#Non-Compete

[queenoftheworldisdead]

Non-Compete

Chapter 3

A/N: Reader is female. No physical descriptors used. Let me know if i fucked up and not do that. Chat me up i don't bite!

Summary: Your super genius younger sister is offered a chance of a lifetime to work for either Oscorp or Stark industries straight out of high school. Her choices leave you stuck in an unrequited love triangle.

Warning: Slow Burn, Adult content only! 18+ only please. Dark! There is potentially triggering stories ahead.

Peter Parker x Reader, Norman Osborn x Reader

🍽️

It’s been hard coming to grips with how much Emily has been slipping away. You’d known it would happen eventually—that she’d carve her own path—but you never expected it to come so soon. You stand outside Stark Tower, trying to calm the nerves stirring under your skin. The place looms, a stark monolith of glass and steel, its futuristic lines and towering height leaving Oscorp’s old-world architecture feeling like something from another era. The double doors sweep open as you approach, swallowing you into a gleaming interior. Inside, it feels like stepping onto a different planet. Massive screens flicker with scenes of serene landscapes and starry expanses, while glass elevators hum up and down in silence. Robotic assistants glide past, and people move in sharp, purposeful lines, barely registering your presence. There’s a hum to the place, polished and cool, and already you feel out of place, the glossy surroundings swallowing your figure in their efficiency. As you cross the threshold, a voice—soft yet unsettling—echoes from hidden speakers. “Welcome. Please state your purpose.” It comes from nowhere and everywhere at once, unsettling in its precision.

You jump, nearly tripping over your own feet. Looking around, no one else seems phased, only concerned with their own tasks as they filter through the polished halls. "Uh, I’m here to see my sister," you say a bit awkwardly to the bodyless voice. A bright light blinks, and you flinch, the sharp flash momentarily blinding you. You blink rapidly, spots dancing in your vision as you try to steady yourself. “I—uh, I don’t have a code,” you add hastily, feeling a rush of nerves. “but it’s my sister. She works here, and—” “Access denied.” You swallow, heat rising in your face as the system’s words land like a punch. "But—Emily,” you start again, voice edged with frustration. “She works here. Just let her know—” “Access denied. Please vacate the premises, or Security will be notified.”

You force a stiff smile, cheeks burning, and turn on your heel, the sting of rejection settling heavy in your chest. All you’d wanted was a simple lunch with your sister. Instead, you’re walking back into the downtown noise, feeling a bit ridiculous, hoping no one noticed the exchange on some invisible camera.

Outside, you slip back into the crowd, the city’s chatter and thrum filling in the hollow feeling left behind. Downtown has always grated on you—the crush of bodies, the traffic pressing in—but right now, all you want is to get to your car, even if it’s four blocks away. At least getting back a little for the unused meter time will be a relief to your pocketbook.

"Excuse me, miss?" A voice calls out, slicing through the crowd. The words grip you like a hand on your shoulder, stopping you in your tracks.

Your pulse stutters, and instinct tells you to keep moving. But curiosity has you bracing, stealing a steadying breath before turning to see who’s called.

Is it security? You half expect to see someone from Stark Tower, chasing you down for trespassing. For a split second, the thought of running flashes through your mind.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to trespass,” you say quickly, lifting your hands in a gesture of surrender as you turn around slowly. “I was just trying to take my sister to lunch.”

“Sorry I didn’t mean to startle you,” he replies, his voice cutting through the crowd with quiet authority. “It’s me Norman. Norman Osborn. I interviewed your sister.”

Recognition lands, and embarrassment creeps in, realizing your mistake.

“Oh—Mr. Osborn, I’m sorry. I didn’t recognize you at first.”

“No harm done.” He offers a faint smile, his gaze assessing as he falls in step beside you. “So, I understand Emily took an offer at Stark?”

“Yes, she did.” A faint pride slips into your voice. “She was so disappointed when she hadn’t heard back from Oscorp, and then this boy showed up out of nowhere—almost like fate.” You give a small, rueful laugh, feeling the awkwardness.

