#i still like my job but i'm not interested in getting promoted anymore so i'm just gonna chill and do my best

[beauzos]

bro i left work for one week to get my teeth out and then i come back today to do some shopping and find out two of my coworkers quit

[rhenuvee]

Modern AU! Diluc who starts making videos on social media to promote the Angel’s Share by showing how he makes drinks- only to take a wrong turn when the comments end up being down bad for him.

This video makes me thirsty, and Im not talking about the drink.

Pls handle me like the cocktail shaker 🙏

Suddenly I have the urge to cook and clean 🛐

In case anyone asks, the drink is blue.

The drink in the video was orange, by the way- he caught on the implication of the commenters distraction very quickly. And worst of all, his brother Kaeya laughing at the whole situation in the comments, not helping at all.

“Listen to this one ‘Luc: ‘Who needs a napkin when I could be cleaning his hands’, drooling emoji.”

Your poor husband, can’t even look you in the eye anymore. His fingers had been pinching the crease between his eyebrows for a while now, a little embarrassed at the totally different response than expected from his audience. He can't believe the viewers are more interested in his forearms than drink making.

“Y-You’re not helping, my love.” He says. He's frustrated at the comments, but can't help the blush when you say something so desperate. You feel a little bad for adding fuel to the fire (secretly giggling along with Kaeya), but it’s tough when you can’t deny the truth in the comments paired with your husband’s cute reaction.

“Perhaps you just need to cover up a little.” You suggest. Yes, he thinks. His next short video has him wearing his long sleeve dress shirt and gloves, instead of rolling up the sleeves. He's got them now, Diluc thinks as he hopes for normal comments.

However, the viewers are quick to find another way to "simp" for your husband (which you had to teach him the meaning of). With his arms covered now, some comments expressed their disappointment. But most focused their attention on the reveal of skin of his neck and the slightest view of his collarbone.

"It's no use." Diluc grumbles after a long day, his head resting on your stomach, defeated. You smile, bringing your hand to comb through his fiery red hair.

"I can't disagree, you do have nice hands." You tease, referring to the previous video's comments. Diluc looks up at you from your stomach with an annoyed expression. "You're too handsome, my love."

Diluc flushes pink when he hears your compliment. You say it quite often, but he'll never get tired of it.

He feels as if there's no solution to this. Wear his wedding ring? People would probably still focus more on his fingers, or create more down bad comments on being married to him. Bring you into the video? He absolutely does not want people to comment on you. Get his father to make the drink instead? No- he remembers the time his father was in two seconds of a past video and caught mortifying comments of the word "Zaddy" being spammed along with a timestamp. It was quickly deleted. He knows the pattern.

"So what will you do, my handsome husband?" You ask, interrupting his train of thought. You calling him handsome twice was enough for him to take a deep breath before composing himself to answer you.

"I'm too tired to handle this anymore." He sighs. "Maybe I'll give this job to Kaeya, offer him free drinks."

"Bold move, but I like it." You reply. Though you can’t help but feel like Kaeya would meet the same fate.

As for the results of Kaeya's efforts, let's just say that free drinks were not enough to help combat the thirsty comments. The good news is, the Angel's Share social media continued to rise in popularity.

[nualaofthefaerie]

It’s very interesting that you stopped supporting and talking about Dead Boy Detectives the moment it got canceled, not one post from you trying to help the actual fans save the show, support it coming back, ect nothing. I assumed it was because you and your friends (Lissy, Ashley, Swirly, Madison) finally stopped pretending that you liked it which seems like the case.

It’s just very telling the way you guys were the hype team of the show and instantly stopped talking when you didn’t have to fake it anymore.

As a longtime follower and friend I wish you actually enjoyed the show. It’s unfortunate.

Thank you for taking the time to write. I will now in detail address every single wrong assumption about it and I would simply advise while reading through this to remember that you sent in the ask and I owe to everyone the most honest answer I could possibly muster, thank you. Now, let's break this down assumption by assumption:

We stopped talking about DBD as soon as it got cancelled - that is entirely untrue. Even though, our original fandom is the Sandman we have all made the collective effort to continue talking about the show in the capacity that we wish to. If you indeed were a "friend" you would know I have not stopped showing active support for the cast of the show post cancelation as any normal person ought to.

Not a post to support the show coming back - Yes, and I will not because the show is not coming back. I am an adult. My life does not revolve around entertainment, I have a job and bills to pay. ALSO, the way this campaign to bring back the show is being handled is extremely poor. Several baffling choices are being made that interfere with my ethics and morals, and I have no desire to align myself with such choices. The internet is a free space, so please do continue to support what you wish, but my love for this show is my own and the same goes for my friends.

It appears the remaining supporters of the campaign fail to realise that in terms of numbers, the show DID fail by any and all metrics and are willing to blame everyone about it but the numbers. It is neither my nor my friends' fault that this was the case. We did our utmost best online and irl to promote it but it is also true that we exist in the reality that we exist and harbouring delusions about changing the world is not realistic for me at the big age of 20+. And if I do, those aspirations pertain to much larger issues than a show I absolutely earnestly enjoyed.

Name-dropping my friends is sweet to appear personable but I will reiterate the following point - Lissy, Ash, Swirly (who is no longer social media active at all), Madison and I, WE owe NOTHING to anybody. WE ALL went above and beyond (and still do, iykyk) to support this show. On that point, it is very important to note that bullying me, What's on Netlfix or any other indirect contributor of content as opposed to simply capitalism and Netlfix, is not very mature behaviour and it warrants inner reflection as opposed to outer aggravation.

We WERE the hype team, exactly. I'm glad that you recognise that. We were the most active people trying our utmost best to make sure the show gets renewed. But then again, we are free to return to our special interests, in our case the Sandman.

AND NOW let's talk about why we ACTUALLY stopped talking about it in the way you wish us too - the remaining fraction of the DBD fandom cannot decide whether you want the support of the Sandman fans or not. On one hand, you hold onto us as the bigger fandom that has more 'power' and wants us to help. On the other hand, ever since DBD was cancelled it has been non-stop harassment of Sandman fans - whether it would be spamming under a completely unrelated post, ridiculing the main IP for it 'being next on the chopping board' (which is very funny because we will not have a chopping board, we have one season and our show is wrapped up. The Sandman will be a grand total of 23 episodes it seems like). Like, it's almost as if we are not allowed to simply talk about our interests without aligning it with DBD which has been CANCELLED.

It's over. It's done. It is fucking sad, it is absolutely unfortunate. The Cat King is an extremely important character to me. I, personally, spent months promoting the show at conventions and it breaks my heart that this was a character that was so important to Lukas that he will never get to see through. BUT that's also how show business is- it's unfair and it's dirty and it's not always the way we want it to be.

I also believe that feeding into the delusion of renewal is unhealthy for the very talented cast of the show. You are pulling them back instead of grieving and accepting the circumstances. Allow them to move forward. If you truly LOVE DBD and its cast, you'll support them in their future endeavours without making it about DBD. I know my consciousness is absolutely clean because I have been doing that from the moment the show was cancelled (again, if ykyk).

We loved Dead Boy Detectives but we are adults. There is a large conversation that needs to be had about the way art gets trampled under the unforgiving foot of capitalism, but that will not change the current circumstances. It is an important conversation that I TOO BELIEVE IN. We all do. But I highly doubt, our characters are slandered because we don't wish to align ourselves with a campaign that doesn't align with our values.

I hope you use this as a form of reflection as opposed to a bouncing point for more arguments, because I simply have nothing more to add. Thank you.

Kind regards,

Li

[bonefall]

i think nightcloud's pannage is perfect, personally. it gives her a great opportunity to compare herself to the sow in her mind; perhaps she even goes behind onestar's back to try and reunite some of the humbugs with their mother?

Yeah, I think it's all coming together. It should be Nightcloud's Pannage. I was a little apprehensive of eliminating the stoats, but I think this will actually work better.

Now I can use the hog and her humbugs as a vehicle for conflict, create a really interesting comparison to herself and the demonized mother boar, and also establish the very cute little detail that she REALLY loves piggies just in case the opportunity to make Sowstar presents itself later.

Friendship Ended with Stoats; now Sow and Humbugs are my Best Friend

When a litter of humbugs get lost in the tunnels and start popping up all over the WindClan Moor, their mother comes to try and find them.

Mama Sow is actually going to get a name. The new "Head of Hunting" role has this as a major part of their job; they are meant to keep track of major individual predators in their territory, so they name notable animals.

DETOUR: I kinda want her name to be Rashma in Clanmew; in English that's Oxeye Daisy, or Moonpenny or Marguerite. I think calling her Marge is the funniest possible thing I can do here.

