#gordon the employer

[just-a-space-nugget]

Half-Life: The Employer AU

@sepko1 ‘s Gordon Geeman (or Freeman Immortal) has inspired me to revisit my own “Gman Gordon.” Funny enough, I made my Gman Gordon around the same time Sepko’s came about so I’ve had to change a lot to my own cause well.. mine was REAL SIMILAR to their’s lmao! But I feel like mine is more than just a “Gman” if you feel me? Mine is more like “the employer” in my eyes.

I may make a small “Au” or something around him. It would involve Sepko’s Geeman and even a few other people’s “Gman” type characters. Just because well the nature of the characters is based around the idea of multiple “Gmen” type people, being the employees. Each Universe has its own “Gman” that maintains the universe and each individual timeline they contain.

But the Employer. Who is the Employer? The Employer is the one who oversees all Universes, all timelines, all employees. Wouldn’t it be interesting.. if the Employer turned out to be a Gordon Freeman? Possibly even the very first instance of Gordon to exist in the Half-Life Universe. The Gordon from the very first timeline. The one who set the president for all. That would be my “Gman Gordon”

I’ve posted this before but here is the og Drawing. I may do a new one.

More info below if you are interested in my thoughts and ideas.

He would wear an edgy version of Gordon’s Black Mesa Uniform. His glasses would be tinted to conceal his eyes. He also has an HEV suit he sometimes wears that is also in more dark edgy colors rather than orange to keep him hidden. He can be seen holding a black mesa brief case (like Gman) but is more commonly seen holding a Black Mesa clipboard with what feels like infinite paper but only appears to have two or three sheets on it at all times.

Depending on what he wants to look at or what he needs the second or next page of the clipboard changes. The first page is always the cover of the Black Mesa employee handbook.

He barely retains any of his original self. He purposefully suppresses his human side to keep himself focused on his job. He still has his own Universe. He no longer maintains it, instead he has left it in the hands of the og Gman who he employed long ago to keep it safe. He occasionally visits it. It serves as a place where he can go to think and feel “at home.” Deep inside he mourns his Universe. Mourns a time when he was still human. Now he knows that all instances of himself and the people he cares for despise him. Even though no one knows he is the “Employer” (except those he has employed) everyone always thinks the ideals of the many Gmen and their employer are working against them since they seem to have done nothing but harm their ways of life, emotions, and morals. Gordon The Employer has to face the fact that everyone he cared for now want him and his plans dead. When all he wishes to do is keep all timelines and Universes flowing. He wants to do what is best for each instance of everyone including himself.

After all if he had never made the choice to pull The Freeman into stasis for 20 years, who would stop the Combine? How would things have played out? Yes the choice to force Alyx into employment is morally wrong, but those are human morals. When it comes to the greater good of the universe and its timelines, human morals do not apply.

Time is not a concept that applies to The Employer. He is everywhere, anywhere, yet no where all at once. He is a singular entity but is sometimes referred to in the plural as “The Employers”

Alternative Universes and timelines of each are constantly appearing, constantly changing, evolving. The Employer must be able to handle the task of assigning each new universe with its own set of boundaries, key events each iteration of the first timeline must follow, and its very own Gman that must abide by these rules and maintain the new Universe accordingly. It is not an easy job, but he has done it since the beginning of time and deep at his core he is still a scientist, and scientists thrive in challenges such as these. And with each Universe came new challenges, new threats to his plans and to the plot each timeline should follow. As time goes on he realizes a pattern all instances of himself, Eli, Alyx, and in some cases Vortiguants have begun to rebel against his employees. A Little deviation from the core plot is not is not a big deal, things can be nudged to fix such things, but too much is seen as a threat and must be dealt with accordingly.

Each “Employee” or “Gman” must stem from somewhere. The Employer originally kept to a strict pattern of using different variations of the same “Gman” across universes. But eventually he saw the potential for employing those he cared for, especially ones from timelines where he saw they had potential. Slowly The Employer began to replace original “Gmen” with the newly trained and employed Employees. All was well, he even spoke with them individually, assisting (as best he could) with their transition from being human to a “Gman” including the emotional and mental strain that can cause. (However with his own emotionless habits it proved to be less than effective or comforting for the others.)

All was well. Until he decided to try and employ.. himself. And thats where Sepko’s Geeman comes in.

At first he does nothing but watch from a far. When the gman set to maintain and train the new Employee turns up missing, and his other Employees’ ties to the Universe are served, he has no choice but to personally intervene. For the first time since the beginning of time he has to step out of the shadows and introduce himself to the rest of the Half-Life Universe. Having no choice but to collaborate with the Alyx and Vortiguants of this Universe in order to come up with a solution. At first it does not go as planned. Everyone in the universe rejects him and attacks him. Never giving him a chance to introduce himself or speak. Simply mistaking him for the rouge employee.. or The Freeman Immortal. Having to actually interact with those he cared about for the first time in… a while.. is challenging. Not just for the obvious reasons but because it touched the side of him he had long since suppressed. The Gordon Freeman part of him.

[deezdoodles]

He would not fucking say that but I am allowed one bad joke today

[ladylunora]

hlvrai art dump

[lamphous]

think it's probably gonna take at least 3 more trips before we get there but I promise you all one day my mom WILL come to visit and we WILL go to retiree gay beach bar karaoke with my friends and I absolutely WILL convince her to sing jackson by johnny cash (her) and june carter (me) and it WILL totally rule

[korkietism]

A concept of mine. I see Gman in a similar situation as the collector from toh in the sense that there are much stronger larger than life beings in comparison to him that he is technically associated with. His world/dimension hopping, portal creation, and general manipulation of the things around him is a lot to those near him but there are beings much more powerful than him. His frequent disobedience to the path of things and how he values people over power is what ultimately ends him up here.

