#elite home health care

[nursingoffthechart]

Off the Chart - Nurses Community

Website: https://www.nursingoffthechart.com/

Address: Treasure Valley, Idaho, USA

Off the Chart is a unique platform that intertwines the professional and personal journey of a nurse with a passion for caring. It's more than just a blog; it's a collection of heartwarming stories, practical advice, and a treasure trove of recipes and humor. The site reflects the life of a nurse who has worked in various capacities, from telemetry to management, and ultimately as a director in senior and community care services. The author, based in the Treasure Valley, Idaho, shares her experiences in Southern California and her transition to country living, offering insights into gardening, homesteading, and outdoor adventures.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/journeysbyjt

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/journeysbyjt

Keywords: home health care home health care services always best care senior services best colleges for nursing best nursing schools in the us community home health care senior home care services elite home health care best gifts for nurses best nursing shoes for women in home care services for seniors platinum home health care advantage home health care best watches for nurses best backpack for nurses best bags for nurses best shoes for male nurses advanced home health care how to make spider plant bushier always best care senior service how many bell peppers per plant how tall is robert plant best gift for nurses humor for nurses healthcare blogs how to garden for beginners homesteading lifestyle best outdoor adventure books how to plant a garden for beginners loving care senior services best outdoor adventure movies healthcare marketing blog funny things to say before surgery how to plan a garden for beginners nursing home humor how to grow a garden for beginners how to start gardening for beginners best outdoor adventure documentaries best outdoor adventure vacations best places to visit in north america for outdoor adventures how do you start a garden for beginners how to start a small garden for beginners personal journey disciplines in nursing leadership humor in nursing care idaho culture and lifestyle healthcare management blog community nursing experience affordable memory care nursing home in southern california nursing career fair southern california personal journey disciplines in nursing nursing blog personal life nursing blog personal stories idaho lifestyle blog lifestyle simple living hailey idaho north idaho home and lifestyle early homesteaders lifestyle homesteaders lifestyle us history start homesteading lifestyle community health nursing experience

[repulsiveliquidation]

Crippled.

María León x Ingrid Engen x Reader [SMUT!]

the cutest duo am i right

word count : 2.6k

warnings : fluffy smut, bon appetit.

“Ready, mi amor?”

“Si, just let me get my bag.”

Mapi stood at the door with her kitbag, grabbing her keys when you walked up to her with your medical bag. You had just been announced as the head of the medical team for Barcelona Femeni and it was your first day. Your girlfriends recommended you to the board when you were helping Alexia with her ACL; the board decided to use your expertise on the team upon her recommendation and you got the job, moving on from your private practice.

You were a little nervous about the position; the team was made up of elite athletes that relied on you to keep them healthy and injury-free to be able to do their jobs the best they can. You had met them all, but since you’ve never cared for them except for Alexia, Mapi and Ingrid so you were scared that you would mess up and cost the team.

“I’m ready.” You tell her, smiling up at your girlfriend.

“The barça crest looks good on you.” She tells you proudly, holding the door open for you as you walked to her car.

“Please, you’ve seen it on me hundreds of times.”

“It’s one thing to see you in my jersey or Ingrid’s amor, never fails to make my heart go crazy.”

“I love you,” you tell her, blushing lightly when she opens your door for you; Ingrid already sitting inside.

“I love you too,” She whispers quietly, leaning in to kiss your cheek.

//

You walk to training together, they follow you into the medical room to introduce you to everyone and to get you settled. Ingrid kisses your head and Mapi kisses you before leaving, heading to training while you work up a health plan for each and every one of the players.

You come out to the pitch a while later to introduce yourself to the team which isn’t necessary since the girls are over at your house at least once a week anyway and you knew all of them well. They come over to say hello at a water break, Alexia gives you a hug when Mapi comes up from behind and hugs you as you talk to Irene, Patri and Ingrid.

“Go back to practice, clingy.”

“I wanna hang out with you.”

“We live in the same house, you will live without me for a bit. Go.”

“Asshole.”

“That is so sweet of you, love.”

She lets go and kisses your cheek before running back on the pitch with Ingrid following her. You speak with Jonatan for a bit to discuss how he wished to have the medical team at games and such. You go back inside after, waving to the girls.

Ingrid and Mapi find you in your office after training, freshly showered and ready to go home. You make them sit and wait a bit, finalizing a little work before shaking Mapi awake to go home. You drive, the two girls too tired as they both fall asleep on the way.

Mapi crashes on the couch snoring while Ingrid forces herself upstairs, you chuckle and clean out their kit bags and do a load of laundry before starting on dinner. Mapi wakes up when she smells the steak you’re cooking, trudging to the kitchen grumpily.

“Hello sleepy head.”

“Hola,” she grunts back, sitting on the counter and rubbing her eyes.

You hand her a bottle of water and force her to have half, knowing she was probably thirsty but too stubborn to drink water. She jumps off the counter and throws the finished bottle in the trash before standing behind you and hugging you like she did earlier. She kisses your neck softly, arms snaked under her hoodie you had on.

“Dinner will be ready in 5, baby.”

“I’ll set the table. You’re the best, you know that?”

“I know.”

She laughs and lets go, setting the table before calling for Ingrid. You walk in with three plates, putting theirs in front of them before sitting down with your own. Ingrid digs in, sighing when she takes a bite. You smile and watch her eating as you join her while Mapi scarfs down her food at lightning speed.

“You hungry?” you ask her teasingly, grinning when she looks up with a mouth full of food.

“You’re in the wrong profession bebé.”

“These hands save lives and feed them. I love both babe; it makes me happy to see you both and the girls enjoy my cooking. Besides, it helps me destress from work.”

//

“Y/N!”

You heard your name being called during a game against Real Madrid. You look up and grab your medical bag and rush onto the field without knowing which player you’re treating. When you get there, your heart nearly stops. It’s María, face wincing in pain.

“María? Talk to me love, what hurts?”

“What doesn’t?”

“Quit being a smartass, tell me what hurts!”

“Ankle, I think her studs caught it.”

You move lower and grasp her leg, examining her ankle. You twist it to see the reaction and she yells out. Ingrid is kneeling by her head and stroking her hair, whispering softly to her to calm her down. You carefully pull her boot off followed by her sock, her ankle already starting to bruise.

“She’s out, she can’t play like this.”

“I can, just need a minute.”

“You will not, I’m pulling you off.”

The tone you used got her to stop arguing, you motioned for the stretcher to haul her off the pitch. Ona was already warmed up and ready to go, taking her spot in the game while you tended to Maria.

She sat in the examination room quietly as you iced her ankle and taped her up. She winced and whined which you promptly ignored, knowing she would complain about it after. You helped her back to the benches to watch the rest of the game, keeping her leg elevated and thoroughly iced.

“Are you okay, elskling?” asked Ingrid after the game, helping María into the car after she showered and changed, both of them positively excited by the win.

“Yes but no one has kissed it better yet.” She replies with a pout, you roll your eyes at her as you put their bags in the back with yours.

“Our Y/N didn’t kiss it better? What kind of doctor are you?” Ingrid accused you, Mapi nodding deftly with her. You chuckle and look at both of them in disbelief, hopping into the driver’s seat. Mapi was in the back with her leg across the backseat, Ingrid climbing into the passenger seat grinning.

“I did my job, I will not coddle you María.”

“I am your girlfriend, the contract says you must coddle me.”

“Are you in any pain?”

“No.”

“Any discomfort?”

“Not really.”

“Can you put pressure on your leg despite it being black and blue?”

“Yes, it’s perfectly wrapped.”

“Then I did my job.”

She huffs, crossing her arms and pouting.

“Fine, I will kiss it better when we get home.”

“You big softy.”

“Your leg is about to be even worse, María.”

//

“Y/N!”

“Yes?”

“Can you help me?”

You walk into the living room to find Mapi reaching for the TV remote on the coffee table. Ingrid is sitting there with a book, apparently ignoring Mapi.

“I can’t reach the remote.”

“Why did you call me when she’s literally sitting right there? I’ve got food on the stove!”

“She’s ignoring me.”

“And why is that, love?”

“I threw her book across the room when she didn’t want to cuddle me.”

“Sounds like you deserve it then.”

“I am injured! You’re both supposed to pity me! Baby me!”

“You don’t throw your girlfriends book across the room when she tries to read!”

“And you don’t call her a hundred and one times just to get you the remote!”

María leaned forward and managed to grab the remote, grinning up at you proudly.

“Got it! Sorry babe, don’t need you after all!”

“Call me one more time María León and I will make sure you never walk again.”

She cowers, turning on the tv and watching it till dinner time. You bring dinner to the both of them and enjoy a little tv along with it. Ingrid cleans up and comes back to cuddle you, pulling you into her arms as her hands thread through her hair. You scoot Mapi up between your legs gently, braiding her hair into small locks. Suddenly she speaks up, looking at the both of you propped up on her elbow.

“I’m sorry I annoyed the both of you today. I just wanted your attention but I guess I just didn’t know how to say it without sounding pathetic.”

Both you and Ingrid sit up and look at each other in shock. Mapi sat herself up too, Ingrid and you moving around to kneel before her. She looks at her hands, picking at a hangnail.

“Darling, you never have to do that to get our attention. You just have to ask us, we’ll both drop everything for you.”

“You’ll never sound pathetic for asking us to love on you mi amor, that’s what we’re here for! You deserve it, you never have to hide it bebé.”

She smiles, biting her lip. You lean in and kiss her, gently caressing her leg. Ingrid moves behind her, kissing down her neck and rubbing her arms. Mapi moans into the kiss, hands flailing between you and Ingrid, unsure of what to do.

You lean over and kiss Ingrid over Mapi’s shoulder as she watches, eyes wide. Nothing turns her on more than seeing both her girlfriends making out. Ingrid takes the lead in the kiss, cradling your head how she wants, obviously licking into your mouth as your tongues taste each other. Mapi outwardly moans, which makes the both of you pull away slowly.

“Wanna join us upstairs, cariño?”

“Upstair­–I am a CRIPPLE!”

“Just joking, hold on.”

You pick her up easily, leading the way up to your bedroom. Mapi leans into your neck and kisses you, biting down softly. You gently set her on the bed, stripping her of her clothes. Ingrid suddenly pulls you into her, kissing you hotly as she makes Mapi watch. She makes a show of groping and caressing you, your hands tangled in her messy hair. She moans when you tug, pulling away to attach your mouth to her unmarked neck. She keens, holding onto you as you bite and suck. Mapi is touching herself, hand dipped between her legs as she noisily gets wetter and wetter.

“Enjoying the show?” Ingrid asks her, hands beginning to pull off your clothes sensually. Mapi watched with dark eyes, slipping a finger into herself as you swayed your hips and kissed lower down Ingrid’s body. You did the same to her, pulling off her clothing and tossing them about the room. Mapi moaned loudly when you kneeled before Ingrid and kissed between her legs. You pulled her underwear down and leaned in, kissing her barely peeking clit. You spread her a little and feasted, licking and sucking on her as she pulled your hair and keened. Mapi had two long fingers inside her now, the wet sounds coming from both sides of the room as you aided each other in getting off. Ingrid pushes you to kneel before the bed, leaning back for her to ride your face. You let her get comfortable before she pulls your hair back and grinds herself down on your face. Your nose devotes itself to grazing her clit as your tongue sticks out for her to sink herself on. She groans and looks up to see Mapi panting and fingering herself, eyes focused on the scene in front of her.

Ingrid pulls away just before she cums, leaning in to give you a searing kiss. She groans and pulls your face into hers when she tastes herself so potently on your tongue. Mapi screams incoherent Spanish, cumming hard from the erotic live show she’s got to give herself mind-numbing pleasure.

