#i have to go to the shitshow that is work and be asked to train the intern i had a falling out with months ago who still acts like a pos

[marlovestrees]

This feels a lot like when my big international engineering firm decided they were going to “make better use” of their offices in China and offshore a bunch of piping and civil design from Canada. It did not go well, because management just threw us all together, told us to make it work, and then lied to their higher ups that it was a roaring success.

No one in management took the time to train the other team, language was a barrier, there were cultural communication barriers that no one was available to explain to us, and the general directive given was to make it work because other teams in the company had had great success with this strategy.

Many of the Chinese engineers were used to having the construction team figure out details in the firld, but the economics we were dealing with meant that it was cheaper to design every detail in the office than it was to have the construction team figure it out. This meant that the designs we got from the Chinese team hadn’t thought through a lot of details that we considered crucial. They also weren’t familiar with designing for -40 C weather, which comes with some special complications like cracking and lots of thermal growth.

At the end of the day, the team in Canada ended up redoing pretty much everything. A year later I ran into one of the people who had been on the team that supposedly did really well, and asked her how they made the split team work.

She looked at me blankly and said, “We didn’t, it was a complete shitshow. Management came back to us and said that you guys had made it work really well.”

The big firm is still using overseas teams, and they must have improved. But last time I talked to a former coworker about what the experience is like now, it mostly sounded like they had gotten used to the issues, rather than resolving them.

Watching companies implement AI feels the same. In a couple years there will be smaller firms whose main sales pitch is that they have humans doing everything, and they won’t fuck up your project like those firms using AI. Just like how the company I moved to next went to all the big players and said, “Wow, they really screwed the pooch on those off-shore mixed teams! Did that actually save you money? All our team is in the same country, wouldn’t you rather have it done right the first time?”

When I became freelance, one of my first marketing contracts was fixing my boss' blog posts and articles that he had 'written' with ChatGPT.

It was the single most soul-sucking task I have ever done in my life. I could have ghostwritten it for them faster than it took me to edit it.

ChatGPT would often hallucinate features of the product, and often required more fact-checking than the article was worth.

It is absolutely no surprise that 77% of employees report that AI has increased workloads and lowered productivity, while 96% of executives believe it has boosted it.

The reality is that it's only boosted the amount of work employees have to do which leads to increased burnout, stress and job dissatisfaction.

Source.

[your-fave-is-bi]

good news: dont have covid or the flu

bad news: this means my mystery throat hurting and muscles aching is so far indeed still a mystery

also bad news: dont get to stay home from work

[archangeldyke-all]

I miss CEO Sevika :(

What about Reader and Sevika going to...idk a dinner party/charity event with multiple companies in attendance. Sevika is one of the speakers for the night and while she's nervous, she knocks it out of the park. Meanwhile Reader is like "wow my wife is such a fucking boss and so hot for doing that on stage, I can't NOT suck her off and get fucked in a random, out of the way bathroom right afterwards."

i was thinking about this ask the entire time she was up there by vander's statue giving her speech. my sweet baby.

men and minors dni

sometimes, you forget just how important sevika's work is. most days you're stuck in your office together, making phone calls and signing documents.

but it's nights like this, when sevika's company has its annual ball, that you're hit with how much sevika does for the community.

the company built on the idea of giving low income communities low interest loans to build businesses and homes. there're several neighborhoods and families that you know personally that have had their lives transformed by sevika's work. but it's not just that.

it's parks built on the company's dime, community centers and pools and basketball courts sponsored by sevika herself. it's the team of social workers and accountants sevika's carefully hired over the years, who make sure that your clients are trained in financial literacy so they don't fall through the cracks. it's underfunded public schools-- the schools you went to as a kid-- being sent busload after busload of books and computers and supplies from your wife. it's medical bills being paid off by a mysterious, 'anonymous' source--the chickenscratch on the checks all matching your wife's.

and nights like this, with each lead team member of all the departments giving presentations of the differences they've made in the community this year, where it really hits you how incredible your wife is.

your poor wife. sevika's currently on the brink of passing out from her nerves, a glass of whiskey shakily clutched in her palms as she waits behind the stage. "baby." you coo, reaching up to cup her face.

sevika winces and pouts in your hold. "i hate public speaking." she whines. you chuckle.

"i know, love." you sigh. you'd give this speech for her if you could-- but it's kinda a requirement that the ceo speak at these big events. "it's just five minutes, talk about the good you've done this year, get some claps, get some laughs, then we can bail." you promise her.

sevika pouts even more, slouching down against you. "you remember the first time we put one of these shitshows on?" she asks.

you giggle and nod.

your second year working for sevika, a few months into dating, and the company had the first of it's now notorious annual balls. of course, back then it wasn't quite as sophisticated as today's is, but it was pretty memorable. after her speech (which she nailed, because despite how much she hates it sevika is good at talking) sevika ran off the stage, high on the applause she'd received, and practically leapt into your arms where you stood backstage. "fuck i can't believe i did that." she whispered against your scalp. "and they liked it!" she laughs.

you giggled and kissed her cheek. "course they liked it, you're very easy to like."

and then sevika said the words you'd been dying to hear her say, the words you were trying desprately to keep inside your throat until she was ready. "i couldn't've done it without you, y'know." she whispered. your smile got softer, and sevika leaned impossibly closer to you. "you kinda scare the shit outta me and... i think i'm in love with you."

you had just grinned and kissed her, mumbling a teasing "you think or you know?" against her lips.

and here you are, nearly ten years later, on the same little patch of floor backstage of your favorite venue, smiling up at your wife.

"course i remember, baby. one of the best moments in my life. right up there with meeting you 'n marrying you. think it'll be in the little montage that flashes before my eyes once i die." you say, giggling.

sevika smiles sweetly and kisses you. "yeah, me too." she whispers.

you hold her for a moment, hoping the touch will help her relax a bit, both of you swaying gently in your dark little corner as you wait for seamus to finish his speech and introduce sevika. "you're gonna do amazing, y'know. you do every year."

"ugh. i know." sevika huffs against you. you giggle.

"so then why are you so worried?" you ask. sevika shrugs against you.

"just. 's a lotta people. and i like when you baby me." she says.

you burst into laughter just as the audience on the other side of the stage bursts into applause. sevika groans, and you give her one last good squeeze and a smooch to her cheek before pushing her toward the stage. "go ahead baby. you got this." you encourage her. sevika smiles shyly at you, and you curse. "shit, sev, wait! i left a kiss mark on your cheek!" you squeak, scrambling to grab her wrist and wipe off the lipstick that must've transferred from her lips to your own, then onto her cheek.

sevika ducks out of her hold, though, her smile only growing. "good. let 'em see it." she says, winking at you before ducking under a curtain and out onto the stage.

the crowd bursts into applause at her appearance, and your heart melts as her words sink in.

she's such a fucking sap. you love her so much you think you might explode.

she nails it, because of course she does. by the time she walks back off stage, there are literally people chanting her name, like she's a rockstar or something.

you intend to tease her about it, but then you see her and her sweet shy smile, your very obvious kiss mark on her cheek, and her hands nervously clutching her note cards, and something ravenous courses through your bloodstream.

you nearly tackle her to the floor as you launch forward to kiss her. sevika gasps, and her notecards go flying as her hands reach up to hold you tight. fuck you love her. she's the most incredible woman you've ever met.

"sev." you whisper between kisses you can't stop pressing to her skin. "sevika."

"y-yeah?" she asks, her voice squeaky and excited.

"can i blow you in the bathroom, please?" you ask. "want you so fuckin' bad."

sevika shivers full bodied and lets out a shudder before she grabs your wrist and starts sprinting toward the bathroom. you cackle the entire way.

your favorite thing about this venue is that they have plenty of single stall bathrooms. you and sevika have used this feature to your convenience many times over the years.

sevika's already rock hard in her trousers by the time you lock the door and pin her to the wall. she's clawing at you, whimpering as she tries to catch your lips in a kiss. you giggle, cupping her jaw and kissing her soundly, shoving your tongue in her mouth to calm her down a bit.

sevika sighs heavily, and you pull away, gasping a breath before dropping to your knees.

"fuck. i'm not gonna last, baby, fuck." sevika whines as you paw at her pants. you giggle.

"you better. want you to cum inside my cunt, love." you say.

sevika makes a pained noise, and her dick jumps in her boxers. you laugh. "you better touch yourself while you're suckin' me then." she says. "want you to cum with me."

it's your turn to shiver. you claw at her boxers, a little growl escaping you when her cock's finally revealed to you. "fuck." you grunt, before leaning forward and just pressing your face against her cock.

sevika sighs dreamily, reaching down to cup your face as you nuzzle her dick. "so pretty on your knees." she whispers. you smile up at her. "lemme see you touch yourself." sevika requests. you shove a hand down your waistband, rubbing your wet clit with your fingers as you rub your face against her length. "that's it, baby. fuck. now put your mouth on me, love."

you're needy for her, so needy that you take a little too much of her at once, gagging loudly on her cock.

sevika moans at the feeling then laughs at the embarrassment on your face when you pull back and catch your breath before trying again.

"don' laugh at me." you pout, spitting on her dick and jerking her while you blink back your tears.

"'s just cute baby. so fuckin' needy for me you choke yourself on it." she sighs.

you shiver a little. you can't really deny that. "you did amazing, by the way." you whisper. "you always do."

sevika's shoulders scrunch up to her ears, and her eyes dart away from yours. you giggle. "shush. you aren't supposed to be talking right now."

you laugh and kiss her wrist, then try again, taking her back in your mouth and slowly working down her cock.

sevika melts against the wall behind her, and her eyes fly back to yours. you hum around her and she groans. "shit, i'm not gonna last, baby, fuck." sevika whines as she starts thrusting into her mouth.

drool is trailing down your chin and into a puddle on the floor, and when sevika's thigh starts shaking you sink two fingers into your cunt, getting ready to take her.

"fuck, i love you." sevika whines. "i love you so much, baby, love your fuckin' mouth, love fuckin' your mouth--" she cuts herself off with a little giggle, and then she groans. "off-- off-- pull off baby, i'm gonnahh!" sevika shudders as you pull away right before her orgasm. she glares down at you, and you giggle, kissing her clothed thigh. "get up here." she growls, tugging you to your feet and roughly shoving you back against the sink.

you grin, shimmying out of your pants with sevika's help, kissing her anywhere you can reach as she hauls you up.

"you ready for me?" she asks, rubbing her cock against your soaked folds. you whine and nod.

"been ready for you since you put that suit on." you tease.

sevika just chuckles and pushes in, both of you groaning at the feeling.

"oh fuck, please tell me you're close." sevika whines, ducking down to bite at your neck as she starts hammering into you.

your hand flies to your clit, rubbing quick little circles against it in time with her thrusts. "s-so close." you whimper.

sevika shivers at your answer, then lifts up to kiss you on the lips. "i love you so much." she whispers.

"p-please cum inside me, sev, wanna make you feel good."

"y-you always do baby, fuck!" she shouts as she fills you up, cumming and shivering against you.

you grin, satisfaction and pleasure filling you equally until you're falling apart around her, laughing and moaning as you pull sevika to your chest.

"you really did do amazing, you know." you sigh after you catch your breath.

sevika smiles against you. "i know. practiced really hard last night, my wife finds it sexy when i give speeches."

"your wife finds it sexy when you do anything, love." you correct her. she grins.