[fatliberation]

hi, i'm a fat person who is just starting to learn to love and appreciate my body and i'm very new to the fat community and all that.

i was wondering if you could maybe explain the term ob*se and how it is a slur. i've never heard anything about it being a slur before(like i said, i'm very new here) and was wondering if you could tell me the origin and history of the word or mayy provide links to resources about it? i want to know more about fat history and how to support my community but i'm unsure of how to start

Welcome!

Obesity is recognized as a slur by fat communities because it's a stigmatizing term that medicalizes fat bodies, typically in the absence of disease. Aside from the word literally translating to "having eaten oneself fat" in latin, obesity (as a medical diagnosis) straight up doesn't actually exist. The only measure that we have to diagnose people with obesity is the BMI, which has been widely proven to be an ineffective measure of health.

The BMI was created in the 1800s by a statistician named Adolphe Quetelet, who did NOT sudy medicine, to gather statistics of the average height and weight of ONLY white, european, upper-middle class men to assist the government in allocating resources. It was never intended as a measure of individual body fat, build, or health. 

Quetelet is also credited with founding the field of anthropometry, including the racist pseudoscience of phrenology. Quetelet’s l’homme moyen would be used as a measurement of fitness to parent, and as a scientific justification for eugenics.

Studies have observed that about 30% of so-called "normal weight" people are "unhealthy" whereas about 50% of so-called "overweight" people are “healthy”. Thus, using the BMI as an indicator of health results in the misclassification of some 75 million people in the United States alone. "Healthy" lifestyle habits are associated with a significant decrease in mortality regardless of baseline body mass index.  

While epidemiologists use BMI to calculate national "obesity" rates, the distinctions can be arbitrary. In 1998, the National Institutes of Health lowered the overweight threshold from 27.8 to 25—branding roughly 29 million Americans as "overweight" overnight—to match international guidelines. Articles about the "obesity epidemic" often use this pseudo-statistic to create a false fear mongering rate at which the United States is becoming fatter. Critics have also noted that those guidelines were drafted in part by the International Obesity Task Force, whose two principal funders were companies making weight loss drugs. Interesting!!!

So... how can you diagnose a person with a disease (and sell them medications) solely based upon an outdated measure that was never meant to indicate health in the first place? Especially when "obesity” has no proven causative role in the onset of any chronic condition?

There is a reason as to why fatness was declared a disease by the NIH in 1998, and some of it had to do with acknowledging fatness as something that is NOT just about a lack of willpower - but that's a very complicated post for another time. You can learn more about it in the two part series of Maintenance Phase titled The Body Mass Index and The Obesity Epidemic.

Aside from being overtly incorrect as a medical tool, the BMI is used to deny certain medical treatments and gender-affirming care, as well insurance coverage. Employers still often offer bonuses to workers who lower their BMI. Although science recognizes the BMI as deeply flawed, it's going to be tough to get rid of. It has been a long standing and effective tool for the oppression of fat people and the profit of the weight loss industry.

More sources and extra reading material:

How the Use of BMI Fetishizes White Embodiment and Racializes Fat Phobia by Sabrina Strings

The Bizarre and Racist History of the BMI by Aubrey Gordon

The Racist and Problematic History of the Body Mass Index by Adele Jackson-Gibson

What's Wrong With The War on Obesity? by Lily O'Hara, et al.

Fearing The Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia by Sabrina Strings

[mickalicious12]

When looking for Work.

[reasonsforhope]

"Illinois will become one of three states to require employers to offer paid time off for any reason after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a law on Monday that will take effect next year.

Starting Jan. 1, 2024, Illinois employers must offer workers paid time off based on hours worked, with no need to explain the reason for their absence as long as they provide notice in accordance with reasonable employer standards.

Just Maine and Nevada mandate earned paid time time off and allot employees the freedom to decide how to use it, but Illinois’ law is further reaching, unencumbered by limits based on business size. Similarly structured regulations that require employers to offer paid sick leave exist in 14 states and Washington, D.C., but workers can only use that for health-related reasons.

Illinois employees will accrue one hour of paid leave for every 40 hours worked up to 40 hours total, although the employer may offer more. Employees can start using the time once they have worked for 90 days. Seasonal workers will be exempt, as will federal employees or college students who work non-full-time, temporary jobs for their university.

Pritzker signed the bill Monday in downtown Chicago, saying: “Too many people can't afford to miss even a day's pay ... together we continue to build a state that truly serves as a beacon for families, and businesses, and good paying jobs.”

Proponents say paid leave is key to making sure workers, especially low-income workers who are more vulnerable, are able to take time off when needed without fear of reprisal from an employer.

Bill sponsor Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, a Peoria Democrat, said the bill is the product of years of negotiations with businesses and labor groups.

“Everyone deserves the ability to take time off,” she said in a statement. “Whether it’s to deal with the illness of a family member, or take a step back for your mental health, enshrining paid leave rights is a step forward for our state."

“This is about bringing dignity to all workers," she said at the signing."

-via ABC News, 3/13/23

[shmorp-mcdurgen]

An Analysis of Gman in Half Life: Alyx

HL:A Gman is by far the most interesting version of Gman I've seen and I've noticed so many details in his one interaction with Alyx, to the point I needed to make a full post about all the bullet points. (Note that this is MY personal interpretation, so it could be different from what was intended or what other people believe)

Starting from the very beginning, when Alyx asks whether Gman is Gordon Freeman or not, he responds in a kind of. Condescending way.

It's almost like he's amused by the fact he was mistaken for Gordon. not to mention the use of "Imprison" in the statement, almost as if he's not only making a snide remark towards Gordon, but also implying that even he sees Gordon's employment as "imprisonment". Not to mention the implication that it really does not take that much to hold Gordon captive in one way or another. Could also be literal, meaning Gordon isn't near powerful enough to require a full Vault be built around him.

