#it could be worse than dai and i'll be there day one

[weaselle]

Early human match ups with animals

Wolves: have a very similar social structure and lifestyle as early humans, benefit greatly from group dynamics -- teaming up with humans allows them greater access to food at less risk, safer sleeping, higher pup survival rate, better protection from the environment. One wolf eats about as much food as one person, so it's a normal member to add to the group in terms of resources.

Cats: have some amount of social overlap (cat sisters often help raise each other's kittens, and grouping approaches common in some cat species, notably in lions, but also for example in cheetahs, where brother cheetahs often stay together for life in groups of up to 4). Humans are HUGE prey attractors for them, drawing in rodents in large numbers - also meaning people don't have to give up their own food to feed them. Human housing is safer from the elements, keeps competitors and dangers like snakes and larger cat species away. Associating with humans gains special grooming and healing unavailable to wild species, such as draining and cleaning abscesses caused by infected bug bites or, very importantly, feeding and caring through a major illness or injury. A wild cat with a broken leg will often die, a human's cat with a broken leg will live to hunt again.

Goats (which we actually turned into Sheep): Herd structure similar enough to human social structure as to be compatible. Guaranteed food during winter and other times of scarcity -- and none of it is human food. Higher offspring survival rate, robust protection from predators and the elements. Horses : same. Cows: same. Deer/caribou: same but a little less so, actually surprisingly good at both fight and flight (cows, specialize in fight, horses specialize in flight) often travel more distance for resources so have better access during lean times; can match but less beneficial to the deer.

Other animals be like

Big cats like Tigers: Why the fuck are there so many of you in one place. This cold doesn't bother me at all because i'm so big my core stays warm. Just what do you think i need protection from? I'm super capable of feeding myself, and even if food is scarce? you have to sacrifice enough food to feed several people to keep me fed, which is a bummer for your group if food is scarce, and i cannot eat your stored food like dried fruits and grains. Your lifestyle is incompatible with mine, i hate everything about being forced to live with you and also it doesn't benefit me at all. Lions: yeah, plus I already have all the group dynamic benefits you could offer me, you're actually the weakest link in my group, be careful or we might outnumber you, being near us all the time greatly increases the number of times murderous male lions attack this group

Bears: Listen. Even if i get injured i'll just eat something that doesn't run from me until i heal (some brown bear populations spend a couple months a year mainly eating moth colonies, they will eat anything, including moss and fungus). This makes me a direct competitor for ALL you food, btw. Speaking of which it takes like 15 people's worth of food to keep me fed. If i get angry someone is definitely going to die. Protection? from what? The most dangerous thing to a bear is another bear, so also you can't really have more than a couple of me in any group, and staying near me greatly increases the chance of some territorial wild bear rolling up to camp with murder on their mind. What do you meeeean keep wandering around actively instead of sleeping in one spot for months at a time? My life is literally worse with you than without you, and your life is probably worse with me around too.

Weasels: Fuck off you can't keep up with me i eat half my body weight in food every day and bite everything near me. Try to contain me and see what happens i'm made out of teeth and murder and cleverness, and destruction of property and theft are my favorite games and i'm basically always bored unless i'm hunting or fighting or fucking with something. What do you meeeean hold still for 30 seconds now i'm mad and you'll basically have to kill me to stop me from going after whatever i want forever. I will absolutely try to murder every other animal you associate with no matter what size it is, and i will totally also eat all of your other food too because i love fruits and fungus and anything else you like to eat probably - you can't keep me out of your food stores and what i don't eat in the moment i'll steal and hide in my own stash for later. Excuse me now i have to sleep for 18 hours i do not understand why you want to keep doing things for so much of the day.

Don't ask me about ferrets they must have been bought with rodent hunting opportunities like the cats, total fluke if you ask me (ferrets are, in fact, domesticated, after more than two thousand years of human intervention. And it's kind of weird that it happened but i think they were the exact right size to make it work)

I think it's a common misconception that domesticating animals is somewhat like enslaving them. It really is more of a symbiotic relationship. No wild animal would have willingly put up with early humans if they didn't get something out of it. Wolves wouldn't have stayed with us and become dogs if they weren't getting food and safety out of it. Many large herbivores that are now domesticated could and would have easily trampled their early human captors or broken their enclosures open if they didn't have a reason to stay. Sometimes individual animals still do if we don't give them what they need.

