#it could also be because of the bi-weekly schedule

[kakuriyo]

i'm probably in the minority of this but the spy x family manga has bored me for months now.

i did enjoy martha's backstory but other than that it's been stagnant and unsubstantial. there's nothing driving it forward.

[clockwayswrites]

Birds and Mice and Tea Parties 20

Masterpost

AN: B really was trying his best to protect Danny last time, he just was missing too much information. Poor Danny...

No reading over. We suffer and post at 2am.

-

It had been two weeks since the last rogue Wayne visit.

Danny hadn’t intended to keep track. There was no reason to. One visit from Cass and one from Tim did not a pattern make.

He tried to dismiss the observation. He had plenty to do; it wasn’t like he didn’t have friends. The bi-weekly trivia group would start meeting again soon. He also had a TTRGP session that did its best to meet around all that life threw at them. Tucker and him played online games when they could make schedules match and he and Sam talked when she was stateside. He even had regular lunches with coworkers!

Still, there had been something different about spending time with the family.

So no, Danny hadn’t meant to keep track, but he still knew it had been two weeks and a day. But of course he wouldn’t see the Waynes that often. Bruce was a very busy man and most of the children would have no reason to come to W.E. They had their own lives with work and school and being kids or young adults. The other visits had simply been flukes, as nice as the visits had been.

The subtle feeling of melancholy that had settled over him was ridiculous and he wasn’t having it. His mood was simply off because of the whole Ancient thing. The way it was affecting his health didn’t make feeling better any easier either.

Danny leaned against the wall of the elevator as he tried to catch his breath. He really shouldn’t be walking right then to get lunch, not with the way that he felt, but he hadn’t had anything at his place to make lunch with. He hadn’t had the energy to go shopping. He’d just go somewhere close instead of walking to anything on the other side of the park.

The natural reverb of the lobby assaulted Danny as he stepped out of the elevator.

He just had to get through the lobby, the street, the restaurant, back through the street, and through the lobby again. Then he could hide in his office and eat. Or he could hide in there and eat as long as Lucius didn’t find him. Maybe even Lucius would give him a break today though.

“Dr. Fenton…?”

Danny looked up from rubbing his neck.

It was Tim. Damian was at Tim’s side, flanking him like a little guard dog and scowling. Tim was frowning too. Danny immediately wanted to fix whatever was wrong.

“Look at that, a pair of Waynes. How are you two?”

“That is unimportant,” Damian said with a little sniff. “You are clearly unwell. I assume you are returning to your apartment to rest?”

“Oh, no, I’m just going to go grab lunch. I’m alright, really,” Danny said and put on the best smile he could muster.

Tim and Damian looked at each other in some sort of silence conversation. Danny started to edge away from them, thinking he could escape before they came to some sort of end. He really needed out of the lobby and its echoing sounds.

A startled shriek from the entry way cut off that plan.

Danny twisted to face the sound as he stepped in front of the kids.

Of course it was a rogue, what else would it be in Gotham? It was a rogue, but at least it was the Mad Hatter and his squad of likely mind controlled goons. He usually wasn’t prone to death and destruction like some of the others were. But still, Danny felt his metaphorical hackles rising. The kids were here.

The kids were here and sure to draw the Mad Hatter’s attention if he saw them. Danny stepped slowly backwards, herding the kids away from the scene. At least they weren’t far into the lobby.

“Back up to the stairwell,” Danny said lowly, trying to cast his voice behind him.

“Tch. We can—”

“The elevator, the back left one,” Tim said quietly but firmly over his brother’s protest. “I have a code to take it to a safe room in the basement.”

“If he kills the power,” Danny started.

“The elevators have emergency back up.”

“That’s not very good behavior for a tea party, is it?” the Matter Hatter shouted at someone.

Danny bit back a rising noise of anger in his throat. His fingers twitched to act. But he couldn’t. The best plan was to get the kids out of there away from any action.

“Yes I see, Damian,” Tim hissed. “We’re almost to the elevator.”

“Call it as soon as you can,” Danny said. Was there a reverb to his voice? It felt like there was a reverb to his voice. No, no, he couldn’t, he had to…

“That’s better! See? This is how you behave when someone invites you to a tea party! Now where is that little dormouse?” the Mad Hatter called. “I know I saw him come in here! With an even littler one too.”

He wanted Tim.

“Calling the elevator.”

“Another mouse? A rat? A cat?"

The Mad Hatter wanted Tim and Damian.

“Here mousy mouse mice… where are you?"

Danny would not let that happen.

“Oh there you are! Hiding back by the doors, of course he is!” The Mad Hatter said. The crowed parted in fear. His wide, manic eyes looked right past Danny and he grinned. “Get them. We have a tea party we’re late for.”

“Over my dead body,” Danny growled.

The Mad Hatter blinked at Danny like he just noticed him for the first time. His goons rushed past him and through the crowd. “Oh, who are you? Never mind, if death is what you want, we can make that happen.”

Danny couldn’t hold back the chortling laughter. “See, that’s where you have a problem you don’t even know you could have.”

“And what is that?”

“You couldn’t handle my dead body,” Danny said just as the first goon reached them.

Danny stepped forward. He ducked under the swing of the punch and used the momentum to spin the goon around. With a push of his ghostly power, he sent the attacking goon careening into the next one and they both went tumbling.

“Danny, it’s here!” Tim shouted.

Not turning his back to the attackers, Danny stepped backwards into the elevator. Tim slammed a button and the doors basically snapped closed, much faster than they should. Danny was left staring at the polished metal surface of the elevator. Luminous green stared back at him. Soft black feathers dotted his temples. His fingers ended in talons. And he could feel it.

He could feel the skin on his back started to split.

Wings.

[g0niki]

pick up! ── y.jw

pairing: bf!jungwon x gf!reader

word count: 1.4k+

contents: no protection(i'm just a girl), finger sucking, reader's on the phone lol, pretty tame fic idk

a/n: not my best,, but also not my worst 🤷

jungwon was annoyed.

all day he had been on ten, waking up to his clothes sitting on the dryer; still soaking because one of the guys took his out to do their own, constantly being asked to do things, having to guide the members step-by-step during recording, people complaining to him, and schedules being thrown in his face.

the only thing getting him through the day was the thought of you, his girlfriend, waiting for him at your place, excited for your bi-weekly sleepover.

and as much as he loves you and your sweet personality, he was looking forward to your warm walls being wrapped around him and your thighs tightly pulling him closer, his pelvis flat against yours and his lips marking up all over your neck and collarbones. his fingers repeatedly tapped on his thigh, getting more and more fidgety with each passing moment as the street lights dimly showed through the tinted windows of the van. the frequent red lights urging him to just run out of the car and get to your place on foot, he would go insane if he wasn’t in your embrace within the next ten minutes.

【☆】★【☆】

jungwon chewed on his inner cheek, checking his phone to see if you had replied to his message saying he was almost there, immediately launching himself out of his seat when the van reached his destination. briefly saying goodbye to the rest of the guy as he grabbed his bag from the trunk, more focused on rushing to your door and letting himself in.

his bag was practically falling off his shoulder, his phone gripped in his left hand as he fumbled with his keys in the right, ready to run into you and crash his lips onto yours the moment he could. yet to his disappointment, he entered to you lying down on the couch, dimly lit, and chatting on the phone with your close friend, hardly even noticing he had just walked through the door. won loves your friend, and he understands that she is occupying your time at the moment, but the needy boyfriend in him is more than annoyed.

won hurridly tosses his bags to the side, coming up behind you and hovering over your figure. not so secretly pressing his groin against your backside and muttering an “i miss you”, you and your friend both briefly greeting him before continuing the conversation. jungwon pushes himself up, sitting on the edge of the couch and rolling his eyes in annoyance, ready to get up until he feels your hand tugging on the pocket of his sweats. he pinches his eyebrows together, slightly confused by your action until you’re tugging on his pocket once again.

