#I have a degree in what I want to work in. that’s what I want a job in. not my fucking hobbies.

[innominatadea]

Growing food yourself is a special kind of joy.

Through the application of labor, water, soil, seeds and knowledge you can make incredible vegetables for your table. It's also the most eco-friendly way to procure food. Instead of herbicides, you can just pull the weeds. Instead of fuel being used to transport your tomato from Chile, the transport is as simple as walking from your garden and bringing it inside.

I work in an grain elevator, and I have an agriculture degree. Waste is a fact of life in agriculture. Whether that's overapplying fertilizer because a farmer doesn't want to pay for soil testing, or corn spilling from a spout when I'm loading a truck from the silo. Or a hundred different ways that usable food is otherwise not used productively.

By growing your own food, you eliminate that waste.

It takes time and space, but can be done on a small scale too. You can grow 20 to 30ish pounds of potatoes in a 10 gallon grow bag on your apartment balcony. A tower planter can grow enough strawberries for your family for a year. A five gallon pot with some succession planting can produce more basil than you'll know what to do with.

Fuck modern society, fuck the constraints of capitalism and centralized food production. Seize the means of production, of food production, even if on a very small scale. I guarantee it will bring you a kind of bliss that cannot be replicated any other way. Plus it will piss off billionaires, which is always a good thing.

Remember that the revolution, like all armies, marches on its stomach.

[terrestrialnoob]

"Hey, Bats, can I have a word?" John asked as everyone started filling out of the meeting room.

Batman gave him the side eye. "You don't usually come to meetings."

John raised his hands in surrender. "Caught me, I'm really here to ask you a favor."

Batman looked over by the door, where it looked like Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash were there waiting for him. But, he turned back to John and asked "What do you want?"

John tried not to cringe at the tone in his voice, telling himself that's just what a tired after meeting Batman sounded like. "I need help with a puzzle box."

John pulled said box out of his coat pocket and held it up for Batman to take, but the man examined it closely without touching it. "What's in it?"

"A world-ending weapon, probably. There's like, a 10% chance it's a world-ending monster." John helpfully provided.

"And you want to open it..."

"Yeah..." John sighed then explained, "It's part of a pair, with this-" John pulled a gear shaped dial puzzle out of his pocket. "But, since I solved this one, that one wont work for me."

"Why do you want to open it?"

"Because, whoever solves the puzzles control it."

"But you've been magically locked out of solving this one." Batman pointed at the box still in John's hand.

"Yeah, so I need someone good at solving puzzles -you- and who's dabbled enough in magic to effect the box -you again- and who I trust not to use whatever's in it to destroy the world."

Batman gave him the patented bat-interrogation glare. "You still haven't explained why you want to release this weapon."

"It's a fail safe. Like the two keys thing governments put in front of their nuclear bombs. According to the texts I read, this isn't the only way to release the whatever-it-is, but once we solve both these puzzles, you and I will have control of it and absolutely no one else can get it." John wiggled the box at Batman. "We do this now, we don't have to pray I can track down all the alternate methods, and neither of us can use it without the other's permission."

Batman closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You're certain this is the best method to ensure the safety of as many people as possible?"

"Yep."

"And you're certain I'm the right person you want as the other half of your fail safe? Not another magic user?"

"I feel the degree of separation will be useful in determining what situations call for using a world-ending weapon."

Batman let another deep sigh and took the puzzle box.

"You two staying late?" Superman asked as John and Batman sat back down at the table. Him, Wonder Woman, and the Flash came over to check on them.

"Sorry, we can get dinner together another time." Batman said without taking his eyes off the box. Each side had nine squares, each with a rune on them that glowed when pressed. There was a pattern, John was sure, but after he'd solved the dial puzzle, the runes where blurred and the squares didn't light up when he pressed them.

"How long do you think your puzzle thing will take?" Flash asked, looking over Batman's shoulder as he seemed to solve the puzzle quickly. Or so John hoped, again, he couldn't actually see what kind of progress Bats was having.

"Ten minutes, tops." Nightwing interrupted. Batman did glance at him, but then went right back to work on the box. "We still have plenty of time to go to Bobby's before closing."

"I thought you had better things to do?" Superman asked.

"And pass up on burgers with you? Never." Nightwing said with a wink. "Is John joining us when this is done?"

"I'll have to take whatever comes out of the box back to the house of Mystery." John said, though burgers did sound good at the moment.

Silence lapsed into the room as they watched Batman work. And ten minutes later, it was done. The puzzle box glowed and one of it's faces folded into itself, leaving a hole shaped just like the gear puzzle. Batman held it out and John dropped the gear into it. The room filled with a bright flash, and once it faded, sitting on the conference table between John and Batman was a toddler. He had black hair and bright blue eyes and freckles scattered across his face. He reached out a little hand towards them and started babbling.

"Fuck."

[dwaekkicidal]

Non-Sexual Dominance with TXT

wc» ~900

cw» gender neutral, d/s dynamics, dom!txt & sub!reader, traditional bf tae?, beomgyu has a nsfw comment & (consensual) panty "confiscating" lol but other than that nothing overly sexual, some people might see some things as controlling or toxic- it's not meant to be and this is based off a MUTUAL agreement + talks about boundaries. if you dont like dont interact <3

skz version

DO NOT republish or translate+post my work!

𝙲𝚑𝚘𝚒 𝚂𝚘𝚘𝚋𝚒𝚗

Soobin is probably one of the tamer ones. He has his moments where he likes to be dominant outside of the bedroom, but for the most part it doesn't come out. When you do see it, it's in the form of him tapping his thigh to get you to sit on his lap or curling his finger at you and having you kneel between his legs obediently- without him having to verbally ask you. Any sort of situation where he can do 1 (or no) tiny gesture and get you to do something he wants, his chest puffs out a little bit.

His ego also goes through the roof when you guys are at a party of sorts and he vaguely mentions to the circle you guys are talking to that he's getting thirsty/snackish, and then you disappear for some time to return with a new cup of his drink or a plate of food. It's basically just acts of service in public, but to him it's a means to prove your loyalty/obedience to him for other people to see <3

𝙲𝚑𝚘𝚒 𝚈𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚓𝚞𝚗

Yeonjun is big on being in control literally anywhere and everywhere. He's running to open doors for you before you can even move a finger to touch the handles, whether it be for a building or even cars lol (and he's gonna expect you to stand there patiently while you wait for him to walk through the door after you)

While you guys are out getting food, he's usually making your order for you after you tell him what you want. If it's something you want him to do (& on days where you ask him to ahead of time) he'll even make the decisions for you and decide what food for you to get. He'll almost always get one of your favorites/comfort foods, but sometimes will get you something new to try (that he'll eat if you don't like & will order himself something he knows you'll eat) but when he knows what you want and how you like it, and you allow him to be in control to that degree, he's on cloud 9.

𝙲𝚑𝚘𝚒 𝙱𝚎𝚘𝚖𝚐𝚢𝚞

Beomgyu is a bratty dom here imo- he reminds both of you who's in charge with your relationship by teasing you any and every chance he gets. OR by teasingly humiliating (?) you in front of friends

By that I just mean he will bring up who tops who in bed, if you give him attitude in front of the guys. Will try to prevent too much embarrassment & will never do it in front of staff, but the second it's you and one or all of the boys, you're hearing a sassy ass "Blah blah blahh- you didn't say that last night when I was in your guts."

If he's jealous or upset and you guys are out in public, you're getting pulled aside (or sent a text) and being told to run to the bathroom and take ur underwear off to give to him. With this one, it almost always ends up sexual by the end of the night, but he doesn't always mean for it to. It's just a way he reminds the both of you who's really in control at the end of the day. and it's a reminder of who you belong to <3

𝙺𝚊𝚗𝚐 𝚃𝚊𝚎𝚑𝚢𝚞𝚗

Another acts of service lover, but both in terms of giving & receiving AND more specifically in private. kind of trad!relationship?

Loves when he comes home to a clean house and cooked food- and if you're comfortable with it, he'll "task" you to do things while he's away at work. Will separate chores between the two of you so it's still fair (making sure to have a few that you both 'should' be doing together), and will randomly check throughout the day/week to see if you finished them.

He expects this, but will pay you back tenfold both in the most disgustingly sweet praises and material things. The second he's home and sees you did everything he asked, he's all cheesy smiles and is all over you on the couch with his head in your lap, telling you how sweet you are and how much he appreciates you and your efforts to please him <3

And he never forgets to bring home little presents for your hard work! Your favorite takeout, your favorite little snacks, a trinket or piece of jewelry he passed by that reminded him of you, or even a few delivery boxes containing most of your wishlist hehe

𝙷𝚞𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙺𝚊𝚒

Nonsexual dominance with Kai includes having one of his big hands on you at all times. If his hand isn't intertwined with yours while you guys walk around, then he has a hand on your lower back to he can control where you walk. Or if he's trying to move you guys through a large crowd, he will either go first and hold each of your hands in each of his to make sure he doesnt lose you OR he makes you guys walk basically on top of each other and will have a hand on your shoulder to guide you around while you go first so he can keep an eye on you.

When you guys are relaxing with the boys, he always allows you to take his spot on the couch. But it's so he can stand behind the couch/sit on the arm of the couch and stroke your shoulder and pet your hair. To the other's it's just PDA between their cute member and his lover but, to the two of you, it's a reminder that no matter where you guys are you are rightfully his.

Taglist: (red=can't be tagged)

@valkyriexo @lunearta @jabmastersupriseee @rylea08

@yaorzu-blog @amararosesblog @jiminssluttyminx @clemissleepy

@miss-daisy04 @kittyxnoa @dwaekkiiracha @honeyybbuubblleess

@mariteez @fun-fanfics @honeyybbuubblleess @kittycatkrissa

@nicora04 @chuuyaobsessed @moonlightndaydreams @velvetmoonlght

[foxika]

the fox and the hound everyone… does anyone see the vision. they’re friends, we’re going to be friends forever right, fox? hello??

(my personal hc of hound and fox being pals has taken over my fox lives on tantiss au)

+++++++++++++

“He’s killed brothers!” Howzer snarls, gesturing wildly at Fox. His burning red face and furious gaze magnified in comparison to Fox’s cool, unbothered demeanour. Rex wouldn’t be surprised if Fox started to examine his nails to complete the look. “Fuck’s sake— he worked under Palpatine for 3 years, he had to have known what was coming!”

