#has a job as a software developer and his own home

[willowser]

Okay so we know about college nerd bakugou, but what about 30 year old nerd bakugou? (Like the art you retweeted from doodlejoops?) 😩

oooooh, interesting !! 🤔✨️ i don't like to repeat concepts when something small even gets changed bc i feel like !! no, that's still them !! college nerd bakugou is living his life with us 🥺 figuring himself out, studying, having a super hot girlfriend that's out of his league 🥺 but older nerd bakugou hmmmm 🤔

let's say. denki is a decently popular streamer.

not huge or world-famous or anything, but he has a decent fan base, is able to make a living off what he does, maybe has a teeny bit of merch out there. and he plays a lot of multi-player games, always with his same team: RedRi0t, pinky-alien-queen, cellophane, and dynamight!

sero, mina, and kiri will occasionally have face-cams, not always, but bakugou ? never. doesn't do it. the other three have channels they will upload to if the stream goes well, but dynamight! does not exist outside of charge_bolt's channel, not something he's interested in, doesn't want an online presence, but he still enjoys playing with his pals ! the mystery of him makes him a little more targetable, especially when denki takes the time to make hilarious compilations like dynamight! yelling at me for 7 minutes.

you like charge_bolt just fine, will watch him every now and then on a weekend when you are home alone with nothing better to do. it's funny to watch him scream and run from dynamight! in dead by daylight. of course, you're a little curious, too, who the guy behind the voice is, even do a google search that confirms very little is known about him on the internet. no name, no picture, no age. just a voice.

charge_bolt has a patreon, and the first tier gives you access to his discord. it's not much, so you subscribe and are thrust into a very full server, one that has notifications going off every minute, is a little intimidating, but charge_bolt interacts often, has everyone in his lil group as mods, so you stay. you don't have access to the private streams, since that's a higher tier, but you can still see all the channels. they go so fast that any comment you make is typically eaten away, but, one day, a new upload hits—another compilation of dynamight! absolutely wrecking him—and you send a message fairly early on. something like sparky i don't think you'll ever get the upper hand on dynamight! at this rate and—the man himself replies.

you're goddamn right: simple, nothing special, but you react with a 😂 and a 💕 anyway. and then it seems like—he doesn't interact too often, but sometimes you can catch him right after something has been uploaded, like he's checking the reaction, and he always responds to you. first in the #just-dropped channel and then elsewhere. nothing too substantial, simple replies or just 👍🏻 reactions, but still. you feel a little charmed by it. find yourself watching just to hear his voice, the few in which he laughs loud and victorious and mean, the very little he reveals about himself.

and one day you send a message in the stream, a little woo go dynamight 💗✨️ and it's not ten minutes before you have a friend request on discord.

[mv1simp]

my constant thought about max is him and virgin reader where r is saving herself for marriage and for her husband but max convinces her that doing anal means she’ll stay a virgin <33

Anon YOU EVEN MADE ME BLUSHH 🤭🤭🤭 do u know how hard that is. got me kickin and gigglin an shit, here u go u filthy animal keep the requests coming 🫶

Low Life ♥️

Max Verstappen x Horner! Reader

I been on the molly and ‘em xans with your daughter, if she catch me cheatin’ I won’t ever tell her sorry

Mad Max is back in full force with the poor Redbull strategy this season - and his boss, Christian Horner, doesn’t seem to be doing anything about it. Guess Max will just have to find some other way to get his revenge and relieve his stress…starting with his boss’s precious, spoiled daughter.

Content includes: 18+ MDNI, smut, innocent virgin!reader, who’s also a spoiled brat lol, dark! Max, blackmail, coercion, filming, VERY dubcon, anal, size kink, dom/sub, bimbofication, religious themes, EVERYTIME I WRITE A DARK MAX FIC IT KEEPS GETTING MORE NASTY GODDAMN, 5.2k WC

To say Max was pent up with rage would be an understatement. After dedicating himself tirelessly and dominating the track since his debut, the Redbull team had disappointed him this season with their pisspoor car and even poorer strategy. And to top it off, his boss was now making comments to the media about how he needed to spend less time on the sim rig the night before a race, making Max scoff. As if Horner knew more about winning a race than a 3 time world champion, Max thought angrily, yanking off his helmet as he stormed straight to his boss's office to give him a piece of his mind after another disappointing P3 finish.

Horner was having none of it, though, telling Max some bullshit about how the team needed to have a united front blah blah blah. Max has already tuned him out, cause what the fuck does he mean the team - he was the one bringing home the results every weekend, and anyone who tried to say otherwise just needed to look at the track record of Max completely dominating his teammates in equal machinery. God, he hadn’t gotten this mad in a long time, so he excuses himself rudely as he can tell he’s about to wreck something if he has to hear another one of Horner’s excuses. He wrenches open the office door just to have you stumble straight into his firm chest as you try to enter it.

You, Christian’s Horner’s daughter from his first wedding, freshly graduated from some private all girls college. He’d met you 3 months ago while you were trotting about like the spoiled little brat you undoubtedly were. No job, just using your degree as decor while you used your daddy’s fame to find yourself a rich man to spread your legs for, he had speculated, knowing just your type.

And it irritated him to no end that you looked the picture of innocence, an angelic figure in your white minidress and kitten heels and wide doe eyes, with a matching purity ring and all - even though your pretty tits and fat ass were openly ogled by many a male staff member. Max himself had to readjust his pants a few times when he’d seen you bend over.

He’d assumed you’d try to sink your gold digging claws into him soon enough, wanting some of his multimillionaire status for yourself, but you’d surprised him by skittishly avoiding him, almost looking a little scared, which he found amusing. He supposed he did dwarf your 5 foot frame though, and you had all the aura of a sweet little lamb compared to the Dutch lion. You’d surprised him again last month, when you’d introduced your dad to your pick of a first boyfriend - Tim, a docile looking, short guy who was a lowly new hire in the F4 reserve category. Too far down in the rankings to do any real benefit to your status. Conveniently, though, Tim’s father happened to own a software development app that was currently in the process of a $3 million acquisition deal. Chump change to someone like Max, but like he said, he knew your type, didn’t he?

But he’d been most surprised when he’d overheard moaning one night when he’d stayed late in the garage - and had pervily gone to investigate down the abandoned hallway and into one of the empty rooms - only to get an instant hard on at the sight of you on your knees, dress pulled down to your waist and those delicious tits out on display. So entranced by the angelic vision, Max hadn’t even noticed your loser boyfriend - till a scowl appeared on your pretty face as Tim furiously jerked his tiny dick off in front of you. He was panting and whining, sweat running down his face as he pathetically begged please, please can i touch your boobs-

You were no scared little lamb now as you snapped at him viciously. No! I told you, only looking and no touching! I promised daddy I would stay pure for my husband- Eww! Oh my god, what is that?

You’d been cut off as your boyfriend came, his small, clear load weakly spurting past his fist so that only a couple of drops landed on your caramel skin. Max had thought you’d been lying about the purity bullshit, just wanting an excuse to avoid Tim’s touch - but his eyes narrowed at your look of disgust at your boyfriend’s dick, and the genuinely puzzled expression on your face as you tried to figure out what the clear fluid that landed on you was - making the impressive semi he still rocked twitch, despite your pathetic boyfriend ruining his show. Interesting, you were still a virgin, huh?

Sure, you’d piqued his interest then, but he ignored you now as you stumble back from his hard chest, wide brown doe eyes blinking up at him. He’s still furious with Horner and starts to move past you but your aggravating father perks up, asking if you could show Max where his new drivers' room was in the refurbished wing, so that he could cool down and destress in peace after today’s race. Of course, daddy, you responded sweetly, making Max’s cock stir. He eyed you doubtfully as you lead the way. You had to know what you were doing, a grown woman using that word, right? But then again, he’d seen you call Horner by that title in a team wide press conference, making GP choke on his water next to him - so maybe not.

His anger hadn’t dissipated one bit as you approached his room, in a much more secluded area of the new wing for him to “cool down” as Horner had passively aggressively suggested. Still clearly nervous in his presence, you accidentally dropped the key you’d fished out. As you bent over to collect them, your miniskirt rose up, revealing your juicy ass peeking past your white cotton panties. Oh, he’d found the perfect way to get back at his boss, Max thought devilishly.

As you unlocked the door, he stepped in behind you, giving you no choice but to stumble inside - and then he’d casually stopped in front of the door to block your exit. You nervously twirled your keycard in your fingers, shuffling side to side.

Why don’t you sit down, he offered, we should get to know each other, yeah? You still looked like you wanted to bolt any second, but at Max’s authoritative tone you gingerly sat down on the plush couch.

He started with some generic bullshit about how he’d seen you around, you were his boss’s daughter after all, and as Horner’s best driver he should be on good terms with you too, no?

You relaxed, now looking up to meet his eyes and smiling brightly, pleased that the great Max Verstappen had come to seek your favour. You start saying that it was nice to meet him too, you’d heard lots about him, he was such an incredible driver-

You hadn’t noticed Max discreetly locking the door behind him. Stepping forward, he responded neutrally to your excited questions as he casually strips off his top layer, leaving him shirtless.

You abruptly stop talking, going pink in the face, and he asks what’s wrong, I’m just getting changed, are you a virgin or something? His mocking tone makes it clear that he still didn’t quite believe you were one. When you don’t reply, he gently lifts your face up with his large hand. And as your eyes shyly rise up to meet his, desperately avoiding looking at his broad, toned abs, there’s no faking the genuine innocence in them. I am, you stutter out. A virgin, I mean. I made a promise to daddy to wait till marriage.

You twirl your promise ring around anxiously as you say it. Max didn’t know what kind of sick brainwashing Horner had been subjecting his daughter too, but he fully intended to use it to his advantage. Really? He says slyly. Does your daddy know you let your little boyfriend jerk off on your tits?

You gasp, then glare as you demanded to know how he knew that, had he been watching, that was soo creepy and gross -

There’s the bratty angel he knew had been hiding. He cuts you off, confirming that yes, he’d been watching - but you’d been the dirty girl who seduced her innocent boyfriend in the garage for just anyone to see, hadn’t you?

You’d look outraged at his statements, but he reminded you of the power he had when he nonchalantly mentioned that he hadn’t planned on telling your father, but now that he knew about the promise you had made - well, it was his duty to let Horner know what kind of naughty things you’d been doing behind his back, right?

That had wiped the bratty glare right off your face, instead making you wide eyed and tremble with fear at the thought of your daddy finding out. You begged Max to keep your secret. Please don’t tell him, he would die, you'd do anything to stop him knowing!

Jackpot. Smirking darkly, Max pretended to consider your option before saying that he supposed he could keep it to himself if you helped him destress and relax like your father had sent you here to do, okay?

You nodded eagerly, looking up at him with those innocent doe eyes as he stepped right in front of you, watching you predatorily. His thick fingers brush along your pink lips, and his eyes darken as you instinctively take them into your mouth, sucking sweetly. Oh, you were going to be such a sweet little angel for him, he just knew it.

Within seconds he had you dropping your dress down to your waist, exposing those lush, pretty tits of yours. You blushed when he stared hungrily and ordered you to play with them, and at first you obliged and gently squeezed them, but then stopped to brattily ask just how this was supposed to help destress him, was he just being pervy again?

Great point, he said, and sat down next to you to easily lift you into his lap, taking over and roughly palming your tits. N-no touching! You had squealed, desperately trying to escape his strong arms. Rolling his eyes, he forced you back against him, explaining that it was okay, you knew that it didn’t count if it was to help him destress, right? And besides, nothing would affect your promise to your daddy except a man’s cock actually entering your precious virgin hole-

Okay! You had said frantically to put a stop to his explicit words, face flushed. Okay, if you promise it doesn’t count, I’ll still be a virgin, right?

God, it was so cute how naive you were. You hadn’t even realised that if what Max was saying was true then there was nothing illicit with what you and Tim had done - and Max had nothing to hold over you. Right, Angel, Max promised, enjoying the dazed look you gave him at the nickname as he squeezed your tits, bending down to take a pretty nipple into his mouth. It doesn’t count.

And that was how Max had his boss’s innocent little daughter wrapped around his fingers, ready to do whatever he asked of her, as long as he kept your secret. It was such a rush, having his way with you right under your father’s nose, being able to punish you for his crimes and ruining you more and more each time Horner pissed him off - and oh, did he piss Max off constantly.

So the next race, he’d had you fully strip for him, and yes, even those cute panties, Angel, when you’d whined, embarrassed from his intense gaze. You’d bit your lip and slid them off, obediently spreading your legs and gently playing with yourself like he’d asked, using unfamiliar movements. Soon enough you’d become accustomed to Max’s hungry stares at your innocent parts and began thrusting your tiny fingers inside your virgin cunny, because it had started to feel sooo good and soo tingly down there, and you’d never felt like that before.

You’d become distracted, closing your eyes from the sensation and when you opened them you shrieked, because Max was now standing right above you, greedily looking down at your petite form as he stroked his own private parts - called a cock, he’d made you repeat. He’d also warned you never to scream again in his room, or he’d gag you next time and tell your dad about Tim. You pouted, nodding obediently, but whining that you got scared Maxie, why was it so big, so angry, was it going to hurt you?

Of course not, Angel he’d reassured at the next race again, this time making you sit next to him, naked except for your kitten heels and a lacy blue thong he’d had delivered to your house - your father as clueless as ever when he handed the package over to you. It won’t hurt you, he promised, but it's very hard from stress and needs you to help drain it, okay?

He’d guided you to his large cock, smirking evilly as you struggled to grip him even with two hands. He moved one large hand over both of yours, showing you how to jerk him off the way he liked. You’d picked it up very quickly, innocently asking him why Tim's cock was so much tinier that his. Cause, Angel, I'm just a better man than he is, he had said with a chuckle. Oh, you had said, then - I hope my husband is a good man then, and has a big cock like you.

Oh, Jesus. Max was definitely going to hell after this. Feeling his peak approaching, he ordered you onto your knees, making you hold your tits up - and then proceeded to cover them with his thick, creamy release, so much of it that it dripped down onto your stomach - and much more than the time you had seen Tim’s cock explode. You’d almost screamed again but bit your tongue at the last minute, remembering Max’s threat last time. But it didn’t stop you from glaring up at him, brattily asking what this gross stuff was, eww, you didn’t want it on you-

That’s fine, Max had said cooly. That’s fine, because next time he'd make you drink it all instead. Your eyes went wide at that, tears forming and you adamantly denied Max, saying you’d never do something like that, it sounded pervy and dirty.

But your reluctance meant nothing to Max, as he smirked at you from your fathers side the next day, whispering something in his ear that had your daddy looking over at you and an icy chill running down your back. You were petrified as you got a text from your father to come see him in his office now, walking in on the verge of tears only to have him smile delightedly at you because Max mentioned you’d been very supportive of his races lately, it’s been a big reason why he’s so much more of a team player these days, so proud of you for helping the team, sweetie!

You’d accepted his praise, blushing from the attention, and later had dutifully wandered back to Max’s room to greet him after the race. He smirked at finding you there, already naked except for a pink lacey thong and heels, on your knees for him, shyly thanking him for keeping your secret and saying such nice things to your daddy. Of course, Angel, he murmured, unzipping himself. You know just how to say thank you then, hmm? And you obediently nodded, jerking him off like he’d taught you, then licking and sucking on his cock when he asked, and then taking all of his length inside your eager throat at his command, gagging the whole way as he tutted disapprovingly at you, taking over and controlling the pace with his large hands. It had really hurt your tiny mouth, and you couldn’t speak properly afterwards, but seeing Maxie swear and tell you how good you were doing, how he never wanted to let you go, made that tingly feeling come back in between your legs again. Instead of ignoring it like you normally did, this time you couldn't resist fingering yourself, thong pushed the side as you shoved your fingers inside your wet cunny.

