#topic: l corp

[applepies-and-starlight]

So fun fact about Auspice!Rodya, she likes the sea

Like, she Really likes it. Though it's more of a neat little interest that is similar to people's obsession over greek mythology (or similar to how Laios Dungeon Meshi views monster cuisine (...I think, I really need to continue watching it))

Not sure how much this changes, but her dialouge about the Laws of the Lake in Canto V part 1 changes because of this, since she's actually familiar with how the Lake operates (at a very basic level, at the very least), she just doesn't know what happens when the laws are defied aside from "Bad Idea™" until the Waves hit in the Canto

[arjudy224]

The Intern: Outreach Gala

Another uneventful day for Gotham's environmental intern...

The Intern: Gotham x reader

Prequel: Death of a family

The Intern: Day one

The Intern: The Laughing Fish

The Intern: Busy Work

The Intern: Outreach Gala

The Intern: Teachers Pet

The Intern: Visiting an old friend

The Intern: Chemical Valley

The Intern Small Talk with a Dead Man

The Intern: Billionaire Boys Club

Gotham's public library appears unrecognizable under the cloak of night. Broad leaves shroud the outside exterior of the Gothic pillars while ivy cascades down the large door frames. Harris raises an eyebrow.

"How many forests do you think Wayne destroyed in his quest to save the planet?" He questions with a smirk.

Each grey hair is perfectly gelled out of his face. Ditching his glasses for the occasion, Dr. Harris may actually care about tonight's guests. The bouncer outside the door seemed to think the dress code was not a laughing matter.

Taking his extended arm, I roll my eyes. The security guy nods to the two of us as we walk through the door.

"Professor, if you keep saying things like that Gordon's going to question your stances on Gotham's resident Eco-terrorist. " I whisper with a smile. "....but at least 12."

Thanks to the joint collaboration between Wayne Industries, Goth-corp, and the Gotham Department of Environmental Protection. Gotham City is hosting its first Environmental Outreach Gala for the nearby tri-state area.

My heart flutters a little bit as a realization hits me. I’m actually here… surrounded by giants in clean energy and the scientific community alike. Award-winning journalists... All for the future of our planet. Passing my reflection, I smile thinking of how far I’ve come from that little river rat back at home.

A figure in the corner of my eye draws my thoughts away from the Grandma debrief. Dick Grayson, the Billionaire’s son, charms the group of ladies by his side. I take a mental note to find time to talk to him when there isn’t such a big crowd. It's been a long time since we last spoke.

The walls echo with the idle chatter coming from the rich socialites of Gotham. Waiters in tuxedos maneuver silently with a tray of champagne flutes in each hand. Considering, that most environmental professionals wear cargo pants from the early 2000s to work... the dress code was definitely a choice. I scan the room for familiar faces. Gordon flashes me a smile from across the room. I nod back. The Mayor works his way around the room with a large smile. It must be an election year.

My throat gets tight. I'm not ready for this. Looking to my right, I find that Dr. Harris has vanished into the crowd.

"Y/N L/N?" A voice calls distracting me from my nerves.

A well-dressed man strolls over. Something about him puts me on edge. Maybe it's his wicked smile or the large emerald ring on his outstretched hand. He walks with an easy air of confidence.

"Lex Luthor."

My heart does a little tap dance in my chest. The tight fabric of my rental dress makes it hard to breathe. I shake his hand politely. The party-goers go quiet around us. From the corner of my eye, Lois Lane, an investigative reporter from Metropolis, shoves through the crowd. So much for being a fly on the wall.

"I recently worked with a Professor of yours. She had a lot to say about your graduate proposal."

This cannot be happening. Memories of those long fights in the lab flash in the back of my mind. Mr. Luthor's cat-like gaze observes my reaction curiously.

I cover my face in embarrassment. That woman deserves hate mail. I could have at least been asked to type or spell-check it beforehand.

"To be frank, I originally chose the topic to get a rise outta her. Dr. Hendrix had me doing dishes for 3 weeks straight after I accidentally messed up a sample, so I wrote a proposal I knew she wouldn't like."

When I finally uncover my face, Luthor stares down at me with an amused grin.

"Even so. I'd like to discuss potential funding opportunities in Metropolis. If this is something you would think up out of boredom, I'd love to see what you can do when you put your mind to it."

That brings a smile to my face.

"Really? Everyone who I've brought it up to has been apprehensive about researching Kryptionian radiation.

"We need more scientists to ask questions Ms. L/N. Even the ones, that people don't want to know the answer to. "

The sullen green glow draws my eye once again to Mr. Luthor's ring finger... Wait, that's not an emerald. That's Kryptonite.

"Is this a personal interest of yours?" I ask slowly glancing between his eyes and his ring.

"In some ways."

An unspoken conversation occurs when he notices my acknowledgement of his strange choice of jewelry. The silence only creates more questions. Why would you wear something you know is irradiated?

"I hope to hear from you soon." Mr. Luthor concludes after handing me a business card, "There is always a spot at Lexcorp for a future scientist with your talents."

