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ronearoundblindly · 7 months ago

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Day Eighty-Three (1)

CEO!Steve Rogers x CEO!Reader

10 A.M., an It Had To Be You tale (see previous or series)

Summary: A joint meeting between AmCaps and the heads of four other major companies goes about as horribly as possible...or is it exactly as you expected? Either way, Steve messes up big time.

Warnings for (hi, I'm Ro) arguments, the absolute shittiness of misogyny, degrading use of petnames, language, social idjit!Steve (he honest-to-god tried his best but whoops). MINORS DNI. If this is not to your taste, please feel free to search lighter stories here. WC 2571

Sadly, the whole thing would have gone better if Tony Stark showed up.

Stark doesn’t do meetings like this though, and you may never bother with one again. You may have no need.

Clammy hands grip the leather spine of your monogrammed portfolio, comfortingly thick with the employee files you’ve brought as ammunition. This is a battle, no doubt in your mind, but Steve acts as if it’s any other day. To him, it probably is.

This is Steve’s fourteenth quarterly get-together of entities using the stabilizing, hydrostatic, insulated, electro-neutral, lead-dense (aka S.H.I.E.L.D) modules which American Capsules supplies. You’ve worked here for twelve of those but never been in the room.

The room feels as big as a concert hall with you an ant in the back pew.

Since the meeting is on your turf, you and Steve wait till the others arrive, your boyfriend highly aware of your nerves but without a clue as to why.

You’ve been preparing for this far longer than the not-quite three months you’ve held the title of co-CEO. It’s important to understand what is really happening between these companies and who exactly is to blame. It was also important to tell Steve nothing until you knew all the facts, and you didn’t until the phone call you just got off three minutes ago.

That’s not enough time. He’ll have to enjoy the show like everyone else,

Steve loosens his skinny black tie and repeats that you shouldn’t worry. He can take the lead. All the stats are printed in the binders laid in front of six chairs around the oblong table. He touches you, reassuringly he believes, at exactly the wrong moment.

Justin Hammer saunters through the door, clocking the intimate hand on your arm when Steve leans forward to whisper, “what’s wrong?” The outrageously pompous pumpkin sucks his teeth, winking at you, and spins to moonwalk closer. Hammer even goes so far as to cup your other elbow with an over-tanned palm.

“Peach, you’re gorgeous. Don’t ever change,” he flirts, damn well knowing that you aren’t the assistant anymore but are dating the man right beside him. “Hey, pal, how’s it going? Lookin’ sharp.”

Justin wheels the nearest chair away from the conference table and plunks down, lounging against the high-backed seat, swinging his feet up onto the adjacent chair. He may as well be at the beach.

He snaps, hand landing in a finger gun pointed at you—or your backside, more accurately, where he’s also staring.

“I like mine sweet and dark. Thanks. ‘Preciate you.”

There’s no elaboration. You’re just the coffee bitch to him.

What’s wrong, you want to tell Steve, what’s wrong is that asshole is only twenty-five percent of the shit I have to deal with this morning!

Before you or Steve can respond, however, the other three arrive in quick succession.

Darren Cross of Pym Technologies might actually be the least offensive of the bunch. His smile is polite and jovial, he greets Steve simply and shakes your hand, and he smacks Hammer’s calf hard enough to make a sound as he passes by.

He, unlike Justin, brought a briefcase, keeping up the illusion that he participates in the company he’s here to represent. Cross probably does still participate, considering he was only promoted recently after Hank Pym retired.

Aldrich Killian is undoubtedly (one of) the brains behind his think tank, AIM, and Brock Rumlow is undoubtedly smug, being a lowly former associate at Stark Industries, now an executive for the Roxxon Energy Corporation.

Each of them has skin in each other’s game; throughout the history of American Capsules’ products, innovations have been shared between them to either create suitable shipping containers or to have their products shipped via those containers. They’ve quite literally shielded their collective work.

It’s a symbiotic relationship.

It’s a circle jerk.

Killian and Rumlow do not bother to walk around and say hello. They fake niceties and unbutton their suit jackets to sit on the other side of the table.

Noticeably, none of them chose either ‘head’ of the table. No one was willing to take a position of power equal to Steve in his own house. Your boyfriend seems to interpret this as acquiescence of some sort—proof that they’ll blindly respect what and who Steve himself respects,—and then Steve wrongly decides to gently run his hand the rest of the way down your arm, his fingers curling to lift your limb until the very last second.

He made it look like you were reaching out for him, like you were a scared child in need of support. You are, in a sense, but he didn’t have to fucking advertise it to these men.

Steve doesn’t make mistakes. He did that on purpose. Maybe he meant to establish some sort of claim to you? To stop them objectifying you? Whatever they do now is solely out of respect or fear of him though, not you.

You’re frozen in place—in anger, truth be told—until Justin drops his feet to the floor dramatically.

“Indulge me, sweetcheeks.” He winks again. “I’m thirsty.”

Doing your very best Vanna White impression, you step back and sweep an arm out toward the drinks on the side server. “Help yourself,” you say with a smile.

It’s only because Justin is an idiot that he misses the dig.

Open to the page he wants, Steve tosses his binder to the wood surface, the slap of lamination to varnish attracting the attention of all the men, and takes his seat at the end.

You waltz to the other side, a clear and distinct separation between you and Steve, equals in life and work but opposites today.

“Shall we wait for Stark,” Rumlow growls in his low voice.

“Not necessary,” Steve allows. “If he shows, he shows. Let’s get to it.”

Steve begins, pointing out a few key concerns. Since you already know all of this, he doesn’t look to you while speaking, but neither do the other men when they respond.

They talk over you as if you’re not there, being blowhards and patting each other on the back for ’surviving in this economy.’ You let them go on. Steve gets nowhere. He gets excuses. He gets parroted promises.

Justin dismisses insufficient specs by saying he’s just a pretty face. He leaves all the numbers to nerds. He laughs about how he’ll have to check with his people about the nitty-gritty details, but he’s sure it’ll work out.

He stands to get his own black coffee, plopping three cubes of sugar in the chrome mug.

Rumlow barks out that shoddy Hammer tech nearly sank a Roxxon oil rig.

Justin feigns ignorance of the incident.

Killian uselessly offers a fix for that, at a price.

Darren argues that Pym has followed their agreement with AmCaps to the letter.

Everybody is fucking lying to themselves.

The shouting continues, escalating until it looks like Killian and Rumlow are close to throwing punches, though you’ve missed why those two are at odds.

Finally, Steve rises, stretching his hands out in peace.

“Everyone, calm down! Take a breath. Have some water. Sit.”

He’s stressed, clearly, defaulting to conditioned behavior which means Steve then looks right at you with a pleading expression.

Wrong again.

Darren lets out a huff and nods at you. “Yes, I think that would be nice.”

“I’ll take a glass,” Rumlow adds with a tap of the table in your direction.

Killian sighs an unmistakable ‘loser’ to Rumlow, and suddenly, the fight is back on.

Time to lock and load.

You cough and stand, flipping open the portfolio in front of you, adjusting your hips in your pencil skirt with a tug but only for affect. You know exactly what draws the attention of these men.

The room goes mostly quiet.

“Water. For the table,” you deadpan command Steve.

Picking up your copy of the report set, you clear your throat.

“I’m afraid Rogers has given you all the impression this is a negotiation. It’s not.” You slide the binder to the center. “It’s a courtesy. A courtesy which none of you deserve.”