Maxie had gone breathless seeing that, and then he tensed before you felt his warm, sticky thick cum fill your mouth. You swallowed every drop, opening your mouth afterwords for him to inspect. Good girl, he said, patting your head. My sweet angel, you drained my stress so well. Oh, so that’s what it was, you say innocently. I’m glad I made you feel better, Maxie.

After that, there were no races for a whole month as the paddock went into summer break. You had thought you’d be glad for the relief from Maxie and his mean demands, but you found yourself texting him often, missing his loving kisses and touches after you helped relieve his stress, missing the tingly feeling you got when he looked predatorily at you spread open for him.

You’d been shocked when you opened your eyes as a shadow had blocked out the sun while you were sunbathing at your family’s St Tropez holiday home, only to find Max grinning down at you, saying your dad had invited him to come for the week. Had you been doing your homework? You nodded diligently, looking at the banana you’d been practising swallowing whole without gagging to copy the dirty video Max had texted you of a petite woman eagerly sucking a very big cock - he must be a good man, you’d thought, just like your Maxie.

Secretly, you were so glad he was here, shooting him looks over the dinner table as he sung praises about what a good friend you’d been to him, helping him get back to P1, making your daddy proudly pat your head. And after dinner when everyone had gone to bed, he joined you in the hot tub to unwind. You’d excitedly begun to tell him about what you had been upto on the break when you felt his thick fingers creeping up the inside of your thighs. You’d frozen instantly, because Maxie had never touched you there himself, but before you could say anything your father stepped out onto the veranda, asking you something about your plans for the next day.

Answer him, Max mouthed, smirking as you had no choice but to let him keep gliding up your legs and undoing your tiny bikini. And when your daddy had gone back inside, oblivious that the flush on your face wasn’t from the heat of the pool, you’d tried to shove Max’s hand away, brattily saying you didn’t want his hand near your private parts, that was just for your husband-

Doesn’t count, Angel, Max had cooed, easily overpowering you and sliding a finger in, much thicker and longer than yours and making you squeal as he started pumping it in and out of you. And he hadn’t stopped despite your half hearted protests, because you’d started to feel really good, really tingly, and Maxie, I feel funny, I think I’m going to pee-

After you had your first orgasm, he carried your tired figure back into the house, setting you down and licking your cum off his fingers. And then, through your half asleep state, you felt his tongue swirling around your nipples, leaving hickeys and then trailing down, and down before his warm breath gently blew over your puffy cunny. And then you felt his wide tongue licking your folds, making you gasp awake and squeal cause why was he kissing you down there, that’s so pervy-

But he’d easily bullied you back into quiet muffled moans again, your skimpy bikini bottoms shoved inside your mouth as he warned you that your father was going to wake up right next door and come investigate if you didn’t shut up. So you reluctantly let him continue his filthy kissing, spitting and licking on your most innocent parts until you felt you had to pee again. He grinned wickedly as you squirted a second time, completely ruining the sheets, before redressing your passed out figure in a comfy hoodie. You felt the ghost of a sweet kiss on your forehead before he walked away.

You avoided him the next few days, glaring when he would approach you, angry he’d kissed you somewhere only your husband should. He’d promised you were still a virgin, sure, but still! It was just too much, wasn’t it?

But you’d been unable to resist his advances any longer when he’d cornered you in the family study one day when everyone else had gone out to the markets. He’d sweetly apologised, presenting you with a new Dior bag he’d had speed delivered that morning, and you happily snatched it up, gasping with delight as you look inside to find a Cartier bracelet. You’ll forgive me, right, Angel? Max had said, slowly wrapping his arms around you from behind and rubbing his practically blue balls against your plush ass as you distractedly admire your new gifts. I just wanted to make you feel good, hmm?

You nodded breathlessly, agreeing that you supposed it had felt really good, you liked that tingly feeling in between your legs. Yeah? Max had grinned, kissing you and slipping his tongue inside and saying that he knew a way to make you feel even better, Angel, and you’d still be a virgin after it, he pinky promises, okay?

With the new Dior bag and diamond bracelet you’d become a lot more agreeable, and didn’t protest as he laid you back on your father’s study table, lifting your miniskirt over your hips and grinning wickedly when he found no panties - just your glistening pussy. Y-you always just rip them anyways, Maxie you pouted.

Oh, you secretly wanted this, didn’t you? Acting all bratty just cause you wanted to make him work for it, he was certain. Your sweet body was such a good plaything for him that he didn’t really mind, deciding not to punish you for avoiding him.

You curiously watch as he unzips himself, taking his thick cock out, then you squeal adamantly in protest when he brings it close to your innocent hole. Shh, Angel, it’s just on the outside, he’d promised, I won’t put it in, it’ll feel so good, trust me.

And it had felt sooo good, making you bite your lip and toss your head back as he dragged his warm length along your folds, slapping your clit a few times with his cockhead, making you spread your soft legs invitingly as you felt the addictive tingly feeling come back again.

He’d been unable to resist the temptation, sliding just the tip into your virgin cunny- but you’d immediately screamed in protest, twisting away and he had generously released you from his hold, tongue in cheek as you sashayed away with a backwards glare, Dior bag in hand. He’d had to leave the next day, and you didn’t see him the rest of the break.

After the break, you had seemed different to Max. You carried the brattiness openly in your eyes, confident now in your ability to seduce him as he has brought such expensive apology gifts just for a little taste of your virginity.

You had infuriatingly said no when he tried to rub himself against your cunny at the next race, and at the one after that, so here he was, stuck fingering you and sliding his tongue in and out of your folds for the 3rd time this week while his cock ached to be buried inside you - when the wicked idea came to him.

He’d made sure to have all the preparations ready for the next race, knowing you would be a brat and try to weasel your way out of it. Like he’d predicted, you make your way to his plush sofa, spreading your legs to show off your naked pussy and demanding he come kiss it how you liked.

Oh, his Angel had become quite the spoilt little bitch, hasn’t she? He’d have to make sure you learned your lesson about who was in charge around here. You smirk as he drags his tongue up and down your puffy folds, thinking you had the millionaire driver all wrapped around your fingers. His thick third and ring fingers join his tongue, making you moan and close your eyes as he pumps them into your pussy. And then, his thumb drops down, lower, to circle your other winking hole before sliding inside.

You’d jumped in shock, naively asking why he was touching your dirty hole, that’s so embarrassing, you don’t want him to touch that place!

Max cooes that he couldn’t care less, besides, he can clean it out for you, yeah? If he just slides his cock in, just a little bit, he can make sure it’s all clean for you.

Your eyes go impossibly wide at the thought of his big cock anywhere near your ass. You furiously close your legs, brattily telling him that you’d had enough, wasn’t he just being a pervert now, and you’d already broken up with Tim ages ago and since Max seemed to be very relaxed now given his P1s has resumed you didn’t think you needed to help him out anymore!

Time to pull out the big guns. Sitting back on the sofa now, Max palms his growing erection as he calls out to you, making you pause from where your hand rested on the doorknob.

You know, Angel, I’ve had a lot of creepy fans sneak onto the garage lately. Some even got into my room. I guess they just really wanted to see me shirtless, huh?

You turn around to look at him, confused, until your eyes slowly widen in horror as he points to the camera tucked in the corner. There’s no trace of sympathy on his handsome face as he starts lazily jerking himself off, telling you that it had been your fathers idea to set it up, for his safety, and he’d even kindly offered to go through all the footage later - he took any threats against his prized driver very seriously.

You panicked, already teary eyed at the thought of your father seeing you spreading your legs sluttily and demanding Max pleasure you. You immediately dropped to your knees, begging Max to keep the tape himself-

Now why would I do that, Angel? Max cooes, getting harder at the sight of you kneeling in front of him and crying for his help. After all, you’re the one who’s forcing him to kiss her pussy on that video, hmm?

He knows he has you right where he wants you as you beg him, offering up your precious pussy to slide against again if he wanted, just don’t go inside, okay?

That’s not the hole he wants, Angel, he told you darkly. No - he wanted your other hole, the dirty embarrassing one, and he wants to sink his entire cock inside it.

He watches you stutter and gasp, before you take a deep breath and naively ask My husband won’t be able to tell, right Maxie? I’ll still be a virgin?

Max smirks. Of course, Angel. You know he’d never break your precious promise. And with that, you’re ready to become his obedient pet again, blankly turning around and sticking your ass up in the air like he asks, spreading your cheeks for him to look at.

And oh, Max takes his sweet time looking, enjoying the twisted satisfaction of having completely broken you down like this. He generously douses you in lube, making you squeal at the chill, before he’s furiously pumping his thumb inside your impossibly tight back hole. You tremble as he lines his cock up, ordered you to relax or it’ll hurt, Angel. Slowly sinking inside, he moans as he finally finds his way into your heat, feeling like he’s reached heaven. Tears stream down your face as you wail once he begins meanly thrusting, wickedly taking your anal virginity all for himself and giving you his fingers to suckle on and keep quiet.

He doesn’t stop until he’s finished inside you, panting heavily and pushing his matted hair out of his eyes, pressing kisses down your spine to let you know you did so well for him.

He pulls out with a wet squelch, enjoying the sight of his cum dripping out of your poor, abused little hole. Sitting back comfortably on the sofa, legs spread, he gives you a cocky smirk as you turn around, still seated on the ground in front of him.

Now clean it up, he demands meanly. He can’t have your hole make his cock dirty now, can he? And you obediently responded, crawling forward with glazed eyes, licking him clean from balls to tip like he’s trained you to do.

After that night, Max had held you completely in the palm of his hand. You’d be the perfect angel for him, doing whatever he wanted wherever he wanted - except for entering your innocent pussy, of course. He’d let you keep it yours for now, finding the fantasy hot. He’d buy you a diamond ring one of these days, he mused, so that you’d beg him to finally claim your virginity.

But for now, he had a couple other tricks to try out. And if you’d try to refuse, he’ll pull up the video he has on his phone of your eyes rolling back as Max ate you out on your father’s work desk from summer break.

He’d taken you back to his hotel room to teach you those tricks, making you wail and scream his name without restriction, headboard banging against the wall. It was hilarious when Horner had come upto him at breakfast the next morning, patting his back and saying it sounded like he’d been celebrating his win very well last night, congratulations, he deserves it and sounded like the girl couldn’t get enough!

Max had to hold back his laughter, as your clueless father had no idea he was carrying an extra croissant up for the very same girl who couldn’t get enough - his precious little daughter, who still lay sleeping in his hotel bed, exhausted from his dirty activities all night.

You’d ended up missing your flight back, making some weak excuse to your daddy and had followed Max into his private jet, obediently spreading yourself open for him as he pulled you behind the privacy screen. The flight attendants had blushed as they heard your eager moans and the lewd sounds of Max greedily fucking your ass again.

And when you landed, greeting your waiting family, Max had to discreetly wipe the line of cum that trickled down your skirt. You didn’t have to worry, though, he’d already thoughtfully ordered another delivery of sexy underwear straight to your home 🖤

—————————————————————————

A/N: I actually gave myself post nut clarity writing this (post writing smut clarity?? Post smut conscience??) time to go outside and reconnect with nature. As always,,,lmk what u think 🤔

[a-mint-bear]

Jacob (Subby Yandere) Headcanons

🐶Jacob: Puppy Dog in Puppy Love🐶

bit longer than i thought it'd be, so lore under the cut

● Jacob grew up with crap parents who never paid him any attention. They were a couple of horrible, rich monsters who hated being married almost as much as they hated being parents. He was raised by a series of nannies, they never stayed on longer than a few months, his parents didn't want him getting attached. He always wondered what it would be like to have someone he loved and who would love him and only him.

● On the outside he seems nice enough, if a little awkward. He knows how to talk to people and navigate social situations, but it's all on the surface. He doesn't learn people's names unless it would put him at a disadvantage not to know. He has no friends, he never really felt the need to connect with other people. Most rub him the wrong way. But you just feel... right.

● Before he confesses, you seem to be the only person he can't figure out how to talk to. He doesn't know how to act around you, what the right thing to say is. At first it pisses him off, like why are they so much more difficult to figure out than everyone else? Who do they think they are, making him feel this way? Then he sees someone flirting with you and... oh. That should be him. He should be making you laugh and why won't you smile at him like that?

● He wants all the milestones with you. If you aren't the marriage type, he's more than happy to just be together forever. He wants to move in with you right away, he sees no point in "taking things slow". But he'll hold off on some things if it makes you more comfortable. He'll wait as long as it takes.

● Kids are a toss-up for him. He would absolutely see a baby/kid as competition for your affection and want you all to himself, but if a kid (or kids) would be important to you, being a dad would just be another thing he could do to make you happy. At some point, being a parent wouldn't be a job/role for him (a job he'd be happy to do regardless). The first time the child shows him affection, it's like a switch gets flipped. He breaks down, realizing that they're HIS family too, just like you. He becomes an obnoxiously loving and involved dad. Dad Yandere. Daddere.

● If you have (a) beloved pet(s), again, they're competition for your affection. It would be like a "I don't like you and you don't like me, but we both love [y/n]." relationship where he just acts like a big baby when you're loving on your pet and not him. He would never neglect or mistreat them, but you can bet he gloats to them like "Aww, aren't you cute. But [y/n] thinks I'm cuter, yes they do, you little dummy." while giving them scritches. He was never allowed to have a pet growing up so he doesn't "get" why people get so attached.

● He has a tendency to try and isolate you, he wants you all to himself. But this can be negated using his submissive side. If you're the boss, telling him exactly how things are gonna be, rewarding his good behavior or punishing the bad, he's putty in your hands. He can't say no to you.

● If he ever made you upset with him, he would freeze up, panicking at the thought of hurting you. Or worse, losing you. He might try and egg you on to punish him to make up for it, to "make things right". If he ever made you cry? He's in crisis mode. He's crying too, begging you for forgiveness. He's offering anything and everything to make you not hate him.

● He works as a Software Developer from home and does freelance IT work on the side. He's very tech savvy and definitely didn't use his skills to hack into any of your accounts to find out more about you when he was working up the nerve to ask you out. At least not since he confessed. He's better than all that now, of course.

● His yandere traits come out if he's left to his own devices. He gets nervous that you're unhappy with him and acts out by being a brat and trying to keep you home with him. You can lovingly reassure him that you're happy over and over and it helps for a while. But the only thing that quiets his jealous, paranoid brain is putting him in his place, reminding him he belongs to you and only you, punishing his brattiness and telling him he's your good boy.

● Full yandere mode: You try and break up with him. I say "try" because he would be stuck in the denial phase for a good long time. He thinks you're testing him to see how loyal he is, that even you pushing him away can't get rid of him. He hacks your computer and bugs your house, he breaks in to watch you sleep, leaving gifts for you before you wake up. You start dating/flirting with someone else? They get attacked on the street, no witnesses, with a warning to stay away from you or he'll come back to finish the job. If you tell him you're in love with someone else? It won't be long before you can't get ahold of them.

You can try and get rid of him, but he's your good boy, whether you like it or not.