The animals that have stayed with us for thousands of years have evolved to cooperate with us better. Dogs have additional facial muscles around their eyes that wolves lack in order to mimic human facial expressions. Sheep grow their wool perpetually while their wild counterparts don't because a bigger fleece means they're more likely to be allowed to breed and be kept around. Domestic dairy cows produce much more milk than wild bovine species and domestic hens lay more eggs. Do you know how energy costly producing eggs or milk is for an animal? It's pretty intense! They wouldn't be able to do that if we hadn't given them the food and safety from predators and the elements to.

And we really need to show these animals respect and gratitude for what they give us by taking excellent care of them. They gave up a lot to be with us, often including the means to take care of themselves in the wild. That's a huge reason why I'm not against using animal products, but I hate factory farming. They are still living, breathing creatures with needs and feelings. They deserve a comfortable life and, when the time comes, a humane death.

[rablovergirl]

thank you for all you do for us (virgin James enjoyers)

as a jirgin enjoyer I must do my duty🙏

(and ofc use this ask as an excuse to talk more about jirgin)

James who slept with women but never a man. He was cocky about how good he was in bed, how the women he slept with never left any complaints. Then he starts sleeping with regulus and learns that sleeping with a man is a very different thing. He can't even take to fingers in his mouth without gagging around them, and he's just so embarrassed.

"I thought you were good at this Jamie? You might as well be a virgin. Don't worry darling, you'll get better, I'll train you so well."

Also love the idea of regulus about to sit on James' cock but James comes all over his ass/cunt before regulus can do anything. So Reg makes the only logical choice he can and sits on James face so he can "clean his mess up like a good boy."

James who can't stop thinking about sex with regulus and everything turns him on. He keeps leaving throughout the day to have a wank. It happens way too often, he knows that, but he can't help it. So he finds a spare broom cupboard, or the showers or obviously his bed. But then Regulus walks in on him one day and starts questioning him.

"how many times have you snuck off to pleasure yourself hm? Bet your hands dont do a better job than I do, do they? No of course not. Why didn't you come find me, baby? I could have helped you."

James who is so easy to read when he's horny because he doesn't know how to hide it yet and then becoming even more flushed because everyone must know. Regulus making it worse by palming him under the table but giving nothing away himself.

anyway ty for the ask <3

[zhuoyichenpretty]

Ep 22-23 Commentary

Ha...I was inexplicably nervous for eps 22-23 and it looks like I was right to be (-: What a rollercoaster. Spoilers below!

I've just come out of ep 23 and uh????? holy shit????? ZYC????

Ok ok but to backtrack, let's do my comments semi-chronologically:

Ep 22:

A carry-over from ep 21 that I have to mention—heck yeah PSJ give WZY hell. She doesn't have all that many lines but she sure knows how to make them count. Also seeing PSJ and WX get screen time just the two of them makes my brain go "yay <3"

Back to ep 22, loved the fake-out sundial ayeee that was a nice Chekhov's gun that also brings the real sundial back into relevance for later. Also me eating up the PSJ and ZYC crumb of an interaction has brought to my attention how starved I am of their screen time together.

This whole ep was a great lament towards the feared inevitable. Every sad downcast look from ZYC, every complicated glance WX gives him. A wonderful, terrible crossroads for these characters. I love that for ZYC especially, it's such an incredible mess of emotion coming to a head. Bad enough that he's come to care about the demon who killed his family and ruined his life, bad enough that he's sworn a blood oath he regrets and tied himself to punishing someone he no longer finds culpable, bad enough that ZYZ's life or death depends solely on his choice and ZYZ is constantly practically begging for death when ZYC wants him to live. How much immensely worse it makes the whole situation that WX is literally ZYZ's soulmate. And obviously the whole team has only grown more and more attached to ZYZ, too. ZYC's personal turmoil aside, how heavy must that responsibility and guilt be? For the finishing blow that only he can deliver to also deeply threaten every other person he cares about? Everyone understands in the abstract what must happen and why, but just like seeing ZYZ lose control firsthand, the gulf between understanding and experiencing is so unimaginably wide. If he kills ZYZ, can there really be no resentment from his friends? From WX?

