was tickled?"

"Barnacles aren't ticklish, you nimrod."

"I know, but you are."

Tommy's eyes slammed open, his whole body tensing. He blinked up at Ranboo who was grinning widely and felt a flutter of nerves in his stomach.

"W-Well- I'm- I'm not that ticklish-"

Ranboo hummed, tapping his fingers against Tommy's waist and smirking when the boy flinched. "So you're saying if I tickled you, you wouldn't let go?"

Tommy internally screamed. This is a trap, this is a trap, this is a trap-

"Duh, I'm better than a barnacle, I'll just hold on tighter if you tickle me!" Tommy tried to hide his growing nerves with bravado.

"Is that so?"

Fingers softly - so softly they barely touched - trailed along Tommy's sides. The blonde squeaked and shoved his face back into Ranboo's chest, clenching his hoodie tightly. Not even two seconds and he was already cracking.

"How are you doing Toms?" Ranboo chuckled, massaging his fingertips into the gaps between the boy's ribs.

"G-Greheheat," Tommy gasped, hugging Ranboo around his middle more, all the while in fits of giggles. "Juhust pehehachy!"

"Well that's good to hear," Ranboo skittered his fingers up and down Tommy's side and ribs in alternating patterns, keeping the boy guessing. "I would've thought that you'd let go by now."

His thumbs pressed into his hips for a moment, a smirk lifting Ranboo's mouth when Tommy squealed. He focused back on the blonde teen's sides, brushing over his lower back every once in a while.

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224 notes - Posted February 6, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Snowstorm Serenity

Based off of this prompt here

Word Count: 3,325

Warnings: None

This is a SFW tickle fic, if you don’t like that then don’t read :)

Ranboo could be called many things. Skittish. Quiet. Hardworking.

One thing that popped into Phil and Techno’s heads was, at this moment, awkward. The tall teen was sitting rigid in the plush couch of their cabin, hands squeezing the fabric of his dress pants and eyes nervously flitting around the room. He was the embodiment of a paranoid feline on catnip.

You see, there was an awfully strong snowstorm blustering outside. Phil being the worrisome father figure he was, invited Ranboo to stay in their well fortified home instead of the rickety cabin the enderman hybrid had made. It took a bit of convincing, the boy was extremely hesitant to invade the pair’s own house, but after a bit more reassuring and coaxing, Phil got him to agree.

However, once in the warm and cosy home, Ranboo looked terribly out of place.

Phil sat beside him, his wings twitching in worry and agitation at Ranboo’s restlessness. He tried to focus on the book he was reading, the mug of steaming tea in his free hand slowly going cold the longer he neglected it. Techno sat alone across the room, weapons laid out on the table with the piglin hybrid re-enchanting them back to their best. The only sounds in the room were the crackling fire, the raging snowstorm outside the cabin, and the occasional chimes of a tool being fully restored.

Ranboo’s tall ears perked and flicked at the different sounds in the room, his eyes not staying in one spot for more than a few seconds before they jumped somewhere else. Phil finally cracked after another minute of it.

He sighed. “Ranboo.”

The boy immediately winced, ears dipping close to his head and making Phil’s heart squeeze sadly. The pair of wide heterochromia eyes met his own, and all the blonde could see was anxiety.

“Y-Yes Philza?” Ranboo stumbled over his words, shoulder subconsciously curling further inward.

Phil released a short huff, an easy smile lifting his lips. “We’ve gone over this mate, you can call me Phil.”

Ranboo stared at him for a moment before giving a slow, timid nod.

Phil set down his book and tea, resting his elbows on his knees and dipping his head to the side. He cleared his throat a bit. “You don’t have to be so tense Ranboo, neither of us are gonna bite you.”

Ranboo, once again, nodded mutely. The action was incredibly stiff and looked like it took all of the boy’s willpower to do it. Damn, how freaked out was this kid?

Phil was scrambling for a way to get the boy to open up and relax when Techno dropped a sword on the table with a loud clatter, making them both flinch.