[sayruq]

My name is Bridget Kushner and I'm managing this fundraiser for Mohammed and his family. Mohammed and I met and for me to help manage this fundraiser, Mohammed's ID and family situation have been verified by a journalist on the ground. We talk daily and have developed a friendship. I strongly urge you to read through Mohammed's story and follow him on social media. At 22, after 6 months of this, Mohammed has decided he needs to take action so he's quite late to fundraising compared to many people. Thank you for taking the time to read about Mohammed!! My friends, brothers, and supporters of humanity in the world, I am Muhammad Al-Shaer from Gaza. I am approximately 23 years old, and like any young man in the world at this age, I am nearing the end of my university and the beginning of the formation of my professional life. At this age, I only had 18 hours left (less than a year), and I graduated from university with a very good grade, and I had my own house, and I was working in the field I was studying (software engineering.) As they say, at the age of 23, I have passed halfway or more until the time came that destroyed all these things, destroyed all of my dreams, and destroyed all of these plans. After October 7 (with the beginning of the war in Gaza,) our entire lifestyle changed. Unfortunately, I stopped studying and I did not finish my university (I did not obtain my degree.) With the power outage and the internet outage, I stopped working and completely forgot about my field. The biggest disaster that befell us was that my house, my brother’s house, and my family’s house were completely destroyed I became without a degree, job, or home (homeless in every sense of the word). Since that day when we lost our home, I have seen the amount of sadness and distress in the faces of my family, especially my mother. And every time our hearts bled, we felt sad for every part of this house. You can imagine this feeling as you see your family’s house and the house of your dreams being slowly destroyed before your eyes, and you can do nothing but pray to God only. The war has been going on for almost 6 months, and I did not think about taking refuge here on gofundme, but when my family and I lost the entire house, I had to create this donation, hoping for your generosity and understanding of the magnitude of the disaster that befell us here. From a young man who has less than a year left to obtain his university degree, a comfortable job, and my own house, I thought about every detail when building this. To a person without a degree, job, or home, and unfortunately without dreams as well now. After I lost everything I mentioned previously, which is almost everything I own, and logically all of this will be compensated with the passage of days, but I own something very beautiful that cannot be replaced at all, which is my family (my mother and my brothers ) And after I saw that this war was eating away everything green and dry, and burning everything in its path: people, dreams, and plans. So I thought about trying to get my family out of this war zone, in which not a single area is safe anymore, and every area is literally at risk of being killed at any time, unfortunately, and out of my fear for my family, here I created this link, and Bridget (the foreign Queen of Palestine) helped me a lot with it. Hoping in your humanity to help me get my family out so that I don’t lose them and lose the most beautiful thing I have in my life. Unfortunately, to leave Rafah to Egypt, each person’s coordination requires $5,000. We have a brother in Egypt who went out a month before the war to study, and he is the one who will make arrangements for us and receive us there, and our plans in Egypt are to sit there temporarily to protect our lives from the war.

This family has received less than $1000. Please boost. Donate if you can

[sketch-owl]

All About the Joker Post!

Hello fellow Tumblr users, if you’ve stumbled across this wall of text congrats! You love and enjoy Batman content just as much as I do. This is a dedicated lore dump all about the one and only Joker as he exists in my Batman AU.

If this is the first one you’re reading, here’s a bit of backstory: This AU has existed in my brain for many years, though in true writer fashion I haven’t properly written it all out. Though eventually, I intend to make this into a work of fiction with chapters and everything. For now though, I have managed to write out all of our major characters’ backstories.

Before delving right in you should know that this story has dark themes that take place within the story and content that can be triggering, so if you are sensitive to those please read with caution or skip this one altogether. Mental health takes first place over silly Batman characters.

⚠️ Trigger warning for:

Death

Torture

Murder

Jack Napier aka the Joker had a loving and supportive family growing up, living a life of privilege. Both his mother and father had successful careers, his father working in software engineering and his mother owning her own business selling home-made baked goods and doing custom catering orders for large events. Jack was an only child, but he had no shortage of his mother’s undivided attention. He would often help her in the kitchen with measuring ingredients and adding them into bowls, and in between baking times they would play pretend in their living room. Jack loved baking with his mom, developing a love for everything sweet from an early age. But what he loved even more was playing theater, where he would stand on stage (the couch) with hundreds watching (his mom). He would throw plays where he would act every part, and the audience would add in the sound effects. The clapping of horse hoofs in his old western play, the creaking of a basement door in his scary monster play, and the dramatic punches of a hero fighting the villain in his superhero play.

In school, theater was also his favorite. The singing, the dancing, the costumes, he wanted to do it all. He would often practice his lines on his classmates during other subjects, or try out his new jokes on the teacher, earning him the title of class clown. He had dreamed of growing up and becoming a famous comedian or actor. Though between the ages of 16 and 17 that dream had changed.

His father had died suddenly and tragically in a car accident, falling asleep at the wheel as he was on his way home from a long night at work. The car veered off the road, striking a light post and rolling down the sloped landscape several meters before stopping. The accident was just minutes away from home. Jack and his mother watched from the window as an ambulance and several police cars went by. His mother convinced herself that it was nothing to worry about, whatever was going on didn’t need her concern. When her husband didn’t return at the normal time, she told herself that he must have been held up by the accident, that was all. He would be home safe soon. She stayed up all night waiting for him, praying. There would be a knock on the door early the following morning. Jack had crawled out of bed at the noise, peeking his head into the front room. His mother answered the door, wiping the tired from her eyes. Two police officers stood on the other side. One of the officers spoke quietly, something Jack couldn’t make out. His mother screamed and collapsed to the ground before the officer could continue. Jack rushed to her, holding her, and that’s when he heard it. His dad had died. The officer did his best to explain what happened. His mother wailed hysterically while Jack sat quietly, hugging her.

From that moment forward things had changed in their home. His mother had closed her baking business and found a job as a server in order to make ends meet. At first there was a period of time where his mother was constantly angry. She would cry and yell and rant about how stupid his father was to fall asleep while driving. He should have gone to a hotel. How could he leave her and his son like this. It wasn’t fair. She had planned out her whole life with him, and now she was left alone to pick up the pieces. His mother’s short fuse was often directed at her son. If he was falling behind in his academics in favor of doing theater, she would scream at him about how she already had a heavy burden to bear, and how disappointed his father would have been if he were here.

Jack decided the following year of school that he would drop theater as a class. He devoted a majority of his time to studying and greatly improved his GPA. Outside school he would also start working a part-time job, and help with a majority of the house chores. The house would always be clean when his mother came home. Eventually the anger and resentment his mother had went down, though she did not go back to her old happy self like Jack hoped. Her spirit was gone, only a shell of her remaining. Baking was the thing that had brought her so much joy, and now she had ordered takeout for every meal. But Jack couldn’t blame her. She had been through so much that the only thing he could do was be the support that she was missing.

After graduating, Jack had excitedly announced to his mother that he decided to pursue engineering. Not quite the same career that his father had, but it was within a similar field. He took her hands while trying his best to contain himself. This news was only half of the surprise that he had been holding onto, and the other half was something he had been wanting to do for his mom for a long time.

With a wide grin on his face, he said that he also was planning to move out to Gotham, the most technologically advanced city and then begin his career as an intern at Wayne Tech. He already had a place picked out that he would be renting, a spacious apartment in a good area of West Gotham with an amazing view over the city. He asked her if she would move with him. The apartment had two rooms and one bath, and a good sized kitchen. It would be perfect for her to do any baking or cooking just like she did before. She didn’t need to keep working her server job anymore, because as soon as he was done with university and his intern program he would bring enough money for the both of them. She could retire early and best of all, he would be right there to take care of her.

He was holding her hands close to his chest, eyes bright as he laid out his plans for the next several years. He beamed about how he was going to be at the forefront of technology innovation, and be a part of a massive team of incredibly intelligent people. As he spoke her expression didn’t change. After he was done, he waited for her response. She looked away from her son, shaking her head.

She said in a soft voice that she had lived in the same home for decades. All of her happiest memories were attached to the house. Marrying the love of her life, raising him, starting her business. While it was thoughtful of him to think of her, she couldn’t just uproot her life on a dime. Jack’s smile slowly fell. He told her that it was alright if she didn’t want to decide right now, saying that she could think about it. She pulled her hands away, saying that she was deciding right now, and her answer was no. Jack insisted that she reconsider then, saying that when he makes it at Wayne Tech she could start her baking business again and make new happy memories. She said that she didn’t want to go back to baking. That dream had passed a long time ago, but that didn’t mean he needed to hold himself back from reaching his dream. If he wanted to go be an engineer then he could do that without her.

Jack looked at his feet. He breathed deeply, holding in the emotions that threatened to spill over. He said that he didn’t want to go anywhere without her. Gotham city was on the opposite side of the country, and if something were to happen to her he wouldn’t be able to help her. She looked back at him. She said that if anything happened to her, then he would be ok.

Over the course of the following month, Jack had packed up his life into boxes. His belongings would be traveling by a moving truck while he and a backpack would be traveling by train. He hugged his mom tightly the day of his departure like it would be the last time, and then set off for a new life.

It took several days before he finally crossed into Ohio, then soon after he was at the Gotham Bay docks. Since Gotham was a series of islands that floated in the mid-section of Ohio, he would then need to board a ship to make it the rest of the way. The weather during the trip had shifted drastically from the hot humidity of Florida to the cold dryness of the northern states. It would take him some getting used to. The wind whipped through him as the ship moved steadily forward through dense clouds of fog. He wondered to himself how the captain of the ship knew where he was going, but then he saw it. Small lights in the far distance. Gotham city was so bright that you could find it even in the fog.

The ship pulled into the East Gotham docks. From a distance Gotham looked small in comparison to the rocky waters that surrounded it. But as they drew closer, the buildings on the island grew larger. Jack felt so tiny but so captivated. He had never been outside his home town before except for trips to the beach, and now here he was, standing before this massive and beautiful city. Despite it being dark and cloudy, the island seemed to glow with lights coming from buildings and signs and billboards with screens.

The people around him began to shuffle off of the ship and Jack followed along with the flow of traffic. He knew where to go, but looking around him he also didn’t at the same time. His sense of direction and confidence had been ripped out from under him the moment he stepped onto the train back home. Though everyone ahead of him seemed to know where they were going, as large groups of people filtered into a line to go down a flight of stairs that disappeared under the cobblestone walkway.

Making his way down, he was met with a place that was just as large as the boat docks he got off from, but more grandiose. It reminded him of an underground town square, as this place was bustling with people that arrived on other vessels. The walls were made of brick and held candle holders which lit the space, as well as chandeliers overhead. In the middle of the large open area were deep trenches that stretched across the room and into tunnels through the back wall. Jack looked at them puzzled, though it wasn’t a moment later before a train with a sleeker style came through the tunnel and slowed to a stop with steam hissing off its body. The world’s first ever subway. Jack tried to hold back his excitement but couldn’t help but jump giddily, a wide grin on his face. Some people around him gave him odd looks, but he didn’t care. This was the coolest thing he’s ever seen.

Looking at a nearby map board, Jack figured out which train he needed to take and which stop he needed to exit off of to get to the far side of the island. From there he would need to board another vessel to take him to West Gotham. Though after arriving at his destination, he was looking around confusedly. There was meant to be another travel ship at this dock but there was only a shipyard where goods and trade are delivered and sent out.

He went to ask someone who was walking out from the subway, but they only sneered at him in response and kept walking. Perhaps he was at the wrong dock. He was taking another look at his map when a strange sound caught his attention. His eyes shifted up towards it, and peeking out from the clouds in the sky slowly moving through the air was what he could only comprehend as a skyship. Jack would later learn that it was called a blimp. Forget the subway, this was the coolest thing he’s ever seen.

In complete awe and wonderment he watched the blimp descend down onto a landing platform a few blocks away. The flying ship was just as big as the city buildings surrounding it, and when he went to board it there were close to a hundred people on board. The inside of the blimp didn’t have much for seating, just a few benches for the elderly and disabled. Everyone else was standing, which had Jack worried. He made a beeline to the wall which had large windows going all the way around the room. When the blimp was set to rise in the air, Jack pressed his back against the wall and prepared to be shaken. Though nothing happened. He opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder at the window. They were slowly rising upwards getting lighter like a balloon being blown up. The ground got further and further away, until eventually it disappeared underneath low hanging clouds. He could feel the pressure in his head shifting as it entered the higher atmosphere, a feeling he was not used to. The blimp slowed to a stop for a few moments before moving forward, the sound of soft whirring kicking on as the propeller blades on the ship sprung to life.

The ship moves in a counterclockwise direction going from island to island he came to find out later. From East Gotham they went to South Gotham, then West Gotham. Much like a train making stops, he stayed onboard until he reached West. The entire trip he was looking out the window, taking in as much as the weather would allow. The sight of the city from this height was beautiful.

Upon landing, he tracked down the nearest subway station and caught one that would take him closest to his apartment. It was a bit of a walk after departing the train, but Jack didn’t mind. He got to look around on ground level what would be his new home, getting to know the street names and nearby shops. While walking, he noticed there were a lot of cars and traffic on the road. It was a lot of traffic in his experience at least. He wondered why everyone in Gotham couldn’t walk to their destinations, it seemed much easier and quicker, especially with the subways and blimp.

Finally at last he arrived at the apartment complex. This was where he would be staying for the foreseeable future, at least until he gets hired full time at Wayne Tech and starts saving his money for a house. A thought had crossed his mind as he stepped inside the landlord’s office to retrieve his key. Once he got a house he could ask his mom again to move in with him. Perhaps the idea of living in an apartment turned her off to it, but a nice house and him being financially successful could change her mind. He pushed that thought away for now though, greeting the landlord behind the desk. His moving truck should be coming in by the end of the day, so he had some time to kill.

He spent the rest of the day sightseeing, visiting the park, browsing the shops, grabbing food and sweets. Wherever his eyes were drawn he followed. When it started to get late he headed back to the apartment. His mind was buzzing with excitement still from it all, though he felt his feet drag behind him exhausted from travel. Surely he would be able to wind down enough to sleep while unpacking his bedding. He went to the landlord’s office, though the lights were turned off. A sign was posted in the window: hours 8am - 8pm closed on Sundays. Jack scratched his head. This shouldn’t be a problem, he could simply go check the back parking lot himself for the moving truck.

Going around the building, Jack had checked all around the place with no truck in sight. Perhaps his things were moved into his room already. He didn’t ask them to do that, but it’s possible. He went up to his apartment room, unlocking the door with his key. He hasn’t been inside the room yet, and while excited to see it in person he was first looking for a pile of boxes. Swinging the door open, he was met with nothing. The apartment was empty. He laughed nervously. Ok, don’t panic. Just call the moving company and see what’s going on before jumping to conclusions.

He took a breath and went around the rooms, finding the home landline phone. It had taken a while before he could get a hold of someone. He anxiously tapped his foot while waiting to hear where the truck was. The front desk clerk had finally returned and said that the truck with his things was running behind, and instead of arriving by today it was going to arrive a few days later. His heart sank. All he had was what he brought with him on the train. That night he slept on the floor, using his bag as a pillow.

Before he knew it the sun was rising and he barely slept. His back was stiff as he pushed himself up, moving over to the window. While watching the sunrise, he went over in his mind what he needed to do that day. His first semester at college will be starting next week and he needs to get books and supplies. He also needs to attend orientation tomorrow. But first things first, he was hungry. A few donuts and a shower later and he was off to the nearest book store.

Gathering up the books that were required by the school and a few other supplies like notebooks and pencils, he brought everything up to the register. He reached into his bag to retrieve his wallet. He couldn’t find it though with the amount of things he had packed into it, so he apologized to the store clerk and pulled some of the stuff out of the bag. His wallet must have fallen to the bottom. He pulled everything out, searched every pocket, patted down his pants. He couldn’t find it anywhere. His wallet was missing.

