#but i think it will be about £700 maybe more which i simply do not have

[grotesque-gargoyle]

curse that bread curse that stale and flavourless baguette that broke my tooth and didn't even taste good i hope there's an afterlife where it's suffering in whatever way bread can suffer

[slytherinshua]

NIGHTS WITH YOU

genre. fluff. warnings. food (ramen). pairing. soobin x fem!reader. wc. 700. request. requested by @blue-jisungs (my baby) for #25: "are those my clothes" and #34: "where's my goodnight kiss?" a/n. i've been writing just so much sleepy fluff either sleepy morning fluff or sleepy bedtime fluff im not complaining cause its always so soft but yeah :(

Soobin stepped out of the bathroom, still drying his hair with a towel. His eyes immediately scoured around the room for you, and when he didn’t find you anywhere, a frown etched on his face. Since he had been at practice all day, you forced him to take a shower before delivering any hugs or kisses, despite how much he begged for them. It was a reasonable request, of course. He was sweaty and stinky— of course you’d rather kiss a clean Soobin. But your boyfriend hadn’t seen you all day and simply needed to be as close to you as possible for the rest of the night. 

He located you quickly, following the smell of spicy noodles to the kitchen. His eyes softened as he saw your figure, wearing one of his black t-shirts.  He pouted, coming up behind you to hold you in a back hug. 

“Are those my clothes?” He asked softly, a giddy smile growing on his face as soon as you laughed.

“You left your drawer open. They were practically asking for me to take them. Plus, they’re more comfortable than my pyjamas.” You said simply, stirring the sauce packet into the pot of ramen noodles you were preparing. 

Although Soobin’s shirts were much too big for you to wear daily, they made for the perfect oversized sleeping garment. As they were designed to fit your 6 foot man both height wise and broad back wise, they practically swallowed your figure. But you loved it, especially the way the shirts smelled exactly like your boyfriend. Soobin didn’t mind. How could he when you looked so cute in his clothes?

“We already share everything anyway. Including that ramen—?“

“No! You’re not getting any!” You shoved your boyfriend off of your back, defensively shielding the ramen pot from his prying hands. He frowned, eyebrows furrowed as he tried to find a way through, but each reach he took got expertly blocked by your chopsticks.

“That is not one bite. That’s like, 6 at least!” You slouched back onto Soobin’s chest, keeping up your pretend grumpiness after you had finally agreed to give him just one bite. Truthfully, you had prepared the ramen more for him than you in the first place. You just wanted to see him eat well after practice. But it was always fun to tease him. Admitting that you carefully prepared them for your boyfriend would make you look unbelievably whipped. Which you were, but you weren’t about to admit it out in the open.

“Here, open up.” Soobin said, holding the chopsticks up for you, feeding you the bite of ramen carefully. Maybe he was just as equally whipped. You whipped your frown off your face and snuggled closer to your boyfriend, enveloped by his fresh scent and warm skin. 

“I can’t believe Beomgyu got to see you more this week than me. It’s not fair.” You sighed, thinking back to the past couple of days. Even when Soobin didn't have a schedule, he’d busied himself in the company building with Beomgyu, playing games or writing lyrics. 

You had nothing against the younger member, you were as close to him as you were any of Soobin’s friends. But nothing hit you quite as hard as the loneliness you felt when Soobin was away from you. It felt nice to be back in his arms, knowing that there was nothing left for that day that would prevent you from falling asleep and waking up next to him. 

“Where’s my goodnight kiss?” Soobin asked once you were back in his arms after doing the dishes. 

“Right here.” You smiled, cupping his cheeks to bring his face down to your lips. As always, Soobin’s lips tasted heavenly. And, just like always, Soobin was the clingier of you two. He chased your lips every time you pulled away, causing you both to giggle. Countless soft pecks were placed around your face until his head hit the pillow and he gathered you up in his arms, close enough to hear his relaxed breath and steady heart beat. The rhythm lulled you to sleep, head resting against his chest and your back blanketed by his arms.

↳ txt taglist (bolded could not be tagged): @kangtaehyunzzz,, @eternalgyu,, @90steele,, @ddeonudepressions,, @minholing,,

@wolfmoonmusic,, @98-0603,, @weird-bookworm,, @candewlsy,, @blossominghunnie,,

@amara-mars,, @wccycc,, @seunghancore,, @ujisworld,, @heavenfilm,,

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@nicholasluvbot,, @cupidslovearrows,, @50-husbands,, @hursheys,, @stannwjnss

[sirhamburrger]

and some roommates (don't worry, we're cool!)

a/n: thinking silly thoughts today... having sae itoshi and ryusei shidou as roommates while getting involved with rin itoshi… (unrealistic since they'd both probably be really rich by the end of bllk, whenever that is, or adulthood) for the purpose of this drabble please pretend they are two broke boys 🙏

wc: 739 || tags: all characters are 18+, gn!reader, reader is in uni, situationship ryusae once again putting the bl in blue lock, background rin x reader, 700 words of domestic crack and more || header from bllk manga

(continued here in my christmas miniseries, more rin x reader centric)

it all begins when you're looking for an apartment in downtown tokyo. but since you can't afford one of your own at the moment, you're looking to see if anyone could use another roommate to split rent with.

and after days of scouring the internet, you find a promising place. clean, well-furnished, spacious - but there's already a couple living together in it...

oh well. the more the better. 

so you show up at their door after a couple of text messages exchanged with one of the very enthusiastic co-tenants, hoping to get a better look at the place. you ring the bell. no response. you try again. and again. maybe they're out -

“shidou, will you just get the damn door already?”

oh. okay.

the door finally swings open, and you're greeted by a tall, tan-skinned and vaguely familiar-looking man with a terrifying grin. you take a step back, a little shocked, but he just beams at you.

“you're the one who's been messaging me about the apartment, aren’tcha? come on in!”

he loops an arm around your shoulder, introducing himself as he walks you in. he's ryusei shidou, a member of the national football team who played in an exhibition match a few years back (which explains why you find him so familiar).

“so, uh…” you shudder slightly when shidou fixes his gaze on you. “where's your girlfriend? or, uh, boyfriend, i guess. partner. i should probably meet them.”

and it's at this moment that you abandon your inital thoughts of finding another place because sae freaking itoshi steps into the kitchen??

you think you might just faint. 

“o-oh my gosh, sae,” you stammer,  “it's an honour to meet you –”

he stares at you blankly, then at shidou with murderous intent in his eyes.

“who is this?”

“i'm not, like, a side chick or anything,” you quickly clarify, but shidou simply grins.

“we need someone to split rent with, and-”

“and i thought i would just check your place out, seeing as i'm in the same boat,” you finish. “but you two, as a couple, should probably discuss this. you know what? i can wait outside-"

“wait,” sae says slowly, pure, unadulterated disgust in his eyes. “he told you we're a couple?”

shidou's face falls. "we're not?"

and that's the story of how you move in with two men around your age who have some weird dynamic going on that you don't question.

japan's talented young midfielder is a great roommate (then again, you did go into this with no expectations whatsoever). he does the dishes when he's supposed to, takes the heavier bags off your hands during grocery runs with you, stays quiet after ten pm. he makes breakfast for you and shidou in the mornings, and teaches you about football.

ryusei shidou, though... oh, you get why sae's so sick of him now.

he takes the most massive dumps in the bathroom and doesn't flush. or put the seat back up after he's done. or turn the tap off properly. (he's flooded the sink before.) speaking of sinks, he leaves his dirty dishes in the sink. sometimes you want to tear his diabolical dye job off his scalp. sae informs you he has has tried just that and failed to do so.

but he does make you laugh a lot with his jokes and antics.

"one thing you should know about genius sae-chan is that he loves back hugs." "please don't speak for me."

and the two of you absolutely love making fun of sae's attempts to properly reconcile with his brother. you'll be peering over at his phone screen, ryusei on his right and you on his left, as he types out something about lunch plans tomorrow.

"you spelled 'restaurant' wrong for a second there."

ryusei dodges the pillow that comes flying at his face.

they've known each other for longer than you've known them, but they tell you things they wouldn't ever tell the other. like when ryusei quietly admitted to you one night, that despite all his careless flirting, he does really want to be with sae, in a more-than-friends kind of way. or like when sae told you in confidence that he secretly likes ryusei's back hugs.

and when against all odds, a certain green-haired boy in your lectures starts talking to you, you shudder to think that you now have something in common with ryusei - being deeply obsessed with an itoshi sibling.

bllk masterlist || general masterlist

© sirhamburrger 2024

[flowerandblood]

The First Impression (Drabble)

[ coffee maker • Aemond x student • female ]

[ warnings: angst, him being a mean bitch ]

[ description: He hates his job and she makes him hate it even more. Or maybe not entirely? A very old request from the anon. ]

* English is not my first language. Please, do not repost. Enjoy! *

Word count: 700

My other works chapters: Masterlist

_____

He hated his job. He couldn't think of anything worse and more boring than pouring coffee, cutting fucking cheesecakes and signing cups for little hipster girls who then took pictures of themselves with them, grinning like idiots.