"can we go home now?" she asks.

you giggle and nod. "kinda have to babe. my shirts covered in drool, and i'm sure we got cum somewhere on your pants or something." you say.

sevika cackles.

taglist!

@fyeahnix @lavendersgirl @half-of-a-gay @thesevi0lentdelights @sexysapphicshopowner

@kissyslut @chuucanchuucan @badbye666 @femme-historian @lia-winther

@sevikaspillowprincess @emiliabby @sevikasbeloved @hellorai @my-taintedheart

@glass-apothecary @macaroni676 @artinvain @k3n-dyll @sevsdollette

@ellieslob @xayn-xd @keikuahh @maneskinwh0re @raphaellearp

@iamastar @sevikitty @mascdom @nhaaauyen @annesunshiner

@mirconreadzztuff22 @veoomvroom @lushh-s3vik4s @katyawooga @lesbodietcoke

@lavandasz @strawberrykidneystone

[theycalledhimastar]

if you are comfortable with writing Nikolai :

Can you write something similar like Neithboir price but with Nikolai?

Maybe reader being IT assisnat for 141 and having their car broken ? Or reader being new 141 Solider and needing help with something in their office?

Also bonus points if reader will be masc 👉👈

>w< anon~

Aaaaack! Absolutely! I have no clue why I didn't get a notification for this, tumblr is stinky like that! Let's get some Nikolai love up in here >:3

Nikolai x M!reader (Fluff!)

(Likely inaccurate but whatever, we ball you guys)

☄. *.

Your day had already been a total shitshow, from the moment your alarm failed to wake you up. Tumbling out of bed, you already had a creeping feeling that today was going to be... a long one. Your boots just didn't feel quite right, your sleep posture probably wasn't right so now your neck was sore and stiff, and your mood was positively foul.

Morning Training wasn't any better, truth be told. You felt like a rookie all over again, practically embarrassing yourself with your clumsy performance. The fresh bruises attested to the morning's lousy work as you trudged to the showers. Where, of course the water was cold, you couldn't complain, but you wanted to.

The shitty breakfast felt worse than normal, the coffee more bitter and gritty than it was supposed to be. The coffee grinds trapped in your teeth making you cringe all through your afternoon routine. Why couldn't you catch a break? Nobody else seemed to notice what was so horrible, that only added to it all, really.

The straw that broke the camel's back, was when your computer simply refused to cooperate in the middle of your paperwork. Of course, because why the hell not? You buried your face in your hands, wanting to scream and throw the stupid device. Unfortunately, you couldn't do that, you needed it for other work matters. So you were forced to ask around to see if anyone could help you with the slow, laggy, uncooperative piece of shit.

Naturally, nobody really knew what exactly to do, offering a choir of "try turning it on and off again". That, or they just didn't care and opted to shrug off your issues. You were ready to give up, practically banging your head against the wall when a gentle hand on your shoulder interrupted your meltdown. You had seen Nikolai around base a few times, chatted a little bit here and there and you liked him well enough...

A normal amount...

Totally...

"What's wrong sergeant?"

That alone was enough to make you start ranting about the horrible day you were having. Your alarm, training, breakfast, the showers, your computer, everything that had plagued you all thrown onto the older man. Nik just took it like a champ, nodding and agreeing every couple of sentences while gently ushering you back to your office so that he could fix your "stupid computer".

"I cannot help with the coffee, that stuff is always horrible. But I know a thing or two about computers if you would like some assistance."

You stand to the side, watching Nik type over your computer. You try not to let your gaze linger too long on his dexterous fingers as they swiftly move over the keyboard. Now is definitely not the time to make things awkward, but you can't help yourself. The fatherly figure has always been your type, and that accent has become your weakness the more time you have spent around him. You knew it was futile, he probably barely noticed you. You were new to the force and barely spoke to him for fear of embarrassing yourself horrendously. But still, one could daydream.

Meanwhile, Nik was more than aware of your not-so-subtle staring. He tried to attribute it to you trying to watch what he did to try it yourself next time. But when he realized you were staring at his hands and not the screen, he knew that wasn't it. While he was flattered by a young, fresh sergeant like yourself taking such interest in himself, he wasn't going to entertain the thought himself. Problems came about when you thought too long about that kind of thing.

"Alright, that should do it I think. These things are touchy sometimes. You just have to have that magic touch I guess."

He held up his hands with a grin, turning to stand up fully from his hunched over position. The way you stared at his raised hands sending a pang of pride straight to his chest. Maybe he could entertain it a little bit...

You stumbled over yourself to thank him, offering a favor of some kind, but he just brushed it aside. Ever the generous one, he wasn't going to expect anything for some simple computer fix. You silently wished that he would have accepted, you would've had an excuse to talk to him again later on. Alas, you would simply have to gather up the courage for another time. Although, when he patted you firmly on the back to leave and get to his own work, you very quickly decided that the day wasn't so bad after all...

[141-jackal]

Ghost who has a daughter somewhere, he's never been allowed contact with her. The mother was a bitch, used and abused Simon. Just before the child was born, she left.

Ghost who goes out for a drink with Soap, on the kid's 18th birthday, to celebrate not having to pay child support anymore. "Never have to think about that whole shitshow ever again."

Years later, Ghost who is training some of the newbies on base. Near forgetting that night, Soap jokes how one of them kinda looks like Simon.

Ghost goes into panic, 'cause the newbies last name is the same as that bitch of a woman. Goes to Price, reads her file over and over.

It's her. How? Why the fuck was she here?

No matter. She probably doesn't know about him, knowing the mother. He can just try to forget it.

Annoyingly, this kid is more like him than he thought. Taking a liking to close combat and knives. He takes her under his wing, teaching her how to throw knives properly and all.

After a few missions, Ghost starts getting more protective of her. He doesn't even notice. Soap does, though. He teases him for it. "Only thought you'd take a bullet for me, eh, LT. But there she goes."

The kid, who after one mission going tits up, ends up in medical for a few days. Ghost and Soap go to check in on her. They get talking about why she joined. "Wanted t' get away from me mum, she weren't the nicest. 'Parently me dad is military, though, so thought why not?"

"Do you even know his name?" Soap asks.

"Simon R. I think. She didn't mention him much. Saw his name on a few bank statements before I ran away."

Soap looks between Ghost and the kid. "Ya gotta tell her, LT."

She takes it surprisingly well. Turns out it was just dumb luck that she was placed here, not any higher power attempting to fuck Ghost over.

And when they're all prepping for the next mission, Soap and Gaz joke about having a mini ghost on the team, even suggests she steals one of his old masks. And she does. Simon is annoyed at first, but he allows it.

The kid works with the team well. And, while Ghost refuses to admit how much he cares for her now, he still won't have her going on a mission without him.

[deusvervewrites]

Thinking some more about the Luminary timeline. Accidentally went apeshit. Guys help this was supposed to be like two paragraphs and it's now almost 1,000 words

Curious spends several months early on during Midoriya's time at Aldera getting closer to the Midoriya family. At this time, she fully believes that everyone should be able to use their Quirk whenever and however they wish, and the people should work diligently each day to forge their bodies and souls for the sake of living (direct quote from the manga).

Izuku, however, believes that saving people is the coolest thing someone can do, and that Heroes should make other people feel safe. Not only that, he is helping raise up others instead of using his natural strength as an excuse to be superior. And it's working. His friends are getting stronger. People who canonically had no chance at UA suddenly have that opportunity in this AU. And that would be extremely surreal to her.

This would be the first real crack in her beliefs. Yes, they are working hard and forging their bodies and whatever, but they're doing it together because they're friends, and with the goal of helping even more people. Like a chain of connections or perhaps a torch being passed on. She gets curious. What if the MLA did something like that? Proper, collaborative training clearly gets results. So she investigates and is immediately stonewalled by people like Geten and how she was very recently focusing entirely on personal power growth. But when she looks closer... they didn't grow as well as the Aldera kids are now. And none of them want to listen to her talk about it.

So by about halfway through Izuku's second year at Aldera, Kizuki is now heavily crushing on Inko, and starting to have doubts about the MLA's training programs. Inko invites her out, she accepts.

She spends the second half of that school year looking more into Aldera as a microcosm of the MLA itself and is quickly alarmed. Many of the Aldera Squad used to be written off as low-tier fodder, the teachers don't give a shit how the students act, her personal interview with Bakugo reveals he has zero self-worth. It's a mess. By January or February, not long until the end of the school year, she brings this up to Re-Destro and he brushes her off. "The strong will rise to the top and the weak won't. It's tragic but that is their place."

Again, Kizuku investigates the MLA and again finds it filled with people like Geten. Their "army" has no camaraderie. Even she used to once think of their forces as walking bombs for her Quirk--though she probably never actually did that because the MLA didn't fight anyone yet. Kizuki takes solace in the words of Destro's book, but during a meeting, when she quotes the book directly, Re-Destro claims those lessons are now too soft for the reality they face. Curious never recovers from that.

It's now been over a year since she met the Midoriyas. Her dates with Inko are going strong. Izuku has never once compromised his ideals, and his friends are rapidly improving alongside him. She bets they're already better than most MLA recruits. And she's worried. Aldera is a shitshow, her fellow leaders see this as not only acceptable, but desirable, and she hasn't been able to publish anything because of it.

As the months drag by, she starts to feel guilt about the things she's said and done in the MLA, seeing how Izuku and his friends have been directly impacted. What she could brush off as necessary before, suddenly seems wasteful. Is this really the kind of living that the MLA strives for each day? A place where none of their forces care about each other and the leaders think nothing of ordering the deaths of their own forces with nothing more than a passing mention of memorializing them? I wonder how many employees Re-Destro murdered over the years for insulting the book. Kizuki asks about someone she met briefly last time she was in Deika and learns Re-Destro crushed them over the same book he told her to her face was too weak.

Halfway through Izuku's third year at Aldera, she decides that she can't accept this MLA any longer. She may be the executive director of Shoowaysha, but that doesn't mean every employee there works for the MLA. She changes their guidelines to be more inline with what she's learned from Midoriya. It still looks like MLA rhetoric at a glance, but the new emphasis on cooperation and helping others up to your level aren't truly their beliefs. And, under a pseudonym, she writes an opinion piece about Quirks in the modern day.

Re-Destro is infuriated, demanding she find the author. Kizuki agrees not to run their stories again. She sends the next piece to another publication. This one is about how children aren't learning proper Quirk care in school, just that they can't ever use them. Simultaneously, Shoowaysha posts about something Re-Destro's been interested in for a long time: the lack of standardized Quirk testing in schools. The timing reinforces both of her pieces. The Bakugous' make small talk about them to a low-ranked Pro Hero client getting tailored for an upcoming gala.

Suddenly, concerned parents are taking a closer look at their kids' schools. Schools like Aldera. Re-Destro is furious that they've been undermined by accident. He wants this mystery author dead.

Izuku and the Aldera Crew are the last class to graduate Aldera. Kizuki confesses to Inko who she really is/was. Inko stands by her. Izuku is about to start UA, the MLA are scrambling for damage control on their recruitment centers, and Kizuki has landed herself in hot water with Re-Destro for not preventing this. She, meanwhile, is trying to clean house internally via her articles without getting caught so that the MLA can become what she thinks it should be.

[bella-rose29]

Deck the Halls (and not your partner) - Part 2

To make this work (I'm sorry) the reader has a very large family, and they will have names (I genuinely cannot be asked to try and figure that out and make it entirely... non OC)

Word count: 4.5k

Warnings: swearing, lockwood and children so beware your hearts, lockwood gets hugged and can't deal with it, the family members are mean, reader doesn't eat much, lockwood is still a bit of an arse and so is the reader (but hers is more justified), proofread maybe once

series master list

So far, it had absolutely been a shitshow.