I stand there in silence watching him leave. The sleek modern design of the card lists only the bare essentials: his name, office address, and contact information in silver lettering.

Four hours ago, I was hauling boxes for the decorating committee. Huh. A nearby waiter offers a champagne flute from the tray. Respectfully, I turn them down. This dress costs more than my rent.

“Oh no. Thank you. I am… working.”

"Does work-life balance not apply to interns?” A voice interrupts.

I try not to roll my eyes at the "intern" comment. The constant reminders of my status are getting old. Starting at his perfectly buffed dress shoes, my gaze drags along the fabric of his black designer suit. Dick Grayson sure does like to make an entrance. With his dark curls and friendly blue eyes, his familiar smile knocks over my defenses. Sipping on his drink, he waits for my response with a teasing grin. His energy is contiguous. I ignore his question to ask my own instead.

“Has anyone told you that you tend to appear out of nowhere?”

His striking eyes light up with a mischievous glint.

“You have no idea.” He laughs, "It's nice to see you back in Gotham. It's been a long time."

"It has. From the rumors, you have been up to quite a bit of trouble." I joke gesturing to the envious eyes from across the room.

He raises a curious eyebrow.

“Good things I hope?”

Glancing around the room, I ignore the dozen eyes staring daggers in my direction. Academia can be such a bitch.

“Nothing too crazy: a few murders, unfounded accusations, and you might be an alien?”

Dick grimaces while tilting his head ever so slightly. He swirls his drink, yet doesn't take a sip.

“Sounds about right. Anything you believe? “

I pause... Do I play coy?

“I’m not sure an alien could do a quadruple summersault.”

Something flashes in his eyes that I don’t quite understand. For a moment, I wonder if I should have held my tongue. His suspicion morphs into the first genuine smile I've seen all evening.

“You’ve kept tabs on me Y/N.”

Before I can respond, a scream causes the ballroom to descend into chaos. Vines shoot out from under the floorboards while the native plants start attacking the guest. A woman with flaming red hair paces the floor. Her vines wrap around each person one by one…. A thorny bush springs out of a fallen leaf snagging my delicate rental dress.

Dammit Pamela. We talked about this.

Glancing at the bartender's horrified expression, I frown.

“I change my mind. I’ll have that drink now.”

[oreoambitions]

The morning after the Luthor Courthouse Scandal, every tabloid in National City – Kara is willing to bet on every tabloid in the world, but she’s not willing to check – is featuring a full color high resolution photo of Supergirl kissing Lena Luthor directly on the mouth in front of the National City courthouse. Kara encounters one on the news stand outside of CatCo and hesitates for a moment, the expression on Lena’s face in the photograph pulling at her in a way she can’t quite define, and then she forces herself to keep walking. There’s no reason, she tells herself, to give that kind of thing any attention. They both did what they had to do to protect Lena, who in turn did what she had to do to protect Kara, and it’s done. It should stay in the past where it belongs.

But CatCo, too, is running a photograph of The Kiss, and by the time Kara makes it to her desk she understands this is going to be an unavoidable topic for at least the next 72hrs. Fine. Her first ping of the day is from Nia, includes one of the photographs, and is composed almost entirely of question marks.

Kara replies with a shrug.

Nia asks when they can sneak away to get coffee.

But coffee is delayed by an attack on L-Corp, which is handled almost smoothly by Lena’s security team, but not quite. Kara stumbles out of the CatCo building and onto the roof in a panic and throws herself into the sky. Upon arrival at L-Corp she’s surprised to find that the words “get away from my wife” pour out of her as easily as breath.

In the aftermath, Lena is flushed and trembling, her heart racing, the rhythm of it all but drowning out the DEO arrest taking place at Kara’s back. Kara reaches out a hand to help her up.

“You’re okay?”

Lena nods. “Nice save,” she says. “Just in time.”

“That’s me,” Kara says with a grin. “Just in time is my middle name.” 

“Justin-Time is kind of a weird middle name,” Lena teases, “Even for an alien.” Before Kara can answer, Lena darts forward to press a warm, precise kiss to her cheek, just brushing the corner of her mouth. For a moment Kara’s own thundering heart drowns out Lena’s, and then Lena is gone, seeing to the cleanup and the redistribution of her busy schedule around the events of the morning. Kara doesn’t remember seeing cameras, but somehow there’s a photo of the cheek kiss on the internet by evening anyway.