However, nothing annoyed him more than those momentary, watchful glances as if someone was under the impression that he was just imagining things, looking at him more closely to make sure that in fact one of his eyes was prosthetic.

He felt like pouring hot coffee in their faces then and asking: anything else?

Of course, he couldn't do that, and that vision remained only in the realm of his dreams. He wanted to support his mother and pay his own rent while studying at the University, and few employers were willing to go along with him when it came to working hours.

He had no choice but to endure it somehow.

He was devastated when it turned out that, according to the fashion, they were supposed to learn how to make different patterns on coffee so that they resembled different shapes or characters. He felt like an idiot when, for the tenth time, he had to repeat the movements that would allow him to create a heart shape out of the liquid, and then he had to do the same thing, only that for the female customers.

For them it was romantic, for him it was pathetic.

One day he saw a girl bending over a cup he handed her – she was sitting at a table taking a picture of the design she had ordered, which was a flower.

He thought she was probably some kind of influencer and rolled his eyes, thinking that at a time when someone had to work hard like he did, others were simply putting their pictures on social media, making a product of their lives.

She surprised him when she approached him, undeterred by his stony face expressing boredom and disapproval.

"Could I ask for that most complicated pattern, with the dragon's head?" She said, and he closed his eyes thinking that this was the worst day of his life.

Why, why did it have to be him?

"You don't like doing this." She muttered finally, trying to make out his answer from his face. He turned involuntarily over his shoulder, not wanting his manager to hear him.

"Not really." He admitted reluctantly, thinking after a moment that he was a moron, that she would write about him on her blog and he would lose his job because of her.

"We study at the same university, so I have to warn you." She finally confessed.

"Your boss hired me as a secret client. This is my last day of work. He wants to know how you talk to your clients. But I won't tell him about it. Just be careful because he might do it again. I wouldn't want you to lose your job over such stupidity." She said quietly, leaning towards him, and he froze, feeling the cold sweat on his back.

"– fuck – I –"

"Don't say anything or he'll see it on the cameras later. Just make me that coffee. By the way, you're very good at it. I even sent a picture of your creation to my mum." She said with amusement and he swallowed hard, tense and nodded, taking a clean mug from the counter.

"Right."

He figured he'd put his whole heart of stone into the design on her coffee as a thank you for warning him, and made out his boss's face with his big glasses and moustache. When he placed her cup in front of her she burst into loud, warm laughter.

"Beautiful. This is better than the previous one. He's even similar. So sad to drink." She sneered, pulling her wallet out of her bag, taking out her credit card.

"Thank you. You know." He said, tapping the amount she should pay into the terminal, handing it to her so she could put her card close to it.

"It's okay. I'm just glad I had the chance to meet you and talk to you for at least a moment. See you at the University?" She asked lightly and he nodded, embarrassed.

"See you."

[yuujispinkhair]

Sukuna gave up on love years ago. But somehow, your eyes and your smile are all he can think about. -> This is part of my Blog Anniversary Event. A sweet anon requested the song "Lovebug" by the Jonas Brothers.

Pairing: Modern!CEO Sukuna x Reader (female) Genre: fluff Word Count: 700 Warnings: Mentions of alcohol. Sukuna and Reader meet as business partners, and feelings spark between them. All characters are of age. Minors don't interact.

God, it's ridiculous!

Sukuna slams his vodka glass down on his desk, laughing and shaking his head. He isn't a sentimental person. He isn't one of those fools who let their emotions get the better of them. He knows love is more trouble than anything else, and he isn't chasing it anymore. He decided years ago to stop doing that. No, Sukuna hasn't been looking for love for a long time.

And yet, all it took was one business phone call followed by an afternoon and a dinner spent with you, and now he can't stop this weird feeling from spreading through his chest. He sees your smile even when he closes his eyes. He still smells your perfume even though it can't linger on his skin after such a short moment of holding your hand and bringing it to his lips to kiss it.

It is highly ridiculous. And irresponsible. And foolish.

He swore off love. Swore off everything that could tear down his walls. And he is good at this, brilliant even. No one can see beneath Itadori Sukuna's mask of arrogance and indifference!

And yet your eyes looked at him with that knowing look. As if you could see right through him. As if you knew.

You treated him differently than the others. Your eyes didn't stray to his expensive watch or his car keys. You didn't order the most expensive meal off the menu when he said he would pay. You didn't act mysterious or slutty or any of those other things the others did, who were always so calculating, so desperately trying to fit into the image of the perfect doll, not realizing that it only made them seem fake.

There is nothing fake about you. You didn't hold back your laughter during dinner. You didn't worry about smearing your lipstick while eating. Your makeup was light, and the eyeliner applied a bit crookedly. It made his heart do a flip somehow. You didn't shy away from sharing a huge dessert with him, smiling and rolling your eyes in pleasure at how delicious it tasted. He had chuckled in genuine amusement and joy when you pushed a spoonful of ice cream towards him, telling him he simply had to try it.

So light. That's it. He feels so light when he is around you. It's as if all the small and big stresses of his busy CEO life just vanished into thin air, and instead, the sun is shining on him, and he can breathe in clear, fresh air.

He catches himself smiling as he thinks of how you snorted with laughter about one of his dry comments. Usually, none of those women laugh about his humor. And it's not just that you think he is funny. You replied with the same humor, making him laugh too.

He sighs and turns off his computer. It's late at night. Time to go home and get some rest. But not before he grabs his phone and types a quick message to you, thanking you for the lovely evening and wishing you a good night. He only hesitates for a small moment before he adds, "I would like to see you again. I know a place with even better dessert variations for two."

He is surprised by the smile he spots on his face in the mirrored walls of the elevator when he receives your reply, telling him that you would love to share a dessert with him again.

A catchy love song starts playing on his drive home. The type of song that Sukuna usually finds annoying and which would lead to him changing the radio station. But not tonight. Tonight, he lets it play, and maybe he hums a bit in tune with the melody. Maybe he feels a little fluttery sensation when hearing the lyrics about freshly found love.

Maybe all he can think of are your eyes and your smile and how good it felt to sit there with you and talk and laugh and not even realize how many hours had already slipped by, so caught up in his conversation with you. So caught up in your eyes.

He isn't someone who catches feelings easily. He thought for a long time that he had managed to become immune to all of this.

But does a man who is immune to falling in love hum along to a stupid catchy lovesong? Does a man who gave up on love smile to himself while he pictures your laugh?

Maybe the lovebug bit him after all. And maybe he is glad it did

Thank you so much for participating in my event! I hope you enjoyed this little story!! I am swooning so much thinking about spending a flirty business dinner with CEO Sukuna aww!!

Comments and reblogs would be sweet!!

[kuroppiii]

     day by day ᵕ̈           husband!timeskip!kuroo tetsurō x gn reader ˎˊ˗

⋮⋮ ˒ ₍ᐢ..ᐢ₎ 𖥻 ⿻ : little moments from your ⋮⋮  daily life with your silly little husband

📋 content         ♡ # 𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘧𝘧 🐮         ♡ # 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘴 🥛         ♡ # 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 - 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘱         ♡ # ~700 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴

🧸 directory  ‹ ✩  like what you read ? check out more of my blog !  •ᴗ•

💬 kuroppiii ─ “ this is like word vomit but pleaseee he plagues my mind , i ' m clawing at the walls of my enclosure ( not proofread !! ) ”

um yeah so congrats to timeskip!kuroo for being able to live his best life

an even greater life with you in it, of course

because although he swaggers along in his little suit and tie handing out his card willy-nilly to god knows who all day,,,

you bet your sweet ass he’s got a picture of you in his wallet

and that wallet is constantly getting whipped out around the office as he looks at your smiling face

looking longingly and with a little lovestruck sigh

(he’s so dramatic)

he has your drink order on lock and will pick it up coming back from work

but he is the type to take a “sip” out of your cup in exchange

(half your drink’s gone after that 🙁)

he “needs help” tying his tie like every other morning

“y/n love of my life can you help me with this”

it was cute

like the first couple times

maybe not so much at the twentieth time

at this point you just tell him to do it himself so you don’t have to get out of your bed bc you know what he’s trying to do

"have you ever considered trying a clip-on tie, tetsu?"

but granted, whenever you do cave, it’s impossible to miss in the corner of your eye the way his eyes are filled with pure unadulterated admiration as he watches you tie the stupid tie

(it was never about the tie)

(he just needs to look at you before he has to go the work where he can’t look at you like this until he comes home later that night)

and sometimes when he gets home he really tries to take up making dinner some nights to give you a break

he even wears a little apron (your apron) over the wife pleaser and boxers he’s so accustomed to changing into upon arriving home

(really not necessary but you two watched the bear together one night and he’s really just trying to get into it with the apron)

he looks ridiculous but you hate to admit you find it so adorable

"can someone get me a fucking sharpie, that fucking works!!!"

