#it wasn't a huge amount of money to earn in a month but it gave me a little breathing room on top of my other small but larger pay check

[stardustfoundations]

.

[vandermorganable]

Chapter 4: Proposals

Axl had made enough money in the past month to buy him a recording set.

When he had figured out how it worked, he began recording some lyrics he had written during his teen years in his journal.

After he was done and had put some instrumentals behind it, he posted it to simlishcloud.

In the matter of two weeks, he had recorded 15 songs and was able to produce his first album, Appetite for Destruction.

He received positive reviews from the song he uploaded. This motivated him to release the album.

The next day, he received an offer from a music company called Del Sol Records. They wanted him to perform private performances for people. He got several requests almost immediately upon accepting.

Within a week, he was on the stage. An outdoor bar in Newcrest offered him a huge amount of money to perform in order to increase business.

He was nervous, but he wouldn't let that stop him. Slash cheered him on in the crowd.

Axl kept his eyes focused on him to calm his nerves.

The owners of the venue gave him a whopping $10,000 for just performing five songs, which he wasn't complaining about.

Immediately after, he was offer a promotion deal by a book publisher, earning him 5,000 more dollars.

Before he had a chance to get off the stage, Slash approached him. He got down on one knee, then searched for something in his pocket.

"W. Axl Rose, will you be my husband? He asked, holding up a shiny ring.

"Yes. I will if you be mine." He allowed Slash to slip the ring onto his finger.

Before leaving, he was offered to do an interview for a magazine with the promise of $500. In one day, he had made $15,500.

Everyone loved his voice, referring it to gold.

His popluarity increased. The whole town new his name.

[originalleftist]

I take several issues with this.

First, the Democrats clearly WERE the superior choice- assuming you're not a billionaire concerned with nothing but your own wealth and power, anyway. And not just in the sense of being less bad than the Republicans. The Biden administration did a lot of really good shit, including some really transformational stuff (except that a lot of it will likely now be undone before the benefits can be fully felt).

Let's see:

-Forgave billions of dollars in student debt, affecting millions of people.

-First major gun control bill through Congress in decades.

-Negotiated lower prescription drug prices.

-Pardoned Federal marijuana convictions (Biden literally couldn't pardon state ones Constitutionally), and moved to declassify marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug- I doubt that'll continue though.

-First Black woman and first former public defender as a Supreme Court Justice.

-Most diverse judicial appointments in American history.

-Arguably Ukraine still existing as a sovereign country.

-First sitting President to ever join striking workers on the picket line.

-Huge infrastructure spending bill.

-Got us on track to halve carbon emissions by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050- but not any more!

-Quite possibly avoided World War III- per Bob Woodward's new book, Putin may have considered using nukes on Ukraine, and Biden successfully pressured him to back down.

This is by no means a complete list.

So please, spare me the canned lines about wanting to vote for something and not just against Republicans. Democrats gave you a lot to vote for.

Seriously, name any issue, any issue at all, and while there would doubtless be things you could critique the Democratic Party on, I can almost guarantee you that they'd have done less harm and more good to more people than the Republicans will.

There was, however, a great deal of misinformation about what Democrats had done or would do, and what P01135809 had done or would do- much of it put out by the "Democrats have to earn my vote" crowd.

Secondly, you can't just turn that rhetoric on and off. You can't spend three and a half years telling people "Both Sides, Democrats suck!" and then turn around and say "But now it's an election year so you need to vote for them", and have a shred of credibility.

Thirdly, THERE ARE NO OFF YEARS. The attitude that only Presidential elections matter, and ignoring midterms, special elections, local elections, etc, is a big part of why we're in this mess. Republicans have entrenched their power in state and local governments, which has allowed them to do a great deal to suppress the vote in key states, just for a start.

Moreover, shoring up our position in Blue state governments is absolutely vital now, as those will be the centres of resistance to full-scale American fascism- the only parts of the country where people can get an abortion, go for gender-affirming care, or even mostly trust that they'll be able to vote, among many other issues. And we do not have three years to get to work on this, because PEOPLE WILL DIE.

Fourth, Democrats did not lose because Democrats ran a bad campaign (well, unless you're referring to the embarrassing fiasco of forcing Biden out and then expecting Harris to build a winning campaign in four months, if so I'll give you that one).

Democrats lost because of the aforementioned misinformation, deep-seated racism and misogyny, vast amounts of Republican corporate money, and systemic inequities in the American electoral system, including the aforementioned voter suppression.

Finally, Democrats did not "resoundingly" lose. People are acting like this was some overwhelming MAGA landslide and it WASN'T. Just, looking at the actual numbers.

P01135809 is at 50.1% of the popular vote as of writing this, per AP. Since 7% of California's vote is still out, he will almost certainly fall below 50%. Harris will be within two points of him, maybe one point. He won by a fairly wide margin in the Electoral College, but as always that's somewhat deceptive. All those swing states he swept were close.

In the House, meanwhile, Republicans are currently sitting on a ONE seat majority (which they would lose at least temporarily when Stefanik and Gaetz leave to join the administration), with 5 seats outstanding (and Democrats are currently leading in two of those). Democrats did not take the House, but we actually are likely to have a net gain of at least one or two seats from pre-election. The House majority will be RAZOR close.

"Democrats have to earn my vote"

It's not about them.

It's about the people Republicans have quite openly campaigned on hurting and killing.

