#LL number five

[angorwhosebabyisthis]

'you just said proudly to my face that my cêpan abusing and neglecting me, which directly set me up to be groomed later on, was a Great and Noble Tradition and that you are going to be doing it to these kids who are younger than us. fucking lol'

these fuckers: glare at him coldly, silently, and (particularly but not exclusively) in marina's case with the implicit threat to murder/torture/mutilate him, until he shuts up and ostracizes himself from the group even further

yeah that sounds about fucking right for how people treat survivors who harsh the vibe by so much as breathing about it. fuck every last one of these people

[angorwhosebabyisthis]

LOVE! THIS! GUY! THE FUCK! ernest this is amazing i'm fucking Losing It

Got a new notebook and decided to put something from @angorwhosebabyisthis LL tag

[michroxs]

college life is just having the same hyperfixations u had in sixth grade

[ll-but-its-random]

The Four Horsemen/women of Gay/Lesbian LL characters.

[booksandmemes]

I have a headcanon that Five prefers to have Einar to his right because that's where his eye is (was it his left eye that was stabbed?) but when they're alone he sits on the other side 'cuz he has ceiling high walls and needs to bring them down for maintenance every once in a while.

[angorwhosebabyisthis]

i started writing up a short bullet point highlight reel of Reasons Five is Gay-Coded and it is now thousands of words long and still going fsjdndmdl

[metranart]

“How about—how about you give me a daughter, huh?” He panted out, grinning like a maniac, his incisive too sharp, pupils’ way too blown, hair wild and sticking over his sweaty forehead. “I bet she’d be pretty thing, just like her mommy.”

ft. Hawks centered, Hawks x reader, Slight! Bakugo x reader, Slight! Dabi x reader.

Hawks x UA Student! Reader (Part 5)

-

Warning tag: obsessed! Hawks, possessive! Hawks, naive! student reader, violation of trust, dubious consent, mating cycles, rut response, obsessive behavior, uncontrollable thirst for reader, manipulation, forced, thigh riding, hormonal minds out of control, sexual content, first time, cock riding, teenage fuck, Dabi's toxically interested in you, Bakugo bestie yet secretly inlove wit you, love confessions, cock-drunk, Hawks trying to be good but failing miserably, gaslighting, HEAVY plot, lots of smut.

-

Keigo pulled out, fully out of you just to shove himself to the hilt, slamming your cunt so viciously, the breath was knocked out of you. Words and pleas got stuck in your dry throat, you didn’t know how to stop him. This wasn't happening, not with Hawks—the Number two pro hero in the country. He was your favorite Hero. Please, someone make him stop.

“Fuck-... so, sooooo tight.” He praised, bathing your neck in abandoned smooches, “I knew it, it had to be your sweet pussy—” and throwing his head back, grinned like a love-struck fool and began pistoning in and out of you like a madman. 

He was fucking you so violently, you couldn’t find your breath to scream. You merely sobbed into his bare shoulder, and he let you. There was no one around, all the houses empty from working parents and studying students. You were at his mercy. No one would hear you and somehow, you wished he had never saved you.

“How about—how about you give me a daughter, huh?” He panted out, grinning like a maniac, his incisive too sharp, pupils’ way too blown, hair wild and sticking over his sweaty forehead. “I bet she’d be pretty thing, just like her mommy.”

“Ngh~” you wailed, but he couldn’t interpret the sound, neither could you. 

“Yes, yes, I know you´ll love it, too.” Keigo daydreamed, “she’ll be Daddy’s little treasure,” he hummed, pulling back and flipping you onto the ground, your face and tits splashed against the cold concrete as he lifted your hips a little, straddling you when you attempted to stand. “Almost there, love—” said, tenderly patting your ass and slipping back inside you, started thrusting with swift abandon at the new angle.  

“Mmh… Fuck, you’re still so tight—!” Hawks chuckled breathlessly, rutting into your softness with frenzied exhilaration, devoutly massaging the skin on your hips with his thumbs while thrusting. 

Berserk hips colliding with your ass cheeks at the rhythm of love, not an inch of restraint or mercy while forcing his heroic cock inside your virginal pussy. He had been making an utter mess of you for the better part of twenty minutes already, and now you were no more than a sack of bones sprawled on dirty concrete, no more tears in your eyes, only pitiful moans and occasional groans when decided to fuck you in a different angle or position. 

