#simply because it makes Person Acquisition that much easier

[fisheito]

Who does the job preparing those bound photoshoots I wonder? I think it's all Aster's doing.

I like to imagine Aster sending Morvay for the suspecting prey, bringing them to the Special Room and tying them up under Aster's tyrannical rule.

Aster always has a reason to punish Morvay afterwards. Discipline is the only way to achieve perfect bows!!!

🎀🎀🎀

(wibbly Clan members get the more vulnerable poses, and Aster gets to sit prettily sucking on a coin)

idk who else would have the power to yoink each clan member and have them painted/magicphotographed under harsh spotlight and constrictive ribbons so yeah i'll incorporate that into my headcanon

[cerastes]

OKAY, Reclamation Algorithm 2.

The first RA was a more arcade experience with meta progression: You had runs lasting only a few days, and you'd have to defend against a final boss horde in a much smaller overall map. Likewise, your resource acquisition was also much more explosive, such as getting a couple of Clash of Clans and other such resource-rich maps almost every run. You could only carry a few items other than what you had built on your base between runs, meaning that blowing up everything and saving a couple of things between runs was the way to go.

I think RA2 is easier overall than RA1 simply because it's a continuous, full-on mode that doesn't have an arcade, short-run based format. It goes on for as long as you play. Resource acquisition is slower because of its longer form nature, but it also does not at all pressure you with Linebreaker day 14 for example. Plus, the Energy System this time is much easier to manage, since you need Two Pops or Three Pops of Energy Drink to field an entire squad of 6 and under or 7 and above, respectively, whereas RA1 needed you to feed individual units from a Fountain of Energy Drink. That's not to say everything is easier; the Priestess and the Troubadour are much more challenging than anything RA1 threw at you -- Linebreaker, Ruinbringer, and Al-Rafiq --, and while the new horde bosses are fun, they are on about the same difficulty as those three, who are more or less tests of RA mechanics and if you are using them or not more than anything.

Make no mistake, this is ENDGAME endgame, especially in regards to Priestess and Troubadour, since you have to beat them in one Day -- two attempts at the map in which your progress is saved between attempts, BUT in which you can only use each unit once, so if you want to use 12 units per attempt, that'd be 24 units you think are up to par -- and they bring mean gimmicks that can be curbed somewhat by the season in which you fight them, but not entirely, and are still quite formidable even with the counter season. They were some of my favorite parts of the mode, personally, because not only is it a big, harsh challenge, it also reinforces the World Of Adventure nature of Terra: Even though they are unaligned with any of the big factions, you still have REALLY strong individuals roaming the land.

I think the main difficulty for a lot of people will come from choice overload: Arknights is already a game with a lot of player expression and a focus on gameplay, both aspects not at all the norm with gacha games and thus not what a lot of gacha gamers are used to, and while main content is kept very accessible to all skill levels, they do provide truly endgame challenges that can be quite demanding in terms of skill, for players that do dabble in the depth of player expression and team building that Arknights offers, such as High Multiplier (Waves/Natures) Integrated Strategies and 26+ Risk Contingency Contract.

This preamble is to say, Reclamation Algorithm has even more player expression and thus potential options for you to use. You have so, so many more tools other than just your Operators that a lot of people just don’t know what to do with them, hence why I think so many people find it so much harder than it truly is. Food for a myriad of different stat boosts and perks, structures to mold maps and enemy routing at your will, the ability to create your own ranged tiles or throw 5-block fridges at your enemies, purposefully overpowered tools like stun mines and supply stations at your beck and call, you can do so much in RA, and for some people, maybe it’s too much. Like an open world game does for some people, the sheer vastness of your options in RA2 might just blind and overwhelm some, especially since the average gacha player is very casual (and that’s not in the slightest an insult), and the average AK player watches clear guides without really understanding why the strat in the guide worked. Thus, in a mode in which player expression is king, the player that barely interacts with the baseline mechanics of the game, let alone those exclusive to RA, is not even part of the kingdom. For me personally, RA1 clicked the moment I realized just how nightmarishly strong the player is if they use food and structures, and after that, it was a non-stop streak of wins (unbroken in RA2 since RA1, too).

My advice to anyone trying to seriously get into RA2 is to just experiment as much as you can with anything that even remotely calls to you: Is there a unit you like a lot, like say, Bibeak? Well what if you give her insane attack, bulk and infinite SP to spam her skills? Food that buffs ATK, 2 shield generators and 2 supply stations on Bibeak makes this a reality. You wish Yato Kirin had no DP cost whatsoever? There’s food that makes her DP cost 0 no matter how many times you deploy her. You wonder what it’d be like for Eunectes to have 3 Block? Food does that. You think a particular map would be much more manageable if you could just have a Corrupting Heart-buffed 5-Block Mudrock in a particular chokepoint with no ranged tiles? You make your own ranged tile and then give Food to Mudrock to get her to 5 Block, or maybe 3 Block is enough, and you’d rather she has 75% extra Def and 35 more Res instead to make her truly unkillable, well, food does that too.

You just need to dabble into the possibilities a bit before it becomes crystal clear just how insane you can get.

[verofax]

Hack: Turn Your Consumers into Lifelong Advocates with 1 Simple Trick

Clickbait-y yes, but don’t worry. I actually meant what I said in the title. 

You may have come across some of those guides that teach you the correct way to treat a customer and convert them for life. This is not that. While I do intend to cover the basics, what I’m sharing today is the existence of a shortcut that does 70% of the work for you. 

If combined with solid fundamentals, you’re likely to muster a cult following. 

Why do you want customer advocacy?

A good friend of mine once bought a Hydroflask and would not shut up about how awesome it was. He even connected us all to the Hydrohomie subreddit, a forum dedicated to glorifying the act of drinking water. Eventually, he bought me a Hydroflask for my birthday and said: “Welcome, hydrohomie.” 

A customer won over to this point will often start making the item part of their personality. They mention it wherever relevant (guaranteed), and sometimes even where it’s not. Regardless, they become the marketer’s dream – a brand advocate. 

Someone you’ve converted to your brand’s religion and who preaches it on sandy beach and mountain top. 

But how valuable is the brand advocate really? How much effort should a brand dedicate to converting customers into zealots? 

Here are the facts: 

Studies demonstrate that existing customers are 50% more likely to try new products and spend an average 31% more than new ones. 

Even better – it’s much easier to retain an existing customer than acquire a new one (6X to 7X easier according to the White House Office of Consumer Affairs). 

A 5% increase in customer retention can drive profits up by 25%. 

Last but not least, customer acquisition costs are only going to keep increasing. 

Conclusion: loyal customers are your biggest assets. 

Of course, you need to strike a balance but experienced managers say that retention is too often overlooked.

Building loyalty

So, you want to focus on the loyalty game now. Careful, it is a delicate one. 

It can take months or years to build up, and one bad experience might lose you the customer for good. In fact, PwC says customer volatility is at an all-time high. 

The most basic competitive stage for a brand is its pricing, but now that most industry secrets are out, the battlestage is emotional. It is akin to winning someone over in love – you have to be attentive, patient, competent, generous and trustworthy.

Let’s look at what happened with customer experience. 

The pandemic forced brands to improve their online customer journeys, making them more seamless, effective and available than ever. People got used to the convenience and don’t want to do without it as they go back to brick-and-mortar.

They want an in-store, digital experience. And there is one technology that bridges the gap between both worlds.

Augmented reality is here.

Yes, it’s been around for a while. We’ve all seen the Snapchat filters that turn your face into a cute puppy-human.

What I mean is that it’s now available through everyday apps thanks to the advent of WebAR. It used to be that developers had to create app-specific experiences that couldn’t be used without downloading the app in question. 

Simply put, it’s easy to deploy now. 

What does it do for a brand? It allows them to connect with every consumer throughout the shopping experience, providing product information, guiding them through the store based on their needs and highlighting points or promotions of interest on the way. 

Because it encourages you to log in, it also allows brands to personalize recommendations, reward loyalty, distribute prizes and more. The key here is that the connection was made more seamlessly than usual. A quick scan of the QR code as you walk in, sign in with Facebook or Google, move on to the good stuff.

From there, the live connection generates real-time, actionable data for you to make the most well-advised and timely recommendations ever witnessed without a store clerk. Imagine they pick up a set of forks, and you point out a 30% reduction on the associated set of knives before they walk out. Something like that. 

This level of personalization is what people learnt to expect and love about online shopping, and this is how you deploy in store. Are you convinced? Well, I hate to keep you here but it’s not even over. Have you ever tried on 5 different pants, not found the one and just given up? 

AR allows people to sample products like clothes, makeup or outsized objects in a quasi-frictionless manner. A Harvard study found that customers that could sample lipsticks with AR spent 50% at the stall and tried 7.5 times more products.  

In conclusion, when well-crafted, AR is a customer experience holy grail. On top of that, AR shopping is still new to most of us – a great experience will brand your name in their mind. 

Don’t forget the fundamentals

AR is convenient, flashy and effective. It helps you reach deep levels of service and recommendation personalization. However, a lot more goes into loyalty. 

You need to be vocal. Express your brand’s values loud and clear to help people identify with you. 

You need to build trust. Deliver on product promises and be available when things go wrong.

You need to understand your customer. I mean truly. The said and the unsaid. Many swear by ethnography, a method that uses informal interviews and observation of the subject in its undisturbed, usual activities to learn more about them.

You need to be generous. Make them feel like they got more than expected, and treat them like more than a source of revenue. What goes around comes around.

You need to reward. Reward programs are typically considered difficult to sign up to and participate in. Tech like, but not limited to, AR can help you overcome that.

Cover these, upgrade to next-gen tech and take over. 

Blog source: https://verofax.com/blog/hack-turn-your-consumers-into-lifelong-advocates-with-1-simple-trick

[jcmarchi]

How Bias Will Kill Your AI/ML Strategy and What to Do About It

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/how-bias-will-kill-your-ai-ml-strategy-and-what-to-do-about-it/

How Bias Will Kill Your AI/ML Strategy and What to Do About It

‘Bias’ in models of any type describes a situation in which the model responds inaccurately to prompts or input data because it hasn’t been trained with enough high-quality, diverse data to provide an accurate response. One example would be Apple’s facial recognition phone unlock feature, which failed at a significantly higher rate for people with darker skin complexions as opposed to lighter tones. The model hadn’t been trained on enough images of darker-skinned people. This was a relatively low-risk example of bias but is exactly why the EU AI Act has put forth requirements to prove model efficacy (and controls) before going to market. Models with outputs that impact business, financial, health, or personal situations must be trusted, or they won’t be used.

Tackling Bias with Data

Large Volumes of High-Quality Data

Among many important data management practices, a key component to overcoming and minimizing bias in AI/ML models is to acquire large volumes of high-quality, diverse data. This requires collaboration with multiple organizations that have such data. Traditionally, data acquisition and collaborations are challenged by privacy and/or IP protection concerns–sensitive data can’t be sent to the model owner, and the model owner can’t risk leaking their IP to a data owner. A common workaround is to work with mock or synthetic data, which can be useful but also have limitations compared to using real, full-context data. This is where privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) provide much-needed answers.

Synthetic Data: Close, but not Quite

Synthetic data is artificially generated to mimic real data. This is hard to do but becoming slightly easier with AI tools. Good quality synthetic data should have the same feature distances as real data, or it won’t be useful. Quality synthetic data can be used to effectively boost the diversity of training data by filling in gaps for smaller, marginalized populations, or for populations that the AI provider simply doesn’t have enough data. Synthetic data can also be used to address edge cases that might be difficult to find in adequate volumes in the real world. Additionally, organizations can generate a synthetic data set to satisfy data residency and privacy requirements that block access to the real data. This sounds great; however, synthetic data is just a piece of the puzzle, not the solution.

One of the obvious limitations of synthetic data is the disconnect from the real world. For example, autonomous vehicles trained solely on synthetic data will struggle with real, unforeseen road conditions. Additionally, synthetic data inherits bias from the real-world data used to generate it–pretty much defeating the purpose of our discussion. In conclusion, synthetic data is a useful option for fine tuning and addressing edge cases, but significant improvements in model efficacy and minimization of bias still rely upon accessing real world data.

A Better Way: Real Data via PETs-enabled Workflows

PETs protect data while in use. When it comes to AI/ML models, they can also protect the IP of the model being run–”two birds, one stone.” Solutions utilizing PETs provide the option to train models on real, sensitive datasets that weren’t previously accessible due to data privacy and security concerns. This unlocking of dataflows to real data is the best option to reduce bias. But how would it actually work?

For now, the leading options start with a confidential computing environment. Then, an integration with a PETs-based software solution that makes it ready to use out of the box while addressing the data governance and security requirements that aren’t included in a standard trusted execution environment (TEE). With this solution, the models and data are all encrypted before being sent to a secured computing environment. The environment can be hosted anywhere, which is important when addressing certain data localization requirements. This means that both the model IP and the security of input data are maintained during computation–not even the provider of the trusted execution environment has access to the models or data inside of it. The encrypted results are then sent back for review and logs are available for review.

This flow unlocks the best quality data no matter where it is or who has it, creating a path to bias minimization and high-efficacy models we can trust. This flow is also what the EU AI Act was describing in their requirements for an AI regulatory sandbox.

Facilitating Ethical and Legal Compliance

Acquiring good quality, real data is tough. Data privacy and localization requirements immediately limit the datasets that organizations can access. For innovation and growth to occur, data must flow to those who can extract the value from it.

Art 54 of the EU AI Act provides requirements for “high-risk” model types in terms of what must be proven before they can be taken to market. In short, teams will need to use real world data inside of an AI Regulatory Sandbox to show sufficient model efficacy and compliance with all the controls detailed in Title III Chapter 2. The controls include monitoring, transparency, explainability, data security, data protection, data minimization, and model protection–think DevSecOps + Data Ops.

The first challenge will be to find a real-world data set to use–as this is inherently sensitive data for such model types. Without technical guarantees, many organizations may hesitate to trust the model provider with their data or won’t be allowed to do so. In addition, the way the act defines an “AI Regulatory Sandbox” is a challenge in and of itself. Some of the requirements include a guarantee that the data is removed from the system after the model has been run as well as the governance controls, enforcement, and reporting to prove it.

Many organizations have tried using out-of-the-box data clean rooms (DCRs) and trusted execution environments (TEEs). But, on their own, these technologies require significant expertise and work to operationalize and meet data and AI regulatory requirements. DCRs are simpler to use, but not yet useful for more robust AI/ML needs. TEEs are secured servers and still need an integrated collaboration platform to be useful, quickly. This, however, identifies an opportunity for privacy enhancing technology platforms to integrate with TEEs to remove that work, trivializing the setup and use of an AI regulatory sandbox, and therefore, acquisition and use of sensitive data.