If your response to that is "Democrats have to earn my vote", then what you are saying is that your feelings and ego are more important than millions of peoples' lives.

[bodyswapmischief]

Transformative Justic: Personal Trainer and the Nerd

To understand what led to this moment we need to know about the history of two men.

Payton was more than your average jock. He was 6'2" with tanned skin, from years of showing off his body. He was filled with muscle after years of working out and being personal trainer. He was also gifted with a thick 7 inch cock. He was shaped by the gods themselves.

The whole world loved him and he knew it. He was faster, stronger, and hotter than any of the guys at his school. And, that held up anywhere he went in life.

Every guy wanted to be him and every girl wanted to be with him. That much power and respect can go to a person head, especially when it's not earned. It was merely handed down to him through a lucky dice roll of genetics.

Nonetheless, Payton became, for the lack of a better word, an asshole. He bullied people he found to be particularly weak. He cheated on every girl and guy he dated. He became  selfish and arrogant. He began to feel like people where just there to be used and entertain him. And, the worst part is he was right. Everyone allowed his behavior because despite it all he was charming, manipulate, and hot.

I would be crazy to deny that anyone in his position would have a hard time not to abuse their position in life. It's what you do when your the alpha of alpha males. Becoming a arrogant asshole... a bully is almost required. But, that doesn't make it right. That doesn't make it fair. But, life is unfair. Karma can turn a blind eye. And, I'm here to fix the mistakes... to dish out justice... to punish those that deserve it.

----------------------------------------------

Tommy wasn't as blessed as Payton.  He was 5'6" and incrediblely pasty. His skin easily got sunburned and his body was riddled with other conditions: poor eye sight, asthma, and a weak body to name a few. But, to kick him down further life gave him a 3 inch cock.

All he wanted in life was to get bigger. He was always stick thin with no muscle or fat on his body. At this point, he would have been okay with either happening to him. He was just tired of being so small and weak.

----------------------------------------------

So the time came when he decided to do something about it. He joined a gym and met Payton. As Tommy explained he wanted Payton to be his personal trainer, Payton broked out into laughter. But, Tommy begged and pleaded. And, once Payton realized how much money Tommy was willing to spend, he agreed.

And, so, their abusive relationship began. He put Tommy through the hardest workouts. He would become physical  if Tommy fucked up, threatening to kick Tommy's ass. Payton hurled every insult at Tommy. Payton also enjoyed publicly humiliating Tommy infront of the whole gym.  

He couldn't stand looking at someone as weak as Tommy. To him Tommy didn't even deserve to live. They would always end thier sessions with Tommy washing off Payton in the showers. And, Tommy sucking Payton dick, as Payton's cum dump.

But, no matter what Payton threw at him, Tommy never gave up. He felt like Payton was the only person in this world that could beat the nerd out of him. He wanted a bodies like Payton. It's also didn't help the he had a huge crush on Payton, despite all the abuse.

----------------------------------------------

Over the past few months there has been some small improvements to Tommy's body but, he was still incredibly far from his goal.

He looked at himself in the mirror: flexing the smallest amount of muscle that now exists in his pencil thin arms. He smiled to himself. But, in walked Payton.

"What the fuck bro. You got not reason to be happy. Your still a fucking weak bitch." Payton says standing behind him  in the mirror and flexes his impressive biceps. He puts Tommy to shame. "This is how a real man looks." He pushed Tommy to the floor. As, he started checking out the rest of his body.

He finally looked down at Tommy. "Fuck bro, your still so small. Are you even trying? Look how fucking pathetic you look. Are you even keeping up with the diet I gave you."

Tommy looked up and sees the hunk of man towering over him. "I... I... I'm trying. I.. I just can eat .... that much. I get so full.. so fast." Tommy said both turned on and scared.

Payton kneeled down, one leg on Tommy. He used his hand to press Tommy's face into the ground. He leaned in, "See you fucking weak whore. You don't fucking try. I'm tired of bitches like you. Your lucky your good at sucking cock or I would have stopped being your trainer along time ago." 

Tommy could feel the manly heat radiating from Preston ripped body. He already knew what was coming. Payton continued, "looks like you need a heaping serving of cock in you mouth."

As, always Tommy was prepared to please Payton.  But, I wasn't going to let it happen. I was ready to give out justice.

The room shook and the lights flickered, as the two men jumped up. Their hearts pounded as the world around them spun. They lost balance as their eye sight went black.

Payton was the first to wake up. But, the world around him was a blur. He couldn't make out anything. "What the fuck! I'm can't see... I'm blind... help!?" He screamed but, he quickly held his throat. His voice sounded much higher. "What the fuck is going on." He said as his eyes began to water. The sound of his voice made him sound like a bitch and he hated it.

Tommy began awaking to the sounds of someone screaming.  He looked up and everything was clear. He lifted his hand to adjust his glasses but, realized he wasn't wearing any. He shot up and saw his old body screaming and crying, as it  crawled around the floor. He panicked, "This can't be happening... this can't be happening..." He kept repeating with his deeper voice. He looked down to see a familiar buff body.

He began to slowly get up. The new weight of all this muscle made him slightly off balance. He stood up his theory was right, as he saw his reflection. He was now in Paytons body. He began to feel himself up and felx. Every movement was so heavy but powerful at the same time.