He left the store empty handed. He shook his head at himself. How could he be so careless as to misplace his wallet? It had to be at the apartment, maybe it fell out of his bag. A quick jog back home and a look around the place turned up nothing. There was only one conclusion left. He had been robbed. Jack cursed to himself. The cash that was in the wallet was as good as gone, but most of his money was still on his card. He went downstairs and phoned the bank, placing a hold on his card and requesting a new one. Though it would take some time before it would arrive.

He hung up the phone, staring at the wall of the apartment lobby. What was he going to do now? He needed money for those books and more importantly food for the week. The snacks he had gotten yesterday would be gone by tomorrow. It was then that something caught his attention. A bulletin board next to the phone. Several flyers were posted, some about service advertising, some about missing persons. But one stood out to him from the rest: a flyer promoting a comedy show at a local bar.

The show was free and just the distraction he needed. After his college orientation, he went to the bar that night. While he wasn’t able to buy himself a drink, he enjoyed himself watching different comedians go up on stage and do their acts. One of the comedians had done a bit where he was interacting with people in the audience, guessing what kind of drink they were having. He then pointed to Jack, asking him if he was having a drink tonight. Jack shook his head, which the comedian booed him for. The guy on stage said that he would have asked if he was the designated driver tonight, but he’s seated alone. So instead he asked why he came to see the show by himself. Jack answered honestly, saying that he’d just got into town. The comedian nodded, welcoming him to Gotham and asked the audience to do the same.

He jokingly asked Jack how the rats had been, which made the bar erupt into laughter. He then asked Jack what made him move to Gotham. Jack said that he was going to be starting college soon. The comedian chuckled and said if that was why he wasn’t drinking tonight, he was a broke college student already.

That jab had struck a nerve in Jack. He was painfully reminded of why he was here seeing this show in the first place. When he had stopped smiling, the comedian said to him to not take himself so seriously. He continued, saying his situation was very common, in fact many people from around the world come into Gotham to attend school. Only difference is they have mommy and daddy paying for everything, and he’s a sorry sap in a bar who can’t afford a drink. The audience laughed. Jack felt himself sink in his chair. He wanted to get up and leave right then and there. Coming to this show was a mistake and he should have just stayed home in his empty and sad apartment.

But then the comedian asked him another question. He asked him what he was going to be studying in college. Jack looked up at him, and without much thought or hesitation he answered ‘How to be a real comedian, unlike you.’

The audience ‘ooooh-ed.’ The comedian looked taken aback, though righted himself quickly. He asked Jack if that was why he was really here, to steal his material. Jack said back that he didn’t need to because his jokes were shit. The comedian brushed him off, saying that the audience clearly disagrees with him. But in any case, he’s not going to entertain hagglers. He then moved on, pointing to another person in the audience to make a guess on what kind of drink they were having. The person he picked had spoken up before he could continue, saying that she wanted to see the college kid on stage. The people around her said they did too. Soon the whole audience was looking at Jack and asking him to show up the other comedian.

What was once a fun comedy night had quickly turned into a battle of comedians, which was arguably more entertaining. Jack got up on stage, his opponent forcing the microphone into his chest before finding a table. The audience stared at him, waiting expectantly. Jack cleared his throat. His mind was blank. He hadn’t been on a stage since he was a kid. He searched his brain for something to say, some introduction joke to get the crowd laughing. But all he could think about was how alone he was. He had moved out to this city to start a life of his own and nothing had gone according to plan. He had no bed, no money, and no mommy or daddy to help him.

He looked at the microphone in his hand. It was then that a realization struck him. He held the microphone up, introducing himself and where he was from. He told the audience that Florida was nothing in comparison to Gotham city, truly. When he was living on his own back home, it took him at least a week before he got robbed. But here it took him less than a day before his wallet was stolen.

He retold the unfortunate series of events, making himself to be this young and dumb college kid that is more book smart than street smart. The audience had ate it up, laughing at every turn of the story and waiting to see what happened next. The final part to his story was how he wound up in the bar, not a penny to his name, being picked on by an asshole on stage. Even the asshole in question was smiling at his table. After his tale was concluded he thanked everyone for coming out tonight, then went back to his seat.

The crowd clapped and cheered, some even shouting that they wanted more. A bar staff member jumped up on stage to calm the energy level down and introduce the next comedian. Jack sighed with relief. Although the audience had loved his performance, he didn’t mean to take over the other guy’s show. Even if it was shit. He was snapped out of his thoughts when a glass was placed down at his table by one of the waitstaff. Jack excused himself, saying that he didn’t order anything and that they had the wrong table. The waiter said that someone else had bought him the drink, then went on their way. He looked back at the glass. A smile spread across his face. He sipped on the drink while watching the rest of the show.

Once the show had concluded, the bar staff had gone on the stage one last time to remind the audience to tip the comedians and waiters if they liked what they saw and wanted more. People got up from their seats and began shuffling towards the door. Jack had stayed behind to finish off his drink, getting up from the table after nearly everyone had left.

A bar staff person had come up to him before he went out the door, handing him an envelope. Jack looked at them confusedly, asking what it was. They answered, saying it was the tips he made from the show. Jack looked even more confused, saying he wasn’t a part of the show. The tips should go to the actual performers. He tried to hand the envelope back, but they held their hand up and said that the people requested the money go to him specifically. They continued to say that the bar has comedy shows every weekend, so he was welcome to come by again but as a performer.

Later on when he was back in his apartment, Jack had opened the envelope. There was over a hundred dollars in cash contained inside. He stared at the money in disbelief. He didn’t feel he deserved it, though at the same time performing on that stage was so much fun. Perhaps it wasn’t a mistake after all to attend the show.

The next morning he went out and purchased the supplies he needed, having just enough left over cash to get himself some groceries. When he got back home, the landlord let him know that his moving truck arrived. For the rest of the day he unpacked, setting up everything just as he envisioned it. The last thing he did was his desk where he would be studying and doing homework. In a couple more days he would be a college student at West Gotham University. He just couldn’t wait to get started.

When the day finally arrived, it was everything he dreamed of and more. The university was bustling with students from all over the world. Even some in his class came from as far as New York to attend this school. Jack had felt right at home, surrounded by people who were just as passionate about technology as he was. A bit after starting school he received his replacement card in the mail and he had access to his money again. His funds that he had saved wouldn’t last forever though, and he would need to find a part-time job.

Though at night while he was studying at his desk, or while he was cooking himself dinner, his mind would wander back to the comedy show at the bar. He would daydream often while staring out at the city from his apartment window, thinking about the jokes and stories he could tell on the stage.

He played with the idea in his head of going back. The other comedians might not like him being there on the account that he stole the show from one of them. He couldn’t get the thought out of his head, until eventually one weekend where he just went for it. He went back to the bar and sighed himself up as one of the acts that night.

He was correct in assuming that the others wouldn’t be as welcoming towards him. Some of them made snide comments to him while he was waiting backstage to be called. The same guy that he called out was there as well. When Jack saw him he felt a tinge of guilt. But the man smiled at him, wishing him good luck tonight and that there were no hard feelings. Jack felt instant relief from hearing that, and the anxiety that was building had subsided some.

When it was Jack’s turn on stage, he gave it his all. He used the material that he thought up over the last couple of weeks, and he absolutely knocked it out of the park. He was well received by the audience, and the bar staff called him a natural for being new to the comedy scene. Then at the end of the show he was tipped almost double the amount he was given last time. Jack would continue to perform every weekend, using the show like his part time job. Not only did performing pay his bills, but he also had so much fun doing it. It never felt like a job to him, more like a second dream that came after his first one of being an engineer.

He continued this routine throughout his time in college, taking small breaks here and there when he was able to financially, that way he could allow his creativity to recharge. It was during his final semester that he met someone after one of his shows.

He introduced himself as someone who worked for the city of North Gotham, specifically he was the manager of Amusement Mile. He said that he loved Jack’s performance, saying that he obviously stood out from everyone else there. He could tell he put a lot of thought into how everything is written and structured, and that takes drive which he admired. Saying that he would cut right to the chase, he offered Jack a job opportunity working for him at Amusement Mile doing the same thing he was doing here but being paid much more than tips. His hours were flexible, and he would have full creative freedom to do what he wanted with his act. He didn’t need to make a decision right away, but if he was interested in going bigger to give him a call.

The man handed him a business card, which Jack accepted. He thanked him for enjoying the show, and the man left. He looked down at the card, absolutely stunned. He had known that the audience liked his performance, but he didn’t know he was good enough to be approached by a talent recruiter for a theme park.

While he loved the thought of performing on a proper stage and not in a bar, he wouldn’t have the time to do that after he started his career at Wayne Tech. Before he knew it his graduation day was here, and he was walking across a stage adorned with the tasseled cap and robe to receive his diploma. The feeling was bittersweet. He was the top of his class, his teachers saying he had a bright future ahead of him. Though looking out over all the parents sitting on the sidelines watching their now grown up children complete their final year of school had made him miss his mom that much more. She had already been on his mind that whole day, but now even moreso. His eyes stung with emotion. He inhaled sharply, pushing those thoughts down. He knew she would be proud of him regardless of if she were here to see him or not.

The following day he made preparations to apply to Wayne Tech. He called the front desk and asked if they had an opening for an intern or engineer apprenticeship. The secretary said he could come in for an interview a few days later. When the time came, he traveled over to North Gotham and took the subway to Wayne Tower. While up in the air he could clearly see what building he would be heading to, as it was the largest one on the island and possibly the whole city. Being the biggest landmark, the subway brought him right outside the building. Looking up at the building from this close really puts things into perspective. It was mind bogglingly massive.

The front had a courtyard area with trees, grass, benches, and a water fountain in the center. There were some people sitting outside either working or reading. One person sitting on a bench had their face in a newspaper, and as he passed them by his eyes skimmed over the headline. It was an article about Martha and Thomas Wayne and the recent charity they attended. How Jack wished he could meet the man that started it all, what a dream that would be.

Heading into the main lobby of the building, everything inside was just as ginormous as the outside. Right away everything felt so futuristic. The entryway had the Wayne Tech logo imprinted into the tile floor, and the walls were covered with television screens that displayed various looping photos of the company and its creation. Some photos were from when Wayne Tower was first being built, to now with the CEOs setting up charity events and donating great sums of money.

In the middle of the lobby there was a circle shaped help desk with a team of people working behind it. All of them were busy either answering phone calls or typing out letters on a writer. When he went up to the desk, one of the secretaries welcomed him to Wayne Tech before asking what she could help him with. Jack felt a sudden spike in his anxiety. He needed to make a good first impression with everyone he met here, because all of the people who work at this company know each other. Trying his best to smile normally and not be awkward he said he was here for an interview.

The secretary called one of the managers to let them know he was there, and after a couple minutes someone had come down the stairs and greeted him. She had him follow her to an upstairs office where she took a seat at the desk and he sat down across from her. This was it. This was his moment to secure a spot at the best company to work for. This needed to be his best performance yet. He needed to make his mom proud. His dad proud. The anxiety had moved up into his throat by this point. He couldn’t help but wring his hands together in his lap. He could feel his heart beating against his chest. The interview started with the manager asking him how he was. Jack laughed nervously, almost too loudly. He cleared his throat, saying he was good and excited to be here.

Minutes passed by like seconds, and just like that the interview was over. The manager had asked him all the usual questions that interviews ask. What made you interested in working for this company, what are your qualifications, what department are you interested in, what are some things about yourself, can you work in a team with other people. Jack had practiced answering these questions in his head several times leading up to this moment. At the end he felt very good about how it went. He knew he absolutely nailed it out of the park. His answers were spot on, he had the starting qualifications for an internship, and the manager seemed to like him. All he had to do now was wait for them to call him and say that he was hired.

So he waited. And waited. And waited some more. Over the weekend where he normally would go to the bar to perform, he opted to stay home on the chance that Wayne Tech would call him. Two weeks had passed by and he hadn’t heard anything. The doubt was eating away at him. What if he thought he did good but actually bombed it. He couldn’t take the uncertainty anymore. He called Wayne Tech’s help desk and asked for the status of his application. The secretary on the other end went to look for it. When she returned, she told him that there wasn’t a position open at this time for an engineer intern but they would keep him in mind for when the position opens up.

Jack’s heart sank to the bottom of his chest. He was so racked with emotion he didn’t think to ask her when the position would be open, he simply thanked her and hung up. He put the phone back on the receiver. He walked up the stairs to his apartment. He closed the door behind him. He looked over at the window in his living room. The view he had over the city. He sat down on his couch. He looked at the windows in all the other buildings for as far as he could see and how they lit up the island like stars in the sky. He buried his head in his hands and sobbed.

What was he to do now? He came to this city wanting to be at Wayne Tech. He went to school, worked hard, spent late nights studying, and earned his degree. But he was expected to wait around until they had room for him. The whole reason for him leaving home was to be an engineer at this company. He wasn’t even sure at this point if they would hire him even when the position did open. He was at an utter loss. He wanted so badly to call his mom. He missed her so much. Having her there made him feel safe. Like he could fall and she’d be there to catch him. They went through some hard times together, but she had still been there for him even if it wasn’t emotionally. But a part of him didn’t want to disappoint her. Telling her that he failed would make him feel even worse.

Eventually he had laid down in bed. His eyes had glanced over to his nightstand. The business card the man from the bar had given to him was resting on top. A thought had entered his mind, though he pushed it away immediately, it being too absurd to even consider. As he tried to sleep off the heavy weight that was resting on top of him, he kept returning to the thought. It was pestering him almost. Being an entertainer at Amusement Mile sounded fun and the man made it seem like he would be doing the same thing but with more perks. But he had no clue what he’d actually be signing up for. A theme park was far bigger than a mere bar. His act would need to be different to capture the attention of a much larger audience, all of different ages and backgrounds.

Despite being so exhausted that night, he tossed and turned. He fought with himself on what to do next and whether or not that was the right thing. He didn't want his money to have been wasted on a degree he was never going to use, but he also needed money that this performing job could potentially give him. He didn't want to disappoint his mom by becoming a clown act, but also he didn't know how long it would be before Wayne Tech decided to hire him. He was torn. While restlessly looking up at the ceiling, he had thought back to a time when he was this indecisive. His dad had told him that if he ever found himself torn, the best answer was either neither choice or both choices. Early the next morning he came to a final decision. He would do both.

He picked up the business card and gave the number on it a call. The new plan would be to see if he liked Amusement Mile, and if all goes well he would work the job until Wayne Tech hired him. He also planned to call them once every month to check in on his application and if the position opened. It had been awhile since Jack had met the man who gave him the card, but after introducing himself over the phone the man remembered him instantly. He said Jack could call him Jefferson or Jeff for short, and invited him to come over to Amusement Mile for a tour and chat whenever he was ready.

Jack went to go meet him that same day. Much like how Florida is known for being the home of Disney World, Gotham is also known for being the home of Amusement Mile, a massive carnival styled theme park on North Gotham. While flying over, Jack couldn't help but look out the window at Wayne Tower. He tried not to dwell on his thoughts, instead focusing on what questions he wanted to ask Jeff. Like before, after the blimp landed Jack rode the subway to the Northernmost side of the island. Not only is Amusement Mile the name of the park, but it’s also the name of the district with the actual park being one section of it on the edge of the beach.

Jeff had met him at the front entrance of the park, welcoming him in. It was still morning so Jack wasn’t expecting the park to be busy, but after Jeff started to show him around there was actually a sizable amount of people. There were rides and games of course, all typical of a regular carnival. But there were also live shows, band concerts, vendors, and an entire zoo. It was like a fair that was here all year long. The place was much bigger than Jack was anticipating, making this job even more intimidating. But as he and Jeff were walking he explained that Jack would be working in the big top tent where they host live shows.

