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itspreety · 1 year ago

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SAP BN4L Business Network for Logistics: Transforming Supply Chain Management

In today’s fast-paced business world, efficient supply chain management is essential for companies looking to gain a competitive edge. SAP BN4L Business Network for Logistics, has emerged as a game-changer in this arena. This comprehensive article will explore the capabilities of SAP BN4L and how it revolutionizes logistics and supply chain operations for businesses globally.

What is SAP BN4L?

SAP BN4L, or Business Network for Logistics, is a cutting-edge platform developed by SAP to streamline and optimize logistics and supply chain management. It brings together various stakeholders, including manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and retailers, into a single collaborative network.

Key Features of SAP BN4L

Real-time Visibility

One of the standout features of SAP BN4L is its ability to provide real-time visibility into the entire supply chain. This means that stakeholders can track the movement of goods, monitor inventory levels, and respond to disruptions swiftly.

Collaborative Planning

SAP BN4L facilitates collaborative planning among all partners in the supply chain. This ensures that demand forecasts are accurate, and inventory levels are optimized, reducing wastage and excess inventory costs.

Predictive Analytics

By harnessing the power of predictive analytics, SAP BN4L can anticipate potential supply chain disruptions and recommend proactive measures. This proactive approach minimizes downtime and ensures smooth operations.

Supplier Collaboration

Effective collaboration with suppliers is crucial for a seamless supply chain. SAP BN4L enables businesses to communicate and collaborate with their suppliers seamlessly, resulting in better supplier relationships and enhanced reliability.

How SAP BN4L Works

SAP BN4L operates on a cloud-based platform, which makes it accessible from anywhere at any time. It integrates with existing ERP systems and gathers data from various sources to provide a holistic view of the supply chain.

Benefits of Implementing SAP BN4L

Cost Reduction

Implementing SAP BN4L can significantly reduce operational costs by optimizing inventory management, reducing lead times, and minimizing transportation costs.

Enhanced Efficiency

With real-time data and collaborative planning, businesses can operate more efficiently, leading to faster order fulfillment and improved customer satisfaction.

Improved Decision-making

Access to accurate and timely data empowers businesses to make informed decisions, leading to better strategic choices and a competitive edge in the market.

Scalability

SAP BN4L is scalable, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes. Whether you’re a small startup or a multinational corporation, this platform can adapt to your needs.

Successful Case Studies

Several companies have already reaped the benefits of SAP BN4L. Case studies of successful implementations highlight how this platform has transformed their supply chain operations.

Challenges and Solutions

While SAP BN4L offers numerous advantages, there can be challenges during implementation. This section explores common hurdles and provides solutions to overcome them.

Future Trends in Logistics with SAP BN4L

The logistics industry is continually evolving, and SAP BN4L is at the forefront of these changes. Discover the future trends and innovations that SAP BN4L is poised to embrace.

Implementing SAP BN4L in Your Business

Thinking about implementing SAP BN4L in your business? This section provides a step-by-step guide on how to get started.

Training and Support

Ensuring your team is well-trained is essential for a successful SAP BN4L implementation. Learn about the training and support options available.

Cost Considerations

Budget is a crucial factor in any business decision. Here, we break down the cost considerations associated with SAP BN4L adoption.

Security and Compliance

Protecting sensitive data is paramount. Explore the security and compliance features of SAP BN4L.

The Integration Advantage

SAP BN4L seamlessly integrates with various Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, making the transition smoother for businesses already using SAP solutions. This integration ensures that data flows seamlessly between different departments, providing a comprehensive overview of your supply chain operations.

Real-time Inventory Management

With SAP BN4L, inventory management becomes a breeze. The platform’s real-time capabilities allow you to monitor stock levels, track order statuses, and receive alerts for potential stockouts or overstock situations. This level of control minimizes costly errors and ensures that you can meet customer demand effectively.

Enhanced Customer Satisfaction

Happy customers are the backbone of any successful business. SAP BN4L contributes to improved customer satisfaction by ensuring timely deliveries, accurate order processing, and the ability to provide real-time updates to customers. Satisfied customers are more likely to become repeat buyers and brand advocates.

Data-Driven Decision Making

Data is invaluable in today’s business landscape. SAP BN4L empowers you with data-driven insights to make informed decisions. From demand forecasting to route optimization, the platform provides actionable intelligence that helps you stay one step ahead of your competitors.

Sustainability and Environmental Impact

In an era where environmental concerns are paramount, SAP BN4L also contributes to sustainability efforts. By optimizing logistics and reducing waste through efficient inventory management, it helps reduce the carbon footprint of supply chain operations, aligning your business with sustainability goals.

Global Reach and Scalability

For businesses with international operations, SAP BN4L’s global reach is a game-changer. It enables you to manage complex supply chains across borders, currencies, and languages seamlessly. Moreover, its scalability ensures that the platform can grow with your business as you expand into new markets.

Continuous Improvement

The logistics industry is ever-evolving, and SAP BN4L understands the importance of staying ahead of the curve. The platform frequently receives updates and improvements to adapt to changing market dynamics and emerging technologies. This commitment to innovation ensures that your supply chain remains competitive in the long run.

Competitive Advantage

Incorporating SAP BN4L into your supply chain management strategy provides a distinct competitive advantage. It not only enhances operational efficiency but also allows you to be more agile and responsive to market changes and customer demands.

Partnerships and Ecosystem

SAP BN4L is not just a platform; it’s part of a broader ecosystem. It collaborates with a network of partners and service providers, further expanding its capabilities and offerings. This ecosystem provides you with access to a wide range of tools and services to enhance your logistics operations.

A Bright Future with SAP BN4L

As technology continues to evolve, SAP BN4L is poised to evolve with it. The platform’s commitment to innovation ensures that it will remain a valuable asset for businesses seeking to navigate the complex world of logistics and supply chain management.

Final Thoughts:

In conclusion, SAP BN4L Business Network for Logistics is a transformative platform that can revolutionize your supply chain management. Its real-time visibility, collaborative planning, predictive analytics, and supplier collaboration capabilities make it a valuable asset for businesses looking to thrive in a competitive market. Embrace the future of logistics with SAP BN4L.

With its real-time visibility, collaborative capabilities, data-driven insights, and global reach, it empowers businesses to thrive in today’s competitive landscape. Embrace the future of logistics with SAP BN4L and secure a more efficient, sustainable, and competitive supply chain.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Q1: What is the pricing structure of SAP BN4L?

A1: The pricing structure of SAP BN4L can vary depending on the specific needs and scale of your business. It is typically tailored to meet the requirements of individual companies. To get a detailed pricing quote and explore available packages, it is advisable to get in touch with SAP or an authorized SAP partner. They can provide you with customized pricing information based on your organization’s size, industry, and desired features.

Q2: Can SAP BN4L integrate with my existing ERP system?

A2: Yes, one of the strengths of SAP BN4L is its ability to integrate seamlessly with various existing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. Whether you are using SAP’s own ERP solutions or other ERP software, SAP BN4L is designed to work cohesively with these systems. This integration ensures that you can leverage your current ERP investments while adding enhanced logistics and supply chain capabilities.

Q3: Is SAP BN4L suitable for small businesses?

A3: Yes, SAP BN4L is a flexible platform that can be adapted to suit businesses of all sizes, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It offers scalable solutions that can grow with your business. Small businesses can benefit from its real-time visibility, collaborative planning, and cost-saving features to optimize their supply chain operations and compete effectively in the market.

Q4: How long does it typically take to implement SAP BN4L?

A4: The timeline for implementing SAP BN4L can vary depending on the complexity of your supply chain, the size of your organization, and your specific requirements. However, implementations are often divided into phases to ensure a smooth transition. On average, it may take several months to fully implement SAP BN4L. The exact duration will be determined during the planning and consultation phase of your implementation project.

Q5: Is my data safe on the SAP BN4L platform?

A5: SAP places a strong emphasis on data security and compliance. The SAP BN4L platform is designed with robust security measures to protect your data. It includes features such as encryption, access controls, and regular security updates to safeguard your information. Additionally, SAP complies with industry-standard data privacy regulations, ensuring that your data remains confidential and compliant with legal requirements.

Blog Source: SAP BN4L Business Network for Logistics: Transforming Supply Chain Management

#nav it #business #SAP BN4L Business Network

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rin-and-jade · 8 months ago

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Gripped by Glue Trap: a Post about Front Stuck & Lock

I get it, there's no such thing as an actual big glue trap with being stuck outside as a system,, but oftentimes its gonna feel that way because whatever was done... that glue won't even struggle one bit, only we do. That frustration is what we all have when switching is not an option.

But do you ever think this glue is defeatable? It latches hard and wears you out the more you try to get out of the situation,, so you might think not.. yet i do! That's what this post is going to be about folks, getting your little bug-self free with my secret trick from another human glue trap ensnared in their house.

But.. what is it actually?

Generally, as a system, we facilitate each other's strengths and weaknesses by switching in and out, as all those parts are not wholly integrated compared to a singlet. And. Uh oh. You're stuck and can't get out? You're trapped!.. that little drop of sap caught your leg and now you couldn't leave, even if you wanted to. Though you still can express to your buddies that you need help or etc. (and, this is called front stuck)

Or sometimes, we can even get stranded away from our pack (as in stress, or anything that worsens internal communication), wondering alone, and stood on a nasty manmade trap that caught you without mercy. This time, you're immobile and out of reach to call for reinforcements (now, this one is called front lock)

Sap? Glue? What's the diff??