Payton could hear the sound of another man in the room. "Hey, are you there? Help me! I don't what's going on. I can't see." He continued crawling around the floor. He was moving in the direction he heard the other man. He felt weak and pathetic as he did.

Tommy saw Payton struggling and realized his old body didn't have his glasses on. He saw them tossed at the otherside of the room. He went to go get them, worried of  Payton's reaction we he would finally see the reality of the situation. "Okay don't be scared Payton... I've got something to help you... but, when I do promise not to scream." Tommy deeply said.

Payton heart begins to race, as the stranger is talking to him. But, the more the stranger talked the more familiar he sounded. "Who are you?" Payton said with a high pitched whine, as he felt something be placed on his face. In an instant his vision was clear; he was able to see the world around him.

But, that didn't help. As, now he saw who was infront of him. He screamed as he saw his body moving without him inside it. "I told you not screamed." Tommy said, with panic in his voice, using his new speed and strength to muzzle Payton with his hand.

Payton heart raced as he felt his powerful muscular  wrap around the slender one he was in now. Tommy pulled Payton up, off the floor. "It's okay... just breath mam... you don't want to get..." Tommy tried to calm down Payton but, it was no help as Payton got a glimpse of his new reflection in the mirror.  His heart stopped and his chest began to tighten, as he began to understand what happened. He started to wheeze for breath. "Fuck! man your gonna be okay... your having an asthma attack." Tommy said releasing Payton from his hold.

Tommy rushed to his locker and grabbed his inhaler. He helped Payton use it. "Here, I'm probably not gonna need it now that I'm in your body." Tommy tried to joke. Payton just glared as he tried to relax his breathing. He was still pissed and weirded out by seeing his own body act so nice.

"What the fuck man! How did you do this... you got to change us back." Payton began to whine, after gaining his breath back. His weak body looked more hilarious than threatening, as he scolded Tommy.

"Look Payton, I didn't do this man... I don't know how to change us back." Tommy tried to explain.

But, Payton would not hear it. "You are a fucking useless nerd. Once I get my body back I'm gonna kill your pathetic ass. Your not a man and you'll always be a fucking little bitch..." Payton screamed another one of is rants. But, he sounded more like a bitch, instead of the alpha man he once was.

Something snapped in Tommy. At first he was scared that Payton was yelling at him, again. But, the more Payton yelled the more Tommy realized the tables have turned. He felt the strength and muscles in his new body has he moved around. He saw Payton in his body looking like the bitch he is. He didn't have to be afraid of Payton, anymore.

With lightning speed, Tommy grabbed Payton by the neck and slammed him into the lockers. "Look, you bitch... things are gonna change. Your no longer an alpha in that body. So, you can't be acting like you use to... your coming off like a little bitch." He leaned on Payton putting more of his muscular weight on him.

Payton tried to fight back but, it was no use against his old bodies strength.

Tommy continued, "I still see the old you in those eyes... but you need to learn a lesson... you need to learn your new place in life... I'll break you into the true beta you were always meant to be." Tommy let go of Payton but not before slapping him so hard he fell onto the ground.

The sting lift behind caused tears to run down Payton face. He was terrified at the idea of Tommy getting his revenge for all the shit he put Tommy through. But, part of him was getting turned on by all of this. He remained speechless not wanting to piss off Tommy, even more.

"Now, I think your first lesson should be how to bathe a true man with your tongue. So, meet me in the showers in 5 minutes or, I'll hunt you down and kick your ass." Tommy said walking to the showers his sculpted body flexing and tightening as he walked. "Then maybe we can move on to cuck sucking."

Payton laid on the floor. He needed to find away back to his body. But, at this moment there was nothing he could do. His heart sank as he realized he would become Tommy's cum dump in the next five minutes.  But, it was better than getting his ass kicked. Everything was so much more painful in this body. He didn't know if we could even survive a beating fron his old body. But, with all that said his small dick began to harden has he thought about pleasing Tommy

With trepidation and growing lust for Tommy, in his old body, Payton walked into the shower room.

[could-be-kira]

festival fun ! - kunikidazai

"Wow! Can we actually win one of those things?"

Dazai's eyes sparkled as he and Kunikida approached a game booth at the end-of-summer festival. The prize he had been admiring was a huge stuffed purple penguin, and now that he had seen it, he absolutely needed it.

"Do you really need one that big, Dazai? Just how do you intend to get it back home if you win one?" Kunikida asked, giving him a look as if to say '...Really–?"

"Just grab a big bag, duh!" Dazai exclaimed before gripping onto Kunikida's hand tighter and beginning to practically drag him in the direction of the game. "Now, come on! I gotta get one before they run out!"

Kunikida gave an exasperated sigh as he was pulled over to the game. He had a gut feeling that Dazai would not be winning that penguin. No, he would likely be winning it for him after a little while of playing.

The game was the one where you throw darts at the balloons on a wall to pop them, but there were spaces in between the balloons in order to make it harder to do. If you popped a balloon per turn given, you were able to win a larger prize– something like the penguin. Dazai handed the guy running the game some money to play his first round, and in return he was handed five darts, which he then started tossing at the wall of balloons.

Unfortunately for him, he had only gotten two balloons. That earned him a small prize, but he was getting that penguin if it was the last thing he did, so he handed the guy running the game some more money before taking the darts given to him. This time, the brunette glanced over at Kunikida for good luck and Kunikida nodded in affirmation.

