#ceo of face equality international

[sheltiechicago]

Turning Scars Into Luminous Pathways: A New Photography Project That Challenges The Way We See Scars

Ceridwen Hughes created a photography project called Kintsugi Beauty to challenge the stereotypes and stigma associated with scars. She photographed Phyllida Swift, CEO of Face Equality International, who has significant facial scarring after a car accident. The photos celebrate Phyllida’s scars and redefine beauty on her own terms.

[cosmosis]

MOVED TO @seratopia

miguel o’hara x reader (fluff) - touchy touchy

modern ceo au! thinking about how miguel touches you so often around the office that a random guy decides to do something about it

You and Miguel don’t share a workplace. He’d end up being your boss anyway, and as much as you love spending time with him, it’s not good to have a partner that also gives you your paycheck. (Plus, distance can equal longing.)

Miguel constantly insist that you stay at home, and that he’d provide you with everything you could ask for but... feminism???( /j ) You have your own job conveniently down the street from Miguel’s office; it’s more of a hobby than it really is a job, but it gets you money.

The whole building knows you as “Miguel’s Wife”; you visit often. Sometimes your visits are a surprise, others it’s when you have nothing to do so you just hang by Miguel all day. You’re blessed with free food from the cafeteria, plus the gym. It’s fun to watch Miguel work out. 

Though, today was... funny.

Whenever Miguel thinks you guys are alone, he’s touchy. However, to Miguel, “alone” is just being in a room with less than 6 people in it. So, needless to say, his employees have seen things. 

You’re just so pretty, so cute to him, he can’t help but just worm his way over to you whenever in sight. 

Things along the lines of kisses, waist grabbing, thigh grabbing, hugs, back hugs, and even ass-slapping are a common sight to see when you’re around the office. Miguel truly, genuinely believes that he’s being sly, but that’s probably because everyone’s too scared/nice to say anything about it. Perks of being a CEO.

No one really tells the new recruits about it though, it’s just a you-see-it-and-get-used-to-it type of thing. 

So imagine your surprise when someone in the office pulls you aside one day and asks if Miguel is sexually assaulting you. 

Miguel’s been lingering his hands all over you today in particular, boldly sliding his big hand down towards your ass. You elbow him a little when he gets too close though, especially around a few people. 

“¿Por favor, querida?“ He whines, slithering his hand back onto you. 

“Oh my gosh, Miguel, no. Wait until we’re out of work.“

All is well, but Miguel has to tend to a few things, so you take it upon yourself to take a break at the cafeteria. Might as well bring him a drink while you’re at it.

Halfway through your walk there, some guy you’ve seen around taps on your shoulder and pulls you aside. He’s relatively young, has this assertive look to him. Among the quirky pins on his shirt pocket, you find an ID card labeled “INTERN.”

The worry on his own face makes you a little anxious. 

“Ma’am, are you okay?“ He asks, meeting his eyes with yours. He looks serious, peering from left to right as if a secret was being exchanged. 

“Uh- yeah, what do you mean?“

His voice is low, almost a whisper. “Girl, I’ve seen Miguel grope you... do you want me to call the police? I have a video right here as pr-“

A  gust of relief washes over you, and you almost start to laugh. You watch as the guy starts to pull up his phone, before you stop him. 

“Oh, no no no, it’s okay!“ You exclaim. “Miguel’s my husband, he’s just clingy!“

The man raises an eyebrow, concern lacing his voice. “You aren’t just saying that, right? Like, you’re really okay?”

“Yes, don’t worry. If he was actually bothering me, then I’d tell him.“ You chuckle, just to ease up the serious air a little bit. 

“Ah, well if you say so... If anything happens, just let me know.“ He says. 

“Yeah, thank you for the concern, though.“ You smile, and he smiles back, walking away around the corner where you assume he came from. 

With a little laugh, you continue your walk towards the cafeteria, thinking deeply about the interaction. It might be time for you to tell Miguel to stop touching you often around the office, as much as you enjoy it. He’d hate despise it though. 

If it weren’t for you being around so often, work life might not be as pleasant for his employees. You don’t think Miguel truly notices, but he starts getting huffy and puffy when you aren’t around to see him; people get a little more scared of him when he has this scowl on his face. 

“Who was that?“

You violently flinch, yelping out loud. In one swift motion, you swerve around, your heartbeat only easing down when you realize it’s just Miguel. 

“Miguel, honey, you gotta stop scaring me.“

“...Sorry. Who was that?“ He asks, obvious curiosity in his voice. Almost like it was muscle memory, he slips both hands onto your sides, reminding you of the topic at hand. (literally lmao)

“Just some guy... you know what he asked me, though?“

“If it was on a date he’s getting fired.“ Miguel promises darkly, squeezing at the fat of your sides. 

“No, Miguel. He asked if you were assaulting me. Even asked me if he wanted me to call the police.“

“Assaulting?“

“Yeah, because you keep on doing things like this-“ You place your hands on his. “- to me every time I visit!“

Like a guilty puppy, Miguel pouts to the side, reluctantly slipping his hands away from you. It takes you everything not to laugh at him as he grumbles to himself, that signature scowl building onto his face. 

“It’s fine, Miguel. You can still touch me. Just tone it down a bit when we’re around people, yeah?“

Miguel nods, slowly inching his fingers towards your hands. “Yeah. M’sorry.”

“Miguel, it’s fine. It’s not like I hate it, it might just be uncomfortable for your employees.“

Miguel sighs, dipping down his head to rest on your shoulder. He catches a whiff of your body wash, sweet and comforting. You giggle, a sound that Miguel would kill to hear for everyday of his life. You slide your own hands over onto his broad back, tracing your fingers against the muscle through his shirt. 

“I just... I think I love you too much.“ He mumbles, and your ears almost strain to hear it. 

“Awh, you know I love you too.“ You sweetly reply, squeezing him into a tight hug. He’s so darling, compressing you tight against him. 

“Just let me have this, and I’ll leave you be for a bit, hm?“ Miguel mutters into your ear, indulgently smoothing his big hands over your little back. Chills run up your spine when he presses a smooch to your ear. 

“Yeah, we’ll see how long that’ll last...“ You chuckle, letting him do what he wants for the time being. 

It takes Miguel longer than he really should to let you go, adoration clearly written on his face as he detaches his arms from you. 

“You wanna grab coffee with me before you have to go back?“ You ask, beaming at Miguel with a natural smile. 

Miguel doesn’t know what to do with himself. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

You break off into a walk through the hallway, and Miguel has to remind himself every minute or so to keep his hands off. 

. . .

It didn’t work. 

Already in line for coffee, Miguel’s chin rests on top of your head, acting as if the previous conversation was entirely wiped clean from his memory. 

You sigh, knowingly speaking to the barista as if you didn’t have a 6′9 CEO strapped to your back like a koala. 

“Baby, what did we say?“

“Sorry...“

miguel is 6′9 because i said so and because of this tiktok

© 𝒄𝒐𝒔𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒔.

[someone-will-remember-us]

The multi-billion euro pornography industry must be “targeted” to end a culture of violence, degradation and increasing misogyny in Ireland, a report has warned.

Women’s Aid, which commissioned the report, is urging the Government to address “consistently high” levels of sexual abuse linked to porn in Ireland.

The research found that porn featuring verbal degradation and extreme acts such as choking was now mainstream and freely available online.

Such consumption of sexually violent content is affecting healthy sexual development and behaviour in adults and teens.

It was also leading to sexual violence, unhealthy relationships and hostile misogyny and it compounded gender inequality, the report noted.

Ruth Breslin, the director of The Sexual Exploitation Research and Policy (SERP) institute, was co-author of the report alongside Dr Monica O’Connor.

Ms Breslin said progress on sexual “consent” was “being undermined by boys’ sexual expectations of girls”, which was “moulded by pornography”.

“Girls have been groomed by pornography to submit to acts that they do not want and do not enjoy,” she said.

“In shaping boys’ sexual scripts, pornography has taught boys that women, and therefore girls, have limitless sexual appetites, a high tolerance for pain, sometimes say ‘no’ when they mean ‘yes’ and enjoy ‘aggressive sex’, which includes physical violence, sexual assault and verbal abuse.”

Most (81pc) of the 18 to 25-year-olds surveyed as part of the research said pornography was increasing young men’s interest in seeking rough or violent sex. Three-quarters agreed that pornography made children and young people vulnerable to requests to share intimate images and videos.

Further, 71pc said the Government and technology companies needed to do more to protect children and young people from pornography exposure and should act faster to support survivors of image-based sexual abuse.

In the poll, 81pc of all respondents said they wanted age-appropriate sexuality and relationships education in schools, with a focus on the negative consequences of being exposed to porn.

Sarah Benson, CEO of Women’s Aid, said: “This study now clearly confirms that the vast majority of pornography does nothing to promote healthy sexuality, equality and intimacy, but is instead creating a conducive context for violence and degradation, particularly of women and girls.

“This is directly relevant to our work, as women contacting Women’s Aid for support have identified their partner’s use of pornography as a component of the sexual coercion and abuse they’re enduring.”

The study, called Facing Reality: Addressing The Role Of Pornography In The Pandemic Of Violence Against Women And Girls, underscores the damage porn is also doing to victims of sex trafficking, including children and ordinary Irish women and girls.

In its research, Women’s Aid urges the Government to “tackle an unregulated multi-billion euro pornography industry”.

It said it was vital to examine practical and effective measures to “target the business model of a wholly unregulated international industry with an appalling track record of exploiting vulnerable people, including children, for profit”.

“There have been successes in other jurisdictions, such as the US, with class action suits on behalf of trafficking victims and successful appeals to financial institutions, providing vital infrastructure to the pornography industry,” the report said.

“The potential to build on or leverage these actions to reduce the impact of the industry in the Irish context should be considered.”