Lockwood had remained silent for the next hour and a half of the train journey, and with not much else to do but plan every tiny detail of their fake relationship Y/n thought she might be going mad.

Luckily they already knew a lot about each other, so they could get away with not going over basic details about the other's life, but Y/n hadn't talked much about her family to anyone other than George in rants after phone calls with them, so if they thought that she was talking shit about them behind their backs (which she was, but they didn't need to know that) then they would descend like vultures.

She was disrupted from her thoughts when Lockwood stood up from the table seats they'd managed to get, his leg kicking at hers as he manoeuvred into the aisle, not sparing a second glance at Y/n. She frowned, about to call after him and ask where he was going, but when he disappeared out the doors and into the next carriage she decided that she didn't really care, and at least he wasn't brooding in her field of vision.

Y/n had barely been on her own for a minute when a family of five came into the carriage (they must have got on at the station they had recently stopped at), and with her being the only one sat on a table on her own and all the others taken, they made for her. She swallowed, for once wishing Lockwood was here to make her look less selfish, and sat up a little straighter in her seat.

"Excuse me, but would you mind moving? We've got three kids and need somewhere for us all to sit, and since there's only one of you..." The man trailed off, looking at Y/n pointedly, and while initially she had wanted to hold her ground she could feel herself shrinking under his gaze.

Where the fuck is Lockwood?!

He could talk his way out of this, she was sure. It was one of the few things she begrudgingly accepted was brilliant about him. It's not like Y/n didn't need the table; Lockwood's huge bag was sat on it and taking up most of the space, and her own backpack was on the seat next to her, but suddenly her breath was coming too quickly and her throat was closing up, and the man in front of her looked a little too similar to that one uncle-

"Is everything alright?" Lockwood's voice broke through the silence, and Y/n was annoyed to find herself reaching for him.

"Yeah, we just need this table, but this girl isn't moving."

"Sorry, my girlfriend's pretty tired at the moment, what with agents being in high demand right now. How about if we share? I think she needs a nap, poor thing, and we've got rather a lot of luggage between the two of us. I'll move over her side, shall I? Then you can take the other- yes, hello, little one." One of the couples' children had been tugging on Lockwood's hand, and Y/n could see the man's posture relax the more Lockwood talked, watching as her fake-boyfriend picked up the small child with ease and planted him on the train seat. The other two followed quickly, glad to not be on their feet any longer, and Lockwood came to sit next to Y/n, pulling his bag closer to them on the table and shoving her backpack onto the floor between everyone's legs. "See, you three all fit there perfectly don't you! You're only small," Lockwood was saying to the children, not yet noticing Y/n's shaky state. Their parents seemed to be content with the arrangement, taking their own seats across the aisle where they could watch their kids, and through the slight haze covering her eyes Y/n could see them visibly relax.

Once everybody was settled, Lockwood shuffled around in his seat trying to get comfortable, and when his elbow accidentally jabbed into Y/n's side he frowned at her.

"You alright?" he whispered, not wanting to draw the attention of their new companions. She took a moment to reply, not quite registering that Lockwood had actually said anything.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I'm fine."

"Right... just- you didn't say anything when I elbowed you just then and I'm worried you might be having a stroke."

"I'm not having a stroke, you idiot," she said, glare appearing on her face. She had some much better names for him, but with three children under the age of ten in front of her, she figured she should stick to the more family-friendly ones. Lockwood smiled, bright and wide and far too blinding.

"That's better." Apparently he had forgotten about the mishap on the platform earlier, and his previous ignorance of her presence, because after that he launched into a whole spiel of what their plan would be.

"Actually," she interrupted, not caring that he looked annoyed, "I've had a lot of time to figure this out. I just need you to confirm or come up with something better on a few things and we should be fine."

"Alright then, what's your grand plan?"

"Well we already know most of the basic stuff about each other, what with living together for nearly three years, so that solves that problem. One thing I did think of was family, since neither of us have actually..." she trailed off, unsure where the two of them stood on that subject given what had happened earlier. Lockwood was only nodding, his brow furrowed.

"Come to think of it, you've never really mentioned your family much," he said.

Y/n shrugged. "I just don't... you know... I just don't..." she flailed her hands around in front of her for a few moments, trying to come up with the right words.

"I don't know," Lockwood replied coolly, "Should I?"

"I just thought I'd tell you about who's gonna be there today, which is my mum and dad, my four brothers, my sister, my Aunt Linda, and her daughter Stephanie. Oh, and my grandparents on my mother's side, but they'll probably be in bed by the time we get there."

"That's... a lot of people."

"Yeah. There'll be more for the party tomorrow, and then the day after will be the same group from today again, and we're leaving that day anyway."

"Okay... what about names?"

"My mum is called Emma, my dad is Ben, my brothers are Sam, John, William, and Tom from oldest to youngest, and then my sister is called Olivia. My Grandma is Jean and my Gramps is Richard."

"Right." Lockwood paused for a moment, reciting the names under his breath. "Anything else I should know?"

"Aunt Linda and Steph are gonna be the worst, since they always try and make life miserable for me. They're ridiculously rich and like making fun of my job- oh, yeah, barely anybody supports my life choices or my job as an agent, so just prepare for that. Uh, where was I? Oh yeah, Steph and Linda will try and find out anything that could be used against us, so I really hope you can act because otherwise they'll figure this whole thing out in seconds."

"Wait-"

"And my brother Will is the most supportive, 'cause he knows that there are options for work after my Talent fades and I'm not going to be out on the streets-"

"Y/n-"

"-and he, John and Sam all play rugby so try not to piss them off because they're twice your size and will snap you like a twig-"

"Y/n!"

"What?!"

"You need to slow down! Go back to the part about your family not supporting your job?"

"Oh, there's not much to it, really." She felt awkward now, his gaze far too sharp for her liking. If he knew the full extent of how much she didn't like her family, he would waste no time in using it to make fun of her and take the upper hand while he could, and she would be left to sink further into herself until she disappeared. "They just don't think I'll have many options, so they want me to think about my next steps."

"Okay..." Lockwood trailed off, getting distracted by something the children were talking about and being asked his opinion on starfish. He looked as though he was about to start conversing with her again, but the train pulled into the platform they needed, and Lockwood was all business getting the luggage out safely.

~~~

"Are you alright?"

Y/n jumped a little in the back of the taxi, not expecting Lockwood's voice so close to her ear. "Yeah, I'm fine, why?"

"You're very bouncy. If you're fine then could you not? You're jolting me."

Why had she thought he was trying to be nice? She should have known better by now that he wouldn't ever be that way with her, but it still stung.

Truthfully, she was on the verge of tears.

She wouldn't ever tell Lockwood that, of course, because how could he understand? He seemed to walk into any situation effortlessly, with endless optimism and charm that made life easy for him. Y/n was stuck panicking about seeing her family again, because if she couldn't even stand up to some random strangers on the train, how was she ever going to stand up to her family? No, she would just have to do her best to hide everything from Lockwood, to reduce the amount of blackmail material he would have against her.

~~~

The taxi pulled up outside the large cottage-style house, and Lockwood let out a low whistle.

"L/n, you never said your family was this fancy."

"They aren't. It was my Grandma's house, then she got dodgy knees and never moved out, and we moved in after selling up our old place to look after her and Gramps. We're about as fancy as your family, Lockwood, in that we too have multiple mortgages on this building to keep it."

"Anthony."

"What?" Y/n frowned, not sure what he was talking about.

"If we're going to pretend that we're dating, you probably shouldn't be calling me by my last name."

"Oh." She hadn't thought about that. The only reason she even knew his first name was because it was in large print on the sign outside the house, since it was generally accepted that he went by Lockwood and that was that.

"Or you could use some sort of nickname. I've got a few for you if you'd like to hear them." The grin on his face made Y/n think that she really didn't want to hear them, but he opened his mouth again anyway. "How about Sugarplum?" Y/n got out the car, slamming the door shut on him a little more harshly than she needed to. "Snookums? I think you look like a Snookums." The taxi driver was giving the two of them strange looks as he unloaded their bags, but Y/n ignored Lockwo- Anthony (she would have to get used to that) and handed over the money for the drive. "What about Sun Beam? Actually, you're too grumpy for that one. Oh, I know! My personal favourite," he paused for some sort of dramatic effect, being left behind on the driveway as Y/n stomped towards the front door. "Schmoopie."

Y/n stopped suddenly, turning to look back at her fake boyfriend with an incredulous look on her face. "Schmoopie?" He looked far too proud of himself as he picked up his bag and caught up with her, and she resisted the urge to hit him.

"Don't you like it, Schmoopie?"

"Call me that again and I'll be chucking your Source in the furnaces within the week." Lockwood (Anthony - she really needed to start calling him Anthony or she'd be saying 'Lockwood' to her family) Can't you just use my name? Or, you know, a more generic pet name?"

"Fine. You're very boring, I hope you know that."

"Sure. Just swear to me you'll never call me 'Schmoopie' again." She said the word with disgust, scrunching her nose up and fighting the urge to gag.

"Whatever you want, darling." That wasn't much better, but at least it was normal. Y/n raised her hand to knock, but before she could the door was being flung open, revealing a woman in a very festive jumper.

"You're here! She's here!"

~~~

Lockwood stood back slightly as the woman wrapped her arms around Y/n, squeezing so tightly he feared for his colleague's spine.

He braced himself for a similar treatment when she pulled back and spotted him, and the next thing he knew he was close to being suffocated as she brought him into a hug. Lockwood held his breath, his eyes wide and arms stuck out to the side as he tried to figure out what the hell he was meant to be doing. He hadn't been hugged like this since, well, since Jess. It took him a few seconds to work out that he needed to reciprocate the hug, but once he had, god. Why was he choking up? He could feel Y/n's eyes on him, so he shut his own and basked in the feeling of actually being held.

"You must be the boyfriend!" the woman said, pulling back and holding him by the forearms.

"Mum! Please don't terrify him!"

So this was Emma L/n, Y/n's mother.

"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs L/n." He flashed one of his winning smiles, and he could see her visibly relaxing.

"Oh Emma, please!" She looked back over her shoulder at Y/n, mouthing (incredibly non-subtly) 'He's handsome!'

"Mum!" Y/n hissed, starting to turn red.

"What's your name then young man!"

"Anthony Lockwood," he replied, and took particular pleasure in seeing Y/n squirm in the background.

"Well, you'd better come in. Do you need help with the bags?"

"Oh, no, I've got them," he assured her, shouldering his large bag and reaching for the suitcase handle that Y/n was currently holding onto. She didn't relent for a moment, and they had a silent argument for control of the suitcase until eventually with a small tug he won, stumbling ever so slightly from the effort.

"Everything alright?" Emma asked, frowning at the two of them.

"Yes, perfectly fine!" Lockwood called back, shooting a glare at Y/n. She reciprocated, clenching her jaw at his smug smile that came afterwards. He moved inside the house, Y/n following shortly behind and closing the door to keep the warmth in.

"Where should we put our bags?" Y/n asked her mother.

~~~

They had a problem.

A very large problem.

"Well I'm not sharing with you," Lockwood said, moving further into the room that Y/n's mother had shown them to.