One brother, Fox signs. I killed one brother.

Thankfully, Howzer doesn’t see what Fox says, more than happy to speak over him and ignore any motions Fox makes. Rex gives Fox a wry look anyway.

Not helping.

Fox shrugs back.

“Palpatine fooled us all,” Echo speaks up, voice level. He’s been handling Fox’s arrival well enough. Sad, not quite angry, but not quite neutral either. Rex has been meaning to talk to him about Fox and Crosshair. “Even his closest confidants, like General Skywalker. We don’t know for sure what Fox was told.”

A sharp snap interrupts Howzer’s intake of breath. Fox leans forward with a raised brow, hands moving deftly.

Speaking of, why aren’t we interrogating Rex and every other 501st member here? Skywalker was just as complicit.

Time stands still, the temperature drops several degrees. Rex can feel his mouth is hanging open, but can’t drag his eyes away from Fox to clock everyone’s reaction to such a blatant lie.

“What?”

Rex isn’t sure if that was him or another clone.

Fox leans back with a frown, looking around the room. Darth Vader?

No reaction.

Fox continues. Tall, black armour, insane helmet asthma, helped Palpatine fight off the Jedi Order and led the 501st and Coruscant Guard march on the temple?

Like they needed a description—

“Anakin Skywalker died defending the temple you lying sleemo!” Howzer bursts out, slamming his fists on a crate. Rex can hear murmuring just outside the room they’ve commandeered.

Fox remains unfazed. Thire dragged his overdone body out of a volcano. I watched him stab that Windu guy in the back.

“That can’t be right,” Rex manages to get out, his voice weak. He looks helplessly at Echo for support, but his friend seemed far away. “I knew him. We knew him. The General would never—“

He’s interrupted by the mechanical whir of the door sliding open and familiar footsteps. “They sounded pretty upset, I don’t think they want to us to interrupt them!” Omega fretted, her blonde head coming into view as she trailed behind another trooper; Batcher on her heels and Crosshair continuing to be Omega’s shadow everywhere she goes.

He hadn’t let her out of his sight, Rex absently notes, focusing on the new trooper in the room. He’d seen him around, heard he mostly kept to himself and hadn’t given a name to anyone yet, but he was a valuable asset on recovery missions. Especially on Coruscant. Rex had a sneaking suspicion he was a former Corrie.

And the way he was looking at Fox and how Fox was looking at him all but confirmed it.

“Fox?” The trooper breathed out. He took a hesitant step towards the commander.

Omega crossed her arms and frowned, grumbling under her breath to Crosshair. “It took me months to learn his name.” Her voice quiet enough that Rex barely heard it.

“Hound,” Fox’s voice was rough and low, more air than tone and words. The pain of speaking is evident on Fox’s face but that doesn’t deter him from whispering again, his voice cutting out prematurely. “Hound.”

That’s all Hound needs to hear before he’s rushing forward with a choked sob, strong arms wrapping around Fox’s waist and lifting the commander off his feet.

Chest wracking sobs and his face buried in Fox’s chest muffle Hound’s voice as he struggles to choke out coherent sentences. “I saw- I found you. He dropped you out of the aircraft and I looked and looked and I found you so far down and you were gone-“

Through his wet rambling, Hound continues to hold Fox up, and while Fox looked equally heartbroken as Hound(minus the tears, but Rex knew this was about as expressive Fox would get surrounded by strangers), Fox was ready to be put down.

A light tap on the shoulder has Hound inhaling one last rattling breath before setting Fox on his feet. “Sorry,” Hound sniffs but doesn’t let go of his hand. Fox doesn’t seem to mind.

With one hand available Fox awkwardly signs. You brought me to the Chancellor?

Hound huffs wetly. “No, I left you in the alley I found you in. For the tookas. I know you liked to feed them.” He scrubs his face in an attempt to clear his teary eyes, though it only serves to make him look more miserable leaving splotchy marks on his skin.

You left my corpse to be eaten by tookas? Fox looked incredulous and mildly offended, ducking his head to meet Hound’s gaze. What the hell.

Hound nods solemnly. “It’s what you would’ve wanted— ow!”

Fox forgoes speaking to smack the backside of Hound’s head.

[cipheramnesia]

Both directions of these are fascinating for me since my experience is neither one both as someone who likes to test her limits but knows them and with a dxmme who wants to go much, much further in the S&M direction but who also knows how to do so safely and without going past my own boundaries and tolerances. Like neither of us is pushing to get locked in a trunk for example, but when it comes to things in that arena, we are both of a mindset of "figure out if it's something that's possible and if it is, what are the steps that safely work up to it."

Maybe I'm just BDSM georg or something. I mean like it is super exciting when you click with anyone about an uncommon interest from BDSM to furry stuff to trans things, and it usually carries a big initial infodump because you finally get to share feelings you never got to let go before. But it is a shared interest - this stuff is also called power exchange, not "all power goes one way." Like, unless you're working with a paid sex worker or have some similar situation, generally a D/s relationship is not the Dom as a disinterested chauffeur driving a sub on a fantasy fulfillment road trip. Everyone in the car is supposed to enjoy the journey and everyone gets to pump the brakes at any time, no questions asked for an immediate halt. Not to say there's varying degrees of enthusiasm for different parts of the experience, just like I guess for me it's a lot more of an even trade. I want my dxmme to be able to have certain experiences, they want me to be able to have certain experiences, and both of us have the range of physical and mental tolerances plus desires to make those things possible.

I always find it funny when people write bdsm erotica where the dom is really aggressive and demanding and the sub is all sweet and innocent when I feel like more often than not the dynamic is a sub who asks for the most insane, out of pocket, dangerous, borderline illegal, unhinged shit and a dom who's like "hmmm ok yeah maybe we can scale that back a bit"

[uyuforu]

Jungkook Groom Persona Chart

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₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ Libra Rising could make JK feels very good and at peace when being married. JK could glow up, feel more handsome, be more handsome. Jk could also be more "desirable" for others as a husband, he could attracts a lot of people who want him, who want to seduce him. JK could also look very good as a husband in general, and he could look very in love with his spouse.

₊˚⊹☆ Virgo Degree on the Rising could make JK look very serious and very faithful to his spouse. He could look pretty cold as well, meaning for example people will think he looks cold and detached from his wife, or for others, he could look very neat as well. What I mean by cold and detached is that he ain't looking all over his FS, he is looking very independent from his spouse.

₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ Stellium 4H could mean JK is very a very homey person after getting married. Very comfort spouse, a spouse that loves to chill and he could also just be the sweet hubby. Could def want to be a stay at home dad or husband.

₊˚⊹☆ Sun 4H could mean JK is indeed a very soft kind of husband, JK is very sweet, calm, at home, could really be a stay at home dad and husband, he could also be the kind of hubby to be quite private but emotional, perhaps someone who is very focused on their family and private life more after marriage.

₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ Sun Capricorn makes JK be the kind of hubby to be a serious one, faithful, JK could also be quite serious when it comes to his life and spouse, he can also be hardworking. Because the Sun is also in the 4H, this combo could be that JK rules his house after marriage, meaning he could be the one staying at home indeed, decide not to work, or work from home, but he could def so have his own rules at home and decide how things are done there. Leader of the family and house.

₊˚⊹☆ Moon Cancer could make JK a very comforting hubby, just the kind to totally understand his spouse and want to comfort them. He could also be more emotional after getting married, perhaps also will want children a lot. JK could also have some dependency over his spouse after getting married. But this could be a sign of feeling very at peace and home with his spouse. Spouse is his comfort place, his home.

₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ Moon 9H means JK could be quite more curious and open minded after marriage. JK could have a strong desire to perhaps travel more, or learn more. JK could also become wiser and more mature after marriage, feeling like they are understanding life more.

₊˚⊹☆ Sagittarius Mercury could tell us that JK could learn another language after getting married, or just he will perhaps talk several languages with his spouse. He could also just learn more in general, perhaps also he could decide to learn new skills, or he could go back to college also. Curious hubby material.

₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ Mercury 3H could make JK be someone who think a lot, and perhaps after marriage, he could often express himself on what it's like to be married, or he could share experiences more. JK could be more curious and desire to learn more after getting married.

₊˚⊹☆ Venus Capricorn could tell us JK could be quite private about the love he has for his spouse and family after marriage, but he could really take care of them. JK could love being a father figure, in fact he could feel more confident after getting married.

₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ Venus 4H could tell us JK's romance life with his spouse will be very comfortable, yet private. JK will adore taking care of his family and the house, he will also love the lifestyle they are living together. JK will def have a strong desire to have children.

₊˚⊹☆ Mars Aquarius coud tell us that JK could handle conflicts after getting married in a very chill and detached way. He could also act more cold. He could feel more rebellious after getting married, perhaps not caring even more what people think of him.

₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ Mars 4H could tell us most of conflicts could happen at home, in private doors. JK is not a husband who will put all of the arguments, conflicts out for the public, he is a very private person and will continue to be after marriage. JK will also really like resting after marriage.

₊˚⊹☆ Jupiter 5H could mean Jk could def want to have children after marriage, he could feel like also marriage is truly awesome and fun. He could feel the happiest after getting married, feeling like he is truly happy where he is. JK could also feel like the best part of being married is being married with his best friend, the flirt, the children, and just how fun it is.

₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ Saturn 6H could tell us some obstacles during JK's marriage could be their routine. Perhaps FS works a lot and JK could sometimes have a hard time to see them. Could also be that JK could be a very busy person after marriage. If JK has a desire to work again, he could find himself having a hard time to do so. Could indicate JK having a strong desire for a break in his work after marriage.

₊˚⊹☆ Uranus 4H could mean something unconventional about JK after marriage could be his house and family. Perhaps JK will have a way to function with his spouse about the house, their home, and their children that will not be considered traditional or "normal". JK could also often move with spouse after marriage, or perhaps decide to live in a foreign country.

₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ Neptune 4H could mean JK's illusions after marriages could be about his home life. Perhaps JK will envision his home, house life in a very different way than it will happen. Otherwise this could mean JK's dream after getting married is to take care of his family.

₊˚⊹☆ Pluto 2H could tell us JK's money situation and stability could change a lot after marriage. One thing also is that JK could be more possessive and sometimes jealous after getting married. He could be quite proud of being married but this so means you shouldn't touch to his precious spouse.

₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ Chiron 2H could mean JK could earn less after getting married. Since he has a Stellium in his 4H, perhaps this could mean JK will want to take a break in his career after getting married, and will want to enjoy his marriage, children, spouse, etc. Which makes sense. But with Chiron here, JK could so earn less, and FS could earn more, be the one working. JK could either stress about money, stability, or just that because he isn't the one earning money (perhaps) he could just face a new kind of stability in life, depending on someone could be stressful sometimes.

₊˚⊹☆ Briede Leo 10H could mean indeed his FS is the one bringing the money, working etc. FS after marriage could want to continue her career, not wanting to stop, and JK could feel like resting, and being the one taking care of the home, children, etc. JK sees his spouse as highly ambitious, someone who is very famous and popular, hardworking, someone who can't stop and needs to work. He thinks FS will not do well as a stay at home.

₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ Groom Aquarius 5H could mean Jk sees himself as a very fun husband, he can thinks he could be a unique or unconventional one as well. He could be the one indeed staying at home and taking care of the house, children, deciding to have a big break in his career to focus on his family. He thinks there is something unconventional about him, which could def be true since it is generally not how things work in Korea.

₊˚⊹☆ MC Cancer makes people see JK as a husband as the kind to be very home like, very soft, sweet, a very good dad, that he would make a very good parent in general, loving children, loving his family, loving his marriage, etc. They def see him as a stay at home person. He has a 20° over it, so perhaps people could see him as very private still, JK could not post a lot about his marriage or home life.

₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ Juno 12H means Jungkook's marriage will be very private, and people could not know much about this marriage. It could be hard to know much about it actually, unless the couple wants to share something. JK's marriage will be def "hidden", meaning they will not be a very public couple.

₊˚⊹☆ Juno Libra could tell us that JK's marriage will be very romantic and JK will feel like (with Juno also being in the 12H) that he and his spouse were meant to be, soulmates, and that he so feel very romantic about his marriage.

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[for-your-modesty-dude]

As Long As You're There

A/N: AHHHHHHHH This is SO intimidating. My first ever fic posted. I don't feel like it's my best work, but if I don't post this now, I'm going to chicken out, and never write anything ever again. I hope you don't hate it, since I refuse to have my first piece beta read for fear of chickening out from that, too. So... no beta, we die like Jason. Feedback appreciated, but please be nice, LOL. I'm sensitive and very new to this. Love you all! - Hy

Warnings: Reader uses she/her pronouns, not beta read, tenses might jump around (i got nervy), generally nervous author, was supposed to be angst/fluff but I honestly don't know how to describe this one, folks

Synopsis: Eddie is sure Chrissy Cunningham is the girl for him. What happens when he is shown she's not?

It is undeniable. Eddie Munson thinks he likes Chrissy Cunningham - especially after that drug deal before the championship game back in high school. He doesn't really, though. Deep down, what it really boils down to is that he craves to be known and liked by the people who torment him. He sees kindness in her, and thinks that maybe - just maybe - if Chrissy can see past the flaws, even a girl like her could come to have feelings for a guy like him. After all, he's always been funny, charming, and larger-than-life. Sure, he talks a lot, he goes on emotional rants, and always has something to tease his friends about. And okay, maybe he's a little bossy. But at the end of the day, he's just a guy with a lot of affection to give and not enough friends to give it to. He tries, he does, to keep his temper tamed and attitude in check, but it's hard for someone with a past like his. He's a little angry at everything. He wants to get out of Hawkins, sure. But most of all, he just wishes he could feel normal. He likes being different, likes being who he is. But he doesn't like what comes with it. The jeering, the nasty looks, the fear - it's all so stupid. Because despite all of his attitude and temper and hardened look, Eddie Munson is a complete dork with a heart of gold. After all, the jocks and preps don't have a care in the world to take those who look like they've got no one and give them a place and a group to be a part of. No, only Eddie does that. He's done it since he was young, and even now, in his mid-twenties and having completed his Associate's degree to make his old man proud (the one who cared for him, not the one who left him), he still finds himself constantly looking out for people who may need a group. All the while, he keeps one eye open in search of Chrissy Cunningham - the girl who went off to college, got her fancy Bachelor's degree, and then, for some reason entirely unknown to Eddie, returned to her hometown to teach at the very same high school they'd both graduated from.

Eddie, meanwhile, had been stuck working at the auto shop since he'd graduated. Wayne had sat him down and insisted he needed to find real work, lest he get arrested for his extracurricular activities. The conversation, of course, had been prompted by Wayne finding a stash of pills his nephew had hidden (and then forgotten) in the bread box. He hadn't been happy, and had told Eddie he would not be going down for 'having them damn pills in my home.' Eddie had been a little embarrassed, but agreed to get a real job- so he'd chosen the shop. Luckily for him, it was in a perfect spot. It was on the street Chrissy Cunningham passed every morning on her drive to school, and every afternoon on her drive home. In the spring through the fall, she even walked most days - which gave Eddie the chance to say hello. He always tried to be as grease-free as he could, but some stains really just stuck, and he had a habit of wiping his face after changing the oil in his customers' cars... it didn't go well for him in the looks department. 

What Chrissy thought of it, no one was the wiser. None of Eddie's friends really interacted with her. Half the kids were still off to college, Dustin being the furthest and at an Ivy League, so no one could spy or find information. Sure, El was still around, choosing to go to the local college with Max, but they definitely didn't speak to Chrissy. Mike, Will, and Lucas had their own college woes. And Steve and Robin... well, they'd gotten through community college too, eventually, but they stayed within their comfort zone. They didn't make new friends, and they certainly didn't hang out with the likes of Chrissy Cunningham. Nancy and Jonathan had done what they'd always said they'd do - they took the settlement money from the government and went to NYU together, staying in New York City to work at the Times, as journalist and photographer, respectively.

All of these things meant that Eddie was on his own. Except, of course, for his best friend. One of the craziest things about community college to him was that he met people from other towns. Imagine his shock when he met a girl there from a small town not 45 minutes away from Hawkins, studying music history for fun. He was a lover of music, sure, but he was taking the class for the sake of his liberal arts degree. This girl? She was finishing her Bachelor's at the local university and taking courses for fun at the local college. He'd found her fascinating, to say the least. It helped that she was, like him, a little different from the rest. They had similar (though not quite identical) music tastes, and fashion that made their conservative towns uncomfortable. It sparked an instant bond. He'd invited this girl out to Hawkins once, and they'd never looked back. They'd become inseparable. She'd moved out to Hawkins, somehow a nicer town than her own, especially as its commerce grew, and helped Eddie out of his slump. When Wayne had given him that talk, it was Eddie's new best friend who'd helped him nail the interview at the auto shop. It was she who helped him find his new apartment (conveniently a 5 minute walk away from her own), and it was she who listened as he gushed about good ol' Chrissy Cunningham.

So here you were, once again seated at the register at your job, listening to Eddie go on about Chrissy's outfit that day on her walk home from teaching at the school. Did it bother you? Absolutely not. There was no reason for it to bother you. He was just a friend. Your best friend. But... then why did your stomach sink whenever he brought her up? Why did your chest feel tight? Why did it feel hard to smile when he laughed about how cute she was when she'd dropped her purse, or whatever book she was carrying? Why did you-

The ringing of the bell above the door pulled you out of your spiral, if for but a moment. You looked up, never more grateful in your life than to see the likes of Steve Harrington, who'd been introduced to you early on in your friendship with Eddie. He was a good friend of yours now, and often came to visit you at work, as with the others who’d stayed behind, when they had the time. Often, he wanted to talk about the latest gossip to someone who wasn't Robin (after all, he couldn't very well tell Robin half of the things he experienced, because she was usually there to experience it with him). He gave Eddie a good, friendly slap on the back as he approached the counter, leaning his forearms on the counter and leaning forward to greet you. Eddie made a face, annoyed at having been interrupted, but not annoyed enough to voice it.

"Hiya, Stevie," you greeted him with a smile, eyes communicating your relief at his arrival.

"Hey!” He responded brightly, but your relief was short-lived, as Steve took this opportunity to smile suspiciously sweetly at you, "so, any chance you want to take my shift later?"

Your eyes narrowed at him, "so that's why you're here? To ask for a favor? Even though you still owe me for the last shift I covered?" He had the decency to look at least a little apologetic about that, and nodded.

"I swear I'll pay you back for both. But... remember that girl who's been coming in every week to see me? I ran into her today while getting lunch, and she actually agreed to a date tonight. I swear, I'll more than make it up to you if you just please help me out today. I'll beg, do you want me to beg?"

You put your hands up in surrender, "woah, okay. No need to tarnish your dignity like that. I'm good, I'll stay. It's not like I have plans anyway, so one of us might as well get a date. God knows we could both use the romantic luck," you rest your chin on your hand with a huff, and he thanks you about seven times before running back out, leaving just you and Eddie once again (and, well, the three customers browsing the aisles of the store).

"So..." Eddie started, trying to keep the conversation from awkwardness. "No luck on the dating front, then?"

You couldn't help but to shoot him a dirty look, before you rolled your eyes and sighed. "No. There's no- anyone in this damn town. No one interested, and no one interesting. Maybe I need to expand my horizons and take a road trip out to Indie," you huffed. Eddie shrugged, turning to lean his back on the counter as he continued chatting with you, picking at his nails all the while.

"I think I might ask Chrissy to go out tomorrow night. Think she'll say yes?" For some reason, the fact that your misery led to him talking about his hopeful date sparked anger in you, but you didn't let it show. Did you think Chrissy would go out with him? Maybe. She was so sweet, you didn't think she had any reason to say no. She'd give him a shot, at least. But that was the trouble, wasn't it? If she gave him a shot, she'd see how wonderful he was. And then, maybe, you'd lose him for good. Was that something you were cool with? It wasn't like you were together. It wasn't like he'd ever looked at you the way he looks at her. It wasn't like you were in love with him... was it? 

That realization had you smacking your forehead lightly against the countertop behind the register, and Eddie turned around to look at you with a puzzled expression. "You good over there?"

You just managed a frustrated groan and the excuse, "just commiserating that everyone else has successful romantic lives and I'm stuck behind this register. Of course she'll say yes, she's too sweet to reject you, and you're awesome. Anyone who doesn't see my best friend's potential as a boyfriend is stupid and also rude." You finally looked up at him with what you hoped was a convincing smile. He couldn't help his own grin at that, feeling proud.

