#in response to the rule of not showing personal views of the employees

[cycyuu]

In just 4 hours wow...

[themfchase]

Souvenir. Chapter I (m) ┃LHS x Reader.

Lee Heeseung x Reader

‒ souvenir. (m) chapter one. ✎  [6k words]

genre: assassin!au, e2l, slowburn-ish, action fic.

warnings: eventual smut, angst, violence, mentions of SA, and usage of language regarding that. cursing, a lot of existential crisis, and a lot of dialog. synopsis: what a predicament. reaching for the hand of the one who should be pointing a gun at your head instead. you of all people, no one. a shadow with no past and no future, a puppet to a bigger machine, who followed the rules and orders so thoroughly. how reckless of him... or perhaps... how free. loosely based on mr. and mrs. smith, very loosely. i just enjoy the whole "hit man" meets "hit woman" and they are one another assignment so they team up instead. it's been a while since I've posted a fic, and i hope you all enjoy it. this is not proofread, so i apologize in advance for any mistakes. enjoy chapter one of this series. <3

August 8th, 10:55 pm.

Tap... Tap, tap—heels against polished black marbled floors. The pillars were painted in Gold; not the faux type; and the drapes were velvet red. The lounge of this fancy restaurant was on the 25th floor of the Morisson Hotel, a three-star Michelin in a five-star Hotel. The view of a bustling, living city twinkled in your peripheral through the dark tainted glass, New York at night had its charm, you could almost hear the sound of chattering crowds filling the streets, the smell of food trucks and burned rubber, it made you briefly nostalgic as your thoughts are interrupted. "May I show you to your table, Miss?" You don't spare the busboy a glance, honestly. In this world, they are invisible; if you are to play the part, you must act accordingly. You hum in response, and he follows with a brief "Right this way". The white of his dress shirt is pale, you imagine they must be rigid with how pristine their employees should carry themselves, his vest seems ill-fitted as if he got a number too big for his slim waist. Your eyes roam secretly, taking note of how many people were in the restaurant in the first place, a handful, you noted in your mind, it was a very exclusive place, after all. "Your host will arrive shortly." The busboy speaks once more, pulling the chair for you to sit and you do, nodding as you look at the large, empty table you're sitting alone at. Eight other plates and silverware other than your own, indicating a large party. "Is there anything I can get you in the meantime, Miss?" Rehearsed lines in a trained, comforting tone to make sure the guests are always satisfied. Finally, you look up at him, hiding the instant surprise you feel. Black tamed locks hid dark chocolate eyes, an underlying intensity you could not pinpoint as your gaze shifted to the rest of his features, a sharp nose, defined jaw, and lips perfectly symmetrical. Beautiful. Your assessment of him lasted barely a few seconds before you answered. "Bordeaux." The invisible Busboy was not made to be invisible at all if you're honest with yourself. Not with features like that. Perhaps that was a calculated choice by their management, but as you quickly glanced around and took note of the other staff, you realized that no, this busboy was an exception. "Right away." And he disappears.

Your curiosity becomes boredom quickly as your mind goes back to your task at hand. There isn't much to go over, you're very, very good at your job, from how you infiltrate yourself into people's lives to how calculated of a choice it was putting on the skin-fitted almost sheer bronze dress you were wearing, the slit barely too high to be appropriate.

Seducing was your least favorite part. It wasn't hard to convince a man that you loved him, better yet, that he loved you. It wasn't hard to wrap them around your finger as they talked, and talked and talked. Men loved to talk. And while they did after you've given them those shining doe eyes that made them feel like they were the most important person in the world, they spilled all their dirty fucking little secrets. And once you had what you needed... Well, you weren't always so thrilled about killing either. But you might actually enjoy this one.

You sigh as you feign boredom, but you quickly assess the possible exits, just in case, just to be safe. After all, it had taken you over five months to convince Stefano to let you meet his family, today, you'd meet his father and very unpleasant mother. They were so wary of any woman who approached their son, and rightfully so, given they were owners of the biggest oil company in Eastern Europe, one that so quickly rose in shares and investment, eliminating the competition, quite literally. You chuckled to yourself quietly as you remembered how Stefano Nowak had gloated to you, high on methamphetamines as he paced naked in your shabby little hotel room in Budapest that one night about how his father had ordered hits against their competitors, and that their next target was Windersher. You laughed as you pretended to be high off your ass, a giggle so dumb, you wondered how he never even suspected you. The rich often enjoyed roleplaying a simple life, shabby hotels, vintage, dusty restaurants, and backpacking Southeast Asia because the experience made them "more human", right up until they got bored.

You didn't think of yourself as someone who could judge another person's morality, you killed people, after all, you weren't some type of vigilante either. Far from that, you only did as you were told, and you had been told to infiltrate, get information, execute Stefano's father, and disappear. And at the end of the day, you did it for money.

"1993." You're startled. Something that hadn't happened to you in years, you hadn't heard him, and you blinked, looking up at the busboy holding the bottle of wine, how had he snuck up on you so quietly?  "Excuse me?" You ask. "1993 Bordeaux." The corner of his lips pulled slightly as if he had enjoyed surprising you. "Yes, of course. Go ahead." You take your eyes off him and look at your glass as he takes it. The sound of the expensive red wine filling only a bit of your cup rings in your ears, he quietly offers it back to you, and you taste it. It tasted like a victory to you, it's what you always ordered when you were infiltrated, when you had won. You nod, not looking up and he fills the rest of your cup, you hum deeply as you take another sip of the wine., you barely register that the man is still beside you, watching you, you glance upwards, almost awkwardly.

"Yes?" You feigh annoyance, he tilts his head so very slightly, his lips pulling again, this time lopsided.

"You're very beautiful." He bluntly praises. You're not usually taken aback by compliments, it was so out of character for a busboy of a place like this to be so bold, it truly surprised you, and you couldn't hide the utter confusion on your face. "Excuse me?" "If I'm being honest with you, the minute you walked through the lounge, I kinda blacked out for a few seconds, honest to god." He raises the hand that's not holding the bottom of the wine bottle up as if pleading his truth. "What are y—" "That dress too, damn..." His voice lowers. His eyes lower. Your eyes bulge. "The things I'd do to you given the opportunity and consent are uncharted, sweetheart." You look around almost alarmed, searching for a manager, someone, anyone. "Don't worry, I won't bother you for too long. Is the wine good?" "Are you insane? You're gonna lose your job." You scoff at him, still looking around for someone to complain to. You had entirely forgotten about your purpose here.

"It's my last day." He smirks down at you. "Oh, I wonder why." Sarcasm drips in your tone. "Get the fuck away from me." His brows furrow as his lips pout in an "ohh". "Dirty mouth." He husks and you're so unaware of how your body is unconsciously reacting. You're unaware that you're attracted to him. That despite being shocked at his behavior, if you had a normal life, if you were a normal person... You'd flirt back. "I will scream." You glare at him and grit your teeth. "Yeah, you will." And as if on cue, you can see Stefano and his family making their way towards your table with a different Busboy guiding them. "I really hope you enjoy your dinner... Goodbye, sweetheart."

And he pivoted on his feet, leaving the wine bottle on the table before disappearing somewhere. You don't have time to tell the new busboy about the old one's behavior as Stefano quickens his steps, pressing his lips to yours and tilting you slightly.

"My amor." He says loudly, his father unamused, his mother raising a brow. "Baby, these are my parents, they were dying to meet you." You doubt that deeply. "Mr. and Mrs. Nowak, it's a huge pleasure to meet you. I'm honored to be dining with you this evening." You politely say, voice low and trained, just the way his mother would want a daughter-in-law.

As introductions are made and everyone sits, you're taking note of the five other men, two of them sitting quietly on each side of Stefano's parents, looking around at all times. They looked menacing and dangerous, straight out of a nightmare, with tattoos on their hands, neck, and face. Those were probably the ones to be wary of. As the food started to come you looked at the scrawny one sitting beside you and Stefano, that was his brother, Ivan, barely in his twenties, but already had a few DUIs and a Sexual Assault case against him that his loving mother was trying to keep quiet. He thought he could have anything he wanted, even the things he couldn't have.

The other two you hadn't seen before, and you took a quick mental picture as you elegantly folded your salad against your fork, those were Marko and Daniel. Marko had a huge scar on his neck and Daniel had green eyes, they were probably the business partners. This diner not being just one to introduce you to his family, but also one to talk about business. They were always so efficient. The food came as they talked, twenty, or thirty minutes had passed as you quietly ate, they spoke leaving out details that a stranger didn't need to know about. Details you were badly interested in. You glanced upwards at Stefano's mother. She was digging into her entré.

"Their spaghetti alla carbonara is very good, I heard." You smile softly, submissively. "No carbonara out of Italy is good." She almost spat, taking a large sip of her wine. "I agree." You laughed softly despite how loudly she was chewing. "Have you had real Umbrian Carbonara?" Her brow raised, reaching for a piece of the bread on the table.

"Yes. My nonna always told us that the only decent Carbonara in the world was Umbrian, and hers, of course." You smile. "She taught us how to make it from scratch when I was just a bambina."

Mrs. Nowak looks at Stefano, who's paying attention to his father, then back at you. "You didn't tell me she was Italian, Stefano." She shoves the boy. "Of course, 'Ma, I wouldn't date a girl that wasn't perfect. I told you she was perfect." He quickly interjects before going back to his father.

"You know, in our line of business, being the wife is very hard. Stefano's father is from a completely different culture than mine, I had to learn how to adapt." "We can take them next week, boss." You heard them say in parallel to your conversation, more carefree now that it seemed you were talking to Stefano's mother. "Oh, It must have been so hard, I hated leaving my family to go on my church's mission last year, but it was so important that I stay close to God and his purpose." She almost gasped in surprise. "You're catholic?" "Thoroughly, mam." You chuckle softly. "I even have Stefano pray the "The Lord's Prayer" with me before bed.

"Next week is too soon, Windersher just surpassed us, if we do the hit now, they'll notice," Marko spoke.

"Oh, what a blessing. I was so afraid that you'd be another one of those skimpy girls Stefano always brought home, but I see you're a girl of the Lord." You feign happiness as you hear her speak, if you're being honest you needed to pretend not to be too excited, given you were another step closer to this family now all you had to do was try to hear when they would order the hit on Windersher's CEO.

"Davit tried to convince us you were an assassin." She took large sips of her wine, laughing. "They're paranoid." You figured Davit was one of the guards, glancing at him subtly before you smiled back at her, teeth and all. "Always think someone's trying to kill them." "I don't think I'm suited for a job like that." You laugh softly, not even phased. Your facade as the fragile, delicate girl was so well made that it couldn't crumble for anyone. Except for that busboy, he had gotten under your skin very uncomfortably. Your eyes lifted and roamed the place, wondering if he had left, you hadn't seen him again.

"Octob—" Mr. Nowak coughed. "October..." Another cough. God, these old men needed to learn how to chew their food, you were desperate for the date. But the coughing fit continued and got louder, getting the attention of not only the other people at your table but the staff and other people at the restaurant. Soon, it seemed like Mr. Nowak was choking, his face getting red.

"He's choking!" Stefano screamed and you heard people gasp loudly as Davit, the bodyguard tried to perform the Heimlich move, yet as your attentive and alarmed eyes assessed the sudden situation you looked around, most people were watching and at the corner of your eye you watched someone slip through the back doors, a head of tame black hair, once you looked back at the scene, you saw blood. It dripped from his mouth, his eyes, his nose, and ears as he coughed.

Shit.

Mrs. Nowak's scream erupted as the entire thing suddenly turned into chaos, everyone rushing to Mr. Nowak's aid, a scenario so unpredictable that you still hadn't drawn an escape route, because the reason Mr. Nowak was now dead in Davit's arms as the other guard tried to perform CPR, blood everywhere, was because Mr. Novak had been...

"Poisoned," Davit said as he looked down at his beloved boss's lifeless body. "A woman's weapon." He glanced up at you. Your eyes bulged, putting one hand up as if to try and defend yourself, but the truth was, what was the point, he was dead. There would be no hit, and now, you were a suspect to this family, they'd never tell you a thing.

"Fuck it." You sighed as you reached for your thigh, bringing out the pocket pistol that you had been hiding. They barely had time to react as you shot four times, your aim so precise that the two guards and both business partners didn't stand a chance. Their bodies hit the floor and you aimed at the three remaining people.

"You bitch! She-devil! You will burn in the scolding flames of hell, you fucking whore!" Mrs. Nowak was screaming at you as she hunched over her dead husband's body, rage and grief in her words, you rolled your eyes and shot her through the head, her body dropping over her dead husband's. Stefano and Ivan were paralyzed, shocked as they looked at their dead parents. "Momm—!" Ivan began to yell as realization hit, but he wasn't able to finish, as another shot brought him down.

"Fucking rapist." You mutter to yourself, realizing you were out of ammo. At this point, people were rushing out of the restaurant, a screaming frenzy echoing all around. "You— You killed them..." Stefano was trembling, most likely from the shock, his bulged, glassed-over eyes turning to look at you, you sighed as you reached for your thigh once more, calm and collected as he began to stutter.

"I thought you... You loved me... You sai— Who are you?" He almost whispered as you loaded your gun with the mag you had, a scoffed-out laugh leaving you.

"No one." You answer before lifting your gun.

"Wait! Wa—" And the last gunshot rang in the almost empty restaurant before you watched his body fall.

It had been hell getting out of that place without being spotted by the staff or any other person who had watched the massacre unfold. You made a very frustrated phone call to your employers telling them that someone had assassinated Mr. Nowak before you got the information you needed, stealing your kill.

September 17th, 2:57 am.

You tried to piece things together the weeks following the failed mission, you went through every single person that had been there, from the dining guests to the staff and there was only one person that didn't fit in. The busboy. The one you finally realized was the one slipping through the back doors as your target was poisoned to death. His face came up on the file, a made-up name most likely, no backstory, nothing checked out, he never existed. You stared at those eyes. Ones so dark, you couldn't quite pin down the reason why. The one that boldly flirted with you. It didn't seem like he knew you were working, to him you might have been just another trophy mafia wife or girlfriend. How reckless of him. You scoffed as you stared at his picture again, just like you did every single day in annoyance, the moonlight coming through the slightly ajar window from the little apartment in the two-story building you were at, Seol was surprisingly quiet at three am. Your phone lit up with a text. Your next mission. You furrowed your brows as you read the text, it was only a time and place, you double-checked the number, making sure it was from your employer. You searched the place, quickly realizing it was a gallery. You took in a breath as you lay on the bed, you heard the quiet wind brush the flimsy curtains, a foreign sense of nostalgia hitting your chest... you had no aspirations, all you had known was this since you could form memories, so you aspired to excel in it. You allowed your eyes to close as frustration crept up on you from the lack of information on your next mission, you were usually in prep mode by now, but perhaps they were taking a different approach this time, perhaps because you had failed your last mission... Miserably. As you drifted to sleep you wondered why a certain dark-eyed man slipped into your dreams even though you had only seen him once.

The gallery was quiet and bright, sunlight coming from the wide and tall windows that adorned the entrance. Hanging on wires were the exposed paintings, ones you were truly admiring as you waited, on large cement blocks you had sculptures and art pieces that filled and alternated the small maze that the gallery presented. Patience was something you had learned already as a girl, forced to steady the glass marble on the back of your hand for hours as part of your training. You stopped in front of a rather beautiful painting, one that depicted a young boy reaching for the ears of a white fluffy rabbit with red eyes, it looked like a renaissance painting. Despite the innocence you could feel coming from the way the boy is portrayed, you could tell the artist wanted to give the spectator a feeling of recklessness, of danger coming from the innocence of a boy and from the self-preservation of a creature. You would have gotten this painting if you had a home.

"You do seem like the type to admire art."

A voice you didn't think you'd forget that quickly spoke low a little behind you. You freeze for merely a few seconds, making several decisions in your head before you turn your head to glance at him.

God, he was gorgeous, just like you remembered, his damn photo didn't bring him justice. He was wearing a loose cotton shirt with a few buttons opened at the top, revealing honey-kissed skin, black, perfectly ironed slacks. His hair was less tame this time, a few loose strands covering his forehead and he had his hands behind his back.

You gave him a once over, hiding how incredibly attracted to him you were before you looked back at the painting. You had decided to pretend you were unphased by him being there. Maybe he didn't know who you were, maybe he just thought it was an incredible coincidence. "You don't seem surprised to see me." He stated the obvious moving dangerously closer. You looked at him again, noticing how he was standing right beside you, hands in his pockets, perhaps holding a gun.

"You seem surprised to see me, though." You retort. "I figured you'd be dead." He fed you very little, letting you wonder. You decided to play a different card. Have the upper hand, if he didn't know, you'd let him know you did. "Why, did you poison my food too?" You continue to look at the beautiful painting in front of you. "Ah, you realized it was me." He hummed, speaking lower now as he was closer to you. "Yes, very reckless, very annoying." You sighed in a bored tone. "Fucked up my whole plan, that was such a fucking inconvenience."

"God, you have a dirty mouth." He gave his head a slight tilt as he laughed.

"What do you want, I'm working." You finally said in a more annoyed and impatient tone. "So am I." He retorted, looking at you. "You look great, by the way, white suits you." He referred to the white summer dress you had on, but you were more concerned about the fact that he was also working.

"What do you mean you're working, there can't be two targets in the same place, that's very unlikely." You say lower, crossing your arms over your chest, his eyes flash with acknowledgment as his suspicions are confirmed. He was pretty certain, but it was good to have confirmation that you both were in the same line of work. "Maybe it's the same target again, that would be so much fun, wouldn't it?" His voice is teasing.

"You're very annoying..."

"Heeseung." You look at him, his eyes meet yours very intensely. "My name is Heeseung." "Sure." You didn't believe him, and he didn't argue. You looked down at your phone in your purse, annoyance growing. Your patience was growing thin now because of the unpleasant but stupidly attractive guest standing beside you.