To put it simply, being stuck means being unable to get out from the front or surrender the control to another part. While being locked off is the worser version of being stuck because not only you cannot surrender the control, there is barely any stream of communication you can connect to, or nonexistent, head silent and all that.

The only similarity they have is how it greatly impedes the fronter's capability to ease in or out from front,, if not, impossible.

These two also happen for different possible reasons, such as:

↓ Stuck ↓

Unfinished tasks

Goal/wants not met yet

Ongoing role duty (for protectors, hosts, etc)

Reluctance handing control/fear of blacking out

Mild stressors (like anxiety)

.. and more

↓ Locked ↓

Dissociation

Fight/flight response

Overwhelm

Bigger stressors

Major life changes

Re-occurring trauma

.. and more

Just a reminder that all systems are different, and these same reasons that causes to be stuck/lock will result in an opposite reaction such as rapid switching or being blurry! This post is mainly for those who experience stuck/lock.

Then, how do i get my leg out?!

I can tell you that, but i have to explain how this ordeal happened in the first place so it'll make sense, bare with me;

You know the parasympathetic (rest) and sympathetic (fight/flight) response, yeah? These two responses flicks on depending when there's safety or presented threats. Now, DMN is a part of the parasympathetic response, the full name is Default Mode Network, which is fully responsible for.. well.. default stuffs such as mind wandering, planning, thinking inwards,, those typical things that happen when you're bored. This is also the reason you why can facilitate better communication with other parts compared to when, let's say, being busy with tasks.

Know it or not, sometimes our mind has to wander a little bit in order to chat with other parts of ourself, and stress snaps us out of that relaxed state in purpose of focusing whats at outside, rather than inside, which where everything system-y lies at. Some do not get affected and still can function as-if, so understand how your system works and use that to the advantage.

How to hack yourself from fight/flight to rest mode again? Via vagus nerve stimulation! Not sure if you ever heard of this word, but the vagus is one part of the cranial nerves that is responsible for the activation of this parasympathetic response..! It's like the oil to the glue, because it hijacks the adhesive properties with something so viscous that it binds to it instead of you!! --

Here are some activities you can do to disable the glue:

Gurgle water, hum, or sing: this is because the vagus is located around your neck, and can be easily stimulated that way.

Watch something: redirecting yourself with a distraction can ease you temporarily, giving time to calm down, which brings you out of the grips of stress.

Listen to music: another way if you don't have anything to watch, even better if you put on soothing, slower songs.

Move around: get those pented up anxiety or restlessness out! movement equals expression, this also activates the vagus nerve.

Breathe deeply: rebalance the vagus by breathing in and out slowly, this nerve is also responsible for your breathing pace too, so giving a little push of balance will create a domino effect for your nerve to work.

Unfocus your eyes: or, another way to do it is to focus more on the peripheral vision rather than the vocal point. This is a way to poke the same nerve's functions, oddly can work as a booster to make yourself slightly dissociated/disconnected which facilitates switches or a general break/distraction.

Solve/asses it: it will be nothing if you do not tackle the thing you are very stressed out about, which can extend how long you'll be stuck,, so use these tips above to regain self control and tackle them with me, or your trusted friends, or even alone after examining what could be done! Talking to someone also helps, even if there's nothing productive being done.

Take it easy and break it down: this one is if you're on a role job and things are being difficult, incase you're overwhelmed, remember to do it step by step, no need to be rash about getting back in first, that time will come as long you focus whats in front.

Remember, fight/flight brings us out from clarity and rational thinking, thanks to our limbic part of the brain who is primed for survival and instincts. Be more gentle with yourself, as you could be more irritable, moody, or resorting to less-safe coping mechanisms, focus on calming down before proceeding the situation.

Takeaway

So, what will you do if you're stuck next time? Don't forget to make a plan to deal this sticky situation, especially for those who are often stuck, this practice will practice your vagus nerve to be less susceptible, turning off because of stress,, giving you a better stress window and tolerance before succumbing once more.... to the good ol' glue.

Lastly, it is possible to be stuck/lock for months or years, which is an indicator of underlying long-term issues that needs to be addressed. If anyone needs some tips for this, ring me on the DMs as these practices rarely work for this type.

Oh, and, what do you guys think? What else i had not mentioned? Do you have anything to discuss with me on this topic? Let's do that! I hope this suffice in helping you tackle the next time problems arise.

Happy straddling lil' ant.

- j

#did #actually did #did community #did osdd #did system #dissociative identity disorder #sysblr #plural #system stuff #jeducates

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fortheloveofwonderland · 8 months ago

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Rusty | Chapter 10 | S.R

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Chapter Summary - Luke has a heart to heart with Emily. Spencer takes you on a little trip where you both come to an understanding before he takes a serious step on the road to his recovery.

Pairing - Spencer Reid / Fem! Reader

Category - strangers to friends to lovers | angst | smut minors DNI

Warnings - mentions of sexual assault and use the term “rape”, tears, dissociation, blood, self harm, making out, swearing, detailed therapy, medication. WC - 6.6k

Chapter 10 - Back in the Saddle Again

“Tell me everything you know.” Luke spoke in hushed tones into his cell phone as he hid over the back of the San Antonio Police Department.

Over the swell of people coming and going, phones ringing off their hooks and keyboards clacking, he heard Phil sigh.

“I don’t really know much at all, Alvez.” Phil’s tone was laced with his frustration. “She stole a car in New York after her escape, it was found abandoned down your neck of the woods, just outside of Richmond. But from there…man I don’t know. I can only assume she must have gotten her hands on another vehicle but there weren’t any reported stolen within a fifty mile radius.

“If she’s smart she would have headed for Mexico. But if she did that’ll make finding her that much harder. We know she had money after her first escape, we found the empty safe at mom’s house. She must have known I was close when I apprehended her and stashed it somewhere, so we have to assume she has it again. There have been no sightings of her for the last few days and you know as well as I do that without sightings, there’s nothing I can do.”

“I wish I could help.” Luke pushed the fingers of his free hand against his temple. “But with the whole network thing we’re swamped. Not to mention we’re short on the ground. I want to be kept in the loop though. If you hear anything…”

“Of course, of course.” Phil agreed. “Knowing how she operates she’s probably worked her magic on some poor, unexpected sap who’s taken pity on her. Her face is plastered everywhere up and down the country. Someone has to recognise her.”

“If she’s in some small Mexican town, hell if she’s in some small American town, those kinds of things don’t reach everyone.” Luke continued kneading his temple aggressively. “I hate this, I hate feeling so powerless.”

“We’ll get her Alvez. It might not be today or tomorrow, hell it might not even be this year. But we will get her.” Phil sounded determined and it was one of the things Luke admired most about his old partner.

Even after all he’d been through with Daniel Cullen, even after his rehabilitation had almost destroyed his spirit entirely, he was one determined son of a bitch.

“Keep me posted.” Luke replied before hanging up the phone.

He turned away from the corner wall he’d been staring at, ready to rejoin the team but a set of hauntingly intense dark eyes full of irritation were staring back at him.

She had her arms folded over her chest, her greying hair tied back into a ponytail which made her features appear more stern.

“So it’s true, you are working your own cases?” Emily clucked, tilting her head at him.

“Does Garcia ever keep her mouth shut?” Luke scoffed. “It’s just an old case from back in my FTF days, I’m sorry.”

Emily softened slightly, dropping her arms to her sides with a huffed out breath. She quipped her head to the left.

“Walk with me.” She said before she was already leaving.

Luke quickly followed, falling into step with her. He walked with her until they reached the doors of the precinct. She shoved it open and the two stepped outside into the blistering, humid Texan heat.

She stopped on the pavement a few feet away from the door and once again folded her arms across her chest.

“Is this affecting your ability to be an effective member of this team?” She asked him outright.

“No.” He shook his head, jaw set. “Just some unfinished business is all.”

“She got under your skin?” She narrowed her eyes on him, profiling him.

“They all do.” Luke’s jaw tensed. “But yeah, I supposed she did more than most. She had everyone falling at her feet, treating her with kid gloves. Everyone seemed to forget the fact she murdered a guy. We got close to her, I’m sure we did, right before I got the call from Hotch to help out the BAU.

“We got a tip that she’d been seen in this tiny little town of Magnolia Springs, Alabama. A guy reported he’d seen a person matching her description coming and going from his neighbours house. Someone musta tipped her off because when we arrived she was gone and the woman whose house she was supposedly staying in wasn’t talking.

“I felt her, Emily, she was close, so close. But she slipped out of my reach. And then I joined the BAU and I wasn’t able to be there when Phil finally caught up to her. I wanted to be the one to arrest her, I don’t know why. She got to me and I have no idea why, but the thought of her escaping again is eating me up inside. And now we’re here, in Texas of all places and I…I just…” He trailed off, a lump forming in his throat.

He coughed to try and dislodge it, rubbed his hand up and down his neck. Emily once again let her arms fall from their folded position and her shoulders slumped a little.

“We’re right on his doorstep. Practically in his backyard.” She smiled despondently.