By enabling the use of more diverse and comprehensive datasets in a privacy-preserving manner, these technologies help ensure that AI and ML practices comply with ethical standards and legal requirements related to data privacy (e.g., GDPR and EU AI Act in Europe). In summary, while requirements are often met with audible grunts and sighs, these requirements are simply guiding us to building better models that we can trust and rely upon for important data-driven decision making while protecting the privacy of the data subjects used for model development and customization.

[chaos0pikachu]

Yeah like, on an objective level I can understand the benefits of branded pairings in a purely capital sense. Like I get gmmtv's business model of pushing their talent more as idols rather than actors and encouraging fans/audience to be hyper para-social with their talent because it means more ticket sales for concerts, fan meets, and sales of merch. The product in turn, becomes OffGun, rather than the Sean and White (Not Me).

Because it's easier to sell a baby bottle lightstick to fans than to try and sell merch for your show with anti-capitalist themes (this was a problem for Ready Player One for comparison).

[The lightsticks really bring home to me that gmmtv wants idols not actors btw]

But products need to have very strong branding, so they're easier to market and sell to consumers. Disney's acquisition of Star Wars and Marvel is a good example of this as those films are so much more bloodless and sexless than their predecessors.

Disney has a strong specific brand identity which effects just how far the films and shows they produce will push that identity. Disney will never make a show like The Boys, for example, ever. At most they would foster it off to a sub-division and never put the Disney brand on it.

That identity and brand integrity is why often times, imo anyway, it can feel as though the actors are playing very similar archetypes in every show. Where the dynamic of the couple feels very much the same.

I watched the Heart Killers trailer and I was left extremely unimpressed - give them another god damn light I'm begging this is ridiculous - but what I noticed was First and Khao's characters gave the same energy, tone, and overall dynamic as Ray and Sand. Khao's the pursuer, saucy and flirty bottom, while First is the reluctant but highly attracted to Khao moderately stoic top.

Before people jump me, I'm not saying they're playing the same exact characters. I'm saying this is a typecast, or maybe couplecast is a better term.

An example is Chris Evan's early career pre-Captain America where he was often typecast as a wisecracking, smart ass, who was likable and funny (Push, Cellular, Fantastic Four, The Losers, Scott Pilgrim) getting cast as Captain America was pretty against type for his more major films at that point in his career. Because Steve Rogers is sarcastic, but dry and he's very sincere where as like, Nick Grant is not a serious nor sincere character lol and you can see a wider variety of roles post Captain America too (personally my fave performances from Evans is probably Sunshine, Snowpiercer, and Knives Out).

Typecasting is true as far back as Marylin Monroe and Judy Garland - notice, Judy never played a sexy temptress character while Marylin never played a farm girl - it's nothing new it's just frustrating.

Considering they were novel canon why wasn't Black allowed to be Gram's love interest? Would that only have happened if Gram and Sean were twins suddenly and played by Off? Why is Khao constantly playing the pursuer characters to First's characters? Why can't Force play a shy intern to Book's in charge boss? Why can't Mix play a character that leaves Earth's character at the end of a show or vice versa?

In the end it all becomes more like live action RPF roleplay than a tv show I want to invest my time in - and I'm so fucking lazy when it comes to tv shows lmao

Not always, I want to iterate this isn't always the case.

I like Earth and Mix for example in Moonlight Chicken even though I still hold that Earth was miscast. He was simply to young for the role of Jim and the themes of the story would have resonated more with an older actor (and made the age gap thing work). But overall the show is well made. I'm looking forward to Pooh and Pavel's new show because I love horror and it looks interesting. I didn't love Pit Babe - ok I didn't like Charlie and Babe as a couple lmao - but I appreciate the ambition of the series a lot and I see that same ambition in their new shows trailer.

I'm not "anti-branded pairs" but I won't pretend my eyes didn't roll at The Intern trailer either. Because it's just not my thing. After a while it all blends together for me. At the very least they gotta change up the style, the dynamic, the set dressing. I've been served pale chicken breast but sometimes it's cut up into chunks and sometimes it's shredded but it's still pale ass chicken breast.

But selling fanmeets and sticker sheets of your idols or couples are always gonna trump that because making shows is expensive.

on a meta-textual/Doylist level what I like about the Korn/Tonkla/Win subplot is there's actual tension and the fact that JJay & Fuiaz are a "branded pair" doesn't influence the story so much that the subplot overall lacks tension.

Tonkla as a character has genuine feelings towards Korn and they've shared on screen intimacy that enforces their relationship - even if that relationship is partially transactional on Korn's side or otherwise. This provides tension in the narrative with the characters and makes their overall relationships with each other and thus the story much stronger.

Comparison - one that might get me kicked but it be what it be - example the Sand/Ray/Mew/Top storyline in Only Friends which had zero tension.

Why? Because the audience pretty much knew from the get RaySand and MewTop were endgame but that's just a factor, knowing the endgame isn't contingent on poor storytelling - don't we all know how Romeo and Juliet ends after all?

No what made is weak and flimsy was the narrative never provides any real stakes or tension for those characters.

Mew never once feels anything for Ray that isn't friendship, they never even attempt to have sex (even bad sex), Ray openly continues to hookup and pursue Sand whilst with Mew (and Sand is even mostly okay with this as tho it matters none at all because ultimately, it doesn't) and while Top was bothered, he wasn't threatened. It was all just narrative punishment and penance for his cheating. We don't even see Ray and Mew on a real date or share a real moment of genuine emotional intimacy that's romantic and/or sexual, their bookshop date only makes Mew think of Top, Ray spends more time with Sand, etc.

It's not just that the endgame is Sand/Ray & Mew/Top it's that the endgame is FirstKhao and ForceBook. It's that this is an rpf au dressed up like a tv show rather than a story.

Which is where Korn/Tonkla/Win feels different.

Off the bat Tonkla and Win are already vastly different characters from White and Tee from their roles in Dead Friend Forever. Korn is obviously different from Arm in Kinnporsche. And the narrative has built genuine feeling between Korn and Tonkla, where Win's feelings for Tonkla - at this stage - appear more one-sided. Yet Tonkla's slept with both characters, he's showcasing agency and desire in different ways with both of them. His relationship with both is very different. Will he even "end up" with one or the other? How will Korn react if/when he finds out about this affair? Especially since Win's a cop and Korn is involved in illegal shit. We don't actually know which makes the story far more exciting to engage in.

Even though objectively I knew Win and Tonkla would "get together" in some capacity because of JJay/Fuiaz, there's far more tension and character motivation here which makes for a vastly more interesting story.

My issue with "branded pairings" as a whole is more often than not I find it hurts the narrative potential of a story by cutting the tension off at the knees, by not allowing more interesting and complicated relationships and character motivations to form and develop. As well as hurting an actors growth and ability to like, act when they're playing the same boxed archetype to fit their branded pairings, well, their brand.

[khalixascorner]

A Debt Paid in Soul

Summary: Tony fully intends to go to the Parker residence simply to claim his latest acquisition, one Peter Parker. When he finds out Peter is in fact his soul mate, things change in ways Tony couldn't have planned or expected. Not that he's complaining. Instead of just another worker for his clubs, he found a smart sexy omega that he's going to keep for the rest of their lives. This is an omegaverse hybrid mob au with a different bingo prompt per chapter.

Tags: Mafia AU, Mob Boss Tony Stark, Soul Bond, Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Hybrid AU, Serval Peter, Black Tiger Tony, Dub-con first time, Soulbonds made them do it, Lots of spice and smut, Some fluff too, Dark Tony Stark, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Intersex Omegas, Tony is not a nice person, except to Peter, mention of sex work, Human Trafficking, In that tony makes people pay off debt while working for him, and some of those people work in sex clubs, Size Difference, Tiny Peter, Large Tony, Mild milk kink, Breeding Kink, Dom/sub Undertones, stuffing kink, Size Kink, Tony loves how huge his cock is and making Peter take it, Nipple Play, I don't know, theres lots of omegaverse typical sex tropes, eventual kidnapping and rescue,mild angst but always with a happy ending

Read on AO3 Here Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 View Art Here And here And here

Adjusting to life post mating with Tony Stark had been interesting to say the least. In some ways, things had stayed the same. He still went to school, though now he was enrolled at Columbia since it was easy to commute there and back. He also still saw May for dinner at least once a week. He tried to time it with her and Tony’s work schedules, as his mate and his aunt still didn’t get along so it was better if Peter went alone.

As for the differences, well, he never went anywhere without at least two items that were chipped with a GPS tracker. Tony was paranoid that he would be kidnapped and it was either this or Tony chipping him, so Peter agreed, though privately he was starting to think being chipped would be easier than triple checking he had enough trackers on him each day.

He also still felt drawn to his alpha. Their bond hadn’t eased much, and maybe Tony was right, and their soul marks had meaning because he found himself unable to resist when the tiger demanded his attention. Or even was just in the same room. It was like hitting puberty again for both of them, and they could hardly keep their hands off of each other.

Another difference was the tension between him and May. His heat was due soon, and she had tried to suggest that he spend his heat with her, but the very idea made Peter’s soul recoil.

Sure they had gotten off to a bad start, and yeah he could see how she would take issue with Tony’s career choices. He wasn’t super fond of some of them most days either. But Tony was his mate and the man cared deeply for him. Peter would sooner cut off a limb then try to cut Tony from his life, let alone his heat, and May struggled with accepting that. She felt that Peter should resent being bound to such an alpha, or at least not let himself love Tony so easily.

Regardless, Peter was trying to find a balance to it all. He didn’t want to lose his aunt just because of the circumstances with which he found his mate, but he absolutely wouldn’t abandon or betray Tony. May would have to accept that or Peter would have no choice in the matter. Tony had more than shown that he would take care of Peter while also giving Peter his freedom. He wasn’t locked in the tower under constant guard or followed every moment of every day. They compromised, and Tony kept to his promises, so for Peter, that was enough.

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

Today was one of the days he regretted Tony being so hands off though. His heat had come on suddenly and he couldn’t shift to try to get home faster because his feline form was too small to carry his backpack and clothes. Instead he was stuck trudging home even as shivers wracked his body and alphas on the street catcalled him while leering. Had he been thinking straight, he would have just called Tony and asked for a pick up but Peter was used to relying on himself and it was his first true heat since their mating, so the thought didn’t even occur to his hormone-riddled brain.

It was a relief to finally slip into the private elevator and let it carry him up to the penthouse. Tony wouldn’t be home for a while yet but Peter would be ok riding out the early stages of the heat himself. At least he hoped so.

Most people agreed that a heat while mated was easier, so long as you were in contact with your mate. However everyone was different, and the hormone fluctuations caused by new bonds could throw things off for numerous heats before they finally settled.

Peter stripped his wet clothes and curled up in their bed, miserable but unable to muster the energy to do anything but whimper and clutch at Tony’s pillow. Distantly he registered JARVIS saying something but he was too wrapped in his misery to understand. Whimpers turned to cries as Peter buried himself deeper into their bed. Everything was too much and he just wanted his mate.

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

Tony was going over the quarterly numbers with Pepper for their legitimate businesses when JARVIS interrupted them.

“Excuse me sir, but I believe Master Peter has gone into heat and he appears to be experiencing a great deal of distress,” JARVIS said.

“Sorry Pep, looks like I’ll have to leave this to you too,” Tony said with a grimace. He was glad to have found his mate but their intense mating and issues being apart for too long had severely cut into his working hours for the last few months.

“It’s ok,” Pepper said with a chuckle. “Those first few heats are the hardest but then it will ease up.”

“I hope you’re right, because my knot is going to fall off otherwise,” Tony muttered. Pepper laughed and shooed him away. He kissed her cheek then slipped out of the office, heading for the elevators.

“J, make sure we have supplies for a heat,” Tony ordered.

“Already done sir,” JARVIS responded. “And if I might make a suggestion, I would not dally. Master Peter seems to be slipping into distress.”

Tony’s pace quickened, and an elevator was open and waiting for him when he got there. JARVIS deposited him on the main floor of the penthouse, and Tony quickly stopped by the pantry before making his way to the bedroom.

Peter lay in their bed, buried under the blankets and miserable if the soft cries were anything to go by. Tony didn’t waste time, dropping the snacks and drinks by the side of the bed before stripping as quickly as he could. Then he climbed in the bed, pulling his mate out of the pile of blankets and into Tony’s arms.

“Hey there, kitten, you’re okay,” Tony soothed, letting his tail twine with Peter’s even as his hand automatically went to the kid’s soul mark. His omega was chill to the touch, so he pulled the blankets back over both of them as well.“It’s ok baby, I’m here now. Come on ‘mega mine, let me see those gorgeous eyes of yours.”

Peter didn’t respond right away, shivering against him and pushing against the alpha’s chest as if he could get closer if he just tried a little bit harder. Tony kept up the verbal reassurances until Peter finally lifted his head up and blinked at Tony.

“Alpha?”

“It’s ok, Omega, just a rough start to your heat,” Tony soothed. “Get some rest until it starts properly.”

Peter hummed and then let his head fall back to Tony’s chest. Based on his smell, they didn’t have long, but his little omega would need rest, and Tony would still need to stretch him well before they could play. He had already begun training Peter’s body to take him but he was just so tiny.

Once the omega’s breathing had evened, Tony propped him on the pillows and covered his chest to keep him warm. Then he slid down and started sucking gently on Peter’s cocklette as he slid two fingers into the omega while also fondling his tail. The combination had the omega moaning, his body offering no resistance to the intrusion.

Tony added a third finger, causing Peter to start squirming but he didn’t try to pull away.

“That’s it, such a good little kitten,” Tony said as he let Peter’s cocklette slip from his mouth. “Look at how good you’ve gotten taking things. Three fingers in you already and you just keep getting wetter for me.”

Peter whimpered, letting his legs fall further so Tony had more room. The alpha let go of Peter’s tail and lifted his cocklette out of the way so that he could start licking around Peter’s folds. Soon he was thrusting his tongue in with his fingers, all the while teasing Peter’s little cocklette.

“Alllphaaa, pleeeaaaaase alphaaaaaa,” Peter moaned, fully in heat and dripping slick.

Tony rose up just enough to kiss his way back up Peter’s body before capturing his mouth in a searing kiss. The omega whimpered beneath him, pliant as Tony forced him to taste his own slick.

“That’s my good boy,” Tony murmured as he nipped his was down Peter’s chin and to his neck. “Gonna give me exactly what I want aren’t you? Your body had been practicing for this since we bonded, and now I’m going to stuff you full and breed you like the omega you are.”

Peter whined and tilted his head, giving Tony easier access. The scent of horny, desperate omega filled the air until even Tony couldn’t resist. He pulled away from his omega’s neck just long enough to turn him over, positioning Peter so that he was presenting properly. Tony draped himself over Peter’s back so he could keep sucking dark marks into the omega’s neck, one hand pulling Peter’s tail out of the way as he lined himself up and pushed in as deep as he could go.