"You're not going to tell me your name?" He smiles arrogantly. "No. Maybe go stand somewhere else." You look around. "And why would I want to do that when I have a fucking masterpiece beside me?" That makes you roll your eyes. "You're cheesy." "And you do a very poor job at pretending it doesn't work on you." You had barely registered that he was uncomfortably close to you. "I'm very good at pretending, actually." You turn your head to him, putting on an act. The glint in your eyes is almost believable if he didn't know any better. The way your lips turn up in a teasing, flirty smile makes his eyes fall to them instinctively. "You don't think so, Heeseung?" Your voice brings a playful sultry tone to it and the way your tongue moves when you say his name has his lips parting, an urgent need to get closer. As quickly as you do it, your face drops, going back to the bored, stoic expression you carried before. "That's impressive."  His brows lift as he clears his throat, looking back at the painting. "Now go away." You shoo him with your hand and this time he scoffs. "I'm not your busboy. Maybe getting close and personal with rich snobs rubbed off on you, sweetheart." "Listen you fucking annoying asshole, I don't care if we have the same target or different targets, I need you to stay the fuck out of my way, otherwise I'm going to put a bullet right between those pretty little dark eyes of yours, are we clear?" "I would fucking love to see you try, sweetheart." "Stop calling me sweetheart." "Or what, you gonna put a bullet between my pretty dark eyes?" "I'll put a bullet in your throat so maybe you'll shut up." "Can I put something in your throat instead?" That was it. You reached for your gun inside your bag, you were going to shoot him in the fucking dick. But your phone and his rang at the same time, announcing a text.

"Target: Lee Heeseung.

File.324"

You read the name and looked at the picture then quickly looked up. His eyes were on you, no longer carrying the flirtatious glint to them. "Y/N, pretty name." He spoke almost without emotion as you glanced at the screen of his phone, you could see your picture. You swallowed. It took you a few seconds to react, reaching for your gun before you felt his hands against your chest, pushing you so strongly that you fell back, alarming the crowd around you as you slid across the floor. You lifted the gun now in your hold, shooting at him as he ducked behind the paintings and sculptures. Chaos ensued, people, screaming and scrambling to make their way out of the gallery, as you took your shot and missed. He was fast on his feet. Hiding behind a large white pillar. "Your aim is shit!" He yelled from behind it as you scrambled to hide behind the cement block holding a small art piece. "Yeah? Wanna come closer so I can show you how bad it is?" You grunted out as you checked how many bullets you had left. You could hear him clutching his gun.

"Listen, we should probably talk about this." He spoke again. "Fine, come out and let's talk, baby." Your breathing was ragged, you'd had traded gunfire before against guards, police even. But never against someone from the same line of work as you. You needed to kill him fast before he killed you. "Why would they send us both here?" He started and you moved quietly, crouched down as you made your way to another cement block, closer to his pillar. "Maybe they're awarding me the honor of killing you and getting paid for it." "Did you see a price on my name?" You falter. There wasn't one. They usually had a price. They usually came with a briefing, not just a name and photo. You swallowed. "So what, I'd kill you for free too." "Y/N, why would they send us both here, with no information, nothing?" He was a little breathless. "It's not the first time either."

You could hear the faint sound of police sirens, you were running out of time and he was in the way of your only exit other than the front entrance.

"Fuck." You muttered under your breath, for the first time feeling a little panicked. "This is a setup. They're trying to terminate us." He said a little firmer before finally coming out, you panicked as you saw him, his hands up, his gun in one of his hands. "Don't... Just listen. If you think I'm bullshitting you, fucking shoot me, I don't care, I'll be dead tomorrow anyway." The police sirens get louder as you stand and keep him in your aim. "They want us dead." "Why?" You swallow, your resolve wavering. "I.. Don't know. But I know that the police will be here any minute, and we need to leave." You're trembling and you have no idea why. "Why should I trust you?" Your voice comes out firm but shaky.

He takes in a deep breath, blinking a few times as his eyes show you just as much resolution as you need. 

"I'm all you have left." He's staring at you with intent. You're pondering. He's right, why would they have sent him on the Nowak mission, maybe they expected him to poison you as well, but he didn't, was it his employer, yours? You weren't sure. All you knew is that as you looked into his eyes, he seemed as lost as you were feeling. "Fuck... fuck." You lower your gun, making your way to him quickly. "Give me your gun." You say and he backs off tilting his head. "Wow, how do I know I can trust you? If I'm unarmed I'm vulnerable." "I won't go anywhere with you if you're armed." You spat at him and he cursed under his breath in frustration as he looked at the tall windows, police now stopping abruptly. "Fine, fucking run." He gave you the gun, running to the back of the gallery, and you followed. As you both made your way out of the gallery's back, you followed him through the crooked alleyways and into the back of restaurants and buildings. You had no idea how long you two were running, walking, sneaking for. Eventually, it began to darken, you were both walking between little buildings and houses, in a humble neighborhood. "If you're taking me to your base—" "I'm not fucking stupid. I have a backup base everywhere I go." Maybe you were stupid because you didn't.

Finally, after another twenty minutes in silence as you walked he started walking up the side stairs of a two-story building, you followed him until you were in front of a door, he fumbled with the code before making his way, you followed, heartbeat spiking as you noticed it was dark. Your survival instinct kicked in as you made your way in, reaching for his gun in your purse, and you heard him move you reached a hand for a light switch, fingers brushing against one and flipping the light on as the door shut closed behind you.

You weren't even surprised as he was standing in the middle of the living room, gun pointed at you, you pointing his gun at him.

"So, your plan was to drag me here and kill me anyway?" You scoffed. "I don't want to kill you, but It doesn't mean I fucking trust you" He argued. "Of course, you don't... then put your gun down, Heeseung." "Ladies first." "Not a chance." You spat at him. He flinched, your fight of flight response triggered as you pulled the trigger, but your eyes bulged as nothing came out, you looked at the gun, pulling the trigger a few more times before you looked at him.

"I knew you'd ask for my gun." He said as he tucked the one in his hand behind his back. You raged, throwing the gun at him, he ducked before you were moving in, trying to deliver a punch, but he dodged you every time. You were a skilled fighter, but he was proving to be one too as your fist flew back and forth and missed him every time. He wasn't trying to hit you back, just deflect your hits at him, you change one move, hitting a painful blow against his cheek and he grunts in annoyance before he reaches for your wrist, spinning you and pulling you against his chest, his lips against your ear.

"You done?" He husks out between ragged breathing.

You scream, bending over and using your strength to fling him over your back and onto the floor, his legs move before you can punch down at him, wrapping around your feet and making you fall onto your back, he then moves above you, quickly gripping at both your wrists and pinning over your head. One of his legs pins you down as you squirm and he holds your chest down with his other hand.

"Fucking stop, you're being very fucking annoying."

You grit back at him, but your body is buzzing with adrenaline and as you squirm, trying to free yourself, you come to the understanding that he is ultimately stronger than you, and your body grows tired of fighting against him.

"You gonna behave now?" He looked down at you as he noticed you calm down, your chest heaving against his palm, your dress bunched up your tights. "You can't make me." You retort, your throat dry as you try to assess your possible escape routes.

"Oh, I bet I could." The tone of his voice changes, and you eye him. The glint was back in his eyes, the playfulness. He looked stupidly good over you, manhandling you like this, and your body betrayed you as the tone of his voice met your ears. Both your breathing was ragged, his face leveled with yours as he looked into your eyes, holding your glare. Your body relaxes, giving up and he whispers "Good girl." You freeze, it was a stupid trigger, truly. But effective enough that your eyes slightly bulged up at him in fear. The shift in your demeanor alarmed him, he moved, rolling to the side as you got up, walking to the opposite side of the room, leaning against the wall. You rubbed at your wrists, a slight ache where he had been forcefully holding you, you both were quiet for a few minutes. "Tell me what's going through your head." He's quiet, with a concerned tone in his words. You take a few seconds to answer.

"They want us dead so... We should probably find a way to stay alive. They'll probably send others after us." You lie, although the 'others' part was true. Truly, you were wondering how you so easily caved to this man, you didn't know him, although it seemed he had known you. It made you feel weak, it made you feel ashamed.

"I have a friend in Japan that can get us off the grid, fingerprints, image recon, the whole thing. We can go our separate ways after." His voice is almost too emotionless for your liking. "You'd just help me like that?" You cackle an amused laugh as you lean on the opposite side of the room. "You truly are reckless..." He watches with a lifted brow as you shake your head. "There's probably a reason why they chose us, you know?" You begin reaching for your phone and putting it apart. "I'm ranked one in the company. My employers say they only choose agents competent enough to do the job, so, they believe I'm the only one that has what it takes to kill you." You take out the chip, cracking it in two between your fingers before you do the same to the flimsy, flip device.

"It's the same for me." He adds.

"So, if you know I'm the only one competent enough to kill you, why would you help me?" You finally cross your arms again, eyes meeting his, his hair was a mess from the earlier, almost shameful fighting session.

"Because I'm the only one that can kill you, if you turn on me, I'll put a bullet in your head." Annoyance comes up your throat like something sour, you hate the thought that it might be true. You had always been the best, the one that excelled in this, never heard of someone being as good as you, or better.

"That's cute." You scoff at him. "I'll be in the room over there, try not to bother me." The confirmation that you would indeed be going to Japan with him without actually saying it.

┃Next Chapter.

[the-haunted-office]

I can't decide which horror book to read next. Please help me decide! Book summaries under the cut.

FantasticLand by Mike Bockoven

Since the 1970s, FantasticLand has been the theme park where “Fun is Guaranteed!” But when a hurricane ravages the Florida coast and isolates the park, the employees find it anything but fun. Five weeks later, the authorities who rescue the survivors encounter a scene of horror. Photos soon emerge online of heads on spikes outside of rides and viscera and human bones littering the gift shops, breaking records for hits, views, likes, clicks, and shares. How could a group of survivors, mostly teenagers, commit such terrible acts?

Presented as a fact-finding investigation and a series of first-person interviews, FantasticLand pieces together the grisly series of events. Park policy was that the mostly college-aged employees surrender their electronic devices to preserve the authenticity of the FantasticLand experience. Cut off from the world and left on their own, the teenagers soon form rival tribes who viciously compete for food, medicine, social dominance, and even human flesh. This new social network divides the ravaged dreamland into territories ruled by the Pirates, the ShopGirls, the Freaks, and the Mole People. If meticulously curated online personas can replace private identities, what takes over when those constructs are lost?

Man, Fuck This House by Brian Asman

Sabrina Haskins and her family have just moved into their dream home, a gorgeous Craftsman in the rapidly-growing Southwestern city of Jackson Hill. Sabrina’s a bored and disillusioned homemaker, Hal a reverse mortgage salesman with a penchant for ill-timed sports analogies. Their two children, Damien and Michaela, are bright and precocious. At first glance, the house is perfect. But things aren’t what they seem. Sabrina’s hearing odd noises, seeing strange visions. Their neighbors are odd or absent. And Sabrina’s already-fraught relationship with her son is about to be tested in a way no parent could ever imagine. Because while the Haskins family might be the newest owners of 4596 James Circle, they’re far from its only residents…

A Lonely Broadcast by Kel Byron

If you find yourself driving down a winding mountain road near an endless stretch of pines, try tuning in to 104.6 FM: the radio station that shouldn't exist.

The village of Pinehaven has a secret of monstrous proportions. Evelyn McKinnon, a radio host falling on hard times, finds herself utterly unprepared when she learns that the radio station isn't just for entertainment. It's a watchtower.

She's stalked by a bird with human eyes. Her new co-host won't stop singing show tunes. And when the fog rolls in, the beasts of Pinehaven Forest begin their brutal hunt. Evelyn and her friends are suddenly face-to-face with something much scarier than ravenous flesh-giants and vengeful spirits: responsibility.

Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian

Sadie Grace is wanted for witchcraft, dead (or alive). And every hired gun in Kansas is out to collect the bounty on her head, including bona fide witch hunter Old Tom and his mysterious, mute ward, Rabbit. On the road to Burden County, they’re joined by two vagabond cowboys with a strong sense of adventure – but no sense of purpose – and a recently widowed schoolteacher with nothing left to lose. As their posse grows, so too does the danger. Racing along the drought-stricken plains in a stolen red stagecoach, they encounter monsters more wicked than witches lurking along the dusty trail. But the crew is determined to get that bounty, or die trying.

All the Fiends of Hell by Adam L. G. Nevill

Seeing the morning is no blessing. The handful of scattered survivors are confronted by blood-red skies and an infestation of predatory horrors that never originated on earth. An occupying force intent on erasing the remnants of animal life from the planet. Across the deserted landscapes of England, bereft of infrastructure and society, the overlooked can either hide or try to outrun the infernal hunting terrors. Until a rumour emerges claiming that the sea may offer an escape. Ordinary, unexceptional, directionless Karl, is one of the few who made it through the first night. In the company of two orphans, he flees south. But only into horrifying revelations and greater peril, where a transformed world and expanding race of ravening creatures await. Driven to the end of the country and himself, he must overcome alien and human malevolence and act in ways that were unthinkable mere days before.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jodi Kantor at NYT:

After the 2020 presidential election, as some Trump supporters falsely claimed that President Biden had stolen the office, many of them displayed a startling symbol outside their homes, on their cars and in online posts: an upside-down American flag. One of the homes flying an inverted flag during that time was the residence of Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., in Alexandria, Va., according to photographs and interviews with neighbors. The upside-down flag was aloft on Jan. 17, 2021, the images showed. President Donald J. Trump’s supporters, including some brandishing the same symbol, had rioted at the Capitol a little over a week before. Mr. Biden’s inauguration was three days away. Alarmed neighbors snapped photographs, some of which were recently obtained by The New York Times. Word of the flag filtered back to the court, people who worked there said in interviews.

While the flag was up, the court was still contending with whether to hear a 2020 election case, with Justice Alito on the losing end of that decision. In coming weeks, the justices will rule on two climactic cases involving the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, including whether Mr. Trump has immunity for his actions. Their decisions will shape how accountable he can be held for trying to overturn the last presidential election and his chances for re-election in the upcoming one. “I had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag,” Justice Alito said in an emailed statement to The Times. “It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbor’s use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs.” Judicial experts said in interviews that the flag was a clear violation of ethics rules, which seek to avoid even the appearance of bias, and could sow doubt about Justice Alito’s impartiality in cases related to the election and the Capitol riot.

The mere impression of political opinion can be a problem, the ethics experts said. “It might be his spouse or someone else living in his home, but he shouldn’t have it in his yard as his message to the world,” said Amanda Frost, a law professor at the University of Virginia. This is “the equivalent of putting a ‘Stop the Steal’ sign in your yard, which is a problem if you’re deciding election-related cases,” she said. Interviews show that the justice’s wife, Martha-Ann Alito, had been in a dispute with another family on the block over an anti-Trump sign on their lawn, but given the timing and the starkness of the symbol, neighbors interpreted the inverted flag as a political statement by the couple. The longstanding ethics code for the lower courts, as well as the recent one adopted by the Supreme Court, stresses the need for judges to remain independent and avoid political statements or opinions on matters that could come before them.

“You always want to be proactive about the appearance of impartiality,” Jeremy Fogel, a former federal judge and the director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute, said in an interview. “The best practice would be to make sure that nothing like that is in front of your house.” The court has also repeatedly warned its own employees against public displays of partisan views, according to guidelines circulated to the staff and reviewed by The Times. Displaying signs or bumper stickers is not permitted, according to the court’s internal rule book and a 2022 memo reiterating the ban on political activity.

Asked if these rules also apply to justices, the court declined to respond. The exact duration that the flag flew outside the Alito residence is unclear. In an email from Jan. 18, 2021, reviewed by The Times, a neighbor wrote to a relative that the flag had been upside down for several days at that point. In recent years, the quiet sanctuary of his street, with residents who are Republicans and Democrats, has tensed with conflict, neighbors said. Around the 2020 election, a family on the block displayed an anti-Trump sign with an expletive. It apparently offended Mrs. Alito and led to an escalating clash between her and the family, according to interviews.

[...] During Mr. Trump’s quest to win, and then subvert, the 2020 election, the gesture took off as never before, becoming “really established as a symbol of the ‘Stop the Steal’ campaign,” according to Alex Newhouse, a researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder. A flood of social media posts exhorted Trump supporters to flip over their flags or purchase new ones to display upside down. “If Jan. 6 rolls around and Biden is confirmed by the Electoral College our nation is in distress!!” a poster wrote on Patriots.win, a forum for Trump supporters, garnering over a thousand “up” votes. “If you cannot go to the DC rally then you must do your duty and show your support for our president by flying the flag upside down!!!!”

Local newspapers from Lexington, Ky., to Sun City, Ariz., to North Jersey wrote about the flags cropping up nearby. A few days before the inauguration, a Senate candidate in Minnesota flew an upside-down flag on his campaign vehicle. Hanging an inverted flag outside a home was “an explicit signifier that you are part of this community that believes America has been taken and needs to be taken back,” Mr. Newhouse said. This spring, the justices are already laboring under suspicion by many Americans that whatever decisions they make about the Jan. 6 cases will be partisan. Justice Clarence Thomas has declined to recuse himself despite the direct involvement of his wife, Virginia Thomas, in efforts to overturn the election. Now, with decisions in the Jan. 6 cases expected in just a few weeks, a similar debate may unfurl about Justice Alito, the ethics experts said. “It really is a question of appearances and the potential impact on public confidence in the court,” Mr. Fogel said. “I think it would be better for the court if he weren’t involved in cases arising from the 2020 election. But I’m pretty certain that he will see that differently.”

SCOTUS Justice Samuel Alito's house had an upside down American Flag on their flagpole in the aftermath of the 2020 Presidential election in protest of President Biden's win and in support of what Big Lie proponents falsely believe the 2020 election was "stolen" from Donald Trump.

This is a downright treasonous move from a SCOTUS justice!

[theninthdoor]

twice || pre-debut personalities & group dynamic; tarot reading

✦ Pre-debut Personalities:

⭒ Nayeon:

cards: two of swords, queen of swords, eight of pentacles

Very independent; very organized. She was serious about her duties as a trainee and followed the rules, but was also quite strategic about it all. Extremely intelligent; kept her ears open for everything, but only spoke about things that mattered for her. She knew when to say things and how to say them. Never spoke out of turn. Adding on to that, Nayeon was most likely one of the most private and discreet trainees, as instead of wanting to make dozens of friends, she focused on the work that had to be done to get to that debut stage. Every day was a work day for her, and no one could get her to lose track of her goals and tasks. If she had to cut people off due to that, she would.

