#expedite shipment

[bibleofficial]

Good for you, it sounds like you can bail if trump wins

if ?

[akashzipaworld]

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[sayruq]

The officials added Gallant told Austin he is coming with a list of specific weapon system requests. A senior Israeli official said the requests will not only include short-term requests for the war in Gaza but also long-term ones, including the option to purchase more F-35 and F-15 fighter jets. Israel wants to have the supply of the jets and other weapon systems expedited as much as possible, the Israeli official said. Gallant told Austin he is bringing with him the director-general of the Ministry of Defense, retired Major General Eyal Zamir, who is in charge of Israel's weapons purchases. Gallant stressed he wants senior Pentagon officials to meet Zamir on the sidelines of the visit to discuss the technical details for Israel's defense requests, the source said. Israeli officials say they are concerned about the pace of U.S. weapons shipments and that the Pentagon could slow-walk their delivery as Biden faces mounting scrutiny over weapons supplies to Israel. A U.S. official said there is no slow-walking and added Austin will tell Gallant that the pace of weapons supply is connected to available U.S. supply and the need for Congress to approve supplemental funding.

[eli0004]

Rain, Rain

Sub!Levi x Gn! Reader

Synopsis: not much of a plot, just messing around with Levi in an office while it’s storming outside.

Warnings: hand job, fist-fucking, praise, very slight pain pain play, love confessions, very soft sappy shit

A/N: This was finished way sooner than i thought it would be, i got carried away 😭 also i couldn’t think of a title that wasn’t cringe, please ignore how cliche that one is.

Before everything went to shit, this kind of rain was the biggest inconvenience for the people within the walls. Closing down market stalls, turning the grass all muddy and the sky bleak and grey. You could almost hear it, the grumbling and moaning on the streets about when this dreadful weather would pass. Nowadays, however, no one bats an eye.

You’d never minded the rain, and truthfully, neither did Levi. It’s good weather for reading indoors, or lulling you both to sleep on nights when your mind is particularly active. Often, the two of you find yourselves sitting by the window, watching the storm clouds rolling in and lighting flashing, commentating to one another every now and again when a particularly loud rumble of thunder cracks through the silence. And the rain is especially lovely when it allows you to tangle up together after particularly difficult expeditions, soft touching and gentle kisses to the sound of the droplets drumming on the window panes.

Almost as if thinking of him summoned him to your door, Levi emerges with two steaming cups, placing one on the desk in front of you.

“It’s really coming down out there.” He gestures towards the window, bringing the cup to his nose and softly inhaling the fragrant aroma before taking a sip.

“It is, isn’t it. I wonder how much longer it’ll go on for.” You respond, glancing down at the black tea in front of you. “Have you got a new one?” You ask. He nods once.

“New shipment, i like this one more than the last one i got. It was dreadfully weak.”

You chuckle softly, taking a sip and nodding. “It is stronger, hm?”

There’s a moment of silence before he speaks up again, and you notice how he has subtly inched himself closer to you.

“The rain made me think of you this morning. I wish we could’ve just taken the day off.”

He doesn’t look away from the window, but you know him well enough by now to know that there is subliminal meaning behind his words. Levi has been missing you.

“I’m glad you’re here now, let’s spend some time together, forget about today.” You reach out to beckon him closer. He willfully obeys, placing a hand on the arm of your chair and leaning down to kiss you. But you pull him in closer, and he rests his weight on his knees, placing them on either side of you. Cupping his cheek gently, you brush a thumb over his lip, leaning in once more.

Your lips meet his, ever so softly, and Levi feels like he’s floating. Nimble fingers find their way, trembling slightly, to the roots of your hair as he allows himself to melt into you completely. Your arms snake around the curve of his lower spine, pulling him down so that he is no longer hovering above you, but now sitting firmly on your lap, knees straddling your thighs. At this, he lets out a soft whimper, but it’s nearly inaudible- disappearing where your lips connect.

Levi is no stranger to this, the two of you have engaged in this sort of heavy kissing in the dark many times, but at this moment he feels strangely vulnerable. Desperation is slowly chipping away at his resolve, and suddenly he’s thinking about how it feels- having you touch more of him, peeling off his clothes. He can almost feel the warmth of your palms against his bare skin. It’s in that moment that he realizes he wants all those things. Levi wants you.

You take notice in this shift in energy, if not by the eagerness with which he’s kissing you, needy and open mouthed, then by the hardness of his cock pressing into your stomach, now noticeable through his uniform pants. You don’t push, opting to see just how far he takes things on his own initiative.

You bring one hand up to the back of his head, affectionately tugging at the thick, inky-black strands of hair. His grip on your own hair tightens at this, and he groans softly against your lips, breaking the kiss only for a moment before returning again with three times the desperation. Returning your hand to his waist, you attempt to pull him impossibly closer. Close is not enough.

Levi gasps, breathing air straight from your lungs as the motion of your adjustments sends him slightly forward, his erection pressing deliciously against your lower stomach. The feeling sends his mind reeling, and he experimentally rolls his hips forward again in attempts to replicate the feeling. At the sight of him unraveling before you, so sensitive to every touch, you raise a brow, smirking against his lips.

“You ok, Levi?” You whisper, eyes meeting his in the darkness for only a moment before he casts them downward again. He hesitates, as if he’s about to make a decision that will change the course of his entire life, hands dropping from your hair and down to his lap.

“Yeah, i’m fine. Do you think…tonight would be a good night to…y’know…” he feels his cheeks burn, fingers fidgeting with a loose thread on the chair-cushion as he awaits your response. You grin softly, rubbing your palms up and down his thick thighs, softly kneading at them.

“I’m not sure i do, what is it you’re asking for?”

“Tch…you do know, I’m being serious.” He scolds you, rolling his eyes. “I want to.”

Your eyes finally meet his as he absentmindedly leans in a bit closer, and you take notice of newfound vulnerability that shines through them. His gaze is soft and longing- a stark contrast to his usual laser-focused expression- and you bring a hand up to trace a finger, softly over the wrinkles it’s left behind. Over the crease between his brows, the crows feet by his eyes, the dark bags beneath them from his many nights of exhaustion. He leans into your touch, and you speak through the silence.

“I love you.”

Levi is unable to stop the small smile tugging at the corners of his lips, and he crashes them against yours once again before you can comment on it. His kisses are heated, almost aggressive, and for a split second you’re taken aback by it, closing your eyes and letting your grip on his thighs loosen.

His hands find your shoulders, sliding up your neck, cupping your cheeks gently before re-tangling his fingers into your hair. You hum softly against his lips, and he slips his tongue into your mouth just enough to tease. Unsatisfied, you allow one arm to pull him snugly against you again, bringing your other to grip the back of his neck, deepening the kiss and forcing your tongue past his lips. He moans softly at this, exhaling through his nose.

Levi grinds himself forward against your stomach once again, languidly rolling his hips and pressing his dick firmly against your abdomen. By now, your mind is reeling with the thought of having him do this without those god forsaken pants to get in the way. Breaking the kiss, you look down, snapping open the buckle of his belt and nearly tearing the zipper of his pants down. He lifts himself up off your lap to shimmy out of them, tearing off his shirt in the process, as you peel off your own shirt.

Once restrictive fabric is discarded, Levi re-positions himself on top of you, shivering slightly as the air nips at his bare skin. You don’t notice the chill, already busy pressing open mouthed kisses to his bare shoulders, over his collar bone, the skin of his neck. Levi tilts his head back ever so slightly, arching his back as you trail your fingers, feather-light, down his spine. How desperately you want to leave marks there on the column of his throat, not as an act of possession, but to serve as a reminder of this moment for you to look back on tomorrow morning when the two of you must get up and dressed before sunrise. To watch him anxiously adjust his collar, making sure to hide the evidence from any wandering eyes.

Breaking away from him, you drop your gaze down to observe the wet spot seeping through the front of his underwear. You take a minute to admire the product of your ministrations, before bringing a finger to trace the dampness there. He gasps, head falling forward and bangs flopping over his eyes.

“Don’t tease, damn it…please” he breathes, shakily against your ear. “I want you.”

“I can tell.” You chuckle. Deciding against waiting any longer, you hook your index finger into the waistband of his underwear, pulling it forward to let his cock spring up against his lower belly, smearing that slick wetness below his navel, before letting go and watching it snap against his length like a rubber band. He jumps, surprised at the sting. “Hah…ouch!”

“I want these off too.”

He lifts once again to kick off the final layer, leaving him fully exposed, returning to you to present himself at your mercy. His tongue is poking through his lips as he watches you curiously, as if to try and predict your next course of action.

You place a hand on his hip, smoothing a thumb over the bone and gazing up at him lovingly. Your other hand finds its way to his stomach, open palm and fingers splayed, running it all the way up to his chest and up to his jaw, gently forcing him to look at you.