Read More of the Fake Marriage AU on Ao3

[0-lcb-sinner]

went over the cutscenes one more time. thus, i present to you a collection of things we learned this intervallo (SPOILERS!! under the cut)

if you have anything else to add, pls share

city lore:

w corp has been having Issues for some time, might go under

check-ups in the city are the worst shit ever

p corp's singularity is Expansive Space Warping technology; different from other space warping stuff due to how they're aiming to make the "safest place in the world" where, no matter what happens outside, inside is unaffected (sounds familiar?)

bloodfiends propagate to share the thirst instead of one individual bearing all of it

L corp prioritized hiring people with trauma (predictable)

limbus company org lore:

lc department list so far: lca (?), lcb (bus), lccb (clearance before), lcca (clearance after), lcd (distortion), lce (extraction enkephalin! thanks for the correction)

lce stores and researches abnos, distortions, peccatula, and related stuff

lce lifted a lot of stuff (including abno risk designations, for example) from L corp

lce doesn't have qliphoth deterrence so they have to beat the shit out of abnos manually every time

abno/distortion/peccatula and related stuff lore:

peccatula are entities that failed to distort

there might be more peccatula stages beyond stage 3

the golden bough brings some other entities down a notch (like the whale and, while not mentioned there, manchaland's don quixote)

distortions eventually turn into abnormalities, which removes all individuality and renders un-distorting impossible

time ripper is classified as HE-7-PI-20-01 (HE - risk level, PI - pigritia (sloth) affinity; it's stated that 6 is the expected damage to occur, but it's mentioned nowhere in the classification, so it might be a typo from 7)

distorted hohenheim is classified as HE-5-SU (5 expected damage, SU - superbia (pride))

monoliths are scattered through the city like the boughs, and can force a distortion

hohenheim's (wrong) hypothesis: holding a firm belief in the self is enough to remain a distortion

lcb-specific lore:

reviving sinners still leaves them with stress and fatigue, so it can't be used to solve every heath issue under the sun

everyone grew weaker after making the contract with dante; they were basically brought down to the level of sinclair, with the exception of some individual quirks

sinclair was a teacher's pet

rocinante made the call to reawaken sancho back during murder on the warp express

dante doesn't just resonate with sinners by seeing their memories; they can also be influenced by something strongly influencing one of the sinners

when taking rocinante off, don quixote feels the thirst of every bloodfiend of her family and hears their voices

don quixote states she "was made to ascend to [her] father's seat"

yi sang is the weakest sinner, don quixote is the strongest; greggy didn't even get on the list (has a certain potential and is an exception)

lcb would currently be classed between urban plague and urban nightmare, with the potential to eventually become a sotc

wild speculation fodder:

gregor is not feeling so good; fails to elaborate on that. his arm has been quiet ever since the contract, tho?

outis seems a bit jumpy on the topic of war between wings (possible lead towards the "smoke war veteran" theory?)

sinclair and hong lu are associated with wrath

gregor, faust, meursault are associated with sloth

outis, rodion, heathcliff are associated with gluttony and gloom

ishmael and ryoshu are associated with pride and lust

yi sang and don quixote are associated with envy

"because the realization of meaninglessness extinguishes the reason for the spark to start a fire" WHAT DID YOU MEAN HONG LU

RODION FEELS LIKE SHE'S FLOUNDERING IN SOME DITCH.... BABYGIRL......

"the flow" is that the manager will be preserved?..

[flonbowe]

Yes I will still continue talking about Zokket despite a certain someone becoming common knowledge now thank you very much teehee Not attaching this onto my big analysis post tho, this is kinda unrelated But Zokket has an oddly interesting relationship with Bowser, and I wanna talk about that

So to get the obvious out of the way, Zokket remembers Bowser's name, he doesn't need to be reminded at all about him unlike the bros and even the Corps. Bowser is one of the only names Zokket bothers to remember, with the others being for involuntary and obvious reasons respectively, where as Bowser is of his own volition. Zokket only remembers those important to him, and or oney uses names when they have significance (EX: Him referring to the Corps by their proper names as he threatens them with Glohm, him putting the effort in to remember the Bros names as they finally become important before his boss fight) Now We don't see what Bowser is doing for most of Brothership, and when we finally meet him he's clearly been up to things, conquering Offandon, setting up shop on Wayaway, hunting for lost troops, there's clearly a side story we aren't seeing. Now, this part is baseless but it just makes sense. Zokket is an efficient person. He has precise numbers and plans in mind, and executes them with little to no error, even with us interfering. Hell, when we fight him he states the following

So With this in mind What was the Glohmatic Quad Ray for? Its never used again outside of one instance. Actually What are these for too?

These pincer cannons are only used in a cut scene and nothing more, never again seen. Well if the topic isn't obvious, its for Bowser. Bowser is the priority. For Zokket, Bowser through out 90% of brothership is the bigger priority between The Bros and him. Whatever Bowser has been doing off screen is so disruptive that Zokket has to focus a good chunk of resources onto stopping him. The Glohmatic Quad Ray in particular is a good glimpse at this, as for every Optional Boss we get a little scene between Zok Troops, and as they go on it becomes clear they were made to power up someone who was already strong, to become even stronger. These tests, Glohm Gobblick, Sharpcask and Pipegunk, were the precursors to Zokket's final goal of not just getting rid of Bowser. Now looping this all the way to why I described this as "baseless', why doesn't Zokket just, kill Bowser? He said himself he should have just destroyed the bros, was It just bluffing? Well I personally believe he did try, and failed, thus having to change his goals from "get rid of the thorn in my side" to "how can I direct this brute's wrath towards someone else as well as get rid of him?" Even without this slight leap from canon, Zokket clearly keeps Bowser in his mind And so does Bowser Bowser in the M&L series is a pretty simple guy (no disrespect, I fucking love Bowser in this series), he hates the bros, wants to rule the world yatayatayata. He will gladly put down whatever he's doing to try and beat the bros, this is consistent. What's also consistent in this series, is him carrying this same attitude towards other people who piss him off. So when Bowser, THE nemesis of the Mario Brothers, somewhat brushes them aside to get revenge on Zokket, you know shit's real. The only other time I can really remember Bowser having a similarly intense hate boner for someone was all the way back in Bowser's Inside Story