Marge is notorious for liking the taste of moonpenny, which makes prey taste awful.

So, she's never been hunted, has lived to the grand age of at least 5, and is known as a prolific, doting mother.

So I might actually have the Head of Hunting of ThunderClan, possibly the newly promoted Lionblaze, come to WindClan to warn them that Marge is on the loose.

Onestar is currently in one of the lower points of his arc, like canon. So he pretty bitterly dismisses this warning, and cuts Lionblaze off when he tries to offer ThunderClan's help if Marge becomes trouble.

(Or Lionblaze might be training under someone else, currently. I'm unsure. The last cat I have planned to be the Head of Hunting in ThunderClan is Willowpelt.)

After more scouting, WindClan comes to realize that Marge's humbugs are all over the moor. They're JUST big enough to put up a fight, but not big enough that the inexperienced WindClan can't win. About 3 or 4 months old.

I know that at least ONE of these humbugs is killed by WindClan.

It was awful to Nightcloud, like, so uncomfortably sloppy that it caused her to disassociate with raw fury and finish the job.

That's important because it's how I'd open up the first flashback of her childhood, that night.

As the Clan is roasting the humbug, congratulating her, singing high praises, she realizes she was reminded of a gruesome hunting incident when she was a kitten.

Each humbug would be tied to some sort of thought she has on her own life, so I can use them as a framing device.

She probably gets separated in the end because reuniting the humbugs with Marge brought her far away.

BTW I want to make sure Marge is still very much an animal. They can't become "friends" in the end lmaooo.

But Marge could "return the favor" without breaking that rule too much, I think. Maybe have Nightcloud get chased somewhere by a fox and Marge comes out of nowhere to kill it without even breaking a sweat, then moves on.

So far, something I'm kind of enjoying about Nightcloud's Pannage is the way it's just sort of reflective. It's about the hogs and dealing with them, but in TRUTH, it's just a window into WindClan during an interesting point in time.

Crowfeather is reeling from NOT being respected anymore, suddenly losing something that was very important to him, because he misused that power and felt entitled to it.

Realizing he has no friends or family left, because he was AWFUL to them.

The Clan is now looking to Nightcloud, giving her a sense of respect she doesn't really like very much. But she's exploring what that feels like, for the first time, as she comes to terms with her past.

Breezepelt/Dodderheart reaches a very low point in his life, and starts pushing people who love him away to set up where he's going in the next arc.

Onestar is ALSO at a low point. I should include him nonsensically snapping at Brushblaze after Galekit and Smokekit are born in this SE, so Nightcloud can grapple with how on edge her leader seems.

(Possible trigger where she also is immediately ported back to Hillrunner snapping at her for something equally "random")

Plus the supporting cast of interesting cats with their own feelings on this; Harespring who's trying to stay diplomatic, Heathertail who's frustrated, Willowclaw and her budding friendship to Nightcloud, etc.

Hmmmm.... you know, now that I'm writing this out, it's kinda striking me that Nightcloud's probably SO sensitive at this time in her life because, it's the first time she's actually felt safe.

You know that thing with PTSD where it all hits you at once? Because you're FINALLY in a place where you can unpack it?

So it all gets worse before it gets better?

I should keep that in mind with this one.

[idkwhatimdoinghere1655]

Called You Again - Mick Schumacher

<word count - 1885>

You were bored. You were bored, and had a whole lot of thoughts trampling through your mind like a stampede. You hadn't heard from Mick in a while, and he hadn't heard from you either. Well, that was probably expected from two people who had recently broken up.

It was mutual, and it was civil, but that never stopped you from missing him. You had been staring at your phone for the past half an hour, as if willing it to buzz with the powers of your mind. But, even then, the capabilities of discarded love couldn't force someone to call you. 

You sighed, frustrated with yourself as you scrambled to pick the phone up before you found some sense within you and stopped. Ironically, or not so much, Mick's phone number was the first one at the top of your contacts. 

After a few rings, the line went quiet, before you heard a, "Hey, Y/N," in the softest voice you had ever had the pleasure of getting used to. "Hey, Mick. How've you been?" you asked, pressing the phone to your ear. You didn't know why you kept on thinking you could be friends after what you were, but there was always that little part of your brain that longed to hear his voice. 

"Not bad thanks, you?" he asked, not wanting to admit that the nature of your call seemed slightly suspicious. Sure, you had settled it on good terms, but he didn't know if that constituted calling the other person. "Yeah, I've been good," you said, and silence settled over the pair of you.

"So, is there a reason you've called or...?" Mick broke the quiet. He didn't want his question to come across as rude, or like he didn't want to talk to you, he was simply curious. "I was just thinking how we don't really talk anymore, and I thought it'd be nice to catch up," you explained, more as if you were convincing yourself that that was the reason. 

"OK, yeah, I guess you're right," Mick agreed, finding your excu- reasoning to be normal, and he had been thinking about it too. "So, what's new with you?" He asked, continuing the conversation. Your heart was telling you to say you missed him, but your head said no way. 

You never really loved him that bad anyway, you were just lonely and the sound of his voice, asking how you'd been doing made it feel like someone cared again. He did a one point, but not anymore. You both knew that. "Nothing much, life just carries on, I suppose," you said, mentally scolding yourself when you realised how depressing you must've sounded.

"But works been going pretty great, so that's always good," you said, hoping to lighten the mood somewhat. "That's great to hear, did you get the promotion you wanted?" he asked, and if he wasn't genuinely interested, he was doing a damn good job at acting like he was.

"Yeah, I did," you nodded, surprised he had still remembered. It was something you had mentioned briefly a few days before you decided to call it quits, so it wasn't something you had made a huge deal out of.  "Woah, well done! I knew you'd get it," he gushed, and for a moment, you were back when you had just scored your dream job, and he had said nearly the exact same thing.

But things were different now. 

"I was so nervous, because I thought I wouldn't, but then I did," you rambled, as if he were right there in the room with you. "There was never any doubt in my mind that you would," he reassured, and you could hear the smile that was dancing on his lips. "I put a lot of work into it, so I'm glad it paid off," you lightly chuckled.

"How about you?" you asked. The most you knew was that he was still testing for Mercedes, and he was still a reserve driver for if Lewis or George couldn't race. "I've been doing a lot of simulator work recently, so a lot of late nights, but it's worth it. I've been loving every minute of it," he explained.

The passion in his voice whenever he talked about anything remotely related to cars never failed to make your heart sing, and you admired his love for racing. It truly was his life, but that wasn't something you got to share anymore.

"Good good, I'm glad you're enjoying it," you replied, nodding while pressing the phone evermore closer to your ear, as if it would bring Mick closer to you. Silence fell over the line, but neither of you put the phone down. 

Neither of you said anything for a short while, either. The silence was slightly awkward, since neither of you really knew what to say. But still, you never put the phone down. You never knew when you were done talking with him, so you didn't want to be the one to end it. 

And you never really were the one who wanted to end it. 

As you sat in the silence, you asked yourself why you were always calling him again. You didn't love him anymore, that was what you told yourself, but then why did you feel compelled to hear his voice, his laugh? You were just being friendly, simple as that. There was nothing more to it. Absolutely nothing more. 

You talked for a little while more, but then Mick had to go. This time, you were left in silence without the chance that you'd get to hear his voice break through it. There were so many other people you could have called while you were away, but you didn't. It just wasn't the same as the homely comfort that talking to Mick offered, and there was no way to get around that. 

But, that didn't mean you loved him anymore. Not in the slightest. You were just lonely and missing your friends since you were always away at races. Yes, this job was your dream, but that didn't mean you didn't feel isolated every now and then.

Mick was always in the same time zone, and you already knew his schedule, so you knew when he was free and when it was a good time to call. It was simply convenient. There it was, that was the reason you called Mick. It was convenient. Your brain was happy with that conclusion, but your heart was overly skeptical. It always was when it came to your feelings for Mick, but you weren't listening to it today. 

--

You hadn't spoken to Mick in... A while. Well, it was long enough for you to realise that you hadn't heard his voice in a while. You knew you could have easily called him and ended the torment that felt self-inflicted.

It was almost like quitting smoking. If you never went back to cigarettes, then you'd never crave them again. On the outside, it looks easy, but try to do it, and you'll almost definitely fail to quit completely, caving back into the temptation.

It was also like you were in denial. If you never accepted that you actually wanted to call him, then you'd never actually want to call him. That was how that worked, right? 

You had so many excuses to not call him, the main one being the fact that you had convinced yourself into believing that he had loved you the most. He loved you more than you had loved him, and calling him was only hurting him more. 