“Boy?” Norman’s brow wrinkles, curiosity flashing in his eyes.

“Yeah, Peter. Peter something.  Just showed up one day, out of the blue.” you say excitedly. 

For the briefest moment, a flicker passes over Norman’s face—too quick to catch, like a shadow crossing his features. It’s gone before you can read it, replaced by his usual cool, casual smile, leaving you wondering if you imagined it.

“Interesting,” he murmurs, almost to himself. His tone is steady, but something taut lurks beneath the surface.

“So, downtown to visit your sister, then?” he asks, a polite smile touching his lips. His gaze flicks over you, sharp and assessing, before sliding back toward the street, as if his thoughts are elsewhere. 

“Tried to, anyway. Wanted to surprise her with lunch, but it didn’t quite work out as planned,” you say, the feel of earlier embarrassment still lingering.

He pauses, stopping so abruptly. You turn back a few steps ahead, brow creasing at his unreadable expression. The crowded sidewalk flows around you, but he seems fixed on you, gathering his thoughts.

“How about we grab lunch instead?” he suggests, the invitation unexpectedly warm but his tone hard to place. “My treat.”

🍽️

You hate saying no. You hate disappointing people.

Sitting across from the well-dressed man, you mentally kick yourself for not finding an excuse to back out. Your eyes drift to your casual jeans and worn-out sneakers, feeling painfully out of place in this restaurant. Chandeliers glisten above, casting soft light over the carefully set tables with crisp white linens. Even the silverware seems excessive—how many forks could one meal possibly require?

You pick through your salad as he cuts into his steak, nodding along as he talks tech—just like Emily, really, always in a language you don’t quite speak. When he orders the wine, you don’t refuse. The soft buzz settles over you, making it easier to hold your smile, easier to get through the meal. You take long, deliberate sips, not for the taste but to steady your nerves, Norman's gaze almost dissecting every word, every small movement. The weight of his attention presses down, leaving you hyper-aware and exposed, as though there’s nowhere to hide. You shift slightly, hoping to appear composed, but Norman's scrutiny keeps you on edge.

“You work at a Al's grocery-right? How long have you been there?” he asks change course, just as the waiter refills your glass. It’s surprising he knows where you work, but you brush it off—Emily must’ve mentioned it in passing.

“Oh, uh, since junior year of high school.”

“I admire your dedication,” he says, a curious glint in his eye. “It’s rare to see someone your age with such a strong work ethic.”

You force a smile, hesitating. “I didn’t really have a choice. After Mom passed, Dad... wasn’t really around, so someone had to keep things going.” The words slip out before you can stop them, the wine loosening your guard far more than you’d like. Normally, you wouldn’t say this much, you don't like talking about your personal life.

“That must’ve been a lot, balancing school and work at that age.”

“I... I didn’t finish,” you admit, wincing. You drop your gaze, feeling the old sting of shame. You’d always meant to go back, but creditors don’t care about circumstances. Without work, there was no food, no roof over your head.

“I’m really sorry I didn’t mean to-,” Norman says, voice softening. “I know that must have been tough. But honestly, that doesn’t define you. What you’ve managed to accomplish despite it shows resilience. Sometimes life takes us down unexpected paths, but you’ve clearly made the best of yours.”

You nod, though his words settle like a weight in the air. It’s the last thing you want to hear—too close to the raw truth. The conversation feels too personal now, and you shift uncomfortably in your seat, a half-smile barely managing to lift your lips.

“Um,” you begin, swallowing thickly, your fingers tracing the rim of your glass. You hesitate, then force the words out, “I just—uh, I realized Emily asked me to pick up... I mean, sign for some packages.”

You stand suddenly, almost too quickly, and reach for your purse, the movement stiff. “I really should go,” you say, the words coming out in a rush, sounding more like an apology than anything else. The tension wraps around you tightly, and you feel the heat rise in your face as you hurry to leave.

“Wait,” he says softly, signaling to the waiter-maybe for the check. “Let me take you home.”