Dazai then began tossing the darts again, but for a second time, to no avail. This time, to his own dismay, he hadn't gotten any of the balloons to pop. "Awww, man! Okay... one more! I gotta get it this time, right, Kunikida?" He glanced over at his boyfriend for a second time as he awaited his response.

"Yeah, yeah, if you say so." Kunikida replied with another nod. He hoped that Dazai could get all of the balloons so that he wouldn't have to step in and do it, but he wasn't so sure that that would be the outcome.

He turned out to be right. Dazai had come so close to getting every balloon, but alas, he had only gotten four. It was at that point that Kunikida decided that it was his time to step in. If he didn't right off the bat, Dazai would have likely stood there and pouted at him until he did, so the blond had no way of getting out of trying that game either way. Letting out another sigh, he walked up to the booth. "Alright, back up," he said, gesturing for Dazai to move out of the way before he gave the guy at the booth some of his own money, and was handed the same darts in return.

The brunette stood back and watched in anticipation as his boyfriend began the game. Kunikida's every move was calculated in order to get the right angle and amount of force that he would need to pop a balloon. It seemed as though there was a one hundred percent chance of him getting one every single time.

One... two... three... four...

And, with the final toss of a dart, the fifth balloon had popped. Kunikida had thrown all five of the darts with perfect accuracy and had managed to pop all five of the balloons needed to win the largest prize that could be won at the game. The guy at the booth handed him the stuffed penguin, which he immediately turned around to give to Dazai. For the second time that night, Dazai's eyes sparkled and he let out an overdramatic gasp as he took the penguin, staring at both it and Kunikida in awe.

"Kunikida, could winning me this penguin be your way of confessing your love to me?" Dazai asked, beginning to walk away from the booth, hanging onto his new penguin. So much for getting a bag...

"WE'VE BEEN DATING FOR NINE MONTHS, YOU IDIOT!" Kunikida yelled, rolling his eyes before taking a deep breath to calm himself down.

"I knoooow, I know, I'm just joking, Kuni!" Dazai exclaimed with a grin, playfully elbowing Kunikida in the side to the best of his ability. The nickname earned a small blush out of Kunikida, though he tried not to show Dazai that he was doing it. He was glad that it was dark already. "But really, this is a better way of showing your love than yelling at me, you know~!"

Soon, the brunette stopped as he remembered something. "Oh, hey, I think the fireworks are starting soon! Maybe if I'm lucky, I can get close enough to get blown up by one of them! Me and Kaiyo'll race you there!" He exclaimed, before beginning to make a mad dash in the direction of where the fireworks were taking place, somehow gripping onto his penguin, which he had already named Kaiyo, even harder.

"HEY!! I DON'T PLAN ON ENDING OUR TRIP WITH YOU BLOWING YOURSELF UP AFTER I JUST WON THAT GIANT THING FOR YOU, DAZAI!" Kunikida shouted as he chased after him as fast as he could go.

This was bound to be somewhat of a chaotic night, but at least it would be fun with the two spending it together.

[border-spam]

Leech Lord: Allies

Troy

Gar is about as native as a Pandoran can get, and has for years had a very soft spot for the bratty King.

He's old colonist, thinks his parents might have been with Atlas on one of the many failed corporate town setups that plagued Pandora 30-ish years ago. He was too young to remember who's banner they flew under when his family stepped out of the shuttle and onto the dust planes they’d been instructed to settle, just that things went wrong fast and anyone still alive 18 months later had needed to adapt quickly to what constitutes living on this planet.

He was drawn to the Holy City for the same reasons as most survivalists, it was an opportunity for safety and a roof over your head. Not needing to fight to eat or scrabble to stay alive is a blessing for most Pandorans, and he's one of the thousands who live within the walls who don't quite worship the twins as Gods, but praise them as holy... because the twins gave them a chance to have a home. Wether they are deities or not isn't a factor in the loyalty they've’ earned.

He's skilled with food. Knows how to spice spoiled flesh to hide the rot, pickle cactus root and delicate rock blossoms for long storage, or how long rakk wing needs to be slow roasted to turn from gamey string to meat that melts in the mouth.

Like most in the HC, he ended up where his skills have value and has ran the kitchens in the Grand Cathedral since its founding bricks were set.

It didn't take very long for him to find Troy in it one night - picking through ingredients and half finished dishes in the early AM.

While he'd expected to need to drop to his knees and grovel, the God King had seemed more embarrassed than anything, awkwardly explaining he hadn't eaten that day and asking if there was anything left from the after sermon banquet. 

His eager politeness had hit Gar hard, but his reaction to finding out the leftovers had been destroyed was what left a lasting impression.

Gar had thought the twins affluent spoiled little shits who'd hit things lucky on Pandora and been clever enough to know how to use their wealth to culture worship, so when Troy was genuinely upset to the point of disgust that food had been wasted like that? It changed his perception immediately.

This wasn't the reaction of some egotistical little shitbag from a wealthy background, this was the visceral panic and anger of someone who'd starved before, who understood the insult of food being destroyed when there were so many hungry... when he'd known hunger.

It took less than 24 hours for the kitchen policies to be changed and Gar's team to find out nothing was to be wasted. Uneaten and unused stock was to be transported at end of day to the Slums from now on, where it would "Bolster the flesh of the faithful."

Every time he finds Troy hunting through his kitchen at 4 am over the years, their chats grow a little longer.