“What the hell is she talking about?” Rumlow gruffly asks Steve.

“I’m talking about unpaid balances and unfulfilled orders. I’m talking about product tampering and verified illegal activity that hereby voids your contracts, effective immediately.”

Darren shoots out of his seat. “You can’t do that!” He turns to Steve. “She can’t do that, right?”

Steve, however, is blanched with shock. “Wait, I—“

“Each of your agreements with us—“ you barrel over his protest “—contains a morality clause which was broken by Hammer Tech when they conspired to produce a subpar protective lining and pad Roxxon gas sales in the region, unwittingly causing unsafe storage at a Stark factory in Galmira because the entire operation no longer followed American Capsules specifications—your specifications for transporting your own products.

“Pym,” you continue with force, “failed to produce compact enough items for the containers they ordered and instead chose to resell the regulated lining materials for a premium.” You toss a packet of papers down to Darren. “In your infinite wisdom, this also means you violated multiple Customs laws by forging shipping weights and ignoring safety guidelines.”

Killian puts a bejeweled hand over his vested heart. “Cross, you didn’t?”

“Which brings me to fucking AIM,” you grit.

“Precious,” Steve breaths with a warning tone, but you can’t stop. You’ve waited too long for this moment.

“Because who the hell do you think created the new formula for a light-weight, lower-cost, shitty lining?” You take such pleasure in stabbing a finger in his direction then flinging stapled proof across the table. “Evidence. Evidence of all of this provided by multiple sources. And you were warned…”

Now comes the really fun part.

You spread out eight folders.

“…warned by Roxxon’s own Betty Ross, Wanda Maximoff, and Kamala Khan. By Hammer’s Monica Rambeau and Kate Bishop. AIM’s doctors, Christine Palmer and Helen Cho, and finally, Pym Tech’s Mary Jane Watson—none of whom, I’m excited to say, work for you anymore.”

There’s a stunned heft to the frigidly controlled air in the large room. The florescent lights overhead buzz harshly.

“Are you fucking serious?” Killian rasps.

“Put your bitch back on her leash,” Rumlow bites to Steve.

“Don’t speak to her like—“

“Wait a minute,” Justin snorts, “I’m confused.”

“Your nerds will explain it to you once you crawl back into your hole.”

“Prec—” Steve snips in alarm but catches himself. He looks panicked and blind-sided, which he would be. You kept their complicity from him until you had everything you needed to invoke the morality clause.

You turn to the junior CEO for Pym Tech. “Expect a call from Hope Van Dyne. She has a few thoughts on Cross Technologies.”

Called out for his as-yet-unannounced rebranding of the company, Darren breaks, and he breaks viciously, vaulting the three chairs between you.

“Fucking cunt,” he screams through bared teeth.

Steve launches past the skittering seats and makes it to Cross milliseconds before he can intercept you.

“I didn’t make you lie, cheat, and steal,” you screech. “You screwed yourselves!”

Killian straightens his lapels and smooths his shirt nervously. “Surely, we can come to some arrangement.”

“This is all a misunderstanding,” Hammer adds.

Rumlow simply walks out with a shout of “you’ll be hearing from our lawyers.”

Steve slams Cross into the window, an ominous rattle shaking the frame, the cheek of the struggling man whining as it smears along the glass. When Darren still tries to hiss something else at you, Steve pins him against the wall instead, a forearm choking off any other choice words the bald man might offer.

“This meeting is over,” Steve grunts, pushing at Cross until the man settles.

“Right,” you sigh, keeping your voice as level as you can. “Gentlemen, I’d say get your houses in order, but I’m afraid the furniture is about to be repoed.”

Killian runs his hand through his styled hair. “Think I’ll leave you to talk some sense into your precious partner. Good day.”

You’ll never forgive Steve for blurting your private nickname out in front of the worst possible people to know it, but this is how you chose to play the meeting. You knew there’d be…pushback.

The AIM founder takes a lazy sip. “Thanks for the water, Rogers.” He taps his pinky ring several times on the glass, a hollow, high ting lingering after each strike, and then Aldrich heads for the door.

Steve releases Darren despite the wild look in his eyes, but Cross would be a fool to make any move except to leave. He gathers his things and slips through the exit before it fully closes.

The only one remaining is Justin Hammer, and he tosses out his arms with a chuckle, shaking his head.

“Kitten, come on. This is crazy. Isn’t this crazy? We’re all friends here. Let’s just chill, relax, and work this out. How ‘bout a drink?” More snaps. More finger guns. “You want coffee? Alright, perfect. Love ya. We’ll have coffee.” The man fidgets, sweat visible on his lip and forehead when he turns in the window’s light and approaches the drink cart.

“Sure thing, Justin. I take my coffee like I take my women—“ you smile “—from you.”

Okay, that part just felt good.

“That—” Hammer’s brow raises and he wipes down his jaw with one hand “—now that was uncalled for.”

Steve cuts in, a solid dismissal in the form of “I said ‘the meeting’s over.’”

“Oh, boy. You—well, you better watch…This ain’t over.” Hammer makes a fuss of buttoning his jacket again, puffing out his chest, then walking off even more empty-handed than he arrived.

The enormous, heavy door shuts slowly on buzzing, bright silence.

After a pause, Steve heaves out a breath.

“That went well.”

Sarcasm is not one of his strengths.

You’re not sure what you expected. You stand as a block of granite decor in the corner you retreated to once shit hit the fan.

It was the right decision. This was the right thing to do, the moral thing. It’s in the goddamn contract.

Though physically he shows no signs of duress—Steve used very little of his actual muscle to subdue Darren,—he hangs his head, stepping to your spot at the table to look at what you brought in. After a pause, Steve rubs his temple like it aches.

“I…I have no words,” he mutters, tone inscrutable.

You don’t care if he has words or not. You only have to wait until they’re out of the building.

“I don’t understand. What just happened?”

The door opens to reveal a bored-looking Topaz.

“Boss, Stark sent a catered lunch over. Where should they set up? It’s shawarma.”

“I don’t care,” Steve bursts. “Just take it down to R&D or something!”

That’s your cue to leave.

You shut your mostly-empty portfolio and tuck it to your chest.

A hand wraps around your wrist, unyielding.

Steve’s stormy blue eyes are felt more than seen, his hold tightening, trying to inch you closer, but you rip away.

“I’ll send you a memo,” you tell Steve without looking directly at him. “Keep those. I have copies.”

Fast as you can in heels and a skirt, you hurry after Topaz and past the food, fleeing first to your office and then to your own home.

[Day 83: 6pm]

[tender first aid drabble; Big Girls Don't Cry]

[Main Masterlist; Ko-Fi]

A/N: Ahhhhh! Next up is how Steve makes it up to you...or at least starts to...😱😵‍💫🥴

@supraveng @1950schick @patzammit @whiskeytangofoxtrot555

@yiiiikesmish @ashesofblackroses @jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory

@brandycranby @buckysprettybaby @ellethespaceunicorn @late-to-the-party-81

@bigtreefest @rogersbarber @bucky-fricking-barnes-reads

@fallinallinmendes @rach2602 @royalwritersoftheuniverses

#it had to be you series #ceo!steve rogers #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers angst #steve rogers fanfic #steve rogers fic #ceo!reader #steve rogers x f!reader #steve rogers x you #steve rogers x y/n #assistant!reader

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allthegeopolitics · 7 months ago

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Worker rights are among the least protected human rights in the world, according to new research from faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York. The findings are part of a new report published by the CIRIGHTS Data Project, the largest human rights dataset in the world. Since 1981, the project has ranked countries around the world on their respect for human rights, providing an annual "report card" on 25 internationally recognized human rights. The project is co-led by Binghamton University Professor of Political Science David Cingranelli. According to the project's latest report, published in Human Rights Quarterly, the five countries with the best overall scores were Canada, Sweden, New Zealand, Norway and Portugal. The five countries with the lowest overall scores were Iran, Syria, North Korea, China and Iraq. Worker rights, including the right to form a trade union and the right to bargain collectively—are among the least protected human rights. Worker rights are "always violated to some extent," wrote the researchers.