"i'm sorry for cursing at you babe, i don't even need a sharpie, i was just saying the thing from the thing–"

the best he can do is like cold noodles or the occasional steak dinner which really aren’t that bad when those are on the dinner menu!!!

when it comes to everything else? well... yeah he’s better off without the apron

but make him lunch for the office? oh he’ll propose to you a second time right then and there next to your fridge

put the cute character cutouts in there too, as if he cares what his coworkers might say bc anything you touch is gold to him no matter what

“ok but where are your guys’ carrot flowers, huh? don’t eat your veggies? have you ever considered that what you should actually be concerned about, is that you’re not eating as balanced of meals as i am every day?”

part of me wants to say when all is said and done, you two share a bottle of wine or smth under the night sky together to wind down

but honestly i don’t think a moment with this man necessarily calls for being a little buzzed like that

he makes you laugh simply by how he talks about his day, and with his little comments and reactions to whatever you may tell him about yours

"some people may wonder how he got demoted from a coordinator position–but y/n, honey, if you saw the way he parallel parks on the street outside our office, you would agree he's very much lacking in the skill of coordination."

"wow, i can't believe she treated you that way. and you're sure she knows the 'h' in 'hr' stands for 'human', right? because she sure isn't acting like a good one."

"😧 ..."

it’s like your home becomes your own personal comedy-club to round off yet another day with the love of your life

with the sounds of both of your laughter mingling together in a solemn late-night harmony only ever truly appreciated by the both of you

and when you two finally head to bed

his arm can’t help but snake its way around your waist

"g'night my love..."

pulling you close and breathing in your scent as you both get lulled away into a deep sleep

all to repeat everything again the next morning <3

[d1gitalys]

Astarion, 'Little Star', as a name:

CW mentions of pedophilia (speculation), also BG3 SPOILERS I'm sure this has been plenty discussed before but I must say, without any interactions with the fandom prior that could lead me to the conclusion, realising for myself that Astarion's name ('Little Star') could correlate to the fact he died *so young* for an elf was CHILLING. This man still has his baby name that he never got to grow out of- they would choose a more adult name at around a century of age, and finally be viewed as actually mature by their fellow elves I think about this a lot because there's also the fact Cazador was turned quite young- but he's been around for God knows how long now, he'd definitely not view himself as young still- yet he ABSOLUTELY would recognise Astarion as such. It makes the way he talks about them being a 'family' and Astarion the 'prodigal son' so much more chilling, that he really is a child in comparison in more ways than just the sheer age difference. the SPECIFIC age he found Astarion at plays into it too. He's a pathetic weakling boy in Cazador's eyes because he was their equivalent of a teen. The fact Astarion also seems to believe this in the way he's not chosen a new name yet (despite being now over two centuries old). Some people might claim it's because he's attached to the name, due to his past or something- the fact he says he remembers nothing before he was turned, and maybe the name is one of the only parts of that? I do appreciate both interpretations but I'm more inclined to believe it's because he thinks he's basically suspended in time (which is kind of true, the way he doesn't physically age anymore), which checks out with his non-ascended act 3 romance bit, where he says that he was buried for two centuries, and it's time to start living again. The age thing makes me wonder how many of Astarion's earlier 'finds' to take back to Cazador were aware of this. Of course he'd be seen as mature enough by other species' standards at the same rate as humans- but any older elves Astarion may have managed to 'seduce' in his early days? That's kind of nasty, to me it yells pedophilic intent (you're welcome to argue with me on this, but I'm not likely to change my mind). Part of me wonders if he would have avoided such people, but part of me thinks he wouldn't- maybe he would have for his own pride, but became too desperate when Cazador insisted on more people and he simply had to fulfill. Or maybe he went along with it almost eagerly, knowing that willing targets are easier to deal with- and glad to get rid of them. Nasty stuff. These targets, too- depending on your choices, you can kill or release all the 700 vampire spawn- but how many of those are disgusting, sick people? How many of those absolutely deserved to rot there for however long they did, never seeing the light again? How badly might it affect Astarion to know that if he frees these people, they'll do horrendous things, worse than killing? But then, to kill so many as well... of course, he doesn't give a damn about most, but there are a select few that he would have felt terrible about- it must weigh horribly on him either way, though that's not really explored very well apart from the one person who he recognised and spoke to which sort of proves how much it's been eating at him over the years, considering it's been hundreds of years People really just love to thirst over the hot vampire and whilst I am one of those people there is such depth to his character that I really appreciate; and I'm sure I'll have some more revelations later on as I go through different routes and dialogues and lore I wonder if in some timeline where he's happy with Tav, maybe after another 70 years or so, he finally allows himself to choose an adult name. Or maybe he is attached to the name Astarion after all. Who's to say.

[seokmthw]

nightmares | park gunwook

⇢ pairing: gunwook x reader

⇢ warnings: fluff

⇢ word count: 700

prompt #14 "please don't cry, we're both here and we're both fine"

⇢ note: writing for gunwook is so lovely but can you guys believe this is one of the only requests i have for him? it's a little insane, like the imbalance of requests per member baffles me JEOWNWBWKQ (special shout out to my favorite wook stan @zerobaselove i had you in mind writing this)

JOIN MY TAGLIST!

gunwook stirred in his sleep, flipping over on his side and attempting to reach out to grab you and pull you closer, but to no avail. he grumbled discontentedly, scooting himself even farthing in to your side of the bed - just in case you were on the edge of it somehow - and finally decided to open up his eyes and look for you upon flailing his limbs once more and still not finding you.

he was greeted by emptiness, furrowing his brows in confusion and concern, wondering where you could possibly be when it was this deep into the night. he sat up, feeling his dark hair sticking out every which way, but he didn’t care. he glanced over at the clock on his bedside table, greeted by the fluorescent red numbers that read 3:52am.

he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, bare feet being greeted by the cold hardwood flooring beneath them. your bedroom door was cracked, giving him a small inkling of where you could be, and decided to pull it open, greeted by the gentle stillness that blanketed your shared home. it was almost eerie, and could feel his heart beginning to sink at the idea of you randomly leaving him in the middle of the night - though he knew you would never actually do that.

he started in the kitchen, thinking that maybe you had gotten up to get a glass of water, but everything remained untouched from your after-dinner cleanup. next was the living room, though that was vacant too. he raked his hand through his hair, fear now settling into the pit of his belly.

he caught a glimpse of your restless figure sitting on a chair that decorated your front porch through the window, your legs curled up beneath you and one of the throw blankets you had likely picked up from the couch wrapped around your shoulders. he made his way to the front door, quietly opening it so he didn’t scare you, and padded outside, quickly grabbing your attention.

he knew something was wrong from the way he was able to see your tears glistening in the dim moonlight and the deep frown adorning your lips. he crouched down in front of you, warm hands finding their resting place on your thighs, and asked, “what’s wrong, baby? why are you out here so late?”

“i’m sorry for waking you,” your voice was fragile and barely above a whisper, fresh, hot tears now streaming down your face, “i was hoping you would stay asleep if i came out here.”

he tilted his head ever so slightly to the side, gaze softening upon hearing your words, “you never have to apologize for something like this. what’s got that pretty little head of yours awake so late?”

you fell silent at his question, bottom lip beginning to tremble slightly. he gently rubbed your legs, allowing you to take all the time you needed to collect yourself, finally telling him, “i had a really horrible nightmare about you and i just… couldn't fall back asleep after waking up from it.”

anything else you wanted to say died in your throat, instead replaced by a loud cry, your body instinctively melting into gunwook's as he opened his arms to you, engulfing you in one of the warmest, loveliest hugs.

“please don't cry, we’re both here and we’re both fine,” he mumbled into your hair, taking note of the way your fists balled up into his t-shirt, as if you would lose him at any given moment.

he added, “if you ever have a nightmare like this again, you wake me up, okay? i don't want you to ever feel like you'll bother me by doing so.”

you simply nodded, your breaths finally falling into an even rhythm as you listened to his heartbeat, your eyes growing heavy at the cozy feeling he was providing to you. sighing, you stated, “i’m sleepy, wookie.”

he squeezed your frame, helping you rise up onto your feet, his lips planting a gentle kiss on your forehead as he said, “let's get you to bed then, my love. i’ll make sure to protect you from those dreams.”