She didn’t need to say his name, saying his name in fact might make matters worse. But she knew Luke understood who she meant. In truth, as soon as she’d gotten the call to come out here she had thought of Spencer. And if she was thinking about him, Luke most definitely was.

“Yeah,” he croaked. “I wish it wasn’t still this…hard, you know? Two years and I still feel like it was yesterday you were telling us he left.”

“You never got closure.” Emily shrugged, sucking in a breath. “It’s hard to move on without it. It's like a book with its end pages missing. You just keep flicking through it and hoping they will appear. There was no end for you and him, not a fleshed out one anyway. One day it was and the next it simply wasn’t.”

“I know the rest of the team didn’t see his medical reports from Milburn but as Unit Chief, I imagine you had to?” He straightened his back.

They’d never talked about it, there was no reason to. It wouldn’t have undone what Spencer had to endure and so they just didn’t talk about it. Maybe it was to protect Spencer’s autonomy, or maybe it was to protect themselves from it.

Emily closed her eyes for a few seconds and nodded her head stiffly.

“Yeah, I had to read them. Unfortunately it’s part of the job. Why did you read them?”

“He wouldn’t talk to me.” Luke shook his head. “He wouldn’t talk to me and I knew I was missing something. I had to know. Although I wish I didn’t.”

“Palatal petechiae, indicative of forced oral sex.” Emily’s eyes welled with unshed tears as she said it out loud. “It’s a form of rape.”

Luke visibly crumbled as she spoke the word, the one word he’d tried to keep out of his head for all these years.

But that’s what it was. Spencer had been raped, probably repeatedly. And Luke had turned his back on him.

He slumped against the wall to keep himself balanced, the weight of Emily’s words crashing into him and forcing all the air from his lungs.

His head was pounding. He felt his stomach turn violently.

“I broke up with him. He was struggling through an immense amount of trauma, a trauma I knew he suffered and I still broke up with him. What kind of a person does that?” His voice cracked.

“He didn’t want your help, Luke. He didn’t want anyone’s help. You know Reid as well as I do, probably better, and you know he was never going to admit what happened to him. He’s too proud. He’s a protector, he’s spent his entire adult life in that role. He speaks for the people who can’t speak for themselves. But when something like that happens to him, he feels he has no one to speak for him.”

“I would have.” Luke swallowed. “I would have done anything for him.”

“I’m sure deep down he knows that.” Emily took a step closer and gripped Luke’s shoulder tightly. He needed grounding. “But he is one of the most stubborn people I have ever met and if he thinks he can get through this on his own, that’s what he’ll do. We need to let him figure this out however he sees fit.”

“I thought he’d come back.” A tear escaped his eye and he was quick to bat it away. “I thought he’d take some time but that he’d come back. I deluded myself into thinking that one day he’d just show up and we could pick up where we left off. I still love him, Em. I still love him with every goddamn beat of my heart.”

Emily’s fingers coiled into his shoulder blade, kneading his tense muscle in her hand.

“We’re really short on the ground and this case is a matter of urgency.” She spoke but Luke’s eyebrows pinched together in confusion. “But once we’re wrapped up here, whenever that might be, I think you owe yourself a vacation day. Bandera is only forty something miles from here. And I hear it’s lovely this time of year.”

Luke’s lip quivered in understanding and he melted into her touch.

“You’re sure?”

“I mean you’ll have to clear it with Rossi as he’s your Unit Chief but I can’t foresee it being an issue. And if I remember rightly, it’s Reid’s birthday soon, Garcia is already working on overnighting a bunch of gifts out here. It would be good if someone could give them to him.” She smiled sadly, letting go of his shoulder and taking a step backwards.

Luke closed his eyes briefly to stem any more tears, nodding his head in thanks at his old boss and feeling a swell of emotion in that moment.

Emily was surprised to say the least when Luke suddenly engulfed her in a tight embrace. Her arms hovered at her sides for a few seconds, while she comprehended what was happening.

In all the years she’d know Luke Alvez, she didn’t think he’d ever hugged her before.

When he started shaking against her, sobbing into her shoulder, she wrapped him in her arms, and held him.

She gave him a few minutes, allowed him a brief window in which he could let himself feel the weight of everything he’d been bottling up for two years.

Emily Prentiss was the FBI Section Chief, but that was the secondary facet of her personality. Above all else, Emily was a friend. And a damn good one at that.

***

You heard him coming before you saw him, noting his gait was faster than you’d grown accustomed to. He didn’t sound as though he was limping too much this morning, at least he was starting to heal.

You had your back to him and kept it that way, hoping if you didn’t engage him he may well leave you alone.

But you had no such luck.

“What the hell are you doing?” The irritation in his voice was ripe.

You swallowed thickly before tugging lightly on Rusty’s rein to turn her about to face him. You commanded the flaxen mare to trot closer to where Spencer stood glaring at you on the other side of the enclosure.

“I mean, I think it’s pretty clear what I’m doing.” You huffed as you got closer. “I'm riding my horse.”

“You’ve had two lessons. Do you know how dangerous it is to ride without supervision?” He spat, unlocking the gate and stepping inside the fenced area. “Get down.”

“No.” You scoffed. “I’m fine. You said it yourself, I’m a natural.”

“For the love of god, you are going to be the death of me.” He shook his head, rubbing his brow beneath his stetson.

“I’ll feed you to Rusty when that happens.” You smirked sarcastically.

“We need to talk.” He exhaled, not at all sounding like that was something he wanted to do.

“I’m good.” You shook your head.

“It wasn’t a question. We need to talk.” He glanced around the area and only really registered for the first time all four of the horses were grazing in the field. “Why are my horses out here?”

“So I could clean the stable.” You shrugged, patting Rusty’s neck. “I refilled their troughs, got them fresh water. Even cleaned out the cattle barn.”

Spencer’s brows pinched as he looked up at you.

“It’s eight am, how long have you been up?”

“Never went to sleep.” You shrugged again.

The look you gave him told him it was his fault you hadn’t slept. In truth he hadn’t either.

He came around from his dissociation still on his bathroom floor as though he hadn’t moved but clearly at some point he must have because he had the razor in his hands.

He was bleeding from a self-inflicted wound on his stomach, just left of his belly button. Once again he’d patched himself up with the use of butterfly stitches and stuck a large gauze pad over the wound.

After that he couldn’t sleep, just sat up staring at the wall thinking about where his life went so drastically wrong.

Three times now he’d dissociated in startlingly quick succession. Three times he’d come to with unintentional cuts on his body. He was starting to scare himself if truth be told. Perhaps he needed to consider seeking out his old therapist and getting a higher dosage of his medication.

“Can we…take a ride or something?” He spoke again, voice cracking.

“Should you be riding?” You frowned at him.

“My leg is feeling something akin to normal again. It's the least pain I’ve been in anyway. The doctor told me I could ride again when I felt ready. And there’s somewhere I’d like to show you.”

“Fine,” you huffed out a breath so he knew you weren’t thrilled by the idea.

“Super, just let me grab Willow’s saddle. Oh, could you maybe help get Frank and Wilbur back to the stable?” He asked with a cocked eyebrow.

“You’re taking Willow?” Your brows furrowed.

“Yeah?” He returned your expression.

“And I’m taking Rusty.”

“Again, yeah?”

“Have you forgotten that they hate each other?” You glared at him.

“It’s a long trek to where I want to take you and Willow is the only one strong enough and determined enough to make it there and back. Frank or Wilbur would not be able to handle it.” He shrugged.

“Can Rusty handle it?” You looked down at the mare between your legs who was eyeing Spencer warily.

“Guess there’s only one way to find out.” He chuckled, but there was a nervousness to his tone.

Soon though he was meandering over towards Wilbur, ready to take him back down to the stable. And without another word you turned Rusty around again and went about helping him.

***

Medina Lake wasn’t just a trek away as Spencer had put it. It was located nearly twenty miles south of Bandera, on the other side of Lakehills. It was a crescent shaped reservoir on the Medina River, eighteen miles wide at its broadest point and contained by the Medina Dam at the lakes south end.

Spencer told you all about it as you rode together, giving Willow and Rusty enough space so as they wouldn’t cause another incident like the one that had broken Spencer’s arm.

Apparently at the time of its construction, it was the largest concrete dam in the country, and fourth largest in the world. He told you that the dam was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

As you barely spoke in reply, Spencer continued. He went on to tell you that Medina Lake had been stocked with species of fish intended to improve the reservoir for recreational fishing. He listed largemouth bass, white bass, hybrid striped bass, catfish and carp among the species found in the lake.

But he didn’t stop there.

He continued to fill the dead air between you by telling you about the state of the lake. According to Spencer as part of the 2010 to 2013 Southern United States drought, the lake water levels dropped below five percent capacity. As a result he told you many cracks, oil drums and a Jeep are visible due to the low water level.

He continued with telling you that thanks to some showers in the summer of 2013 the lake levels had risen to five point two percent. But many businesses had been closed, many residents left and Lakehills had been somewhat of a ghost town ever since.

He still carried on, despite your obvious lack of interest. Going on to tell you with an almost excited flurry, that due to heavy rainfall in the region, as of May 2015 the levels rose to forty six percent. And again due to more heavy rain, by May 2016 the lake was at one hundred percent capacity. He went to continue but by this point you held up a silencing hand.