“sit we were just about to hang up.” and well jungwon wasn’t going to deny himself his girlfriend.

only a few minutes became five… and then ten… and now twenty. his patience had been run thin as he was now big spooning your smaller frame, his hand gripping your waist and he couldn’t stop himself from slowly dragging you against the slight bulge in his pants. if you had seemed to notice you were doing a hell of a good job playing it off, not even stuttering or failing to miss whatever nonsense your friend couldn’t wait til the morning to talk about.

his lips finally came in contact with the nape of your neck, your breath finally slightly faltering, your free hand coming back to grip his hip for a second, pulling him just a bit closer to you. something about you noticing his actions and actively having to fight against your natural reactions turning him on way more than he was before. he felt cocky knowing that you were desperate enough to urge him to keep going despite your friend’s voice ringing through your phone’s speaker.

“hello, y/n??”

“yeah sorry, jungwon was asking me something.” his lips tugged up into a slick smile, he hadn’t uttered a single word since you told him to wait with you, finding it cute how you quickly covered up your delayed response. his hips slowly dragged against your ass and his right hand wrapped around you, trailing down and under the waistband of your pants to trace your cunt over the thin fabric of your underwear. he could feel his stress leaving his body, the increasing temperature of your body against him making his hair stand. his lips coming down and nipping on your neck, small red and purple bites blossoming on the skin.

“soaking through your panties right now, cute.” your thighs closed around his hand, grinding up against it and trying to gain more friction. he enjoyed seeing you like this, so needy for him yet pushing your limit to see how long you could stay on the phone, and well his goal was to regret making you stay on.

he truthfully doesn’t give a fuck about how much your friend hears, if anything jungwon was definitely enjoys this. his breath grew heavier as you scrambled to wrap up the conversation with your friend.

“haha, just call me back when he texts you! won’s been waiting for me love you bye.” the moment you pressed the red hang-up button the sweetest sound left your lips as you doubled over.

“aww, i thought we were having fun there, look at how you coated my fingers.” jungwon is using this as a chance to pull you closer and slide his fingers into your mouth, sliding them out slowly before taking them into his mouth. “you taste so good too.” his hand slipping under your shirt and grabbing your bare chest, firmly groping and pinches your sensitive nubs between his fingers.

“making so much noise for me, don’t ever hold back for me pretty.” jungwon roughly moved the two of you around, laying you flat on your back and hovering over you. pleased with how your legs immediately came up around him.

won tugged his sweats and underwear down his thighs, not bothering to properly take them off and putting even less effort into moving your clothes. only being able to hold back enough to tug your shorts and underwear to the side. the view was almost too much for him, your heat glistening and clenching around nothing and so ready for him to take you. despite usually doing his best to prep you properly and open you up for him won couldn’t bring himself to do it right now. biting his lower lip and groaning out loud, the thought of him having to push past your tight barrier and feel you struggle to adjust to him.

you seemed even more desperate than him, reaching down between the two of you to line won up with your cunt, brushing him against you a couple of times letting your essence coat his aching tip.

“put it in, please.”

the look in won’s eyes dimmed even more than you thought possible, roughly pushing himself around halfway through and then slowly sinking down for the remainder. his hips not bothering to still once he completely buried himself inside. immediately pulling back out to the tip and sensually grinding back into you, his hips pushing up and leaving the feeling of his member against your lower stomach.

“look at that baby,” his hand adds a force to the previously mentioned spot, feeling his dick tap against his hand through you. jungwon felt lost within you, watching as your lower back arched and his hands firmly gripped onto your waist, giving him leverage as he pistoned up into you.

he wanted to last longer but watching you struggle to take him and be so pliant for him was sending him into overdrive.

that was until your phone started ringing again, your friend’s contact picture lighting the screen and giving won an idea.

“why don’t you pick up, pretty? wasn’t it important before? let me get it for you.” and before you could protest his finger was dragging across the screen and hitting the speaker button, your friend’s voice squealing into the mic.

you bit down on the palm of your hand, hardly understanding what your friend was saying and providing little hums of agreeance.

“that… that sounds, great.” and oh god that was enough for jungwon’s dick to twitch inside you, feeling you clench around him as you forced yourself to respond.

his hips couldn’t stop themselves, firmly thrusting into you, hard enough you have your body jump up a bit and a high-pitched noise leaving the back of your throat. the both of you shuddering and releasing at once, his warm cum painting your walls and making you whine as you drop down from your high.

“oh my fucking gosh you could have called me back later!” the sound of your friend hitting her dial, and hanging up followed shortly after.

“well, you could call her back now...”

ᯓ★

@g0niki all rights reserved. do not translate or post my work anywhere without permission.

[flemingology]

kitbag chronicles ─ alessia russo x reader

in which: you voice your love for alessia through the notes you put in her kitbag

warnings: none, tiniest bit suggestive if you squint

wc: 1.4k

a/n: finally got around to writing something for my number 1. this is so incredibly random and it's all over the place, but idk i lowkey kinda like it... i think? idk i probably shouldn't reread it because i might hate it if i do. hope you enjoy!

Ever since you and Alessia started dating, the England striker had made it very clear that she loved the little things you did for her. Memorising her coffee order, remembering her favourite flowers, new scented candles in her favourite scent on a bi-weekly basis. If you asked Alessia, she would say you were the most thoughtful person she’d ever met.

You’d grown to love the smile you put on your girlfriend’s face with those small displays of affection. You were forever seeking new ways to show your love for her, without stating the obvious over and over again. It kept both of you on your toes, always working on your relationship and making the other fall in love with you over and over again.

The last couple weeks, you'd found something new to do for Alessia. Her busy schedule keeping her away from you almost every single day of the week, you had to find ways to work around it and to remind Alessia that, even when she was at the club, you were thinking about her.

Since a couple months, it had become a little tradition that you prepared Alessia's kitbag. It wasn't much work at all, all she put in there were a shirt and a pair of trousers, or shorts – based on what the weather was like that day in London. You insisted that you did it for her, claiming that that way you felt like she had a little part of you with her during the day.

Today, though, you felt like trying something different. When you were younger, your mum always prepared your lunchbox for when you went to school. To make it a little extra special, she always added a little note for you to discover when you had lunch. It could be something funny, a drawing or simply a reminder how much she loved you – you didn't mind the teasing that came with it from your friends.

You figured it would be something Alessia loved, seen how much she usually liked it when you did little things like that for her. So this morning, after putting the blonde's training top and trousers in her kitbag, you grabbed a note and started writing something down. You decided to keep it simple for your first time of doing this, something you knew would just give Alessia a little spring in her step for the rest of the day. "Go get em, Lessi. Can't wait to have you home with me again tonight," is what you decided on, quickly putting away the pen and putting the piece of paper in her bag before she could see what you were up to.

When Alessia left later that morning, you pushed her kitbag in her hands, as you did every day. With a sweet, lingering kiss to your lips and a quick hug, she was out the door with the promise of cooking together later that night. Love goes through the stomach, or whatever they say.

It was no longer than 30 minutes later when your phone chimed with a message from your blonde lover.

From: Less 🤍 I got the note, baby. So cute. I love you so much :')

You smiled brightly at your phone screen, a warm, fuzzy feeling coursing through you at the idea of Alessia opening her kitbag and finding the note. You quickly typed a message back to her, wanting her to read it before she inevitably had to get her day going at the training centre.