“You’re so beautiful, every inch of you, I’m enamored by it all. You know that?” He rolls his eyes, and you wrap your other hand around the base of his cock, squeezing slightly.

“Hnn..ah!” He chokes out, squeezing his eyes shut.

“You know that, Levi?” He nods, frantically, and you’re unsure if he even remembers what you’re asking, his body is melting into you, hunching forward. Chuckling softly, you begin to slowly slide your hand up and down, languidly. Thumb circling his tip every so often, spreading the pre-cum down his shaft.

Levi lets his head fall against your shoulder, huffing against your neck, his rib cage expanding and contracting with every breath. You trace over his chest, over his peaked nipple, pinching and rolling it gently between your thumb and forefinger as you continue to stroke him off, and his breath catches in his throat.

“F-fuck~” he whimpers out, jaw slackening as you speed up your pace and tighten your grip. His hips lurch forward and his hands are searching for something to hold onto, settling on gripping the back of your chair with white knuckles, snaking his other arm around your neck and pulling you closer to him, almost in a hug. You can feel his abdominal muscles beginning to tense, and you slow your pace, but Levi isn’t willing to wait any longer. His hand falls from the back of your chair to grab onto your wrist.

Holding it steady, he begins thrusting his hips forward, fucking your hand like it’s sheer instinct. Any other time, you’d stop him, but seeing him so fucked out and desperately humping into your closed fist is what prevents you from doing so. This isn’t something you see often.

Levi is dangerously close, moaning against your ear long and drawn out. Holding him close, you press your mouth against his ear and whisper “good boy, so good. You need to cum? Let go for me, ok?”

His eyes roll back, lids fluttering closed as he freezes, holding his breath for a second as his hips stutter “ah-ah oh god, fuck, i love you, i love you, i love you” he rasps out, gushing thick, creamy ropes over your fist, his body trembling with the force of his orgasm as it tears through him. You smile softly at his confession and it’s timing, allowing him to guide your fist over his length to milk himself of any last drops.

And as his breathing slowly returns to normal, his tired body slumps against your own. The rain outside has begun to die down, now only a soft drizzle. You hold him there, as long as he needs, tracing shapes over the skin of his bare back. In the end though, it’s Levi who breaks the silence, whispering against your skin

“let’s get to bed, we can…uh…spend more time together there.”

[time-being]

Emphasis

When someone says "I don't want to vote for Biden while he actively supports genocide in Palestine by expediting arms shipments, vetoing ceasefire resolutions, etc".

If your only response is about the word "vote" then you're a piece of shit who has completely missed the point.

[zvaigzdelasas]

"We are joining millions of people across the US and around the world in demanding an end to Israel's brutal assault on Gaza and its decades-long occupation of Palestine," said Ellie Tang, an organiser with the anti-war youth organisation Dissenters.

"We urge Congress and Biden to hear the calls of millions of us living in this country and push for a ceasefire. Until Congress blocks the bombs, we will." [...]

The blockage was organised by Dissenters, St Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee, Black Men Build St Louis, the Boeing Arms Genocide Campaign, and Resist St Louis. The activists are calling for two immediate actions: firstly, for Congress and Biden to demand an immediate halt to hostilities, and secondly, to halt arms sales to Israel. They are also urging communities to persistently partake in direct action aimed at Boeing and other firms benefiting from Israel's occupation. "We want Congress to know what it looks like to take brave action. And that we will not wait for their timelines to actualise demands of ceasefire," said Su Mac, an artist and organiser. "As taxpayers, we all have blood on our hands. Congress must act before they are etched into history books as complicit in a genocide the country called on them to stop. The whole world is watching."

6 Nov 23

[wing-ed-thing]

Tandem (Levi x Reader)

Synopsis: The two of you work together seamlessly. Your clear intimacy was usually left unspoken... that is, until Eren asks the stupid question.

Word Count: 2.8k

Tags/Warnings: Language, Fluff, No Reader Pronouns

Notes: I think it’s funny that my last Levi fic was about Levi and reader like... hating each other hahaha. I guess I simply must bring balance

“Do you have the—”

“Right here.”

Watching the two of you in action was fascinating. 

Levi tossed you a canister from over his shoulder. The metal container flipped through the air, nearly smacking Eren directly in the face. He ducked just in time. The canister landed perfectly into your outstretched hand. You didn’t even look up from the crate of supplies you were tending to. Eren sputtered.

“Hey, watch it! You almost hit me!” 

“Don’t be in the way.” You spoke the command in unison. Neither you nor Levi missed a beat. Eren caught a mutual eye roll as you and Levi continued to organize the new cargo shipment. 

You secured a thick wooden lid onto your crate and made a tick on your clipboard. You maneuvered out of the way just in time for Levi to heave over an equally massive wooden box. He stacked it on top of yours.  

“Tell me that’s all of it,” Levi grumbled, placing a familiar touch on your shoulder as he peered over your amassment of papers. You flipped the pages with a solemn shake of your head. 

“Between what we brought back from the expedition and the disaster that was this last shipment, I’d say we’re done with barely half.”

“Fucking hell…” 

Immediately after expeditions, your leftover supplies would be checked and consolidated into storage to prepare for the next outing and regular patrols. That had always been an undertaking and typically took the whole night. But when you were away, a new shipment of supplies had come early. A disorganized mess of various crates and trunks, Commander Erwin nearly hit the roof before he stormed over to the supplier’s office to complain. 

The company had apparently shifted management, and the new owner thought he could cut corners. At least, that’s what you guessed. 

Levi slowly turned to Eren as you made a few frustrated scribbles in your notes. The crease in his brow deepened, and a vein above his eye twitched. 

“What are you doing just standing around, Jaeger?” Levi stepped forward, gesturing to the chaos of stacked and scattered materials across the room. “You think these big-ass boxes will grow legs and walk to storage by themselves?”

“Section Commander Zacharius sent us in here to help. He’s finishing up outside.” A bead of sweat formed on Eren’s temple. Levi stared wordlessly, scowling. “Sir!”

“You can help Jean,” you said, glancing up from your attempt at an organization sheet. You gestured over to where Jean knelt by a mountain of wooden crates. Heavy pouches and metal parts poured out of the sprawling containers. “He’ll need all the help he can get separating the flour sacks from the deconstructed ODM gear.”

Jean met Eren’s eye, exhausted and annoyed at the prospect of working with Eren on top of his menial task. Mikasa carried three boxes stacked on top of each other somewhere in the background. 

The entire regiment worked into the night. Empty crates were slapped with proper labels, refilled with the correct material, and sent to storage. The rate at which you and Levi put together a plan was astounding, and you quickly ordered your exhausted soldiers around in teams to get the job done. 

Jean and Eren worked to separate the flour sacks from the gear, moving gingerly to avoid crushing anything. Some bags were broken. Eren blew white particles off of a grip and onto Jean’s slacks. Jean scowled but was too tired to complain. The two of them took to sorting out the pieces of gear quietly, Jean placing the parts in their respective bins as Eren sifted through the mess of metal and wires. He was left with a small box of screws at the end of his work.

“Um, do we have a box for screws?”

“Screws?” Jean repeated, glancing over the closed crates. “No?”

Eren shrugged and put them in his pocket. 

You and Levi continued to work seamlessly together, racing throughout the room and ensuring everything was sorted. You passed your clipboard back and forth as you elapsed each other. Eren could hardly see the handoff. He chased after you after he closed the last crate of flour. 

“Section Commander!” you turned with a stack of random materials in your arms. The soldiers from your squads gathered around you, deliberating with each other over the orientation of the storage. “Jean and I finished. Where else can I be of assistance?” You handed your supplies to one of your team leaders, giving instructions before returning to Eren. 

“Captain Levi has the list,” you said, moving another set of boxes down to the floor. Your team took to opening them. You looked down and groaned at the sight, running a hand over your face. Inside, the supplier had packaged together explosives and yeast. “What a mess.”

Eren ran off to find Levi, who stood in the courtyard supervising the organization of horse feed. Levi gave two firm slaps to a neat assembly of boxes as he addressed a group of six. The compilation had been mislabeled as “bread grains.”

“You’ll take these to the stables. You hear me? The stables. If I see a lick of this shit in the kitchen, you’ll eat horse food for the rest of your life.” Eren approached him cautiously, offering him a salute.

“Sir! How can I be of assistance?” Levi huffed, blowing a tuff of his bangs away from his forehead. 

“I just gave the list back. Go ask the Section Commander.”

“Uh…” Eren croaked, having just spoken to you. “Well, I just spoke to—”

“Eren!” Armin appeared in the doorway out to the courtyard with a wave. The torchlight made his blond hair shine even more golden. “We need your help with the swords!” 

“There you go,” Levi snorted, gesturing down the hall where Armin disappeared. He bumped Eren’s shoulder as he passed.

