#I think that’s important information to know

[christinaroseandrews]

Okay so there are people in the notes who are arguing about how it's not fair to one parent who is out there making money so that the other parent can take care of the kid and that that parent can still love and want to have custody of their child but that they still might not know the answers to these questions. I am here to tell you that argument is bullshit.

A working long hours parent can, and absolutely should, know the answers to most of these questions. And more importantly they should want to know why these questions are important. And they shouldn't have to ask why is this relevant. I can give two examples of parents who do care.

The first example is myself. Both of my parents worked both of my parents took turns being the primary breadwinner while the other was more of the caretaker. But even when the primary breadwinner was working, they still knew the answers to these questions because they bloody communicated and cared about the answers. Both of my parents to this day can list off all of my allergies. Both of my parents can name my childhood best friends and my current best friends. Both of my parents know what my favorite foods are and generally what size of clothing I wear even to this day. They know who most of my doctors are because they come to my appointments with me (because as a chronically ill person you often need to bring a witness to with you to the doctor). It doesn't matter what role you have in the relationship this information is still important and knowing it shows that you care about being a parent.

The other example I can think of is my godson's parents. Again, both of them work but one of them works from home most of the year while the other works outside of the home. Both of them take turns taking their child to the doctor both of them know what's going on with their child because they communicate with each other and they care about their child's well-being. When one of them went into the hospital for two weeks with septic shock, the other immediately was able to start taking care of the child with very little disruption.

It's a matter of caring and prioritization. Both my parents and my godson's parents cared about being parents and understood the responsibility that comes with it. Both of them took the effort to get to know their child as a human being as well as being active in that child's development and care.

I also know of friends of mine whose parents had nannies but who also knew what was going on with their kid. So rich people who hand over the majority of child care to other people can still be involved in their child's life. It comes down to caring and priorities.

The client in that first image doesn't care about their kid. They're more concerned about winning over there soon to be ex-partner then they are about the child in question.

I'm with the follow-up tweet of I hope the other lawyer sees this and uses it.

[kashverse]

kunafamily lore masterlist ☆ a good place to start reading if you want to fill in some lore gaps! this dates back to when kunamama used to be sukuna's boss. :) → can you guess who mamami is? (hint: nanami's future wife <3)

rewind time, back to the golden era when sukuna was still a corporate grunt—well, an aggressively overqualified corporate grunt with an ego problem, but a grunt nonetheless. 

and like every other grunt in the office, sukuna thrived on gossip. not that he’d ever admit it, of course. no, no, he wasn’t one of those losers huddled around the breakroom whispering about who got caught making out in the supply closet. sukuna didn’t do whispers. but casual, offhanded commentary? strategically-placed remarks that conveniently extracted information? oh, absolutely.

“what’s with all the murmuring?” he drawled as he leaned back in his chair, arms crossed behind his head. he wasn’t even facing anyone in particular, but he knew they’d take the bait. they always did.

mamami, the undisputed queen of office gossip and the only person who could navigate the workplace with more dignity than the boss, raised a brow. “wouldn’t you like to know?” she mused, sipping her coffee.

“if i wanted to, i’d ask,” sukuna countered, feigning indifference as he casually scrolled through his phone—nothing open, nothing reading, just scrolling to appear as if he had better things to do. “but i don’t. i just think if people have time to gossip, maybe they should be working.”

“so noble of you,” mamami deadpanned, unimpressed. one of the interns snorted. “you were literally just talking shit about accounting five minutes ago.”

“that was different,” sukuna said, snapping his fingers. “that was facts, not gossip. there’s a difference.” mamami rolled her eyes but smirked. “if you must know, we were talking about types.”

“types?” sukuna echoed, still feigning disinterest, though he was listening very, very intently. “you know, what kind of person someone’s into.” she took another sip of coffee.

then casually, almost absentmindedly, said, “like how the boss apparently has a thing for guys like you.”

now. now. sukuna had heard many things in his life. many things that had tested the very fabric of his self-restraint. but this—this was something else entirely.

his brain short-circuited. his mouth opened, then shut, then opened again, before he settled on a reaction that he hoped would appear completely normal.

“ha. ha. ha.”

it did not.

mamami gave him a look. “you okay?”

“me? yeah. totally. normal day, normal conversation.” he waved a dismissive hand, like this was of no importance whatsoever. “so. uh. did she say that herself, or is this a, you know, speculation thing?”

“oh, she said it,” she confirmed, eyes twinkling. “but you didn’t hear it from me.”

sukuna nodded, trying to school his expression into something resembling nonchalance. “right. right. obviously.”

and then, because he was a completely normal, well-adjusted man who was not absolutely losing his mind over the fact that his boss—his terrifying, brilliant, untouchable boss—might have a thing for him, he proceeded to excuse himself to the bathroom, where he proceeded to stare at himself in the mirror for five full minutes, processing.

holy. shit.

[spiderb00bs]

- CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Lottienat x reader

"your girlfriends don't like to see you sad."

Genre - Fluff Warnings - none

(request)

Now Playing - Cinnamon Girl, by Lana Del Rey

"But if you hold me without hurting me, You'll be the first who ever did"

Exhaustion hit you hard, every step you took closer to the door of your house was like torture. Your boss was on your ass to introduce the company to the new employee, while still demanding that you deliver all the important reports and information within an extremely short timeframe. And today, everything seemed to be worse than any day of the week, all you wanted was to get home and snuggle up in the arms of your two girlfriends.

As soon as you opened the door, you saw the blonde-haired woman lying on the sofa, watching some movie you weren't paying attention to. As soon as Nat heard the door move, she jumped up from the sofa, rushing to greet you with a tight hug.

“ Hi baby. I missed you, loser.” The blonde said, kissing your lips and smiling at you to see what reaction she could get from you with the teasing nickname.

Natalie's smile went away when she saw the tired look on your face. The blonde knew you well enough to know that you probably had some unforeseen circumstances at work.

“Hey, are you okay?” Running a hand through your hair, the blonde dragged you over to the sofa, just in time for a wet-haired Lottie to come down the stairs wearing pajamas and approach the two of you.

“Hi my loves, I heard the door and came running.”

Smiling slightly at her, you let the tall woman sit on your lap. Her hands were firmly entwined around your neck as she placed kisses on your cheek.

“What's wrong with you?” Lottie asked, glancing briefly at Nat for some clue, only to receive an uncertain nod.

“I just had a shitty day at work…” You said, placing a hand on Lottie's back, while your other hand caressed Nat's thigh, who was sitting on your left side.

“I swear I could kill your boss if I ever see him walking down the street.” Nat said, kissing your neck.

Laughing slightly, you leaned your head back on the sofa, thinking about how just the fact that your girlfriends were near you made you feel better.

“I have an idea!” Lottie said, looking at Nat, almost as if they were communicating telepathically while you stood there, just admiring them.

“Come on baby.” Nat was the first to get up from her spot on the sofa, followed by Lottie, taking your hand and pulling you along.

“Where are we going?” You asked, feeling Lottie take your other hand and lead you into the kitchen.

Soon the tiredness and sadness turned into laughter and jokes. You loved chocolate chip cookies, and your girlfriends always tried to cheer you up with them when you were having a bad day.

“Hey, nerd!” Nat called out, only for your face to be covered in flour the moment you turned in her direction.

Lottie's mouth dropped open in surprise, as you coughed up flour while trying to hold in your laughter. “Oh, you're fucked, Scatorccio!”

Grabbing a handful of flour, you quickly threw it in the blonde's direction, only for her to duck in time, causing all the flour to hit your brown-haired girlfriend's face.

While you stood with your mouth open in surprise, Natalie stood a little away from the two of you, laughing at the loving atmosphere she had created. You and Lottie, noticing that the blonde wasn't the least bit dirty, exchanged a knowing look, each taking a handful of flour, making Nat take a few steps back while still laughing.

“No! That's unfair, it's two against one!” The blonde said, laughing as she walked away from you and Lottie.

“Do you think it's unfair, baby?” Lottie asked sarcastically, looking at you with a raised eyebrow.

“No, I don't think so.” Smiling, you replied, starting to chase after your blonde girlfriend.

After all the mess you'd made, here you were, on the sofa, snuggled together while you ate cookies after a well-deserved bath. Back to the Future was on TV while your girlfriends watched it cuddled up to you, Lottie on your right, Nat on your left.

Hearing the sigh you let out, Nat looked at you. Her blue eyes gazed deeply into the relaxed features of your face, very different from how you had arrived. “Are you better?”

Looking at the blonde, you nodded, before switching your gaze between her and Lottie. “You always manage to make me feel good. I love you.”

“We love you too, baby.” Lottie said, pulling your chin and kissing you on the lips.

“We love you more than you can imagine, nerd.” Nat said, repeating Lottie's movements, and letting her lips brush yours.

[nyarlathotepoid]

Sorry!

I saw this screenshot— ah, sorry if you've read this already, editing to say I forgot to specify that it was the tweet of him claiming he has "Just cancelled Easter"— on my dashboard much earlier this morning and thought to look it up out of curiosity. Just reassuring to know for sure, and the magic of the world wide web's pretty helpful in that!

Maybe I'm missing something— I can't exactly access tweets, I tried to check, but skimming is all I have available to me— but as far as what I know at the moment, I do not think this quote is real.

I attempted to search for it, with no results appearing outside of social media sites. This feels like something, that if true, would be reported on by some news sites, doesn't it? There's usually at least a few that follow his activity pretty closely, aren't there?

I hope I'm not coming off as though I'm trying to express some form of snarky dissent or embarrass you. I'm scared. The stock falling is some vague comfort. But I just didn't feel comfortable avoiding comment if I knew there was a piece of information here that might not be water-tight. It's just a little important to me, you know? Got to check everything's in order sometimes haha

Reblog to make him lose another 200 billion, like to make him lose 1 billion

[thedevilsoftruth]

♡ Bucky Barnes NSFW alphabet ♡

- with a f! reader intended

I've never done one of these before, so here yall go, I guess! Enjoy.

[ My marvel request box is back open. Please check my pinned post for more information regarding my request rules. ]

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

I think it depends on how deep your relationship with Bucky is. I think that if it was a one night stand and/or if you guys aren't that close, he'd probably clean up with you, ask you if you'd want him to stay in bed with you a little longer and then be up and gone afterwards.

But if you're close--like married ( or fiance's ) close I think he'd be all over asking you how you're feeling and offering to massage you if you're hurting. He cleans you off then goes back in bed with you, waiting for you to go to sleep first. And that's basically it; he's just concerned for you.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

I think Bucky would be all over his arms. He's learned to love his prosthetic arm a lot over the years of healing and trying to love/forgive himself. But he puts a lot of work into his upper body strength, and hearing how crazy you are over his biceps in particular is what drives his ego even more.

For his favorite part of you, I think it'd be your boobs. He also likes your legs a lot, but there's something about a nice pair of melons that he really likes. I think he'd be all over playing with them when he's in bed with you, in fact I think they'd be the first thing he touches during foreplay.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Goodness gracious 😍

So, basically, I think Bucky would always ask you where you'd want him to cum before he actually did. It's important for him because one: he doesn't want there to be any happy little accidents, and two: he always needs your consent with almost anything he does to you.