“I can’t, Spencer. Please? Please just stop talking for five minutes?”

He’d huffed but yet he didn’t speak again for the rest of the journey.

He took you all the way down to Bandera County Medina Lake Park. He paid the twenty dollar fee for you both to enter. He led you and Rusty down to a quiet alcove away from the flood of tourists.

He found some hitching posts where you tied up your steeds, keeping enough distance between them so they couldn’t bother one another.

Spencer couldn’t deny that his thigh was causing him aggravation by this point and his knee ached dully. You could tell by the grimace on his face that he was struggling but didn’t say anything.

As much as you hated to admit it, the place was stunning. It combined the natural beauty of the Texas Hill Country with a picturesque watery wonderland. People in the distance were on the lake swimming, riding jet-skis and other boats. Some people on land had BBQ’s, picnics and the like.

Spencer led you down towards the lakes edge, still ensuring to have a clear view of your two mares at the top of the bank. He found a secluded spot, away from other lake goers so the two of you could be alone.

You took a seat on the ground, stretching your legs out in front of you and groaning a little at the chafing in your thighs from the long ride. The water was clear and the sun above caused it to sparkle. In this heat it looked positively intoxicating.

Spencer removed his denim shirt, his black t-shirt underneath marked with sweat stains under the pits and around the collar. He lowered his stetson over his eyes to keep the sun out of them.

Neither of you spoke for some time. Far off you could hear the sounds of other people splashing in the lake, laughing and having fun. Behind you could make out Rusty snuffling around in the grass.

If you focused in front of you, you could easily believe that you and Spencer were the only two people in the world. Perhaps that was why he brought you here in the first place.

After long stretches of uncomfortable silence, Spencer huffed from beside you and forced himself to speak.

“We need to talk about last night.” He saw your back straighten at his words but you didn’t even so much as look at him. “I promise you, it had nothing to do with you. I don’t even have the words to describe what it was like for me getting to be with you like that, getting to make you feel like that. But, uh, after I…completed, my thoughts went into overdrive and I panicked.

“I don’t know how to explain it other than that I’m not well. Mentally I am extremely sick. I told you last night that I need to test my boundaries, and I guess I pushed them a little farther than I was ready for. I really am sorry, Y/N. The last thing I ever wanted was to hurt you.”

The sincerity in his voice caused you to turn your head to the side and look at him. His eyes were full of uncertainty, fear and mild terror. You could see he had a heavy weight upon him and that talking about this wasn’t easy for him.

“Am I just some kind of experiment to you, Spencer? I don’t mind helping you get over whatever it is that happened to you, but if all I am to you is a test subject, please let me know before I get in over my head here.” You hated how sorry for yourself you sounded.

“You are so much more to me than that.” He frowned, shocked you would even suggest that. “But I suppose in a way, this is experimental to me. I have no idea how I’m going to react to any given situation of intimacy until I’m right in the middle of it. But please believe me when I say I would not be able to have even considered this kind of relationship with anyone else. Because of you, I’ve managed to actually maintain an erection long enough to orgasm, twice. That hasn’t happened to me in nearly four years.” His cheeks flushed in candour.

“If it offers you any kind of comfort, last night was the first time I’ve been with a man in almost two years. And it’s the first time I have ever come by someone else's hand other than my own.” Your own cheeks reddened at your confession.

“Oh,” Spencer’s voice shot up several octaves. “Oh.”

“To be perfectly honest with you Spencer, had the opportunity presented itself, I would have jumped you that first night we met. And I can’t pretend that I don’t want more out of this, but I am not going to push you if you’re not ready. I think if we are going to continue whatever this is, we just have to take things slowly. Like at a snail's pace.” You tucked your hair behind your ears, feeling perspiration gathering on your brow.

“Agreed,” he nodded. “I do want to move past this. I want to be able to give you every part of myself. It's just going to take some time.” He smiled meekly.

“I got nothing but time.” You smiled back.

Spencer chuckled a little, shuffling closer to you in the dirt. You felt your breath hitch as he got nearer.

“Would kissing you be entirely out of the question right now?” He rolled his lip between his teeth in his scepticism.

“Not entirely out of the question, no.” You shook your head.

The easiest thing to do would be to put space between you and Spencer, draw a line in the sand and remain strictly as friends. But you never did make a habit of travelling the path of least resistance.

He leaned closer, removing his stetson and dropping it down next to him. And then his hand moved to cup your cheek, fingers brushing lightly across your skin. He pressed his lips to yours cautiously at first but within a second or two he got carried away.

His tongue brushed along your bottom lip and you opened your mouth for him to gain entrance. His hand weaved into your hair, fingers burying in your locks. You kissed him back with as much passion as he showed you.

You brought your own hands to his face, holding him close. With his grip in your hair he tugged you a little, trying to convey that he needed you nearer.

Keeping your lips attached you shuffled so you were straddling him, knees resting either side of his thighs. The fingers peeking out from his cast brushed along your back, under the hem of your shirt. You moved your own hands to his shoulders to keep yourself balanced.

It wasn’t long before you lowered yourself into his lap and your hips undulated against his crotch. He moaned into your mouth and gripped your hair tighter as you felt a stirring in his pants.

He started moving backwards, bringing you with him until you were laying on top of him. But when your full weight was flush against him, he suddenly pulled away from your lips and growled in pain.

“What’s wrong?” You panted, sitting back a little as his face contorted.

“Fuck,” he groaned. “I’m sorry…I did something dumb.”

Frowning, you rolled off of him and knelt next to him while he cautiously rolled up the hem of his t-shirt to reveal the large band aid across the left side of his stomach.

“You dissociated again?” You whimpered.

“Yeah.” He nodded, rolling his shirt back down and sitting up. “And please don’t blame yourself. None of this is your fault.”

“I noticed last night you had a bandage on your thigh. Was that…?”

“Self-inflicted? Yes.” He rubbed one eye. “I’ve never hurt myself like that outside of those dissociative states. My brain is extremely fucked in many, many ways but I am not suicidal or anything like that.”

“Do you ever remember anything from those states?” You found yourself asking.

“It’s hazy.” He sighed. “And I’m not sure what’s real and what isn’t. I can recall messy pieces sometimes, but it’s not clear. It’s like I’m watching myself, like an out of body experience. I’m completely disconnected from my own mind, my own body. Its fucking terrifying. And I don’t know how to stop it.”

“You said you’d been to therapy before?” You asked softly.

“Twice.” He nodded. “Once back in DC, and once again when I moved here. Before you say anything, I am aware I need to go back. I guess I at least get to tell her the good news that my dick seems to be working again. Now we’ve just gotta focus on stopping me from having a panic attack, crying or dissociating after I come.”

You glared at him and the candid nature in which he spoke. His lip quirked at the corner and then surprisingly he started to laugh. You just stared at him dumbfounded.

“You’ve got to laugh, it’s so absurd.” He chuckled, probably the most you’d heard him laugh before. “I’m a fucking basket case, it’s okay to laugh. If I don’t laugh I’ll…”

“Dissociate?” You quipped back.

“Exactly.” He laughed harder, amused tears pricking the corners of his eyes. “Oh god I’m a mess.”

His laugh was infectious and you found yourself joining in despite yourself. It really wasn’t at all funny but sometimes you had to laugh in the face of extreme adversity or you would crumble.

The two of you sat by the lakes edge laughing until you were crying, crying until you couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t until the laughter subsided that you realised Spencer was holding your hand.

It grew quiet again and he simply stared at you, clutching your hand in his own. You reached forward tentatively with your other hand, waiting for his okay in the form of a nod before you touched him.

You gently wiped his tears from his cheeks and he hummed at your feather light caress. For a few minutes you stayed like this until you were ripped apart by the sound of content neighing from behind you.

You sprung apart as though burned and you both looked up towards your horses who had managed to manoeuvre themselves closer together.

It was hard to say who was more surprised by the sight of Willow amicably nuzzling her face against Rusty’s.

“Are they…?”

“Making friends.” Spencer nodded with a smile.

“Well I’ll be damned.” You smiled too.

“That horse of yours has some kind of magic about her.” Spencer sighed wistfully, leaning closer to you again. “Just like you.”

And when he kissed you again, you were certain that it was him and not you who was magic.

***

Doctor Camilla Ortega was a local therapist who specialised in anxiety, depression, trauma and PTSD. Her practice was in Pipe Creek but she had clinic hours out of the Essential Mental Wellness centre right in Bandera town once a week.

Spencer didn’t know if he was fortunate or not that she happened to be able to fit him in the very next day.

It had been some year and a half since he last sat in her office and was overcome with anxiety just being here. He ran his fingers over his cast, back and forth, back and forth, trying to remain tethered long enough to be able to speak.

She was probably less than ten years Spencer’s senior, with sharp green eyes and a discerning stare. She had a resting bitch face if Spencer had ever seen one, but she was surprisingly soft spoken and had a contrasting calmness about her.

“It’s good to see you again, Spencer. Although I can only assume the reason you’ve come to see me again means that you’re not doing so well?” She narrowed her eyes on him.

“Not exactly, no.” He admitted.