Not even all of the conviction in the world could convince that one tiny, little, Mick-reserved section of your heart that that was true. It would never be enough to make that one bit of your brain that kept that tiny, little section beating let him go. It would grasp on with all of its might and power for as long as it had the strength to, and it wasn't showing any signs of giving up now. 

Whenever you so much as looked at your phone, your brain screamed at you to get a grip and call the guy, but it would never actually let you. Your limbs would freeze in place, fingers hovering over the call button until the screen faded to black and you'd say it was 'a sign'.

It was probably better off this way, anyway. He'd be better off by himself, and maybe he could find someone new without the ghost of you haunting him whenever you called. He'd be better off without you clinging to him. 

Another night went by, the same thoughts running through your brain, not letting you fall asleep. It was like you were plagued by the thoughts of him. But then, the sharp rings of your phone interrupted the peace. 

It was probably just someone from work, nothing special. You picked the phone up, and nearly dropped it when you saw his face filling up the screen. That dazzling smile with those bright blue eyes was a sight for sore eyes.

You were so shocked, yet elated at the same time, that you just stared at his picture until the room fell quiet again. You scrambled to call him back, excited to hear the sweet, soothing tones of his voice. "Hey, sorry, my phone was on the other side of the room," you lied, as if you needed a reason to have missed his call. 

"Hey, Y/N, don't worry about it. How are you?" He asked, and you fell back into the vicious cycle all over again. One of you would be the one to call for a little while, then they'd stop, then the other would call, and then stop. But it happened over and over again. 

It always carried on, and one of you always poked the sleeping bear. You always wondered why you called him again, or why you picked up his late night phone calls. That childish, giggly feeling of butterflies that lingered in your stomach after you'd talked to him wasn't love.

The yearn you had to talk to him and see him wasn't love. The need you had for him and the respect you held wasn't love. It had been, but it wasn't anymore. Love wasn't supposed to hurt like this did.

--

Now you don't really talk anymore. 

You were in one of those slumps, and it was technically your turn to call him, if that was how that worked. But it made sense, all you did was hurt him. All you did was cause him pain. All of that because you would always call him back, no matter what you told yourself. 

You hurt yourself so that you wouldn't hurt him anymore, and that was OK. He was worth it, even if your efforts would always go unvalued and unnoticed. One day, it wouldn't hurt so badly. One day, you'd have someone else to call, and you wouldn't feel at a loose end. 

 You didn't like hurting him, that was never your intention. But it took some of the pain away. It was like nurofen - it took the ache away for a short while, it left you numb. Yes, the ache always came back, but it was those moments of freedom that were your escape. 

Your moments of freedom caused him pain, because you called him again. 

A/N - OK, so we're just over a fifth through this already, so go me! Can't believe I am being so dedicated. And I am still writing all part 2s and requests, so don't worry if you're still waiting on something. It's coming, I promise. If any of you have anymore requests, then feel free to submit them!

|masterlist|five seconds flat|

[riddlerosehearts]

can i be honest and just say that the snow white remake deciding to get rid of the romance is SO incredibly annoying to me because like... snow white's prince is what people like to claim the princesses are. he doesn't have a canon name, he doesn't show up anywhere except at the beginning and end of the story, literally all he does is sing to snow white and kiss her, he essentially has no personality and his one and only purpose is to be a love interest. rachel zegler claims that the original snow white has no function beyond "someday my prince will come", but really, she's an abuse victim who chooses to be kind, to have hope and to dream of love, and to take control of her own life by doing housework for the dwarves in exchange for being allowed to stay with them. the prince is the one who has no function beyond "one song", other than to rescue snow white and make her happy!!

but the thing is, he wasn't planned to be such a nothing character!! walt wanted to do more with him, if only they hadn't had so much trouble animating him at the time. and i was hoping so badly that the remake would flesh him out and give snow white a truly beautiful romance with her prince, like she deserves, because there is nothing wrong with an abused teenage girl, or any girl for that matter, wanting to find true love! but disney has decided that actually there is, i guess?! i was hoping maybe they could be childhood friends who met before snow white's parents died, because in the original movie it seems possible, to me at least, that they already knew each other and that's why he was so comfortable sneaking past the castle walls and joining in on her song, and why she was so immediately enchanted by him. that maybe the reason she was surprised at first and tried to run from him was because her abusive stepmother didn't want him around and might harm him. or if not that, maybe he wants to work out a trade deal between his kingdom and hers and he comes by and introduces himself like a normal person instead of sneaking in. but instead they're just getting rid of him entirely and at this point i'm surprised the cinderella remake gave kit and ella such a beautifully developed love story instead of just removing prince charming and making cinderella some kind of shallow girlboss.

and then also, they're not including the dwarves all because peter dinklage complained that it's stereotypical to have a story about dwarves living in a cave when, um, they literally fucking don't?!?! it's kind of a pretty significant plot point that the house snow white is staying in is their house and they just work as miners 😭 i'm so tired of celebrities who probably haven't watched a disney movie since they were in diapers thinking they need to say shit like this. AND this whole decision is not even working out for disney because now they're also getting slammed by actors with dwarfism who are understandably disappointed at losing the chance to audition for those roles. when they could've just idk, kept the dwarves and taken the opportunity to be inclusive and give work to a highly underrepresented demographic instead of removing them based on blatantly false information?? and if the dwarves working as miners is still considered stereotypical/harmful, then why not... give them a different job that isn't?

sorry it's just. ugh. disney would be nothing without snow white and every single time i see promotional stuff for the remake it's all just the cast and crew disrespecting snow white and trashing it and saying they're making it better by cutting out its most important elements. i have nothing to look forward to with this movie anymore (not that i was looking forward to it that much to begin with) because apparently the only thing it shares with the original is its title character, and i'm sure she'll also be nothing like her animated counterpart.

edit because i didn't really expect anyone to see this: idk if the whole "getting rid of the romance" thing is true because after writing this i remembered that i've also heard something about the prince getting replaced with a new "robin hood-esque" love interest named johnathan?? so if they're still keeping him then there will still be romance i guess, it just won't be the classic fairytale romance snow white is associated with, and my frustration toward them choosing not to develop the prince into an actual character still stands. ESPECIALLY SINCE i also read that snow is supposed to "ride into battle with him"?! snow white?! imagine if in cinderella (2015) they changed prince charming into a roguish robin hood type and had ella fight battles with him. it would've been so weird and so far removed from the animated cinderella in a very jarring way. i hate it. also, because of an annoying tag i got on this post i also feel the need to add that i do NOT have a problem with "political correctness" or rachel zegler being latina lmao. i do, however, have a problem with her insulting the original snow white while openly admitting that she has not watched the movie since she was a child.

[leiawritesstories]

illicit affairs

credit to my bestie @rowanaelinn who gave me the prompt and encouraged this whole story ily bb 🫶

Word count: 3.3k (oops)

CW: swearing, alcohol, infidelity (cheating), smut. it's NSFW y'all, minors please stay away for your own sanity, it's...dirty dirty. i'm gonna go bleach my eyes now.

enjoy! (i hope...)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aelin didn’t know when the spark had gone out, only that it had. She woke up that July morning to an empty bed, an empty house, and her hopeful half-smile faltered and crumbled, all her illusions of the fairytale marriage she’d dreamed of since childhood splintering into dust and ashes.

She really should have been anticipating this day. It's not like anything about the situation was unexpected--it was so painfully obvious that Chaol wasn't interested in her anymore that they really should have just ended the marriage already. But both he and Aelin were stubborn-minded, unwilling to just let their marriage die when they could still look back on their honeymoon phase and see sparks of something that might be theirs again.

Chaol was Aelin's high school sweetheart; they'd met during their sophomore year, instantly hit it off, and had been inseparable ever since. They'd gone to university together, and he had proposed to her when they were only 19, just after freshman year. Not wanting to wait forever, they'd decided to get married when they were both 21--looking back, Aelin knew that had been their first mistake. They were so young, so full of hopes and dreams.

Real adult life wasn't yet reality to them.

And here they were now, at 24, married for three years and drifting apart for a year and a half. She'd noticed the shift in their marriage when Chaol got his first promotion at his job and started spending longer hours in the office, coming home later and later. Back then, he still came home to her, not to his work. He'd push open their front door, dump his laptop bag on the floor, and come to her. She'd smile and welcome him, kiss him, ask him how his day was and listen to his stories, always eager to help him destress however she could.

Not quite a month later, he stopped sharing every story from his work day. She didn't mind--didn't really notice. She was busy with her own graduate studies, which were getting more intense, and as much as she loved her husband and wanted to be there for him however she could, he had to reciprocate the feeling for anything to work. He started working even longer hours, claiming the new projects his bosses kept shoving onto his desk were eating his time.