[somerandomg33k]

I just got paid today. About $2100 in net pay. Typical for about 110 to 120 hours of work over two weeks. So $375 into the joint account I share with my brothers that I live with to cover for my portion of rent and bills. And I will put another $375 next paycheck. $700 towards the Chase Amazon credit card. $200 to the bank credit card. $150 to my friend Lynnaquinn, good enough for groceries this week for her and her spouse, hopefully. And $250 for Johanna to get her out of the red and have enough for her phone bill, hopefully. Accounting for the $106 payment for my PC, and all other future charges covered on my two credit cards, I pretty much have $383 left in the checking account today. Or will once all of other the charges go through. So yea, just got paid $2100 and it is almost gone.

And still want to spend a little money on myself. Spending $100 for vbucks just to get more Fortnite skins, even after owning 573 of them. And after already spending $6000 on Fortnite in the two years I have been playing it. Getting myself a frozen pizza just because as well.

But yet, part of me just wants to instantly give Phoenix the $380. Because they are also really struggling. They expressed they can't keep going on like this. Been like this for years for Phoenix.

Another Paycheck that once I instantly get it, I need another one. I don't have enough to make sure my friends have a comfortable life. I don't have enough to get my teeth fixed. Haven't been to the dentist in years. And I emotionally broke down at the suggestion I should focus on myself and take care of my credit card debt. But that also feels impossible.

I hate budgeting. So I am really really bad at doing it. I just feels like not spending money at all. When Fortnite players, like my friends, talk about "saving vbucks" there is no such thing as saving vbucks. All saving vbucks is is simply not spending vbucks. Not getting the skins you want in the item shop.

The only way I see making any dent into my credit card debt is not giving money to my friends in need. Not spending as much money as I do. Or working as much overtime as I can. 12 hours days 6 days a week. Or any combination of the three, or all three. And when I do work 12-hour days, I have like 15 fifteen minutes in the morning, all used to get dressed and leave for work, and then whatever time I give myself when I come home for the evening, which is maybe two hours at most. And no more because I shouldn't stay up beyond 2 am.

I don't know how much more I need to earn at my job to feel whole. Or to feel well. Maybe double what I make now. But how fucking likely will that happen for someone without a college degree in this economy.

But I fucking hate thinking like this. I hate being concern with money. I hate getting pay over $2000 and it is still not enough. I hate that my friends are in poverty and will probably just never get out of it. I hate there is no end in sight for this cycle. I hate the fucking system that we live in. And hate how there are many people that will defend Capitalism. Or believe, "You just have to vote for the right people to be our benevolent dictator. And they will improve the system. #VoteBlueNoMatterWho." I hate feeling powerless to end of this misery. And I have other friends and family members that are suffering too..... I just feel..... bleph.... meh .... urg.....

[tartigglez]

"perhaps you should test the theory?" (pt.1)

kaeya x gn!reader

genre: friends to lovers (idrk how to categorise it. too wholesome to be smut too suggestive to be fluff)

word count: 700-ish

summary: truth or dare?

tags: first kisses lol, spoiler alert: they're secretly in love with eachother, basically just reader putting ninety per cent of their energy into comebacks to kaeyas flirting ngl

tw/cw: itsy bitsy bit suggestive, esp towards the end but that's kinda it

a/n: i was gonna write this prompt with childe and i still might but wbk im a kaeya main and i just n e e d e d to,,, i just h a d to

for someone with a cryo vision, kaeya alberich was surprisingly good at turning on the smoulder, making you feel warm inside, making your cheeks heat up, maybe making you feel a little hot and bothered in other ways, but that is something you would never admit to. he was someone you considered your best friend on earth, and he thought the same of you. you’ve been inseparable for years, to the extent where the citizens of mondstadt have often questioned you on the status of your relationship, were you friends? or something more? 

you would be lying to yourself if you said that you didn’t ask yourself the same question quite often. you loved kaeya, no doubt about that, but was it just platonic? and despite the fact the man has flirting skills which are arguably unmatched in all of teyvat, he seemed to always be single, which made you wonder if it was something to do with you, but you knew that deep down, that was simply a fantasy. 

a loud, disruptive knock on your front door tore you away from the pages of your book, a romance novel, coincidentally enough… 

you opened the door to find a tall man carrying copious amounts of snacks in his arms, and wearing the standard tilted grin on his face.

“kaeya…?”

“that was me the last time i checked. open the door, we’re hanging out”

“alright…” 

despite the fact the man had an entire house to himself, it felt like he was rarely away from yours. after welcoming himself into your home, and making his way to your room, he dropped the snacks on your bedspread, analysing his choices, and secretly praising himself because he remembered to pick up your favourite snack. 

“dare to tell me if there is any reason for your sudden visit, mister cavalry captain?” 

“nope”

“try again” you said sternly

the man cannot resist the questioning look on your face (secretly he found it adorable), and therefore offered his reasoning

“my shift finished and i was bored. after all, i haven’t seen you today, that's all”

the sudden confession from the captain was enough to arise butterflies in your stomach, but you decided it best to simply ignore his flirtations for the time being, swiftly moving on to a new topic of conversation.

“what do you want to do?”  

“you” he mumbled, under his breath

you could've sworn your ears were playing tricks on you, as well as your stomach, which you could practically feel doing a backflip. after all, kaeya was flirty, but he was generally quite chivalrous, as is to be expected from such a well respected knight of favonious. 

“excuse me?”

“lets play truth or dare” 

“uh huh…”

after about ten minutes, you are laying on your back on your bed, next to kaeya, who is doing the same, whilst quietly munching on some sort of new snack a friend in liyue had sent to him. 

“okay truth” he opened, “what is the weirdest compliment someone has ever given you?”

“hm, let me think” 

after about 10 seconds of silence, you answer, not expecting anything to rise, of course…

“probably that my lips look very soft? i’m not sure, sometimes people talk about me having nice eyes but i think the lips one has gotta be up there”

“right… now that i think about it, your lips do look... really soft” he said quietly, so quiet it was almost a whisper, whilst never breaking eye contact.

from pure reflex, a sharp breath drew itself into your lungs. quite frankly, its hard to know how to feel about having something like this said to you, especially by such a close friend, but somehow, you happened to find the perfect response somewhere in the back of your mind.

“perhaps you should test the theory?”

within a split second, the cryo user was hovering over you, his arms planted on the mattress at either side of your head, so close that you could feel his breath on your skin.

“may i?”

you simply nodded, having suddenly realised that you have never wanted anything more than this.

and so, you finally felt the contact of kaeya's slightly cold lips upon yours… 

part 2

[blazehedgehog]

Well, what do you think of all the Switch 2 hooplah recently?

Everything we know sounds like Nintendo was very close to announcing a Switch Pro to supplement the Switch Lite. From what I remember (and maybe I'm getting some of this wrong, it's just from memory):

In the big Nvidia leak, a second driver branch was discovered for the Switch's specific brand of Tegra chip that included a new version of DLSS, the tech that upscales low resolution displays up to 4K. It was assumed this was for the Switch Pro.

It's not just that the Nvidia leak was for the Switch's Tegra chip, I believe it was for, like, a "version 2" (or even version 3) of that same chip.

Bloomberg ran a report that a dozen or so developers had Switch Pro development kits and were targeting their games for it. I don't think it's unreasonable to assume something like Mortal Kombat One and the Batman Collection were probably including the Switch Pro in their targets, and the performance problems people reported in Link's Awakening HD were probably meant to be cleaned up by the Pro. Digital Foundry also has noted that Nintendo's own trailer footage of Tears of the Kingdom appeared to be running on hardware much better than a stock Switch.

Some reports of the Switch 2 are "more evolution than revolution" and it feels to me like Nintendo is just taking the Switch Pro and maybe just bumping it up a little more. After all, they have all this work done on development for the Pro, so why not just extend the capabilities a little more?

The current target is said to be "in the same range as the PS4", right? For a portable, I think that's about right. The ignorant will moan at how behind the curve Nintendo is on hardware, but one, that's how Nintendo actually remains profitable, and two, that's kind of the limit of what a portable system is capable of.

Because we have the Steam Deck now, right. And the Steam Deck has created a market of Steam Deck competitors -- stuff like the ROG Ally and the Ayaneo. And for the current price point ($400-$700), we generally seem to have hit a limit of what's possible in portable hardware, and it's right around that "about as powerful as a PS4" spec.

The ROG Ally and Ayaneo can push things beyond that a little bit, but the added power consumption basically makes the battery on these things worthless. Which is to say nothing about system heat; the ROG Ally was famous for having an emergency ejector function that would suddenly launch the SD card from the slot like a missile under the danger that it was getting so hot it might melt.

We're simply at the boundary of what's possible in that form factor, doubly confirmed by Valve stating last year that we wouldn't see a Steam Deck 2 "for at least a couple years." For something this light, this thin, this is as stable and as usable as it gets.