You hesitate, clutching your purse a little tighter. “I have my car…” 

Norman shakes his head, his expression firm but kind. “You’ve been drinking. I can’t in good conscience let you drive. I’d feel terrible if something happened.”

You glance down at the floor, biting your lip. He’s right. The wine had blurred the edges of your thoughts, and now you’re feeling more off-balance than you’d like to admit. With a quiet nod, you give in, feeling both defeated.

“Okay,” you say softly, reluctant, “thanks.”

You can’t escape his kindness though you wish you had the will to. 

[nationallawreview]

Deep in the Heart of Texas: Court Blocks FTC Non-Compete Rule

On August 20, 2024, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas invalidated the FTC’s rule banning most non-compete agreements.  Ryan LLC et al v. Federal Trade Commission, WL 3297524 (08/20/2024). In its highly anticipated opinion, the Court determined the FTC exceeded its authority in promulgating the rule and that the rule is arbitrary and capricious.  This decision was…

[hislop3]

FTC Bans Employment Non-Compete Provisions - Healthcare Implications Aplenty

On Tuesday, the Federal Trade Commission issued a final rule effectively, banning non-compete agreements, provisions, etc. for employees, including executives. The final rule contains separate provisions defining unfair methods of competition for the two subcategories of workers. Specifically, the final rule provides that, with respect to a worker other than a senior executive, it is an unfair…

[realityfragments]

The End Of Non-Compete.

The FTC banned non-competes agreements, and I wish that this had come a few decades earlier. Non-competes kept me from starting businesses and even working for competitors in the past, though more as a matter of honoring the agreement than any legal threat by a former employer. When you do specialized work for companies, as an employee or a contractor, that non-compete agreement was always a…

[wausaupilot]

Know your legal rights: Is my non-compete enforceable?

Wisconsin law casts a skeptical eye on non-compete agreements, preferring instead to protect employees’ freedom to make a living in the job of their choice.

Know Your Legal Rights is a bi-monthly column distributed by the State Bar of Wisconsin. It is written by members of the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS), which connects Wisconsin residents with lawyers throughout the state. To find an attorney in your area, visit wislaw.org. By Atty. Caleb Gerbitz A non-compete agreement is a bit like a time capsule. It’s…

[rmriinc]

The Non-Compete Contract May Be Going The Way Of The Dinosaur

The non-compete contract is starting to get some pretty negative attention, and one very powerful government agency is trying to do a way with it.

Come see what is going on with the non-compete contract

[omegaversereloaded]

you guys like videos right? let's watch this one together

[essektheylyss]

A funny thing that was said in the episode was, in his description of the house, Liam specifying that Caleb "teaches from time to time" at Soltryce Academy, which raises so many questions about both how academic appointments work here and also Caleb's financial situation.

For instance, is Caleb just a guest lecturer at Astrid's behest? What's happening with that now that she (and, from what it sounds like, most of the Assembly) is in the wind? Do they have adjunct positions? Does he piss off the administration often enough that his classes get cut every other semester? Does he travel so frequently that a full time position isn't feasible? In that case, how much is he tutoring? And what is he doing besides snooping on Ludinus's activities? (Also who is taking care of the garden while the house is empty?)

In that vein, what's his primary line of income? It's clearly stable enough to have maintained the same house for several years—does he own it outright? Is he cobbling enough together from his various teaching gigs plus whatever he's making from adventuring? Is he technically employed by the Cobalt Soul? Being a wizard is expensive even when you're camping in the woods most nights; it's probably a lot worse when you've got costs for house maintenance to worry about.

Personally I think the funniest option is the Cobalt Soul keeping him on retainer for very high profile investigations that are of interest to him (so, you know, primarily the Ludinus situation, but considering there's at least one other wizard on Beau and Caleb's kill list, probably anything involving high level mages). Specifically because it implies that the Empire has a strong stance against the concept of Non-Compete clauses.