Women’s Aid said it was encouraging that porn was challenged in the Government’s third national strategy to prevent and combat domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.

However, Ms Benson said explicit images could still be shared without consent by partners or former ones and even used for blackmail and coercion.

This could affect a “survivor’s well-being, mental health, employment and social connections”, the report found.

Although the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020 had “created much needed offences in relation to image-based sexual abuse”, the charity said prosecutions took time. Yet images were “available and can be shared and re-posted”.

There was “an opportunity to protect children and adults alike with the current Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill”, the report said.

“The proposed Online Safety Commissioner must be provided with the power to issue immediate take-down orders in cases of image-based sexual abuse specifically,” it said.

Studies on men’s attitudes and behaviours have found a strong link between the consumption of violent pornography and attitudes supporting violence against women and misogyny.

The report was funded by Community Foundation Ireland.

(archive)

[ffverr]

Hey I love Warren and Emma together but removing Monet's position and replacing her with a white woman who isn't really involved with X-Corp in your X-Corp idea is kind of a bad decision when you think about race for more than 5 seconds. But then again this happens in real corporations all the time if you're striving for realism.

I completely agree! That's why Monet is not removed at all!! ( I love her way too much to do that)

I had done a reblog while still brainstorming to talk a bit about Monet and Roberto da Costa's involvement and I am of course acutely aware of the optics.

I'll explain all the lore in much more finalised character profiles, but for the moment:

X-corp is based on a four way, equal shares leadership. So basically, a four person board! Which includes Warren, Monet, Emma and Roberto all on a 25% basis.

I think it's much more fun, accurate and interesting that way! (They're all very experienced, so it makes sense they all get major positions)

They all handle different departments of activities though.

So despite being Co-Co-Co-Co CEOs, they specialise in a specific activity:

Monet is in charge of handling the international aspect of the company. So the different branches all over the world. She coordinates all of that business and travels a LOT abroad to make deals, exchange etc... I think this plays on her strengths as a very well traveled, polyglot who's very good at imposing her vision and handling tough situations.

Roberto is where we go more into headcanons. In canon, Roberto has always been fiercely attached to justice. He's always been big on arguing and standing by his positions! ( Standing up to Xavier since age 13!) + I believe that he would be a bit turned off by his father's greed and quickly get bored of numbers so he would rather handle more strategic and problem solving aspects of the company. Naturally, I believe he became a very successful corporate lawyer! So he's head of the legal affairs section of the company.

Warren is still kind of the face of the company, being the most "famous" of these four. In canon, he has a business mind but I'm looking to orient him a bit more towards a creative direction. So if anything he's handling the creative direction/ administration aspect of the company! Basically: "what else can we do or add to make this better?"

Emma with little explanations needed is handling the finances of the company (in tandem with her very very tired head of accounting Bobby drake)

This all sounds serious, but I promise, this is much more of a gag AU that will be 80% meme redraws and like 20% nice illustrations If I can manage ☠️

Like, Warren got intensely obsessed with ecology and has a secret zoo in the basement archives. Emma keeps trying to fraud her way out of expenses and Roberto is STRESSING trying to keep her in line (bobby is also absolutely exasperated by her shenanigans).

Monet is a zoom princess! They go without seeing her three weeks at a time and wonder if she's not taking secret vacations... (She isn't! She's the most hardworking member of the team, she just mixes efforts with pleasure in an efficient way)

The comic cover divide of Warren and Emma and Monet and Roberto is purely based on age basis and potential crackship romantic plots! (I find it very very weird for people to ship Monet and Warren together, and let's be honest, Monet is Roberto's type to a T). And I'd like to add that this quartet all have very fun dynamics together! The potential is endless honestly, this is the "we're better than you and we know it" team. But will they be able to work together? 👀 We'll see!

Obviously, more to come, but as a preview, the extended cast is very interesting! We have Boom Boom, Karma, Kyle Jinadu, Northstar, Iceman, Sage, Windancer, Kwannon, Trinary and Prodigy all doing fun stuff!

P.s, all info about this can be found under the "trans-axion" tag which is the nickname of this au.

[becca-e-barnes]

It's been a really busy week so I'm just going to indulge myself and talk about exactly what I'd love to be doing rn with CEO!Bucky

When I imagine CEO scenarios though, I don't think of the reader as his assistant or an intern. Maybe the CEO and his comms director. Someone he considers an equal because I think that's a hell of a lot more sexy and still has a power imbalance 🥵

He knows you're incredibly capable. He knows you've got more drive than anyone else in the company. He knows you've spent years pushing yourself to get to where you are and you're determined to keep climbing.

But at the same time; it's nice to get a break from that too. Sometimes it's nice to just be tossed around and given orders. You get to switch your brain off and give in to whatever feels good.

And that's how you found your knees hitting the plush grey carpet of the CEO's office on a Friday afternoon.

"Good girl. So fucking pretty." Bucky's hand on your chin directs your face upwards. He's continuing the task you started a few minutes prior; stroking his own cock at a leisurely place and enjoying the sight of you in front of him with your blouse missing the top few buttons.

There's nothing else you'd rather be doing right now. There's no other release that lets you unwind like this. You don't have to think about anything other than the glossy bead of precum gathering on the tip of your boss' dick and the way that even the sight of it makes your mouth water.

His other hand is still holding your chin but you don't want to just watch when you can do so much more than that. You lean over, taking the head of his cock in your mouth, flicking your tongue over the very tip to lap up the precum you've been craving.

Your hand replaces his, jerking his length slowly with a measured pressure while your tongue swirls, keenly licking away any fresh evidence of his arousal.

"Fuck." He groans, melting into your eagerness. He's had a long week too. You know he needs this as much as you do but he's just as respectful as ever, conscious not to press himself into your waiting mouth.

"I bet you're wet already, aren't you? You look like such a sweetheart. No one would ever guess that you get off on sucking my cock. I bet everyone thinks you're so innocent but they don't get to feel the way you drip down your own thighs after you swallow my cum." You imagine that mouth of his has got him in plenty of trouble over the years but fuck, you love it. You swear he could probably get you off just by talking to you.

You hum happily, taking as much of his length into your mouth as you can manage, wincing slightly the first time his tip nudges the back of your throat. Your flat tongue rolls against the underside of his length, your hand cupping his balls and you feel his palm settle on the back of his head.

"You're so fucking keen." His blunt fingernails scratch gently against the nape of your neck and it feels like such a tender gesture. You get to be unashamed of how keen you are with him. There's no embarrassment or reservation. You don't have to hold yourself back to save face and it's refreshing to want someone this much.

You head bobs on his length, your lips forming a perfect tight ring and every now and again, you're rewarded with the sharpness of some fresh precum smeared onto your tongue.

"You should slow down, sweetheart. I don't want to finish yet." His voice is a little strained and it's beautiful. Now you're torn though. You don't want this to end but you're desperate to feel hot ropes of his cum splash over your waiting tongue and across your face.

Somewhat selfishly, you do as you're told. Your body reminds you of your own desperation and you don't want to ruin your chances of getting bent over that desk.

[beomgyuslilracha]

the ceo's son ✧.* [ pt. 6 ]

⊹ pairing: choi soobin x f! reader

⊹ genre: strangers to friends to potential lovers (?)

⊹ warnings: none ! (unless you count like one or two death jokes)

⊹ wc: 4.4k

summary: you've been an intern at c company for roughly over four months now - directly under the ceo as his assistant. everything was going perfectly: you were saving up money to attend uni next year, and you knew that you were under the ceo's good graces to receive a great recommendation when the time came! in fact, he took a liking to you so much that he'd often joke that he wanted to set you up with his son. at least ... you thought it was a joke.

"a group date. you made me rush all the way down here ... for a group date?"

"okay, in our defense, you rushed down here completely on your own," beomgyu quickly stated, lifting his hands up as if to protect his face.

were he not under the public eye, as well as at risk of you possibly spotting him at any minute, soobin surely would've strangled all four of his friends then and there.

"i told you this was a bad idea," yeonjun grumbled, trying to peer through the restaurant window to spot which of the girls in there had his friend so smitten.

seeing as he was now the only one of the group who had yet to see you in person, he was definitely feeling out of the loop.

"i can't possibly go in there, i'm going to look crazy," soobin groaned, his hands stressfully running through his hair as he began pacing back and forth.

"because rushing in there to ruin an actual date would've been fine?" taehyun questioned, judging the priorities his friend had in place.

finally pulling himself away from the window and ending his losing game of guessing who you were, yeonjun stepped back into the group. he was getting bored of their standing around. "as far as she knows, you already had plans, so i say we just go home."

soobin was on the verge of agreeing with yeonjun again, but he was lucky for another voice to give him an equally good idea.

"or we can go in there and pretend to run into her coincidentally while in the middle of said plans," taehyun suggested, though not exactly proud of it.

if he was being entirely honest, he really just wanted to see what would happen.

"i'm kind of on board with this," kai jumped in next - the second person who just really wanted to see what would happen.

soobin was now having a staring contest with the door, starting to wonder if going in there would be a good idea. as far as he knew, you were upset with him, so what if you seeing him just made things worse?

"sure, come rushing down here to ruin a date with no problem," beomgyu commented amidst his thoughts. "but going in there to have dinner? that takes a lot of thinking."

after smacking beomgyu for his unnecessary commentary, soobin then forced his friends to enter the restaurant first. his nerves had him wanting to hide for just a little bit longer - genuinely terrified of the idea of you actually spotting him.

taehyun, unfortunately, ended up putting himself in charge of grabbing soobin by the wrist and physically dragging him along behind them. had soobin been left to walk on his own, he would've turned entirely around and headed home without a word.

he just wasn't ready.

sure, he headed right over without a second thought because of how desperately he wanted to see you, but now he was thinking - and he was thinking he should have stayed home.