I imagine the Switch 2 will be somewhat competitive in this arena, but not quite as powerful or versatile as a Steam Deck. But it won't exactly be a slouch, either. I imagine it'll be the sort of thing where a $300 Switch 2 will be "good enough" but a $400 Steam Deck will still edge it out in performance.

Will Nintendo announce the Switch 2 this year? Maybe, I guess. I always got the impression that they didn't announce the Switch Pro because sales on the vanilla Switch were way too strong and they didn't want to water down the market with too many alternate SKUs. But now vanilla Switch sales seem to be falling pretty fast and they're in a position to get this thing to market quickly, so I think they will.

[sgt-scottymoreau]

What happens in Siberia, stays in Siberia - Part 1

Summary: After months of secretly feelings, things lead that another and some of these feeligs comes out in a rather messy way. But honestly nothing is ever easy.

Warning: None

Words: 3.9 // AO3 // Part 2 // Masterlist

A/N: So I posted a poll on my main to know which fic should be next, this one won. However, from my three options, this was also the one that I wanted to rework a little (actually second time I do lol) I'm not quite done yet, but this fic is already getting as big as it is, so it will be in two (maybe three? I mean so far I have over 12k words!) part. I suppose as a heads up I could say that part 2 will have some spicy to it, if you catch my drift. What did you think I mean when I say everything will be messy?! lol

Although it was known that the 141 was considered an international task force, it was odd for some to see someone from another country roaming around the base. Especially that it had been give or take five months since Scotty joined. It’s true that she did stand out while wearing her work uniform, she was always proud to wear her colors and everyone was aware of her background. Words spread fast. So did the rumors as to why she would remain here. Especially among new recruits who might not have all the latest updates. But whatever the others were thinking, Scotty didn’t mind much. Because whatever the others could say or think, she actually enjoyed the team. It was a change to have something stable after some many issues. No one ever bothered her about it. Some curious characters here and there did ask or engage in a conversation to either put a clear view on whatever rumor they heard. Meanwhile, others could be bold and unafraid. Just like today.

The five of them were sitting at the table, enjoying some well deserved rest and meal with a lighthearted conversation. Mostly the three sergeants engaged in it, talking about everything and nothing. Or about the old days before the task force. Ghost was listening in silence, it was entertaining, but he didn’t find the need to add more, and Price simply enjoyed the calm. Especially since he was waiting to meet Laswell soon for some important briefing. ‘’So there’s that one time I tell my teammates that if the amount of cocaine found was one tonne, I would jump in the water.’’ Scotty said.

‘’Sounds like you did.’’ Soap laughed, taking another bite of his meal.

‘’I, in fact, did not. I think it was De Keyser who said it wouldn't be more than 700 kg. According to our intel, it was a small drug bust. If he lost he was the one to jump. So here we are counting, not even close to 500 kg, I start to worry. But then, one of the port security found another container. Low and behold, 856 kg in total! According to De Keyser, the water was freezing cold that day. It was funnier to fish him out.’’

‘’Poor man ran out of luck that day.’’ Gaz laughed. He could imagine how her colleague must have felt to lose by not much. Lost in their shenanigans, none of them saw the recruit approaching their table. When the young one was in range they looked at him, curious about what he had to say. Even more when they noticed the other recruits in the back pointing at him and whispering at each other. Obviously, it was dare or something along those lines.  

‘’How can we help you?’’ Soap asked, offering his kindest smile.

‘’Hmm, not you. Her.’’ Oh even if it was a dare, he had a certain arrogance in his tone. That was promising. Scotty raised an eyebrow, putting down her fork and giving her full attention to the newcomer. ‘’You're not exactly from here, so why stay with them? What’s your job? Task Force’s bitch?’’ Boy had a lucky star watching over him, because everyone at the table stopped what they were doing to stare at him. Everyone shifted on their seats. Price put down his paper ready to reply something to the young one disrespecting his superior but Scotty was faster. She kept a calm tone and serene face.

‘’Oh I fucking wish!’’ This reply took everyone by surprise, even the rookie who suddenly didn’t know what to say. ‘’That’d be the dream! No more brushing with death, no reports to fill after mission, no exhausting training to stay in shape, fixed work hours and weekend free perhaps.’’

Price let his head fall on his hands with a disappointed sigh. Ghost who had been ever so silently following had not changed his expression but behind the mask wasn’t holding a smile. On the other hand, Gaz and Soap were almost rolling under the table. She said this with such seriousness and calmness, it was almost unbelievable. Her face had and was still impassible, the most serious she could be. ‘’Would that be all or should I also told you how I would satisfy every single of these men?’’ Scotty added leaning on the table to be closer to the rookie.

Gaz and Soap were on the verge of crying at this point, after Price groaned loudly in emotional pain. There were some things he didn’t need to hear, even as a joke. The recruit's face went red so fast, it was a miracle he was still standing on his feet and had not passed out from embarrassment. He tried to mumble some sort of excuse now that his smugness was all gone. He quickly ran back to his friends who had heard some of the conversation and were also laughing. She waved at them, resisting the urge to flip them off. It took Soap and Gaz another minute to finally be able to breathe again. Price watched his watch; what a relief. 

‘’I have to meet with Laswell.’’ He said getting up. ‘’I hope you will behave while I’m gone.’’ He had a smile on his face. Even if he couldn’t believe what just happened, it was better to see his team able to bond like this than be at each other's throats. 

Hadn’t finished their meal yet, they all remained in the mess hall. Still joking about what was going on. ‘’So that be the dream, aye?’’ Soap brought this statement back.

‘’Anything that allows me to stay alive another day and have fun. Sure.’’ She laughed. ‘’Isn’t like the 141 was made of bad looking guys.’’ It wasn’t far from the truth. Which was a bold statement to say when everyone concerned could hear. The only thing that made her a little awkward was that she was saying this next to Ghost. While she was maybe teasing the other two, Ghost was another story. Even if she hadn’t seen his face yet, the mystery of the man had some effects on her. That and his damn voice. And how large he was. And… she could go one for a while. He had been cold at the beginning, but over time he did show that he did care for everyone equally. Scotty also learned to act a little more relaxed around him, instead of being tense and awkward, even if she had some feelings for him. It was hard to know if he would reciproque them and honestly she did not expect, so better live with this and just be herself than restrain herself. It was always easier to joke when Soap was around anyway.

‘’Glad to hear, I’m good looking.’’ Soap grinned. 

‘’Oh please, you would be the first one to ask for anything. Gaz? I don’t know, you look like the kind of respectable man who wouldn’t.’’

‘’You could be surprise.’’ He commented.

‘’Price? Too much respect for the Captain, that would be awkward.’’ She snorted. 

‘’What about Ghost?’’ Soap asked. Scotty turned slightly to look at the lieutenant who suddenly was very focused on the conversation. She felt she had been pushed in the spotlight. His gaze through his mask was stern. She wasn’t sure what to answer here. However all of it was casual banter, nothing that could hurt.

‘’You are a bunch of idiots right now.’’ He groaned before Scotty spoke up. 

‘’We all know the lieutenant doesn’t care about this kind of stuff.’’ She shrugged it off, getting a small laughter from the other two, but a cold glare from him. Few months back this would have scared her to death, now it was just a background thing. ‘’That’s why I keep my mind on only Soap would be using my service and honestly that would make him the second whore of the 141.’’ Gaz wheezed again at this remark. Soap was amusedly offended. 

Ghost would have also smiled at the comment, it was a good comeback. However there was something different this time. He knew, deep inside he knew so bad she was just joking. It was how she was; laidback, cracking jokes around less dark than his but everyone had their way to light up the mood. He learned that over the time they had missions together. She had changed a lot since she joined. He remembered how she was so tense around him that one time they had to lay low at her family. Nowadays, it was great to see her more relaxed. But that was beside the point. The point was that as much as he liked her being like that, something was in this moment, in this specific way of being so casual with Soap that… annoyed him? Ghost couldn’t pinpoint exactly what the feeling was. He never felt that before. She had joked like this before, this wasn’t the first time. If he was good with little army humor that mostly consisted of dark humor, Scotty was a pro at innuendos jokes. She had no filter sometimes and he appreciated her directness. He had no right to feel so… angry at her for doing so? 

No he wasn’t angry at her. Nor Soap or Gaz to follow up in shenanigans. It wasn’t annoyance either. But he knew it came from how close the two looked at the moment. How they exchanged these ideas like… maybe there was something more behind the laugh. Right now, Ghost didn’t like how Soap was looking at her… It hit like a rocket to the face. It was jealousy! He was being jealous of his sergeant. But why? It wasn’t like… Her bursting in laughter at whatever had been said, sent a wave of warmth through him. It felt appeasing and nice. Come to think of it, it was not the first time this feeling was flaring up. Some days, even the most mundane conversation with her had the same effect. When she would be back from a high risk mission. Ghost watched her talking without paying attention to the conversation. Only to realize, she was actually trying to get his attention.