Luckily, things were beginning to wrap up by the time Eren nearly dropped from exhaustion. After the swords came lentils mixed with the smoke-gun pellets and then the tangled ODM wires. You and Levi were powering on at the same pace you had been for the night— perhaps even more rigorously— but Eren could see the burnout on your faces. A rule of thumb whispered among the cadets dictated that the two of you appeared visibly grumpier with tiredness, not that anyone would dare tell you that. 

Levi maneuvered around you, snatching something you offered wordlessly in your hand. He sent off the last of the cargo boxes with a small team of drained recruits, and as he turned to you, he didn’t have to say a thing before you tossed the clipboard to him. He caught it like a frisbee. 

“That’ll do it,” you announced. Your voice echoed off the stone walls of the now-empty room. “Thank you, everyone, for your hard work. I’m sure you’re very tired. Dismissed!” 

Eren breathed a sigh of relief as you marched out of the room. He quickly took his leave, filing out with the rest of his friends as they trudged back to the barracks in exhaustion. No one said a word as they crossed through the courtyard, too drained from the expedition and the organization disaster to say anything. 

Eren stuck his hand in his pocket, stopping short when he felt the small box of screws he had put in there earlier. Armin shot him a worried look as he started back toward the packaging room, too fatigued to ask where he was going. Eren said nothing, jogging back so he could return as quickly as possible. 

You and Levi sat on the stone floor, back to back, as he read over the materials list. Your head tilted back to rest on his shoulder. He did the same, his short hairs brushing against your cheek. Two cups of tea sat on the floor next to you. That must be where you went when you dismissed everyone.

“The twenty units of ODM wire—”

“Southwestern storage with the grips,” you yawned. You closed your eyes, letting yourself slouch back into Levi. He said nothing as you nuzzled into the shoulder of his jacket.

“Updated uniforms and linens—”

“Forth floor. They need to be organized, but they can be distributed soon.”

“Great. Like we haven’t had enough of that tonight.”

Eren stood frozen in the entryway. He clutched the box of screws in his hand, stepping off to the side to avoid being seen. Something inside told him that he shouldn’t be there, that the scene in front of him was too intimate for his prying eyes. He watched on anyways, wondering if he should just wait until tomorrow. 

You finished your tea, placing it on the ground with a disappointed hum. You reached for Levi’s and took it in the pads of your fingers. Levi brushed his cheek against your hair and tilted his face to look at you. He didn’t get very far with your head in the way.

“Excuse you,” he frowned. “You have your own.”

“Finished mine,” you muttered, half asleep. Levi shook his head before returning to read the rest of the list. He flipped a page. 

At that display, Eren decided that he could definitely wait until the next day. Stealthily, he returned to the little, lit hallway to take his leave. 

That was until the little box of screws clattered to the floor. The sound reverberated off the stone, causing both you and Levi to turn to the noise. You sat up straight with eyes snapped open with alertness. Eren cringed, picking up the box, and with no choice, he revealed himself. 

“The hell are you doing up?” Levi snapped with a deep scowl. “You were just dismissed. Or do you want more work?” Eren almost flinched.

“I forgot about this.” He held up the forgotten cargo, giving it a rattle. You yawned again, a strangled noise of affirmation escaping you.

“Oh, thank you, Jaeger. You can leave that with me.” Eren scampered across the room to your outstretched hand. It dropped with the weight of the tiny container. With a simple thanks, you once again sent him on his way. 

***

“Do you think the Section Commanders are, you know, together?” Eren asked in a hushed tone at the dinner table the next day. Armin’s forehead wrinkled in thought.

“Which ones?”

“Yours and Captain Levi.” Eren played absentmindedly with the leftover stew on his plate. The entire table seemed to stiffen. A few nervous eyes glanced around the mess hall for any leadership within the radius to overhear. Eren hardly noticed the way the former members of the 104th seemed to lean forward.

“I think they’re all together,” Reiner finally spoke, eyes darting around the room again.

“What? You mean like all at once?” Bertholdt laughed nervously, swiveling his head as he spoke. He rubbed at the back of his neck with his large palm.

“Yeah!” Reiner exclaimed in a hushed tone. The table leaned closer. He gestured emphatically with his hands. “I mean, you’re in this line of work. Everyone’s ripped and sexy—”

Connie let out a roaring cackle.

“You did not just refer to Captain Levi as ripped and sexy!” 

Reiner sputtered as cheeky grins and bouts of laughter spread across the group. Reiner clutched the edge of the table as his pale skin turned a bright shade of red.

“You know that’s not what I meant!” he stammered, just about standing up to slam his hand on the table, causing various utensils to clatter. The noise was not too out of the ordinary for the cafeteria. “That’s not what I meant! I meant my squad leader!” Connie propped an elbow on the table, counting his fingers to accent his words. 

“Section Commander Levi: ripped and sexy. Section Commander Miche: ripped and sexy. Section Commander Hange—” Reiner slapped Connie’s hand from across the table, causing Connie to just about go into hysterics. He collapsed into Sasha’s shoulder. Bertholdt tugged the back of Reiner’s shirt, urging him to sit back down. 

“That is the opposite of what I meant!”

“You said everyone, Reiner!” Connie had nearly burst into tears. He heaved between labored breaths. “What— what if they…! What if they made— Hahaha! A calendar?! What if they made one of those sexy calendars?!” His deranged delirium was contagious, the taboo notion enough to make Mikasa cover her face with a shake of her head. She continued small bites of her food. 

“Shirtless Levi calendar just for you, Reiner.” He stood at a loss as Jean reached up to knock against his bicep. Reiner sat down in defeat, hands rubbing over his face as Bertholdt gave him a heavy-handed pat. 

“What made you ask, Eren?” Christa’s gentle voice somehow made it down to the other side of the table. He craned to be able to see her before looking off, wondering if he should say anything. He didn’t think for long, if at all.

“I walked in on them last night—” An eruption of astonished gasps and cries cut him off—a jumbled chorus of sounds molded over each other. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute!”

Sasha’s voice carried over everyone else’s. 

“Levi and Reiner?!” She exclaimed. Reiner somehow grew redder. 

“Of course not!”

“No, he means our captain and Levi, right Eren?” Armin clarified, and Eren nodded. 

“When you say walked in on them—” Jean glanced around the room, eyes widening with emphasis. “Did you mean walked in on?”

“No, no,” Eren stuttered, running a hand through his scalp as he thought of describing what he saw. “I’d say they were more cuddling.”

“Cuddling,” Reiner repeated with a single downward nod. He crossed his arms over his chest as he squared his shoulders back. “You walked in on the squad leaders… cuddling.”

“Well, they weren’t really cuddling. They were sitting back-to-back against each other more… nuzzling. And sharing a cup of tea.” Eren trailed off, face contorted in a pained expression as he continued to play with his hair. Armin nudged him under the table, barely picking up his head to offer him the contrite look painted on his expression. 

“Eren…”

“I think it’s kinda romantic!” Christa brushed a few hairs behind her ear. “Two soldiers fighting for their lives with no one to lean on but each other! I could see them together. Maybe Captain Levi would loosen up a bit if he was dating.” Ymir grumbled something incoherent. 

“I think we’ve all been in a room where Captain Levi’s shared a cup of tea with all the leadership.” Reiner glanced around the table, unimpressed. “Is that supposed to be a euphemism or something?”

“It was the same cup!”

“Things sure are lively over here.” Everyone froze. “What are we talking about?”

You placed a warm hand on his shoulder. Eren’s eyes followed the length of your sleeve to your smiling face. You glanced over the group, slightly taken aback at the sudden silence. Levi came up to Eren’s left with crossed arms. 

“We heard from everyone coming the other way that you couldn’t shut up, and now you decide to be quiet?” Connie met Reiner’s eye from across the table.

“The calendar,” he mouthed, and Reiner resisted the urge to throw a spoon at him. 

“We were just talking about Sasha’s dating life!” Eren exclaimed, much to Sasha’s horror. You beamed.

“Oh, how fun!” Levi rolled his eyes, maneuvering around you. 

“I’m grabbing food. You want the usual?” He leaned in slightly, a gentle touch on your back. The table watched with bated breath. You smiled and nodded.

“Yes, please!” With your confirmation, he left. You turned back to the table, your hand still on the back of Eren’s chair. “Dating! That’s so exciting! You have to tell me!” The group exchanged looks. Normally, they would tell you. That is if there was anything to tell. 

“Are you dating, Section Commander?” Sasha quirked an eyebrow, hoping to turn the heat onto someone else. 

“Oh, uh—” You stuttered, thrown off at the sudden question. You could feel the heat of their intense stares. —“No, not really.” You let out a nervous laugh. Surely you were missing something. You missed the silent eye contact Eren made with Armin.

“Not really?” Eren repeated, twisting his mug in his hands as he stared at his water. Reiner studied him, wondering that perhaps Eren had been onto something after all. Mikasa kicked Eren under the table. He flinched, composing himself just before Levi returned with your food. 