"hi, can we get that table over there? yeah, right over there beside that group?"

beomgyu has now made second on soobin's list of who to strangle before the night was over. yeonjun had already occupied the first.

per beomgyu's instruction, the hostess lead the five of them right over to their table ... the table perfectly placed right beside yours. the table that was going to give soobin a heart attack the closer they got to it.

without even needing to discuss anything with each other, all four idiots made sure to leave the seat closest to your table empty for soobin.

the seat that was conveniently right beside yours.

・❥・

that evening, you were sitting across from wooyoung and listening as he retold a story about an escape room he had done with a group of his friends. it was funny and most definitely interesting - it was strong enough to capture your whole attention away from the entire group.

even though you were all sitting together at the table, with chaewon sitting directly beside you, it felt like it was mostly you and wooyoung talking amongst yourselves.

you felt refreshed whenever you spoke with him. you genuinely enjoyed his company and you finally were able to draw away from thinking about soobin.

"y/n?"

your eyes flickered to the new presence you hadn't noticed standing beside your table. suddenly, you sat up completely straight in shock, even catching your best friend's attention - followed by everyone else shortly after.

"soobin! wha- what are you doing here?" that's when you noticed the table beside you, which sat four boys that were expectantly watching your entire exchange with amused smiles.

you were pretty sure you recognized three of them, but that wasn't important.

"that- that was a dumb question," you spoke before he could answer. "obviously you're here for dinner. with your friends. i'm sorry. i should let you-"

"actually, can i talk to you?" soobin quickly interrupted, very clearly taking a deep breath in order to calm himself.

a twist in your gut was giving you the idea that this did not feel like a good sign. either that or you just felt incredibly nervous all of a sudden - more so than you already were just from him standing there. or maybe it was both??

"yeah, sure, do you- do you wanna go outside?"

soobin nodded quickly, sending an awkward, thin-lipped smile to your group of friends, who had been watching the two of you ever since he showed up.

as you were about to stand, chaewon quickly grabbed your arm to stop you and gain your attention. you could practically hear her screaming at you from the silent glare in her eyes. you could hear every question she was asking from just the small lift of her eyebrow.

this is soobin? the soobin? are you gonna be okay? do you want me to cover for you? what about wooyoung?

you could only manage one solid nod before slipping your arm out of her grasp. just enough to signal that you were going to be okay and it was, hopefully, going to be completely fine.

finally following soobin to the outside of the restaurant, that's when you began to regret your decision.

why didn't you just say no? you began to think that you should've just stayed inside or at least asked chaewon for help. you couldn't handle being alone with him. what if he broke off your friendship?! what if this was some uncomfortable conversation he wanted to have about how you made things weird yesterday? what if-

"are you mad at me?"

you blinked and tilted your head, a bit confused. all the questions in your mind suddenly disappeared. "mad at you?"

"i just want you to know that it wasn't me who messaged you today," soobin quickly began to ramble, unable to help himself now that he was finally seeing you face-to-face. "yeonjun had my phone and he thought he was helping me, but he really just made things worse. i never wanted to cancel our plans; i really wanted to see you for lunch but he told you that i forgot when i didn't."

you opened your mouth to speak, but he continued.

"and then he told me to visit you after work because he thought it'd look cool if i did. but then you weren't there and you didn't answer my calls, and i really don't want you to be mad at me or avoid me because i really-"

"soobin!" you finally managed to stop him, your hands physically grasping either side of his arms. you were practically smiling from ear to ear, finding him even more adorable than ever. "i'm not mad at you. i forgot my phone at home, or else i promise i would have answered."

soobin sighed in complete relief from your words, purely glad that yeonjun didn't completely ruin his friendship with you.

although, his heart was still pounding out of his chest. he wasn't sure if you noticed, but he was mere seconds away from confessing to you like a complete idiot.

"if i'm being honest, i thought ... i thought you were mad at me," you admitted, now dropping your hands and avoiding his eyes.

"me? mad at you? y/n, i could never." he stepped forward and grasped both of your hands in his, sending your heart completely soaring from such a simple gesture. "why would you ever think that?"

soobin was genuinely surprised and, admittedly, hurt by your words. never did he want you to believe - not even for a single second - that he could ever feel anything but adoration for you.

"well, i thought you didn't want to see me anymore after ...," your words trailed off and your entire face began to heat up in embarrassment. "anyway, you told me it was your friend, so it really doesn't matter."

"i want to make it perfectly clear that, after this, he is not my friend," soobin stated, earning a smile from you that made him break into your favorite dimply grin.

the tug in your heart had you remembering just how much you missed his dimples. how much you missed him.

"you're right, sorry," you laughed at his clarification.

"i also want to make it clear that i would never not want to see you." soobin felt like he could throw up from nerves. he wanted so badly to tell you more. he wanted so badly to confess to you. a million thoughts were running through his head, and he was fighting so hard to think straight.

with your hands in his now, your eyes unwavering from his own, and his heart racing a million miles a minute, soobin wondered if he should tell you anyway. maybe the risk wouldn't be as scary as he thought. "i ... i really-"

"hey, y/n, are you alright?"

you finally broke eye contact with soobin to notice wooyoung standing at the doorway, his eyes moving back and forth between you both before landing finally on your hands.

"oh, yeah. yeah, i'm fine. we're just talking." you instinctively pulled your hands away, feeling embarrassed that wooyoung had seen it for himself. "is- is everything okay?"

"everything's fine. i was just getting worried since its been a while."

soobin felt ashamed for his thoughts. he felt ashamed for the way his entire demeanor dropped at the sight of this guy. he felt ashamed for hating the way he felt when you pulled your hands from his. he felt ashamed for the way he wanted whoever this was to immediately leave you both alone.

this was now the second time in the past few minutes that he attempted to tell you how he felt, but was only just barely interrupted right before he could say the words.

"we'll be right in, don't worry."

wooyoung only gave a brief nod before slowly retreating back inside, once again leaving you and soobin alone on the sidewalk.

this time, the silence felt much more awkward than it did a second ago.

now, all soobin could think about was who this guy was to you. was he your boyfriend? were you dating? were you just friends?

maybe the past two interruptions were a sign, in a way. maybe the universe was stopping soobin from making a fool of himself in front of you. if that was the guy who was waiting for you, then he clearly had no shot at ever hearing you feel the same way about him.

"we should go inside now," you finally spoke, trying to relieve a bit of the awkward tension that had settled in between the two of you.

you weren't sure what changed, but the lightness of your shoulders suddenly felt heavy again.

by the time you both had returned to your respective tables inside, it no longer was as refreshing as it had been before. the nice evening suddenly became much more awkward.

to make it worse, it suddenly felt like everyone's eyes in the entire restaurant were on you for a reason you couldn't explain.

not that you were entirely off for thinking that, considering the entirety of one particular table seemed to be watching your every move. four of them were watching you more so out of curiosity, while the other one was focused on studying your every movement and interaction with the boy in front of you.

the boy who was having a bit of a difficult time capturing your attention again.

you couldn't focus on a single word he was saying. you knew he was telling a story, and you could tell it was supposed to be funny based on the way that he was laughing. unfortunately, your mind was too busy being far too aware of the boy you had been thinking about all day now casually sitting just a few feet away.

having caught on to your behavior as well, wooyoung rolled his tongue around in his mouth and tried not to scoff. his eyes darted over to the next table, watching as a certain occupant quickly averted his eyes away as if he were not just staring over at you.

wooyoung couldn't help himself. now he was curious.

he reached a hand over across the table to rest on top of yours, now finally succeeding in grasping your attention. your cheeks were most definitely pink now, but not for the reason others may assume.

you were worried about what soobin would think.

"uh- what? what are you...?" you could only stutter as you questioned his action, not wanting to seem rude if you immediately pulled your hand away.

"i'm just trying to make sure you're listening to me," wooyoung smiled at you, taking a brief glance towards the next door table again.

as expected, soobin was fidgeting in his seat and failing in trying to remain casual. his head was practically rolling back and forth on his neck as he fought to not glare at wooyoung's hand on yours. even his friends had taken notice and were mixed emotions between amused, embarrassed, and disappointed in their crazy friend.

eventually wooyoung pulled his hand away, but now he succeeded in gaining all of your attention - as well as a certain someone else's.

whenever he told you more stories about him and his friends, he'd make you laugh. every time he made you laugh, he also made someone else more upset. although, if wooyoung was being honest, he really just found the situation more amusing.

by the time you all called it a night and were ready to leave the restaurant, the table beside you coincidentally happened to have the same thought. this ended up bestowing a very interesting situation upon you.

"should i take you home now?" wooyoung asked you, a casual hand grazing your arm.

you were about to open your mouth and agree without a problem, but then another hand came up to gently grab your other arm. "hey, do you need a ride home?"

now you were left with a gaping mouth, looking awkwardly between one boy and the other. wooyoung did ask you first, but you also wanted to jump at the opportunity to be with soobin again. you missed him all day and you wanted nothing more than to be alone with him for at least one ride home before the day was over.

"i told wooyoung i'd go with him earlier," you finally spoke, not wanting to break your word from earlier in the night. instead, though, you felt as if you broke your own heart watching soobin's smile drop.

"right. sure, yeah, no problem," soobin tried to act casual, though failing rather miserably.

instead, he was more embarrassed. of course, he should have known you'd choose this guy over him. he clearly had much more to offer you, and, for all soobin knew, he was probably already your boyfriend and just wanted to be alone with you.

before soobin could walk away, you quickly reached for the end of his shirt to keep him still for one more second.