“S-sorry about this-” he mumbled, and groaned, burdensomely, kissing your cheek as if it would comfort you. You felt warmth permeate inside of you, and knew he came, for the third time. “Shesh—you’ll think I’ll be done with that, but I just feel so fucking driven, still…. FUCK! I’m so, sorry, kid.” He did sound remorseful but didn’t stop. 

You didn’t respond anymore, too numb by something very similar to pleasure but more intense, pain had left your body in the first five minutes of him forcing himself into your resistless, utterly slaved pussy, and were reduced to take it, as Hawks often like to babble, ‘like a good fucking girl.’

A part of you hated him so bad, and another part knew it wasn’t his doing, not entirely. What had his feathers all ruffled up and had him drooling like a dog in heat was your fucking quirk, twisting his mind and charging his sexual feat. And to your despair, you thought you knew what needed to be done to end this assault, it would be a torrid lie -another problem to deal with later- but as long as he believed it right now, it could be your way out. 

“Hawks~” you mewled, and the noise of your sultry voice alone got him harder. 

“Yes, baby bird, what do you need?” he fluttered with happiness at you finally sounding less disgusted, “What can I do to make you feel more comfortable—is the bed of feathers not soft enough?” 

At some point while flipping your body to his liking, set a rug of red feathers which chased your bare figure for you to be at least comfortable while receiving him. 

You were far too cramped, not deep enough and he was huge, and no number of different angles or positions would help him reach deeper than he already was, the bulge under your belly button a firm sign that he couldn’t bottom out as would like to, yet he felt a wave of pride, at seeing you take it like a real champ. Not eager but at least you weren't crying anymore.

“It’s o-okey…” you mumbled, feeling him keep you effectively anchored to his groin. You were on your side now as he lay behind you, one arm wrapping around under your waist while squeezing one of your breasts as anchor and his other hand lifting your leg up, knee flush against your side, spread wide for him to slid easier, hitting your cervix on every incessant shove. 

“Haw—Keigo.” You remembered he wanted you to call him by his civilian name, and to your surprise it had a better effect than you anticipated.

“Oh my God! It sounds so pretty coming out of your mouth, goddamit-” hearing his own name had practically made his eyes roll back into his skull, it was addictive, and soon needed more. “Say it, please, baby—… don’t leave me hanging......say it again. Keigo. Please....fuck, please, say my fucking name, baby. I just…” he melted into your warm body, lips brushing against every inch of your face as he kept pleading, forehead sweaty and face red from exertion, but the thing that shocked you the most was the way he cupped your jaw with a gentleness you never expected when the rest of his body was moving so violently, so spirited, “—I just need you to say it.”

“Keigo.” you conceded in a sultry purr, and he squeezed your breast harder, without hurting you, carefully spreading your leg farther up for him to get a little deeper, but it wasn’t enough. Your body was still resisting every swing of his hips. “You have to let me spoil you, baby—” he practically begged, unable to stop himself, he could feel your rattled heartbeat through your back against his chest and he loved the closeness, the way you were finally listening to his demands. “I need to take care of you, my mate.... I need you to come on my cock-…. please, baby bird, come for me —”

“I don’t think I can do it again, Haw-… Keigo.” The shiver running down his body echoed through your own skin at the use of his name, so willingly, so natural.

“Yes, you can, just one last time.... please-…. let me take care of it,” he swallowed hard, hips stuttering while trying to dial it down a bit to let you chase your own pace “You´ve been taking all my loads so well inside this beautiful baby-maker.... this is the last pull to be able to close my rut, luv.... I´m so fucking close-” his wings instinctively flapped “but I can’t come until you do.” He insisted, and you sighed, you didn’t want this to drag on any longer than it had, so, you nodded, once.

“Oh, I can't wait,” he cooed dizzily, as if the mere thought of you taking the lead even for a short lapse made him tipsy, “I'm all yours, your to command—tell me how you want me to make you come?”

“Eh-h...” you stuttered, once again, he really loved when you did, and you tried to use it against him, even so, once he had pulled out and was now eagerly waiting for YOU to tell him how to rip a new hole in your cervix again, you couldn’t find your voice. You just wanted it to end. “Well...I—”

Hawks nodded his head reverently, waiting with bated breath for your next words and as if sensing your hesitance, he peppered your forehead with greedy kisses. Fuck, how his teeth ached to bury in the skin of your shoulder and mark you as his, he yearned to fill you a thousand more times in this dirty alleyway, but he was worried about your well-being, you were still a pup compared to him. So, he promised himself to take good care of you, and tucked you safely away from any other male, he had called dibs and now you were fucked...or at least that was what his rut commanded. 