“You guys are sure acting strange tonight.” Bertholdt refused to look you in the eye. You let out another nervous chuckle before taking your plate from Levi with thanks. 

“They ran out of the rolls, but I got you the—”

“The baguette?” Your face lit up at the sight of the tiny baguette on the corner of your plate. You faced Levi with a grin. “Have I ever told you that you were the best?” 

“Sure, sure.” He didn’t acknowledge the rest of the 104th as he stormed toward the exit. You offered them a wave goodbye.

“Sorry, we can’t stick around. I’ll see you all later! Good luck, Sasha!” With one last wave, you hurried after Levi and left together. 

As soon as you were well down the hallway, the table erupted in debate.

Thank you to all who liked, reblogged, followed, and supported. Your support means so much and is greatly appreciated.

Notes: Ah, I love writing young Eren as the stupid little baby he is 🙏 Heavily channeling Bluey “do you have a wife?”

[selfaware-bungou-stray-dogs]

Monster from the deep

Self-Aware! BSD x SAGAU Imposter crossover

Self-Aware! Howard Phillips Lovecraft x GN! Reader

Description: Waters of Teyvat become dangerous. Something is destroying ships. Dottore is asked to kill the monster.

Warning: OOC. Mentions of insanity, torture, religious fanaticism, animal death. Dehumanisation (Dottore refers to Reader as 'it'). Lovecraft is soft protective yandere towards Reader. English is my second language.

A/N: , if someone was waiting for full fanfic about Self-Aware! BSD X SAGAU! Imposter crossover, here we are.

______

To: Lord Harbinger, Il Dottore

Lord Harbinger,

I swear on the greatness of All Creator, if situation didn't call for that, I won't write this letter, but, I am afraid, our nations are in a dire situation.

As you must know, another ship was destroyed. Another deal fell through. Liyue will not be able to send a shipment of minerals to Snezhnaya. We lost another ship, cargo and ship's crew.

At least, until we finally have found a survivor.

He was found on a lifeboat near Liyue's shores three weeks after the ship sink. He was dying of hunger and thirst.

And he has gone completely mad.

Sailor was starting in the distance, repeating again and again.

"Ephaiagl ah mglw'nafh. C' ah mglw'nafh."¹

At first, we thought, that he was delusional, that we could save him, if we get him in better shape.

Yet, he refused to eat or drink.

He only stared in the distance. Talking and talking.

He didn't let anyone inside his hospital room.

He became aggressive every time someone tried to peek inside.

He did come out, but, always tried to return to his room as soon as he can.

We forced him to eat and drink, to keep him alive. We gave him every medicine we could think of.

He didn't become better. And he didn't become worse.

And tragedy strikes.

All-loving Creator were visiting the hospital. Their Grace light patients' mood. They felt better, after seeing Their Holiness.

One of the patients, who was staying here with his dog, feel happy for the first time in last days, after seeing All Creator. He dog disappeared, and he was feeling terrible, but, after seeing Their Holiness, they forgot their sorrows.

And All-loving Creator met mad sailor.

For the first time in weeks, he got silent.

He was staring at Creator, unblinking and unmoving.

And he committed a sin.

He dared to attack Their Holiness.

Screaming words in the strange language.

"N'ghftdrn! ah'legeth n'ghftdrn!²"

We killed sinner.

And inside his hospital room, we found a lost dog. What remains of him.

We also found this in his room.

[Photo is attached to letter. The wall of the hospital room is covered in red letters. Words makes no sense, except ones, that are written under the red drawing of an octopus-like monster. "BRING DOTTORE TO HIM"]

Lord Harbinger, It seems, that it's the monster, that destroying ships. We have heard about your victory over Ursa the Drake. Perhaps, you could try to defeat the Sea Monster as well? Liyue will send millelith and our best sailors to assist you. It will take time, because Liyue captains refuse to go to sea, so the expedition will reach Snezhnaya by land.

Wishing for an eternal reign of All Creator.

Ningguang, The Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing

_______

Il Dottore, Second Harbinger, One of the Creator's Personal Physicians, was standing on the deck of the ship. They were in the middle of the sea, moving along the trade route from Snezhnaya to Liyue.

Everything was quiet.

No signs of a monster.

Sailors were doing their job. Fatui and millelith were on observation duty, trying to catch a sign of a monster.

Yet nothing was happening.

Dottore feel anger. The damn creature asked for him, yet, it didn't show up. Cowardly vermin.

Few months ago, after the low-live Imposter disappeared, the strange monster appeared in Teyvat waters. It attacked ships, making any sort of trades not just dangerous, but straight up impossible.

Nothing could stop that monster. And no witnesses remain.

Everytime they killed another sea monster they thought, that they finally succeed.

And, in a few days, another ship got sailed.

Mora was low, and Pantalone became angrier and angrier.

The trades became impossible, and people start loosing jobs, factories started to close down.

And, finally, they have a lead, to what they are looking for. And this thing decides to hide.

Dottore clenched his fists. Everything went to Abyss after Imposter escaped.

His thoughts were interrupted by a scream.

"Man overboard!"

______

A saved man called himself Lovecraft.

And he was strange.

A tall, gaunt man, was towering above everyone on the ship. His eyes looked bored and tried. Almost empty. He hardly talked to anyone, preferring to stay on his own.

The only time Dottore saw any kind of emotion from Lovecraft, was when Fatui soldiers, after a few drinks, were discussing The Imposter.

________

"Oh, I am so jealous of Lord Harbinger! He managed to pay a part in punishing the Imposter!" proclaimed Fatui Agent (Dottore didn't care about his name), waving a mug, that was filled to the brim with alcohol, in the air. Other Fatui and millelith solders cheered.

"Yea!"

"He showed them their place!"

"Dirty parasite, how dare they impersonate Their Holiness."

The night was full of alcohol and talks.

The agent, who started talking about the Imposter, turned towards Dottore.

"Lord Harbinger, please, tell us, how you avenge Their Holiness."

Dottore rolled his eyes. The rest of the Fatui, sailors and millelith joined Agent in asking for a story. Well, one time, he can entertain them.

Dottore put down his glass of wine, cleared his throat and start his tale.

___________________________

The Dungeon was dark and dirty.

Still, too good for a creature, that were contained here.

Dottore walked down the corridor, that leads to an isolated part of the dungeon.

In the small cell, full of torture devices, it were kept.

Exact double of Creator.

A dirty heretic.

Braces on its legs had forced it to remain in a standing position all night. Its eyes were unfocused, due to a lack of sleep and enduring intense pain.

Its lying lips and mouth were now covered in burns and blisters. Before Dottore came here, the high ranking church members came, to clean its soul by pouring boiling water in its mouth.

"Well, look at this squalor. Not so confident now, are we?" with mocking concern, asked Dottore. Sinner flinched. It strained to speak with its burned throat, as it managed to croak out a response.

"want home... to friends..."

Dottore mockingly pet its head. He grabbed the fist, full of its hair, and pull. Sinner let out a cry of pain.

"Aw! This creature has friends? Well, when we are finished with it, we will go after its friends."

Dottore let go of its hair, taking a step back. He took a metal instrument from one of the small tables in the cell.

"Let me give you something, Sinner. Nice salted water for your mouth. So you won't say even more of your heresy."

_____

The crowd roared. They were cheering for Dottore.

"Hooray for Lord Harbinger! Let Creator bless you!"

"I bet, it were crying like a dirty pig, when salted water got into its mouth. Oh, my bad. I shouldn't be rude towards pigs, by comparing it to them!"

"It got what is deserved."

Dottore scoff, pleased, with the reaction.

And he felt a gaze on him.

Howard, who was sitting in the corner, looked at him.

The look was full of hate and disgust.

Howard, suddenly, became blurry.

In the next moment, the ship was cut in half.

_______

Ground was moving up and down.

The ground felt like wood.

The night was cold.

Dottore woke up. With half-closed eyes, he tried to stand up. But the ground was still moving. And his clothes start getting wetter. He felt the scent of salt.

Dottore finally opened his eyes.

He was on the raft.

In the middle of the sea.

And no ship or other crew members were in sight.

Dottore felt anger. He wasn't sure, how he got here, but, he swears to Tsaritsa and All Loving Merciful Creator, that he will find the person, who put him here, and will destroy them.

Something swam under the raft.

And someone jumped from the water, landing next to Dottore, almost sinking the raft.

Dottore was ready to curse the idiot, who almost drowned him, when he saw it.

Lovecraft was completely wet, but, somehow, dark navy, slightly wavy hair didn't look wet at all. The dull, blank, dark gray eyes met with Dottore's red eyes.

"You hurt them." there were no emotions in this voice. The man reached towards Dottore's head. A large hand grabbed Dottore's face.

