#LL number five
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rest in peace Five you would have LOVED Taylor Swift’s album ‘The Tortured Poets Department; The Anthology’
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'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
#lorien legacies#LL crit tag#the crit files#god this shit makes me so fcking angry#every time i start to think 'okay maybe i should try to be a /little/ bit more fair to the other characters here' i find some gem like this#ended up going on a Rant in the tags that i'm just gonna put in a reblog because lmao#anti-survivor cw#LL tag#LL number five#LL marina
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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
#the body language and expression are EXACTLY the same i'm fucking dying#inscrutable little man. Most Seal. perfect 10/10 no notes#i am so delighted by this thank you oh my god#new-lorien-artist#tagged for me#visual art#shitposting#LL tag#LL number five#fave
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college life is just having the same hyperfixations u had in sixth grade
#lorien legacies#number five#lorien legacies five#LL#i am number four#mich art#hello people i am back#still really love five#my fave
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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.
#my two cents for the ll fandom#einar and five got to me tbh#lorien legacies#number five#einar magnusson
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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.
#it's really funny when you know how cautious they were about him using his externa#then completely neglect the fact he can fly and move stuff around#Why he stayed?#“I need a mental break”#“also I owe this guy my life”#lorien legacies#number five#number five ll
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when are you gonna see the new spiderverse?
it's not set in stone or anything, but we're aiming for sometime within the first week of its release if we can afford it!!
(on the note of spoilers: i Strongly Prefer to not be spoiled, but they won't like. Ruin My Life or really even my Day, i just would prefer to not be spoiled cause it's. like. a dick move, y'know? thanks. love yall)
#talking tag#asks#atsv#across the spider-verse#generally movies r a luxury we have to wait a couple months after release 2 see but i have been waiting for This One for Five Years so--#--it is a very VERY special treat :}#...even if they did For Some Reason decide that THE best color to flash wildly during like. Every Mig Scene is Give Cap Migraines Yellow.#foolish fool fools. if you wanted to reference the end of Issue Number One you need a PALER more DESATURATED yellow or a red/black gradient#in fact pushing the Paler Colors would work a lot better to contrast against him in a properly colored BLACK AND RED SUIT. LIKE THIS DESIGN#sheesh he lives in The Bleeding Neon Future but they pulled Future Inspiration from one of those boring sleek white smooth round shape guys#Nueva York in the comics wasnt meant to be a Cool Future it was meant to be half-criticism of Modern NYC by ppl who Lived There--#--and the other half was Speculation abt what it Could Be if Nothing About The World In (e616s) 1992 Changed For 107 Years#(...dot dot dot. comma. As Written By Overwhelmingly A Bunch Of Middle Class Cishet White Comic Book Guys[TM]. LMAO)#(the good stuff is GOOD the fun stuff is really REALLY fun and the Bullshit in comic book fashion offers up new writers to KILL On Sight <3#look man im just. im rambling at this point but like i love marvel 2099 i think there are absolutely Some books that ARE worth reading--#--from the imprint and dismissing All Of It just for being 90s Comic Books is unfair to the many teams of people who worked on them yknow#i Do Not Like Pat Mills (MANY reasons.) but the initial art team behind Punisher 2099 (especially the penciler) put SO much passion into it#people only really remember Spider-Man 2099 today but e928 has a really rich developed lore that i get the sinking feeling we;ll probably--#--never actually See Again in any of the same capacity that it once existed at. but. yknow. time passes & things change & that's.. fine.
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pov five getting jumped
bro
#lorien legacies#ll number nine#stanley worthington#ll number five#five#hes actually out there getting beat up#das craaaazy
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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
#LIKE I'M SORRY YOUR HONOR BUT THIS KID IS FRUITIER THAN A PARTY TRAY#takes down a kaiju and busts out of prison by being a literally flaming homosexual#which he does by knowing the touch of another man#while telling him to imagine them acting in a theatre. heterosexuality? i think NOT#lorien legacies#LL number five#like most of it is entirely serious. but the fact that there's So Much of It is itself fucking hilarious to me#even funnier that the theatre thing is both shitpost and actual coding in context#(imo)#LL tag#shitposting
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“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)
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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.
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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!!!
#hawks x reader#hawks imagines#keigo takami x reader#my hero academia#keigo x reader#mha fanfiction#bnha fanfiction#bnha imagines#bnha x reader#hawks smut#bnha fic#keigo takami#hawks bnha#oc#x reader#reader insert#hawks x you#hawks x oc#hawks x y/n#yandere x reader#yandere hawks#yandere bnha#artists on tumblr#fanfiction#fanfic#drabble
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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.
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When I say the Skimmer team was golden, this is why.
#lorien legacies#it's like#instant regret#i can't call them fugitive six anymore apparently#return to zero#number five#einar magnusson#ran takeda#isabela silva#caleb crane#duanphen ll
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@5s-missing-eye
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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.
#why yes. eddie did in fact label the boxes with middle earth locations instead of writing 'kitchen' or 'bathroom' on them#wayne thought it was funny#only because he doesn't have to deal with it as much anymore#'....the shire??' 'that's the living room!' 'this doesn't make ANY SENSE'#EDDIE YES#steddiemicroficjune#steddie microfic#steddie#steddie fic#steddie ficlet#drags a hand down my face: this is the first thing I've written since February really
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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.
#sweatshops#fashion#american sweatshop#chappell roan merch#sweatshirt#chappell roan#merchandise#made in usa#garment industry#fast fashion#worker rights#labour rights#labour unions#capitalism#worker exploitation#us politics#us law#knee of huss
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@angorwhosebabyisthis
Today's Seal Is: The Devious Devourer
#not ll#number five#he gets a fantastic meal complete with appetizer and dessert and gives high praise to whoever cooks it#it was nine#develops the legacy of forced vomiting on the spot
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