To: Less 🤍 It's true, though. Counting down the hours until you're home, like every day. Go kick ass, my love. x

With you working from home, it had been quite the adjustment. Normally, when Alessia went to the training centre, you'd also leave the apartment and be on your way to your office. But with Alessia's recent transfer to Arsenal, swapping Manchester for London, it wasn't so straightforward anymore for you to go into the office everyday. 2 hours 30 on the train or easily 4 hours by car, it just wasn't doable anymore for a daily job. So you and your boss agreed that you could work from home in London, with one visit to the office a month. You were forever grateful for the opportunity, very glad that you didn't have to find a new job in London, but it brought its hardships too.

Quite frankly, you grew quite bored at home. You had your work, and you always managed to fill the best part of 8 hours with whatever you had to do that day, but the house felt empty without Alessia. A new city, new surroundings, new apartment, you hadn't quite accustomed to it all yet and you hadn't failed to make it known to Alessia that you missed her terribly whenever she was out at training.

Nonetheless, you would never stand in the way between her and her career, it was just another obstacle that you two would have to face and manoeuvre around, but you were certain that you would navigate it perfectly. You had a strong relationship, and everyone around you would probably say that you were made for each other.

With the knowledge gathered that Alessia enjoyed her little note, you took it upon yourself to give her some more frequently. Not every day, because you didn't want her to grow old of them, but you sprinkled some in throughout the week – keeping her on her toes.

It wasn't until one particular morning at the Arsenal training centre that Alessia realized that her notes wouldn't just always be you loving up on her. She'd left you high and dry that morning before leaving, feeling you up and kissing all over your body until her alarm went off. She was reluctant about finishing what she had started, despite your whining when she left you alone in bed and had started getting ready for her day. She didn't want to be late, understandably, but she also left you with a very uncomfortable throbbing between your legs. Her promise of continuing her ministrations later that night hadn't really convinced you, and you decided to tease her a little about it through a note.

This time, unlike all the other times you'd left a note in Alessia's kitbag, you didn't receive a message about. Not just that, the Arsenal striker hadn't texted you all day and you couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious about what you did. You didn't want to push it too far, but you were starting to feel like you did. You texted her a little after lunch-time, wishing her a good gym session, but you got left on read.

Later that day, when Alessia came home, you were nervous to approach her. You were upstairs, finishing up on a couple of e-mails, before you went downstairs and joined the blonde who had plopped down on the couch and turned on the football. "Hi, baby," you said softly, pressing a kiss against her cheek. Alessia tried to put on a sour face, but her resolve weakened quickly when you pressed another few kisses all over her face.

"That was mean, you know?" cocking her head at you, eyebrow raised and index finger pointing at you. You couldn't hide the smile that crept on your face. "Don't give me that, Russo! If anyone was mean, it was you. This morning. Leaving me all worked up like that," you reasoned, pointing your index finger right back at her, poking her nose in the process causing a small smile to form on her lips.

"You know what, you're probably right," your girlfriend started, leaning closer towards you and trapping your body in between her arms, positioning the two of you so she was hovering over you on the couch. "That was so incredibly unfair of me and I think it's only right that I get the opportunity to make it up to you."

Alessia dipped her head towards your neck and started pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses on the skin there. You hummed and tangled one of your hands into her hair, slightly tugging when you could feel the scrape of her teeth on your sensitive skin. "You're lucky I love you, Russo," you breathed.

"Oh, I know. Now let me show you just how much I appreciate you, please."

[bunni-v1]

Hello! Can I request malleus x reader angst?

Malleus breaks up with reader because he is afraid he will hurt her after putting her under a sleeping curse during his over blot

<33

Malleus Afraid to Hurt Reader Again After Blot

TW: Poor Attempt at Angst, No real resolution either, Mild swearing, Bunni hasn't actually written something in a while give them a break, please

Info: Short fic; Angst; Malleus x Reader

🍓I... didn't have much thought process when going into this. I just kinda wrote, and I think I did what I wanted to do? I'm not sure, but I did have fun writing it! This is less focused on Malleus and more focused on the readers internal thoughts and how they dealt with it. Idk I don't like Malleus, so I'm not gonna pity the guy lol. Anyway, enjoy lovelies!

Summary: In the title

Malleus had become… distant since his blot. Despite everything having been solved, you ultimately deciding to stay in Twisted Wonderland, and Malleus generally being forgiven for his transgressions he had only seemed to close off more than before. Of course, that made sense. Overblotting was traumatizing, and he had so much weight on his shoulders before and after it happened. The distance was natural. But it had been a month, and he had been avoiding you like the plague.

You tried to be patient, tried to be understanding. With reassurance from Lilia and Silver and even Sebek that he was fine, you were making it through, but… you missed your boyfriend. You were also experiencing pain from the overblot, from multiple overblotts. All you wanted was to heal with your boyfriend, but he was shutting you out. It wasn’t fair.

Ace, Deuce, and Grim agreed — in fact, they seemed more passionate about it than you were, adding fuel to your slowly growing angry fire. Every time you came crying to one of them with your woes, they only seemed to get more and more exhausted and livid. Deuce always tried to comfort you (pathetically), while Ace and Grim ranted on about how you should ‘just break up with him,’ and ‘he doesn’t deserve you if he’s gonna treat you like this.’

You were beginning to agree with them. Weeks of this was weighing on your poor heart and mind, getting in the way of your studies and day-to-day life. The only reason you were social was because Ace wouldn’t let you hole yourself up. ‘Hiding yourself away just means you’re letting him win, you don’t want him to win this one.’

So, with your head held high, you did your best to pretend everything was fine. You went to classes, spent time with your friends, worked at the Monstro Lounge, and continued your regular schedule. Except now, instead of running to Malleus when you were done with your long day, you met up with Ace and spent your time decompressing with him.

Occasionally, you would feel Malleus’ eyes on you. You would turn to give him a smile and a wave, but he would always turn away before you could lift your arm. So, you just stopped. You stopped trying. Your chest still ached, but you couldn’t allow this to be the end of your life anymore. You deserved to be able to function, and Malleus would come to you and talk to you when he decided to grow up.

In Malleus’ eyes, however, this was the final nail in the coffin.

・┆✦ʚ♡ɞ✦ ┆・

That morning you received a knock on your door. Grim, Ace, and Deuce were out cold on the floor after one of your bi-weekly, ‘hangouts,’ (which were just sleepovers), so you were expecting Trey or Cater to come to fetch them. When you opened the door, however, you were greeted by Lilia’s little grin. He seemed a bit… off, upset, though you couldn’t place why.

“Lilia…?”

“Good morning little one, I’ve got a letter for you.”

“An invitation... from Malleus…?” you wondered allowed.

“You’ll have to read it and see,” he paused, “please remember you are always welcome to come and speak with me. You are like family, and I am here for you always.”

You said nothing, simply giving him a confused smile and nodding as he walked off. With a sigh, you shut the door and flipped the letter in your hands. Rich black paper with a red wax stamp and your name in pretty gold letters — most definitely from Malleus. You couldn’t stop your heart from leaping in your chest at the revelation. Maybe he would apologize, and things could go back to normal?

You took a few deep breaths to calm your excitement. Be realistic, you reminded yourself. You quietly crept to the kitchen, carefully opening the envelope and unfolding the letter. It was short, less than half the page of Malleus’ gorgeous cursive.

“My Dearest,

Firstly, I must apologize for my absence from your life. I’ve had much to think about after my blot, and I could not think clearly around you. I realized quite a few differences between the two of us. Firstly, you are human, and I am fae. I have a much longer lifespan than you, and am far more powerful than you could imagine. You have a small lifespan and are magic-less. You are easily affected by even weak magical spells, and the toll that my magic has on you is immense. As I saw with my blot, you are fragile and easily harmed. Therefore, I came to the conclusion that you would be safer and happier if we put an end to our relations with each other. You will be well, as I have seen your friends care for you deeply. Please find it in yourself to forgive me for what I have done."