A black empty holes replaced Lovecraft eyes. Octopus tentacles squeezed around Dottore.

Dottore was afraid. His fear was strange. Like it was something, that came from his ancestors. Something, that he would feel, even he was a newborn right now.

Dottore managed to gather enough power to attack.

Yet, the attack didn't do anything.

It didn't even scratch Lovecraft.

Howard put his face near Dottore's.

"You have hurt them. And I am their friend. And I will share some nice salted water with you."

Dottore was thrown in the water.

Waves closed above his head.

____

Dottore was sinking.

And a huge, octopus-like monster were circling around him.

Huge, greenish. With countless tentacles.

Monster stared at Dottore.

It became blurry again.

It changed its looks again.

One tentacle squeezed Dottore's neck and forced him to look straight at the monster.

"Ymg' lloig ah mglw'nafh.³"

Dottore looked at the monster.

And screamed.

Seawater filled his mouth.

______

After leaving Dottore near Liyue's shores, Lovecraft start swimming to their base.

To a hidden cave, where a portal, that leads back to their new world, were located.

Lovecraft reached the cave in a matter of minutes.

He took a special trap from the water, where three kois for you were swimming.

Lovecraft stepped into the portal.

_____

You were standing near a big fish tank. You carefully observed Teyvat fish, that Lovecraft brought you every time he returned from Teyvat.

You flinch, remembering Teyvat. You didn't have physical scars, thanks to Yosano, but, you have plenty of mental scars.

You heard familiar heavy steps.

Lovecraft walked inside the room. He noticed you and walked closer. He holds the trap with fishes towards you.

"For you."

You mumble a little'thank you' and took the trap, immediately releasing fiches into the fish tank.

Then, Howard hold something else towards you.

A familiar mask.

You froze, looking at it.

"For you. I made him lose his mind. He won't hurt anyone. He will never hurt you. I won't let him."

With shaking hands, you took Dottore's mask. Tears run down your cheeks.

"Th-thank you... Howard..."

A big hand carefully cups your cheeks. Lovecraft wiped away your tears.

"Don't cry, Treasured Guiding Light. No one will hurt you. And the ones, who dared to hurt you, will pay."

____

"Y' ahnythor ah'mglw'nafh!⁴"

"He doesn't sleep. He doesn't eat. He doesn't drink. He's only howling this words, if it's even words."

"Y' ahnythor ah'mglw'nafh!⁴"

"Let's call for the All Creator. Their Holiness might help."

______

"Y' ahnythor ah'mglw'nafh!⁴"

"Someone, put a gag in his mouth! He is disturbing other patients!"

"Y' ahnythor ah'mglw'nafh!⁴"

"AAAAAH!!! Dear Creator! He bit my fingers off!"

"Y' ahnythor ah'mglw'nafh!⁴"

"He is getting away! Lord Dottore, stop!"

"Y' ahnythor ah'mglw'nafh! Ymg' ahnythor ah'mglw'nafh!⁵"

"He is attacking Creator! Stop him!"

_____

Dottore was standing in the middle of the same cell, where you were kept in back then. He was forced to stay in standing position. His red eyes were bloodshot. His mouth was covered in burns and blisters. He was staring at the wall.

His screams were filling the night. He doesn't care about burned throat. The only important thing in his life were the words he was repeating.

"Y' ahnythor ah'mglw'nafh!⁴"

______

In a real world, you were sitting next to Lovecraft.

Both of you were eating chocolate ice cream.

You leaned against Lovecraft's side.

Big hand softly pet your head.

"Y' ahnythor ymg' nnn, gokar'luh. Y' ymg' ephainnn, gokar'luh.⁶"

You smile slightly.

One day, you will heal completely.

And your friends will be with you for every moment of your recovery. And for every moment after you heal.

________

¹"Future is dead. We are dead" R'Lyehn (Cthulhu language) I was using this translator.

²"Monster! Lying monster!"

³"Your mind is dead."

⁴"I must die"

⁵"I must die! You must die!"

⁶"I must protect you, treasure. I will protect you, treasure."

______

Tag list: @withered-blossoms

[papaver-decervicatus]

Cat/Mouse/Den: Pt. 1, Cat

Alone on wilderness patrol, König’s radio intercepts an enemy transmission meant for a SpecGru sniper. Within a beautiful and capable woman’s crosshair, something electric and treacherous takes root in his heart, and he decides to tempt his doom. It’s a game of cat and mouse, and it’s been far too long since he has had anything worth hunting.

CW: Obsession, stalking, canon typical violence, intrusive thoughts, unsanitary wound care

Authors Note: Huge shout-outs to @kneelingshadowsalome and @sprout-fics for writing some really great fics that inspired me to write this and for being such kind beta readers!

This work is inteded to pass as x reader or x OC in third person POV, German is from google translate, feel free to correct me if you can!

This project started out very small and has definitely spiraled out of control. To all readers, please enjoy and let me know what you think!~ Caedis

Pt. 1, Cat | 1.3k words | König POV | NEXT

“They call you… Maus?” König says into his radio. 

It’s a mistake. That he’s heard the transmission. That he found her position. He’s sure that she sees him, he knows he’s good as dead. 

He’d seen her file in a briefing. Some SpecGru sniper, relatively new to the force. Accolades nothing short of damn impressive but with a general disposition against war. She’s a good rule follower unless she hates the rule and then she tends to do her own thing. Overall, mixed bag, but too useful to refuse. She wouldn’t be on the force if she weren’t some sort of useful. 

Most of what he’d thought was, “Wow, really? That many targets? Seems temperamental. Wish I could’ve been a sniper. Seems much more peaceful.” And then a much quieter, general, passing: “She’s pretty.” 

And that was it, really. When he got moved to solo wilderness patrol, it was Klaus’s idea to give him intel on who he thought would be most likely to be on patrols alone. As the resident wilderness expedition expert, he thought it most reasonable to give König and a few others on similar patrols the basics on her and a few of her comrades. Quite mundane for his line of work, all things considered. 

The irony isn’t lost on him, that him doing the very thing her file warns his upper command about, “doing his own thing,” is what will kill him. He’s out about five miles from where he should be, dangerously far. But, he always had a weakness for the mountains. When he realized his route to do shipment surveillance was close to a ravine, there was no question in his mind that he was going to check it out. 

And it’s got him in a good-looking lady’s sniper scope, right as the sun sets behind her. She’s got a perfect shot. 

What's that silly English phrase? Curiosity killed the cat? 

He smiles about it, though. He’s happy it’s a sniper. Happy it’s a pretty one. 

“You’re not my target.” Is her response. She shouldn’t be able to radio back to him. 

Strange. 

“Not an answer. And who is then?” He quips back into the static, still not quite sure he believes she’s there. Even at every possible disadvantage, this is still his territory, he’s still the king of his little domain, of this minuscule set of battle strip. It’s pathetic, the only place he feels any sort of peace is at war. 

“Negative to both.” 

“Playing hard to get. That’s fine with me.”

He hears her chuckle before she shuts off her end. 

This is… most exhilarating. 

He finds her in the tree line, and he smiles. She’s across the 80-yard-long ravine. There’s a creek at the bottom, and interesting flora marks the cliffs all the way down. He wonders what wildlife drinks from the stream down there and if there are any decent caves he could find an opening to. If any could fit him, that would be. She’s found a good post, in the branches of an inconspicuous tree. That’s right, she specialized in tree climbing and tracking if he remembers her file well enough. It’s a pretty perch, no wonder she chose it. 

A younger part of him is jealous. The older part smothers that part down as he takes in the view. 

The sun is setting behind her. She’s very far away, but his skin prickles to life knowing that he’s being watched. The exposed rock of the ravine flames to life with amazing browns and reds, and the stone sparkles like rubies and tiger’s eye stones as the sun's rays catch it. 

It’s a beautiful place, really. It’s not such a bad place to die, he thinks. She’s a good shot. She’ll do it quickly. Nothing to fret about, really. It’s his own fault, anyways. 

He knows if he runs to or from her, he’s dead. So he stands still. 

Waiting. 

For what?

He doesn’t know. A fairy tale? An Angel? A sign from God? His own comms? The common sense to radio his own and tell them about the fucking sniper in the tree?

He doesn’t know. 

So he waits for her to make the first move. 

“If you turn tail,” She warns, his radio crackling to life, “I won’t shoot.”

He’s going to die, might as well have some fun at it. 

“I will- if you tell me why they call you Maus.” His accent lingers on the word, just about the same in Deutsch as it is in English. Maybe that’s where the Brits got the word from in the first place? Some Germanic mountain peoples from long, long, long ago? 

He can’t see her in detail, she’s much too far. But with his hazy memory of her file, he imagines her face contorted in with the effort of deciding what to do. He thinks of her blowing a loose strand of hair out of her face. He thinks about her flexing her fingers around, but not squeezing, the trigger. 