“I-…. with your mouth.” You braved out, expecting for that to work, but it didn’t. 

“No can do, kiddo, I need to double coat your insides white one last time, remember?” How the fuck did he was able to blast such horrid and lewd phrases without even be fazed about it, was beyond you. But the worst of all, was how this sick, trademark humor of his actually had an effect on your traitorous soaked pussy.

“Mphmmm....well, then-… what is your favorite position, Keigo?” His eyes almost sparkled at your interest, feign but well-aimed, and he beamed, flapping his wings excitedly. 

“My—My favorite....” he felt like a kid on a candy store, “I mean—… I already twisted you like a pretzel for the last hour.... I think I did everything I want......except—”

Your eyes opened wide, expectation shinning on your orbs, whatever he says you´ll do just to end this martyrdom.

“Yes?”

“Well....” he laughed, a little sheepish and you blinked at him, in all the time you had been with him, you had never seen his confidence fail, and that picked your interest. “You can tell me, Keigo.” You encouraged and he acquired a sitting position, abandoning your body on the sheet of feathers.

“I want—I want to sink myself inside some warm pussy.... -yours preferably...since you are MY mate, you know.” You merely nodded, fearing that contradict him may cause a dry humping on his part, “—while we are six feet off the ground.” He shared, all sheepishness forgotten, “That´s it.”

You didn't know how it happened but what was supposed to be your wish, turned into fulfilling one of Hawks' deepest fantasies, and there you were, your legs encircling the hero's waist as he flew up the alley, your shirt at least covered the side of your breasts but still Hawks didn't allow you to fully close it, begging you to let him see your breasts sway to the rhythm of his love, or at least, that's what he assured. 

And once having reached the height he required, the birdman sheathed inside you once more, his hands digging under your rear as he maneuvered you up into the air. You prayed that no one would see you, and Keigo assured that no one would, since his feathers would form a shield. 

So, you concentrated on letting him set the pace that he needed, and like before, soon became ruthless.

Never ending pumps while he whined desperately, his forehead firm against yours, eyes set in a slit as he concentrated to keep his pumping fluid while still floating in the middle of the air, “Shit, baby... I didn’t expect for this to turn me on so fucking bad, fuck! .....are you even close?”

You weren't, but you knew what that meant. More fucking until you came first. You strived to achieve the requirement of his rut. Please, you needed this to stop.

“Get as horizontal as-as possible so I can...so I can ride you at my pace.” 

You didn't even have to say it twice, when his feathers already formed a red platform on the sky where he laid placidly, you on top straddling his erect member, his eyes focused on your figure, Keigo wanted to memorize every detail of your body moving over him while you were hunting for your orgasm.

“Use me, love, come all over your mate´s cock.” He mumbled, kneading the fat of your thighs and you started to hump him. 

Your movements were erratic and sometimes his dick slipped out of your overused pussy, your breasts bounced up and down between the folds of your open shirt, your pretty hair fluttered in the wind like a banner that Keigo wanted to braid and comb in a thousand hairstyles, and your plump lips were parted, soft little moans escaping them every time your pussy greedily devoured his cock, DAMN IT! Keigo was close, and no doubt you were too—…. But the winged Hero had already changed his mind, and didn't want this to end, never ever.... when was he going to have you like this again, on him in full will and desire? Was he going to have to become a villain in order to keep you? Was he willing to do that? YEP. Were you willing to do that? Probably NOT.

His hands around your hips innocently tried to contain your thrusts without you noticing but it was too late, Keigo's selfishness would not bear fruit, since he felt your blessed walls tightening on him, and the gasp torn from your throat along with your trembling frame falling on his bare chest was more than enough to know that you had come, without a doubt he was close, so fucking close from just seeing you perform on top of him like a fucking goddess taken out of the same heaven angels must come from, even so, he didn't want to be so close, not anymore. 