The piglin had a rather bored look on his face, eyes locked to Ranboo. “Kid, you’re allowed to chill out,” he grunted. “I know Phil and I seem intimidating, but Phil will literally chirp when you scratch a specific spot on his wings, and I will spend hours with the wolves and play with their pups.”

Phil made a slightly strangled sound at the admittance to his soft spot. Techno didn’t even spare him a glance.

“We’re both dorks,” he said bluntly, “if you’re afraid we’re gonna be mad at you for relaxing in our home you’re wrong. We invited you here cause it was cold outside and we wanted to make sure you were okay. Got me?”

Ranboo’s mouth had slipped open at Techno’s words, his ears perked up a bit but he was still showing signs of nervousness.

Techno clearly spotted it. He folded his hands on his lap and dipped his ears marginally, both were attempts to soften his broad frame. “What’s eatin’ ya kid?” He asked, somehow managing to sound gentle and firm at the same time.

Ranboo winced again, making Phil want to hug him and Techno even more determined to find a way to make him relax.

“I-I…I just-” Ranboo’s grip on his pants tightened further, the words stumbling over each other as if they were new-born deer learning to walk. “...I shouldn’t- I’m not supposed to-” His tail twitched anxiously at his side, his eyes planted on the floor. “I shouldn’t be…doing nothing.”

There was a sound of confusion from Phil and a hum from Techno.

The piglin sat back in his chair, looking at the teen with a neutral expression. “How come?” he asked plainly.

Ranboo flicked his eyes up to Techno in confusion. “Be- Because you let me stay here? I need to pay rent and- and I can’t fall behind- and I need to be ready for…for anything. I can’t afford to relax when someone might…you know…attack? That’s all anyone seems to do here. Fight each other.”

There was a hand suddenly on his shoulder. Ranboo flinched at the touch and snapped his gaze to Phil who was looking at him sadly.

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251 notes - Posted March 8, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[kuraikyu]

@mamoriitai : “Master Geto, what do you believe defines a true jujutsu sorcerer?”

ㅤ𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 warmer note. Geto could be found indulged in something more artistic than public affairs, and dare one say -- certainly chilling in no atmospheric context of Lost Lenore. Trifle rainbow flecks laminated walls and floor where light processed through colorful glass of wind bells in broadly opened door frame; with an overview upon the mossy garden.

The motion was executed in a brief pause concurrently with sonorous thud of decreased bamboo sōzu. He wasn't alone anymore.

All the possibilities to summarize extensional and intensional definitions, yet none succors his concept to fit properly and bring the essence to the surface. Perhaps today's hybrid Solar Eclipse was affecting his powers of reasoning alongside focus, or -- for all one knows in its entirety things were much simpler he just didn't try to pronounce them for reasons unknown.

From someone like Geto, with stance of political extremism and a wish to restore order and define bounds - /𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐭/ was naturally anticipated to be heard first. Suguru needed to be no philosopher to understand that not every mind could find compatibility like Zodiac signs unless heard what's desired, but let's not presume diplomacy, for right now he stood on no platform requiring charisma and silver tongue. He had moreover no urgent need for a counsel and could bail himself a luxury of crooked mindset. They all were fighters and survivors here, grand, unbend, and unbroken. Amid thoughtful immersion of current activity, brush penumbrally slid along the paper creating unclear calligraphic patterns. There was a unique lift to Sayuri's presence, where her vibrant oscillation filled the entire place; her curiosity was welcomed here. The mentioned question made eyebrows inquisitively arch. Not relating the term to its broader category, the curse user managed non-hesitant manners before voice came to a crescendo.

'' I'm afraid you came to meet letdown. The more I remember days from past, the more I realize there are no published glossaries or paragon of Jujutsushi, " a meek half-shrug came to notion, but it wasn't entirely the final nail on the coffin as if a new idea - properly invigorating - changed his mind for continuation, " but what I believe Jujutsu Sorcerers deserve is to be defined by belief and life-path choices; for every Jujutsu user is limitless and special. ''

" —— /we/ are special, " he coaxed and highlighted 'we' by vocal emphasis and barest tinge of pride while looking at her expression where he theorized to find a perspective of sorts and ( if possible ) elevated demeanor.