‘’Lieutenant, everything is alright?’’ Scotty asked. It was now that he finally noticed that the other two were gone. It was just her and him. ‘’You have been staring for a while now.’’

Had he? Seeing that it was indeed only them at the table, he sensed a small relief on his jealousy. That didn’t help how confused his head felt. It added more to it. ‘’Sorry, I was thinkin’.’’ He said hoping this would be enough for her to let go and not ask more questions. But her brown eyes didn’t look away, as she was about to question him. He made eye contact. It was this precise second, that he was once more hit so hard by the obviousness that he couldn’t believe it was that. But it was pointless right? He was too cold for her right? He was the opposite of her. She was far more like Soap, they would fit well… Jealousy came back at this thought. Yes it was this… He had feelings for her… ‘’Fucking hell, you are fool Simon.’’ Ghost thought to himself.

‘’Glad to see you are still here.’’ Price took him out of his thoughts. The lieutenant and sergeant gave their full attention to the captain.  He dropped a file on the table. ‘’I have an assignment for you two. Siberia.’’

They have been dropped a few klicks away from their target to ensure that now one would spot them. The night was cloudless allowing the moon to come through and light the way. It was still very cold, thanks to their winter gear, they were able to keep warmth in. Another positive point, the weather was clear at the moment, allowing them to make their way through the heavy snow more or less easily. It reached above their ankles at almost every step and they were traveling with light gear equipment. This was hell of a workout. Their mission was simple; infiltrate an old abandoned Russian facility. Intel showed that it wasn’t as desert as they thought and sight of convoy bringing in and out materials required a deeper investigation. It seemed to be chemical in origin. Arriving at their destination, they lay low on the snow. Scotty readjusted her hood to keep the wind from blowing her face. 

"Ghost, Scotty sitrep?" Price's voice came through their radio.

"We reached the target point, Captain." She replied.

"Roger, from now it will be radio silence till you get what we need. Contact me when all is over and I’ll give you the coordinates for evac. Good luck."

Ghost had already his sniper out and scouted the area. Scotty took out the binocular. The building didn’t look heavily guarded. Being in the middle of almost nowhere, there wasn’t much reason to waste assets on the outside. Still, two guards on the front entrance, four making rounds on the higher roof. Two more near a back door and finally three walking around the base of the building. This was a decent number, rather normal for this kind of facility, and nothing they couldn’t handle. 

“See anything good?” Ghost asked, always focusing with his snipe. 

“We have two options.” She replied, grabbing her infra light. She pointed to the bigger door. “We can either force ourselves by the front door by taking down the two guards.”

“Bold move, dangerous.”

“Or, here, by the east side of the building. There’s an exit, unguarded. Only one of the walking guards passes by once in a while.” Ghost followed the ray to see what she meant. This was a safer way in. 

“Good job, let’s move.” They put away their tools and advanced toward the building. The snow was softly crunching under their weight at each step. Their warm breath clashed with the cold Siberian air. Little clouds forming each time. Eventually, they crouched in the white, their tactical clothes allowing them to blend. Near the site, they took the first cover available to keep advancing. Two guards walked by laughing about something. Once clear, they quickly made their way to the exit door. Of course it was locked on the outside by a security system. Scotty took a small device and connected it to the keypads. There were so many possibilities but hopefully the combination will be found fast. 

Ghost kept watch. “How long?” He whispered.

“I don’t know, it could be in a minute or five. Anyone coming?” Her eyes never left the screen for a second.

“Negative.” They returned to silence. Ghost suddenly caught the noise of crunching snow. “Wait.. Fuck. Scotty tells me we have something, someone is coming!”

“We have three numbers out of five lieutenant… four. Come on, come on… Yes!” She disconnected the device quickly, opened the door and they quickly infiltrated in. The door closed behind him a little before the guard arrived. It was like no one was ever there. The warmth of the building was the first shock. A welcomed one. They carefully and steadily made their way inside the facility. The distance to their target destination was a long one. Although they were on the lookout for any chemical containers, which they actually saw a few as they advanced deeper in the building, their main target was the servers room. If they could extract more information over this whole operation, this would prove very useful. Somehow, Ghost and Scotty go on the lucky side, they barely encounter any security. If any, it was easy to avoid them. The last thing they needed was to leave or make a mess that would attract more trouble.

Crouching around the corner, Ghost looked over his shoulder. The servers were right there. Only two guards were standing there. Obviously, the value of what was in there was worth stationning personnel there. That was good and bad. "Got your knives?" He asked her. 

"Always." She smiled and took one out. "What's your plan?"

"Distraction. Hopefully they move. Once they are both more in the open, they go down." On this, he threw a piece of metal that was hanging there. The guards mumbled something and stepped forward of their station. Ghost counted down and on three, they threw their weapon. One last surprised cry came out of these men before falling to their death. The two operatives swiftly grabbed their bodies and dragged them in the room. From now on, they had to work fast. Anyone who would pass by might be alerted by the missing guards. To their surprise, the servers looked to be handmade. A bunch of recovered pieces, patched all together into something somehow working. Their enemies were quite resourceful. 

Scotty took place at one of the servers built in computer and plugged the drive. Ghost kept overwatch. "How long will it take?"

"I wish I could give you an answer but you never know with this kind of equipment." Scotty admitted. Without wasting more time she started typing. She first needed to get in the system, then will have to look around for the specific files. Hopefully it will be a piece of cake.

*****

Thirty minutes later and the only piece of cake was that no one had shown up. Ghost was running low in patience and so she was. "What do you want me to do!" Scotty raged between her teeth after he had voiced his annoyance at the stagnant work. 

"Anything that would make it go faster." He replied in the same tone. 

"No wonder you like to work alone…" She was racking her brain to find a solution. She had breached the system, but they had encrypted everything, so it was hell of a process to unlock all files. This would take longer than the time that had already passed. Unless… She grabbed her multitool. From what she guessed during her quick look around, this server was mostly made of random hard drivers all connected together. Half of them had been checked without anything interesting. Her last option was to simply remove the leftover drivers and take them home. Ghost watched her as she popped the drivers out of their slots, completely taken off guard. She took ten of them out and wrapped them in whatever she found, so at least the components would stay intact as much as possible. Then shoved the bounty in her backpack. 

Through the mask, Scotty could feel the wondering gaze. She simply shrugged it. He wanted fast and she gave him fast. He did like that in a sense. Now it was time to get out of this place and rendezvous with the exfil. Coast was clear. They stealthy made their way out of the room, making sure to not make a sound. They barely had turned the corner of the hallway, when shouting came from behind. "Here goes the smooth sailing." Scotty thought. The man shouted something that did not seem right for them. As if he was alerting the others. 

Ghost turned around with his gun and shot without hesitation. However the sound of it echoed throughout the area loudly. More reason to not stay here and see what happens next. The two soldiers ran down the stairs. Footsteps followed from behind, lots of them. They had to exit the building now, but how? It seemed like the building was swarmed by guards. They could retrace their steps to the emergency door they found earlier. That is if it was still unguarded. It would be surprising if by now the enemies had raised the alarm and all exits were compromised. Ghost took the lead in to figure out a way out. They covered some distance on the ground floor before they were forced back up when they saw many shadows stretching from the hallway in front and the steps from behind. They hid behind crates when they heard commotion coming their way. Crouched, they attempted an escape when one man noticed them and yelled something in russian. ‘‘Go! Go! Go!’’ Ghost ordered pushing her in front of him and he started shooting. 

Making their way who knew where, they found themselves cornered. Scotty looked around for anything where they could hide. ‘‘Lieutenant, there!’’ She shouted pointing out some old lockers.

‘‘Are you out of you mind there’s not way we fit in!’’ 

‘‘Well we have no choice!’’ She pushed him towards them. They had only a few seconds to spare. They quickly checked some lockers which all had something inside or were locked and when they finally found one to hide in, there was no more time to look at the others. They would have to cramp in there. They jumped in it and tried to close the door. If none of them moved, they could make it. They heard footsteps and voices on the other side. ‘‘They couldn’t have gone far! Find them!’’

They remained still. There was still some activity outside. ‘‘Let’s wait a few minutes then we get dash out of here.’’ Scotty whispered.

‘‘Roger that.’’ He replied, looking away. She was pressed so close against him, if it wasn't from the bulletproof vest, he dared to think… No! He had to focus on the mission. However it was hard to do with her squirming around to be comfortable and not get any numb limbs. Ghost was so large he took most of the space! ‘‘Can you stop moving!’’