Despite the stretching and even the heat helping them along, he couldn’t bottom out for the first few thrusts. With a grunt, he sat up and grabbed the omega’s hips firmly, using them to impale Peter on his cock. The little serval’s tail whipped around as Tony continued to yank him by his hips, the omega’s small body so easy to use like a toy in this position.

It didn’t take long for his knot to start to swell in response to the omega’s pitiful cries. Peter’s tear-streaked face even as he begged Tony for more while his tiny body literally hung off of Tony’s cock was enough to push him over.

Tony pushed Peter down into the bed and fucked into him without holding back until he felt the knot catch. Then he shorted his thrusts into grinding jerks, making sure the omega milked him properly even as he renewed their mating bite.

After the initial rush of orgasm faded, Tony carefully rolled them onto their sides. He drew Peter in close, nuzzling at his kitten’s hair between his ears, and occasionally nipping at them. Honestly it was ridiculous how small he was, Tony couldn’t help but think. When they were knotted like this, he couldn’t reach anything but the top of Peter’s hair, because his poor omega was so tiny.

As he continued to stuff Peter full, the little omega whimpered, and Tony caught a whiff of a mix of nervousness and fear.

“What’s wrong ‘mega mine?” Tony asked, purring gently for his mate. “Are you hurt?”

“No, but alpha, what if- what if I get pregnant?” Peter asked softly, and Tony hugged the omega firmly.

“Do you not want to have kits?” Tony asked, though he was fairly sure he knew the answer. They hadn’t discussed it directly but Peter loved children and always cooed over them whenever he saw them.

“No, I do, but we only just mated and I’m still in school,” Peter said hesitantly. “People might say stuff.”

“What do you say, omega?” Tony asked firmly. “Because I don’t give a rat’s ass about what anyone else says. And if they hurt your feelings about doing what makes you happy, then I’ll hurt them.”

Peter whimpered but rather than fear, all Tony smelled was arousal.

“So what do you say, omega?” Tony asked, hips grinding his still hard knot into Peter. “Do you want kits now?”

“I- I do,” Peter gasped and moaned as he came again, making Tony chuckle. “But I still want to finish school too.”

“We’ll make it work, kitten,” Tony promised, his purr starting up even stronger. “We’ll figure it out and we’ll make it work.”

Peter nodded and whimpered as Tony teased his body while they waited for the first knot to go down.

As the heat built again, Tony still took his time. He covered Peter’s entire body in nips and kisses, spending extra time sucking at his tits while one hand slowly ran along his mate’s tail.

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

Peter squirmed beneath Tony’s assault until the alpha reached his nipples. He could stop the whines that slipped past his lips as his mate suckled on each side. Tingling desire built and built until finally Tony took some pity on his and buried three fingers in him suddenly while still sucking at Peter’s tits.

He came hard around the alpha’s fingers, slick gushing out as body twitched and squeezed at Tony’s hand. As soon as he came down from the high, he felt the alpha pull his hand out.

“Suck it clean baby,” Tony commanded as he gently thumbed Peter’s mouth open.

Peter whined as all three fingers were pushed into his mouth, and he struggled to breath around them. Tony pulled back just enough for Peter to catch his breath, then pushed his hand in again. Peter was able to catch his breath and set to work cleaning him up.

“That’s a good boy. Get it all clean and then I’ll give you a nice reward,” Tony said. Peter did his best to obey. As soon as Tony deemed his hand clean enough, he flipped Peter over onto his stomach again and pushed straight in.

Peter let out a choked moan, ears going flat as he was overwhelmed by how full he felt and yet he still wanted more. His body ached for it and his blood burned with the desire to be fucked and used by his alpha. To be bred until he was so full of cum that there’d be no way he wasn’t carrying a little for his alpha.

As he lay dozing while still stuffed with the second knot, Peter couldn’t help but imagine what life with kits could be like. Tony had said they’d get help and he could do school, so it seemed like there wasn’t a reason to say no.

The only worry was aunt May, who would undoubtedly have comments. And yet Peter couldn’t bring himself to care. He had his mate, who would take care of them. Why shouldn’t they go ahead and start mating? Peter shook off his thoughts of May and focused on Tony. Tony who was attentive and kind to him, who loved him dearly but still gave him freedom, and who was letting him decide even here.

Mind made up, Peter let himself finally rest. And then next time Tony put him in the breeding position, he offered himself up freely.

“Fuck me alpha,” Peter moaned. “Breed me and make me a mommy.”

Tony had been insatiable after that, and the rest of the heat passed much the same, with Tony filling him over and over, breeding him as thoroughly as possible with only short breaks for food and rest.

By the end of it, both of them were exhausted and the room was as filthy as they were. It would take a few days to see if Peter’s scent began to change and the eggs took, but both of them were optimistic and they began planning the nursery.

Then they just had to figure out how to tell everyone.

[fernpost]

Cycle 0 - Interviews

[read on ao3]

[next]

Taako Taaco. 114. Elf. Wizard; Specialization in transmutation and inventive magical applications.

Previous experience: Top of class at Tredore, Academy of Magics and Technology; recently graduated.

Criminal Record: Multiple counts of petty theft.

Davenport likes to think of himself as calm and composed. It’s hard to throw him off. He has to be in order to have gotten this far in his mission as fast as he has.

But when he turns around from shutting the door to see his interviewee with his feet kicked up on the table, twirling a wand through his fingers, he’s a little shocked. He’s been doing these interviews for two days now, and even the more relaxed and confident people have held a bit more sense for decorum.

It’s a bit rude.

It’s also a little interesting.

He sits at his desk, pulling the elf’s papers away from his boots (shiny, and though they look expensive he can see they’re worn down and well taken care of) and glances down. “Tell me, Taako Taaco, what makes you want to explore the planerverse?”

“Bored.”

If the feet on the desk threw him off for a second, that floors him entirely. “Bored?”

“I’ve got nothing else to do on this plane, why not, you know?”

“No burning desire to go further than any being has gone before?” That’s one of the normal responses, the well-planned out speeches he keeps getting in response to his opening question.

The elf crosses his feet, leaning back somehow further into the provided chair. Davenport worries for a second that he may fall as he continues on, “that’s cool too, I guess. But I figure, why wouldn’t you want the great Taaco name aboard your ship.”

Davenport picks up a pen from his table and makes a small note on the paperwork, “no offense, Mr. Taaco, but you’re rather cavalier about this interview that determines whether or not you’re accepted into a program that may redefine our understanding of the world.”

The elf shrugs and takes his feet off of Davenport’s desk, flashing him a smirk, “you’ve seen my sister’s paperwork, yeah? No way you’re not going to accept her, and we’re a package deal. Says it right there in bold at the top of my application, my man.” It does, in fact, say that at the top. Cursive words noting how he refuses to accept any position on the ship if his sister isn't there too. When reviewing who he was interviewing today, he saw similar words on Lup Taaco’s paperwork.

“You’re very confident in your sister’s abilities.” Davenport begins, pausing for a second as he notes the way the elf begins to tense up before continuing, “however, I wouldn’t sell yourself so short. You also graduated top of your class, and excelled in the art of transmutation multiple times. One of your letters of recommendation even noted how you made many spells easier to cast, somatically speaking.”

“What can I say, I’ll find any short cut I can.”

Davenport makes another note on his paper. “Now, I do need to ask about your record of petty theft.”

“Oh, natch.”

Lup Taaco. 114. Elf. Wizard; Specialization in evocation and applied magic regarding planar research.

Previous experience: Top of class at Tredore, Academy of Magics and Technology; recently graduated.

Criminal Record: Multiple counts of petty theft.

“Lup Taaco, it is nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Captain.” The woman in front of him smiles. The resemblance to her brother couldn’t be more clear, and though her demeanor is quite similar, she at least doesn’t have her feet on his desk.

Not that his desk is anything fancy, but the point stands. “I’m not technically the captain yet, you know.”

“Potato, potato.”

Davenport is fairly certain that’s not how that phrase is used. “You did research into the planes at Tredore, correct?”

“Quite a bit, yeah. I’m sure my brother told you?”

The slight tilt of her head and lit of her voice tells Davenport this is some sort of test, which is confusing and a bit disconcerting, considering he is the one conducting the interview. He checks a quick box on his papers. “He talked you up a bit, yes. But this is your own interview, and I wanted to discuss your own knowledge with you, personally.”

She smiles, a touch more warmth to it than her previous attitude. “Oh, of course. Did quite a bit of studying at Tredore. First real school we attended. Kinda boring at times, you know?”

“If you’re accepted into this program, it’s going to be four intense months of studying and teaching you the more complex workings of the ship. Plus the two months of actually being on the ship.”

“That’s the fun stuff. Not a third semester in a row of another language I already figured out most of years ago.”

“How many languages do you speak, Ms. Taaco?”

“Including common, five languages.”

“Impressive.” Davenport himself only speaks three. “Now, I would like to ask you about your criminal record, if you don’t mind?”

Her smile grew sharp as she laughs.

Honestly, he isn’t surprised. Her explanation is the same as her brothers. Grew up on the road, needed food and other items on occasion. Didn’t always run fast enough. Davenport can’t fault them, and certainly won’t hold it against them.

He glances down at her paperwork, about to ask another question about her education, when she speaks up. “I’ve got a question for you, Captain.”

“Oh?”

“The ship- we’re really going with the name ‘The Starblaster’?”

Davenport sighs. He knew this question was coming, but he was expecting it to come during a press conference from a reporter, not a potential shipmate. “Yes. To be fair, it was a communal name we put to a vote from everyone who worked on building the engine.”

Ms. Taaco smiles. “Dope.”

Barry J. Bluejeans. 37 years old. Human. Wizard; specialization in applied magic regarding bonds and planar research.

Previous experience: Current assistant professor at Duffman University of the Arcane, part-time employee at the Institute of Planer Research and Exploration.

Criminal Record: Previous altercations regarding necromancy; no crimes against the nature of life and death ever committed.

Mr. Bluejeans is an interesting man. By the look of him, you’d expect to see him fumbling his way through a PTA meeting for his two kids. Instead, Davenport is staring down the word ‘necromancy’ on his paperwork on an application regarding literal planar travel on a ship called 'the Starblaster.'

So far, the interview has been going well. He’d listened to the man explain his research into the arcane, and he’d understood planar travel as well as any of the current scientists and engineers at the Institute. He was called in often for conferences and meetings about the bond engine. He’d seen the man walking around on occasion. They’d never been in a meeting together before, but he’d seemed nice.

But he also had a history of necromancy.

Now, Davenport doesn’t like to judge people. However, being in an enclosed space with someone who needed to specify he had never technically committed “crimes against the nature of humanity” isn’t the most comforting.

But, he was a smart man. Easy to get along with, too. So far. Necromancy notwithstanding.

Best to get it over with, “so, Mr. Bluejeans. I do need to ask about your criminal record-”

“Oh! Yeah, I never killed anyone. Or un- killed anyone. Uh, resurrected, I mean. Just did lots of studying into the application of necromancy and necromantic spells. Got in trouble because I toed the line of ‘research’ and ‘bringing my cat back to life,’ but got a stern talking to. Didn’t try it again, and don’t plan on needing to deal with those types of authorities again.”

Okay, normal enough answer, far as the situation applies-

“My current research into it has stayed purely theoretical, and it won’t interfere with the mission at all.”

So the man is still into necromancy.

Davenport glances down at the man’s file, thick with it’s attached papers Bluejeans has done on planar research. He’s not even stuck up about his level of education, and that’s extremely rare for the field.

Holding back a sigh, Davenport asks, “Can you explain the paper you wrote on the outer planes interactions with the inner planes for me?”

It was a really good paper.

But the man is still into necromancy.

Lucretia. 20. Human. Chronicler; Specialization in journalism.

Previous experience: Due to multiple NDA, she is unable to give us the exact number and titles of books she has written, but she sent letters of recommendation from Duke Rensburg, Lady Norabelle, and Warren of the Seatree Clan.

Criminal Record: Acquisition and attempted use of a false ID.

“So, Ms. Lucretia, I understand you cannot provide us with most examples of your works, but from what you have provided, you seem to be very, very good.”

“I like to think so, yes.” The young woman in front of him seems polite. She’s quiet; he saw her waiting outside with a few others before her interview, and while most of them were engaged in some awkward small talk, she sat away from them. Likely partially due to her age- she is much younger than the people outside- but she also simply seems quiet.

Which wouldn’t be the worst quality in someone you would be sharing a small, enclosed space with for an extended period of time. But, if she couldn’t bond with the others sufficiently, the bond engine won’t work.

(Hell, the bond engine was already finicky, they figured out the tech only a month ago, and they only have four months to bond an entire crew to pilot it and-)

“Can you explain to me why you acquired a fake ID and tried to use it at a, uh,” Davenport glances down at the records in front of him, holding back a chuckle, “at the forbidden section of the Library of Runar?”

Lucretia looks uncomfortable for a second, and he’s sure if the lighting in the room were better he would be able to see her flush with embarrassment. She gives him a hesitant smile, “I can’t get into the explicit details, but I was working on a book for an older client whose memory was becoming patchy, and I wanted to confirm some details before I put their name to it. They wouldn’t allow me into the section without the proper documents, but my client refused to agree that I should double check his work, even though I was almost certain he was wrong, so I simply… found a way to get past their guard. I wasn’t going to steal anything and I was going to use the proper equipment to read through the documents.”

Davenport smiles, “pursuit of knowledge and truth is important to you, then?”

“I don’t think spreading lies, especially in that context, is very honorable, no.” Her hands are folded in her lap now, and she seems a bit more relaxed.

Considering the others he is planning on accepting, he may be wrong about her getting along with them. Anyone willing to break the law just to prove an old man wrong would at least get along with him. Davenport refuses to have any pushovers aboard his ship.

Magnus Burnsides. 19. Fighter; Specialization in protection fighting and mechanical engineering.

Previous experience: Current bouncer at Apex Club. Currently enrolled in Gallier’s Fighter Academy and College.

Criminal Record: One count of assault and battery, appealed for defense of another person present. One count of indecent exposure and public intoxication.

Davenport will be the first to admit it can be tricky to follow human aging patterns, but he knows he’s not mistaken in thinking the man in front of him is barely out of “child” territory. Nineteen is a very, very small amount of time to be alive. Also, a very, very small amount of time to learn important things, like how to run what is basically a ship right out of a science fiction novel- complete with breakthrough technology.

Despite this, it’s hard to not find the young man in front of him to be endearing, and mostly knowledgeable in the things they need him to be.

“Magnus. You’re very young, one of the youngest applicants we have. What makes you think you’re qualified as the head of security of the ship?”

The young man in front of him- Gods, he really is young- grins and lifts his arms to flex, a show of pride and ego almost unbefitting of an interview setting, “Have you seen my muscles? I’m very strong, and a very good fighter.”

Many of today’s interviews have been quite different than he was expecting.

“I was referring more to job experience.”