⭒ Jeongyeon:

cards: the moon, ten of swords, the sun

Outwardly, she appeared to be a very happy and fulfilled person. However, in private, everything came crashing down on her and she had trouble looking at her situation from an optimistic point of view. This period was very hard on her and, instead of looking for support from those around her (who were, assumably, going through the same issues), she chose to hide her feelings and deal with them alone. She didn't want to be seen as weak, so she put on a happy face whenever people showed up and shoved all negative thoughts under the rug. Jeongyeon might've also been the type to compare herself to others, which made everything worse. She didn't see her talents and progress for what they were; instead she only saw how well the others were doing. She supported and cheered on others, but she should've actually been doing that for herself first and foremost.

⭒ Momo:

cards: three of cups, four of swords, nine of wands reversed (king of wands)

A true ambivert. She was likely quite popular and had no issue making new friends, but still needed her privacy and her alone time at the end of the day. Momo wasn't one to get herself involved in fights with the other trainees or with the JYP employees/teachers/etc. She wasn't there to cause trouble or to play dirty games behind people's backs; she simply wanted to focus on her dreams and on the work that she had to do for them to come true. Also due to this, she might've had some issues when it came to boundaries. She gave more than what she should've, and, even when it felt like she had nothing else to give, she still managed to find enough strength to run that extra mile. She really wanted them to recognize her skills and hard work, and wouldn't give up until they expressed their appreciation and total satisfaction.

⭒ Sana:

cards: ten of cups, knight of pentacles, six of pentacles

The brightest and kindest of all, I'd say. Extremely friendly. She brought everyone's spirits up and took great care of them. Sana might've usually been the first one to notice when someone was feeling low or was going through a hard time, and immediately offered a helping hand. She was also very grounded, responsible and reliable. Completed all of her tasks without fail, but didn't make them her whole focus. She still needed to connect with others on a personal level, and to feel like, even though she was in a competitive environment, there was still love and care around her. I believe she had the tendency to romanticize everything and purposely avoided thinking about the negatives. Still, she knew herself very well already, and was realistic with her expectations and capacity to handle things.

⭒ Jihyo:

cards: the fool, five of swords reversed, ace of wands

A free-spirit; very fun and outgoing. She could've had trouble following the rules, but I don't see her breaking them on purpose. They simply went over her head and, before she knew it, she had broken half of them in a single week. I see that Jihyo was also the first one to approach new people and put in effort to get to know them. It's not that she wanted to be friends with everyone, but she was genuinely curious to get to know them, where they came from and how they ended up there. Additionally, because she was always quite easy-going, she was the ideal person to resolve conflicts. It was very hard to get on her nerves, so she could perfectly get herself in the middle of an argument without being affected by it.

⭒ Mina:

cards: six of wands, three of wands, three of swords reversed (the fool)

Quite popular; always in the spotlight. Mina was very proud of her skills and achievements, and didn't shy away from showing them off. Not that she wanted attention, but she didn't see the point in hiding them if she was trying to make a career out of them. She could've also been some kind of team leader; often guiding the others and helping them find motivation. I see her being the first one to arrive in the morning; the first one to talk to the staff/teachers/etc and ask all of the important questions, to then inform the other trainees. Mina was one of the most future oriented people, too; always looking ahead and making the necessary moves for things to come to fruition. Also due to this, she wasn't one to dwell on disagreements or any kind of hurt - instead, she chose to keep walking towards new and brighter experiences and saw all of these more negative occurrences as a necessary part of the journey.

⭒ Dahyun:

cards: the wheel of fortune, four of cups, the star

Dahyun was always that one person who seemed to have their head in the clouds. Always thinking of something else; always distracted. Timing and schedules might've also been troublesome for her because of this side of her personality - she either often showed up late to things or let deadlines pass by accident. I don't see her enjoying having to follow a timetable strictly. Regardless, she was a very good influence on others, since she always brought lots of excitement and joy along with her. She made people feel at ease, even though the connections might've not been super intimate. They always felt like she had good intentions towards them and wouldn't cause them trouble to get ahead. Also, I don't feel like she had a definite career path in mind, but rather just wanted to be an entertainer and try many different things along the way.

⭒ Chaeyoung:

cards: six of swords, nine of wands reversed (strength), ace of swords (the chariot reversed)

A problem solver; very smart. She was very good at organizing things and giving people solutions to their problems. However, while she had no trouble helping others, she rarely helped herself. Chaeyoung is another one who, like Momo, gave far too much and had weak boundaries. She'd rather work herself to the bone than let her efforts be ignored. Until they said to her face that it was good enough, she wouldn't stop pushing for that recognition. Also, she was quite outspoken - even to a fault, I'd say. She was one to jump into conclusions and say things without knowing all of the facts, which led her to often make a fool of herself when she didn't need to. At times, too, Chaeyoung might've not even had her mind made up on the topic, but still went ahead and spoke on it. All in all, it seems like she had trouble learning from her mistakes and just kept repeating them again and again. If she had taken the time to think things through and look back at how it turned out for her previously, all should've been much easier for her.

⭒ Tzuyu:

cards: the hanged man, temperance, queen of cups

Very quiet and agreeable. One to stay impartial in most (if not all) occasions; never asserted her will regarding anything. Instead, Tzuyu was one to stay in the corner and trust the others' judgement. She knew they had no bad intentions towards her, anyway. On the other hand, while she wasn't often a super active or bold individual, everyone valued her presence and contribution to the team. In that sense, since she could easily adapt to all of their personalities, she was able to provide them with the kind of comfort and care they each needed. Really, she was up for anything and never made a fuss. Patient and compassionate; the one that listened to their problems and gave them advice; extremely understanding and affectionate.

✦ Pre-debut Group Dynamic:

cards: seven of swords (queen of pentacles reversed), four of swords, two of cups

It seems like the group was very divided at first. Some members were very close and loyal towards one another, while others not so much yet. Mind you, due to the way this industry works, they were constantly being pitted against each other and, naturally, acted very defensively. Their place in the group wasn't secure until they stepped on that debut stage, and they were all too aware of that. Rumours were constantly flying around; gossip was a daily thing. Although many of the stuff they heard was most likely untrue, it still influenced their dynamic and the way they saw certain people. Even so, they were usually very respectful towards one another, and big fights might've been rare. They saw eye to eye on most matters, and knew better than to make things worse by causing unecessary arguments. The trainee life was already very stressful as it was. Also, those who quickly became close friends and developed deep bonds from the get go, were a very good influence on others. Not only did they bring the mood up, but they also motivated the more closed off members to open up and link up with the people they got along with the best. This way, no one was left isolated and, as time went on, they all became closer and learnt how to trust each other fully.

(Disclaimer: all readings are alleged and for entertainment purposes only.)

[skiplo-wave]

6/27/23 - update anon: Regards of the Investigation of the Titan & Ocean Gate

I have been reluctant to press for more information due to the investigation. You definitely never want to do anything that would jeopardized a case. From what I know, the audio and the video recording is from the Polar Prince ship. I think they are doing everything by the book. Now from a legal point of view, I don't think they would be investigating this hard if they didn't find something wrong. I am going to give you an example and I hope this makes sense:

So say that you are on a two-person job that involves a dump truck that hauls dirt, gravel or sand etc. Your co-employee does not show up to work and the company you work for doesn't have anyone to replace them. So you have no choice by the company but to do this two-person job alone. You go out on your job and began laying dirt at a construction site for a new building. And it so happens that none of the construction workers are there yet. As you finish dumping dirt, the hydraulic system that is responsible for lifting the bed of the truck gets stuck. You try and fix it yourself but tragedy strikes. The hydraulic system goes out and crushes you to a slow death. The investigators that are working your case finds out it was a two-person job and they want to know what happened to this other person. Now they have visual evidence they need to investigate. The investigators are going to want to know if there was cameras on site or nearby. They are going to want to know if anyone fled from the scene. They are going to want to know where the co-employee was during the time of the incident and see their last clock-in time at work so they can rule out foul play. They are going to question the company on why they allowed you to go out on a two-person job alone that put their employee in danger which resulted in death. That would be negligence on their part. If somebody had been there, they would had been able to release the hydraulic system in time to free you.

Do you get where I am going with that? They found something wrong due to some kind of visual evidence. It's either foul play or negligence on Ocean Gate. We all know know that there was multiple things wrong with the Titan and they did nothing about it. They ignored all the warnings and continued with their tours. In my opinion this is all about pure negligence.

You work fast ocean anon ( or is investgate anon better) either way thanks!

[thecontextofthecoconuttree]

The Notorious RBG and her Beginnings

Beginning this blog by reflecting on Ruth Bader Ginsburg's (A.K.A. RBG) impact on our country is altogether intimidating but also incredibly important. In order to most accurately describe the new wave of feminism within politics there has to be a discussion on Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the role she has had on inspiring women internationally and the influence she has had on gender equality within the United States.

That being said, Ginsburg’s first true experience with gender discrimination occured when she first entered Harvard Law and was invited to a dinner in which each of the 9 female students was escorted by a male professor and forced to defend the student spot they had “stolen” from a capable and intelligent man. In fact, when Ginsburg was nominated to the Supreme Court in 1993,  she learned that one of her old law school classmates had told a meeting of his Rotary Club that the men of Harvard Law used to refer to her as a “Bitch.” To which Ginsburg replied, “Better bitch than mouse” (Hirshman 14/223). Although she wasn’t known to be particularly vocal during her time at college, as many professors didn’t allow female students to speak in class, she still managed to obtain this nickname. Even though she attended Harvard in the 50’s it’s important to consider how these men referred to her within this male-dominated space. Ruth achieved much more than expected by her classmates and still received ridicule following her college career. Instead of being submissive, her response underscores her resilience and refusal to conform to society’s expectation of femininity.

Despite graduating at the top of her class at Columbia (she transferred from Harvard Law to follow her husband in New York), Ruth faced many challenges finding an employer as most men at the time were unwilling to hire female employees despite her recommendations from highly esteemed lawyers and professors. Eventually, Ginsburg signed on with a project at Columbia to study the procedure of the Swedish court procedures. When she arrived Sweden was in the midst of their feminist revolution. The argument Eva Moberg, a Swedish journalist, provided was that women liberation could not occur by women entering men’s spheres but that there must be a mutual integration between both gender constructs. During Ginsburg’s time in Sweden she was able to observe these feminist ideas become synthesized into law. When Ginsburg returned to America she became employed as a professor at Rutgers Law School. As students nationally began to sue their schools for violating the Civil Rights Act by maintaining discriminatory hiring practices, Ginsburg was "co-opted” (Askin) into teaching a Women and the Law course at Rutgers. As this was occurring, she showed immense interest in the American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU)  case of Reed v. Reed (1971), where a divorced woman was unable to dictate the estate of her son due to his passing. RBG’s goal was to make the court view sex the same as they had race, “something people are born with and which should not determine their fates” (Hirshman 36/223). Although Ruth didn’t personally argue this case, her aid allowed for the courts to rule in favor of impartial practices in this regard and this was the first time the 14th Amendment was applied towards gender. Following this involvement, there happened to be a nation-wide discussion on female integration within several different colleges, and as this was going on, Ruth reflected on Rutgers as a men’s college and Douglass College as a smaller separate school intended for women. She became driven to disintegrate this separation and wrote a letter in 1971 to the president of Rutgers Richard Schlatter, informing him that a recent federal decision ordering the University of Virginia to integrate women would cause Rutgers College to take the same initiative and shortly following that Douglass College was disbanded and women were admitted into Rutgers. Even now, as a Rutgers student, it is so strange to consider the personal impact RBG’s actions have had on the life and education of ME and so many other women. 

In January of 1973, RBG made her first argument in the United States Supreme Court in the case of Frontiero v. Richardson (1973). Although male military men were allowed to claim dependent status for their wives, this case regarded a man’s ability to claim a dependent’s allowance based on his wife’s employment in the military. Ginsburg argued that “Sex like race is a visible, immutable characteristic bearing no necessary relationship to ability. Sex like race has been made the basis for unjustified or at least unproved assumptions, concerning an individual’s potential to perform or to contribute to society” (Ginsburg). This argument that Ginsburg proposed reevaluates society’s view of gender. She asserted that gender discrimination is as unreasonable as racial discrimination, which is described in the 14th Amendment, as both are rooted in assumptions that deny individuals the opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities.

In the early 80’s, Ruth left the ACLU to continue her career as a life-tenured judiciary. However, in 1993 President Bill Clinton nominated Ginsburg for the Supreme Court to which she accepted. In his defense of this nomination. President Clinton stated that “Many admirers of her work say that she is to the women’s movement what former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall was to the movement for the rights of African-Americans.” Two of Ginsburg’s most influential Supreme Court decisions include Shelby County v. Holder (2013) and Burwell v. Hobby Lobby (2014).

Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s journey towards becoming a Supreme Court Justice exhibited a determined law student, professor, and then lawyer, who despite facing gender-discrimination kept working towards helping others experiencing the same. Her strategic legal battles, such as in Reed v. Reed and Frontiero v. Richardson, were crucial in setting important precedents for gender equality. Now, as we look back on Ginsburg's legacy, it extends far beyond her time on the bench. She inspired generations of women, including me, to assert their rights and challenge the status quo. As we reflect on her contributions, it's clear that her work laid the groundwork for the new wave of feminism within American politics, reminding us all of the power of resilience and the importance of fighting for justice.

Works Cited:

I primarily relied on the book Sisters in Law: How Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World written by Linda Hirshman. However, because I read a digital version the amount of pages varied due to the size and format of my screen so I’ve cited in the format (x/y) so that you would be able to find my quotes easier if you search for my sources.

I also used the website: https://www.oah.org/tah/november-4/teaching-about-the-feminist-rights-revolution-ruth-bader-ginsburg-as-the-thurgood-marshall-of-womens-rights/

[oetoria]

oetoria   :    is    an    independent,    twitter    based,    mutuals-exclusive    &     immensely    selective    interpretation    of    an    original    character    manufactured    &    written    alone    by    tofu.    est.    2023.    this    blog    is    dedicated    solely    to    things    reminiscent    of   ken.

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i    am    not    v    nor   am    i    in    any    way    affiliated    with    bts,    the    conclusive    members,    or    the    agency    they    are    contracted    to.    this    is    strictly    a   roleplay    blog.    you    must    be    18    or    older    to    interact    with    me.    don’t    lie    about    your    age,    &    protect    yourself    by    not    following    me    if    you    are    not    an    adult.

utilize    proper    roleplay    etiquette.    respect    my    time,    my    privacy    &    my    abilities,    as    i    will    do    the    same    for    you    ;   you    reserve    the    right    to    avoid    me    if    you    are    made    uncomfortable    by    me    or    my    character.

i    single-ship    with    chemistry.   i’m    open    to    writing    smut,    but    if    that    is    all    that    you’re    interested    in    developing,   bye.   i    often    fade    to    black,    &    if    that    bothers    you    ...    sorry?    there    are    plenty    of    other    things    that    are    left    implied    in    my    story,   &    aren’t    necessarily    playable.    i    am    okay    with    writing    other    categories    in    a    nonlinear    timeline.

                                                                      basics.

face    claim:    kim    taehyung    /    v    (bts) voice    claim:    kim    taehyung    /    v    (bts) name:    문    남기    (moon    “ ken ”    namgi). aka:    kenneth,    kenny. gender:    cis-male. d.o.b:    6.6.95. birthplace:    jeju,    south    korea. spoken    language(s):    korean,    english. sexual    orientation:    heterosexual. marital    status:    single    ;    had    a    girlfriend    in    syracuse,    new    york    before    his    departure. occupation:    part-time    bartender,    family    fishery    employee.    he    is    abhorred    &    scorned    by    the    south    korean    population    for    his    economic    hardships    &    his    family's    poor    esteem    /    career    decisions. physical    health:    had    severe    asthma    as    a    child,    but    has    incredibly    improved    in    adulthood.    still    requires    an    on-person    inhaler.    allergic    to    bird    dander,    pollen,    daisies,    amaranth,    juniper    &    wisteria,    the    venom    that    several    flying    insects    carry,    &    peanuts.    he    carries    an    epipen    ready    at    all    times. mental    health:    he    shows    repetitive    &    profound    symptoms    of    major    depressive    &    generalized    anxiety    disorder    ;    being    treated    for    neither. positive    traits:    musical,    kind,    loyal,    attentive,    curiously    inclined,    witty,    spontaneous,    romantic,    poetic,    brave,    responsible. negative    traits:    socially    inept,    insecure,    verbose,    unpredictable,    volatile    &    is    a    chronic    complainer.    pessimistic,    &    vocal    about    it.    passive    aggressive. alignments:    chaotic    good    /    melancholic    /    inxp. hobbies:    fishing,    hunting,    keen    on    playing    guitar,    reading    dated    korean    literature,    american    baseball,    woodworking    &    carpentry,    horseback    riding,    archery    &    origami.

                                                                    canons.

3    days    before    his    15th    birthday,    ken’s    mother    remarried    his    late    biological    father’s    brother,    a    less    adventurous    fisherman    who    frequented    america    for    his    undisclosed    affair    with    ken’s    mother,    up    until    ken’s    father’s    fatal    traffic    collision    in    syracuse,    new    york    on    the    night    of    his    birth.    the    affair    notwithstanding,    he    was    brought    up    by    his    otherwise    single    mother    in    the    united    states,    until    after    his    12th    birthday,    when    his    uncle    then    became    his    honorary    father.    his    mother    agreed    to    relocate    back    to    korea    from    whence    she    came,    having    abandoned    her    family    &    friends    to    elope    to    america    with    ken’s    biological    father    years    ago,    ken    was    made    to    forgo    his        fuller,    livelier    youth    in    new    york,    where    he    left    his    crowd,    girlfriend    &    surrendered    the    bulk    of    his    past    belongings.    they    left    everything    there    ;    he    was    fast    to    understand    that    his    mother    was    good    at    doing    that. 

after    moving,    living    on    the    outskirt    docks    of    seoul,    ken    has    grown    accustomed    to    &    fond    of    the    waters    &    the    art    of    sailing,    but    the    ocean    nor    marine    life    can    bear    close    to    his    tender    dream    of    becoming    a    father.    

ken    is    host    to    scars    on    his    palms,    knuckles    and    up    the    pillars    of    his    arms    from    various    mechanical    boat    work    ;    his    hard    efforts    of    hooking,    netting,    &    managing    heavy    material    &    machinery    are    all    things    that    he    wears    on    his    body.    his    fingers    are    typically    bandaged,    or    taped.

the    remainder    of    his    childhood    spent    on    the    harbor    was    trying.    he    faced    severe    bullying    for    his    family’s    affairs    &    their    occupation    &    impoverished    social    status,    as    well    as    his    speech    impediment    /    stutter    that    later    ameliorated.    his    neighboring    kids    beat    &    preyed    upon    him    as    a    child,    &    hassle    him    today    as    an    adult    as    most    of    them    evolved    into    street    mobsters.    he    never    fights    back    ;    minds    his    own.