"Good," she said, eyeing the double bed. "Just don't complain when your back gives in from sleeping on the floor for so long."

"What? No, I'm taking the bed."

"It's my family home, what gives you more reason to have the bed than me?"

"I'm your boss, and I pay your wages. If you want to keep being paid then I'm having the bed."

Y/n scoffed, shaking her head. "Arsehole," she muttered, going over to the windows and closing the curtains against the now-dark sky outside. The bed was definitely large enough for two people to share, but when those two people hated each others' guts and weren't actually dating, the bed was far too small.

"What was that?"

"Arsehole," she repeated loudly, making sure to look him dead in the eyes when she did so, then immediately turning and heading into the en-suite bathroom.

"What is your issue with me?" he said, following after her.

"You're taking the bed! It's my fucking house!"

"Let's not forget that without me, you would be in a lot more of a tricky situation! I think I deserve the bed for my efforts; it's not easy pretending to love you, you know!"

"Oh, like it's so easy to love you?! You are so horrible to me, all the time, and now I have to pretend to actually want to be with you?! I'd have been in a difficult situation anyway, the only difference is that in this one, I have a fake boyfriend. I could deal with the humiliation of not having anyone with me, but this?" she laughed bitterly. "This is near to being beyond me, Lockwood." Fuck, why was she tearing up? She closed the bathroom door firmly in Lockwood's face, ignoring the shocked expression on his face in the second before he disappeared from her view.

She pushed the lock, waiting for the click before turning and facing the sink, bracing her hands on the edge and heaving a few deep breaths. She hadn't realised how hard it would be to pretend that she was completely fine around her family while they picked and prodded and commented and made snide remarks, and having Lockwood around was only making it worse.

She couldn't even begin to imagine all the things he would use as ammunition in the future. He'd have a field day on this holiday, taking all of her family's words and turning them against her, becoming even worse than he had been before.

A knock sounded on the door, light and unsure, and Lockwood's voice followed afterwards. "...Y/n? I- I'm-" he sighed, and she could imagine him clenching his jaw and looking up at the ceiling as he tried to fight against the nice words he was clearly trying to say. "I have a shit sleep schedule anyway, and you go to sleep a lot faster than I do so it's better for me to sit in a chair when I can't get to sleep and you can lie down, so... yeah." Y/n was surprised at how kind he was, and was starting to wonder if he was having some sort of stroke. But then he started talking again and she knew that he was completely fine.