"can i see you tomorrow? for lunch?"

soobin squeezed his lips together to attempt to hide his excitement, his dimples being the dead giveaway at how happy your small request just made him. "of course, i'll see you tomorrow then."

biting your lip to suppress your own joy, you both finally went your separate ways.

soobin headed off with his friends to the bus stop while the rest of your friend group said goodbye and dispersed into separate cabs. you and wooyoung were left on your own once again.

as the two of you were standing around and waiting for another cab to arrive, wooyoung let out a sigh and looked over at you with a soft smile. "you like that soobin guy a lot, huh?"

caught off guard, you found yourself sputtering for a response. you wanted to deny his words, but you also didn't want to lie. you wanted to say yes, but you also didn't want to hurt him.

"it's pretty obvious, i'm sorry," he laughed, now causing you to freeze. your head then spun around to stare wide-eyed at the playfully smirking boy beside you. you had so many questions.

were you really that obvious? could soobin tell? does he think soobin feels the same?!

"if it helps, i think i'm the only one that could tell," wooyoung suddenly wanted to reassure you before you could blurt out any of your questions, laughing at the way it looked like you were practically on the verge of sweating.

your hands came up to cover you face, allowing you to groan into them. "i'm so sorry, wooyoung. it's all still very new to me."

"hey, don't be sorry. we can't help who we like," wooyoung reassured you again, resting a gentle hand atop of your head. "if you hurry now, you should catch up to him before the bus arrives."

your head shot up from your hands in alert, staring at the boy in genuine surprise and confusion. "no- no i couldn't possibly just leave you. i told you earlier-"

"i know you said i could take you home, but i think it's important that you go with someone you actually like," wooyoung interrupted you, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

your emotions were so torn. your heart was pounding at the thought of running to be with soobin, but you also felt terrible at the thought of abandoning wooyoung like this. he deserved so much better, and you wished that you could have been that for him.

"wooyoung...," your words trailed off, still unsure of what decision you should make.

he was giving you the opportunity, and you so desperately wanted to take it, but not at the cost of hurting him.

"hey, stop it, don't worry about me," wooyoung now laughed. his hands had to physically turn you around and begin giving you a gentle shove in the direction that soobin and his friends had walked off to. "just let me know when it works out, okay?"

turning around only to give wooyoung a tight hug, you thanked him one last time before finally taking off after soobin.

you most definitely felt insane, but you didn't care.

you wanted to see soobin.

・❥・

"you know, in retrospect, you don't play hard to get with a girl like that," yeonjun randomly stated while the five of them were waiting, now thinking back to you after he finally saw who you were.

soobin slowly turned his head to glare at the idiot he regretfully called his friend. he couldn't promise that yeonjun would make it back to the dorm alive at this rate.

"in my opinion, she's way out of your league," beomgyu chimed in next, now causing soobin to starting bonking his head against the pole of the bus stop.

he hated them all.

"do you think that guy with her was her boyfriend?" kai asked curiously, now looking at each of them for an answer.

this was the question soobin did not want to hear, and he dreaded even more ever hearing the answer to it.

much to everyone's surprise, though, taehyun was the one to answer. "he's not her boyfriend, but he's definitely into her."

this new turn of conversation piqued all of their interest, most especially soobin's - simply from hearing that he wasn't your boyfriend alone.

"what's your evidence?" yeonjun questioned, being just as drawn into the topic as everyone else.

"well, there was a lack of physical affection on her part," taehyun explained first, thinking back to how nervous and uncomfortable you were just from when he had tried to hold your hand.

even soobin could agree, smirking in pride as he thought how easy and comfortable it was for you to hold his hands.

"also, i would bet that they just met. he kept telling her stories about himself, so they're clearly still getting to know each other."

in this instance, soobin would only have to take taehyun's word for it. he was too busy focusing on how you both were acting with each other to actually hear words that were coming out of his mouth. all he cared about was what you said and when you laughed.

"hey, soobin, is that y/n over there?"

kai's question had soobin sitting up straight, turning his entire body around to indeed spot you walking over all by yourself.

his heart was pounding as he stood up. he always found you beautiful, but seeing you now choosing him? you looked absolutely ethereal.

as soobin went to go meet you, the other four boys collectively agreed to walk a little ways down the street and simply call for a cab. they figured soobin would thank them later when he found out they willingly chose to leave you two alone.

of course, unbeknownst to the lovesick boy, the condition included the four of them eventually coming together to officially meet you soon.

"y/n, what happened? what're you doing here?" soobin asked the second you were close enough.

"oh, wooyoung ... a friend called him about an emergency, so i let him take the cab," you lied, not daring to tell soobin the real reason.

not yet, at least.

if soobin was being honest, though, he didn't quite catch what your reason was. all he cared about was that you were here in front of him. whatever the reason was, you were here with him and no one else.

"you can wait with my friends and ...," when he turned around, soobin trailed off when he realized the bus area was completely empty. "or not."

when the hell did his friends even leave? of course, he then remembered he didn't care.

because now he got to be alone with you.

you both walked back over to the bench, sitting together practically shoulder-to-shoulder and forgetting entirely what personal space was. neither of you were bothered, though, considering you both missed each other so much just from not spending one day together.

"so your friends ditched you, hm?" you questioned, biting back the smile on your face. you couldn't help but to wonder if they happened to leave for any other particular reason..

"they tend to do that to me a lot," soobin chuckled, this being one of very few times where he was actually happy that they did.

"which one was yeonjun?" you asked him curiously, picturing each of the boys that you remembered sitting at the table with him.

"yeonjun was the one with black hair sitting to my right," soobin explained, allowing you to picture them. "kai is the blonde, taehyun is the serious one with brown hair, and beomgyu has the longer hair."

that reminded you that beomgyu must have been the one that you had run into back in the theater. this also allowed you to remember that kai and taehyun must have been the other two that were with him.

"were you and yeonjun there at the theater too?" you asked him next, turning to look up at him.

you noticed soobin's cheeks turn a light shade of pink, but you couldn't be sure as to why. "uh, yeah, we just went to ... to a different movie, so we weren't all together."

you nodded, taking his word for it. there was no reason why he would lie about something so little.

this lead you to start thinking about how crazy fate was. despite the weirdness that was earlier in the day, you and soobin still managed to find your way to each other. you had to bite your lip and turn your entire face away, not wanting soobin to see just how red your face had gotten.

fate??? maybe you were getting a little too ahead of yourself ...

as you were trying to make up an excuse about why you had left work earlier - opting for a simple 'feeling sick' - you then took notice of the bus finally making its way over.

"come on, time to get you home," soobin smiled cutely, his hand casually intertwining with yours.

the butterflies found their way home back in your stomach, and your heart fluttered as if it had wings of its own. it still surprised you just how much soobin affected you, yet he still couldn't see it for himself.

you both settled on the seat at the back of the bus, your hands still intwined together as one.

though neither of you spoke it out loud, you both felt just how perfectly your hands fit together. nothing else felt as right as it did when it was the two of you.

feeling a bit tired now by this late in the evening, you lazily closed your eyes and allowed your head to rest on soobin's shoulder. the day had most definitely been a long one, but all you cared about was that soobin was beside you now.

the trust and comfort he radiated was enough to lull you to sleep, regardless of being in a public setting.

"i missed you, binnie," you mumbled sleepily, cuddling closer to the boy beside you as you allowed the exhaustion to overcome your entire body.

you just barely missed soobin's entire breath leaving his body, and he was genuinely surprised that you couldn't feel his heart beating entirely out of his chest with how close you were to him.

he adored you so much. he wished nothing more than to just be able to confess to you here and now, hoping that you would say yes and be his.

of course, he still knew better. he at least wanted you to be awake when he did tell you. for now, instead, he allowed his own head to rest on your own and squeezed your hand gently.

"i like you so much, y/n," he mumbled on top of your head.

he seriously couldn't wait anymore.

he needed to confess to you. and he needed to do it soon.

previous | masterlist | next

a/n:

AHHH I MISS WRITING FLUFF WITH SOOBIN AND Y/N !!

i'm sorry this update took a bit longer, and it's not really that great either, but it's my fault !! i celebrated my birthday this past weekend and i kept writing bits and pieces sporadically, so the flow isn't very consistent because i couldn't keep my ideas together. i promise the next part will be much better <3 pls don't be too disappointed !!

but anywayyyy i hope you all still enjoy what i have so far and look forward to more fluff coming soon :,) <3 i missed fluff so much

~

taglist:

@sha-aesthic @wccycc @yjusei @ihrtgyu @strawberrydaichi @seodami @sparkswhoz @o934pm @dongmeiii @cannedturtle @intrrverted @fanfangying1304 @n0tprettybutt1red @human-misery @baekberrie

[ bold = couldn't be tagged :( ]

[teddybeartoji]

mickey i am kissing ur brain so gently i literally just woke up but i saw the bi!toji post ……… 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 REAL & CANON BTW but for some reason the first thought that popped into my head was. uni au….. janitor!toji/professor!reader…………….. hear me out.

toji who just stopped working as an assassin and is trying to get his life together, who just happened to land a job as a janitor at a prestigious university that he takes fairly seriously…. (i just knowww he hates littering students with every fibre of his being. catches them in the act and reaches for his gun out of old habit LMAO) and there’s this nerdy little professor who always arrives at the uni first thing in the morning, without fail, and always gives toji a cheery little greeting when he does. wearing his cozy sweaters and vests and scarves and smiling all bright and sleepy. and for some reason he almost always takes his coffee breaks conveniently close to wherever toji is cleaning… so they can chat a bit….. even though toji usually just listens and grunts every now and then.

and at first toji feels kinda Threatened by this pretty boy bc ???? whyyyy is he interrupting my precious cleaning time. is he trying to supervise me? show off his fancy degrees??? …. reader has the fattest crush on him but toji genuinely doesn’t realize bc he’s wired to always mistrust others :// meanwhile reader is watching him clean internally going what the fuck what the fuckkk why is he wearing a compression shirt it’s literally fucking freezing??? is he teasing me???? does he know?????? they’re both losers actually. big romcom vibes

BUT YEAH i just picture professor!reader being a sleepy but cheery little guy….. who loves loves loves teaching and talking about his subject of choice and toji starts to really enjoy their talks bc reader’s eyes shine soooo brightly when he’s chattering away… all excited and gleaming….. and toji kinda hates teachers but he decides to make an exception this once. maybe starts to initiate conversations of his own every now and then… who knows…………….