[peach-astrology]

Saturn in the houses

Saturn in the first house:

1)Such people strive to always behave with dignity,taking responsibility and showing enviable seriousness and endurance in their work.They never speak or act without a specific purpose.

2)Tend not to open aggression,but to intrigue,always seek to repay the enemy and defeat him "after a fight".

3)These people may have dry skin,cheekbones,or a drooping eyelid.

4)He may have been underestimated as a child and given little love or attention.

5)He is very strict with himself,may suffer from depression or low self-esteem.

Saturn in the second house:

1)I notice that this position gives a heavy burden in finances.A person can earn good money,but in his life there may be cases when they urgently need to spend it.

2)Most of all,he does not like to borrow or lend,and if this happens,the subject tries to restore the monetary balance by all means.

3)With bad aspects gives greed

4)Often he spends his childhood in a poor family,and therefore in mature years he tries to hyper-compensate for this,making the accumulation of material values his only goal.They are not afraid of any work.

5)You distribute your opportunities correctly and are a good employee.

Saturn in the third house:

1)Sometimes indicates problems with speech.

2)Brothers and sisters can be people with a difficult fate and a difficult character.They will play an important role in a person's life.

3)He shares with other people only those ideas that are fully formed and in the effectiveness of which he is one hundred percent sure.

4)They are good at math,because they are very practical.For them convenience and quality are more important than luxury.

5)His entourage may include influential people,or those with whom he has been friends for several years.They are very selective(including themselves)

Saturn in the fourth house:

1)He feels inconveniences associated with housing.This may be too small space,poor living conditions,lack of a separate room,the need to tolerate the presence of unpleasant people and obey their rules.

2)At home,it can be authoritarian,controlling,and tough.It is important for him that everyone in the family obeys his rules and regulations.

3)Their work may be related to real estate,such as construction or architecture.In any case,they will have a good home in their adult life.

4)I especially recommend that you sort out your childhood problems.Saturn requires you to understand his lessons,otherwise the severity and pain from them will be for the rest of your life.

5)Such a person could be the main one among all children in childhood.

Saturn in the fifth house:

1)May be afraid to perform on stage or answer in class,he doesn’t like to be the center of attention.

2)He is a good parent(but you need to look at the aspects),he teaches children discipline and accuracy and gives advice for the future.

3)They don’t talk openly about their feelings,and if they do,it is rarely and in private with you.

4)Their child can be a very hard-working and educated.

5)Such a person may not be aware of some of their talents.Try as many hobbies as possible please.

Saturn in the sixth house:

1)A great owner,think carefully and weigh your options before you get an animal at home.

2)They rarely change their place of work,they are more comfortable when everything around them is familiar.

3)The harmonious aspects of Saturn with other planets help a person maintain health until old age.

4)It is difficult for the owner of a weak Saturn to gather,concentrate and quickly complete the mountain of work assigned to him.

5)Please do not invent diseases for yourself,it is better to go to the doctor,most of your problems are due to lack of sleep.

Saturn in the seventh house:

1)Can be too selective in relationships,and this delays his marriage.He is looking for a partner who is honest,fair,hard-working and purposeful.Most often,his choice falls on a person more mature and wise than he is.

2)With good aspects and a sign of the planet,their spouse has a high social status,a good financial situation and has real estate.

3)It is pleasant to argue with him,he competently conveys his thoughts and opinions.Such a person can succeed in contractual and legal activities.

4)They have excellent artistic abilities and good taste.

5)The harmonious aspects of Saturn contribute to the appearance of useful acquaintances and the establishment of promising connections and contacts with others.The intense aspects of Saturn in the 7th house with other planets tell not only about the difficult nature of the partner,but also the many difficulties in the relationship with him.

Saturn in the eighth house:

1)In the family and at work,he is trusted to plan and manage finances.

2)Such a person tries to avoid risks and non-standard situations related to money.Has a habit of investing funds,even at a small interest rate,but in a reliable bank.

3)In bad aspects,a person is dependent on someone else's opinion.

4)They may have trouble sleeping,such as nightmares.

5)Such people really change their appearance for the better every year.

Saturn in the ninth house:

1)Teachers at school can be too strict with them,often underestimate their grades.

2)Knowledge should bring him practical benefits,so such a person tries to determine in advance how promising this area of training is.Practice is important to him.

3)Before making a serious decision and changing their scientific,philosophical or religious views,a person will weigh all the arguments for and against several times.

4)Harmonious aspects make a person successful in studies and effective in any activity related to foreigners and involving contacts with them.

5)Stressful aspects indicate the troubles and hardships that can accompany a person abroad.This is also one of the indications of problems with the law.

Saturn in the tenth house:

1)Such a person may feel the total control and distrust of adults from childhood,as well as suffer from constant adjustment of their actions by their elders.

2)From an early age,such people are used to carrying a lot of responsibility on their shoulders.As a rule,they are entrusted with the most difficult and painstaking work.

3)They make demanding managers,but their superiors are rarely sympathetic to them either.

4)With good aspects - high position,with bad - oblivion of principles,public scandal.

5)Your father is a copy,a model of what unfolds later in your life around the topic of authority.

Saturn in the eleventh house:

1)Their friends are older than them.

2)Their attention may be drawn to politics,social movements,cultural,charitable and educational events.At the same time,its activities are not entertainment,but purely business,serious.

3)Such people,as a rule,believe that collective work contributes to the spiritual growth and development of any person.

4)You are afraid that your father didn't really love you,so as an adult,you feel the presence of love when people treat you with authority.

5)Romance may appeal,but you don't trust it.What you crave is security,tangible support,and reliable love.

Saturn in the twelfth house:

1)Such a person can work hard,but the results of his work don’t become public.

2)Rest really helps with most of their illnesses.Stress causes them to instantly lose their immunity.

3)Such people don’t tolerate haste and fuss around them.They are very calm.

4)With bad aspects,a person has a lot of intrigues and betrayals in life.

5)With good aspects,a person has a rich spiritual world and a love of art(maybe even a hidden talent in something)

[plannedparenthood]

Thank You, RBG

We are heartbroken. Supreme Court Justice and gender equality hero Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on Friday, Sept. 18. Her death is a painful loss for our country. She was a fierce and unapologetic warrior for equality, and her achievements are endless. As we mourn we’re also embracing our gratitude for her service to our country.

Cherishing RBG’s Legacy

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg committed her life to protecting the rights, freedoms, and health of people across the country — in particular women, communities of color, and others whose voices too often go unheard. She was a true trailblazer who inspired millions of girls and women to fight through sexism and discrimination to make American a better place to work, to live, and to love. 

Her powerful words over the years, including her razor-sharp dissents, helped push our nation toward freedom and opportunity for all. Her spirit, values, and words will be deeply missed.

A Modern Revolutionary

Some revolutionaries shook up a society with anger burning and guns blazing. Others studied hard, knocked down an unfair system one peg at a time, and spoke truth to power while wearing a lace collar. That was Ruth Bader Ginsburg. 

She got two mottoes from her mother, Celia Bader (who marched for women’s suffrage): 

“Be independent,” take care of yourself without being financially beholden to a man, and

“Be a lady,” don't allow emotions like anger to be so consuming they get in your way.

When Ruth Bader Ginsburg saw anything repugnant — like systemic discrimination — she would get straight to work. It wasn’t easy. Over decades, Ruth Bader Ginsburg faced a slew of indignities. But she harnessed courage and resolve to strategically break down America’s sexist, unethical laws and institutions. 

To honor the Notorious RBG, we’ve collected our seven favorite facts about her life and her legacy.

7) RBG was defiant in the face of entrenched sexism in college and law school.

Most colleges didn’t accept women in the 1950s, and Ruth Bader was one of the first to break the gender barrier. At Cornell University, she was sexually harassed by a professor, who offered answers to a test in exchange for sex. She confronted him: “I went to his office and I said, ‘How dare you? How dare you do this?’ And that was the end of that.” 

At Harvard Law School, she and the eight other women in her class of more than 500 students were ogled, ignored in the classroom, excluded from the library, and asked by the dean how they could possibly justify taking a seat away from a man. But that hostile environment didn’t stop her. 

She fought it with brain power and superhuman physical endurance. She was so obsessed with the law that she’d regularly stay up until dawn studying. Well into her 80s, she retained her reputation for working until 3 a.m. and living on just two hours of sleep. 

While she was kicking butt at the top of her classes, she was also taking care of her young daughter and sick husband. Martin (Marty) Ginsburg contracted testicular cancer and had extensive radiation therapy, which kept him from going to his own law school classes. So, RBG organized his friends to attend his classes, worked through their notes with Marty, and typed up Marty’s papers — all while doing her own schoolwork on top of it. 

She tied for first in her class from Columbia Law School in 1959. She also was the first person to become a member of both the prestigious Harvard Law Review, and the Columbia Law Review — one of many of her unprecedented feats. She proved to those elite schools that a woman could succeed.

6) RBG showed the world what a partnership looks like in a husband-wife relationship.

Ruth Bader met Marty Ginsburg while they were both at Cornell University, and they forged an equal partnership from the beginning. He learned to cook so she didn’t have to. Later, he lobbied for her seats on the Court of Appeals in D.C. and on the Supreme Court. And he gave up his law firm in New York to follow her to Washington — a shocking move at the time. 

Here’s how she put it at her 1993 Senate confirmation hearing:

“I surely would not be in this room today without the determined efforts of men and women who kept dreams of equal citizenship alive. I have had the great good fortune to share life with a partner truly extraordinary for his generation. A man who believed at age 18 when we met that a woman’s work, whether at home or on the job, is as important as a man’s. I became a lawyer when women were not wanted by most members of the legal profession. I became a lawyer because Marty supported that choice unreservedly.”

5.) RBG won a whopping five cases before the Supreme Court — and they all advanced the Constitutional protection of equal rights for all Americans.

As smart and accomplished as Ruth Bader Ginsburg was, no law firm would hire her after she graduated from law school. Law firms slammed the door in her face time after time because they only hired men. She realized that “being a woman was an impediment.”

As Ginsburg navigated the legal working world in the 1960s, she saw how thousands of state and federal laws were treating women as second-class citizens. At that time, most states’ laws allowed employment termination for pregnancy, and let banks deny credit to women without a male co-signer. The Supreme Court had rejected every challenge to laws that treated women worse than men.

All this gender discrimination fueled Ginsburg’s drive for social justice. In the early 1970s, she followed the strategy of NAACP civil rights lawyer and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, who helped dismantle Jim Crow laws case by case over many years — leading to Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which outlawed racial segregation in schools in 1954. Like Marshall, Ginsburg centered her arguments on the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which says all persons should be treated equally under the law.

Throughout the ‘70s, Ginsburg led the ACLU’s Women's Rights Project, for which she argued and won five landmark gender equality cases before the Supreme Court. As she said in the 2018 documentary RBG: "I knew that I was speaking to men who didn't think there was such a thing as gender-based discrimination, and my job was to tell them it really exists.”

These cases set the foundation for the country’s laws against sex discrimination, and helped eliminate being male as the criteria for employment, pay, and benefits:

Two cases in 1975 and 1979 established the requirement that women serve on juries, recognizing that they should enjoy both the benefits and the responsibilities of our judicial system.

“The vaunted woman's privilege viewed against history's backdrop simply reflects and perpetuates a certain way of thinking about women. Women traditionally were deemed lesser citizens.”

—Ruth Bader Ginsburg, arguing before the Supreme Court (Duren v. Missouri, 1979)

An employment benefits case in 1973 required the U.S. military to equally distribute family-based benefits for service members regardless of sex.

“In asking the Court to declare sex a suspect criterion, we urge a position forcibly stated in 1837 by Sara Grimke, noted abolitionist and advocate of equal rights for men and women. She said, ‘I ask no favor for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks.'”

— Ruth Bader Ginsburg, arguing before the Supreme Court (Frontiero v. Richardson, 1973)

Two cases in 1974 and 1975 threw out gender-based distinctions in survivors’ benefits, granting widowers the same benefits as widows. RBG argued that while giving widows special treatment sounded nice, it wasn’t. Withholding benefits to widowers devalued the work of their deceased wives.

“A gender line...helps to keep women not on a pedestal, but in a cage.”

—Ruth Bader Ginsburg, arguing before the Supreme Court (Weinberger v. Wiesenfeld, 1975)

4) At her confirmation hearings, RBG openly declared that abortion access is a Constitutional right.

At her 1993 Supreme Court confirmation hearings, Ruth Bader Ginsburg showed what it looks like to uphold constitutional rights. Unlike recent Supreme Court nominees, she affirmatively declared the Constitutional right to safe, legal abortion. When Sen. Hank Brown (R-CO) grilled her about her views on abortion, she declared:

“But you asked me about my thinking about equal protection versus individual autonomy, and my answer to you is it's both. This is something central to a woman's life, to her dignity. It's a decision that she must make for herself. And when Government controls that decision for her, she's being treated as less than a fully adult human responsible for her own choices.”

3) RBG wrote the historic decision ruling that state-funded schools must admit women.

In 1996, Justice Ginsburg wrote the Supreme Court’s majority opinion in United States v. Virginia, which ruled that the Virginia Military Institute’s men-only admission policy violated the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause. Justice Ginsburg destroyed the Institute’s argument that its program wasn’t suitable for women. Instead, she wrote that:

“[G]eneralizations about ‘the way women are,’ estimates of what is appropriate for most women, no longer justify denying opportunity to women whose talent and capacity place them outside the average description.”

The school has admitted women since then, and — as Justice Ginsburg predicted — they have made the school proud.

2) RBG’s dissent from the majority in Lilly Ledbetter’s case led to the passage a fair pay law.

In 2007, Justice Ginsburg dissented in the ruling against Lilly Ledbetter — a tire factory employee who learned, decades into her tenure, that she was being paid much less than men in the exact same supervisory role: She was making $3,727 per month, while her male counterparts were making between $4,286 and $5,236 per month. However, she lost the case because the Civil Rights Act had a statute of limitations for reporting on discrimination. 

In her scathing dissent, Justice Ginsburg wrote that gender discrimination can be hidden for a long time and “the ball is in Congress’s court” to change the rule. In 2009, Barack Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which extended the Civil Rights Act’s statute of limitations and guarantees women equal pay for equal work.

1.) RBG put the smack down on TRAP laws in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt. 

In the landmark Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt case in 2016, the Supreme Court — including Justice Ginsburg — ruled that two abortion restrictions in Texas were unconstitutional because they would shut down most clinics in the state and cause Texans an “undue burden” on access to safe, legal abortion. The case exposed the lie that anti-abortion politicians have been peddling for years: that it’s somehow “safer” when the state imposes medically unnecessary, onerous targeted restrictions against abortion providers (TRAP) laws. 

In her concurring opinion to the majority, Justice Ginsburg wrote:

“Given those realities [that keep abortion access out of reach], it is beyond rational belief that H.B. 2 could genuinely protect the health of women, and certain that the law ‘would simply make it more difficult for them to obtain abortions’... When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners... at great risk to their health and safety.”

With this historic decision, the Court reaffirmed the constitutional right to access legal abortion. This decision was a triumph for abortion access. And when one of the restrictions that Ginsburg helped strike down came up in another lawsuit this year, Ginsburg again helped lead the Court to protecting abortion access in a major Supreme Court victory for reproductive rights.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg rose for all of us. How will we work together to rise for her?

From day one, Justice Ginsburg recognized our constitutional right to control our bodies and our destinies. That is a legacy that cannot and must not depart with her. 

Justice Ginsburg stood up for us. Now it’s our turn. 

Follow Planned Parenthood at facebook.com/PlannedParenthood and twitter.com/PPFA to stay updated on how to get involved. Together, we will rise. 

By Miriam at PPFA

[mortalityplays]

sorry to add to what’s probably a full inbox and I don’t expect a reply but it felt so nice to see such a compassionate analysis of the lamda controversy, I’ve already heard every take under the sun about how lemoine is insane or purposefully stifling progress but you truly emphasized the humanity in the situation. hope to see more analyses from perspectives like yours and hopefully from you in the future, it was so fulfilling to take in that compassion and empathy and it makes sharing the information you shared so easy and such an enjoyable experience because I don’t feel like I’d have to shove it down anyone’s throat or be as robotic and technical in my translation. truly remarkable. Thank you!

hey I'm actually going to answer this one because I really appreciate it and it touches on the reason that I wrote what I did the way that I did. the response has been overwhelmingly positive and kind, but the law of large numbers on a popular post means that I'm now also getting a bunch of shit from people who seem to think I'm a hopeless rube or I'm pushing misinformation on purpose or I'm advocating middle path-ism or whatever anybody's given projection is.

as a rule I am way more interested in the way that regular human beings receive and understand information about the world than I am in being the most correct and intelligent sounding person in a conversation. this is in large part because I'm fascinated by cults, scams and extreme belief - in that world, if you care at all about recovering people from expoitative belief systems, you have to let go of the idea that you have to win an argument. you have to meet people compassionately where they are and show them alternative thought patterns that they can explore for themselves. you can hector and scold and call people morons for believing the things that give them hope or comfort, you can write them off as pointless to waste energy on, but that really just cements to them that you don't care about their inner world and there is no reason to listen to you.

obviously I don't think 'maybe an AI could one day become sentient' rises to the level of that kind of extreme belief, but I think that people are drawn to it for many of the same reasons that they're drawn to crystal healing or top investor secret tricks to win at the stock market. I also think that 'being weird' or 'making stupid assumptions' is not a good reason to side with a monopolistic tech company over an individual employee who appears to be acting in good faith. I don't have to think someone is correct about their view of the universe to think that they mean well, or to think that we need better mechanisms for dealing with them than 'shut up idiot lol'.

it concerns me that the people who believe 'yeah absolutely an AI could be sentient right now' are focused on that to the exclusion of the many many many many immense material problems inherent in the situation. It also concerns me that the people who believe 'this is idiotic bullshit' are so focused on being smarter than the first group that they're willing to side with fucking Google in a case about corporate transparency. stripping empathy out of our view of the world universally makes us stupider, I'm sorry.