"If you could not take for fucking ever in the bathroom though that would be great, because I really need a piss."

~~~

"Ah, there you both are! You took your time putting your bags away!" Linda's gaze drifted to Y/n as she said that, eyes sharpening and making the back of Y/n's neck prickle.

"Oh, that's my fault, sorry," Lockwood started, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her in. Y/n stiffened, not used to being so close to him, and tried to force a smile onto her face. "I got carried away asking questions about the photos around the room, and I think I might have driven her slightly mad." He was smiling so widely and cheerfully that Y/n could practically feel everybody relaxing and warming up to him. It was frustrating, really, how they had known him for roughly ten seconds and already seemed to like him more than her. Her brothers were eyeing him up, trying to figure out whether they needed to take him outside or just give him a good talking to. Her sister Olivia was also eyeing Lockwood up, but in a very different way to their brothers that was making Y/n somewhat uncomfortable. It wasn't that they didn't get on and that was what was wrong, but they were sisters, and therefore they naturally disagreed on some things.

Apparently Lockwood's level of attractiveness was one of them.

"Oh, not to worry," her mother said, already loving having Lockwood here. "I made tea, if you'd like some? There's cake too, and far too much of it, so take as much as you want!"

"Tea would be lovely, Emma, thank you," Lockwood said, moving his arm away from Y/n's shoulders. She nearly jumped out of her skin in shock when she felt his hand land on her lower back instead, pushing her forward towards the empty loveseat that sat closest to the roaring fire. "Try not to look quite so horrified at this whole thing, darling," he whispered right into her ear, emphasising the pet name. "And maybe relax a little too, yeah?" He sat down on the chair, leaving very little room for Y/n to sit down herself without pressing up against him. She gave up trying to keep space between them when she ended up perching on the edge and gained strange looks from everyone else. Lockwood pulled her back towards him, grabbing her waist with both hands and tugging until she was right up against his chest, their thighs pressed together. He didn't let go, keeping his arms around her and nestling his head in the crook of her neck. She hadn't loosened up since walking in to the living room, and she was entirely sure that her spine was as stiff as one of the wooden floorboards under her feet. Her mother handed over two mugs of tea, placing them on the small side table next to their chair, then went to cut two slices of cake, starting with Lockwood's. He accepted his plate gratefully, smiling brightly up at her.

"How big of a slice, Y/n/n?"

"Uh... maybe-"

"Don't give her too big of a slice, she doesn't need that much," Stephanie interrupted, her tone sickly sweet. Y/n froze, and behind her she could feel Lockwood glancing between the two girls, trying to figure out what was happening. Her mother cut a decent sized slice, ignoring her niece's comment and handing the plate to Y/n.

"Did you make this, Emma?" Lock-Anthony (she might just give up trying to correct herself in a minute) asked.

"Oh, yeah, but you know, it's not my best."

"Well I think it's delicious, you'll have to share the recipe with me so I can have more of it back in London!"

"I'd be happy to! Do you bake then?"

"Oh, no, I'm awful. I'd burn the house down I'm sure. But our friend George is a magician in the kitchen."

"Remind me what you do for work again?" her father asked.

"Actually, maybe you could just... tell us. Since we know nothing about you!" Linda laughed. "We don't even know your name!"

"Anthony Lockwood," he said, yet another of his classic Lockwood smiles taking over his face. Y/n was starting to feel sick from the way Stephanie and Linda were watching them, and she put her fork down on her plate. "Y/n hasn't mentioned me much then?"

"No," Linda simpered. "I have to say, I was very surprised when I heard my sister say that Y/n had a boyfriend. I'm even more surprised that you actually exist!"

"I can't really blame her for not saying anything, I suppose. We're very busy a lot of the time and when we are free I'm often dragging her out on dates and the like, so if you haven't heard from her then that's entirely my fault." God, how was he such a good liar? Everybody believed him right away, but if she tried to get away with something like that they'd be asking so many questions she would give up and tell the truth.

"And... what is it you do for work?" her father asked again, desperate for the answer.

"I'm an agent."

"Fittes or Rotwell?"

"Uh... no, I-"

"Bunchurch then? Or maybe Grimble?"

"Actually," Lockwood glanced at Y/n, and she nodded slightly, bracing herself for her family's reaction. "I run my own agency. George, who I mentioned earlier, is our researcher, Lucy is our Listener, Holly our secretary, and then of course there's Y/n. Best Touch in England." He squeezed her slightly, and when she looked back at him he was smiling up at her so adoringly that she wondered how she ever hated him.

Then he jabbed her side, making her wobble and nearly spill the tea that she'd just picked up, and she remembered that he was a dick.

"Your... own... agency?"

"Yes." Lockwood didn't seem perturbed, which was lucky, because Y/n was feeling increasingly more unsettled with every second that passed. "We're based in London in my family home, but we take clients from all around England."

"Right... so that makes you Y/n's... boss?"

"I know it's not... the usual, but there is nothing that says we cannot be in a relationship. Believe me, I've checked. I don't think there is anything that could have been done to stop me from falling for your daughter, sir, despite her own best efforts, and I like to think that I keep my role as her boss completely separate from my role as her boyfriend."

Y/n stared at him in mild shock, not quite believing how sincere he sounded, and Lockwood was refusing to look at her.

Uneasy glances were exchanged by nearly all of Y/n's gathered family members, the only exceptions being Will, who had always supported Y/n, and Olivia, who was too busy checking Lockwood out. Y/n put her plate of cake down, having spent the last few minutes picking at it and barely eating any, and ignored the look that Lockwood gave her. She wasn't feeling hungry at all now that she was surrounded by everyone, and Stephanie was watching every move she made with terrifying intensity. No doubt there would be some fresh insults this year, and Y/n couldn't wait to be back home again.

Home.

Since when had she considered Lockwood's house her home?

"You alright?" Lockwood whispered in her ear. He kept asking her that, and it was freaking her out a little.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She stood up, gently detaching herself from Lockwood's grip and putting her mug of tea on the side table, half drunk. "Just need the loo, be back in a bit." She tried smiling at everyone, but the water gathering in her eyes made it difficult to pretend that she was actually fine, and she left the room finding it hard to breathe. Y/n headed up the stairs and into the bathroom attached to the room that she and Lockwood were staying in, and for the second time that day braced herself on the sink as she tried to regain control of her body. "Fuck," she muttered. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." She splashed some cold water on her face, holding it against her skin in the hopes that it would shock her back into being alright again, then turned off the tap and sat on the floor, her back to the sink and her legs stretched out in front.

Only two more days to go, and then she could go back to her normal life.

Two more days of this, and she was free, and could eat as much cake as she wanted, because George and Lucy would be stuffing their faces too.

She just had to fake it until then.

part 3

Tag list: @ahead-fullofdreams, @anathemaloren, @augustisintheair, @avdiobliss, @aysha4life, @briar-rose23, @curseofhecate, @dangelnleif, @el-de-phi, @ell0ra-br3kk3r, @informedimagining, @karensirkobabes, @locklyebrainrot, @locknco, @mentallyillsodapop (I just realised I hadn't added you I'm so sorry 😭 although I don't know if you wanted to be added actually idkkk) @mischivana, @mitskiswift99, @mrsklockwood, @mrsyixingunicorn10, @no-morning-glories, @novelizt, @ran23sblog, @superpositvecloudshipper, @t2sh0, @taygrls, @tournesol77, @whenselenefallsinlove, @wordsarelife

please let me know if I've missed you off the series tag list, and I'll put you right on! <3

[angelasscribbles]

Welcome to Oxford

Fandom: Heaven’s Secret Requiem

Pairings: Lane x Greg x Anna

Word Count: 1,925

Rating: Pretty PG honestly

Warnings for this chapter: None

A/N: I was writing this for Flufftober but didn’t finish it on time.

My other stuff: Master List.

Lane’s introduction to Oxford was less than ideal. Having spent the night wrapped in Anna’s arms, sleeping in a gently rocking train car filled with warmth and safety, she had let herself believe that the worst was behind her.

She was quickly disabused of that notion. Her awakening had been a shitshow. A stalled train, an attack by an infected, and a long wait for a promised car that never materialized were followed by a slog through stinging cold rain and ankle-deep mud.

She had been terrified that they weren’t going to let her in. The immediate and unwavering support of the squad had been gratifying.

For the first time in a long time, perhaps in her entire life, she was starting to feel a sense of belonging, as if she were a part of something.

She was pointed to a building that still had most sections of its walls and told there was an empty room on the third floor. That meant climbing stairs, but she didn’t mind.

Entering the room that had been suggested to her, her eyes widened in surprise. It was big. There was an expansive living area with tall, stained glass windows reaching from floor to ceiling and even a desk, so she could continue her work in relative comfort.

Across the room was a door to a separate sleeping area with an enormous bed. She scurried quickly around the suite, inspecting her new home. Her initial delight with the space quelled as she considered she would be sleeping in it alone.

She had grown accustomed to sharing a room with Anna or spending the night in sleeping bags with the entire squad. Being alone in an unfamiliar place held little appeal.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by a loud knock.

“Who is it?” she called tentatively through the door.

“Open the door. We have food!”

The familiar voice flooded her with warmth and sent her heart dancing through her chest.

She didn’t have to ask who he meant by ‘we’. There was only one person Greg would bring with him to visit her. She quickly pulled the door open to let them in.

Greg pushed into the room, his arms full of bags of food containers. He whistled as his head swiveled to take in her new space. “So, this is where you’re going to stay. It’s nice here. There’s even some light.”

He deposited the food onto the top of the desk that Anna had hurriedly cleared and then collapsed on the sofa across from Lane as if he owned the place.

“Yes,” Lane smiled. “Though I’m surprised no one has claimed this one.”

Anna’s brows furrowed as she looked around. “It is strange this room is empty. Although, we were gone for a long time. Maybe everything has changed.” Moving her attention back to the desk, Anna rummaged through the bags and took food from them one by one. “Greg ran to the dining room first. You know, he’s always hungry. But we thought about it and decided to take dinner with us. You’re probably hungry too, but you’d refuse to eat in there. Everyone new gets stared at, and you’re not a fan of extra attention.”

“Did you run to the dining room first, too or did you follow Greg there?”

Anna stopped setting out the food as her eyes flicked first to Greg and then to Lane. “Uh…”

“I’m sorry. Was that a rude question? I’ve just noticed how close you two are. Closer than either of you are with the rest of the squad, that is,” Lane explained hurriedly. She flushed as she looked away, sure they could read the reason for her curiosity written all over her face.

“No, you’re fine.” Greg shook his head. “Anna and I are close. We’re…. friends. Right?” He turned his head to search Anna’s face for her reaction.

“Yeah,” she nodded. “Friends.”

Sure.

Noting the awkward tension her question had created, Lane quickly changed the subject. “So, you lived here before?”

She swore she could see the relief in both of them as the topic moved away from their personal relationship.

Anna and Greg spent the next half hour regaling Lane with tales about the base. They laughed, slapped each other’s hands as they pretended to fight over the food, and generally relaxed, letting themselves be happy to be back in a place they considered home.

Lane listened as she ate and watched the easy camaraderie the two had with each other. She felt a twinge of longing deep within her.

She was struck with a sudden thought. “Where are your rooms?”

 Anna waved toward the far wall. “I live in a pretty similar corridor, but in the building next door. Greg lives near the gym. It’s a small closet that barely fits him.”

Greg rolled his eyes with a wry chuckle. “She’s just jealous. Don’t pay her any mind.”

The realization she would be alone swept over Lane, leaving an empty aching in her soul. “Is there anyone living on my floor?”

Anna and Greg exchanged glances.

“Are you worried?” Anna leaned forward, watching her face closely.

Lane shrugged. “It’s a normal question.”

Anna smiled conspiratorially and quickly stood up. She sat down next to Lane on the chair and draped her arms around the other woman’s shoulders. “Hey, don’t worry. I think the base is the safest place in the world right now.” She wrapped her arms and legs around the other woman, pulling herself practically onto her lap.

“Are you trying to strangle me?” Lane laughed while playfully swatting at her.

“I’m just trying to comfort you!” Anna giggled as she tightened her grip and buried her face in Lane’s hair.

“When did you become so affectionate?” Greg asked in astonishment.

“The cold nights in Siberia change people.” Anna grinned, pulling Lane even closer.

Lane gave up the struggle and slipped her arms around the other woman’s waist. She pressed her head into Anna’s midsection with a contented sigh.

Greg watched in a daze, holding his glass by his mouth as if he forgot to take a sip.

His relationship with Anna was hard fought and never spoken of out loud. It was comprised of countless nights keeping each other company on guard duty, the subtle shifting from squad members to friends, and maybe something more, as they chose to sit next to each other at mealtimes, spend their downtime together, and confide in each other about their lives in the before times.

Lane, on the other hand, had taken him by storm. She had come out of literally nowhere and somehow ran away with his heart when he hadn’t been looking.

He was no fool. He’d noticed how close Lane and Anna were becoming. He feared that they would fall for each other, leaving him alone. The thought of losing Anna had kept him from openly pursuing Lane and vice versa.

Anna’s smile faded as she glanced up and caught Greg’s expression. Releasing Lane, she moved guiltily away. She was playing with fire, and she knew it. Her newly burgeoning feelings for Lane were at odds with the relationship she thought she had been building with Greg. Not to mention she was pretty sure her brother was interested in Lane as well.

It was all so complicated.

“We should go.” Anna stretched as she made a point not to look directly at either Lane or Greg. “It’s getting late.”