He didn’t want to open up about this but he also didn’t want to have to be visiting her every week. The quicker he got this out, the less time he might have to spend on her couch.

“I met someone.” He blurted out, eyes trained just above her head so he didn’t have to look at her. “I met someone and she’s incredible but I can’t…I still can’t take that next step.”

Doctor Ortega was silent for a beat or two, mulling over his words briefly.

“Have you initiated any form of intimacy thus far?” She jumped right in.

“I, uh, I still can’t let her touch me and we haven’t had intercourse. But we kissed and, uh, I touched her. And I have gotten…erect. Twice. And uh, I also reached completion twice.” His cheeks and neck flushed red. God how he hated talking about this.

“Without penile stimulation?”

His face scrunched up and he nodded reluctantly.

“And how did you feel after?” She prodded.

“Well, uh, the first time I ran away and locked myself in the bathroom. The second time I ran away and locked myself in the bathroom, cried and vomited and then dissociated.” He forced the words out rapidly. “Typical stuff.”

Ortega sucked in a breath and he heard her scrawling some notes down.

“You hadn’t had a dissociative break in a while last time I saw you, isn’t that correct?”

“Yes. But I’ve had three as of late.” He spoke but then continued. “It’s not her fault. I just…I can’t allow myself to enjoy being aroused without hearing their voices.”

He didn’t need to divulge anymore than that, she knew who he meant.

“Does she know what you suffered in prison? Have you spoken to her about it?” Doctor Ortega asked gently.

“No,” He chewed on the inside of his cheek. “I can’t tell her. She wouldn’t look at me the same.”

“How do you think she would look at you if she knew?”

Spencer’s eyes flit to the doctor, his brows pinched together tightly.

“Like I’m broken.” He said as though it was obvious. “Like I’m dirty.”

Doctor Ortega put her pen down and laced her fingers together, sitting further forward in her chair.

“Spencer, that is not how other people look at you. That is how you view yourself. Unfortunately it is a common sentiment in rape survivors to feel this way, like they are of no good to anyone, unworthy of affection. I think you would be surprised how she would react if you were just honest with her.” Doctor Ortega’s eyes were piercing into him.

“I’m not telling her and that is the end of it.” He shook his head. “I just want to know how to move past this. It’s been nearly four years and I don’t feel any closer to getting over what happened to me now than I did then.”

“Spencer, that’s not true.” She offered him a soft smile. “Eighteen months ago when I last saw you, you couldn’t even go on a date with someone. But now you’ve not only met someone but you have opened yourself up to intimacy again, even if it isn’t going as you planned. I for one am proud of how far you’ve come, I think you should be too.”

“Proud?” He scoffed, rolling his eyes. “I should be proud that I can’t come without being so overwhelmed with guilt that my brain has to divorce itself just to cope? I should be proud that I managed to bring her to orgasm before I had a complete mental breakdown which ended in me cutting myself? I should be goddamn proud that I can’t have sex with a wonderful, beautiful woman because I am so utterly broken that I can stop hearing the voices, seeing the faces of my rapists? Proud? Are you fucking kidding me!” He was on his feet, he didn’t remember standing up.

The rage bubble was expanding, filling, moving higher up to his chest. His vision blurred and he wobbled on his feet.

Here we fucking go, was his last coherent thought before the world around him became shrouded in darkness.

***

He blinked several times, sitting up with a start. His heart was racing and his breathing was heavy. He glanced around the nondescript room through hazy eyes, trying to work out where he was.

He detected movement in the corner of his vision, a body edging closer until they were right in front of him, dropping to a crouch so their eyelines could meet. Doctor Ortega smiled sadly at Spencer as she held his gaze.

“Are you okay?” She spoke softly and then something was being placed in his hand.

He looked down to see the plastic cup of water he now held and quickly tossed it back.

“How long was I out?” He croaked despite the hydration.

“Only about ten minutes.” She pushed herself to stand but came and sat next to him on the couch. “Do you remember anything?”

“No.” He shook his head.

“You wanted to hurt yourself. You asked me several times to give you something sharp.” Ortega’s voice was a little strained. Spencer shook his head. “And you were yelling that you weren’t whole.”

“Makes sense.” He grumbled. “I found a note you had me write myself, for my guided self talk.” And then he spoke verbatim. “I was sexually assaulted, but I am not a victim. I was coerced but I am not weak. I am in control of my own body, of my own mind. I will not let them win, I will not let them ruin my life. I didn’t deserve what happened to me. I am a good person. I am a strong person. I will move past this. I won't let them break me. I am still worthy of love and affection. I am still whole. I am still whole.”

“But you don’t believe a word of it.” She stated.

“No.” He agreed. “How the fuck can I still be whole when they took such a large piece of me?”

He looked at her pleadingly as though she had all the answers. As if there was one thing she could say which would be the key to his recovery. Of course there was no such thing and he knew that. But he needed something, anything.

“They only took from you what you let them take. What those men did to you was traumatic but you are the one in control of your own reactions to that trauma. You have let them take up this space in your brain for the last four years and every time you let them win, they grow and grow. The only way you are ever going to get over what happened to you is by persevering and I know that’s not the answer you’re looking for, but it's the truth.

“I know you don’t see it but you have taken huge strides since the last time I saw you. You may keep experiencing this guilt during intimate moments but it will not last forever. I think you need to continue doing what you’re doing, putting yourself in scary situations and seeing how you react to them. Next time your experience will probably be much the same, and no doubt the time after that too.

“But eventually, and I can promise you this, eventually you will be able to push yourself further without repercussions. You will find one day you are able to give yourself over completely to this woman and what happened to you will be the furthest thing from your mind. The reason you are still struggling so much after all this time is because you couldn’t put yourself back out there. And although this seems terrifying, I can assure it is the first step towards healing. And I’m proud of you whether you like it or not.”

Spencer was crying by the time she finished speaking and he was nodding his head slowly in understanding. Perhaps she was right, perhaps now he was allowing himself to get close to someone he would eventually be able to move past this.

It might get a hell of a lot harder before it gets any better, but if he didn’t keep pushing through he would be at square one forever. Like anything in life worth having, it was going to be difficult, but for the first time he believed it might actually be possible.

“Th-thank you.” He sniffed, wiping his nose on his sleeve. “I think I needed to hear that.”

“I do believe you can get better, Spencer and I don’t think you need my help to do that. I’ve given you all the tools, you have to be willing to put in the work now.” She pushed herself up and made her way across to her desk. “That being said, I would like to up your dosage of paroxetine just a little. And I want you to make a concerted effort to remember your grounding exercises when you feel a dissociative episode coming on.”

“I’ll try.” He nodded in agreement.

A few minutes later he was leaving with a new prescription, sore eyes and a new perspective on his situation.

He found you in the driver’s seat of your car, thumbing through a book he recognised from his own collection. You closed it when the door opened and smiled softly at him.

“How did it go?” You asked as he slid into the passenger’s seat.

Spencer didn’t reply. He was too exhausted to speak. Instead he leaned across the central console and smashed his lips against yours. You gasped in surprise and he edged his tongue into your mouth.

The kiss only lasted a minute or so but it was more charged than any kiss you’d ever shared before. When he pulled back, you were looking at him in shock.

“Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?” You chuckled a little.

“A thank you, I guess.” He shrugged. “It might not seem like it but I am making progress. And I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Your eyes welled at his sentiment and without thinking about it you reached over and grabbed his hand, giving it a firm squeeze.

And it wasn’t lost on either of you that for the first time, he didn’t flinch at your unexpected touch.

@kalulakunundrum @voledart @katrina0-0 @bakugouswh0r3 @prettyboyandthefangirl @zooni92802 @marvellover1819 @babyspiderling

#spencer reid #spencer reid smut #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x fem! reader #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x y/n #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfiction

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litany-writes · 5 months ago

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oc interview

tagged by @rivenantiqnerd, ty!!!

i'm gonna use my oc Alex Valdez for this (he's from my wip pulse point)

Are you named after anyone?

I don't think I am. My mother chose my name, Alexander Alejandro. Both mean "protector." Valdez is my father's family name.

When was the last time you cried?

[if this is at the start of the pulse point storyline] Oh, this is gonna be embarrassing. Last week, I was on a joint mission with Spades, and one of those sh[beep]y laser-bullets grazed my cheek. I was fine, but she insisted on putting antiseptic on it, and it hurt like a b[beep]ch. I feel like it's fair that I teared up, though. Like, it happens to everyone, right?

Wait, am I not supposed to cuss in this? Whoops.

Do you have kids?

Hah- I hope not. Not that I'm aware of. Someday, maybe, but... no.

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Me? Use sarcasm? Never.

What's the first thing you notice about people?

Weapons. Any obvious ones, and then any potentially concealed ones. Whether or not they have a blackbox, or any other visible bodymods or allegiance marks/tattoos. I think that would be the same answer for anyone in my industry, though.

What's your eye color?

Green, like my mother's. Once, when Spades was drunk, she said they were peridot. It's some kind of crystal, I think? I can't really ask her though, I'm sure she doesn't remember.

Scary movies or happy endings?

Happy endings all the way. Call me a sap for it, but I love a good romance. Besides, I deal with sh- stuff, that can be a lot scarier than the movies. Horror doesn't really do it for me.

Any special talents?