The two of you grin and climb onto the bed to kiss her, lips locked in a hot three-way lip-smacking fight for dominance. Mapi comes out of top, pulling the both of you off her to make out for her to watch briefly. She smirks at you and kisses both of you separately, giving it to both of you how you like it.

“Grab my strap for me, darling.” Mapi tells you, you hop off the bed and do what she asks while Ingrid checks on her leg. It’s been a couple days and she’s really resting just as precaution, but the two of you worry about her anyway.  

Ingrid helps her put it on, while you sit at the foot of the bed and watch. Mapi strokes it briefly before looking at you, gesturing you to come to her. You crawl to her slowly, swaying your hips just to tease. She smirks and waits patiently, pulling you to straddle her hips. The strap pokes your inner thigh when you sit on her, Ingrid leaning in to kiss you softly as Mapi caresses your thighs.

“Want you to ride me, niña.”

You whine and sit up, arousal becoming more evident when her hand slips between your legs and pulls away soaked. No one had touched you at this point, your pent-up arousal pooling generously in your cunt.

“No need for lube, wanna see you sit on my cock angel, come on.”

You listen, holding her cock steady for you to sink down onto it. You whine and shudder as it fills you, the stretch pleasant and painful at the same time. It was soul-snatchingly addicting. You bounced a little, testing the waters. Ingrid kissed you and slowly rubbed your clit, Mapi’s hands caressed your thighs and hips, softly encouraging you as you took more and more of her cock.

Finally, fully speared on her, you slowly rode her cock; moaning loudly when she gave your ass a couple hard smacks. Ingrid moved to ride her face, facing you to lean in and make out. It was pleasurable for all of you, your hands held Ingrid’s as she cupped your cheeks and kissed you harder. Mapi was devouring her pussy, noisy slurps filled the room as it blended with the slick sounds between your legs. You cried out her name when her cock grazed your spot, angling your hips to hit it each time you sank down on her. It made your head spin; her cock filled you deep and full.

Ingrid was also panting now, your hands groping at her breasts as she resumed circling her fingers over your swollen clit. Everyone was close, orgasms right there ready for us to grasp. You were riding Mapi harder now, bouncing on her thick cock, desperately pleading to cum. Ingrid was the same, grinding down on her face while reached back to pull on her hair.

You grabbed Ingrid’s face when you came, kissing her fervently as she came right after you. Mapi too reached her peak for the second time that night, chin wet with a fucked-out smile on her face.

//

“All healed now, Maps?” Ona asked her as you all got on the plane to travel to Frankfurt.

“Yes, I am fit as a fiddle. Did you know that sex is the best medicine?”

“I will injure you again, María. I may heal people for a living, but remember; I know how to undo the healing and that is a promise.” You told her, the whole plane laughing when the defender cowered into her seat and tried to hide behind Lucy as you and Ingrid gave her the death stare.

[ozzgin]

Hello, i’m back 😁.

I’m finaly going to ask you the 3 part of Yautja female reader raised on earth.

So reader had her first heat and she spend it with her yautja male. And suprise !!!! She’s pregnant !

Her mate want to take her to their home planet but reader becomes agressive when he tried and they all know the rule : you don’t fuck with pregnant yautja. No seriously, never do that.

And so the male see the way her family is really happy about this news and they help reader with her pregnancy and they fully support her. Which is suprising for our male yautja because usualy pregnant females yautja go on their pregnancy alone. And if you feel up for it, could you write about active labour : reader is having contractions for hours, she wants support and her mate ( males aren’t suppose to ne here for the labor ) and then the baby is here and everyone love this little buttle of joy.

Hope you have time for this resquest and thanks for reading this, bye.

Welcome back! The third part of the Predator saga has been requested by @avaleigh16 as well, so I’m tagging you as promised! :) Each Predator is written under the assumption that you’ve picked them as a partner with perhaps a little bit of reaction from the other suitors. Sorry for the delay!

Various Predators x Predator! Reader Headcanons: Mating

Featuring the four Predator types and their independent story if you’ve accepted them as your mate. Dealing with pregnancy and birth.

Part 1: Meeting

Part 2: Courting

Part 3: Mating

After a long and exhausting courting process from all these unexpected suitors, you’ve made your decision and chose your mate. Not only that, but consuming the new relationship has left you visibly pregnant. And the father is none other than…

Feral Predator

What a bizarre choice in the eyes of the other suitors. You’ve picked the foreigner of unknown origins, from the deserted plains of the opposing hemisphere. Two different Yautja species meeting and mating. What would the outcome be? Neither the Feral Predator nor you care much about genetics. He is much more interested in planning his new family unit, except you’re not as enthusiastic about leaving your caregivers behind. Surely you can’t expect to raise your children with these frail humans. They have no skill nor value to pass on to your offspring and there are no biological ties holding you back. He notices your increased aggression and would rather not press the matters further and compromise your health, at least for now. And while he is baffled by the strange customs of assisting you throughout your pregnancy, he can’t deny the enjoyment of being included. To your surprise, in your moments of required bed rest, you spot Feral Predator continuing your household tasks for the humans. He doesn’t agree with your choices, but he will respect them nevertheless. If the humans are this important to you, he can make the effort to tolerate them.

Elite Predator

Being on this pathetic planet hasn’t eroded your common sense it seems. You’ve made the right choice. All that’s left is returning to Yautja Prime, preferably before you have to carry a needy newborn around. His patience is running thin upon hearing your obstinate refusals. What could it be this time? Pregnancy hormones? Alas, he’d rather not fight you in this feral state. It’s not optimal, but right now there’s little room for protest. If you so desire, you can have your final stay with the little creatures. Although he’s not happy at all to witness them flocking to your aid whenever something is required. You can spot the Elite Predator sulking from a distance, following his part in the tradition and giving you space. His frown, however, only lasts until the first contractions. The small earthly creatures demand his presence. It is not commonly done, but then again, can he really miss the opportunity of attending the birth of his own offspring? It’s a comical sight, his tall frame towering over the gathered family, and you can’t help but chuckle between the labored breaths. You’ll deal with his moods later.

Fugitive Bad Blood

The Fugitive knew that despite all the disapproving eyes, you’d still pick him as your partner. You have the blood of your parents running through your veins. For how long were you planning on avoiding your nature, your very fate? Thankfully you’ve come to your senses, though he might need to shake the remaining doubt off of you with his own hands. Your attachment to these life forms is frankly annoying and he doesn’t mind making the choices for you. In fact, there’s no decision to make if you only have one option. He has already proven to you that anyone else besides him is a superfluous existence. He is your guarantee to survival and anything else your heart might desire. You have managed to keep him away from your family with distant promises of compliance once the suckling is here. As you approach the moment of birth, you can sense his excitement and anticipation. The tension is the air is thick, almost suffocating. You don’t doubt his loyalty to you. If only you could use it for the safety of your earthly parents instead.

Berserker

You choosing him as your partner was the best for everyone, really. He would’ve had no trouble hunting down his competition. You soon find out just how possessive and territorial the Berserker is when not even your family can approach you. Perhaps the pregnancy has caused him to be extra careful. Not only are you his mate, but the mother of his future sucklings, so he’s not taking any risks of a foreign presence outside his own. After all, why would you need anyone else but him? You can feel anger knotting inside your stomach, but fighting against the Berserker is not the wisest move. Even though he wouldn’t recklessly jeopardize his lineage. Most likely. Probably. You will have to do something soon, because he has expressed his intentions to leave this planet as soon as the birth happens. Naturally you’ll join him. There’s a long life ahead and he’s determined to keep you with him. Just what have you gotten yourself into?

[cialovesklopp]

chapter two — away we go

summary — it’s her first race and the first time she has to prove herself to the harsh world of formula one. the stakes are high and everything becomes dark once the lights are out. victory is always the highest goal and some are willing to play dirty to get there.

song — genius [ sia, labrinth, lsd ]

warnings — light mentions of drugs and child negligence

word counts — 6.5k

cia’s quick rambles — here’s part two as i’d said. i apologize again for the long wait and really hope that the next chapters are going to come out at a more consistent rate. maybe every two weeks or something. in this chapter we have first conversation with max and he is officially introduced into the series. i hope i get max right as i’ve never written for him but pls, if i get something wrong, just message me. i appreciate it.

on another note, i’ll be taking a mental health break but more to that on another post. also even though i watch a lot of f1, i don’t know shit about the engineering part and am more focused on strategy so pls don’t care much about any technical engineering information that I mention 🫶🏾

( masterlist / navigation / previous / next )

— zandvoort 2023

as if the stars had already decided on her faith and following demise, her first race, where she was to prove her skills, was zandvoort. the home of their fiercest rival and dutch lion — it was enemy’s territory. but despite their small home advantage because of max aaliyah wouldn’t let that divert her from her goal.

it wasn’t just a race and the result that mattered so much to her. all the late nights at the factory, countless hours spent in the wind tunnel were about to be showcased. and aaliyah hated failure. all that work couldn’t have been for nothing. 

for her, it was her first time at the paddock and just from the way people had waited t0 see them arrive, she finally understood all the hype around elite motorsport. the paddock itself was a hive of activity, with people, who happened to cross paths with the mercedes team chef, asking for pictures. aaliyah was amazed by how easily he handled it all, it seemed so easy almost as he took picture after picture. it was a world she just did not belong to. 

roar of engines, the constant smell of burning rubber and the sight of orange wherever she looked were the reminder that she desperately needed. to realize and let it sink in where she actually was. it made her heart race, knowing how much he had dreamt of this moment and now she was living it for him. every detail, from the polished pit lane to the towering grandstands packed with excited fans, felt almost too vivid to be real.

what aaliyah definitely had not expected was for her to be the new talk of the paddock. paparazzi were blinding her with their cameras, while constantly shouting at her to new questions as she walked through the paddock. 

“why do you think you were chosen for this huge role?”

“are you sleeping with toto wolff to get this job?”

“how do you already have a phd?”

her breath hitched in her throat as the paparazzi shouted at her, it was overwhelming and unexpected. the sheer intensity of it all caught her off-guard as they made their way through the crowded paddock. 

toto, who had sensed her discomfort pushed her behind him protectively to shield her from all the questions. “aaliyah, i need you to promise me something.”

she nodded.

“if there is anything, no matter how overwhelming, you look for me directly. don’t try to handle it yourself. i’m always right there.” there was a sense of sternness in his voice but she knew he meant it well. 

and she couldn’t fault him for his protectiveness. even though outwardly she looked composed, inside she felt like a ticking time bomb, poised to explode. and she couldn’t afford to fall apart again, she'd sworn that to herself when they'd spoken about her past.

she would never go that low again.

“i know. i promise.”

aaliyah took a deep breath to get her pulse normal again and it felt like a huge weight fell off her shoulder when they finally reached the mercedes garage. they walked inside lewis’ side of the garage, past his car that had become aaliyah’s new baby and pride. 

just as promised she had brought new upgrades to the car, some a bit more recognizable others small. yet they were all significant— a result of all her hard work she auf poured into. whether it was at three in the morning or during her weekly facetime with eva. 

a few had doubted her suggestions at first and aaliyah couldn’t even blame them for being a bit hesitant towards her. i mean, how could they trust a girl that they had never heard of? a woman who had no experience in this area?

in the end it had been toto, who had forwarded her ideas which helped her set them through along with lewis’ persistence. 

she had changed the floor and brought a new rear wing and seeing the car in front of her fitted with her modifications felt like a small victory. a small part of her promise was completed. 

aaliyah put her bag on the table, that toto had directed her too and which was already equipped with two pairs of headphones. she looked knowingly at him. 