OK THAT’S ALL PDHJDDHJF 😭😭 this came to me in a vision and ofc i had to share…. imagine me at a board meeting pointing at my little graphs and powerpoints while u sit in a big ceo chair overlooking the city… pondering janitor!toji and the future of this company…... mickey ur posts genuinely make me fully insane i hope u know that. bi!toji is real and loves you specifically btw <333333 I HOPE U HAVE A LOVELY DAY MWAH :3

ARIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII I NEED TO KISS U RN!!!

LIKE THIS ISN'T OKAY BY ANY MEANS HOW DID YOU COOK THIS UP AND WHY IS IT LITERALLY PERFECT AND ALSO HOW IS IT SO IN LINE WITH WHAT I HAD IN MY HEAD?????????????? HOW???????

OKAY FIRST OF ALL WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT PROFESSOR!READER KIND OF BEING LIKE TAKEDA FROM HAIKYUUUU??????????????? LIKE THAT'S IMMEDIATELY HOW HE POPPED INTO MY HEAD AND NOW I CAN'T STOP IMAGINING HIM LIKE THAT I ALS OCAN'T TAKE OFF THE CAPS LOCK BC I'M GENUINELY SO INVESTED IN THIS FUCKING AU IT'S INSANE

but yeah he's always wearing the comfiest fits just like u said - sweaters, vests, a button-up shirt and a colorful tie sometimes (he was super nervous about wearing the tie at first bc he thought he'd look stupid but he got over it and now he has a rule of wearing a tie at least once a week)(canon). when it's cold he's wearing an oversized coat and an equally big scarf and toji thinks it's very cute i mean what who said that.

another thing just popped into my head when u called him a sleepy guy..... what if it's already like afternoon and all of the students are gone and the professor was supposed to be grading their papers or smth but when toji happens to walk by his class he's just sleeping on the table............... PLSSSS I THINK IT'S SO CUTEE i can see it so clearly in my head the professor's glasses are really weirdly on his face and his mouth is open with a bit of drool spilling out lmao and at first toji just shakes his head like damn this guy is stupid but then he realizes that he's smiling? that his own lips just curved into a small smile all on their own and he's kinda freaked out about it and leaves really fast hasgahsaghshgagsha HE'S A LITTLE AWKWARD SOMETIMES OKAY even big scary teddy bears have their little love moments yk

my immediate thought was that toji would actually be the one to develop the crush first btw................ and he'd be a little like ???? maybe this is his first real male crush? and the reader is just kind of oblivious to it like he thinks that yk toji seems like the straighest guy on the first glance lmao and he thinks that he doesn't have a chance but hehehehehe he's very wrong IDK WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT i wanna know

DON'T GET ME WRONG THOUGH I DO REALLYREALLY LIKE the reader kind of thirsting over him hihihihihi he's so real for that AND I LOVE THE IDEA OF TOJI EVENTUALLY STARTING MORE CONVOS!!!!!! FUCK OFFF HE'S SOO SWEET AAAAAAAAA i love him so much have i said that already

who do you think would take the step to go further though? IN YOUR SCENARIO I MEAN it would obviously take time. a lot of it. bc toji is well... like he is and the professor is nervous and he's kind of afraid to overstep even though he likes him sooooo much... okay i kinda feel like toji would....... and it almost makes the poor professor have a heart attack bc WHAT? hihihihiihi stoppppppppppppp i can see them both in my head soooo clearly and i'm so fucking in love with them they're so cute aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

also got this idea of the professor breaking smth in his class idk like he sits on the chair and one of the legs breaks or smth lmao and he goes on a lookout for smth to fix it with (??????) and he finds toji!!!! and he comes to his rescue, teasing the professor a little bc how the hell did he break the chair you know. and maybe he professor blushes a little..................... IT'S TOJI C'MON EVERYBODY WOULD BLUSH A LITTTLE and then maybe the professor brings him a pastry or something the next day as a thank you and now it's toji who's..... cheeks are looking a little pink?????? and he's grumbling that it's my job. no need to thank me. but the professor just dismissed that immediately and just presses the pastry into his hands and waves him goodbye with a smile. AAAAAAAAAAAH I CAN'TTTT I'M SMILING SO BIG RN MY CHEEKS HURT WHAT IN THE FUCK THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

ARI. MY SWEETEST LITTLE ANGEL. CAN I USE THIS IN THE DRABBLE I STARTED? LIKE I'M GONNA LINK THIS IN THERE TOO. i just started the drabble based on one of the asks i got - toji just smiling while he's listening to his little bf ramble about his day but i'd love to sprinkle this in there. like maybe he taught a class on smth he really likes so he's just so excited about it. excited that the students were loving the topic or whatever. BUT I DO NEED YOUR PERMISSIONN!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AND THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU FOR INDULGING ME YOU ALWAYS DO I'M SOOOO GRATEFUL FOR YOUUUUUUUUUU<33333 i can't believe you just cooked it up are you actually gordon ramsay btw? i know you are don't lie to me ari. BI!TOJI LOVES US BOTH THAT'S WHY HIS TITS ARE SO BIG HE'S STORING HIS LOVE FOR US IN THERE!!!!!!!!!!! I HOPE YOU HAD A REALLY REALLLY GOOD DAY MY LOVE MWAH MWAH MWAH<333333333

[rhaenys-queenofkhyrulzz]

BangSeon Corporate/Chaebol AU

Was looking through the divine google doc of unfinished wips yesterday and came upon my plan for a chaebol au fic. Since I couldn't get the idea out of my head, 5 1/2 hours of poor time management later, this art was born:

ignore the 2016 eyebrows my dears 🙈

Initially, the idea behind the fic was to have Seon-ho secretly form an alliance with Bang-won—one of the top candidates for the CEO Position in Yi Group—to take down Nam Group—Yi Group’s prime competitor—which is headed by none other than Nam Jeon.

Of course, Bang-won isn't trusting of Seon-ho at first (Mainly because when they first met, Seon-ho had broken into his apartment to steal some documents from him. Oh. And he had a knife. So definitely not a good first impression). But he accepts his help in exchange for giving him access to specific documents & not calling up his armed security right away ('cause honestly like hell Bang-won is gonna let his little half-brother take that CEO Position from him). By working together with Seon-ho, he'll make a significant contribution to the company's future. The board will most definitely back him as the next leader.

A few months go by as they work on their plan. The more time they spend together, they realise that each other's presence is equally as infuriating as it is arousing.

At some point, they're both invited to some high society dinner along with their families but they were SO not expecting to see each other there. Bang-won sees Seon-ho out of his usual dark hoodies and sweats for the first time and his brain short-circuits. Though, he is a bit pissed off that Seon-ho didn’t tell him he’d be there. Seon-ho shares the sentiment. They have to pretend they don't know each other as if they haven’t spent the last 3 months working together on their plan.

Bang-won suggests they go chat somewhere more private do they duck into the first empty room they can find. As soon as the door closes, Bang-won cornering Seon-ho against the wall.

Words burst out of his throat before he can stop himself. “What the hell are you doing here?"

Seon-ho pushes forward and into his personal space. “I was invited dumbass.”

“You’ll blow our cover.”

“If I recall, you’re the one who asked to speak to me here."

Bang-won laughs, mirthless and condescending. "Because you were talking to the damn man we've been looking into since we started this thing. Wasn't it obvious how fucking stupid that was of you?"

"Oh I'm the stupid one, now am I?!" Seon-ho juts his chin forward and then there are barely inches between their faces. "God you’re so infuriating sometimes I just want to-”

“to what?”

Cue both internal monologues of their Anthony Bridgerton feels aka bane of my existence talk.

And then their lips are smashing together in a kiss. Heated make out session, hand fisting in shirt, teeth clacking. Both trying to devour the other basically.

1 gratuitous minute later, there's a knock at the door making them spring apart.

The rest of the plans are just plot stuff. Hope you enjoyed!

[bardic-tales]

11.27. 24: World-Building

Hello everyone. Today has been a very productive day, even if all I have done was focused on the economy of Blood & Stardust. I count these little world-building snippets as part of outlining my books (fan fiction). It's a big part of fleshing out a world as it sets social classes, and I'm very excited with the direction it is taking.

With that said, more details are under the cut.

Author’s Commentary:

Today, I spent a significant time refining the economic structure within Blood & Stardust. This process involved clarifying how power, privilege, and wealth function in the world, especially as it relates to characters like Sephiroth, Bianca, and, even brief characters that I have mentioned. I focused on drawing distinctions between the lower classes and the elites, examining how their conflicting desires shape their decisions. By exploring this tension, I wanted to give myself a deeper understanding of how wealth and status doesn't always equal contentment.

I also worked on further developing my personal headcanon for Sephiroth and his internal conflict regarding his 'privilege' position at Shinra as the Golden Boy of SOLDIER. This required shifting his perspective to seeing his comfort as chains that keep him tied to very corporation that he is loyal to but is coming to resent. This conflict adds a complexity to his character, allowing me to explore themes of power, corruption, and autonomy in a more nuance way when it comes to such an iconic character.

Finally, I spent time shaping the way Bianca navigates her place within the economy of Blood & Stardust. Her experiences with the CEO Mordecai and the SOLDIER Sephiroth illustrates her own struggle with luxury and instability.