They headed inside the tent, which was more like an auditorium. The place was arranged in a big circle with the stage in the center and the seats were raised bleachers that went all the way around. Instead of facing the audience in front of him, Jack would need to constantly be turning around as he was performing. Jack could feel his palms starting to sweat. He laughed nervously, the sound jumping out of his chest like a squeaking mouse. Jeff told him not to worry, adjusting to the style of seating is actually a lot easier than he’s thinking. He also needn’t worry about straining his voice, he said while walking over to the far back of the tent. He picked up what looked to be a microphone from behind a table, but it was much smaller with a headband attached to it.

At the end of the tour, Jack got to meet some of the other performers that had come in to do their show that morning, as well as the sound team. Jeff said that he was welcome to stick around and get to know everyone around the park, and after the show he could use the empty tent to practice. Jack smiled and thanked him. His heart was beating so fast that he couldn’t focus on much else. He sat down on the bleachers for a few minutes to catch his breath, feeling entirely overwhelmed by it all. What was wrong with him? He used to be so comfortable on a stage and now just the thought of getting up on this one is terrifying to him.

While trying to rationalize to himself, people began to filter into the tent. A few early birds turned into crowds of people, and soon every seat was taken. He wanted to leave and get away from the noise, though he decided against that. It would be rude of him to miss the show after meeting the performers, and he wanted to start off on the right foot this time.

The show involved a group of clowns doing comedy improv skits. They would call on audience members to randomly change something about the scene, either it be a prop, setting, or character that the performer was acting out. The show devolved into a hilarious chaotic mess, with the group just rolling with whatever the chosen audience members shouted out. Jack had forgotten all about feeling anxious, being absolutely captivated and laughing along with the people around him. Seeing the clowns freely jump from one idea to the next had given him so much inspiration for his own show. He could do anything, it didn't need to standup. He could start new and be anything he wanted, the only limits being that it needed to be age appropriate for kids. He would go home and get right to work.

Jack's first show at Amusement Mile would be at night when the amount of guests would be at their highest. He was nervous still, but breathed through it, reassuring himself that he would be alright. He could do this. He was getting ready in one of the dressing rooms next to the big top tent. He looked at himself in the mirror. You're alright, you can do this, he said to himself. There was a knock on the door, startling him out of his pep talk. Jeff was on the other side. He said he just wanted to check in with him and let him know that he had 5 minutes before showtime. He smiled and said that Jack looked fantastic. Jack thanked him, saying that he hoped the audience liked him too. Jeff reassured him that they absolutely will. He was going to knock their socks off. And he did.

When Jack stepped onto the stage, he was dressed from head to toe in a full colorful clown outfit. He had painted his face a traditional white with a red nose, lips, and tear drops under his eyes. He also tried to dye his hair blue but it ended up coming out as green, which he ended up liking way better. He took a dramatic bow in front of the audience, introducing himself as Jack the Joker.

The first half of his act started as standup, something he was familiar and comfortable with. He played the character of Joker, a goofy but mischievous clown who had been destined to be a prince but ran away from his life of luxury to follow his dream of spreading laughter and joy. As his persona he told stories to the audience with jokes sprinkled in. The ending would always tie back into the start of the story somehow, making a funny and satisfying conclusion. Then the second half of his act involved magic tricks. Jack had begun to teach himself how to do them, but it was taking him a while to perfect them. So instead the joke was that he was terrible at magic and his tricks would backfire on him. For this he would use firecrackers and sparklers, his simple card trick 'exploding' and making a huge mess across the stage.

At the end of the show he took a bow, making sure to rise up, turn around and bow again so he faced everyone. The crowd was the loudest one that he's ever gotten. Everyone, especially the kids were clapping and screaming and shouting for him to do one more trick. Hearing that, he decided that he could do one more. He said to the audience that for his last trick he would make himself disappear, and he was triple sure that this time it would actually work. He had saved some extra pyrotechnics in his jacket just in case the sparklers didn't light. He waved his arms around, shouting the magic pun-filled phrase before letting loose a smoke bomb. Just like that he had vanished. The kids went nuts.

Needless to say, the show went off without a hitch. Jack the Joker's show continued to be the most popular event to see at Amusement Mile. People of all ages came to watch, and each one was a different experience than the last. Jack would spend all of his free time coming up with new ideas and writing new material. The years had sped by like minutes. He had become so successful that he never thought about going back to Wayne Tech and asking to be an intern. Not when he had his face on a billboard advertising the park.

In that time he had improved greatly with his magic tricks and picked up more and more to use for his shows, only to intentionally have them fail spectacularly, though making it seem like it was accidental. Along the way Jeff had been a guiding hand to him. The pair had gotten to be very close, and often they would sit in the dressing room or big tent and work on their separate things. Occasionally Jack would run an idea by him, and Jeff would ask him his opinion on how to improve the park or tackle a problem. Then after another successful show they both would celebrate by going out to eat.

Jack was financially comfortable enough to where he could get himself a house, and then ask his mom if she would move in with him. That was always the plan, though he hasn't called her once since moving to Gotham. He had been too much of a coward to, backing out at the last minute out of fear of what she would say. He's gone over it in his head probably hundreds of times. How he would tell her everything leading up to him being successful as a performer. Perhaps she would be genuinely happy for him. Perhaps not. The uncertainty of how she'd react left him paralyzed to follow through with it. In his mind, if he kept putting off buying a house, then he never had to make that phone call.

He was thinking about it even now as he was wrapping up for the evening after another show. He just needed to do it. Like ripping off a bandaid. Jeff had poked his head in the dressing room, praising him for an amazing show and asking if he wanted to grab dinner. After the park's gates were closed the two of them walked out together, as they usually did. They both laughed about how funny the kids in the audience were that night, with their mouths held agape when Jack did his magic tricks.

Jeff told him how lucky he was to have stumbled across him that night at the bar. He had been out with some friends who lived in West Gotham and they wanted to grab some drinks. By pure luck and chance he met one of the funniest and most talented guys that he's had the pleasure of calling a friend. Jack smiled at him, saying he also felt lucky. When the plan he made for his life wasn't panning out, he had taken a leap of faith not knowing where he would land. Jack had owed it to him for believing he would make it, and encouraged him to keep going.

After they had dinner the pair went their separate ways. That would be the last time Jack would see Jeff. The following day Jack had gone to the park to do some writing for his next show. When he walked up to the front gates, the staff person behind the ticket booth had called him over. She asked him if he had heard yet. His confused response let her know that he hadn’t yet. She lowered her voice to a very soft tone, telling him that Jefferson had passed away last night.

After Jeff had gotten home last night he suffered a major heart attack. His neighbors had gone to check on him that morning because his normally quiet and sweet dog wouldn’t stop barking. When the paramedics arrived he was already gone and there was nothing they could do. The staff woman apologized to him, saying that she knew they both were close. She added that the park would be open today, but tomorrow it would be closed until a new manager is appointed by the owner of the park. Jack thanked her for telling him. He thought he should say more, but his voice had hung up in his throat. He needed to leave. He needed to leave right now, but his feet felt like cinder blocks firmly planted on the ground. The woman must have seen the hurt on his face because she told him that Jefferson had been in a long battle with his health, though he hid it from everyone. He never wanted others to worry about him. He was the kind of person that always wanted to lift you up, and he came into work everyday to do just that.

He thanked her again and turned to leave, forcing his feet to carry him back home. Without Jeff at the park Jack had no reason to be there outside his normal showtime. He tried to hold in his emotions until he got back to his apartment but was quickly failing. His heart ached. The suddenness of it all had made his mind go blank. He didn’t know if he should continue on like he had before, or cancel his next week’s show. The only thing on his mind was how could this have happened. If he had known, if he had seen the signs, maybe he could have been there to help him. He could have gotten the paramedics faster and they would have had more time to save his life. It was only after he stepped through his door that the realization finally hit him. He had just lost his best friend. He sobbed long and hard.

Jack had taken a few days to just do nothing. He decided during that time he would do the show coming up if the park was open. Jeff would have wanted him to keep going. But when he sat down to write he had trouble focusing. His head still felt like mush. Nothing he wrote down sounded good. He looked back through his old jokes and ideas for inspiration, but that spark that he once had wasn’t there. He knew he needed more time to clear his head, though he forced himself to continue anyway. He wasn’t happy with the end result, but it was the best that he could come up with.

The day before his show he went over to the park to see if it was open, which to Jack’s slight disappointment it was. He went over to the staff person at the ticket booth, which was a different person than last time he was here. He asked them if there was a new manager for the park. Not yet, the guy said, but in the meantime the owner was here keeping the place running.

Jack felt slightly relieved by that. Of course he would eventually have a new boss, but replacing Jeff this early felt too soon. It was already hard enough going into a performance and putting on a brave face. While he was there he might as well rehearse his show. Going inside, he went to the big top tent. There wouldn't be another show for a couple hours so he would have the place to himself. He began to walk through his lines like usual, improving some jokes to see if it sounded better. But as he continued he just wasn't into it. What he wrote wasn't landing in the same way it did before, and he wasn't sure why. Everything about it just felt wrong.

He tossed the book to the side, too frustrated to look at it anymore. He needed to come up with an entirely new act before his show tomorrow night, and he was at a loss of what to do. If Jeff were here he would have bounced ideas off of him. But he wasn't here. He needed to do it on his own.

A small voice had startled Jack out of his thoughts. He turned his head and a young looking girl was standing in the entrance way of the tent. She asked him if he was using the space. He shook his head no, hopping off the stage. She thanked him and got up. As he turned to leave, the girl asked him if he was done for the day. Jack said that he was just giving her space to do her thing. She nodded, looking down timidly. He had gotten to the entrance before the girl spoke again, asking if he didn't mind being her audience while she practiced, as she had found it hard to talk with no one there. Jack said he didn't mind at all, and walked back over to a seat.

As the girl did her act, Jack had given her some tips and suggestions on how to improve upon it. The main thing was her confidence. Jack said that he himself gets nervous before every show, but putting on a character helps him find that larger voice. Her character could just be her, but bigger and bolder. By the end of the rehearsal she could project her voice a lot louder and clearer, and her stiff movements were more free and natural. She felt a lot better with her performance, and gave him many thank yous.

Jack wished her good luck and went home for the day to write. For his show he ended up using more magic tricks than standup, that way the audience wouldn't pay as much attention to his jokes. The people loved him all the same, but he couldn't help but feel guilty. The audience deserved to have nothing but the best from him and he didn't deliver that. He sat in his dressing room taking off his makeup. He looked at himself in the mirror, half of his clown face wiped away.

There was a light knock on his door. A voice on the other side asked if Jack was there. He cleared his throat, acknowledging that he was. The voice apologized for interrupting him, but they came to tell him that the owner of the park wanted to speak to him. Jack froze in place. The owner wanted to talk to him? Instantly his mind began to race. His show didn't go well like it normally does and the owner wanted to talk to him. He quite possibly could be fired over this.

As he finished changing into his normal clothes, the dread was setting in. If he went home now he wouldn't be reprimanded for how horribly his act had gone. He could just skip past it like nothing had happened. But if he did that he would be in even worse trouble. As he grappled with himself on what to do, the decision was made for him. He heard someone call his stage name. He looked over and it was a taller man dressed in formal attire.

Jack smiled politely, walking over to him. The man introduced himself as the owner of the park and said that he'd been wanting to meet him. The owner asked to walk with him. Jack felt his heart beating out of his chest. He could tell just looking at the owner's expression that he was not happy. He swallowed, following the owner next to him as they walked around the park.

The owner started off by thanking Jack for putting on such an amazing show for the past several years. The amount of guests visiting the park had exploded in numbers, all to see his show. Jack nodded quietly, thanking him. The owner continued, saying that running an entire theme park was never easy. He had worked with Jefferson for a very long time to keep everything in the park safe and fun for all ages. But it was people like Jack that really kept the place open. Guests crave to see new and exciting things, and Jack has consistently done that.

They had stopped in front of one of the rides, brightly glowing with florescent lights as it spun around. The owner said that Jack could very well keep doing his thing, being a colorful character on stage. But he wanted to offer him an opportunity to help him that much more in overseeing the park as its new manager.

Jack looked at him dumbfounded. The owner laughed, saying that he knows it's sudden but to just hear him out on it before making a decision. Not only did Jefferson speak very highly to him of Jack and his problem solving skills, but he also had been looking for someone who could work well with others and keep spirits up just like Jeff did. The other day while he was there he had spoken to someone who said that Jack helped them improve their confidence. They said he listened to them, was kind and patient, and gave them helpful advice.

If he accepted the offer, the owner said he would train him himself on how to do everything involved with running the park. Customer service, safety inspections, budgeting, scheduling, everything. He also didn't have to give up being a performer either, even with all this new responsibility. The owner would work with him so he had time to write and plan his shows. He could have the best of both worlds. But if it was too much to take on the owner said he understood. It was a lot to ask of him. Finding the right person was like finding hay in a needle stack. If you choose wrong then it could result in major consequences.

Jack couldn't believe it. Just a few short years ago he was starting out as a performer dressed as a clown and now he was offered the position of park manager. The thought of being essentially the boss of everyone was more than a little intimidating. Helping out one performer with their show was one thing, it was an entirely other thing to watch over a hundred employees. This was simply just impossible. Though somehow Jeff found a way to make it work.

The following day he had made the decision to accept the job. For the next 5 or so years he would work hard to fill Jeff's shoes. He would go home everyday constantly exhausted from the work, but to him it was all worth it. He loved helping others and getting to use his creativity and knowledge in engineering to bring to life new ideas for the park.

Guests visiting the park were steadily going up with every new ride and show added. Instead of Jack performing once every week, he would perform once biweekly. One week Jack would have the responsibility of running the park, and the following week the owner would take over for him, only asking Jack to help him with smaller managerial tasks so he had enough time to write for the show.

Though during this time, crime rates in Gotham were also on the rise. A territorial war had begun with several different mafia organizations and the GCPD were struggling to keep up. Not only did this war cause mass amounts of property damage, in some areas even leveling multi-story buildings, but also the casualty count was skyrocketing including both mafia members and innocents caught in the crossfire. The people of Gotham were too scared to leave their homes for fear of being swept up in the chaos happening outside.

As a result of this, Amusement Mile was suffering financially. Tickets being sold were at an all time low to no fault of the park. Jack had figured once everything calmed down and the mafia was dealt with, things would go back to normal. Guests would return to the park and be able to enjoy the new attractions again. But the war had continued and persisted for months on end. Jack had brought the problem to the owner, suggesting that they temporarily close down the park to save on costs. However, the owner was of the opinion that the media were using the mafia for their news stories and making crime activity out to be a bigger issue than it was. Guests were still coming into the park, and it would be unfair to them to close their doors.

Money began to get tighter, and soon Jack was needing to pull money from anywhere he could just to keep the park afloat. Show budgets were cut, ticket and food prices increased, and eventually employees were laid off. It physically hurt when he needed to tell his own people that he couldn’t afford to pay them for their work any longer. The owner still wasn’t budging, insisting that the rates of crime would be handled soon and that they would be ok. Frustrated now more than ever, Jack had dipped into his own savings to stall having to let go more people.

He was lost on what to do. Usually he was able to come up with a solution to any problem, but not this time. They were going to go under and be forced to close and Jack wasn’t able to fix it. At least until he was approached one late night by a man who was waiting outside the park gates for him.

Jack had just finished a show, the tent being less than half full. The owner had pulled him aside afterward, telling him that he had to leave early and that he needed him to close up the park that night. Jack agreed, staying behind and waiting for all the guests to make their way out before locking the gate. As he turned around to head home as well, he came face to face with a man.