By late COV, Gar's meals delivered to his sanctum are some of the only things God King Calypso still trusts enough to eat.

Tyreen

Xanshi Ur-Vendit is obsessed with the God Queen.

As her Saint of Marketing, he's got both her ear and a position of high authority within the organisation that he covets viciously, and takes great personal offense towards newer Saints he doesn't deem worthy of the title.

His pedigree speaks for itself, the man had quite a reputation on Promethea among the media departments of the high corporations. An expertly trained and cut-throat money maker that was the exact kind of egotistical, nasty piece of work that would be drawn to the God Queen's side.

Has direct tie in's with the esteemed Katagawa family, something he's used to his benefit throughout his career.

He fawns over her, she can do no wrong around him, and he spends as many hours of the day as he can trailing behind her heels like a lapdog, reaffirming her beauty and intelligence and infallibility with every breath he can manage between the underhanded threats he aims towards anyone possibly about to draw her attention away from him.

Hates Troy. Fucking hates him.

Too much of a hole-sucking little coward in his $60k three piece suit to actually do anything about it of course, but he takes plenty of his vitriol out on Troy's departments instead.

Marketing has such massive reach within the internal structure of the COV that he's able to throw his weight around far more than some of her other Saints, and regardless of if they actually like him, they tend to back Xan and his opinions automatically.

A huge amount of the conflict between departments and heads is driven by this imagined competitiveness, that Troy's people, Troy's chosen, must in some way be inferior to Tyreen's.

Xan is her right hand in his own mind, he's her holy knight. If she holds too much misplaced love for her brother to see how pathetic he is in comparison to her radiance, then it's up to Xan to keep Troy's people in place...

In reality? Tyreen isn't even invested in him enough to remember Xanshi's full name.

Seifa

Sei makes friends in low places far easier than higher ones, always has. People at the bottom of the ladder, folks who have struggled? They recognise each other. Doesn't matter where on the scales they currently stand, there's an unspoken nod, a side glance. You see your own - even if who you are has been lucky enough to change over time.

While she's never been in one place long enough to set up a friend network before that was tangible and not based on e-comms and data feeds, she's woven one since settling in the HC without really even noticing it was happening.

One-hand Jim in the King's Call, that high end rave bar near the cathedral grounds. Not so gruff now he's not drowning in debt, few more smiles while he's mixing cocktails.

Cleo in munitions stocks, breathing a bit easier since her son landed that underling role in the Mechanica, more food on the table with less worry.

Feliz and Irgo running deals in the western slum backstreets. Not competing against the HammerClaws for territory anymore since JK "got wind" of the shit they were cutting their gear with and had Vanguard waiting at their quarters for a polite discussion about unspoken laws. What Fe and Iggy are selling isn't exactly high quality but at least it won't rot your brain inside the skull.

Sei will tell you she's a lone wolf. She'll insist she’s a one woman show, runs shit on her own and doesn’t need others.

But watch closely when out with her in the city, check how often she buys a drink, how often it's not on an invisible tab the barstaff nod knowingly about as they hand her glass over with a smirk.

She's never asked to pay.

That should tell you plenty.

Seifa and Tyreen

- Early COV

"Ty, you ever wish you were born a guy?"

Of all the things Tyreen had expected to hear from Sei tonight, that... wasn’t it. She stopped reading the same piece of nonsensical math in the sheet she was holding to gawk at Seifa instead, staring at the other woman’s back as she continued to work on the data records they'd been passing between them all evening.

"No.. god. What, and look like Troy?" she snorted with a wince. "Nooooo thanks" Ty sighed as she leaned back and heard her stiff spine pop, waiting for a response that didn't come. She felt a pang of concern as Sei's shoulders sank a little lower in front of her, deflating.

This wasn’t normal, where was the bitchy retort, or joining in on insulting her brother? She shuffled together the files and stood, walking to her friend's side and sitting slowly next to her in the quiet of the twin's shared office. Sei still hadn’t responded, pretending to be completely absorbed by the notes she stared at. Ty cleared her throat with a cough.

"Uhhh.. why?"

Seifa silently reached to her side to take the offered files from Ty as she sat, pointedly not making eye contact, though the younger woman picked up on the redness in them easily enough.

"Sei, I need to have someone's hands cut off?" 

Ty pouted, hitting her mark as Seifa failed to completely hide a smirk in response.

"I need to have someone thrown into a pit? Huh? C'mon Sei, talk to me. You always tell me I need to talk more about things that me down, right?" she weedled, hands clasped over her heart as she faux whined, earning a quiet laugh from her companion.

"Oh god Tyreen SURE, if you'll shutup." Sei groaned, leaning back in her chair and running hands over her eyes. She was tired. Beyond tired, really. Always said she knew how to not outstay her welcome but had been wondering recently if that had ever been true. Day to day in the cult, managing people she’d never meet and holding the weight of more responsibility than she’d ever wanted was eating at her. Had been for some time. Nights like this helped, shooting shit with Tyreen, bitching, sometimes gently bullying Troy together if he’d decided to grace them with his janky presence, but still.. it was heavy, and Seifa was tired. 

"Ahh.. just the usual shit" she whispered, thumbing through the papers as Tyreen leaned a little closer, as much of a comforting presence as she could muster all things considered. An arm around the shoulder or gentle stroke of hair wasn’t an option. All Ty had was words and honestly, they weren’t exactly her forte.