Don't know if this counts as a talent, but I love riddles. Have a bunch memorized that I can bust out during long-haul missions or stakeouts, or use as lines at bars. They're versatile. I'm quite good at solving them, too.

Where were you born?

Zingali, in my mother's "tribe." Well, non-Zingalrans call them tribes. We don't really have a name for them. Ancestry-group? Clan? Regardless, I was born on-world with her side of the family.

Do you have any pets?

No, I wish. I've always loved animals. Back h- er, on Zingali, my family always had animals around.

What sort of sports do you play?

Not any recently. I know some people in the House have various casual leagues organized for off-days, and I'll play with them when I'm trying to, like, network, but I prefer sparring when I can.

How tall are you?

Oh, the ladies ask me that all the time.

No? not even a smile? Ok. Well, I'm almost as tall as Xavier, so that should count for something.

What was your favorite subject in school?

Oh, I hated every second I was stuck in classes. Can I say Phys Ed? Besides that, maybe History, but, like, Military History specifically. Stuff I can use. Strategy.

What is your dream job?

I'm living it, baby!

Ha, no. Sorry, I had to. Probably something... simple. Peaceful. I'm a decent cook, so I've been told, but I feel like that could get boring. Some kind of trade business, probably. Domestic, not intergalactic. "Locally sourced," or whatever.

That all? Great, thanks for having me. I'll just- yeah. Bye!

Blanks:

Are you named after anyone? When was the last time you cried? Do you have kids? Do you use sarcasm a lot? What's the first thing you notice about people? What's your eye colour? Scary movies or happy endings? Any special talents? Where were you born? Do you have any pets? What sort of sports do you play? How tall are you? What was your favourite subject in school? What is your dream job?

Open tags for anyone that wants to join!! tag me if you do, i love meeting new characters :)

#writeblr tag games #tag games!!#alex valdez #pulse point

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miss-ingno · 11 months ago

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Everything I Wrote In 2023

...or at least the bits I posted to Ao3 :D 21 works with a word count of 71,998 total! I'm honestly surprised, I thought it was much less considering how little I felt like writing between work and health issues sapping my energy.

I'll sort these alphabetically by fandoms and within the fandoms chronologically from first posted to last.

Assassin's Creed II Title: Return To Sender Ship: Claudia Auditore/Desmond Miles, Claudia Auditore & Ezio Auditore Words: 3.5k Tags: Epistolary, Time Travel, Marriage, POV Outsider (as in Outsider on the Time Traveller PoV), In-Universe Documents Summary: Over the years, Ezio and Claudia exchanged many letters. These are the ones concerning Claudia's husband, then-stranger, Desmond.

Deja Vu by Dreamcatcher (Music Video) Title: All Our Memories, They're Haunted Ship: Jiu/Yoohyeon Words: 1.1k Tags: Memories, Regret, Grief/Mourning, the Queen is dead; long live the Queen, Dark Yoohyeon, Murder Summary: There are no witnesses to her ascent. There is no one she trusts not to stab her in the back. Title: Our Love's A Curse Ship: Jiu/Yoohyeon Words: 833 Tags: Backstory, Happy with A Bad Ending, Off-screen Character Death, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Yoohyeon's descent into madness, Assassin Yoohyeon Summary: Yoohyeon worked hard to create a perfect world for Jiu and herself. But perfection isn't forever.

Detective L Title: Both Is Good Ship: Ben Jieming/Luo Fei/Qin Xiaoman Words: 1.5k Tags: Relationship Status: It's Complicated, Pre-Relationship, Developing Relationship, Background Case, Post-Canon, Pre-Poly, Polyamory Negotiations, Insecurity, lbr they all have their issues but they love each other for who they are and that's what's important Summary: The day before the police ball, Ben Jieming and Luo Fei discuss who should accompany Qin Xiaoman. Unbeknownst to them, she already made her choice.

Dimension 20 - Mentopolis Title: Where in Mentopolis are the Prefrontal P.I.s? Ship: Ensemble Words: 800 Tags: Logic Grid Puzzle, Worldbuilding, Post-Canon Summary: It’s the Grand Opening of Daniel Fucks’ new Emporium of Exquisite Pleasures, but none of the other Prefrontal P.I.s have shown up! However, through his criminal network, Daniel hears some rumours about what they’re each up to. Can you help him find them and drag them away from whatever they’re doing for this most important of all events?

Granting You A Dreamlike Life Title: The Hero Returns Ship: Hong Lan & Luo Fusheng, implied Duan Tianying/Luo Fusheng Words: 826 Tags: Late Canon Fix-It, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, PoV Tianying Summary: The first thing Hong Lan does as head of the Hong family is to order Luo Fusheng back home.

Grimm (TV) Title: Back In A Spell Ship: Sean Renard/Juliette Silverton, Nick Burkhardt/Juliette Silverton, pre-Nick Burkhardt/Sean Renard/Juliette Silverton Words: 7.2k Tags: Time Travel Fix-It, POV Juliette Silverton, former Hexenbiest Juliette, Nick is not a Grimm yet, Identity Reveal, Magic Revealed, Dinner Date with Ulterior Motives, Secrets Summary: Going back in time has a price. Juliette will make damn sure it was worth it. Title: Sting Of Love Ship: Nick Burkhardt/Monroe Words: 1k Tags: Kissing Slice of Life Action/Adventure Wesen of the Week Episode Style Summary: Monroe accompanies Nick on Grimm business.

Guardian (drama and novel) Title: Growing Pains Ship: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan & Da Qing Words: 2.5k Tags: Case Fic lite, Haixing-Dixing politics, set between Episode 4 and Episode 5, Early in Canon, Zhao Yunlan takes a bullet for a Dixingren Hurt Zhao Yunlan Protective Shen Wei (Guardian) Morality Summary: During their most recent case Zhao Yunlan's superiors put him in a difficult position: follow orders, or summon Heipaoshi to hand over the Dixingren? Title: Telenovela Ship: one-sided Zhao Yunlan/Zhu Hong, background Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan Words: 315 Tags: Slice of Life, Zhu Hong gets to be snake-y, Pining, Denial Summary: Zhu Hong watches dramas in her free time. Title: In This, As In All Things (WIP) Ship: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan & Da Qing Words: 13k+ Tags: Time Travel Fix-It, Time Travel: Post-Canon to Pre-Canon, Secret Identity, Identity Shenanigans, Established Relationship, Family Issues Summary: Given the chance to right the wrongs of the past, Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei go back to before they met (again). But how much can they change faced with a very different SID than the one under Zhao Yunlan's lead? Title: Ruffling Feathers Ship: Zhu Hong & Da Qing & Ya Qing Words: 7.1k Tags: Post-Canon, Handwavey Fix-It, Yashou Politics, Case Fic, Zhu Hong and Da Qing team up to solve a theft, Yashou High Chief Zhu Hong, Yashou Worldbuilding, Mistakes Are Made, Zhu Hong is new to this job Summary: Zhu Hong is more than ready to delay her responsibilities for old times' sake when Da Qing approaches her about his missing bells. But the case takes them smack-dab into internal Yashou politics and Zhu Hong's mettle as High Chief is put to the test. Title: Two Of A Kind Ship: Ya Qing/Zhu Hong Words: 12.9k Tags: Time Travel Fix-It, Pre-Canon, Yashou Politics, Yashou Worldbuilding, Pre-Relationship, PoV Ya Qing, mentions of the Time Loop, Background Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan, mentions of the canonical ending, Antagonist Ye Zun, BAMF Ya Qing Summary: Zhu Hong approaches Ya Qing with a warning from the future. Ya Qing is... intrigued despite herself. Title: Freezing Ship: Chu Shuzhi/Guo Changcheng/Ye Huo Words: 507 Tags: Character Study, Missing Scene, Episode 19 Summary: Stuck in the experimental lab, Chu Shuzhi has time to contemplate his newest companion. Title: Days of Splendour Ship: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan & Zhaodad & Zhaomom (novel) Words: 1.9k Tags: Wedding Planning, Wedding Fluff, Post-Canon Summary: Zhao Yunlan knows what he wants: Shen Wei, at his side, forever. Title: Happy Hour Ship: Shen Wei & Shen Wei's students, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan & SID Words: 975 Tags: Background Case, Shen Wei's terrible lies, undercover at a bar Summary: A criminal, a professor, and a cat walk into a bar. The professor's students did not expect to be part of the joke. Title: An Intimate Touch Ship: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan Words: 2.2k Tags: YOHE, Facial Shaving, Hair Brushing, Hair Braiding, Almost Kiss, Domestic Fluff Summary: Shen Wei helps Kunlun shave his beard. Title: Gossip Mango Ship: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan & Shen Wei's students Words: 1.9k Tags: Social Media, Episode Related (1-8), Canon Compliant, mentions of canon suicidal ideation and murders Summary: Not only does Dragon City university have a great and sophisticated study program for many different majors, it also has a flourishing social media site for students to discuss their studies social activities recent events.

Harry Potter Title: To Seek Knowledge Ship: Hermione Granger & Luna Lovegood & Ginny Weasley Words: 4.4k Tags: Female Friendship, Spell Theory, Bullying, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Hogwarts Second Year, Golden Trio (background) Summary: A precocious pre-teen on a quest for knowledge ends up changing the future. She even makes a friend or two on the way.