Also it seems ZYC only wears cloaks so that he can give them to other people lmao

Ah fuck, the farewell drinks. I didn't even factor in how ZYC might not survive the encounter (''': The drama truly was like hm can we possibly give ZYC a worse day than that night his whole fam died? Maybe give him a bunch of new family members and also the blade and the fate and the sole responsibility to potentially irrevocably scar said family members with? And he might die in the process too? (-: haha maybe? (((-:

Oh. Oh. Addendum. I forgot this til I saw it mentioned in another post—ZYC recounting his oath as he watched WX smile when they discussed reviving the tree...I could feel him weighing those words against his own life, against ZYZ's life, against WX's happiness. One way out of this impossible situation is indeed to doom himself. I'm in pieces.

Damn if WX isn't dedicated heart and soul, going into the sundial like that. I'm sad no one could keep her company for those 300 years but also I guess that's kind of an impossible ask (and maybe not survivable for the other non-goddess mortals? I'm admittedly very unclear on sundial time loophole logistics). It would have been nice to see someone offer though, even just to be turned down.

Ooh I like the soul needle fake-out, given this show's penchant for retroactive "actually we had a plan all along" moments. A good subversion of the narrative's own style.

Also I saved this for the end because it doesn't really fit the linearity of my comments but what the fuuuuuuuck oh my god I absolutely flipped out at this scene:

I am at once rabidly intrigued and at the same time not sure if I'll be satisfied with whatever payoff will come for this so I don't want to overindulge in theorizing and setting my own expectations too high. Maybe this is just a fevered hallucination, maybe it means nothing (I hope it means something). But damn!!! What a gorgeous man crazy scene.

In conclusion, ep 22 had some good stuff for me. Plot development and reflection and tension enough that I may have been satisfied with just that one episode. But they gave us two, so onward to ep 23 comments!

Ep 23:

I like how many solid reasons the team has to suspect ZYC being possessed. Even though I withheld judgment during my watch given how quickly the show usually confirms that kind of stuff with a possession mark, just simply casting that doubt made the whole build up that much more intense.

ZYC slowly walking down the corridor with the whole grounds lit a somber and haunting gold—*chef's kiss*

ZYC's monologue to a catatonic ZYZ is so important to me. The closest we'll get to his internal monologue about this whole situation. The kinds of things said when we think there's no conscious listener.

Okay so, having finished this episode and looking back, Li Lun's hands coming up from behind ZYC was not to denote possession (at least in this episode), potentially is a visual from ZYZ's POV, and seems related to the above screencap. I am so, so curious. Once again, I'm stopping myself from further speculation because I want to be surprised but ahhhhhhhhh

PSJ shooting at Ao Yin is so gorgeous. Her action scenes seriously never disappoint—the creativity of her fight choreos!! Also very cool that the whole team is getting to take part in the action, not just the two male leads.

Bai Jiu possession was not on my bingo card but I sure do love that we literally saw the possession take place and I still didn't connect the dots. Good shitttt. Also oh no ): ZYC was telling the truth about the soul needle, he was just tricked ):

Seriously from the Ao Yin case to getting PSJ released to reviving the Divine Wood to getting tricked by possessed!Bai Jiu to making pear soup to fighting ZYZ to fighting Li Lun—when will ZYC get a single goddamn vacation day holy shit.

Also when will WX tear up that contract so ZYZ can stop having a mild heart attack every time he wants to kiss her ): &I love that they saved the 300-year montage for this moment. While their ship doesn't give me brainrot personally, who could be unmoved by that incredible and undisclosed sacrifice? That's soulmatism.

Okay, I'd seen clips of them filming the ZYC and Li Lun fight but damn I did not expect it'd be happening right now!! Right after already taking damage from ZYZ? And my god is Li Lun brutal. The two actors did such an impressive job on this entire fight, what with Li Lun's ease and ZYC's suffering. I really appreciated the extensive hand-to-hand combat after Li Lun literally obliterated ZYC's sword. (Also though, given the origin of that sword, I kept hoping for a flashback to ZYC's brother once it broke, but alas, no dice.) Anyway, the show does not play around about ZYC whump it seems. I was very very shook by that throat punch; that shit legitimately looked like it hurt.