"It's totally settled, then. I'm going to ask her. What do you think she'll say to going to the new diner that opened up where Benny's old place was?" He asked, and you had to plaster on that fake smile again.

"Eddie, as long as you're there, she'll have a great time. Trust me." At least, it was true for you. If Eddie was present, you knew you’d have a great time. At least, most of the time. When he gushed about Chrissy, you had… less of a good time. But your compliment seemed to work, because he lit up like a christmas tree. 

“Thanks, sweetheart,” he gave you a beaming sort of smile, leaning over the counter to kiss your cheek. “I think I’m gonna go see if I can catch her on her lunch break. I’ll call you if it goes well!” He turned tail and ran, clearly excited. Luckily, he was gone so fast that he missed the way you deflated entirely. 

You were happy for him, and would continue to be if he managed to date Chrissy. But it didn’t change that you’d be jealous of her. A relationship - especially with Eddie - was time-consuming and all-encompassing. He would spend his free time with her, and you’d be left behind. It was natural, after all. What girl would want her boyfriend hanging out with another girl one on one? The thoughts plagued you, until a customer called into the shop asking about whether a certain book was in stock or not. After that, your day managed to go by a little quicker. 

You didn’t realize how late it had gotten until you were reading a book behind the counter and heard the bell ring as someone entered the store. Eddie slammed his hands down on the counter with a big grin, “guess what?” You peered up at him over your book and your heart sank, but you kept your expression clear for him.

“Hm… you’re a huge nerd?” You joked, and he made a face in response. 

“She said yes! She’s actually going on a date with me!” His eyes were bright and excited. “She said she’s cool with diner food, so… tomorrow night, I’ve got a hot date with Chrissy Cunningham. Will you help me choose what to wear?” And he just looked so hopeful, that you couldn’t possibly say no to him. So you agreed, and he sat around with you until the end of your shift. 

You wound up going back to his place that night, to help him in his search for an outfit. He even threw it in the wash so that he could smell good for his date. That night when you went to bed, you couldn’t help but to stare up at the ceiling and seethe for a few minutes, before letting sleep overtake you. Your dreams were the same as they always were - some shenanigans you got into with Eddie. Only tonight they held a different meaning, and when you woke up you were forced to reconcile with the information that was news even to you:

You were in love with your best friend. 

You went into your shift early that morning, stopping for coffee at your favorite place before starting your day at the store. You were able to distract yourself then, as Saturdays were particularly busy days for book-buyers. You hadn’t thought about your revelation since you’d had it. You had refused to acknowledge it, in fact. Eddie was your best friend. And he was going on a date with Chrissy Cunningham tonight. There was absolutely no point in thinking any more about potential feelings that may or may not exist. So you spent the day working, and maybe pouting. A couple of your friends stopped by to say hi throughout the day, but noticed your demeanor and ended up just letting you mope. 

Before his date, Eddie stopped by your job - and God, did it hurt. He looked so handsome. His curls were freshly washed and styled, his leather jacket hanging off of him like it was made for him, and his freshly washed jeans making him look more cleaned up than ever. When he opened up his jacket, he was proud to show off the button-up you’d helped him choose. ‘Dressy enough to be on a date, dressed down enough for jeans’ was what you’d told him. And his usual worn combat boots looked - almost good as new. When you asked about those, he was proud to say he’d spent his morning cleaning them with carpet cleaner and a toothbrush. Your heart ached that he’d never put that much effort in for you, not in that way. 

Before he could leave, you approached him to fix his collar and a stray curl, making sure he looked his absolute best. You refused to meet his eyes for your own sanity, and if he noticed, he didn’t comment. He just let you work your magic, and when you finally stepped back, you gave him your most convincing smile, and wished him well. “Call me if you need anything at all. I’ll be home tonight, and tomorrow morning. I want to hear all about it,” lie. “She’s going to have a great time, not a doubt in my mind,” truth. “I’ll be rooting for you,” lie. “You’re gonna do great,” truth.

He smiled proudly, and thanked you before giving you a big hug. The smell of his good cologne (only brought out for funerals and weddings) threw you for a loop, and nearly strangled you, but you managed to squeeze him back. When he ran out with a quick “love ya!” you just fell back into your seat behind the counter for the last hour of your shift. 

If you had any idea what was going on in Eddie’s head…

He’d only stopped by because he figured he should share in this exciting moment with his best friend. But something about your excitement had him feeling a little odd about the whole thing. And then you’d come up to him to help him straighten his shirt and fix his hair and you just wouldn’t look at him. He couldn’t understand why, but honestly, he was too focused on the fact that you were wearing your favorite perfume that day. He could tell you’d washed your hair that morning, too, because he caught a whiff of the shampoo you so loved. So when you didn’t look up and meet his eyes, he had to push down a weird feeling of disappointment. But he’d hugged you goodbye and you’d wished him luck, and that was that. 

Or so he’d thought. He showed up to Chrissy’s to pick her up, a cute little townhouse near the center of town, and did all the gentlemanly things he was supposed to do. He’d brought her a small bouquet of daisies, and walked her to the car and opened her door for her - it was all pretty textbook. She smiled and laughed during the drive, and it had Eddie feeling like he was already on the right track with this girl. 

Things did take a turn, though, when they actually got to talking after they’d ordered their meals. Because it would seem that Chrissy knew him better than he ever imagined she would. 

“Can I ask you a question?” She’d asked him, hands folded in front of her as she leaned close in curiosity. 

“Shoot,” he’d leaned back against the back of his seat, smiling. 

“I know you mentioned yesterday that you’ve had a crush on me for years, and I found that so sweet of you, Eddie, but… aren’t you in love with - well… you know…” She didn’t say your name, but only because it felt a little major to bring up your name if he hadn’t considered it. But he blinked at her, puzzled, and she realized she had no choice. So she finished her question with your name, which made Eddie’s eyes go comically large. 

“Sorry, what?” Was all he managed. His eyebrows slowly rose to his hairline, when she gave him a shy smile. 

“Eddie… you hear yourself when you talk about her, don’t you?” She asked, a soft giggle in her voice. “I’m flattered, I am. And I think you’re really amazing, and would love to date you. But only if I thought you actually liked me. I’m not accusing you of lying, I just don’t think you realize just how you sound.”

Eddie was not a man often brought to speechlessness, but Chrissy’s question stopped him dead in his tracks. You? That wasn’t possible. You were his best friend. Comfortably listed in the “friends” category in his brain… or were you? Chrissy, sweet Chrissy, pointed behind him to the entrance, and said “oh, I guess her shift must have ended! She’s here now with someone!”

The speed at which Eddie whipped around to look was nearly breakneck. When he saw you were, in fact, not there, he turned back to Chrissy with a blush and an embarrassed look in his eye. She just gave him that warm smile and sweet giggle, “I’m sorry, Eddie. But that’s not something someone does for just a best friend. Have you ever thought about that?”

He took a moment to rewind and think about his conversation on the drive here. Admittedly, he’d told Chrissy a lot of stories about you. He started by telling her all about how he would gush to you about his crush on her, but then devolved into just telling her about the times you’d hung out, and the fun things you’d done together. When she’d mentioned a restaurant or fun activity, he’d talk about a time you’d discussed the same with him. So, okay, maybe he talked about you a lot. And sure, he had thought about how much he preferred your perfume over Chrissy’s when he’d picked her up at her place, but that didn’t mean anything, did it?

And then he thought about how he’d felt so off when you hadn’t met his eyes when fixing his date night outfit. He’d never voice that one out loud to Chrissy, but he’d wanted you to look up at him and smile, and see how handsome he looked. He’d tried hard. The more he thought about it, the bigger hole he felt he dug himself. 

He blinked at her and groaned, burying his face in his hands in shame. “Shit. I think I’m in love with my best friend.” 

Chrissy, to her credit, took it so sweetly. She giggled and just encouraged him, telling him he should tell you and get it out in the open. Eddie, however, was so afraid. Afraid he would be wrong about the whole thing and you wouldn’t be interested in him in return. It didn’t matter, in the end, because his date (and now friend) was rather persuasive, and convinced him to do it as soon as he saw you next. And before he knew it, he was paying for their date, and driving her home. He liked being friends with Chrissy, he realized, and didn’t exactly desire any more than that. He’d always wanted her to like him, and now he knew she did - in a more important way than romance. She liked him for who he was, and wanted him to be happy. She wanted to be his friend. 

As soon as he dropped her off, she gave him a warning look and told him not to stray from his plan. It would work, and you’d be together in no time. He just thanked her and got back into his truck, driving home. His autopilot must have broken, however, because next thing he knew, he was pulling into the parking lot at your apartment. He sat there and stared at your door, the automatic light coming on and making his heart race. When he looked up, he saw the lights in your apartment were still on, signalling that you hadn’t quite gone to bed just yet. With his last hope of an excuse entirely extinguished, he got out of his car and stood at your front door for a few moments. Luckily, since you lived on the second floor, he got a minute to breathe before you saw him lingering at the door and freaked out about a stranger. So he took a chance, breathed, and did his special knock. 

You had been wallowing in self-pity all night, watching your favorite romcoms and snacking on your favorite chips and dip combo. Anything to try and forget about the realization that you were in love with Eddie. It was the worst possible timing, really. After all, he’d been hopelessly single for so long. You had to realize the day he wanted to ask his longtime crush on a date? You spent a long while beating yourself up about that, but eventually accepted your fate and tried to think about literally anything else. Hence, movies and snacks. You’d even tried to pick up a book at one point, but you realized that even that had a romantic plot, and ended up throwing it onto your bed and returning to the movies. At least romantic comedies had comedy. You’d even cried during one of your all-time favorites, which was infuriating - you could hear Eddie’s teasing voice in your head about how crying over a dumb boy was so not metal. If only he knew. So naturally, when his signature knock came from your front door, you were puzzled. 

You descended the stairs to the front door with your brows drawn together in confusion, opening the door in your pjs - soft pajama pants and a hellfire t-shirt you’d stolen from Eddie years prior. He was standing there, hands stuffed in his pockets as he stared at the apartment number next to your door. “Uh… hi? Shouldn’t you be on your date right now?” You asked, but opened the door further for him to enter. He shrugged and toed his boots off before heading up the stairs, leaving you to lock up behind him and follow - more confused than ever. “Eddie, is everything okay?”