A: "So. Who are you?"

Alyx asks a very simple question cause. why wouldn't she be confused? She expected a super-weapon; she expected Gordon Freeman, so when she found nothing but a man in a suit who straight up scoffs at the misunderstanding, of COURSE she'd want to ask questions. However, Gman only responds with:

Gman deflects the question, but rather than completely ignoring it, he simply leads it into a new question: "What can I offer you?"

He guides the conversation to a different topic, luring Alyx away from questioning who, or what, he is, whether it's because he doesn't want to (or can't) give an answer, or if it's because he simply wants the conversation to move forward rather than being caught on the nature of Gman himself.

G: "Some believe the fate of our world is Inflexible. My Employers disagree."

This statement is funny in an ironic way. he states that fate is flexible and can be changed, yet. When was the last time Gman didn't have full say on what can and will happen? By making everything go a very specific way, you CREATE fate.

G: "They authorize me to… nudge things in a particular direction from time to time. What would YOU want nudged, Ms. Vance?"

The use of word "Nudge" is an interesting way to describe changing things within the timeline. though something else that's interesting is his facial expressions during this moment.

He looks almost. Kind. but in a forced sort of way. It feels like he's expecting a certain answer from Alyx, and is just waiting for her to say it.

However, when she says she wants the combine off earth, his expression changes.

The change in expression implies that Alyx's answer was not the one he wanted or hoped for. Thus, he once again ignores what Alyx said and gives his own reasons for it.

G: "Ahhh. That would be a considerably large nudge. Too large, given the interests of my employers."

Rather than giving Alyx a second chance at a more reasonable request however, he instead says:

G: "What if I could offer you something you don't know you want?"

It finally clicks together why Gman's there: To make a deal. Whatever Alyx said before this moment was completely irrelevant. No matter what Alyx requested to have "Nudged", he would have brought up his own offer. He had already mapped out how the conversation was going to end even before Alyx had even begun speaking to him. It was just a matter of getting there.

Gman showing Alyx her fathers death was an intentional and targeted choice. Alyx is a little more naïve here than she is in HL2, not to mention her close relationship to Eli. Eli is one of the only people she has left at this point in her life, so. Why wouldn't she want to save him? This is exactly the reason Gman chose this event in particular above anything else, because he knew it was an offer Alyx would NEVER say no to. He knows Alyx more than she knows herself, and had already predicted the outcome of the situation. So, understandably, Alyx kills the Advisor in place of her father's life.

This line. This line is so interesting to me in particular. Rather than describing Eli as a "person" or "human", and describing the dead Advisor as something "alien", he refers to both as "entities." almost as if he sees both of them on the same wavelength of sorts. It implies Gman sees no difference between a human and an animal, or alien of some kind. Sees them all as simply that. Entities.

Yet another example of Gman deflecting the questions given to him, guiding the conversation instead towards Alyx herself.

G: "A previous hire has been unable — or unwilling — to perform the tasks laid before him. We have struggled to find a suitable replacement. Until now."

Him referring to Gordon in this way is interesting to me. Was the sudden wish to drop Gordon from employment due to the Vortigaunt intervention in HL2 Episode 1? Was it because Gordon was truly incapable of fulfilling certain "tasks"? Or maybe it was because Gordon was not as vulnerable to Gman's influence? It's unclear, and it's also not clear whether this means Gordon is fully free of Gman's control or not.

At this point it's made crystal clear that Alyx killing the advisor in place of her father was a contract she was signing, one she didn't even know she held the pen to. This was always going to be the outcome of the interaction, since the beginning. Everything Alyx had done up to that point was to help Gman and his "Employers" get further in their goals now that Gordon was deemed "Incapable". Nothing that Alyx could have done would've mattered; her "fate" was decided from the beginning.

Overall what I gather from this ending is a lot about Gman as a character. He never truly lies, yet he purposefully leaves out important details, such as the fact that reversing Eli's death wasn't without a price. He manipulates the conversation to fit his wants and needs, ignoring direct questions he sees as unimportant to his goals. And the thing is, he does it in a way that Alyx doesn't even seem to notice. He has played this game so many times that he knows exactly what moves to play. He knows the people he talks to more than they know themselves. He uses their worst fears against them to make them go to him for safety.

Judging by the things Gordon survived in Black Mesa, you can gauge he had a strong will to survive. So what better to do to seal a deal than to threaten that life he cares so much about? To tell him that the only other option was to go under Gman's employment else he face death itself? Alyx had such a strong connection to her father, so what better to do than to tell her that Eli will die if she doesn't do anything, luring her in to sign a contract without even knowing what she was signing?

Gman is a master manipulator, no better words for it. And he always manages to do it in such a way that you can barely even notice it happening. He never raises his voice. he never shows irritation or hostility aside from only one instance. Because why should he be frustrated? He's won even before the game started. And honestly that is frightening to me, cause it shows that he's done this many times before and knows just how to get what he and his "Employers" want, regardless of how it effects other people.

[engeorged]

The Influencer : Milo

Words by @engeorged

Illustrations by @badoobers

Find the rest of my stories here

Milo was drifting in life. Now I’m his late twenties he hadn’t really found a purpose in life or a job that lasted for more than 6 months. He was more athletic than smart, but popular and always surrounded by people. He would do pretty much anything to gets a laugh. Setting fire to his farts was his specialty, guaranteed to bring the house down. Once nearly literally when he set fire to the curtains.