He wanted you. To be honest, he had been lying to you for the last twenty minutes, since the third time he came inside you turned off his rut completely, leaving him sated and satisfied. He just hadn't counted on the strong need he would feel, this selfish and macabre desire that ran through every fiber of his body, wanting to keep you for himself, you were HIS, he had been your first time, the first one inside of you... .it was only fair that you stayed with him. His girl, his baby, his fucking everything, fuck.... he was close again... this was going to be a painful load, so he hugs you tight against his chest.

“Here it comes, baby, you gonna be a good mate for me and take it all again?” he ceased his gentle stroking on your back in favor of digging his fingers among your soft mane. “Fuck—…. answer me, MATE.”

“Y-yes, Haw...Keigo.” And that did it.

“Then take it all inside that slutty pussy of mine....” His wicked croon had an effect on you, among his dirty words and his ravenous mouth stealing licks from your delectable neck, tempting you, ordering you to follow him over the edge, and soon you felt that familiar twinge in your womb, No! nononono Please... not again. He felt it too and took advantage of it. “Come for me, baby bird. Come on my dick while it fills you to the brim.”

You gagged on your own moans. You did not want to cum again. Not for him. Yet here you were again.... letting him stuff you with his putrid essence while you came undone sobbing and gasping for air for the tenth time that day. “That’s- that’s it. FUCK!” Keigo came soon after, a sonorous yelp- as if HE was the one being raped, ripped through his throat to then slowly and in all serenity, descend on a cloud of feathers until both touched the ground again.

“Well. Fucking. Done.... -Little bird,” his words drawled against your throat, Hawks still submerged in the goading sensation he greedily gained with each prolonged press of your weeping slit against his flaccid cock resting inside you. He didn’t even bother to pull out of you.

His breathing was still heavy, cum sipping out through at how full you were. You looked so ravishing like that, he felt like a real pervert.  

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, “I didn’t mean to laugh-” He hadn't even realized was laughing, but it was hard not to when felt so utterly fulfilled and blissful. Nevertheless, you roll your eyes at him, spoke of a whole different story in your case.

You choose to stay flat on the ground to let the strength in your legs slowly return. Itching to drag yourself as far from Hawks as humanly possible, the only problem there was that he was still inside you.

“Could- Could you pull out of me?” your lips were tight, and your voice sounded strained, “Please— …. Just let me go?” You felt more than tired, physically and emotionally drained.

“Just let me hold you.” He pleaded, possessively dragging your limp body inside his warm and impossibly strong embrace, flushing his entire body against yours, holding you tight as if you could get away at any given moment. “I just- want to hold you against me.... as long as I can.” He hummed, kissing your cheek again. 

Never going to let you go, baby bird, you are mine. Was that thought his? his rut? or your quirk? Guess, he´ll find out soon enough.

COMING SOON PART 6....

⭕️ In this PATREON LINK you will find NSFW art of this story and more spicy MHA NSFW art and exclusive smut fanfiction (also JJK, Demon slayer, and Tokyo Revengers) .... Plus more fascinating rewards, check it out and if you got some extra bucks around, join our community. My eternal and vast gratitude for your support!!!

[ll-but-its-random]

Sometimes I just think of how it was for Five between FoT and UaO. With the others trying to make sure he doesn't escape and him knowing damn well he can but just.. not doing it.

Tied him with a rope? Untie it with telekinesis.

In one of those prison vans with several guards? Turn to metal and bust out.

In a confinement room? Slam into somebody to break the door.

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

LL Cool J featuring Boyz II Men - Hey Lover 1995

"Hey Lover" is a song by American rapper and actor LL Cool J, released as the first single from his sixth studio album, Mr. Smith (1995). He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, alongside fellow acts Beastie Boys and Run-DMC. In 2017, LL Cool J became the first rapper to receive the Kennedy Center Honors. In 2021, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with an award for Musical Excellence. LL Cool J has appeared in numerous films, including Halloween H20, Any Given Sunday, Deep Blue Sea, S.W.A.T., Mindhunters, and Edison. He played NCIS Special Agent Sam Hanna in the CBS crime drama television series NCIS: Los Angeles. He was also the host of Lip Sync Battle.

"Hey Lover" features American vocal harmony group Boyz II Men. The song samples Michael Jackson's "The Lady in My Life" from his 1982 hit album Thriller; thus Rod Temperton, the writer of that song, was given credit as a writer of this song. "Hey Lover" would prove to be the most successful single from the album, making it to number three on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B Singles charts. It also reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart, number six in Sweden, and number five in New Zealand. In 1997, the song won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance, becoming LL Cool J's second Grammy in that category after 1992's "Mama Said Knock You Out".

