#nats match making service

[nataliasquote]

This is a snippet (edited) of Cowgirl Nat 🤠 pls tell me you love her as much as I do. That cocky cowgirl. Puts everyone in their place with a tilt of her hat and a shot from her gun 😏

-⧗-

Natasha pushed the wooden saloon doors open, the heels of her boots clicking against the tiled floor as she sauntered in. Her hat was dipped low over her face and she paused, surveying the room with a smirk before tipping it from her head, allowing her red waves to tumble around her shoulders. They were messy from hours of riding in the wind, but it suited her without fail.

Her green eyes darted across every familiar face, occasionally giving a slight smile if she felt that individual was worth her time. She held every single person in a trance, except the bartender who was all too familiar with her ways.

Natasha strolled up to the bar and leaned her forearms against the dark wood, crossing one leg over the other which accentuated the curve of her hips in her jeans. The brunette on a stool to her right choked on her beer and hid her spluttering mess behind her pitcher.

“My usual please, Barton,” Natasha husked with a wink to the bartender who pushed a bottle in her direction. As old friends, they went way back, and Clint was always delighted when she returned to pay him a visit. “Is this seat taken?”

The brunette, dressed in a plaid button down shirt, shook her head and scooted over, blinking in disbelief that she was being spoken to.

“Thanks darlin’.” If Y/n was stood up, she would have crumbled to the floor at those two words combined with Natasha’s southern drawl. She was new to the area, only stopping through to get her horse’s hooves checked over. But my goodness was she glad she picked this particular bar. She owed Clint Barton a massive favour.

Natasha slid onto the velvet-topped stool and sipped her drink, slender fingers tapping on the glass in her hand. She glanced at the woman to her right, taking her in with a simple flick up and down.

“I’ve not seen you before. You not from around here?” Natasha knew everyone who was anyone in this small town. It wasn’t hard to keep track, really, and visitors became fast spreading news.

“I’m only stopping by. Left my horse down at the stable at the end of town- gotta sort her hooves out.” Natasha nodded, knowing Bishop Stables was widely known for their services. “I’m guessing it’s obvious I’m a stranger?”

Natasha laughed around the rim of her bottle, green eyes sparkling in the dim light. “I know my people,” she replied, gesturing to the full tables behind them. “And I’d remember a face like yours, darling.” Y/n’s suddenly darted from Natasha’s face to the fringe on the waistcoat she wore. Never had she been such a mess in front of a stranger before, but this mysterious redhead was far more than just a regular stranger. She was captivating, and judging by the flirty glances she sent to several women scattered across the bar, she knew it.

“And does a gorgeous woman like you have a pretty name to match?” Natasha turned on her stool completely, resting a bare forearm on the bar in order to give Y/n her full attention.

“I’m Y/n. And you are..?”

“Natasha Romanoff, at your service.” The redhead quickly put her hat on and tipped it forwards, eliciting a laugh from the woman opposite. Clint eyed their interaction as he dried some glasses, grinning to himself at how effective Natasha’s charm truly was. She turned it on with the tip of her hat and a flash of her smile, making men and women alike stop dread in their tracks.

“Hey, Romanoff, give us a dance, will ya?” A leering voice echoed above the general hum of conversation and Y/n watched as Natasha rolled her eyes and adjusted her gun that sat in a holster on her hip.

“Give it up, Stark, you’re barking at a knot.” The man in question jeered at her and banged his beer bottle on the barrel table, several men around him doing the same.

But Natasha just stood up, squared her shoulders and fired her handgun in their direction, the bullet slamming into the wall mere inches above Stark’s head. She blew the smoke off her gun with a cocky smirk and shoved it back in the holster. The entire saloon fell silent, aside from Clint’s mutterings about yet another hole to fix thanks to his fiery friend.

Natasha waited a second longer, almost daring Stark and his guys to test her again. But they didn’t, now only watching her warily as she turned back to her new woman and held out her hand with a small flourish. Her other hand grabbed her hat from the bar and set it atop of her flaming hair.

“How about I show you around? And get you away from these coffee boilers before they start on you too.” Natasha nodded over to Stark’s table and Y/n shuddered, practically smelling their beer breaths from where she was sat.

“You’d do that? I haven’t had much of a chance to look around.” Y/n downed the rest of her drink and slid the pitcher back to Clint with a grateful smile.

Natasha helped Y/n down from her stool and rested her hand on her large belt buckle. “Well, lucky for you darlin’, you’ve got the best tour guide this town has to offer.” Y/n blushed and accepted Natasha’s arm, walking beside her as they stepped out into the blazing midday sun, leaving the darkness of the saloon behind them.

“Where do you want to start?” Y/n looked up and down the sandy street, eyeing the wooden and old stone buildings that faced her.

“You’re the guide, you tell me.” Was that just another reason to hear Natasha speak? Y/n would never admit the answer to that.

Natasha rubbed her hands together. “Perfect. My favourite place… the armoury. If you don’t walk out of there wanting a new pistol, then I really haven’t done my job right.” Natasha set off down the centre of the street, her boots crunching the gravel underfoot. Y/n just blindly followed, her hand resting casually on her gun in case anyone tried to challenge her. Small towns weren’t usually all that accommodating of foreigners, but she’d clearly done something right by befriending Natasha.

Everyone gave them a wide berth, gossiping and whispering to themselves as they passed. But Natasha was extremely well respected, so if she accepted a visitor, everyone else would too. The social hierarchy certainly placed her close to the top. And for Y/n? Well… she was just getting started.

[tgmsunmontue]

Tell me what to write weekend...

Thursday is Anzac Day, a public holiday in New Zealand, and while I am working on Friday I expect to be one of the very people at work and will 100% take advantage of that fact to write fanfic.

So my weekend starts tomorrow after I get home from the dawn service. I still have stuff I need to do but writing is always up there.

NUMBERS:

Online and Anonymous - 2/16 Hangster who are anonymous Grindr buddies for YEARS. (Tumblr post)

More than Movie Magic - Hangster Hollywood AU (4 chapters left)

Sagas of Solitude 2/? - IceMav with side Hangster AU - angsty Nepo!Baby

CURRENT LETTERS:

A, C, D, E, H, I, K... Bingo #1, Bingo #2

A) Where do I know you from? There are too many Jakes and Bradleys for Jake and Bradley to be dealing with. (Tumblr idea unspooling here...)

C) To wake, perchance to dream - Jake wakes up in the future, gets a glimpse of what their life could be and then wakes up back right before being called back to Top Gun for the special detachment (e.g. TGM). (Tumblr post and the beginning of the fic)

D) Together or not at all... (SEQUEL) - Hangster - years after Javy/Nat get together they think their best friends (Hangman and Rooster) could maybe try dating each other. It'll either end in disaster or not.

E) Cyclone/Maverick - Cyclone is struggling to deal with being attracted to the most annoying person he's ever met. Why does he like him so much?

H) Getting to know you from the beginning - an Ice/Mav epistolary fic where Jake and Bradley matchmake them, not realising exactly who it is they've matched together.

I) Life is too short to waste time matching socks... 2/? The peach and eggplant socks as an anonymous gift as an incredibly unsubtle hint that someone would like to fuck them. (tumblr idea unspooling here...)

K) Caring, Keeping and Collecting Transformers - A Guide - Transformers cross-over for help me @yeagrave is 110% to blame for me adding this... (related to this post) (Prologue)

BINGO #1 - Hangster Ranch AU

BINGO #2 - IceMav Florist/Undercover Agent AU

You pick 1-3 of the above and either:

reply

Message

Send an ask (Anon is on)

with the letters/Numbers of the fic/s you wish would hurry up and get finished/posted already. (Yes, you can pick the same one three times - some of these fics are that close to getting finished that would be enough to tip them over, you also don't have to pick more than one).

Numbers indicate fics I am consciously working on updating/completing, and likely have a completion date in mind.

Letters indicate fics that are often getting completed because people ask for me to work on them through things like this. (I usually do this every weekend).

Asterisks represent fics that are most likely soon to become numbered fics.

Doing this keeps me on task and makes me accountable. It stops me from procrastinating and I really appreciate people providing their numbers.

THANK YOU!

[earthmixsclowderofcats]

I think in latest times we got perfect Max Nunew Zee (I don’t remember the event but Nhu was wearing pearly(?) white suit) https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNeTqWJJ4/ https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNeTqo9GF/ I’m in poly heaven

ahhhh, that was exactly the moment i was thinking about when i said zee was possessive and that probably why max keeps his distance. (aside from being kept busy with his own baby.)

i love how zee's boots match nunuew's outfit. but i see him giving max the up and down. that sideways glance at zee to make sure he was looking.

and then zee gets too close and now it's nunuew's turn to get jealous.

oh no. how ever will this problem be solved?

sidenote: i know that it's like, a bit that they're doing. and its very charming anyways that they're all so comfortable with each other. but that hint of jealousy seems real.

nunew gives me brat energy but not as much as yim. i feel like if he were to be wild with any of his coworkers to get zee's attention yim would be the first to offer his services. because i also feel like poor tutor, is 100% into his man being a flirty little minx. (as long as he remembers who he comes home to so to speak)

i am here for max and nununew teaming up against zee though. that man would not stand a chance.

nat has brat energy too, but not to the diva degree nunew has it, or the chaotic gremlin energy yim has. more like he gets cranky and fussy when he's not being paid attention to. and max always gives in so we dont see it often.

the cutie pie polycule agenda gains traction!