He fell onto your couch and pulled the bowl of chips onto his lap, putting a chip in his mouth just to avoid answering the question. But you were too stubborn, standing in front of him with your hands on your hips. “Edward. What the hell?” He finally looked up at you with his big brown eyes at that, and had the decency to look a little shy. 

“‘M not in love with Chris,” he mumbled with his mouth full. You didn’t quite understand (or, you thought you didn’t) so you made a face at him, and he waited until his mouth was no longer full to repeat “I’m not in love with Chris. She’s- great. But I’m not in love with her.”

Your self-pity melted away for a moment at his ridiculousness, “Eddie, you’ve been on one date. You’re not necessarily going to fall in love over burgers, dude.” You looked at him like he was only slightly insane, which he appreciated. 

“Yeah, no, I know that,” he tugged at a strand of his hair. “I know that. I just… I am in love, y’know? Just- not with Chrissy.” And if that doesn’t confuse you even further. Your chest tightens for a moment, but he’s not making any sense, and you really just need him to stop being so cryptic. 

“Honestly, Ed, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Can you please just tell me what’s going on?” You sat next to him, facing him with your legs criss-cross. He refused to turn and face you, just setting the bowl of chips on the coffee table and staring down at his lap, wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans. You stared at him expectantly for a moment, and when he stayed quiet, you lightly punched his arm. “Speak, nerd.”

“Hey,” he finally pouted at you, rubbing his arm as if you’d punched him much harder. “I dunno! Chrissy had some enlightening shit to tell me. Apparently she knows me better than I thought she did. Actually, better than I know me. Which was super weird, by the way. I didn’t like feeling so exposed. But uh… She just opened my eyes. Turns out, I’ve been in love with someone for, like, a stupid long time.” When he stopped there, you almost punched him again, for leaving you on such a cliffhanger. He put his hands up in defense when he noticed. “Hey! Okay! I’m talking!”

He took a deep breath, “so, you won’t totally hate me for this, will you?” He felt he had to ask, and you made another face at him. 

“I mean, depends on who you’re in love with. If you have really bad taste, then yeah. I might,” you joked, trying to lighten the mood a bit. He gave you his most unimpressed stare and rolled his eyes, before tugging at his hair again, a nervous habit you found annoyingly cute. 

“Uh- well. You, actually,” he said simply, with a nervous, almost self-deprecating chuckle. You blinked at him for a moment. 

“I’m sorry, me? Me what?” You asked, the possibility simply not computing in your mind. 

“You. I’m in love with you. Apparently been in love with you for awhile. Just didn’t notice because my head was too far up my own ass,” he said, finally meeting your eyes again, this time looking more sincere than he had in awhile. But you were skeptical, and afraid of having your feelings hurt. 

“Eddie, where is this coming from? You’ve always had feelings for Chrissy. It was like, a fact, at this point. The sky is blue, the grass is green, and Eddie Munson has a crush on Chrissy Cunningham. You don’t like me, you never have. Not- like that,” you told him, a little insecure. He didn’t really seem to have an answer except to lean over and kiss your cheek, his own cheeks bright red. Your eyes went wide and you stared at him for a moment, fighting your own thoughts. You stared at each other, equally wide-eyed, until you finally blurted out “I’m in love with you too. And it’s so weird because I never knew I felt this way until yesterday, and I finally understood why it irked me so much when you wouldn’t shut up about Chrissy.”

The admission caught you both off guard, and neither of you really knew how to respond. Eddie let out a curse under his breath before leaning in and capturing your lips in a hasty kiss, just quick and short but enough to have both of your hearts racing. You let out a squeak, and just stared at him again, before throwing your arms around him to hug him close, enjoying the smell of his shampoo, and his good cologne. You had no idea where this would take you, or if it would last. All you knew was that as long as he was there, you’d be just fine.  As it turned out, Eddie Munson does not like Chrissy Cunningham. At least, not in the way he thought he did. He liked her as a friend, sure. But his real feelings could be found around the one person who’d been by his side since his first day of his music history class at the local community college. The girl whose nerd matched his, the girl who never needed him to be anything except what he was. A girl to whom he wasn’t too much, or not enough. Instead, he was just enough. Just loud enough, just obnoxious enough, just bossy enough, just funny enough, just clingy enough, just affectionate enough. And now that he had her for real, he would never ever let go.

[paci-papa]

You are an adult! You have a post-graduate degree! You used to have your own apartment, a high paying job, and a car. You can take care of yourself!

Sure, you probably need the diapers Papa changes for you constantly more than want them now.

And, yes, you couldn't work even a toaster to save your life.

Also, maybe the thought of losing your pacifier or blankie fills you with a deep, existential sense of dread.

But, none of that means you need a babysitter while Papa goes out on yet another date! Just because he treated you like a baby doesn't mean you actually needed to be supervised like one.

At least, that's what you thought until Miss E walked in.

The bubbly, sexy, woman who was shorter than you immediately made your big kid parts all tingly. It took all of your restraint to keep from rubbing your soggy pampers right then and there.

Papa bent down and gave you a kiss on the cheek before walking out the door. A huge, knowing grin was plastered on his face as he whispered in your ear.

"See, I told you the babysitter wouldn't be so bad. Now, be a good baby and do as she says while Papa's out. She's in charge."

As Papa stepped out the door, your babysitter stepped toward you with a soft but predatory grin on her face.

Maybe Papa was right. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

[child-of-the-wild-woodss]

This also pisses me the hell off because people like that do so much harm to plant based medicinal sciences.

Thing is that while you may not be able to dose herbs properly at home, at a lab it would be possible, though requiring additional tests. Properly assembled plant based medication can be safer, because it has way less side efects and doesn't harm your other organs and systems while aiding only one of them, unlike what perscription drugs can do. For example my stomach got so damaged after years of taking psychiatric medication, I cannot take aspirin, ibuprofen and practically any painkiller is a risk. Feel free to correct me if I am off base here, but there definitely is a place in the medical world for plant based treatment, it's just that the amount of quakers and 'spiritual' frauds is making the entire science look like a scam, while in reality it IS absolutely true that the world could benefit from turning to natural sources more often.

There is just a need for more regulation surrounding these practices.

Also, idk if it works like that in USA, but in Poland supplements of any kind, herbal or chemical, are not held to the same standards as meds and they can contain next to anything. In Poland, the trick is to never buy supplements even in pharmacies, but instead ask specifically for 'medication without perscription'. I've actually had an allergic reaction to [medically necessary] vitamins before; I thought since I bought them at a pharmacy they have to be safe, but I didn't specify I want medication and not a supplement.

One thing I never appreciate on tumblr is the black and white approach to every issue that is touched on here. Things are never as simple and there is always a lot more nuance than posts like this make it seem. Not criticising OP, just pointing it out.

Anyway, in my country there are university majors you can get in technology of medicinal plants. I don't know how it looks exactly, but I do know it's considered a scientific field of study and you need high grades in chemistry and biology to get in. It doesn't last as long as a pharmaceutical degree [phrm is 5 years and this one is 3,5 years], but you can get go for an additional 1,5 year. I don't know how the two compare and ideally one should probably go to both, however my lifetime is limited and I will gladly give the technology of medicinal plants a shot.

With all this being said, I do not believe herbalism should be practiced by people getting a licence online, I believe this is a genuine scientific field that should be treated as such and people making or selling plant based products should absolutely have higher education qualifiying them to do so.

If I have made any substansive errors, feel free to correct me.

When you say you're anti-CAM what does that mean? Like what does CAM mean in that context? I genuinely haven't seen that acronym before and I'm assuming you aren't anti-camming as in like the form of sex work

Complimentary and Alternative Medicine.

I am capable of turning off my inner annoying atheist, I am incapable of turning off my inner annoying quackwatcher.

I have had real life fights with people I genuinely love about this and I do not regret it. I will absolutely not regret shitting all over someone's $500 herbalist certification.

[sailf1sh]

It's time...welcome to sailfish ranting about his Grandline University au. (Plus a lil wip teehee)

Thanku to @rougherduckling for helping me with the ideas 😌

GRANDLINE UNIVERSITY AND AQUARIUM

- Set somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico

- A university and aquarium with a heavy focus on marine preservation and study

RORONOA ZORO

- Early childhood education major

- Works at a youth center

- roommates with Sanji

- Likes kids, and wants to teach kendo and give kids good opportunities he didn't have growing up (perhaps relating to Kuina's death)

- Semi-adopted by Mihawk (runs the youth center or kendo place) and Perona (sister figure, Mihawk is her adoptive dad, and fashion/textile major)

- Doing it for the kids ™️

SANJI

- Culinary major

- Comes from California (Zeff owns the Baratie there)

- Very preppy (stark contrast to Zeff) and thinks he's hot shit

- Delayed Bi-panic over his roommate Zoro

- Very confused by Zoro and definitely hates him ™️

- French??? Idk he got really mad one time and started yelling french

- Claims to be from California, but is DEFINITELY French

- Witness protection????? His ass will not tell you anything

MONKEY D. LUFFY

- Undeclared

- Came to Grandline because Ace and Sabo went there (Ace is a dropout who started traveling the world, Sabo got his degree and became a politician/equal rights activist)

- No idea what he wants to be, but he's gonna have fun doing it!