#Workers Rights #Labour rights #world news #news #Unions

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xwishingonraindropsx · 7 days ago

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2024 Journal Reflections

In 2024 I filled up 5 journals!! In 2023 I only filled up 2. Looking at the stats I did a daily journal entry about 50% of the time, and used the bullet journal spreads I created about 80% of the time. I wanted to figure out how often I wrote over one page but I couldn't figure out how to track that :/

This year I experimented A LOT with how I journaled, while some things stayed consistent. I use a catch all journal, so I carry around one journal and put everything in it for a few months and then start a new one when its full. I do a combo of bullet journaling, goal planning, memory keeping, daily vents/dumps, journal prompts, and art journaling.

This year I wanted seasonal/quarterly journals with consistent spreads and check ins. I have been a slut for the Archer and Olive A5 journal for maybe 5 years, but this year I tried new sizes and brands.While I did really enjoy trying new sizes, in 2025 I will be going back to the A5. I particularly enjoyed the larger B5 size to give me more space and add a little empty space to the pages instead of cramming them full. Unfortunately, A5 is more practical for keeping my journal in my purse. But I tried a Quirky Cup Collective journal and loved it so I have two more for next year!

One thing I loved was having consistent goal planning spreads across each journal, and to simplify that for 2025 I wrote my long term goals on cards to move into each journal as I go, and write monthly and weekly goals to support my goals for the year.

One of the huge successes of my year was using 3 different journaling practices consistently to support my mental health.

The first two are from The Artists Way, an incredibly famous self help book that I ended up loving but kind of cherry picking from rather than living by. From this book I took morning pages, the practice of writing 3 pages of stream of consciousness right when you wake up. I used it right when I got home from work instead and it really helped me relax and feel more positive as I transitioned into my evening. I probably didn't do it very consistently but I loved it. I also started writing affirmations out ten times, also from the Artists Way. Again, I wasn't very consistent but I like it!

The last one I used was 3 good things, a practice where you write down three good things daily, writing at least a paragraph per thing, trying to bring yourself back to the moment of feeling good. This came from the Science of Happiness podcast, and I did i consistently a few years ago.

My biggest failure was giving up on bullet journaling for October and November. I started school and decided I should use a planner to ensure I was staying on top of grad school stuff, and I kind of hated i and didn't use it. So. Back to bullet journaling. I have given up on bullet journaling many times over the years, as I do so much writing and feel like I should focus on that, but I always regret it.

This got really long, so I will make a seperate post going into what my plans are for next year!

#bullet journal #bujo #bujoblr #2024 planning #plan with me #journaling #journal

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jeffhirsch · 3 months ago

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September Quarterly Options Expiration Week Dodgy, Week After Dreadful

Since the S&P index futures began trading on April 21, 1982, stock options, index options as well as index futures all expire at the same time four times each year in March, June, September, and December. September’s quarterly option expiration week has been up 54.8% of the time for S&P 500 since 1982. DJIA and NASDAQ have slightly weaker track records with gains 52.4% of the time and 52.4% respectively.

However, the week has suffered several sizable losses. The worst loss followed the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. In the last twenty-one years, S&P 500 and NASDAQ are tied for best record during September’s quarterly option expiration week, up thirteen times, but NASDAQ has been down the last six straight. Friday had been firm with all three indices advancing every year 2004 to 2011, but S&P 500 has been down 11 of the last 12 and NASDAQ has been down 10 of the last 12 since.

S&P 500 Down 27 of 34 Week After September Quarterly Options Expiration, Average Loss 1.06%

The week after September options expiration week, has a dreadful history of declines most notably since 1990. The week after September quarterly options expiration week has been a nearly constant source of pain with only a few meaningful exceptions over the past 34 years. Substantial and across the board gains have occurred just four times: 1998, 2001, 2010 and 2016 while many more weeks were hit with sizable losses. In 2022 DJIA and S&P 500 declined over 4% while NASDAQ fell 5.07%.

Full stats are the sea-of-red in the tables here. Average losses since 1990 are even worse; DJIA –1.09%, S&P 500 –1.06%, NASDAQ –1.06%. End-of-Q3 portfolio restructuring is the most likely explanation for this trend as managers trim summer holdings and position for the fourth quarter.

#$^DJI #$^GSPC #$^IXIC #$DIA #$SPY #$QQQ #OPEX #quarterly #quadruple witching #Triple Witching

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aerodaltonimperial · 10 months ago

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So that pairing stats post I did is clearly going around cause my notes have been lighting up all afternoon but someone asked if I could do quarterly stats and I was like well, that's easy for top 10 cause AO3 lets you filter by update dates and you can just select from, say, the beginning of the year until now and grab the top 10 reported in the filter section. Except Phil was included in one so I was like well that doesn't count, BYE BITCH, and excluded it and then re-ran the filter with that excluded and I am DELIGHTED to report that doing that pushed JungleCorpse up into the top 10 of 2024 so far, so what I'm trying to say here is that I love y'all and you make me very proud. 😘

#thats honestly hilarious #i love this for us all

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disco-elysium-via-polls · 10 months ago

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4. "He smells good. Why on earth does he smell so good?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "He *smells* good..." The lieutenant squints his eyes, trying to hold back laughter.

"That's weird, right?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "He smells good and that's weird."

"..."

COMPOSURE [Medium: Success] - He's barely holding it together. It's all he can do to keep from bursting out in laughter.

KIM KITSURAGI - "Come on, detective. Let's go -- we've got a potential witness to interview -- his 'Sunday friend', remember?" He nods at the apartment door before you.

Our Thought Cabinet is full. I'm electing to replace Rigorous Self-Critique, since I realized that it only heals you when you fail a red check, and that doesn't happen often enough to be worth keeping.

"Governmental issues take me all over Revachol, as you can see."

A quarterly business magazine.

"If *stabilité* is ensured, progress will naturally follow.

An old photo of the same apartment, dated year '01.

Expensive men's perfume lingers in the air.

"*Transparence* has always been our highest priority."

Buckets of paint on a layer of old newspapers.

An exquisite canopy bed made of metal.

Dishes soaked up in a pot.

"I don't z'ink conclusions should be rushed at z'is point."

An empty ashtray.

Flyers for underground parties.

Dates for open lectures at a local university.

SAMARAN CONICAL HAT

+1 Logic: Super logical for a cop to wear this -1 Suggestion: Insensitive bachelor party vibes

This tawny cone-shaped hat looks like a beacon of Samaran wisdom, its straws sticking up like antennas. Thank god you can't really see people's reactions when they see you strolling around in this incredibly insensitive headpiece.

Statswise, this isn't better or worse than the Auditor glasses.