Snippets from Today:

Lower Class: The Lower Class consists of individuals who live paycheck to paycheck or rely on low-wage jobs. While they may not experience the extreme poverty seen in the Least Resources group, they still struggle to afford a comfortable lifestyle and tend to be marginalized, with limited access to upward mobility. They have limited financial resources, often owning their homes or renting, but are unlikely to have significant savings or assets. Their finances usually only cover basic living expenses, leaving little room for luxuries. Housing is typically in older or less desirable neighborhoods, and food is basic, while clothing and personal items are of lower quality compared to higher classes. Though their standard of living may be adequate, it is far from luxurious. Individuals in the Lower Class face challenges such as job insecurity, limited career opportunities, and a lack of access to quality education or healthcare. They may also experience social stigma and discrimination. However, they benefit from strong community ties, with neighbors helping one another, and may have access to government assistance or social services, albeit often limited or inconsistent.

Sephiroth: Sephiroth’s economic background was shaped by Shinra’s investment in him as both a military asset and a propaganda tool. As the face of SOLDIER, he was provided with a luxurious lifestyle to project an image of strength and success that would attract recruits. This included a plush apartment, access to top-tier amenities, and other symbols of privilege. However, these resources were never truly his own; they were part of Shinra’s control and manipulation, tying him to the corporation’s agenda. Despite the outward comforts, Sephiroth grew to resent these amenities, seeing them as gilded chains that reinforced his role as a pawn in Shinra's grand design.

Bianca Moore: Bianca’s economic background was marked by constant instability and hardship. Forced into a life on the run after her family's tragedy, she and David moved frequently, struggling to survive and relying on odd jobs and limited resources. This unstable existence left Bianca with little formal education and a deep-seated drive to forge her own path, ultimately finding success as an author while carrying the emotional scars of her turbulent upbringing.

Bianca’s economic background took a significant turn for the better when she married Mordecai Delacroix, the CEO of Dark Light Publishing. With his wealth and resources, she experienced stability for the first time, living comfortably in a luxurious villa in Tuscany for six years. This period of prosperity marked a stark contrast to her nomadic past, though her journey eventually led her to the world of Final Fantasy VII, where new challenges awaited and those luxuries are ripped away from her.

Lower Middle Class Hojo’s Assistants / Other Scientists

Character Influence: Characters in this class are caught between aspirations of success and the harsh limitations imposed by their economic position. While they are educated and skilled, they are still largely controlled by more powerful figures. Their internal conflict often revolves around ambition versus loyalty, as they may aspire to rise above their station but are constrained by the corrupt systems they work within, like Shinra’s exploitation. Hojo’s assistants, for example, are often faced with ethical dilemmas, knowing the atrocities they are involved in, yet lacking the power or autonomy to escape.

Relationships: Relationships here tend to be transactional and hierarchical. These characters may try to form alliances or friendships based on mutual benefit, but there is always an undercurrent of control and subordination. Their interactions with higher-ups like Hojo or other Shinra officials may be marked by fear or ingratiation, while their relationships with those in the lower classes are often patronizing, seeing them as inferior but necessary to achieving their goals.

Plot Influence: While not directly at the forefront of the plot, this group plays a key role in advancing the story’s exploration of the corrupt corporate and scientific systems. The actions of Hojo’s assistants, for instance, contribute to the experimentation and atrocities that drive much of the plot, and their internal conflict can serve as a way to highlight the moral decay of Shinra’s operations.

Symbolism/Theme: The lower middle class represents the theme of compromise and the loss of autonomy. They are the "middle men" in a corrupt system, trapped between their ambitions and the moral costs of their work. They also embody the theme of exploitation, showing how even educated individuals are often constrained by economic and corporate power.

[terrence-silver]

Had a dream about getting food eaten off of me (non-sexually) and now I can’t stop imagining Terry having human furniture

Definitely seems like something 80’s Terry would have

It’s as though he views those lesser than him as not even human

But, honestly, c'mon, lets be real. Lets take the pink goggles off for a second: Try and imagine being this guy's ⬆️ employee at the height of his prime and just the absolutely debauched and downright freaky stuff you'd witness while working for him in the 80's.

It's the type of thing that puts Succession to shame, I feel.

Because, I do envision him coaxing people through the ringer of fire for his own sick pleasure, elaborately hazing them and having them take near goddamn ritualized amount of tests to progress anywhere in the hierarchy he's created; envision being a Dynatox employee, for example? A young Intern or someone wanting a promotion? Someone wanting to get ahead in Terry Silver's world? Nothing's for free, right? So, what would you be willing to do to get ahead under him? Don't even necessarily think it's about sex for Terry, but rather, more so about power. Ways he can perversely abuse it without consequences. Perhaps that ambitious secretary gets to stand behind his work desk for hours with their stack of papers because he's ordered them to, acting out the role of an elaborate human...shelf. Maybe if the fancy strikes him, he orders them to do it on one leg to fuel his own sadism and make it more difficult for them. Shift positions and hold up his ashtray for him as he dabs the residue of his cigar into it. Maybe get under his work table so he can place his feet over their back while they're on the floor, on all fours, and conduct a meeting, nobody even suspecting what's going on beneath the desk and even if they do, can you really confront the CEO of a conglomerate? Terry Silver, of all people? He might do it shamelessly in open view of everyone, acting entirely unfettered, nonchalant and all smiles, penalizing someone who's failed him and the strict NDA's all his workers sign render their lips sealed in sight of such measures. He can be an immensely kind boss after all. Truly. He rewards good effort by the tenfolds and punishes failure unscrupulously without you initially even knowing you're punished; he could be all kindness even as he puts you through the worst trauma of your life. Shocking what people are willing to overlook if you bribe and buy their silence with enough money and Terry would've loved testing and pushing that boundary each and every time.

Yeah, someone failed to dispose of a toxic waste delivery in Thailand.

Got to pay the ultimate price of being Mr. Silver's footstool for a month.

For all he's concerned, they got off lucky.

Imagine if they were a Whistleblower. You dread to think what happens to those.

Does he just have them dangled above a vat of toxic acid like he's a supervillain?

Does he maniacally cackle while he has his henchpeople do it?

What about the parties he attends and organizes? Company events? There's a naked woman (or a naked man) in front of Terry Silver's exclusive table in the VIP lodge and he's dining off of her and talking business with Firm Directors, Big Wigs and Fat Cats like it's no big deal, being as cool as a spritzer and you're not certain if this is a prelude to Caligula's orgy island on Capri you've just wondered into working for him and having earned your place here or any actual black tie all-personnel and special guests gathering, a stern faced Intern still standing behind Terry perfectly still and you could be left in equal measure confused if they're just that dedicated and professional and strictly no nonsense even at a party or if they too have been punished to act out the role of a disciplined human ornament in public while Mr. Silver gorges on the import Sushi plucked off of a pair of nipples and talking sums and numbers with great gusto. It's barely just 11 PM. You almost dread to think what'll take place after midnight, as you overhear Mr. Silver jokingly say something in the vein of 'If you want it that badly, what are you willing to do for it?' to a fellow Company Chairman from Japan as the honorable guest of the hour and it has you shivering in your skin because you'd just rather not know. You're not supposed to know, even though rumors fly and they come in any shade and variety of insanity right before disappearing as if though no gossip never existed and until all the remains is Terry Silver's squeaky clean image, leaving you wondering what working for him in his own private accommodations might be as a member of personal staff, up in that big mansion in LA, if working out at HQ is this unhinged. Your devotion is meant to be absolute and your silence total. After all, it is finely specified in your work contract; breaking any of Mr. Silver's requirements will result in the assurance you'll never get serious employment anywhere ever again; his reach goes shockingly far.

And all because you might've peeped about something off you saw or heard.

Who would believe you anyway, though? When Mr. Silver is all charm?

Only just the most loveable, entrepreneurial guy out there.

But, how deep does the rabbit hole really go?

When we put all of this into perspective, it is easy to understand just why Season 4 Terry Silver was so keen on wildly alerting and rehabilitating his image for a short blip. With the amount of skeletons this dude undoubtedly had in his closet, it is no wonder.

[proofwhisky]

˗ˏˋ  𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐧  ˊˎ˗   ―   𝙳𝙲 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎.

DC COMICS VERSE. ― SUMMARY. Thomas Michael Shelby is a cutthroat politician, Founder & CEO of a successful import/export company known as Shelby Company International, & the leader of a well-known gang called the Peaky Blinders: a vicious, razor-wielding group of extremely loyal members that own and run the Coventry Dock in Gotham, controlling all of the ports associated with it as well as the import & export of illegal goods & the flow of money in & out of the city. They have politicians, police, & doctors in their pockets. There is not a single soul within a ten-mile radius of Coventry Dock that doesn't recognize the name Shelby.

Terrifying rumors circulate through the city about how the Blinders are led by a dead man who sold his soul & was resurrected in exchange for the power & intelligence required to take down the heroes of Gotham City ― especially Batman.

TW: suicide, torture, medical abuse, marginalization, mental illness.

DC COMICS VERSE. ― FULL. THOMAS SHELBY IS DEAD. That is what all of the official documents say. According to city records, Tommy Shelby, having been awarded a full-ride scholarship to Gotham City University ( GCU ), began attending school at 18. His grades were stellar & despite his social class & lower economic status, he proved himself to be as worthy of an Ivy League degree as even the richest of students. During his Junior year he met and fell in love with someone, but the relationship did not work out, & Tommy found himself in a severe depressive state. After several unsuccessful attempts by his counselor to offer him treatment solutions, he was sent to the nearby Arkham Asylum for a 72-hour suicide watch.