[dweemeister]

On Borrowed Time (1939)

As time marches on, certain names that were once synonymous with American drama lose their weight, even among film buffs. In the early twentieth century, the Barrymore siblings – Ethel, John, and Lionel – were celebrated on both Broadway and in Hollywood, each one making a successful transition from the silent era to synchronized sound. The eldest, Lionel, was born in 1878 and was a Hollywood elder statesman when he made 1939’s On Borrowed Time. Directed by Harold S. Bucquet and based on a 1938 play of the same name by Paul Osborn (itself based on a 1937 Lawrence Edward Watkin novel of the same name), On Borrowed Time is a star vehicle for the eldest Barrymore. By the late 1930s, Barrymore had broken his hip twice – never healing properly. As such, he remained wheelchair-bound for the remainder of his life. Physical disablement, even in modern Hollywood, often curtails acting careers. But Barrymore’s home studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), often had their screenwriters find ways to incorporate Barrymore’s disability.

Lionel Barrymore was also in physical pain and depended on cocaine injections to work and sleep. However, this never affected his acting, as he delivers a wonderful lead performance in On Borrowed Time. Those less knowledgeable about this period in Hollywood history will probably only recognize his surname and the acting family he came from. Nowadays, most cinephiles probably only know of Lionel Barrymore through It’s a Wonderful Life (1946; Barrymore played the villainous Mr. Potter). Lionel Barrymore's role as the somewhat foul-mouthed but caring grandfather here offers something completely different.

Mr. Brink (Cedric Hardwicke) is hitchhiking somewhere near a small town in contemporary America. But he is not interested in riding with just anyone:

MAN IN CONVERTIBLE: May I give you a lift, sir? MR. BRINK: Thank you, no. I have an appointment – a lady and gentleman. MAN IN CONVERTIBLE: Oh, I’m sorry. [coughs] I thought you signaled me. MR. BRINK: No. Not yet...

As you may have guessed, Mr. Brink is a personification of death. A few minutes later, he flags down that lady and gentleman and takes their lives in a car accident. That couple are the parents of John “Pud” Northrup (Bobs Watson; best known as Pee Wee in 1938’s Boys Town), who will now live solely under the care of Gramps and Granny (Barrymore and Beulah Bondi) and their housemaid Marcia (Una Merkel). At the memorial service for Pud’s parents, Gramps donates a substantial sum to the church. After learning of Gramps’ generosity, Pud exclaims that his grandfather doing such a good deed should allow him a wish. Gramps’ wish: as a deterrence local children stealing his apples, he wishes that anyone who climbs up his apple tree will be stuck there until he permits them down. Some time later, Mr. Brink arrives at Northrup grandparent homestead for an appointment with Gramps. Gramps tricks Mr. Brink up the apple tree, trapping him there – setting off a series of developments that put Gramps in a moral bind.

In a cast already headlined by character actors, how about some more? On Borrowed Time also features Henry Travers (the guardian angel Clarence in It’s a Wonderful Life) and Nat Pendleton as neighbors, Grant Mitchell as Gramps’ lawyer, James Burke as the sheriff, Charles Waldron as the reverend, and an uncredited Hans Conried (Captain Hook and Mr. Darling in 1953’s Peter Pan) as the man in the convertible.

Elsewhere, away from the camera, one can’t find much of composer Franz Waxman’s (1935’s Bride of Frankenstein, 1951’s A Place in the Sun) string-dominated score anywhere, but this is one of Waxman’s finest scores of his early career.

The opening half-hour of On Borrowed Time are its weakest. Hardwicke’s Mr. Brink has an eerily charismatic first impression that the scenes immediately following it cannot hope to match. Instead of learning more about the nature of Mr. Brink, the film instead shows us some of Pud’s misadventures and his relationship with his grandparents. Strangely, the loss of his parents seems to have had little effect on Pud at all, although his sadness seems to emerge in his contentious relationships with the other local boys and Aunt Demetria (Eily Malyon). Aunt Demetria, shortly after the Northrup parents’ deaths, hatches a scheme to assume guardianship of Pud and attain access to his considerable inheritance. Her designs are so obvious to all that when Gramps and Pud start calling her a “pismire” (literally, a pissing ant), Granny looks the other way when she might otherwise correct their boorish behavior. All of this takes longer to develop than it should (it does not help that Bobs Watson’s performance as Pud feels disjointed, but more on that shortly), even if the opening act primarily serves to show us how close Pud is to his grandparents. Even though we sense where the dramatic stakes are headed, On Borrowed Time almost seems to splinter into another film before we see Mr. Brink again.

In addition, contemporary reviews of On Borrowed Time lambasted screenwriters Alice D.G. Miller (1929’s The Bridge of San Luis Rey) and Frank O’Neill (no other film credits) for sanitizing the language from the original stage play due to the demands of the Hays Code (the self-censorship code that applied to major Hollywood studios from 1934-1968, repealed in favor of the current MPA ratings system). For the record, the text of the stage play was not freely available as I was writing this piece, so I have no means of comparison. Paul Osborn’s On Borrowed Time has only appeared on Broadway thrice: the 1938 original production and short-lived revivals in 1953 and 1991. The play had also been adapted for radio and television.

Compared to those film reviewers during the film’s 1939 release and many modern writers, I tend to be more forgiving if the Hays Code-enforced changes to a film do not significantly alter the spirit of the text. Sure, it would be funnier to hear disparaging language stronger than “pismire” in a 1939 film, but Pud’s and Gramps’ feelings towards Aunt Demetria, the apple-stealing boys, and Mr. Brink are comprehensible in this movie.

The closing two acts of On Borrowed Time draw its strengths from the performances and the narrative’s adoption of fairy tale logic (any film beginning with death flagging down folks he has an “appointment” with is almost always operating under the terms of the fantasy genre). In tandem, Lionel Barrymore and Bobs Watson’s good-humored and loving rapport lift the film above its structural flaws. Barrymore’s Gramps – an American Civil War and Spanish-American War veteran* – is a classic small town curmudgeon, only allowing his bitter exterior to crumble when Granny and Pud are around. Looking to protect Pud from Aunt Demetria, Gramps remains defiant towards the wills of Mr. Brink and the insistent neighbors. Perhaps it is not the greatest Lionel Barrymore performance, but he is always effective.

Bobs Watson, as Pud, is inconsistent anytime he does not share the scene with Barrymore. The explanation for his performance comes from Watson himself: “My dad was the one that really directed me, and I think some of the directors resented it a little bit… I trusted my dad implicitly, so I read the dialogue the way he told me.” His father’s influence results in occasionally overcooked line readings against director Harold S. Bucquet’s vision (MGM’s Dr. Kildare series, 1943’s The Adventures of Tartu), more theatrical than what the scene calls for. But when the scene calls for crying, by golly can Watson (who had a reputation for crying on cue) deliver. And his scenes with Barrymore are beautifully acted, convincingly showing the audience the love between grandson and grandfather.

Sir Cedric Hardwicke, a noted Shakespearean actor, cuts no corners as Mr. Brink. Mr. Brink is aware that, in time, he will keep all his appointments. Hardwicke plays Brink as slightly menacing, always dignified (no one expects that perfect an English accent in rural America), and somewhat aloof to what he probably thinks are childish trivialities and life’s mundane moments. He is the antagonist, but in no way is he the villain of this movie. That belongs to Eily Malyon as Aunt Demetria, a character some compare to Margaret Hamilton’s Mrs. Gulch/Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz (1939; released a little more than a month after On Borrowed Time) due to her temperament and unbending nature. One wishes the film made more use of the always-underappreciated Beulah Bondi as Granny (Bondi very often played elderly mothers and grandmothers, almost always appearing much older than she actually was), too.

Death and loss are two themes currently popular in modern cinema (see: a vast bulk of Pixar’s filmography, 2016’s Manchester by the Sea, 2019’s The Farewell, and a large selection of pieces from any film festival worldwide), but in the early decades of talkies in Hollywood, you would be hard-pressed to find films in which those themes were truly central, not secondary, to the narrative. And when those themes do appear, they appear in the context of fantasy films, like Death Takes a Holiday (1934) and On Borrowed Time. Anecdotally, I suspect the scarcity of major Hollywood movies revolving around death and loss is partly due to the realities of the 1930s and 1940s. Audiences, concerned with a worldwide Great Depression and soon a Second World War, did not seek films ruminating about death and loss and sought escapist fare instead. There was enough despair to go around.

The film that emerges on the back of these performances is thanks to its ability not to concentrate on the fantastical situation the Gramps and Pud find themselves in, but to raise the moral questions that Mr. Brink’s presence – and eventual entrapment – poses. Mr. Brink’s time in the tree results in consequences that Gramps and Pud could not imagine. Gramps’ decision to delay his death for the love of his grandson is concurrently noble and selfish. It is noble in respect to wanting the best for Pud, so that he may live life away from his aunt’s icy attitude and pernicious designs regarding her nephew’s inheritance. But it is selfish in that, as Gramps learns, that Brink’s inability to make any appointments unless he comes down from the apple tree means that almost no living being can die (for spoiler reasons, I am not listing the exceptions here) – even the ones in physical pain. How is Gramps supposed to navigate this situation, in addition to the communal and legal pressures from his neighbors and the police?

A resolution comes abruptly, in a way that devastates Gramps (but would probably make the Brothers Grimm nod in appreciation). On Borrowed Time’s bittersweet ending is deserved, and – as long as the viewer accepts the film’s fantastical premise and rules – will play quite differently for audiences of different ages.