Naruto Title: Adventitious Ship: Haruno Sakura & Hatake Kakashi & Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumak Naruto Words: 5k Tags: Developing Friendships, set after the Wave mission but before the Chuunin Exams, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, in which Team 7 grows closer and Sasuke doesn't defect, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 Have Issues (don't worry they're working on it), Mission Fic (sort of), no literal geese were involved in the making of this fic, in which Team 7 accidentally topples several villains' plans Summary: To keep Team 7 busy, Kakashi-sensei sends his students on a wild goose chase. Much to his dismay, they actually find a golden goose.

长公主在上 | Zhǎng Gōng Zhǔ Zài Shàng Title: By Your Side Ship: Li Yunzhen/Gu Xuanqing, Li Yunzhen & Li Chenglin Words: 2k Tags: Post-Canon Court Politics Dom/sub Undertones Established Relationship Relationship Development Summary: After tricking the Chancellor into publicly rebelling, Li Yunzhen retires from politics.

#ingno writes #masterlist #Ao3 2023 wrapped

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rjzimmerman · 6 months ago

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Excerpt from this story from the New York Times:

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has a line about the state of small-scale agriculture in America these days.

It’s drawn from the National Agricultural Statistics Service, which shows that as the average size of farms has risen, the nation had lost 544,000 of them since 1981.

“That’s every farm today that exists in North Dakota and South Dakota, added to those in Wisconsin and Minnesota, added to those in Nebraska and Colorado, added to those in Oklahoma and Missouri,” Mr. Vilsack told a conference in Washington this spring. “Are we as a country OK with it?”

Even though the United States continues to produce more food on fewer acres, Mr. Vilsack worries that the loss of small farmers has weakened rural economies, and he wants to stop the bleeding. Unlike his last turn in the same job, under former President Barack Obama, this time his department is able to spend billions of dollars in subsidies and incentives passed under three major laws since 2021 — including the biggest investment in conservation programs in U.S. history.

The plan in a nutshell: Multiply and improve revenue streams to bolster farm balance sheets. Rather than just selling crops and livestock, farms of the future could also sell carbon credits, waste products and renewable energy.

“Instead of the farm getting one check, they potentially could get four checks,” Mr. Vilsack said in an interview. He is also helping schools, hospitals and other institutions to buy food grown locally, and investors to build meatpacking plants and other processing facilities to free farmers from powerful middlemen.

But it’s far from clear whether new policies and a cash infusion will be enough to counteract the forces that have pushed farmers off the land for decades — especially since much of the money is aimed at reducing carbon emissions, and so will also go toward large farming operations because they are the biggest polluters.

The number of farms has been declining since the 1930s, in large part because of migration from rural areas to cities and greater mechanization of agriculture, which allowed operators to cultivate larger tracts with fewer people. Over time, the federal government abandoned a policy of managing production to support prices, prompting growers to become more export-oriented while local distribution networks atrophied.

The last half-decade has been more disruptive than most. First came a trade war against China under former President Donald J. Trump, which drew retaliatory tariffs that cut into U.S. exports of farm products like soybeans and pork. Then came the pandemic, which scrambled supply chains and sapped farm labor, leaving crops to rot in the fields.

After Congress cushioned the blow with relief for farmers hurt by pandemic disruptions, things started to turn around. Even as the cost of supplies like fertilizer and seed rose, so did food prices, and farm incomes increased. In 2023, default rates on farm loans neared record lows.

“Farm balance sheets are the healthiest they’ve ever been in the aggregate,” said Brad Nordholm, the chief executive of Farmer Mac, a large secondary market for agricultural credit. “The tools available to American farmers to have a more predictable return, even when commodity prices change and input prices change, is greater than it’s ever been before.”

But wholesale crop prices are expected to decline over the coming year. Rising interest rates have made it more difficult to finance planting and harvesting, borrow for an expansion or just get into agriculture — especially since land values jumped 29 percent from 2020 to 2023.

That’s especially true for the smallest farmers, who are far less likely to be tapped into Department of Agriculture assistance programs and are more vulnerable to adverse weather, labor shortages and consumer whims.

“I think in some ways they’re in a worse position than before the pandemic,” said Benneth Phelps, executive director of the nonprofit Carrot Project, which advises small farmers in New England. “We see a lot of farmers making hard decisions right now about whether to stay in or get out, because they’ve run out of steam.”

That’s where the American Rescue Plan, the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law come in.

The laws have collectively provided about $60 billion to the Agriculture Department, which has parceled it out across a variety of priorities, from relieving farmers’ debt to paying them to reduce their carbon emissions.

The biggest chunk — about $19.5 billion — has breathed new life into subsidies to encourage conservation practices that improve the land, like cutting back on plowing and planting cover crops to sequester carbon in the soil. Some of the programs had shrunk in successive Farm Bills, which are five-year legislative packages that covers most agricultural subsidies, and about two-thirds of farmers who applied each year got nothing.

The new funding has added 16,000 recipients over the past two years. Preliminary data shows the expansion is allowing smaller farms to take part.

#family farms #federal farming subsidies

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voraciousvore · 1 year ago

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The Half-Blood Giant (5/51)

***Contains mentions of vore***

Chapter 5: The Early Years

Chester was disappointed to find that the appetite suppressant gummies did not taste nearly as good as Jackie, nor were they effective at reducing his hunger. Sometimes he could suck on them or chew on them, much like a smoker trying to quit might chew gum as a distraction, but they did not satisfy in the same way.

Even so, Chester got a better handle over his cravings and didn’t lose control again. Jackie was more attentive to his needs, and Chester improved his communication with her so he didn’t reach the point where he couldn’t control himself. Therapy helped as well, since he learned better coping skills to deal with his issues. Occasionally, he even went to “Maneaters Anonymous” meetings in the alternate giant world to gain a wider network of support, where he could connect and commiserate with other giants who shared the same problem. Such meetings did not exist in the Land of Giants. With the increased support, the couple made progress and fell into a comfortable rhythm.

Their son grew quickly. After a while he was weaned off breastmilk and could eat baby food. Jackie found her energy returning as her blood magic was no longer sapped away with every feeding. She was still very busy with raising the child, but the situation with Chester’s voracious nature wasn’t quite so dire. She made time for her hungry husband, as best she could. She felt closer than ever to him, despite the difficulties, since they faced their challenges together.

Chester tried his best to keep his giant relatives away for as long as possible, but of course he couldn’t hold them off forever. Jasper, his brother, was the first to visit. He stopped by when Hunter was still a tiny baby. Jasper was charmed by how remarkably miniscule the little bean of a being was. He congratulated the new parents and teased his more serious brother about the size of his son. Jackie was relieved that he didn’t try to touch his new nephew and had no impulses to eat him. As much as she liked Jasper for his easygoing, boisterous personality, she still felt a bit uneasy around him. While it had been an accident, Jasper drank up Jackie in a beer when she first met him. He always joked to her about how good she tasted and how much he wanted to eat her again. He was a good-natured guy, but he was still a giant, and Jackie suspected the jokes weren’t entirely unfounded, judging by the hungry glint in his eye. She laughed them off, but she stayed close to Chester whenever his brother was around.

Soon after Jasper’s visit, Chester’s parents came to the house. His father made no effort to hide his disappointment when he beheld for the first time his infinitesimal grandson. The gargantuan man looked down his nose at the insignificant creature in the crib and dripped with condescension when he glanced down at Jackie. She met his glare with defiance, refusing to avert her own gaze. Chester rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, not sure what to say.

While Chester’s mother harbored a similar attitude, she was more amenable. Despite her negative first impression, she had to admit the baby, so ridiculously tiny, was cute. She just didn’t want her grandson to be that small, that irrelevant. Nevertheless, her heart swayed in his favor when he clutched her fingertip with his tiny hands and giggled. She left with a warm glow, in contrast to her sullen husband.

Their son said his first words and took his first steps. Jackie tried to teach him to say his name: Hunter. She’d agreed to name their son what Chester desired. She hoped that the name would suit him, and he wouldn’t become the hunted instead. For the time being, he was safe in Chester’s giant house. He hadn’t encountered any giant strangers, and Jackie wanted to keep it that way.

Hunter continued to grow. As a toddler, he was rambunctious and fearless, full of hyperactive energy. Chester was delighted that his son, while still very small, was no longer quite so fragile. The giant father could hold the child and let him climb up his fingers and play, using the hills and valleys of his massive hands as a playground. He had to be cautious while walking around his home, lest he accidentally step on the little toddler that lacked the common sense to get out of his way. His son liked to cling to his shoelaces or climb on his boots and go for a ride as he walked. He rose to the challenge of scaling his giant dad all the way to the top (he didn’t get very far, and Chester usually had to rescue him from his pant leg).

Chester was pleased to finally play a larger role as a father. He could give Jackie more time to rest. By default, he fell into the role of the disciplinarian, whereas Jackie was more of a caregiver. He could shut down a temper tantrum in seconds by pinching Hunter between his fingers and raising him up the impossible height to his eye level. A stern stare over a terrifying drop hushed the child immediately.