[nightmaretour]

Kinda not loving that the entire narrative on brain injuries is run by people with relatively minor ones. I know it happens with all disabilities but like... minor TBIs are fairly common so everyone else (people with severe brain damage and ABIs especially) just gets completely drowned out. Not to mention that a fair chunk of people with moderate to severe brain injuries can't really speak out as well as others or at all.

I'd just really like to speak to others with moderate or severe brain damage and ABIs for once

[gendiebrainrotreceipts]

So many people (including jkr) are calling imane Khelif a biological male/TIM when as far as I can find out she’s a intersex woman

[serpentface]

Do psychotropic drugs and/or ritual play a role in any of the blightseed cultures? A pretty broad question, lol

Yeah that’s a very broad question, the answer is about as much as it tends to play roles in real history. Alcohol is pretty ubiquitous (outside of cultures that abstain from intoxicants) and used for a variety of purposes, opioids are commonly used in some parts for pain relief or recreational purposes, stimulants (usually in mild, natural forms) are used to provide extra energy, and hallucinogens are most commonly used as part of a larger religious framework (rather than for recreational purposes). Any more elaborate answer kinda has to be case by case in a certain culture or part of the setting.

I'll just take this as an opportunity to talk about the one established sect that pretty much REVOLVES around psychoactive use. This is the Scholarly Order of the Root, which is a sort of mystery religion + elite community of scholars who currently occupy the Ur-Tree and its forest in the far southern Lowlands (southeast of Imperial Wardin, on the same land mass).

The Ur-Tree is the obligatory Huge Fucking Fantasy Tree (and its surrounding forest). It’s a mass of vegetation about a mile tall and almost as old as Plant Life Itself, its upper branches are primeval plants, which become more modern the nearer they get to the ground (and each 'level' holds tiny ecosystems, some containing descendants of LONG-extinct arthropods/other small animals). Its lowest branches and the surrounding forest are contemporary plant life, and all is connected and protected by an incomparably MASSIVE fungal mycelium network (which is itself a living god).

A lot of the Scholars' more secretive practices revolve around experimentation with substance use with the goal of expanding the Mind and transcending the body to fully connect to the Dreamlands, and they have a supply chain of traders and mercenaries called Rootrunners who traffic substances into the Lowlands. Most of their psychoactive use is in a very intentional capacity and not just like, for fun, but a LOT of them are just straight up addicted to cocaine (in the form of alchemically refined bruljenum, which is used for practical purposes of its stimulant effect during long hours of work).

All known psychoactives are desirable for experimentation (particularly hallucinogens), with each having properties that either allow expansion of the Mind, transcendence of the body, or outright divine communion. Their effects are logged in great detail and interpreted to form the basis of the Scholars' understanding of the natural world and reality itself.

The most important substance is Ur-Root, which is root matter from subterranean levels of the Ur-Tree that have both their own intrinsic psychoactive substances and a very, very high concentration of living god mycelium. The tree root contains DMT and the mycelium has its own wholly unique effects (being an actual living god). They alchemically refine it into a purer, more potent form, and use it to expand beyond the body and directly commune with the Giants, a group of entities they have identified as the only true gods.

An Ur-Root trip starts off with minor visual distortion, which turns into shifting fractals that slowly obscure the vision. Eventually the senses are entirely taken over by a 'tunnel' of rapidly shifting fractals and geometries. In a complete trip, the experiencer gets a sense that they have been pushed through a membrane and entered another realm, finding themselves in a distinct experiential Space.

At this point they may encounter entities which communicate to them in a language impossible to describe but wholly understood. These beings are understood to be the Giants, or at least aspects of the Giants that mortals are capable of comprehending (they often take familiar tutelary forms of the Mantis or the Snake, or appear resembling the same type of sophont that the experiencer is, all composed of ever-shifting geometries). The experiencer often feels a sense of unconditional and endless love from these beings, though the Giants may be more hostile and may appear in the form of the Trickster (usually a cultural figure regarded as malicious, be it an animal or otherwise) in a bad trip.

(^Up until this point, this has mostly just been a DMT 'breakthrough' experience ft. 'machine elves' and the like).