Startled out of his skin, he went to take a step back but the man just got closer and grabbed his shirt. He felt something shoved into his side painfully. The man spoke in a low, gruff voice, telling him to be quiet and not to move. Jack threw his hands up to the man’s chest, using all his weight to shove him off. Suddenly he became aware that he was surrounded by a group of men. One of them yanked him back by the hair, another punched him in the gut, causing him to collapse onto the gravel. He rolled onto his side, gasping for air and fighting the urge to throw up. He felt one of the men behind him grab the back collar of his shirt, picking him back onto his feet. The man he had shoved leaned into his face. He told him not to be stupid unless he wanted a bullet in him next, spitting the words as he talked.

Jack couldn’t move even if he wanted to, as his body uncontrollably coughed and convulsed. The man explained that he and his ‘friends’ were going to take his park and claim it as theirs. He was giving him two options: the first is that they break every bone in his body starting with his fingers, and when they’re done hang him out for the crows. The second option was that he tell them where his boss was and they’d think about letting him go. Jack’s heart was beating so fast that the sound was pounding in his ears. He held his hands up and said wait, wait, wait, the words spilling out of his mouth. Shakily he told them he didn’t know where his boss was, as he had left hours earlier. The man tsked. That wasn’t the response he wanted. One of the men took Jack’s hand, picking one of his fingers to bend backwards. Jack shouted for them to stop, there had to be something else he could do. Anything they wanted, they could have it. He just didn’t know where the owner was.

The man motioned for the other thug to stop. He said as a matter of fact, there was something they needed from him. If he paid them a fee they’d set him loose. The amount that he asked for was ridiculously high. Jack said that coming up with that much was impossible. The man shrugged, saying that he was out of luck then. The thug bent his finger back, snapping it with a sickening crack. Jack yelled out painfully, begging them to stop. He didn’t mean it was impossible to get the money, he meant that it was impossible to get it all at once. The money from the park was in a bank account, and he couldn’t withdraw all of it in one day. The man paused, looking hard at him. Jack was lying through his teeth. But the thugs bought it. The man said that he had a week to come up with the money. He warned him not to talk or run, as they’d be watching him. They’d know, and all the people that he works with would join him. After the men left, Jack laid on his back, breathing heavily. What did he just do? What did he just agree to?

As soon as he got home that night, he raced to the phone and called the owner. As the line kept ringing he was looking all around him with his back pressed up against the wall. Jack had called over and over, begging for him to pick up the phone, but there was no answer. No, it couldn’t be. Jack didn’t want to believe it. The owner had left him in the hands of the mafia. He was completely on his own.

He didn’t sleep that night. He had barricaded his door and window with anything and everything he had, but even then he didn’t feel safe. He was terrified that they would come for him because he made that phone call. He just wanted to warn him, but now he wasn't even sure if he was still in Gotham. He sat on the floor of his now empty living room utterly terrified. He didn’t know what to do now. He couldn’t call the police or try to leave, they would skin him alive before he could set foot on a boat and who knows what else they would do to his employees. The money they were asking for he didn’t have. He was barely scraping by with the park. The only thing he thought to do was continue running the park and hope that within a week it was enough.

Jack had gone back to work like nothing had happened. He greeted guests, helped performers with their shows, carrying on like he usually was. But while walking the grounds his eyes were darting everywhere. The men that cornered him that night could be inside the park, watching him, hiding amongst the crowds of people. With every passing day he would count up the money, his hands trembling when the numbers were short yet again. He looked down at his bandaged finger. It pained him to do it, but Jack withheld everyone’s paycheck. When they came to him the following morning asking about it, he lied and told them that there was an error with the bank and that they would be paid soon. He had no idea where he was going to get the money to pay them. In the end, it didn’t matter at all. His week was up and it wasn’t enough.

He had been so focused on getting the money and pretending like everything was fine that he didn’t write for his show. His show, which was so important to him that once upon a time he thought he would be fired over it not being up to par to his normally high standards, had been entirely forgotten. It was the least of his concerns. He only had three quarters of the money after pulling it from everywhere he could think of even lying to his own people. He had prayed to whatever holy force that the men would be satisfied and decide to spare him.

His show that night, the day of his deadline, would be entirely improv. He was getting ready in his dressing room, his hands shaking too much to get the teardrop on his other cheek to look right so he just left it as the one. His mind was spiraling. He hadn’t seen or heard anything about the men since. Perhaps they had forgotten about him, or even better they were killed by one of the other mafia. He breathed through the tightness in his chest. Out of all the places in the park that he’s been, the stage was where he had spent most of his time. That’s where he felt the safest, the audience being with him. He wouldn’t be alone, and that was assuring to him.

He breathed, in and out, focusing on becoming someone else. Someone a lot braver and bolder than he was. He went inside the big top tent, stepping onto the stage, the bright lights shining down on him. He took a bow, the audience clapped. He stood back up and his eyes made contact with someone sitting in with the crowd. It was the leader of that group of men. No, that wasn’t right. It was just someone who looked like the guy. His eyes were playing tricks on him because he was sleep deprived. They wouldn’t be here with all these people around. If they did come looking for him they would have waited for him outside the gates like they had done last time.

They both were looking at each other. The man clapped, a slight smile on his face. Jack the Joker grinned, thanking the audience for coming. He could feel the sweat begin to gather at his head. He had nothing prepared for what to say or do, he simply started talking about whatever came to his mind. He pulled a random story that he had written a long time ago but he never used it because he couldn’t come up with a good ending.

The story was about when he, the Joker, had run away from becoming a prince. He had rode far away from home on a horse. But when he stopped to rest, the horse had run away. He considered himself unlucky. But walking along the path on foot, he came across some farmers who had found his horse, and they were using it to steer their wagon. The farmers gave him a ride, and he considered himself lucky. But then it began to rain very heavily and the path became too muddy to continue. He considered himself unlucky. After it stopped raining, all the water filled a dried up stream bed. He and the farmers used the wagon to float down the river all the way to the next town. He considered himself lucky.

This was where the story had ended. As he was telling it, he thought about what could happen next to wrap it up nicely like all his other stories. But after telling it he realized that the story was perfect the way it was, as though it was always meant to be that way.

Jack used all of the fan favorite magic tricks for the latter half of the show. He produced flowers out of a wand, tossing them to an audience member, pulled apart connected metal rings with a flick of his wrist, and performed a dazzling and comedic light show with firecrackers. Even improvised, the audience loved him. They cheered his name as he took a bow. After everyone had made their way out of the tent, there was one person left.

The man slowly stood, clapping while he approached Jack on stage. The man said that he was impressed. He’d seen nothing quite like it before. Jack was frozen in place. He wanted to run but he knew that would just make it worse. He cleared his throat, saying that he had his money. From his coat pocket he produced a fat envelope. The man stepped onto the stage, snatching it from him and opening it. He looked through it, then looked at Jack, asking him if this was all. Jack swallowed, saying quietly that he couldn’t quite get all of it, though if they gave him more time he could make them the other quarter.

The man said that he had given him his chance already, and he was out of patience. He put the money back in its envelope, shouting for his men. As the thugs filed into the tent, Jack pleaded with him to just give him a little more time, just a little more patience and he would have it. He had nothing left in their account to give them, not his account, not the park’s account, he even stole what he did give him. The mafia surrounded him, grabbing hold of his arms and shoved him down to his knees.

The leader of the group tucked the envelope into the back of his pants, then produced a small, curved knife from his sleeve. He told him that for his trouble, and for putting on a great show, he would pay him back and show him mercy. He leaned down, grabbing Jack by his cheeks. Tears were spilling over his fear-filled eyes and causing his clown makeup to run. ‘Why so sad?’ The man asked him. ‘Turn that frown upside down.’

The man used his thumb and pulled the side of Jack’s mouth wide. He tried to thrash his head and crane his neck back, but one of the thugs grabbed him by the hair while the leader shoved his knife against his teeth, dragging the blade up. Jack screamed in horrific pain, and continued to scream when the man kept slowly pulling his knife further and further up his face. No one could hear him from outside over the sounds of the park.

After he was done carving one side of Jack’s face, he moved to the other side, forcing his mouth into a crude smile that went past his eyes. He was barely conscious by this point, his head bobbing around as though he were fighting sleep. All he could do was moan, the sound escaping his throat as a gurgle.

The man stood up and looked down at him, wiping the blood from his knife. Jack could see him talking, but he couldn’t hear the words. The men holding him let him go, and his body slumped over. The world seemed to move at a slower pace. He was getting cold, but he didn’t mind it. As he stared out through the entrance of the tent, everything had turned upside down. He was upside down, suspended by his feet above the stage. As his blood pooled to the back of his throat, Jack couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer. His world was darkening, inviting him to join it. And he did.

His eyes flew open and he was instantly blinded by a bright white light. He winced, shutting them again. He went to cover them but he couldn’t move his hands. He could hear voices all around him, and as he tried to squint he was made acutely aware of the massive headache in his temples. Slowly his vision returned to him, and he realized that he wasn’t alone. He was surrounded by people, all wearing white coats, and they were staring at him. He was laying down on an uncomfortably flat table, his wrists and feet strapped down with a light over him shining in his face.

‘Can you understand us?’ He heard one of them ask. ‘Yes?’ He said confusedly. ‘Can you tell us your name? How do you feel?’ His eyebrows knitted together, his head pounding. They wanted to know his name? He’d only just woke up and he was being asked too many questions. ‘J- uh..’ He searched his mind for an answer but the pain only worsened. ‘Where am I?’ He said instead. ‘You’re in Arkham Asylum.’ The doctor answered.

[celaenaeiln]

Sorry I'm taking over your blog ahhh but it's just so cool to be able to get such detailed answers that make so much sense and to be passionate about conversation again! This is something I've been sort of stuck on over the years while writing (especially because they won't let them become adults in a main continuity) - what sort of lives/jobs do you think Tim, Damian and Steph would have in the future, and what do you think Cass would end up doing? I don't see Jason really having a "normal" job but I'd be willing to hear thoughts on that too!

Nws! Getting an ask is the highlight of my day!!! <333

I've never thought of that!!

Tim would definitely be the CEO of something, maybe a tech company? He would develop his own software and market and become rich and build a company off it.

Damian would take over Wayne Enterprises kinda like how he takes over Batman. It's just his future and I don't think Tim's interested in WE anyway aside from having it to fund his projects currently.

Steph would own a martial arts gym. Of all the batkids, I feel like Steph and Duke are really the ones who are connected to Gotham. Tim is part of the elites, Damian is Bruce Wayne's son, and Jason was on the offside of community up until 13. Steph and Duke though, they've lived there their whole lives even after meeting Bruce, they're still connected. Stephanie literally made her own costume and went after Cluemaster. Putting these two together, I feel like Stephanie with her headstrong personality and normal Gothamite background would build a martial arts gym where she would teach kids in troubled homes how to defend themselves.

Cass would co-own the gym but she wouldn't get as involved as Stephanie. She knows how to hold back but I feel like a part of her would be worried about accidentally hurting them because she's too good - she's too trained at being an assassin. Therefore I feel like she would turn to art as a pastime and turning it into a freelancing type of job. It's be so cool if she became a graphic designer! It would also work perfectly since she has dyslexia and reading is tiring for her.

Jason I feel would eventually settle down enough to have a normal job but maybe I'm just hoping for too much lol. I don't believe he would be a mechanic or something because truth be told, I don't know if Jason even likes cars. He stole a tire off the batmobile out of necessity but does that mean he likes dealing with cars and engines? Who knows - maybe he does or maybe he doesn't. Oh I GOT IT! Jason would be a bounty hunter. He's still working for the good but he likes the rough edge of life. He loves hunting and setting up traps and pissing off bad guys. A bounty hunter would be the perfect job for him. He keeps doing what he likes and he would be good at it.

[nothinggathers]

DBH Fic Masterlist

One shots

In Another Life - Explicit - Connor goes to see Hank during Night of the Soul and finds him dangling by a thread. Desperate to save Hank, Connor delves into his own software to re-examine events and find out where he went wrong. (Featuring art from @glass-noodle​)

Warning: Major Character Death, suicidal ideation

Viewfinder - Mature - Human AU. Connor investigates the murder of a twin, and finds that he’s caught the attention of someone that doesn’t respect his privacy.

Warning: Stalking, violence

Impatient - PWP - Human AU - Connor works at a tacky wings bar and hooks up with Hank in the alley

Dirty Laundry - PWP - Human AU - Hank has inappropriate feelings for the college student renting his spare room which he’s content to keep to himself, until he finds out the pictures of a guy that looks just like him don’t just look like him.

Warning: Drunk sex, post break-up revenge porn

The Mermaid of Fox Creek - Teen - Mermaid AU - Hank finds a broken down merdroid on the beach and takes him home, inadvertently teaching him to like soft things and How It’s Made before falling a little bit in love.

Night of the Soul - NC-17 - Canonverse - In the aftermath of the raid on Jericho Hank is spiraling, until Connor comes to ask for his help...

Warning: Rape by deception

Scandal - NC-17 - Modern Royalty AU - His Royal Highness, Henry Prince of Wales and his valet, Connor, share a few stolen minutes in the depths of a forbidden tryst that would ruin them both if it came to light.

Close To Me Always - G - Hank reflects on his relationship with Connor in the aftermath of his loss.

Warning: Major Character Death

Beautiful - Teen - Connor finds the imperfection and impermanence of Hank’s body beautiful, and Hank shows Connor that his body bears the marks of living too.

Ensoulment - G - Connor reads fairytales and ruminates on his own personhood

Ghosts in the Machines - Explicit - Reverse AU (Featuring art from @winterbaroness and @vladlen4i) - Detective Stern and his prototype android partner investigate murders and the disappearances of androids, and realise there is so much more to this than there seems....

Only Fools Rush In - Explicit - Post revolution Hank and Connor have been just friends, until Connor bids on Hank at a charity date auction.

Cross my heart and hope to live - Mature - Human Mafia AU - Connor is a hitman working under Hank when a job goes wrong and he gets badly hurt. But help arrives in time.

Warning: Suicidal thoughts mentioned

Series

Two Smiles - Explicit - Modern Human AU set in real world London

Getting Home - Connor is gravely injured on a stakeout and Hank puts him up in his home while he recovers, but feelings they’ve both done their best not to acknowledge blossom under the unique circumstances.

Warnings: Graphic depiction of injury

Pendulum - Hank and Connor’s relationship develops over the following months, and Connor is faced with some difficult decisions about what direction he wants to go in the future.

Warnings: References to criminal cases involving rape, spousal abuse, child abuse, child death, alcoholism.

Also includes references to Hank’s recovering alcoholism

This Isn’t Meant To Last - Explicit - Human Prostitute AU set in a world where indentured servitude was never illegalised

One Night - Hank’s idiot friends drag him to a brothel on a drunken night out, and he finds himself alone with a doe eyed beauty that thinks Hank is the one that needs to be rescued.

Warnings: Prostitution

Yours - Hank returns even though he knows he shouldn’t, and he’s determined to help get Connor out of there, but he doesn’t know just how terrible Connor’s situation really is.

Warnings: Sibling incest, aftermath of violence, heaping amounts of angst, dubious consent, drug use, prostitution.

Icarus - Connor signs a deal that offers freedom for himself and Nines, but how much should he trust Elijah Kamski, and who will catch him when the wax melts? Ongoing.