Once vision returned back to the paper, what emerged on traditional washi issued an act of eye-opener ... for what was supposed to be radical 木 ( tree ) - turned into 本 ( book ). And all the blame fell on the brush within his hand, which created a dot below and forced him to create a new line. He smiled at what newly appeared. Oh, well.

[danielsiegelalonso]

New Transformations: How Streaming Platforms Changed the Music Consumption Landscape | Daniel Siegel Alonso

How we consume music has shifted dramatically in the last decade, and unless you've been living under a rock—or worse, still using CDs—you've probably noticed. Streaming platforms have radically changed how listeners access, discover, and listen to music, leaving the traditional music industry to play catch-up. Daniel Siegel Alonso examines the modern music landscape, where algorithms are king, and our favorite artists are a thumb tap away.

The Digital Shift

Siegel Alonso recalls buying an album meant a trip to the record store. You'd hold a physical album in your hands, leaf through the liner notes, and commit to a collection of songs, good or bad. But then Pandora came along in 2005, offering the ability to curate our listening experience with "stations" based on specific artists or genres. It felt like magic. Suddenly, you didn't have to wade through B-sides or skip tracks. Pandora's algorithm did the heavy lifting, using the Music Genome Project to suggest songs we'd actually enjoy.

Pandora set the stage for the streaming era, offering more personalized experiences. Instead of buying music, we started "renting" it, creating an all-you-can-eat buffet to sample styles and sounds like never before. Gone were the days of being tethered to your CD collection. Music was now light, instant, and, most importantly, endless.

The King of Discovery

Then came Spotify in 2008, which, Siegel Alonso points out, didn't just give us access to vast music libraries but also empowered us to be our own DJs. Spotify's playlists are like mixtapes for the modern era, only infinitely cooler. With user-generated and algorithm-curated playlists, you don't just listen to music—you explore it.

However, Spotify's most significant contribution might be its commitment to music discovery. With features like "Discover Weekly" and "Release Radar," the platform doesn't just suggest songs—it predicts what you'll like with frightening precision. It's like having a friend with impeccable music taste who happens to know you better than you know yourself.

This has changed the game for indie artists, who no longer need a major label deal to get noticed. One viral song on a Spotify playlist can catapult an unknown artist into the stratosphere. And while critics argue that streaming doesn't pay artists enough, there's no denying that the platform has democratized the music industry. Anyone can upload a track to Spotify and reach millions if the algorithm smiles on them.

The Satellite Pioneer

Let's not forget about SiriusXM, the old guard in a sense, which made its mark before streaming platforms by delivering a more curated radio experience via satellite. While it's less focused on on-demand streaming, SiriusXM has thrived by offering a hybrid of live radio and exclusive content. It's the home for music lovers who still want the human element of a DJ, along with the convenience of digital listening.

SiriusXM has also cleverly diversified its offerings, integrating talk shows, podcasts, and celebrity-hosted channels to keep its audience engaged. With its acquisition of Pandora in 2018, it's staying relevant in the digital streaming world, giving it a foothold in both satellite radio and algorithm-driven discovery.

The Algorithm's Double-Edged Sword

As great as this all sounds, Daniel Siegel Alonso points out that there's a flip side to the algorithm-driven music world. Streaming platforms thrive on engagement, so they're designed to keep you hooked—often at the expense of the art itself. While algorithms help us discover new music, they can also trap us in an echo chamber of familiar sounds. Ever notice how your "Discover Weekly" playlist starts sounding a bit...predictable? That's the algorithm learning what you like and serving you more of the same, often stifling your musical growth.

Plus, with so much content available, it can sometimes feel overwhelming. The paradox of choice is real—who among us hasn't spent more time browsing through albums than actually listening to them?