PARTY DRAGON'S SILK ROBE

+1 Drama: Become the dragon +1 Electrochemistry: Become an addict... in a strange bathing robe

This sleazy-silky bathing robe in vibrant blues features a roaring dragon on its front, ready to take off into the night. A red belt has been provided for fastening. It's culturally insensitive, but only for people who are not from Seol. The real Seolites probably don't care.

Well, that's a straight increase to our stats, so...

SUNDAY FRIEND - "You have acquired the robe." The man assesses the situation. "Keep it, officer, it looks good on you."

AUTHORITY [Easy: Success] - You shouldn't be seeing him in an intimate setting. For some reason you feel this man is your... *superior*.

ESPRIT DE CORPS [Trivial: Success] - Superior? But he's not in the command chain...

COMPOSURE [Medium: Success] - His hands are clean and well-manicured. This is a man who knows the importance of appearances.

SUNDAY FRIEND - "My name is Charles Villedrouin and I'm an official with the Coalition Government. I work for the Institute of Price Stabilité, on assignment from Sur-la-Clef."

"I heard you talking to my friend outside… Very good. Super. I am here to assist you in any way possible. Ask me about the hanging."

SUGGESTION [Easy: Success] - No, first ask an innocuous personal question to get the interview off on the right foot.

AUTHORITY [Easy: Success] - Yes. Make it clear you're the one setting the terms here...

(Point at the bed.) "Before we go on, I absolutely *have* to inquire about this wonderful canopy."

(Point to the silk robe.) "Before we get to that, tell me where you got this *beautiful* silk robe from?"

(Show him the Samaran hat.) "We'll get to that. Right after you tell me the story behind the black Samaran hat."

(Get down to business.) "Hello, Mr. Villedrouin. Let's get started."

SUNDAY FRIEND - "Oh, we got it from an atelier in the East Delta Commerce Centre. Personally I think it's a little culturally insensitive, but the material is great. Sadly the shop is now out of business..."

"That's really all I can tell you about it." He forms a little rooftop with his fingers. Cold air sweeps in from the balcony.

AUTHORITY - That didn't work at all.

KIM KITSURAGI - The lieutenant takes out his notebook and nods to you to proceed.

"You actually *witnessed* the lynching?"

"What's an official like you doing in Martinaise?"

"Can you tell me about your friend?"

"Thanks, I've got all I need." [Leave.]

SUNDAY FRIEND - "I'm sorry to say I did, officer." The man gives a solemn nod.

(Turn to the lieutenant.) "This is just the break we've been looking for!"

"Is it because you did it, Mr. Villedrouin?"

"Start from the beginning, if you don't mind."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Easy, detective. No need to jump to conclusions." He eyes the spectacled man near the window, who smiles and spreads his hands.

2. "Is it because you did it, Mr. Villedrouin?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "Because I *did it*?" the man scoffs.

COMPOSURE [Medium: Success] - He's clearly not a man accustomed to being spoken to in that manner, let alone to being accused of *murder*.

"My apologies, I misspoke. I mean, what did you see?"

"Don't jerk my chain, paper-jockey. You did it, didn't you?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "Officer, it's very difficult to describe what I saw that night. It was so surreal to me, like in a play."

DRAMA [Medium: Success] - He holds out his hands and blossoms his fingers, like a drama teacher setting the scene.

KIM KITSURAGI - The lieutenant is already scribbling down notes. "What do you mean, 'like in a play'?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "It was just so strange. I could barely comprehend what was happening..."

"I was on the balcony when it happened, getting some fresh air. I remember that first they came in, carrying what looked like a body, and then I saw all the surrounding windows go dead one-by-one…"

"That's when I understood -- I should not be seeing this."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Sounds like the victim *was* unconscious. Or at least incapacitated. Interesting."

"Who were 'they'? Can you describe them?"

"How many of them were there?"

"What happened next?" (Proceed.)

SUNDAY FRIEND - "I couldn't see their faces well, and there were quite a few of them. But they were very loud and very... Martinaise..." He pauses, looking for the right wording.

"Let's just say that the labouring classes can get rather expressive with their profanities."

2. "How many of them were there?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "I couldn't tell you exactly. Less than ten. Maybe eight?"

KIM KITSURAGI - The lieutenant sends you a sharp look at the mention of that number.

"Were any of them the Giant of Koko Nur?"

"What happened next?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "No, there were no *mythological giants*, I'm afraid. They were all *quite* human, so far as I could tell."

"What happened next?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "I went back inside."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Were you able to see anything from inside?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "Officer, the yard was pitch black. There was nothing to see. But I could still hear their voices. They were threatening to kill that poor man."

"Were they men, women?"

"What ethnicity were they?"

"What happened next?" (Proceed.)

SUNDAY FRIEND - "All men, I presume. But again, I couldn't see very clearly."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Hmmm. But we're fairly certain the lady driver was present..." The lieutenant flips through his notes.

"Are you sure at least *one* of them wasn't a woman?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "It's possible, officer, but I cannot say with certainty. It was very dark, you must remember."

2. "What ethnicity were they?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "I believe they were mostly white, though I believe I saw two Areopagites among them. And I am quite certain that one spoke with a Mesque accent."

3. "What happened next?" (Proceed.)

SUNDAY FRIEND - "Well, that's the strangest part, officer. *Nothing* happened. It was oddly quiet for a public lynching."

"What do you mean 'nothing happened'? They lynched a guy!"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "Eventually their shouts died down, and that was all. There were no gunshots, no celebratory shouts, no anything."

"Why didn't you call the RCM?"

"You're right, that does seem strange."

SUNDAY FRIEND - The man wipes his glasses. "You're right, of course. That is what one is supposed to do in such circumstances. I was simply in shock..."

"I'm afraid I don't have anything else to add."

KIM KITSURAGI - "About what time was all this happening, approximately?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "All I can say is that it was late."

"So let me get this straight. You didn't actually witness the hanging itself, did you?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "No, I didn't see the corpse until the following day."

KIM KITSURAGI - "It seems this wasn't the 'break' you were hoping for..."

"I think we have everything we need," the lieutenant says, closing his notebook. "Thank you for talking to us, Mr. Villedrouin."

SUNDAY FRIEND - "Of course, anything I can do to assist the RCM."

Task complete: Interview the Sunday friend

+10 XP

2. "What's an official like you doing in Martinaise?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "The Coalition is only looking out for *ze price stabilité*." He raises an index finger. "Inflation is a killer, like a heart disease blocking the normal circulation of the economy -- It must be controlled..."

"The economy impacts the entire *international community*, which is why it requires international oversight."

"Okay, but what are you doing *here* in this apartment?"

"So you're some kind of bureaucrat?"

"What is this *international community*?"

"What is *ze price stabilité*?"

"Enough business, let's talk about something else."

SUNDAY FRIEND - "Ah, well, I'm renovating it. It is an interesting project. The building used to be a twelve-story skyscraper before the cannons took the top four stories off. This of course happened when the Coalition forces landed here..."

He smiles. "You could say I'm undoing some of the *material* damage the international community caused when we arrived here."

2. "So you're some kind of bureaucrat?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "Yes. As I said before, I'm a commissioner from Sur-la-Clef working for the Institute of Price Stabilité." He glances at his watch. "This is one of the main projects of the Moralintern."

3. "What is this *international community*?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "La communauté internationale is what Revacholians colloquially call *the Coalition*. In other words, the nations that stopped the disaster of the Revolution."

And our employers, technically.

4. "What is *ze price stabilité*?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "It is ze most important thing."

"That doesn't tell me anything."

"Ah, that clears everything up."