She seems to chew her lip on this one. He already knows her code name, it’ll do very little good or bad for him to know just why. 

“I’ll bite, soldier.” She says, hurriedly, like someone might walk in on their little game. Like the teacher is about to find the two kissing in a supply closet at the school. Like she knows this is bordering dangerously close to bloody. 

“Quid pro quo?” She asks. 

It’s not a no. 

He smiles. His cheeks get red as they flick upwards in a grin of pure giddiness. What a fun way to die. Playing a silly little game like this? Fantastic!

“I think you know.”

“König?”

“Ja.” To his delight, her accent scraping its way around his call sign, the only name he cares about at this point, isn’t half bad. Being so seen on the battlefield should make his chest tighten, but not quite like this. It’s wrong, but then again he actually enjoys war so maybe he’s never quite been right, either. 

“Why?”

It’s his turn to laugh and rush out a response. He sits down on the ground and opens his legs as wide as they’ll comfortably go and rests his cheek in his hand propped on his thigh. If he’s going to die, he’s going to give her a pretty show. He’s going to die comfortably lazing around like a cat on a windowsill, taunting the stray tabby outside who so desperately wants to claw him to death. 

“You first, Schatz,” he downright purrs into his mic. He’s no fool, if he could see her up close, he would not be flirting with disaster like he is currently. 

He can’t see her, she’s much too far away, but he imagines her chest constricting beautifully and her biting her lip. He imagines her lips pressed into a thin line while she claws into her upper arm, trying to regain control. Like it’s all a silly game. And, maybe it is.

Cat and mouse. 

He likes the sound of that. 

Her voice returns to him, low and slow like she’s dragging her tongue over every syllable like she’s trying honest-to-goodness to taste him. 

“Maybe next time, König.” 

He can hear the smile in her voice. Maybe she’s enjoying the game, too?

A shot rings out, and his blood whistles and boils. It hits the tree 6 feet to his left at exact head height. His ears start to ring, but he’s entirely unharmed as birch bark splinters around him. 

“Position compromised, moving.” Is what she radios to her command. 

“Rog, Mouse.” Command calls back. 

He sees movement from her position, but he knows she’s much too far for him to get to her in time. He laughs bright and loud and gets himself up off the ground. 

“Nächests mal, kleine Mäuschen.” Next time, little mouse. He says, to no one in particular. It’s been a long while since König has had so much fun like this on the battlefield. At a genuine disadvantage, put into a position that size and strength alone won’t remedy. And he’s sure as hell not ruining it by telling anyone, no matter how dangerous that is. 

A game of cat and mouse? 

Good. 

It’s been far too long since he had something worth hunting.

[nerdyydragon]

I refuse to believe Graham Casner dies in that bunker. To date mans has survived:

All previous expedition and survivalist experience he had up to Fristed

Those weeks in the bunker

Demonic psychological warfare

Being dragged underwater

Actively hiding from forrmynður in an uncharted cave system for multiple days and not dying of starvation on Svalbard

Post-Fristed PTSD

Patagonia~

Cave-ins and murder

Fog From Hell

The helicopter ride BACK TO SVALBARD

He is a cockroach. You can’t kill him. They can try, but this bitchy Russian-Canadian man is impossible to kill. If anything he just gets more powerful. Personally I think he should be given a military shipment of explosives and be turned loose. He deserves it.

[joannasteez]

WIP WEDNESDAY!

thanks for the tag! @harmshake a little lumberjack!roman i’ve been slowly chippin away at, i have no clue when this will be ready to post but i dont know, maybe its worth a share of what i have so far

his beer is cold. wet glass slipping against his skin. a crisp hoppy taste on his tongue that settles till his belly excites with warm. the ache in his hands seeking a temporary remedy, holding to the chill of the bottle. thick fingers working with a diligent memory of axes and chainsaws. an all day affair thats old and tedious. the smell of walnut and oak and maple, chips of fly away wood and the hard sun. a good cold beer after a hard day was a must. mandatory. so friday's meant a beer plus two extra. but never four because jey always overdid shit and he had to be the dad of the group. had to take care of baby boy jey. and sometimes seth. and sometimes dean. because dean loved to play and fuck around, car keys jingling between the saucy slip of his fingers, feigning the mind of a sober man and the reckless lust of a drunk one. cackling and teary eyed, because panic about roman's face was just so fucking funny.

lucy's is a town bar. built dead center and extremely assessable. and lucy's has everything. karaoke for jimmy & jey, darts for seth and solo, pool for dean, and nice comfy worn leather booths for roman. his favorite booth on the far left side of lucy's, tucked up against the wall. equidistant from the bathroom set behind the karaoke stage and the bar. where his quiet half sleepy eyes could roam and observe. a little people watching as he sips the gold-ish brew. nibbling at almost soggy nachos and pulling loose the tight knot holding his hair. oak wood from day labor soaking through the inky thickness of it. listening to dean and seth complain about management. because if they weren't at work, they were off the clock rambling and ranting about work. a cyclic state of affairs that started and ended the same way.

first seth. that half snarly little grimace. hair rolled up in a top bun. voice raspy and raw.

"...because how the fuck are you never actually in office and thee greatest-most idiotic micro manager ever, he needs to pick a damn struggle...

and then dean. his finger running to scratch against his auburn beard. just as pissed. words slightly slurred.

"...and then had the absolute gaul to tell me how to do my job. that piece of shit prick never held an axe or a chainsaw in his damn life. goddamn third generation wood chippin dick..."

and roman laughs. his eyes wrinkling. sipping and chewing and falling into the recurrence of every friday night.

"...and his little assistant, who he's totally nailing by the way, i hear her screeching like a damn banshee whenever he's actually in office, had the nerve... the unmitigated nerve to send around a birthday card asking for small donations and to write him a message..."

and dean cackles. gasps from disbelief and leans into roman's shoulder. his forehead banging lightly into the wood of the table. empty beer bottles rattling from his show of contempt.

"...boys i swear, i promise the two of you, they both can get an expedited shipment of my fat cock to suck dry if they think i'm putting two of my very hard earned dollars into a target card for his birthday. his pops should've kept him swimmin in his balls..."

roman smiles. his eyes roaming about lucy's. towards the peace of the bar. his favorite little bartender hard at work. smiling and mixing away.

and here comes the turning over into the second bit of his friday night cyclic affair. a from afar trailing of the eyes, sneaky bouts of admiration sweetened by the beer fizzling his blood. and God do you look sweet. a friendly toothy little smile that piques his curiosity. plush lips, round eyes and fanning lashes that leave you looking delicate. he's unsure though, it could be the beer, the droning of the bar and the exhaustion in his shoulders. tight and soldering to his bones. it all could be feeding his mild delusions. making you look more angelic than you could be, a projection of dreams born from some long avoided longing. and when you finally commit yourself to seeking out the source of such an ardent sensation only the eyes of another can give, you meet him. a glass in your hand and curiosity about your face. so clearly in bartender mode. gauging patron based needs, before the inevitable look away. your lips bitten and a smile threatening to break.

but it never becomes anything more than this tit for tat of a moment. lingering eyes and unspoken things.  something threatening to edge the course of friendly and cautious. your smile seeming to only do him a favor. a courtesy. because he probably wasn't the first man to have such a silent high school adjacent crush on his local bartender and he for sure wouldn't be the last. and no one will ever hear him say it but roman isn't too keen on rejection. he rather live with your cautious little smiles. a short tuck away into his back pocket as he sips at his beer. he'll add it to store away for later, when he's alone with silence and the beginnings of bedtime fantasies.

no pressure tags: @kill-the-artiste @thesamoanqueen and anyone else who’d like to participate!

[flappyhappystim]

i know you guys have said you don't drop ship but when i placed an order it tells me that expected to receive in three weeks? that seems a lot like drop shipping?

Hi anon,

In the past, I have posted photos of inventory, and we've done some packing videos. I haven't done this in awhile, so I will try and find the energy to do some more recent ones. It is also not possible for us to drop ship due to our handmade products, but also products we carry from other small businesses like Ark Therapeutic, Mobii, Calm Strips, etc.

Most people do not wait that long to receive their shipments, but it gives a longer estimated date because we have gotten angry messages from people that expected amazon level of quick when it came to shipping. It mostly eases some of the pressure off of me because I’m also physically disabled and some days are worse than others. All orders also have to get packed together and shipped off the island I live on to a city for the best shipping rates.

Orders get packed and sent once a week. This means it's too expensive to ship every order the second it comes in, so they do wait to go with the other orders in one or two packages to get sent out from our shipper in Vancouver. We do ship out an order the same day from a different shipper if someone purchases expedited shipping. This does mean if someone orders the Saturday when I packed orders the Friday, they're waiting a week for their order to ship.

I understand the worry in dropshipping since a lot of companies do this now, but we don't drop ship any of our products.