- His village pitched in to send him to school (Garp could have done it, but tbh he forgot about this kid, Dragon supplies money behind the scenes)

- The one who dragged everybody together

- Shanks is his father figure (Shanks is a cool marine life rescuer that works with the Aquarium)

NAMI

- Meteorology major, Architecture/cartography minor

- Seen the bad side of poaching and hates it

- Came to Grandline because it has the best to offer in the way of Meteorology

- Meets Vivi in an English class

- Best friends with Zoro WLW and MLM solidarity

USSOP

- Photography major, journalism minor

- Childhood best friends with Kaya (medical art)

- Tired of Sanji's shit ™️

- Keeper of friend group secrets (release him)

- Someone takes pictures on campus sneakily and puts it in the university newspaper/newsletter and nobody knows who (Sogeking)

TONY TONY CHOPPER

- Med student

- Child prodigy ™️

- Got in on a really good scholarship

- Knows Law (surgeon), VERY intimidated by him

- Just a lil guy :3

- Friends with Kaya

NICO ROBIN

- Teacher of all, and works on archeology digs with the university

- Kind of just knows everything

- Outwardly innocent, FREAK on the inside

- Likes that slutty mechanic

- Her students think she's nice, but are low-key scared of her

FRANKY

- Mechanic, and Engineering teacher

- Biggest "be who you are, for your pride~" man on campus

- Will stop class to rant about it ^

- DOWN BAD for Robin

- His students think he's weird at first, then become his wingman (group chats will be made)

- Exclusively wears shorts (he would wear nothing but the university won't let him)

BROOK

- Just...a guy? Who is this guy actually

- Luffy's friend

- OLD. He changes his answer every time someone asks

- Kinda just shows up on campus and plays music

- People like him, but are very confused by him

- Only Luffy knows the truth

JIMBE

- Marine Biology teacher, and works at the aquarium

- Chill dude ™️

- The adult of the adults

- I'm sorry Jimbe I still don't know enough about you

VIVI

- Political science Major

- Works for equal rights and change within her country

- A Princess????

- Pretty woman..... - Nami probably

- Science classes with Nami

SHANKS

- Sends Luffy to bother Buggy

- 'ahaha...come get slushies with me and I'll call Luffy off.'

- Lost his arm to a shark saving Luffy

- Marine life rescuer

- Works with the aquarium

- Goes out with Mihawk on occasion, Buggy gets way too pissed about it

BUGGY

- Theater teacher

- Luffy fails his class and keeps retaking it

- Shanks' ex

- Students egg Luffy's dumb shit on

This au is very much the silly one of my aus, with a big Y2K/2000s vibe XD

We have a few silly plotlines (and angsty ones teehee) drafted up, but who knows perchance I will make a post on those too! I'll probably make a post about Hellfire au soon too (⁠◕⁠ᴗ⁠◕⁠✿⁠)

Also the playlist for this au if you're interested 😏

🌊GRANDLINE UNIVERSITY🏝️

[moonzzip]

coffee and nail polish | kwon jiyong

a/n — i wanted something fluff with jiyong, less angst for you guys, I hope you like it! feel free to correct grammar mistakes kindly!

summary: you and jiyong haven't seen each other in weeks, you two relax

pairing: jiyong x gn!reader

warnings: discreet mention of body shape, orange hair jiyong (i love it) , idol!(?)reader, mentioned bigbang, reader is kind of self-critical, slight comfort, fluff, slight crack

lowercase letters, word count: 1,4k

"jiyong, if you keep moving, i'm going to hit you." you say, biting your tongue in concentration, holding the tip of jiyong's finger with the tips of your own, while your other hand grips one of the brushes from the eight nail polishes you'd be using to paint his nails. he's sitting in a small armchair, and you're on the floor.

how did you two end up in this situation?

it had been about three and a half weeks since you last saw each other in person. bigbang had just made their latest comeback, and the promotions for it were much more intense compared to before—not that it was a bad thing, just overwhelmingly exhausting. the m/v had absolutely blown up, and you would consider it your favorite song of theirs if it weren’t for (your bigbang fav/ song), but that’s not important right now.

it wasn't just him who had been busy. you were tirelessly working toward your own debut, spending countless hours perfecting your dance, vocals, rap, and all the other things idols do as trainees. god, if only you had known how long m/v recordings took, you might have thought twice before becoming an idol. but seeing the final result made the exhaustion disappear almost instantly.

the fact that you both missed each other was undeniable.

you’ve known jiyong for a little over five years now. the difference between before and now is obvious—not just in his appearance, but in his personality as well. you remember that 2010 boy whose style was completely different, whose voice and personality had made a full 360-degree turn. his opinions changed, and he seems much more relaxed, much freer than when you first met him. especially now that he's focused on his new project, 'peaceminusone'—if you’re remembering it correctly.

you support him in everything he does, just as he supported you through your difficult trainee days—because he went through it too.

out of all the hair colors he’s had, this orange one is by far your favorite. you think about making a cute leaf-shaped hair clip for him so he can look like an actual tangerine.you chuckle at the thought.

"hey, what's so funny?" jiyong asks, looking at you.

"nothing, just thought of something funny," you reply. he gives you a slow once-over, his gaze filled with silent judgment.

"you're weird.", you pinch the top of his hand, nearly smudging the polish.

"i'm weird, but you're my friend, so you'll have to put up with me for a while longer. i'm not giving up that easily." you say confidently, met with silence. jiyong doesn’t deny it, just lets out a sarcastic scoff.

"i'll think twice before talking to weird trainees—" you pinch him again for moving, and he falls silent.

the atmosphere between you two is relaxed and calm. talking makes it even better, but the silence is just as comforting. neither of you feels the need to fill the space with constant conversation—it's just cozy.

"are you nervous? you know, about debuting?"

hearing his voice, you glance up at him before returning to painting his nails.

"a little… but i'm working on it." you exhale lightly, and jiyong watches you in silence.

"i want to give my best in this. i feel like there are expectations i need to surpass—i need to surpass myself, in general. i feel like i have to improve, i know i have to improve. not just for me, but for the group."

without realizing it, you release his hand.

even before meeting jiyong, you had always been an incredibly dedicated trainee (and you still are). you'd wake up before the practice room even opened, stretching in the hallway until they let you in. you followed a balanced diet—not starving yourself, just keeping yourself healthy. you always helped other trainees with their struggles, answering questions and giving advice based on what you had learned. you always had new tips to share because of your nightly study sessions, though you never stayed up too late. always punctual.

how did you meet him?

well... that’s a bit embarrassing.

on one of those late-night study sessions, you knew you shouldn’t have stayed up so long, but you felt like you were on an unstoppable roll, so you pushed through. but not before grabbing a coffee.

you silently left the dorm, careful not to wake anyone, and opened the door, planning to head to the vending machine at the end of the hallway near the practice room. one coffee wouldn’t hurt, right? …ah, such naivety.

it was dark everywhere except for a dim light coming from inside the practice room. you managed to navigate the hallway thanks to that weak glow slipping through the slightly ajar door.

since the door was old, it usually got stuck. you leaned against the wall and carefully made your way to it, leaning your body on it to continue on your way, but what you didn’t count on was the door deciding to function normally that night.

and on top of that, you tripped on a loose tile, throwing all your weight onto the door, and—

now—

you hit the floor with a loud thud, like a sack of potatoes.

you didn’t even think. your whole body ached, but you didn’t make a sound. your forehead hit the wooden floor, leaving you a bit dizzy but still conscious. and then you made a split-second decision: you'd just… pretend to be unconscious.

no one would bother you, you wouldn’t have to see who witnessed your humiliating fall, and that would spare you from any embarrassment. the position was even kind of comfortable, so it wouldn't be hard to keep up the act, and—

"i saw your foot move."

internally, you died. of shame, obviously.

oh. my. god.

you felt like the stupidest person alive.who, in their right mind, falls and then just stays on the floor pretending to pass out? you wanted to disappear, to die, to evaporate into thin air and be carried away by a nearby fan.

enough thinking.

"ahh…" you groaned, slowly getting on your knees, staring at the floor. "i think i blacked out for a second, hahaha."

you let out an awkward, robotic laugh, placing a hand on your forehead before looking up—and seeing him.

your eyes widened, not just because g-dragon, bigbang's leader, was standing in front of you, but because you were wearing the worst pair of pajamas in your closet.

why did you even come down in pajamas? you had no idea. but that was all your brain could focus on. your hand slid from your forehead to cover your eyes instead.

the universe hated you, you concluded.

the man just stared at you, confused, while his practice music still played softly in the background.

you shook your head, snapping out of your old memories.

you looked down at jiyong’s hand, but before you could grab his finger again, you felt a hand gently stroking your hair.

"i don’t think you should worry," his voice was calm.

your eyes lifted to meet his in silence.

"i don’t think there’s anyone i know who deserves to debut more than you. you’ve always worked hard, and you deserve this more than anyone. so don’t doubt yourself."

you just stared at him for a moment before letting out a soft, amused scoff.

"i guess so…"

and then, silence settled again. but jiyong's hand remained in your hair.

his chest ached hearing you speak about yourself like that. he didn’t fully understand the feeling, but he knew none of your efforts had been in vain. only he truly knew how much you pushed yourself.

just as you knew everything about him, he knew everything about you.

your bond had always been close—full of unconditional support and deep connection. hugs were common, physical touch between you two was natural. he loved hugging you and being hugged by you, just as you loved his hugs and giving him yours. you were always helping each other, always doing little favors, sharing an incomprehensible partnership filled with warmth and affection.

"jiyong, if your nail polish smudges because you're messing with my hair, i will kill you."

he said nothing, just rolled his eyes—but didn’t move his hand.and he smiled.

he had never been more grateful for an unbought coffee that night.

a/n – thanks for reading! I hope you liked it, I think all the ideas I have come from beyond... this time I wrote it listening to 'interlude : shadow' by yoongi, I love this song so much... feel free to correct me of any grammatical mistakes!

[cyntheshepicone]

I had a few but actually studying them or trying to get hired in them killed my passion dead flat as far as it ever being any sort of work cause then it's not fun anymore and there's a bunch of made up rules that no one ever actually uses but you have to while in school for it and then people show up to a career day full of freshly graduated students looking for people with ten plus years experience. I'm just a little bitter in case you can't tell lol, fuck college, fuck the job search full of people who don't know what they want, at least for me personally just do what makes you happy and if that requires a degree and you really want it? Go for it baby I'm cheering you on and hoping with all my heart you have better luck then I did also please please please double check your actually getting the classes you signed up for cause they yanked half the curriculum I actually wanted out from under me the first day of class and I wasn't smart enough at the time to back out of it

[sunrisecaminus]

Hello again bbg I hope you're okay o⁠(⁠(⁠*⁠^⁠▽⁠^⁠*⁠)⁠)⁠o may I request shockwave x fem! human reader who he kidnapped for experiment but oh no this one-eyed big BOI falls in love~ you can make NSFW 😉✋🏻😌🤚🏻

Take your time bbg love you 🎀✨

Message - I cooked you some good shit, now eat your dinner. Shockwave is such an interesting weirdo, I like this giant piece of crap. Love you too!

Shockwave x Human Reader NSFW

Summary - Shockwave using his kidnapped human woman as his next "experiment".