“Oh!” Magnus shifts in his seat, fingers drumming against the table as he thinks. “I worked as a bouncer for a club while I was in college and did, if I must toot my own horn, a very good job. You should have a letter of recommendation from the owner-” He leans forwards, reaching a hand out as if to look through his own files to show him the letter.

“Yes, I did read through it. She was very thorough in stating how eager you were to help.” Davenport glances down at the papers in front of him, holding back a sigh. It truly was a glowing review of this young man. While his grades from the aforementioned college weren’t the highest, especially in classes one might consider important for an institute of planar research, the two letter of recommendations he submitted from teachers of his explained how Burnsides was very persistent when he wanted to learn something he didn’t know. He also had taken quite a few classes regarding vehicles- not enough to claim the young man was an expert but enough to provide a solid basis to show him how things worked and could be repaired on the ship.

The kid’s attitude was something of a breath of fresh air in this place. However, there was one glaring concern.

“I was also a bit concerned about the criminal record we have on file for you. Assault and battery as well as the indecent exposure and public-”

“In my defense for the second one, I was drunk with some friends and maybe thought it’d be funny to streak in the lake. Who hasn’t been to a party that gets a little out of hand.” He holds his hands out as if to say “am I right?”

Off the record, Davenport is inclined to agree that he was right. On the record, he is choosing to ignore it. “And the assault and battery? The file says it was in defense of a young person.”

Burnsides grins, “that’s how I got hired as the bouncer!”

He waits a moment, expecting Magnus to continue. When it seems the young man is assuming that is enough explanation, he prompts, “by beating up a man outside the club?”

“Yeah! He was harassing someone outside, and I was walking home and passed by. I told him to step off, and he didn’t. So I decked him, and he was out right away.”

It lined up with the records he had, and honestly, seeing someone so ready to step up to the defense of a stranger was a good quality. Better than some of the older applicants who were much more… formal in their training. He wonders briefly how Burnsides would react to an altercation against someone with magic.

Glancing down at his records, he guesses he would run headfirst without thinking.

Stifling a small grin, Davenport continues, “Now, tell me. Assume we’re up in space, and something goes wrong with the bond engine. What would your course of action be, Mr. Burnsides?”

Merle Hitower Highchurch. 214. Cleric; Specialization in botany, religion, and medical treatment.

Previous experience: Current botanist at the Institute of Planar Research and Exploration. Professor of botany at Narvick’s University for four years.

Criminal Record: Multiple counts of loitering.

The door is pushed all the way open before Davenport can even call out the next person.

A short dwarf slides into the room with a wide grin, “hey Dav!” A mug of tea is pressed into his hands.

“Hello, Merle. You do know this needs to be at least a little formal, yes?”

“Formal schmormal. Ask me your silly questions already, bud.” Merle Highchurch, resident botanist at the Institute of Planar Research and Exploration, plops right down in the seat he’d taken to commandeering once a week, for the past three weeks.

Davenport had seen him around before, but a botanist in an institute designed for exploring other planes that had little capabilities to actually go to those places yet was rarely busy, and even more rarely called upon. He still barely knew the guy, but after the day they’d gotten stuck in the elevator for ten minutes when it broke down, the dwarf had come to his office for tea each Wednesday.

It was a bit strange, but the tea was good.

“Tell me about your work experience.”

Merle laughs heartily, “they barely have me do anything around here, ‘cept tend to the couple of plants they’ve grabbed from the ground plane.”

“It’s the Elemental Plane of Earth, and don’t sell yourself short, Merle. This is basically a job interview, you know.”

Merle slurps loudly at his own mug, “aren’t you planning on nepotism hiring me, because we’re buds?”

“That isn’t even what that word means, Merle.”

“Isn’t it?”

Davenport stares into the tea, “is this made from the Earth plant?”

“Maybe?”

Davenport. 276. Captain and navigator; Specialization in mechanical engineering and arcane components combined with contemporary technology.

Previous Experience: Crewmate on the Lady Blue for twenty years. Graduated from Grensville University. Current staff at the Institute of Planar Research and Exploration.

Criminal Record: Unlawful resistance of orders from captain, raising of commotion on board ship while employed.

Davenport handed the six files over to Selune, “These are them.”

The halfling woman flips through them, eyebrows raising higher with each one she sees. “You’re sure you grabbed the right ones? A few of these I understand, but you do know we had the Issaiah Broler apply.”

He folds his hand in front of him, nodding. “I also know that during the interview he made me want to pour my tea on his lap. There’s no chance of getting the bond engine going with him. These are the six I picked. They’re all qualified- and the ones that are less educated in the specifics in the field I’m sure will pick up on the important information quickly. The Taaco twins already will give the bond engine a huge boost. Ms. Lucretia will ensure we have everything chronicled, something I’m sure you can appreciate, Selune. Mr. Bluejeans previous work shows he will thrive given the opportunities awaiting us. Mr. Highchurch is an educated man, and I trust him to keep the crew healthy and provide ample information on anything botany related we encounter, and I’m certain Mr. Burnsides will provide ample help in any task we show him how to do.” He sighs, glancing out the window of her office. There were a few people lingering outside in the courtyard of the Institute. “We have been given a tremendous opportunity to explore beyond what we can imagine, Selune. The last thing I want is to be bogged down by people stuck in their ways, who have been working in this field long enough to have their preconceived notions about what to expect and who will react badly when they’re proven wrong. I trust my own judgement in picking a crew, and I hope you trust my abilities to get these people ready to set sail in four months.”

What he doesn’t say is that he doesn’t want a bunch of stuffy jackasses on his ship. He’s not even sure picking all the over-qualified people would pass through the higher-ups' inspection of the crew. The people he picked were qualified enough to get a quick sign-off, but not too much. Anyone “overqualified” would probably get rejected. The ship had been built in basically six months. It’d get them off the ground, sure. It wasn’t going to explode on them once they got up there, but it wasn’t safe. There was a reason Davenport was the captain at all.

The six candidates in those files didn’t have a name for themselves as “important” to any stuffy scientific group or noble family. These people he picked were just that- people. A group of people who he believed deserved this opportunity. If anyone was getting the chance to make a name for themselves- to have the chance to redefine everything they know about the planar systems, he wanted to make sure they deserved the chance. A dangerous chance, sure. But what was science if not a little risky.

She sighs, opening the file on top. Her hand reaches for her pen, “Davenport, I got the final say on the name of the ship, I suppose the least I can do is give you final say on the crew.” She begins to write ‘approved’ at the top of the file, flipping through each one before giving him a pointed look. “But when I get angry calls about how you approved a bunch of nobodies and two people not even old enough to drink, I’m transferring them straight to your crystal.”

“And I will not be answering a single one.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to, Captain.”

[theboredwritertm]

hi if you write smut.... maybe mando being the reader’s first time?? if not, ignore this :))

Innuendo 

A/N: I’m going to admit this was the first request I received (ever) for The Mandalorian and it’s been gathering dust for the past couple of weeks (because I’m a simp for Cobb Vanth apparently??) Anyway, so sorry it’s taken this long, anon. I haven’t written this kind of thing before, but always love the chance to try new subject matter. Thanks for sending it through! I’ll admit this piece felt kind of clunky as I was writing it, but since I’m (sorta) sticking to a posting schedule now, I just wanted to get it done. And apparently, I can’t write something without backstory, so it got a little long!

Rating: 18+ for adult situations

Pairing: Din Djarin x Reader

Warnings: Awful jokes and innuendos, awkwardness, a clueless Din, probably swearing, consensual sex, loss of virginity

Word Count: 5930 (Once again, consider the first 3000 words terrible foreplay)

Summary: After putting up with months of your supposedly-unintentional innuendos, Din finally takes charge…only to find out things aren’t quite what he expected.  

He’d picked you up like a Bantha tick and hadn’t been able to shake you since.

You’d managed to argue your way into a semi-permanent position onboard the Crest after what he would call a rescue, but what you still stubbornly referred to as an ‘assisted retreat’, and it didn’t look like you planned on leaving any time soon. 

So, he was stuck with you. At least that’s how he liked to think of the situation.

Never mind that it was nice to have someone to come back to after a long mission that could actually talk back to him. Or that you kept the ship neat and tidy. Or that you were practically a live-in babysitter for the little one at this point. Not to mention the way you always managed to throw together decent meals for the three of you that didn’t always come out of a pack – and that you seemed to enjoy doing so. 

And never mind that he liked listening to your soft, happy hums as you stirred together whatever ingredients you had managed to pull together, and that he’d stand in the doorway, silent as a shadow as he took this in, thinking to himself that if a Bantha was half as lucky to pick up a tick like you, it could do much worse for itself.

But what really got to him were the jokes.

You weren’t what he would consider shy, not since you seemed to have no problem at all talking back to him when he had grown so used to others shrinking back at the mere sight of him – still, he hadn’t been expecting the first comment that had just sort of slipped out of you after a few weeks of being in each other’s company. By that point you were comfortable enough to throw the odd sarcastic quip around at each other without having to worry about someone getting offended, so that’s what he had decided to take it as: a joke. At least, the first time. 

Since the Crest was prone to the odd malfunction, given its age and what he guessed to be a few too many battles before it was decommissioned, it hadn’t surprised him to walk into a cockpit full of smoke one day. What had surprised him was the way you had stepped into the room, taken one look around as you waved the smoke from your face, and said, “Is it hot in here, or is it just you?”

He’d taken it as he thought he should. A bad joke. You were prone to them as he had come to find, and there’d been plenty of times that he’d heard you use the same kind of lines on people you needed something from. In his case, he guessed that something was shelter and a place to lay low for a while. And he had obliged.  

The second time wasn’t as bad. It was worse. Terrible, even. He had no idea what you’d been going for, but as he’d approached the ship after a particularly grueling job and found you standing on the ramp, one foot balanced on a crate and look of mock-seduction, you’d cocked an eyebrow and greeted him with, “Hey, handsome. Looking for a ride?” 

His response? A semi-confused, completely weary, “It’s my ship,” as he’d passed you by.

The third time he thought maybe he’d just taken it the wrong way.

You’d been discussing his work, how long it had been between jobs, and how you were both getting a little light on credits. You’d shaken your head, lounging sideways in the co-pilot seat in a way that always looked uncomfortable to him, but seemed just fine to you, when you’d said, “I don’t get it. There’s got to be work out there somewhere.” Then you’d paused for a moment before adding, “If I looked hard enough, I’m sure I could find a few openings for you to fill.” He had frowned and glanced over, certain he’d caught the passing ghost of a smirk on your lips before you resumed looking completely innocent, as if you were simply pondering the tricky predicament you found yourselves in. 

Then there was the touching.

At first, he’d found excuses to move out of your reach, an attempt to make his knee-jerk reaction to shrug you off look less obvious. Then one day he’d exercised some restraint as you’d popped a warm, friendly hand on his thigh before getting up from the co-pilot’s seat, announcing you were ready for bed, and he’d realized…he kind of liked it. What, to you, (he was sure) was just fleeting, friendly touches – something ordinary and human he had been deprived of growing up – started to become something he would linger on for hours, sometimes days afterwards. There was something frustrating in the way you could make something that felt so intimate to him look so casual to you. 

Another time, more recently, was probably the worst of the lot – but only because of the effect it’d had on him.

During the last stop-off, you’d both been standing in the holding bay surveying the handful of acquisitions he had stored in carbonite. Work had finally picked up, and you’d proven surprisingly helpful in acquiring them, but in that particular instance, there had been a slight problem – two of them were destined for the same planet, but the cities were in complete opposite directions. The timeframes to meet the employers would never have allowed him to make both trips. So, you’d stepped up, placing a hand on his arm as you’d surveyed the captives and said, “Look, I’ve never been much of a delivery person, but I’m more than happy to handle your package for you, just this once.” He’d stared at you, glancing down briefly at the hand on his armor, then up at your smile. “What do you say?” you’d asked, eyes never leaving his visor.

It had taken a troubling amount of self-control not to close up the ramp and show you just how okay with that proposition he was. Because it had been a long time since he’d last gotten the chance. He’d blame the dry spell on the kid, on new responsibilities that hadn’t been there before, but it had been like this for well-over a year, way before the Child had even come into his life. Gone were the days of his youth where he could pick someone out of a bustling cantina crowd and lead them off silently to some grimy bathroom or backroom for a quick fuck – them, for the thrill of being with one of his kind, and him, out of sheer physical need. He’d made peace with the fact that those days were behind him (and considering the state of some of those bathrooms – and some of the partners – it was probably for the best). But that didn’t mean that the need went away. And then there was you.

You, with your perfect skin and the glow of youth still about you. Your long, shiny hair that always made his fingers twitch with need to reach out and run them through it. Your (cute) annoying laugh, and the way you would crinkle up your nose as you found something he’d said particularly funny for some reason he could never figure out (him, fumbling with switches from the pilot’s seat as he attempted to focus, ignoring the smile prickling at his own mouth as the sweet sound of your giggling flipped the doofus switch in his brain). You with the form-fitting pants you sometimes wore when a mission called for something you could move easily in, ones that made his own pants feel a little more form fitting when he stared for long enough to let his mind wander. 

You and your damn jokes.

In the end, much to his surprise, it wasn’t a joke that had finally sent him over the edge. It was a simple word, and this time you actually had context to back you up, to assure him that it wasn’t you just fucking with him. Given the situation, it absolutely shouldn’t have had the effect on him that it did. But it had triggered something in him that even he didn’t know he was into.

The kid had been seated in his usual spot, in the seat behind Din’s, when you’d walked in and spotted his big eyes beginning to droop. You had developed a routine with him now – dinner, a bit of bonding time with Din in the cockpit, then bed – and so far, it had seemed to work well for the little guy. You were new to the whole childcare thing, but it made it easier for you to know where punishment and reward was warranted – especially since you were terrible at telling him off. One look at his little face and all wrongdoings were forgotten, something Din never seemed particularly impressed with (even if he was just as guilty of it as you were).

You approached the seat, reaching down to scoop up the sleepy bundle, and pulled him close.

“Come on, little one. Let’s leave daddy to his thing. Time for bed.”

As you turned and headed for the steps leading down to his cot, you failed to notice the way Din had stiffened in his seat. He turned his head to watch you go, eyes dropping down to linger on your ass as the word replayed in his mind. Then he turned back to the flight console, hand lingering over it in a split-moment of indecision, before he flicked on auto-pilot and got to his feet.

Enough was enough. 

*

You had absolutely been fucking with him.  

The first time it had just sort of slipped out, you’ll admit. After years of dealing with the Guild, which what was honestly a bit of a boys’ club, you’d developed the shitty flirting as a reflex to seem more at ease with whoever you were working with (and, okay, sometimes it got you better jobs, too. So what?) But after catching Din’s initial reaction (back when you knew him solely as the strong, silent Mando) you knew it was a thread you had to tug at. And tug at it, you had, just to see the man unravel. 

You knew the risks, knew the Mandalorian’s reputation, but part of you had wondered how far you could take it…how far you wanted it to go. 