Which is honestly understandable from Bowser's perspective, this random bone masked guy is taking his minions, his son, HIM, and all while acting high and mighty and for some big dramatic goal? Bowser was ready to beat Midbus to a pulp on their first meeting just for talking funny, Zokket's dry manner of speaking for sure gets under Bowser's skin. Honestly there's a comparison to be made further with Fawful and Zokket in relation to Bowser, both are smarter more technological (and magically in some instances) gifted vs Bowser's raw brawn and bulky physique, both have shaky relationships with their goons vs Bowser's ride or die loyalty, both use Bowser's body for their schemes, and possible other connections. Apparently (I personally don't see It but I should mention it) Zokket and the Corps have a resemblance to Antasma, who also has an interesting deal with Bowser, so bonus points for that.

Not to mention Bowser still clinging onto Zokket when he's long gone, it paints such a fun dynamic that I wish was explored more than the crumbs that I have collected here. TL;DR: Bowser and Zokket fucking hate each other and yet also cannot stop thinking about each other and I demand the toxic yaoi now/hj

[luckydii]

A Delicious Feast

(Chapter 4)

Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

❀

Rengoku rescues you from an unexpected attack. You repay him by making delicious meals that he gladly devours.

Later on, the man starts craving something else rather than your food.

❀

"The food smells delicious!" Mitsuri explained as she held the bento box close to her nose. "I know little Sukoshi made an effort on my plate." The small boy was absolutely adorable in her eyes. The relationship he had with you made her want something she's never thought about. Having kids.

"That boy really is something." Kyojuro chuckled. The conversation he had with Sukoshi kept replaying in his head. Marriage was a topic he would usually avoid, so it was definitely surprising when a nine-year-old decided to bring it up to him. Being a Hashira kept him away from getting into a relationship. Slaying demons at night, and recovering health in the day didn't give him enough time to socialize outside of the Demon Slayer Corps. He knew he wanted to start a family one day and grow old. Those were his two life goals. If you were willing to accept his proposal, he would try his hardest to make time just for you.

Every single day you hoped to see the flame hashira once more. You would wake up, and muster up the courage to speak to him, but sadly you were never greeted with warm tones. This routine kept going for about two weeks, and when the demon slayer finally decided to show up. You wanted to run away and hide.

Seeing him stand in front of the bar made you nervous. This time he wasn't accompanied by the pretty lady. Sukoshi noticed you stopping dead on your tracks, looking at Rengoku with an overwhelmed expression from afar. The boy gently grabbed your hand, startling you, but immediately feeling a sense of calmness flow over your body. His tiny smile gave you some strength. Okay, come on, you can do this. Even Sukoshi believes in you.

As you walked closer, Rengoku's head snapped at your direction like an owl. The sudden eye contact made you coward back, but your nephew was ready to hold onto you before you had the chance to run away. Right, you got this.

"(L/N)-San! Sukoshi! What a pleasant morning to see you both!"

"You're standing in front of our restaurant." Sukoshi said once y'all were close enough to him, tilting his head.

"Yes I am, my boy!" His loud laugh could be heard from the end of the street. Although it didn't stop it from being contagious. The little one joined in after a second.

"It's nice seeing you again, Rengoku-San." You bowed, staring at the ground a little too long to avoid the intense gaze that seemed to stare you down. Not intentionally, of course. Because of where you were looking at, you didn't even notice the man bowing back. He didn't like how your eyes weren't on him.

His hands met your shoulders. Even if they weren't bare you could feel his hardened palm filled with victories from wielding his sword so bravely. "Don't avoid me, please." His tone had gone soft for the first time around you. It made your cheeks warm. He knew exactly why you were denying eye contact. The little boy must have told you about what they were talking about the last time he came by. "I'm not avoiding you!" You said a little too loud, making your nephew look up at you with a crazy expression. It's like he was internally telling you "Real nice, Oba" with that little sassy tone of his.

Your lip twitched into a frown. All of that confidence you been storing for the past two weeks had been gone in a snap. You couldn't even look at the man in the eyes. "I'm not trying to avoid you, but..." You trailed off as you finally made eye contact with Rengoku. Those beautiful irises stared at you with wonder, begging for you to say what's on your mind.

Your lips forced themselves to seal shut. You couldn't do it. It wasn't as easy as you thought it would be, so instead you had to come up with something else.

"Would it be possible for you to stay until we close?" Your face was filled with heat. It wasn't like you were asking him out, so why were you so embarrassed to ask such a thing. A big smile plastered on his face, nodding his head in full agreement. "Of course, (L/N)-San!" He was just glad to be invited to what he was guessing a talk. You on the other hand didn't even know what to do. Were you just supposed to ask him out or what? Anxiety was rising in you.