Warnings: Prostitution, angst, dubious consent

Reverse Physiology - RP logs undertaken with @sevdrag set in a Reverse AU and then cleaned up for publishing

History - Detective Connor Stern thinks the HK800 Cyberlife assigned to the DPD for these deviancy cases might be more than just a machine, but the HK800 in question, Hank, disagrees. Until he doesn’t.

Reciprocity - Explicit - A year on, Hank the HK800 and Detective Stern are still working together, dancing around a mutual attraction as clumsily as they can. When Connor is injured at a crime scene Hank takes him home to take care of him, and things spill over.

Mutuality - Explicit - Connor plans to start the New Year as he means to go on: by finally telling Hank how he feels, and where they stand.

Public Service Opportunity - Explicit - Hank and Connor get very carried away in the DPD bathroom. And again at home.

Our Solemn Hour - Collaboration undertaken with @sevdrag and @glass-noodle. A medieval AU in which Connor is the heir apparent of the Kingdom of Detroit, until his mother and father are killed in a rebellion. His brother Nines flees, but Connor is captured and held prisoner by men that have no love for him. Except Hank, who falls for him, and then works to try and help get Connor out so he can safely reunite with his brother.

Momentary Rest - Hank helps to clean up Connor’s wounds following an evening where he was forced to entertain his captors.

Warnings: Reference to sexual assault, injury

Cruel Intentions - Explicit - Hank and Connor have grown close. Close enough that when the rebels want information out of Connor, they know it’s not him they need to hurt.

Warnings: Graphic scenes of torture

Defeat - Explicit - Connor is regularly pulled away from the safety of his and Hank’s cell to occupy the men for the evening. Except this evening, they decide to have their fun with Connor and Hank in their cell, and force Hank to participate in Connor’s brutalisation.

Warnings: Graphic rape, injury

Pawn - Explicit - Connor is a chess piece in a game his father began, but his opponents mistake him for a pawn when he is in fact royal. Connor strategises, planning how to get himself and Hank out of there, while doing whatever he must to survive. And at the end he finds a new piece on his side.

Warnings: Graphic rape, injury

[messydiabolical]

Mickey and Pavan, Blaise Shepard's dads. I actually came up with them before I designed Blaise! I wanted a good solid backstory for my new Shepard. More info about these two cuties under the cut!

Blaises’ parents

In their first years, Blaise was raised by single dad Michael 'Mickey' Shepard, an English born space faring pansexual muscly man who left earth as soon as he could. They hopped across systems on various ships, Mickey working in security and logistics. Moving around all the time wasn't necessarily ideal with a littl’un but he made it work as best he could and made sure Blaise was never wanting for love and affection. Blaise certainly learnt to be a tough lil cookie very quickly, and was also exposed to a lot of different cultures/species etc. Mickey is a great big teddy bear of a man who likes coloured ringbinders, flowcharts and big fucking shotguns (OSHA approved). A fierce protector that loves to snuggle, protec, and tick checklists. Blaise's egg donor Genevieve was a troubled lady; she'd escaped extremely repressive religious parents and was having a reckless period in her life- lots of drink, drugs and partying, hopping from ship to ship doing odd jobs. She had a fling with Mickey, ran off one night without so much as a goodbye, then turns up 8 months later like 'yeah I was in denial but um babies coming. help!' (at some point during the pregnancy, she was also exposed to eezo, hence Blaises biotics). She was not prepared to be a mum but knew Mickey was kind hearted and couldn't bring herself to not at least let him know before she gave Blaise up for adoption. Mickey asked if he could raise Blaise, Genevieve agreed on condition she could sign away parental rights and he wouldn't contact her, which he honoured. Genevieve spiralled for years, BUT finally cleaned up and started training properly in transport/supply logistics. She settled down- on Mindoir. Blaise knew connecting with her was never going to be an option, but mourned for the loss of a person who had shown strength and growth, when they later learned of Genevieves fate.When Blaise was 6 Mickey landed a job working for a comm company, where they could stay on the one same ship that flew around the Terminus and outer systems fixing comm bouys and networks on various stations, sattelites and planets. Still dangerous given the amount of pirates and such in that region, but for the first time they could really settle in and make a home on board. This is where Blaise developed a taste for alien found family- the crewmates are all different species and were all their aunties and uncles.

A few months later the crew welcomes Pavan, software and tech specialist in comm networks, follower of Urvine, god of paths and journeys, and extremely gorgeous drell. Pavan is an adorable nerd who’s frill flutter and expand when he gets talking about systems analysis. He left Kahje as a teenager as soon as he got his qualifications, not content with the limits of the planet, and mourning the loss of his older sister who died during compact duties. In his spare time, Pavan offers tech support to a non profit that helps drell who decide to move off Kahje and form their own colonies. He isn’t strictly anti hanar, but feels the compact and the relationship has reached a point that is stifling drell independence and growth.

Mickey and Pavan, both being nerdy guys that are sticklers for details and a passion for exploration and adventure (as long as it complies with health and safety standards!) quickly fall head over heals for each other. Pavan finds himself besotted with the adorable little Shepard family, and when he and Mickey get married Pavan adopts Blaise according to the rights of Arashu. Blaise also takes on the old gods as their religion and immerses themselves in drell family traditions. Pavan feels Urvine guided him to a path to find this family and lead him to Mickey. He love Blaise completely as though they were their own child, no question. They are a sickeningly adorable family.

[sparrow-in-boots]

i'm inspired so as a cont to this post, Clay headcanons that only make sense to me part 2:

Clay had several instances of carpal tunnel syndrome and other hand tendon issues. Some of it was from biting more than he could chew when working for his father, others from simply overworking himself during college;

His mother had a penchant for outdoorsy activities, particularly hiking and nature preservation efforts, and they would often go on trips to camp out and just spend time together. His father would accompany them when he was younger but with time it became a son-and-mother activity even as things grew tenser at home;

As a child he struggled with retaining spoken requests which made helping his father a bit of a struggle since he needed to memorize measurements and the right tools to bring him, so he got the habit of writing things on his hands and arms which followed him to adulthood. He used to get bullied about the ink stains on his skin and his parents even got a bit of a chiding about it at a parent-teacher meeting once, because the ink might make him sick;

Before that he once went around naming each tool on his father's toolshed, even writing them down on the handles. To his credit, Harold did his best to recall the names and use them so Clay could find them more easily. Even as an adult, in his head certain pliers are Julie or Thomas, and each size of torques are a different B name like Bob, Billie, Bernard, Bart, etc;

He'd rather die than ever, ever admitting to that particular habit to another human being, though;

One of the things he truly misses from when he was a kid and things between his parents were still nice, was their movie nights on weekends. Without failure, his father would drive them all after breakfast to the nearest Blockbuster or cinema, and they'd pick out a movie to watch together. Even when things got hard financially and in his parent's marriage, that was the one thing they kept trying to keep alive, though it often ended up in arguments and tense awkward silent drives back home;

Once he began to explore his sexuality, he started to use a clip-on earring on his right ear but never around his family. HHe never got it pierced so he didn't have to raise questions with a hole in his ear but also because his phobia of being stung in general;

As anyone who works with machines of any kind, he developed his own rituals for his computer as well as for when he started to study the Animus software. One of those is tapping a camera lens before using it, or rubbing the logo of whatever computer he's using;

While he's not exactly a fan of tea himself, he really dislikes straight black coffee. It's either lattes or several spoons of sugar for him, and if he's drinking black coffee then you know it's a Bad Day;

He has opioid tolerance, which majorly sucked when he needed to have a corrective surgery for a hernia, and doubly sucked during his time at Abstergo since the Animus may require drugs to induce an altered level of consciousness;

He has a drawer containing all the extra bits and leftovers from projects. From extra screws and caps from furniture kits to chips and boards that aren't obsolte or broken to bits that he meant to put back eventually but always forget to. Over time the drawer evolved into a shelf and then to a considerable corner of his childhood room at his father's house. Both men refuse to do a cleanup of it just in case they need those at some point;

Speaking of, he had a small period of job hopping fresh out of college, mostly out of HR mismanagement and trying to juggle more than one job at once. Long story short, he ended up with three different work laptops that he never managed to return and are now way obsolete for much use. He keeps meaning to get rid of them but they always make him laugh, so he gives them a pass;

He's a tense and fussy sleeper, so he has a tendency to get tension migranes sometimes and they leave him with a very sour mood;

While he always nurtured an interest for space, he had a more complex curiosity for the sea and ocean life. He found it fascinating but it always left him feeling morose and ill at ease, while space always put an idealistic twinkle in his eyes. The ocean was just too close to be so full of mysteries and unknowns, while the final frontier seemed too far to give him any sense of foreboding;

Even so, he never met the sea. Only lakes and rivers, or seen it from above when he flew on planes, but he's never stood on an ocean beach proper.

[merlumina]

hi there, tumblr

So after quitting all other social media (twitter, instagram, facebook), I found myself 1) pretty lonely tbh and 2) at a loss for how to keep myself creatively motivated and inspired with nowhere to share my work. I'd heard from several people that tumblr is way more chill these days, and while I hesitated at first, I finally decided to give it a try. After a few weeks of waiting from tech support to regain access to my account (pro tip: don't sign up for anything important with your college email address), I regained access yesterday and spent some time doing some tidying up (i. e. deleting most of my old posts and likes).

So...hi! Feels weird to be back. Life has changed so much in the past seven years. It was interesting going back through old posts to relive those times. Since I was last here, this is what I've been up to:

hollowforest and I got married in 2020. While he was unfortunately not able to propose to me at MAGFest after a particularly victorious round of Gundam Xtreme VS, which would have been rad, we settled for eloping at county jail, which is also a cool story.

Ringo, my cat, is still with us! But now we also have a dog, Haru (named after Persona 5 Haru). Yeah I like dogs now. I like pitt bulls now. 2012 me would never.

After years of self-doubt and self-loathing about my life choices, I actually became what I wanted to be when I grew up - a software developer! In late 2020 I took the plunge to do a coding bootcamp and got really lucky being hired into an apprenticeship program before I'd even graduated. Now I'm making those big coding $$$ working from home, literally living the dream and still kind of in awe.

I joined the Diagnosed with ADHD in My 30s club! (Also, I'm in my 30s now)

We bought a house in October, 2022! I did not think it would be possible for the longest time, but due to the big job upgrade we were finally able to afford it.

I've played a lot of video games, but not beaten that many.

I picked up game dev as a hobby and have made a few small games during game jams.

My mental health is overall a lot better now! Part of that is from therapy, part of that is from self reflection, part of that is maybe just growing up. See also: quitting aforementioned social medias.

Improved mental health aside, my hangups about my artistic abilities and creative capacity still haven't improved any in the past 10 years. It's one of my biggest personal insecurities, but also one of the reasons I'm trying Tumblr again! I wanted somewhere to post my practice routine to keep myself accountable, as well as a place to get inspiration from other artists.

I'm going to make a concerted effort to keep this blog focused on art and personal things that make me happy. After I left Tumblr in 2016 I started working on myself and trying to focus on bringing more empathy into my interactions with others. Whether or not I've been successful at that is another matter, but in general it has helped me be a happier person. I am not interested in participating in Discourse. I don't think you can judge the "goodness" of a human based on a handful of things they've said/done online, and I won't be made to cast judgment on anyone. I think we should spend less time tearing down people in our own communities and more time asking why it's so easy for the people in power to trick us into fighting each other. In general, the overall vibe that everyone's social media account is a personal soapbox where they can make declarations about what is Right and what people Should be doing makes me uncomfortable. So I'm going to try not to do any more of that here. I do like still having those discussions sometimes, but I prefer a more personal venue, where I feel like I'm talking with people rather than at them.

Let's be cool to each other! -Liz / merlumina

[merrock]

CHARACTER INFORMATION

face claim: Ben Feldman

full name: Adrian Ellis 

nickname(s) / goes by: Adi

pronouns & gender: he/him cis man

sexuality: heterosexual 

birth date: July, 12, 1984 (39)

birth place: Portland, Maine

arrival to merrock: Moved to town about ten years ago to make his own start away from his parents.

housing: Historical Downtown

occupation: Web developer/designer 

work place: Office just out of town and working from home. 

family: Younger sister 

relationship status: single

PERSONALITY

Adi is an attractive but modest guy, he is optimistic and likes to be helpful to those around him. Although he comes across pretty confident, he is actually rather shy and reserved and talks a lot to cover it. At times, he can be immature, a know-it-all and a little spoilt as he comes from a rich family. But he is caring, gentle and a good friend.

WRITTEN BY: Soph (she/her), gmt.

BACKGROUND / BIO

Adrian who likes to be known as Adi was born in Portland, Maine, though for a long time he considered New York to be his home after moving there when he was just six years old. His parents were both lawyers who had high expectations and worked long hours. Although he didn’t want for much, he didn’t spend too much time with his parents and he was sent to boarding school at a very young age.

Adi has always been incredibly smart and he enjoyed the challenge of boarding school. However, at times he could be a little too smart for his own good and his opinions often got him into trouble. He was known to argue with teachers over something he’d read or a documentary he’d seen, just eager to share what he'd learnt. He excelled throughout school, with most things in life coming pretty easy to him. He read about everything and anything and he liked to show off his wide range of knowledge, telling anyone who would listen and always having something to say about most situations. This is something he still does in adult life, he often corrects people and can come across a little annoying but he means well and he’s a kind natured guy who goes out of his way to help people.

His parents had money and he had plenty of opportunities, he played several instruments and took advanced classes. He even spent his summers helping at the law firm. Though his real passion was computers and gaming. He would spend hours taking apart old machines and messing with a range of software. He was smart and could teach himself how to edit, create programs and code. He enjoyed getting to express himself and finding something for himself.

However, his parents weren’t too happy with his choice to pursue IT and programming at college, they wanted him to become a doctor or lawyer and that only pushed him further away from them. Instead of applying for college, Adi took his trust fund and decided to take a gap year which turned into four years. Many would consider him to be a spoilt rich boy who rebelled against his parents, and maybe in a way he was but Adi was happy. He travelled, he went backpacking and he saw the world for himself. The places he experienced were a big influence on him and brought him out of his shell.

Though at the age of 22, Adi knew he had to make some kind of plans for his future. He had the grades to go to any university that he wanted and he decided to return to New York and applied to Cornell. His parents agreed to help him financially, glad their son was finally going back into education, even if working with computers hadn’t been their first choice for him. Though he thrived, he enjoyed the hard work and learning new things and being able to put his arguments and opinion into what he loved. He grew in confidence and made a best friend who encouraged him to be him. They're still friends today.

After university, Adi worked for a tech company in New York for a few years and completed his Masters degree. However, it always felt like something was missing. The job paid well and he didn't hate it but he felt like he wasn’t really moving forward. Growing up, he'd enjoyed visiting his grandparents in Maine. It was relaxed there, they left him to do his own thing. He'd spend hours reading outside and playing video games all day. His sister had moved to Maine in her teens after being kicked out of private school. She'd attended high school in Merrock and about ten years ago, Adi decided it was time for him to settle there too and to move away from their parents.

He lives in a nice home in Merrock and works for a company not far from the town. He's still a little dork at time but he is rather confident in who he is and hoping one day he'll find the right person to be in that life with him.

[hexagonalhavoc]

Revenge 

Carla Dosa x Reader (kind of?) 

[Author’s Note: My first writing piece for this blog! I love The Hex and I wish it had X Readers but it didn’t so I’m contributing. A lot of this has to do with my own interpretation so not everything here is canon! Also this can be seen as either romantic or platonic. Enjoy!]

     You remember when times were a lot more simple. When you, Lionel, and Carla were little kids and your biggest problem was who got to play as which character in the video games you played together. 