You stared at the letter blankly, your mind struggling to comprehend what you were reading. Malleus had… broken up with you? Via a letter, of all things? Perhaps it could be worse, but a letter was Malleus’ equivalent of magicam… so could it really be? You hadn’t realized you were crying until you saw your tears blurring the ink on the paper.

You didn’t want to cry. You were more angry than sad, but the hurt stung worse in your heart, so you stood at the kitchen counter and sobbed. And you sobbed and sobbed and sobbed over a man who did not have the decency to face you in person. You cried so loud that it woke one of your friends, and you could hear the creaking of the floorboards as they grew closer until you saw the red hair in your blurred vision.

“Yo,” he said awkwardly, “watcha cryin’ about now…?”

You let out a half-hearted ‘nothing,’ but Ace wasn’t having it. He rounded the counter, settling awkwardly at your side. Somehow, Ace was worse than Deuce when it came to comforting you. He noticed the letter on the table and -- with a defeated shrug of your shoulders -- picked it up. You could see him grow angrier and angrier as he read it.

“Who does he think he is, huh,” slamming the letter down onto the counter, “couldn’t even do it in person. What a coward!”

You sniffled, wiping at your face. It was hard to disagree, especially considering the circumstances. 

“He isn’t even worth cryin’ over, so wipe those tears,” he grumbled, “you, me, and the other losers in there are going out and getting your mind off of that dumbass. Go get dressed, and I’ll get them up.”

You nodded, wiping up the rest of your tears and stumbling up to your room to do as you were told. The first thing you did when you arrived was look in the mirror. Your puffy eyes, ruffled hair, and tear streaks down your cheeks, and for what? A guy who ghosted you for weeks on end, who couldn’t even break up with you in person. What a joke.

Ace was right. He isn’t worth crying over. He isn’t worth worrying about anymore. So, why did your heart still ache? It wasn’t fair. Still, you cleaned yourself up, got dressed, and resigned yourself to a life without Malleus. If you could do it before, you could do it for the rest of your life. He would be graduating soon anyway, and you wouldn’t have to see him again after that.

Who needs him anyway? You’ve got your friends to take care of you. 

[phoenix-eclipses]

Casting Love 0.6 -- Put it in the Universe

YN got there early. The moment they walked into the store, one of the employees immediately recognized them and waved. They waved back and sat at one of the tables, not wanting to order anything yet while waiting for Kenma.

Right at 2:30 Kenma walked into the small cafe. YN walked over.

"Hi! How are you today?"

"Oh, hi. I'm okay. Were you waiting?"

"Not for that long, don't worry. I just didn't have much to do once class ended so I changed and headed over. I got here like five minutes ago." they waved his concern off before turning to the menu. "What do you want? I'd personally recommend a slice of one of their pies, they're all really good."

"Hm." He walked over to the display case and looked at the options. "I'll take a slice of the apple pie."

"Nice choice! I haven't tried it myself but one of my friends really like it. Hmm... I think I'll have the strawberry rhubarb." YN glanced to the employee who happened to be listening. "And I'll take your recommended drink."

After they got their food and drinks, the two walked over to one of the empty tables to discuss a few things. YN pulled out their laptop and shifted it so Kenma could see the screen.

"I made a list of a few things I felt like were important to discuss with each other."

Schedules (update each other if major updates are made)

Extended absences (missing one or two days in a row is okay, at least for me, but preferably alert each other if we're going to be gone, especially if it's for multiple classes)

Weekly or biweekly meetings (don't know how much time we'll have in class to properly talk so it'd be important to talk outside of class)

"Of course, if you have anything you're concerned about you can add it in the list. I just thought these were important to settle first."

Kenma nodded his head, opening his own laptop. "Can you share this with me? It'd be helpful for us to both have it to our disposal in case we need to reference it or if any changes need to be made."

"Yep! What's your email?"

0.5 -- Masterlist -- 0.7

Notes

YN did in fact leave their class early (the prof takes attendance in the beginning so they got full attendance marks since he didnt even notice)

They were running back to their shared appartment with Iwa as they called Tsuki (they almost tripped while trying to explain everything to him)

Realistically, it didn't take them that long to decide on an outfit (like 10 minutes max) but then YN spent the rest of the time worrying about how to talk to Kenma so they made the bullet list to try and at least have a baseline to start from

YN was purposefully excluding Oikawa because it's 1/2 am for him

I love Kenma but I'm also convinced unless he is fully interested in the conversation/it's with one person he's comfortable with he can be dry asf

The range of time of when I drop these posts keeps getting more chaotic, it really just represents the ruin my sleep schedule is in

One of the funniest but also hardest things about this is because my normal writing tends to be so much more formal than this but I want the writing portions to fit the vibe but also just be goofy so don't expect anything crazy from them :b

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@staygoldsquatchling02 @walllflowerrrsss @oyasumeii @rinnylvr

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@lunavixia @singleandlonely

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[pierrotwrites-hc]

Hello! I just found The Golden Bird, and it is hands down the best whimper/hurt/comfort hurt/comfort work I’ve read, and one of the best stories on AO3, period. I love dark whump stories with recovery, and this hit all the sweet spots while also having an amazing plot and work building! This might be a stupid question, but how often do you update? I know this is going to be a super long series and you’ve already written a significant amount, so would you ever be open to faster updates? Sorry! I don’t mean pushy or anything, I just love TGB so much. Also, I would love to see a ton more whump and hurt for supporting characters that we love, like Asher and Ged… I love to see my favorite characters suffer (and then recover.) Will you introduce new complex and badass important characters with heart wrenching backstories, or is our main cast pretty much set? One last question: is there a discord for TGB? Thank you for answering my questions!

thank you so much for your lovely words! dark whump with recovery is like my whole bag, and if you have any recs, I'd love to hear them.

updates...ah, updates. I have in the past attempted an every-two-weeks posting schedule and, yeah, that didn't work out. in my defense, my chapters usually average 15 pages in ms word, and writing a page a day just isn't feasible with my work schedule/other projects/ADHD. I know there are writers who update that much or more, and I stand in absolute awe of them. there are also writers who are able to update frequently because each update averages >1k words, and as a reader, this just isn't a satisfying experience for me. as a writer, I want to feel like each chapter is complete, with its own fully-realized narrative arc, and that's just really fucking hard for me to do in under 2.5k words.

so: monthly (rather than bi-weekly) updates. and sometimes every three weeks if I'm in a work lull. I wish I could write more, and faster, but I'm also glad I don't write less, or slower. I'm committed to putting something out in the world that I can be proud of.

Will you introduce new complex and badass important characters with heart wrenching backstories, or is our main cast pretty much set?

oh, there will be many more characters. much of the cast hasn't even been introduced yet.

is there a discord for TGB?

there is an absolutely AMAZING discord which you should totally join. endless endless thanks to the amazing mods who make it possible <3

[ramayantika]

My dance sir is still salty because I did not give time for classes and I did explain myself. if I could have a way out I would have done my classes regularly.

So many dancers drop off from learning dance especially those who go to other states and are hostellers because hostels do not actually allow you to practice properly especially with the loud tap sounds of the feet and god forbid you can dance with ghungroos and my curfew is at 6.30 to go out and practice. I am still trying to make things work and dance here. I even told him that my first sem would actually be chaotic and messy because we are completing 6 months ka course in 3 months combined with all the exams and evaluation tasks toh I obviously can't give time to dance now because my degree comes first.

But even then sir passed a comment ki bas exam jab hoga tab practice karoge baki time classes nahi karoge and suddenly all the extra hours of classes the bi-weekly classes that I took after entrance exams are outside the window. Even I am trying to navigate my time, studies and everything with this college, I do understand sir's pov but I also want him to understand my view too.