The New World of Music

Platforms like Pandora, Spotify, and SiriusXM have fundamentally changed how we listen to, discover, and share music. The landscape is broader, more diverse, and more accessible but comes with challenges. How we engage with music has become deeply personal, guided by algorithms. However, there's still something charming about stumbling across a song you've never heard before—whether through a playlist, a satellite radio show, or even an old-fashioned recommendation from a friend. And in this brave new world of limitless music, that's a shift worth celebrating.

[forkliftswork]

Boom Lift for Sale: Elevating Your Access Solutions

A boom lift is an essential piece of equipment for construction, maintenance, and industrial operations that require access to high and hard-to-reach areas. Investing in a boom lift for sale provides a reliable and efficient solution to enhance your productivity. This guide explores the benefits, features, and considerations when purchasing a boom lift.

Why Purchase a Boom Lift?

Acquiring a boom lift offers numerous advantages for your business operations:

Enhanced Reach and Flexibility Boom lifts provide extended reach and maneuverability, making them ideal for accessing tight spaces and performing overhead tasks efficiently.

Improved Safety Equipped with safety features such as harness attachment points and stable platforms, boom lifts allow workers to perform tasks at heights with reduced risk.

Increased Productivity With the ability to quickly and easily elevate workers and tools, boom lifts streamline tasks, reducing the time and effort required for manual or alternative methods.

Key Features to Consider in a Boom Lift for Sale

When exploring boom lifts for sale, it’s essential to focus on the following features to ensure you choose the right equipment:

Lift Height and Outreach Determine the maximum height and horizontal reach you need for your projects. Choose a boom lift that can meet these specifications to ensure all areas are accessible.

Load Capacity Ensure the boom lift can support the weight of workers, tools, and materials. Consider the maximum load capacity to avoid overloading and ensure safe operation.

Power Source Boom lifts are available in electric, diesel, and hybrid models. Consider the power source that best suits your work environment and operational needs.

Mobility and Terrain Capability Look for features such as four-wheel drive and outriggers if you require a boom lift that can navigate rough or uneven terrain.

Types of Boom Lifts for Sale

Various types of boom lifts cater to different applications, including:

Telescopic Boom Lifts for Sale: Also known as straight or stick boom lifts, these models provide a greater horizontal reach, making them ideal for areas that are difficult to access.

Articulating Boom Lifts for Sale: These lifts have multiple jointed sections that can maneuver around obstacles, offering enhanced versatility and flexibility.

Towable Boom Lifts for Sale: Easy to transport and set up, towable boom lifts are ideal for temporary jobs or remote locations.

How to Choose the Right Boom Lift

Choosing the right boom lift involves assessing your specific needs and operational requirements:

Evaluate Your Project Needs Consider the types of tasks, heights, and environments you’ll be working in to determine the most suitable boom lift features.

Budget Considerations Establish a budget that includes the purchase price, as well as potential costs for maintenance and operation.

After-Sales Support Purchase from a reputable dealer who offers comprehensive after-sales support, including maintenance services and readily available parts.

Where to Find Boom Lifts for Sale

Boom lifts can be found through construction equipment dealers, manufacturers, and online marketplaces. Comparing options and reading reviews can help you find the best deals and reliable equipment.

Final Thoughts on Boom Lift for Sale

Investing in a boom lift for sale is a strategic decision that can greatly enhance your operational efficiency and safety. By understanding your specific requirements and exploring the features of different models, you can make a well-informed purchase that supports your business’s growth and productivity.

[sifytechnologiessify]

Sify’s Cloud Migration Services: Seamlessly Transitioning to the Cloud for Business Agility and Growth

In today’s digital-first world, cloud technology has become a cornerstone of modern business operations. As companies look to scale, innovate, and stay competitive, the migration to cloud platforms is no longer just an option — it’s a strategic necessity. Sify Technologies, a leader in digital transformation, offers robust Cloud Migration Services that empower businesses to seamlessly transition to the cloud, ensuring operational continuity, enhanced performance, and long-term success.