Yet, again, Sukoshi came to the rescue. He tugged your hand, leading you to the inside of the restaurant, so you wouldn't stand in front of Rengoku any longer. You exhaled a big breath once you two got to the back of the restaurant. This was nerve-wracking, but at least you made small progress for the mean time. The boy looked up at you and patted the small of your back since that's what he could reach for. "You'll be okay, oba! I'll be there the whole day and night!" His reassurance did help you, although you didn't know what to tell him about the last part.

"Suko, I rather talk to Rengoku-san by myself tonight." This brought shock to the little boy. He tucked out his bottom lip. "Why?! I want to be there as well." You shook your head, and patted his hair. "No, Suko. This is going to be a talk between adults, you understand?" You traced small patterns on his head to distract him from your so-called betrayel.

"Yeah.." He quietly spoke while looking away. You sighed with a small smile forming on your lips. You crouch down to his height, booping his nose in the process. "I thank you for making this an opportunity for me." That's when Sukoshi's tiny pout turned into a wide grin. "You're welcome!"

When both you and your nephew entered through the back door, you were met with Rengoku once more, who had already made himself comfortable in the small stool. You felt slight intimidation, but you had to remind yourself. This man would never do anything to humiliate you or harm you in any way, right? This admirable man would never do such thing.

"What would you like to eat?" You asked, looking directly into his eyes.

The day went on like the usual. You served a whole lot amount of food while Sukoshi and him conversated. Customers had started piling up at your little restaurant a few minutes after Rengoku's appetite was finally satisfied. One thing both of the relatives always wondered was why did Rengoku constantly said "delicious!". It was rather strange, but it did bring you joy since he was showing his liking towards the meals. Oh, so that's what you thought.

"Rengoku-San why are you always saying delicious?" Gladly, your nephew took one for the team like always and tried to feed his curiosity.

Rengoku gave him the same planted smile he always wore. "I want to enjoy every meal before I die!" He said with such enthusiasm. Some customers stopped eating and stared at him from the corner of their eyes. You stopped cutting the onions and Sukoshi just stared at him with a mouth wide open. That immediately took a dark turn. 

"Huh?" Sukoshi frowned at the thought of Rengoku dying. "One never knows when they're going to die. As someone who's constantly in the battlefield I'm at a higher risk of dying. That's why I want to savor every meal before that happens." He gently smiled down at the boy whose bottom lip was trembling. Although, his little speech didn't have such motivation for your customers. They stopped eating midway, and now were staring at their plates. Well, gladly they already paid for it.

"But I don't want you to die! You can't!" He yelled while his hands turned into fists, as a tightening lump formed on his throat. The Hashira knew that if he spoke about being killed with honor, it would not make the situation any better, so instead, he made up a reason, one that only contained the truth. "No need to worry, Sukoshi. I shall use the conquering of your oba's heart as motivation to not leave this world yet." That made the situation worse, at least for you. You didn't even want to turn around just yet, it was impossible to ignore the intense pupils burying themselves on your figure. The good news was you no longer needed to ask him out. Rengoku made it clear he was going to win you over no matter what, even if he has the break the laws of life, and not meet the reaper with a deep wound in his body. The bad news... The customers had returned to eating their meals, happily listening to this week's brand new gossip.

Shit.

Throughout the day, your nerves were at their highest. You were completely aware you were the one that invited the man to stay until closing, but now that you were cleaning up the bar. It was difficult to calm the tension you felt. Ugh, why did you have to be awkward with men? Maybe it had to be with past experiences turning into bad results.

Once everything was properly cleaned, you had finally freed yourself from the thin knots of the apron you wore. Sukoshi had done that not too long ago, at the moment he was enjoying conversation with the male, and from what you caught, it had to do with the stories of his family. Apparently, he had a younger brother that won a few years against your nephew. Wouldn't it be fun for them to meet? Ha, if you do get married to this man, you'll already be giving him Rengoku's brother. The boy sounded rather timid compared to his extroverted older brother, so it would surely be a cute meeting between the two babies.

At last, you finally locked up the shop for good. "Are you boys ready?" You asked, walking towards them. They both nodded their heads, almost matching each other's enthusiasm. One was joyful to finally go home and rest, while the other was glad to exchange a few words with you alone.

As Sukoshi walked between the two adults, you couldn't help but gain a domestic feeling inside your chest. This is something you have always wanted, to have a husband and a child stepping alongside you. This warm feeling nearly made your tenseness loosen up. Keyword: 'Nearly'. The path to the (L/N)'s humbled residency was quiet, the only thing that could be heard were those of the tiny insects that roamed around the village, and the footsteps that were dragged against the path covered in dirt. The sunset was explicitly beautiful, the dark hue gently covered the orange rays of the sun. The colors brought slight comfort, earning the bravery to turn your gaze from the sky towards the male, and to your surprise. Rengoku was already looking at you with a smile. You were quick to break eye contact, forcing yourself to focus on the sky once again. Your heartbeat skipped a few beats as a blush hovered over your cheeks. Your panicked expression wasn't hidden from his sight, it brought out a chuckle, not helping your inner conflict at all.