She believed everything he said. Stupid, foolish, stupid Aelin.

Months passed, then a year. By then, Aelin was going to bed alone, leaving Chaol's dinner in the fridge or on the stove, not bothering to wait up for him when she didn't even know when he'd be home. Besides, with the thesis she was writing, she didn't have the time or the energy to devote to spectacular meals. She hardly even woke up when he finally slipped into bed beside her--when he still slept beside her.

It was only a month or two ago when the fragile peace they still maintained cracked. When Chaol came home early--for once!--and found her buried in her work, with books and documents spread across the table, her long-since-empty coffee cup abandoned beside her, typing furiously away on her thesis. When he called a hello that she didn't return, because she didn't hear him. He snapped at her that evening, said that he felt like he couldn't talk to her anymore.

He slept in the spare bedroom that night. And Aelin didn't even feel any difference--she was asleep as soon as she dragged herself into bed, worn out from the day, her work, and the argument.

~

The morning it all shattered, she woke up to a silent, empty bedroom. She'd grown used to the emptiness, the quietude of having her own room, but this was different. Silent. Too silent.

Yawning, she rolled herself out of bed, washed her face, and tucked her feet into her favorite beat-up old slippers before heading downstairs. "Chaol?"

No response.

Her forehead crinkled. "Chaol? You home?" she called, heading into the kitchen. Still nothing.

Not until she'd gone through the motions of making coffee did she realize that certain things were missing--his favorite coffee cup, namely. That was when it hit her. He was gone. Probably for good.

Aelin expected to feel shocked, numb, angry, empty--anything but what she felt. Instead, she just shrugged and poured her coffee. It was always going to happen, a little voice in the back of her mind whispered. You've known so for months.

Yeah, she had.

~

That night, Aelin came home from a rather tiring session with her advisor, left her backpack on the floor, and reached for her phone, tapping Lysandra's contact.

<<bitch, get ready, we're going out

>>when?

<<now. soon. as soon as we're ready.

>>meet you at stag's? with shots ofc

<<you're the best, babes

Aelin showered quickly, dried off, and put on her little gold dress, the metallic material still molding to her body as perfectly as it had the first time she'd tried it on. She'd been shopping with Lys and Elide, who'd all but ordered her to get the dress, thinking it might lead to a night of fun with her husband.

Chaol hadn't even seen the dress. And, Aelin realized, giving herself a once-over in the mirror, he didn't deserve to.

She did her makeup heavier than usual, lining her eyes in bold, sharp flicks of liquid black and dusting her eyelids with gold. She painted her lips crimson, holding them apart for a few minutes to let the lipstick dry so it would be smudge-proof. When she looked in the mirror for one last check, she was caught off-guard. She looked...different.

She looked alive.

She looked fucking hot, and she was ready to go meet her best friend at their favorite club and forget her failed marriage.

The last thing Aelin did before leaving the house was tug her wedding ring off her finger and drop it into the shallow jewelry dish atop her dresser. She'd stopped wearing it in public months ago--if Chaol was going to act like they weren't married, then why should she keep up the farce? She kept it on at home, though, still clinging to the last threads of their union.

No longer.

~

Lysandra whistled when she saw Aelin. "Hot damn, girl!"

"Stop," Aelin laughed, stiletto heels clicking as she headed across to Lysandra's seat. Four shot glasses were ready and waiting, two of them filled with clear liquid and the other two with something colorful and sweet-smelling.

Lys wiggled her perfectly threaded eyebrows. "Someone's gonna catch a man tonight, hmm?"

Aelin winked. "That's the idea." She picked up one of the shots. "Cheers, bitch!" Tapping her glass against Lys's, she downed the shot. Then the next. With the alcohol warming her blood, she glanced over to the dance floor, her foot tapping along to the music.

Lys grinned like the wickedly clever woman she was. "C'mon, bitch, we're dancing!"

Aelin swept her gaze across the crowded floor, searching. "Lys, babes, I don't see anyone worth--" Her sentence cut off as her best friend all but dragged her out among the dancers.

"Just enjoy yourself!" the brunette yelled, tipping her head back and grinning.

Quickly, Aelin list herself in the thumping bass, the pounding melody, the near-indecent rhythm of the dancing. She'd only been dancing for a few minutes when she felt someone's hands slip around her waist and tug her back against a chiseled, decidedly male body. And gods fucking burn her, his body felt divine against hers, moving in perfect sync with her and the music, coaxing her hips to slide against his. She wound one arm up behind his neck, sliding her manicured nails into his cropped, silky hair, and leaned in closer, catching the scent of pine forests and icy mountain breezes.

"What's your name, gorgeous?" he purred into her ear, his breath fanning against her skin.

Smoothly, she spun to face him, which conveniently aligned her breasts with his chest. Fuck, he was gorgeous--at least six foot four, chiseled muscles, a tattoo snaking up the length of his left arm and flicking onto his cheekbone. Eyes the color of the Oakwald Forest captured hers, smoky promise burning in their depths.

"Don't make me ask again, princess," he warned, the hint of command in his tone sending fire racing down her spine.

She hooded her eyes. "Aelin."

"Aelin," he repeated, rolling her name like fine wine on his tongue.

She wouldn't mind that tone rolling in other places, hell no she would not.

"What's your name," she asked in return, letting the pause drag on before she added, "sir?"

He sucked in a sharp breath, and she could have sworn his hands slipped closer to the hem of that little golden dress. "Since you asked so nicely, I'm Rowan." His lips brushed the side of her neck, a bare hint of a touch. "But you can call me sir," he murmured, splaying one broad hand against the bare skin of her back, exposed by the cut of her dress.

Burning hell.

"Rowan," she whispered, her voice dropping to a throaty purr, turning the two syllables into something borderline explicit.

His hands flexed against her skin, pulling her even closer, fingertips brushing her thigh--just under the hem of her dress. "You're going to keep quiet for me, princess." Not a request, an order. An order that sent sparks dancing through her blood. That damn hand inched farther up her skirt. "Answer me."

"Yes, sir," she breathed, eyes fluttering closed in anticipation.

His smug, dark little chuckle rumbled deep in his chest. "Remember, princess, we're on a public dancefloor. Nobody gets to know that you're--fuck--soaking wet for me." He'd found her lacy little scrap of underwear, which was indeed soaked with arousal.

"Yes sir." Her vocabulary was apparently reduced to those words.

Rowan kissed her neck, a teasingly light peck of his lips. "Good girl." The endearment sent a new rush of arousal pooling between her thighs--which, of course, he felt. His smug smirk only grew. "Turn around, princess, keep grinding on me. I know how wet it made you." Keeping that hand under her skirt, he spun her around, splaying his free one across her stomach, pinning her in place.

She sucked back a gasp at the power of the maneuver, forcing her legs to stay strong, not to waver and collapse like they wanted to. "Sir," she breathed, body a little tense with the waiting.

He kissed the side of her neck. "Relax, princess. Dance for me." He guided her into motion, swaying with the pulsing thump of the music blaring all around them. She closed her eyes, letting the rhythm take over, leading her body. "Good girl," Rowan whispered into her ear.

As a reward, his finger dragged up the seam of her panties, landing squarely on her needy clit. Her mouth dropped open, head falling back against his shoulder, hips rocking against the pressure of his hand.

Though she couldn't see his face, she knew full well that smug male smirk of his was firmly in place. "Look at you all dripping wet for a stranger, and I've barely even touched you." Shoving her panties aside, he teased her sex for a few seconds before sliding one thick finger into her, pulling a faint moan from her throat. He clicked his tongue. "Uh-uh, princess. Quiet."

She pressed her lips together, forcing the sounds she wanted to make to be silent. "Please," she breathed, her dancing smoothly slipping into time with the pumping of his fingers.

He chuckled darkly. "Such pretty manners." Another finger slid in beside the first, those two fingers stretching her more, filling her deeper than Chaol ever had. She banished the stray thought--no need to think about him when this moment was already so good. Rowan's hand sped up, working her higher, keeping her moving so nobody around them would be able to tell he had his fingers buried into her in the middle of the very public dancefloor.

Aelin felt herself getting closer, blood singing with the pleasure shooting through her veins. Subconsciously, she gripped Rowan's forearm, sweat beading on her forehead from the effort of keeping quiet. "Please, sir," she begged, practically thrusting herself onto his hand. "So close, please--oh!" A moan tore out of her as he crooked his fingers, brushing that sensitive ridge inside of her.

In a heartbeat, his fingers were gone, and she'd spun around to face him again, meeting the darkness in his gaze. He shook his head, laughing smokily at the shock and arousal mingled on her face. "You disobeyed, princess."