Never good enough to be captain but always good enough to be picked first for most things. He excelled in rugby due to his size and build. One thing he was head and shoulders above the rest at. Towering above most of this peers, by the time puberty have finished with him he was 6’6 and built like a house. He had broad shoulders with a physique to match. Thick arms and legs and an ass you might assume was some sort of joke prosthetic. Real country corn fed type with dirty blonde hair and usually some combination of darker facial hair.

When all his friends went off to university, he stayed behind to care for his father who was dying of a rather short lived and aggressive illness. This took him to a fairly dark and lonely place as he hit his twenties. He expected all his old friends to start drifting back to the town they grew up in but most were high flyers and weren’t interested in coming back to that small life. Ever the optimist Milo set about trying to find himself a career. He would try most things once. Hospitality didn’t really suit his bulking frame, knocking stuff over regularly with one of his large limbs. Being the size he was didn’t really suit nipping between tables either. Retail bored him and he rarely lasted a few weeks. Ballon modelling, catering, tree surgery, manual labour all came and went. Nothing really stuck. His life was spent between jobs crashing on sofas and living in his parents basement when that wasn’t an option.

His latest idea was to try and make it as a social media influencer. He was funny enough and decent looking enough to at least have a go but nothing he made seemed to go viral. There were a few times he thought he’d cracked it but his views never made it past the high hundreds. He was currently living above a pizza place in a shitty flat share and supporting himself with three jobs. Dog walking, delivering pizza flyers and a few days looking after some rich guys house whilst he was off round the world. Milo was coming to the sad realisation that he was just like every other washed up jock struggling to hold his shit together.

It was Friday evening and his employer Mr Gordon was away again. This time brokering a merger in Singapore or Shanghai or Seoul, something like that anyway. Milo was sat next to the pool drinking a beer, daydreaming of the day he would have his own house like this. He was in a bit of a funk and a little bit buzzed with the several beers he had downed on his empty stomach. As he brooded on his life he started a bit of a downward spiral. Eventually coming to the conclusion that he’d had enough. The influencer thing was dumb. Influencers were all ball sacks anyway, he wasn’t about that life.

Out of the blue last week he’d had a DM from a friend he’d not seen for years. Will had gotten married straight from college, as his cheerleader girlfriend got pregnant and Milo hadn’t really heard from him since. Apparently he now had a successful business in construction or logistics and after they were chatting he said he had a few entry level jobs going if he was interested. Milo had closed down the message at that point, but right now it was starting to look promising. The pay was ok and he would be trained on the job. Even if it meant a lifetime of desk work, maybe that kind of stability was just what he needed? As usual he couldn’t find his phone so he searched round for it and eventually found it in the footwell of his batteries pickup. Unlocking the screen, he began to go through and delete his five instagram accounts then his twitter handles. He’d leave Facebook as no one bothered with that any more anyway. However, as he opened his TikTok app he noticed a notification at the bottom of the screen. Opening it, his eyes widened, as he saw what was in the message. One of his videos in the last day had actually finally gone and done it. He’d gone viral. Quickly he scrolled through the notifications to work out which video it was and to his surprise it was a mukbang video he’d done a few weeks ago. He’d bought two kfc family buckets and had ploughed through them in half an hour. Chugging the soda at the end and showing everyone his swollen belly. It was a bit of a low point afterwards and he nearly deleted it as it made him feel a bit vulnerable. He was so glad he left it up there as now this might be his ticket to fame.

The video had amassed over 200,000 likes in just over 24 hours. Scrolling through the comments, there were people from all over the world commenting on how amazing the video was and how good he looked. Milo was a little surprised at how many thirsty comments on there. People commenting on how hot the video was and how hot it was to see his bloated belly at the end. They seemed to be impressed at how much he ate as well. He remembered at the time feeling a bit sick but he was a big guy. He was always capable to eating big. He was known for it with his three brothers who would always get a bit competitive over family meals. Especially at Christmas time when they would take bets on who could eat the most. Milo was pretty much the undefeated champion, even now his eldest brother Tom had gotten super fat.

There were hundreds of comments asking for more and demanding a live stream. Taking a moment to think, he came to the slow realisation that he was in a huge mansion with permission to eat anything he wanted. Mr Gordon wouldn’t even notice if he cleared the fridge which was always well stocked. He had already consumed a good dozen beers which was giving him a decent amount of Dutch courage. Dizzy with beer and ambition he hit the live button and headed to the kitchen. Several thoughts rushed through his head whilst he waited. The watcher count stayed at zero for 5 whole minutes. The adrenaline began to wear off and he started feeling embarrassed. Maybe he’d jumped the gun. Maybe he wasn’t destined for internet fame. Maybe the video going viral meant nothing. Just the victim of an algorithm. Then suddenly with a ping the counter went up to one. The lone watcher was typing . . .

🥵

Never had a single emoji made Milo feel so great. A few seconds later, a second ping happened, followed by a third. People were coming. Soon the watcher number began to rise and with an intake of breath Milo began talking. Moving round kitchen he showed the watchers what was in the fridge The beer and wine store was pretty stocked, so that was always an option but the general consensus was that they wanted him to eat not drink. Opening the double doors of the huge fridge revealed a world of options. Someone in the comments even asked him if he could eat the whole lot. To which he laughed and said ‘Maybe!’

In the end it was decided by the group, that he was to eat a load of leftovers from some party Mr Gordon had had a few days before. As soon as Milo started to pull the tubs out of the fridge he began to regret suggesting it. There was a lot of food. Two large tubs, a platter of entrees and a good two thirds of a huge chocolate and caramel cake covered in thick double cream. As he laid it all out on the Italian marble worktop he propped his phone up against the fancy fruit bowl. The watchers were up to 800 and still rising. Adrenaline pumping, Milo started stuffing his face. The comments were rolling in thick and fast. Too fast for him to read but as they rushed past he could see the people were loving it. Lots of little images were pinging up and AR lenses people started to be applying to him, making him look like a cowboy and then an alien and then a cute fluffy teddy bear which everyone agreed made him look adorable with.