“Yeah, guess it is.” Greg agreed, as he reluctantly rose from his seat.

Lane practically leapt out of her chair. “Wait!”

Anna blinked at her in confusion.

Greg felt an inexplicable flash of hope stab through him. “Yeah?”

Lane flushed from head to toe. “I…. uh… was just thinking that there’s so much room in here you could stay if you want.”

Anna’s eyes locked on Greg’s face before asking, “Which one of us are you talking to?”

“Both of you.” Lane took a deep breath and rushed on before either of them could speak, “I mean, I’ve gotten so used to having you in the same room, it just seems weird not to have you here and if Greg’s room is really that small, I just thought…” she trailed off as horror at what she had just proposed swept through her. They were both going to laugh at her.

Greg’s voice was quiet and low. “Lane. There’s only one bed.”

Her eyes closed as she pulled in a fortifying breath and whispered, “I know.”

Greg’s eyes found Anna’s trying to gauge her reaction to what Lane was suggesting. He saw his own internal battle reflected, but only briefly.

Anna hesitated for just an instant before desire and a realization about what she wanted swept over her.

Did she have genuine feelings for Greg? Yes. Had anything come of those feelings despite a year of them both dancing around the issue? No.

Lane, on the other hand…. Lane had been in her life for less than a month, but she never hid her feelings. She was physically affectionate, emotionally supportive, and mentally challenging in all the right ways. Most importantly, she was offering a way forward, something she and Greg hadn’t been able to accomplish in all the time they’d spent together. Out of fear perhaps, or uncertainty of the future. Either way, she was not about to pass up a sure chance with Lane for a huge maybe with Greg.

Especially not when Lane was offering her the opportunity to have them both.

Greg’s eyes widened as he watched the decision flash across Anna’s face.

Anna’s face broke out in a satisfied grin as she sashayed back over to Lane. “Are you proposing what I think you’re proposing?”

Relief whooshed out of Lane at the unmistakable desire in Anna’s eyes. She was into the idea. No one was laughing. She nodded her head with a hopeful smile. “I am.”

Greg’s worst fear, that the two women he had feelings for would fall for each other, leaving him alone, was about to materialize right in front of him.

He had been so worried that getting too close to either of them would cause him to lose the other that he hadn’t let himself cross any boundaries with either. And because of that, he was on the brink of losing them both.

Unless he took the chance that was being offered.

By some miracle, the universe was telling him that he could pursue a relationship with both of them at the same time. That their obvious feelings for each other were not a deterrent to their feelings for him.

Two sets of eyes locked on him, waiting for a response.

He had no idea how this was going to work.

But he wasn’t stupid.

“Yes…. Yes!” He stumbled over a footstool in his haste to close the distance between them. He wrapped Lane in a tight embrace and spun her around as she laughed. Then he turned to Anna and repeated the process.

When everyone’s feet were back on the ground, Anna flung an arm around each of them with a delighted laugh. “Come here, both of you!”

Lane and Greg threw their arms around each other and Anna as they joined in her laughter.

They clung to each other, taking comfort in the knowledge that in an uncertain world, they would always have each other. None of them knew what the future held, but they knew that whatever it brought, they would face it together.

Maybe it wasn’t that complicated after all.

[missin-you-already]

Resident Evil Fic Masterlist

I've been meaning to get around to this. Gonna start posting new fics on here for the hell of it, but also gonna put drafts + the Ao3 links since that's the main place I post at.

[Rain x Alice] – Pre-Extinction (2k) – With the Desert Heat – Since the start of the end, things have not been going Alice's way. It's not that she thinks anybody else who survived has it much better. Or that there isn't a part of her that thinks she deserves it.

[J.D. & Rain + Rain x Alice] – Post-Resident Evil (2k) – Turning, Turning – Is getting a peaceful night of shuteye seriously too much to ask for?

[Bad Rain x Bad Alice] – Pre-Retribution (<1k) – I've Leave With You (Someday Soon) – Rain often finds herself thinking about the world outside the walls of Umbrella Prime.

[J.D. & Rain] – Resident Evil (>1k) – Right Between the Eyes; Over the Shoulder – All she can hear is his agonizing screams, the pleading repetition of her name as his hand slipped out of hers.

[Rain x Alice] – Retribution (3k) – Where've You Been? – It seems a lot of time has passed since that nightmarish night in the Hive, which feels like only yesterday to Rain. What the hell is going on?

[Alice & Kaplan & Rain & Matt] – Afterlife (3k) – Unexpected Reunion – After one hundred and twenty-seven days with no signs of life, Alice finally came across something of interest.

[Rain x Alice] – Post-Resident Evil (<1k) – Glad You're Here – Sleep is never something that Alice looks forward to.

[Bad Rain x Alice] – Post-The Final Chapter (>5k) – You and Her (Me?) – Rain doesn't understand Alice. She doesn't understand any of this shit.

[Rain x Alice + J.D. & Rain] – Pre-Resident Evil (>2k) – Remember Us – Rain already knew Alice's name before the whole shitshow began. Alice knew hers. Both of them were quite familiar with each other, actually. Well. More than familiar. They were close. They had something. Not that anyone would know.

[Rain x Alice] – The Final Chapter (<1k) – Before I Go – It's been nearly a decade, and Alice still finds herself thinking of Rain. Maybe in another life, fate was kinder to them. Maybe things didn't start and end here for both of them.

[Good Rain x Suburban Alice + Good Rain x Alice + Good Rain & Becky & Suburban Alice + Alice & Becky] – Retribution (>5k) – For You, Anything – Rain feared that her wife and daughter had died in the midst of all this chaos. Thankfully, that's not the case. They're perfectly fine ...In fact, it seems Alice has even had the time to change her hair and clothes, find three burly guys with weapons, and grab some guns...

[Rain x Alice] – Resident Evil (1k) – Still a Chance – There is still a chance. The Red Queen wouldn't say it. She "didn't deal in chance", after all. But that didn't mean there wasn't one. Kaplan fried her, they seem to have lost the monster that killed Alice's asshole ex-boyfriend, and now they just need to get to the train and get the antivirus in time. Whether or not the antivirus would work at this point is up to debate, but overall, chances aren't looking too bad. That's what Alice keeps saying. Rain wishes she could believe her.

[Rain x Alice] – Extinction (>1k) – At the End of the World, I'll Stick By Your Side – Alice has been on her own for years now. She felt it was a necessity. That doesn't mean she isn't a little sick of it, though. More than a little.

[Rain x Alice + Good Rain x Alice + Bad Rain x Alice] – Retribution (2k) – It's Like You Never Left Me – Alice is no stranger to danger. At this point, she comes close to dying on an almost daily basis. Some brushes are closer than others; occasionally, it's less of a "close brush" because she does die. She's used to it, though. That's not the hard part anymore. "Just when I think there's no more shit left to hit the fan... you always find your way back here." It's coming back. "It's not so bad. I get to see you again."

[Bad Rain x Alice + Good Rain x Alice] – Post-Retribution (<500) – Content in the Downpour – It feels like a dream. Pure bliss up in the clouds. Being in Rain's arms. Having Rain in her arms. She can almost ignore how they hate each other.

In Progress...

[Rain x Alice] – Retribution (4k+) – Day In and Day Out – It was long ago that Rain lost hope. Spending day in and day out being forced to work for the same scumbags that started the whole mess with the virus, having to constantly look at the faces of people you've lost in the form of clones, having zero control over your body but a clear view of what you're doing... It's hell.

[Gen + Rain x Alice + Past J.D. & Rain + Past Spence x Alice] – Resident Evil, Apocalypse, post-Apocalypse (48k+) – Burning Up – Something wasn't right. If Rain had finally turned, if she was dead, then why was she still aware? Why could she see herself trying to dig her teeth into Matt's neck, desperate to tear open the flesh?

Pending drafts...

This is partially for me to get poked about finishing shit, and partially for me to actually keep track of my fic ideas because my past attempts haven't worked :^)

[Claire x Alice] – Afterlife – When those crows pop out of the plane and scare Alice before Feral!Claire jumps her, instead of that happening, Alice finds Claire mutated into an avian monstrosity that tries to attack her.

[Jill x Rain] – Retribution – Bad Rain is just OG Rain controlled by a Scarab like Jill. They both break free of the Red Queen's control and escape Umbrella Prime together (in a gay way).

[Gen] – Apocalypse – Matt and Rain and Kaplan mutate into mysterious monsters that stalk Alice in RC.

[Claire x Alice x Rain] – Extinction – Rain already joined the convoy and started dating Claire before Alice shows up. She's still into Alice, though, and Claire quickly catches on, which eventually leads to her also catching feelings for Alice.

[Rain x Alice] – Resident Evil – Time travel bullshit. So like, at the end of Apocalypse where Alice straight up dies? She wakes back up during the first film when that tank explodes, knocking her and Matt to the floor. She remembers the destruction of RC, remembers everybody dying or turning and has a chance to try and change how things end.

[Rain x Alice] – Extinction – Rain's DNA ends up being what creates the Super Undead. When Alice goes down to find Isaacs, she finds Rain imprisoned in a glass cage in a semi-zombified state.

[Bad Rain x Alice] – Retribution (kinda) – Alice gets captured by Umbrella. Rain is in charge of transporting her and they end up bonding during the long journey, resulting in Rain refusing to hand Alice over like she's meant to.

[Party Dress Rain x Alice] – Retribution – "Party Dress Rain" is the third Rain clone that didn't end up in the final cut. When she runs up on Alice and Ada, she's not a zombie, she's still alive... but infected.

[Good Rain x Alice + Good Rain & Becky] – Post-Retribution – Alice's attempt to save Becky and Rain takes a little too long. They end up separated from the strike team and miss the choppers, leaving them to get out of Kamchatka on their own.

[Rain(?) & Alice & Becky] – Retribution – Y'know that room full of racks of clones? When the Uber Licker shows up again, one of the Rain clones unknowingly gets knocked down. Without any of the memory imprints or programming Umbrella would typically give a clone, the Rain just kinda starts following them around and Alice... doesn't know what to do.

[Alice & Rain & Kaplan & Matt] – Resident Evil – EXTRA bad ending where the case with the virus/antivirus falls through the doors with the burning licker, and none of them make it to the doors before they seal.

[Rain x Alice] – AU – They're all motorcycle street racers and Alice is the mysterious, talented new chick who starts getting Rain all worked up and extra competitive. That's it.

[Kaplan & Rain] – Resident Evil – Kaplan encounters zombified Rain.

[justenjoythegossip]

DO YOU STILL BELIEVE THEY ARE PR?

What about now? Do you still believe they are PR?

After last week pics that we got of Chris and Abba at Golden Globes afterparties, so many mods were asked the very same question: do you still think they are PR?

Somehow It felt like their teams were looking for some sort of validation after throwing anything they could at the fandom.

It’s probably even more true after today’s pics.

What about now? Do you still believe they are PR? LOL

They did their best selling this shitshow…

I mean they had them pick apples in trees! He kissed her chin in a car. They were playing video games. And they did laundry for Christ’s sake. (lol) WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT? (Friends reference)

Sure, they had been hiding for the past years and no one ever saw them together where he lives or where he worked. No one ever saw them together where she works or where she lives. Of course, they were pics of him eating In Portugal. She was just never in sight… because they are so private.

So private that they called Backgrid on them to snap those ridiculous pics. Private couples just love to kiss in front of giant windows, where a photographer waits there to take a pic. You can even see the reflection of the flash in the window. It’s hilarious.

Good try but still more work needed…

You get points for a couple of things. They both showed their rings ostentatiously. They both looked away from the camera, which looks more natural and she took that smug smile off her face.

But if I could offer some piece of advice for next week’s papwalk, I will quote the great Jim Carrey. And as he once advised Meryl Streep: “Less is more, Meryl”.

The handholding, just give it a rest already. you need to shake things up. Couples don’t always hold each other’s hands as they walk. Sometimes she can just hold on to his arm. He might take her by the shoulder. Just think outside the box. Try something new.

Also the clench fist was back for a few moments. You need to have Chris work on that. And then, we will all believe they are a real, legitimate, loving couple! 😉

One last piece of advice though…

People have compared Chris and Abba’s situation to a train wreck, the kind you can’t look away from. However, it feels like this train accident has been going on for years. And it has. Both of them have been totally humiliated in the process.

So, the question of whether Chris and Abba are exclusively PR or not is not only redundant, it has become so tedious and pointless that there might not be anyone left to even care once the shitshow is over.

[fuck-customers]

hey gang! me again (from /post/741038774641983488, bitching about the two coworkers and the filthy deli slicer), and i guess we couldn’t go three days/two shifts without more bullshit from J1! as i write this it’s currently the morning after the shift described below. thankfully, i have the day off today, due to a prior appointment, so i might be able to wind down again before going in again tomorrow afternoon.

so before Chef C left on the hell shift prior, he asked me to be there at noon, when the first folks are showing up for their prep. good thing, too, because shortly after i arrive, before i even clock in, the head line cook (M) that showed up the same time i did informs me that he’s just gotten a text from C saying that both the sous chef S and the pantry cook J1 have called out for the day, leaving me as (currently) the only person available with any experience on pantry.

before i switched mostly to dish, this was fine, because i could rest assured that the old pantry lead (name irrelevant; no longer works there) would have as much as possible done and prepped for the next shift, even with the one day off we had between. the only time she wouldn’t is if the store was going to be closed for 3-4+ days straight and we needed to be concerned about spoilage. thus i would be left with minimal prep actually needed to be done and could just focus on the essentials.

considering this prior prep cook is the one who trained me and J1, it’d be safe to assume that she’d follow the same practices, right? well, clearly, that’s giving her too much credit, because again, i never got trained to any degree on how to make the vast majority of what gets “cooked” for pantry, and apparently she’s incapable of planning ahead even if for no other reason than to simply make her own job easier.