He'd been released from Arkham following this 72-hour hold, having been declared to no longer be a danger to himself or others. According to official records, Thomas Shelby proceeded to walk out of the front doors of the psychiatric hospital & promptly jump in front of a bus & end his own life at the tender age of 21. According to the coroner, the body was far too mutilated for an "open casket" funeral, & they cremated it, not taking into account the fact that Tommy & his family do not practice Christian burials  ―  they burn their dead.

The Shelby family burns a wagon with an empty bed inside; a wagon filled with Tommy's possessions & memories. They mourn him. They let him go. They get over it.

Meanwhile, Tommy spends almost two years rotting away in the underbelly of Arkham Asylum ― experimented on, manipulated, murdered. The boy that had gone in for a mental health crisis had never come back out again. At the time that Thomas was attending GCU, Arkham Asylum was in the habit of testing new psychiatric medications on otherwise healthy individuals in order to document their side effects.

Of course, testing on people is illegal. They only tested on lab mice, rats, a select number of orangutans &, undocumented human patients that they assumed would not be missed.

Some of the trial medications did nothing. Some of them caused horrible physical symptoms like liver and kidney damage. The worst ones, though, were the ones that made him hallucinate wildly; the ones that put him at the mercy of his own brain & made him stop trusting his own senses. Things he heard or saw or felt or smelled had an equal chance of being fake as they did of being real.    

Most of it is nothing but a vague, hazy memory. He remembers pain. He remembers fear. He remembers the names & faces of the doctors & nurses in whose charge he stayed. The thing he remembers most, though, is the other patients. The way they all prayed for the Batman to come save them, the shrines they erected in honor of their blessed heroes. & he remembers that those heroes never came. They existed merely to give false hope to the needy, & to bring those they deemed insane here, to be fed upon by the parasitic social structure. This observation planted a seed in his soul, which he diligently watered & nursed into full-blown hatred.

It didn't take long for Tommy to gain enough trust of an insecure doctor to pick their pocket & take their keycard. It took him a little longer to start learning the layout of the building; he'd leave for a few minutes each night, going a little farther each time, returning to his cell to mark the locations of guards & cameras & exits. He had no intention of breaking himself out; he just needed to find an office with a phone that dialed the outside world, then find someone who knew the passcode to do so. Altogether the process took a little over a year.

Once he'd contacted his family & relayed the plan to them, however, Tommy only had to wait for thirteen more days before a pipe bomb freed him & a number of other patients housed near him.

Upon his release, Thomas Shelby built quite the name for himself. With patience, skill, & strategy, he was able to take over the Coventry dock & all of its ports; the Peaky Blinders control all of the imports & exports & all of their respective profits. They have plenty of prominent cops, detectives, politicians, & doctors on their payroll. The name Thomas Shelby swiftly became synonymous with ruthless tactics, cunning plans, bold fearlessness, & razor blades.

Next, Tommy had become increasingly more involved in the local community, carefully curating a reputation for being dependable & altruistic. He made himself seen around town, greasing the right palms, remembering the right names & faces & small details they mentioned. People now know his name. They remember his face. Local business owners respect him for his willingness to assist them in small tasks & for his consistent patronage. Soon, Thomas was elected onto the boards of a few prominent businesses: hospitals, schools, non-profit organizations. He garnered notoriety for his strong leadership skills & successfully gained the reverence of the lower-class citizens among whom he dwells. Tommy is now considered a pillar of the community, genuinely respected & said to be reliable, intelligent, & philanthropic.

Once he's able to finance his campaign he begins to involve himself in the muddy world of politics. His face becomes commonplace in most homes as he begins to film & produce campaign ads, participate in interviews for newspapers & magazines & television shows, explaining that his agenda is to give a voice to those who have been silenced, to stand a fight for those whom Gotham has tried to quietly dispose of. He openly criticizes the platforms of other mainstream politicians and their methods, often using ruthless blackmail to manipulate his competitors behind the scenes.

After establishing his empire, many things become clear about his time spent in Arkham. He walks with stiff joints and uses a mobility aid more often than not ( he favors a cane ). His bones ache, especially in the cold. Most mornings he has a limp. His face is gaunt & hollow, his eyes haunted & filled with the kind of coldness that can only be earned, not faked. The severe claustrophobia is the worst of it all.

There are other things, too; much less explainable things.

He never loses a coin toss. His aim is consistently deadly. He has uncanny intuition ; sometimes he's even able to tell what someone is thinking, down to the very word. He has prophetic dreams. Polly calls it Luck Magic. Tommy thinks he can reasonably guess which chemical compound they'd shot into his veins had been the one to do it ; but he can never be sure. & anyway, it doesn't matter.

Either way, he's going to kill the Batman.

[seventeenlovesthree]

Time to do my go-to rare pair for the ship game: Koushiro/Iori post-Kizuna and Beginning

It really is a shame that, at some point in the middle of 02, they just stopped putting emphasis on the relationship between these two, despite the fact that they were STILL continuously mirroring them to some degree. While Koushirou is the brain everybody naturally turns to for help, Iori, despite being very analytical of situations and surroundings, tends to get himself overlooked more easily. And, even as they grow up, this may be something he would need some help and guidance for...

... Especially if you consider their set-ups as "work-a-holics in shirt and tie". The big difference here is: Koushirou is the CEO of his own company, he has LEARNED to stand up for and assert himself through the course of early Adventure already and it's no surprise that this is the reason why he is considered an "expert on all things Digimon" as a public speaker. Iori on the other hand... Is still the youngest Chosen Child in the group and is obviously being exploited as intern at the company he is working at during his law studies. He IS computer-savvy, maybe not to the same degree as his senpai, but definitely just as prone to stressing himself and taking on more work than he can chew. It almost seems like there'd be a lack in balance - and, as mentioned, maybe a lack in guidance too. And remembering their early set-ups, Koushirou may not always be the most tactful person in EVERY situation, but when it comes to very certain people, he IS observant - and very capable of calling them out for their issues especially those he usually also has himself.

Koushirou is among those who never treated Iori as a nuisance and Iori never felt belittled by him - so the confidence boost he'd get from getting praised by Koushirou is something he definitely needs. For his hard work, ambition, wit... He needs to know that he is being taken seriously and considered an intellectual and compassionate equal - which is something Koushirou would definitely provide, even unintentionally, simply by treating him like he always treated him: Respectfully and with kindness (and also in a somewhat protective manner). Iori on the other hand does look up to Koushirou whether he might surpass him in height is still up to debate though and, upon spending time with him, would get more and more comfortable being honest and calling HIM out as well. It's like an automatic mutual trauma response that goes like "I am tired as heck, but I need to finish this task at all costs, but HOLD THE PHONE, YOU WILL GET YOUR BREAK, MISTER". And it might actually work, because they care about each other a lot.

I could imagine them doing research together, with Koushirou teaching Iori how to use his gadgets and sources to his advantage for the sake of his future career - and with the help of the likes of Takeru, they might actually leave their office spaces and spend time outside, doing cultural activities and historical sightseeing. I really think that is something they'd both enjoy and that'd do them good while improving their relationships even further. Frowning over the others constantly jumping into danger and dragging them with them - but they're the voices of reason, so despite their grouchy faces, they'll happily oblige and share knowing, smiley glances about it.

... On a more romantic route, one might argue that everything I've just mentioned might cause Iori to eventually tell Koushirou that he doesn't "want to be seen/treated as you've always seen/treated me anymore", actively taking a step towards confessing. Because even if they're both rational thinkers, they can be very emotional around the right people - and Iori would be the one to initiate, maybe after harboring a crush for quite some time (which I know is a headcanon we can both imagine going down like that!). Koushirou might not be able to respond to something like that immediately, he would take his time for contemplation - and I wouldn't consider it impossible for them to act on it together.

[beardedmrbean]

The left-wing Southern Poverty Law Center reportedly laid off more than 60 employees late Wednesday, leading at least one member of its union to assail the Montgomery, Alabama.-based organization on X, formerly Twitter. 

The organization has long been known for its cataloging of purported “hate groups” and “enabler” groups or individuals, including several evangelical and Catholic entities, conservative members of Congress and the late radio icon Rush Limbaugh – all of which are sprinkled among its monitoring of groups more widely considered racist or misogynist such as the Ku Klux Klan and Proud Boys.

Several of the reported layoffs affected top officials in the organization’s union, which was reportedly organized in 2019 to fight “inequitable” practices at the organization.

“Today, SPLC – my employer – laid off over 60 of our union members, essentially shuttering multiple departments,” Hannah Gais wrote on X. 

“Speaking in a personal capacity, I endorse each and every single word of this statement from our union. [A]n organization with this much money has no excuse,” she added.

The referenced union statement, also posted to X, said more than 60 union members, including its chairperson and five stewards, were informed their jobs would be cut.

“We are devastated for our union and for our colleagues,” the union said. In another tweet, the union said SPLC has nearly $1 billion in reserves and is facing allegations of “hoarding” donations while “gutting its staff by a quarter.”

Fox News Digital reached out to SPLC for comment on the layoffs and allegations of donation hoarding via multiple avenues but did not immediately receive a response. A person who picked up the phone at the organization directed Fox News Digital to an extension that eventually went to voicemail.

In a statement to the Alabama Reflector, the group said it would be taking actions to streamline its activities and operations in order to better advance its cause.

“We announced internally the consolidation of certain programs and activities as well as the elimination of others, resulting in staff reductions,” the press team wrote. 

“This was a difficult but necessary decision to focus and align our work with our programmatic priorities and goals. We deeply value the contributions of all our staff and their commitment to ensuring the promise of equal justice is a reality for all,” the group told the outlet.

The Reflector reported the group said the move would allow Deep South communities to be better served.

The group has long faced a history of discrimination allegations while simultaneously claiming to be a “catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond.”

In the 1980s, the group won several civil suits on behalf of KKK victims. The organization was originally founded in 1971.