I think Bucky would also really like it when you cum on his face. Specifically when he has you sitting on his face; it gets fucking everywhere and he's a real messy eater--so he fucking loves it. He likes it getting on his beard even though it's not the most comfortable sensation. Really likes the way your thighs twitch and clench around his face when you cum.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He's an old man. The invention of cellular phones, tablets and laptops are quite fascinating to him. It's very convenient to him as well because he can look at anything he wants with just the tap of a button. That includes porn.

Now he's not proud of it, but the day he discovered screen sharing was the day his entire life changed. While you were away on a grocery trip, he laid in bed, his phones screen connected to the TV in your room, jacking off while watching the craziest things he could ever imagine.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Did you not watch Captain America: The First Avenger? I think the better question would be when does Bucky Barnes not know what he's doing? Even when he was the winter soldier, he'd still get a little sex in by getting information out of people by getting them out of their pants.

That's almost an entire century of sexual experience under that mans belt. To say he's experienced would be an understatement and a straight up insult to him In general.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Bucky can get into almost anything. Sex is sex. It's mostly about what you want, so sometimes he likes to leave things up to you and let you ride him--just have him for a night. I think he'd personally really love having your knees pressed into your chest while he fucks you, or your legs above his shoulders. It lets him get deeper inside you and he likes the face-to-face action.

And of course, doggy if he's feeling really mean. And he does it on the kitchen table too, so it's even worse.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Once again, depends on the relationship. Absolutely 100% serious if your relationship isn't serious. But if he's been married to you for a long time, I think sometimes he'd get a little bored and whisper an inside joke in your ear while he's going at it.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Uh oh. I'm gonna go with pretty average.

He's 107 years old. Do you think he'd really give a shit about shaving down there? He will trim it for you if it bugs you, but that's only if it bugs you. Same thing goes for the pits and chest.

Hairy Bucky my beloved 😍

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Soooo intimate if your relationship is really deep. Bucky loves fooling around with you in bed, but he also really loves making you feel loved and cherished because it matters to him so much.

Especially with his staring issues, he just can't take his eyes off yours. Like he's constantly keeping eye contact with you, and it makes butterflies fill your stomach each time he does. He just can't believe how beautiful you are and how lucky he is.

Because finally for once In his life, he feels loved and he can return that love. Because for once in his life, he's at peace and he's doing something right.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

Same thing with the porn mentioned earlier.

But he also really likes looking at pictures of you whenever he's jacking off; the good, sexy pictures of you. He also likes flipping through texts you've exchanged with him and listened to the voice messages you send to him.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Having his hair pulled. He loves it when you tug on his hair whenever he eats you out. And it's never painful for him because of his strong pain tolerance. He also encourages you to tug as hard as you can. Makes him moan, get all hard for you.

Orgasm denial. I think Bucky would be super into asking you if you're going to cum, pretend like he is too, all just to pull out of you before you can. It drives you crazy and he loves seeing you whimper and beg for him to make you cum.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Workplace sex. Fucking in his office and shutting you up with his tie? Yes please.

Temperature play. Loves the way you shiver whenever his metal/vibranium arm touches you. Maybe he likes running ice cubes down your legs, too 🙈

At the start, it's a little hard for him to get used to a bed. Hed only use a bed if he was eating you out it was doing some sort of missionary thing. But even then he'd still have you on the edge of the bed with him standing.

So, he likes doing it in the floor. Yes, the floor. You hate it, but he loves it, especially if he's feeling rough and dominate that night.

He also really likes doing it in the kitchen, against the bar or on the table. Loves the way your moans echo through the house.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Like stated before, the hair tugging.

If you're showing a bunch of cleavage too, he becomes a fucking dog. He'll let things slide until the end of the day. He doesn't let you take a shower until he can get you out of your clothes and show you how fucking gorgeous you are.... And how much he really likes your boobs.

I also think Bucky would really like it whenever you praise him. He spent most of his life abused, neglected and never shown love. So I think telling him that he's doing good would send him off the edge and give him butterflies. Call him a good boy in his ear and he'll fucking die.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

If this is Bucky without the weird hydra shit still in his mind, he will refuse to get super over the top with you when it comes to bdsm. I mean like, as in the slapping and the choking. I think that would be a no go for him. He cannot stand the idea of purposefully hurting you for his own pleasure. It makes all that winter soldier guilt come back to him.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS. Oral sex my beloved.

Listen honey, Bucky Barnes is a pussy eating expert. You love it, he fucking loves it, it's perfect, really. He also enjoys receiving it, but he definitely love the award if giving you oral a lot more better.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Okay what year we talking? 1940's? 1991? 2014? 2016? 2018? 2025? It depends on where he is mentally. He can be really slow and sensual if he wants to, but he has to have a mix between being fast and slow. I like to describe it, as Peter Steele of Type O Negative would describe it, slow deep and hard.

If we're talking CATWS or CACW Bucky, I think he'd be an absolute fucking control freak and go absolute ham on that shit like a freight train ( sick ass bucky Barnes reference. ) He's so used to submitting to hydra, and he needs to let out his pain, anger and needs to be in control of something, so he takes control of you. Fast and hard, absolutely no mercy with that shit.

But if we're talking 1940s or Bucky after the events of infinity war, I think he'd definitely still have that rough/mean vibe, but he's just so sweet with you at the same time. He starts off slow, progresses into going fast, then slows back down towards the end. If that makes sense.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

They happen a lot more often than he'd like, and thats mostly just because the both of you are always so busy. He would like them to be longer, but he knows it's the only time he has with you so he cherishes it.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Yes. Yes. Yes.

In the workplace, yes.

In the car, yes.

Now if we're talking bdsm stuff, he's always making sure you are 100% into it and is always reminding you that you can always back out if you need to. He rarely takes risks when it comes to bdsm stuff, and he's always making sure he's prepared with the things he needs, but also that you're prepared for it mentally.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

He's a fucking super soldier. That man has been in fights longer than all the lord of the rings movies combined. He can go on from 7pm to 6am, the only question is: " can you? " One round feels like, not enough for him. But honestly, it just depends on how intense it is.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

I think Bucky would be interested in sex toys. He's more traditional though because that's what he's used to. But maybe he likes watching you use them on yourself?

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Bucky Barnes is the definition of sexually unfair. His foreplay is super long, and he has to make sure your panting, pent up and basically begging for him to fuck you before he actually does. He likes to touch you through your panties. He doesn't let you touch yourself, and when you do, he restricts your hands for a bit. He just really likes to hear you beg.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

He's is very loud In bed. He encourages you to be loud too. He grunts a lot. Like a lot. Moans whenever you claw at his back or tug on his hair.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character )

I'll give you more than one.

Likes his women older. There aren't exactly a lot of women out there over the age 100.

Also really loves to help you out with random things, even if it's just getting the milk out if the fridge. He's ready to comply.

His flesh hand is really fucked up. There's a lot of really deep cuts on them and callouses. His skin is dry and cracked. But nonetheless, his really good with his hands.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Forearm hair goes crazy. Same thing with his chest. He's an absolute beef cake. Wide waist, big arms, man tits also go crazy.

Now when it comes to his winter solider, I'd say he goes a bit above 6 3/4 inches. So almost 7 but not quite ( when erect. ) Veins go crazy. It's not too dark, in fact, there's a little bit of a pink tint to it.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Pretty normal. Maybe when he was younger ( during his Sargeant days ) it was a lot higher than it is now, which makes sense. But he's always busy so he doesn't have time for it.

But that doesn't mean he isn't thinking about it. Wink wonk.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards )

Not quick at all. Bucky is an awful insomniac, so he always ends up in going to sleep hours after you do. In fact, sex does nothing but energize him. He's always asking if he can do this and that for you after sex and you always end up on being so exhausted that you tell him to just sit down.

[scribblestatic]

Sheepzun will not die until I die, and even then, Sheepzun shall remain long after I've shuffled off this mortal coil.

Anyway, here's an update on that. ;3

---

Cai Niu, Luo Binghe, and the ram stood still in the room. Both children had bruises on their faces and hands and surely had more bruises blooming under their clothes. The ram stood stock still between them, not even chewing or trying to run away from what seemed to be a very uncomfortable situation.

This was despite the fact Luo Binghe had insisted on removing the halter keeping the ram in place. Apparently, it wasn't needed, and this situation seemed to show that.

Yue Qingyuan stood before them with a patient smile on his face as Qiong Ding disciples finished putting up the new door. Only after they closed the door did the sect leader speak.

"Cai-shizhi, Luo-shizhi, I'm sure you both are aware that your actions have been quite unacceptable."

"Yes, Zhangmen-shibo," they replied, utterly unrepentant.

He sighed, knowing this, but decided to hear the children out regardless. Behind him, still seated at the table, the other peak lords looked on, some in trepidation, others in utter amusement. What interesting disciples!

"Well then, please tell this lord. What was so important that you would disrupt a peak lord meeting?"

"Answering Zhangmen-shibo, this disciple demands justice for my shizun!" Luo Binghe replied, his little chest puffed out.

Beside him, the ram huffed, seeming to look at the boy, eyes lidded in humored resignation. The peak lords looking at the subject of the hour found such a visible expression on the face of a sheep incredibly strange.

"Answering Zhangmen-shibo, this disciple believes the meeting regarding Sheng Huan lacks very important information. For instance, this disciple and Luo Binghe have reason to believe, as well as firm evidence, that Sheng Huan is sentient, sapient, and able to speak. This disciple believes that, lacking this information and evidence of it, the peak lords may make a mistake in their judgement."

"Sheng Huan?"

"Yes. That is the name I gave him when he was a lamb." Cai Niu sniffled before rubbing some blood dripping from her nose away. "He was under the care of my group."

"Hmm. Then, which of you have spent the most time with Sheng Huan?"

Cai Niu looked over to Luo Binghe, who answered clearly.

"This disciple has, Zhangmen-shibo."

"And you call him...Shizun? You're a disciple of Qing Jing Peak, are you not?"

"Yes, Zhangmen-shibo. This disciple lives on Qing Jing Peak. However, this disciple..."

For a moment, he glanced over to Shen Qingqiu. He pursed his lips briefly before continuing.

"...This disciple is slow to learn and has caused much trouble for Shen-shifu. Because he is lacking, he has failed to follow Shen-shifu's teaching effectively. However, Shizun has graciously taught this one, even before he could speak. Before we could communicate as effectively as we do now. So, this disciple cannot stand by as Shizun's life is decided for him without speaking up."

"I see... Then, Luo-shizhi, what has your shizun taught you?"

"A great many things!" His eyes brighten despite the bruises on his face. "He taught me how to circulate my qi and how to meditate effectively. He's also taught me how to sharpen my axe for cutting wood, how to find qi-dense plants to eat, and how to hunt for my own food. My senses have become much stronger, and this disciple was able to sense the attack happening before the demons could destroy our rainbow bridge!"