You were about to find out.

As you pressed the button to close up the baby’s metal capsule, smiling as you caught one last glimpse of his sleeping form, you turned to find yourself face-to-helmet with the man himself. Even without seeing his face, there was still an intensity to the way he was looking at you, how he leaned in until you have no choice but to back yourself up against the cold steel of the wall. 

“This needs to stop,” he says, tone full of warning. Though you could have sworn there was a touch of something else to his voice. You want to say it sounds like desperation, but that feels a little self-indulgent, even for you.

“I’m sorry. Did you want to put the kid to bed? I just thought—”

“You know exactly what I mean.”

His hand comes up to rest beside you on the wall, as he leans in closer, effectively boxing you in. 

Oh, boy. 

You wonder if this is the same technique he uses on people he’s trying to get information from and if it should be having this effect on you. You’re almost certain it’s fear that you should be feeling, not, uh, this. You clear your throat and look up at him, wracking your brain for what you’ve done or said in the last ten minutes to warrant this kind of reaction from him, especially given the more obvious attempts to rile him up over the past couple of months. You’d picked up the kid, same as you did every other night. Maybe it was the way you’d bent over to do it. You glance down briefly at your clothes, but it’s not a particularly revealing outfit. You’d worn much less in front of him before with far less reaction. Maybe it was something you’d said?

Come on, little one. Let’s leave daddy to-

Oh. 

Oh.

The word leaves your mouth as a soft question intended mainly for yourself, a thought given voice. Din stiffens immediately, across from you. You look up at him, realizing at the same time he does that you’ve caught on.

“Wait, really? Is that what this abou—?”

His other hand comes up towards your throat, and for a moment you think he’s going to choke you (and you’re a little concerned that the feeling you get from that thought still isn’t fear) but his touch is gentle. His hand comes to rest on the side of your neck, thumb against your cheek as he looks at you for a moment before his voice comes through once more. 

“Say it again.”

You keep your gaze trained on his visor, where you’re sure his eyes are currently burning into you, and feel heat flooding in opposite directions in your body; up to your face, and down between your legs. And you feel ridiculous. You had never been into that kind of thing before, and you feel silly saying it; but if there’s one thing you are into, it’s the big guy in front of you – the one telling you to say this one little word, just for him – and having him this close talking to you like this, well it might just be worth the humiliation. Hell, maybe that’s something you’re into, as well.

“Daddy?”

The hand on the wall next to you pulls back as he growls, and slams forward fast enough to make you jump, smacking against the light switch, bathing you both in sudden darkness. You feel him lean in closer, certain that if you were to move your head even slightly forward it would come into contact with the cold beskar of his helmet.

“Do you want this?” his voice, gravelly with lust, sounds through the modulator, as the hand on your neck begins to slide downwards.

Shit.

Even if you had wanted to say no before – you hadn’t – you’re sure the low rumble in his tone would have changed your mind. You’d never heard him keyed up like this before. He always had a way of keeping it together, of staying in control, but you’d been messing with him for so long, teasing, casually throwing your innuendos around, knowing exactly what you were doing to him. You don’t know why you feel so surprised that it’s finally come down to this. It was kind of like a daydream, a fantasy finally coming true, and you feel completely unprepared.

“I do, Din, seriously, but, uh, there’s just—”

“What is it?”

You wonder how you’re going to break it to him. Honestly, you feel like a fucking fraud after everything you’ve put him through. You feel like you’ve been leading him on. You sigh and duck your head as you make your confession.

“I’ve never done this before.”

You don’t know how to explain it, but you feel him suddenly deflate, as if the tension in the room has been replaced with something akin to disappointment. 

“You’re joking?” And for once, you’re not.

He doesn’t mean for the words to come out the way they do, and even though he can’t say he’s any less turned on by this revelation he knows there are implications there that can’t be ignored if he wants to keep going. Only, right now, he’s not feeling very patient. 

You wince at the level of exasperation in his tone. “No.”

There’s silence for a moment and you have to reach out to feel that he’s still there, your hand landing on his chest plate. His hand comes up to rest on top of yours, and you think that maybe its to pull it away, that the lights will come back on at any moment and this opportunity will disappear forever, but he holds it there, thinking things over. 

“How much experience do you have? Any?”

There’s a change to his tone, now. He sounds curious.

“Yeah, I mean I’ve…”

Why does this feel so fucking awkward suddenly? You’ve spent the last six months in this man’s daily company, and while that might not seem like a lot of time in terms of getting to know a person, a majority of that was spent in the confined space of the Crest. You know each other’s routines now; all the little habits and pet peeves you can only pick up on when living in close quarters with someone else. You know he likes silence at meal times, but that he’s more open to conversation after time away on a job, and you’ve come to be able to tell just from his posture if that job had gone well. You know some of each other’s history – him mostly learning yours, since you’re by far the chattier person – yet, still, your face is hot with embarrassment as you recall the handful of experiences you’ve had. You’d never talked about this kind of stuff. You’d only ever joked about it.

“You know, like, mouth stuff.”

“Mouth stuff?” he repeats, and you swear there’s laughter in his voice when he says it.

Your face is beginning to feel unbearably hot, and you’re sure that if he decided to read your heat signature right now your skin would look like you’d just spent a week straight wandering the Tatooine desert. 

“Shut up, you know what I mean.”

“Hm,” he replies thoughtfully, like he does and that maybe he’s picturing it, “What else?”

“Hand—”

“Hand stuff?” he cuts you off, undeniably making fun of you now. 

You smack him in the chest plate, only managing to send a sting through your hand in the process, then push forward as if to move past him, like you think you could make your way anywhere in this darkness. “You know what? Maybe I don’t want this, after all.”

It’s a blatant lie, but you’re starting to think maybe humiliation’s not your thing after all.

He stops you and you don’t resist. You’d been wanting this pretty much from day one, back when he’d assisted with your retreat after a hunt had gone sideways – from the moment you’d watched him swagger into the cantina and stand calmly between you and the half-dozen armed men who were protecting their wanted leader. Back when you’d been just a young, fellow hunter in need of aid.

“Tell me what you want,” he asks you now.

You think about it for all of two seconds. “I want y—This. I want this.” You stumble over what is almost too much of a confession. It feels too soon to tell heavy truths like that, so you settle for what you already know he’s offering. “Just…go easy.”

There’s a silence that seems to drag out in the darkness, then a hiss as he removes his helmet. You feel his body move closer to yours, and you swear that’s his hair brushing your cheek as he leans in and says, “I can do that.”

He scoops you up without warning, reminding of how quick and strong he can be even when he’s weighed down by all that armor, and you find you can’t help yourself as you say: 

“You really know how to sweep a girl off her feet.”

Without the helmet, his sigh meets your skin as a warm huff across your face.

“Do me a favor?”

“Sure,” you reply without hesitation, feeling him still beneath you.

“No more jokes. Please.”

You laugh at the exasperation in his voice and find yourself caught completely off guard when you hear a huff of breath escape him that might have passed for laughter, too, but before you can say anything you find yourself being whisked away towards what you assume is the small space of his sleeping quarters. He seems to know his way well enough to not bump into anything along the way, but even so you hug yourself in tight to avoid any knocks to the head. You look up as a door rasps open in front of you and you can only barely make out the outline of the bed. Din is quick to place you down on it before he drops his helmet to the floor and starts tugging off his armor, placing it somewhere nearby. You sit on the edge of the mattress staring awkwardly into the darkness, knowing you should probably start undressing, too, but suddenly feeling self-conscious despite the pitch darkness that surrounds you. 

“Do you want me to undress you?” Din asks, and his tone is gentle enough for it to be a serious question. 

You shake your head in response after thinking it over for a minute before remembering he can’t see you. 

“You’ll have to use your words,” he says, “The lights need to stay off.” He pauses for a moment, then adds, “Is that okay?”

You know it’s not him asking if you’re expecting him to betray his creed in order for this to happen; it’s him asking if you’re okay with not being able to see anything for your first time. 

Your first time.

Urgh. It sounds so juvenile when you think about it that way, but so far, it’s living up to the adolescent kind of awkwardness you had expected, back when you had actually been an adolescent. You were past that now, and if you’re being honest with yourself that’s part of what’s making you feel self-conscious about this whole thing. You feel like this should have happened a long time ago. You wonder if Din thinks it odd that you’ve left it for this long.

“That’s fine,” you tell him quickly. Though you wish you could see him, not only to know what you’ll be working with, but also because doing it this way adds a layer of anonymity you didn’t necessarily want to associate with your first time. You’d always pictured it being with someone you felt close to – as cliché as it sounded, someone who was special to you. And even though that was true in this case, not being able to see that certain someone was detracting from the whole experience. 

You feel movement in front of you and a large, warm hand finds your knee, running it over the fabric that still covers your body.

“We don’t have to do this if you’ve changed your mind,” Din tells you. His voice is different without the helmet; softer, gentler. Or maybe it’s just the circumstances that has him talking to you this way. You’d heard him use this kind of tone on the Child, and you had always admired the level of patience he always managed to show the kid, but you’d never found yourself on the receiving end of it like this before. It’s comforting.

Comforting enough to confirm your decision.

His hand moves away as he feels you start to shimmy out of your clothes. Your top goes first, up and over your head, joining his pile on the floor, then you reach down for the button on the front of your pants. You pause, realizing how exposed you’ll be, even with the cool air meeting your already-exposed nipples. This is a different kind of exposed, you think; more intimate. You give yourself a moment. 

“May I?” he asks, and you’re surprised enough by his politeness that you nod, forgetting again he can’t see you, and breath out, “Yeah.”

You move your hand and let him take over, feeling his deft fingers make quick work of your button and zipper before he starts to tug the fabric down your legs, taking your pants and underwear all in one go. His hands find your knees and you sigh at the skin-on-skin contact, never expecting the man to feel this warm. You hear him drop down to his knees and suddenly feel warm breath between your legs. You make to close your legs at the unexpected sensation, unsure about having him this close to that area, but his hands come up to pull them back apart.

“What are you doing?” you ask, only to distract you both, because your heart feels like it’s going to beat out of your chest at how fast this is moving.

“Mouth stuff,” he replies simply.

It’s simple, dry humor, but you swear he never makes you laugh more than when he catches you off guard with stuff like that. You don’t think anyone else would believe you if you tried to tell them how funny he can be without even trying. The joke manages to diffuse some of your anxiety and you relax back onto the bed, trusting him with whatever he’s about to do. Still, you gasp when his mouth meets your core, and he hums happily against you. You’ve done this with someone once before, but the memory feels clumsy compared to what Din is doing now; his grip tight around your waist and tongue immediately finding the right places. You try not to think about where he’s had the practice, focusing instead on the sensation he’s creating with a simple flick of his tongue.

You start to make noises you don’t think have ever come from you before, unable to help yourself with the sudden assault on your sensitive nerve endings. He pauses from what he’s doing as if struck by a sudden thought, smiling at the way you whimper at the sudden loss of contact.

“Have you ever cum before?” he asks.

“I think so,” you reply, but if you were being completely honest, you’re not sure. And least, not with another person. You’re pretty sure you’ve gotten there on your own. You think. You feel like that’s something you should know for sure.

“You think so?” he repeats, sounding unconvinced. 

“Yeah. I mean, I’ve had, you know, urges, I took care of them, then they were gone.”

He makes a thoughtful sound and ones of his thumbs finds your clit, rubbing a couple of circles before he dips it down to your center to scoop up some of the wetness there to bring back up again. 

“You don’t sound very sure,” he says casually, like he’s not driving you crazy right now with a simple touch. Feeling slightly pathetic, you can only whine, your brain feeling scrambled as his assault on your clit empties it of all coherent thought. “Next time I ask you, I want you to be a little more certain,” he tells you, and without warning dives back in, his tongue taking over from his thumb at a much faster pace. Your back arches off the bed and he slips his free arm across your hips, holding you in place. 

You soon feel pressure at your entrance as he presses a finger carefully against it and in your frenzied state you push forward onto it, forgetting in a moment of desperate need your body’s inexperience with something like that. You’re wet enough that it doesn’t hurt, but it’s still a foreign feeling having something inside of you, and you realize that’s only one finger. Before you can start to imagine how something larger is going to feel, he presses the finger upwards inside of you and hits a spot you’ve never felt before. You cry out, caught completely off guard as the tight feeling in your lower belly breaks and you cum hard against him, hips bucking uncontrollably against his face. He growls against you, but doesn’t stop moving until your hips do. 

“Fuck,” you whine, still panting as he slides his finger out of you and gives you one last lick. Still sensitive, you yelp and jerk back from the sensation, making him chuckle.

“Now you can say you’ve cum,” he tells you, and hell if he doesn’t sound proud of himself for giving you that. 

“Yeah,” you agree, still barely able to form a proper thought. Then one comes to you. You sit up. He’s getting to his feet in front of you and it’s put him at the perfect height for what you have in mind. 

He’s not expecting it when your hand finds his length, giving away his surprise with a sharp intake of breath. You take a moment to guess at his size, thinking once again how it’s going to feel once he’s inside of you, but any thought of pain is completely overridden by the very idea of having him inside you at all.  But one thing at a time – you want to explore a few things first.

“Do you mind if I return the favor?” you ask him. You’re feeling different after your orgasm – feeling a sudden, renewed confidence – and the way his breath hitches as you start to pump him up and down sends a thrill through your body. He doesn’t reply, answering instead with a simple touch as his hands find your head, brushing your hair back from your face. You’ve done this before, too, but unlike your partner’s attempt on you at the time, yours had proven more successful.

You bob your head forward to find him, lips meeting the head of his cock and parting to let it enter. As your tongue laps at its underside, Din drops his head back with a moan that only encourages you further. You take as much of him inside your mouth as you can, letting the salty taste of him hit as close to the back of your throat as you’re comfortable with, and his grip tightens on your head as he fights the urge to buck forward. You’d said to go easy, and he’s mindful of that, but picturing what you must look like right now, face pink and glowing from your orgasm, mouth stuffed with his cock, he wishes he could flick the light on for a second just to see it. You guide your head back and forth, taking in all the sounds he’s making for you, testing particular places just to see what else you can make him do. All the while he continues to stroke your hair, murmuring praise that sounds strained as tries to force the words out, things like, ‘Good girl’ and ‘Yeah, just like that’.

All the praise starts to go to your head though, it seems, as you forget your earlier feelings of humiliation and whisper back, “You like that, daddy?” Then you pick up your pace and have him moaning to the point where he has to stop you. He gently grabs your head, pulling his hips back and plucking himself from your mouth with a slick ‘pop’.

“We’re going to have to stop there, sweet girl, or your going to make me cum.”