As he shovelled in the rich canapés, he could feel his stomach begin to tighten. He wondered whether or not to say anything but the second he did the watcher went crazy for it! So he continued describing to the watchers everything that was happening to him, lifting his T-shirt to show them his slight curve as his thick abs began to rise. There were numbers and emojis flying all over his screen and he had no idea what any of them were but he was obviously smashing it. This gave him some momentum to plough through. The entire platter of entrees were now firmly inside his now gently curved stomach. As he finished the tray he lifted his shirt and showed everyone again, jokingly slamming the tray upside down on the counter.

Over the next hour he ate like he had never eaten before. The first run containing a selection of nibbles, including some of the best duck bao buns he’d ever seen. Every one was decorated to look like a cute little animal which the crowd watching especially enjoyed. After those he stated I inhaling some mini sliders and pulled pork blinis. He began to slow down a little as the tub began to empty and so, needing a little break, he stood and pulled his shirt completely off revealing his now substantially distended stomach. The comments were turning slightly feral as people were lapping it up this slab of a man, stuffing himself silly. Giving him instructions to rub it or push it out. There were a few weird vaguely sexual suggestions which he put out of his head for now. There was time to process that later. However, on the whole everyone was loving his engorged stomach. Who knew this was the thing would turn him into an influencer?

In the flurry of messages, one user was beginning to stand out. The messages he sent were in bold and a mustard yellow colour which made them stand out. Pausing the chat so he could try and read them, they came from user @fulltank87, who seemed to be offering some advice. The guy advised Milo to head to the fridge and grab a bottle of soda and chug it as fast as he could without belching and hold it for as long as he could whilst leaning to the right. He ran to the fridge and slowed down as his fullness hit him. Grabbing a 2 litre bottle of coke he lined up the shot and got ready. @fulltank87 gave one more instruction to push a straw into the neck of the bottle and push the end down the side. This came back to Milo as a cheap way of doing a beer bong. Rummaging through the cupboards he finally found a plastic straw and popped it inside the neck. Getting back into position so the audience could get the best view, he lifted the bottle to his lips and threw it back. The coke pushed down his throat fast nearly causing him to cough and choke but he managed to push through. Closing his eyes he concentrated on the heavy flow of the coke surging down into his already swollen gut. He had a way of relaxing his throat so he didn’t need to swallow which came back to him from his rugby party days. From the side the viewers got a perfect view of his thick adams apple bobbing up and down with the liquid and if you looked carefully you could see his stomach inching out a little further.

Toward the end the coldness of the cokeand the bubbles were hurting the back of his throat and he nearly had to stop, but he knew he could make it. With a loud roar he finished the whole thing and immediately felt sick. Remembering the suggestion, he leant to the right and tried to hold it but he could feel bubbles rushing up his nose. With another almighty roar he let out the biggest burp he had ever done. He could literally feel his belly going down as the gas escaped.

Instead of turning people off, this seemed to be the highlight of the live. Approval was pouring in from the now people watching, which now had reached 1k. The adoration and attention he was receiving, along with and the stretch provided by the coke gave him the momentum to keep going. Pulling open the second tub he found a whole load of chicken wings which were his all time favourite. There must have been at least thirty of them. He teased the load to the watching crowd who responded with more of the same reaction. Looking down at his stomach he was a little scared. He wasn’t this big when he did the kfc mukbang video. He’d seen his belly like this before at family gatherings but looking at how much food was left he would definitely be pushing his limit.

Milo decided to tell the live stream exactly how he was feeling, hoping it would endear him to people. He showed them how swollen stomach was, running his hand across is distended bulge. He was feeling an awful lot of pressure just under his ribs which he half remembered was where his stomach was. Obviously, tips and comments poured in from that point. People telling him how to eat, what angle to eat at, the speed at which he should eat them. Overwhelmed, he found a way to filter just @fulltank87’s comments, who was calmly explaining to him how he just needed to simply keep a fast pace up and rhythmically start eating. So Milo did just that. He got into a rhythm of breaking the wing and stripping the meat off with his teeth and sucking the succulent flesh off of it. Whilst he chewed it and swallowed, he prepped the next wing. Ignoring the pressure building up inside him he ploughed through and within 15 minutes the tub was empty. Standing again he proudly displayed his swollen belly. It was now much more pronounced. Making his long torso, oval as it swelled. Giving time for some audience interaction would be a good move to let him have a little breather. Rubbing his furry stomach and arching his back for emphasis he showed off the results of his feasting.

Milo was beginning to feel as if he wasn’t able to eat any more when he glanced at the watchers. He was up to 1.2k which was insane. He needed to finish this for the people watching. Plus, if he could finish this challenge he could definitely build a whole career out of this. The only thing left in the counter was the large cake. The only way he was doing this was to totally ignore the uncomfortable feeling of his belly pushing against the counter. This was possible. The end was in sight. And that end was 4000 calories of rich cake. Spurred on by the encouragements, Milo found the largest spoon he could find and stood up for this final lap. There was nothing for it but to undo the top button on his shorts which popped satisfyingly. He felt his stomach relax as it filled the space vacated. This also had the unfortunate impact of sliding his zipper all the way down. Panicking, he checked his phone screen and thankfully today was not a day when he had chosen to go commando.