to make matters worse, we had just gotten a shipment, so the walk-in was packed full without any room to get around; i’d have put it away myself, but i don’t know where the vast majority of the shit goes, and i don’t want to fuck up the already tenuous inventory log situation that C constantly grouses about. i’m resultantly unable to get counts for anything we already have, so for the time being i focus on what i am able to easily access to get done, which is mostly plating desserts.

after a couple hours, a temp (E) comes in to help. there is a language barrier and she has never worked pantry before, only line, so i have to train her (through translation apps and my own rudimentary kitchen spanish) while also trying to figure out what the hell i’m doing myself. chef doesn’t get around to teaching me how to make two of the items we need until about half an hour before service starts, meaning i once again did not get a break and had to rush through making them myself, while i also try to get E set up with making sure everything she could put together was ready for service.

as you can probably imagine, this doesn’t go particularly well! E does great with the actual prep stuff, with dressing the cold cured meat dish and this that and the other, but as soon as we get to service it becomes an absolute shitshow. apparently nobody taught E on line that you need to send dishes out in the order the tickets come in, so we’re 15 tickets deep with more printing, and she’s ignoring things i specifically showed her how to make while we were slow to, instead, pull from the end of the queue to make salads that i keep having to drop what i’m doing to coach her on how to make correctly when they have a special request applied.

ultimately this results in me getting scolded by the GM/service lead to send tickets out in order, to which i just respond that “i’m trying,” and M comes to my defense when i can’t hear it to point out that i really wasn’t set up for success today, and folks kind of back off. thankfully we only end up with one extra dish (to my knowledge? something was said about extra carrot cakes but they were never brought back) and it’s just like. a half salad that E didn’t prep right so we couldn’t send it out.

insult to injury is that there were actually others present who had worked pantry before. one of the expo cooks (D) actually comes back to help J1 all the time, but because of S being absent he had to focus on expo—and he ended up leaving before dinner service without raising a finger or even pausing to ask to make sure i was going to be okay with just me and the temp. D’s got a problem habit of leaving without doing everything that needs done, anyway, which ended up resulting in J2 getting forced into overtime to pick up his and J1’s slack on that front, which is why he wasn’t there for this shift. probably ultimately for the better but i really would have appreciated the extra pair of hands.

due to the string of buffoonery that resulted in us missing no less than 3 kitchen staff and damn near everyone who knew how to do anything of substance on pantry, i wasn’t really given an opportunity to call for help. thankfully M had my back and nobody seems to have any hard feelings now that it was made clear to them that i wasn’t given room to do anything but struggle, and the GM and service staff took it pretty well when i apologized for how much of a shitshow pantry became, but i really should not have been left drowning like that in the first place.

Posted by admin Rodney.

[mikhailwrites]

Waiting for Connection 7 / Ghost x Soap NerdAU

Ghost is retired and plays milsim videogame. Soap is still in the force and sometimes plays that same videogame...

Previous chapter | AO3

Ghost accepts the invitation from John and is immediately thrown into lively banter.

“…look, all I’m saying is that having APC is all nice and fun, but not when at least one person in every team has Titan. Armour is slow and loud,” a male voice says with conviction.

“So going on foot is faster? If you need to cover a serious distance, armour is your best bet,” another voice disagrees. This one has a strong accent and a particular lilt to it. If Ghost had to guess, this bloke’s first language is Spanish.

“Oi, lads, cut it out, will ye?” Soap’s Scottish brogue is easily recognisable. The corners of Simon’s mouth twitch. “Ghost, hello, glad you could make it.”

As if he had anything better to do.

“How’s it going?” Simon says because, at this point, it would be weird not to say something when he was directly addressed.

„Oh, so you’re the Ghost!“ the first voice says with a hint of excitement. „Nice to finally meet you!“

Ghost feels his eyebrow raise. „Finally?“

„Yeah, Soap wouldn’t shut up about you, mate. Was starting to think you’re a sock puppet or something,“ the bloke laughs.

„He’s exaggerating,“ Soap interjects, with a hint of defensiveness that picks Ghost’s interest. “Anyway, that’s Roach.”

„I’m not exaggerating,“ Roach stands his ground.

„He’s really not,“ the second voice confirms.

“Och away ‘n bile yer heid!” Soap says with exasperation.

“So you introduce Roach and not me? Duly noted, Sergeant!” the man chuckles. “I’m Alejandro, by the way. And the last one without a mic is Rodolfo, or Rudy if you want; his headset broke yesterday.”

“Hey, looking forward to seeing your allegedly legendary skills,” pops up in the chat from Rudy.

“A pleasure,” Ghost says, carefully filing away any and all information. “So, are we going to play?”

“Yeah, sure, hermano. Soap said you had some sweet custom level?” Alejandro

Of course, he said that. At this point, Simon is quite interested in what exactly John shared about him. “I might. Although it’s meant for two people, five will breeze through. Especially since Soap and I know it through and through.”

He’s right, they breeze through the compound in some fifteen minutes. Ghost provides sniper support, not that it’s truly needed with the level of teamwork the rest of their fireteam has. Roach and Soap are quick and ruthless, kicking in the doors and disposing of any enemy they stumble upon. Alejandro and Rudy, on the other hand, have a much more cautious approach. It makes sense since, unlike Soap, they are not familiar with the level.

Alejandro is taking the point, relaying any information or command through gestures. They clear building after building in a very methodical manner. Something about how they move through the compound and recon the situation reminds Ghost of some guerilla warfare tactics he’s witnessed and utilised many years ago in South America.

He’s tempted to ask about their background later. Not that he’s really going to ask. It’s most probably classified, they are not on a secure channel, and he wouldn’t appreciate them poking into his past either.

Roach is SAS through and through, Ghost can easily recognise the training patterns. Moreover, it’s clear that he works closely with John. There’s a level of unspoken communication and a limited ability to predict what the other man will do the next second. That only comes after being partnered with someone for a long time and through some serious shit, Ghost knows this from experience.

They finish the mission flawlessly and decide to jump into the multiplayer for a change. It’s a shitshow, for the lack of better words. It always is; Ghost and Soap are simply too good not to wipe the opposing teams, even if they are outnumbered. And they’re not outnumbered today.

Five elite operators are enough to take on an enemy stronghold, let alone a fireteam. Some days, Ghost feels a little like a bully, though today, he’s just having fun. Banter is running rampant, replacing most tactical communication with jokes and idle chat. And still, they win.

Alright, one time it’s a close call when the opposing team plants mines on the perimeter borders, and Soap learns about them the hard way. Roach runs to him, even though it’s clear that Soap didn’t survive, and drops to his bloodied body.

“Nooooo!” Roach cries out theatrically. “You can’t die here, Sergeant! Think of your sweetheart at home, waiting for you! You’re getting married when we get back! And this is your last mission before retirement! Don’t you give up!”

Ghost feels a deep, low rumble in his chest as he starts laughing. Alejandro and Rudy join in.

“Are you sure you’re not meant for Hollywood, Roach?” Rudy asks over the chat.

They don’t get to hear the reply because bullets start flying. Honestly, Ghost is surprised it took the enemy team this long. They must’ve heard the explosion.

Even if they are one man short, they still prevail. Roach is still very much reenacting some corny film, swearing to avenge Soap as he runs into a building where the enemy is holed up. He gets shot, of course, but Ghost, with Alejandro and Rudy close behind, they manage to clean and clear the house before Roach is killed. Alejandro uses his medkit to get him up.

“Well, that was fun,” Roach says, and it’s apparent he’s smiling.

They all agree just as they agree it’s time to call it a day.

“I hope we get to play with you some more in the future, Ghost,” Alejandro says.

“Don’t see why not; it was a good game,” Ghost replies. They start to drop off the channel, Rudy first, then Alejandro and Roach, until only Ghost and Soap remain.

“Um, Ghost? Got a minute?” Soap asks, voice slightly unsteady.

“Sure,” Simon replies, dragging the mouse away from the button that would quit the online session and terminate the voice chat.

“I’m on mandatory leave starting next week, so I thought I could stop in Manchester on my way home. We could grab a pint or something.”

“Why would you think I’m from Manchester?” Ghost asks with the tiniest hint of suspicion. As far as he knows, he never told John where he lives.

“With that accent? Don’t insult me, Simon,” Soap snorts.

“Fair enough,” Ghost relents. The accent is one thing, but Simon is well aware he’s been dropping some details that could give away his location. Soap is definitely smart and sharp enough to put the pieces together. “We could meet up if you want.” Ghost tries not to sound overly thrilled even though he is. An occasional chat with locals in a pub is all nice, but to sit down with someone he could, perhaps, call a friend, someone from the military, someone who understands at least some things about Ghost that civilians can’t? That sounds real good.

“Alright, it’s a date, then,” Soap exclaims, loud and obviously pleased. “I’ll go by train. Should I book a hotel near the station?”

Ghost hums in disagreement, and before he can stop himself, he’s offering. “Waste of money. If you’re fine with a couch, you can crash at my place.”

Soap chuckles. “If I’m fine with a couch? I’m a soldier, Ghost. A couch is considered an unrivalled luxury on most days.”

 “Couch it is, then.”

[a-queer-seminarian]

got an email yesterday from a Catholic priest in the Cleveland diocese about what happened at Pentecost with, you know, me interrupting Mass after my priest’s anti-queer homily…and it’s actually really lovely to have a kind response from a priest! BUT it took me a moment to ascertain his email was in good faith because he djsjsjrjekwwjnd

he. He addressed me as “Zir Avery” throughout the email fjsjajahanaam

and at first I was convinced he was mocking me / being sarcastic about neopronouns but no, he definitely thinks that’s my honorific. And that he’s being super polite. And I just —

Give it up for my man cornflake!!

Honestly i can’t say i hate it! “Zir Avery” makes me sound like a genderqueer knight. I kinda dig it 🤣

Anyway.

He wants to know if father Tim has reached out to me “in a spirit of reconciliation” (nope 🥲) and affirms that the Catholic Church has far to go in living up to its claim that we are all God’s children.

He’s clearly trained in, like, relationship-building praxis when working with these complicated hierarchy & privilege dynamics — when offering me a resource he also asked if I have any recs for him on gender identity; I appreciate that effort at mutuality. Definitely gonna recommend him Father James Martin’s work as well as a basic gender 101 resource.

Not surprised he suggests I could have brought the issue up with Father Tim outside of Mass. That would have been my preference too, if I wasn’t scared that folks there in the pews would feel alienated and hurt and never know that a future conversation took place.

But yeah, at this point in time Father Tim hasn’t really responded to the loooong email I wrote him after the fact. My mom says she’s not surprised when I set off a shitshow he has to deal with (not her exact words haha). And I get why he wouldn’t be stoked to talk to me But it’s his Literal Job as a priest to seek reconciliation so…I hope he will reach out at some point. We shall see. In the meantime I appreciate this other priest doing so. Very cool of him.

[definesanity]

Sorry for the delay in doing this, was busy trying to finish that email yesterday...still ain't done with it lol.

Hello, first I am sorry for the length of this, but these ideas have been rotting my brain for quite a while so I figured I would share them with you.

First is a Mohg reader, the reader bearing the dark gray or black skin of Mohg, along with many of his horns and his claws and wings.

The reader has taken an underground area and made it similar to Mohgwyn mausoleum, although the area is bathed in their own blood, a mutative ichor that is styled like galaxies and cosmos, that has warped and changed the environment around the looming ruins.

While I am not the biggest fan of Imposter aus, I read them when I feel the need for angst but have no interest in writing one myself, perhaps it could be a part of one where the Acolytes realize they have been mistaken when they see the Ichor bathed land and The Lord Of Blood offering their Ichor to those who remained loyal to them, anointing them as Knights of a New Dynasty.

Perhaps they could wish to use the Tsaritsa or even the Unknown God, who may be an extremist in terms of loyalty to the creator and simply allows her extremism and fanaticism to color how she handles the world she oversees, as their consort for a new dynasty of their own.

Imagine everyone's reaction to seeing Asmoday, a fan name for the Unknown God, calmly sitting down beside the Lord Of Blood as they anoint their new knights, smiling mockingly at the acolytes for their failure, their actions proving her words that mortals and immortals alike are worthless before divinity.

Outside of that, the Lord Of Blood Reader is decidedly a bit crueler than most others, but they are also a fair ruler, welcoming the suggestions and critiques of their servants and vassals.

There could also be something of a moment where a child works up the nerve to ask them to ad a sick pet or parent, everyone watches with horror as they wait for the reader to slay the child...only for them to nod at the child and accompany them. They also start training the hilibros and coaching them in who to fight and build up their own forces to make them their personal soldiers.

The Abyss finds it hilarious, and so does Asmoday, her finding that idea that 'near mindless brutes and relics of a failed kingdom' are held in a higher standing than supposedly ever devout acolytes to be endlessly amusing.

Another idea is a Miquella reader, who is teleported with the Haligtree and its inhabitants, along with the Albinaurics, to Teyvat. The acolytes try and siege the tree thinking it is keeping their creator prisoner, with the exception of the Tsaritsa who sends diplomats because she is an 'ask questions before you shoot' type of leader in my eyes.

The assault...yeah it goes to shit. Forces are slaughtered by Cleanrot Knights, Omens (I like to imagine an Au where Mohg made an alliance with Miquella and Malenia as opposed to being...well himself and wound up working to elevate Miquella to godhood to have his backing for a new dynasty that would aid in governing a world free of the Outer Gods.), Albinaurics, Revenants (May they all burn in hell), and a certain 'Blade' who basically beats the living shit out of everyone.