They are then removed from this space and returned to something that feels like the real world, but is nearly unrecognizable. They have a sense of rapidly moving through time, and will usually see 'the spires' towards the beginning, which just so happen to look like this:

(source + some context via Implication- the spires are exactly what this art is depicting)

The experiencer continues to move across an unfathomable amount of time, occasionally 'seeing' other such flashes of unfamiliar landscapes and creatures, and yet also being devoid of all their senses, the 'seeing' is pure, unfiltered experience. There is a sense of interconnectedness with all life, and that one has become the forest (or even Life) itself. The sense of time is wildly distorted, the trip lasts only about 5 minutes but feels like an eternity and is understood as literal hundreds of millions of years.

The experiencer has usually lost any remaining sense of Self and individual consciousness during this phase (in which case this time distortion is usually a neutral or even peaceful experience), but some retain a fraction of their identity, and find themselves trapped and conscious while experiencing what feels like eternity (which can be LIFE-CHANGINGLY distressing, even after the fact).

(^This latter part of the trip is the effects of the Ur-Tree fungus).

The trip ends with a sense of rushing through the ground and back up into one's body, at which point they will abruptly return to their senses and consciousness. The details are then immediately retrieved via interview and recorded in immense detail. The whole experience is understood as having been full comprehension of the Dreamlands, communion with the Giants, and then a tour through the act of creation.

This is done as part of the initiatory practice into the inner mystery-religion of the scholars, and as needed for study by high scholar-priests. It is not taken lightly, both as it is absolute communion with the gods and reality, and in that it can be a very, very difficult experience. People who have gone through this often walk away with a permanently shifted perspective, often in a positive and/or comforting way- a sense of interconnectedness with all life, a peace with the concept of death, seeing less of a point in individual ego and the concept of Self, and comfort in the sense of divine love they (may have) experienced. This heavily influences the philosophy of the Scholars and has had effects by proxy in the religious worldviews of the region.

Details of this experience are closely guarded, and initiates are given absolutely no prior knowledge and expectations for their trip. This is seen as a necessity- their naivety will allow for a true, unfiltered experience, and can be used to gauge whether they should or should not be accepted. Those that have a distinctly bad trip upon initiation may be assumed to have been 'rejected' by the giants and thus denied full priesthood, though this largely depends on How they interpret their distressing trip- those who identify this as a test and harsh lesson in a journey to enlightenment may be accepted (as this is how fully initiated scholar-priests interpret and handle their bad trips).

This inner priesthood is only a small fraction of the Scholarly Order, and its greater function is as a hub of education and repository of knowledge, and Scholar-trained doctors can provide some of the best medical care available in the setting ('best medical care in this setting' only means so much but it's pretty solid, relatively speaking). Only a chosen few Scholars ever get to commune with the Ur-Root, and most of the divine secrets revealed in the process are kept hidden (though they indirectly influence the politics and worldview of the entire order).

[intramoon]

Just my thoughts on InZoi (that no one asked for) ...

I am not a cynic but I am skeptical of any new "life simulation" games. And that's not to say I don't want The Sims to have a competitor, I think EA needs a competitor for The Sims. For the price tag of The Sims, EA needs pressure on them to address their complacency (with game content, the growing issues with paid content, etc). InZoi is far from that. At face value, I think the gameplay is unimpressive. I can understand why people are drawn to an in-depth, hyperrealistic character creation but to what end? The inclusion of AI, even if just for primarly patterns/textures, is an increasingly slippery slope. It's just for patterns ... for now, but how will AI provide shortcuts for the company in the future? That's one of my concerns and I think it's a bit shady for the company to have this feature. Any kind of AI generation has significant environmental impacts and contributes to art theft/the distribution of AI that has burdened the art community. I struggle to find a justifiable reason for the game having AI because I don’t think there is one. If you consider the computer that is needed to run a game with graphics like InZoi, the game isn’t accessible to people with “lower-end”/older PCs. An issue The Sims team had to address with the Sims 4 ie. the change in graphics and the game no longer being open world. I like that more people can play The Sims without needing a PC that is worth thousands of dollars. I keep seeing the comparison of InZoi to GTAV NPCs. As someone who has spent a lot of time playing with friends on GTAV FiveM servers, even those servers have better gameplay than I’ve seen with InZoi. Not to be funny but InZoi reminds me of those invasive 3D p*rn game ads.