SUNDAY FRIEND - "It's the central goal of any sound monetary policy. Maintaining ze price stabilité is essential to maintaining high levels of economic activity, which is essential for maintaining high levels of employment..."

"Which is essential for maintaining *ze social stabilité*…"

KIM KITSURAGI - "Basically it makes sure the price of bread doesn't change."

SUNDAY FRIEND - "*Précisément*! Too much inflation, bread becomes too expensive; too much deflation, it becomes too cheap for bakers to produce..."

"That's why the Institute of Price Stabilité works to keep inflation just below 2%..."

"Below 2% of what?"

"This is *fascinating*, but I wanted to ask you something else."

SUNDAY FRIEND - "But not *too* far below, no. Too below is also bad -- below, *but close to* 2%."

"You're not answering my questions at all."

SUNDAY FRIEND - "The Coalition believes in the importance of informing the public about the benefits of ze price stabilité. Transparency is one of our principles. Would you like an informational pamphlet?"

"No, I'm good."

"Okay, sure, give me a leaflet."

SUNDAY FRIEND - "A sound monetary policy is *essential* for addressing *uncertainty*. Stability is the *raison d'être* of the Moralintern. It's the reason why I identify as a moralist."

He pats his pockets. "But, oh! I don't have my leaflets on me today. That's too bad. You can always call our information line. Making information available is part of the Moralintern's commitment to transparency."

5. "I've heard about this Moralintern before, but I want to know more."

SUNDAY FRIEND - "It's the international organization for moralists. Hence 'Moralist International.' The Institute of Price Stability is just one of its many *mind babies* -- as is the Coalition."

(Turn to Kim.) "So when I said I was a lackey of capital, what I should have said is that I'm a Moralintern bitch?"

"Oooh…" (Turn to Kim.) "So we're actually working for the Moralintern? That doesn't seem so bad."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Doing one's job doesn't automatically make one anyone's *bitch*. Besides, there are more nefarious powers to work for than the Moralintern."

Are there?

(Turn back to Sunday Friend.) "Are you a moralist?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "But of course!"

"But why?"

"Am *I* a moralist?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "Because moralists believe in a normal, stable world governed by democratic values."

(Turn to Kim.) "Lieutenant, are *you* a moralist?"

"But what is a normal, stable world?"

"Martinaise doesn't seem very normal, or stable, to me."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Hmm, me? I... uh..."

COMPOSURE [Medium: Success] - You've managed to catch the lieutenant off guard, but only for a moment. He quickly recomposes himself.

KIM KITSURAGI - "I'm a lieutenant of the RCM, dedicated to maintaining law and order in Revachol."

SUNDAY FRIEND - "A very moralist answer," the man nods.

ESPRIT DE CORPS [Easy: Success] - The lieutenant is practised in the art of putting on a show for one's superiors.

"But what is a normal, stable world?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "The Occident is part of the normal world. Oranje, Sur-la-Clef..."

"Martinaise doesn't seem very normal, or stable, to me."

SUNDAY FRIEND - "Martinaise? No, Martinaise is... something else."

"What about the rest of Revachol? Is it part of the normal world?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "Revachol is generally... difficult. It's led by an interim government, which means it hasn't yet achieved *full* democracy..."

"But they are working towards it! You're all doing very well here, relatively speaking." He gives you an approving nod.

#disco elysium #kim kitsuragi #smoker on the balcony #charles villedrouin

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random-iz-stuff · 2 years ago

Text

Invader Zim Deathmatch:

[Round 1, Fight 7]

INVADER LARB VS “MARY” AND “FRED”!

The rule for prep time is that if one contestant gets prep time, the other contestant gets an equal amount of prep time as well.

[Masterpost]

Information about both contestants (who they are, powers and abilities, etc) can be found under the cut.

Contestant Stats:

Invader Larb:

“Nap-Lord of the most comfortable couch”

Appearances:

Invader Larb appears or is at least mentioned several times throughout the show and comics

Powers and abilities:

Irken physiology (can lift over 3 times their body weight and is extremely durable)

PAK (PAK legs, PAK lasers, shield generator, all the things an Irken PAK can do)

Elite military training (Larb is an Invader, meaning that he went through irken military training and became an elite soldier before going through Invader training. This means that Larb has the combat skills of an elite soldier)

Invader training (as an Invader, Larb is trained in espionage, stealth, sabotage, and other invader-related things)

Fun Fact (kind of important):

Larb is an extremely successful Invader with a lot of conquered planets under his belt, but it’s worth pointing out that his accomplishments aren’t as impressive as they seem. As pointed out by Zim, Larb got all the easiest planets to conquer (even his initial planet of Vort, despite being extremely important, wouldn’t be that much of a challenge to conquer since it’s revealed in The Trial that Vortians and Irkens were on at least somewhat decently good terms until recently. Larb probably didn’t even need a disguise) and one of the planets in his list of accomplishments (Blorch) wasn’t even conquered by him. Larb’s actual invader prowess is a lot less impressive than it seems, with him conquering a lot of really easy planets and no really difficult ones to essentially pad out his score.

“Mary” and “Fred”:

“Begin The Fusion!”

Appearances:

Mary and Fred appear in the episode “Abducted”, appear in one of the quarterly comics and make a cameo appearance in “Dookie Loop Horror”

Powers and abilities:

Numbers advantage (there’s two of them, but they count as one contestant)

Keen sense of smell (one of them was able to smell Zim in the vents, implying that their species has a keen sense of smell)

[Weakness] Completely useless (Mary and Fred are both completely incompetent, stupid, and have shown themselves to be completely incapable of fighting at all, only being able to pathetically grab at an escaping Zim without even attempting to move closer)

Fun Fact:

Their theme goes WAY harder than it reasonably should.

youtube

Additional Thoughts:

Hydrogen Bomb vs Coughing Baby

#invader zim #invader zim deathmatch #polls #invader Larb #Mary and Fred #comic spoilers

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stephtuckerauthor · 3 months ago

Text

Quarterly reading stats.

I am down by ten books since last quarter lol

#reading stats #readers of tumblr

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absolutebl · 2 years ago

Note

[23rd December, 2022]

Hi!

Not sure what percentage of BL audience understand the algorithm, or the metrics of how an OTT platform is run, but I believe, since they are paying for it by taking either monthly, quarterly, or yearly subscriptions, they should be made aware of how things work with the OTTs, because almost all the BL series are streamed on them, unlike movies which have their theatrical release.

I do know for sure that well-established filmmakers, and producers get the analytics from multiplexes, and media companies that's into research, about how well their movie is doing domestically, and internationally. And they also get a detailed information about the demographics of the audience, to understand better about the kind of consumers they have.

For some strange reason, I think it would be fine to compare HW, or any other successful movie industry in the world, with that of the BL, because although the genre may be different, the intention of making money remains the same. And I guess, no producer would deny that, be it someone from the Asia, or the West. And given that almost 90% of the BL audience are international fans, the amount of money that's pumped in by the producers, as against the money minted by the OTT platforms would show a big difference.

That's the reason, I have always been intrigued with how OTTs function. And how does the business of streaming BLs on multiple OTT platforms work?

Apologies if any of my question is repetitive, but I guess its not.

So, my question to you are as follows:

As a BL fan yourself, how many OTT platforms have you subscribed to? And the price-point of which OTT platform according to you is justified? (If possible, mention how much you pay in your currency for each OTTs - Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly.)