“i don’t think i’m gonna need two.”

he laughed. “schatz, du bist in der formel 1 jetzt. ich sag dir aus erfahrung, du wirst zwei brauchen.” — darling you’re in formula one now. i’m speaking from experience when i’m telling you that you’ll need two

she had gotten an entire space for herself along with an office and she still had a good view of the entire garage, especially on both sides and the data analysts. 

after arranging her desk, that would become her new working space for the next few weekends, toto led her further down the garage again where a man and lewis waited for them. 

“aaliyah, new chief —“

“technical engineer?” bono completed for her. he held out a hand, “we’ve already heard a lot about you.”

“i hope only positive things.”

bono laughed. “believe me, this guy here,” he pointed to lewis, “does not shut up about you. and the new upgrades seem very promising. that’s some terrific work.”

she nodded, sending a small smile, that showed her gratitude. “so just to check, you are lewis’ race engineer. and george’s on the other side?”

“yep. but we all always work as a team together.”

lewis turned towards her. “have you already met the other drivers?”

“was i supposed to? i’m just here to win.”

toto let out a discreet sound, that highly ressembled a snort. “love the mindset already. exactly what we need.”

“happy to deliver. but now back to actual work,” she pulled out her laptop and showed them a board of different graphics surrounding the car. 

she showed them different designs and concepts of the car that involved her upgrades and how they were supposed to work. 

after they had finished going over every little adjustment she had made, the three men bid their goodbyes and went their separate ways. lewis still had to give some interviews before stepping into the car and toto was busy doing whatever team chefs were doing. it gave aaliyah some time to think of what was coming these next days. 

entering the bathroom, aaliyah instantly headed for the sinks and splashed some cold water over her face. she rubbed her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror. 

it felt like she was fading away, replaced by a stranger in the mirror. the reflection didn't belong to her anymore; it was as if a shadow self, with a life of its own, stood there instead. she could no longer see herself in the image before her, only a ghostly echo of what once was.

the woman in the mirror was not her. she embodied empowerment, confidence— a transformation. she was the newest chief technical engineer, a groundbreaking achievement as the youngest woman and first in mercedes’ history to hold that title. she felt every bit of that power and distinction. yet, the aaliyah in the mirror seemed like someone else entirely, a reflection separate from the person she believed herself to be. the aaliyah in the mirror was different to her. 

aaliyah wondered: did she also have that constant feeling of something nagging away her soul? if she also felt the kind of pain that led to itching on your entire skin? that aching kind of guilt that was capable of weighing like the entire world? 

aaliyah wondered, "did she too feel that ever-present gnawing at her soul? that relentless itch beneath the skin, that pain that bit and stung like a constant reopening scar? the guilt so heavy, it felt like the weight of the whole world?"

her therapist had already told her that she was suffering from survivor’s guilt. from living while another person found themselves buried six feet under. and there was nothing she could do except live his fucking dream as if it was hers. 

“you’re going to ace this. and you’ll be the fucking best. and you’ll prove to that bitch that you deserved to be her daughter.” 

whoever said that self-pep talks were a waste of time clearly never found themselves in a place where everything felt black and white. as aaliyah stepped out of the bathroom, a hint of color returned to her life—some of the confidence she'd lost after the accident. no, it wasn’t a waste of time at all.

but did she need these words? absolutely, she did. especially after her mother abandoned her, forcing her to practically disown herself. she truly did.

aaliyah had been completely lost in her thoughts, her mind going over the different upgrades she had added to the car that she did not see the person walking opposite to her. i mean who could blame her with all the commotion on the paddock? looking up and staring at everyone would be exhausting. 

she only looked up from the ground again when she was met with a vast chest acting like a wall and making her phone and office map fall down. 

“es tut mir so le— fuck, wrong language. i am so sorry,” aaliyah rambled, kneeling down to pick up all the papers that had fallen out, particularly those that had her sketches and designs for the car. 

“oh, it’s okay. nothing happened. let me help you,” he, as aaliyah could make out, joint her on the floor. she could make out a strong accent but couldn’t exactly place where it was from. somehow that felt like a relief— at least in meant, she would never have to see him again. 

he moved to pick up one of the several documents but aaliyah stopped him. 

“you really don’t have to help me, this was my fault.”

he shook his head and assembled the rest of the papers, handing them to her before standing up from the dirty asphalt. aaliyah rose to her feet again and used the split second she had to get a full look of the man in front of her. 

his dark blonde hair was hidden under a blue cap, matching the color of his shirt. to her, he appeared quite ordinary, much like any other man she had encountered here. however, his blue eyes immediately caught her attention—they were unmistakably familiar, and she was certain she had seen them before.

why did her mind always betray her at crucial moments like this? she had no idea. it’s like her own thoughts turned against her, and honestly, she was not surprised.

“you didn’t have to. i would have managed.”

“and get marched over by all the people here?” he pointed towards all the people around them, all going into different directions that made it look like complete chaos on the paddock. 

a small grin appeared on her lips. “but this was my fault anyway. i wasn’t looking where i was going.”

“i could say the same,” he smiled at her softly. god, he was charming, aaliyah thought to herself. “is your phone okay?”

right, her phone that had shattered on the ground. “yes, my phone is fine, no scratches,” she said, though it clearly wasn’t. she had no interest in continuing the conversation, especially with someone who, upon closer inspection, was clearly wearing red bull merch—an obvious sign of the enemy.

“that doesn’t look like it. i can see the display.”

she laughed nervously. “yeah, but that’s only my business phone. i literally never use it.” at least there was a hint of truth in that.

“okay, that’s a relief. but are you su—“

aaliyah shook her head, “yes, it’s perfectly fine. sorry again and hope you have a nice day.”

he chuckled. “you too. let’s hope you don’t bump into other people anymore.”

aaliyah turned around, not even facing him anymore as she mumbled a small “yeah let’s hope so.” 

she had to get away before any news outlets or paparazzis caught her talking with max verstappen. toto would definitely have her head. 

she had anticipated saturday to be a busy day but actually living and being a part of it was a whole other level. the changements she had made on the car, even though only minute, had brought noticeable changes to the car.  commentators had instantly noticed it during the first free practice sessions and fans had picked it up during the third one. but they didn’t connect her name to it yet. 

just as the data had predicted, the w14 was responding perfectly to the improvements, with lewis even telling them on his radio that he definitely felt quicker on the straights. and the tyre management had increased significantly too. 

however quali was not the same thing as free practice. which is why she nearly spent the entire night at the paddock, going over the car again. it had been toto who had forced her to leave after catching a light still being on at 2 am. 

toto couldn’t know that aaliyah drove herself tirelessly, haunted by a fear that sleep would pull her back into the wreckage of that accident, dragging her into a circle of guilt from which she never seemed to escape.

maybe she wasn’t as okay as she thought. but who could be with a gifted brain treated as a nuisance their whole life? aaliyah didn’t think anyone would be.

“you ready for your first qualifying?” lewis asked her as they stood at her desk, going over the latest data. 

aaliyah shrugged. “i’m not sure. i wouldn’t really describe it as nervous. i just really don’t want to fail.”

“well, you know my motto: still we rise. it’s okay to fall down once a while,” replied lewis.

she nudged him lightly although a small grin had showed up on her lips. “maybe but not on my first race. and now get into the car before your fans accuse me to have let you out too late. we need the data and a good position if we want to catch up to ferrari and those bulls.”

he lifted his hands in surrender. “understood, i’m already going.” 

her eyes followed him as she watched him walk away before sitting down correctly at her desk. the entire garage was buzzing from the upgrades working and with that recent development, they had put all eyes on them. everyone was now waiting for them to actually put their hard work to show where it actually mattered: qualifying. 

but she was proud, watching as the cars raced around the track, putting in best sectors. she had ordered for both george and lewis, to be firstly put on new mediums before switching back to the used soft. the same tactic had been used again, when both cars had gotten to q2. and now was the time for q3, where everything was decided. 

aaliyah wouldn’t describe herself as greedy but she desperately longed for that feeling of satisfaction if the cars qualified above p5. it would be a silent, unspoken confirmation that she wasn’t so out of place as she thought. 

“so lewis, we’re letting you and george out now to put a few laps down before we change tyres again to the used softs from q2 since we raced the fewest laps with them. that way we can have them for the race at the beginning,” aaliyah told lewis over the radio. 

“copy that.”

the two black cars exited the garage again and aaliyah moved her eyes back to the screen. the two red bull cars were already on the track and max verstappen had already done two purple sectors. something that was not so unusual anymore from what she had heard. 

george and lewis had done two laps before going back to the pit again, while aaliyah went over the gained data with the other analysts and strategists. she had already figured out that the trickiest part for the car was sector two, as it was there that the silver arrows were losing the most time. the goal was now to turn the wrong into the right. 

“sector one and three are looking good lewis, try to push more in sector two,” said bono over the radio. 

aaliyah also pushed the radio button. “and george, be careful. you already have track limits warnings.”

as the session unfolded, she watched with anticipation where the few changes they had taken from friday to saturday could leave them. she could see the way the two drivers were pushing the car to its limits and just like the rest of the mercedes staff, she held her breath when lewis and george were putting in their last times. 

“oh my god,” she let out and put a hand over her mouth. “p5 for george and…”

“p2 for lewis,” bono told her with a huge smile plastered on his face. the entire garage erupted into cheers and applause was heard from everywhere. “the upgrades are working brilliantly.”

toto walked over to them and engulfed aaliyah in a side hug. “p2, not bad for your first race. congratulations, you did amazing. those upgrades were incredible work.”

“but this wasn’t just my work, it’s the entire team that worked its ass off.”

“still, your upgrades made this possible. can’t believe we’re actually a threat on enemy’s territory.”

“but it does feel good,” added another voice and aaliyah turned to find george walking towards them, still in his race suit with his helmet underneath his arm.

she was caught off-guard when he also all of the sudden pulled her into a hug, his face still glistening with sweat. “the car felt amazing out there. we were actually competing for pole again.”

“like i said, this was all a team effort. and you and lewis did amazing out there,” she replied modestly, her face a mixture of relief and excitement. “tell me, is qualifying always this nerve-wrecking?”

“believe me, tomorrow will be twice as hard.”

toto sent her a reassuring smile. “it’ll be okay, you get used to it. and this is the perfect start for the first race after the big summer break here. so keep up the good work and this might be every weekend.”

“what are the chances for a win tomorrow?”

“well, those red bulls are basically space rockets. their speed on the straights is unmatched. but good strategy should bring us a double podium at least,” aaliyah explained. she looked at her watch again and then at george. “by the way shouldn’t you be giving out interviews?”

george waved dismissively. “they don’t mind me coming late. all the questions will probably be about you as our new engineering wizard.”

aaliyah rolled her eyes at his teasing undertone. “my only job is to make sure that the car looks good. i don’t know what’s there to be called magic.”

“maybe but seriously, the car felt fantastic. the upgrades really improved the tyre management and this new ground speed was definitely helpful during drs.”

did her ego grow twice now after hearing it from george? maybe not. but she could not deny that it didn’t feel good, hearing that her changes were successful. 

"glad to hear about that, g. now we just have to analyse sector 2 because that’s where we lose the  most seconds.”

he nodded and then leaned in, lowering his voice. “can i ask you something?”

“as long as it’s not a date.”

george gasped and looked at her with an overdramatic, offended expression. “you? never. and i love carmen too much.”

aaliyah grinned. “same, can’t wait to meet her. so what did you wanna ask?”

he lowered his mouth to her ear again. “you think you could make my car faster than lewis so overtaking him will become easier?”

“are you already gossiping without me? and i thought we had a mutual agreement concerning gossip,” a new voice called out and they turned to see lewis arriving, not in his racesuit anymore and with a drink in his hands. 

aaliyah smiled at him playfully. 

“it wasn’t anything important anyway. and congratulations for p2.”