Determined to finish this he hefted a large spoon full of the cake and pushed it into his mouth. The cake was unbelievable. The cake was light and fluffy with bitter dark chocolate ganache through it. The sweet salted caramel sauce filled his tastebuds with electricity. All offset but the light but heavy whipped cream. The cake was perfection. Pushing on he crammed more and more of the cake into his mouth, cream and chocolate smeared all over his face. He was beginning to loose himself in the tastes that were filling his brain, almost numb to the building swell of his stomach. The viewers going wild in the comments. Urging him to finish his challenge. Milo had an almost out of body experience where he was watching himself eat on his phone. On the screen, his stomach was comically distended, curving up from the gaping v of his fly. His neatly trimmed stomach hair covered in grease from the food on his hands as he had rubbed his distended gut. In a dream-like state he watched himself finish the cake. The whole thing now concealed inside his hugely bloated stomach. Comments and congratulations from all the watchers were streaming in as he stood face on to the camera breathing heavily. Belching under his breath he assured them he would be back and leant forward and turned the live stream off.

The silence in the kitchen was deafening. The only sounds he could hear were the faint gurgle of his stomach digesting the huge quantity of food and his own heart, beating in his ears.

Looking down his normally flat stomach was arched out from his body. He felt utterly packed full. He just about managed to make it to the shower where he stripped off and got in underneath the rainfall setting. The warm water soothing his massively swollen dome of a gut. He couldn’t even really move. He just allowed the soothing water to wash off the evidence gluttony. As he stood there with his eyes closed his thoughts turned to what he might do next.

Find Part Two here

[destieltropecollection]

Destiel Trope Collection 2024 | Day 16: Secret Relationship

Perpendicular | @notastupidbird Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 3,691 Main Tags/Warnings: Canon Universe, Season/Series 05, Angel Castiel (Supernatural), Dead Jessica Moore (Supernatural), Secret Relationship, Sam Winchester Knows, Jealous Sam Winchester (not romantic), Light Angst, Grief/Mourning, Diners, Motel Rooms, POV Sam Winchester Summary: In the quiet moments of the last days before the lead-up to the Apocalypse, Sam watches his brother fall in love with an angel.

A Driver Worth His Salt | @thefandomsinhalor Rating: Explicit Word Count: 67,834 Main Tags/Warnings: Modern AU, Crimes and Criminal, BAMF Castiel, Slow Burn, Slow Build, Top Castiel/Bottom Dean, Trauma, Pining, Angst, Summary: Twenty-year-old Dean Winchester hates fixing up stolen cars on the side for Gordon Walker. But with his grandfather’s dry-cleaning business slowly dying, medical bills piling up, and his younger brother Sam abandoning the prospect of attending college because of their grim situation, Dean convinces himself that it isn’t as reckless as it seems. When everything goes belly up, leaving him in a troubling position with the wrong people, a representative of the Garrisons, the city’s most powerful and notorious family, offers Dean to help him with his situation in exchange for his employment. The job is simple: drive the passenger a few times a week to yet-undisclosed locations and return with said passenger without fail. Don’t ask questions. Be on time. Be discreet. And never interact with each other outside of work. Shady, but simple. So, he accepts. But once he meets the passenger in question—the sharply dressed and rough-looking Castiel Novak—Dean finds that abiding those rules may be more complicated than he had anticipated.

Mr Hyde | @Taymarpigeon Rating: Explicit Word Count: 82,502 Main Tags/Warnings: Professor Castiel (Supernatural), College | University Student Dean Winchester, No Sam Winchester, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - College/University, Top Castiel/Bottom Dean Winchester, hurt/injury, Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, Brief Mention of Attempted Sexual Assault (Not Between Dean/Castiel), Age Difference, Pining, Dom Castiel/Sub Dean Winchester, Light BDSM, Angst, Fluff, Gratuitous Smut, Voyeurism, Bad Parent Mary Winchester Summary: Life can hurt you, and it can heal you. Sometimes it will do both those things at once. For Dean life hasn't been much with the mercy and grace - if you get his meaning - but at twenty-four years old things seem to finally be turning around: he's out from under the shadow of his father, pursuing his dreams by going to university, and getting laid on the regular. All sounds good right? Except Dean's got a cock loving skeleton in his closet and an asshole professor tempting that bag of bones beyond reason. He could say no. He should say no. He could master his desires and walk away, but then... Well, life sometimes hurts as it heals.

[just-a-space-nugget]

The Employer

This is an old drawing? Painting? Creation? Idk what to call it. I made this about a year or two ago and never finished till now. So here he is! Gordon The Employer!

Reblogs Help!

[thatfeelingwhentheshowisover]

Coomer: his greeting dialogue trigger is broken, he has multiple consciences going at the same time due to his clones he feels their pain and fear, his body loosely resembles a humans due to the replacement of limbs with robotics and generous removal of organs with few being replaced

Bubby: no real noticable glitches cept the car, he has pyrokinesis and can fly(fr spin dashes in the boss fight), he resembles a human more than Coomer but is more physically resilient than a human since he is the "ultimate lifeform"(Shadow kin fr)

Tommy: no glitches but does have an "auto aim" due to being an NPC and is scared by this, the full blown human of the science team, he made Sunkist when he was younger and he learned how to read sweet voice because of her

Darnold: no glitches but his programing prevented him from joining the team even though he wanted to, he invented most of the Gatorade flavours and is rich from the royalties, he is a normal human, and he is a workaholic

Forzen: he can glitch to random areas on the map but he doesn't have any real control over where he ends up, he joined the military so that he wouldn't have to pay for college, he never expected to be put into action, "Team Nice" was made up by the rest of his actual assigned group because they all decided he was useless and wanted a way to send him away, him and Benrey "were" friends because they got into a heated argument about gamer YouTubers they'll get over it though

Benr(e)y: got a respawn glitch a no clip glitch and his code got sorta overwritten with the code for The Nihilanth near the end, before the events of the game he was a volunteer for human experiments with xen crystals which caused his ability to use sweet voice and increased resistance, possibly why he was used as a vessel for the messed up Nihilanth code