As he prattled on, Shen Qingqiu's expression soured.

"Oh my, to think he would need to learn how to find food on Qing Jing, a peak for scholars. Shang-shixiong, perhaps you should increase the food budget for our poor tactician," Qi Qingqi murmured, hiding her grin with a manicured hand.

"Perhaps we should reevaluate what Qing Jing is for. Instead of the scholarly peak, perhaps the survivalists' peak?" Zui Xian Peak's Zhao Qinglian hummed, swishing his drink in a small gourd.

A little bit of giggling and cut-off snickering continued from a few of them before Shen Qingqiu snapped his fan shut, giving them all a derisive glare.

"This meeting has already been drawn out longer than usual. Zhangmen-shixiong, how much longer must we be kept away from our duties? We've already finished the vote."

Both Cai Niu and Luo Binghe's expressions crumpled, though Luo Binghe's hardened in frustrated indignation, his hands balling at his sides. He quickly bowed lowly to Yue Qingyuan, Cai Niu following suit.

"Zhangmen-shibo, begging your forgiveness for interrupting! But please, this disciple asks that the peak lords do not make a rash decision without acknowledging Shizun's abilities!"

With the children looking down, they couldn't see the slight furrow of his brow, the man torn between not slighting Xiao Jiu and their request. The vote really did rest on him...but since there was new information, a reevaluation was definitely warranted. As much as he didn't want to cause any humiliation to his...to Xiao Jiu, he couldn't reasonably vote in his favor without giving them a chance. He needed to be a fair sect leader, first and foremost.

His gaze trailed over to the ram, and he almost flinched, seeing the ram staring back. Upon their gazes meeting, the ram lowered its own in a move one could almost call demure. It really was quite unnatural, the intelligence he could recognize in its eyes.

...There was also Liu Qingge's assertion.

"Well... There was a comment made earlier that this lord would be willing to address. Perhaps the two of you and Sheng Huan can shed some light on this."

The children's expressions immediately brightened with hope, and Yue Qingyuan couldn't help but smile a little more genuinely at them.

"This lord has heard that Sheng Huan has the ability to speak, not only from the two of you, but someone else as well. If possible, this lord would like for Sheng Huan to speak on its own."

"Yes! Sheng Huan can speak! This disciple heard him speak to her just yesterday!"

"Shizun's way of speaking is different than that of humans. It may be difficult, but it's possible! Please, Shizun, please try!"

The ram looked over to Luo Binghe, ears flicking.

Luo Binghe looked up at Yue Qingyuan then, excited. But his expression fell when he didn't see the sort of reaction he was expecting.

"Uhm... Maybe try again?" Cai Niu murmured, "I didn't hear him either."

"Right, okay. Shizun... Maybe if you...erh..."

A few more times, Luo Binghe looked over at the others with increasing desperation. Once or twice, Cai Niu also seemed surprised and looked at the others, only to see blank and increasingly impatient expressions. At the same times Cai Niu would seem to "hear" Sheng Huan, Luo Binghe seemed distressed to not.

"This is foolish," a peak lord sighed.

"Perhaps both disciples should be mentally evaluated. This could be the effect of a severe qi deviation."

"A qi deviation on Qing Jing would make some sense, but even Xin Ya?"

"Oi, don't drag my peak into this."

"Sun-shixiong, this lord loathes to say this, truly. But this is literally happening because of your peak."

Luo Binghe sniffled, tears budding in his eyes. The ram, previously standing still, moved closer to him, nosing at his tears with a calm gaze.

Even without words, seeing the look on the ram's face made Yue Qingyuan question if they really weren't communicating with each other somehow. Sniffling, the boy spoke to the ram again.

"What if you, I don't know... I just... What if you thought really loudly? As though speaking to everyone, not just me? Maybe your voice only transfers to those you intend to speak with?"

"That... That would explain it. Why only one person can hear him at a time," Cai Niu murmured. "Please try it, Sheng Huan."

There was a long pause then, the ram seeming to look up toward the ceiling. Its ears flicked, and its expression eventually pinched.

There was nothing.

Finally, the ram let out a huff.

'...This ram had his doubts this would be effective, Binghe.'

Shang Qinghua dropped his brush.

Hearing the brush hit the table, the ram's eyes opened to see Luo Binghe's tearful yet ecstatic face. He blinked, as though a little shaken by his reaction, only to turn to Cai Niu to see a similarly dumbfounded but delighted expression.

Yue Qingyuan was also, plainly, just as discombobulated as the ram seemed to be.

The peak lords at the table stared at the ram, trying to process what they heard. It was a voice, yes, but it both did and didn't register to their ears. It also wasn't a voice that came from either of the young disciples or any of the other lords.

Melodious, calm, and grounded.

Liu Qingge stood up then, pointing at the ram.

"You."

Said ram blinked back.

'Eh?'

It...he looked up, eyelashes fluttering. Despite sheep generally not being known for their facial expressions, the surprise was quite clear on his face.

"You were in the Lingxi Caves."

'Ah... Oh. Oh, uhm. Well. Yes.'

Liu Qingge nodded immediately, crossing his arms.

"And, you have the same voice this lord heard back then. I am sure of it. This lord owes the ram his life. As does Shen Qingqiu."

Upon hearing his name, the peak lord scowled, all burgeoning dumbfoundedness slipping off his face.

"And why do you think this accurate, Liu-shidi? Did that qi deviation you suffered scramble what was left of your brain? So what, the ram speaks. What else does that prove?"

Before the two could start fighting, Yue Qingyuan cut in.

"That's a reasonable question, shidi. Let's unravel this slowly to ensure we do not have any misunderstandings. Then... Sheng Huan, was it?"

The ram blinked, his neck hugged tightly by the two children beside him, one still crying as the other beamed gleefully.

'So this does work... Ah...yes. That is a name one could use to refer to me.'

"Is it not your name?"

'This ram has also named himself. Thanking Miss Cai for her graciousness, and begging her pardon.'

"I don't mind! I don't at all. Just...wow..."

It was rather difficult to maintain his professionalism, considering his conversation partner was a ram and all. One that didn't seem to deny that he was, indeed, raised by a disciple. But, of course, confirming that information would come in due time.

"Then, this lord would like to know your name."

'Of course. Ah, aiyah, Binghe, let this ram save some face... Ahem...' With his neck freed from Luo Binghe's hug, he lowered it in what could be interpreted as a bow. 'This ram's name is Shen Yuan.'

Shen Qingqiu's fan cracked, splintering.

"Shen?" Qi Qingqi whispered as loudly as possible.

No other murmurs went further, but Yue Qingyuan's smile tightened, feeling his shidi's serpent-like gaze stab into him.

'KILL IT,' the silent voice demanded. 'STRIKE IT DOWN RIGHT NOW.'

"...Shen Yuan. Then, this lord has a few short questions for you."

'This ram shall answer as best as he can.'

"Mm. Then, Shen Yuan, were you raised on Xin Ya Peak?"

'Yes, by Miss Cai and a few other younglings.'

"From the time you were..."

'This ram was lambed on Xin Ya.'

"And your...family?"

'Ah, my mother and sibling were dead when this ram was born.'

Luo Binghe gasped, pain lancing through his expression. Immediately attentive of him, the ram continued.

'Worry not. This ram understands it was a complication of birthing twins. Had it not been for the dutiful actions of Xin Ya's disciples, it is possible this ram would have also remained stillborn.'

"...And you left Xin Ya. Why?"

'Because this ram understood he was to be eaten.'

Back at the table, Sun Qingjian winced. It was one thing as a farmer to know that some of the farmed animals you raised, even if you did it with something akin to love, would end up on a dinner table. It was another to hear that acknowledgement from one of the animals previously farmed.

Hearing it spoken in words that could be understood was, frankly, uncomfortable.

"...I see. Why did Shen Yuan choose Qing Jing Peak?"

'Ah, this ram didn't do so intentionally. He stumbled upon it while trying to find a way to escape. Very tasty grass they have there. However, he met Binghe, and has since stayed.'

"Mm. Then, regarding the Lingxi Caves..."

'This ram felt inclined to visit them. So, he went there and dwelled inside for a while. The moss was quite tasty.'

Zhao Qinglian snorted under his breath.

'While he was there, he heard some loud noises, so he followed them. There, he found two pretty people. One was having what looked to be a very severe qi deviation, and the other was being drawn into one despite trying to help.' Shen Yuan glanced at the table. 'Ah, the pretty people are here. That one with the mole was one of them.'

"Pret--" Liu Qingge stiffened, his face going pink.

'And the one in green robes was the other. He tried to keep the other man from deviating.'

"Both Shen Yuan and Liu-shixiong professed the same thing," Mu Qingfang said lowly. "And no one but Luo-shizhi and Cai-shizhi had an inkling he could speak before now, so it's not like they could corroborate stories. Nor would there be a reason to do so."

"In other words?" one of the peak lords asked.

"In other words, there seems to be no indication Shen Yuan is lying. Moreover, it's true that Liu-shixiong had a qi deviation. The stories seem to line up."

"...Shen Qingqiu, you really tried to save Liu-shidi?" Wei Qingwei murmured.

Instead of answering, the man just scowled and turned away, glaring toward Shen Yuan.

"This thing has been eating all across my peak. So, what are we going to do with it now?"

"Shen-shifu, apologies for this disciple's rudeness. However, Shizun is a he, not an it," Luo Binghe replied, bowing respectfully.

Active sparks of anger clashed between the two. Shen Yuan pointedly tried to ignore it.

"Hmm... It is clear that Shen Yuan is...more advanced compared to other spirit sheep. Perhaps we should see how much so. A better indicator to determine whether he could have helped Liu-shidi and Shen-shidi would be if this sheep has sufficient qi to do so. Mu-shidi?"

"Yes."

The doctor came forward, nodding at the disciples, who bowed in return.

"Please check the state of Shen Yuan's meridians."

"Then, if this one may..."

'Ah, yes.'

Shen Yuan leaned forward, offering his forehead as he closed his eyes. His huadian stood out strongly, a neat drop of red on his otherwise white-furred face.

Mu Qingfang reached out and placed his palm against it. Then, he slowly began to flow his qi through his body. Being unaccustomed to doing such a thing to a non-human entity, Mu Qingfang was especially careful. If he pressed the wrong way or tried to force it through, it could greatly harm the sheep.

The doctor wondered if the sheep knew just how vulnerable he was making himself.

But such thoughts stuttered to a halt the more he explored. This was...

"...Asking Cai-shizhi. How old is Shen Yuan?"

"Answering Mu-shishu, Shen Yua--...Shen-shishu is nearing two years old."

Mu Qingfang went quiet for a moment before nodding, slowly reeling his qi back in.

"Then, in that case. Ahem... Reporting to Zhangmen-shixiong. Shen Yuan is more than capable of assisting medically during a qi deviation."

Yue Qingyuan blinked, surprised by such an assertion.

"What makes you say so, Mu-shidi?"