“wouldn’t have been possible without you. the upgrades are fantastic.”

toto suddenly clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention and interrupting them. "so, team, debrief in ten minutes and then strategy meeting for tomorrow. if we play our cards right, we can have our first win tomorrow.”

the ten minutes had only been sufficient for a small coffee break before they were expected again for the debrief. 

she felt proud of herself for achieving this accomplishment and making the car better but at the same time this nagging feeling she had experienced in the bathroom earlier had not truly gone away. 

specifically, after the debrief she could not stop thinking about what would happen if she failed or disappointed toto. she would have to go back to munich again, stuck in that hopeless circle of despair while trying to find her place in the world. these past weeks had given her a little taste of what she could belong to; what it felt like to have a whole safety net she could rely on again. 

losing it would crush her. 

that constant fear she carried around with her was also part of the reason, why even after the debrief was concluded, she stayed back to analyse some more data. george and lewis had asked her to join them for dinner but she had declined politely, wanting to perfect her work. 

that constant fear she carried was like an invisible tide, pulling her deeper into her work. even after the debrief ended, she lingered, absorbed in her data, as if trying to outpace the relentless current of her anxiety. george and lewis had invited her to dinner, but she had declined politely, wanting to perfection her work.

aaliyah wanted the small taste of victory she had gotten today to last and she needed to put the work behind it. especially because the world of f1 was harsh and critics were ruthless. so she allowed herself to savor the moment but always with the reminder that it could be over as quick as it had started. 

it was toto who had to drag her out of the office at way past eleven again. the sound of footsteps echoed in the empty corridor but aaliyah pushed it aside, assuming it was just security or cleaning services. she was too focused on her work, even though her body screamed tiredness, to comprehend what was going on around her. 

“you do know that in order to win, we need you alive right?” 

aaliyah turned around, a small yawn escaping and looked up to see toto standing in the doorway. his facial expression was a mix of concern and soft astonishment. 

“why are you asking that?”

toto shrugged, stepping into the room. “i’m just reminding you. i don’t need my newest chief technical engineer to die from lack of sleep. why didn’t you join george and lewis for dinner?”

she sighed, reluctantly closing her laptop. “i thought spending the evening with some data was more appealing than some pasta.”

“and you say you love pasta?”

aaliyah feigned a look of horror. "i adore pasta but work has priorities. there was still so much to do; like i worked on our strategies for tomorrow again and i think we could apply some of these things like,” she rummaged through all the papers on the table and handed toto a messy sketch.

“for a better airflow we could amply this. maybe that will help them during sector two because that’s always where we lost the most time. and then in case ferrari is going on a similar strategy, i have developed a plan e and f that i just have to go over with the strategy crew and bono. you know, since lewis is going second.”

toto nodded, clearly impressed but there was also concern across his face. “when was the last time you slept for more than five hours?”

as she thought about his question, toto snorted. “the fact that you have to think about it says enough. come on, i’ll drive you to the hotel.”

“but what about the other—”

“anything else can be done tomorrow,” he cut her off, grabbing a part of her things. “look aaliyah, i know the f1 world is harsh but there’s a balance between life and success. working yourself to death won’t do it. so how about you let that brain of yours rest a bit?”

“i’m not tired, i’m fine. sleep’s overrated anyway.”

toto threw a quick glance at the small trash bin where he could identify three empty cups of coffee. 

“but no sleep is not the goal. come on, let’s get going. don’t make me call eva.”

aaliyah rose an eyebrow. “why would you call eva?”

“she told me that in case you have one of your brain episodes, where you can’t stop overthinking, i should call her in case it becomes too much,” his eyes softened as he looked at her. “she cares about you. very much.”

aaliyah smiled softly. “she’s the closest thing i have to a family with gabriella and jan.”

“yeah, and the least i can do is bring you back in one piece to them. so come on, let’s get you to bed.”

she considered it, then smiled. "fine, this time you win.”

the two walked out of the garage together, the night air cool against their skin as they exited the paddock. the night sky was shining bright above them as they walked past all the other boxes, a small smile appearing on aaliyah’s lips when toto put a hand around her shoulder. 

tomorrow could definitely come now.

 

race day dawned bright and clear and announced itself early in the morning with aaliyah having to wake up at eight. so much for getting more sleep. but she had to admit that she had been tired — as soon as she had entered her room, she was knocked out. 

she couldn't even remember how she had gotten into her bed or when her head had touched the pillow, everything from last night was a blur. 

thinking back to yesterday and how there was a clear gap in her mind made aaliyah think back to another time she had lived too. when she was just that empty person with no aspirations or goals, lacking any kind of direction and just floating through life. 

her thoughts wandered back to when running the entire day on chemicals was the only way for her to survive. the only means to keep her from drowning in the weight of unrelenting expectations and emotions she was carrying with her. 

but that time was over — or at least she thought so it was her past. focus was now on the future and the race.

after the dutch national anthem had been performed, the drivers went back to the garage shortly before joining their teams and their cars on the starting grid. aaliyah’s eyes traveled around her surroundings as she walked towards the w14, all the stands blurring to a sea of orange. the dutch fans had turned up proudly in their home colors to support their hometown boy.

she was relieved but also a bit surprised to see toto beside her but shrugged it off and the two walked to george’s car first after sharing a small smile. 

“you here to give me a last few words?” george asked her playfully which had aaliyah roll her eyes. 

“i don’t know; do you need them?”

“well, i’ve already gotten my pep talk from carmen but a few last encouraging words have never hurted,” he replied. 

aaliyah patted him softly on the back. “well, russell george; i’m sure you’ll ace this. a few positions should be in the game for us. you just have to push.”

“copy that chef. thanks aaliyah,” they exchanged a last high five before she let toto talk with his driver and headed up to lewis’ car. 

next to his car was the glorious rb19, the rocketship she was desperately trying to beat and outmaster. since she didn’t want to look suspicious, however, aware of all the cameras around them, she quickly turned around, giving it a last glance before focusing on the black car in front of her. 

lewis was already seated in his car so she bent down to talk with him. 

“are you nervous?” the british world champion asked her once they exchanged small greetings. 

aaliyah shrugged. “a bit, it’s my first race. i don’t want to screw up by making a wrong choice. quali has nothing on actual race day.”

she didn’t know why but lewis somehow always understood her. they didn’t have to talk much or share many words to know what the other was thinking. 

aaliyah vermutete that it was because of their struggles, that were so similar, that made connecting to each other so much easier. 

“i remember my first one, i don’t think i even slept. i was so nervous and excited.”

“believe me, toto had to drag me out of here at half past one.”

lewis grabbed her hand in a comforting way. “hey, no matter what position i end up today, you did great. for the first time since 2022 i feel comfortable again in the car.”

she nodded reluctantly. “then let’s hope the car is ready for the next race. i want to experience a real win.”

“i’m sure we will be back in monza. maybe even get an actual win. but let’s focus on this race first.”

“indian on me if you make a podium.”

“already telling you now, thanks for dinner.”

aaliyah shook her head at him, a huge smile on her face, and walked back to the garage. after sharing a quick greeting with mick, she took her respective seat next to toto and focused her eyes on the screen in front of her. 

a quick glance at the time told her it was only one minute till the lights went out. one last round till it actually started. whether she succeeded or failed, the press would know her name by the end of the day. aaliyah still had to choose if that was a good or bad thing, the entire scrutiny she would be living under now. 

“now the magic happens,” whispered toto. 

the formation lap had ended and all the cars were in starting position. three lights had already gone out. 

“i hope i used the right spell.” the lights were finally out and with it, the race started. 

lewis managed to gain the lead in the first ten laps, overtaking max at the start, but it was clear to aaliyah, after a quick look at the data, that he wouldn’t be able to hold that position.

george on the hand seemed to do well with his mediums and had moved up to fourth place after overtaking charles leclerc. both drivers had been set on the same strategy to maximize the gains and maybe have a double podium so aaliyah left them some time, choosing against putting them. 

“how many seconds could we gain if we pit george now and try to undercut the norris?” toto asked her when the gap between george and norris came down to 3 seconds. 

“depends on how his tires are at the moment. for now, none of the top six have boxed yet,” she looked at george’s times and then at marcus, his race engineer. “tell him he can push a bit more and close the gap to norris.”

marcus looked at her with curiosity. “and when do you want to box him?”

“we will undercut the moment he is close enough to overtake. that way norris will push his tires and when he boxes, we box lewis too. that should stop an undercut on us.”

he nodded. “so plan c it is.”

aaliyah pressed the radio button for lewis. “so lewis, i just wanted to inform you that we’re going for plan c.”

“copy that.”

“how are your tires?”

“i still have grip so they’re okay. i can still last on them. by the way is the indian you promised me vegan?”

“i don’t know, i haven’t looked for a place yet. you have to win the podium first.”

“copy that.”

aaliyah looked down to hide her grin and rolled her eyes, clearly amused by lewis. 

just as she had predicted, mclaren did call in lando norris the moment they realized the undercut that had been performed on them. and it became even more unfortunate for them when they saw lewis being called in right after them for a set of hard tyres. 

the rest of the race went in their favor even if they couldn’t compete for the win. after they had completed the pit stop, lewis had regained second place again and george had moved up to third with the undercut clearly working. and the latter had created such a big gap afterwards to norris in fourth place, that it had given them an extra pit stop which they could use to box for soft tyres and chase after the fastest lap. 

so although max verstappen had still claimed victory on home ground, aaliyah wasn’t disappointed. it wasn’t happiness she was feeling; more like content. satisfaction to her avoidance of failure. 

and she could add gratefulness to it when she watched lewis and george on the podium steps, happily raising their trophies in the air. the cheers from the mercedes garage were deafening, the joy contagious as they celebrated their success. one could even think that it was them who had won. 

while the rest of the team went to greet the two drivers and get ready for the podium celebration, aaliyah stayed back. she had already congratulated lewis and george on the radio and could talk to them later after the prize giving ceremony. 

as she placed back her headphones, toto walked up to her. he smiled at her knowingly and without warning pulled her into a hug too. 

“you did great this weekend. this wouldn’t have been possible without your work.”

“this was teamwork. and it was just my first weekend. monza is going to be different.”

he smirked at her. “already memorizing the calendar?”

“i like to be prepared. i have to outsmart the competition.”

“and how do you feel? do you feel that rush?”

aaliyah nodded. “it’s like lewis told me. the whole reason this sport is so endearing is because it keeps you alive. like a drug.” 

she wished she had been addicted to that and not the whole chemical stuff she had snorted up her nose to feel alive. 

“yeah, it’s like that. man hat seine höhen und tiefen in diesem sport. aber deswegen ist es wert.” — you have your highs and lows in this sport. but that’s what makes it worthwhile.

aaliyah smirked. “i’m going to crush them. today was good, a sweet taste but i can do more; do better.”

toto patted her on her shoulder. “i’m excited for your future work.”

“it’s going to be brilliant.”

even though they had just celebrated another win, the vibe in the red bull garage was the complete opposite. it wasn’t sad in the garage — everyone was still buzzed and cheery because of the good weekend, but there was an air of caution also in the air. there was a distant taste of urgency in the air that had not been addressed yet but could not be ignored any longer. 

because now an actual threat, that they had thought could be ignored, had risen again. 

and christian horner wouldn’t be who he was if he hadn’t already thought about the measures they had to take to make sure to stay on the top. he had watched the race data repeatedly, analysed it again after the podium ceremony and each time, it worried him more when he looked at the times from the mercedes cars.

the rb19 had been the quickest car on the grid again but the margin to the other teams became smaller and smaller, each race that passed. and somehow mercedes had done an incredible jump and had even surpassed the ferraris, concerning closing the gap to them. they may still have their rocketship but it was clearly looking like mercedes was making the transformation from jet to rocketship too. 

taking a deep breath, his eyes travelled the room before they finally fell on the winner from today’s race and sergio perez, his second driver. both had already finished with their media commitments and horner motioned for them to follow him into his office. the two drivers followed, both clueless about what had their boss not enjoy the victory party. 

his office was neat, clean and strictly organized. nothing was out of place and no item that stood in his pristine office was not without a reason in its place. trophies, helmets and photographs could all be seen in the background, either on shelves or hung on the wall. max and sergio both took a seat and looked at christian expectantly. 

the red bull principal shut the door before joining them at his desk. he let out a sigh. “so. i hate to bring this up now, especially after such a fantastic and productive day but i fear there’s no path to escape what is coming.”