"Hey Lover" received a total of 53% yes votes.

[vecnuthy]

decode

@steddiemicrofic June prompt: stuff || wc: 483 || G || established relationship, moving in together, language, Eddie being chaotic

Confused, Steve grabbed the keys he'd just set down, and -- yep, right apartment number.

When Steve had left their brand new apartment that morning, he'd known that Eddie and Wayne would be relocating their things from point A(ll yours now, Wayne!) to point B(abe, this is ours. Ours.), but Steve didn't realize--

"Eddie?"

The apartment had been completely empty that morning when he'd left for work, the mattress that Steve had tied to the top of his Bimmer ("I'm not sleeping on the floor.") and yesterday's clothes being the only things left behind. Now, however, Steve wondered if there had been some kind of mistake with a hypothetical delivery service that he knew Eddie and Wayne definitely did not hire, because there were mountains of boxes in front of him. Towers. A miniature King Kong would have a field day in this apartment, and Steve could only stare, overwhelmed by the amount of....everything.

Until, finally, a familiar head of hair popped out from behind one of the towers.

"Eddie, is this really-?"

And then Steve's face fell, lips pursed at the sight of his boyfriend, blissfully oblivious to Steve's presence, absolutely jamming to the music blaring from the headphones clamped over his ears. Steve bit back a laugh at the guitar solo that Eddie vocally mimicked with his eyes closed as his air guitar got downright shredded.

Eddie bumped into a stack of boxes, then paused, hands held out placatingly to the swaying stack, and said, "Excuse me," before he went back to wailing along with the guitar in his head.

Steve could have taken him right then and there.

He settled for a light touch to get his attention, since it was obvious that Eddie would otherwise remain oblivious to Steve's presence, but when Steve touched his arm, Eddie's eyes flew open and the guitar wail turned into a banshee shriek, his arms flailing wildly as he fell back and into a tower of boxes in surprise. Steve tried to grab him, but it was no use. He followed Eddie to the ground, and the boxes crashed next to them.

"Jesus fucking CHRIST," Eddie cried, starfished on the floor, his chest heaving under Steve's hold. "Damn, Steve, you scared the shit out of me. I think I just lost five years of my life."

"I'm sorry," Steve couldn't help but laugh.

Eddie, winded, grinned back then winced and turned toward the toppled boxes next to them. "Hope those didn't have records in them."

Steve frowned at words scrawled on the toppled box. "It says The Prancing Pony?"

Eddie relaxed. "Sheets and stuff."

Steve's confusion only grew when he saw other names across the other boxes, until he landed on one that said Rivendell.

He knew that name.

"Why is Rivendell on that one?"

"That, my liege, houses aaall of your hair care stuff," Eddie smirked.

"....Eddie, no."

Eddie grinned wider and winked.

[tojiscrack]

wherever you are right now, good morning/evening/night… that was a mouthful, but i’m not sure how else to start this.

it sounds serious, i know, it’s not, don’t worry, but i like being dramatic, haha, you know me ;) i have a small announcement to make — i say ‘small’ ‘cause it really can be done in one or two short sentences, but i’d like to give you some context and reasoning because i care about every single one of you reading this, all 470 of you, and i’d hate to leave you without an explanation.

i’m mainly addressing my LL (liar, liar) readers, ‘cause i seem to have a big following and a large number of people who interact with me because of that piece of work, but this also goes out to the very few people (and i’m not being dramatic when i say very few people, lol) who are loyal readers of SOANO (start of a new obsession).

i am going on hiatus.

yeah, i know, boo, tomatoes, the story was just getting started 😠 , etc, etc.

and i apologise.

genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, i’m truly, deeply sorry.

you’ve been forced to tolerate my extremely sporadic updates that were only just starting to get better (some updates would come weekly, whereas others would take two more weeks, but never an entire month like before). i really am sorry. i know what it feels like to enjoy a story and then be left on a cliffhanger (of sorts?) when the author goes on a hiatus — mini or not.

i think this long message will answer most of the questions you have in mind, the first being ‘how long will you be on hiatus for?’. and i do have a straight answer for that:

five months.

i know, it’s a lot. again, i apologise. i can’t apologise enough, but let’s keep the questions going.