Lionel Barrymore had two daughters with Doris Rankin, his first wife. Barrymore and Rankin lost both daughters in their infancies; neither ever truly recovered from their losses. One wonders what Barrymore thought while making On Borrowed Time, a film that argues for one coming to terms with death, however unfair or untimely its arrival. For a 1939 release (a legendarily glorious year for American cinema), positioning such ideas as the film’s narrative keystone ensures On Borrowed Time a unique spot in the early years of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

My rating: 8/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog. Half-points are always rounded down.

* Gramps describes himself as having fought for the Union. This might make Gramps close to ninety years old, give or take, if we are to believe the film’s self-professed setting!

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

NOTE: This is the 800th full-length Movie Odyssey review I have published on tumblr.

[fantasticpainterunknown]

The Glam House Nashville

Elevate Your Appearance with Lashes & & Brows in Nashville The Art of Lash and Eyebrow Enhancement

At The Glam House in Nashville, we're revolutionizing lash and brow enhancements. These attributes are critical in framing your eyes and defining your appearance. With expert methods, we can considerably change your appearance, boosting confidence and streamlining your everyday routine.

Lash expansions use a semi-permanent solution for longer, fuller lashes without mascara. Independently applied to your all-natural lashes, they create a customized appearance varying from subtle to remarkable. Whether you favor a timeless collection for daily wear or a voluminous collection for unique celebrations, our professional artists customize the aim to your preferences and lifestyle.

Brow shaping and tinting have actually likewise acquired appeal. Clean eyebrows boost facial functions, balance face form, and can even make you look more youthful. Eyebrow tinting is exceptional for those with thin or light eyebrows, supplying a fuller, extra defined look that lasts for weeks.

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Understanding Lash Expansions: Types and Techniques

The Glam House Nashville uses a selection of lash extension kinds and methods to match every choice and eye form. Understanding these alternatives aids you pick the best lash search for you.

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Our lash artists are trained in the most up to date application strategies, using top quality adhesives and extensions to reduce inflammation and make the most of long life. Whether you're getting ready for a special event or simplifying your everyday appeal routine, our group can direct you TheGlamHouse Nashville through picking the perfect lash extensions.

At The Glam House Nashville, we ensure your lash expansions look beautiful and last as long as feasible. Let us aid you accomplish the lash look you've always dreamed of.

The Relevance of Specialist Eyebrow Shaping

Eyebrows considerably change your appearance and expression. Professional brow shaping exceeds eliminating roaming hairs; it's about producing a form that enhances your face and enhances your all-natural beauty. At The Glam House Nashville, we comprehend the art and science behind perfect brows.

We beginning by identifying the ideal shape for your face, taking into consideration elements like face shape, eye positioning, and all-nat

[suhana21]

The Perfect Playlist for Your Dream Wedding: Investing in a Quality Wedding DJ

The wedding day marks a fresh chapter in one's life. It is the event when the whole family comes together to bless and celebrate. So couples plan their dream wedding and want every element flawless, right down to the music. As music plays a vital part in making such an event truly memorable, couples living in Northern Virginia hire the best audio and video service for weddings in Northern Virginia, who can curate the perfect playlist that matches the mood and tone of your wedding. They have a knack for entertaining the guests keep the party going. Considering the top DJ services in Northern Virginia for weddings is definitely a profitable investment, as they can play music that communicates the actual emotions of the couple.

Personalizing Your Playlist 

Imagine the bride walking down the aisle amidst the backdrop music of 'A Thousand Years' by Christina Perri or the joyful song of 'You Make My Dreams' by Hall & Oates during the post-nuptial making the ambiance more upbeat, and the guests hitting the dance floor during the cocktail hours and dancing to the light and catchy tune of 'L-O-V-E' by Nat King Cole or 'Cheek to Cheek' by Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong. Professional DJs identify the musical preference of the couple and ensure their wedding day resonates with the perfect soundtrack. For this, they set up a meeting to create a list of ‘must-play’ songs that reflect the personality and love story of the couple. They curate your wedding playlist for every moment of the wedding making the event more meaningful and memorable! Balancing Genres to Please All Guests

Weddings are attended by family members and friends who belong to different generations. Professional DJ sound service providers in Northern Virginia, know the art of balancing music of different eras that keeps the guest engaged and entertained. They may play some of the handpicked Motown classic hits for the older guests while they play the latest pop anthems for the younger crowd.

Timing Your Playlist for Key Moments

Right from the entry of the bride to the aisle, the first dance, the cake-cutting ceremony, to the cocktail hour, a professional DJ ensures that the right music is played during the entire wedding event. This keeps the flow of the event going.

Collaborating with Your DJ or Band

It is necessary to communicate with the DJs to create the perfect wedding playlist. Once the couple mentions their choice of music, it becomes easier for the DJs to prepare the ideal wedding playlist that can make the wedding unforgettable. Incorporating Guest Requests Thoughtfully

Be it pop, rock, hip-hop, or country, professional DJs can balance guest requests with your planned playlist while keeping the dance floor full and lively. Selecting the Perfect Exit Song

A professional DJ will select the perfect wedding exit song that captures the essence of the couple’s love story and represents the myriad emotions and promises that a wedding conveys.

Preparing a Backup Plan

An experienced DJ knows that not all weddings go as planned. Therefore, they are well prepared with a foolproof backup plan. Be it a technical issue, a last-minute change in the playlist, or a special announcement to be made during the wedding, a professional DJ knows how to handle such situations. Summing Up

A perfect wedding playlist can make a world of difference as a married couple starts their momentous journey together. StratAV Sound & Video Services is one of the top DJ sound service providers in Northern Virginia, curating the perfect compilation of tunes that capture the spirit of your special day.

[govindhtech]

GKE Cluster networking issues and troubleshooting

Typical GKE networking issues and their solutions

The Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) provides a strong and expandable method for managing applications that are containerised. Nevertheless, networking complexity can provide difficulties and cause connectivity problems, just as in any distributed system. This blog post explores typical GKE networking issues and offers detailed troubleshooting methods to resolve them.

The following are some typical GKE connectivity problems google cloud encounter:

Problems with GKE Cluster control plane connectivity

Perhaps because of network problems, pods or nodes in a GKE cluster are unable to reach the control plane endpoint.

GKE internal communications

Within the same VPC, pods cannot reach other pods or services: In a GKE cluster, every pod is assigned a distinct IP address. The functionality of the application may be impacted by a disruption in connectivity between pods within the cluster.

Pods cannot be reached by nodes, or vice versa: A GKE cluster can contain numerous nodes to divide the workload of applications for scalability and dependability. A single node can host multiple pods. Nodes may not be able to communicate with the pods they host due to network problems.

Issues with external communication

Pods are unable to access online services: Issues with internet connectivity may make it impossible for pods to use databases, external APIs, or other resources.

Pods cannot be reached by outside services: It’s possible that services made available by GKE load balancers are unavailable from outside the cluster.

Interaction outside of Cluster VPCs

Resources in other VPCs are inaccessible to pods: When pods need to communicate with services in a different VPC (either within the same project or through VPC peering), connectivity problems could occur.

Pods are unable to access on-site resources: When GKE clusters must interact with systems in the data centre of your business, issues may arise (for example connecting over VPN or Hybrid Connectivity).

Steps for troubleshooting

Should you experience a connectivity problem in your Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) environment, there are particular actions you may take to resolve the issue. Kindly consult the troubleshooting tree provided below for a thorough rundown of the suggested troubleshooting procedure.

Step 1: Check for connectivity

A diagnostic tool called connectivity tests allows you to verify that network endpoints are connected to one another. In addition to examining your configuration, it occasionally carries out real-time dataplane analysis between the endpoints. It will assist in confirming whether the network path is accurate and whether any firewall rules or routes are preventing connectivity.

Step 2: Identify the problem

Make sure your GKE cluster and GCE VM are on the same subnet. Check if this virtual machine can connect to the external endpoint.

If you can connect from the virtual machine, your GKE settings is probably the problem. If not, concentrate on networking VPCs.

Step 3: Examine and correct your GKE setup

Examine the connection using a GKE node. Look into the following areas if it functions from the node but not from a pod:

IP Scamming: Verify that it is operational, enabled, and that the ip-masq-agent configmap matches the configuration of your network. The endpoint destination should permit traffic from the pod ip range since communication to the destinations specified in “nonMasqueradeCIDRs” in the configmap yaml is transmitted with source as pod ip address rather than node ip address. Traffic to all default non-masquerade destinations is routed via pod ip address if there is only an ip-masq-agent daemon operating and no configmap for ip-masq-agent. Egress NAT policies will be used to setup this for Autopilot clusters.

Network Guidelines: Check the rules of entry and exit for any possible obstructions. If you’re using Dataplane V2, turn on logging.

IPtables: The rules of working and non-working nodes should be compared. You might run “sudo iptables-save” on the specific output node to use it.

Mesh of services: Consider trying with istio-proxy injection disabled for a test pod in the namespace if you are using Cloud Service Mesh or Istio in your environment to see if the problem persists. If sidecar injection is off and connectivity still functions, the service mesh setup is probably the problem.

Note: Certain procedures, which are only applicable to Standard Clusters, such as verifying IP tables or testing connections from the GKE node, will not function with GKE Autopilot Clusters.

Step 4: Identify problems unique to a node

If a certain node’s connectivity is lost:

Compare the setups: Make sure the working nodes match.

Verify the use of resources: Check for problems with the CPU, RAM, or cache table.

Gather the sosreport from a faulty node. This might facilitate RCA generation.

If the problem was limited to GKE nodes, you may apply the logging filter that is described below. To find any prevalent errors, narrow the search down to a certain timestamp. Troubleshooting can be aided by the presence of logs such as connection timeout, OOM kill (oom_watcher), Kubelet is unhealthy, NetworkPluginNotReady, and so on. You can look up additional comparable queries by using GKE Node-level queries.