TLDR: Most people don’t have to wait that long to receive their orders. I want it to give a longer date to take some of the stress off on my end.

Edit: here’s some of the earrings I made this morning for orders this week

[linkemon]

Voice line headcanons 3

Friendly reminder that English is not my first language. You can check my Masterlists both in English and Polish here.

Aether and Paimon are looking for [Reader] because of a job found on a city board. It's a potential, well-paying occasion. If they manage to find an employer who forgot to write where you can meet them at all...

Mika Schmidt

✧Looking for Captain [Reader]? Ah... Uh... Maybe, maybe you'll ask someone else. No, I'm not afraid of you, Paimon. We've known each other for quite some time, so I'm not nervous, it's just... the thing about the captain is... No, they're not scary. Captain Kaeya, what are you laughing at?

✧ Captain [Reader] is a really special person. They taught me many things even though they are not much older than me. They help me on expeditions. They are very nice, very smart and very pretty. Erm... I'm sure you two will work well together.

✧ Captain Kaeya really told you that? Ah... It's not like that! I'm not jealous of them. We're not together, so of course I couldn't be. It doesn't mean that I wouldn't want to be their lover... Um, this is getting more and more confusing. You know what, why don't I just go back to work and you two go visit them? It's the door at the end of the upstairs corridor.

Dori Sangemah Bay

✧ Interesting your searches. Of course, the generous Dori will help her dear customers with all the problems. But to help customers, you have to deal with them and you haven't bought anything yet. Move, move! Check out what wonderful goods I have with me today...

✧ Mora is a wonderfully universal language, don't you think? Wherever you are, Dori is always happy to hear the clink of money and understand you. Back to your question, [Reader] is the steward of my palace. As an exception, I can invite you for tea and introduce you. Of course I have a vested interest in this, Paimon. I wouldn't do it for free...

✧ [Reader] is a very good worker. They're great at keeping secrets, and they can bargain. I don't like it when it comes to the paycheck but if you need to pick up a shipment of new items for sale, they're irreplaceable.

Faruzan

✧ You're looking for a really good Academy student. Unlike you, they know they should call me madame. What about you? It's a complete lack of education. The fact that we know each other has nothing to do with it. I deserve respect. After all, I'm older than you.

✧ [Reader] is a really special student of Kshahrewar. They have a chance to surpass Kaveh in his achievements. The room you are standing in now is their work. A delightful use of technology, isn't it? Their darshan will yet rise from their knees with their help. I'm sure of it. Soon you will be able to see their inventions beyond Sumer as well.

✧ These flowers? They are from them. What are you looking at, Paimon? It's obvious my lover is a well-mannered person! How come you don't believe we're a couple?!

Collei

✧ If you're looking for them, you're lucky! I was about to visit them because I hadn't seen them since I came to Mondstadt. We know each other from the time when I came to this city for the first time.

✧ They helped me a lot when I was going through hard times. When I went to Sumeru, they wrote me letters all the time. They told me everything that happened here. They're really great at lifting people's spirits. Anyway, you'll see for yourself.

✧ There they are! Let's go say hi. I will introduce you myself. They will be impressed for sure. You say, Paimon, that you haven't seen me so happy in a long time? Haha, maybe there's something to it. But you get it, meeting up with old friends is always exciting! Let's eat pita together, which I made especially for this occasion!

Bennett

✧ I'd really like to take you to her but with my bad luck, it might not be the best idea ever. It doesn't bother you? That's very kind of you but I'm talking about [Reader]. The last time they wanted to help me collect plants for a job, they were attacked by monsters. They made it out reasonably healthy but on the way home I bumped into them and broke their ankle. I wanted to carry them to town but on the way back I slipped and injured their leg even more. That's why I think it's better if I don't see them for a while. For theirsafety.

✧ Comission to carry heavy parcels? It makes sense. After all, now that they can't lift them and the flower shop certainly needs someone to take care of it. What a shame they have to suffer like this because of me... Hey, where are we going? I already told you it was a bad idea! I don't want to bring bad luck to them. They will be happy? I'm sure they'll be happy, but... All right, I'm going, Paimon!

[oneforthemunny]

heyy evie i have a little specific ask so pls just ignore it if it's dumb. lately i wasn't feeling v well and when i'm in that headspace i get clingy. how would eddie react if i was trying to cuddle and be held by him and he snapped at me because he was busy and didn't know i felt bad? i didn't adress it further, apologized and went to bed alone and he felt guilty about it later. how would we make up? maybe not janitor or modern eddie 'cause i don't see them behave like that but the others? or maybe just one of the others? need a little bit of angst and comfort you write so well<3

at first glance I wanted to say dom!eddie bc he seems like kinda a gimme answer in a way, but then I really think he wouldn't be mad at you for being clingy because that's a little unheard of for you. and I think that would be the same with rockstar!eddie, if anything he'd be on high alert and kinda freaked out.

but I think this would (and I apologize bc I'm about to hurt some people) be mafia!eddie coded.

he's fucking stressed to the max. rick is pissed the feds raided his place, hopper and steve were supposed to help him out and keep him ahead of this and they dropped the ball. they had to move shipments to another place bc obv rick doesn't keep shit at his house but they were scared they'd find the warehouse, and they moved it but that pushed things back leaving their buyers furious- they lost a lot of money.

rick is on eddie's ass to expedite the next shipment, send some guys down to miami and pick it up themselves, and he's stressed, he hasn't slept, and fuck- he's exhausted. mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally exhausted.

kitten had been getting sick, a little under the weather and usually eddie doted on her after one sniffle. she tried to keep it under wraps just because she didn't want to add to his stress, but she really didn't feel good and she missed eddie.

"ed?" you knocked on the door to his office. it was late and he'd been in here all day, barely leaving to even use the bathroom. "ed, are you coming to bed, honey?"

"I'll be there in a second." eddie huffed, fingers knotting through his already mussed hair.

you pouted, moving closer into the room. it smelt like cigarettes, which judging by the full ash tray, he'd been chain smoking. "baby, why don't you do this in the morning?" you ran your hand over his shoulder, feeling the tensed muscles. selfishly, you just wanted to spend time with him. you weren't feeling the best and combined with your lack of sleep from eddie's absence, it wasn't making you feel any better.

eddie ignored you, jaw tightening and continuing to mark up plans. you sighed, moving to sit in his lap. "eddie, you need to rest. you're overdoing it-"

eddie smacked his hands on the desk, shouting your name so loudly you stood before you could properly get into his lap. "for fuckssake! can you leave me alone to work? I have to get this shit done, ok? I fucking have to. I don't have time for this bullshit right now. I don't need sleep, I need you to leave me the fuck alone so I can figure this out!"

you felt the growing lump in your throat, turning on your heel, muttering a soft apology before going back to bed, teary eyed and head throbbing with congestion from your cold and tears.

eddie didn't come to bed until much much later, and when he did, he collapsed next to you, not even taking his clothes off he was so exhausted. he finally got things sorted and approved, rick was more calm and steady, jeff and max had picked up the cuban shipment in miami and were headed to rick, and it looked like he could finally relax for a little bit.

then he woke up the next day.

his arm was on you, even in his sleep he just reached out to hold you, but you were covered in a soft sheen of sweat, shaking a little even under the blankets. eddie blinked awake, seeing you covered in the blankets. "baby, are you ok?"

"'m fine." you muttered, still shivering and voice wavering. he didn't miss the way your voice rasped. "just a little cold."

eddie sat up, placing a hand on your head. it was damp and hot. "you're burning up, kitten." he frowned. "are you-are you sick?"

you hesitated and that was answer enough. eddie was up, reaching for the phone on the nightstand. "no, ed, I'm fine. really. I just... don't worry about me. I'll be alright."

eddie shakes his head, reaching for the phone book. "I'm calling dr. stephens to come look at you, alright? should've told me you were sick."

"I didn't want to bother you anymore than I already did, ed, please. I'll be alright." you pleaded, guilt creeping in your chest.

eddie paused, confused at first, before realization flooded him. then the horrid feeling of dread. "oh...oh fuck, kitten, no." eddie set the phone down, eyes rounded up at you. "I didn't... I was just...I'm so sorry." he didn't know what else to say. excuses felt lame and pointless, and the guilt and horror of his words were making him feel sick to his stomach. he'd talked to you so mean, so vile when you were just looking out for him. when you were sick.

eddie spent the rest of the day coddling you in any way he could. a lame excuse of an apology in his eyes, but it was all he could do. he felt horrible, and you knew that, that's why you let him dote on you, baby you and fuss over your blankets and pillows. you let him hold you in the office when he did have to go over a few things, snuggled in his lap or lying on the couch and napping. just in his company, it made you both feel a little better.

[time-being]

This would never have been necessary if the US had not created exactly this problem to begin with.