The man adjusts his glasses before speaking again.

"...Within the two years of this spirit ram's existence, he has already formed a golden core."

---

See You in the Next Post! This makes the 9th one.

Here's the Masterpost btw

[wannabe-fic-writer]

Be Mine - Chapter 3

Summary: A first date turns out to be more amazing than you anticipated.

Warnings: Language, Smut: brief thigh riding, oral, praise 

* * * * * * *

“Y/n!”

The sound of your name draws your attention across the room and up to the counter. The barista stands at the other side with two plates and a drinks tray in front of her.“ Large black coffee, iced caramel latte, a danish and a croissant?”

“Yes ma’am.” You nod in confirmation before she slides the order over. After thanking her, you stuff a generous tip into the jar before taking the food back to your table.

“One black coffee,” you take the drink from the carrier and set it down,“ and a chocolate croissant.” Sliding the plate over as well, you then take your seat.

The sweet, sultry voice of the woman across from you sounds.“ Thank you,” she says with a happy smile, that’s quickly covered by the pastry as she takes a big bite. 

A smile of your own forms at the sight of her doing a small little dance as she chews. This isn’t the first, nor will it be the last, time you’ve seen her get giddy over the pastry.

When you were given a chance to prove your intentions and genuineness to Natasha not but a month ago, you did not waste it. You met her at the bistro twenty minutes before the planned time and made every second afterwards count.

There was nothing particularly fancy about the bistro, which you both were thankful for. It allowed for a relaxed environment which made you both less nervous. While it was never said that it was a date and neither of you implied it, you knew the importance of that time together, you knew it was the end or beginning.

Luckily for you, Natasha greatly enjoyed herself. She didn’t tell you until the end of your time together but it was also pretty obvious.

You made her laugh more than she had in months, you made her feel comfortable, heard, and free. Something about being with you that day allowed her to not be worried. She wasn’t looking over her shoulder every five minutes, she wasn’t trying to be somebody she wasn’t. She was just Natasha and you loved every bit of it.

She allowed you to ask your questions and get to know her while she did the same. You shared many interests and some habits were similar, but there were also things you didn’t have in common, though they weren’t dealbreakers.

By the time you were dropping Natasha off at her apartment, she was happy to admit that she enjoyed herself and that she wanted to see you again. And she did.

Almost every day from that moment on, you and Natasha met up at a coffee shop, bistro, or diner. You had breakfast or lunch together, or simply a coffee. You talked for hours before realizing that you were late going into work at your own company. 

After work, if you had the time, you were at the club just to see her. Obviously the people close to the two of you noticed the shift. Melina and Bucky never used to see you that often and Steve knows your schedule first hand so your outings were not missed by him. 

In truth, the three of them were entertained by you and Natasha. Especially when it became glaringly obvious that you like each other in a more than platonic way. Melina had joked with the men about having never seen Natasha blush until now and Steve was more than willing to inform them that the redhead left you quite tongue tied which was rare. 

Nothing was stopping the two of you. You saw each other every time you wanted to see each other, you talked every day be it face to face, over the phone, or through text, and you learned more and more about each other constantly. The more you learned, the more you liked.

“You working tonight?” You try to sound casual when asking, eyes trained on your danish as you pull the flaky pastry apart.

Natasha sports a knowing smirk when you look up, green eyes shining with amusement.“ I get the feeling you know the answer already but.. no, I’m not.”

“Good. I think my boss is letting me go early today,” you joke, making her giggle,“ I was hoping I could take you to dinner.”

“Sure. Where?” The way she shrugs makes it clear she misses the implication of your request.

“Natasha,” you reach a hand across the table, stopping her distracted movements and drawing her eyes to yours. Giving a small smile, you speak as softly as possible,“ would I be right in assuming that you’ve enjoyed the time we’ve spent together?” She nods.“ And um, would I be right in saying that I’ve noticed you’re as attracted to me as I am to you?”

The flush of red that rushes up her neck settles heavily on her cheeks and she ducks her gaze from yours.“ Uh, yes. I’m-” she sighs,“ I’m very attracted to you.” You swear you hear her add ‘more than I should be’ to the end but you don’t comment on it.

A smile forms on your face at her admittance and your thumb strokes over the back of her hand.“ I’ve been attracted to you since the moment we met, these last few weeks with you have only turned that attraction into something more and I want to keep exploring this feeling.”

“Really?” Her voice is light and the look in her eyes could only be described as happily surprised.

“Yes really.” A small chuckle falls from your lips.“ You’re incredible, Natasha, and intriguing and if I didn’t have to get to work soon I’d list the million other things I think of you.” Her blush deepens.“ I want to take you on a date. ALL BALANCHINE IV will be at the New York City Ballet tonight. I recall you saying you love ballet.”

Wonder fills her eyes and takes over her features, her hand squeezing yours softly.“ You remember that?”

“How could I forget it? You spent all our time together that day talking about it.” Smiling as you recall her sharing her interest with you over a coffee, you say,“ I loved seeing how passionate you were about it. And then I thought maybe you’d be interested in going to a show. I don’t quite understand ballet but I hear it’s beautiful and with how you spoke about it, well, how could I not be interested.”

A response doesn’t come immediately. In fact, it goes so quiet between you two that everything else seems exceedingly loud: the hissing of the coffee machine, the clattering of mugs and plates, the ding of the cash register, and the abundance of chatter from other patrons.

Then, ever so softly, she says,“ okay.” Your gaze snaps to hers, eyes so wide she can’t help but giggle amusedly. Chuckling, she nods.“ Yes, I’ll go on a date with you.”

“Great, that’s perfect. I-” Just then your phone vibrates incessantly, the alarm reminding you that you’re due at work in 30 minutes. You huff, hating that your time with Natasha is over already.“ I’ll pick you up at 7. The show then dinner?”

Natasha watches as you scarf down the last bite of your croissant, then rise to shrug your suit jacket on.“ Sounds good.”

“Perfect. I’ll see you later tonight.” Without a thought, you lean down to press a kiss to her cheek, your hand gentle as ever on her arm before it’s gone along with you.

* * * 

Fortunately, the promise of seeing Natasha again tonight gets you through the day. The meetings that drag on are half spent daydreaming about seeing the gorgeous redhead again and, in between paperwork and calls, you imagine how well the night will go.

Things between you and Natasha have been really good so far and, with the addition of your efforts to actually woo her, you get a good feeling that you’ll be taking the next step in your relationship tonight and it all starts in less than an hour.

“I can’t do this anymore.”

Gaze snapping up from the mirror in front of you, you look over to your door where a familiar blonde storms into the room, a deep frown on her face as she glares at you in an accusatory way.

Adjusting your vest, you turn to her fully. Your expression makes it clear you know exactly what she came to you for.“ Yelena, always a pleasure. To what do I owe this visit?”

“Ever since you had that nanotech shipment sent, Stark has been all over my warehouse, sticking his nose in my affairs.” She grits out, hands slapping down on your desk as she leans forward a tad.“ He came waltzing in today trying to call shots,” her accent drips heavier as her frustration rises.

With a heavy sigh, you move to stand at the opposite side of the desk where you proceed to put cufflinks on.“ I know I said it would be a one time thing but I came across a very lucrative deal with Miss Udaku and I couldn’t pass it up.”

The blonde grits her teeth.“ I very well can’t have the mayor’s son come into my warehouse and start poking around.”

Her words make you sigh. Despite her attitude, she makes a very good point. While you know Tony would never rat you out to anyone, just his being at Yelena’s warehouse could pose complications. Mixing your businesses was never in the plan anyway.

“I know, I know.” Not wanting to develop a headache mere minutes before you’re meant to go pick Natasha up for your date, you opt out of going back and forth any further.“ I will speak to Tony, okay? He won’t be looking into anything he shouldn’t be-”

“Thank you-”

“But,” you stop her before she can celebrate any further,“ I can’t just stop the shipments and since I don’t have anywhere else to send them from, your spot is my only option.” She groans and you hold up a hand.“ However, Yel,” you tilt your head to meet her gaze,“ if you can maybe convince the owner of the warehouse beside yours to let us use his spot for a bit, Tony will be out of your hair.”

Her green eyes narrow as she studies you for a moment. Then she huffs, arms crossing over her chest.“ Fine, I’ll pay him a visit.” Plopping down in the plush leather chair behind her, she finally observes you which brings another frown to her face.“ What are you dressing up for?”

“I’ve got a date, Belova.” Admitting such a thing to the younger woman wasn’t a problem. She, much like Bucky, was one of the few people you actually trusted. That you actually cared for.

Yes, she can be a pain in your ass more often than not, but you’ve found that at times, the relationship felt more so like you were dealing with a younger sibling than an employee. She handles her business, to the point where you very rarely have problems coming from her end, but she had no issue bugging you and making life just that tad bit harder.

On top of that, you know that if you ever needed her, she’d be there. No questions asked.

“Ooooo. Who’s the lucky lady?” She now smirks, curiosity present in her eyes.

Shaking your head, you give yourself another once over in the mirror, hands smoothing out the lapels of your suit jacket, before replying.“ That is none of your business.” You grab your wallet, keys, and phone.“ Come on, I’ll walk you out.”

Groaning, she heaves herself up and trudges to the door.“ You are no fun, Y/ln,” she purposely bumps her shoulder against your arm.

“Likewise, Yel, likewise,” you retort while nudging her with your elbow.

Together, you walk through the top floor to the elevators. On the ride down, there is no shortage of teasing at your expense from Yelena. Despite not even knowing the woman’s name, she had a lot to say about your date. Most of the comments had to do with her feeling sorry for the woman who agreed to spend an evening with you or how you were likely desperate to finally have female interaction outside of work.

When you finally part in the parking garage it’s with a sigh of relief, the woman’s cackling laughter fading with each step she takes away from you.

You would never admit it out loud, and certainly not to Yelena but, you are nervous. She wasn’t wrong in saying that you’ve solely interacted with women at work. On top of having not been on a date in more time than you care to get into, Natasha is gorgeous and intimidating in a way that only adds to your nerves. 

You want tonight to go well, yes to show Natasha a good time, but also in hopes of this not being your only date. If you blow this, it’s possible you’ll lose Natasha and that’s the last thing you want.

Starting the car, you take a deep settling breath as the engine purrs to life, then, with the calming songs on your Lo-Fi playlist filling the car, you pull off.

The drive helps in calming your nerves, enough that your heart isn’t racing but not enough to keep your palms from sweating. On the way up the path to the red brick apartment, you wipe your hands on your pants, taking yet another deep breath before pushing the buzzer to her apartment.

Her voice sounds mere seconds after.“ I’ll be down in a moment,” she says so you nod and take a step away from the door.

True to her word, she comes down a few minutes later and your eyes are instantly glued to her. 

Through the glass door, you watch as she descends the stairs, adjusting the bracelet on her wrist. 

She looks absolutely breathtaking: clad in a scarlet red dress that hugs her curves and stops just above her knees and a simple pair of black heels that make her legs seem like they go on for miles. Your eyes trail back up, catching sight of the silver chain bracelet on her wrist then the matching necklace that holds a singular diamond in the center, before finally landing on her face. 