Honestly, I had a hard time with the extended ZYZ and Li Lun conversation at the very end because oh my god someone please heal ZYC lmao. But of course, that's the end of the episode~~

Y'all...check on your local ZYC stans because I was not okay after all that (': I need a heaping dose of comfort after all that hurt, but as always I'm cautious of hoping for much from canon itself. So yeah! Ep 23 was solid, but I would probably be in better shape if today's release just ended on ep 22 ((':

Time to go wait for the cast's Hi6 episode to drop so I can heal my battered heart ;-;

[osamusbigtits]

it's an odd day for motoya. he's spending time with osamu and osamu alone. they haven't really gotten much one on one time. typically, suna is with them. suna is the one who brought motoya into the relationship.

but sitting here on the couch, watching a cheesy romcom with osamu, motoya wonders if he's doing it wrong. this whole dating his boyfriend's boyfriend thing.

osamu's been very involved with suna and motoya. and motoya never minds; in fact, he loves the added attention. he's gotten time alone with suna, for then to talk and explore and figure things out.

but motoya isn't quite sure where he stands with osamu.

motoya chances a glance over at the man. osamu sits casually, legs spread and an arm thrown on the back of the couch. he checks his phone with every occasional ping. motoya assumes there's a myriad of things osamu must worry about ranging from his restaurant to his twin brother.

motoya checks his phone to a rather apparent lack of notifications. he frowns.

osamu sits up and stretches. motoya shamelessly watches the flex of osamu's muscles and his eyes dart to osamu's tummy when his shirt lifts up and exposes the skin.

"hungry?" osamu asks.

motoya takes a moment to collect himself. "I could eat," he manages to reply.

osamu hums and stands up. "I'll whip us up something real quick, darling," he says and walks away. motoya's face flushes at the pet name.

motoya brings his focus back to the movie. he gets easily immersed in the story. he loves a good romcom, especially one where the main character is stuck in an internal battle of what man to choose.

"there's a clear answer," motoya mutters to himself as the main character hashes out her grievances to her best friend. "the one tried hitting on your best friend."

"you're so cute," a voice appears beside motoya, making him jump. osamu laughs. "sorry, didn't mean to scare you. here you go." he hands over a plate. some rice with some beef in a sauce.

motoya takes the plate happily, always excited to eat osamu's cooking. "nah, I'm just jumpy," motoya says, brushing osamu off.

motoya takes a bite of food and hums in pleasure as the flavors dance along his tongue. even something so simple can taste so good. it makes motoya a little jealous. his cooking skills extend to basic meals, mostly being able to heat up a frozen meal.

"that good?" osamu asks.

"I don't know how you do it," motoya mumbles, taking another bite. "but everything you make is heavenly," motoya finishes with a sigh.

osamu laughs, but when motoya sneaks a look over, he can sew a faint blush on osamu's cheeks.

motoya hesitates. he should ask osamu about cooking, right? why does this feel worse than a first date?

"what got you into cooking?" motoya asks. he watches osamu as he continues to eat, hoping that it was a good question to ask.

osamu lights up. "my ma always brought me and tsumu into the kitchen. she thought cooking was an important skill, and it turned into sort of a hobby for me. in high school is when I really started to cook on my own and try to experiment," osamu rambles with a smile on his face.

"oh yeah! suna's talked about how you would make lunches for him."

osamu flushes. "yeah, my crush wasn't subtle."

motoya giggles. "still took suna a while to notice, didn't it?"

osamu smiles. "it did."

they lapse into silence. osamu continues eating peacefully, a small smile on his face. motoya sets his plate down and let's his mind wander.

"what are... I mean, how do you feel about... me?" motoya asks. he keeps his eyes firmly on the tv, even as he feels osamu peering at him.

osamu hums, taking a moment to think.

"I think you're cute and I do like the time we spend together." heat rushes to motoya's face at the simple compliments. "I wouldn't mind getting to know you better or even date you. but I want to put the ball in your court. yknow? I never want to force you into something you don't want."

motoya takes a moment to think. he plays with a loose thread on the couch.

"can we?" motoya asks and meets osamu's eyes. "date. I mean."

osamu searches motoya's eyes and for a moment, motoya wonders if he shouldn't have asked. but osamu smiles, soft and warm like the smiles he gives to suna. warmth rushes through motoya's chest.

"I would love to, sweetie," osamu murmurs. he reaches out and takes motoya's hand.

motoya relaxes. "thank god. I was a little scared you hated me and thought I was ruining your relationship," motoya admits.

osamu laughs and wraps an arm around motoya's shoulders. "please. rin and I don't need any help ruining our relationship. besides, you're too adorable to hate."

motoya weakly pushes osamu's shoulder. "you're too much."

motoya smiles as osamu kisses his cheek.

why didn't he do this sooner?