“It's just like. Sometimes when I'm talking, and it's about something they think I shouldn't know shit about, like how Burgess is spending too much of your budget on expensive, low grade gear-assemblies when if we went off brand I can prove it would be better, they just zone out."

"It's like.. if they thought I had a cock, if I was 6'4, they'd be listening. " she added, eyes burning again.

She groaned, leaning over the table and resting her cheek across her folded arms.

"I got so angry. I'm used to dealing with it, it's always happened, but I just boiled over. This week has been.. long, I guess." she whispered, pinching the bridge of her nose as Tyreen watched quietly. "I ate into him in front of like, 6 other people Ty, couple of heads were there. That doesn't help my reputation does it.. that's just making shit worse. I'm sabotaging myself. They think I'm a bitch already without me starting a fight and stirring the pot."

Tyreen shifted in her seat, eyes thoughtful as she rested her chin in her hands, elbow propped on the table edge.

"Nah. "

"Just sounds like they're dumb. I keep telling Troy we need people with actual brains leading this shit Sei, if you're getting ignored cause you have tits? Haha. Wait till they meet me in person. " she grinned, a genuine act peeking through her usual haughty persona as Seifa chuckled.

"I mean my rack is way bigger than yours, you're flat as a fuckin' plank in comparison."

Asks are Open!

[etlunainmorte]

❄❄❄

***

*Old - Fashioned Peanut - Butter Cookies*

*Ingredients

2 cups creamy peanut butter ( not the all - natural variety )

1½ cups granulated sugar

½ cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon kosher salt

*How to Make It

Step 1

Heat oven to 350° F.

Step 2

Using an electric mixer, beat the peanut butter and sugars on medium - high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and beat in the eggs, baking soda, vanilla, and salt.

Step 3

Roll heaping tablespoonfuls of the dough into balls and place on parchment - lined baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. With a lightly floured fork, press the dough to a ⅜ - inch thickness, making a crisscross pattern on top of each cookie.

Step 4

Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the edges are set, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool slightly on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

***

❄ Three Wishes ❄

***

II

***

You were blissfully unaware of this but, V prepared for your very first date the entire night before the big day that he almost drove Griffon to sheer insanity.

Picking out clothes and accessories for him and teaching him stuff he, more or less, already knew regarding the opposite gender, the bird worked hard to the bone just to make his master look good in front of you. He wanted his master to give a nice first impression, after all.

But, then again, since V started living separately from Dante and Vergil for a month ( the younger brother always made him clean the eternally messy shop, while the older twin and him knew each other too well to the point of awkwardness and, sometimes, hostility ), he only managed to buy a few pieces of clothing with the money he has earned as an independent Devil Hunter. Meaning, there wasn't too much clothing to choose from in the first place. Well, at least right then. He could earn money faster than his two bickering brothers, anyway, and he has proven it more than a decent amount of times already.

So, he has no other choice but to go along with a decent and smart casual wear, which consisted of a simple white button down shirt, black pants, and a pair of black boots ( with the extremely cold weather going ballistic on his thin and bony frame, he has to set aside the sandals for a while ). Completing his look with a knitted pullover and a black parka, he made his way towards your house, which was not really that far, since he now practically lived next to you.

Approximately five minutes before eight in the morning, V was sitting there on the sofa, waiting for you to come down. And when you finally did, boy, was he really surprised. Clad in a light - colored coat worn over a gingham dress, black leggings, and a pair of boots, you looked truly lovely in V's eyes.

You smiled brightly as V greeted you, and after receiving something from your loving grandmother that she made, herself, you two finally took off.

*

The Red Grave shopping district, despite the cold weather, was packed with people of all ages. Children, teens, and adults, each and everyone of them walked about the place, going to different boutiques, eating at restaurants, or just simply looking around. And most of them were already buying Christmas presents.

V had different plans for you, however. He bought tickets to that latest installment of a long - running space opera saga, after all, which, he rightfully thought, was one of your favorite movie genres. Now, you found this completely normal, since movies like that were really in demand as of the moment. What really surprised you was the quality of tickets he bought for the two of you.

"Umm, V, Star Wars is that way." You gently reminded him after grabbing your popcorn, jelly beans, and (F/F) frappe from the snack bar.

V only smiled at you. "I know, dear." He told you as he guided you towards the opposite direction were lesser people were going: the Director's Club, of all places.

Director's Club?! You thought hysterically. But, tickets there are way too expensive!

And he was totally not kidding around! You were going to watch Star Wars there!

"This,... is unreal,..." You gasped in wonder as you finally entered the prestigious theatre house and took a seat in one of the lounge chairs that has the perfect distance from the huge screen. Since few people could afford tickets to the Director's Club, the place, itself, was refreshingly calm. And it was perfect.

"Hmm?" V hummed in question as he settled down next to you and wore his 3D glasses.

You shook your head and gave him a smile. "Nothing."

The movie, itself, was wonderful. You smiled at the little jokes, became emotional at the drama, and gasped at the wonderfully choreographed fight scenes between the heroine and the villain. It was,... very good,...

... however, for the third time since the movie started, you heard that weird noise coming from your left side as if something huge was just pumped out of a clogged drain. The noise was not that loud, actually, but the quietness around you made it seem like it was really loud in your ears. And so, you made the wrong decision to turn and,...