With lipstick the same color of her dress and pink blush that makes her cheekbones and jawline pop even more than usual, plus the already alluring color of her eyes, you swear she quite literally makes your heart skip a beat.

A perfectly arched brow quirks up as her head tilts down, eyes searching your face.“ Y/n?”

The sound of her voice snaps you from your thoughts. Shaking your head, you focus on her eyes before speaking.“ Sorry I just- Natasha, you look incredible.”

Natasha rolls her eyes in a way that is becoming very familiar to you. The action is accompanied by a small smirk on her lips and a glint in said eyes that speaks her thanks before her lips do.

“Thank you,” she murmurs, gaze dropping from yours bashfully.

You smile at the reaction you elicited from her. More often than not, Natasha maintains an air of confidence and intimidation so when these moments of softness or vulnerability arise due to you, it makes you feel good.

“Shall we?” You ask while holding your hand out.

She takes it and doesn’t let go until you reach your car where you open the car door for her, waiting to ensure she’s safely inside the vehicle before shutting it.

As you round the car to get in the driver’s seat, Natasha’s mind, unfortunately, slips to a place of uncertainty and doubt. Doubt that you actually like her, but that all you really like is her body. 

This whole thing could be some elaborate scheme to get into her pants, a plot to bed the woman and make yourself feel powerful by trying to dominate her. That’s, of course, what every other man who had asked her out has wanted. 

For the most part, Natasha trusts that you’re honest with her when you say that you really like her, that you genuinely want to get to know her because, well, people could say anything.

While you wouldn’t outright say you just wanted to fuck her, you could hide it under the simplicity of wanting to take her on a date. You could lure her in with a lavish night out, likely going to some pretentious party where you could show her off like arm candy while flaunting your wealth and connections. You’d attempt to get her drunk off champagne and wine before making your move. 

It’s, sadly, a tale as old as time. Especially given her line of work and her past. 

But then, the logical part of her brain takes over. 

You aren’t taking her out to some party to show her off, you aren’t flashing a bunch of cash or wearing your most expensive clothes (the simple black tux you’re wearing is nothing compared to the Armani suit she saw you in the first time you met), and you haven’t made a single pass at her.

In fact, you made tonight about her more than you. The ballet show is clearly for her, since you personally admitted to not knowing much about ballet. Dinner would be at a restaurant she chose, you text her earlier in the day to ask where she wanted to go so that you could set a reservation. On top of that, you’ve been nothing but a gentlewoman so far: opening doors, offering a hand when getting out of the car or simply walking up stairs, walking on the sidewalk closer to the street, or guiding her through the crowd at the show with your hand at a respectable position on her back. Even when you hold her hand during the show, you keep it up on the armrest as opposed to resting it on her thigh.

Natasha was already very attracted to you and your personality did nothing but draw her in further. Tonight though, was on an entirely different level.

You’ve been so respectful and attentive and it’s beyond attractive. It’s sexy as hell. 

So much so that, by the time you’re at dinner, sitting across the table from each other, she has one thing on her mind: she wants you.

She can’t help but watch the way the veins in your hands slightly appear each time you grip the knife to cut into your steak, the way your tongue rolls over your lips after you’ve taken a bite, or how your jaw flexes when you chew.

It seemed every move you made set her alight, heat pooling low in her belly that inches lower with each moment that passes. A part of her, a very quiet but still present part, is considering dipping off to the bathroom and letting you have your way with her.

“Nat?” Your questioning tone pulls her from her thoughts, which were milliseconds away from getting very inappropriate. Or rather, more inappropriate.

“What?” She asks, unable to mask her confused expression, giving away the fact that she wasn’t listening.

A soft chuckle sounds from you, your lips curving into a small smirk.“ Sorry, didn’t mean to start going on about work, I know it’s a rather boring topic.”

“No, no, it’s not.” She rushes to say, heartbeat picking up just slightly at the thought that you’d shut down because of this.“ I want to hear about it, I wasn’t really sure what you did at your day job.” Her tone is joking, hinting at the fact that she knows a bit about what kind of work you do after hours.“ I just got lost in thought.”

That piques your interest, your head tilting slightly as an eyebrow raises.“ What were you thinking about?”

Luckily for Natasha the heat that rushes up her neck doesn’t go any further and she’s saved from being caught blushing. Still, in a very suggestive tone she says,“ maybe you’ll find out later.”

She only mentally admits that she’s dying for you to know what her thoughts were but that would absolutely not happen until after this date. 

For the time being, she gives you her undivided attention, finding that you sound fairly passionate about your work. The stuff you deem “boring” you don’t go too into detail about, but you practically go on tangents about the parts of work you do enjoy, such as your dealings with international partners. She admires that you seem so happy to be able to use the technology your company manufactures to help those who need it.

Still though, in the back of her mind, she can’t shake her desires.

Which is why, when you pull up outside her apartment, she invites you in for a night cap.

You can admit that you had a slight idea of what Nat’s apartment would look like, centered around the things you’d learned she likes or her style. When you step foot into the apartment you find that you were partly right.

It’s a decently sized place, beige and white being the primary colors while pops of black or green are mixed in via pillows, pictures, and paintings. Somehow it’s clean and messy at the same time. Overall it feels lived in by Natasha, bits and pieces of her personality and interests standing out to you: the well stocked and put together coffee section in the kitchen, the collection of Bond films on the living room bookcase, makeup strewn over the bathroom counter, a figurine of a ballet dancer on the tv stand.

You smile softly as you take it all in, eyes roaming over every surface while you cross through the space to sit on the couch upon her inviting you to make yourself at home, before she dips into the kitchen.

It’s after you’ve shed your jacket and loosened your tie that Natasha comes back, two glasses in hand filled with whatever she made.

“It’s just vodka and cranberry juice,” she informs you after she’s kicked her heels off and sat down,“ I usually drink the stuff straight but I wasn’t sure if you could handle that.”

Her teasing tone elicits an amused huff from you, narrowed eyes rolling over her form. She’s chosen to sit close, facing you with her feet tucked under her bottom, one arm resting on the back of the couch as the other holds her drink on her thigh.

The position leaves her legs even more exposed than before since her dress has ridden up and with her slightly leaning towards you, a single glance down would yield the view of her ample breasts. At this proximity, you can feel the warmth of her body, hear every breath she takes, smell the mix of vanilla and rose that you’d been getting hints of all night, and it all was intoxicating.

“I can handle vodka, Romanoff.” You respond back, shifting to face her as well. With subtle intent, you let your fingers brush the soft skin of her arm when you move yours to rest on the back of the couch beside hers.

Another benefit to being so close is seeing and hearing her reaction, the subtle shiver that rolls over her at the contact and a sharp inhale.“ I’ll have to see how true that is some time, tonight though, I’d like to remain clear headed.” The implication of her words is made clear when her own fingers run up the length of your arm and stop just at the collar of your shirt.

You sip your drink at the same time that she does, eyes darting down to watch her lick the remnants of liquor from her red lips.“ You say that like you have something else planned for this evening.”

“Planned? Not at all,” her lips have been curved into a teasing smirk since she sat down,“ in fact, what I have in mind is far from how I saw this evening going.”

“Do tell.” You prompt.

Her fingers finally make contact with your skin, your neck to be specific. The feel of her nails lightly dragging over your skin and the backs of her fingers grazing your jawline causes a slight shiver to roll down your back at the same time that heat courses over your whole body.

The way you’ve subconsciously started leaning forward makes you think that she’s put some kind of spell on you. Then again, you feel like you’ve been under her spell all night, completely entranced by everything she does: the way she walked, the way she talked, the way she laughed, it all pulled you in, left you near breathless. The rate in which your feelings for her were deepening has multiplied in this one night and it doesn’t seem like that’ll be slowing down anytime soon.

“I could tell you,” green eyes peer up at you through long lashes,“ or I could show you.”

Before the statement has even ended, you’re nodding.“ Show me.”

Moving swiftly and effortlessly, Natasha sets her glass down then takes yours from your hands to set it beside hers, then she swings her leg over your lap to straddle you. Before you can do it yourself, she takes your hands and places them on her hips, her own slipping up your shoulders and to the back of your neck.

“Since the moment we stepped out of the ballet, I haven’t stopped thinking about having your hands on me,” her voice is like a siren’s song as she inches closer to you,“ having your lips on mine, or anywhere else on me.”

You can feel her breath against your lips, her fingers playing with the hair on the nape of your neck. At this rate, your heart is pounding in your chest. You’re sure that Natasha can feel how keyed up you are just from the way you’re gripping her hips. The slightest movement from either of you would result in your lips touching.

“Tell me you want me as bad as I want you,” she whispers,“ please.” It’s almost a whimper the way she says the word and you practically growl when you surge forward.

Lips crash in, probably, the most heated kiss you’ve ever had in your life. Her lips are pillow soft and taste of cherries. While you hadn’t admitted it before, you knew that once you kissed her you’d become addicted and you were right. Everything about the kiss left you wanting more before it even ended.

She parts with an audible gasp, chest heaving against yours as she works to catch her breath, but your next action of attaching your lips to her neck makes that task nearly impossible. Still, she tilts her head back to offer you more skin to kiss and mark, her fingers slipping into your hair and gripping lightly when your teeth graze her skin.

In the seconds that follow, you become a tangle of limbs, clothes gradually getting tossed throughout the room, kisses landing on every bit of skin that you can reach.

Despite your intense desire to feel and taste every bit of her, you pull away. She practically whines in protest, hand slipping down your body to tug at the top of your suit pants.

“Sorry, I just, I want to be sure that you’re sure,” you say between labored breaths,“ I didn’t- tonight wasn’t about sleeping with you. We don’t have to do this if you don’t want. I’m perfectly fine with finishing our drinks and watching a movie or I can go home-”

“Y/n-”

“I don’t want-” 

Her lips are on yours before you can finish your thought. Nimble fingers hold the collar of your unbuttoned shirt as she guides you to hover on top of her again.“ I want this,” she almost desperately grips your shirt,“ please.”

Nodding, you press a kiss to her lips unlike the other ones you shared before. You want her to know that this was more than just a quick fuck for you. You want her to feel how much you like her. You want this kiss to convey everything you’d been feeling for her since the moment you saw her. 

God does it work. Natasha is sure that she’s never been kissed like this, she’s never felt this much from something as simple as a kiss. Every time she read a romance novel and the protagonist described feeling butterflies in their stomach or their toes curling, she never understood until now. 

Natasha’s toes actually curl, she actually feels a fluttering all throughout her stomach, all of which makes her more desperate for you. She’s dying to feel you everywhere, to feel everything you have to give her. At this second, she won’t admit that she means that both physically and emotionally so she sticks to the physical side of things.

In the same second that she pushes your shirt off your shoulders, fingers smoothing over the muscular contours of your body, her hips cant up off the couch effectively grinding her core against your thigh. 