Even so, Hunter was an unruly child. He had a whole giant house to run around in, so his parents didn’t see a need to rein in his wild energy or discipline him. This style of parenting backfired tremendously when Jackie decided to take him to the human world to socialize him. He was bouncing off the walls and breaking things in her parents’ comparatively cramped human-scale farmhouse. They had to throw him outside so he could explore the surrounding farmland and acquaint himself with the chickens, cows, and horses instead.

When Jackie arranged playdates for him with other human children, Hunter did not play nice. With the giant blood flowing in him, his body was hardier and more durable than a normal human’s. He was rough and aggressive and liked to wrestle and test his physical capabilities. Additionally, he was unusually large for a human child his age. It wasn’t his intent to harm anyone, but he simply didn’t know his own strength. He was used to living in a giant house with a giant father who wouldn’t even bat an eye if he punched or kicked his finger. Other children didn’t like him very much and shunned him. Hunter didn’t understand why. It made him angry sometimes, yet he learned not to care when he couldn’t make friends.

Jackie was concerned when she saw Hunter bruising and even biting other children. She scolded him but he didn’t listen to her; he was more inclined to obey his gigantic father than his puny mother. She wanted to enroll him in preschool when he reached the proper age, but she couldn’t see it happening when he couldn’t play well with others.

Unfortunately, Jackie’s parenting woes were just beginning. As Hunter aged, he began to grow in size at an exponential rate. Soon enough, he was far too big to pass for a normal human, and Jackie could no longer take him to the human world outside the privacy of her parents’ property. Enrolling him in a human school was permanently out of the question, but he wouldn’t be able to go anywhere in the Land of Giants either. He smelled like a human and would be an ideal meal for a much larger, hungry giant. Homeschooling would be the only option.

Hunter swiftly exceeded Jackie’s height and continued to sprout like a beanstalk. In an unexpected twist, Chester found that he was the one who had to care for the kid, since Jackie was too small to do much. He didn’t mind, but he understood better now why Jackie was so tired all the time. Since Hunter had grown up small, he wasn’t fully aware of how his size change altered how he should interact in his environment. He was still tiny compared to Chester, but wild and rowdy enough to give him trouble. Chester had to constantly remind his son to be careful and scold him, especially around his mother. Hunter had a habit of grabbing Jackie like a toy, sometimes squeezing her too tightly. He didn’t show her the proper deference and respect, especially as he continued to expand in scale and she appeared smaller and less significant from his perspective.

When he was younger, Hunter’s whole world was Chester’s house, supplemented by his short-lived adventures in the human realm. As a miniscule human, the colossal house provided plenty of space for him to explore and run around, but this situation couldn’t last forever. He became harder and harder to contain as he grew larger and older. He was curious about the world outside, and his parents weren’t sure how to handle this new development. He was the topic of many late-night conversations between Chester and Jackie, once they put him to bed. Jackie didn’t want him to live his life in fear, but Chester believed he needed to be aware of the dangers the world presented to him. Jackie’s opinions won out, at least while their son was still young and small enough to contain in the house or yard, so they kept him sheltered in ignorance of the bleak truth.

The added stress increased Chester’s appetite and need for comfort. Now that Jackie was the one who couldn’t do much, and her magic recovered faster, she was willing to indulge his whims and allowed him to consume her on a more frequent basis. They hid this arrangement from their son. Chester lied to Hunter that his mom was “taking a nap” or “had a headache” and was resting in the bedroom, while in reality he had Jackie inside his belly. His son, with the innocent mind of a child, was none the wiser. He only noticed during those times that his dad was happier and rubbed his belly a lot. Chester could still walk around and do normal activities when he ate Jackie, so the intimate time wasn’t intrusive on their routine.

Chester couldn’t eat Jackie with meals like he used to in front of his son. Hunter’s crazy growth spurts left him with a constant hunger, so Chester was cooking all the time. Chester, being himself a glutton, was a skilled cook and didn’t mind. He was relieved to find that his son didn’t exhibit any desire to eat his mother, but he wasn’t sure if his son lacked human cravings or if he didn’t want to eat her because she was related by blood, just as Chester had no urge to eat his half-giant son. Excluding his smaller size, Hunter physically appeared to take after his father more than his mother. He inherited similar facial features to his father, including the same stunning green eyes and his sensitive nose, both in shape and function. His hair was a light brown tinted with red accents. His body had the strong durability of a giant, more resistant to fatigue and injury than a more fragile human. And that body of his continued to enlarge at a shocking pace.

Initially, Jackie had been looking forward to teaching her son magic, but as he grew bigger and harder to control, she was more averse to the idea. Having an oversized, unmanageable child that could also use magic sounded like a nightmare to her. Instead, she sought to teach him more traditional school subjects when he was old enough. He had an inquisitive mind and was a good student to her lessons, despite his uncontrollable nature. He liked to read and learn, particularly since he was confined to the house.

His intellectual curiosity led him to ask a lot of questions. Jackie often gave him a simplistic or sugarcoated answer, to prevent him from learning about the harsh reality of his existence. The truth became more difficult to obscure, though. Whenever his father went out to get groceries or run an errand, Hunter wanted to join him, but of course it wasn’t safe for him to go. Chester hurt inside when he had to reject his son’s pleas and shut the door in his face. Additionally, Jackie struggled to keep the disobedient child under control while her giant husband was away. She was sorely tempted to use her magic to administer a shock when he was being especially disruptive, but she refrained. She didn’t want him to know about magic, and she didn’t feel right punishing him in such a manner.

One day, when Hunter was begging to go places and be let out, Chester and Jackie agreed to take him to the lavish estate of his grandparents to visit. As long as they kept him in the car for the whole drive over, and he stayed on the gated property, they reasoned no harm would befall him. They couldn’t keep him cooped up in the house forever, after all. Chester buckled up his son in the backseat and drove to the estate, with Jackie riding on his shoulder. Their son was ecstatic, glued to the car window as he watched the world pass. He saw things he had only read about in books.

Chester pulled up to the massive mansion of stone and let Hunter out of the car. The child, at six years of age, had grown enough that his head reached Chester’s knee: large for a human, but undersized for a giant. He stared up in awe at the great castle and surveyed his new environment with exhilaration before squealing and running off to explore.

“Don’t go beyond the fence!” Chester yelled after him as he approached the big wooden door and knocked. Jackie huddled up next to Chester’s neck, feeling the thick cords of muscle through the skin and his steady pulse. She never knew what to expect from Chester’s parents, mostly his father, Ajax. She did her best to show no fear when in his presence, but she’d be lying if she claimed she wasn’t scared of the volatile giant. He had a hot temper and a short fuse.

Chester’s mother answered the door with a genial smile. “Chester. Jackie. Lovely to see you two.” She was soft-spoken, her voice matching her natural delicate grace. She searched Chester up and down, as well as the floor, with her pale green eyes. “And where’s my grandson?”

“He’s out playing in the garden,” Chester replied. From inside the foyer, Chester’s father came up behind her and planted his massive hand on the door, opening it wider. He looked fearsome, with his eyepatch, his scar running down his face, his burly physique, his thick hairy beard, and his intimidating height. His wife barely reached the height of his sternum.

“Let me see him,” Ajax said in a deep voice that rumbled like thunder. He stepped out, not deigning to even glance at Jackie. He pushed past Chester and lumbered over to the garden, sweeping the ground with his single good eye as he searched for his grandson. Jackie gritted her teeth as she watched him. He was so careless with his big feet as he stomped around. If Hunter had stayed at a normal human size, his grandfather could have easily crushed him under his gargantuan boots without even spotting him.

“Hunter,” he boomed when he spied his grandson running around. Hunter froze and gaped up at his grandpa. The giant man crouched down, looming over the tiny child, and picked him up in his hand. Hunter was still small enough to sit in his palm, with his legs hanging over the side of his hand. Hunter held still with the same facial expression as his grandfather examined him closely. His dark eye narrowed and his fingers wrapped tighter around the small boy.

“Hmph,” he grunted, setting Hunter back down in the grass. He stood back up and plodded back into the big stone mansion, slamming the wooden door behind him. Hunter watched him leave, but soon went back to playing. He seemed to forget the uncomfortable interaction as he frolicked and his grandma fawned over him.

They stayed for the rest of the day, leaving after sunset. Hunter had a great time and enjoyed his adventure outside the house. He was tired by the time his parents packed him back up in the car and drove away. Jackie rested in Chester’s lap this time, rolled up in his shirt against his belly. He caressed her with his free hand while he drove. It was peacefully quiet inside the car, so Chester assumed his son in the backseat had nodded off.

“Hey, Dad?” Hunter piped up.

“Hm?” Chester replied, surprised to hear his son’s voice.

“Why doesn’t Grandpa like me?”

Chester and Jackie stiffened. For a moment, Chester wasn’t sure what to say. Hunter was ignorant of the history of the Land of Giants, the divide between giants and humans, and the details of his own lineage. His parents hadn’t fully explained to him the predatory relationship between giants and humans, his place in the world, and the differences between the species beyond “Daddy is big and Mommy is small.” The answer would elicit more uncomfortable questions.

“Don’t worry about what Grandpa Ajax thinks,” he finally responded. “It’s not important.”

Chapter 6

Chapter 1

#g/t writing #g/t #giant #giant/tiny #tiny #giant tiny #size difference #g/t fluff #g/t vore #vore story #vore writing #the half-blood giant

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