The subscription model of which OTT platform is affordable for all three options (Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly)? (To you give you an example, a lot of BL fans are in praise of Viki, and have taken a yearly subscription of it, as against "iQIYI", which most have subscribed to for just Quarterly.)

At the moment, which BL OTT platforms would you consider the best in terms of streaming regular BL content, while at the same time offering a feasible subscription model? (The one that you are subscribed to for long, and will continue the subscription in future too.)

Which OTT platform according to you has the best User Interface? And what is it that's more appealing to you? (Please elaborate in detail if possible.)

As an audience, what kind of changes do you expect from an OTT platform? (Like for example: No pop-up ad windows, introducing comment section, multiple language subtitles, being able to reverse and fast forward, off-line download, etc,..etc,)

With multiple options of OTT platforms, like "Viki", "Netflix", "GagaOOLala", "iQIYI", "WeTV", "AISPlay", "DisneyPlus Hotstar". Don't you as a BL fan find it confusing and ridiculous at the same time to subscribe to so many platforms?

Should mid-budget, low concept BLs really be offered on a Membership model on YouTube, only because its coming from an independent production company that's trying to establish itself? (Case in point - "Commetive Productions by Dir.Aam Anusorn".),

Will you be ready to pay more price for an OTT platform that not only offers the best BLs, but also offers HD quality content, and multiple other options that you were looking out for?

If you as a BL content consumer had to give a critical advise to the creators (service providers & app developers) of an OTT platform, what would that be? And why?

Thanks!

xoxo

Arjuna

Hi hi, sorry it’s taken so long, been a bumper end of the year. All the stats must be collected and proceed all at once for prediction reasons. Jan-March are my busiest times just number crunching.

1. As a BL fan yourself, how many OTT platforms have you subscribed to? And the price-point of which OTT platform according to you is justified? (If possible, mention how much you pay in your currency for each OTTs - Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly.)

Erm, let me see:

Youtube Premium $119.99/yr (I hate ads) - since I also run some channels and do a ton of other stuff on YT I find this totally acceptable as an expense, I already pay Google for work related services as well (see tax note)

Viki Plus $99.99/yr (I like Kdramas so I upgraded last year) - not sure the higher price point is justified for BL, and many of the BLs are actually free with ads on Viki so... shrug. Others may not need this one at all.

Gaga $83.88 - lowest price point, supports Taiwan, queer content. I’d probably keep this one going even if I never watched the platform, but they always have content I like, we have similar taste

My FairyGodBLer gifted me subscriptions to IQIYI & WeTV because she wanted my thoughts on some of their offerings (and is a total sweetheart). I would not belong to these myself and either not watch their content or use back channels to get the BLs.

Notes:

Because of my job, media subs are a tax deduction most of the time.

I’m not price sensitive, I’m efficiency and convenience sensitive. I always pay yearly. Since I’m a contract worker I earn income in chunks, rather than a salary, so I prefer to pay out that way. Psychologically, I think it helps to know exactly how much a thing costs me per year, too.

2. The subscription model of which OTT platform is affordable for all three options (Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly)? (To you give you an example, a lot of BL fans are in praise of Viki, and have taken a yearly subscription of it, as against "iQIYI", which most have subscribed to for just Quarterly.)

That depends on how you define affordable and content.

I did do this breakdown last year. Results still hold:

Viki has the most BL content (not Thai) by watchable hours, but by numbers only about 13%. (might have gone up a bit)

Gaga has the most content (not Thai) by numbers ( 28% because so many shorts).

YouTube has the most content in general (42%), because Thailand. Although Thai BLs are getting outside distribution now so that number is falling GMMTV and its long history on the platform, still tips the scales.

I can’t run these numbers anymore because lately so many BLS are on more than one platform especially Viki+Gaga and also it makes a difference where you, the watcher, live.

3. At the moment, which BL OTT platforms would you consider the best in terms of streaming regular BL content, while at the same time offering a feasible subscription model? (The one that you are subscribed to for long, and will continue the subscription in future too.)

For me personally?

Viki

Gaga

iQIYI

WeTV

If you’re only interested in queer content and very price sensitive?

Gaga

I’d do YT & Viki free w adds, everything else I’d wait or grey source it

4. Which OTT platform according to you has the best User Interface? And what is it that's more appealing to you? (Please elaborate in detail if possible.)

I watch primarily on an iPad. For that?

YouTube - playlists (sharable!) are great, they have a skip forward, 1.25 watch speeds (and more), continuous play, watch later, history, and tracking systems. The dash is easy to understand and personalize. It works seamlessly in desktop mode as well. Comments are non-invasive, and I can screen grab. It’s easily my favorite interface. Say what you want about YT’s search algos (which are crazy-making) as a UX it is quirky but smooth and easily the best streaming platform ever built (AS a streaming platform, for content creation that’s another story). I even enjoy the watch weight graphs on occasion.

Viki - I like creating my own private categories and organizing things. I like they have a skip forward and autoplay options. I hate that they don’t have high speed and block screen grabs (which is why you rarely see screen grabs on this blog from their shows). Their desktop interface is always dated and lousy with bugs. The dash is insane. Their comment interface should be disabled. It’s a fucking nightmare if you accidentally press that button at the bottom. Viki should strip its community aspect entirely IMHO, just allow star ratings, nothing else is needed.

Gaga - lack of sorting system, autoplay, and skip forward are maddening. Plus they block screen grabs. But the dash is okay, and they have high speed playback. I hate that anytime you tap anything it pauses. My List should be first not continue watch, and there should be some more personalization options governing things like visibility.

iQIYI - vertical launch (SERIOUSLY?) how DARE THEY, also they serve ads even if you’re a subscriber (shitheads) those ads are ALSO portrait mode and often buggy, I’ve had alpha crashes off of their ads, that’s a UX SIN. They offer both high speed and skip forward, VERY necessary with their content, AND I can screen grab. But everything else about their interface is pretty darn terrible.

I watch WeTV on a laptop. And not very much.

5. As an audience, what kind of changes do you expect from an OTT platform? (Like for example: No pop-up ad windows, introducing comment section, multiple language subtitles, being able to reverse and fast forward, off-line download, etc,..etc,)

None, I expect no significant changes. I don’t think any of the established OTTs, even YT, are at all invested in improving background code infrastructure. They are all in maintenance mode, even more so now with a recession looming. The only thing they are focused on expanding is content acquisition (and not creation, acquisition).

I foresee more and more shows, the same show, appearing on multiple platforms for international audiences either simultaneously (Viki & Gaga) or in succession, IQIYI/WeTV then YouTube.

I foresee at least one deal between a larger Thai BL production house and a major streaming service, my guess is GMMTV + Netflix, APrime, or iQIYI.

I’d like to predict a heavy hitting new OTT out of Korea, maybe Kakao, but I think they have missed that boat now, and Viki has cornered the market.

6. With multiple options of OTT platforms, like "Viki", "Netflix", "GagaOOLala", "iQIYI", "WeTV", "AISPlay", "DisneyPlus Hotstar". Don't you as a BL fan find it confusing and ridiculous at the same time to subscribe to so many platforms?

No, see point 1 directly above. Also I am aware that most fans aren’t like me (a completest) and that there is too much content for most to keep up with. if you have a style of BL you prefer, like KBL for example, there is a platform for you (Viki). JBL = Gaga. Thai BL = YT, etc... So it still works if your fandom is niche within BL. There are only a ridiculous number of options and obligations if you are ridiculous in your consumption, like me. In which case... suffer for your obsession. That is the nature of obsession. The hunt. The collection. The expense.