Somehow my bharatanatyam teacher has been more understanding in these matters and she herself told me that it's a new city and it will take time to navigate through friendships and your studies especially being the first batch of your college, it will be challenging so first observe how your course and your time table schedule will work, and then we can plan out your dance training.

I am sad and annoyed and atp I want to engage in spiteful dancing but I know this will have a negative effect on me and my bond with dance.

I actually want to cry.

[lord-pigeon]

The thing you're not getting about why genshin is worse is because events are not meant to be the primary source of quartz in fgo. It comes from your weekly log in, live streams, 50 day ten pull, ascending servants to their second last ascension, story quests, free quests and the ten quartz you get from doing ten of them, rank up and interludes and the quartz you also get for doing ten of those, and special occasions like anniversary and new year. If you do ten rank ups you get a ten pull and you can do this in maybe an hour or two, now try grinding a ten pull in genshin. It'll be a lot more time investing and taxing considering you're just pressing buttons in fate. Also genshin's odds are just lower and it bleeds whales way harder by making constellations do more than just damage and they make modern 4 stars suck without them. Yes genshin has a better pity but that isn't the be all end all, you need to get 5 copies to max a 5 star in fate where as genshin its 6 AND 5 copies of their weapons. I could keep going on about ways that it's worse all day long, especially when genshin has way more micro transactions and predatory practices like battlepasses and resin but take that fate is worse is utterly baffling tbh

Oh boy let's get into the math here because this is where the fun begins.

Don't get me wrong, I'll never defend Genshin's dogshit practices, but I have a personal grudge against FGO fans sucking on it when it's literally the bastard of the mainstream bunch. This argument is me pitting garbage against garbage to say which one is stinkier.

This gonna be long so I'm putting this under a cut:

Alright FGO dailies list (I'll use NA for FGO, since Genshin is a global server schedule):

Day 2=1 SQ, Day 4=1 SQ, Day 6=2 SQ and Day 7=Ticket (3 SQ equivalent)

Total: 7 SQ

Needed for a tenfold: 30 SQ

Weeks needed for a tenfold via Log-In alone: 4 weeks and 4 days. 32 days total.

It should be noted that if you miss a single day, it resets from the very start. You must log in no matter what. It might take but a few moments, but note, you have to.

Genshin dailies list:

10 Primos per Comm/action, total of 40, and a 20 Primo bonus for turning into Katherine

Total: 60 Primos

Needed for tenfold 1600 Primo

Weeks needed for a Log-In alone: 26 days total.

Genshin's big detriment is that while you never lose your place, you need to spend time on Commissions. It can be anywhere from 5-10 minutes, which is a bit of a serious timesink. It's a bit better with the Fontaine update but it's still a pain in the ass for those on the go.

Alright, but Lord, that's just raw Log-In, what about monthlies?

Monthlies are the same, since both give you 5 tickets/fates to use. Genshin is at the disadvantage here since you need to spend the stardust you get from summoning on it, but Fate also requires you to spend Mana Prisms. Fundamentally similar, it's just that Fate wins out by the small margin Mana Prisms are slightly easier to obtain.

What about pity?

Eat my ass, Fate's pity system just happened cause they were getting this ass beat monetarily and they gave up and did a base-tier QOL update. Six FUCKING years we waited for pity and its over 900 SQ??? ((330 pulls btw))

I saved a whole year and a half back for Musashi's inital release and I just barely had that shit. And that was events, dailies, so on and so forth. (I got her in three tickets so nobody come at me with the fact I'm just a bitter old bird who didn't get my cute girl.)

While there's the 50/50 mechanic with Genshin, that levels the idea of 180, and that's going to hard-hard pity. No matter what, you can, and will, at least get the character you want.

Now what if we include Weapon Banner, since people assume Weapons+Characters *must* go together rather than it just being BIS and disregarding the completely different game mechanics of turn-based FGO and action rpg Genshin (<bitter).

Weapon Hard Pity is 240 pulls. You get a Fate Point for 80 pulls if you don't get your directed weapon, and you get another one if you get screwed again. Two Fate Points guarantees the next 80 is what you want.

Now, that might equal 420 pulls, but there's a catch few people acknowledge: Soft Pity.

Genshin has a system that, the closer you get to that hard pity, the higher the rate goes up. Therefore, it's not often someone actually goes to the hard 80 or 90. I'm just using the hard numbers as a point.

FGO is a hard pity, nothing about the rates changes from Summon 1 to Summon 330. Plus no guarantee you actually even get something from those 330 pulls--at least in Genshin you get a Basic Banner character who has some measure of utility you can use to make progress.

Also FGO pity doesn't carry per banner, but Genshin's does, so if you get fucked over and wanna wait a few months, you have another shot instead of wasting all of it cause you got close but no cigar.

But what about upgrades? Constellations?

NP-bonuses are rather minor and not as key as say, Xiao C1 or Hu Tao C1, so FGO has the edge there. However, that leads me to the side point of:

Weapons.

Reasonably, everyone talks about how the 3-star weapons suck, yadda yadda. You get so many weapons from the game as welfare that are good and can be used by multiple characters. You don't need a 5-star weapon, just because you aren't hitting 300k a hit doesn't mean shit.

Genshin has a lot more versatility in team building than FGO tbh, since a lot of FGO's boils down to "Do you have Merlin/Skadi/Chen Gong/Waver/Tamamo/Castoria/Support Caster.png" that you can then use with any other character.

Not saying Genshin doesn't have that too with Qinqiu and Bennett, but due to the nature of Spiral Abyss, people have gotten smart about using others instead of just them cause it's a split up team system.

Citation: I didn't get a single 5-star Weapon until Year 2.5 of Genshin. Fun fact, I also didn't have a single DPS 5-star either (all I had since launch was Diluc and Venti), until fucking Cyno came out. I managed to play the game just fine.

Now in FGO NA, I was also there since Launch, and I didn't get my first SSR until the Solomon raids, in which I finally got Florence Nightingale. I was playing the game carried by Kiyohime, Salter, and throwing SQ at revives. And guides, christ, so many guides it made Arknights look elementary.

What about general SQ/Primo flow (the Anniversaries and whatnot mentioned)?

FGO, the year of 2023, had, according to a Reddit post which I can link if people want the source, is: 2571 SQ, tickets included.

This Reddit post involved Servant NP Ascension Quests, Events, Chunked Log-In Bonus, Live Streams, Bond Stuff, ect ect (also, stuff you can't do if you didn't roll them, the post was being generous with people getting what they rolled or had)

That is about 85.7 tenfolds. So, if you don't spend a penny and not miss a day of logging in, the average joe might get about 2, 3 hard pities on who they want. Presuming I'm doing the math right on that.

Genshin, in the year of 2022, had, according to another Reddit Post, roughly 100k Primogems.

That equals about 62.5 tenfolds, or over 620 Fates. Now, tossing that into the system with someone with the worst luck imaginable that wants a character, that's about the same amount of 3 to 4 guaranteed pities.

One might note that the numbers are about the same, and yeah, that checks. However, there's a lot of variables, such as Spiral Abyss for Genshin, and actually having the characters to do Interludes on.

Half-baked conclusion

FGO is a money sink, Genshin is a time sink. They both sink your serotonin. Nobody wins.

Look, I play both, I have grief with both, I have fond memories of both. I wouldn't have a stupid expensive Okada figurine sitting next to a custom Cyno plushie if I hated these games.

But they're gacha, they're both out for your money, it's just that one is just a raging cunt about the whole affair.