You simply look up to where his voice is coming from and make a sad little hum, any self-conscious thoughts or anxiety long gone at the sound of his half-ruined tone, and you find yourself eagerly awaiting the next step, your body begging for further touch. He chuckles at your reaction and leans down to find your lips, capturing them in a searing kiss, both of you groaning as you taste each other. It’s the first kiss you’ve shared with him, and as he moves forward and forces you back onto the bed, you find your legs come up automatically to wrap around him. That’s when you feel him, hard and pressing into your thigh. 

“How do you want to do this?” he asks, as he grabs his length and rubs his tip between your folds to coat himself with your wetness. You moan when he passes over your clit and give yourself a moment to bask in the sensation as he continues to rub over that area. 

“Just go slow,” you tell him, then you feel his cock move down from your clit to your entrance, now that you’ve finally given him permission. He only applies the slightest pressure, letting you get used to each new sensation as he introduces it, but you’re so slick down there that he begins to slip in. You tense, waiting for the sharp sensation you’re sure is coming.

“Relax.” Din’s hips have stilled, and he reaches up in the darkness to run his thumb across your cheek, soothing you. “Deep breaths, okay? I’ll make it feel good for you.”

You nod, and this time he feels the movement against his hand and doesn’t ask you to voice it, instead taking it as his cue to continue on. There’s a momentary sharp, burning sensation deep inside as you feel everything stretch, but as he slowly begins to move his hips, you find it fades more and more with each thrust, your wetness coating him and amplifying your pleasure. You’ve never felt this full before, not in this way, but he’s big enough to be hitting all your best spots at the same time. You’ve never felt this close to cumming this quickly.

“Shit.”

Hearing that single word, he starts to pick up speed and you clutch at whatever part of him you can reach, giving yourself up to the sensation as you feel that electric, tightening sensation starting again in your lower belly.

“Do you think you’re close?” he pants, because he knows he is – dangerously so – but he wants to keep true to his word. He wants to make this experience just as good for you. 

You fail to answer, unable to stop the harsh cries leaving your mouth instead, and you don’t have time to tell him before the feeling breaks inside of you again and you’re pulsing around him. You cry out, louder than before, and this is enough to send him over the edge, too. He slips out at the last moment, and you feel warm bursts of liquid squirt across your stomach.

“Sorry,” he pants, grunting as he braces himself on one hand and then shivers through a couple of aftershocks, “I didn’t— I couldn’t—”

“It’s fine,” you tell him, voice just as breathless. And it is fine. You couldn’t care less about it. Your entire body feels more relaxed than it has in months. You feel spent in the best possible way and right now you’d be fine to just fall into a pile on the sheets and sleep.

He collapses onto the mattress next to you, his body close to yours in the small space, warm and sweaty, and you’re surprised when he slips an arm underneath you to bring you closer. “So, was that okay? Do you feel okay? Sore?”

“Yeah. I mean, no, I’m okay.” The words come out as a few huffs of breath and, still high on endorphins, the noise makes you laugh. 

Din gives you a squeeze at the familiar sound, smiling to himself in the darkness. Then he makes a thoughtful noise.

“What?” you ask.

“It’s nothing. It’s just…You’ve never been in here before.”

“So?” You gaze around in the darkness, thinking it is a little cramped compared to the space you’d made for yourself in the much larger cargo hold, and realize maybe that’s what he’s hinting at.

“I think you should cum here more often.”

“Did you just…?” You sit up to look at him the darkness, never in a million years expecting such a horrible, so very like-you joke to be uttered by the man and he yanks you back down and pulls you close, ignoring the sticky mess he’s made of you.

Then you hear a sound you’re not familiar with, and feel his warm breath against you as he laughs. 

“Din Djarin, that joke was terrible.”

He presses a kiss to the side of your head and heaves a sigh that suggests fast approaching sleep. “I learned from the best.” 

[fowlblue]

Got any Spiro headcanons?

I do indeed!

- Grew up in a small rural town in southern Illinois with his older brother, Dale. His parents split apart when he was young, so he doesn’t really remember his father, only his stepdad. Dale does, however- this is a point of contention between the two.

- A very nosy and active child, Jon was very prone to getting into trouble- however, he was also quite adept at getting out of said trouble, often blaming incidents on his older brother. Given that his older brother had a bit of a dour personality, this wasn’t a hard lie for his neighborhood to believe. This knack for evasion of consequences is a skill he’s kept into adulthood.

- Became estranged from his family after making an angry + drunken fool of himself at his brother’s wedding. The only one he keeps in contact with (and can tolerate for more than a few minutes) is his mother- he was always closer to her. She keeps asking him to show up for holidays- he never does.

- Favorite game as a kid was ‘king of the hill’. Often got in trouble for climbing up trees and onto the roof. Very much enjoys being tall and seeing the world underneath him.

- Genuine passion for architecture, absolutely fascinated with skyscrapers, hence the Spiro Needle. He is very proud of that building and will talk about it for hours if given the chance.

- Less interested in power than he is in the acquisition of a lot of money, something he associates with freedom, seeing as it can very easily serve as a ‘get out of jail free’ card.

- Something of an addictive personality- chain smoker and heavy drinker, especially in social settings.

- Prefers using charm to get what he wants, rather than force- not out of a sense of goodwill, but simply because it’s easier + cheaper. Naturally charismatic, though spend any longer than a few hours around him and there’s a good chance you’ll start to see how unpleasant he actually is.

- Good at charming people but incredibly impulsive. Prone to making very bad decisions/an absolute fool of himself in the heat of anger.

- In very poor health, due to drug/alcohol abuse and a family history of medical conditions. His ‘twenty years’ prediction in TEC was a bit of a stretch, something he is decidedly aware of but opting to ignore.

- Superstitious. Was actually quite excited when fairies were ‘discovered’ during TLG, as it proved all the old myths he was told as a child had a grain of truth to them.

- Bi.

- Old acquaintance of Fowl Senior, which is why he was so familiar with the name in TEC. Was very confused when Fowl Senior left the criminal scene.

[marksollinger]

17, 18, and 20 for Darcy and the Familiar?

17. what are they like when they’re tired?

darcy instinctively fights off drowsiness. he consumes a lot of caffeine: monster, venom, rockstar, starbucks doubleshot. if it's high in caffeine and comes in a can, he's consumed it in unhealthy quantities before. before you get too concerned for his health, let me assure you that he does gradually start drinking a lot more just-plain-water as time goes on and the familiar enters the picture. but twice-daily black coffee is a baseline necessity. he gets a guaranteed six hours of sleep each night until the weekends when he crashes and sleeps 16 hours.

the familiar is out like sleepy ponyo when they're tired and sleep like they're dead to the world. this is mostly because they enter r.e.m. sleep in a way that's similar to chris' dream-journeying? that's how they make additional income to help themself, their family back home in the city, and darcy. little courier jobs, asset acquisitions, etc... but no, yeah, they are totally limp and fully asleep for 3 hours at a time. they sleep less than darcy does because they don't need to. but thankfully they have (safe) ways of staying busy and occupied and happy so darcy doesn't worry about them wandering off.

18. what are they like in arguments?

darcy has his moments. though he's pretty unhinged in general most of the time, when you put him in a high-stress situation, he can be surprisingly sharp-witted. that all fades the second he doesn't truly feel threatened anymore, though. he does the opposite of front-loading. he tries not to be on the offense, he's learned from experience that being the first person to strike during a debate or argument often reveals his hand to the person he's arguing against. so he simmers and he waits for the other person to say something stupid or 'drop' things that he can build into a makeshift insult or rebuttal or whatever else. he's good at this but only insofar as it makes sense to him. he's not formally trained in rhetoric, he just uses the streamlined common-sense guide to winning arguments. and, you know, if worse comes to worse, he can just start Getting Fucking Angry. he's much more likely to lose his cool if someone threatens the familiar (or simply poses a significant threat to them by virtue of being in, like, close proximity to them).

the familiar doesn't get into too many arguments, really, unless it's to express their frustrations to the sort of... 'social worker'? temp.. manager? it's hard to describe who she is but i'd broadly say she's similar to the representative of the curator. she serves a big entity that acts as a kind of interdimensional job recruiter? and when the time comes for darcy to have a performance review, the familiar has to talk to her again. and sometimes they're a little frustrated by the fact that they feel like they don't know what to do, they feel discouraged by 'just staying afloat' in this, dare i say it, sorcerer economy. which isn't to say that they don't experience anger or that they don't sometimes have a stern word for the bodega-owning sorcerers they and darcy encounter (or any other sorcerers who are rude or give them both a hard time or are just plain weird and/or mean)... it's just different...! they're not good at it, if that simplifies anything jjfklds

20. out of 10, how happy are they? how happy do they think they are?

big, tough question! darcy is at a constant, passable 6 or 7 most of the time before meeting the familiar. and that bumps up to a happier 7-8 after meeting them. he wasn't at his lowest but he certainly wasn't doing amazing. he'd just broken up with the person he thought he was going to propose to and transplanted himself to nyc. it's hard to be at anything above a 4 for him in the first few months there. but shit gets marginally easier (or, at least, more exciting? hopeful? it's difficult for me to think of good words for how he feels about that change of pace but it's something that makes him feel less helpless, that's for sure...)

as for the familiar, their happiness has been subjective their whole life. the city was not all bad, despite how scary it often was, because they had their parents and understood how things worked there. they saw themself being able to survive there but also understood that they had an option available to them that would make their parents more safe and happy. and the prospect of adventuring in another world sounded like a great escape, no matter how new and terrifying it was at the same time. living in nyc, the familiar has so many new experiences that i would say, for simplicity's sake, increased their capacity for happiness and joy. so they went from a constant 5-6 to a stable 9 in the first year of knowing darcy. it's been good for them both!

ask me about my ocs

[charcuteriecorse3]

Shopping Tips That Can Help you save Both Time Along with Money

Fromage corse

There is no asphalt explanation for why is a compulsive client, but it appears which some people can be hooked on shopping, in the same manner this addicts need to self-medicate. It appears that purchase within the items is not your major influence, even so the response that is elicited with the experience, is a lot like a chemically activated state.

Fromage corse

Compulsive customers are not irresponsible, but they also may appear to have difficulty with self-control, which often ends up in problems. There a couple shopping tips to enable all shoppers help you save both money in addition to time. For some people, these are easier to implement as opposed to others, and the benefits achieved may differ, nonetheless knowing how to shop carefully can be of benefit to. Retailers derive many their revenue out of what is termed behavioral instinct buys, and the tactic to curb the compelling impulse, is to develop a list of what you need prior to deciding to leave on your searching trip.

One of the most significant shopping tips to go away credit cards and buy your purchase by using cash. This may appear outdated, or even sacrilegious in the modern financial system but the axiom of which cash is double is still applicable. Anyone save more, simply because when the cash is normally depleted, no more acquisitions can be made.

Be cautious before you make a acquire, as there may be alternative methods that you can obtain a service. You may not really need them, or a less expensive replacement may be available. Should you do some checking on categorised sites, you may find those who offer items without charge, and all you need is usually to obtain contact tips to arrange pick-up. Generally if the item is needed in a short-term, you may be much better off with letting or borrowing this. One of the most valuable procuring tips that can be accessible to shoppers, is to steer clear of buying things, as they are on sale. The reason why buy something that you don't have?

There a few necessary shopping tips, that will you when getting clothes. Clothing is about the items that can be problematic or it can be created simple. Coordinating a person's colors, will result in wanting less accessories, and you'll be able to easily mixture and match objects without difficulty.

If you preferably need a particular item, along with funds are not on hand, remember that everything can be negotiable. You may be in a position to obtain without investing, but by using additional means such as bartering or exchange from unwanted items. Discussing can be tricky, as well as being a skill that can be formulated. You may not be able to discuss lower pricing upon many items, however , many have developed discussing skills to be for benefit in top notch retail stores.

Humans tend to be creatures of routine, and we are more likely to return to the recognizable. Retailers favor a phenomenon and dedicate a lot of effort inside developing relationships. A person's relationships with outlets are passed with generations, as you may remain using the same companies that your ancestors utilized. It may very well become worth your despite the fact that to explore additional tactics, that may offer less expensive for your money.

[landenqnmw849]

15 Up-and-Coming cabinet 10-inch table saw Bloggers You Need to Watch

Exactly how much is actually a Table Saw?

The amount of is a table noticed value? This is among the most important concerns that folks would ask in advance of purchasing a table noticed. Plenty of things would impact your choice on how much is a desk saw truly worth. If you need to know the amount is actually a desk observed then read this informative article. You might find out how Significantly can be a table noticed and the amount it need to cost you.

The cost of a table Saw significantly is dependent upon its make plus the options it possesses. Transportable table saws are usually much less expensive in comparison to stationary desk saws also. Nonetheless, If you're on a good spending budget, you may also get high quality portable desk saws from $ 250 to even $ 500. But if you wish to have something with a lot more attributes then you ought to be wanting to pay out extra. Table saws that happen to be bought in huge stores normally have better functions as compared to Those people bought in lesser stores. So if you want to lower your expenses then you'll want to go for the portable table saw that is certainly offered in big shops or significant household furniture stores.

You should also consider the amount of can be a desk observed really worth dependant on just how long does it choose to use it. The purpose of each noticed is incredibly diverse, so It might be challenging to generalize them. The obvious way to figure out exactly how much is actually a table saw is to find out just how much time you would like to help you save immediately after using the noticed. You will find cupboard saws which have an automatic generate motor that comes with the acquisition while you'll find others who have to have you to definitely manually drive the motor.

The next element that establishes exactly how much can be a table saw is based on the weight with the motor. Table saws are generally utilized by electricity resources, so the load of your motor is very important. If your motor is weighty then it's going to choose much longer to turn and may also need much more power to implement it. The other factor that determines simply how much is usually a table saw relies on its dimension.

Hand saws usually weigh in between two to five kilograms. Table saw motor electric power can range between one particular to 6 horsepower. For anyone who is intending to purchase a hand noticed then it is a smart idea to know simply how much is often a table saw based upon the motor electric power. There are numerous elements that you'll want to contemplate when purchasing a hand observed such as the cost, the requirements and in some cases the company that make the noticed.

You can also find some ways to determine just how much is often a desk saw. If you don't need to squander your hard earned money on an overpriced machine then it is best to Opt for the best possible deal. The internet can be extremely helpful In such cases as there are several web-sites that offers you requirements of various hand saws and their price ranges. These tend to be depending on brand name but some web sites will checklist products according to simply how much they Price along with the specs presented. You can even find Web-sites that can assist you Look at numerous hand saw models and costs and assist you to make an knowledgeable determination on what is the best Device for yourself.

Stationary table saws normally have mounted lengths and generate motors. They may be quite beneficial for many home functions as they've got a hard and fast duration and also have a chance to Slash differing types of components easily. Nevertheless, stationary saws would require some great tuning and this is a person explanation why many home customers favor compact desk saws as an alternative to the stationary ones. Most compact desk saws come with fundamental extras and A lot of them do not have any major defects. Regardless that most of these compact saws will Charge a lot more than typical table saws but the benefits they create to the home entrepreneurs are greater than definitely worth the extra money.