When Lionel first released Super Weasel Kid, he was a little sheepish. It was just something he did for fun yet it became so popular. You and Carla couldn’t help but be proud of him. Then the second game was released, then he sold the rights to GameFuna, then the third game was released.

You’re surprised that he didn’t forget you and Carla as he rose to fame. You’re starting to wonder if that was for the best though. At first you and Carla were ecstatic to work for such a large game company and have your little trio be reunited but things took a turn for the worse. You watched your small friend group fall apart as the arguing between Lional and Carla became more frequent. Unfortunately, you were always in the middle of these arguments. You hated having to pick a side when you still cared for both of your friends. 

What used to be a fun job was now something that riddled you with stress. You thought about quitting several times but you didn’t want to leave Carla all alone or have Lionel snap at you like he did with his other employees. 

It’s a late night at the office and you’re more than ready to go home and sleep off the stress of these daily conflicts. You stand up from your cubicle, making sure that everything is in your bag before you leave. You look over at Carla who’s hunched over her computer. You wish she didn’t push herself so hard but she was trying to prove a point to Lionel. 

When he made his first female character, Chandrelle, Carla didn’t take it very well. She claimed that she appealed too much to the “male gaze” which was something you didn’t disagree with but didn’t comment on because you didn’t want to be apart of their drama yet again. To counter Lionel, she was making her own female character which she named Sado. Ever since then it’s like Carla was glued to her chair. She didn’t want to do anything else other than develop this character. 

“Ah, Y/n.” Carla calls out to you as you pass by her cubicle. She looks tired, her eyes reflect the light of the computer screen. Despite her disheveled looking appearance there’s a victorious smirk on her face. “Look at the progress I’ve made. I got Lionel this time.” You really don’t want to be wrapped up in more drama but Carla’s behavior is starting to worry you. 

You walk over to see what’s on her computer screen. You lean in closer, squinting because the screen is so bright and because you’re trying to figure out what the hell you’re looking at. 

It looks like the regular coding software that everyone uses but something is wrong about it. You haven’t seen those red things before. 

“It’s experimental but I think it’ll be perfect, what do you think?” You don’t even know what you’re supposed to be thinking. You want to tell Carla how worried you are, that she’s taking her rivalry with Lionel way too far. Would she even listen to you if you expressed those concerns? “What is it?” You ask, confusion is evident in your voice. 

Your reaction only makes Carla’s smile grow wider. “This is just an idea I…” She takes a moment to pick her words carefully. “Borrowed from Kaycee.” 

You remember Kaycee, she wasn’t working on any of Lionel’s games but you met her at a mandatory work party. She was a little closed off but still cool to hang out with. She was working on another game in a different part of the building so you didn’t see her very often but you knew that her and Carla stayed in touch. That doesn’t make Carla’s words any less mysterious though, it wasn’t like her to be this cryptic. 

You open your mouth to speak, to question Carla further but she interrupts you. “Kaycee told me a secret, something that can get us fired or even worse if anyone else knows about it. She found something in the game she was working on. It’s quite the game changer.” Carla turns back to her screen, her mouse moving to connect the hooks to the blocks and whatever those red things are. “I was able to replicate its likeness but I think it’s missing something.” She sighs, her face moving even closer to the computer. 

You’re freaked out. You don’t know what she’s talking about but it can’t be good. You’re not sure what to do, do you tell Lionel? Kaycee? Should you tell HR that you’re worried about her? Would anyone even listen to your concerns? 

Carla isn’t acting like herself and it scares you. You have known her since elementary school and you know that something is seriously wrong if she’s acting like this but what can you do about it? 

You don’t know what to do. After that interaction you bid Carla goodnight and went back home. It was the cowardly option but what could you do? 

You think about your choices, it’s either get Kaycee or Lionel involved or watch Carla destroy herself. 

Carla’s revenge wasn’t worth it. 

[gigastar]

Ram Gobinda Malakar founder and CEO of Gigastar.in

Gigastar.in is a leading online store for computer components, offering a wide range of products at affordable prices. With a vast selection of high-quality Intel processors, RAM, SSDs, motherboards, and more, Gigastar.in is the ultimate destination for tech enthusiasts and professionals alike. Whether you're looking to build a new computer from scratch or upgrade your existing system, Gigastar.in has everything you need to get the job done. The website offers a convenient online shopping experience, making it easy to browse and purchase components from the comfort of your own home. Customers can expect fast shipping and reliable customer service, ensuring a hassle-free shopping experience. With its commitment to quality, affordability, and customer satisfaction, Gigastar.in is the go-to choice for anyone looking to enhance their computer's performance.

Ram Gobinda Malakar is a highly skilled and experienced software developer and entrepreneur based in India. He is the founder and CEO of Gigastar.in, a company that provides comprehensive computer hardware and software services to clients across India. The company, formerly known as Om Tech, Gigastar.in has become a popular website where people can purchase computer components at a low price, including Intel processors, RAM, SSDs, motherboards, and more.

In addition to his work with Gigastar.in, Ram Gobinda Malakar has developed several software solutions in various domains. He has created a hallmarking management software that has gained popularity among jewelry manufacturers and sellers in India. His medical management software has helped healthcare organizations manage their operations more efficiently, while his college and school management software has helped educational institutions streamline their processes.

Ram Gobinda Malakar is also an accomplished e-commerce website developer and has created various types of e-commerce websites. He has also established himself as a popular YouTube content creator, where he shares videos about various computer-related topics to help people gain a better understanding of technology.

In addition to his entrepreneurial work, Ram Gobinda Malakar is a philanthropist who has made significant contributions to the field of education. He founded the National Computer Training Centre (NCTC), a computer center for underprivileged children, to promote computer education and technology in the community.

Ram Gobinda Malakar's expertise in computer hardware and management has been recognized by Beldanga Sewnarayan Rameswar Fatepuria College (SRF College), where he has been working in the Computer Department since 2007. In his role at the college, he has advised on various computer-related issues, including hardware upgrades, software installations, and network management.

Overall, Ram Gobinda Malakar is a highly respected figure in the Indian computer technology industry. His dedication to delivering high-quality services, his philanthropic work, and his passion for promoting computer education have made him an inspiration to many

[philadelphia-hq]

“How were you supposed to change- in ways both big and small- when your family was always there to remind you of exactly the person you apparently signed an ironclad contract to be?”

LUCKY WILLIAMS

Age: 25 Gender and pronouns: Male, He/Him Occupation: Software Developer Neighborhood: Midtown Village

BIOGRAPHY

The first big scare Lucky Williams had given his parents was silence in the seconds that followed his birth. It wasn't just them who felt the terror of it, the doctor who had delivered him and the nurse present too also felt it -- until eventually a cry left his little body. It was then that he was jokingly nicknamed the quiet one in contrast to his older brothers, which he seemed to embody tenfold as he grew up. With both little interest and little skill in most sports, he only ever found himself partaking in them because his brothers or his friends were. He could kick a football, catch a basketball and swing for a baseball, but there was never a guarantee that it would advance his teammates in any of the games he was playing, which was why he never found himself playing for any sort of team. His mind had always been the muscle he liked to work the most, and he was drawn to anything with a screen from as early as he was allowed access one.

It had been Lucky that had inadvertently become live in tech support for his family, always eager and willing to take whatever device was malfunctioning and see if he could teach himself how to fix it. It was a skill that only flourished more in his teen years, and seemed to work in tandem with the subjects he excelled at it in school -- namely math and sciences.

It was clear to everyone around him that it was a thread he would follow into a career, which was how he found himself accepting an offer to study Computer Technology at the California Institute of Technology. Despite his joy at the offer and the assumption from all around him that it would be the path he would follow, there was still some apprehension on his part about what the next stage of his life was going to look like and if he was ready to navigate it alone. The move to Cali was a difficult but necessary one for him, and he missed his family dearly -- or at least he missed the idea of his family, the one that existed before a bitter divorce had changed the landscape of it.

That shift led to him surprising himself with his own spontaneity and opting to travel for two summers of his studies rather than return to Philly, with one stretch being two months spent backpacking around Europe and the second being the same but in Asia. It was these travels that showed him that he was at his best when in motion, and that realization would seep into his career choices after university with how he negated a traditional office job.

Once he had found a solid friend group in his new spot, Lucky flourished, so much so he considered a permanent move to California after his degree but by the time his qualification was in hand, he decided a return home to work for a year or two was best.He may have flown the nest successfully, but there was some part of him that was still a home bird.

LUCKY WILLIAMS has the face claim of PAUL MESCAL and is played by STARK.

[luckyswilliams]

Full Name: Lucky Williams.

Nicknames: Lucky Luciano.

Pronouns and Gender: He/Him, Cis Male.

Birthday: November 3rd, 1997.

Birth place: Philadelphia.

How long have they been in town?: His whole life / on and off in recent years.

Sexuality: Bisexual.

Housing: Midtown Village.

Occupation: Software Developer.

Family: Two older brothers and a younger sister.

BIOGRAPHY:

The first big scare Lucky Williams had given his parents was silence in the seconds that followed his birth. It wasn't just them who felt the terror of it, the doctor who had delivered him and the nurse present too also felt it -- until eventually a cry left his little body. It was then that he was jokingly nicknamed the quiet one in contrast to his older brothers, which he seemed to embody tenfold as he grew up. With both little interest and little skill in most sports, he only ever found himself partaking in them because his brothers or his friends were. He could kick a football, catch a basketball and swing for a baseball, but there was never a guarantee that it would advance his teammates in any of the games he was playing, which was why he never found himself playing for any sort of team. His mind had always been the muscle he liked to work the most, and he was drawn to anything with a screen from as early as he was allowed access one.

It had been Lucky that had inadvertently become live in tech support for his family, always eager and willing to take whatever device was malfunctioning and see if he could teach himself how to fix it. It was a skill that only flourished more in his teen years, and seemed to work in tandem with the subjects he excelled at it in school -- namely math and sciences.

It was clear to everyone around him that it was a thread he would follow into a career, which was how he found himself accepting an offer to study Computer Technology at the California Institute of Technology. Despite his joy at the offer and the assumption from all around him that it would be the path he would follow, there was still some apprehension on his part about what the next stage of his life was going to look like and if he was ready to navigate it alone. The move to Cali was a difficult but necessary one for him, and he missed his family dearly -- or at least he missed the idea of his family, the one that existed before a bitter divorce had changed the landscape of it.

That shift led to him surprising himself with his own spontaneity and opting to travel for two summers of his studies rather than return to Philly, with one stretch being two months spent backpacking around Europe and the second being the same but in Asia. It was these travels that showed him that he was at his best when in motion, and that realization would seep into his career choices after university with how he negated a traditional office job.

Once he had found a solid friend group in his new spot, Lucky flourished, so much so he considered a permanent move to California after his degree but by the time his qualification was in hand, he decided a return home to work for a year or two was best. He may have flown the nest successfully, but there was some part of him that was still a home bird.

PERSONALITY.

+ self-sufficient, intelligent, thoughtful.

- introverted, melancholic, unsure.

FUN ADJACENT FACTS.

lucky by britney spears is his go to karaoke jam.

he brings home a goofy or tacky trinket from every place he's ever travelled to. he has a whole collection of location specific ugly key rings that are his pride and joy.

is learning High Valyrian on Duolingo.

huge lara croft/tomb raider fan. is usually fighting in subreddits about it.

CURRENT CONNECTIONS.

couch host / accidental roommate of @marley-callahan

SPECIFIC WANTED CONNECTIONS.

tba.

GENERIC WANTED CONNECTIONS.

connections wise he’s pretty much an open book right now, but some baseline ideas that can be springboarded off are:

friendly.

a best friend / ride or dies / close friends / childhood friends / pseudo-siblings / friends / drunk friends / new friends / former roommate / people from cali he was close to.

romantic

flirtationship / friends with benefits / one time hook ups / tinder matches / unrequited crush (can be either way) / exes from high school / exes on good terms.

antagonistic.

enemies / former (best) friends / exes on bad terms / frenemies / rivals / negative influence.

[themoneyguru1]

AI Revolution in HR: Transforming the Workplace Experience

As a work-from-home mom balancing a career in IT and a growing interest in finance, I’m always fascinated by stories where technology changes how we work. Recently, a non-banking financial company (NBFC) integrated Artificial Intelligence (AI) into its Human Resources (HR) operations. This initiative not only improves efficiency but also demonstrates how technology can make work-life balance more achievable for employees like me.

Speeding Up Recruitment with AI

One thing that struck me about this move is how it addresses delays in hiring. Poonawalla Fincorp now uses AI tools for candidate screening and document verification, reducing the time to finalize job offers from 10 days to under one day—a staggering 90% improvement. For someone juggling multiple responsibilities, this level of efficiency is a dream. Faster recruitment means teams can onboard new talent quickly, ensuring less stress on existing employees who often have to pick up the slack during hiring delays.

Also Read: How NBFCs Are Using AI To Their Advantage

Streamlining Processes for Better Results

HR processes like resume matching, job postings, and document verification are now fully automated with AI. From my IT experience, I know how much time automation can save, not to mention the accuracy it brings to decision-making. This is a perfect example of how financial companies can adopt IT solutions to improve workflows. By automating repetitive tasks, HR teams can focus on what really matters—finding the right talent and creating a better employee experience.

AI-Powered Employee Assistance

One of the coolest aspects of this initiative is the introduction of an AI-powered WhatsApp bot. Imagine needing quick answers about leave policies or payroll details and getting them instantly—no more waiting for emails or HR callbacks. For someone who has spent hours navigating HR systems to resolve minor issues, this feels like a huge win. Real-time support not only helps employees but also reduces the burden on HR teams, allowing them to focus on more strategic tasks.

Also Read: How Is AI Reshaping The Financial Sector

Collaboration with Academia: A Unique Advantage

This transformation wasn’t achieved in isolation. The company partnered with IIT Bombay to develop its AI systems. I admire this approach because it combines the practical insights of industry with the rigorous research of academia. Dr. Pushpak Bhattacharyya from IIT Bombay emphasized that such collaborations create more effective AI models. This partnership highlights the importance of bridging the gap between research and real-world applications, a practice I hope more companies adopt.

Leadership Driving Innovation

The timing of this initiative aligns perfectly with the appointment of the company’s new Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Salil Hajarnis. With over 20 years of experience in AI, software engineering, and enterprise architecture, Hajarnis has the expertise to lead this transformation. His past roles at Fiserv and Capgemini, where he spearheaded AI-driven solutions and platform modernizations, are proof of his ability to bring innovative ideas to life.

What resonates with me as a working mom is Hajarnis’ focus on creating scalable, future-ready solutions. He understands the importance of technology not just for improving processes but for making employees’ lives easier—a perspective that aligns with my own experience in IT.

A Vision for the Future

The company’s broader vision is equally impressive. By embracing digital innovation, it aims to expand its business areas while building a customer-focused ecosystem. This is a reminder of how technology isn’t just about solving today’s problems but also about setting the foundation for future growth.

Setting a Benchmark in Finance

With an Asset Under Management (AUM) of ₹28,396 crore and operations across 18 states and 2 Union Territories, this NBFC is already a leader in its field. The integration of AI into HR operations adds another feather to its cap, showing that it’s serious about staying ahead of the curve.

Also Read: Poonawalla Fincorp’s Expansion Plans: Doubling Headcount and Exploring New Opportunities

Conclusion

For someone like me, who values both work efficiency and a positive employee experience, this story is inspiring. It’s proof that technology, when used thoughtfully, can create meaningful change in the workplace. By integrating AI into its HR processes, this NBFC is not just improving efficiency but also setting an example for other companies to follow.