Biden has spent months ignoring and explaining-away Israeli government officials who announced their intent to starve Gaza.

Biden expedited tank ammunition and artillery components for Israel to devastate Gaza.

Biden threatened to veto a UN Security Council resolution unless Israel was permitted to arbitrarily delay shipments of food into Gaza.

Biden has provided US military personnel as "advisors" for killing Gazans and substantial naval assets to ensure this genocide can continue.

The air drops (if they ever happen) are better than nothing.

But doing -literally nothing- would have been even better.

Convoys have come under attack within the enclave, both “by desperate mobs” and “by criminal elements,” US envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues David Satterfield said last month.

Fuck this guy in particular.

Also, how are Palestinians to tell the difference between US military planes that are their to massacre them and the ones that will allegedly bring food?

[dragons-bones]

FFXIV Write Entry #28: Triptych

Prompt: blunt || Master Post || On AO3

A/N: :D An idea that's lived in my head for years, now finally out in the world!

--

Minfilia is nearly seventeen years old and has been a member of the Miners’ Guild for two of them before she comes across her first seam of stone where living aether sings.

This mineshaft is old and productive, so finding the emeralds as the schist gives way beneath her pick isn’t a surprise. What is a surprise is how a fresh breeze suddenly blows up the shaft, cooling her flushed skin and rattling the lamps hanging from the ceiling. The flickering light catches on the raw gems in the wall, and green dances across her sight.

The very air seems to chime and so warned by the emeralds themselves, Minfilia works carefully. Normal emeralds are prized enough, but ones with living aether are coveted by the Arcanists’ Guild in Limsa Lominsa: she’ll get a bonus on top of her usual wages for the find, and a bigger one on top of that if she ensures the clusters are intact, to give the arcanists as much raw stone as possible to shape them into foci for summoning carbuncles.

The wide end of her pick, first, and she swings with smooth, sure strokes; the schist is soft and flaky and gives way easily, piling up at her feet. She widens her stance as she marks out the area on the wall, giving her more stability, and takes a moment to wipe dust off her goggles and adjust the mask on the lower half of her face. Once she’s marked out the area of where the deposits are—so much easier than with normal emeralds, all she needs to do is feel for the way the wind aether within them dances and jingles—she sets aside her primary pickaxe and takes out a smaller chisel to work at the wall.

The raw emerald clusters seem to fairly pop out into her hands and Minfilia can’t help but grin as she works. The living aether twines around her fingers, hellohellohello thankyouthankyouthankyou, and she almost finds herself petting the stones as she sets them carefully into the crate at her feet.

“Oh, you lucky girl,” Rolling Thunder, the foreman, says during his check on his miners, gently slapping her on the shoulder as he passes her seam. “Don’t be like me when I was a fool apprentice and spent my entire first bonus on drinks for half the Guild.”

Minfilia laughs and says, “Maybe just a round to celebrate tonight!”

“You are far too nice, Warde,” Thunder says, and continues on his way deeper into the mine.

It takes her bells to fish out all of the emeralds in the seam, and she has to switch back to her pickaxe multiple times to dig deeper into the wall. The clusters deeper in are quieter than the ones she first mined; not as powerful, perhaps? Ultimately, it’s not her call to make, but Minfilia is disappointed not to hear their friendly, wordless calls.

Until the last one.

Deep in the seam, the largest cluster waits, and this one practically reaches out to her. Holding it in her hands, Minfilia has the distinct impression of a sleepy cat, and even in the low light of the mine, she can see how deep the color is in the stone, how clear the stone. This one cluster of raw emerald alone will likely pay for dinner for herself and F’lhaminn for a moon.

As she sets the cluster in her box, giving it a fond pat, and gets ready to bring her haul out into daylight, she wishes well the carbuncle who manifests from this emerald and its arcanists.

(A fortnight later, a first-year arcanist carefully sorts through the newest emerald shipment to Mealvaan’s Gate, worrying her lower lip between her teeth and trying not to pick at her nails. When she picks up an emerald cluster of green so dark to be nearly black, she tastes chocolate and mint on her tongue, and hears crystals chimes laughing in her ears, and knows this one belongs to her.)

--

The second time Minfilia finds raw gemstones imbued with living aether, she is just past eighteen and out on a freelance expedition rather than one associated with the Miners’ Guild.

Climbing this mountain in northern Thanalan has been exhilarating, and she’s spent a few days happily crawling all over the place; she barely even needs her pickaxe, instead using her shovel to dig into the mountainside and find pockets of topaz so rich in color as to be nearly orange, and chunks of aquamarine a clear, shining blue. Her pack is almost full from a few days of work, and she’s going to make the merchants on Sapphire Avenue very happy.

It’s almost an accident when she finds it.

Minfilia grunts as she leverages her shovel. “Must be a piece of granite,” she mutters, gritting her teeth, and pulls.

It’s not granite.

The chunk of topaz is the size of both of her fists, and hits the ground next to her foot with a very solid thud. Her eyebrows shoot up, because it certainly looks like topaz—a beautiful golden yellow—but a topaz cluster that size isn’t that dense. She leans down, and picks it up carefully.

Oh! It’s the aether, packed in so tightly it’s a wonder it doesn’t spill out in a physical manifestation, though she’s never known earth aether to behave that way.

It thrums, low and slow, echoing deep into her bones, practically oozing contentment, and Minfilia finds herself swaying back and forth as she pets the rock. “Well, hello to you, too,” she says, reverent. “You’ll make a fine carbuncle, I bet.”

The topaz thrums again, almost a purr, and Minfilia smiles as the impression of something snuggling against her own aether rolls across her mind.

She keeps the topaz in the pouch on her hip as she makes her way back to Ul’dah, hand resting on it lightly, and hums in concert with its song.

(As Minfilia turns the corner of Sapphire Avenue, bulging gil pouch safely stored in her pack from the sale of her gems, a Highlander wanders up to the stall selling cluster of raw gems, an emerald carbuncle curled around her shoulders and a pink-haired lalafell chattering contently next to her. The Highlander’s eyes sharpen at the sight of a large, true-yellow topaz on the table, but she doesn’t focus her attention on it immediately, lest the merchant gain an edge on her. But when she brushes her fingers against it, she hears Ala Mhigan drums, and tastes warm bread and spiced apples, and knows she won’t be leaving without it.)

--

The third time Minfilia comes across a living aether stone, it has been a year since Eorzea clawed its way from the ashes of the Seventh Umbral Calamity.

She is on Vylbrand, exploring a cave system that’s well-mapped, and she is blessedly alone for the first time in sennights. It’s been an age since she’s gone mining, it feels like, her focus before the Calamity on finding Echobearers to bring into the Path of the Twelve, and after consolidating those who remain with the Circle of Knowing into the new Scions of the Seventh Dawn. There is much work to be done, still, and she’s been in meetings with the Admiral that feel as if they’ve gone nowhere.

(The ones with the Syndicate and the Seedseers’ Council feel similar.)

Minfilia sighs quietly, following a stream deeper into the cave. Lamps and torches light the way; this cave is a popular spot to visit, with locals and foreigners alike coming to admire the natural formations, and some of the bigger chambers have played host to pirate soirees and arcanist lunchbreaks. Today, Minfilia is the only one present, so she takes care to follow the marked paths. Linkpearls are still not working properly.

So she is quite surprised when she feels a burst of irritation somewhere off to her right.

Minfilia pauses, frowning, looking around. She waits a few more moments, before taking another step forward.

The irritation swells again.

She stops, and carefully moves off the path, down another trickling groundwater stream, until a flash of red catches her eye.

Crouching down, she reaches out, and feels something warm against her hand. It takes careful pulling, and digging at the gravel with her fingers, but eventually, Minfilia pulls out a large, raw ruby from the water.

“No wonder you were so angry,” she laughs, drying off the ruby along her coat. The cluster feels like its sulking, and the crackle of fire licks at the corners of her mind. “You must have been washed downstream at some point and were missed when the dredgers cleaned up most of the rubies and sapphires from this area.”

Perhaps it came from a cave system closer to Mount O’Ghomoro, deep in its burning heart. Now that she thought about it, Minfilia wasn’t sure where the Arcanists’ Guild received its supply of carbuncle-quality rubies; all she did know was that fire-aspected carbuncles were fairly uncommon.

Well, thankfully, Mealvaan’s Gate was near to the ferry. She’d stop by on her way home to Vesper Bay to gift it.

(A seafoam-haired roegadyn drops off a ruby cluster to her favorite student-turned-colleague. “I think this is yours,” she says with a shark’s grin, and her student—emerald carbuncle around her shoulders, hand on the head of the topaz carbuncle bigger than a wolfhound trying to crawl onto her lap—picks it off her desk. The crackling of a campfire and hammered metal rings in her mind, and coffee and caramel and dragon peppers light up her mouth, and she finds herself smiling in agreement with her mentor.)

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