The fabric of her panties slide against her as she grinds against your thigh again and this time she registers how badly she needed this. She’s dripping, so much so that her panties cling to her uncomfortably and she feels her slick on her inner thighs, her core starting to ache from the lack of stimulation.

She cries out when you press your thigh against her more firmly, her hands clutching your shoulders, leaving a delicious sting behind as her nails dig into your skin. 

You become focused on marking the newly exposed skin of her breasts, leaving her with just the pressure of your thigh to pleasure her and it’s not nearly enough. So, she whines and tugs at your hair.

“What is it, baby?” You ask after pulling away, eyes scanning over glossy green ones, briefly admiring the red marks you left on her chest as your fingers trail up and down the sides of her thighs.

“Need more.” She pouts, hips still wildly rocking up into you.

“Awe,” you mockingly pout back,“ this isn’t enough for my needy girl huh?” Flexing your thigh, you press it against her clothed cunt again, enjoying the desperate state she seems to be in.

In truth, Natasha had been fighting it, the urge to give in to you. To submit. Her past sexual encounters were all led by her. Despite how “powerful” the people she’d been with claimed to be, behind closed doors they yielded to her. She always had control, always steered things in the direction she wanted.

With you, from the moment your hands were on her, she started to slip. Her body urged her to let you please her as you saw fit and bit by bit, her mind followed suit. A part of her isn’t sure if she can trust you enough to fully let go but then you kiss her softly and you look at her just as soft.

“Please give me more,” she whines again,“ need you.”

Whatever restraint you had before vanishes with the uttering of those words. A hand easily slips from her outer thigh, up to her panties and you moan at the feeling of the drenched fabric.

“This must be so uncomfortable for you, baby,” a finger presses against her clit through wet fabric.“ How about I fix that for you.”

She groans at your words, head dropping back against the couch as you slink down her body, pulling her panties along with you. The feel of your lips and fingers on her inner thighs makes her lift her head again, green eyes meeting yours right as your tongue darts out to lick her arousal from her thighs.

The tangy, sweet taste of her spreads across your tongue and you know that you’ll need more so, you dive in. Mouth latching onto her dripping cunt without hesitation, you swipe your tongue through her folds, taking in every drop of arousal that spilled from her. 

Her moans fill the air, accompanied by the sound of your tongue lapping at her cunt but it's all muffled for you, given that the redhead has wrapped her legs around your head. With her thighs pressed against your ears, you only faintly hear her but you couldn’t care less. You’re surrounded by Natasha: sight, taste, touch, sound, smell. It’s all her and you love every second of it.

The instant you slip your tongue inside, her hips jolt off the couch. She shamelessly grinds against your face as you curl your tongue repeatedly in an effort to push her over the edge.

“Please,” she utters for the umpteenth time tonight,“ ‘m gonna cum. Don’t stop.” The desperation in her voice and the throbbing of her clit make it obvious how close she is. 

Opening your eyes, you look up at her, noting the way her brows pinch together as she chases her high. She’s trying so hard to reach her orgasm, exerting herself more than you would like her to. So, you take her hips in your hands, halting her movements as you shift gears. The frustrated cry that bubbled from her lips quickly turns into a moan when you suck her clit into your mouth.

“Oh! Fuck!” She slurs, thighs tightening around your head.

Your tongue flicks over her bundle of nerves and, with another harsh suck on her clit, you watch her start to fall apart.

The first sign is the sharp inhale of breath, her abdominal muscles flex, and she freezes. Gently rolling your tongue over her incites her to tip over the edge she met. Her thighs quiver on either side of your head, her breath coming out in a wanton moan that you’re sure her neighbors can hear, and the final wave of her arousal spills out onto your chin and her thighs.

You don’t release her from your hold until she starts to writhe underneath you, hips wiggling away from you as the pleasure rolls into overstimulation. Gently licking up her slick, you pull away just enough to kiss her inner thighs.

“Did so well for me, baby,” you speak softly to her, hands caressing her heated skin as you sit up.

The corners of her lips rise slightly at your praise, one of her hands reaching down to take yours, fingers lacing together. 

“Loved hearing those pretty little sounds,” you continue in between kisses pressed against her collarbone and neck.“ And you taste so good. Sweet as candy.” 

A cute giggle falls from her lips as her breath finally regulates, then she’s tugging on your hand to pull you closer. The second you’re close enough, she pulls you into a kiss that is equal parts soft and heated.

She moans at the taste of herself on your tongue, her free hand slipping down your back and resting at the dip just above your butt where she then pulls you closer. Her intentions are made clear when she presses her hips up against yours.

“Relax sweetheart,” you whisper against her lips,“ I’m far from being done with you tonight.”

[metaxiu]

It's extremely important that you constantly ask yourself "why?" and review and freely change your beliefs with new information and evidence

Also, prob the most useful thing I learned in university is that "I do not know." is perfectly correct and reasonable answer. Instead of drawing a wrong, premature conclusion (and idk, denying people rights because you think the world works in one when it doesn't) it is perfectly fine to admit you need more information.

[drdemonprince]

(ED mention) Holy shit! Ur the first person I've seen to compare ED behavior to addictive behavior after having experienced it. I have always felt the same way. It's affirming to hear you say that, thank you. I also think my experiences with EDs were informed by my undiagnosed/unaccomodated neurological disorders in ways I'm not sure I can articulate in a single ask. But I hope you know what I mean?

10 years in recovery and I *never* miss my ED, yet it's jarring how close it feels when I'm spiraling, and this feels like an important piece of the puzzle. Here's to recovery and finding pleasure being in our bodies 💌

You should check out Shira Hassan's book Saving Our Own Lives! Or Gloria Lucas' harm reductionist approach to eating disorders! The addiction (and especially harm reductionist) frameworks for understanding EDs I think really help make sense of the needs that we attempt to meet with our behaviors (and how we might more effectively meet those needs) far better than the conventional ED treatment models do. I now understand my ED not as some horrible malformed mental model of my body or a lack of adequate self love or whatever and instead appreciate it as a way of satisfying a lot of competing needs that I had in my mind and body -- needs for structure, stimulation, an excuse to escape from other people, privacy, body autonomy, endorphins, control over my schedule and habits, and on and on. Now when I experience a resurgence in any of my behaviors I no longer feel that I've failed to be abstinent or that I never really had the right mindset toward my body all along, but that I just have to satisfy those needs in some way. Sounds like you are on a recovery pathway that already works fabulously for you, but if you want to think more about parallels between EDs and addiction I think those worlds might help you find other people who think similarly! It's helped me feel a whole lot less alone knowing that there's an entire world of people addicted to substances who get pretty much exactly what it's like.

[bizarreboa]

SPOILER ALERT

So it was Caldarus’s birthday and i was researching what he liked when i noticed something kinda interesting

Apparently, the only gift he hates is the unknown dragon statuette. In game, the description of this item implies that it isnt a statue of Caldarus.

To add on, he himself claims that he doesn’t know why he hates the item. This does make sense due to his apparent amnesia.

My theory is that the civilization that used to worship Caldarus is the same civilization that worshipped this unknown dragon. There is a statuette of Caldarus, and the statuettes seem to be heavily similar in style.

On how this happened, I have two ideas. The first is that the unknown dragon sealed Caldarus in the mines in order to be worshipped instead and gain more power. Worship seems to give power Caldarus, so why not another being? This theory is actually quite is flimsy, anyone couldve sealed him away. The other option i find more interesting and more plausible.

To start off, Caldarus seems to based of the word caldera. A caldera is what happens when a volcano erupts and collapses in on itself. This would imply that Calderus had created a major destructive event and was then sealed himself. However, I think someone else sealed Caldarus away after he weakened himself.

The dragonsworn armor is quite interesting in the way it has dragon in its name. It’s obviously old, and depicted as legendary. Its found in Mistria, the place where a dragon named Caldarus is sealed. A piece of the set is found in the western ruins where there is supposedly a statue of the dragon priestess.

I believe that whoever wore the dragonsworn armor was the one that sealed Caldarus away. Of Caldarus had “erupted” there wouldve been mass destruction and the people would no longer see him as benevolent. The set of armor used to seal away such destruction surely would have been seen as legendary and worth immortalizing in stone.

In my theory, whoever sealed Caldarus away and wore the dragonsworn armor are either the dragon priestess or a follower of the unknown dragon.

Both options relies heavily on the name of the dragonsworn armor. It is called the dragonsworn armor and I believe that it is implying that the owner was “sworn”, that is, taking an oath, to a dragon.

The first one is easily explained, the priestess is located at every seal in the mines and as stated before, a piece of the armor is hidden at the western ruins, the same area a statue of hers is. Her making an oath to Caldarus would’ve been normal. Caldarus clearly isnt malevolent, so her sealing Caldarus away could be seen as helping him, since I doubt Caldarus wanted to cause harm.

The second option implies that the dragon sworn to isnt Caldarus, but the unknown dragon. The rest is obvious, they sealed him away after he “collapsed” on himself.

To add on about the unknown dragon, I’m pretty sure Caldarus knew them before being sealed. His dialogue implies that since being sealed, he had no contact with the outside world, and since he can recognize the unknown dragon just by seeing a statuette of them, he must have known them well. Well enough to hate them while having amnesia at the least.

To summarize, I believe that Caldarus lost control, caused great harm, and was heavily weakened by himself in some sort of way at the end. Someone wearing the Dragonsworn armor sealed Caldarus away in the mines. The empire that once worshipped him started worshipping another dragon that Caldarus was aware about and hated before being sealed.

Anyways, thanks for listening to my tedtalk that i made up in an ungodly hour of the night that has terrible grammar(probably spelling too) in it. I just started playing the game again after the update and i’m at lvl 70 mines as of now. I don’t have much information due to the fact that i don’t have much friendship with most villagers other than eiland and some others so I couldve missed some important info. Maybe i’ll add onto this when i actually finish more of the game.

Already said it one time but i’ll say it again, thank you for reading my obscene theory. Apologies for the grammar and spelling errors. (Also imma post this on reddit too, why not)

[witherby]

Seeing as I'm in the middle of a mock week, I was wondering how Mouse deals with school and exams. I imagine that most if not all of the Waynes are incredibly supportive throughout all of their school years.

Also, in the LW series, would Conner have to go to school? If so, where do you think he would go?

- 🌃

Good luck on exams!! And happy belated birthday!

Your family is very supportive, if not a little overbearing, about your grades. Got a D on that last test? No problem, Mouse, we can help you study! What's important is you did your best!

"here's how to cheat on that exam next time," says Tim.

You don't wanna go to normal college? Follow your dreams! God knows they have the money to burn on whatever kind of schooling you want! They're just happy you actually wanna go!

"here's how to fudge your applications to get guaranteed acceptance to any school you want," says Tim.

You graduated from your post-secondary education of choice and want them to see you walk the stage to get your diploma? Absolutely! They're all gonna be there! Even some of the JL in their civilian identities!

"I blackmailed the rogues gallery to not disrupt today so you could walk," says Tim.