[haveateadude]

hi again ems!! (hope its okay if i call you that 😭) im the one who sent the last req, you wrote it so wonderfully. thanks for your concerns, wishing you the best !!

no pressure once again!! could you possibly write fluff about els taking you on a lil picnic to a flower field ? thank you once again!! 💗💗

picnic date

summary *. ⋆ ⋆·˚ picnic day with your lover

warnings *. ⋆ ⋆·˚ none, this is pure fluff i think

author notes *. ⋆ ⋆·˚ hey!! omg your welcome to the person who sent this!!! i love uuu. i hope you like this one :)) also it's totally okay to call me em!! please feel free to send more request if you'd like!!!

and i'm so fucking sorry this took too long and it's too short. i've been busy lately but i have a week of online classes bc of some weird shit going on in my country so i hope i'll be able to write more.

have a good day everyone❤️

Ellie takes you on a date. A picnic date, precisely. She knows you've been stressed lately, and she thought taking you out might help take your mind off things—at least for a while. You knew it would be lovely, but not like this. This is beautiful. Going to a flower field has always been on your bucket list, let alone having a picnic with the person you love most.

"Ellie!" you exclaim. "Why did you—I mean… Shit. This is beautiful."

Ellie leaves the basket of food on the blanket, then stands behind you, wrapping her arms around you and placing a kiss on your neck.

"You deserve this," she says, resting her chin on your shoulder as you look out at the flower field. It feels like a dream—dating her has always felt this way. "I hope you enjoy it. It took me a while to find a place like this."

You turn around, and her hands never leave your body; they settle on your hips now. "I love this."

The sun peeks through the clouds and shines directly into her eyes and along the curve of her nose. You’ve always thought she’s pretty—but in moments like this, when it’s just the two of you with nothing to do but enjoy each other’s presence, she looks ethereal. You kiss her, both of your hands on her cheeks.

"Thank you for bringing me here," you say as you both sit down. "Really, you didn't have to."

"I wanted to." She shrugs, smiling. "I thought we should do something nice; it's been a while since we've had time for ourselves."

You lean in for another kiss, which Ellie returns happily.

"God," you say, letting your head rest on her shoulder, "What did I do to deserve you?"

"You're asking me that?" she says, incredulous. "You're the prettiest, smartest, sweetest, and coolest girl I've ever met… How could I not love you? That's the real question."

You feel your cheeks flush, a warm pink spreading across your face as you look up at her. You’ve always thought Ellie was prettier than you—hell, you’ve always thought she was better at everything. She’s smart, beautiful, and always knows what to say. But the way she talks about you always makes you feel like she’s put you on a pedestal, for better or worse.

You chuckle, eyes bright with devotion. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too." Ellie’s the one to kiss you now, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. "I really can't believe I'm dating you."

After you finish eating, you eventually end up with your head resting on her lap. The sun has faded a bit, leaving blue and orange streaks scattered across the sky. It looks beautiful, you think, as Ellie tucks daisies into your hair, braiding a strand every now and then. It feels nice, her fingers brushing against your scalp.

"You look so sleepy, baby," Ellie chuckles, finishing with a kiss on your forehead. "Are you sure you don't want to head back?"

You shake your head and sit up. "Can we stay a while longer?"

Ellie doesn’t answer; she leans in for a kiss and gently guides you both to lie down until your back hits the ground, with her next to you, propped up on one elbow. One of her hands rests on your cheek, her thumb gently caressing your skin as you keep on kissing.

When you pull away, Ellie rests her head on your chest. You wrap your arms around her.

"I think we can stay here a little while longer."

[writeforthepeople]

Summary: You've been working as a producer on Smosh Games for a while now, but working late nights on the upcoming D&D project with Damien gave you both a chance to realize your feelings.

Warning: Very fluffy

Word Count: 2.4k

You walked into work late today, you had been adjusting your hours so that you could stay late and work with Damien on the new D&D series for the SmoshCast channel. He had bookings in the mornings for voice over and it was really the only time that worked. On your way to your desk, you passed Spencer who was wrapped up in a conversation with Marcus but smiled and waved at you as you passed.

You took a seat and spent a few minutes checking your email and replying to a few messages. You felt a tap on your shoulder and turned to see Spencer. "Hey Spence!" You said, spinning your chair to face him. "Hey y/n, did you get my email about tonight?" he asked "No, I am still making my way to the top" you responded with a small chuckle.