Step 5: Take care of correspondence with outside parties

Make sure  Cloud NAT is turned on for both pod and node CIDRs if you’re having issues with external connectivity with a private GKE cluster.

Step 6: Resolve connectivity problems with the control plane

Depending on the type of GKE cluster (Private, Public, or PSC based cluster), connectivity from nodes to the GKE cluster control plane (GKE master endpoint) varies.

When it comes to troubleshooting common connectivity issues, including executing connectivity tests to the GKE cluster private or public control plane endpoint, most of the processes for confirming control plane connectivity are identical to those described above.

Apart from the aforementioned, confirm that the source is permitted in the control plane authorised networks and that, in the event that the source is located outside of the GKE cluster’s region, global access to the control plane of the cluster is enabled.

Make that the cluster is formed with –enable-private-endpoint if routing traffic from outside GKE has to reach the control plane on its private endpoint alone. This attribute shows that the control plane API endpoint’s private IP address is used to govern the cluster. Please be aware that regardless of the public endpoint option, pods or nodes within the same cluster will always attempt to connect to the GKE master via its private endpoint only.

Pods of cluster B will always attempt to connect to the public endpoint of cluster A when accessing the control plane of a GKE cluster A with its public endpoint enabled from another private GKE cluster B (such as  Cloud Composer). Therefore, they must ensure that the private cluster B has  Cloud NAT enabled for outside access and that Cloud NAT IP ranges are whitelisted in control plane authorised networks on cluster A.

In summary

The preceding procedures cover typical connectivity problems and offer a basic framework for troubleshooting. In case the issue is intricate or sporadic, a more thorough examination is necessary. For a thorough root cause study, this entails gathering packet captures on the impacted node (applicable only to standard cluster) or pod (applicable to both autopilot and standard cluster) at the moment of the problem. Kindly contact  Cloud Support if you need any additional help with these problems.

Read more on Govindhtech.com

[akrnd085]

Comprehensive Guide to Linux Firewalls: iptables, nftables, ufw, and firewalld

In the dynamic landscape of network security, firewalls play a pivotal role in fortifying systems against potential threats. Within the Linux ecosystem, where robust security measures are paramount, understanding and navigating tools like iptables vs ufw ,nftables and firewalld becomes crucial. This comprehensive guide aims to delve into the intricacies of each tool, shedding light on their core concepts, functionalities, and use cases.

iptables: Understanding the Core Concepts Overview of iptables: Iptables stands as a cornerstone tool for controlling firewalls on Linux systems. Operating directly with the Linux kernel for packet filtering, iptables provides a versatile but verbose interface.

Organizational Structure: The organizational structure of iptables involves tables, chains, rules, and targets. Three primary tables — filter, nat, and mangle — categorize rules. The filter table manages incoming and outgoing packets, nat facilitates Network Address Translation (NAT), and mangle is employed for advanced packet alteration.

Default Policies and Rule Creation: By default, iptables adds rules to the filter table, with default policies for INPUT, OUTPUT, and FORWARD chains set to ACCEPT. Security best practices recommend setting at least FORWARD and INPUT policies to DROP. Loopback interface access is usually allowed, and established or related connections are accepted.

Example Rules for Common Protocols: Allowing HTTP and HTTPS traffic: sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp — dport 80 -j ACCEPT sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp — dport 443 -j ACCEPT Allowing SSH traffic for remote access: sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp — dport 22 -j ACCEPT Common iptables Options: Iptables provides various options for rule management, including -A or –append, -I or –insert, -D or –delete, -P or –policy, -j or –jump, -s or –source, -d or –destination, -p or –protocol, -i or –in-interface, -o or –out-interface, –sport or –source-port, –dport or –destination-port, and -m or –match.

Advanced Features in iptables: Iptables offers advanced features such as NAT, interface bonding, TCP multipath, and more, making it a versatile tool for complex network configurations.

nftables: The Next Generation Firewall Overview of nftables: Nftables emerges as a user-friendly alternative to iptables, offering a more logical and streamlined structure. While positioned as a replacement for iptables, both tools coexist in modern systems.

Organizational Structure in nftables: Nftables adopts a logical structure comprising tables, chains, rules, and verdicts. It simplifies rule organization with various table types, including ip, arp, ip6, bridge, inet, and netdev.

Setting Default Policies and Example Rules: sudo nft add rule ip filter input drop sudo nft add rule ip filter forward drop sudo nft add rule ip filter input iifname “lo” accept sudo nft add rule ip filter input ct state established,related accept sudo nft add rule ip filter input tcp dport {80, 443} accept sudo nft add rule ip filter input tcp dport 22 accept Common nftables Options: Nftables options include add, insert, delete, chain, ip saddr, ip daddr, ip protocol, iifname, oifname, tcp sport, tcp dport, and ct state.

nftables vs iptables: While nftables provides a more streamlined approach, both tools coexist, allowing users to choose based on preferences and familiarity.

ufw: Simplifying Firewall Management Overview of ufw: Uncomplicated Firewall (ufw) serves as a frontend for iptables, offering a simplified interface for managing firewall configurations. It is designed to be user-friendly and automatically sets up iptables rules based on specified configurations.Ufw not only simplifies iptables but also integrates well with applications and services. Its simplicity makes it an ideal choice for those who want a quick setup without delving into intricate firewall configurations. Moreover, ufw supports application profiles, allowing users to define rules specific to applications.

Enabling ufw and Example Rules: sudo ufw enable sudo ufw allow 80/tcp sudo ufw allow 443/tcp sudo ufw allow 80,443/tcp Checking ufw Status: sudo ufw status firewalld: Dynamic Firewall Configuration Overview of firewalld: Firewalld streamlines dynamic firewall configuration, featuring zones to declare trust levels in interfaces and networks. It comes pre-installed in distributions like Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Fedora, CentOS, and can be installed on others.Firewalld excels in dynamic environments where network configurations change frequently. Its zone-based approach allows administrators to define different trust levels for various network interfaces.

Opening Ports with firewalld: sudo firewall-cmd — add-port=80/tcp — permanent sudo firewall-cmd — add-port=443/tcp — permanent sudo firewall-cmd — add-port=80/tcp — add-port=443/tcp — permanent sudo firewall-cmd — reload sudo firewall-cmd — list-ports Conclusion: Linux firewalls, comprising iptables vs ufw, nftables and firewalld, offer robust defense mechanisms for network security. While iptables and nftables cater to experienced users, ufw and firewalld provide simplified interfaces for ease of use. The choice of tools depends on user expertise and specific requirements, ensuring a secure and well-managed network environment. This extended guide provides additional insights into ufw and firewalld, enhancing your understanding of Linux firewall tools for configuring and securing systems effectively.

[nat20marketing]

Welcome to part two of this week’s Nat 20 Marketing!

In the last post, we covered what makes a BIG IDEA good. Part of a successful delivery comes from knowing the audience’s needs and where to find them. The other critical part is choosing the right tone and right message for it.

What are tones and why do they help in marketing?

To simply put, tones give messages an emotional touch and help the recipient picture the scenario better. A birthday party should be a happy occasion, so the invitation should sound joyous and exciting. A funeral is a serious and sad occasion, so it would be much better to sound sincere when asking people to visit the memorial service. If the tones are not used correctly, the message is going to sound jarring and possibly triggering. When people say “read the room”, it means using the right tone and saying the right things at the right time to match the emotions and energy of others.

I have seen promotional campaigns for charities and I have a rather personal gripe against the tones the organizations usually use to send their messages. Some organizations prefer showing the harsh reality of what is happening to those in need in addition to using severe and depressing tones. The use of people’s empathy is often highly effective in marketing. It helps raise awareness and catch people’s attention extremely quickly. Despite this, I find these advertisements to be rather guilt-tripping and manipulative. Whether this take on marketing for not-for-profit organizations is ethical or not is subjective, but as a consumer, I will be brutally honest here: I tend to skip these advertisements in a heartbeat and if I can, I will also send a report to whichever platform I am currently on that I am not interested in such promotions.

So how do we make tones obvious for text-based communication?

Over the pandemic, we have all gotten used to online chatrooms and forums to replace in-person conversations. As a moderator for a rather popular server on Discord, I have since recognized the importance of tone usage. Let’s use the example of “Guess what happened last night” here to demonstrate. Without the tone, you can’t really guess what possibly could have happened and what the appropriate response should be. Your friend could have broken up with their significant other (sad), or your friend received a thoughtful surprise gift from their loved one (happy). Neurodivergent people have already struggled to detect tones when they converse with others face-to-face for a long time. The lack of tone in text is worse for essentially everyone.

As an avid online chatter, I find the use of emojis and tone indicators to be quite useful in solving this problem. Emojis are little pictures that show emotions and reactions. We are starting to see more companies adopting emojis into their social media posts to generate excitement and become a closer part of the community they serve. However, it’s not always that marketers can use emojis in their messages. For B2B companies, it is almost impossible to do so since emojis are often perceived to be casual and unserious. It is extremely dependent on the brand image whether using emojis to emphasize tones is a feasible solution.

The next best option is the proper choice of words. Language is evolving all the time. Ten years ago, we wouldn’t be seeing phrases like “slay queen” and “poggers”. Now, the word “cook” doesn’t always mean “preparing food”. People have started to use it for “making things into reality”. I can even say what I’m doing right now is “cooking up a blog post”. I wouldn’t use the word “cook” this way if I am writing a professional email to my senior at work, but I would use it when I’m talking with my friends. Using the right tone and the right words for the right occasion is the key takeaway.