the one i know you’re all wondering — why am i going on hiatus in the first place?

just to be clear (for those of you who have genuinely become close friends with me through interactions) i’m alive, healthy, and well! i’m not falling out of love with writing, i’ve not fallen out of love with LL or SOANO (no matter how slow the updates for the latter seems to be) and i’m not feeling pressured by writing either of these stories for you all!

the reason is quite simple… school :/ exams. MAJOR ones.

when i started writing SOANO, i was around 15 years old (give or take a few?) and i had no major exams at all to focus on. halfway through writing SOANO, i was met with my first set of important exams at 16. for those of you who are not british and/or not aware of the uk education system, GCSE’s are the exams that dictate which sixth-form college you go to. college, as in, not university-college, but the last two years of high school (junior + senior year) that are the only two years of sixthform/college.

when i started writing LL, i was in my first year of college at 17 (this time last year), and so the only ‘major’ exams i had were mock exams that would prep me for my university predicted-grades. i am now in my second (and final) year of college, and the exams during may and june will dictate the rest of my life. that includes which uni i go to, whether i’ll even go to uni at all, what course i’ll take at uni if i do end up going, etc.

you get the idea. these are important exams. the most important ones that i’ll ever have to sit this year, and starting tomorrow, i have 130 days to turn my very-average-grades around to three A’s (or perhaps two A’s and a B) to get into my desired uni.

unfortunately, i can’t do that if i spend most of my time writing up very lengthy chapters for you.

why can’t i split my time accordingly, even if it means going back to the once-a-month updates? because i am so incredibly, stupidly behind on content for the courses i’m taking right now that i can’t even afford to waste 30 minutes on doing anything other than praying and studying. that’s just the sad truth of it.

again, i’d like to apologise for the inconvenience. i’ve received so many lovely dm’s from so many of you (and i answer every single one, you know that) and in the conversations that many of us have had together, a lot of you use the story (LL) as a safe haven, an escape from your own messy school lives, almost in the same way that i use it to escape my messy school life. some of you have mentioned that you pull all-nighters simply to reread it all as if you’re reading it for the first time. a few of you have mentioned how this story was an escape from the tragic events of canon, which was exactly what i intended for it to be like during the planning process, and i’m still so overwhelmed and flattered by the growing love i’ve received from both old and new LL readers.

will the story be temporarily taken down?

absolutely not.

i considered it for a time, but after acknowledging those comments i mentioned above, i decided that what’s left of LL right now (170k+ words divided in 10 chapters) can still be a safe haven for you whenever you need it. i also knew that i wanted everything to look the same for when i’d return in late-june of this year. leaving it up would also mean that newer readers (future readers) would join the family too, and we love a full house ;)

will i still be active on tumblr during the hiatus?

yes! maybe not as frequently as before (like answering messages in my inbox every day) but i’ll definitely be active enough to get through any messages, comments, asks, etc, within the span of a week for sure. you can still tell me about your shitty day in my inbox, you can still vent to me about an encounter with a guy you hate in my dm’s, and you can definitely still send in silly things about LL or SOANO. i’ll still be active, it’ll be like i never left, only, without the fortnite-ly (not a word, i’m well aware) updates.

LL’s one year anniversary is coming up in a couple of days, and i wanted to release a new chapter in time for it, but looking at my exams and how much cramming i’m already going to have to do for it without writing on top of that… i reluctantly acknowledged that it just won’t be possible.

i think i’ve addressed everything… this is a little awkward now, lol.

once again, i apologise for any hurt or inconveniences i might’ve caused, but i myself don’t enjoy the idea of not writing for 5 months any better than you probably do. 0-0 i enjoy writing, it never felt like a chore to me, and i’m going to miss it during the next 5 months that i’ll be spending alone, grinding overtime like hermione granger…

please wait for me, my little liars <3

love, mother hen sumaya

[aroace-number-eight]

@5s-missing-eye

[hussyknee]

Made in the USA: Wage Theft, Fraud and Hidden Sweatshops

Unrolled twitter thread by derek guy (@dieworkwear)

4 Oct 24 • Read on X

ALT enabled on all images. Video has closed captions but is not transcribed.

Not trying to create a pile-on here. But let's talk about why something might still be made in unethical conditions even though it bears a "made in USA" tag. 🧵

The first thing to understand is that not all workers are covered by US labor laws. You might assume that workers get paid a minimum wage (after all, it says "minimum"). In fact, many garment workers in the US toil under what's known as the piecework system.