Reddit Post Citations:

[edspeleerscock]

GOLDROSE HCS BECAUSE I JUST THOUGHT OF SOME (will be added to when necessary or if i think of anything else)

❤︎︎ Rhys enjoys waking up early and making them breakfast while Jonathan prefers staying in bed a little longer.

❤︎︎ Jonathan loves reading with Rhys and discussing the fallacies and such behind the writings.

❤︎︎ Rhys spends some of his freetime at the gym and has brought Jonathan along with him a few times.

❤︎︎ Rhys often finds a way to encourage Jonathan to write his own book, similar to GMCW. Although recommends he keeps his little ‘activities’ to himself.

❤︎︎ The two embrace their newfound public obsession and do everything they can to cater to those who love them.

❤︎︎ Rhys is more caring and careful with Jonathan when they get intimate. Checking in on him during to make sure he’s comfortable etc.

❤︎︎ Joe and Rhys love the ‘Eat-The-Rich Killer’ nickname so much they have it framed in their little ‘obsession’ room. They both find a strange amount of joy in murdering together.

❤︎︎ The two take pride in their travels around Europe and the many interviews they get asked to do. They plaster their Instagram pages in the many travels they have the joys of going on together.

❤︎︎ Although Jonathan still has doubts about how this relationship could ‘blossom’ and possibly turn sour, Rhys assures him that what happened in the past won’t be repeated nor will it ever.

❤︎︎ Rhys adores cuddling Jonathan and tries to do it as much as possible. Enjoying the closeness and the warmth radiating from the other.

❤︎︎ While they both have a very different taste in movies and series, Rhys has somehow found a way to get Jonathan to enjoy The Great British Bake-off.

❤︎︎ While Jonathan is as expressive as a slate, Rhys always finds a way to get a laugh out of him even if it’s at his own expense.

❤︎︎ Whenever they have their bi-weekly date night, Jonathan and Rhys have a mini disagreement on where they’re going and always end up flipping a coin on it.

❤︎︎ Some date nights they end up going to a club together and Jonathan ends up drunkenly singing and dancing with Rhys once they get home. Sometimes he professes his love to him as though they weren’t already together.

❤︎︎ Some days Rhys gets so busy with doing his work and helping improve the country, he often comes home around 1-2am and is almost every time greeted with a passed out Jonathan laying on the sofa waiting for him.

❤︎︎ Rhys is so possessive of Jonathan that any time they went out he’d follow him everywhere. Holding his hand or keeping a hand somewhere on him and tossing sharp glances at those who even dared looking at him or in his direction.

❤︎︎ Regardless of the soft wholesome moments, Rhys sometimes can’t regulate his emotions and struggles trying to express it. Only ever finding it easy to go through it with a ridiculous amount of violence. Jonathan also has a similar problem, however, but not this extreme.

❤︎︎ Rhys often took time out of his busy schedule to give speeches to Jonathan’s class. Discussing how to properly vote, some politics as well as giving speeches about his future plans. Always being more than willing to answer any and all questions on his plans or personal life.

❤︎︎ Before leaving Jonathan and heading back to the office, he would always have a small make out session with him and promise to ‘pay him back’ for allowing him to drop by.

[m0rd0simp]

i wanna start a thing like Mordecloud Monday where im posting on a semi consistent schedule because it’d be pretty cool to know what day of the week it is maybe

((also might skip weeks it could be like a bi weekly thing idek depends on my motivation at the time))

[sasukimimochi]

eurghhghgh this gets a little long but i'm not putting a read more line cuz i put TLDR at the bottom and i want that shown.

i'm starting to think uploading weekly is more difficult than i thought now that i'm trying to also work on other things during the week, i haven't had time to work on any of the companion fics for gom or any of my other projects, and i think GOM is suffering a bit for it [last week i did just basic sketches for the chapter bc i was struggling to get everything done in time]

and that means i also don't really have time to stream if i want to draw while you guys watch, since i stream for a few hours at least [the one i did the other day was about six hr, you can see the highlight reel here, since the vod will eventually be deleted as all vods disappear after like 7 days. i just trimmed off the start and end where i'm talking nonsense and saved that as my highlight reel. sorry about the audio being a bit funky for my mic i'll bring my laptop closer to me next time].

But also the biggest thing [on top of wanting to complete more chapters and make a buffer]: i really want to reread the entirety of Ghost of mine so i can check for errors or inconsistencies, all i could do last week was listen to the tts of 12-16 while trying to get a drawing for 17 prepared, and i couldn't fix all the errors i heard since i was just trying to fix the timeline errors as a minimum before posting the chapter. the extra time would give me more time to proofread Ghost of Mine carefully, as well as give the new chapters and art the attention it deserves. [and...actually take care of my irl self better, it's hard to find time for things like cooking and cleaning beyond what i do for the older man i live with].

So what i'm trying to say is although i didn't think i needed it before, i am changing my mind about it now. so i think it's a good idea for me to upload every two weeks instead of one...at least until i (hopefully) am able to catch up to the point of having stuff prepared ahead of schedule.

i swear on my god awful adhd that i will sit down with my sprint bot [a bot that times me and tracks my word count, not an AI], and write with no distractions at least once a day [unless i have things that i am forced to do and can't get to it, but i can get a lot done when i'm using the sprint bot to make myself focus]. So i will hopefully be making the two week change worth it by getting a lot done and being able to return to weekly updates when things are less cramped and there's stuff prepared properly ahead of time.

I hope that's alright with all of you, cuz i love working on gom it's just a lot for me to get done in a week with everything else i want to do!!

just imagine if i had more time i might be able to start posting TWPT along side gom [it's the jiang cheng lan xichen companionfic for GOM that i haven't had time to write as of late, i have it completely outlined but i just don't have time to write it anymore rn. check it out on the masterpost for my MDZS projects]. or the MXY companionfic as well, which i already started but i can't keep working on because of time as well.

basically there's a lot going on for gom besides the main fic that i haven't been able to get to and it just continues to get further behind in those aspects because i can't get the time for it. so really, i need those two weeks and i'm only just now admitting it to myself that i can't push out updates every two days like i used to and especially not now with these other projects and wanting to branch my stuff out more. There's so much i wanna do! lmao

TLDR; i want to change to bi-monthly updates for GOM so that i can increase my quantity and quality of all projects and future updates properly. I appreciate your amazing patience and i hope to make this change worth it!

i will always update you guys if i make changes like this. i can't leave the changes in your hands completely, but i will continue to upload on sunday since that's the day you guys like! expect the next GOM update on the 23rd instead of the 16th, and every two weeks from the 23rd.

[cuntwrap--supreme]

Allegedly this is where our taxes go. Surprisingly, insurance is the largest area. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's insurance for people in dire need. I know, as a federal employee, my insurance is $50 bi-weekly, and the other $100 of that is subsidized by taxpayers.

Social security is a big one, too, which is good because you need to be able to survive once you're past working age or unable to work. However, many people in politics today want to eliminate this, freeing up 1.4 trillion dollars or so annually, but also leaving something like 62 million people without benefits.

The first inexcusable number here is defense. 13% of generated taxes came out to 820 billion, according to the site I pulled this from. While I understand that a large amount of that is keeping people employed, that money also goes to things such as blowing up little brown kids the world over and building planes to the tune of 3 billion real American dollars only so some undertrained idiot can immediately crash it.

Economic security programs included things like SSI and food stamps and housing programs, and totals 545 billion. This seems wildly low when you look at stats on how many people utilize these benefits (from free lunch programs all the way up to the government paying your full rent), which show that upwards of 70% of the US partakes. In the next category down, 481 billion goes to supporting vets. Which is good. But every vet I know says the VA is bullshit, so I feel like that could be better utilized in the general "assistance" category so the Fed can't waste more money.