Perhaps a blog post by a video game company would use words that are more formal, but daily social media updates should sound far more casual and even humorous given the audience is often gamers and from both Millenials and Gen Z. We can take a look at Larian Studios’ posts and replies on X. The studio uses a good mix of images, gifs, emotes, and casual phrases to connect with its customers (i.e., the players) every day. When Larian Studios was celebrating its achievements after the Game Awards last year, the tones were more heartfelt and thankful for the community’s overwhelming love and support.

Okay, and what about the message content itself?

As mentioned in the previous blog, people’s attention span has declined significantly over the past two decades. Short videos that are no longer than a minute have become the most popular media for content creators to reach their audience. People multitask all the time. They can be working on a research report, watching a YouTube video, and replying to their friends on WhatsApp all at the same time. A short, catchy slogan or even a musical tune is probably one of the best tactics to have people remember the brand.

A few years ago, I watched an advertisement by PepsiCo called STACK YOUR SLEIGH. It was a very short video but it left an extremely memorable impression because of the song that was rewritten and sung in it. I still remember it to this day to use it as an example. The video was made for the holiday season, so the company chose an uplifting Christmas carol classic as the base. The advertisement was rather well-received judging from the positive comments on YouTube. Even without watching the video itself, the audience can already easily tell what occasion the commercial was targeting. On the contrary, if PepsiCo chose Silent Night as the base, it might not have worked as well due to the slow and peaceful tone. This directly links back to the key point of this blog post: CHOOSE THE RIGHT TONE FOR THE RIGHT MESSAGE.

This is it for this week’s Nat 20 Marketing. Stay tuned for next week’s post on Right Message, Right Time, Right Place!

[technology--2]

Strategic Karma Management: Fostering Ethical Excellence in Business Operations

The quest of success in the complex web of contemporary business involves more than just monetary rewards; it also involves moral decisions and accountable behavior. An emerging idea that is becoming more and more popular in business circles is karma management, which encapsulates the idea of matching moral values with commercial practices. The idea of karma management is explored in this article along with how it relates to important services like National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS), statutory compliance services India, supplier audit services, finest talent acquisition firms, and statutory compliance services.

The Foundation: Best Talent Acquisition Companies

Ethical Hiring Practices: At the heart of karma management lays the strategic acquisition of talent through the best talent acquisition companies. These agencies specialize not only in identifying candidates with the requisite skills but also in aligning organizational values with those of potential hires. Ethical hiring practices contribute to the creation of a workforce committed not only to professional excellence but also to ethical and responsible business conduct.

Nurturing a Positive Corporate Culture: The best talent acquisition firms are essential to fostering a healthy work environment. By selecting applicants who share the organization's values, these businesses help to create a workplace that encourages cooperation, diversity, and moral decision-making. This makes a positive business culture an essential element of karma management.

Supplier Audit Services: Extending Ethical Responsibility

Ethical Supply Chains: Supplier audit services, which include supply chains in the company environment, are essential to karma management. These services are essential for assessing and verifying vendors' moral conduct. Organizations can demonstrate their commitment to moral business conduct and responsible sourcing by conducting thorough audits.

Building Ethical Partnerships: Conducting supplier audits encourages cooperative and moral relationships between companies and their suppliers. In this case, karma management entails actively collaborating with suppliers to raise ethical standards in addition to making sure that compliance is maintained. This cooperative strategy adheres to the karma management tenets by spreading beneficial behaviors throughout the supply chain.

Upholding Ethical Governance with Statutory Compliance Services

Legal and Regulatory Adherence: Karma management entails following the law and other rules. Statutory compliance services help businesses comprehend and abide by rules pertaining to data privacy, taxation, labor, and the environment. This dedication to following the law supports the organization's ethical governance, which is essential to karma management.

Proactive Risk Mitigation and Continuous Improvement: Statutory compliance services help maintain continuous improvement and proactively detect risks, which helps with karma management. This guarantees that companies anticipate and adjust to changing legal environments in addition to adhering to existing requirements. A dedication to ongoing development is consistent with the karma management concepts

National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS): Nurturing Ethical Growth

Investing in Skill Development: Karma management entails making investments in the community's and the organization's progress and development. This philosophy is reflected in the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS), which offers chances for skill development while also promoting the ethical development of individuals and communities.

Creating Ethically Trained Talent: By taking part in NATS, you may build a talent pipeline of people who have received ethical training and industry-specific expertise. In this context, karma management entails helping to further the larger objective of promoting employability and ethical work practices in addition to reaping the benefits from this talent pool.

Strategic Implementation of Karma Management In the rapidly evolving landscape of modern business, organizations must strategically implement karma management. This involves:

Integrating Ethical Practices across Business Functions: A comprehensive integration of ethical principles into all company processes is necessary for karma management. Companies need to constantly make sure that everything they do, from hiring procedures to supply chain management and governance, complies with ethical standards.

Engaging in Continuous Learning and Improvement: A dedication to lifelong learning and development is a component of karma management. In order to promote a culture of continuous development, organizations should keep up with changing regulatory requirements, industry best practices, and ethical standards.

Communicating Ethical Commitments to Stakeholders: One essential element of karma management is transparency. It is imperative for organizations to effectively convey their ethical values and conduct to all relevant parties, such as staff members, clients, and the local community. This increases confidence and reaffirms the company's commitment to moral and ethical business practices.

Karma management is an approach to strategy that goes beyond conventional business models. Organizations can foster ethical excellence by incorporating ethical concepts into various aspects of their operations such as hiring, labor compliance, supplier audits, statutory compliance, and national apprenticeship training schemes. Achieving financial goals is just one aspect of success; another is making decisions that benefit stakeholders' well-being, the environment, and the community at large. Adopting karma management is a commitment to a sustainable, ethically-driven, and responsible future in the fast-paced business world; it's more than just a strategic choice.

[rozie-gray]

Saint or Sinner

We all have our times like this.

Be it for good or evil.

We all have choices to make,

But those choices make us who we are.

- Anonymous

*****

"I'm such an idiot," he said while pounding his fist on the wall. "Why did I let her go? God, I'm such an idiot."

He could barely hold in his tears and anger.

“I didn’t ask to be a demon,” he screamed. “It can’t be helped. But why does it have to be the reason not to be with you?!,” then he looks up at the ceiling, “You said that everyone can love but why doesn’t that include us?”

The demon regretted that he ever became one, his eyes burning with flames of white and red. In his rage, he grabbed a chair and threw it out the window, breaking it in the process. Rage took over and proceeded to destroy everything in the room with reckless abandon.

Ten minutes of destruction passed and his anger has finally subsided.

The room became a warzone. The bed is covered with scratches and burn marks, the walls are filled with cracks, and the furniture are either hacked into pieces or turned upside down.

He glanced at the photo album that dropped on the floor. He picks it up and sits down on the broken tiles as he opens it and slowly leafs through the pages.

Photo after photo, memory by memory. The images of their time spent together stared back at him. Guilt, heartache, and anger mingled together inside him to form sadness before he tossed the album aside. He bends his knees towards him and lies down on the floor in a fetal position, crying.

Did she love me, he thought. How could she like a demon like me? I'm a demon, I'm not meant to be loved.

"I'm nobody," he faintly whispered to the broken walls.

*****

Night fell and the lights of the cities on the human world are starting to light up. The rain was pouring incessantly while the cold winds blow. It was at that time that Matt was walking through the streets with his hoodie down, alone.

He wanted to go ask his friend for something and maybe grab a drink down at the Pig's Place, the bar he and Natalie frequently visits.

Hopefully, he thought, Pidge could probably help me. The girl's got gall, she's gotta help. Plus, she's a human. They know this sort of thing more than me.

As he was walking, he thought he saw her. He turned around but was met with disappointment and a little relief. It’s just some lady with her boyfriend, he must be imagining it. Nat won't stab me in the back like that, then he wondered, would she?

The idea haunted him like a ghost. He quickly walked away in frustration.

Inside the Pig’s Place, there are always a lot of customers but there were more than usual tonight as it was the “Happy Hour”. There are some smoking, others drinking their alcohol to drown their worries of the day, and others just staying for the “special services”.

Pidge was at the counter, as usual. Bartending to the patrons and sending them home when they got piss drunk. She was quite the gal for her caliber, and nobody ever messes with her without signing a death warrant.

Pidge is about six feet tall, with black and red dyed hair, cut like a mohawk, and goth make-up everywhere. She wears a black death metal T-shirt, minus the sleeves, black fishnet stockings, high red boots, and a studded choker that matches the two bracelets on her wrists.

Pidge notices Matt at the doorway but pays no attention to him. He sits down at a vacant table and motions for her to come.

She just shrugs and continues her work, serving drinks to the other patrons. He motions again, this time she comes near.

“So, she finally dumped you,” she said while pouring him a drink. “Can’t blame you if the Big Guy Upstairs said “no” and punched you in the face.”

Matt flipped her off and immediately gulped down his drink. He shivered, for the drink was more bitter than usual. He sets down the glass and hung his head.

“Hey,” she nudged him, “don’t pussy out on me on this one. I told you that they’d say no and I want the deets who the other guy is.”

Matt glared at her.

“Alright, alright,” she said, raising her hands in mock surrender. “I’ll back out.” Then she said, with a grin, “But I might know a way to get your princess back.”

[centralautorepairs]

Automotive Repairs - Choosing a Panel Beater

There are some things about repairing your car that you need to understand. If you are not sure of what the rules are, or if you haven’t had any previous experience, it may be best to get a professional to help you. These experts are usually known as ‘panel beaters’ and can deal with everything from minor smash repairs to major collision repairs. They are also familiar with the requirements of insurance companies and can deal directly with your insurer if required.