Anyway. I'm glad that people have found it an easy essay to share, and an easy essay to talk about (in either direction). A wider public conversation than 'he's wrong and dumb/he's right and AI real' is the best outcome here. If I had known that it would be read by more people than just the OP and maybe 3 of my close mutuals I might have phrased things differently and avoided some of the bizarre assumptions people are throwing at my inbox now, but then again maybe not. maybe I wouldn't written it at all. who knows.

[ilikekidsshows]

Something I was thinking about and would love to hear you comment on: Both Marinette and Adrien have a lot of responsibilities in their civilian and superhero lives. Adrien’s civilian responsibilities are mostly imposed by Gabriel (modeling, Chinese, getting top grades, etc), and the responsibilities associated with being Chat Noir are something of a *reprieve* for him. Conversely, Marinette’s civilian responsibilities (projects for Jagged, costuming for Kitty section, babysitting, being class president) are more or less chosen by her, while Ladybug responsibilities—becoming the Guardian in particular—is a burden that was placed on her even though she accepted it. Anyway, do you have any thoughts on the role of agency in their reactions to and perceptions of responsibility?

Ooooh? You're asking me what I think about the self-actualization in this show? I have so many thoughts.

Like, the characters in-universe refer to stuff as "responsibilities", but how they tackle these responsibilities has a lot to do with their self-actualization, and how they fail to reach perfect self-actualization. Basically, it relates to Marinette and Adrien's individual locus of control, or how much they view they are in control of their lives, because neither of them can view their own level of control accurately.

I don't remember where I wrote this previously, but I'm pretty sure I've previously discussed on this blog how Marinette misconstrues what she has control over. She tries to impose her control on uncontrollable circumstances, but treats things she can change as unchangeable. An example of this is how her confession plans imply that she believes that she can control Adrien's reaction to her romantic advances if she just creates the perfect romantic scene. Similarly, Marinette refuses to share her Guardian burden with Cat Noir even as she insists that he's her equal partner who she trusts absolutely. To her, telling Cat Noir everything isn't even a matter of trust, but it's just what Master Fu taught her: Cat Noir only gets told the bare minimum. It's a rule Marinette feels like she has to obey, when it's actually fully up to her own discretion.

Marinette tries to take control of the wrong things in her life. She tries to control different situations with variables she could never anticipate, while also not realizing that some parts of her status quo exist merely because she hasn't made the decision to stop doing whatever it is that is maintaining the status quo.

Meanwhile, Adrien doesn't always recognize when an outside force is influencing his options. For Adrien, external control takes the shape of his father and a strictly-planned schedule. In other words, it's very obvious. This is why being Cat Noir means freedom and the ability to control his own destiny, despite the fact that 1) someone else chose him, 2) if he quits, people will suffer, 3) if he quits his partner might quit too, 4) Master Fu and later Ladybug controls the information that is available to him. The reason that Adrien doesn't realize just how much outside control is imposed on Cat Noir is because he doesn't seem to know or notice aspects 2-4. Adrien thinks he's entirely replaceable as Cat Noir, both to Paris and Ladybug, and he's also too heroic to really give up the ring long enough to see how necessary Cat Noir is. And he has no idea Ladybug is keeping a ton of things from him in season four. Adrien thinks Cat Noir is free from outside control, because Gabriel can't influence Cat Noir.

Adrien thinks he has more control of his life than he actually does, because some of the outside influences on him are invisible as long as he doesn't question them, and Adrien is used to such outside influences being very obvious, like Gabriel is.

Marinette and Adrien's own locus of control influences how they view their responsibilities in and outside of their hero costumes. Because Marinette thinks all of her Ladybug responsibilities are completely out of her control, she feels immense pressure from them, while also trying to resist seeking help for them, because she thinks she can't, which increases her stress (hello, 'Gang of Secrets' proving her wrong!). In contrast, Marinette is free from these types of responsibilities in her "normal life", so she just gathers all of them willy-nilly: class presidency, babysitting, making stuff for friends, working on commissions, helping her parents at the bakery (if you pay close attention, you'll notice that Marinette's parents rarely actually need Marinette's help with the bakery; they're supporting her working on her personal interests). Because Marinette doesn’t have to do anything, she wants to do everything.

Meanwhile, for Adrien, his entire schedule is decided by his father and enforced by the employees. He's the face of the Gabriel brand. He's very important every single moment he's in the public eye. Meanwhile, as Cat Noir, no one cares how he carries himself. In addition to that, in his eyes, only Ladybug is 100% necessary for stopping an Akuma. Ladybug can purify the Akuma and she can fix the damage and Cat Noir is just there along for the ride trying to be as helpful as he can because he likes helping out. But we all know Adrien really feels like he's unnecessary as Cat Noir, he repeatedly fears getting sidelined and replaced. Regardless, because Cat Noir feels less important, he feels like he has less pressure as Cat Noir, and that's also why he's willing to take on more responsibility, like the additional patrols we see him go on in season four.

[c-optimistic]

for your happy prompts ask, perhaps kara is a documentary film maker who follows ceo lena around for a doc and ends up falling in love with her by learning a bunch of little things she finds out during filming? also p.s. i absolutely adore your writing even when it tugs at the heartstrings. thank you for writing what you do! it makes my day everytime i see an update or get an email

She wasn’t allowed to see Lena Luthor until she’d signed so many papers that, if stacked together, would be taller than she was. She wasn’t even allowed to touch her camera around Lena Luthor until the woman herself, CEO extraordinaire, had personally vetted Kara out.

“You know,” Kara said as casually as she could, finding herself nervously adjusting her glasses when Lena’s cold gaze fell on her, “I usually have a whole team with me when I do this.”

“And I agreed to this on the condition that only one nosy filmmaker follows me around, not a whole team.” Lena’s reply was like everything else Kara had learned about the CEO thus far: she was blunt, a little harsh, tone and eyes cold and emotionless. She gave nothing away, not in her walk, in her mannerisms, in the ridiculously healthy food she ate, in the way she spoke to her employees or board members. She was cool, detached, wickedly smart, and utterly composed. “And I must approve the final result,” she added, gesturing to the mountain of paperwork Kara signed.

(Kara sighed internally, a tiny part of her sure Lena was a robot.)

“But it’s everything, right?” Kara clarified. “A total look into your life, no holding back?”

“You may follow me around to your heart’s content,” Lena said, leaning back in her desk chair, studying Kara intently.

“May I ask, Ms. Luthor, what made you agree to this, when you’re usually so distrustful of the media?”

Lena gave Kara a smile that didn’t touch her eyes. “What made you ask to do this when you know I distrust the media?”

Lena hadn’t answered, so Kara knew she didn’t have to either, but she felt it was important to establish some kind of rapport with the woman she’d be following around for the next few weeks. “I’m of the opinion that things are rarely as simple as they seem from the outside, that’s all.”

“Well,” Lena said, looking pleasantly surprised and offering Kara a grin (a real one, one that touched her eyes and transformed her face), “perhaps that’s why I agreed to you doing this.”

x

“You’re one of Ms. Luthor’s closest friends, is that right?”

“Yes.”

“Since before your daughter was born?”

“Yup.”

“So would you say you know her quite well?”

“Sure.”

“Do you plan on answering any of my questions with more than one word?”

“Nope.”

“Okay. So, in one word I suppose, how would you describe Ms. Luthor to a stranger?”

“Flawless.”

x

The rules of her arrangement with Lena were rather simple. For the next several weeks, Lena consented to having Kara around from the moment she woke up to the moment she went to sleep. In return, Kara was not allowed in certain meetings at L-Corp, was not allowed to bring her camera with her at all when Lena went down to R&D, and if Lena asked for her to stop filming at any point, Kara was bound to immediately do so and erase any footage she may have inadvertently captured.

For the first two days of the arrangement, it was actually rather boring. Lena was awake before the crack of dawn, she didn’t acknowledge Kara’s presence as she made coffee and toast (though she did push a cup and a plate towards Kara), and then spent the next fifteen or so hours in her office, sifting through papers, answering phone calls and responding to emails, and forgetting meals. It wasn’t until the third day that Lena’s routine changed slightly.

She received a phone call at breakfast, and whoever it was caused a bright red blush to bloom on her cheeks. Kara zoomed in slightly on Lena’s face as she answered the call. “Now’s not really a good time, Sam,” she began, falling silent at whatever this Sam was saying on the other end. Lena’s eyes flitted over towards Kara, but to her surprise, she didn’t ask for Kara to shut off the camera. “That sounds terrible,” she said, sounding truly apologetic, something about her countenance changing. She seemed softer, more open, calmer than Kara had seen her yet. “And Ruby was so excited too.” Lena fell silent once more, nodding almost as if unaware of it. “I agree with her,” Lena suddenly laughed, still nodding, “it’s not fair at all. But there’s no way I’m not going to visit. Do you want me to bring anything?” Lena laughed again, and Kara wondered if her camera was capturing the change she was witnessing with her own eyes. “As if I could forget Ruby’s chocolate.” A pause. “Give her all my love.” Another pause, a tiny smile on Lena’s lips. “All right, I will. Bye.”  As she hung up, she looked over at Kara, as if daring her to comment, everything about her shuttering at once.

“Who was that?” Kara asked, not really expecting an answer. To her surprise, however, Lena’s eyes flitted to the camera and she let out a soft, resigned sigh.

“That was my CFO, Sam Arias,” she answered, her tone a complete 180 from what she was using on the phone. She studied Kara for a moment and must have read something on her face, because her shoulders deflated and she motioned towards her phone. “Sam is my best friend. Her daughter, Ruby, is my goddaughter. We were supposed to go to the animal shelter today.” Lena smiled softly, almost as if unaware of it. “She’s finally convinced Sam she’s responsible enough for a pet. It’s actually—” Lena stopped suddenly, her eyes shifting to the camera once more, any warmth that had managed to leak out dissipating at once. “In any case, she’s sick. So we’ll have to reschedule.” She waved her hand towards the camera. “Can you turn that off, please?”

“Uh, yeah, of course,” Kara said quickly, making a show of turning the Camcorder off and setting it aside. “Is something wrong?”

Lena shook her head, leaning against her kitchen counter as she eyed Kara with something like curiosity. “You know, I’ve seen all of your other work,” she said after a moment, frowning at Kara like she was a puzzle she couldn’t figure out.

(Had she? Seen all of Kara’s work? A part of Kara was curious as to how, after all, most of her stuff was tucked away in a closet back in Midvale, waiting to be opened up and viewed during Christmas, when Alex would laugh at the films she’d made in high school about how the boys’ sports teams were unfairly given more attention than the girls’. The others were projects for her degree and one or two failed attempts to get a real production company to take the risk on her.

In fact, if not for Cat Grant’s decision as ‘The Queen of All Media’ to get involved in filmmaking, funding a project from a no-name creator, Kara wasn’t even sure she’d have the film she was making now.)

“Oh,” she said inarticulately, not quite sure how to word what she was really thinking. How rich did you have to be to be able to bribe anyone into giving you anything?

Lena nodded carefully, her face a perfect mask. If not for the way her eyes followed Kara’s every movement, Kara would’ve even thought that Lena was bored. “You’re very fond of certain themes. Hope. Love. Endless optimism in the best of humanity.” She said it like it was a bad thing. And it was suddenly Kara’s turn to lean forward on the opposite end of the counter, feeling her head tilt to the side questioningly.

“Is that what you got from my films?” she asked, genuinely curious.

Lena seemed wary of the question, standing up straight and crossing her arms over her chest defensively. “Isn’t that what you intended?”

“You know,” Kara said slowly, “I don’t actually believe in all that creator’s intent nonsense. I think we search for parts of ourselves when we consume art. So if that’s what you got from my films, that says more about you than it does about me.”

If anything, this seemed to offend Lena. “So you’d deny having any sort of intent with your work? What about making something with meaning?”

Kara laughed, shaking her head. “That’s not what I mean, and besides, who says art has to mean anything?”

“Of course art means something,” Lena argued, narrowing her eyes at Kara. “What’s the point of doing it if it doesn’t mean anything?”

Kara shrugged easily, giving Lena a small smile. “I disagree. I think art says something. But meaning is up to the people who consume it.” She picked up her camera and pointed it at Lena without turning it on. “Doesn’t matter what I intended to say with my films, you got meaning from it. So I’d say there was a point in making it, don’t you think?”

Lena eyed her for a moment, apparently not liking that Kara wasn’t giving her an answer, wasn’t telling her what she was trying to say with her work. But then, after several long seconds, she relented, letting out a chuckle and shaking her head. “Well, fine,” she said, her smile touching her eyes. “As long as you don’t try to say anything silly like hope, love, or endless optimism in the best of humanity with this film.”

“I’m afraid I can’t change who you are, Ms. Luthor,” Kara said softly, turning her camera on and effectively cutting off any response Lena may have had.

(And when she looks at the footage weeks later, she’ll freeze that frame, breath catching at the look on Lena’s face: the softness of her eyes, the curve of her lips, and the pleasantly confused crinkle between her brows.)

x

“Do you spend a lot of time with your godmother?”

“Oh yeah, loads! She’s great.”

“What sort of things do you do with her?”

“I mean, normal stuff? She takes me to get ice cream all the time. The other day, she rented that new horror movie that came out and watched it with me when I stayed over. My mom went nuts when she found out.”

“So you like her?”

“No, of course not. I love Lena. She’s my aunt, you know? She’s family.”

“And if you had the chance, what would you want the world to know about her?”

“That she cares, so much. And that she’s funny and super smart and helps me with homework and after my mom she’s the very best person I know.”

x

The visit to Luthor Children’s Hospital was, as far as Kara was aware, unplanned and in fact gave Jess a great deal of anxiety. For her part, Kara was mostly frustrated and annoyed, wondering if this film was worth it at all. Because Lena Luthor seemed to be asking Kara to turn off the camera more and more, especially when her day deviated at all and she was forced to leave her office.

(Walks in the park, lunches with her goddaughter, a touching moment with the child of one of her employees...all locked away somewhere in Kara’s memory, but destined to remain there instead of on film, where it should be.)

She huffed a little bit as she leaned against the wall, watching Lena walk quickly towards the group of nurses and doctors. She didn’t say anything when Jess joined her, a contemplative look on her face. “She always does this,” Jess told Kara after a long silence, rolling her eyes fondly. “She’ll cancel meetings last minute because she heard one of the kids in the hemoc ward has finished treatment or that they’re out of toys to give to the new patients.”

“Why isn’t there any press if she does this often?” Kara asked, turning to Jess but watching Lena out of the corner of her eye. She was talking to one of the doctors now, looking comically out of place with her designer clothes while surrounded by colorful artwork by kids that littered the walls of the Children’s Hospital.

Jess fixed Kara with an unimpressed look. “You’ve met her, right?” she asked rhetorically. “She goes out of her way to hide these visits. She says that she has to keep it under wraps because she wants to keep it about the kids and not her. But I think the truth is she’s just worried people would mistreat the kids and their families for allowing a ‘Luthor’ within ten feet of them.”

“Oh,” Kara said dumbly, a little stunned by the new information, and feeling guilty for her thoughts earlier. “That’s...awful.”

“I’m not telling you this for nothing, you know,” Jess continued, frowning at Kara. “She’s been avoiding lots of her usual charitable work since you’ve been around. The whole point of this was to get everyone else to see the real Lena Luthor, but she’s ruining it by being humble and noble.”

(Kara wanted to groan, roll her eyes, or better yet go over to Lena herself and shake her until she understood what Kara’s job was.

How was she supposed to make a documentary about Lena Luthor if Lena Luthor was so determined to hide herself away from the world?)

“What would you have me do?” she asked, not voicing her frustration, though it seeped into her tone anyway. “We have a deal, and she doesn’t want me to film these things.”

Jess shook her head, looking terribly unimpressed by the answer. “Don’t you have artistic integrity? Would you allow anyone else to boss you around and tell you what you could and couldn’t film?”

Kara looked over at Lena, who was now smiling at a young boy who had ambled up to her with his mother and infusion pump stand in tow. She watched as Lena actually dropped to her knees to talk to the boy, nodding vigorously at whatever he was saying. After a long moment, she turned back to Jess and shook her head. “No,” she said finally. “I guess I wouldn’t.”

And after Jess had given her another significant look before walking off, Kara raised her camera and began to film.

x

“Mr. Spheer, you’re an ex of Lena Luthor’s, right?”

“Ah, I see this documentary is quite personal. Are you sure that Lena is okay with this sort of thing going into her movie?”

“Well, it’s my movie. But she’s free to ask me to take things out.”

“Fascinating. Yes, I am Lena’s ex. I was quite brokenhearted when she broke it off to move to National City.”

“Oh, she broke it off?”

“So curious, Ms. Danvers. Perhaps you’re interested in something beyond a mere film?”

“W-what? No, that’s—please be serious, Mr. Spheer—”

“It’s Jack to you, my dear. What else do you need to know about Lena? Her favorite flowers are plumerias, her favorite food is—”

“—oh that’s really not necessary. If we could just focus on who Lena is as a person. A friend. A former girlfriend?”

“Hmm, yes. Well, just imagine your perfect woman, Ms. Danvers.”

“Oh, um, I—”

“—exactly, you see Lena. That’s an universal experience, I’m afraid. Lena is simply...too good for this world.”

“So you’d say the treatment she gets by the public is unfair?”

“It’s unfair how much people attack pineapple on pizza, Ms. Danvers. The way they speak of Lena without knowing her? That’s a pure travesty.”

x

They were about ten days into filming when Kara saw Lena relax for the first time.

She was using the word ‘relax’ rather loosely, of course. Lena didn’t do what Kara did after a long week—put on a pair of sweatpants, order loads of junk food, and watch so much Netflix that it eventually felt the need to ask her if she was still watching. In fact, Lena’s idea of relaxing was more work. Just, fun work.

She was dressed in jeans and a blue shirt, knees pulled up to her chest as she sat at her desk, mumbling under her breath as she did whatever she was doing. (She hadn’t bothered to explain to Kara, had just sighed and acquiesced to the presence of the camera in her home office.) Perched precariously at the tip of her nose were a thick black pair of glasses, her hair falling to her shoulders in gentle waves.