Warnings - NSFW

You have been stuck in this testing chamber for weeks now. Being fed and cleaned wasn't the issue, it was that you have not been able to walk around or do anything for forever. Holy crap has it been so long since you have been able to even change into different clothes, they have just been cleaning the same ones over and over. When you complained about it last time, the big purple mech gave you pjs. It was nice, but now you have been wearing this thing for eight days. Even if you hate your life right now, you are still very much terrified of Shockwave. He has tested a lot of things, but Megatron told him to test your pain tolerance or anything that is more "useful to him". If not, you would be disposed of, which is something you wish to never happen to you. What you didn't know, was that Shockwave has taken an interest in you. Whenever he has done his tests, you try your very best even if you were kidnapped. Honestly, he was theorizing you were going to try to escape and fight back, but you were not stupid. Shockwave underestimated you, and is now intrigued by your character and personality. You both have talked before, telling him that you were in college, about to graduate with a n/d (name of degree). He thought it was interesting how humans were kind of similar with Cybertronians, even if their physical appearances were much different.

Now, understanding your history and emotions, he won't admit how much he adores you. Shockwave hated himself for a long time, falling in love with such a disgusting creature…but it has been millions of years since he has cared for someone. He tries to give you better food, and even has been looking up trending clothes he should buy for you. Shockwave has told Megatron that they should be using you as a pet and not a disposable experiment, but it got him no where. Starscream thought you were the grosses thing in the world and told Shockwave multiple times to destroy you. You would get confused why there would be random times Shockwave threatens or hits Starscream, but its because Starscream would tell him how much he hated you quietly so you wouldn't freak out and try to escape. Shockwave is very protective of you and keeps you in that tube for a reason…but he understands that he has a job to do. He has been thinking for a while on how to save himself while also not hurting you…which got him to design a lovely plan. He now has a new test, which he asked Megatron if he should be able to do, and was excepted. Finally, time to get back to work.

You are right now laying on the floor of the tube, trying to take a nap, when you hear a door open and see the purple mech again. Opening your eyes, you get up and watch him going to his desk and grabbing data pads, graphs, and a camera. Crap, its time for the experiment. "Um…can we talk about this? Maybe we can do the running experiment again?" You press your hands on the glass and look at him with pleading eyes, oh how cute you look begging for him. "I have other plans, Ms.l/n (last name)." Oh no you had to think of something. All you can think of is knives cutting you, being smacked around, or maybe even being smooshed. Pain tolerance is something that an experiment could do many ways with, which is not helping your imagination going crazy. "I promise not to complain! Please, I don't want to be killed!" Shockwave didn't look at you, setting up the camera to face you. "Megatron changed the experiment to something else. You will not be harmed…though it is an experiment that can be seen as vulgar." Well that made you relieved at first, but than made you curious on what was about to happen. He already saw you naked when you had to get changed. You didn't feel too much shame about your body, as these bots had different beauty standards than humans…at least you hope. You didn't want to look ugly to them, but why would you care about what they think?! Maybe he will have you eat something gross? You rather do that then be physically abused. Shockwave grabs a data pad and walks ups to the tube, hooking up some wires to it that was connected to a control panel. Oh, he did this once to have you test your swimming abilities by pouring water into the tube with whatever machine he uses. "The question we are about to experiment today on is your mental compacity. We will test how well your brain can function on your ability to read or answer questions while being distracted in other things". You felt as though this was just a normal test, maybe it was vulgar because it has to do with your brain? "Oh, so like multitasking, right"? You asked, trying to sound as respectful as you can to not make him mad. Shockwave wished he could laugh, you were smarter with your vocabulary than he thought. "Something like that, yes."

The big mech goes up to the control panel and starts to press buttons, once he flipped a little switch, you see little wired tendrils coming from the top of the testing chamber. This was very new and you poked one, letting it slide around your hand a little. Shockwave grabs some cards and watches you play with the new machine he made. "I will be showing you pictures of colors or items on these cards. Try to answer them as best as you can without being distracted by anything that goes on inside the chamber. Do not react and stay focused if they poke you, you understand?" After explaining the rules to you, he sees you nodding without any questions as he pulls out of the cards. "Square" You feel one of the tendrils wrap itself around your ankle as you answer the question. You don't move and keep your eyes on Shockwave. He pulls up another card. "Magnify Glass". One of the other tendrils wrap around your stomach. You gasp as it slowly slips under your shirt and slides around. "Sir! Are you sure this is necessary for the test?" Shockwave takes another card out before he looks up at you. Goodness thank god he is recording you, he was probably going to watch this tape more than once. "Of course, I need to test how well you can pay attention. Now name what is on the card." You couldn't believe what was happening, but you didn't mind too much. Your cheeks get red and kept naming the cards. The tendril in your shirt tightens around your lower chest while another goes under the cloth, pulling the shirt off over your head. "Ah! Sh-shockwave wait-"! When you called his name out, his head looks down. He didn't want you to know how much this was making him go nuts. He never gave you a bra to wear for today so your boobs were out already. The tendril wrapped around you starts to wrap around your breasts, squeezing and massaging them. You moan from the sensitive touching and start to get weak in the knees. "Mhmm! U-um car~" You kneels down, feeling the one around your ankle goes up your leg and pulls on it, making you naturally spread your legs on the ground. Thankfully you had nice pants, because then Shockwave would have seen how soaked you were from what was happened. Being in such a sensual position was making your mind think of so many things.

Shockwave watches you, basically saving the picture of your body in his mind. You are right now having your legs spread while kneeling on the ground, having one of his machine tendrils touch your boobs. He hesitated before he pulls out another card. "Y-yellow." You were still going, how smart you seemed to him. Human creatures were so simple and dumb in his eyes, seeing you being able to control yourself while having, what humans would consider, such a distracting experience. You were way stronger mentally than a lot of the soldiers on this ship. He wanted to make it harder, so he flips another switch and out comes another tendril. This one goes up to your pants and slides under the layers of clothes that cover your nether region. "Ngnn! Holy shi-ah!" You feel the tendril rubbing itself in between your folds and that is what makes you feel like your going to lose this experiment. Your hands press against the glass, leaning against to help yourself get more support from kneeling on the ground. You needed to finish the test or he was just going to continue this sinful act. "Cat…mhmm." Shockwave knew you were getting too weak, your eyes were getting dazed and blurry. He had one more card left, but he wants to know if you can focus when you are getting 100% attention. He presses on one of the buttons and the tendril enters into your vagina, going as deep as it can to figure out what it was working with. Shockwave sees your eyes get wide from the sudden pressure and you moan out his name. Shockwave couldn't believe this, but he felt his spike press against his panel, but he was going to wait until after the experiment to treat it. He shows you the last card. "This is the final card. Can you read it?" You couldn't believe what was happening, this tendril was slamming into your walls like it was no ones business…but if this is what he wanted, you were not going to lose this. You press your face against the glass to try and focus, blinking your eyes to keep your vision from giving out. "Purple! It's Purple!" You finally did it, now he could stop before you became a mess. The tendrils stop moving as you try to get the one off your boobs. Your hands shakily grab it, but it wouldn't move. You see shockwave flip another switch as another tendril comes down…oh no. You completed the test, you got all of them right! Why was he adding more?! You see the tendril going down into your pants like the other one. "W-wait sir, I did the test! Did I do well?" That was when you see Shockwave's eye brightens a little, watching as he puts his hand on the On button. "You did very well y/n. Now it is time for your reward." He turns it on again and you feel the second tendril push itself inside you, making your vagina now have two of them sliding in and out of your walls. You moan loudly, feeling your eyes start to water from the pleasure you were feeling. Your brain gets clouded, only thinking about your lower half getting destroyed. It only took a few minutes for you to cum all over the floor. The tendrils stay inside you when you started to slide off the glass and onto the floor. Your chest gets unwrapped, while the ones inside you slide out carefully and put themselves away. This was so embarrassing, you were laying on your stomach in your own liquids. Shockwave ends the recording and looks at the masterpiece he just made. "You surprise me, human. My processor is changing its opinion on you at this very moment. You should be proud."

[apomaro-mellow]

Built for Loving 1/? Read on AO3

Another one from the steddie fic adopt community:

Eddie lands his dream job at a robotics facility that's best known for his pleasure bots. He doesn't mean to make a bot of his old high school crush but the design gets approved all the same. Problems begin to arise when the customer lodges complaints about the android.

Eddie had always messed with whatever he could get his hands on. When he lived with his parents, it caused trouble and he quickly learned that whatever he took apart, he should know how to put back together. It wasn't until he started living his his uncle as he reached adolescence that this particular quirk was encouraged. The first couple of weeks were awkward.

They loved each other and Eddie trusted his uncle. But a weekend visit was different from "both of my parents went to prison and I have nowhere else to go". But all it took was his Uncle Wayne walking in on him disassembling an amp and then everything fell into place.

Eddie knew his uncle worked with his hands too, but not the specifics. It turned out he was an actual robotics engineer. Wayne downplayed it, saying he just did repairs on defective bots, that he wasn't anyone special, but that sounded like Eddie's dream job. And it was for a while. Eddie was on his best behavior, he went to school and got good grades because he knew these places only hired people with degrees.

College was no picnic, both the classes and paying for it was a test of endurance for Eddie. But he struck gold when he graduated. He never thought he'd be the kind of guy to say he had connections, but Wayne was able to get him an interview. And thanks to the awards from the robotics competitions and glowing recommendation letters from some of his professors, Eddie got the job.

He was about to start living his dream. Although his dream had changed since he was a kid. Eddie had forged a new passion during his late nights, drawing up blueprints and designs. He no longer wanted to simply repair robots. He wanted to design and build his own.

And there was no more prestigious position than that of Android Art Director. Especially for the company at the top of the android business, Brenner Ventures. Everybody wanted a Brenner Bot. They made all kinds, med-droids, nannybots, and tutor trons, but the most popular and most expensive were the entertainment automatons. That was their official moniker from the company. Most people called them pleasure bots.

A plethora of skills could be programmed into them but no one was using their human-like throats for singing. Eddie had never owned one. He'd only seen them from behind the glass of window displays. Even in college, he'd only gotten to see them a handful of times in the lab. Pleasure bots busted beyond repair but broken down to be used as a teaching model. Unlike other kinds of robots, people didn't readily parade them around. They'd be ordered discretely and then kept in the home of the buyer to be used however the customer pleased.