A number of the significant benefits of compact table saws consist of; they've got much larger reducing surfaces, they've got adjustable blade heights, they've adjustable cutting angles, and they typically have superior blade life than their immediate push motor counterparts. Nevertheless, Also they are more expensive compared to direct push motorized table observed. Yet another good thing about most direct generate motorized desk saws is you could use it regardless if the facility is off. This is actually the big benefit of immediate generate motorized benchtop saws as you don't need to await the motor to kick in in advance of utilizing the benchtop observed.

The way to Sharpen Desk Observed Blades

When you have been questioning the way to sharpen desk saw blades, Then you definitely've arrive at the ideal put. A desk saw blade may become blunt with time if not taken care of appropriately. It is possible to sharpen a blade at home with relative ease, but usually there are some stuff you require to keep in mind. The solutions listed beneath are made use of mostly by Skilled woodturners but may work to the occasional woodturner. These techniques operate nicely when the blade is uninteresting, but may not delay against the use and tear of daily utilization.

The ultimate way to sharpen a desk noticed blade is to work with a diamond blade jig. Diamond blades are the best at sharpening. They can also be procured in a variety of models to suite your Tastes. The kind of diamond blade you utilize may also identify how you Sharpen the blade at your house. Check with the maker's Directions for sharpening ahead of time Before you begin.

Probably the greatest approaches to learn how to sharpen table saw blades is to speculate in an excellent jig. An excellent jig provides you with dependable benefits which is inexpensive to get. The next techniques are commonly used by Experienced woodturners:

Many woodturners purchase a few more fall finishes from their position website and rely on them as being a sharpening aid. Drop ends, or "chips," are smaller parts of Wooden that often get still left driving in the whole process of sharpening a saw blade. If you employ far too much of those fall finishes, they'll ultimately grow to be so prolonged they interfere With all the blade. Even so, only a few quick items of hair from a scalp can present you with the same sort of sharpening help as many total sets of drop ends.

It is necessary to know how to sharpen desk saw blades appropriately. Some homeowners mistakenly believe that they will just toss their previous blade absent and buy a brand new one particular from their area hardware retailer or Internet site. Having said that, utilizing a new blade devoid of next proper blade sharpening support techniques can result in harm to your noticed. Although it may possibly look easier, paying for a new blade isn't often the best option. Instead, sharpen your blade applying appropriate treatments for every kind of blade.

A lot of homeowners start out the process of how you can sharpen their blades possibly by purchasing a sharpening kit with the community home improvement keep, or by obtaining pre-sharpened sharpeners produced specifically for carbide. These pre Sharpened sharpeners typically have distinct blade variations made for chopping differing types of components. Considering that all carbide blades usually are not the exact same, it is crucial to acquire a sharpen designed for the kind of chopping materials you will be performing most frequently.

Should you be a handyman form of individual, then it could be probable to get a carbide handpiece specifically built that may help you sharpen observed blades. These handpieces feature both a hand guard or even a hand crank which allows you to promptly sharpen a number of blades simultaneously. These are much like the electrical handpieces utilized by Expert chefs but the benefit of the hand guard is the fact it retains the hand near the blade when in use. Many Expert sharpen observed blades require you to use the identical procedure whenever you use them.

If you do not by now individual a person of such sharpening instruments or have not owned one particular in advance of, it may be a good idea to put money into 1. The worth of possessing a sharp blade and also a sharpening unit with the noticed is often priceless. It might be worthwhile to speculate in two or three sharpeners for the observed dependant upon how frequently you truly use it. You will see that using a hand guard in your observed can help to safeguard your fingers while you are sharpening the blades, as well as the carbide handpieces useful for hand security are intended to keep a selected width and form so that they're snug to carry.

The best way to Make use of a Round Noticed Without a Table

Lots of us who will be obsessed with woodworking normally find means regarding how to use a round observed with no table. It is now a longtime real truth that even with no usage of a table a circle saw can generate a quality chopping end result by numerous adaptable techniques confirmed by all the pro woodworkers. Nonetheless, there are still some alternatives to produce a cut without the usage of a desk that aren't actually that Considerably complex. Here are several approaches on how to make use of a circular noticed with no table.

Just one widespread strategy on how to make use of a circular noticed with out a desk is once we are cutting smaller boards or nails through the foundation content. The explanation why we want to make use of the circular motion is mainly because it produces more leverage and lets us to chop the boards which are hard to attain for instance those that are embedded in concrete. To do this, we need to use a lengthy and thin horizontal blade. If you'd like to carry out this process effortlessly, the best choice is to purchase a good quality transportable radial blade.

A different frequent way on how to utilize a round observed without a desk is when we are chopping one thing on the lengthier sides. This is especially relevant after we are using the saw to chop a board with lengthy and slender boards such as All those used in office properties. For this kind of reducing, the most suitable choice is to employ a longer horizontal blade for the circular cuts. To create the Lower correctly, Make certain that you stand straight and parallel With all the board when Keeping the blade near to your body in a length of a minimum of a few inches. It can be crucial to obtain more than enough space for that noticed to rotate while creating the Slash.

Reducing plywood is another common venture that many people request the way to make use of a round observed without having a table. The initial step is to be sure that the wood is dry and straight before you make the cuts. You can utilize a blow dryer or An electrical run sander to dry the plywood.

A straight edge will help you keep the gap involving the blade and the plywood straight. It's important to recall not to apply strain when generating the cuts. Yet another popular challenge regarding how to use a circular saw with out a table is slicing sheet metal. Most often, you will want a reduce high quality Instrument for this activity but It is far from unachievable to accomplish.

To be able to begin the chopping, you'll need a straight edge, plywood, a jig saw, and also a amount. Lay the plywood throughout the jig observed's leading edge, making sure it is actually lined up properly. Put the clamps more than the plywood, making certain They are really connected firmly to The 2 edges with the clover. Level the perform by putting the flat edge through the Minimize line on 1 aspect of the plywood. End some inches within the close of the road and Slash the wood.

The third step is to put the sting information across the observed's Minimize line, making sure it truly is snugly towards the plywood. The benefit of the sting guide is always that it keeps the Wooden lined up as you move across the piece. The fourth stage is to face instantly over the piece you will be going to cut. Glance down in the blade to determine where the crosshairs are pointing.

Stage two: Make use of the jig saw's crosshairs to information your cuts. If the crosshairs slide on 1 facet of the piece that you will be reducing, just flip your observed over so you might be reducing from the other facet. Continue making cuts in the identical way right until you reach the other aspect with the grain. Use the edge manual to keep the cuts straight and you should definitely are only chopping throughout the grain.

Here are a few common routines and Halloween stories arrive to intellect right now of 12 months. The temperature has enhanced. The leaves are turning color plus more of the son or daughter are nervous to Article source rejoice

How to Adjust Desk Observed Fence Lenders

How to adjust table saw fence is similar to how to regulate another fence on your desk observed. The sole difference is usually that you must Possess a measuring tape to ensure that you happen to be modifying the saw appropriately and in the right route. Fence adjustment includes quite simple actions that require no more than your own private two hands and with none supplemental resources.

The first thing you are going to do to regulate your noticed's fence is to find wherever the miter slot is found. You try this by finding the blade behind the observed. Then stand immediately around the edge next to the blade and glance down into your observed. You need to see a lip or slot that operates together the best fringe of the observed blade. You might know you are appropriately altering your noticed fence when the observed's teeth mirror the road through the noticed into the rear with the blade.

Now, measure the gap involving the miter slot and the top of the observed's tooth. You'll use this as your new fence line. Increase three inches to this line, as you are likely to want to adjust your saw's tooth width to fit your miter slot flawlessly. The nearer the measurement will be to the particular fence measurement, the tighter your fence changes might be.

To continue Mastering how to regulate desk observed fence, you have got to take out the saw from your get the job done place. Set the fence knob to zero degrees. Now, working with the right blade and fence package that arrived While using the noticed, begin to shorten the noticed's teeth as significantly as feasible. When the noticed is at its shortest, set the fence lever to its complete open posture. Now, you may securely close the fence knob.

Now, Along with the noticed's teeth at their freshly configured positions, phase back and check out your recently altered observed. Check to be certain the observed's enamel are parallel with the bottom. If not, change them as explained earlier mentioned, to attain exactly parallel teeth as explained in the previous phase. You may also wish to improve the fence's top with the saw's entrance. Increasing the peak enables extra home for the blade to operate with no hitting the fence or the get the job done floor.

When you've completed this process, inspect the adjustment treatments in regard for the depth of Slash. It is suggested you use a framing sq. to ensure that your cuts are accurate. It truly is widespread for homeowners to note that their observed's enamel are only an inch or two off of your marked square. This is certainly great, but if the Slash is too deep, you might have to compensate by manually tightening the saw's pressure screws.

Modifying the fence in a very observed with extension limbs is a rather diverse system than having a table noticed with fence hooked up. In this instance, you are going to initially loosen The strain cables around the extension limbs until finally the saw blade starts to show freely. Then, using the fence adjustment system over the fence, slowly reduce it until the saw blade starts to go through the fence. Make adjustments right up until the blade clears the fence, then tighten The strain cables. You may have To do that various instances ahead of the fence is completely straight.

When to vary Table Saw Blade Directions?

A lot of people know when to alter desk noticed blades but don't know when to get it done in sure situations. Blade alternative is commonly important in the event the wood around a noticed blade begins to seem a little bit diverse. Many people Never know when to switch their observed blades. However, there are plenty of conditions where understanding when to alter your blade could save you a lot of money and time down the road.

The 1st time it is best to Be sure to Examine your blade is correctly modified is following a yr plus a half of use. Just after a pair years of use, The main element that holds your blade jointly can begin to wear absent. If you don't capture this early on, it can go on to worsen. If you do not know how significantly again you should alter your blade, or You cannot determine which blade guard to utilize, you must check with a handful of men and women you find out about how they fixed blade difficulties. The greater you receive at knowing how to proceed, the more possible it is actually that you will get it correct any time you attempt to create blade adjustments.

The most effective time to do blade adjustment is when you first make use of your desk observed. Using this method, you may Ensure that your blade is strictly where by it needs to be. If you need to do blade adjustment whenever you initial start off utilizing your saw, it is actually a great deal more possible that you're going to get it suitable. Additionally, you will have the capacity to gauge the amount even further back again you must change the blade if required.

Many people love to blade adjust although They can be utilizing the equipment. When you've got a hand guard attached towards your saw, this is the great time to make sure that the blade is lined up properly Together with the experience with the noticed. You could move the guard while you're generating blade changes and will not have to worry about it shifting or causing a problem when you regulate the blade. If you don't have a hand guard or you happen to be in the hurry, you could possibly locate that you could force the blade the many technique to the back, but you have to be incredibly very careful as you are doing so. This could potentially cause a major problem and you don't need To accomplish this if you are not utilized to creating sharp variations to your blade.

Most tables saw blades adjust with a lever. Some devices have two levers, while others only have a single. If you are executing blade adjustment on the desk observed, you need to constantly change the cope with in the opposite course of the blade and faraway from the blade. This tends to hold the blade from staying unintentionally pulled out and result in you harm. Even so, when you find yourself earning forwards and backwards blade adjustments, it is usually much easier to do it while in the path with the blade and it can be simpler to remember to do it like that.

Should your desk observed blade is free, the very first thing that you ought to do when you might want to change blade Instructions should be to take the machine off the noticed and allow it to chill down. After it's cooled down wholly, you should take out the blade and clear up the metal body in which the blade is attached. It's also

[seanactioncoach]

The Benefits of Executive Coaching

A popular misconception about executive coaching is that only they have the expertise needed to help you improve as a leader or as a manager. While most executive coaches have executive leadership experience and knowledge, they needn't necessarily be experts in your particular field or role to provide exceptional coaching services. Executive coaching services need to be relevant and tailored to meet the needs of the clients. It's also essential for the executive coach to understand the work environment or business context in which you operate so that he or she can better assess how to assist you.

A quality executive coach will also understand how to cultivate leadership in colleagues and subordinates. They are usually well-versed in communication skills and can speak persuasively on behalf of their client. A good executive coach will not simply bark out commands but will try to understand the personalities of his or her clients so that he or she can design programs that are beneficial to both the individual and his or her employers. In this way, executives can reap benefits from the work of an executive leadership coach.

Most executives fail to realize that there are two types of leaders: those who communicate effectively and those who don't. All good leaders communicate effectively with their team, but not all effective leaders communicate effectively. An executive coach can help you foster better communication skills by helping you understand and improve your communication skills. You'll find that hiring quality communication skills coaching program will pay off for you because it will allow you to communicate more effectively with your peers and your bosses, building better relationships with people in the workplace, and increasing productivity and profit.

On the flip side, not all good leaders possess excellent leadership skills. A weak leader does not equate to a poor leader. Sometimes weak leaders do not have good leadership skills. However, these leaders do not usually exhibit poor behavior. Instead, the weak leaders usually lack respect and a positive work ethic. An executive coach Dallas can help you gain respect and improve your overall work ethic, which in turn will increase your productivity and profitability.

Another benefit of hiring an executive coach is that his or her services will provide priceless advice and insight into how you can improve your performance. Most executive coaching programs are led by coaches who have been in business for many years. Their years of experience in the business allow them to see issues from an executive's point of view. In addition, they also have access to the inside knowledge of powerful executives who have achieved stellar executive positions.

Executive coaches are highly skilled problem solvers. This means that they know how to deal with a wide range of challenging issues. For example, most coaches can help business executives who are dealing with difficult business partners. These business executives may be experiencing conflict over issues such as business contracts, business expansions, performance reviews, and mergers and acquisitions. Most coaches will have sound business strategies that will enable them to overcome these obstacles and reach their goals. Furthermore, these strategies will help them overcome potential risks that they may face during the course of their coaching program.

Additionally, executive coaching can benefit business executives who are struggling to build their organizational skills. These executives often lack the skill set that is necessary to be successful. Furthermore, a Dallas business coach can teach them how to communicate effectively with their employees. Lastly, executive coaching can help them develop new management skills that are essential to their careers.

Executive coaches can help business executives to reach their goals. Because executive coaching is usually led by the coach, it provides a unique opportunity to learn and grow. This type of learning is essential to achieving goals. In addition, the process of executive coaching provides individuals with an invaluable support system and invaluable feedback that will make their professional lives much easier. Therefore, hiring executive coaching services is a good decision that will not only enhance one's career but also provide a sense of relief, security, and serenity.

[need-a-fugue]

We Grow Together (26)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Tessa Sullivan (OFC)

Chapter Summary: Shit’s about to get real... 

Summary: Relationships can be tough, especially when one person is a recovering-from-being-brainwashed-and-tortured former assassin and the other is an overworked mutant scientist. But hey, every couple has their struggles. Right?

“His name is Lobe? What the hell kind of name is Lobe?” Clint asks with a laugh.