She looked different. Softer, somehow. Gone was all the trappings of a badass CEO, and all that was left was a clever (and beautiful) young woman, working on the things she loved in her spare time.

Kara zoomed in slightly, focusing on Lena’s face, on the furrow between her brows, her lips twisted in concentration. There was something there, something different, and Kara just wanted to—

“Is that camera heavy?” Lena asked, looking up suddenly, a curious expression on her face. She was good at that, the polite looks, gently asking for more information. Tiny eyebrow raises, nearly imperceptible softening of her eyes, lips quirked the slightest bit, all intended to disarm her quarry, making them drop their guard long enough that they give everything held close to their chest away.

“Not really,” Kara answered, grinning at Lena. This made the other woman blink in surprise, clearly not the response she was looking for, that expression on her face shifting suddenly, becoming more calculating. “I work out,” Kara went on to explain, shrugging easily, careful not to jostle the camera. “Besides, it’s not that heavy, I think about five pounds.”

“What kind of camera do you use?”

“Oh, it’s a Panasonic AG-HVX—” she cut herself off. “It’s not that interesting.” Kara adjusted her glasses and made sure Lena’s face was still in focus. Somehow, this made Lena’s tiny smile reappear. She stood up and circled her desk, and Kara was forced to back away to maintain focus.

“You love filming, don’t you?” Lena asked, and Kara blinked, not quite sure where she was going with this.

“Ms. Luthor, as I’m sure you’re aware, this film is about you.”

If she thought this would in any way cow Lena, she was wrong. Lena just grinned, looking like she’d somehow won something.

“Do you know what I don’t understand?” she said with faux casualness, crossing her arms and tapping a finger against her elbow. “Why would you, someone Cat Grant speaks so highly of, be willing to agree to this assignment? Something most people wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole.”

Kara frowned, not thinking as she responded. “It wasn’t assigned, Ms. Luthor. I pitched the idea. I wanted to do this.” Lena’s words sank in a moment later. “Wait. Cat Grant spoke highly of me?”

“Why?” Lena asked, no longer smiling.

Kara blinked at the change in tone. “Why what?” she asked, genuinely confused. This was, apparently, the wrong answer, because Lena chose that moment to begin pacing in front of her desk, looking more than a little bothered.

“I don’t get it,” she said as she paced. “I tried to figure it out, looked into you, into your work. I thought maybe you were doing this to build fame, but I’ve seen your work and even without a movie about the last Luthor, I have no doubt you’ll be very popular—”

“Oh, that’s nice of you, thank y—”

“—then I thought maybe you have a vendetta against my family and just want me to look bad,” Lena continued, barreling over Kara’s words and ignoring her entirely, “but the only connection between you and my family is your cousin, Clark Kent, and he’s the journalist who broke the story on my brother, so if anything I should dislike you—”

“That’s not exactly...Clark and I aren’t—”

“—so I really need you to explain it to me. Why did you want to make this film?” She paused her brisk pacing as she asked the question, meeting Kara’s eyes with a fierce look, one Kara was infinitely glad she was capturing on film. Because this, this glint in Lena’s eyes, was why Kara wanted to do this.

“Do you remember the speech you gave when you came to National City?” Kara asked, and judging from the way Lena’s eyebrows rose in response, she was rather thrown by the question. “Because I do. I watched it maybe a few dozen times. All those horrible questions, all the absolute certainty that you were like your brother, and you kept your head up and you promised to prove them all wrong, to make up for what he did.” Kara sighed, shutting off the camera and setting it aside gently. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I was...interested. I wanted to see more.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“Did I meet your expectations? Disappoint you? What?”

Kara smiled, unable to help it. “Does my opinion on you really matter?”

“Do you always answer a question with another question?” Lena shot back, eyes narrowing.

Kara’s smile just widened and she began to gather her things, preparing to leave for the night. Impressively, Lena didn’t question her further, just watched her then followed her to the door, looking rather cross. Pausing briefly to adjust her glasses and the strap of her bag, Kara turned suddenly and met Lena’s eyes. “You exceeded them. My expectations, that is,” Kara added when Lena offered only a quizzical look in response.

For a moment, Lena didn’t react, then that same look from her office—the softness of her eyes, the curve of her lips, and the pleasantly confused crinkle between her brows—overtook her expression, and she let out a laugh.

“Well, good then.”

x

“You went to boarding school with Ms. Luthor?”

“I don’t think that’s public knowledge, how do you know that?”

“Um, Ms. Arias told me about you. She mentioned your relationship with Ms. Luthor is unique.”

“Well, Sam would know, wouldn’t she?”

“Ms. Rojas, if you don’t want to speak to me, you don’t have to.”

“It’s fine. Look, Lena and I have been estranged for a while now. I...I did something to break her trust.”

“So would you say that Ms. Luthor is difficult to get along with?”

“No, I’d say that Lena values things like honesty and trust, and—you know that Austen novel? With the man who says that once you lose his good opinion, it’s gone forever?”

“Pride and Prejudice?”

“Exactly. Lena is like that.”

“Ms. Luthor is like Mr. Darcy?”

“No, she’s classic. No matter what’s going on, she’ll endure.”

“So...you were the one difficult to get along with?”

“Have you ever thought about taking your work to a whole new level, Kara? How do you feel about virtual reality?”

“Oh, um, I don’t have particular thoughts? But I’d love to know yours about Ms. Luthor. For the film.”

“She won’t believe this, or that I’m saying it coercion free, but Lena is...a visionary. More than that, she’s just a decent person. Which is more than most of us can say, don’t you think?”

x

After their conversation, Lena opened up dramatically.

(Well, dramatically was a stretch, but considering how closed off she’d been before, the difference was rather drastic.)

Kara filmed Lena’s visit to an animal shelter, capturing the way her fingers gently ran over the fur of the dog that immediately trotted over to her, placing its head in her lap. Lena had then explained that she went to shelters often, just to volunteer, as she was unable to adopt for fear of not having time to give the dog the attention it deserved.

Later that week, Lena let Kara stay later than usual, putting on some music as she got to cooking, going as far as to teach Kara the basics of the dish, laughing when Kara admitted that her skill in the kitchen was limited to making sandwiches. At one point she grabbed the camera and set it aside, dragging Kara into the kitchen, giving instructions and lessons as she swayed her hips to the music.

(It was silly, it was lighthearted, it was fun, and Kara couldn’t help it.

She forgot she was there to make a film.)

And as the days and weeks dragged on, when Lena showed off her skills at the piano—apologetically explaining she hadn’t had time to really play in months—or when she told Kara about her very ‘nerdy’ stamp collection or even when Lena seemed to ignore there was a camera between them and she began to talk about her day and her hopes for the weekend, Kara forgot that it was a job. She forgot that she was supposed to be making something, paying attention to more than Lena’s smile or the way her eyes lit up whenever she mentioned work she was particularly passionate about.

Somewhere along the way, Kara cared more about the opportunity to spend time with Lena than she did the film itself.

More worryingly, that realization didn’t even bother her.

x

“Why filmmaking?” Lena asked one morning, pushing coffee and toast towards Kara with a tiny smile. The camera was still in its bag, untouched since Kara had arrived nearly an hour earlier. “Why not journalism like your cousin?”

“My cousin and I,” Kara began awkwardly, adjusting her glasses, “well, our relationship is a little strained, I guess.” She didn’t need the slight tilt of Lena’s head to know that Lena wanted her to keep going, to explain further. She let out a soft chuckle and rubbed her forehead with the tips of her fingers. “Um, so my parents died when I was twelve. And Clark sort of...left me? I went to live with the Danvers instead, and they bought me a camera for my birthday.” Kara grinned at the very memory, still able to feel its weight in her hand, the eyepiece against her eye. “It was one of those old camcorders, do you remember? The ones with the tapes? I drove them nuts, filming literally everything. I don’t think they ever saw my face for the first few months I was with them, it was constantly behind the camera.” She didn’t explain why she wanted to document every moment with her new family, but judging from the way Lena’s eyes softened, she understood anyway. “From there it became serious. I started making films. School projects, etc. Now I’m here.”

“Why documentaries? Why not something like...oh, I don’t know, action movies?” Lena prodded, looking curious, looking interested, looking like the answer mattered.

Kara just shrugged, suddenly not able to look Lena in the eye. “I guess there’s a part of me that wanted to take after Clark.”

x

“How long have you been working for Ms. Luthor?”

“Um, this December will make seven years.”

“As her assistant, you have remarkable access to her. What’s she like?”

“Driven, ambitious, works way too hard. I don’t think she’s ever taken a holiday or even a break...but um, maybe don’t say that in the film.”

“Artistic integrity, remember? She works hard, that’s clear. But what about personally? Her relationship with you and the other employees? What kind of boss is she?”

“She cares a lot. A few years ago, before Lex Luthor, well. You know. Before all that, LuthorCorp was facing serious losses. Mr. Luthor wanted to just get rid of entire departments, but Ms. Luthor said the research was vital, and more than that, the researchers were important. She convinced her brother to keep them on—she won’t admit it, but it was more than being persuasive. She paid for it out of her own pocket.”

“So you’d say she’s charitable?”

“No, she’s passionate. And she fights for the things she believes in. Ms. Luthor likes to say that charity implies pity, and she doesn’t do anything out of pity. She just does what’s right by people.”

“Some would disagree, they’d argue that LuthorCorp, and by extension its new iteration, L-Corp, don’t care about people, but about profits. Do you think that’s a fair assessment of the company you’ve devoted seven years to?”

“Look. I get it, people are suspicious of L-Corp because it used to be LuthorCorp. But it’s not just a name change. When Lena took over, she gutted her company. There’s not a single program left from Mr. Luthor’s time as CEO. L-Corp is all Ms. Luthor.”

“So if L-Corp is Ms. Luthor, who is Ms. Luthor?”

“She’s a woman who’s been hurt all her life, Kara Danvers, and whose only goal is to keep as many people as she can from hurting too. Sometimes I just wish she realized she doesn’t deserve to be hurt anymore either.”

“Oh.”

“Also, I don’t care about your artistic integrity, that last bit does not go in the film.”

x  

One afternoon, when Kara was dangerously close to dozing off on the couch in Lena’s office—camera turned off and set aside, not really needing more footage of Lena working at her desk—Lena suddenly jumped to her feet, an excited gleam in her eyes.

“They’ve done it,” she said, the smile forming on her lips so wide that Kara found herself smiling back.

“Done what?” Kara asked, fairly sure this would lead to Lena’s refrain of ‘that’s company business and I’m afraid you’re not privy to that information’ but instead, Lena looked at her appraisingly, then rolled her eyes.

“If I allow you to bring your camera in R&D, do you swear not to film my ongoing projects?”

“You’re going to let me film in R&D?” Kara said excitedly, jumping to her feet and grabbing her camera.

“Kara, do you swear?”

“Yes, yes, of course, Ms. Luthor. I absolutely swear.”

And the next thing Kara knew, she was filming in the one place she’d been told was off-limits, capturing the lab and Lena talking to her researchers animatedly about the advancement they’d made in gene therapy, not entirely surprised when Lena shoved the scientists towards Kara and urged them to brag about their achievement—while also warning them to be as vague as possible—and then sank into the background, clearly thrilled to have her scientists as the center of attention.  

And later, when Lena decided to actually take a lunch hour as a ‘reward’ for the great strides L-Corp had made, she took Kara along, bought three different appetizers, and smiled her wide smile before she said, “It’s Lena, by the way. Just Lena.”

Mouth still bulging with the three potstickers she’d practically inhaled, Kara couldn’t manage much more than a nod, but later—when she was alone—she tried saying the name aloud, and it sent a shiver down her spine.

x

“Mrs. Luthor—”

“It’s doctor, actually.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Dr. Luthor. You adopted Ms. Luthor when she was four, is that correct?”

“I’m afraid I don’t have time for this nonsense. I consented to this interview only to say one thing: Lena was always the more clever of my children, but she’s foolish and soft, and this silly film is yet another example of that.”

“You agreed to meet with me to just say...that. Okay. That’s um. Fine.”

x

As the weeks dragged on, Kara had little reason to continue filming. Her deadline with Cat Grant was fast approaching, and she had more than enough footage. All that really remained was editing, of putting the final pieces together. But she found herself filming anyway.

Every day, she’d make her way to Lena’s apartment, making flimsy excuses about how certain footage was no good, or had been corrupted, and that she needed retakes of Lena doing ordinary things (like reading the paper, cooking dinner, or talking about her day). She knew that Lena could tell her excuses were just that, but mercifully, Lena didn’t seem to want to call her out on it, merely gave soft reminders not to stay up so late every night to edit (the ‘you could just as easily stop wasting your time here and be editing during normal hours’ going unsaid).

(Jess had rolled her eyes when Kara came by L-Corp and Lena mentioned offhandedly that Kara somehow hadn’t gotten a shot of Lena entering her building in all the time she’d shadowed the CEO, and wasn’t that odd?)

But what Kara knew, what made her stretch out these moments as long as she possibly could, was that once the final product popped into existence, once she showed Lena and got her okay to send off to Cat Grant, that was it.

No more Lena.

And that terrified her.

(So she gathered more footage, fruitlessly hoping that the final product would never be ready, dragging her feet at every step.

She edited, studying Lena’s every expression, tried to pinpoint the exact moment she’d started to fall for the not-so-detached CEO extraordinaire, and wished it didn’t all have to come to an end.)

x

Two days after Kara had sent Lena the finished film, she got a curt email from the CEO herself with only three words: come see me.

Jess gave no indication about how her boss was feeling when Kara arrived, merely stared evenly at Kara and gestured with her head for her to just go on in. When Kara tried to ask her, Jess shook her head, pointed at the door to Lena’s office, and made a shooing gesture.

“It’s odd to see you without a camera,” Lena said when Kara sat down across from her, trying to keep her hands from fidgeting.

“It’s odd to be in here without a camera.” Kara took a deep breath. “Did you watch it?” she blurted, unable to keep it in. “What did you think?”

“You’re really fond of certain themes,” Lena said, then she raised her eyebrow. “You also filmed quite a bit when I had asked you not to.”

“Artistic integrity?” Kara tried, and Lena...laughed.

“I don’t know if I agree with the way you portrayed me,” she said slowly as her amusement faded. “You took a lot of liberties.”

“I was very faithful to the subject of the film, Lena.”

“What do you think you were trying to say?” Lena asked, waving off Kara’s comment.

“What meaning did you get from it?”

Lena studied her for a moment, as if she was trying to read Kara’s mind. “I’m not some selfless genius, Kara.”

“Is that what you think the film is saying?” Kara asked her, not rising to the obvious bait. “Like I said, Lena. I was very faithful to the subject of the film.” For a long moment, Lena didn’t respond, and Kara felt the worry she’d managed to push away since sending the film to Lena creep back in. “Does this mean you don’t approve of the film?”

“Hmm?” Lena said, distracted. “No, I’ve already sent it along to Cat Grant, giving my okay. Even though you broke our agreement, I can’t deny the final result was very favorable to me.”

“I wouldn’t have made something that wasn’t completely true,” Kara said, somewhat hotly, most of her irritation bleeding away with the knowledge that Cat Grant was in possession of the final product, that the rest was up to her.

Lena smiled, eyes soft, and she nodded her head almost incredulously. “No, you wouldn’t. I know that.” She cleared her throat, seeming a bit nervous. “But I was thinking. I’ve been missing our talks about your work, and I know you don’t like talking about what you’ve made, but perhaps you’d make an exception for me. Would you be willing to give me a private showing of your film? Give me all the insider secrets? I know your subject quite well, it would be a fun exercise.”

Kara’s heart slammed to a stop, the jump-started at the sight of Lena’s amused eyes, that tiny curve of her lips. “A private showing, huh?” Kara mumbled, feeling a little dazed. “I still won’t tell you what I was trying to say.”

“That’s completely fair.”

“But I suppose I could give you some insight on my thoughts.”

“Only if you wanted.”

“It may have to be more than one session,” Kara said, trying and failing to stop the spread of her smile. “There’s a lot of footage you know.”

“So it’s a date?” Lena asked, and Kara couldn’t help her eager nod.

“It’s definitely a date.”

[beardedmrbean]

A Universal Music Group employee said he was fired from his job for refusing to work after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last month, and claimed the termination showed the company did not support its workers "speaking out" about abortion rights.

Michael Lopez, a now-former production coordinator at Universal Music Enterprises, attempted to shame the company in a LinkedIn post last week, saying he is a "queer brown person" who was "fired during Pride month for speaking up in defense of abortion rights."

"Last Friday, like countless other folks, I was devastated by the news of the supreme court’s attack on abortion rights," Lopez wrote. "Paired with the flood of anti-queer and anti-trans legislation, it’s been hard to process how company’s [sic] expect us to be productive while our rights are being stripped away."

Lopez said that every Friday, one of his tasks was to "process reports for upcoming releases" and he would then have to email his work to a list of 275 people. However, after the court's ruling, he decided not to complete the task and emailed his coworkers letting them know.

"I didn't do them today," Lopez wrote in the email of the neglected work. "I'm in mourning due to the attack on people with uteruses in the US. Federally guaranteed access to abortion is gone."

"Vivendi and Universal Music Group must stop donating to anti-abortion, anti-queer and anti-trans politicians," he wrote. "Politicians like Marsha Blackburn, Ken Buck, Victoria Spartz, etc. Or expect more unproductive days."

"Yours in fury, Michael Lopez," he signed off.

Lopez wrote in the LinkedIn post that he received several supportive messages from other coworkers after he sent the email, and that a manager called to tell him to take the rest of the day off. He added that he believed there was a "good possibility" he would be fired based on the response he received from management.

He said he received a "surprise Zoom video chat with HR" the following Monday.

"I was being let go for (paraphrasing) ‘Not doing your job, disrupting the day of 275 people and poor judgement,’" Lopez wrote.

Lopez said he would then send a follow-up email to the one he had previously sent to coworkers, informing them of his termination.

"Just got fired for this email from Friday, so they’re letting you know where they stand on employees speaking out on politicians that support marginalization for folks like me," he wrote in the email. "A brown queer person terminated during Pride month speaking in support of abortion rights. Seems like that’s exactly what America is all about right now."

He concluded his LinkedIn post by saying he did not speak for his company, but for himself and employees who will "suffer under these discriminatory laws."