Eddie was no prude, he didn't care what people used to get their rocks off. It was the idea of creating something almost human. As close as they could possibly get. And after about a year on the bottom rung (customer service, repair, automaton editing) he had finally arrived. He got the email inviting him to a Research and Development meeting. He attended, noting how he was the youngest in the room. And then at the end of it, he was given his first real job as an art director.

He was going to design and build his first pleasure bot.

The client had filled out the request form and it was quite simple. White, male, 20s, no taller than 5'10 but no shorter than 5', brown eyes and hair. Eddie could see why he'd been given this task. On paper, it looked rather plain. Fleischer was giddily drawing a bot with an impossible waist while Bird had to figure out how to give one Rapunzel length hair that didn't tangle or mat.

Senior Art Directors got the first pick of client requests and they always went for the challenges. Eddie, as the new meat, got what they considered boring. But Eddie knew it wasn't all about what was on the form. It was what you made of it. He sat at his desk, monitor on and started with the basic build. The face was the most important part to these people, so that's what he started with.

No notes had been given on personality besides "agreeable, submissive" which wasn't much to work on, so Eddie got to imagining. He thought about the type of guy he'd want, which felt like an easy place to start. It took a couple of hours into drawing the face, erasing what didn't feel right just to draw a very similar line anyway, to realize he was drawing Steve Harrington.

Steve hadn't said two words to Eddie in high school and yet he'd been obsessed. A guy who ran through girls like toilet paper and so everyone pegged him as the playboy. But Eddie had spent long enough watching him from afar to read the yearning on his face. Imagine that, someone so beautiful who longed for love and yet never found it? Eddie hadn't seen him in years, made he'd found love by now. Found a nice girl to settle down with perhaps. But who was to know?

Once the thought was in his mind, Eddie couldn't let it go. If he did nothing else in this world, he had to let Steve be loved. Which meant he had to build this bot right. He did what he could at the office but ended up bringing his work home with him. Because it was only there that he had the material he needed.

He had to rifle through some boxes to find it, but there it was - an old notebook from his senior year. The year when his obsession with Steve reached its peak. Inside of it were dozens of sketches of Steve. Not just his face too. Eddie had drawn his profile, his hands holding objects, his legs in those stupid basketball shorts, his torso when they played shirts vs skins.

"God, someone should lock me away for this", he said before getting up from the box and taking the notebook to his computer.

He spent the better part of the night, finishing his design, using his sketches as references. One thing about the usual clientele for pleasure bots was that they were loyal. Once they bought one they liked, they held onto it, insuring it, getting regular repairs, sometimes even traveling with them if they were to be gone for a while.

Eddie would never get to tell the real Steve how he felt. But in his own strange way, he'd be making sure Steve felt that love somehow. Obviously overtime didn't exist in the Brenner Bot employee manual, but Eddie didn't care. This is what his whole life had been leading up to.

"You look like shit Munson. The bland bot givin' you that much trouble?", Fleischer said when he came in the next morning.

"I finished his design last night, actually", Eddie beamed, reveling in how his co-worker's face dropped.

Fleischer quickly picked it up. "Still gotta have it approved. And then the build. You sure you're up for it?"

Eddie shrugged. "If I can't handle a bland bot, then I wasn't meant for this job."

His design was anything but bland. Steve was anything but bland. He was beautiful, gorgeous even. The feelings that had cooled thanks to the separation had burned as bright as ever last night. Eddie sent his design to be checked. He'd played it off in front of others but he didn't know what he'd do if any part of it was critiqued or turned down.

It was checked in house first to make sure it met company standards, then sent off to the client to make sure it was what they wanted. Eddie waited for an excruciating 48 hours before the email came in.

Company Approved: Yes

Client Approved: Yes

Part 2 coming soon

[neplusultros]

war is the father of all things

thinking a little bit about yoru as a parent. obviously, makima-as-the-mother imagery was key to part 1 both visually and as part of its ongoing interrogation of abuse, love, and the family structure. similarly, though yoru as peer and lover to denji is a popular framing (particularly after chapters 191-193), i think there is a lot to be gained by reading yoru not from denji's view in which she is a possible equal, but from asa's perspective of her as a mother figure.

spoilers through chapter 193 follow.

if you're here voluntarily reading this post you probably don't need an explainer on the makima-mother stuff so here's a quick recap image

clockwise from top-left: fujimoto interview with shueisha, ch. 82, ch. ch. 76, anime ED1, ch. 82

wow! what a shitty mom.

a lot of analysis about yoru and asa and denji situates and investigates yoru as either 1) a peer (to the extent a devil can be a peer) or 2) a part of asa's personality. either way, she's considered and framed as someone roughly on par with asa and denji, not least because just as they are teenagers struggling to find their place in the world and understand romantic feelings, yoru seems to be doing a lot of the same! the visual imagery contributes; not only is yoru positioned against denji as an equal (versus makima looming over him, or crouching to speak to him), she's also made an equal to the missing asa via the empty chair. a lot has (understandably) been made of contrasting this against, again, makima and denji.

ch. 12, ch. 193

but of course, yoru is not just a peer to these teenagers. on one level, this is true because she is an ageless and ancient devil. though we don't have a sense of how "old" potoo-war is when it first meets asa, it's clearly not "young"; it remembers that it used to be more powerful and also that nuclear weapons existed, so clearly it has at least some understanding of its past.

but more than that, it's true because yoru's not like other teens. she's a mom. a cool mom.

ch. 176

in a very real way, from moment 1, as soon as war (let's call her by her maiden name, shall we?) shows up, she's mothering asa. wake up, welcome to the world, now go to school or you'll be punished. are kids bullying you? i'll deal with them. i'm here to give you tough love, but i'll also tell you when you're being too hard on yourself.

ch. 99, ch. 100, ch. 121

war is making a conscious effort to teach asa how to behave, to impart values to her, and it's generally working. of course, the realization that one is behaving just like one's mother might be a point of filial frustration and irritation just as it is a point of parental pride.

ch. 145

in this frame, it's easy to see war not just as a facet of asa, but as someone external to her that is protective of her, that wants what's best for her and also wants her to get what she wants, but can also be impatient, demanding, overrides her autonomy, and acts like she never knows best. she doesn't just want to help asa achieve her desires, but to make sure her desires are the proper ones.

ch. 124, ch. 168, ch. 135

but of course, some degree of discord exists because asa's concerns are not 100% how war perceives them, and the heart wants what it wants. children don't live in the same world their parents imagine they do. a child can see rules and invisible lines a parent doesn't, particularly with respect to their own relationships and social life. and even when they're wrong about those, their feeling a line has been crossed might actually be communicating something more complex and sensitive about their own problems, or their efforts to form an identity.

ch. 168, ch. 113

i don't think any of this motherhood framing is all that accidental. in fact, i think it's there from the very start. when war makes a contract with asa, it exactly parallels how she thinks about motherhood.

ch. 177, ch. 98

"children are their parents' property, no?"

"if you want to live, your body will be mine."

being (re)born is neither a voluntary task nor an independent one: a child is entirely at their caretakers' mercy until they are capable of fending for themselves, and of course, would not have been born if their parents hadn't conceived a child. to many parents, this state of contingency and guardianship implies ownership, which implies the right to abandon or destroy. "i brought you into this world. i can take you out of it." war might care for her children. but ultimately, their lives and their bodies are hers to do with as she pleases. if she wants you to do something, she will steal your body and do it for you. the ultimate helicopter parent.

when read in this way, war's fascination with denji can feel like she read her daughter's diary and is aggressively and disastrously intervening in her personal life. she's taking it on herself to teach asa's crush about relationships and courtship, and even make sure he's properly fed.

ch. 192, ch. 193

of course, in doing so, she's usurping asa's place, enacting not what asa wants, but what she thinks asa should want (a kiss, a handjob, a date, sex). the daughter vanishes entirely, erased and replaced by her mother's facsimile of her.

ch. 193

to be clear, i don't think this does much to change or negate the reading that yoru is experiencing her own feelings for denji. if anything, i think it adds interesting nuances and wrinkles to it as not just a fight internal to asa, but as a complex case of what is almost covert incest.

i do think one advantage of this reading, however, is that it centers asa's relationship to yoru. most conversations lately have focused on yoru's relationship to denji, for understandable reasons: it's been the main action of the manga for the last few chapters, and asa has been intentionally sidelined.

i believe that it is extremely intentional the last major interaction asa and war have before everything kicks into high gear emphasizes asa's horrified response to her philosophy on parenting.

ch. 177

and almost immediately afterward, war exploits asa's affection for her to override her control of her body and do exactly what asa wants her not to do.

ch. 179. read right to left. yes i know the pages are on the wrong sides.

your mother doesn't trust you. she thinks you're weak. she takes control of your life, tells you where to go and what to do. she forces you to go on a date with someone you don't even like, then berates your performance the whole time. she tries to erode your personality and desires to replace them with hers. when you object, she tells you not to think. you can do nothing but watch as she exploits her other children and hurts people. when you try to stop her, she leverages your real affection for her to guilt you into acquiescing. either she's developed feelings for your crush and is sincerely trying to have sex with him, or she's pimping you out to him for her own gain.

what's a girl to do?

[whumporama]

I have a whumpee who was recently branded. I wanted whumper to hurt him by making the burn worse or hurt more or something.

But google searching ways to make burns worse only leads to “how to treat burns”

Searching specifically for third degree burns does the same.

So any tips on what whumper can do?

(Disclaimer that these are just my brainstorming ideas and I have not fact-checked anything)

Maybe Whumper starts with a small burn, making Whumpee think it's not too bad. But Whumper burns them again later, and then again, and again. Instead of one brand right away, Whumper just applies more over time to make the brand stick and deeper. Maybe even to get more complex designs in, like several layers on a tattoo. Whumpee never knows if it's over, and they're in constant agony.

The burned area could be far more sensetive, so Whumper just loves to torment Whumpee in that spot.

Maybe it's a magical brand that Whumper can inflict pain on with just a word.

Whumper can pour ice-cold or hot water over it, the temperature shock hurting Whumpee even more now.

Offering relief by cooling the burn down, treating it, and then letting the pain come back.

They can scrape at the wound to stop it from healing, or peel away the layer of healing the body worked so hard on.

Forcing Whumpee to move the part of their body where the burn is, stretching the damaged area.