Now for the saddest two: Education and transportation. Education gets a measly 320bil. Which might sound like a lot. But that's funding for all schools across a massive country. Comparing that number to other, much smaller, countries shows that they spend about what we do, but with a fraction of the percentage of kids. Looking at numbers alone makes it look like the US is doing great; looking at numbers of students here vs New Zealand shows they are better taken care of. There's also the issue of how that money is spent, because it's clearly not going toward a good education. I've been a teacher. Schools are full of people who don't really want to teach and are there for summers off work, or people whose husband wanted them out of the house, and they don't care if your kid can actually read or not. "Gender ideology" isn't the issue in schools; it's Kamrin, 22, who just got her degree and has decided to watch TikTok at her desk and give your kids busywork instead of actually teaching them history. So yeah, there's money on education, but it's not going where it should go and it's not nearly enough.

128bil goes to transportation. Which is why the roads are shit and there are next to no trains and you're lucky to live in a city with a functioning bus line. A major bridge in my major city is closed indefinitely because it hasn't been properly taken care of since like 2004. We don't have busses with a reasonable schedule. Parts of the city have roads so torn up it feels like you're in a country with no budget for fixing roads. I've driven on rutted gravel roads that are more comfortable.

Anyway. The clear place to cut from is military spending. We do not need to be a "superpower" globally. Most of the world thinks we're a joke for that. I understand deploying people if there's a need (and want) for it. But why the hell do we think we have the power to keep people civil? As has been told to me from people I've worked with from places like Afghanistan, seeing American troops around only instills fear and hatred. It doesn't keep the peace. It creates radicals. Invest even a fraction of that money into education, into social safety nets, into transportation, and the country would be so much better. But instead we do this cool shit where we cut from other places to inflate the military budget, so it's all fucked.

The thing is lads I cannot think of a better use for my tax dollars than feeding children. I want my taxes to give the single mother of three healthcare. I want my taxes to take care of the elderly and the disabled. I don’t care if they’re citizens or legal residents or whatever. I want my taxes to help people. Because we’re trying to live in a goddamn society. Instead my taxes go towards bombing schools and hospitals and refugee camps. Billions and billions sent to proxy wars. And still people quibble over whether we should feed children. What are we doing here. Feed the kids.

[starsofsin]

I want more fandoms to make fanfic for. I just think it’ll be silly or fun but I don’t have many fandoms that I think could be changed into good fanfics from me.

I also really need to see how many words I truly like in like… AO3 format because I really don’t think 1,000 words in like… one chapter is something I really like? I read 10k words in a chapter and it still isn’t long enough sometimes?

I don’t know. I don’t want it to be too long? I want it to be easily digestible (contemplating having one installment of the fic as the regular font and another installment of the fic that’s in a larger font and more spaced out for issues regarding dyslexia or how it can be hard to read at times) but I don’t want it to be boring.

I should probably look at the format but I also don’t have it like I want yet. I still need to finish the second chapter and then work on the last three before I start posting it and actually have a set schedule. I know I won’t be able to do a weekly schedule. I might try for a bi-weekly? Or finish it and then post weekly.

But I also want to have like… the ability to know what people would like to see or what they would also enjoy having included.

I really wish writing was easier and posting wasn’t as horrifying.

[patientselftesting6732]

How Often Should You Perform an INR Self Test?

Managing your health effectively is crucial when you’re on anticoagulant therapy, such as warfarin. One of the key tools in managing this is regular INR self-testing, which helps ensure your blood's clotting ability remains within a safe range. But how often should you perform an INR self test? This blog will guide you through the frequency of testing, why it’s important, and what factors might influence your INR self-testing schedule.

Understanding INR and its Importance

INR, or International Normalized Ratio, is a measurement used to assess how long it takes your blood to clot. When taking anticoagulants like warfarin, the INR level helps determine whether your blood is clotting too slowly or too quickly. Regular INR testing is essential because it helps healthcare providers adjust your medication to prevent complications like excessive bleeding or dangerous clotting events.

If your INR level is too low, you are at risk of developing blood clots, which could lead to stroke or other severe conditions. Conversely, if your INR level is too high, there is a heightened risk of bleeding, which could also have serious health consequences. This is why regular monitoring of your INR is vital when you are on anticoagulant therapy.

How Often Should You Perform an INR Self Test?

The frequency of INR self testing varies depending on a few factors, including your medical history, how stable your INR levels have been, and your doctor's recommendations. Here are some general guidelines:

. Weekly Testing

For most people, a weekly INR self test is recommended. This frequency allows for close monitoring of your blood’s clotting ability and helps detect any changes early. Weekly testing is especially important for those who are new to anticoagulant therapy or have fluctuating INR levels. If you have recently started warfarin or experienced changes in your dosage, frequent INR testing can help you and your healthcare provider manage your treatment effectively.

. Bi-Weekly Testing

If your INR levels have been stable over time, your doctor might suggest bi-weekly INR self testing. This schedule is more suitable for patients whose anticoagulant therapy is well-managed and who have demonstrated consistent INR results over a period of time. It still ensures that any potential fluctuations in your INR levels are caught in time but offers a more convenient schedule than weekly testing.

. Monthly Testing

In some cases, patients with stable INR levels may be able to extend their testing intervals to once a month. This is generally considered safe for individuals whose warfarin therapy has remained stable for an extended period. However, monthly testing should only be done under the guidance of your healthcare provider. It’s crucial not to reduce your testing frequency without medical advice, as doing so could increase your risk of complications.

. Additional Testing After Medication or Diet Changes

Certain factors can impact your INR levels, including changes in medication, diet, or health status. Foods rich in vitamin K (such as leafy greens), antibiotics, and other medications can all affect your blood's clotting ability. After any significant changes in your routine, it’s important to perform an additional INR self test to ensure your INR levels remain within the desired range.

. Emergency Testing

In cases of unexpected symptoms such as unusual bruising, prolonged bleeding, or signs of blood clots (like swelling or pain in the legs), it’s essential to perform an INR self test immediately. These symptoms could indicate that your INR levels are outside the safe range, requiring immediate adjustment of your medication.

Benefits of Regular INR Self Testing

Performing regular INR self tests offers several benefits, including:

Convenience: INR self-testing at home allows you to monitor your health without frequent visits to a clinic or lab.

Timely Adjustments: Regular testing ensures that any fluctuations in your INR levels are detected early, allowing for prompt adjustments in your medication.

Improved Health Outcomes: By maintaining stable INR levels, you reduce the risk of serious complications such as blood clots or excessive bleeding.

How often should you perform an INR self test? The answer depends on your medical condition, the stability of your INR levels, and your doctor’s recommendations. For most patients, weekly testing is ideal for closely monitoring blood clotting. If your INR levels have been stable, bi-weekly or even monthly testing may be suitable. However, it’s important to always follow your healthcare provider’s advice and perform additional testing if there are changes in your health, medications, or diet.

At PatientSelfTesting, we understand the importance of regular and accurate INR monitoring. With our INR self-testing solutions, you can manage your health more conveniently and confidently from the comfort of your home. Ensure that you stay on top of your anticoagulant therapy by performing your INR self test as recommended.

[therealgothambychelsealauren]

Chapter XII pt 2: Harley Quinn & Other Breakups with Homicidal Clowns

4 factors to deem defendant's conduct as a Heat of Passion:

1)Adequate provocation - did the defendant experience provocation that adequately would've provoked a reasonable person in similar circumstance/with similar characteristics?

Part of what brought Khalil and I so close was a natural/developing trust in each other to share vulnerabilities, beliefs, ambitions, and even traumas that we happened to have majorly in common.