If you have a car in need of Auto Repairs , it is important that you take it to a reputable workshop, to avoid getting ripped off. There are a number of things to consider when choosing a workshop for your vehicle, including price and reputation. A reputable and well-established company is likely to have invested in the latest technology, equipment, training, and tools. They will be able to offer you the most competitive price and will have the skills and knowledge to perform the work to a high standard.

The law requires workshops to offer a warranty on their repairs. It is important to check the warranty terms before committing to a repairer. A valid warranty will be included in the repair contract and must state its terms and conditions clearly. In addition, the repairer must allow you to inspect the repaired vehicle and ask questions about any parts or services that were replaced.

A warranty is a promise by a repairer to fix or replace a part or component of your vehicle that has been damaged by an accident or normal wear and tear. It is a legal right that you have as a consumer, and it gives you peace of mind that the work will be done to a satisfactory standard. If you find that the warranty is not upheld, you can contact Fair Trading and report the shop to them.

A car’s bodywork can be seriously affected after an accident, and it is important to have the repairs carried out by a reputable panel beater in Sydney. A reputable panel beater will have the latest technology and equipment, which means they can repair your car to its original factory condition. A reputable shop will also use quality paints and finishes, which can make it look like new again.

Another thing to consider when selecting a panel beater is their accreditations and qualifications. A reputable company will have I-CAR trained staff and be fully licensed and insured. They will be able to provide you with a quote for your car repair, which will include labour and parts. They will also give you a detailed explanation of the repair process and any issues that may arise during the repair.

If you’re looking for a dependable repairer that offers a great customer service and has excellent reviews, try St George EFi & Mechanical. They are located in Bexley, Southern Sydney, and have over 43 years of experience in Automotive repairs Sydney repairs. Proprietor Nat Stillone began his passion with cars at a young age, repairing radiocontrolled vehicles and volunteering to work at a petrol station as a teenager. Today they are trusted by many luxury car dealerships, and their workmanship is guaranteed. From air conditioning re-gas to European car specialty services, their technicians are all highly experienced. They also use online colour-matching software to ensure your car’s paintwork is perfectly matched with the rest of its finish.

[gyllenhaalics]

Hiii, I was hoping I could be apart of your matchmaking service :))) ! I'm in college ( Foreign languages faculty), pursuing a philology degree in italian and english. I like singing, listening to music, watching movies and reading literature. I'd like to be paired with one of Jake's characters!

(Heyyyy, thank you so much for your messages the other day

I match you with Donnie Darko (aged up!)

Donnie is an interesting guy.

He might seem like someone who gets into trouble constantly.

But he’s actually very kind, but he needs sometimes to open up to people.

He breaks the rules only when they stop making sense (which means, a lot of times)

He’s very smart and he responds very well to mental stimulation.

Which is why he loves to talk about a wide range of things that pique his interest.

He also majors in Philosophy and you two met in a lecture.

He was impressed by one of your presentations.

This leads to a lot of discussion between you and Donnie.

He’s surprisingly conventional when it comes to dating.

He loves to take you out for a movie, then you two share a quiet dinner.

One of the things he enjoys is you resting your head on his shoulders and read him your favorite books.

He may make sarcastic comments at the writing once in a while.

He looks after the people he cares deeply about (that means you).

He always asks you how your day is and expresses concerns when you’re not feeling well.

When that happens, Donnie can be very stubborn in convincing you to rest.

[short-wooloo]

Oh, I'd also like to say that the Jedi's unwillingness to throw away the lives of their men and desire to protect them/keep them alive, that "softness" that Tarkin and nat born officers deride, is not just a matter of who the Jedi are, but it's good strategy for the War they're in

The separatists can outproduce the Republic at almost every level, the Droid army numbers in the BILLIONS, the Jedi cannot play the numbers game, Clones simply cannot be produced at a level that matches the separatist droid factories, thus the tarkin strategy of "damn the cost in lives" would never have worked, and the best strategy for the Jedi is to keep the Clones alive, because the Clones advantage over the droids is their skill, intelligence, and ingenuity, and the longer the clones survive, the better they become, and in turn they can pass on their experience and knowledge to the next batch of Clones, something droids cannot do

And this has a basis in real life, during WWII the US would rotate their pilots out of combat service to be instructors for new pilots, the result being each subsequent class of pilots was better than the last, in contrast, Japan kept its pilots in constant combat until the unit was destroyed, meaning that each unit had to be rebuilt from scratch, and was of lesser quality, and as a result few Japanese pilots survived the war

In short, tarkin's "no matter the cost" strategy can only work under the empire during peacetime, where they have a massive pool of recruits to draw from and the sheer numerical and logistical power of the empire can make up for poorer quality of individual soldiers

Small wonder that once the empire no longer could recruit in staggering numbers it collapsed and the first order opted to return to a "quality over quantity" method of producing soldiers

There is exactly one criticism that I agree with my, very anti-Jedi, cousin on and that's the Jedi were TERRIBLE Generals. Generals may TRY to make sure their men mostly come back. But useless sacrifices are not only acceptable, but expected, the men are mostly expandable in war. The Jedi did not consider sacrifices like that acceptable or expected. Sure it did happen. It was WAR. But they tried their best to make sure it DIDN'T. The Jedi were terrible Generals. But they were the teachers and Leaders the CLONES NEEDED.

I'm not sure I'd ENTIRELY agree with that. I think I'd be willing to agree that the Jedi were perhaps less CONVENTIONAL Generals, and they definitely do seem to at least TRY to place the lives of their men above just tossing them away for an easy victory, but you can just as easily claim that keeping the men alive to keep fighting is a good strategy in and of itself.

The biggest piece of evidence I'd point to that the Jedi were actually perfectly good Generals is the Citadel arc and Tarkin's criticisms. The one real criticism he makes of the Jedi as military leaders is that they're occasionally too soft and will abandon a mission if it looks impossible to win without near total casualties (on either side). But he's generally fairly positive about the Jedi and if they were truly awful at their jobs, I don't think TARKIN of all people would hold back on saying so, even to the Jedi's faces.

And we DO see the Jedi willing to make sacrifices and accepting that this is a necessary part of war. The Citadel arc is, again, a perfectly good example of this. Obi-Wan and Anakin go in with like 3-4 men each I think and they come back with a grand total of 3 (Rex, Cody, and Fives). A LOT of clones die on this mission that they all KNEW was basically a suicide mission because the Jedi themselves decided that getting the information about the hyperspace lanes was vital enough to the war that it was worth losing multiple lives over (including their own).

So it's not that the Jedi don't understand that sacrifices are necessary in war or even that they avoid it entirely, they just avoid what they see as UNNECESSARY sacrifice for what might amount to a fairly minor victory. Keeping more of their men alive might, in the long run, be a better strategic choice than losing all of them on one campaign, especially if it's over like one uninhabited moon or something like that. There's nothing to say that the losses the Jedi deem acceptable are things that would've changed the entire tide of the war had they chosen to push forward instead.

The other good evidence that the Jedi acting this way would've been the WORSE choice is the Umbara arc. We are told and then see that Krell IS the kind of General who is willing to lose a lot of clones in order to gain victories in battle, and the clones do recognize that he has a lot of victories under his belt. But never once do they discuss whether those victories really MEANT anything or had a large impact on the war effort. It certainly never seems that the Republic is majorly pushing back the Separatists because of Krell's victories, nobody ever mentions that Krell gained them a major advantage with those victories or took out anyone of any consequence on the Separatist side with his strategies. And by the time he gets to Umbara, he's explicitly using this strategy to WEAKEN the Republic side and cause a loss. Several of his strategies WOULD'VE meant the Republic lost on Umbara and it's only the clones utilizing different strategies that put fewer of them at risk that they actually end up continuing to HAVE victories at all.

I'll also point out that the Jedi continuously getting their men killed en masse would've bankrupted the Republic a LOT earlier because they'd have to be paying for more clones a LOT more often than they did in canon and I can't imagine anyone would've considered that a particularly sound strategy and at some point I'm sure the Senate would've felt obligated to put a stop to it anyway and insisted on strategies that kept more clones alive for longer. So I'm not sure it's fair to claim the Jedi were utilizing BAD strategy by not just exclusively using tactics that meant most of their men were killed for every single victory.

So the ONLY criticism we EVER see of the Jedi's ability as military leaders is Tarkin claiming they're "too soft" and Tarkin is the kind of person who would likely say that until the Jedi started carpet bombing entire Separatist planets. Would it give them a victory? Yeah, sure, maybe, but that's the exact same strategy the Separatists are using and look how well that works out for THEM. Everything else we ever see seems to showcase that the Jedi are in fact perfectly good Generals, not just in that they're kind to the clones and are unwilling to carpet bomb Separatist planets, but also because they're just... good at this. They CAN be strategic, they CAN run wars if they want to. And I think that's the whole point of the Jedi in some ways is that yes, they CAN make war when they need to, they just actively choose NOT TO every time they can. THIS is why Qui-Gon tells Padme that he and Obi-Wan are there to protect her but that they can't win this war for her and they end up going off to fight off a Sith while Padme has to actually win the war with her own people and the Gungans instead. The Jedi don't WANT to be in the position of doing nothing but fighting, but they're absolutely capable of this kind of work.