I found it a LOT more frustrating, and still do, when I have to go grey for soemthing and get it illegally. I would much rather pay creators for their content and it’s HUGELY frustrating when that content is just unavailable to me legally. I’m looking at you, Japan.

7. Should mid-budget, low concept BLs really be offered on a Membership model on YouTube, only because its coming from an independent production company that's trying to establish itself? (Case in point - "Commetive Productions by Dir.Aam Anusorn".),

I don’t know. Maybe? I don’t kickstart or otherwise back indie projects, I’ve talked about why before.

8 Will you be ready to pay more price for an OTT platform that not only offers the best BLs, but also offers HD quality content, and multiple other options that you were looking out for?

Yes, and I do with Viki, although I may drop back down to Standard in a year or so. But it’s not about HD for me it’s always about access to more content. The additional options i would pay for (downloadability w/ subs attached - glares at YT, screen grab access) they usually don’t offer and aren’t really desired by others enough to pay extra).

9. If you as a BL content consumer had to give a critical advise to the creators (service providers & app developers) of an OTT platform, what would that be? And why?

Specialize in international distribution of one kind of BL from one country and then corner that market. Including going back into the archives for the older stuff from that country.

If it is older previous published content, offer it in a form that’s not already available, so movie length repackages. Stripped out product placement. Re-edits and extra content director cuts.

Figure out how to buy/commission better subs. Don’t air content until the subs are complete.

For shorter series, experiment with binge releasing, not week to week. Like Netflix does.

Integrate your descriptions, tracking, sorting and tagging system with MDL. If you are going to borrow a crowd sourced community aspect, go for tags, not comments. Don’t try to build a community, borrow someone else’s.

Allow for: sharing on social media, screen grabs & gifs, high speed & continuous play, skip ahead, anonymous public playlists, and personalized sorting systems, and a 10/10 star review system.

#asked and answered #bl industry #industry talk

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meltotheany · 9 months ago

Text

hi hi friends! i hope you’re doing well! today, i am giving you my quarter one wrap up for 2024 – filled with all the books i’ve read, a few favorites of those, and all the statistics of my reading these last three months! in january, february, and march i read 20 things! which i am happy about, but i do wish it was a little higher, since i do always like to hit 100 books read by the end of the year, but i was traveling a lot these last few months, and i have nothing really planned until july, so hopefully i am able to compensate a little with 30 books in my q2 post! but now i am getting way ahead of myself, and i don’t want to make this year feel like it is going even quicker than it already feels all on its own, so let’s do a little deep dive on these 20 books that i was able to read! ✨ Q1 STATISTICS (thank you to brock at let’s read, for creating this spreadsheet that i have used for so many years!) i figured that i would show my favorite graph all on its own this time! plus, i think this really encompasses that i have been having a good reading quarter. maybe not the best, maybe i wish for more fives to come, but i really can’t complain too much when more than half of the things i’ve been reading have been four stars! and only one two star which is always a good feeling to see, too! 💕 i normally stick to just showing pie charts for my reading data, but i have been really loving visually seeing my data in this format too. i am very happy with reading over 8k pages over these three months! i also really like seeing that i reread three things, because incorporating rereading books has been something i’ve struggled with in my reading life for a while now. and i also just think it’s cool to see how many pages i’ve read via audio books, as well! (shout out to spotify, i do love you and those free 15 hours every month!) as always, fantasy is my most read genre, but i really have been craving and gravitating to a lot of romance this year so far (and a lot of fantasy romance – which i categorize by what the book feels most like to me between the two)! i’ve also been reading books from my personal library so much this year, which makes me feel good, because i love buying books knowing that i am excited to pick them up soon! i am a little surprised that penguin is my most read publishing house, and not macmillan, but we do love when the graphs are changing up sometimes! but that 5% hachette, probably just because of holly black, is very wild to see. i love seeing these charts and graphs, and they bring me so much happiness all by themselves, but i also love being able to kind of reassess my reading and how i’m doing each quarter because of them! besides really wanting to read 30 books in the second quarter, i would also like to start maybe prioritizing arcs a little more. i have been so good about doing at least mini reviews for everything i’ve read (yes, all twenty things have been reviewed), but i kind of miss reviewing things before they are officially published, too! 🤍 THREE FAVORITE READS OF Q1 (click title links for full reviews with detailed thoughts, feelings, and tw/cws!) ✨ The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez heartfelt galaxy brain that truly touched my very soul ✨ The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw maybe my favorite anthology of all time ✨ The Wilful Princess and the Piebald Prince by Robin Hobb the greatest tragedy i’ve read in many years Q1 BOOK HAUL these are all the books that i’ve received since january 1st! well, i did buy other editions of the warm hands of ghosts and the prisoner’s throne, too! but the stack was getting a little too high, so i just added my favorite versions! a couple of these were gifts that i am very thankful for! and a few are arcs sent to me by publishers which i am also so very thankful for! (i have only read four of these though – so let me rectify that asap 😉 too!) okay friends, i think that’s everything! truly, i am so thankful for these last three months and i hope the rest of the ye...

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#2024 #Book Blog #Book Blogger #book charts #book graphs #book statistics #book stats #Goodreads #meltotheany #quarterly reading #reading statistics #reading stats

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reviewsbyjsn · 7 months ago

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goldenraeofsun · 1 year ago

Text

Hum Part 2

A sequel to this one shot!

Dean curses and rolls over in bed, ignoring his blaring Monday morning phone alarm. Last night's dream mingles unpleasantly with his memories of Friday night before it all went to hell. The details are still fuzzy. He can’t name the color of Cas’s sheets or the titles of the books on his nightstand. He has no idea if Cas has morning breath or not.

But he remembers the jolt of red-hot shame perfectly. Ditto with the capital-R regret. All because he couldn’t keep it in his pants for his boss.

To be fair, Dean lasted a solid ten and a half months, which is the longest he ever held out, not counting Rhonda Hurley in eleventh grade. Not even a full goddamn year.

And now, Dean’s out of a job in a city he barely knows.

Sammy’s going to kill him after all he did to help Dean drag his ass to the other end of the continent for this shitshow.

A fist raps on the wall, jerking Dean out of his misery spiral. “Turn off that fucking alarm!”

One thing Dean won’t miss about Oakland: his three – count ’em – roommates. Lee, the bartender. Chuck, the writer. Dorothy, the… something.

Dean shuts off his alarm, and his ears ring in the sudden silence.

He could just… not go to work. All he’d be missing is a very awkward conversation with HR. Would they even want an exit interview if he’s getting fired for banging his boss?

Dean doesn't even particularly like his job. He likes his boss (a little too much, obviously). He likes the mini cheese steak sandwiches Tara orders for Friday lunch. He likes having health insurance for the first time in three years.

But the calendar management? Tracking Cas’s expense account for quarterly submissions to finance? All the goddamn endless meetings?

On the other hand, he left his favorite jacket at the office because he got too hot at the office party. Afterwards, he was too drunk and too horny to remember it. Instead, he hopped in a cab with Cas and fulfilled every dirty fantasy that had been rattling around his stupid, stupid head for the past ten and a half months. The rest of the night is a haze of tongues, fingers, and desperation.

Some moments stick out with awful clarity. Dean got his legs tangled in his pants in his eagerness to get to the good stuff, and Cas hauled him onto the bed, laughing. As Cas bent over the bed to grab the dropped lube bottle, Dean finally got his hands on that ass he’d been dreaming about for so long.