“is something wrong with the car?” asked checo. 

“not in that way. however mercedes have apparently gotten their things back together because the upgrades they’ve brought are working,” he explained to them. “we got off the hook today as i think they didn’t want to risk a few grid penalties but monza could become difficult.”

max let out a small scoff. “we have the best car on the fucking grid. and who cares if we don’t always win with a one-lap-gap. as long as we win and win the constructor’s championship, everything is fine. it’s too late for them too catch up.”

“but they were incredibly strong today. things could have gone slightly different today. they were not playing and from what the data shows me, their ground speed has improved a lot too. they are catching up and quick,” he argued frustratedly.

max shrugged, not really seeing what there was to worry about. because even if the car wasn’t the best anymore, he was still the best driver and he didn’t need the fastest car to win. he was capable of winning with the second fastest car; he had done it before. “we’ve got adrian. and hannah is also the best. we are still unbeatable and the championship is practically decided too.”

“but we shouldn’t ignore that we can’t race too comfortably anymore,” checo replied, agreeing with christian. 

“exactly. something is telling me that these next races are going to be tough. today wasn’t just luck for mercedes.”

max leaned back in his seat. “okay, and what do you want us to do?”

christian looked between the two drivers. “i know that mercedes brought a new chief technical engineer on board.”

checo nodded. “yes, lewis did mention something about a new engineer and the ideas had been her idea. apparently she’s the one making a difference there.”

“and i want you two to spy a bit on them and see what you can find out. find her, try to talk to her. i’ve never heard of her so she must be new to the sport which means she’s also more prone to making mistakes.”

checo spoke up. "but we don’t want this to become another spygate."

“of course not. i’m not saying, find her and instantly bombard her with question. be subtle and smart about it,” he turned towards max. “use your charm. maybe she’ll slip something. from what i saw, she’s young.”

he was still very displeased with the idea but gave in at last. “fine, i’ll see what george could tell me amybe. but i don’t really think this is necessary.”

“maybe we’re overreacting but from what i heard, they want to bring in another set of upgrades to monza and if those work, the victory might as well be theirs.”

“don’t worry we got this.” they reassured him before leaving the office to join the festivities outside again. christian watched them go and leaned back in his chair. while he had deep trust in max and checo, some things had to be done alone. especially in formula one, where everyone was a shark, holding out their nose for the smell of fresh blood. 

off the track, they may all be friendly with each other but on it— that was the hunting ground and playing nice ended in nothing. no one could truly succeed by always playing by the book. those were the risks that made the sport so thrilling and alive. 

digging was only the first of the things he would be doing to get behind whatever mercedes were planning. getting his hands dirty was the least of his worries if it meant staying on top. it’s only too bad, that the same truth that brought him to the top could get her six feet under.

[kurooo-is-here]

Head cannons for Drayton and Kieran (separate) taking care of a sick reader? Thanks!

Just finished watching an Undertale Yellow playthrough when I got this ask, I'm in shambles 😭😭😭

Anyways, these were super fun to write! Enjoy :D

Warnings: The boys are very protective.

Notes: I actually got pretty sick recently myself, so I resonate with this lol. I'm doing better now :)

Drayton caring for sick reader

Depends how sick you are. If it's mild, he still worries about you, but he's mostly chill. Tries to crack a few lighthearted jokes to cheer you up, but doesn't let you push yourself until you recover fully.

He understands if you need space too, being sick makes you feel crummy.

If you're REALLY sick, he's SO worried. Doesn't let anyone else come in to check on you unless he trusts them, he just can't risk your health getting worse. If someone he didn't trust insisted on seeing you, they can expect to deal with a protective, hostile dragon boy. He will guard you with his life.

He brings you medicine, blankets, water... whatever you need. Just.. please be okay. You're his treasure, he could never bear to lose you.

If your health gets any worse, he pulls all the stops. Calls his family or anyone he knows, begs them to treat you. Anything to make you feel better.

He's basically back to normal once you recover, but he's a liiittle more on the protective side for a few weeks. Very clingy and cuddly too. You won't be able to leave your bed without him for awhile-- he's not letting you go.

The rest of the BB Elite Four says they've never seen him so worried and ... hardworking. He just chuckles and says, "If the most important person in your life was that sick, wouldn't you worry too?"

Kieran caring for sick reader

Even if you're mildly sick, he's super worried!! He panics and does his best to give you what you need. If he has to, he will reluctantly call Carmine for assistance. She may tease him later about relying on her, but she's equally worried about you, and you'll make a speedy recovery with them taking care of you!

If you're REALLY sick, Kieran doesn't mess around. He calls the ER, gets you to the hospital ASAP. Even if you insist it's not that serious to warrant a hospital visit, he's sending you to emergency care. He cannot afford to mess around or make mistakes or bad judgement calls right now, you're sick and he can't lose you.

Kieran is by your side whenever possible during your hospital stay. He's constantly checking in with the doctors and nurses, asking questions and making sure you're okay. He comforts you. He cries a bit too. Poor boy is so, SO worried about you.

If anyone dares to mention your absence, he's immediately defensive. He's already worried sick about you, so having to deal with other people asking where you've been is gonna press all of his buttons. He just wants you to be okay. If anyone even peeps a bad word about you, they can expect his Hydrapple to take care of the body. (Joking... hopefully.)

He cries when he hears you've recovered fully. He's all over you-- showering you with hugs and kisses (while making sure he doesn't hurt you himself), getting you home safely, and taking care of medical bills. He doesn't want you to have to worry about money right now, what matters is that you're safe and sound.

Carmine comments that she's never seen him worry like that, and that you'd better not get that sick again! She can't bear to see either of you in such bad shape.

[mint-8]

Platonic Yandere Doctor

Content/Trigger warning: Mentions of suicide, death and drug abuse.

You have a weak immune system, or perhaps you are simply very clumsy, either way you and your family are very accustomed to going to the hospital and having to pay a lot of bills. Thankfully your parents can afford it, but it used to be necessary for your small family to move around a lot due to your guardian’s professions, however as of lately your family has finally found their ideal home and settled down in a nice suburban area with great clinics all around. It’s now time to find you a new permanent doctor!

- Yandere Doctor who has studied in the best schools in the country and has worked in huge hospitals in all the major cities but who, after so many years of never ending grind, decided to open their very own clinic in one of the wealthiest areas of the state. Some might say to give back to society in a smaller manner, others would argue is a retirement of sorts after so much time spent stressing in high end medical cases. But nobody knows they have grown tired of it all.

- Yandere Doctor was born in poverty and desperately wished for the wealth and respect they lacked in their formative years. They saw how the elite would rule the world and the way they lived, so they made it their life goal to become part of them, to become someone worthy of everyone’s admiration and adoration. They studied hard for many years, investing grueling hours during their intern years and spent every waking moment they ever had to develop themselves as the best doctor that they could ever be. And yet, it left them with nothing. They memorized every book, every illness and know to heart their exact requirements to be cured, and it still left them empty.

- Yandere Doctor who thought that perhaps it was the stress of the hospital. Yes, it must be that! It isn’t allowing them to reach their full potential! And how could a small clinical in a suburban area help with that? They don’t know for sure. Maybe they are lying to themselves, to have some sort of hope that this will be different, so they won’t have to jump off the highest floor of their hospital. A small clinic wouldn’t be as tall, so they would only break their legs at most.

- Yandere Doctor who opened their small clinic to great fanfare. Newspaper and media outlets gave them a lot of free publicity and many famous personalities started to moved to the neighborhood so they could be treat by the smartest doctor of their era! (The words of the newspapers, not theirs).

- Yandere Doctor who couldn’t describe the feeling that swept through them like a tsunami to a small beach when they met their very first patient, you. Little, innocent and sickly you who came to their clinic in hopes that they could cure the cold that has been bugging you for weeks already.

- Yandere Doctor who prescribes the best medicines and even offers that you stay in the clinic for a couple nights in order to monitor your progress. Who cares about the other patients? They don’t want your symptoms to get worse sweetheart, your doctor will personally make sure your stay it’s as pleasant as possible. Only the best bedding, and the best food. Oh, and your parents can only visit for 20 minutes. For their health, of course. Nothing else.

- Yandere Doctor who looks forward to your weekly visits and checkups! They know they shouldn’t wish for their gavorite patient to get sick so often that they have to come by every day, but they can’t help themselves! Oh, and you definitely get special treatment as well. Being placed first in any waiting list, given priority at all times, and your doctor will gladly make your visits as accommodating as they possibly can!

- Yandere Doctor who has never felt like this before! They suddenly have a desperate need to protect and care for the weak you. They have finally realized what their colleagues meant when they would talk about that… gratifying feeling whenever they would save a patient’s life or cure their illness! They just weren’t supposed to be this obsessed, though…

- Yandere Doctor who becomes your permanent doctor for… everything! Whether it’s surgery or a broken bone, they will make sure to erase your pain as swiftly as possible! Your parents might whine about the costs or whatever, but your doctor knows exactly how to deal with them! They have worked for some dangerous people, so it’s simply a matter of cashing in some favors, making a few phone calls, and boom! Your parents are off the picture! Now, now, there’s no need to cry. Your doctor can become your legal guardian for the time being until they are found! (If they can even find them)

- Yandere Doctor who thrives as your main caretaker! They have finally found their purpose in life! No more will they stay awake in the night for hours questioning their existence. No longer will they have mental breakdowns in their house or in a utility closet after a shift. And no longer will they be tempted to mix those pills with their vast collection of alcohol. They don’t have time for that, they must take care of you now!

- Yandere Doctor who keeps you locked up in their abode and who will only let you leave for the necessary amount of sunlight and exercise required so your health won’t plummet. They will get the best nutritionists and medicines so your state will continue to be stable. And, they will let you attend school as well. But the moment they see that your mental health is getting worse (I mean, of course, it would be bad, your parents are dead) they are taking you off there and straight up to online schooling!

“Don’t you worry darling. I’ll take of everything. Just eat your greens and drink your water, ok? I only want you to be happy :)”

[squid-seraph]

What's Sydney's story, and how'd she end up with so many kidneys?

(rubbing my hands evilly...)

Sydney is an octoling from the domes who moved to the splatlands!

She was supposed to join the military along with her sister after finishing up with school, but dropped out of basic training pretty early on due to health issues.

Sydney wasn't interested in any of the other job positions offered to her either, which her mom hated. They argued a lot; Sydney wanted to take her time to figure things out, and her mother seemed to always be in a rush to get her to do something with herself. Work. contribute. This was a very prominent mindset to have for dome octarians, if you weren't working then you weren't being helpful. When Sydney met her partner, Rihya, (affectionately nicknamed Riot by her fellow elites) she basically cut contact with her mother and their relationship has been rocky ever since. But who cares here look at the lesbians

Now I'm going to crush you.

Riot is never seen with Sydney or the kids in current art because she went missing for about 2 and a half years. Search parties were sent in the metro, looking for missing octolings, but it was too late in most cases. All santitized octolings are prohibited from returning to their housing units or moving to the surface until a cure can be found and they are deemed ready to re-enter society. For the first time in years Sydney got to see her partner again, only to be told she's basically a zombie and will probably never return to normal.