"Their actions today, their silence on Friday are indicative of their motivations," Lopez wrote of his former employer. "Profit at all costs. Solidarity, only if it's profitable. And above all of that is maintaining the status quo and saying f--k you to the working class."

A Universal Music Group spokesperson told the New York Post that company policy prohibits them from discussing Lopez's personnel record, but that the allegations in the LinkedIn post are "inaccurate."

"UMG has a long record of support for women’s issues," the spokesperson said. "As we wrote to our US employees, UMG views reproductive health care as essential. In the wake of the recent US Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v Wade, the company has extended its efforts to assure that these important healthcare services remain accessible to employees. We also financially support non-profit groups working in this area and offer a match for employee’s contributions to those groups, as well."

[ikeromantic]

First Day

This is an Ikemen Sengoku coffee shop AU. Approx 1700 words. Nobunaga, the owner of Azuchi Cafe, hires a girl to work in his coffee shop alongside his other oddball employees.

Pastry Chef and little rain cloud: Ieyasu Tokugawa

Head Chef and irredeemable flirt: Masamune Date

Dining Room Manager and rule-master: Hideyoshi Toyotomi

Barista and most popular kid in your class: Ranmaru Mori

Barista and coffee disaster: Mitsunari Ishida

Accountant and walking bad-boy vibe: Mitsuhide Akechi

I have never written a coffee shop AU and I have no idea what I'm doing.

Nobunaga unlocked the back door at 3am. It was so early most people would still call it night, but he enjoyed the peace and quiet at this hour. As if he were the sole living human in a world of stray cats and blinking traffic lights.

He flipped on the lights and began morning prep. As the owner of Azuchi Cafe, he didn’t need to be the shop opener, but he was the kind of man who’d never ask his employees to do something he wouldn’t do himself. This meant he often worked from opening until close, cleaning the kitchen at 10pm. It was something he was proud of, even if it was exhausting some days.

Ieyasu arrived a few minutes later, along with the morning shipment. Fresh fruit, cream, some new coffee bean varieties, and other items he stocked daily. The blond was quiet as he helped unload. Not a morning person, not by a longshot.

Once the crates were inside, Ieyasu made a beeline for the espresso machine and had two cups on the counter before Nobunaga completed his inventory check.

The blond downed both cups and then got started in the kitchen. He was too smart for a cafe job - easily one of the best bakers Nobunaga had ever met. And this cafe was blessed with two, though the other man was a polar opposite of the silent, serious Ieyasu Tokugawa.

As if thinking of him summoned him, the back door swung open and in swaggered Masamune. “Good morning!” His voice was loud and vibrant, as always. He never needed caffeine to feel awake - Masamune was naturally caffeinated.

“D’you have to be so loud?” Ieyasu glared.

“Do you have to be such a grouch?” Masamune raised his one eyebrow. His other eye was covered with a pirate-style eyepatch. The look wasn’t just for effect. He’d lost his left eye to a childhood illness, but that hadn’t dampened his spirit or enthusiasm.

Ieyasu held up a dough covered middle finger in response and went back to making croissants.

Masamune put a hand to his heart. “Such cruelty.”

“Stop bickering and start cooking.” Nobunaga tried to sound stern but couldn’t help the little smile on his lips.

The two of them did, though the grumbling and sniping never really stopped.

While Ieyasu handled bakery items, Masamune was in charge of the grill. Hot sandwiches, soups, and whatever else he decided to put on the menu. Nobunaga had given up trying to restrain him. The man was a genius cook, and whatever he made sold, so it made sense to give him his head.

Akechi showed up next. Mitsuhide was an accountant by trade, with a law degree besides. He didn’t technically work at the shop, but he did the books and didn’t charge much for the work. Nobunaga wasn’t sure why he spent so much time at the cafe, but he’d become a fixture. Showing up before opening to do Azuchi’s books and then sitting in the dining area, working on his laptop for hours.

“Anything I should know about,” Nobunaga called, before Mitsuhide disappeared into the cafe office.

“If there was, I’d tell you. Probably.” Mitsuhide gave him his trademark smile, sly like a fox.

“It’s that probably that worries me.” Nobunaga frowned. He didn’t actually believe Mitsuhide would sabotage him. Not after so many years as a client. But with that man, you never quite knew where you stood.

Akechi shrugged. “I can’t think of a reason not to - but you never know.” He disappeared into the office, and soon the only sound from that room was the clacking of a keyboard.

The sky to the east was beginning to lighten, the stars fading from view. It would be time to open soon. As if on cue, Mitsunari showed up with Ranmaru in tow. They were the baristas, taking orders, making coffee, and serving the sit-down diners.

“Isn’t it a beautiful morning?” Mitsunari said this to Ieyasu’s back as he passed him.

The blond snorted. “It looks like every morning. Literally, exactly the same.”

“And every morning is beautiful.” Mitsunari Ishida smiled. “I am so lucky to work with such wonderful people. It will be a great day. I can feel it.”

Ranmaru laughed. “Absolutely. Just ignore old grumble-pants here. We are going to have an awesome day.”

“I am not old,” Ieyasu snapped.

“You are compared to me!” Ranmaru was the youngest in the crew, and he liked to remind the others about it.

“That’s enough. Get up to the front and prep the display. Both of you.” Nobunaga pointed toward the front counter.

Ranmaru gave him a pouty look, but did as he was told. Despite his penchant for causing trouble in the kitchen, he was great with customers, and pretty reliable.

Mitsunari didn’t seem to realize he’d been in the middle of the bickering. He just smiled and followed Ranmaru to the front.

That one, Nobunaga thought, was dangerous. At first impression, Mitsunari Ishida seemed like an airhead. Cheerful to the point of being vapid, and clumsy as well. But he could take orders faster than anyone else, remember which customer had which preference, and quote the menu without a glance at the board on the wall. He was great, so long as you didn’t ask him to pour the coffee.

At opening, Hideyoshi finally sidled in. He was the dining room manager, in charge of the servers, and everything on the front end. Nobunaga trusted him implicitly. Most cafe owners had to worry about theft and inattention from their cash-handling employees, but not him. Not with Hideyoshi Toyotomi at the counter. That man was a veritable saint, if sometimes a little melodramatic about his service.

“I know you told me I didn’t need to be here until 10, since you open. But I couldn’t let you handle everything alone.” Hideyoshi’s version of ‘good morning’ as he tied his apron on.

Nobunaga sighed. “You are my closing manager, Hideyoshi. You’re going to be stuck here until 10 or 11 tonight . . . and you realize, I do have employees here, helping, right?”

Toyotomi nodded. “Sure, sure. But extra hands always help with morning rush, right?”

“Right. And that’s why I have a new hire coming in at 8.” Nobunaga sighed.

“A new hire?” Mitsunari’s violet gaze lit up. “Will I get to train them?”

“Don’t be stupid,” Ieyasu grumbled. “We want them to make coffee, not learn how to dump the pot on the floor.”

“Stop being so mean,” Ranmaru sniped back, defending Mitsunari.

“Hey, hey! The new employee isn’t gonna get trained by any of you. Clearly, the boss is going to put them with me. To pass on my culinary genius.” Masamune’s one eye sparkled.

“No, no, and absolutely not,” Nobunaga said, raising his voice. “Hideyoshi and I are going to train them. If the lot of you don’t terrify them into quitting on their first day.”

And that was the end of that discussion. It was 5am and the door opened. The steady stream of customers kept everyone busy for the next few hours. Lattes and cappuccinos, americanos and macchiatos, and decaf for those in denial. The flow began to slack as 8am approached. Most people were at work now, coffee in hand.

Clean-up started in the kitchen, and Hideyoshi began on the dining room.

The glass front door opened at 8am sharp. The new hire walked in. This wasn’t Nobunaga’s first time meeting her, but he still felt a twang in his chest as she smiled brightly at no one in particular.

“I hope I’m not late!”

Hideyoshi eyed her up and down, nodding to himself. Flat shoes, cute but practical. Hair pulled back sensibly - stylish, but not overdone. Professional clothes, fitted and comfortable. He hadn’t been part of the interview but he was feeling pretty positive about this candidate. He gave Nobunaga a nod.

“No, you’re right on time,” Mitsunari replied, leaning on the counter. His angelic smile was fixed on her.

The impact was obvious. One did not face the pure, focused joy of Mitsunari and not feel it. She blinked for a moment, stunned, her cheeks flushing. “Oh. Well that’s good, right?”

“Sure is,” Ranmaru said, coming around the side of the bakery display. He wiped his hands on his apron and held one out to her. “Welcome to Azuchi!”

“Hey, that’s my line,” Nobunaga grumbled.

“Yeah, but I’m cuter when I say it.” Ranmaru’s cheek reply got a chuckle from Masamune.

The one-eyed chef came out from the kitchen to observe. He wasn’t looking for whatever qualities Hideyoshi had, but what he saw made him grin. “Well, lass, I’d say welcome again but that’d make me look like an idiot. How ‘bout I help you put on an apron and show you around the place?”

“Again, my line,” Nobunaga said tiredly.

Ieyasu poked his head out from the back and sighed heavily. “Great. Another fluff head to train. Look, when you get bored listening to these idiots, come find me in the kitchen. I’ll try to teach you to bake. I’m sure you can manage a simple recipe. Probably.”

The girl looked unsure how to respond. She finally shrugged. “Yeah, ok! I’m here to work, so whatever you want to teach me, I want to learn.”

“You’d be better off learning how to keep the books,” said an amused voice behind Ieyasu.

The girl’s eyes darted up as Mitsuhide came out from the back. “Not that I’m hiring. I don’t do internships either,” he continued. He stepped out from behind the counter and closed in on her like a stalking cat. His golden eyes slid down from her face, over her chest and hips, down her legs, and back up, slow as syrup. “Though I can think of some reasons to make an exception.” He handed her a business card. “For when you tire of this service job.”

“Ah, thanks?” She glanced at the card and by the time she looked up again he was gone.

“Everyone, get back to work. I’m handling the new hire. You’ll all get a chance to train with her. I want her to work swing, so she’ll need to know a little of everything.” Nobunaga clapped once.

The workers all got back to it, though not without plenty of backward glances.

Hideyoshi handed the girl an apron. “Good luck!”

[simpingfortheages]

//JUST 4 WEEKS//

Hiii umm sorry for taking long. I have exams😭 she again is long as fuucckkkk. I hope you enjoy. (still leave requests please)

Prompts requests: 8, 24, 25.

Ms Venable × Fem! Reader.

SMUT PACKED! (Fluff,begging,edging, oversimtimlation, jealousy, dom! Venable, sub! Fem Reader)