That's the tragedy of the war in some ways, the Jedi ARE good at this no matter how much they wish they weren't sometimes. But being good at it means they can actually protect the Republic, their own men, and even the Separatist civilians better, so they're not going to just sit there and do things that will screw over a bunch of people. Yes, they're going to fight the war in such a way that they reduce casualties as much as possible, but reducing casualties also requires doing enough to not LOSE the damn war, too. It's a delicate balance they're trying to hold on to and I'd argue they manage it better than anybody else would've ever done in their position.

[caroldantops]

hot milfs in your area

ship: natasha romanoff/wanda maximoff/fem!reader 

summary/request: you’re a handywoman hired to do some fixes around the house for the maximoff-romanoff family, but wanda and natasha seem to have a lot more work planned for you than you initially thought.

word count: ~3k

warnings: smut (18+), dubcon/noncon groping, allusions to cheating (no actual cheating involved), dom!wanda, dom!natasha, sub!reader, mommy kink, oral sex (r giving), strap-ons, anal, double penetration, praise kink, degradation, subspace, aftercare

masterlist | ao3 link

It started as a perfectly normal job, just a handful of things that needed fixing in a family’s house. Nothing remotely out of the ordinary. You were feeling really good about it because one of your previous clients - Rogers if you recall correctly - had actually recommended that the Maximoff-Romanoffs use your service.

Wanda and Natasha seemed like a lovely couple, with a young daughter that you only saw in a brief flash of red hair as she rushed off to catch the bus when you first arrived that morning. Natasha showed you around the house, telling you all of the various things that they needed you to fix. Wanda keeps trying to offer you snacks or a drink, and you politely decline at least three times before you finally have a lemonade and peanut butter crackers shoved into your hands.

You finished your snack and started making your way through the list that they provided you. While you’re in the kitchen, crawling under the sink to fix a leak, you hear Wanda’s voice behind you.

“You know, Nat’s tried to fix all these things herself about thirty times.”

“Oh, really?” You try to act surprised, but the duct tape around the pipes clued you into that right away.

“Mhm,” Wanda hums. “I don’t know which one of you looked better with your ass sticking out from under the counter like this.”

You freeze, trying to process what Wanda just said to you. Wanda. Who is married, and whose wife is literally in the house right now. You thank whatever god is watching this disaster that you physically cannot make eye contact with her right now because that would surely cause you to spontaneously combust with how hot your face is right now.

Ignoring it, that’s the best method here. That’s what you always do when someone flirts with you on the job. Though usually, they are much less gorgeous than Wanda is. You just continue your work, but it doesn’t seem to phase Wanda.

“Shy, are we? Even better. I’ve been itching for a sweet, innocent thing to ruin,” Wanda grins. Before you can even process what she’s said to try to muster up some semblance of a coherent response, you feel a sharp slap on your ass. Her laughter at the yelp you let out gets quieter as she leaves the kitchen. “I’ll let you get back to work for now though, sweetheart.”

This entire thing just...baffles you. You’ve been doing these house calls for a couple of years now but this has never happened. Possibly the more disturbing part is that you kind of like that attention that you got from Wanda. Your mind definitely should not be filled with fantasies straight out of cringey porn, complete with a terrible plot, cheesy dialogue, and an even worse title to match.

“Sexy MILF Pipes Handywoman Stuck Under Kitchen Sink While Wife is Upstairs (ALMOST CAUGHT).”

You shake the inappropriate thoughts away and finish up in the kitchen. The next hour goes by without any other incidents, except for the occasional times you cross paths with Wanda and she gives you a look that makes you think that she’s going to eat you alive. Natasha, though, is nowhere to be found - something that you’re grateful for because you don’t know how you’re going to face her after what occurred with her wife.

The last item on your list is checking a leak in the main bathroom, so you gather all of your tools and find where Natasha showed you the primary bedroom is. The door is wide open, so you assume it’s okay to step inside.

As soon as you do, you immediately realize that knocking would have been a safer option. Natasha is facing away from you, standing in front of a full-length mirror, naked body still damp from her shower, drying her hair with a towel. From the angle you’re at, you can see her ass and tits on full display, and you hate to admit that your mouth waters at the sight of her curves. You almost freeze in place, but the rational part of your brain kicks you into motion, and you try to just leave the room without Natasha seeing you, hoping that it would be less awkward if she just never knew you were even there.

But no such luck for you.

“I know my body’s not quite what it used to be, but running away at the sight of it is a little much.”

You keep your gaze on the floor as Natasha addresses you, because you know if you look up you wouldn’t be able to resist staring.

“I’m so sorry, Natasha. I saw that the door was open so I figure that it was alright to come in,” you apologize, hands fidgeting with each other. Natasha must be incredibly light on her feet because you don’t even realize that she’s walked over to you until her finger tucks under your chin and lifts it so you meet her gaze.

“I don’t do anything by accident, baby,” Natasha hums. You’re positive that she can tell how rapid your breathing is, especially since her other hand has swiftly untucked your shirt from your belt so that she can trail her hand up your body, fingers dancing delicately across your skin.

First Wanda, now Natasha too? Were you really going to be a homewrecker from both sides?

“Oh, um,” you panic, but your brain is too scrambled to make any effort to grab her wrist or pull away as you feel her fingers dance across your breast, gently squeezing and running her finger over the hardening nipple. You desperately keep your eyes away from Natasha’s naked body, but you can’t help glancing up and admiring her soft curves that make your mouth water. “Natasha, I don’t think we should do this. You’re, uh--Wanda might--”

“Wanda might what?”

You swear that you’ve never felt more embarrassed in your entire life than when you turn to see Wanda leaning against the doorway, watching her naked wife feel you up. Her expression is unreadable, but there’s a certain dark glint in her eyes that puzzles your foggy brain.

“Are you seriously starting without me, Nat?” Wanda ignores the way you’re visibly fumbling for some sort of explanation to address her wife, who is still teasing you under your shirt. A sharp pinch to your nipples makes you whine.

“Please,” Natasha rolls her eyes, also ignoring your pathetic mumbled complaints. “I thought you were going to take them right there in the kitchen. At least I had the patience to get to the bedroom.”

“Um,” you finally find your voice. The two women stop their snark fest finally and look at you. You almost wish that you had let them keep going, because now with both of their heated gazes on you, your brain has lost any bit of coherence it had left. “I’m sorry, what exactly is happening here? I thought that you both were trying to cheat on the other with me, and then all this happened, and now I’m just very confused.”

“Aw, poor baby,” Wanda coos, pushing off of the doorframe to come stroke your cheek gently. You can’t help but lean into her touch. “This must’ve been a lot for your little brain to handle, huh?”

“Too much attention for you, honey?”

“Well, no,” you admit, gaze falling to the floor in shame. “I...I liked the attention.”

��Of course you did. You’re just an attention whore, aren’t you?” Natasha laughs, removing her hands from under your shirt at last. Wanda pulls away from you too, and you watch, paralyzed as they whisper something to each other. While Wanda starts pulling off her leggings and shirt, Natasha sits on the edge of the bed and spreads her legs for a moment, giving you a peek of her wet folds. You whine deep in your throat at the sight, but she just smirks and crosses one over the other. “Strip for us.”

There’s no room for questions there, and frankly, you are much too worked up to ask any. You unzip your work uniform as quickly as you can, discarding it by your long-forgotten toolbox. Wanda’s joined Natasha on the edge of the bed now, both of them naked and staring at you like you’re their next dinner.

“Come to mommy,” Wanda purrs, crooking her finger at you in a come hither motion. You start to walk over to the bed, but Natasha tuts.

“Ah, no. Crawl.”

The carpet is soft on your knees as you crawl to kneel at Wanda’s feet. Her hand tangles in your hair, tugging you between her spread legs and toward her already damp cunt.

“You’re going to be a good girl for Wanda, right baby? Gonna eat her good?” Natasha asks, fingers moving slowly between her own legs as she watches Wanda manhandle you.

You nod, breathing heavy, and Wanda sighs at the feeling of your warm breath hitting her center. Her patience for your tentative licks to her folds is short-lived, and you’re suddenly pressed fully into Wanda’s pussy.

“Oh fuck,” Wanda moans as your tongue thrust into her waiting hole. She rocks her hips against you, her grip on your head keeping you in place. Your senses are fully engulfed by Wanda. The taste of her and the sounds of her moans and the feeling of her roughly pressing you as deep into her cunt as possible all send heat straight to your own cunt and have your eyes rolling back.

It doesn’t take long for Natasha to get impatient just watching, eager to feel your mouth on her as well.

“Wanda, you’re hogging them,” Natasha huffs. Wanda loosens her hold on you enough for you to pull away, and both of the women groan at the sight of Wanda’s slick dripping down your chin.

“I haven’t finished yet, Nat,” Wanda rolls her eyes, but her annoyed demeanor is slightly less effective with her ragged breathing and deep flush that’s taken over her face.

Natasha purses her lips for a moment, then smirks as she pulls Wanda so that she’s sitting in her lap, both of them facing you with Wanda’s legs hooked around Natasha’s spread ones, leaving you space to kneel just as you were before. Wanda leans her head back against Natasha’s shoulder, sighing happily when the older woman peppers kisses along her shoulder.

You stare up at them wide-eyed, overwhelmed by the sight of their wet pussies both being presented to you. Wanda’s cunt is far more drenched than Natasha’s, because of your efforts earlier. The sight of Wanda’s slick dripping down onto Natasha’s wet folds is something that you’re going to etch into your brain and save for the rest of your life.

“Well?” Natasha looks at you over Wanda’s shoulder, eyebrow raised. “Get back to work, slut.”

That’s all you needed to kickstart you back into motion, and you waste no time lapping up Wanda’s juices that have spilled onto Natasha. Even though Natasha is the only one being touched right now, both of them moan at the sight of how eager you are to please them.