Tim is very invested in your education. After your Boiling Point, he really lays off the dismissive attitude about your schooling and other personal affairs and becomes a little cheerleader in your corner instead.

Conner and school...that's a fantastic question. I don't know that he'd need it? I think Lex would stuff a full education in there for him, especially considering he was meant to pop out a fully-developed adult already. Again — he's working with a lot of theoretical knowledge. He's got all the book smarts and none of the applicable, street smarts. You can't really go to school to learn how tight a handshake should be or how much personal information is too much personal information to share with other people. That's all lived experience, stuff you pick up on as you grow. Lex, to his credit, does try to help him with the worst of that, but only so he doesn't make a fool of LexCorp while he's out hero-ing.

If he were to do any schooling, it might be etiquette classes maybe? He'd definitely need a therapist; I think that's the most realistic thing that would occur.

Thanks for asking!

[sirfrogsworth]

@turgidturnip

"Don't feed the trolls" is based on the idea that if you starve a troll of attention, they will give up and stop being a troll.

This is a frustrating myth. Social media has allowed trolls access to endless attention. One person ignoring them is not going to discourage them. They probably won't even realize they were ignored. But if you make them look stupid you can definitely rustle their jimmies. Maybe even sour their day a bit.

Moreover you are scolding the victim of trolling for defending themselves. You are telling people not to stand up to bullies. Why aren't you telling the troll to stop fucking trolling? You seem more upset with me than the actual troll.

Responding to trolls helps me. I was bullied as a child and never defended myself. I always took it. I swallowed their words and let them fester. Ignoring them doesn't help me.

So I respond.

And I think I'm good at responding.

And I think my responses are informative and helpful to people witnessing the exchange. I turn a negative into a positive, I stand up for myself, I bring attention to issues that are important to me, and I get to make trolls look silly.

The trick is to know when to drop the mic. It's important to develop the self awareness to know when you've entered a feedback loop. Say your piece and exit gracefully before things get pointless and stupid.

Everyone should decide what is best for them when dealing with online bullies. If ignoring and blocking works best for you, then by all means do that. But I ask that folks stop scolding people for sticking up for themselves.

[thezombieprostitute]

Tech Tuesday: Johnny Storm

Summary: You may have gotten the drop on him, but Johnny's not ready to surrender.

Warnings: Bad food combinations. Please let me know if I missed any.

Previous

Tech Tuesdays Masterlist

"Look, Johnny, this isn't a performance review or anything," Syverson assures. "I'm just worried about ya. You've been actin' a lot more withdrawn lately. Is everything goin' okay?"

"Yeah," Johnny shakes his head. "Just...got into a funk. It happens." Inwardly Johnny grimaces at lying to his boss. But what is he supposed to tell him? Oh yeah, boss. A big time hacker has my information and now I gotta do her favors or she'll dox me. No, he'd handle this on his own. He got himself into this mess, he'll get himself out. Preferably without getting himself fired.

Syverson sighs. If he knows there's more to it, he isn't telling. "So long as you know you can talk to me, Pine, hell, anyone. Alright?"

Johnny nods, "yeah, I know. So can I go now?"

Syverson nods, almost in defeat, and Johnny practically runs back to his desk.

Johnny knows he's been more withdrawn lately but if Syverson is noticing he's going to have to be more careful. He doesn't like when people know he's upset. Especially not when it's because he messed up. If DarkAngel was able to get his information, it was because he got sloppy. Overconfident. He's not going to make that mistake again.

He's stopped in his tracks by the sight of the G's at his desk. They gesture for him to take a seat and he knows better than to argue. As soon as he's in his chair they bring out a few canisters of wasabi peas, a small bag of atomic warheads and a giant bottle of chocolate milk.

"We know you've been troubled lately," Geralt starts.

"Don't know the details, don't need to," G adds.

"You're clearly in the midst of battle," Geralt continues.

"And you can't do proper battle without the proper gear," G says, pointing to the food.

"How did you guys know?" Johnny asks, bewildered. He thought he'd been doing a good job of hiding it, but between Sy and the G's, he's worried everyone knows he's having problems.

"It's been quite some time since you pestered us for snacks," G tells him.

"We initially thought it was a nice break, letting us focus on work," Geralt sighs.

"But now we can't focus because we keep expecting you and you're not showing up," G grumbles.

"And we're certain the others in this department have been feeling the same," Geralt nods.

Johnny lowers his head in embarrassment. "Well, thank you."

"May your victory be swift," Geralt encouraged.

"And decisive." G concludes.

Johnny smiles genuinely for the first time in weeks as the G's leave his cubicle. He opens up the first round of snacks, taking in the unusual mixture of aromas, and sets to work.

------

You have to admit, having TheHumanTorch69, now simply JStorm, under your thumb has been very good for business. With his help, you've been able to crack a lot more virtual safes than usual. You really don't understand how someone with his skill could be happy with the corporate life. Did he also dream of a house with a white-picket fence? You roll your eyes at the thought.

No. You like being in the wind. It's safer for you. Can't be doxxed if you're never in one place too long. Plus, if you don't have to worry about rent or a mortgage you can spend your money on actually important things. It's genuinely comforting to know you never have to worry about money.

There's a signal on your laptop. Johnny's signed in. He sends you a message and your smile drops. It's your mug shot from ages ago, before you stepped up your precautions.

JStorm: This you? DarkAngel: That was me. I don't get caught anymore. JStorm: Then how'd I find this? DarkAngel: Obviously you hired O'Malley. Can't believe you can afford him. JStorm: Excuse you! I got your name and everything on my own! DarkAngel: Bullshit. I've seen your work. You're not good enough to catch me. JStorm: You trying to convince me or yourself?

That makes you pause. You were just thinking about how good he is. Have you gotten so sloppy in covering your tracks? Wait! This photo was taken ages ago! It's only one of your old identities.

DarkAngel: You're right. If you'd hired O'Malley you'd have more recent information. Not stuff from over a decade ago. JStorm: Okay. Yes. This is all I could find for now. But I needed something for leverage. DarkAngel: Fine. We're done. We'll just avoid each other from now on. JStorm: I don't know that we can do that. DarkAngel: The internet is a large place. We can avoid each other. JStorm: We have personal information about each other that others might want. DarkAngel: Don't you dare threaten me! JStorm: Right now I just want to talk. DarkAngel: That's what we're doing. JStorm: In person. DarkAngel: Fuck no!

You've been down this road before. It's an obvious trap. Did he really think you were so dumb?

JStorm: I saw the pattern in your targets.

You don't respond. You should just close the chat and move on. But you're curious about what pattern he's seen. You've been careful to only give him bits and pieces so the true target wouldn't be known.

JStorm: Your hacking into the communications of some very bad people. DarkAngel: You planning on selling my info to them? JStorm: Not my style. I'd report you to the authorities. DarkAngel: As if they could do anything. JStorm: That why you got into this? The bad guys got away with everything?

Your eyes tear up as the memories come back. The misplaced hope in the system. The crushing realization that money determines guilt or innocence, not facts. The despair and anger that's lived with you since.

DarkAngel: What are you? My therapist? JStorm: Oh hell no. I'm not good at helping others with their mental problems. I've got too many of my own. DarkAngel: Then what do you want? JStorm: A truce, for starters. I need to know you're not going to release my information. DarkAngel: I'll consider it. What else? JStorm: I need my HumanTorch name cleared. I've got a job to do and I can't do that if everyone's suspicious of me. DarkAngel: More difficult to do. But might be possible if you make it worthwhile. What are you offering? JStorm: Obviously, I won't release that mugshot and other personal information. But I'd also like to offer my services. DarkAngel: I already have your services. JStorm: No, you have my reluctant servitude. You free me, we work together, more like partners, and you'll get my full arsenal of skills. DarkAngel: I knew you were holding back. How much time do I have to think about this? JStorm: I need an answer now. DarkAngel: Asshole. JStorm: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ DarkAngel: Okay. Truce for now. I'll get to work on clearing your name. But don't think I'm not ready for you to betray me. JStorm: I can promise you, that ain't my style.

We'll see about that, you think. Trusting others leads to nothing but pain. Johnny will turn out no different from all the other people in your life that let you down as soon as things got tough. But, until you can find a way to purge your criminal history, you'll have to play along. You got sloppy and now you're paying the price.

Next

Tech Tuesdays Masterlist

Tagging: @alicedopey; @darsynia; @delicatebarness; @ellethespaceunicorn; @icefrozendeadlyqueen; @irishhappiness; @jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory; @kmc1989; @late-to-the-party-81; @lokislady82; @ozwriterchick; @ronearoundblindly; @thiquefunlover63

[karanseraph]

Once, long ago, there was the Quadrivium and the Trivium within The Seven Liberal Arts. The Quadrivium included Geometry, Arithmetic, Astronomy, and Music, while the Trivium or the remaining three arts of The Seven Liberal Arts were Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric.

STEM is an updated grouping of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (yes?) for our post-idustrisl, information technology age, as we have many specialized sciences and kinds of maths.

And that's cool.

Note that Music is in there right in the Quadrivium. Note that Geometry is in there which is (trust me I went to art school) tied up with visual arts.

So STEAM as a way of designation that Music,and Fine/Visual Art belong is a decent way of updating the older Quadrivium.

But, all that said, let's not forget about Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric, which in an updated system would probably include Critical Thinking and Media Literacy.

We need STEAM, but we also need to be able to communicate findings and to be able to evaluate the reports and articles in order to make policy in the world.

And, someone is going to explain to me that the 'S' already includes Library Sciences or Science Comminication or that Communication falls under the 'A' in STEAM.

But, I'm just not sure that's the common understanding of what most or average people are taking away from STEM or STEAM. Some brains crave clarification.

Look at our world having Science yet having so many people unable to apply Critical Thinking or to catch the Rhetoric of public figures using so much logical fallacy. Look at so-called 'anti-science rhetoric' in our media.

Also, look at some people in Tech and Engineering-heavy industries making policy about labor (Busineess and Economics comes in here?) that seems devoid of appropriate social-emotional understanding (or if understanding then intentionally manipulative and exploitative and 'inappropriate').

A few years back (IIRC) schools tried to encourage more Social-Emotional learning. I recall children's programming was also labeled at some point for whether in inclded educational/informative or social/emotional content. But it was complained about in the same way "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" has been.

Why teach kids about teamwork or friendship when we are in some perceived technological race with another nation?

Why teach kids about empathy?

Because Empathy is not a sin or a bug. It's a feature. It's perception and understanding of those we observe in our world on a deep level. Isn't observation key to Science? (To reality?)

So, anyway, STEAM is awesome.

But, let's make sure there really is full understanding that when we use the term STEAM that clearly Communication, Logic, and Rhetoric are still included.

And let's absolutely not forget that we are humans, we're social creatures, and we share this world, so learning to recognize, process, and regulate emotions in a healthy manner is also important for both survival and in pluralistic societies. Not just studying the nature of emotions or thoughts in Behavioural Sciences, but us each having thoughts and feelings and knowing what to appropriately do with them.