The other aspect of InZoi that bothers me a little (maybe a lot) is the stark difference in how “regular” simmers are reacting to InZoi versus how some content creators/custom content creators are reacting. It’s a little frustrating for the people, even if through EA’s allotted 21-day early accesses, who make hundreds if not thousands of dollars off the community aren’t acknowledging let alone addressing the glaring concerns users have about InZoi. It seems many of them are going to brush these concerns aside for the opportunity to mod for the game (a game to me that doesn’t seem to value artists' work) and worse case scenario will jump ship to InZoi if Simblr takes issue with it.

It’s … interesting.

[vinelark]

wrote a fun scene last night and then immediately realized i need to cut it, so here's a little (mostly) non-spoilery bbts deleted snippet!

---

Tim’s in the lounge kitchenette, sneakily draining one of his contraband Red Bulls after the session, when there’s a slight disturbance in the air behind him. It’s either Kon or Bart, and Tim makes a split-second guess before launching himself up and springing off the door frame as Kon’s arm sweeps through where Tim just was. Tim lands in the center of the floor, keeping a hand pressed over the mouth of his can so it doesn’t spill. “Hey,” he says. “Open container here, that’s mutually assured destruction.”

“Almost,” Kon groans, dropping himself onto one of the kitchenette bar stools. “I almost had it that time.”

“Hmm,” Tim says. Kon and Bart and Tim are engaged in an ongoing Scoop Robin competition, which is an intricate sport in which players with super speed abilities (Superboy, Impulse) try to scoop players with non-super speed abilities (Robin) off the ground. There are a number of rules, like no scooping in battle and full uniforms in the Tower = fair game, partial uniforms = out of bounds and spilling food and/or drink results in negative points for all players involved. The score currently stands at Superboy: 0, Impulse: 0.5, Robin: 17. “Wouldn’t have counted anyway, since you’re not in full uniform.”

“What?” Kon looks down at himself. “I haven’t changed yet.”

Tim grins into the lip of the can. “Missing your jacket, though.”

“Yeah, but that’s…” Kon starts, and Tim watches, fascinated and a bit giddy, as Kon blushes.

[inbucksbusiness]

History, Huh? (Bet We Could Teach Some) by Henrybaby

Teen & Up | Chaptered | Complete | Ao3 | 35k

They’re both teachers. They’re both stupid. They both fall in love over lectures, grading, and early morning coffee (with a little help from some meddling teenagers). Or; Alex & Henry teach at Austin Preparatory Academy and are asked to teach a joint History/English course. They’re the only ones in the classroom who don’t realize their heated arguments over historians aren’t really about what’s in the textbooks.

Competence Kink, Hot History Teacher Alex, Lacrosse Coach Alex, English Teacher Henry, Dual POV, Forced Proximity, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Alternate Universe - Teachers, Miscommunication, Slow Burn, Non-Royal Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Happy Ending

[surelysilly]

Small under his hands, lightweight to his single-minded and harsh manhandling, shorter by a full head and just. For a second, too many teeth, and those eyes — Again, Danny forgot.

[mamawasatesttube]

one other thing that really makes me roll my eyes in dc fics is the insistence that the bats can take down anyone, even their most op teammates. like... you guys know a character doesn't have to be the most physically capable one in the room in order to be interesting or strong in their own right, right? look me in the eye. cass had to save tim from shrike. bane broke bruce's back. mind-controlled kon snapped tim's arm like a twig. trying to make them ~always~ able to counter even the most powerful opponents is so boring im sorry like they can and do lose fights sometimes, and that's interesting actually. they are all incredibly competent martial artists, yes! that doesn't mean they can win every single matchup. that's simply neither the point of nor the strength in their characters.