Piecework means you get paid not by the amount of time you work but the number of operations you complete. This system should be familiar to many of you. As a writer, I get paid per word. The pay is the same whether it takes me 100 or 10 hours to write a 1,000 word article.

My situation is fine bc I get paid enough to eat. But for a garment worker, the pay structure can be peanuts: three cents to sew a zipper or sleeve, five cents for a collar, and seven cents to prepare the top part of a skirt. These are real numbers for LA-based garment workers.

Piecework is how companies skirt minimum wage laws. Among labor organizers, the term "wage theft" refers to the difference between what a worker should have earned under min wage laws and what they actually earned through the piece rate system.

This system is incredibly common. A 2016 UCLA Labor Center study showed the median piece-rate worker in Los Angeles scrapes together $5.15 per hour—less than half the state’s mandated minimum wage. Labor conditions are also very bad: poor ventilation, dusty air, rats and mice.

A Federal Department of Labor investigation the same year found that 85 percent of Los Angeles garment factories were breaking labor laws. In 2016, these violations amounted to $1.3 million in back wages owed to 865 workers in a sample of 77 factories. This is wage theft.

In 2021, labor organizers won a fight to get piecework banned in California. But two years later, it's still incredibly common. I interviewed an LA-based garment worker who toils 12 hrs a day for $50. She sleeps in the corner of a kitchen. From my article in The Nation:

Currently, there's a new fight get piecework banned nationwide through the FABRC Act. I would link, but Twitter throttles threads that have outbound links, so I would prefer if you Google how you can support this legislation. Or follow @GarmentWorkerLA for more info.

The other reason why a "made in USA" tag may not mean much has to do with how the label is applied.

When you see this label inside your garment, what do you assume? Think about this before moving on to the next tweet.

The Federal Trade Commission has pretty strict rules on who gets to apply that label. For clothes, the item has to be cut and sewn in the US using materials that were made in the US. The FTC tries to match its rules with the common understanding of what "made in US" means.

If you're a giant company like Levi's or LL Bean, you may have lawyers who are advising you on these rules. This is why you see labels like "imported," which means the item was made abroad. Or "made in the US from imported materials" when they can't meet the MiUSA standard.

But it's incredibly common for companies to violate FTC rules. In 2022, the FTC fined the pro-Trump brand Lions Not Sheep $211k for labeling their t-shirts "made in USA" when the shirts were actually imported from China and other countries.

The company was basically importing blanks from China, ripping out the "made in China" label, screen printing the shirt in the US, and then applying a new screen-printed "made in US" label. CEO Sean Whalen claimed he was being persecuted for his pro-Trump views.

But the whole thing started bc Whalen made a video about how his customers are price sensitive, so he imports blanks from China. That's what kicked off the FTC investigation. So while this mislabeling is common, it's hard to get caught unless you make a video about your crimes.

The truth is that making a t-shirt in the USA according to FTC standards will result in a relatively expensive garment. Heddels and Velva Sheen both produce shirts in the US from US grown cotton. The first is $26; second is $90 for a two-pack.

Once you add things such as screenprinting—or if you want a more unique cut and not just basic blanks—the costs go up. This is why Bikers for Trump sourced their merch from Haiti. They knew their customers would not pay an extra $8 for true made-in-USA production.

Today, there are countless companies that make merch for other organizations. They source their t-shirts from a variety of places—some made in the US, most not—and then screenprint a design and fulfill orders. This way, the other org doesn't have to do any work but marketing.

When you see a screenprinted t-shirt for $20, ask yourself: Where was the material grown? Where were the yarns spun? Where was the cutting, sewing, and finishing performed? Where was the screenprinted done? What were the wages and labor conditions along these steps?

I'm not a nationalist, so I don't prioritize American jobs over foreign ones. But I do care about fair wages and labor protections. Just because something was made abroad doesn't mean it was made in a sweatshop. Just because it was made in the US doesn't mean fair wages.

Paying more for a garment is also no guarantee of ethical manufacturing. But when the price of a garment is so low, you leave little on the table for workers. Just because you see a $20 t-shirt that says "made in USA" doesn't mean it was made fairly.

Please don't harass the person who posted that original tweet. My intention is not to cause harm or stress for anyone. Only to help shed light on what goes into garment manufacturing, fair labor, and labeling. Hopefully, you will consider these issues when shopping.