‘‘Sorry it’s hard to find a comfortable position…’’ The voices had gone by now, but they agreed it would be safer to stay put a little longer in case someone was still scouting the surrounding area. She felt something against her leg. ‘‘Lieutenant, can you move your pistol?’’

‘‘That… is not my pistol.’’ He said between his teeth. Scotty was glad that there was barely any light in here, because her face turned red understanding what it was exactly. Time froze around them realizing the situation. Only brought back to reality by steps moving away along with shouting. Then silence returned. "Let's get out now." 

Clear or not clear, they didn't hesitate to exit the cramped space. Ghost contacted Price as soon as he could to know the rendezvous point. At this point they only wished to be out of there, safe. A wish shattered when the earpiece rang with bad news from the captain. "Ghost, Scotty, a big storm is heading your way. We won't be able to extract." 

"If we make it out alive, where to then?" Ghost replied, scanning the corner. He gestured to her to move forwards. 

"Gaz found an abandoned safe house five klicks away, North from your position, hidden in the beginning of the forest. Stay put till the storm passes. Over"

"Roger, will give a sitrep once we are there. Out." Some good news. They wouldn't be dying from cold at least. They could still die of bullets though. Avoiding as many enemies as possible they luckily made it back to their entrance. Ghost told Scotty to be ready with her gun. He will advance to take one down with his knife while she shoots the other. The two guards taken care off, he pushed the door and they ran outside. The two soldiers were met with a cold piercing wind. Snow was already falling heavily. The walk to the safe house would be a painful and exhausting journey.

[destinyc1020]

when topics like that are being discussed you can really see how some fans are blinded by their admiration for their favs, they lack critical thinking unfortunately

you made very valid points in your answer. i agree that z is way more established than her own fans -because they want to find excuses / give her credit for. and we're simply pointing out how contradictory her statements are compared to what she actually does with her star power, that's it. it doesn't mean we don't support her, but it's important to acknowledge this issue.

Perfect way to put this Anon 👌🏾

I'll always support Z and be excited about WHATEVER project she's doing, even if she never works with Black people ever again in her film career lol 😆

Just because a fan points out something, it doesn't mean that we hate her or anything. Like, get real!

All we're saying is that it would be nice to see Z work with some Black creatives and actors in her film career, since that hasn't really been the case so far.

While I don't think that Z is on Meryl Streep's level as far as pull and influence in Hollywood, I DO think that Zendaya has a lot of star power, popularity, and now we see, some box office game.

I think fans are short-changing her. You all say that nobody is out here in her age bracket doing it like her. She's been in some of the biggest, blockbuster films over the past 7 years, she's been the lead on a hit TV show for the past 5 years, she's won TWO Emmys for Best Actress, and she even led her first major motion picture film this year, which made a decent amount of money at the box office, not to mention, she was already second-billed in a SECOND huge film that also came out this year, and made over 700 million dollars at the box office!

But then when it comes to working with Black creatives, suddenly, she's this struggling, helpless, poor soul of an actress who just simply cannot afford to stop working with White Hollywood in order to do one film (ONE!!) with a majority Black cast? 😵‍💫🤔

I'm sorry, but I do think that Zendaya is pretty well-established in Hollywood so far. She's doing GREAT for age 27 imo. 👍🏾😊

She had a late start to film, unlike some child actors (true), but look at how far she's come in such a short period of time! You're trying to tell me that she isn't being looked at by Black Hollywood at all? That only White Hollywood appreciates her? 🤔

BTW... Back to my question...

Sooo which is it? 🤔 Is she a Boss out here doing it like nobody else is, or is she still "struggling" and that's why she can't afford to work with "Black" actors? (Which is a ridiculous notion BTW🙄)

You can't have it both ways.

I agree Anon that the excuses just seem weird to me atp. 🥴

It's better to just say, "I don't know why this is the case, but I'm sure she will work with Black creatives in the future of her career", instead of just making stuff up or making countless excuses that don't even make sense.

I feel like she most definitely will, so that's why I'm not even worried. But for some to say that we shouldn't even be having these discussions is just weird to me.

We wouldn't even be having these discussions in the first place if she weren't the one saying that she wants to open the door for her Black brothers and sisters in Hollywood and work with more poc. 🤷🏾‍♀️

I'm starting to wonder if maybe her agent just isn't sending things her way from Black Hollywood. 🤔

[anika-ann]

Okay, okay, but hear me out🤭🤭

Tony sets this up for him, which has Steve mortified. He's even too embarrassed to tell his girl, aka you.

You learn anyway, before it happens - and you are just as much of little shit as he is and you've got friends in convenient places. You spring into action.

Filth and crack-ish fun ahead, people, that is why it's under cut. Also, there's like zero editing to that 700-word thing.

The day of the interview/shooting, you just kiss goodbye in the morning, pretending you do not know Steve is going to do this kind of a public appearance, because he hasn't specified, too ashamed.

Then, you sit to the live feed, virtual or literal bowl of popcorn in hand.

Your boy looks as gorgeous as always, and despite the fact you know he can spew quite the filth in the bedroom or bathroom or kitchen, or the closet at the party, he's allready blushing.

And then he starts.

"He's so pretty I want to cry. Oh that is actually sweet. Please don't cry though."

"His..." he clears his throat, "his ass just won't end-- uhm, thanks." More blush to his cheeks. You grin.

"The thighs on that man, I swear, I want... I want a ride. There are taxis...?"

You can't but chuckle. You knew this was him putting on a persona. He knew all too well what the author of that tweet meant.

"His shirts are so tight I want to kiss his stylist. And then his... chest."

You almost aww. You liked taht one. You also know 100% that the word chest was not what was written there. 103%.

"...wait what do you mean now the spicy ones are coming in? Wasn't--- right. Alright. I'm doing this for the charity, just so you know-"

"Title of your sex tape," you mutter under your breath, wiggling in your seat in anticipation, maybe a little too amused.

But you simply can't help yourself, all giddy.

"Okay. So... he's as american as an apple pie but I'd like... a different kind of pie from him?"

You burst out laughing at his genuine confusion, taking a note of teaching him about this one.

"His face is so pretty. Those eyebrows of justice, lips of freedom,... thank you? I think. Uhm, and don't get me started on that nose. I want it to bump my--- as I-- and soa--- I'm not-- I'm not reading the rest of that tweet! I--- people actually put this out on the internet??" he sputters, horrified, the second prettiest blush you have ever seen on him adorning his face (the most beautiful one was when you were making love).

Your poor boyfriend has practically jumped from his seat, eyes all wide. He's fiddling with his microphone, refusing to continue, his dextrous fingers all fumbling.

He's a picture. He's perfect.

And you died. Of laughter.

You ascended to another plane of existence. But the best part was yet to come. You know it.

You know it, just as you know what the rest of the so-called tweet read - because you wrote it. You wrote all those fake tweets and called your friend, one of the producers, setting Steve up.

"Actually, they don't" sounds from behind the camera, causing Steve to stop toying with the mike, casting a confused gaze towards the person.

"I don't... understand?"

"They're fake. We'll tell you who wrote them off camera. Sorry to blindside you, Captain Rogers."

Steve is dumbfounded.

Except he isn't.

He looks directly to the camera and he might as well be staring into your soul. He knows.

He knows it was you and the ripple of excitement and fresh burst of laughter nearly tears you apart.

There's a comemrcial break lasting a whole minute.

While you giggle to yourself, you feel your phone vibrate in your lap.

Oh doll, just you wait until I get home. You'll get all those rides and bumps you wrote about. And you will beg for me to let you soak just about anything. Better eat up, you'll need the calories.

Gulping, you read an then reread the message, heart hamerring in your chest, coil in your belly already forming at the filthy promises - and you nearly jump when Steve's voice sounds from the screen again.

He's picture perfect; the blush barely there, million dollar smile of a golden boy, speaking in conciliatory manner about how he is not mad and he's happy to do it.

For the charity, of course.

He's innocence incarnate, his blush intensifying as he reads the real tweets.

The show runners weren't the only ones who could blindside someone. And you're not the only one who can be a little shit.

You squirm in your seat as something hungry flickers in Steve's eye at a particular tweet, just for you; and you know, he added it to his mental list of ways he will ruin you tonight, much to your mutual pleasure.

You should prepare snacks.

You feel like you really will be needing those calories.

I--- my hand slipped and fell on my keyboard? Repeatedly? 🥹🥹

I hope you ahd fun, I definitely did 😂

I'll tag some folks later maybe 🤭

someone stop him

[joellesolo]

So this past weekend, I listed this vintage school desk we've had for over five years on marketplace finally (it's a really long story; basically, I told my mom, do not give it to Peanut, we don't have room for it, we don't want it, she's never going to use it, don't you dare bring it over... guess what she gave Pea for her second birthday 🙃 anyway. Pea is seven, now. So, it's been over five years and this stupid fucking enormous desk has just been taking up space in the guest room, which then turned into Michael's office, and then eventually became Lily's room, annnnd here we are today...)