They flee with their tails between their legs, now significantly less in number, unaware of the shitshow that is about to be unleashed as Malenia decides to go on a very enthusiastic walk across Teyvat...just like she did through the Lands Between.

My last one, for now, came to me while I was thinking of just how big a threat the Eremites could be if they were all rallied under one leader, taught how to rebuild and use Deshret's tech, and trained in proper warfare.

So my dumbass decided to go with an AU where Lumine wakes up a bit earlier than in canon, and in the Deserts of Sumeru as opposed to off Mondstadts shores. This Lumine was once one of her people best warriors, if not their best, though given the deeds her and hers were made to perform...the title is bittersweet to her.

She winds up finding a ruin of Deshrets and become intrigued by the tech that, while primitive by her own kinds standards, is still impressive enough to warrant her spending some time studying it.

A younger Babel and her followers find her repairing many of the constructs of Deshret and using them to repair the building, with Babel asking her how she understands the technology enough to do that.

One thing leads to another and Lumine makes a deal with Babel; you help me and I'll help you. If Babel will help her to gain a powerbase and a safe haven in Teyvat, then she will help her and hers with unlocking the secrets of the Scarlet King and unifying their people.

However, one thing leads to another and Lumine soon becomes much more than an IT and HR consultant as she begins to not only aid in training the Eremits, but she even begins to teach them how to build permanent settlements of their own in addition to how to farm in the arid landscape.

Soon she is labelled by some as 'The Second Coming of The Scarlet King' and by others as 'The Star Given Queen', as she begins to work with Babel to make the Eremites into something truly dangerous out of respect for them and a desire to have some allies in her corner.

Eventually, she even winds up courting Babel and becoming something of a formal leader to the people as she rallies them to her banner, beginning to forge a kingdom of Eremite warriors, armed with Deshret's tech and her peoples training in addition to their own, within the wastes.

Eventually she leaves the land to begin searching for clues to her brother and just what happened all those years ago, leaving Babel in charge with the promise of regular check ins, teleport waypoints get abused by her so much, but not before the Akademiya provoke her into a battle.

It does not end well...for the Akademiya that is.

So what do you think? Again sorry for the length of this message, I am apparently incapable of short and sweet messages lol.

Nah, it's alright xd

Well, as I was saying:

Mohg!Reader probably knew that their downfall may have ties to the fact that they never listened to others, and merely went by the words of the Formless Mother. As such, as you said, they will keep an ear open to advice this time around as they build their Dynasty once more.

Those even cursed shall be accepted; the Formless Mother has no hold over them anymore. Yet that does not mean that their strength has faded. No, in fact, the Lord of Blood is stronger than ever. Strong enough now, to not only see the coming of their Dynasty, but to bring it forth as well.

The Dynasty of Mohgwyn.

Next, Miquella!Reader. I feel that, alongside The Tsaritsa, Nahida would also bring forth a diplomatic approach via dreams. Miquella!Reader, as even St. Trina, is well tuned with dreams, and so the two confer and agree to meet in person.

As for Malenia, Blade of Miquella; I hope Miquella!Reader can convince her not to go on her very enthusiastic walk through Teyvat. They strive for the living, and them being dead won't help xd

With you saying about Lumine, I don't think I can add anything since, well, I think it's good as is :D

But, I do hope Lumine can also find help in other people; perhaps Faruzan, well knowing of ancient machinery, and Layla, to help her knowledge of the many stars and Constellations of Teyvat. Even to people like Cyno, who she would help track down criminals, to gifting Tighnari the more rarer materials in the desert and helping Collei with her studying.

The Grand Sage does not like her? Well, tough luck. She isn't going just yet :3

Still, thanks for the post (and me eating my own words with Lumine's segment xd). You truly have quite the food for thought, my friend! :D

[cbk1000]

So Mr. Jenn called me to vent about how his boss just told him that he came back from a budgeting meeting, and code enforcement is getting pushed off on Mr. Jenn (this has been an ongoing discussion for a while; they have an actual code enforcement officer, but are wanting her to concentrate on storm drain issues). His boss essentially told him he takes on the code enforcement work (which he's not keen on) or he's fired.

He's a building inspector who also does plan review, and he's asked multiple times what the plan is for when he's too busy with that to do code enforcement, because he's one single person and cannot do all the plan review, all his scheduled inspections, and code enforcement on top of that, and has not really gotten any clear answer other than maybe his boss will have to take on some of the code enforcement work. Plus none of the budgeting actually includes training for him. He has no training in code enforcement and apparently isn't going to get any. Also, because he's not actually a code enforcement officer, he doesn't have any real authority to enforce laws the way their actual code enforcement officer does. So it's kind of a shitshow of idiocy imo anyway, but this is such a fucking stupid threat?? 'Do this one aspect of your job that you don't want to do or we'll fire you.' Ok, and then you don't have anyone doing building inspections, plan review, OR code enforcement, you dumb cunt?? Plus Mr. Jenn has kept his journeyman card up-to-date, and journeyman plumbers are in high demand right now. If they fire him, he could turn around and have a job with the union as a journeyman probably the same day, and that would be a much higher wage. (He doesn't want to go back to plumbing and would rather stay in building inspection, so he's not going to throw up his hands right now and say fuck it, but it's a really stupid thing to hold over his head because he has certifications that make him in high demand and can get a new job way faster than they can get a new building inspector.)

I don't understand how so many managers can be so consistently stupid.

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Super 037

Vegeta vs. (yawn) Cabba.

So this is the one where Vegeta teaches Cabba to turn Super Saiyan.  There are some good points to this episode, but for my money, it fails to overcome its most critical flaw.  This is supposed to be a tournament match, but it ends up becoming a training session.  Vegeta even points this out himself when Cabba asks for the lesson.  He goes ahead and teaches him anyway, though, which I can understand, because he already knows he can’t get a decent fight out of Cabba, so he may as well use the time constructively. 

But as the viewer, I feel ripped off.  The thing is, this scenario could totally work if it were part of a card full of banger matches.  But let’s look at what we’ve seen so far.

Match 1: Goku vs. Botamo.  Goku wins when he drags Botamo to the edge and judo-throws him out of the ring.

Match 2: Goku vs. Frost. A complete mismatch.  Frost cheats to win, the decision is later reversed.

Match 3: Piccolo vs. Frost. A complete mismatch.  Frost cheats to win, the decision is later reversed.

Match 4: Piccolo vs. Frost.  A rematch after Vegeta requests Frost be reinstated.  Vegeta demands that Piccolo forfeit so he can fight Frost himself.  Piccolo agrees.

Match 5: Vegeta vs. Frost.  A complete mismatch.  Vegeta knocks Frost out of the ring with one blow.

Match 6: Vegeta vs. Auta Magetta.  A shitshow.  Vegeta float around for ten minutes dodging lava until he finally remembers he can just solve all his problems with ki blasts.  Also, insults wear down Magetta’s resolve so this was actually another mismatch. 

Match 7: Vegeta vs. Cabba.   Another complete mismatch. 

Tell me, dear reader, which of these is your favorite?  Probably Vegeta vs. Magetta, just because it wasn’t a one-sided rout.  And yeah, it’s the best fight of this saga so far, but it still isn’t very good.  It’s what Jim Ross would call “bowling shoe ugly.”  But at least Magetta made his opponent work for it, which is more than I can say for his teammates or Piccolo. 

Now, there’s still three more matches to go after this, and we do see an uptick in quality, but there’s also another mismatch in the bunch.  To put it simply: the Destroyer Invitational Tournament is a one-match show.  That sucks ass, because it’s a tournament!   There are supposed to be lots of good matches!  Maybe all of them should be good!  I mean, why is that not something to aspire to?

All right, so let’s talk about the good aspects of this episode.  The main thing Cabba brings to the table is Saiyan lore, and I’m always down for that.  This arc did help me iron out some details about the Saiyan history I wrote into Luffa.  For example, even though the U6 Saiyans are very different from the U7 Saiyans, and they seem to have very divergent histories, Cabba still uses the same fighting stance Vegeta used when he first fought Goku on Earth.  And Cabba uses the Gallick Gun, which indicates that these aren’t just things Vegeta invented himself, or even something he picked up from his royal family.  No, if Cabba has the same knowledge, then that means Vegeta’s style is based on something far, far more ancient.  And this scene led me to conclude that Luffa should know the Gallick Gun and Vegeta’s DBZ Episode 30 stance as well.  If they date back to ancient Sadala, then that knowledge would be commonplace among Saiyans, even a thousand years ago. 

Recently, I was thinking about the history of the Universe 6 Saiyans, and it occurred to me that it kind of makes sense that Cabba has never heard of the Super Saiyan form.  According to the Battle of Gods movie, the Super Saiyan God ritual was used to empower one righteous Saiyan so he could wipe out the wicked Saiyans of his era.  He failed when the form wore off.  Later, Akira Toriyama declared that this ancient Saiyan hero was named Yamoshi, and he was the first Super Saiyan, as well as the pioneer of the Super Saiyan God form.  The Super Saiyans who followed Yamoshi would arise every thousand years, and supposedly their transformation was awakened by his vengeful spirit.  I think that’s how it was supposed to go. 

So what does that have to do with Cabba?  Well, in his universe, the Saiyans are all good guys.  They don’t have tails anymore, and they don’t terrorize planets.  Instead, they hire themselves out to defend weaker planets from powerful aggressors (something else I cribbed for Luffa.)  Cabba even said that the Saiyans in Universe 6 still live on their original homeworld, Sadala. 

In that case, the conflict Yamoshi fought in Universe 7 must have turned out very differently in Universe 6.  Maybe Yamoshi’s counterpart won in that world.  He wiped out all the wicked Saiyans, and retired, never using the Super Saiyan God ritual again.   Or mabye Yamoshi’s counterpart never had to fight at all.  The Saiyans of his era were cool guys, so he never needed to become a Super Saiyan God in the first place.  Either way, there was no “vengeful spirit” to trigger the rise of Super Saiyans in Universe 6.  And without that, there was no Super Saiyan Legend.  Which means Cabba would never know about the Super Saiyan form until he saw Goku and Vegeta in this tournament. 

This kind of ties into something else this episode helped me work out for Luffa.  A big question about the Super Saiyan Legend is why none of the ancient Super Saiyans taught anyone else how to do it.  Goku taught Gohan, after all, and Trunks and Goten were so gifted that they learned it on their own.  So why was there only one Super Saiyan every thousand years?  Sure, some of them might not be inclined to share their secret, but some of them must have craved a worthy opponent.

This episode gives us an idea of the answer to that.  Cabba begs Vegeta to teach him the transformation, and Vegeta is disgusted that he would even ask such a thing from an opponent, during a fight.  So he turns Super Saiyan and whoops Cabba’s ass for a while.  Cabba tries to surrender, but Vegeta refuses to let him.  He threatens to kill Cabba, rules or no rules.  Also, he threatens to destroy Planet Sadala, and kill Cabba’s entire family. 

And that does the trick.  Cabba goes wild and seems to turn the tables on Vegeta for a bit...

But it soon becomes clear that Vegeta was just letting Cabba run loose for a while to get him acclimated to the form.  Then he tells Cabba to transform again, and he seems to have the form under control. 

The point of all of this is that it’s not exactly an easy thing to teach.  Vegeta had to resort to physical attacks and threats against Cabba’s loved ones to push him over the edge.  A Super Saiyan altruistic enough to share their knowledge with others might not be so eager to engage in that kind of cruelty.  In DBZ, Goku got Gohan to Super Saiyan, but he had to shoot at him with a Kamehameha to do it, and Goku was kind of reluctant to push it that far. 

Also, imagine using this teaching approach on a Saiyan like Turles, who doesn’t care about anyone but himself.  What loved ones can you threaten?  Which world can you destroy?  It wouldn’t awaken anything in him because he doesn’t care.  The irony is that the U6 Saiyans are a lot easier to train in this sort of thing, but they have no concept of the Super Saiyan to aim for.  Meanwhile, the U7 Saiyans had the legend but generally lacked the compassion to understand how to get to it.  And that’s why there was only one every thousand years. 

Of course, later on, Cabba will teach Caulifla how to turn into a Super Saiyan, and that’s where the whole “tingly back” thing got started.  But that’s the exception that proves the rule.   Cabba was willing to teach the form and Caulifla was eager to learn, but he still had a hard time explaining it to her, and he lacked Vegeta’s talent for inspiring righteous fury.  Caulifla understood how to get to the bottom of the matter, but she’s a rare talent.  Most Saiyans wouldn’t ask such perceptive questions. 

Anyway, back to the fight.  Vegeta turns Super Saiyan Blue to show Cabba where the road leads next.  Then he one-shots him and wins the match.

Cabba thanks Vegeta for his instruction, and tells him that he’s a lot like the Saiyan King on Planet Sadala. 

Goku is surprised that Vegeta would do all this for an opponent, and Piccolo suggests it’s because Vegeta wanted to spend some quality time with another Saiyan.  Goku points out that he’s a Saiyan, and Piccolo’s like, yeah, but he hates you, Goku. 

I mean, yeah, Goku’s Different, no doubt about that.  Vegeta can bond with Cabba in a way that he can’t with Goku.  But I think Piccolo’s got it wrong.  Vegeta has a similar desire to support Goku, I think.  I mean, they hang out a lot.  Goku doesn’t need much mentoring, and his Earthling traits probably irritate Vegeta, but who else has he got?   He’s the Prince of All Saiyans, and that includes the big orange goofballs like Goku.

So the next match is Vegeta vs. Hit, and as they prepare to face off, Vados informs Champa that she had to promise him the Hexahedron to get him to join the team.  Champa is upset to hear about this, because the Hexahedron is a vehicle of gods, capable of travel between universes.  But he had told Vados to get Hit on the team by any means necessary, so here we are.