"I--"

"I told you to keep quiet." He caressed the curve of her ass, the gold material of her dress molding to her like a second skin. "What happens when you disobey, princess?"

Aelin's breath shuddered out in a long gasp, all coherent speech failing her.

Rowan's lips quirked up. "Open your mouth." She did. He placed his fingers at her lips. "Taste yourself, princess." Not really waiting for her to move, he slid his fingers into her mouth. She wrapped her crimson-stained lips around his fingers, tongue flicking around the digits in a way that could only be described as explicit.

He chuckled, knowing she'd behave. "That's right, princess, be a good girl and clean me up." When he'd all but choked her with his fingers for long enough, he withdrew, sinful promise lighting his eyes. "Can you stay quiet for me now?" She nodded. "Words, princess."

"Yes, sir," she whispered, clenching her thighs together.

He tracked the movement. "Mmm, perhaps we should take this somewhere else." A soft, teasing kiss against her pulse point. "I don't think the whole club should see your pretty little cunt, hmm?"

Aelin could barely think through the heady rush of arousal that washed over her senses at Rowan's filthy words. In a single blurred moment, they were in the club's bathroom, the door locked behind them, and he'd lifted her onto the countertop. She loosed a little squeak at the unexpected cold of the marble, the sound rapidly turning into a groan as he shoved her skirt up around her waist, exposing the completely soaked scrap of black lace she called panties.

"I don't think we need these anymore," he hummed, yanking the lace off of her. And burying his face in her sex.

Aelin moaned deeply, gripping the edge of the countertop to keep herself upright. "Fuck!"

Rowan pulled away, making a tsking sound. "What did I tell you, princess?"

"I--quiet, sir," she panted, just about ready to beg for his touch.

"Seems you need a little help with that." Rising, he stuffed her panties into her mouth, the essence of her arousal exploding on her tongue. "Now hold. Fucking. Still."

She didn't even have time to nod before his tongue was back in her sex, licking a long, rough line up her folds. She arched into his touch, gasping at the way he grasped her hips, both to support her and to angle her better for the devouring. His tongue--gods, she'd never felt the way he made her feel. He alternated long, rough strokes with teasing little flicks, plunging his tongue into her sex and then flicking it around her clit, keeping her just teetering on the edge of orgasm.

Desperate, she gripped the countertop harder, using all of her might not to scream as Rowan raised his eyes to hers, unchecked hunger in their depths, and sucked her clit into his mouth. The scrape of his teeth was enough to set her off--but she held on, knowing that he'd punish her if she came without his command.

"Good fucking girl," he groaned into her sex. "Come for me, princess."

She didn't need encouragement--the way he nibbled at her throbbing clit was more than enough to send her into orgasm, her body shuddering with the force of her climax. He latched his mouth onto her and lapped up everything she gave him, letting out a moan himself at the taste of her, thick and sweet on his tongue.

"So fucking gorgeous when you come," he groaned, lifting himself up to pull her panties out and claim her lips, his kiss just as dominating as the rest of him. He swept his tongue through her mouth, angling her head to meet his.

Aelin groaned into his kiss, her body already throbbing with need for him again. "Please," she panted, grasping his shoulders to keep herself stable. "Please, sir."

"Please what?" he asked, knowing full well what she wanted but needing to hear her beg.

Her chest heaved. "Please fuck me, sir, I need you."

"Good girl." He kissed her again, all tongue and dominance. "Spread your legs for me, princess."

She did.

Slotting his hips between her legs, Rowan shoved his pants down just enough for his cock to spring free, smirking at the way Aelin's bright eyes widened at the sight of him. "Think you can stay quiet now, princess?"

"I might need a little instruction, sir," she purred, lowering her lashes and peeking up at him. Fuck, she was impossible.

"If you say so," he smirked, pumping himself a few times. "Hold still, princess." She nodded, and he moved forward, pushing into her. Fucking hell, she was perfect. Tight and warm around him, her walls squeezing his cock. "Loosen up, princess," he whispered, stroking her clit to help her ease up. Her jaw fell open as he shoved the rest of the way in, grunting.

"Sir," she groaned, gripping his shoulders, her lovely face screwing up with pleasure.

"Quiet, princess," he warned, practically shaking with the effort of not slamming into her until she couldn't even think. She panted, hips rocking just enough to let him know how much she needed him. "Want me to move?"

"Please," she whispered.

"Good girl." He pulled back and slammed back in, setting a near-frantic, heavy pace. She moaned, unable to keep the sound back, and he clicked his tongue, sliding one hand up her body. "Tap my thigh twice if it's too much, okay?" She nodded. He kissed her hard, swallowing her groan, and wrapped his hand around her throat, keeping his grip light.

Aelin felt fire racing through her nerves at the pressure of Rowan's hand around her throat. She gripped his shoulders tighter and matched the frenetic pace of his thrusts, leaning into his grip enough that he tightened his hold, hand flexing against her throat, muttering filthy promises and praises into her ear. So quickly, she felt herself hurtling toward climax, and if the way his hips stuttered was any indication, he was close as well.

"Come for me, princess," he commanded, squeezing her throat in time with the way his hips pounded into hers, his cock deeper in her than anything she'd ever felt.

She exploded, mouth open in a silent scream as she came around his dick. He groaned her name into her neck, his control snapping as he spilled into her.

Slowly, they both came down, Rowan removing his hand from Aelin's neck and stroking her back as he pulled out. He reached for some paper towels, wet them, and carefully cleaned her up--an oddly gentle contrast to the domineering man who'd fingered her in the middle of the club dancefloor and then fucked her into oblivion in the bathroom.

Not until her dress was back in place and she was strolling onto the dancefloor--albeit a little shakily--did the realization of what she'd just done hit Aelin. Swiftly, she dropped Rowan's hand and ran, weaving through the throngs of dancing bodies until she was out of the club, out in the bracing cool of the night air.

That night, Aelin Galathynius cheated on her husband with a man she’d just met.

And gods burn her, it was the most alive she’d ever felt.