Gman: has no glitches but is fully aware, his "employer" is the game itself he was to ensure the game continued as it was meant to, Benry's glitches did complicate things like how the time freeze didn't effect him, Mr. coolatta can freeze time and has connections to most files within the game

Gordon: is the host for the player and looses consciousness once the game starts, as the vessel he cannot die no matter what happens, the player can see the world as it "truly" is, before game Gordon was chosen for the xen experiments but was declared a failure because he didn't change as noticeably as Benry(let's just say there's a reason he's the player character)

[workingclasshistory]

On this day, 19 June 1865, after the US civil war, Union general Gordon Granger gave a proclamation in Galveston, Texas, stating: "The People of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and property rights between former masters and slaves". It then clarified that the relationship between formerly enslaved people and their enslavers should become "that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages… they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere." As news of the declaration spread across the state, large numbers of enslaved people began to effectively go on strike and desert their plantations, returning to states they came from or heading for cities containing Union troops. The following year, Black Texans decided to celebrate Juneteenth on June 19, holding festivities and parades. And in subsequent years the celebrations grew, and spread with Black migration to cities like Los Angeles, Oakland and Seattle. Later in the 20th-century the holiday had largely faded from the public mind, but in the 1980s Black activists made a concerted effort to reinvigorate Juneteenth as a public holiday. It was officially recognised in Texas in 1980, and following mass Black-led protests in 2020 was made a federal holiday in 2021, although many employers still do not give paid leave for Juneteenth celebrations. Back in the 1800s, one formerly-enslaved Texan, Felix Haywood, later reflected on his emancipation: "We thought we was going to get rich like the white folks... But it didn’t turn out that way. We soon found out that freedom could make folks proud, but it didn’t make ’em rich.” More: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9111/Juneteenth Pic: Juneteenth celebration, 1900 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=647159507457268&set=a.602588028581083&type=3

[cloakedsparrow]

DC Headcanon: Public Restrooms #1

After the first couple of times that Bruce and Clark hung out together with baby Jon and had to use a women's restroom because the men's didn't have a changing table, Bruce changed the WE policies so every Wayne owned building had to have a changing table (or two) in every restroom.

After Barbara Gordon was crippled by the Joker, Bruce updated the accessability requirements of every Wayne owned building. This included requirements for multiple handicap stalls in every restroom, multiple wheelchair accessable sinks, and enough space for two wheelchairs to easily pass each other while heading to and from the stalls.

When Clark and Jon were in the Cave one day so Bruce and Clark could discuss a JL issue, Bruce heard nine-year-old Jon lamenting to Tim that his mom had made him go into the women's bathroom when they'd been out together recently. He got to use his own stall, of course, but his mom said he wasn't allowed to go into the bathroom by himself in the city until he hit double digits. Tim had told the younger boy that he was lucky Metropolis was a safer city because his mom made him go into the ladies' room with her until he was twelve because Gotham was so unsafe. Bruce didn't say anything to the boys, but he changed the policy again so all Wayne buildings were required to have family restrooms as well.

After Tim had to take off one night because Cass had texted him to bring her tampons asap, Bruce once again updated the restroom policy so all Wayne building bathrooms had to include a pad, tampon, and bandage (because Gotham) dispencer.

Eventually, he sent out a company-wide email that employees could fill out stating any amenities they would like included in work and/or public restrooms. He made a few more policy updates in response. He just saw the changes as practical, but it has added to WE's reputation as the best employer in Gotham, if not the world.

[delusionalmultifandomwriter]

can you do a fluffy fic where bruce wants a hug from his kids but doesn’t know how to as?

PS i love ur writing style

I love this one!

Have fun!

Words: 1663

Bruce Wayne was a man that struggled with voicing his needs. Not only needs like foor or sleep but also his needs for affection. He was Batman, he was too tough for a hug. But he would have needed one. He was aware that everyone needed a hug every now and then. He just struggled to ask.

With Dick it was easy. He grew up in a giant family and with acrobatics he was used to constant touching and hugging and holding on to the people who he viewed as his family. Often he would also sleep in his parents bed, cozy and cuddled up between them.

After Bruce adopted Dick, he thought it would be more difficult to compensate for the missing family. Bruce was severly touch-starved. His parents used to sometimes pet his head, his mother fixed his clothes before events but they weren't really the ones to hug him.

Bruce was raised by Alfred and appareantly it is not very formal or British to hug the son of your former employer.

Luckily, Dick didn't know anything about Britishness or formal etiquette, he just knew that he was bursting with love that had to go somewhere. Dick hugged everyone. He hugged Alfred when he thanked him for cooking and the butler was suprised the first few times but always put one hand on the boy's shoulder and one on his head and smiled. "It is my pleasure, Master Richard." He even hugged Detective Gordon sometimes.

But most important, Dick hugged Bruce. He climbed on his lap, he hugged him after patrol or for goodnight and he introduced something to Bruce that he called a 'hug attack'. Dick would launch himself at Bruce and wrap his limbs around him and Bruce would hold him tightly and never let go first.

Dick hated sleeping alone. It took him some time and enabling from Bruce but finally, finally het got comforable around Bruce and spend some nights cuddled up next to Bruce, sharing some warmth with him.

The truth is, Bruce needed this affection just as much as Dick needed it. Dick was a handful but he would never let a day pass without at least one hug. He needed it to thrive, like air, water and food. Bruce never had to ask for a hug, he got spoiled with them.

Nightwing stormed out of the manor and Bruce heart sank. It ripped a hole in his soul. The heart ache crept back up. The king-size bed was too much for him. Too big. Too cold. Even after they forgave eachother, it wasn't the same anymore. Bruce never asked him for a hug, he didn't want to break the fragile relationship between them.