V's eyes widened as he felt something soft and warm cling to his left arm, and he was surprised to see you looking up at him with a worried look on your face.

"V," you whispered. " ... someone is,... s - someone,... they're,..."

The poet furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he followed your line of sight, and when he finally saw what you were talking about, a soft curse escaped his lips.

For there, on your left, were two young lovers shamelessly kissing and totally ignoring the movie.

V clicked his tongue in annoyance. These young people,...

"Dear, can we switch places?" V asked, and a few moments later, as the teen lovers were still doing their thing, they were startled when something forcefully dropped right in front of them. "Apologies." The poet said with a sadistic smile, his left hand firmly holding the cane that startled them, his eyes still focused on the screen. "My hand,... slipped."

You were still laughing about it an hour later after the movie wrapped as you recalled how the teen couple reacted ( they scrambled away from V and out of the cinema in utter fear of the tattooed poet ). And V? He seriously breathed a sigh of relief. It was a good thing that your experience to your first movie with him was not entirely ruined because of them. For, if it did, only God or the Devil knows what he will do to them,...

After the cinema, he brought you to a restaurant to have lunch. Then, when you still have enough time, you asked V to accompany you to the Music Store to buy something.

And all throughout your quality time with him, you were not aware of the eyes that were observing you and V from afar,...

"Ah, I've been looking all over for this!" You happily exclaimed as you took out the piece of Mozart's Ah Vous Dirai - je, Maman from your shopping bag. "Thank you so much for going with me, V."

"No," the poet answered with a gentle smile as he twirled his metal cane. " ... thank you,... for indulging my,... little,... request."

Once again, you felt yourself blushing before the man and slightly turned away. Why does he always make you feel that way?!

Before you could embarrass yourself even further, you took out the thing that your grandmother gave you. It was a jar of peanut butter cookies that she baked, herself.

"This is for you." You told him with a shy smile as you handed him the jar of homemade cookies. "Gran told me to give it to you. I hope you like it."

"Why, thank you so much." V answered graciously. "And I'm sure I will! Would you mind if I take a bite now?"

"Oh, of course, not! Go ahead."

Feeling excited upon receiving something homemade for the first time ever, V eagerly opened the jar and took one cookie, its wonderful aroma filling his nostrils.

However, before he could even take a single bite, someone scoffed from behind him. You and V turned and saw, to your utter shock,...

"How awfully domestic is that?!"

***

❄ @la-vita , @clevermentalitybeliever , and @birdgirl69 . ❄

***

P.S. Let me know if you want to be tagged for the latest chapters.😁😁😁

***

❄❄❄

***

[funkyfreshray]

Money and intention. Have a good purpose and reason when mixing both...

Never allow money to be the motive of anything you do. Understand that the intentions you have for what you decide to do will come with its reward or price if I may. Don't include greed in your doing. You want to help someone with fixing their AC unit for example, yes there is a price to pay but don't focus on how much you will get paid in order for you to do such a job. Understand that there is more value in just doing it than letting the amount you get paid be your motive. Appreciation is a lot more valuable that the price you put on something. You don't even ask for appreciation. You will earn it. The thanks you will receive will come with a bigger reward than getting the money for doing the job or task. Or we can call it "the tip".

So why put the word tip in quotations you may ask. Well, what is a tip? Something we receive from a customer or anybody for doing a job well done or even going above and beyond for them. When I say "tip" relating to work, the first thing that one may think of is money. I see it differently. I see it as the motivation I was able to let them have to continue allowing me to do the job I do for them or be able to rely on me for the support they may need when they need it because I am willing and able to. Earn their trust in other words. A tip is something someone wants to give you as a reward for doing the job you did for them or helped them with. Maybe you went out of your way to do it or just did a tremendous job and owned their problem to help make their situation a lot better than it ever was.

How do we earn trust or attract more customers? By showing that your intentions are not about greed. It's about showing how proud you are doing what you were asked to do and owning the responsibility in doing it because they weren't able to or they needed help in doing it. Earning the appreciation, trust, compassion, and respect of others plays a huge part in anyone reacting positively to you and your actions in assisting them. Let pride overthrow greed when making decisions regarding providing any type of assistance to others.

I'll give you an example as to why this is my thought process. I woke up in a hospital after 2 months of being in a coma. I was involved in an on the job accident that landed me their. The remaining time I was in the hospital awake and being cared for by my medical team and nursing staff, gave me the opportunity to see everything they were going through regarding me, some of the other patients, as well as keeping me informed about what I went through during my recovery and coma. I could only imagine how hard that was for them to see, my family to see, and if I was alert, I could only imagine the doubt for recovering that may have come across me. They were able to prove to me that I wasn't a job for them. They made me feel like I was a responsibility for them. How grateful I felt, inspired, and motivated to continue to fight and face the challenges brought upon me because of my accident. It all helped me find a reason to appreciate life, a purpose to continue living, and fight for the life I almost lost.

I wrote every nurse, doctor, and staff that assisted me, a thank you letter. It was a lot of writing but thats an example of what appreciation causes most people to do. In my case, It proved to me that there's a lot more in life than we ever thought. There's something more powerful than treatment, therapy, or medicine to help us recover. This is just an example of just how intentions help us and others see the good in people and allows us to make it easier on others and be able to show the appreciation they have. Its not about what you can get out of something you do. Its about what others will be willing to do for you when they see the effort you put into something and the intentions you have behind the effort.