Tessa shrugs in response. “No clue. But if Scofield says I should meet him, then I think I should meet him.”

Steve throws up a silencing hand. “Now, just hold on.” He moves over to stand behind Natasha as she sorts through mounds of data on the computer in front of her. “Nobody’s meeting anybody until we know a little more about this guy.” He nudges Nat’s shoulder. “Got anything?”

“Nothing,” she mumbles, obviously perturbed. “There are no references to anyone named Lobe in any of SHIELD’s files. Or in any other data we’ve collected over the last few years.”

“It’s probably a codename,” he tells her.

She twists her head around to look a him. “Ya think?” she asks, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Maybe’s he clean,” Tessa suggests, immediately earning her incredulous stares from everyone in the room. “What? Devil’s advocate. I’m just trying to think of reasons why he’d never pop up on anyone’s radar.”

“I hate to say this, guys,” Clint sighs as he sidles up next to Tessa and drapes an arm over her shoulders. “But I think Doc’s right. If we can’t find anything on this guy, we should send her in to meet with him. Might be the only way we’ll get to know who he is.”

Tessa narrows her eyes. “For the record, you’re not saying that you hate to say that I’m right, right?”

“Right,” he responds with a confused frown.

She nods. “You just hate to say it because it’s not an ideal situation to be put in. Got it.”

“Not an ideal situation?” Bucky repeats with raised brows. “It’s a little more than that.”

“He’s in New York already. Scofield said that he’s actively looking for scientists, preferably ones with experience in genetic mapping and cellular splicing. This is perfect timing.”

“To be fair,” Natasha chimes in, leaning back in her chair, “while I really don’t think someone going by the name Lobe is a non-threat, it is possible.”

“It’s like Scofield said, X-gene research is highly regulated,” Tessa supplies. “And highly frowned upon. That could be reason enough to come up with a fake identity.”

“And the fake identity might only be for people he doesn’t know. Once she gets in, maybe we can get a real name.”

“Once she gets in?” Bucky asks incredulously.

Tessa turns to him with a frown. “Are you just going to repeat everything everyone else says?” He glowers at her and she relents. “Okay, fine. I get it. Like I said, it’s less than ideal. But,” she continues, turning to face the rest of the group, “this guy, whoever he is, is doing something that he shouldn’t be doing… something with mutant genes. That something might be good – maybe looking ways for ways to enhance DNA to prevent or even cure certain genetic diseases – or it could be something really, really bad. Either way, I want to know.”

To say that it took some convincing would be the understatement of the century. But in the end Tessa, Clint, and Natasha were able to talk Steve and Bucky into letting the meeting happen. There were certain parameters put in place, of course. For example, it had to be in a public place where they could be at least reasonably sure that they wouldn’t lose her. Scofield said that Lobe wanted to meet at a place called Magellan’s in upper Manhattan. Not ideal, but it would do. Tessa would get there early and sit in a pre-scouted location near the windows so that Bucky could see her from his position on one of the buildings across the street. Clint was able to move sites easier, so had a few spots he could go between in case they lost visual. Both Steve and Nat would be inside the restaurant, at the ready.

“Seems a bit like overkill,” Tessa mumbles as she sits down at the predetermined table. The team had Tony call into the restaurant to reserve two of the surrounding tables, ensuring that no other diners would get in their way, so Tessa found herself sitting neatly tucked away in a small sea of empty tables while the rest of the place bustled around her. “Not too obvious,” she snipes into the coms.

“Are you gonna argue with all of my orders?” Steve asks from his position at a corner table.

“I’m not arguing. I’m ridiculing.”

“I think I’m over wanting you on the team,” he mutters. “I’m ready for you to go back to your lab.”

“I got Scofield in my sights,” Bucky interrupts. “He’s entering the restaurant with two other men.”

Tessa stands when she sees the older man make his way over to the hostess, two other men trailing closely behind him. The hostess points to her and she waves as the men turn to make their way over. She takes one look at their faces and… “Oh shit.”

“What?” Steve asks.

Clint is heard next. “Is that – ”

Tessa nods stiffly as the men arrive at her table.

“Who?”

Clint barks out a laugh. “Oh, man. No way!”

“Dr. Sullivan,” Scofield greets, extending his hand to her. “This is my associate, Lobe.”

She looks to the thin bald man and offers a rigid smile. “Very nice to meet you,” she says, shaking his hand. He says nothing to her, and offers no smile nor hint of warmth.

“And I believe you already know Mr. Calvin,” Dr. Scofield says with a coy grin.

The other man – a tall, muscular, dark-haired specimen – quirks his lips as he too extends a hand. “Dr. Sullivan,” he says, deep, rich voice sounding all too brazen.

“Who the fuck is Mr. Calvin?” Bucky bites out.

She glares at him, refusing to touch his outstretched hand, opting instead to awkwardly, angrily stand and stare. “Uh, Doc,” she hears through her earpiece. “I know this is probably a bit of a shock. But you kind of need to get your shit together.”

“Who is this guy?” Steve asks again, more insistently.

Tessa cocks her head at the handsome man in front of her. “I thought you were dead.”

He shows off a dazzling smile. “Oh, come on. You didn’t really believe that.”

“Well,” she says, her jaw clenched, “a girl can dream.”

“Barton?” Steve nearly shouts through the coms, letting loose with a loud cough from his corner to cover the sound.

“Remember when I told you guys I met her ex in Minsk?” he says, an all-too-playful lilt to his voice. “That would be him.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Bucky mumbles, barely audibly.

“Ah,” Natasha croons. She can barely be seen leaning forward on her bar stool, craning her neck to get a better look. “I see what you mean about her type. Tall, dark, and… very fuckable.”

“Romanov,” Steve chides. “Try to be a professional.”

Clint chuckles as he meanders across the street, moving to a second, closer location. “Nat, did you just imply that Barnes is very fuckable?”

“This conversation is making me very uncomfortable,” Bucky mutters as he follows the small group of people at the table through his rifle’s sight.

Steve sighs loudly enough to be heard through the coms “Can everyone please stop saying fuckable?”

“Captain Rogers,” Natasha intones “you’ve got a dirty mouth.”

Bucky takes his eye off the table and leans back for moment to blink heavily. “Can we focus please?” he asks, clearly not amused.

They all watch as Scofield drops into a seat, the others slowly following suit. Between Lobe’s very obvious general awkwardness, and the rather extreme tension between the Tessa and Mr. Calvin, the older doctor is the only one who seems even remotely at ease. “I must say,” he begins, leaning back into his chair and popping open the menu in front of him, “I was rather surprised to hear that you hadn’t spoken to Mr. Calvin in years.” He glances up at Tessa and says with a chuckle, “Though I suppose if you thought he was dead, that would explain it.” He turns to Lobe, who looks utterly disinterested. “Mr. Calvin does have a knack for faking his own death.”

“Well,” Calvin says, charm just oozing from his pores, “It’s an unfortunate necessity in my line of work.”

“And what line is that, exactly?” Tessa asks before nervously taking a quick swallow of water. “Nowadays, I mean.”

Lobe answers for him in a deep, measured tone. “He’s in… acquisitions.”

“Personnel acquisitions?”

He stretches his lips into a long, slender, utterly terrifying smile, and says with a slight nod, “Of course.”

“That guy’s not too creepy,” Natasha mutters over the coms as she slowly stirs the martini in front of her.

At the table, Calvin leans in, closing much of the distance between him and Tessa, as he says, in a manner obviously meant just for her, “I was a little disappointed you didn’t mourn my passing like I thought you would.”

She narrows her eyes at him. “How would you know whether or not I mourned? Were you keeping tabs on me?”

“Maybe a little,” he says with a shrug.

“Well I’m feeling a lot better about this guy being involved,” Bucky snipes sarcastically.

Rolling her eyes, Tessa mutters, “It wasn’t the first time you died, Cal. Besides, if you wanted it to be believable, you would have had a coked-out hooker stab you in a by-the-hour motel.”

“Oh, sounds like a keeper,” Clint says. “Wonder why it didn’t work out.”

Steve clears his throat into the coms, a wordless order for everyone to shut the hell up.

At the same time, they hear Calvin laugh, soft and supple. “Car explosion was cheaper.” Then, leveling Tessa with a thoughtful stare, “Still, I’d hoped you’d be a little more upset.”

“I stopped getting upset about the things you do a long time ago. I’m over it.”

“But you never quite got over me, did you, sugar?” he asks with a wink.

She leans in, green eyes steely. “Do not call me that.”

“They have a history,” Scofield tells Lobe conspiratorially as he watches the scene unfold in front of him.

For his part, Lobe simply rolls his eyes. “I’ve heard good things about you, Dr. Sullivan.”

She drops her angry glare and looks over to the man across from her. “Have you?” she asks. “From Dr. Scofield?”

He spends a long moment looking her up and down, seemingly assessing her very being, before responding with, “Yes.”

She feels a shiver pulse through her, unsure if the anxiety she’s feeling is a result of simply being nervous about this whole situation, or if it’s due to the fact that this guy’s energy is almost unreadable for her. She tries to cover the unease with a small smile. “Well, I do have a rather full resume,” she says.

Scofield chuckles a bit. “A rather impressive resume, you mean.” He turns to Lobe. “Before coming to Genetech, she studied with Dr. Moira MacTaggert.”

Lobe’s expression shifts to what seems like genuine interest. “At Muir Island?”

She shifts uncomfortably in her seat. “Yes. For a time.” Another put-on smile. “I was very young then. Still in med school.”

He gives her another appraising look, this one ending in a wide-eyed grin. “I would very much like to know about your time there.”

“Well…” she starts, not quite sure where to go.

“You know,” Calvin interrupts suddenly, “I wouldn’t mind having a moment alone with Dr. Sullivan. Just to catch up a bit.” He shoots her a meaningful look before glancing back at Lobe. “A quick drink at the bar, maybe? Won’t be but a few minutes.”

“I’m not here to meet with you, Cal. I’m here to meet with Lobe,” she says, uncertainty lacing her words.

“C’mon,” he croons, reaching out and gently wrapping his fingers around her wrist. “One drink,” he says with a small tug.

Instinctively, she jerks away as though she’s been burned.

“It’s fine, really,” Scofield says absently, waving them off. “Go have a drink. Lobe and I have some things to discuss anyhow.”

“If you stay near the end of the bar, I’ll still have visual,” Clint’s voice sounds through the coms.

“And from here I can get audio on whatever the other two talk about,” Steve says. “Let’s play this out.”

“Fine,” she says with a scowl, harshly pushing back her chair. Calvin jumps up as well, hurrying to catch up with her as she makes a beeline for the bar. He’s next to her in just a few long strides, dropping his hand to the small of her back in a guiding gesture. “Stop it,” she turns to growl at him.

“You used to like it when I touched you,” he whispers in her ear as they both lean onto the bar. “Said it made easier to suck up all my… intensity.”

“He’s a real charmer,” Natasha mutters from her spot at the opposite corner of the bar.

“What do you want?” Tessa asks him.

His eyes positively twinkle with mischief when he replies, “You really want me to answer that?”

“Oh, if only he knew that her current tall, dark, and fuckable boyfriend had a high-powered rifle trained on him right now,” Clint hums.

She shakes her head impatiently, both at the man in front of her and the one in her ear. “Can you be serious for five seconds?”

“Sugar, after five years together, I’d think you’d know the answer to that,” he says with an airy laugh.

“Five years!”

“Barton,” Steve barks out with obvious irritation.

Tessa sighs, long and drawn out. “What are you doing, Cal?” she asks with a shake of the head.

“I could ask you the same thing.”

She looks up at him, her expression softening for the first time since he waltzed into the restaurant. “I’m serious. Do you even know who this guy is?”

The smug smile falls from his face, his lips tightening into a firm line. “I know enough about him to know that you shouldn’t be meeting with him.”

She quirks her head at him. “Why is that?”

He leans in close, his lips grazing her hair as he whispers into her ear, “If he finds out what you are, he’ll tear you apart and sell every piece to the highest bidder.”

“What was that?” Natasha asks, watching as Tessa’s expression turns grave. “What did he say?”

Calvin leans back and looks down at her. “You should go,” he says with a small nod.

She takes a moment to gather her thoughts before looking him right in the eye and issuing out, “Fuck. You.”

A surprised laugh escapes him. “You’re being pretty hostile right now,” he tells her, quirking his brow. “Keep this up and I’ll be left to assume you want to hate fuck in the ladies room like old times.”

Someone snorts out a laugh into the coms. “That’s not funny,” she grumbles.

He reaches out and runs his fingertips along the curve of her hip. “It has been a long time, sugar.”

“I told you to stop calling me that,” she says, taking hold of his forearm. He twists in her grip, grabs onto her hand and brings it to his lips for a lingering kiss.

“I have a clean shot,” Bucky breathes out through the coms.

“Ugh,” Tessa growls. “Stop it.” Then she grasps his arm again and gives a strong tug, pulling him around into a corridor.

“What the hell,” Bucky roars as soon as he loses visual. “Romanov?”

“I’m on it,” she responds, getting up and heading for the hallway that Tessa and Calvin disappeared into. She tries to remain casually hidden, not quite rounding the corner. But from her position… “I can’t get a clear visual.”

She may have disappeared from their sight, but the team can still hear everything that Tessa says. “Who is he, Cal?” she asks hurriedly. “And what the fuck are you doing for him?”

“He’s an entrepreneur. And I’m acquiring things for him.”

“Things?”

“C’mon, T. You know what I do. I go where the money is.”

She takes a sharp inhale. “Tell me you didn’t sell him the samples?”

“Samples? What samples?”

Her voice rises when she says, “The ones you stole from me in Belarus!”

He scoffs. “Those samples were sold a long time ago, sugar. And this guy… he’s way past wanting some tricked-out, radioactive genes.”

“The genes weren’t radioactive,” she corrects, impatiently. “They were activated by radiation.”

“Whatever,” he says with a dismissive sweep of the hand. “You know I don’t give a shit about the science.”

“Right. You only care about the money.”

“Look,” he says, his voice dropping an octave. “I’m trying to look out for you here. Whatever you’re doing – whatever you’re up to – I’m telling you, you need to stop. Now.”

“That’s cute, Cal. Really. You thinking you can tell me what to do. Cute.” She brushes past him and strides back over to their table, almost clipping Natasha on her way around the corner. “Mister,” she starts, standing in front of the two men, “sorry… Lobe.” She drops back into her seat with a saccharine smile. “Lobe, what an interesting name.”

“Not really,” he says to her. He looks up as Calvin returns and takes his seat as well, a furrowed, concerned look on his face. “Everything alright, Mr. Calvin?”

“Yes, everything’s fine.”

“All done with your lovers’ quarrel, I hope.” He turns back to Tessa. “Can we finally talk business then?”

Tessa tosses a quick glance to Cal and takes in his warning glare. Then she gives Lobe a curt, but certain nod. “Yes, I think we should.”