A quiet sigh left your lips, seeing that everyone was standing a few feet away from your home. You stopped on your tracks, grabbing your nephew by the shoulder to put a pause in his steps. "Please wait here, Rengoku-San. I'll be back in a few minutes." You mentioned before nudging Sukoshi to say goodbye, but instead of bowing the boy went up to him and wrapped his arms around what he could reach, embracing him with a hug. He grinned towards the older man, speaking his farewell before letting go. Rengoku's pupils grew a shine to them as he stared down at him, a pure sight for sore eyes. He patted his head, unfortunately repeating the goodbye.

You paused as you and Sukoshi were right in front of the entrance. Crouching down, you cupped his face with both palms to catch his attention. "Sukoshi, you must promise me something. Do not tell anyone about Rengoku-San and I."

His eyebrow quirked with confusion. "But why? Obaasan would be so happy to hear you might get married soon." He wasn't technically wrong, your mother would be awfully overjoyed to hear the news of a man finally wanting to be engaged with you. "Yes, Suko, but.. y'know how she gets. She immediately spreads the word, and then.." That's how it was. When she made an announcement it's like these men were embarrassed to be known as a soon-to-be spouse for someone like you. It caused them to take back their words and leave you with unwanted heartache. "Well, what if Rengoku-San decides to change his mind? She would be devastated like the previous rejections."

"He's too nice for that."

"How do we know, Suko?"

"Because!-"

"Sukoshi." Your mouth hovered over his lips. His voice was getting loud, and you did not need your family to hear this conversation. "Just promise me that you're not going to bring this up to her or your mother. Please." Your hand left his face, holding up your pinky to complete the deal. The boy was obviously not happy about this, he wanted for you to trust his decision. There was no reason for you to doubt him. "Okay, Oba." He hooked his own pinky onto yours. A soft smile forming on your lips. Giving him a peck on his forehead, you mumbled a few words that made him bright right up.

"I love you, Sukoshi."

He pulled you into a tight hug, whispering, "I love you too, Oba." You knew that deep down he just wanted the best for you, but going through this was easier said than done. "C'mon. I'm sure you're hungry." After a full day of cooking, it was your mother that gave you the relief to relax as she put together a meal for the both of you.

Once the two entered the solace of their home, a greeting from your mother was immediately thrown your way. You quickly explained how you forgot to do inventory of the bar, and needed to go back to do it. "I'll try not to take long." You mentioned merely escaping her list of questions.

Hooray! You successfully escaped. Butterflies were summoned in your stomach as your eyes hit familiar irises. He held a smile that never seemed to leave his skin. It's simply a talk. Yeah.

❀

Taglist:

@queenmalhinewahine @kashasenpai @slutfor-fictionalmen @snowflakeanimelover @imaisbae @simpforerensattacktitan

Hey... hey y'all... How y'all doing..? 😭 Y'all will keep seeing my apologies since I can't keep a constant schedule. One thing that I do promise is that there'll be AT LEAST one update a year. Is it worth the wait? Idk. But to those who are still interested in this series. I love y'all and appreciate y'all mwah.

[lcbyuri]

Can we have a summary on what happened in your travel to calw? We only know what happened there from the mirror lcb ( also fun fact the white hair don quixote and yellow hair donqui are related )

honestly, it's kind of fun making summaries of our travels, so i might do them more if someone asks. and plus, it gives the other mirror worlds a good comparison point! the finer details are kind of fuzzy, but from what i remember, at the beginning, when we were at the k corp checkpoint, the 3rd sinner was overcome with their need for justice and ended up getting us in a lot of trouble. it was... not so good. uh, after some stuff, we ended up meeting these two people who we had met previously and then went on the way to calw. the entire time, kromer was really antsy, which is something i had never seen on her before, but she didn't want to say why, and so we as a group just kind of left it alone. at some point, we were stopped by an n corp inquisitor, who seemed to recognize kromer, and then before they could say anything she nailed them with her weapon and it was just so uncharacteristically characteristic of her that we just let it happen? but then the other inquisitors there started calling us heretics so then we had to fight them. and then after that we made our way to calw and kromer looked like she was about to go crazy and it was seriously very concerning before some blond guy came out and then started laughing and addressing kromer like he knew her? and he just seemed really excited? we were going to ask before he was all like "oh are these new people for nagel und hammer?" and then he saw dante and then of course he started calling us heretics because we were protecting a heretic and then he started saying that kromer had actually captured us and that's why she had been gone for so long? also at this point marie makes an offhand comment about her husband working for n corp at some point which in hindsight is really strange because now i know him (an alternate him). he had sent his lackey (guido) to fight us and we won but it was kind of difficult. kromer seemed really enthusiastic about it though. anyway so we end up going to the basement of the guy's house and it turns out there's an l corp facility like close to it so we of course go there. and then that's when we learn the entire situation which is basically that kromer used to be the one who grips (who is like the leader of nagel und hammer) and the blond guy (who's name is sinclair) was the one who shall grip but before he used to be some normal guy. and then kromer had like killed his family and stuff (yeah..) and then basically manipulated him into joining nagel und hammer which was great at first but then he started getting really into it which freaked kromer out a little bit because she felt he was threatening her position as the one who grips. she had wanted them to work together but it seemed like he wanted to be independent of her and she didn't like that so she just... left one day. and i had always wondered why she didn't just talk to him but i think that it's a weird topic to approach so i guess i get it... so we go through the l corp facility, make it to where the bough is, but it turns out it's resonated with sinclair and he's on the verge of going crazy or something. we fight him, he turns into this giant flesh monster (which i now know is a distortion). i remember the feeling of melting... hah... from what i gathered after dante rewinded, kromer (and dante) was the only one left while we were all being melted. she was really determined to get her title back or something because she's always been the one who grips and until she dies it will stay that way? anyway so kromer was on the verge of death before something happened and then sinclair just died (?) and then yeah... we made it out. and i don't know what happened to nagel und hammer after that but i don't think they like kromer that much anymore. but she doesn't really seem to care because she can purge heretics no matter what -- but like i said, she cares less about that now? she tolerates dante more and likes to hang out with us, even if it is kind of weird knowing what she had done. so yeah...