“the arts and sciences are completely separate fields that should be pitted against each other” the overlap of the arts and sciences make up our entire perceivable reality they r fucking on the couch

[butchpeace]

Hair Regrowth for Detrans Women

As someone who experienced a lot of hair loss during my transition, I wanted to share things that have helped me with regrowing it. Hopefully this can help other women with their hair too!

While there's nothing wrong with hair loss and it's not something we should be ashamed of – It's a medical problem, plain and simple! – Hair is important to people and it's a big part of our appearance and self-esteem, so I don't think there's anything wrong with doing things that can help.

Women tend to hide it (with wigs, hair toppers, etc) because there is shame associated with hair loss, and because of that we don't always know that there are women around us who have dealt with this problem too. Since experiencing this myself, I've noticed plenty of women with hair loss and recession. It may not be super common, but it's nothing to be ashamed of!

First things first - If you've stopped taking testosterone and your T levels are within a normal-ish female range, you shouldn't need any kind of DHT blockers. So you should avoid all of that stuff unless you know there's a medical reason that it could be beneficial.

You're not a man - your hair loss is the type that women get when their testosterone levels are too high. Many women with conditions like PCOS develop pattern hair loss, and plenty of other conditions can cause hair loss for women too. It's far from something that only affects men.

Minoxidil - I had success with this, but quickly lost hair every time I would stop using it, even for a week or so. I was also uncomfortable with the idea of potential negative health effects and didn't want to risk that over the long run, plus Minoxidil says right on the package that women shouldn't take it. So I switched to rosemary oil.

Rosemary Oil - I used this recipe to make a rosemary oil spray. I expected to lose hair when I stopped the minoxidil and started using this, but not only did I not lose hair, I've also seen new growth come in. I use this once a day, spraying enough to cover the areas of thinning and then rubbing it thoroughly into my scalp.

I recommend starting with rosemary oil instead of minoxidil. If it doesn't work, at least you tried the safer option first.

Microneedling - This is what I think has done the most for my hair! Disclaimer: This is not medical advice. If you want to try microneedling, either go to a professional or be very careful that you're being safe and disinfecting before and after. I looked up a lot of tutorials and information and this is the protocol I landed on:

I use a high quality dermastamp set to 1.25mm length once every 10 days. First I soak the stamper in rubbing alcohol for at least 2 minutes, then wash my hair with shampoo. After drying it, I rub alcohol on the areas I'll be treating just to be safe. Then I stamp it over the areas until the skin turns pink. There shouldn't be any bleeding, but it is a little painful. (Much less painful than a tattoo!) Once the areas are pink, stop using the stamper. You're done. After that I rub more alcohol on my scalp and then wash my hair again.

The whole thing only takes about 10 minutes. It is important to wait 10 days in between treatments, because your skin needs time to heal again.

The theory behind how microneedling works for hair growth is that it damages the skin and hair follicles just enough that it triggers your cells to repair, which can cause follicles to grow thicker hair again, and even to grow hair where you thought the follicles were dead.

For anyone who wonders if any of this is really worth it – It definitely was for me. Before I detransitioned and started treating my hair, my only option was to buzz it because it was so thin on the top and the recession was really far back. It's not back to how it used to be (and it might never be) but I managed to reverse multiple years worth of hair loss and I feel much more confident.

I have no way of knowing how much of my hair regrowth is due to this treatment, and how much is just from being off testosterone. But considering a lot of women have little or no improvement in their hair after stopping T, I think it's probably a little of both.

I've only been at this for about a year, so I'd love anyone who has more experience in treating their hair for regrowth, or anyone who has had other treatments or procedures to comment or reblog with their experiences too!

[miwiromantics]

ST ships and parallels - PART 2

this post is to point out similar parallels and their differences between the canon ships in the show, especially in favor of byler and jancy. this is a pro byler/jancy and anti-mileven/stancy post so if you ship the later dni or read at your own risk

most of the points here i've gotten are from the comments from this post. i will also be tagging the the original posters here (if u don't want to be tagged pls inform me to remove it)

this post includes: - byler/stancy parallel ✔️ - stancy/mileven parallels ✔️ - jancy/mileven parallels✔️ - byler/mileven parallels✔️ - byler/ jancy + canon ships parallels

part 1.

warning: !!! long post ahead !!!

Stancy/Mileven parallels:

4. Scenes

brought to us by lovely @robintheoriedbyler

there isn't anything to say further about these two shots other than that it is very similar.

in both scenes steve/el is looking at nancy/mike with sad expressions through a window. i interpret these two scenes as them looking at the other person through a glass; basically through a lens.

even if there isn't anything specifically negative about these two scenes, there is a jancy scene in the exact episode that kind of does oppose the second scene.

it doesn't say much but it definitely is something worth mentioning.

5. Privacy

one of my favorite stancy/mileven parallels. please read the original post by @bugsbenefit

this whole parallel exactly proves the point that mileven and stancy are almost exactly the same.

in the same episode

mike/steve are both welcoming el/nancy into their home and offering them new clothes because their own ones are drenched in water. the clothes are exactly the same: blue shirt and grey sweatpants

steve waits for nancy to undress in front of him but she asks him for privacy. mike hands the clothes to el and she decided to undress in front of them but mike immediately stops her and asks her to do so in the bathroom because of 'privacy'.

both Steve and El aren't familiar with the concept of 'privacy' (for totally different reasons) but only when Nancy/Mike asks for it, does Steve turn around/El changes in the bathroom.

But we know that Nancy does go against it and it immediately results in the uncomfortable stancy sex scene interjected with barbs death scenes.

both these scenes play out exactly the same in the beginning and they both clearly try to convey the same message; privacy. they are direct parallels of each other. but stancy was clearly meant to be making the audience uncomfortable and if mileven is being paralleled with them then...!?

i'll leave it up to ya'll to figure it out.

Jancy/Mileven parallels:

this is a pro-byler post but it wouldn't be fair to disregard the parallels between jancy and mileven.

1. Denying

in both these scenes, Nancy and Mike ask each other if they like Jonathan/El and they both deny it. They both then end up officially with Jonathan/El in the next season.

i don't have anything to say against this because it is a legitimate parallel between mileven and jancy. Both siblings deny their 'feelings' for the character that they will end up together with.

I think this is the strongest jancy/mileven parallel there is.

2. Reuniting

This scene isn't widely considered a parallel but i'm still going to be including this because it makes sense to do so. I think this scene moreover shows the difference between mileven and jancy and how the duffers view both of them.

similarities: in both these scenes, Jonathan/Mike run out of Argyle's van to reunite with their partners, Nancy/El. This was an especially important scene to me because these were after Steve/Will 'confessed' their feelings to them.

this was a scene showing that they're still happy to see the person their still with, El and Jonathan. This scene was supposed to show that no matter what Steve/Will said, Nancy/Mike still has feelings for Jonathan/El.

but it doesn't.

difference: how they display the following scenes after that are directly against each other. if you consider this as a parallel, then the following scenes should immediately disapprove that they are the same even if they play out the same.

how they show the character in between their ships are very different.

Will is directly in between Mike and El while Steve is shown to be passing them by instead. Steve isn't viewed as a 'threat' to Jancy while Will is to mileven. Will's confession actually holds some weight for Mike than Steve's confession does to Nancy.

Will's feelings play a very important part in mileven's relationship while Steve's aren't.

Will and Steve: this, again, bleeds into the Stancy/Byler parallel i talked about in the first post. One confession was purely out of selflessness while the other one was because of selfishness.

one more thing to support my selflessness/selfishness claim is that even if Will loves Mike, he isn't mad at El. He doesn't show his anger or show outward jealousy towards her. He isn't holding anything against her because he is clearly happy to see her. Will doesn't view El as competition.

Steve, on the other hand, outwardly displays his sadness when Jonathan and Nancy reunite with each other. It is to the point that Robin has to pet his back to reassure him. Steve views Jonathan as competition.

this is not to show hate for Steve, this is just pure observation.

I could've found a way to included this point in the first post regarding stancy and byler but i found it more fitting to use as a sort of similarity and difference between mileven and jancy.

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Byler/Mileven parallels:

now that we got jancy/mileven out of the way, let's talk above byler and mileven instead. these two ships are very written to oppose each other in every single way.

there aren't a lot of things to be expanded on regarding their parallels because it is so blatantly obvious.

i feel compelled to also mention that both ships are written with opposing tropes. 'friends-to-lovers' and 'love-at-first-sight' are vastly very different categories.

1. 'yes' and 'no'

one of the most mentioned opposing points between Mileven and Byler are their first words to Mike. El's first word to Mike was 'no' while Will's was 'yes'.

'no' vs 'you said yes'

i think it's sort of on the nose to mention that the first thing El does is disagree with Mike while the first thing Will does is to agree with with him.

2. 'Understanding'

the most obvious parallel between Mileven and Byler is during Mike's scenes with both Will and El in season 4.

In this scene, Mike and El are arguing because Mike doesn't tell her he loves her. She uses the line that is directly paralleled to his conversation with Will.

'you never say it' 'i say it' vs 'i didn't say it' 'you didn't have to'

this scene so simply means that El needs to be reassured by Mike that he still loves her because his actions are not saying it or even displaying it.

her asking for this reassurance immediately disapproves the argument that he just can't say 'ily' because of his parents. even if he can't say it, he can still show it through his actions. her asking for this means that he hasn't been showing her that he loves her especially with scenes like:

'what did you do' and 'she didn't look fine'

she needs to still hear that he loves her. she can't read that he does.

the whole 'i didn't say it' 'you didn't have to' scene opposes them exactly with mike saying that he doesn't need words to understand what Will was saying. Will's actions were enough for Mike to understand him.

this further proves my point when we take into account that Mike had no idea El was lying to him the whole time in rink-o-mania. he didn't clock that she was uncomfortable with Angela and her friends when they came up to her.

even when Angela took her away, mike wasn't responsive. only when Will outwardly stated that something was wrong did he actually have a reaction.

and even in this scene where mike is calling out to el but she runs away from him instead is not just her being embarrassed in front of him but also her not reading him as someone who would be able to comfort her.

he isn't someone she finds comfort in anymore. she literally wants to hide herself away from him. and even then, she begs Angela to tell Mike that it was all just a joke and that they are really friends because she doesn't understand Mike enough to know that he would still love her and regardless of it. that she would still be someone 'cool' in his eyes without all these lies.

but she doesn't.

Will and Mike, on the other hand have a whole other relationship dynamic. they don't need words to understand each other because they can read the other based on only actions.

will understood mike's expressions enough to know that he needs reassurance during the desert scene and mike clocking will enough to know that he wasn't enjoying himself in the roller rink. in the second scene, Mike uses Will's actions (rolling your eyes, moping) to determine that Will was annoyed and moody the whole day, there was no need for Will to even say it.

byler doesn't need to say anything to know each other while mileven does.

more parallels in part 3.

------------------------------------------------------------ i would like to make clear that these are my interpretations of the scenes, it doesn't mean they r actually canon. these are just observations made by me. this is part two of the parallels between ships. thank you for reading!!