What the fuck had she just done?

~~~

TAGS:

@live-the-fangirl-life

@superspiritfestival

@thegreyj

@wordsafterhours

@elentiyawhitethorn

@morganofthewildfire

@backtobl4ck

@rowanaelinn

@house-of-galathynius

@tomtenadia

@julemmaes

@swankii-art-teacher

@charlizeed

@booknerdproblems

@chronicchthonic14

@earthtolinds

@goddess-aelin

@sweet-but-stormy

@clea-nightingale

@autumnbabylon

@darling-im-the-queen-of-hell

@llyncooljones

@silentquartz

@mis-lil-red

[khaleesiofalicante]

Hey Dani,

Can I ask for some advice or maybe explanation. You had mentioned you got into consulting later on in your career.

Um at the risk of sounding stupid,

How?

How does one get into consulting?

Also what's freelancing and how is that different?

Also how does one start these things. Like are there forums that u just join? Is this like a job application? Do u need marketing for this? Like know how to market yourself?

Yours truly

A very confused early professional 🥺

No such thing as stupid questions in this household 😌

Let me take this one by one.

Firstly, freelancing and consulting are not the same, but they are kind of used simultaneously sometimes. They are both self-employed roles (where you can work with multiple people at the same time on a contractual basis). However, freelancing involves providing specific skills or services on a project basis, while consulting focuses on offering expert advice and strategic guidance.

For example, I am a freelance trainer. So people hire me when they need to do a training and I do that training and get paid for it. I get paid by the hour (or per workshop/assignment) for that. I don't have any other business than that. In the same way, you see freelance voice artists or translators or graphic designers, where you just go in and do one thing and get paid for it. You're not involved in the whole project or company or anything. This kind of work is idea if you're trying to make money and not get attached to the company/teams you work with.

Consulting is a more involved role. You're usually an advisor for a whole project so you're overseeing everything (but you're still not part of the organization or team). You're like an external person overseeing something in a specific capacity (gender in my case) and give advice on everything related to that. So for eg, I am a gender consultant for one organization and I basically not only do their gender training, but I also do their social media content, provide input on their strategies, etc.

I think what you are referring to and looking for is more of a freelance role than a consulting one because the latter can sometimes feel like a full-time job depending on how much work is there. The consulting jobs I do don't need me 24/7 and I work like twice a week so it's great for me. So whatever they need my advice on they have to ask me on those two days.

An important thing about doing freelance/consulting work is to set boundaries. I can do a separate post on that if necessary.

In terms of how do you become a consultant, a few things:

You need a brand. Like a niche thing. I can't tell you how to market yourself, but you need something to market yourself about. Like what are you offering? What is your area of expertise? Try to specialize on a particular area (but not too specific because then it's becomes difficult to find opportunities) so you can promote yourself based on that.

LinkedIn is a great place to boost yourself. Look at what other consultants in your area of work are doing. Follow organizations (depending on your sector of interest) that hire consultants. They ALL do. It's easier to pay someone to do a specific job than to train your employees to do it (which is sad tbh).

When you look for jobs set the type to 'consultancy' so you only find jobs that are consultancies (short-term/project-based opportunities).

Most important for consultancies and freelance work is word of mouth and a good reputation. I hardly apply for jobs anymore because once you become a consultant and create a reputation for yourself in a sector (it takes a few years trust me, I've been doing this since 2021 and I'm just now getting there), they will refer you to each other.

BUT - this depends on the sector you work in. If it's corporate, it's a bit difficult. Because they don't like hiring the same consultants as others because of competition. In this case, something that would REALLY help is a portfolio - it could be a website or a pdf document that people can look at - to see your approach, past work, credentials etc).

Overall, if you're an early career professional, I'd recommend that you find a good job where you can learn and build a reputation for yourself (like an org that allows you to thrive without being sucked into their overall company identity) so people know you and your work - not just as your company's work. In other words, work in a place that allows you to take credit for it. Then, once you become a mid-career professional, you can start doing consultancies. But again, this depends on your field. A lot of people, like designers, start off as freelance because it works better for their job. So, it's completely up to you.

Happy to answer more questions if you have them 💙

[bisquicklite]

I don't know if you're open for asks but re Osha's employment:

Chocobo Jockey, 3 days.

I have questions c': such as what happened?? and who was Osha's sponsor?? and is she interested in another loop around the track for Garlemald Cup (no that last one is a bad joke please ignore it!!)

Oh! Oh, I have a pretty solid answer for this! :D (I don't always have super solid answers for things about my catgirl because I often tend have a thought and decided 'I'll figure out what that means later' and then later never comes!)

Osha's career as a chocobo jockey lasted long enough for the ink to dry and for her to complete almost half of an officially sanction race-

Before she had what looked like a fit and fainted off of her bird, breaking her arm and getting a mild concussion in the process. (What actually happened was Hydaelyn decided it was a great time to call her champion for a quick vision trip to talk with the looming Mothercrystal, and really kick start Osha down the path of heroism and adventure. Thanks, Mom.)

So her time as a chocobo jockey ended as quickly as it started. Osha was barred from participating in any further officially sanctioned races until such time as she can show proof that she won't go fainting out of the blue anymore.

As for who sponsored her, I've given exactly zero thought to that because I do not know how irl horseracing and being a jockey works, so this is just spit balling what most likely happened;

First, a little bit of background, Osha had worked various jobs in the Gold Saucer; most notably as a bunny attendant, and in various positions in the stables on location in Ul'dah. She had been working as a stable hand when the last Calamity happened and due to a slew of staffing issues (The Manager of Care suddenly quitting following an existential crisis because, and I quote, "The bloody moon is falling, I'm going to go spend my remaining days drinking rum on the beach!", and several other staffers followed similar reasoning.), Osha found herself as the most experienced and senior member of staff, who was then promoted because someone had to be running the show.

(The former manager did return eventually, and Osha happily ceded the position back to them. She didn't really like having that amount or kind of responsibility, but it is noted by her co workers that she handled the pressures of potential End of Times quite well.)

Osha took a break from working at the Gold Saucer for a year or so. She worked in her father in the mining guild and helped a cousin during the harvest season, and picked up the odd shifts as a GATE keeper at the Gold Saucer.

Eventually the manager she had temporarily replaced approached her with the offer to talk to the right people and get Osha a position as a jockey in the races. Which Osha jumped on the opportunity because, well, why not? She is always opened to trying new things, and she had some experience in unsanctioned races.

Thank you for the ask! :D

(I also don't know what the Garlemand Cup is but Osha would probably get super excited about participating until someone reminded her that she's still not officially allowed to race)

[dxsae]

henlo, i'm bee 🐝 (22, she/her, gmt+) and i'm so excited to be here as a big fan of the boys and district x's setting !! today i bring oh sae to the table, an antihero and a criminal who punishes criminals. that said, his sense of what's right or wrong is ambiguous and his golden heart is kinda twisted. i have so many plans for him so i'd love to write with every single one of u, please like this post and i'll jump to ur inbox first! but i'll eventually reach out to everyone soon hehe (˶´ ˘ `˶) here's his profile (warning: wall of text) and i do have a plots page if u r interested! below is a quick summary of sae and some plot ideas, but i'm a girlie that loves brainstorming more sooo enjoy ur stay! it's midnight here so i'm off to bed now zzz

summary

26 y/o, manager at toast & coffee 24-hour diner and has a very tight bond with the restaurant's owner

born & raised in district x, middle-class family

lives with mom, dad's in jail. has a bad relationship with them 'cause they hid dad's criminal background from him and his dumbass believed them for 14 years

( tw: murder ) his power manifested when the criminals invaded their home and sae murdered them when he was 14. dad took the blame and went to the detention center

has always wanted to be the type of nice, kind-hearted marvel heroes but his hatred for criminals is too much that it turned him into a violent dude

still applied to the pinnacle institute at 20 'cause he wanted to fight criminals in daylight. was the last one on the acceptance list, tried so hard to pass his classes only to be expelled from attacking his bully

fed up with everything, decided to go on his own path and beat criminals in his own style. slowly, his moral compass became broken and he became what he hated the most: a criminal. but they pay him good, so why not?

tidbits:

in between jobs, he often patrols nearby areas to keep an eye on any criminal he sees. he's always in the mood to kick some ass because punishing them guys is a hobby now. that's how he's the "batman of red lane"

would blow up their heads for entertainment

the type to crack bad jokes with a straight face. he isn't cold like his demeanor, he actually enjoys chatting and being goofy but keeps his distance. he makes sure the wall he puts up is visible without the need to mention

because he's a criminal and sometimes a monster, peeps would assume that he's selfish and irresponsible. in fact, he's very committed to whatever he's tasked with and u can always rely on him.

"i got promoted for a reason, dummy."

sometimes would intentionally explode random stuff to scare his buddies off. he thinks it's funny

moved on from whatever complicated relationship he has with his parents but the wall is there. can't act like they didn't give him trust issues

is under nepa's radar and he's aware of that

gets away with committing crimes because whoever paid him to do the jobs usually takes care of the aftermath as part of the deal

enjoys helping people. some are shocked to see him helping a grandma cross the street

after being expelled from the institute, sae doesn't plan his future anymore. prefers to go with the flow. right now, he's just tryna see if he could make it until 30

plot ideas (some will be taken from my plots page!)

partner in crime, criminal buddies, or supporters in general because he can't make genuine friends with his way of living... he's lonely yall