It all started when he gave me legal advice and resources to try to get into the aforementioned apartment during training hours with The Organization. From that conversation we found that we both had ambitions to attend law school, that we both had started then paused our law school application cycles, and that as "lifelong students" we did not intend to stop our education at earning a J.D. - maybe we'd also get a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice or English or Criminology so we could be college professors. Khalil gave me contact info for higher-ups within The Organization who could potentially mentor me through my law school application cycle, but when none responded 2+ months into my service year, Khalil offered to be my mentor (if you're in Contracts rn check to make sure I used the term "offered" appropriately). He gave me LSAT prep books and met with me bi-weekly to work on my resume and my personal statement. In the hour or so we scheduled for each mentorship session, we spent at least 20 minutes talking about personal things and finding a lot of common interests and moral convictions.

Within our first few sessions, he showed me his J he had set aside for after he was officially off the clock for the day, we learned we both had passions for social justice and poetry, and we shared a common trauma/healing journey as Black people who grew up in poverty with single mothers. In early December, he was reading my personal statement and I told him how nervous I was about doing what he called "trauma pimping" in my essay - I didn't want to exploit myself and flash my traumas but per the custom of college application essays, I needed to earn the school's sympathy to earn acceptance and financial aid. My essay revealed what inspired me to become a lawyer at such a young age - my mom raised us in poverty and had endured chronic abusive relationships, we moved around constantly trying to avoid homelessness (between apartments, mobile homes, grandma's house and the couches of on-again-off-again-boyfriends) and my mother struggled with substance abuse to numb herself from the trauma and ongoing hardships we faced - meanwhile I served as the family's advocate in doctor's offices, parent-teacher conferences, and Child Protective Services meetings when really we needed advocacy from a legal professional. Khalil reassured me that my story was compelling, "a Micheal B Jordan story for real" when I feared schools would think my story was pitiful or overdramatic. He said I was adding too much pressure unto myself, and I was stressed to market myself for law school acceptance based on a life I had felt so much shame for experiencing. Towards the end of this conversation, I revealed that part of the reason I felt so much pressure was because I was acting in survival mode - a mode I chronically cycled through, and I was stressed to make sure I got into law school to avoid homelessness once my service year with The Organization was over. Law school felt like a way out of these chronic cycles of poverty and threatened survival, just like how in undergrad living on campus as an RA protected me from the threat of going back to a homeless shelter or a motel - and how getting my degree protected me from following the same shame and poverty-stricken path my mom endured because she never finished school. I didn't just want to go to law school, I needed to get in to break free from these generational curses that Khalil could also relate to. As I held back tears, I saw Khalil watch me with an intensity I had not experienced from a man before; most men watched me like a tiger waiting to strike with a response that invalidated anything I said or felt, but he watched me like he clung onto every single word I said. His eyes were shiny, he held a respectful silence as he ingested what I said, and later I felt immense shock for being so vulnerable with him so naturally when it took me years to confide in a therapist about the same thing… He ended the conversation by noting how I'm "very bright" and he claimed to be determined to get me through this - that I will get into law school and he will "work with me on this with all [he's] got no matter what, we'll meet as many times as [I] need to."

After this meeting I got in the elevator and filmed a Snap about having a crush on my boss and sent it to my best friends from college - the crush was something I hadn't even admitted to myself until this meeting made me feel something I had never felt with a man before: safe.

I realized that, contrary to what I thought I felt for the men's soccer team goalie in high school, I was deadass in love for the first time.

In the weeks that followed, I gushed to my college friends over phone calls in Bryant Park as Khalil and I continued to grow closer. I told them about how he wanted me to meet his little sister because he thought "she could learn some things from [you]" and how he pulled me in for a hug after he called me an uber back to work from a work-related favor he asked me to do, and how he stepped out of a 3-hour zoom meeting to be my cheerleader in the back of the room when I was nervous about being a panelist for an event with The Organization in front of a large crowd. Khalil even confided in me about his heartache in abandoning his childhood dream to become an actor when inherent racism overshadowed his potential in the industry; producers chronically denied him roles because he brought "too much swagger" to each character he read for, and that inspired him to get a law degree he could use to found his own production company and provide opportunities for Black and Brown creators that he had harshly been denied. This vulnerability, after we had both shared that we struggled to be vulnerable with others due to similar experiences, felt exclusive, like watching sand get molten into a diamond. The vulnerability, trust, and respect we had for each other seemed to grow every day.

Especially in February, when the CEO of The Organization was fired for sexually assaulting a subordinate - though I was one of few who had the reason behind the termination confirmed. I asked Khalil about it, having heard the news from a mutual friend who allegedly heard it from him, and he revealed he was the mandatory reporter who the victim had come to to file a report and press charges. I warned him about the implications if people found out of his involvement - that "everyone's gonna come to you with a million questions." I had a background in investigative journalism and I knew better than anyone that news traveled fast with potentially severe consequences. He told me some of his internal feelings with the case, that if The Organization didn't fire the CEO and take the case seriously, he'd go to the news about it. I was so worried about him and rumors of his involvement jeopardizing the justice he and the victim sought that I called him later that day on my way home from work. He promised he'd be cautious, and from then on I promised I'd alert him immediately if I heard of any more info/rumors that could jeopardize the case. He asked me to "have some faith in him" - that he knew what he was doing and looking out for himself just as much as the victim. Without telling me the name of the victim, he did trust me in sharing his stress and internal feelings through this, that he had an internal conflict of guilt because a similar incident happened last year with a victim of similar characteristics who asked him not to do anything about it but Khalil wondered if he had acted then if the victim now would've been spared. The situation only brought us closer, checking in on each other knowing of circumstances we acknowledged without explicitly addressing the matter out loud for fear of eavesdroppers.

Khalil soon told me that he planned to leave The Organization at the end of the year, that this situation and other injustices encouraged him to plan to leave and pursue opportunities more relevant to his law school ambitions so that his application was stronger. I found out later that I was one of two people in The Organization who knew he was leaving months prior to his official announcement, and that (allegedly) I was the first he told. In meetings following his secret whisper about leaving The Organization, he promised plans with me post-service; meet his little sister, "put you in spaces I think you'd do well in, introduce you to new friends," have conversations about some of the back-door goings-on and "tea" at The Organization and some of its higher-ups once I graduated.

To my friends and to me (eventually, once I abandoned my instinctive denial and insecurities towards men) it seemed like Khalil really liked me, trusted me, and intended to at least maintain a friendship with me post service. Not to mention the physical touches that seemed reserved for me and the way he excitedly shouted my name in common spaces when he didn't with anyone else and how he seemed to always seize an opportunity to commend me for my character, my intelligence, my compassion, and my talent. I felt special, friends (and roommates/coworkers) speculated a particular spark between us, and in that I dared to hope that *maybe* after all the heartaches I left in the midwest, he could finally be someone good for me.

The first element of the Heat of Passion defense requires that the defendant's reactive conduct of killing someone was reasonable compared to how someone else of similar characteristics in similar circumstances might have responded.

And I think any woman like me, being treated the way Khalil treated me, and taking into account the kind of man Khalil seemed to be -someone who claimed to be honest, "committed to community service like it was [his] religion," a philosopher and lover of authentic lovely things - would have been head over heels for him. Our natural chemistry and common interests, our beliefs and ambitions that seemed to sharpen each other like iron sharpening iron, even our similar people-pleaser tendencies and appreciation for sarcasm, all seemed too meaningful. Not to mention the trust, care, and respect we clearly held for each other - Khalil repeatedly noted how much he respected me, something I had never been told from a man before. Between January and March, we were on the phone at least once a week for "professional development counseling."

I think anyone might have wondered if maybe our relationship was more than just "work friends."

I mean his ex-girlfriend, who happened to be my roommate's zone manager, certainly wondered so - but I'll get back to that part later.

Friends old and new advocated for hope of something good growing between us - that "maybe you finally met someone meant for you."