"No problem, just letting you know I had something come up and can't make the planning session tonight, but I think you and Damien have it at this point. You are the producer, so I will let you produce and will go over the notes tomorrow". You nodded up at him but your heart sank a little. It meant that you and Damien would be alone..and that made your heart race, despite trying to push that aside for weeks now.

"Ok, yeah I think we have it handled! I appreciate your faith in me" you did appreciate it, this was your first time being lead producer on a smosh show and wanted it to be perfect. "You two have more D&D knowledge than anyone else here. I think I distract from the planning at this point. I will leave you to it though!" he smiled and walked off, leaving you to get back to work. It took you a while to catch up on your inbox and schedule a few meetings, but before you knew it 4pm had snuck up on you and most of the office was heading out for the day.

You said goodbye to a few people as you made your way to the kitchen to get some tea and a snack to bring to the conference room with you. You turned around when you heard someone enter "If it isn't my partner in crime" Damien spoke, grinning and walking your way. You felt the smile stretch across your face instantly. You weren't sure exactly when it happened, but your crush on Damien had really escalated. You always thought he was cute, but this was different, he was occupying so much of your mind and you couldn't seem to shake it.

"I was just grabbing us a snack for our planning session, do you want anything specific?" you asked, even though you knew he would want a water and one of the protein bars Garrett often made for the office. "I'll grab us a few things" he smiled at you "we can't forget a kickstart for our favorite director" he grabbed one from the fridge before you could speak up "Oh! You didn't see his email? He has entrusted us with the rest of the process so you're stuck with just me" you said scrunching your lips together and shrugging playfully. He put the kickstart back in the fridge, "there are worse ways to be stuck" he responded, his face in the fridge still. You were glad, otherwise he would have seen how red your cheeks grew at the comment.

"Ready to get started?" he asked turning around with a few snacks in hand. "Lead the way" you nodded and you both headed to a small conference room. You took a seat next to Damien and started to pull out your notes and you laptop, he did the same. As they went over some backstory ideas and potential plot twists, you couldn't help your heart from racing, the way he spoke was so enthusiastic and authentic that it entranced you. You were lost in explaining your thoughts on the big bad guy for their first trial that you didn't notice how close the two of you had gotten, his knee gently brushing yours as he bounced his leg. You wondered if this was a nervous habit or just a tic. These meetings continued over the next few days, and you found yourself checking the time, just waiting until he came back into the office. Until today when you got a text from Damien.

Damien: Hey Y/N, I forgot my laptop at home and am in a VO session. I know I am asking a lot but is there anyway we could meet at my place tonight for brainstorming? It would take forever for me to make it home to grab my stuff and back to the office? Damien: or we can always rescheduled. I am so sorry! Y/N: You live close to me right? I can just meet you at your place, I have to go that way to go home anyways Damien: Are you sure? That would make things so much easier. I can order us dinner? Y/N: Sounds great! Meet you there around 5? Damien: Perfect. Thanks Y/N

"Ok, no need to panic" you said out loud to yourself. "Why are we not panicking?" you heard Angela behind you. Your cheeks flushed red and you locked your phone. "What? nothing. No reason at all" you shook your head but knew that Angela was not going to let that go. She had become such a close friend, you knew she would read right through that reaction "ahhh, yes, very nonchalant, not suspicious at all." he laughed through the end "come on, dish, I have time to kill" she laid on the couch next to your desk and you looked around "Nothing" you tried to shrug. "I am just going to Damien's for our session tonight instead of here" you tried to play it off cool.

Angela knew you had a small crush on Damien and often teased you for it. "Uhhhh WHAT" she almost yelled. "It's not a big deal" you said, unsure if you were convincing her or yourself. "This is news you tell your best friend y/n" she sat back up on the couch and playfully threw her arms out. "Right, your crush inviting you over to their house to hang out...one on one...is just not news worthy" she said shaking her head at you.

The sigh you let out said it all. Looking around again you caved, needing to talk to someone about this. "That makes it sound like something it isn't. He forgot his laptop at home so it is just easier to meet there. This isn't a ploy at something" you explained "Y/N I am going to hold your hand while I say this" Angela started "The tension between you two the last few weeks has the office going crazy. It is SO obvious. There is no way that this isn't what that is." Just then you saw Amanda walking over "There you are! We are about to start test playing the game for today, you ready?" she said to Angela "Hey Y/N, I miss seeing you in the morning meetings!" she smiled. You have been missing them so you can meet late without working too many hours.