[uwmspeccoll]

Milestone Monday

Facts and Figures

Presidents' Day, officially recognized as Washington’s Birthday at the federal level, is celebrated on the third Monday in February each year. It originally began as a way to honor our Founding Father, George Washington, who was born on February 22, 1732. The holiday was celebrated on his actual birthday from 1879, when it became a federal holiday, until 1970. In 1968, it was moved to the third Monday in February as part of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, providing federal employees with a three-day weekend. Although originally intended to honor George Washington, it is now widely acknowledged as Presidents' Day. The day has developed to celebrate all U.S. presidents, especially Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday falls in February as well.

Since I love trivia, here are some interesting facts about presidents! 

George Washington was the only president who never lived in the White House. 

James Buchanan was the only president who remained unmarried.

Ulysses S. Grant established Christmas as a national holiday. 

George Washington’s recorded birth date changed from February 11, 1731, to February 22, 1732, due to the transition from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, which just so happens to be the topic of next week’s Milestone Monday post!

The featured images come from:

Speeches & letters of George Washington published in New York by Little Leather Library Corp. sometime between 1920-1929.

The Life of Washington: Together with Curious Anecdotes Equally Honourable to Himself & Exemplary to His Young Countrymen by Mason L. Weems with an introduction by Henry Steele Commager and embellished with woodcuts by Robert Quackenbush. It was published in Avon, Connecticut for The Limited Editions Club in 1974.

George Washington, a Character Sketch by Eugene Parsons with supplementary essay by G. Mercer Adam and an article by Prof. Henry Wade Rogers. It was published in Milwaukee by H. G. Campbell publishing co. in 1903.

Lincoln Centennial: Addresses Delivered at the Memorial Exercises Held at Springfield, Illinois, February 12, 1909, Commemorating the One Hundredth Birthday of Abraham Lincoln. It was published in Springfield, Illinois by the Illinois Centennial Commission in 1909.

The Collected Poetry of Abraham Lincoln by Abraham Lincoln with an introduction by Paul M. Angle. It was published in Springfield, Illinois in 1971, publisher is unknown.

Abraham Lincoln by Samuel G. Smith. It was published in Cincinnati by Jennings & Pye in 1902.

-View more Milestone Monday posts

--Melissa, Special Collections Library Assistant

[7association-was-here]

Faust shall keep this simple, though of course the “grand finale” of this case could not be referred to as such in consideration of length and complexity (it is very, very long). But the following is the report and conclusion of the business at District 12, L corp.. summarised in a slightly more unique manner than previous reports.

-

The scent of the deceased reeked forth, sharply throughout our whole surroundings. Faust has very rarely visited this fallen wing but it was exactly as described countless times before; A near wasteland.

We considered searching for the individual whom identified themselves with the symbol, or perhaps title is more fitting, “SnakeHead”. But with the life of Heathcliff on the line and in the hands of an unknown threat Faust calculated that it is improbable to spare the time in searching for a guide in these unpredictable circumstances and territory. Not to mention that they have done enough help for us already. It would only be a burden.

Therefore we pushed onwards towards the center of the District instead where that infamous facility once stood. The head of Lobotomy Corporation and the Library Phenomenon. There was not much left of it except for mostly the underground entrance, for the upper half was supposedly transported by The Head into the outskirts.

Leaving behind multiple back-ups to watch and secure the surface, we descended, to the depths of the fallen wing.

As reported previously we encountered many of the “Abnormalities” and “Peccatula”, most of which were not a hassle to deal with. They are unpredictable yes, but manageable. (We shall need to observe them more sometime later..)