I am most likely not going to get my asking price of $200 (even though they go for $400-$700 in other cities), like, whatever, I'd be happy if someone offered me half of that, and just fucking took it off my hands at this point, I just want it GONE, thank you?!

(Oh, also, important to note! Please keep in mind: been SUUPER fucking manic for two weeks, med changes and shit, and then unmedicated since Monday; just, you know, VERY unstable and crazy and out of my mind, it's probably contributing to the pure rage I feel right now, just, an general fyi!)

Anyway! On Thursday morning, I get a message through marketplace and... well, uh, I don't really have words, so, here you go!

Uh... really, Justin? ARE you sorry to bother me? Because... it feels like IF you didn't want to bother me, you could have simply... not sent the message?

Like, damn, bro! So, obviously I get instantly enraged. Because who does this? Why is this okay? This guy is sending a literal STRANGER a message through FACEBOOK MARKETPLACE, of all fucking places, and he KNOWS it's inappropriate so he's trying to soften it?!

Also, I have my facebook privacy settings so if you aren't my friends, pretty much the only things you are able to see are my profile picture (if you go the my "my face" tag on my tumblr, it's my most recent post), my cover picture (a picture of the girls from a couple Valentine's Day's ago), and that I'm married to Michael. So if he attempted to look through my profile (which... probably 😒) he KNOWS I'm married. With children. And still sent this message anyway?!

But let's give him the benefit of the doubt? Even IF he didn't look at my profile, and DIDN'T KNOW I was married with kids, like... why would he think this was an okay thing to send to someone just trying to sell a fucking children's desk?!

... okay, I just typed that out and realized I take back the benefit of the doubt; he must know I have kids, because I am fucking selling a goddamn kid's school desk 😒 (yeah okay sure MAYBE I could be some vintage furniture collector but, I'm not buying that...)

Anyway. That was Thursday. I was super pissed, and raged about it to friends and family, and then because of my severe mental health crises, more or less forgot about it, and, yeah. Here we are now. Saturday.

So, JUST IMAGINE MY SURPRISE, when my phone goes *ding* and I pick it up thinking it's a mom friend or something, and instead I see the following:

... okay, like, I thought I was pissed the first time?!

Ha. Uh, ha, no? WHY DID HE THINK MY SILENCE WAS AN INVITATION TO SEND ANOTHER MESSAGE?! LIKE WHAT THE FUCK??!

I have no doubt this is one of those "your body, my choice" fuckers. NO DOUBT AT ALL. This is absolutely what the people chose. They have been emboldened one hundred percent. It's absolutely just... ugh.

I told my friends, and they're all like, wtf 😡🤢🤬 I told my family, and I get, "well Joelle, why didn't you just block him!!"

... yes. Because this is somehow all my fault? I totally asked for these unwelcome messages in the first place by posting the desk, like, oh wow, how dare I?!

🤦🏽‍♀️

No, stfu, get out of here 😒 My next step is figuring out how to report him to facebook, obviously, so he doesn't send me any other goddamn messages. Because I feel like they would just get worse?

BUT. He's going to know it was me! Unless he happens to be sending messages to women selling stuff all over Reno? Because I will just not show up in his messenger any more... but he has my name? He can just try to google me and find me?

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST I JUST GOOGLED MY OWN NAME AND THERE'S A GODDAMN WEBSITE AND IT LITERALLY HAS MY FULL FUCKING HOME ADDRESS ON THERE, SEVERAL PREVIOUS ADDRESSES, SEVERAL PREVIOUS PHONE NUMBERS, AND MOST OF MY GODDAMN RELATIVES, WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS TRUE PEOPLE SEARCH AND HOW THE FUCK DID THEY GET ALL THIS PERSONAL INFORMATION ABOUT ME?!!?!!?

okay well this is a fucking great turn of events now i'm scared to report him because what if he fucking GOOGLES ME AND COMES TO MY HOME AND TRIES TO HARM ME OR MY DAUGHTERS FUCK THIS

AHHH JESUS

sorry for having a goddamn literal freak out midpost

but FUCK TRUE PEOPLE SEARCH WOW

guess i need to figure out how to get all my information removed off there FIRST and then report the creepy fucker on marketplace?!!??! so much for resting today.... wow 😭😭😭

NONE OF THIS IS OKAY ABSOLUTELY NONE OF IT

[sunfl0werfield]

Fast Fashion

i did this for school but I think it's good enough to maybe post here. It is hopefully enough to spread more awareness.

Hello Ladies and Gentleman,

I am here to present why we should regulate the fast fashion production.What do you think it took for a shirt to land in the store and later on in your closet?

We always run after those sales (20%, 50%, or even 60% off) it sounds good, doesn't it? You would probably rather buy shoes or shirts that are on sale. But often, those are from stores selling fast fashion,We always buy more and more clothes that way, and often we don't even realize it. A lot of stores actually sell fast fashion; of course, we all know about Shein and Temu. But there are stores we might simply not expect or know that they sell fast fashion, I will name some of the stores, ones known not only in the US but also here in Germany, One of these stores is H&M, but also New Yorker, Zara, and even C&A.At this point. I think I could ask anyone in this room, and they most likely have something from one of these stores in their closet. But to get those clothes in your closet takes a lot of things, many of which are harmful to the environment and against human rights.According to an analysis by Business Insider, the fashion industry is responsible for at least 10% of carbon emissions, the same amount that the EU produces. Additionally, the production often dries up rivers and streams, just so that 85% of clothes end up in the dumps each year. This is extremely harmful to the environment. and people depend on those rivers. Without these rivers and streams, people have no access to any water they could drink or use to clean themselves. Even if they have access to these water sources, the water is full of chemicals because of those factories, but they have no other choice but to use that water since they often can't afford a drainage system.This also shows how much waste we generate simply from clothes, all because we consume too much these days. Most of the clothes that end up in the dumps are probably cheaply bought items from Shein or Temu that we wear for at most a year or two before they get ripped or washed out, which is why we then throw them away.At this point, we consume really more than enough. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change states that manufacturing will skyrocket by 60% by 2030. This is alarming, as the waste created by clothes will increase beyond its current levels. which will absolutely destroy our environment.Let's give you an example: In 2012, Zara was able to design, produce, and deliver a clothing item in two weeks, and H&M in eight weeks. That was already 12 years ago, and today that process is even faster.This creates an obscene amount of waste: it not only hurts the environment but also harms animals that chew on the waste and later get sick or strangle themselves with the fabric. Did you know that the fashion industry is actually the second largest water consumer? We talked about how they dry up rivers and streams, but I never mentioned how much material they waste for just one piece you wear. They require about 700 gallons of water for just one cotton shirt and 2,000 gallons for a single pair of jeans.According to Business Insider, the dyeing of clothes is also the second largest cause of water pollution. This is responsible for many diseases, not only for humans who drink the contaminated water but also for innocent animals that can poison themselves that way.At the same time, the production of clothes has more than doubled. Today, around 400% more clothes are produced than 20 years ago. That is a huge amount of water, fabric, and labor used for a massive number of clothing items, where more than half will end up in the trash.

However not all labor in the industry is legal. A significant amount of clothing, especially in fast fashion, is made by children. In 2028, the US Department of Labor reported evidence of forced and child labor in the fashion industry in Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, and many other countries, including the European country Turkey.For example, it is estimated that around 1.5 million children in Bangladesh work in horrible conditions in garment factories, often enduring long hours of hard labor for minimal to almost no pay. In Turkey, children as young as 14 have been found working in these types of shops, exposed to dangerous machinery and chemicals without proper training or safety equipment. *1

All of this labor is, of course, illegal. Many human rights are violated by such practices. One violation is the right to education, as child labor prevents children from attending school and acquiring the skills necessary for their future. Additionally, the right to fair wages is often ignored, with most workers receiving poor pay, often below minimum wage. Workers also have the right to safe working conditions, which are frequently disregarded. Many accidents occur in factories due to the lack of training and equipment provided to workers. Finally, their right to freedom from exploitation is compromised by forced labor, whether it involves adults or children, *2

It is clearly illegal what the industry does to these people, but no one seems to take action. I am completely against fast fashion, not just because of its environmental simpact, but also due to its effects on people and animals. It is horrifying that such practices can exist.I do not judge anyone who buys fast fashion, as many people do so because of financial struggles, which is completely understandable. However, workers need to know their rights, and we who are aware should help them. They are working grueling hours in factories full of dangers, which is unacceptable. Children need their education, and if their parents and countries cannot provide that, we must step in to help. For a better environment and education!

*1 U.S Department of Labor (www.dol.gov/ilab)

*2 Human Rights Watch (www.hrw.org)