You switch back and forth between the two of them, but as they start attempting to grind against your face to steal your attention from the other, your movements start getting sloppy. A mix of their juices is covering practically your whole face, with the way that Wanda keeps thrusting her hips into you to urge you to give her your tongue again. The way their moans and dirty talk mix is sending shivers down your spine and straight to your own aching center.

“God, look at you. You were practically made for this, weren’t you?”

“They definitely were Wanda. Just a sweet little plaything.”

“You better make us cum, darling, because you’re not getting touched until we do.”

That isn’t an issue, though, because soon, they’re both on the brink of climax, and you desperately want to help them cum at the same time. You lap at Wanda’s clit while pushing your fingers into Natasha’s cunt, groaning when you feel her clenching around your digits.

“Fucking hell, baby,” Natasha pants. Your wrist is starting to ache because of the cramped angle, but you don’t let that stop you from fucking Natasha as hard as you can, fingers curling so that you hit that little spot that makes her hips twitch extra hard. “You’re gonna make us cum.”

“I’m so close,” Wanda pants. Natasha brings her hand around to rub Wanda’s clit as you thrust your tongue inside of her. It’s the final push that Wanda needs, and she climaxes with a guttural moan. The combination of your fingers curling inside of her and watching Wanda cum is enough to push Natasha over the edge as well. You’re caught off guard when fluid shoots from Natasha’s cunt onto your face and down your chest, but that surprise is immediately replaced by a smug satisfaction that you were able to make her squirt.

“Aw, did you get all messy?” Wanda coos, chest still heaving from her orgasm as she climbs off of Natasha’s lap. Natasha looks blissed out, but she’s still somehow laser-focused on you. Wanda kisses your wet cheeks, humming at the taste of their cum on your skin. “You look cute covered in cum. I bet you’re just aching to be touched, aren’t you?”

“Yes, ma’am,” you practically whisper, mind pleasantly fuzzy from the intensity of everything combined with the sudden sweetness from both women as they praise you and wipe your face clean.

After Wanda and Natasha have a moment to settle from their highs, you’re lifted onto the bed and ordered to wait while they collect a few things. You watch with your thighs pressed tight together - anything to relieve the throbbing between your legs.

“Are you ready for us baby?” Natasha asks, climbing onto the bed. Wanda follows close behind, sitting on the other side of you. Both of them have buckled on harnesses, with silicon cocks bobbing between their legs as they shift positions. Wanda’s is much smaller and slimmer than Natasha’s, and you groan as you realize why that is. “You ready to take mommies’ cocks?”

“Yes, please, mommy,” you beg.

Natasha sits at the head of the bed and pulls you up to straddle her. You grip her shoulders tight as she helps guide you onto her strap. She rubs the tip against your clit, pulling a moan from your throat, before pushing the first couple of inches inside of you.

“Good girl,” Natasha says, letting you adjust before pushing you down further and further onto her cock, until you’re full to the hilt. She feels so good filling you up, stretching you just enough to make sure that you’re constantly aware of any movement she makes.

Wanda starts lubing up her own strap, slick fingers prodding your ass and slipping in slowly, opening you up gradually in a way that has you pushing back against her for more.

“So eager!” Wanda laughs. “Already full of Natasha’s cock, and you just want even more don’t you?”

“Mhmm,” you gasp as Natasha tweaks your nipples. “More, please.”

“Such a good girl, asking so politely!” Natasha hums. “Mommy’s gonna reward you for having such good manners.”

Wanda removes her fingers from your ass, but you don’t even have the chance to complain about feeling empty back there before Wanda is pushing the tip of her strap in. You can’t help moaning as you feel both of your holes getting filled. You can practically feel the two straps bumping against each other, and it makes you even wetter than you already are.

They wait until you’ve had a chance to get used to the feeling of both of them inside of you, but when you finally whimper “please fuck me, mommies,” they both start pounding into you.

“Taking us so fucking well, baby,” Natasha mumbles against your skin. “God, I never thought you’d be such an eager little cockwhore.”

“You were just desperate to have these tight little holes filled, weren’t you? Bet you’re won’t be able to touch that slutty little pussy without thinking about us inside you from now on.”

You’re thankful that you’re wedged between them both because you can’t even imagine trying to hold yourself up with them fucking you like this. Their movements are sloppy and fevered, occasionally slipping out of you and having to readjust but you don’t care. You whine high in your throat as you feel that distinct tightening in your stomach.

“I need...please.”

“What do you need, baby?” Wanda asks.

“Gotta ask permission,” Natasha commands, hand coming down to stroke your clit just light enough to keep you on the edge.

“Please can I cum? Can I cum mommies?”

“Cum for us,” Wanda growls, thrusting harder into your ass while Natasha finally gives your swollen clit the attention it needs. “Cum all over our cocks, baby.”

The world around you feels like it’s bursting with light when you cum. Your legs shake so hard that you practically collapse completely onto Natasha, but Wanda holds you up and makes sure that you stay stable while they slowly keep fucking you through your climax. Soft praises sound miles away in your ears as they stroke your skin.

“Did so well for us,” you vaguely hear. You can’t identify who it is, but you just mumble a thank you as you feel Wanda pull out of your ass slowly.

“Come here, angel,” Natasha whispers, pulling herself out of your cunt and letting you finally collapse on top of her. She gives a little oof sound when your dead weight hits her, but adjusts you easily so that you’re resting against her breasts.

Wanda must have left and come back, because you feel a cool washcloth being run between your thighs, cleaning up the sticky mess.

“You know, there are probably a few more things around the house that need fixing. Don’t you think so, Wanda?”

“I’m sure there are. We’ll definitely need your services again soon, baby.”

You’re just barely awake enough to register the conversation, but it makes you smile and nod in response, promising to come back again soon.

[frostedfaves]

Can I request milf reader x Kate bishop? Maybe reader is a baker and Kate has a thing for her sweets, and maybe her?

A/N: I felt the need to post at least one of my already existing requests before I started dark!professor!Nat so here we go. also idk if you wanted this to be soft but my brain made it dirty 🙂

warnings: 18+ ONLY, legal age gap (22 vs 30ish), slight service top!Kate, technically cheating, dry humping, implied hidden strap, unedited fic bc I'm lazy

-

The bell over the door rang, announcing Kate's entry to the bakery. She took a risk by trying to come in five minutes before closing since you usually locked the door by then, but the lingering customers at the counter had Kate believing luck was on her side today.

"There you go," you hand over the perfectly packed items to a small child and a receipt to the man accompanying her. "Is there anything else I can do for you today?"

"That's all! Thanks again for taking us so late in the day."

"Of course!" you answer in the same moment the child adds in "Can you be my mommy?"

"I'm so sorry about that," the customer apologizes and ushers the child through the door while you watch with wide eyes, your awkward smile becoming genuine as you catch sight of Kate.

"Can you be my mommy?"

"Hi, Katie," you greet her with a giggle, kissing her cheek as you pass by to lock the door. "You're later than usual. I almost thought you wouldn't show today."

"I could never pass up time with you," Kate assures you, leaning against the glass counter as you return to your spot behind it. "Did you save me a cinnamon roll?"

"Of course, although I don't know why you're so obsessed with cannibalism."

"Wow, that joke gets funnier every time you tell it," she deadpans while accepting the treat from you, taking a big bite immediately and letting out a low moan. "Perfect as usual. How do you do it?"

"Gotta be good for my favorite customer," you reply while batting your eyelashes and Kate pretends not to choke in response.

"So..." she clears her throat a final time. "I showed up at closing time so I'd have a better chance at getting you alone...to talk about catering a small party. My mom wants to hire you."

"Oh, okay. Let's go over it in my office."

You barely try hiding your disappointment while letting Kate come behind the counter and follow you into the back storage room. You keep going to another door that reveals your office, closing it behind her despite you two being the only ones left in the building today.

"So what's the date of this event?"

"The 27th," Kate mumbles, undoubtedly distracted as you bend over and her seat near your desk gives her a perfect view of the thong you'd decided to wear under your dress today.

"That should give me enough time to prepare." You grab a couple binders and head toward your desk chair. "Does she have any--"

"Sit here."

"What?"

"Sit here," Kate repeats, giving a light pat to her thighs and raising her brows expectedly.

"Okay."

You drop the binders in your chair and walk around to her side, placing a leg on either side of her before lowering yourself to her lap. A small noise escapes you when you feel the bulge you didn't notice through her loose sweatpants.

"Is that thong for me?" Kate asks with her hands on your hips, pushing her own forward against you and grinning when you moan at the contact. "Answer me so I can give you what you want."

"It was for my fiancé at one last attempt to bring back what I felt in the beginning but--"

"But he doesn't do it for you anymore, does he?" she presses and you nod. "It's because of me, isn't it?"

"Yes it is," you gasp as you begin grinding against her on your own and she matches your movements. "It's been you this whole time."

"Oh I know, baby," she teases you with a chuckle. "But I'm here now, so let me make you feel good. Let me take away the ache between those pretty legs."

Kate wraps an arm around your waist to hold you close and using her free hand to grab your chin, pulling you into an urgent kiss as the two of you pick up speed. You're moaning and huffing breaths in each other's faces in between sloppy kisses and suddenly you're digging your nails into her shoulders and whining--

"Please don't stop; I'm so close!"

So Kate reaches between the two of you and pushes your soaked thong aside to directly rub your clit, smiling through the sting of your scratches as she watches you come undone in her lap. Your eyes are locked on her as she pulls the tips of her fingers into her mouth to taste you and you release a shuddering breath.

"I think you're just going to make the ache stronger."