The Imperative of Cloud Migration

Cloud migration is more than just a technical shift; it’s a transformative journey that redefines how businesses operate. By moving to the cloud, organizations can leverage advanced capabilities such as scalability, flexibility, and cost-efficiency, while also gaining access to cutting-edge tools and technologies that drive innovation. However, the migration process itself can be complex, requiring careful planning, execution, and management to minimize risks and maximize benefits.

Sify’s Cloud Migration Services are designed to simplify this process, providing businesses with a comprehensive, end-to-end solution that covers every aspect of migration — from initial assessment and planning to execution, optimization, and ongoing support. With Sify as a trusted partner, businesses can confidently navigate the complexities of cloud migration and unlock the full potential of cloud computing.

A Strategic Approach to Cloud Migration

Sify’s Cloud Migration Services are built on a strategic framework that ensures a smooth and successful transition to the cloud. This approach is tailored to meet the unique needs of each business, taking into account their existing infrastructure, operational requirements, and long-term goals.

1. Comprehensive Assessment and Planning

Every successful cloud migration begins with a thorough assessment of the current IT landscape. Sify’s experts conduct an in-depth analysis of the organization’s infrastructure, applications, and workloads to identify the best migration strategy. This includes evaluating the readiness of existing systems, identifying potential challenges, and determining the most suitable cloud environment — whether it’s public, private, or hybrid.

Based on this assessment, Sify develops a detailed migration plan that outlines the steps, timelines, and resources required to execute the migration efficiently. This planning phase is critical to ensuring that the migration process is aligned with business objectives and minimizes disruption to operations.

2. Seamless Migration Execution

Once the migration plan is in place, Sify’s team of certified cloud professionals takes charge of the execution. This involves migrating data, applications, and workloads to the cloud with minimal downtime and disruption. Sify employs best practices and advanced tools to ensure data integrity, security, and compliance throughout the migration process.

Whether it’s a lift-and-shift approach, re-platforming, or re-architecting, Sify’s experts are equipped to handle all types of migration scenarios. They work closely with the organization’s IT team to ensure a smooth transition, addressing any issues that may arise and making real-time adjustments as needed.

3. Optimization and Post-Migration Support

Migration to the cloud is not the end of the journey — it’s just the beginning. Sify’s Cloud Migration Services include ongoing optimization to ensure that the cloud environment is performing at its best. This involves fine-tuning resources, optimizing costs, and enhancing security to ensure that the organization is getting the most value from its cloud investment.

In addition to optimization, Sify provides comprehensive post-migration support, including monitoring, management, and troubleshooting. This ensures that any issues are quickly resolved and that the cloud environment continues to meet the evolving needs of the business.

4. Security and Compliance Assurance

Security is a top priority in any cloud migration process. Sify’s Cloud Migration Services include robust security measures to protect sensitive data and ensure compliance with industry regulations. From encryption and access control to threat detection and response, Sify’s solutions are designed to safeguard the organization’s assets in the cloud.

Moreover, Sify’s experts ensure that the cloud environment is compliant with all relevant standards and regulations, providing peace of mind to businesses operating in highly regulated industries.

Industry-Specific Solutions

Sify understands that different industries have unique challenges and requirements when it comes to cloud migration. That’s why their services are tailored to meet the specific needs of various sectors, including healthcare, finance, manufacturing, retail, and more. Sify’s industry-specific expertise ensures that the migration process is aligned with the regulatory, operational, and technical demands of each sector, enabling businesses to achieve their cloud goals with confidence.

The Sify Advantage

Choosing Sify as a partner for cloud migration means choosing a partner with deep expertise, cutting-edge technology, and a commitment to customer success. Sify’s approach is rooted in innovation and customer-centricity, ensuring that every migration project is executed with precision, transparency, and a focus on delivering tangible business outcomes.