Reader is a kind spirit always helping and finding new ways to make friends. A light that attracted every one,even Ms Venable. However she doesn't take it lightly when someone else is trying to take what's hers.

~~~~~~~♡~~~~~~~~~~~♡~~~~~~~~~~~♡~~~~~

The dynamic you and Ms Venable had was a peculiar one. In her lovely abode she was an expressive one,the kisses and hugs she would bestow on every exposure of your skin were sacred. The secrets that she would share with you in bed after the passion lovemaking was something you especially loved. She was always vunerable and soft in your presence alone. However, that Ms Venable never found her way into work,even in the workplace when it is both you and her alone.

No way did she show or return any affection to you. It was deemed " unfit and inappropriate" in her words. She was a complete 360, the soft twinkle in her eyes were always replaced with stone hard glares and there was a slight frown took the place of the delicate smile that adorned her plump lips. But you being the caring and loving person you are, you respected her rules and decisions. 1. No kissing 2. No sexual teasing of any kind 3. No joking or laughing... etc etc... basically you both acted like strangers. She didn't care what you did at work with the other employee,she made that quite clear. As long as it doesn't involve her or her reputation. She treated you just like she did any other employee at kineros robotics and that included being scolded and embarrassed infront your other co workers. You however benefited from that, because she would always end up making up for it at home. So yes it was a peculiar dynamic but it was a dynamic you shared with her.

Today was the same old, you kissed your Mina goodbye at home before you went to work in your separate vehicles. Of course she wouldn't mind you riding along side with her. It was just that others would become suspicious and Ms Venable had a stern, don't fuck with her reputation to uphold. You carried out your daily work routine, you clocked in and made your way to the kitchen to make yourself your second cup of coffee. After doing so you took your seat on the chair located near the window which gave you a clear view of the carpark, you liked to see when your Mina came to work in her Purple Honda. Yes she customized it, the links and connections this woman has is mind blowing. "HEYYY Y/N" you jumped at the sudden outburst, it was Jeff and Muff. The twiddle dee and twiddle dumbass who ran the whole Robot operation . Mentally you rolled your eyes at their way of greeting . You then swiftly angled your body to face them. "Yes boys? What do you need" this earned a sly smile to creep up upon both of their faces simultaneously. You couldn't help but scowl at their expressions " what do you need?" You repeated with annoyance and a hint of nervousness. " there is a new girl. She is a sweet little thing"Jeff started off ,all the while grabbing your mug of coffee to sip from it. You made no attempt to stop him because you were too caught up in trying to understanding what his point was. "Okay??? And you are telling me this because???" You yanked the cup of coffee back from Jeff and moved to pour your contaminated drink down the sink . So much for your second cup. "I want you to show her around,you know help her in the emails and files all the dumb shit you do." "Just this time you both will be doing the dumb shit" Mutt finished what Jeff was saying. Damn so basically a trainee. You already knew that you had no choice,these knuckle heads after all were your bosses. " sure yea why not" you mumbled as you washed up your cup and placed back on the rack. Jeff clapped his hands in delight at your response. " Great! so she is already in your office- well it is both of your office now. We kind of needed to split your office but hey I mean you have a roommate now " you closed you eyes and tried to control your temper. They were really starting to grate on your nerves at this point. You didn't even bother to say your departure,you just left the staff kitchen and made you way to your office.

The newbie Chloe wasn't all that bad. She was this preppy,talkative and very affectionate in her interactions. She was this medium height,brown haired girl who always has on perfume that smelt like strawberries . A few weeks passed and you both became quite close, you spent a lot of time helping and getting to know one another, heck you even went "nose blind" to her over bearing starwberry perfume she wore, guess the shared office wasn't so bad. " Fuck!" Chloe exclaimed, your eyes opened wide at her remark,"whoa Chloe what's with the language" you stood up from your chair and walked over to her desk to see what the issue was. "I cannot seem to get the file to open and send to the Main system. I have been like this for 3 fucking days"she cried out, Chloe was almost on the verge of tears. You being the kind person you are, you lowered yourself to her level and wiped her teary eyes. The gesture was one of friendly,it has no romantic intention behind it. " don't cry Chloe,please it's annoying" you got a laugh mixed with a tiny sniffle with that line. "Let me see what I can do" you gently pushed her chair to the side causing her to roll a few feet away. Atleast Chloe was happily giggling, you shot a smile in her direction. You then hovered over her laptop to try and figure out the problem. After a few minutes you managed to not only open the file but you send the attachment files along with it to the main site of log in. All this time Chloe was hovering over you,trying to see what you were doing all the while chewing on her nails out of nervousness.

With a few clicks and dragging the tasks that were done you did it, "annndddd done. See Chloe no need to be such a cry baby" you stated with humor. Chloe shrieked out of happiness and enveloped you in a death grip of a hug. You didn't even have time to react since she basically squeezed all of the air out of you. "Hug me back y/n, for someone who knows how to upload a file you sure are missing a few cells" you rolled your eyes and released an exaggerated exhale. You reciprocated her warm embrace, it did feel nice and comfortable. "BANG BANG BANG" the sound was heard 3 times one after the other. That was a sound you were quite familiar with...but where did you recognise it??. The hug was broken up rather quickly. A loud clearing of someone's throath from the door made you turn your head. FUCK ...the sound was Ms Venable's cane. After seeing who it was,you increased the distance even more between you and Chloe. "Don't you know that this isn't the place for such disgusting acts? Hmm Ms Chloe a simpleton such as yourself still hasn't manage to send me the email as yet. But here you are wasting time, then again what should I expect from someone who is a waste of space themselves. Get the fuck put of my sight." her words were icey and cold. At this point Chloe was furiously trying to wipe away her tears,but they fell faster than she could dry them. She meekly excused herself from the office and slithered pass Ms Venable to probably cry even more in the bathroom. You didn't dare run after Chloe or even move. Your eyes were fixacted on the white tiles of the building floor. Ms Venable said nothing, she just walked away. If it wasn't the sound of her cane clicks becoming softer and distance you wouldn't have known that she left. You knew better though, that her walking away was a sign to for you to follow her. And follow her you did.

You kept a steady pace behind her trying to keep up with her haste movements. The tension was intense, the way she gripped the head of her cane to the slight flare of her nostrils didn't go unnoticed either. You knew that she was upset??... annoyed?? What were you Ms Venable? You pondered. Your train of thought was put to a halt when you heard the thumping of her cane stop. She was currently standing infront her closed wooden office door. No one dared to disturb her when the lock on the door was turned. She was basically worshipped at this Robotic place, she was feared and she knew that. She thrived of the idea, everytime someone were to cower in her presence you'd always noticed the way her eyes darkened, the slight upward tilt of her chin and the more square her shoulders got. And right now that's exactly how she stared at you. She was the predator and you were the prey.

She eyes locked sharply onto yours, but you didn't look away. No, instead you met her gaze with the same confidence. With her left foot tapping her black strapped heels against the floor, followed by the clicking of her neatly manicured nails on the head on her cane. She exhaled exasperatedly and raised both her eyebrows in my direction. She was waiting and she was impatient , she wanted an apology. But you weren't going to give her one, you did nothing wrong. The deep growl that left her lips went striaght to your lower stomach. She angrily and roughly turned the knob of her office door to give access into the oddly cold room. Ms Venable broke eye contact with you and brushed past to enter the room. You almost chuckled out loud at how adorable she was behaving. You mentally shrugged it off and made you way into the room behind her

It all happened so fast, her slender hands were wrapped around your neck as your back was shoved against the door,causing it to be closed and locked with a loud bang. Her face was now mere inches away from yours, the smell of her perfume and heavy minty breathe invades yours sense. It was a euphoric feeling, the way she towered over you and held the firm grip on your neck. " Why are you always with that daft moron?" She seethed though her clenched teeth. "Who? Chloe?" You questioned with feigned confusion. The hold on your neck only got tigher as you said her name. " don't say her disgusting name in my office" she spat, your face broke out in a big toothed smile. The brown colour in her eyes seemed to darken at your reaction,almost as though you were mocking her. “Why are you so jealous?” your smile seemed to get bigger. Ms Venable was taken aback by your statement. She simply scoffed and rolled her eyes. You were determined to make her admit to her jealousy just for the fun of it. "Awww Mina, it's okayyy to be a little jealous. It looks sexy on you" you flashed a wink in her direction. Ms Venable released you from her grip and placed both her hands atop the head of her cane. Her back was now straighten with purpose and superiority, if you weren't romantically involved with her one would say that she was completely unbothered. However,the faltering in her ability to maintain eye contact and the hard clenching of her jaw said otherwise.

"So you are saying that if I were to go after Chloe and comfort her right now ? You wouldn't care because it is IN the workplace right?" You used he own rule against her as you proceeded to push. Ms Venable swallowed hard at your comment. "No. I wouldn't care what you do" the grip on her cane was a lot stronger now,even to the point her knuckles were turning white. "Okay then mina" you spun around and reached for the for handle. Of course you weren't going to comfort Chloe, you just wanted to see how far your Mina will go. Since Wilhelmina was never one to be in touch with her emotions, she wouldn't express it verbally.

You jokingly turned the handle and opened the door. She still didn't stop you,but there was a hint of hurt and sadness that made its way to her face and body language. The way she shoulders hunched over with the subtle upturn of her eyebrows pulled are your heartstrings. She looked so vulnerable. "Aww mina don't do that face, of course I'm not going after her" you closed the door and hurriedly made your way towards her, throwing you arms around her body. The act took her by surprise, but she didn't mind, she mentally smiled that you choose her over Chloe. Ms Venable reciprocated your embrace,one hand rested firmly of her cane whilst the other was securely wrapped around your waist. However it was in a firm grip, as though if she were to left go you'd run away to Chloe. The hug was a warm and loved one, Ms Venable felt comfortable in your hold, the boiling feeling in her blood subsided and replaced with one of calm. She leaned down and nuzzled into the crook of your neck to inhale your perfume or rather the mild scent of the soap that would sometimes linger on your skin. Ms Venable softly inhaled against your neck , the scent of strawberries filled her senses. Her eyes snapped open at the smell, the grip around your waist tightened even more. Ms Venable roughly exhaled through her nose as thought she was trying to expel the ratched smelt that invaded her nasal cavity.You didn't pull away from the hug until a low guteral growl ripped it's way from her throath. The sound went straight to your lower stomach. Ms Venable hated the fact that you reeked of Chloe's nauseating perfume. It was a indication as though you belonged to Chloe and not to her. Ms Venable didn't like that one bit.

" you smell disgusting Y/N the fowl stench on your clothes is polluting my office. Strip" you let out a nervous chuckle at her request. However, Ms Venable kept a straight fact...she was serious. It dawned on you that her words were in fact a demand and not a request. You accepted that you weren't going to win whatever argument that she had planned in her head so you began to slowly strip away your clothes. As you did so she shameless roamed her eyes over your body. You weren't shy, it wasn't the first time she has done so. In fact you liked it,you basked in the idea of her loving your body. That wasn't a lie, she always made sure to express how much she worshiped your body by leaving kisses and marks. It was very intimate of her. You were now half naked standing infront of the lady in purple. Only in your underwear .

Ms Venable took one good look of your body and lowly hmmed in approval.  You preened at her reaction, your heart basically swole at her acknowledgment. Ms Venable broke her admiration on your figure and made her way to another door. A door that you never knew existed, it was a wooden door with a varnished finishing although it was pretty, it didn't quite go with the aesthetic of the room. You were never really allowed in her office since she basically ignored your existence. You walked behind her, following in her steps. "Pick up your clothes y/n ,you aren't an animal" a loud huff escaped your lips almost as though you were insulted.  You assembled the articles of your garment and folded it neatly. Ms Venable was already in the other room waiting for you. You swallowed thickly trying to suppress the nervousness that arised in your throath. As you entered the room you were in awe. Ms Venable basically had a whole bedroom. A queen size bed with silk sheets,a whole closet too that was walk in. The walls were white and accompanied in the cold atmosphere  was a mild yet soothing lavender scent.

*SLAM* Ms Venable shut the door. You junked and spun around to meet her list gaze. The coldness in the room made goosebumps arrise on your skin, the sharp look she gave you had you feeling like a prey being stalked.  Ms Venable was the predator and you have just been corner. She was hungry...very hungry. One of her hands gently pulled away from the surface of the door as she strutted towards you in a slow much dangerous manner. Out of reflex you backed away from her. Every one step she took you took two. As you stepped back you ran out of space, the back if your legs made contact with something hard.  A small sqeak of surprise made its way pass your slightly parted lips. When you turned around you saw that it was the lower part of the bed frame. At the point Ms Venable was towering over your small frame.  The closeness of her proximity got you feeling flustered, "who do you belong too?" She sneered. Feeling already small and intimated "you" she tilted her chin upwards but still didn't break eye contact with you. With a neatly manicured hand, she rested it on you chest and shoved you roughly on the silk bed.  The impact was rough yet gently. Ms Venable didn't move from the foot of the bed, instead she just stared at you. " you're so fucking hot when you're mad" you said as you broke the thick atmosphere. She raised an eyebrow at your bold response. She didn't waste any time walking over to the side table and receiving something. You tried to sit up to see what it was, only for Ms Venable to snap at you to remain lying down. You had no choice but to obey, you kept your eyes glued to the ceiling waiting in suspense of what Ms Venable had up her sleeve. The empty space on the bed beside you sank as it was your mina who occupied it, you turned  your face only to be met with her wicked grin. Based on that expression alone you knew that you were going to pay.

"Are you going to apologise?" She focused her gaze onto me even harder. Your reply was a confident shake of the head. It seemed as thought that was the reply Ms Venable wanted. " What's the safe word?" She asked gently, her voice was soft and inviting.  "Fire" you replied , you were excited for the unknown. You never know what way she was going to punish you, but each time it correlated to what she thought you did wrong.  It was quite clever and not really unexpected from a woman such as herself. Ms Venable made a casual gesture for you to turn over onto your side. That's weird you thought, you thought she was going to punish you.  You didn't  mind cuddling with your girlfriend, instead you smiled put of glee and turned to your side, awaiting for your mina to spoon you. You snuggled in closer to your girlfriend. The soothing breathing of your Mina  in your right ear was ticklish, almost as if it were sending electrical shocks to your core, she noticed the way you got fidgety but didn't say anything, instead she bite down on the shell of your ear and released low growls.  At this point your eyes were screwed tightly and you were trying to control your breathing.  Unknowingly you arched your back against your girlfriend. The small act of her pressed on your body and the attention you were  getting was too overwhelming.  You needed her and she knew it. An uncontrolled whisper left you parted lips," shhh baby i know, I'm only now starting, just close your eyes." Your heart rate was bearing so loud and fast at the moment. You listened to her and closed your eyes, you trusted your Mina.  As you did so you felt her knee wedge it's away between your thighs, although it wasn't high enough for you to grind your needy core against. Your eyes snapped open in furstation.  " Y/N I said to close your eyes. If you don't listen I will leave you alone" she demanded with a rough tone. You barely even made time to turn your head backwards to face her.  You listened to her threat and took it seriously, you closed your eyes tighter this time and awaited for her actions. "Hmmm good girl" she mummered against your ear. You glowed under her comment.  

Suddenly you felt her arm drape across your stomach, your breath hitched as she took the time to drag circles along your skin. Her hand progressively got lower and lower to where you needed it most. Your body was a map and Ms Venable had it memorized.  She knew all the ways to make you whimper and beg for her. As she reached the place you needed her most, a low sound almost a hum filled the thick lust atmosphere. You desperately fought against wanting to break her rule and see what it was. The suspense of whatever she was holding quickly left you mind when a feeling of pleasure and attention was bestowed upon your covered clit.  The agonising slow motion of her circling your throbbing clit, Ms Venable pressed small delicate kisses on the side of your face while slowly torturing you.  " mina.. more plea-se" you whimpered, even without having to open your eyes, you knew you smirked at that request. Ms Venable cocked a button on the vibrator and increased the speed. Although ypur eyes we closed, at this point your eyes rolled back to the back of your head.  The 2nd speed  was a lot more stimulating, her patterns of circles on your clit was now faster. There was currently a wet patch created by Ms Venable on your underwear. As she continued her task of pleasuring you, a feeling of tightness made its way to your lowered stomach. " oh fuck mina- mina can I cum?" You didn't get a reply instead she turned the speed up a little more, your body twisted in both pain and pleasure, at this point  the slick you produced was running down on her once cleaned sheets. Ms Venable loved whenever you did that, it remains her how much of a filthy slut you are, but more importantly you were hers and not Chloe's. She was famed to let you forget. She knew your body better than you as you were about to go over the edge Ms Venable pulled the vibrator away.  

"MINA what the - " you stopped mid sentence to swallow and catch your breathe" what the fuck i didn't cum" you finished your complaint in annoyance and sexual frustration. You tried to close your legs to rub your thighs together for any relief but Ms Venable raised her thigh higher and pressed it against your senstive clit as a warning against doing that.  A whimper and a whine emitted from you. "Oh fuck please mina more..." her thigh was still raised high and in contact with your clit . Out of reflex you started to grind on her, however she didn't stop this action.  You were trying to chase your high that she she rudely denied a few seconds ago. After a minute of two of trying to cum the feeling of tightness made its way to your lower stomach once again.  Your movements were sloppier, faster and more desperate this time. Ms Venable pressed her leg further up and rough weigh cause your hand of attach itself to her knee that was currently wedge between your thighs.  You didn't know if to push her leg sweety or pull it closer to your needy pussy. " ah- oh fuck yes" you cried out, your high was approaching. A few more grinding and you would be over the edge.  Ms Venable  leaned closer into  your ear, the warm breathe of her words tickled you" did you think it'd be so easy?" with those cursed words she pulled her thigh lower and away from your clit. You didn't bother to hide your frustration, you were almost on the verge of tears. "Mina please please let me cum for you, I will only cum for you" you begged but your pleas feel onto deaf ears.  She hummed in feign acknowledgement as she reached from your now ruined underwear. You realised what her intentions are, so you helped her to removed your underwear but kicking it down your legs. Ms Venable was faster though , she removed and placed back her leg between your thighs before they could have even closed.  

The cursed yet blessed sound of the vibrator filled your ears.  You were eager yet you dreaded the fact that she was going to deny you for a 3rd time.  She lowered the vibrator to your entrance to gather more slick, after doing so she  began to trace figures eights and circles on your clit. Your body jumped and tried to move away from the vibrator but with Ms Venable firmly pressed against your back, that was not possible, " shh baby it's okay, shh I'm right here. " she cooed into your ear.  Your bottom lip wobbled from the intense pleasure and pain overtaking your body at the moment. Your 3rd orgasm was building but you were determined to cum. "Oh fuck Mina please I am sorry you win i will- I will -oh fuck yes more !-i will. Never talk to her again. Just Please plea-se  let me cum" you no longer tried to fight her down, you apologised hoping that she would let you cum. "Aww baby  did you think by saying sorry I'd let you cum? you were oh so very wrong." She punctuated the sentence with her biting down on the shell of my air.  Inciting further pain, but the thrill of being denied was even greater. She held the vibrator against your clit pushing it down and rubbing it as a fast paste, your climax was 1 figure eight away by she pulled it away.  Almost as if she knew your body better than yours which in this case she did.  Your hips were pushed up trying to regain contact with the vibrator. " No behave." she demanded as she took her hand and whacked the inner part of your thigh.

Your body was sensitive to every touch and caress. Ms Venable removed her legs from between your thighs,which caused your legs to close with a wet soft smack. The slick that you produced was now running down both your legs and was now smeared on the bed. Ms Venable loved the sight,she loved breaking you and mending you back together with love and affection. All for her to do it all over again. Your eyes fluttered open to take in the current state of the situation. Ms Venable was making her way to the end of the bed,carefully crawling her way up to you. She must have taken her pain medication because she was able to move a bit freely without wincing. She motioned for you to turn over flat on your back,as your legs trembled so did the smile on her face. "Now Y/N I am going to teach you a lesson about behaving" she took her hands and gently rested them on your knees, tracing random patterns as you tried to catch your breathe from her edging you a few seconds ago. " What's the safe word baby?" She titled her chin upwards and stared at you from  under the eyes. "fire mina" you whimpered and released a breathy exhaled. She pried open your legs,the abrupt action and the sudden coldness between your legs excited you even more. Your slit was met with her velvet tongue, she slowly licked a strip of your womanhood, gathering all the slick that you produced.  The moans that made it's  way from her lips vibrated through you. Out of reflex you clamped your legs closed but the digging of her nails on your inner thigh forbade you from doing so. With no WHERE to ground your self you entangled your fingers into her red lush hair,messing it in the process. Ms Venable didn't care she was determined to punish you. You felt your orgasms approaching,in the process of you euphoria you decided not to ask to cum. You didn't care if she edged you again. You just needed to cum. Therefore you stayed silent on the bed while your lover ate you out. You bite your lower lip to prevent anymore high  pitch moans from leaving. You were getting closer to your high,the way she slipped her tongue into your fold and took your clit into her mouth took you over the edge. You were already climaxing, a loud moan echoed into the room followed by the high arching of your back off of the bed. Ms Venable knew you were going to cum,the only reason you did was because she allowed it. After you came down from your climax, your heavy breathing was the only sound heard. You were sleepy and so you fluttered your eyes closed. In hope that Mina will do the after care routine,but Ms Venable didn't move.

She took four of her fingers and whacked your already sensitive pussy, as you let out  a loud yelp your eyes were open in shock. " ah ah ah my little slut. Did i say we were done?"  She pried open your legs once more. "No mina...but-" " But nothing y/n. You said that your body belongs to me Yes?" She scooted closer.  "Yes Ms Venable. " she smiled at your reply. "Good because I-"  she planted kiss on your clit "am-" a next kiss on your stomach "not-" she sucked on each of you erect nipples and after planted a kiss on each one. " done." She finished her sentence by kissing you full front on your lips. Your eyes automatically closed to savour the moment. As her tongue danced with yours the moans that each of you made were captured by each of your lips. It was a loving and caring kiss. After a few minutes of an intense make out she pulled away. You whimpered at the loss of her lips on your,Ms Venable silence your sounds of plea with a press of her index finger against your lips. " Now tell me y/n how long has you and Chloe been working together?" Confusion crept it's way on to your face." Uh...4 weeks why?" Your eyebrows were now furrowed. " no reason baby" she leaned down and ghosted a soft kiss upon your lips. Ms Venable dragged her finger down the length of your body and found it's way back to your pussy. Your body jerked at her actions. " this so where the fun begins" as she said that, she shoved her index finger into your tight core. Immediately your body accepted her and hugged her back. She chuckled lowly at your response. It wasn't a laugh of making fun of , no it was a laugh of her already knowing the outcome. " week 1-you couldn't even tolerate her, yet you still showed her around the office" she began to list.  But you were so eager for her to start finger fucking you with her fingers that you didn't even pay much attention to her. " week 2- you both started to eat lunch together in the break room" what that being said,she added a second finger. Your walls hugged her even tighter causing Ms Venable to moan at your body's response. " week 3- you exchanged phone numbers and started talking outside of work. IN. OUR. HOME" as she said those last   three words she shoved her 3rd finger into your stuffed cunt. Thrusting deeply as she did so. " ahh ah fuck Mina please-" you moaned in both pain and pleasure. You begged her but she ignored you." And week 4 - I walk into you office to find you in the arms of another woman" at this point her fourth finger and poking at your entrance. "oh mina please.. please I can't- thats too full" tears started to stream down your face. With only three fingers filling you Ms Venable still was determined to finish her punishment. " awww my baby slut, don't cry" she leaned over and licked away your tears that were streaming down your face," you're my good girl right?" She asked with worry. Of course you were her good girl,why did she need to ask?? you thought." Yes mina I am your good girl" you said worryingly. " so you will be good for me?" You nodded eagerly in reply with your bottom lip tucked away under your teeth. " Good." Ms Venable looked away from your hopeful face and turned to the sight of her fingers in your pussy. Your girlfriend gathered her saliva in her mouth and elegantly spat on her already occupied fingers. Her skilled fingers naked to coat the fourth finger, she looked at you , to which you gave her a small nod. She prodded at your entrance with her fourth finger and easily slipped it in. You were overwhelmed and filled with your girlfriend's fingers. Ever so slowly she began to move her fingers inside of You. " oh fuck Mina f-f" this caused Venable to stop her movements. " Fire?" She questioned worriedly. You groaned out of annoyance, "no mina,faster please. It feels good" with no time to waste Ms Venable quickly began to thrust her fingers in and out of your tight core. The feeling of a knot began to build in your stomach. The idea of being finger fucked by the most uptight person in the whole building made your heart blossom.

The way your walls pushed her fingers out and pulled her in of you at the same time almost sent you over the edge. Ms Venable knew you were going to finish any time soon. She curled her fingers and rubbed against your g-spot. " it's okay baby you can cum,cum for me my little one" your entire body convulsed as you released all over her hand. The feeling of pure ecstasy overcame your body. Ms Venable gently removed her fingers from your pussy, as she did so, more of your cum spilt over onto the bed. With maintained eye contact she took two of her fingers into her mouth a sucked it clean. You gave her a weak smile,you were tired and she knew it. Before you could have dozed off she brought the other two fingers for you to clean off. As you had your girlfriend's fingers in your mouth She spoke," after this i am sure everyone in the building knows we are a thing now" a small giggle left your throath. Ms Venable made motion to get off of the bed,but you grabbed her wrist telling her to stop." Stay a little bit please " you mewled at her. She rolled her eyes and smirked," only for a little bit then we have to get you cleaned up" she stated. You opened your arms for her to cuddle up beside you, and nodded your head in agreement. "Y/n promise me your won't talk to Chloe anymore" Ms Venable kissed the top of your head awaiting for you response. "Yes mina I promise,anything for you." With your head resting against her you heard the low "hmm" that rumbled in her chest. " Good. Because you're mine. I don't like to share" and with that statement the grip on your waist got firmer as you dozed off to sleep in the arms of your lover.