or "friends" who are very wary of this friendship it's fun too like u are teasing him then stop midway because who knows what if he blows ur head off next

rivals/enemies! sae's easily anyone's rival LMAO. u could hate his moral compass / think he's fked up / hate antihero tropes or he probably did something bad to u or the people u know

someone who thinks he's just a trashy criminal tryna play the hero game

encounter with the batman of red lane while he's on the nobody-asked-him-to patrol

n.e.p.a agents who try to recruit/trick him because his power would be useful for their experiments. he's going to be very sus of every agent he meets let's see what will ur muse bring

frequents at toast & coffee. he's very nice to his customers so u can puke on the floor and he will clean it up for up

pinnacle institute classmates! friends, foes, study buddies, crushes, people who know the truth about his expel and actually feel bad for him

i'm also a sucker for neighbor plots 🤲

just some basic ideas to get you inspired! let's develop more together

[sykloni2]

TMA fic recs

I have been reading a lot of the Magnus Archives fanfiction lately and there is this very specific type of fic I have been enjoying a lot: email conversations, official forms, HR complaints etc. I find looking at the Magnus Institute through that kind of perspective really interesting and fun, because despite everything it is a workplace. There are a lot of people who are trying to do their jobs with varying success.

These types of fics are probably not for everyone. I can see why someone might find emails and documents dry to read or just not vibe with the formatting, but I'm sure there are also people who love these kinds of fics as much as I do.

Beholding the GDPR: How the Magnus Institute Updated Its Privacy Policy for the Twenty-First Century And Only Caused One Nervous Breakdown In The Process

by shinyopal 1/1 (~9k)

This fic is told through emails and the Institute's new messaging app. Christopher Davies has been hired as Institute's Data Protection officer and he gets right to work.

The fic gives really nice look into how the Institute functions as a workplace (or doesn't). Can't recommend more. I feel for Chris so much.

RE: Jon Sims Complaints (edited)

by starcore 1/1 (~10k)

Jennifer Barnes from HR contacts Jon through email about the 500 complaints concerning him. Also Wikipedia Leitner :)

matter of accountability

by wastefulreverie 1/1 (~12.5k)

HR shows up in Jon's office to go through the record amount of complaints about him.

Very fun outsider POV fic.

End Racism in the OTW | Xenotic Events: Guidelines for Public Health Management

by imperfectcircle 1/1 (~5.5k)

This fic is written as an official document (or I quess since it's still being edited -a draft of one). Jon is the main representative from the Magnus Institute giving his input in the comments, but he is hard to get a hold of for clarification so we also hear from some other archival staff.

Overall very unique fic. Jon says some concerning stuff on an official document (some of it actually very warranted). Also wasps. I won't elaborate on that.

Informed Consent and Other Cosmic Ironies

by KiaraSayre 1/1 (~0.5k)

Tim who doesn't give a fuck anymore fills out some paperwork.

Short and a lot of fun.

The Supervision and Oversight (Irregularities) (EU Exit) Regulations 2017: a post-exit regulatory regime for the Magnus Institute

by raven (singlecrow) 1/1 (~2.5k)

This fic is about Magnus Institute's regulatory position after Brexit. Once again written like an official document where discussions happen in its comments.

Here is one of my favorite quotes to convince you to read this:

"we take the view that the regulation of institutions such as ours should remain with the European Agency for Oversight of Irregularities, who may not know that much about what they are doing but have at least had since 1972 to not know that much about it."

Ask an Exec: How to Navigate Cultish Colleagues, Soul-Stealing Bosses, and the End of the World at Work

by shinyopals 6/6 (~43.5k)

Jon seeks advice from a management advice blog after his sudden promotion to the head archivist. He keeps writing to the blog even when things escalate.

I loved this fic. It was fun to see outsider perspective on Jon's problems and people (Jon included) putting together that he is 100% working in a cult.

[swords-of-a-soilder]

Bless you for compiling what’s going on with that ex-bird app. It’s been genuinely insightful for me to understand the thoughts of the kinds of people behind those accounts.

That person trying to cancel creators for associating with Forever (and probably advocating for his lore to be excised from the server) saying “but I can’t possibly give up guapoduo, it’s My Hyperfixation” is very telling. Hypocrisy specifically in the context of “separating the art from the artist” isn’t something I’ve seen before, shockingly, so I guess I get to add that to my Social Media Discourse Bingo. (I had an online friend in 2016 who I was terrified to talk about my interests with because I didn’t know what angry punk teenagers on tumblr had deemed “evil and disgusting”, and even SHE stopped listening to some of her favorite metal bands when she learned they were homophobic, and had absolute turmoil when she learned that David Bowie might have allegedly slept with an underage groupie in the 70s. Her constant, unpredictable rage at seemingly random pieces of media was awful for my mental health, but at least she wasn’t a genuine hypocrite.)

Also that tone of “I’ve had good memories here… but I just can’t handle it anymore.” It sounds like someone whose meaningful but soul-crushing work has finally broken them, almost sounding like someone I knew at the frontline worker job I had mid-pandemic who missed her own birthday three years in a row, got repetitive stress injuries, and then got passed over for a promotion that was given to someone who did a fraction of the work. But the “God willing, I’ll never come back” was followed by “I’m 13” …damn, I got whiplash so hard that I astral projected into a universe where things made sense for a second. Because of course kids don’t have a complex view of other countries’ political systems or cultural pressures. Or the nuances of personal change and redemption. Or that sometimes people are just not online for a few days. And of course a 13-year-old doesn’t understand how dumb and petty they look by trying to ruin other peoples’ careers in the name of Activism (tm) while having a fandom portmanteau username.

“I didn’t want it to come to this but… I’m going to delete twitter!” I hope so, but more for their own sake, honestly. I actually have less anger towards most of them now. Many are kids with a false sense of grandiosity that makes them believe they are the ultimate moral authority, but have very little understanding of how messy people or societies can be. I just hope they can learn one day, and look back on who they are now and cringe. (And then many years after that, have the grace to forgive themselves.)

Oof, sorry for the wall of text.

I’m still not over the whole situation with Forever. I miss his energy, and his accent, and his silly bits with Richas that always dragged on too long, and N.I.N.H.O. (and everything it represented), and how different he and Cellbit are but how they understood each other WAY too well, and how he tried to make people who didn’t log onto the server as often still feel welcome and wanted, and how happy he got when anyone non-Brazilian even tried to speak a little bit of Portuguese. (I was learning, but I’ve barely touched it since.) I won’t lie, it’s affected me far more than I thought it would.

I miss Forever. Thank you for your blog being a little space where that’s okay.

I'm honestly a little worried for the kid (s), not in a "oh I just want the best for" fake bs way just a little concerned tbh. I still don't like them but I don't hate them either, they're a kid.

But at the same time I'm worried for their well being, they have like 5,000 follower on their main Twitter and 28 on curious cat (which is apprantly high for that app )

That's 5000 people (teens or not) waiting for you to tell them how to feel that can't be good for their mental state, not for a 13 yr old kid.

Most of their life was spent learning about the world and their still learning, these are the ages where you're worried about the sun blowing up.

You haven't seen how awful the world can be yet, You haven't seen how much worst it could get you haven't learned calculus yet!

To you the world is only these 13 years and you think if you don't act now everything will be over.

I get it, I had that fear too, most people grown into it and realize just how shitty it can get an settle in choosing their own battles and not letting It consume them, because no one had time for that anymore.

You want to experience the most out of live while you can and the older you get the easier it is to balance.

To me it looks like one of those situation where you'll look back and think "I wish I enojyed my childhood."

Because 5000 people waiting for you to tell them who to bash, 28 people prasing your while admitting they use to hate you.

It can't be good. And if they were to read this they'd probably say "oh you don't actually care you just want to shit on me."

And like, yeah I don't care, but am I saying all this because I want to shit on them? no I'm just pointing out concerns.

Apart from that I fully agree with anon.

[theflyindutchwoman]

You’re my fav person to talk about things with cause I love your perspective and analysis. So I’m back 😂 as I finish my second rewatch

Can we talk about Lucy going to Harper after Tim had to shoot that guy in 5x19 and how worried she was for him 😭 her face when she was like “he’s still talking to IA” that was a worried wifey

And the way she wanted to sprint across the station to him 😭😭😭

ALSO I love that Harper has become someone Lucy can go to, for advice or guidance. She needed that.

And to think that it all started with a sleepy Tim and a teasing Lucy… With the softest kiss ever… Only for the episode to end like that! I was so not prepared.

But you're right, she was the epitome of the worried wife here, with her trembling voice and her fidgeting when she went to see Nyla… She barely even reacted to the potential roadblock regarding her promotion. The second she saw Tim, she forgot about it : his well-being was her priority - which is also why I'm so happy with Tim's suggestion to help her study. The way these two balance each other… And the way she was longing to get to him… I too really thought she was going to run to him. And honestly, she needed the physical reassurance as much as him : she must have been terrified when she heard the gunshot, not knowing if he was okay. It was all over her face and in how she was holding onto his arm when they left the station. It was like she was trying to ground them and to take the pain away from him. Also, when she was talking to Nyla, it was still daylight but when she left the station with Tim, I think it was dark outside… She waited the whole time for him (I seriously doubt she went back on patrol in between).