"I should be back on regular hours in a week or so" you admit, Angela pipping up "but for now she has late meetings with Daaaamien" in her sing songy voice. Amanda raised her eyebrows at you "so the rumors are true, the lovebirds are spending more time together?" you were beet red at this point "That is not what is happening, we are working on the new D&D show" they shook their heads walking off "Give in to love Y/N!" Amanda said on her way to the gaming stage.

If that didn't raise your nervous enough, the drive to Damien's would. Were they right? did Damien also have a crush on you or were people just making assumptions like they often do. They used to think that you and Spencer were an item when you weren't.

You weren't sure if you should knock or just text him when I arrived, you had never been to his house before. You decided just to knock, and he opened the door quickly. "Thank you SO much for this" he said, stepping aside to welcome you in "I feel terrible, I hope this wasn't too far out of the way". he spoke kindly as you stepped inside. "It's no trouble at all. It's nice to switch things up from the office anyways" you said, hoping he wouldn't feel so guilty. You looked around the apartment, noticing how well he decorated. "Your place is so nice" you smiled. "Thank you, I do my best" he smiled at you and there was a moment before he spoke again. "Oh I got us dinner, we can work at the dinning room" and he lead the way to the dinning room table. He had gotten ramen and you immediately noticed it was a place that you love. "Oh! I love this place" you said while taking a seat. "I noticed you had ordered it a few times at work. Hopefully I got the right order." your heart started racing again, a feeling you think you are just going to have to get used to. He remembered your favorite meal..and you weren't supposed to read into that for the rest of the night?

You two ate and talked mostly about the locations for the players, building some characters to exist in the various establishments. Damien had so many fun characters planned, it was a little sad knowing many of them likely won't even be seen. Especially with the chaotic cast that would be filling out the players. As things started to wrap up, Damien cleared the table and you followed him to the kitchen "Thanks again for dinner, that was really sweet" you said, setting your water glass in the sink. "Anytime, I'm just glad I got your order right" he said as he leaned against the kitchen island. "So were getting close to submit everything, yeah?" he asked and you nodded. You knew that in reality, you had enough to submit but you didn't want the sessions to end.

"Yeah, I guess we are" you couldn't help but sound a bit sad "I think we make a good team" he said with a smile "I will miss your little brainstorming sessions." he added. "I will too, you really help bring out my creativity" you respond honestly "this project is really fueling that need right now". He looked down for a moment "I think I'll just miss getting to hang out with you" his words made you catch a hitch in your breath. "We- we can hang out anytime" you said, quicker than you had meant to.

"Do you want to stay and...watch a show or something?" you could see he was nervous. "I haven't gotten caught up on ink master yet." he added, knowing that it was one of your favorites.

"I would love that" you smiled, and headed into the living room. You took a seat on the sofa, Damien sitting next to you. He turned on the show and you watched in silence for a while before you spoke up "I love this guys work, I would kill to have him do my next piece" you say, not taking your eyes off the TV. "I didn't know you had any tattoos" he said glancing over at you. "Oh.. yeah I have a few they are just more hidden" you admit, your cheeks blushing slightly. "I have one on my ribcage, it is a quote from my favorite song and a bee but it is on my hipbone. So not quite as many as you but maybe someday" he chuckled. "Well that is really cool, you'll have to show me sometime" he realized the implication of what he said. "Like pictures I mean" his cheeks flushed. "I don't mind showing you!" you said, surprising yourself with your courage.

You stood up and slightly moved down your joggers, revealing your hip tattoo. This felt so much more intimate than you thought it would. Most of the office has seen you in a bathing suit at parties, and even in a hot tub video that you were in for a crew games video. I had a small scar here from an accident and the artist was able to cover over it, so you can still feel the bump" you graze your finger over the area "but not see it so much. It really helped me feel better about my body" you admit, a story you've told before but not directly to Damien. You look down, not wanting to make eye contact after sharing that.