For the inevitable question: "How do I make sure my clothes were made ethically?" This is very difficult to answer in a thread. My simplest answer is that we should elect pro-worker politicians, fight for pro-labor laws, and empower unions so workers can advocate for themselves.

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TL; DR: Doesn't matter if it's the US, if it's not union it's probably a sweatshop. And not all merch is priced high because of fair labour conditions (looking at Taylor Swift and Beyoncé). Look for supply chain transparency.

[panda-wearing-pants]

Reasons for and against each remaining Wild Life member winning (who hasn't yet won a season)

Bdubs: Still has a yellow teammate and has been in the final 6 three times, but hasn't killed anyone yet (other than Skizz once in session 7) and has never made it past 11th in an even numbered season

BigB: The winners usually have an alliance with Cleo in the previous season, but we're not on her team (other than Scar), and BigB was one of the last humans in ep 7 of SL, along with Cleo, he also has an alliance with 2/3 past winners, and is good at surviving, he is also one of the few non-hermits, and the winners have alternated between hermits and non-hermits, but BigB tends not to stick with his allies, which could be dangerous

Etho: Still yellow and has many allies, and has been in every finale, but can't trust his main team to keep him safe, and will likely be trusted less by his other allies due to being on so many teams

Gem: Two out of five winners have won in their second season, and Gem, Joel, and Etho are all still yellow, but Gem and Joel will likely be targeted, due to being two of the best at PVP

Impulse: Impulse is still yellow, has good teammates, and is almost always in the top 7, but he isn't good at defending himself, and gets eliminated because of that

Ren: Ren has the greatest average net change in placement, going from 7th to 2nd to 11th, so, following the trend, he should place very high, maybe even 1st, Ren also got the 43rd kill, and the only two other people to get the 43rd kill were Scott in LL and Martyn in LimL, but Ren did just lose his only teammate, which is not helpful

Joel: Joel is still yellow, has two very good teammates (they are two of the only four players to never miss a finale), is good at PVP, and has been waiting for this for years, he has also been consistently at the top of my statistical predictions, unfortunately, Grian's teammates don't typically survive long (Scar placed second, but was red by episode three), and Joel often gets reckless in finales

Tango: Tango has doubled his total kills, and is good at surviving, but his survival skills typically get worse once he turns red, and his final deaths are known for being stupidly avoidable

Cleo: Cleo won Real Life, has good teammates, and hasn't made many enemies, but they have only been in the top 7 once, despite almost always making it to the finale

Other things:

Bamboozlers: I felt like Jimmy and Lizzie had similar reasons, so I put them together. Jimmy and Scar are tied for the most kills out of all living players, Lizzie is good at surviving, and Scar and Lizzie have both had a teammate make the final 2, despite only having a combined total of 8 teammates (not including WL) over a combined total of 7 seasons. The bad news is that the three of them have only ever outlived 1 of their combined 17 teammates (Bdubs in LimL died before Scar), and Lizzie and Jimmy have never been in a finale.

Reputations: Gem's first ever episode was titled "I have a reputation," which may be the reason she can't win. I think people are going to be too afraid of the Family and the G's to let them live, which leaves basically the Tuff Guys' and Bamboozlers. People in 3L were more afraid of Scar and Ren than Grian, allowing him to get to the final 3 while yellow, Scott wasn't a threat in LL, due to placing 10th in 3L, Pearl and Scar were alone in their seasons, so they managed to survive (I guess this probably doesn't apply to Martyn)

Yellows: Grian and Pearl started on yellow in the finales they won, Scott had just turned red at the end of the penultimate episode, and everyone started on red in the LimL and SL finales, so Gem, Joel, Etho, and Impulse are in good positions.

In my opinion, Gem, Joel and Impulse are likely to win, followed by Cleo and Ren, then Etho and BigB, and Bdubs, Tango, Lizzie, and Jimmy at the bottom

[aroace-number-eight]

@angorwhosebabyisthis

Today's Seal Is: The Devious Devourer

[angorwhosebabyisthis]

tbh i think one of the biggest things they could have done to make five and nine hate each other without bullying or bigotry involved would have been to lean into the thing where some adhdtistics naturally vibe, whereas others have an incompatible combination of nd traits that make them viscerally unable stand each other, and go from there