She was barely holding in together and I love that she went straight to Nyla for some comfort and advice. Their relationship is so underrated but it's so good. Harper started as this lone wolf, who underestimated Lucy at first, until she saw her in action and went straight to mentoring her. And not just for the job… Like here, Lucy knew that Nyla would be honest with her and not coddle her. Even when she wanted to sprint across the bullpen, she listened to her advice to wait. As much as I want more interactions between Lucy and Angela, these two are amazing together and it's great that she has someone who is on her side. And you know, it's interesting how Nyla has been in this position of having to calm and reassure either Lucy or Tim about the other several times already. Like when she wanted to ride with Lucy after Day of Death… She knew she had to convince Tim first - going as far as sharing something really personal, when she barely knew him. Or when Tim was badgering her when Lucy was on her first solo undercover op. He was asking for updates and all when really, he wasn't part of the op to begin with, so he didn't have any valid reasons. He wasn't even her training officer anymore. And yet, she agreed to loop in him and never even commented on it. She was so real for that. I truly hope we'll get to see more of Nyla and Lucy together next season - bonus if we get Angela as well!

And thank you 🥰 I absolutely love reading your messages and reactions, it's making this hiatus so much more bearable! I just need to catch up a bit on my rewatch haha.

[tarmac-rat]

10, 13 and 25, please?

10. worst part of fanon

This is so mean of me to say and I really hate to do it but..........some of the modded clothes y'alls Vs wear for VP photoshoots...................guys if I worked an actively-strenuous job and had latex stretched over my rack and cooch like that to do it, I think I would literally set myself on fire in the middle of Corpo Plaza.

I need to clarify that this is not a "I'm against revealing outfits" opinion, this is a "Do you have ANY idea how tight rubber feels against your nipples?" opinion.

13. worst blorboficiation

Johnny's an obvious contender, and because he's a main character there's a lot more discussion centered on him for people to blorbofy, but I'm gonna go and say Rosalind Myers gets this a LOT. It's honestly kinda startling how many people I see using Rosalind as a vehicle for shipping fodder when she's arguably the overarching villain of the entire DLC, and I don't think the game really intends for you to sympathize very heavily with her. But if you check her tag it's full of people using her for ships or discussing how cool she is. Yes I like morally-questionable women but I like ADDRESSING that the women are morally questionable before letting them top me.

I also think it's unfair that people will bend over backwards to debate the morality of people like Reed and Songbird and not bat an eye about the woman who called in a hit on the former that led to them being stranded in Night City for a near decade, and used the latter as a literal Blackwall probe for god knows how long. Wonder fucking why.

Other characters who I would've given this to are Takemura-- a corporate-trained bodyguard/assassin who I feel like sometimes gets shoehorned into a weird 'malewife' role in fan works, fuck if I know why-- and Kerry-- the guy's charismatic I get it but I feel like we kinda just gloss over the fact that he was more than ready to shoot three 20-year-olds for literally no justifiable reason.

25. common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing

So many, but I'll go over my personal highlights:

"Johnny should've been a love interest!"-- I like SilverV don't get me wrong, but I'm a firm believer in the fact that shoehorning a romantic relationship between the two of them into the narrative would've nuked Johnny's character development. Protagonists don't always need to get together romantically guys, friendship is allowed here.

"Panam is a spoiled brat!"-- Panam is suffering from what people in the industry like to refer to as 'a character flaw', which is a helpful little tool that will allow her to experience growth at a later point in the game.

"I can't believe they made one of the love interests a cop!"-- such an annoying complaint that I actually addressed it this week.

"There's such a huge focus on promoting fem!V now! What about masc!V??"-- 1) masc!V was the center of all the base game promotional materials from 2018-2020 so it makes sense that fem!V gets to be the center of promotion around the DLC, 2) the game is pretty much over so they're hardly advertising it anymore, and 3) advertising in the video game industry still relies so much on the male eye and is still so male-dominated in terms of thinking and ideation, having fem!V get a little bit of the promotional focus is fine. It's an RPG that's 4 years old, literally who gives a shit anymore

"The game's not cyberpunk enough!"-- I don't agree nor disagree with this opinion-- I do think the game could've gone a little further with its messaging-- but I'm fucking sick of hearing people parrot this talking point blindly because the game lets you participate in consumerism by buying cars and occasionally working with corporate clients. There is nothing worse to me personally than a stale, repeated argument from someone who played the game for 2 hours and refuses to engage with the text.

[fireheartedpup]

Weird to have a supportive family that triggers the fuck out of you. Dad asked me to get dinner, which he paid for, and we ate together. He gave me meat from the freezer.

I tried to help with the puppies, and he didn't like me messing with their routine, and I'm nervous about them resource guarding, and they still have puppy pads in the house because for some reason the rescue they're working with recommends this???

I don't remember the rescue's name, but one of the first things you learn in house training is that if you use pads AND try to get them to pee outside, it can confuse them. You keep them in a room with you, tether them to you, or keep them in a crate until they're potty trained.

They are not doing this.

Little Bit is still scared of the puppies, and it's not funny anymore. I really only thought it was funny the first time because I was able to control the situation and I was trying to keep her safe.

Mom thinks it's fine and that she should get used to them, and tried to bring her up close to the puppies more than once. This is NOT how you're supposed to do it.

They got upset that I put the puppies back in their pen so we could leave in peace. It's the perfect place for them to get used to each other, since they can see each other but can't get to each other, but God forbid I don't follow the schedule exactly.

My dog was shaking when we came in. I was holding her, and the puppies were at my feet. I don't think bringing her over there is worth the stress.

Dad didn't want puppies, mom did, and she's the one who agreed to foster. Mom is also flying a lot, so dad is left to take care of the puppies on his own for long periods of time.

Before all of this, mom invited me to an event so I could meet her friends' adult kids. I know that no one there is going to be masking, or even give a shit about covid.

Called grammy. She's sympathetic about my dog's health issues. She said she'd help. She also said that she doesn't believe in covid.

Dad sent me a promotional email for a job fair. It's in person and I'm sure it's another crowd that doesn't give a shit about masking. I don't even know if I'd be interested in any of the companies there. Maybe some of the remote roles.

I was going to talk about the budget and what's realistic, but dad was tired and sad so I just told him I'd made a little money this week. Someone tipped me $20. It's the most hope I've had in a while. It's also a drop in the bucket. It's a huge deal to me, but I'm going to have to do this about a thousand times over if I want to survive on my own.

I avoided mentioning what it was because I do not want my parents anywhere near my current writing in any way, shape, or form, so I have no idea what he thinks I might be doing. "I get paid per view and people can tip me." What does that sound like? I'm not gonna clarify.

When I see my family I usually stay up even later than usual because I can't deal with it, but I have a vet appointment tomorrow. I can't fuck around this time unless I cancel before 9am, and I don't think I should cancel. I'm stressed about the money.

Dad's stressed about money too. The roof is going to cost about 10k to fix.

I should ask for help finding a therapist. I don't know how to make myself do things. I don't know how to stop feeling sad.

[thepandalion]

anyways so last week we finished season 4 of house md

I can admit to crying in those final episodes

Also this kinda ruined my werewolf au. Because now my babies are fighting and I can't quite reconcile that with what I have of my au.

So. Multiple ideas:

Amber is a vampire. She survives, but when Wilson decides that her miraculous recovery means he should tell her that he's a werewolf, she reveals that actually vampires and werewolves don't go well together for dating (which uhh. Is a bit of a problem bc I'm pretty sure there's a bit where they think cuddy wants to date wilson and wwwau cuddy is also a vampire). So she breaks up with him and is still alive and they're just broken up

Amber still dies. Wilson forgives house faster than canon bc while he was about to let Amber in on werewolf stuff he didn't yet, so she's not pack while house IS pack, so I'm just ignoring all those parts of s5 for the sake of my boys and nothing else

Amber dies but now she's been pack?? House is also upset because they've now both been Wilson's people and while he might not have liked Amber he respected the fact thay wilson did and sorta respected Amber as a person too. They're not mad at each other but still get time apart. Wilson has a character arc where he goes to meet some wolves in the forest and tells them about how one of his humans got another one killed and effectively does werewolf therapy with this older werewolf (who will later come in and find human wilson because in this version good things can't happen and older werewolf has cancer and is dying). House would come up to wilson in that period when Wilson left in canon and go "I get it if u don't wanna be pack anymore and go be with other wolves in the forest like uve been doing for months now - yeah I know abt that btw" and wilson would just. Break. Bc wtf do you mean "don't wanna be pack" of course he still wants to be pack. He just needs time alone for a sec.

A universe where season 4 happened but Amber and Wilson aren't dating. Still got the new fellows but wilson is still woefully single and Amber goes to work at like. Mercy or something. Idc. Just means she doesn't die. But house might :3 because the bus very much did still crash in this version

Just. Ignore season 4 entirely. Didn't happen cannot touch me. Foreman did quit and idk maybe cameron too. Chase didn't really get fired so much so as he got promoted. He's got a small office near wilsons and he runs the magical medicine department where they treat magic people, which includes werewolves and vampires but also like. Just people practicing magic. Because chase is one of those in this au. He eats rocks and I do have a case in mind where a seer running a magical ingredients shop gets saved by him and she gives him some really cool stuff to do magic with and after that it becomes custom for patients to hand in small magical artifacts to their doctors if they're treated by the magic ppl. One of those patients accidentally fuels chases addiction to eating shiny rocks. There's a silly intervention. Anyways there's gonna be new fellows to replace those three and they might be the same fellows but also maybe not. Because I'm not sure if foreman can keep his job at mercy this time around. So I can have taub replace him in the sceptic position (but this time with the mild spicy interest of "well ok, say that vampires exist. Why do we believe our patient is one just because they say so? Everyone lies after all" and stuff). Thirteen is gonna be. Some type of creature probably. So's kutner but his vibes are just murky enough that I'm stuck in the like ??? Phase of "is he magic or just neurodiverse"

Help. Legit cannot decide between these