 She moved to the splatlands pretty soon after that, home just didn't feel like home anymore. With splatsville becoming pretty popular, a lot of inkfish were looking to move there, and Sydney was hired by a family friend of some housing company and has been working for them as of now.

And to answer the second question.. Completely by chance. Octolings from the domes tend to not have as many as they would on the surface, most of the time just  one or maybe two eggs that are actually going to hatch. Sydney and Riot just got lucky. Or unlucky, depending on who you ask.

[from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras]

Dear Resident Rohan Expert:

I'm not sure if you have given any thought to this, but I could sure use your help! What are your thoughts about how Rohan's government is structured, specifically the King's council at Edoras? I have assumed the King rules with full authority, but with the help of a council of advisors... but how do you think those advisors are selected? How many? Are they military men? Nobility? Elected? Appointed? Are they inherited titles?

Any of your thoughts would be appreciated since your grasp of Rohirrim culture is sounder than of anyone around! Thank you in advance! 😊

Ooh, this comes very close to giving me the chance to answer the question, “What was Éomer’s tax policy?” 😂 (Which, as a public policy major, is something I wouldn’t mind knowing about!) I have thought about Rohan’s government, and I hope you find my answer useful or at least interesting—it’s always my goal to live up to the praise you give me and to make my Rohan even close to being as well contextualized as your Mirkwood universe!!!

I’ve tried to keep a general structure for Rohan’s government in my mind that is at least quasi-related to the way that Anglo Saxon lands were governed, since they were Tolkien’s model. The big deviations are: 1) there is no mixing of religion and government like the Anglo Saxons did, since Rohan has no organized religion; and 2) I like to keep my Rohan government a little more democratic in the sense that everything isn’t based solely on nobility, inheritance or wealth. That’s partly because I don’t vibe with that approach, but also I feel like Tolkien gave us hints that the Rohirrim are pretty laid back about stuff like that anyway (like, Théoden is shockingly casual about the whole issue of royal succession, and he’s totally willing to take advice from guys like Háma or Wídfara even though we have no reason to believe they’re particularly wealthy or elite nobles).

So, the king has ultimate authority in Rohan and, starting with Éomer, that power is equally shared with the queen (I have to believe that he really took in what he learned about Éowyn’s experience in Rohan and would want things to change, starting with his own wife!). The monarchs exercise their authority with the help of a council. That council is comprised of: 1) the advisors of the royal household, a small group that is at Meduseld with the king and queen every day; and 2) the officers of the court, a bigger group who are out in the towns and villages as representatives of the crown. The entire council meets formally a few times a year to discuss and make recommendations on significant issues, though the king and queen can call them more often if needed. And when the officers of the court are back at their homes in between formal council meetings, the advisors of the royal household give the day-to-day advice or handle emergencies that crop up.

The royal household advisors are chosen by the king/queen and would generally include trusted family members as well as others who have distinguished themselves as being particularly skilled in relevant subjects. There would normally be 7 of these, with each specializing in a particular area: defense, diplomacy, justice/law, treasury, trade, infrastructure (roads, bridges, etc.) and public welfare (care of orphans, famine relief, what passed for public health in those days). But there could be more or less depending on the priorities of the particular king/queen, and the individual advisors might have their own staffs to help them.

The royal household advisors would often be members of the most prominent families in Rohan, if only because those are the people with the most access to the education and experience needed to become good at these things, but anyone can be chosen. And younger people of any background who are identified as being particularly bright and with a lot of potential might be referred to extra schooling/study with the idea of training them to be advisors, or work for them, in the future. (In my fics, this is how Gríma ended up in an advisor role – he failed out of éored training, but the brilliance of his mind was recognized, he was given the additional education to become an advisor on diplomatic affairs, got too close to Isengard and everything went to hell.) (It’s a good process, even though the one example I’ve just given is one where things did not work out well!)

The officers of the court who are spread throughout the land are chosen by their communities, though the king/queen can refuse to seat one that they don’t like or trust.* The king and queen decide how many officers there are, adding or subtracting as the population shifts, but there are generally 5 each from the West-mark and the East-mark and 3 from Edoras and its surrounding lands. These officers not only sit on the council that helps the king/queen set law and policy, but they’re also the first line administrators who see those policies carried out around the country (so, they hire the tax collectors in Dunharrow or the work crews that build the new road between Aldburg and Grimslade or whatever). That makes them kind of the face of the crown in most parts of Rohan where regular people are never going to see the king or queen (or, at least, not often). They can also draw on the expertise and knowledge of the royal household advisors as needed when carrying out royal policy.

Thank you again for the opportunity to write something that’s probably far too long about a niche topic that I find very interesting!! If anyone has their own ideas and thoughts—either complementary or conflicting—I would love to hear them. More Rohan for everyone! 👑🐎🗡️♥️

*A king/queen should really try to avoid doing this, especially if the person in question is really popular in their community and has any kind of independent power base. Don’t get me started on how Helm Hammerhand really fucked this up with a member of his own council and got a war started as a result.

[mintymarabell]

A wedding day.

Honestly, he has the world record for the fastest planned wedding that still looked good and was crazy expensive.

Your veil is huge.. think of prince harries wedding and how beautiful Meghan’s veil was. 

The gown/suit you wear is beautiful, with diamonds and silver lining it.

Because technically your family from earth probably thinks your dead, you’ll most likely have an older yautja walk you down the isle to hand you off, this is only if you don’t want to walk alone.

The older yautja will be older than your mate and will most definitely treat you as if you were his own after finding out his purpose for walking you.. Peepaw..

The little flower girl will be this cute yautja who’s just happy to be there and will gladly run down an isle and throw flower pedals on the ground.

Your elders son is suddenly panicking because his suit pants have a whole in the pocket from his claws and your rings are gone, he’ll be frantically looking around while your elder gradually walks up behind him, grabs him by the shoulder all friendly like and asks. “Son, what are you looking for.”

This poor kid will start crying, still fearful of his dad he’ll eventually find the rings and be out of breath on his knees thanking paya.

The son will be the best man.

A group of elite females will be your bridesmaids.

Your wedding song will be Turning Page instrumental.

You’ll walk down the isle with your arm interlocked with the older yautjas.

Your mate will stop breathing, drinking you in as if you were a glass of water on a hot day.

He will fall in love with you all over again.

As you come up and the older yautja walks to his seat your mate will watch you get into place in front of him.

His massive clawed hands coming up to lift your veil.

If it weren’t for his son behind him, he was sure he was gonna pass out.

You looked astonishing.

He held your hands as the priest rambled on. It was a human they had kidnapped just for this occasion.

He couldn’t care to pay attention as he focused on you and only you.

He was in pure disbelief, you were going to be his. His to cherish, love, care for.

The priest began. As he called your name. “Do you take this man to be your husband, to live together in (holy) matrimony, to love him, to honor him, to comfort him, and to keep him in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live, till death do you part?”

He wasn’t sure why but he held his breath again, as if you’d say no.

“I do.”

If he could smile, he would.

As the priest said the same spiel again for him he was eager for him to finish.

“-till death do you part?” The priest finished.

“I do.” He spoke, with no hesitation.

The priest nodded, the elders son coming up with the rings. You went first, sticking the ring on his ring finger. Then he very carefully put yours on. (He almost dropped it bc it was too small for him to hold.)

The priest gave a nervous smile, “You may now kiss the bride/groom.”

Your elder looked at the priest as if he just killed his dog.

The priest stammered. “The bride/groom may kiss the groom!”

He watched you chuckle, slightly tugging him down by his arms so you could kiss his cheek.

He was happy. Happy because you were officially his, in human terms.

He carried you out of the ‘church’ in his arms.

At the reception the cake is huge. I’m talking two story house massive. Your mate laughed when you looked at the cake awestruck.

As you cut the cake you take the time to put a bit of one of his mandibles, almost laughing when he struggled to get it. He will in turn put a huge dollop on your nose which if you can lick it off he’ll give you a dirty good.

Honeymoon:

He most likely takes you to a beautiful moon like atmosphere island, where there are beautiful blue lakes and mountains with green fields and alien flowers.

Y’all get frisky in the lake 100%.

Probably in the field too.

By time you get back home you are both sore to the bone.

He takes a few months off of work and instead dedicates all of his time to you, rightfully worshiping your body and the ground you walk on.

P.s

You now have a step son and a new dad. ;)

[the-guilty-writer]

We're All Mad Here

Request from @twwobsessed: Hi I love your writings sm🫶🏻 platonic love and care and comfort is amazing 🥰 Could I request something with Hotch as father figure to a bau reader where he provides a safe place for her to be vulnerable and realize it’s okay to lean on others around her when she’s struggling with her mental health?

Aaron Hotchner x platonic!BAU!reader

Summary: Everyone at the BAU has their days. Hotch lets you know it's okay not to be okay.

A/N: I am, once again, lacking in creative flow at the moment. Title and final line are Alice in Wonderland references because I'm hoping someone will catch onto all the weird little metaphors and things I put into my writing one day and appreciate them like I do

CW: nothing super heavy tbh other than pointing out that everyone who works for the BAU is truamatized, reader hasn't eaten dinner and opts for tea instead.

---

You were almost certain that it was Aaron Hotchner’s goal to put together the most unhinged, secretly mentally insane team in the bureau. So certain, in fact, that you would put money on it if someone asked.

At times thought it was the only reason why he hired you; your mandatory psychological evaluations showed someone extremely well-adjusted, or rather someone who knew what others wanted to hear. Your best guess was that he had seen straight through the bullshit on your file and smiled to himself… another misfit to add to his collection.

But that didn’t mean he was wrong about it. The team had the highest rate of solved cases in the country and was considered one of the most elite units in the FBI. “The best profilers, sometimes, are the unsubs themselves,” Rossi had said to you during your first month on the team. All you could do was nod in response and subtly look around at the people you were surrounded by.

If that statement was true, it sure as hell made a lot of sense why you were all so good at your jobs.

There were times when someone on the team’s demons grew a little stronger, or their ghosts got a little louder. You’d already seen it happen with Morgan and Prentiss. JJ did a bit better hiding hers, but sometimes she fiddled with her necklace a little too much. Reid would repeat the words “I’m fine” a few too many times. Garcia would smile with her mouth, but not her eyes. There were days when Hotch’s firm expression faltered. Even Rossi had his moments.

The first time you’d fallen, Morgan warned you it was coming; the initial adrenaline of working the job wearing off, causing exhaustion to take over. “It hits most people around month nine,” he’d said. It didn’t hit you until month sixteen.

You picked yourself back up and since then, you’d been okay- learned to take care of yourself, to breathe, to be still. But life didn’t always make time for stillness, and you could feel yourself falling into the hole again. The demons at the bottom of the pit got more and more demanding, multiplying without ever feeding them a meal.

Or maybe it was just your stomach grumbling. You hadn’t eaten since your lunch break and it was nearly ten at night. Besides yourself, the bullpen was empty. To your knowledge, everyone had gone home hours ago. You should have too, but the more paperwork you finished the more quiet your head would be; the less people would notice how hungry your demons were.

“(Y/L/N),” Hotch’s voice caught your attention. You didn’t know he was still here- his office light was off, the door closed for the night. Yet, he stood just inside the glass doors of the BAU, looking a bit too much like a film noir character in the dim lights.

“Hey Hotch,” you greeted him like this was a usual encounter.

“What are you still doing here?” he asked, walking softly towards your desk.

“I could ask you the same question,” you smirked, trying to evade further questioning.

“I had to be on call with the head of the LA field office,” he said as he moved to sit on the edge of your desk. “You should have gone home hours ago.”