And, of course, the epic orgasm that felt like he shot his brain out of his dick.

Dean scowls at his now-hard cock. Great, now he has this to take care of. He hauls himself up from bed with a groan.

Time to get ready for work.

* * *

Dean slinks out of the elevator, a please-don’t-fire-me coffee clutched in a death grip. His stomach twists with nerves as he steps over the threshold to the office he shares with Cas.

But Cas isn’t at his desk. His coat hangs over the back of his chair, and his Origami Page-A-Day calendar torn to today’s date. A neon blue paper snail is propped up against Cas’s computer screen.

Dean settles in behind his desk, hyper alert to every footstep outside the door, every flash of movement in his periphery. He nearly has a heart attack when Alfie sprints past on his way to the conference room.

He checks Cas’s appointments for the day. At this hour, Cas is supposed to be here. Dean gnaws on his lip as he cranes his neck, trying to catch a glimpse of Cas’s perpetual bedhead through the glass door.

Where the fuck is he?

By ten in the morning, Dean can’t take it any longer. His nerves are this close to snapping, and he needs more coffee, stat. If he has to pretend to stare at his inbox any longer, he’s going to go cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. Empty mug in hand, he gets up.

And runs smack into Cas on his way into his office.

“Shit, Cas!”

Cas blinks. “Hello, Dean.”

Dean nervously runs his free hand through his hair. “Hi.”

Cas straightens, his expression unreadable. “We need to talk.”

Dean goes cold all over. He should've expected Cas wanted to get right to it. “Right, yeah.” He swallows, his throat dry as the champagne bottle he and Cas practically inhaled last Friday.

Cas sighs and gestures for Dean to follow him back into their shared office.

Dean shuts the door firmly behind them. No way is he going to let the office gossip and their next-office-neighbor, Ezra, blab their business to the whole fucking office. He has no idea how Anna puts up with him as her executive assistant.

Cas sits behind his desk, and Dean swivels his chair around so they’re facing each other.

As Cas stares, Dean frantically scrambles to come up with some sorry excuse to keep his job. Jesus Christ, what was he doing for the past hour? He should've been using his goddamn brain for once. He grabs his jacket off the back of his chair and holds it in front of him like a shield. It’s probably acting more like a safety blanket, but beggars can’t be choosers.

Thing is, Dean knew it was too good to last, that he would fuck everything up. He practically told Cas so, before he even knew his name. But for some godforsaken reason, Cas hired him anyway, blabbering on about Dean’s ability to deliver under pressure, his memory for deadlines, and some other bullshit.

Honestly, Dean thought Cas hired him out of pity and, when his six month work anniversary came around, Dean swore he was getting the sack. Cas could wipe his hands of his mistake and hire someone with some real skills.

Instead, Cas shyly presented him with a selection of miniature pies over his lunch break.

It was a weird day.

“Dean,” Cas clears his throat, “about last weekend –”

Dean shakes his head. “Yeah, I know. My bad.” He snaps his mouth shut with an audible clack of teeth. He’s such an idiot.

What the fuck? My bad?

My bad is what he said after he used the last of Sammy’s gross oat milk for his cereal because they were out of regular milk.

My bad is what he said to his baby after he (unknowingly) let Sammy drive her on a Chipotle run.

My bad is not what he should say after boning his boss. Multiple times.

Confused, Cas just blinks at Dean for a beat before repeating, “Your… bad?”

“Yeah, so,” Dean hedges, itching to get this whole thing over with, “I’ll just,” he gets up from his seat, “get my stuff and go.”

“Go… where?” Cas says, his forehead furrowing.

Dean freezes, his ass awkwardly hovering three inches above his chair. “Home?”

Cas’s eyebrows rise. “I was unaware you’re taking vacation today.”

Dean makes a scoffing noise in the back of his throat. “Don’t need to take vacation for a job I don’t have anymore.”

Cas’s eyes widen. “Are you quitting?”

Dean internally groans. So much for getting out with his dignity intact. But since apparently Cas needs everything spelled out for him: “Are you firing me?” he asks bluntly.

Slowly, Cas shakes his head.

Dean’s knees nearly give out. He falls back into his chair, dumbfounded. “You’re not?”

“No,” Cas says slowly, drawing the syllable out, and Dean sags with relief. “But if you want to quit, I,” he swallows and reaches over to fiddle with his origami snail, “wouldn’t blame you in the slightest. Of course I will write you the best recommendation letter of my ability, and feel free to make use of my network contacts to find your next positon.”

“Hold on,” Dean says, leaning in to study Cas’s constipated-looking expression. “I don’t wanna quit.”

Cas’s head snaps up. He stares at Dean, his blue eyes large. “You don’t?”

Dean shakes his head. “Fuck no.”

“Thank god,” Cas breathes, a real smile breaking out across his face. “Or else that would make this whole morning very awkward.”

Bemused, Dean says, “But I didn’t see you at all this morning.”

“No, because I was meeting with Anna,” Cas says matter-of-factly. He sets his paper snail down and meets Dean’s gaze squarely. “As you can no longer be my assistant, she has agreed to take you on instead. Ezra will be my new assistant starting next Monday.”

“Wait – I can’t work for you anymore?” Dean asks, desperation coiling tense in his stomach.

Cas shakes his head. “Not after last weekend.”

“But – we can just forget it ever happened!” Dean says loudly, hitching an unconvincing grin on his face.

“I can’t,” Cas says shortly. “Not after all we did.”

Dean quietly dies inside. He stares Cas down, but Cas, of course, wins. Eventually Dean forces out, “So, Anna?”

“Indeed,” Cas says, a dull flush crawling up his neck and cheeks. His hands twitch towards a small pile of papers on his desk. After a beat, he holds them out for Dean to take.

“But if you change your mind about forgetting our night together,” Cas says stiffly without looking at him, “I have the paperwork that makes HR aware of a potential relationship between us and safeguards your rights against retaliation and sexual harassment if we separate for any reason.”

Hold on - Cas doesn't want to forget that night either? He was making contingency plans this morning? Not damage control?

Dumbly, Dean takes the papers. He scans them, his jaw dropping as he spots Cas’s signature already printed at the bottom.

The optimistic son of a bitch.

Dean can't help the wide grin that spreads across his face. “I changed my mind,” he announces as he reaches across Cas’s desk for Cas’s fancy fountain pen. “I wanna date the shit out of you,” he says as he scrawls his name on the dotted line. “Just as long as I don’t I have to personally give this to Naomi. That chick’s scary as fuck.”

Cas makes a strange strangled noise. “Really?” he breathes, his face going slack with mingled relief and delight.

Dean would kiss him for being such a dork, but they’re in plain view of the whole goddamn office. “So…” he drifts off, his own glee turning his brain to mush. Say something. “Should I clear my desk anyway?”

Cas settles back in his seat, calm as anything, but his eyes are fucking twinkling. “Your official transfer doesn’t start until next Monday, so you have a week to prepare Ezra to take over my workload.”

“But you hate Ezra,” Dean says, frowning. “You said he’s the most useless assistant who’s ever touched a keyboard.”

Cas shrugs. “I value you more.”

Fuck the office. If HR has to know, so can everyone else.

Dean gets up, walks around Cas’s desk, and kisses him square on the mouth.

#rae writes fic #destiel #fanfic #destiel fanfic #office au #coworkers au

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