Jason was not cuddly. He didn't fear affection, he just never received it before and therefore didn't knew the advantage of it. Bruce asked him once if he wanted a hug and Jason stared at him like he was observing a car crash. He gave Bruce a weird half-hug and Bruce never asked again.

After Jason died, Bruce was numb. Numb to physical and mental pain and whatever the touch-staved heart ache classified as. He failed both of his sons.

Barbara and Bruce never came to a point in their relationship where they would hug. Barbara had a family, she was not dependent on Bruce. They would work together and very occassionally she stayed in the manor overnight but other than that they never exchanged affection. The closest thing to affection was Bruce carrying Barbara up some stairs after she got paralyzed.

Bruce layed awake at night, rolling around in his sheets. On bad nights, he felt a weird distance from his body. His heart was cramping and he layed there, numb until the sun started to rise and he went back to work.

Tim also wasn't much of a hugger. He was someone to shake hands. He liked to keep everyone on arms length. Little did Bruce know that Tim craved affection just as much as himself. Tim could have used a hug or a head pet every now and then. He was physically suffering from his touch deprivation but he never learned how to voice it. He was a lot like Bruce.

Tim ended up exchanging affection with Dick. Dick hugged him or lifted him up and spun him around and Bruce felt like he missed an opportunity. It was stupid but secretly he was jealous of them. He missed the chance to ask Tim if he wanted a hug, a chance that probably would have worked out.

Stephanie was sassy. She made herself unapproachable to Bruce. He never found out but Steph would preferably cuddle with Babs and Cass. He fired her from the Robin position before they got close enough to exchange hugs. Bruce was still numb. He was sure that he had failed them all.

Cass flinched when people got too close. Bruce tried to offer affection to her but he couldn't really find the words when she flinched away because he came closer than 3 feet. She locked her door while sleeping and never even let Bruce carry her when she got injuried. He was angry that she got broken at such a young age. He needed a hug but he didn't want to overstep her boundaries.

Bruce knew that Damian would probably stab him when he offered a hug. The kid was rough around the edges, Bruce knew that Talia carried him as a toddler and that was probably everything Damian ever received considering love and affection. By now, Bruce had gotten over the pain and the disappointment and all the negative emotions. He was sure that Damian didn't even want affection.

That was, until Damian and he returned from a particular long and exhausting patrol. After changing, he expected Damian to go straight into his room but he purposefully walked over to Jason who was sitting on the couch and drawing in his sketchbook, and sat down on the couch next to him. He leaned against his shoulder lightly.

Jason looked down at him and they exchanged a few whispered words before Jason put the sketchbook and the pen down and picked Damian up. The smaller boy wrapped his arms around Jason's neck and leaned his head on his shoulder, relaxing into the arms of the older boy. Jason held him like he would break when he handled him too harshly and carried him upstairs out of the cave. Bruce looked after them, frozen in place. The realization that he missed another chance crushed him.

Later Bruce quietly opened Damian's bedroom door and saw the smaller boy sleeping in the arms of his older brother. Bruce knew that due to their shared history in the League of Assassins, they shared a special connection. One that appareantly allowed Jason to share a bed with Damian and even hold him. He closed the door silently and headed back to work.

After Damian's ressurection, Bruce collapsed. His body shut down from exhaustion. He woke up in his own bed, in his own clothes, an uncertain amount of time later. He slowly got up and groaned as he sat down on his bedside. He heard the door open and slowly turnedhead, Damian entered the room.

Bruce jumped up and approached him. He pulled him in a tight hug, his son had been dead without knowing that Bruce loved him. Damian was taken aback but didn't even make a sassy comment. He lightly wraped his arms around Bruce and stayed quiet as Bruce held him close and tried not to break down sobbing.

After a full 10 minutes, Damian's arms got sore and he tried to let go but Bruce continued to hold him. Damian grumbled a little. "I give out hugs in rates, father, you don't have to take them all at once." Bruce finally let go of Damian and eyed him closely. He looked completly normal, healthy, rosy, not a scare to his body, at least not a new one.

Bruce finally let go of Damian. The boy took a step back and shot Bruce a critical gaze. Bruce sighed, the distant cold feeling disappeared a little. Damian rolled his eyes but leaned forward again and hugged Bruce.

Bruce was taken aback. "Damian, you don't have to--" "Hold your tongue, father, we all know you want physical contact."

After that, something changed. Dick hugged him from time to time, Jason nudged their shoulders together and Damian sometimes hugged him when he was a little exhausted.

The biggest surprise was Tim, who Bruce happened to find in his bed one night. The small boy was curled up under the sheets when Bruce stumbled into his bedroom after the patrol. He spotted the small body under the blankets and thought that it was Damian until he sat down next to the boy.

"Tim?" He asked confused while he shifted under his blankets. Tim slowly lifted his head and mumbled something incoherent. "What are you doing here? Are you okay?" Tim nodded drowsily and layed his head back down on the pillow. "Dick said you needed cuddles." The boy mumbled. "Need affection. We all do."

Bruce nodded slowly. "How come Dick thinks that?" He asked while he layed down. Tim scoted closer slowly until his head rested on Bruce's arm. "Noone hugs you. He realized after Damian told him you hugged him for 'n eternity."

Bruce swallowed down a sob and sighed heavily. "You okay?" Tim asked. Bruce just nodded and wrapped his arms around Tim to hold him close. "Yeah. I'm good."

"You could have asked for a hug, ya know?" Tim asked, now a little more awake. "At least Dick and i would have said yes."

Bruce nodded while he pulled the blanket back over Tim.

"I will. Thank you. I love you, Tim. I love you all, im so glad you got my back." Bruce whispered.

Tim smiled against the pillow.

"We love you too, Dad."

-----

Same work on Ao3:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/55397404