"I think your beautiful" he said, catching you off guard. You look up and he is looking right at you think time. "You do?" you asked, sounding surprised as you sat back down next to him. "I-well" he started "of course I do. I kind of thought that was obvious" he tilted his head slightly and turned his body to face you. "Do you really not know?" he asked, his voice a bit quieter but still making you feel like he was focused on you. "Know what? What do you mean?" You needed him to say it. It wouldn't be real until he did. "Know that I like you" he said, shaking his head. "I thought you knew that already, I know the rumors around the office have made their way to you and I have been going out of my way to spend more time with you"

He started to ramble and you couldn't keep from smiling "Damien" you cut him off "I like you too...I thought YOU knew that" he smiled back. His shoulders relaxed as the stress was alleviated "That is ...such a relief" he said leaning into you a bit. "So you're telling me we've both just been trying to find a subtle way to know if the other person feels the same?" you ask, wanting to almost laugh. Just then, Damien reaches out and lightly touches your face and before you could lean in to the touch, he kissed you. It was soft and sweet, testing the waters, but when you kissed back he leaned in, his fingers cupping your ear and wrapping into your hair. He pulled back slightly "We did, and wasted so much time" he smiled before you kissed him again.

[drrutherford]

"I'm sure he'd have made it his business to find out. Besides, I know you didn't plan it." Gideon replies, treading gently as his youngest sister opens up on her fears and the guilt she feels in relation to her eldest daughter. They'd once waged an entire family war about it, about Théo, but there's no use crying over spilled milk, not years later.

"And the important part, is that Maddie has you." The eldest brother continues, "Think of all the children who have two parents in the mob, neither one able to model a safer standard or a better choice for them, not without seeming hypocritical." Gideon turns the roasting stick to brown the other side of the marshmallow. "You'll bear the stress and the memory of Isabel's birth, but she won't... That's the best thing about being a baby — she won't remember shit." He throws his sister a smile before acknowledging the comment about her new husband. "Could do worse for a father. I'll give him that."

Much, much worse... They both know it.

'Do you worry about Felix? Does he suspect anything yet?'

Gideon turns the question over in his head, a faint grimace on his lips. "Is it bad that I'm more worried about Felix seeing his mom doing drugs than I am about the family business?" At six years old, he isn't sure the boy would even understand the nature or purpose of a mob, but certainly old enough to recognize that Katherine isn't like other mommies. "She obviously denies it, but it scares me to think what he might see when I'm not around. And one day, I know I'll have to worry about our side of the family, too."

"Don't say I didn't tell you so." Maddie would absolutely love it. And a glance at Gideon told her that it might just be exactly what he needed, too. For all that Yvonne had become a regular mass attendee with Félix and his family, she was still pretty iffy on the whole God thing. But, just for a moment, she thanked God that she had Maddie with her.

"I didn't exactly set Maddie up for success with her bio father, did I? I could've just not told Théo, but I bet he still would have figured it out..." Yvonne wrapped her arms around her knees and stared into the fire. The daughter of a French commandant and a Rutherford was always going to have a tricky path in life, even if she only bore one of the names and had no memory of her father. "And Isabel....well she's had to deal with the violence that comes with this world since before she was even born." Deep breath in, slow breath out. "I'm glad they both have Félix, though. I don't remember a time where I was ignorant about our family, but maybe there's a chance we can preserve our girls' innocence for longer."

There was a pause. "Do you worry about Felix? Does he suspect anything yet?"

[leliwardens]

i'll forgive whatever bioware throws into da4 if they make the elf pc a city elf

[kyouka-supremacy]

Mmmhh...

[spocks-kaathyra]

.

[orcelito]

Despite all odds, I have arrived home safely👍

Turns out that the earlier goop was the better goop. The adderall goop. The adderall has worn off now though. So I am. Very incredibly out of it.

But I am home. And I will take my quick shower. And then I will climb into bed.

I do need to eat. But... later...

[medicinemane]

It's amazing how quickly you can make someone turn on your company by making a stupid and insulting move

Force me to go through the front door and scan my card when I have backdoor business that never needed a card before (what? ...I was going to somehow... sneak in and... purchase things with a borrowed card? ...which I totally can't do from the front door after scanning it?)

Or like... twitterify your layout right after your users give you a bunch of money just cause they like you, and then refuse to walk it back

...or all the other things companies do that just kinda piss people off and then they refuse to acknowledge maybe it sucks and is stupid cause "hey, the customers didn't leave"... yeah... yet

[piplupod]

mistakes were made. should not have gone to library today. i will be leaving the house all five days of the week now (plus we went to a waterside on sunday for several hours) and uhm... i feel like i need to go hibernate for several weeks to feel even remotely okay again fhdkdl i am so tired i can barely think enough to string words together in any comprehendable way 🧍<- upset

[adore-gregor]

ugh there it goes

[thedevotionaltour]

I SHOULD HAVE GONE INTO RADIOOOOOOOO

[thecherrygod]

/