In 2022, in response to allegations by union members of an “inequitable” post-COVID reopening plan at its offices, SPLC President and CEO Margaret Huang tallied 400 employees at the time, and said less than 10% held positions that required them to be in the office.

The SPLC also notably had to apologize after labeling neurosurgeon and former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson as an “extremist.”

[dalliansss]

do you stick your head into everyone's business, or just mine? For mairon?❤️

PROMPTS FOR THE GRUMPY VS SUNSHINE TROPE

Mairon arrives at his office located at the 52nd floor of Angband Towers -- but of course this isn't accomplished without incident, for already he has visited several departments en route to his office, terrorizing the workers there with his follow-ups and surprise spot inspections. As CEO of Angband Inc., (which is, in turn a subsidiary of Utumno Conglomerates), he seems to have made it a past time of his to keep all his workers on their toes.

He liked to 'bully' the interns and new hires, especially in the Legal Department. Mairon's reasoning of course is that, those jobs aren't just mere jobs, and that everybody hired for it should be accordingly qualified and skilled for the spot they applied for. And of course, coping with pressure is also a crucial skill in any job.

One of the few employees he cannot 'bully', as it were, is his P.A., Thuri. She has been P.A. to him for a decade now, and she is well-known for her persuasive charm and stubbornness that equals that of her immediate superior's. With Thuri, anything can be possible, which is why Mairon can't do without her. Heck, she even has higher pay than most of Angband's engineers.

So, today, Mairon finds Thuri vacuuming near the balcony area. He stops on his tracks; he doesn't see her of course but he can hear the buzz and hum of the cordless vaccuum.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Mairon asks. "Vacuuming," comes Thuri's reply. "Don't we have a cleaning team for that? Am I on glue or did we lose the entire janitorial services department?"

Thuri emerges from the balcony area, in her crisp corporate outfit and heels, dragging the cordless vacuum with her. "No," she tells him, as she too returns his appraisal. "The area was simply not clean to my tastes."

Mairon lets his eyebrows rise up before he proceeds to his own office area. During the course of the day, Thuri enters and exits his office, bringing him updated papers, memoranda and other important matters -- already organized and tabbed per urgency, just how he likes it. Color-coded tabbing, too.

Near the lunch hour, of course, Mairon slows his own work to a trickle and he pulls out his mobile phone. He opens TikTok and checks if Finrod posted any new photosets or a new Reel or is on Live. Ever since he scheduled that dinner date with the pop star, Mairon had been obligated to open his own TikTok and Instagram, and made to religiously like and collect each of his boyfriend's photos and Lives and Reels and Stories.

From obligation, it became hobby, until it coalesced into a daily ritual.

It turns out Finrod posted several new TikToks of their cats, Draugluin and Wilwarin. Mairon religiously views each one, oblivious that Thuri has entered his office with a fresh stack of documents, and was now peering over his shoulder, checking out what the hell he's doing.

He notices he's being watched when he catches a whiff of Thuri's Bvlgari perfume. Mairon jolts and whirls around his executive chair, scowl already on his face.

"Do you stick your head into everyone's business, or just mine?" He snarls at his P.A.

"Your business is sometimes my business, especially if conducted in office premises," Thuri chirps, drawing back. "Also, it's somewhat also the entire world's business since you dated the hottest pop star of the current decade. By the way, your boyfie just messengered an entire sushi platter, I've put it--"

But Mairon is already out of his executive chair at the mere mention of a sushi platter, especially a homemade one from Finrod. He exits his office, makes a beeline for the private kitchen and pantry he shares with Thuri and his security officers.

He opens the fridge and finds the sushi platter. He takes it out, cuts the tape seals with a kitchen knife, and then proceeds to gobble two sushis at once before he steals away the entire thing back to his office, where Thuri is still sorting his outgoing pile.

She rolls her eyes and shakes her head at him.

[unlimitedhorsepower]

having some of the worst times of my life ever and im scared things could get worse... how? well you see. they might create more tnb some day even after all of this.

after massacring my boy ryan like that live on screen... smack cam... removing any of ryans narrative worth or meaning just to have him show up and be cringe which i did enjoy but for real guys. my friends. if they had just had everyone do something random and lackluster it wouldve been fine but ryan showed up to drive the plot and continue his character arc from the rising (and then he didnt, as a joke).

karinas lack of real character arc (AGAIN!) so that she can uhhhh talk about crushes... instead of, for example, have her be an equal hero on-screen to the guys who have already been king of heroes and she works arguably harder than anyone else (she is a hero, an idol, and a student). shes so interesting, theres so much to her! but most of her appearances just serve to further some guys character arc (like the whole blue golden episode is mostly about ryan!.. or kotetsu even! cmon)

the character arc that antonio got that wholly ignored that hes friends with nathan and which makes me actually lose my mind when i think that those two have frequently been shown together but they didnt have a single convo together so that nathan and keith can be confined to a cage where theyre only interacting with each other instead of having any real plot relevance despite them both being really interesting!..

and the fact that antonio/agnes made its way into the show bc the director likes him and you know... agnes was her stand-in, and another reason to not let nathan talk with antonio ever because yknow?.. it just tastes like ash in my mouth to feel like the director felt some type of way about nathans and antonios prior relationship...

the buddy hero system was utilized so poorly! it threw so many characters under the bus like ryan seriously got way too much time in blue golden and their prior relationships with each other were ignored so much like man... i just love them all interacting. i dont love whatever the hell was going on with, for example, nobody noticing that thomas is gone. my heroes wouldve noticed immediately btw. instead of subaru and thomas being in a cage where they only interacted with each other, the buddy hero pair curse of 2nd cour that almost everyone suffered from

lets not even get into that even if they say that yuri is actually fine haha! they cant remove that scene where kotetsu and barnaby stared at him and went like “hmm thats rough buddy... anyway”. what the hell... kotetsu is one of the characters i think of the least and it was just so grossly OOC and just plain disgusting... the entire abuse apologism arc with yuri and lara overall as well

what about that fucking scene with jungle where they implied shady shit was going on when subarus communicator didnt go off and he was recruited as a double for thomas anyways and uhhh (checks notes) literally nothing came out of those plot threads btw. jungle CEO was introduced for no reason

and they cant remove what they did to ouroboros (the way they made it all-powerful illuminati-esque organization instead of plain old corruption etc), and the whole NEXT disease ooohhh-thing, and the literal internment camps and the various deeply bigoted implications thereof plus lackluster new character designs (oops! almost all white, pale-haired and blue/green-eyed).

how could they bounce back from this and do i even want to see them try to ignore OR try to grapple with any of the above. oooh when i get my hands on the people who were in the writers room...............

cant they just please retcon that my favourite character fucking exploded to ten thousand small pieces. excited for scraps of my fav characters like usual but then?.. its also like spitting in my face after all the shit they pulled. put me out of my misery

[obscurushydrae]

THE CORPSE OF  THE BLACK FLAME STATUS: RECOVERED  [ Reliquary Masterpost ]

A fireproof ossuary containing the skull, fragmented bones, and ash of an adult human male. Despite not having any particular powers, its provenance and history deem it valuable enough to be contained. 

Before one can even properly cover Pope, one must go back to the first Black Flame.

Raimund Diestel was a deserter of the German Army during World War I. Spending his desertion in Bangkok as a drunk, he frequented opium dens, and worked as a guide simply to make ends meet. In the early 1920s, he was recruited by occultist and adventurer Sara Jewell in an expedition to find the temple of The Black Flame. Through misadventure and attempting to save a girl’s life, the cultists revealed that he was the true sacrifice and thus became The Black Flame. A supernatural being of unknown origin (ie neither infernal, ethereal, chthonic, etc), covered entirely in the flame that will render anything to ash. 

Sometime in the early 1930s, the Black Flame would resurface in America, hired by an American gangster for his services. After a scuffle with infamous (and equally interesting) vigilante, The Lobster, Diestel was arrested and kept under lock and key. Upon hearing about the man, the occult-obsessed Adolf Hitler organized a prison break in 1932 in order to free and recruit Diestel into the Nazi fold. Diestel served Hitler loyally until his destruction in  September 1944 facing the United State’s experimental “Sledgehammer”. (See Files 001244519440125 “Project Epithemeus”, and  001244820140312 “Sledgehammer Vril Energy Suit”).

In the following decades, not much is known on what had become of the corpse of Diestel. Sometime the 2000s it came into the possession of Landis Pope, CEO of the Zinco Corporation and a collector of Nazi paraphernalia. At the aid of the frog monsters that spawned from Crab Point, Pope designed, developed, and built a suit of armor with the intent of becoming a vessel of the Black Flame, and successfully completed the ritual. (In truth, this had been part of the frog monsters’ plan to help bring about one of the Odgru Hem back to this plane of existence).

Here it gets murky, Pope clearly lost his humanity, but after recovering internal Zinco R&D records, it appeared they also tried to revive him using one of the Oannes Society’s superhuman bodies (See File #9900279200160320 “Garden of Souls Incident”). Pope was revived and was a shell of his former self, a merciless supernatural being the like Diestel could ever imagine. Taking control of the New York Metropolitan area, he sealed it off and ruled like a god-king, connected to the people in a now city of horrors. (My eema and ma, blessed in memory, were two of his myriad victims.)

After many years of no contact with the city, in a joint operation between the BPRD and the Russian Special Science Services, it was revealed the true extent of what the city had been under. Shortly after an assault on Zinco followed, and was only successful with the join efforts of Special Agent Elizabeth Sherman and the now twice deceased Special Agent Johann Kraus (using the now-recovered Epimetheus suit). 

During a post-operation sweep of the city, what remained of body was very little but recovered nonetheless by me. While originally in the Bureau’s relic storage, it was moved to my personal reliquary.  While I doubt anything will happen, I rather would be safe than sorry.