[vivalabunbun]

Big Cats and Big Dogs part 2

Continuation of how you deal with a dormmate who shares a mutual hate of you.

Warning: cursing

Summary: the face you never wanted to see again, is now living with you. And he got hot too.

It's been a few months since that awful reunion with the Namjoon; and to be quite honest nothing has changed since then. Both of you had made a silent agreement to ignore each other as much as possible, not saying a word or even making eye contact whenever you passed each other. On the wide campus or in the spacious dorm room.

"Kim Nam-fucking-joon. Why the hell is my mug in 100 pieces?." You snarled through the bathroom door as you gave it a firm pound from your hand.

As your tail swung back and forth in annoyance, you heard some shuffling from behind the door. Moments later the door open up with a gentle blast of steam, and the aforementioned mutt.

"The hell do you have your tail in a twist. Can't you let a person relax in the shower, or are you having mood swings again?" Annoyance clearly lining his voice, as he dried his hair.

Your face contorted into an annoyed sneer. This wasn't the first time he had broken something of yours. There was your laptop charger, your phone charger, earphones, and now your third mug. On a college student budget, those things amounted to you having to spend your scarce hard earned money to replace them.

"Do you honestly have no regards towards anything that is not yours? Ugh, you're such a spoiled brat. Do you know how much I had to spend on replacing items you broke?"

Namjoon stopped drying his hair, to send a glare. But you sent one right back in the wolf hybrids eyes.

"Whatever, I'll get you a new one if you just get out of my way." He turned his head.

"Say sorry."

"Excuse me?"

"Say it, you just destroy another person's property. Say it." Your ears twiched from annoyance.

He opened his mouth to sass you back, but was cut off by a violent gust of wind that slammed into the windows of your dorm. Causing the lights to flicker. There had been warnings all week about a huge thunderstorm that was going to hit during the weekend. A combo of screaming winds and weeping clouds, mixed in with the explosive anger of the thunder caused the power to go down the dorms.

"Shit." The wolf cursed his erected ears listened in on the violent storm.

His ears picked up a faint whimper, so faint he almost didn't notice it. In the darkness he turned to look at your form. Although you guys were different animals, he still understood that your body was conveying the message of fear.

Were you afraid of thunderstorms?

Before he could ask, you promptly turned with your tail tucked between your legs and scurried into your room. Your only safe haven.

It had been a few hours later that night, and the storm hasn't let up. Not one bit. Namjoon just laid in his bed. Annoyed that the wind and rain pounding against his window barred him from sleep. Sighing, he gave up and went into the kitchen for some water. On the way there he passed your room, only to stop. From behind the door, he heard some of the most heart wrenching small crys. Part of him just wanted to ignore you like the past few months. But there was a louder voice in his head this time that urged him to check on you. That voice won.

"(Y/n)?" He knocked gently on your door, as he presses his ear to it. "You okay?"

There was a moment of silence before you responded.

"Yes, now go a-a-Away!" Your voice rose during the last word as another clap of thunder assaulted your ears.

"Bullshit. You're afraid of the storm aren't you."

Anger and embarrassment flooded you as you tried to come up with a response, but was silenced by the the turning of your doorknob. Shit, in your panic to retreat into your bed you forgot to lock the door. But it was too late now because Namjoon had already stepped into your once safe haven. And it was only then did he realize just how terrified you were. The scent of distress filled his nose and he could see the gleam of tear trails down your face. Mortified you ducked under your covers.

"GET OUT. You saw me this pathetic already, okay? I'm terrified of a little storm, okay? Just laugh and go away." You brace yourself for his cruel chuckle to echo through the room.

But instead a large warm hand gently rubbed your head.

"I'm not going to laugh. It's alright to be afraid of something." For the first time, his deep voice was actually calming.

You wanted to growl at him to go away, but a loud rumble shook the sky, causing you to lean more into the oddly comforting warmth of his hand. The storm seemed to get more violent.

He continues with his soft petting, and whispering comforting words that seemed to mute the loud thunder. It was when you poked your head a bit from under the blanket that you noticed that he we kneeling on the cold floor. Swallowing your pride, you pulled open the blanket a bit.

"You can climb in, it's really cold. The storm must've messed up the heating system.."

What were you thinking. Just until a few minutes ago you wanted to smack him, and now you're literally inviting him into your bed. Your face flushed with embarrassment, and you wanted to call off the offer. Until you saw a pair of deep dimples make an appearance on his face. Since when did he had dimples?...

Without much of a word, Namjoon climbed in as you pushed youself away, so that there was a reasonable space between your bodies. He stopped petting your head, and began to gently run his fingers theough your lush (h/c) locks. You let out a low hum of content. He let out a quiet chuckle, and continued. Slowly with every rumble of thunder, your bodies drew closer and closer until you found yourselves locked in a loose imbrace. Finally taking the time to inhale and study each others scent. You noticed that he smelked like a warm mixture of smokey beach wood and a bit of cinnamon.

"Sorry about your mug." His deep voice flowed into your ears.

"It's fine. I didn't like it anyways." You settled more into his scent.

You both were too drained to even question the sudden change in your tense and spiteful relationship. But chose to enjoy the comfort and warmth you both never knew the other person provided.

As the outside world whirled around violently, there was finally a true wholesome peace in your dorm room.