Sify’s extensive experience in cloud technology, combined with its strong partnerships with leading cloud providers such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, enables it to deliver world-class solutions that are tailored to the unique needs of each client. Whether it’s migrating a single application or an entire data center, Sify has the expertise and resources to make the transition to the cloud a success.

In an era where agility, scalability, and innovation are key to business success, migrating to the cloud is a strategic move that can drive growth and competitive advantage. Sify Technologies, with its comprehensive Cloud Migration Services, is helping businesses across the globe seamlessly transition to the cloud, unlocking new opportunities for efficiency, innovation, and value creation. With Sify as your cloud migration partner, you can confidently embrace the future, knowing that your journey to the cloud is in expert hands.

[charlieevents]

Charlie Events: Leading Team Building Company in India

In today’s dynamic work environment, fostering collaboration, enhancing communication, and building strong relationships among team members are essential for organizational success. Charlie Events, a premier team building company in India, is dedicated to creating engaging and impactful experiences that bring teams closer together, improve productivity, and boost morale.

Why Team Building Matters

Team building is more than just fun activities and games; it’s a strategic investment in your organization’s culture and efficiency. Effective team building activities can:

Enhance Communication: Improve how team members interact, leading to better collaboration and fewer misunderstandings.

Boost Morale: Engage employees in enjoyable activities that lift spirits and create a positive work environment.

Strengthen Relationships: Encourage bonding among team members, leading to stronger, more cohesive teams.

Improve Problem-Solving Skills: Challenge teams to think critically and work together to solve problems, translating to better performance at work.

Foster Innovation: Create an environment where creativity is encouraged, leading to new ideas and innovations.

Charlie Events: Your Partner in Building Stronger Teams

At Charlie Events, we specialize in designing and executing tailor-made team building programs that align with your organization’s goals. Our approach is rooted in understanding your team’s unique dynamics and challenges, enabling us to craft experiences that are both enjoyable and impactful.

Customized Team Building Solutions

Outdoor Team Building Activities: For teams that thrive in a dynamic, energetic environment, our outdoor activities are perfect. These include adventure-based challenges like trekking, obstacle courses, and outdoor sports that encourage teamwork, communication, and trust.

Indoor Team Building Programs: For a more controlled environment, our indoor activities are designed to foster collaboration and creativity. From problem-solving challenges to creative workshops and interactive games, our indoor programs are suitable for teams of all sizes.

Virtual Team Building: In today’s remote and hybrid work environments, keeping teams connected is crucial. Our virtual team building activities are designed to engage remote teams through online games, quizzes, virtual escape rooms, and collaborative projects, ensuring that distance doesn’t hinder teamwork.

Themed Team Building Events: Whether it’s a cultural celebration, a seasonal event, or a corporate theme, we create customized themed events that resonate with your team. These events are designed to be fun, engaging, and memorable, while also serving as a platform for team bonding.

Why Choose Charlie Events?

Experienced Team: Our team consists of seasoned professionals with extensive experience in organizing successful team building events across various industries.

Innovative Ideas: We continuously innovate and offer fresh, creative concepts that keep your team engaged and excited.

Tailored Approach: We understand that every team is different. Our personalized approach ensures that our activities are aligned with your specific objectives and team dynamics.

Nationwide Reach: With a presence across India, we are equipped to organize team building activities in various locations, from bustling cities to serene retreats.

Client-Centric Focus

At Charlie Events, our clients are at the heart of everything we do. We work closely with you to understand your needs, objectives, and vision for the event. Our commitment to excellence ensures that every detail is meticulously planned and executed, resulting in an event that not only meets but exceeds your expectations.

Transform Your Team with Charlie Events

Investing in team building is investing in your organization’s future. With Charlie Events, you get a partner who understands the value of strong, motivated teams and is dedicated to helping you achieve your goals. Whether you are looking to build stronger relationships, enhance communication, or simply reward your team with a day of fun, we are here to create an unforgettable experience.

Contact Charlie Events today and discover why we are the leading team building company in India. Let us help you build a stronger, more cohesive team that drives success and innovation in your organization.