You shrugged. “I wanted to get some paperwork done.” The casualness of your tone and the way you sat back in your chair would have been enough to fool anyone else into thinking you were okay. Too bad you worked with a bunch of profilers.

“You know,” Hotch started. “The call I just got off of in LA was because they were trying to start a unit there to lighten our caseload.”

“I- I didn’t know that.” You wondered if the team would ever take cases on the west coast again, or if life would slow down from here on out.

Hotch sighed. “They’ve been trying for the last three years, but they couldn’t keep a consistent unit. Too many agents were coming in and burning out. They’re terminating the project.”

You stayed silent, unsure of what to say.

“This job, it isn’t easy,” Hotch’s tone softened. “Every person on the team knows what it’s like to struggle. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, and all of us are here to help.”

You looked down at your fidgeting hands in an effort to avoid Hotch’s gaze, but you could still feel him watching you. When you finally worked up the courage to look at him, your eyes were glassy with tears.

“I’ve been having a hard time recently,” you admitted, voice shuttering in an effort to contain tears. “Just feeling things a little more than usual.”

Hotch looked from you to his closed up office and back. “Do you want to talk about it?”

You mimicked his action, glancing to the room. “How much time do you have?”

Hotch was about to reply when your stomach let out a long growl. You looked down, smiling sheepishly. Your boss chuckled a bit. “Maybe we should get you some food first?”

You sighed, knowing you had to put something in your body but not knowing if you'd be able to keep anything down with your anxiety. “I think I'll just have some tea.”

Hotch handed you the key to his office, a sign to go make yourself comfortable in the space while he prepared your drink. “It's always tea time.”

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Dennis Kavanagh

Published: Jun 6, 2024

This year’s Pride Month has rarely seemed so pointless. After all, only the truly shameless in the LGBT activist set could feel any pride in 2024 – a year in which the rainbow-flag fliers’ betrayal of gay youngsters in the name of gender ideology was laid bare.

The publication of the Cass Review in April exposed the scandal of the NHS’s treatment of ‘gender confused’ kids. It showed how the NHS’s Gender Identity Development Services (GIDS) subjected troubled, often gay youngsters to life-altering hormones, drugs and treatments. Yet when these same-sex-attracted young people needed a gay movement, it failed them. Stonewall, its principal representative, actively cheered on those encouraging gay youngsters to believe they were born in the wrong body. Former Stonewall CEO Ruth Hunt even warned parents that half their gender-distressed children would commit suicide without puberty blockers. At the same time, leading sections of the gay movement turned on anyone questioning the trans agenda.

You won’t see any reflection on this betrayal of gays and lesbians during Pride Month. There will be no recognition that by embracing gender ideology, the gay-rights movement of today has undermined the gay rights of tomorrow. Instead, an unholy alliance of corporates, trade unions and parading gendercrats will spend weeks celebrating their supposed virtue, while remaining oblivious to the absurdity and growing unpopularity of the movement they represent.

Don’t let the ubiquitous Pride flag fool you over the coming weeks into thinking this is a successful movement. How strong can a ‘gay rights’ movement be if it has allowed its next generation to be chemically castrated? How strong can a movement be that has allowed lesbians like Kathleen Stock or Julie Bindel to be deplatformed, harassed and sacked for standing up to gender ideology?

The new ‘Progress Pride’ flag tells the story of the movement’s corruption. A new trans chevron makes an ugly incursion from the left, with an ‘intersex-inclusive’ purple circle placed on top of it (despite some intersex activists asking not to be included). This is more of a logo now and less of a flag. It symbolises the hostile takeover of the gay-rights movement by gender-identity ideology.

Pride was once our answer to shame. The riposte to being kicked out of your home for coming out. The retort to everyday incidents of homophobia, which are now thankfully a thing of the past in the UK and the West.

Today’s Pride is different. It is not a response to a sense of shame. It is a false pride born of shamelessness. A pride fuelled by the self-righteous embrace of the cause of trans rights. Think of Stonewall CEO Nancy Kelley calling lesbians ‘sexual racists’ in 2021 for not wanting to have sex with biological males. Think of those happily suppressing moderate gay voices for warning that ‘conversion-therapy bans’ simply criminalise ordinary therapy for gender-confused youth. Or how Stonewall did everything in its power to hound gender-critical barrister Allison Bailey out of a job.

If one must take pride in anything during Pride Month, I prefer to find it in the spirited and steadfast work of women and gay people in the UK who, against all the odds, have taken on gender ideology and its champions within the gay movement. Organisations like LGB Alliance and the Gay Men’s Network, which I direct, have done sterling work in defending gay rights from the predations of gender ideology. It has been tough. We have had to battle against an elite consensus. It wasn’t that long ago that both Theresa May and, later, Sir Keir Starmer were promising Pink News that gender self-identification would become law. Now, in part thanks to the efforts of gay-rights activists and gender-critical feminists, the sitting and shadow secretaries of state for health and social care are committed to implementing the findings of the Cass Review.

Pride, the holy month of the rainbow, is now a thoroughly rudderless affair. Its foolish embrace of the specious cause of trans rights has cost it dear. This increasingly silly party now takes place against the backdrop of a generation-defining medical scandal that Pride and its backers endorsed. Even Stonewall seems cowed. It certainly seems less keen to pronounce that transing a two-year-old is a good idea than it was just a few years ago.

Pride should parade its way into irrelevance. The gay-rights activism of the future will need to look very different.

Dennis Kavanagh is a director of Gay Men’s Network.

[darkmaga-retard]

By Monica Showalter

Kamala Harris is nothing if not a political chameleon.

She's famously tough on crime one day, soft on crime the next, soft on the border one day, tough on the border at election-time, against fracking until she is for it, and the list goes on.

So not surprisingly, she's put on her "Scranton Kamala" hat to tout her working class roots in her latest $50 million ad campaign, to run on shows such as "The Bachelorette," "The Daily Show," and the Olympics.

According to The Hill:

The Harris campaign on Friday launched a new ad in battleground states highlighting the vice president’s upbringing in an effort to appeal to middle class voters. The ad, titled “Knows,” notes that Harris grew up in a “working class home,” was the daughter of a working mom and worked at McDonald’s while she got her college degree. The ad, which was viewed first by The Hill, outlines how Harris would work to lower health care costs, create more affordable housing and reduce crime.

Problem: It's as fake as everything else she does.

The idea that this daughter of an elite cancer researcher and a college professor at mega-prestigious Stanford University, who grew up in the fanciest neighborhood in Montreal, Canada, could claim to be "working class," jes' "Scranton Kamala" in pearls, is the epitome of chutzpah.

But of course, she has it. Like the wily members of the animal kingdom, she doesn't blush.

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group H Round 1: #H4 vs #H5

#H4: Teen Shogi prodigy grows up and battles his mental health

Having reached professional status in middle school, Rei Kiriyama is one of the few elite in the world of shogi. Due to this, he faces an enormous amount of pressure, both from the shogi community and his adoptive family. Seeking independence from his tense home life, he moves into an apartment in Tokyo. As a 17-year-old living on his own, Rei tends to take poor care of himself, and his reclusive personality ostracizes him from his peers in school and at the shogi hall.

However, not long after his arrival in Tokyo, Rei meets Akari, Hinata, and Momo Kawamoto, a trio of sisters living with their grandfather who owns a traditional wagashi shop. Akari, the oldest of the three girls, is determined to combat Rei's loneliness and poorly sustained lifestyle with motherly hospitality. The Kawamoto sisters, coping with past tragedies, also share with Rei a unique familial bond that he has lacked for most of his life. As he struggles to maintain himself physically and mentally through his shogi career, Rei must learn how to interact with others and understand his own complex emotions.

#H5: Middle school soft tennis club deals with trauma

Constantly outperformed by the girls' club, the boys' soft tennis club faces disbandment due to their poor skills and lack of positive results in matches. In desperate need of members, Toma Shinjou is looking to recruit capable players, but he fails to scout anyone. Enter Maki Katsuragi, a new transfer student who demonstrates great reflexes when he catches a stray cat in his classroom, instantly capturing Toma's attention. With his interest piqued, Toma ambitiously asks Maki to join the boys' team but is quickly rejected, as Maki doesn't wish to join any clubs. Toma refuses to back down and ends up persuading Maki—only under the condition that Toma will pay him for his participation and cover other club expenses.

As Maki joins the team, his incredible form and quick learning allow him to immediately outshine the rest of the team. Although this gives rise to conflict among the boys, Maki challenges and pushes his fellow team members to not only keep up with his seemingly natural talent, but also drive them to devote themselves to the game they once neglected.

Titles, propagandas, trailers, and poll under the cut!

#H4: March Comes in Like a Lion (Sangatsu no Lion)

Propaganda:

Sangatsu no Lion is a series that gets praise and has some awards, but it gets rarely talked about. It’s ranked highly on anime lists as being a good anime to watch, but there’s little fan engagement or video essays about it like other promising titles.

Maybe it's because the series is a slow-paced slice-of-life drama that goes over topics like mental health and the trauma of losing loved ones at a young age, and how those factors impacts the lead deeply.

Rei is a hard character to watch sometimes. He’s a doormat, shy and quiet, with crippling low self-esteem. He’s a social outcast. He puts a lot of burden on his own shoulders and blames himself for living up to people’s expectations. He’s a flawed and traumatized teenager forced to grow up too quickly.

Rei lives isolated, and that's how we're introduced to him. He has a strained relationship with his adoptive family. He has trouble interacting with his classmates. He has a few tentative friendships with the people he plays Shogi against, but Rei struggles to connect with others. It doesn't help that he feels pressured by the expectations placed on him as the fifth ever Shogi player to go pro in middle school, making him a prodigy. He's losing multiple matches and stagnating, struggling because of his mental health taking a downward spiral.

When Rei meets the Kawamoto girls, his life seems to get better. Rei initially doesn't want to get to close to the Kawamoto family for fear of rejection, but he ends up visiting often. With them, he receives the care and affection he never had in his foster home. He also learns to socialize and rely on others with his interactions with the Kawamotos, growing as a person.

Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse, Mild child neglect from adopted family, death of birth family, healing from mental health issues.

The plot revolves around Rei and him trying to cope with the stress of life and growing as a person. A part of this is him having to make peace with the trauma of losing his biological family and having a strained relationship with his adoptive family, who are neglectful and bitter towards him. The anime overall goes over Rei healing from his mental health issues, including battling his anxiety and issues with self-worth.

#H5: Stars Align (Hoshiai no Sora)

Propaganda 1:

Covers a wide variety of issues and gets into the nitty-gritty of the often under-prosecuted instances of child abuse in Japanese society. Multiple LGBT characters, subversions of gender roles, a simple but appealing art style, and some really talented seiyuu to top it all off.

Propaganda 2:

This series is so amazing even though it was cut halfway through (and the trigger warnings, mainly in regard to the environments many of the characters live in) make it difficult to suggest at times. It’s half a sports anime and half a drama, switching between the sports sections and explorations of the lives of the characters involved, the latter of which is the part I really adore. The story discusses the heavily discussed topic of abuse pretty well and also has a good handle on discussions about things like gender (specifically in regard to a canon non-binary character, though there is also a minor character who is a trans man who is also discussed) that I haven’t seen too many other series address, or at least not to the effectiveness of this story. The characters also just have so much charm and compliment each other well, and I love watching them get closer and interact. They’re buddies, and I adore the boys soft tennis team plus Yuu and Mitsue (+ Arashi I guess. He’s from a different school’s team and directly opposed the team, but he very quickly becomes their friend afterwards), as well as all of their dynamics. It’s not a watch for when you’re looking strictly to have a fun time or looking for a complete story, but it’s an amazing story regardless. Also, I love the opening and ending songs so much. I wish this series got its season two so much because it’s so good, I don’t think I did it justice at all.

Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Gender Identity/Sexuality Discrimination

If you’re reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

[sleepingcup]

Dating experience with Silverash

Characters: Enciodes Silverash x Doctor! Reader

Game: Arknights (Silverash’s Operator Story)

Genre: Fluff

Summary: You were not expecting to have Silverash as an operator from that discovery you and Kal’tsit find out ever since you help him out from a commission.

--------

You may not noticed that but he is actually thankful for you that you ask Elite Operator Sharp to protect Siverash during an event, manage to make a change in Kjerag company, and to change his country for the better and have the most peaceful result than blood. Let’s be real here, you help him better than before, and thanks to you his younger sister  Ensia/Cliffheart receives better treatment and Enya/Pramanix seems to find herself at home in Rhodes Island and more.

He decided to do all of that just to show his gratitude. His sister Ensia/Cliffheart and the other Silverash Clans who also works at Rhodes Island was also shocked to know that he decided to join, but since he is now your assistant/bodyguard he would be checking on you from time to time in his break.

But please make sure that he had a good break cause you may not noticed that he did overwork himself. He won't mind hanging out with you for a game of chess or a hang out at the top of the Rhodes Island.

His greetings were usually "My friend."

But if you want to make him call you by your name or something else than friend, you have to make a deal with him.

Normally people would fall in love by their own feelings however with Silverash it would be different.

If your expression was obvious for him, you better have mercy on your soul cause he would take that as an advantage cause sometimes he does have the audacity to be playful or flirty on purpose just to catch you off guard.

Ensia/Cliffheart did warned you before about Silverash.

But who are you to complain, there is no turning back now~

If you manage to make a deal with him that is where he would visit you more often just to name you My Dearest Friend just for himself, how will you be able to deal with him is depending on how will he feels about you. Let him process his emotions so he knows well that he can deepen his bond with you or give him more opportunities to at least try to win you over.

Dealing with Silverash is like dancing with him in a game of chess, who wins to the king or who losses to the king. Love is war in chess, it never fails.

But if you manage to win against him, that is where he admits his defeat. He actually enjoy his time with you, all you just need to do is to get 200% of his trust just to open up to you about his personal life. Even if you manage to win him over before...

If he DOES have feelings by any chance, he would be clingy. His tail would rather wrap around your waist or left/right leg, sometimes hugs from behind in a place with no prying eyes, or he would make a flirty yet teasing tone just to catch you off guard. He would find satisfaction by looking at your face.

And if you give him a kiss on the head or pet him or cuddle him more often, he would clearly won't mind destroying your personal space just to earn that from you.

But rest assure that he also cares for your health, but it would be different. He cares for you in his own ways really. But if no one else is keeping watch on you and Silverash, he would be near you.

And if his not around his bird Tenzin will be the one who would keep your company.

Just be aware that the Silverash clan who spotted you with Tenzin would be either confused, shocked, or surprised.

I forgot to mention about the date, the dates would be an expensive dinning place. Don't worry he pays for it cause that is his offer, but if you prefer to relax at room for cuddles he won't mind that at all.

And if he would sleep with you in your room or office, just be aware that he would have nightmares sometimes. So be there for him when he has a vulnerable side of him to you. Reassurance is something that he actually needs especially when he is at his lowest.

One thing tho, if you may not noticed Silverash happens to mark his bite on your neck without you knowing.

[seeinginthedark]

So this blog is being refused by the Facebook groups when I tried to post on there .

From a public health perspective, I’m worried about men as a population group , it’s declining . Their physical and mental health , their well-being. Their life expectancy is shorter than women’s . Men have increased suicide rates, increased mental health problems, increased chances of being homeless , increased heart attacks, increased incarceration rates. Increased chances of being victims of violence and murder. And victims of rape. Increased chances of joining a gang. In marriage break downs, they generally they get less parental rights of their children.

Society isn’t helping men at all with this . And society doesn’t like any form of masculinity, toxic or not , like it’s trying to eradicate it. Since the Industrial Age began , men have been treated as work horses and been sent off to fight and die in the world wars . Then the newer generation of men born after 1990 (and especially more so with men being born after 2000) quite a few of them aren’t even wanting to be men. Since changing your gender became an option .

Some of the men I’ve met who have done a lot of spiritual healing and the truth seeker types , I’m noticing some of them get to a level on their spiritual journey where they start thinking they are God. This can’t be healthy.

I was a dominatrix for a few years during my nursing degree , right before my spiritual awakening kicked off. I would get large sums of money to punish and ridicule the rich , powerful , elite men. What I learned is that the more richer they get, the more disturbed and perverted they get. I believe there is an agenda going on that is grooming men to be perverted. So many men on dating apps want dirty photos , they ask all the time . And married men too.

So I’m worried about the future of men . I have met some strange and beautiful men over the years . A lot of them have hurt me. Badly. But I’m not bitter or angry at men , I still care about them. And I realise that society isn’t good for them . I have four sons , no daughters . I’m genuinely worried for their future . I love men that were born in the 70’s. They are more staunch. Wholesome . That generation of men knows and remembers what it was like to date women before the days of social media . They remember saying “I’ll give you a call on Friday to see what you’re up to” on the home phone . And go days without contacting us. Now we have mobile phones and social media apps and the men wanting to pursue women , will text them constantly throughout the day . It’s clingy and insecure 😕. Men have an instinct to protect but I see a lot of domestic violence going on in my community. Paranoid men. Anger issues . And frequent “Agent Smith” attacks . That I have experienced. You’re probably reading this and thinking oh this woman attracts troubled and damaged men . Actually no, not really. I’m confident in myself , I have boundaries . I know my worth. I don’t attract them or seek them out . It’s not my issue to heal them . I’m just noticing trends over time , what is happening with them and the levels of toxicity is on the increase .

What do you all think ?

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is in distress—or at least, he should be.

His troubles began two weeks ago, when The New York Times reported that an upside-down American flag was spotted flying at his Virginia home not long after the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. (Though the upside-down flag originally was flown by sailors centuries ago to indicate distress, it has long been a political symbol in the United States, used most recently by Donald Trump supporters who claim the 2020 election was stolen.) And Alito’s troubles grew last week when the Times reported that another “provocative” flag—one carried by January 6 rioters—flew at his vacation home in New Jersey last summer.

Commentators expressed alarm that a Supreme Court justice would willfully, or through incredible ignorance, associate with an authoritarian movement that has trampled on the Constitution that he took an oath to uphold. Many prominent Democrats, including Representative Hakeem Jeffries, called on Alito to recuse himself from all forthcoming cases involving Trump and the attempted coup in 2021.

But Alito won’t recuse himself—and his brazen display of disloyalty to American democracy should surprise no one who recalls how he landed on the Supreme Court.

Alito’s hard-right ideology, and his shameless lack of ethics, were obvious when he was nominated by President George W. Bush in 2005. A few Democratic senators sounded the siren, but the mainstream media, even its so-called “liberal” mainstays, largely ignored the warnings, unwittingly cooperating with an elite, right-wing operation to install a dishonest, partisan extremist on the highest court of the country.

As The New York Times reported on the eve of Alito’s confirmation in 2006, his placement on the court was the “culmination” of an effort that began during the Reagan administration to staff the judiciary with ideologues of the religious right. Conservatives also deployed an adroit media strategy to temper, silence, and even disparage any attempt to criticize Alito during the nomination hearings. Public relations specialists and legal experts, coordinating on behalf of the Federalist Society, Christian organizations like Focus on the Family, and Republican senators, helped to sell Alito to the Senate, the media, and the public—even before his nomination. “We boxed them in,” one lawyer who participated in the meetings told the newspaper, presumably referring to the Senate and the mainstream media.

Early in the Alito nomination fight, Democrats uncovered a memo the judge wrote while he was working for the Reagan administration in 1985 that articulated his opposition to legal abortion. He advised against waging a “frontal assault on Roe” only because such a maneuver would prove politically unpopular, and instead advocated for a steady demolition of access to reproductive health care at the state level. Until the 2022 Dobbs decision overturning Roe, the Alito playbook is exactly what many Southern and heartland states followed to make abortion all but impossible within their borders.

The memo did not stop Alito from lying to the late Senator Edward Kennedy, whose diary revealed that, while meeting privately in Kennedy’s office, Alito assured him that he would never vote to overturn Roe. Unlike Republican Senator Susan Collins, who believed the same lie from Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, Kennedy was not gullible enough to vote in favor of Alito’s confirmation.

The P.R. firm handling the Alito nomination insisted that Republicans counter with the claim that, as a lawyer for the Reagan administration, Alito was only reflecting the views of his client. Planned Parenthood warned that Alito would “gut Roe” if he had the opportunity, but the media soon dropped stories on the memo.

Similarly nauseating events transpired when Democrats learned that Alito belonged to Concerned Alumni of Princeton, an organization that opposed measures to increase admission of women and racial minorities. The group wasn’t merely against affirmative action but also contemptuous of co-education and supportive of quotas that favored men.

Alito insisted that his participation in the group was ancient history. (He had listed his membership on a job application as a 35-year-old applying to work for the federal government.) The mainstream media reacted not with questions about Alito’s biases on race and gender but with vilification of Democrats. Gloria Borger, a CNN commentator, accused the Democrats of “going over the line,” Newsweek likened Democratic senators to “bullies,” and PBS’s Gwen Ifill accused Alito’s critics of “demonization.” Chris Matthews and Chuck Todd had a conversation on MSNBC suggesting that it was absurd to try to “nail him” for belonging to a “club.”

Several reporters, including Katie Couric, focused on how Alito’s wife—whom the justice this month blamed for flying the upside-down flag—was crying when Democrats questioned him about his involvement in Concerned Alumni of Princeton.

Democrats would later learn that, as an appellate judge, Alito failed to recuse himself in two cases involving companies with which he had financial interest, even after he pledged to do so. The New York Times shielded Alito from suspicions over his lack of ethics, writing, “Legal ethics experts say judges are not obliged to recuse themselves in such cases.… Judge Alito has said the lapses were inadvertent and occurred long after the initial period covered by his pledge.” The Times framed the criticism of Alito not as an ethical worry but as a tactic from a “liberal coalition,” involving women’s rights groups, the NAACP, labor unions, and environmental organizations.

Kennedy gave a thunderous address on behalf of the people that the “liberal coalition” aimed to represent, warning on the Senate floor of the dangers of Alito’s extreme ideology: “If you are concerned and you want a justice that’s going to stand for the working men and women in this country—it’s not going to be Judge Alito. If you are concerned about women’s privacy rights, about the opportunity for women to gain fair employment in America—it’s not Judge Alito. If you care about the disabled … the Disability Act that we have passed to bring all of the disabled into our society, if you are looking for someone that is going to be a friend of the disabled—it’s not going to be Judge Alito. And finally, if you are looking for someone that is going to be willing to stand up to the executive branch of government … it’s not going to be Judge Alito.”

Kennedy attempted to organize a filibuster to prevent the confirmation of Alito, convincing Senators John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama to join, but said that many Democrats were unwilling because of fears that Republicans would accuse them of obstructionism. In a 58–42 vote, with four Democrats joining the Republicans, Alito was confirmed on January 31, 2006.

Earlier this month, Nicolle Wallace, the MSNBC host, said the photos of Alito’s upside-down flags “stopped her in her tracks.” She likened them to a “body blow,” and wondered how we “got here.” Wallace was working for Bush when he nominated Alito to the court. Unlike most Americans living in what Gore Vidal called “the United States of Amnesia,” she should remember the deceitful strategy to install Alito on the court. Decades of right-wing subterfuge, media obsequiousness, and Democratic cowardice explain exactly how we “got here.”