Pushing that aside as we traversed those ruins, the crackling of faulty wires, the dripping of blood, the flickering lights and the damp musty air were all that accompanied us passively. All else were hostile. We were thankful not to run into higher classed abnormalities though that much was sure. And Faust thought that the presence of some form of remaining energy being utilised is quite strange. It might have been flickering unevenly but the lights were very bright, unlike ones commonly found in abandoned buildings.

Of course that might have been from the remaining Enkephalin source somewhere within but the lights themselves seemed suspiciously brand new. I might be wrong, but it felt like a sign of recent inhabitants.

-

Proceeding forwards, and deeper into the facility, that was when the situation began to shift. As we descended to a new floor we noticed the surrounding seemed much cleaner than the previous upper floors. Much more sanitised and well-kept. In fact a few pieces of new furniture (most used for storing items, such as shelves and drawers) had been installed. All lined with research documents as well as what seemed to be various liquids in small containers. Faust doubts they were normal medication.

And not much to our surprise, moments later we spotted individuals ahead discussing a topic very heavily. I directed everyone to stay low, wait for them to pass, and in the meanwhile do their best to catch what it is those people were discussing. People in mostly lab coats..

”Yes, the substance reverts things to their original state…”

“So if we tamper it together with those alternate realities do you think..”

It was difficult to decipher what they spoke of. But those two sentences were what Faust remembers very clearly. And as they passed a revelation came to me as well, Faust recognises those lab coats. Or some of them at the very least, had the K corp emblem embedded at the side of their sleeves. What does this imply? That K corp is aware of the ordeal? Or were these simply stray traitors of the wing? Whatever this was Faust knew it was a sign that another of our cases was about to be answered. The missing former K corp employee.

I shall spare the details of how long we searched these floors but eventually we found him. The individual known as “Dongrang”, or so we believe. As his corpse had been altered very severely beyond recognition, and sealed within some form of glass incubator. A unique coffin inside one of the emptied chambers. This was certainly something K corp was not going to be pleased with as we couldn’t possibly retrieve the body from inside that device. Instead we could only take a photograph of it which shall be deemed classified and cannot be shared here.

-

With one of three cases dealt with I focused next on finding Heathcliff. The most important of them all.

Going deeper once more revealed that only the middle floors have been fully inhabited by this unknown faction. The final lower areas seemed more desolate… Not even abnormalities were spotted in these depths. Perhaps someone had cleared them out previously, as some traces did remain.

It was wholly uneventful for the most part, until we ran into an encounter. A familiar face, one which I immediately rushed upon, but was greeted with a strange disappointment right after.

Slumped on the wall lay a terribly injured individual. Heathcliff, but not my Heathcliff. It was one of the “mirror” versions of him, one we’ve indirectly met before in fact. The one from Shi Association. It is with regret to say that he was in a nearly irreparable state when we found him. A miracle he hadn’t immediately died, Faust will say.

And in thanks to that he was able to use those final precious moments to relay some information about our Heathcliff’s whereabouts along with information of another individual possibly with him. He claims that he was led here by a prescript (similar to how our Heathcliff was), and boldly followed along. As is later found out the prescript was a fraud and simply a trap for someone he described as “The Erlking Bastard” to ambush them. He recalls there being exactly 3 victims, aligning perfectly with the amount of Heathcliffs that we are aware of.

Though sadly… The Shi association fixer could not make it and later parted way right there with our eyewitness. A very mixed feeling it was. To watch someone I both know dearly and did not know at all the same time, perish just like that. A dear stranger.

We will contact Shi Association of their loss…

-

A trail of red string led us forth in this final floor, into a narrow hallway and into several more corridors, eventually from the distance we heard the clashing of two blades and of screams or shouts. A fight was in motion somewhere and Faust had to locate it immediately.

Now running through as best as we could in fear of being “too late” we pursued the red ribbon hastily and at last landing us in front of the entrance to one of the abnormality containment chambers. The door itself was fastened tightly, but peaking from behind the glass was still manageable and behind it lay a very strange and equally concerning sight.

Heathcliff, our Heathcliff, battered and bleeding though still holding on as he faced against yet another familiarly unfamiliar man.

A man seemingly at the end of his wits, his face worn and consumed with nothing but hatred and a single goal in mind. He seemed to be saying something, a speech perhaps to our Heathcliff. But with the noise canceled out not a proper word was made out. Afterwards he raised his weapon as though for a final strike, but I could not allow for that to pass. Pushing with all our might to get the door to open, just somehow, in some desperate miracle of hope, I could not simply stand to watch another—

“V.R.O.O.M way.” “Very Ridiculous, Out Of My”

And that “miracle” we desperately needed had revealed itself in the form of Ryoshu and her golf cart, ramming right into the containment chamber.

..Faust knows many things, but she does not know one thing right now. And that one thing is how can she describe the events which followed after the golf cart in a professional and sane way. To say the least Ryoshu’s ambushing was enough to pierce through the chamber and practically hit our foe point blank. Unfortunately as soon as we all began surrounding him, he vanished somewhere somehow amidst everything. Ryoshu quotes “Coward.”

It is anticlimactic yes, but I am certain things will properly come to an end eventually regarding his case in the future, all things in consideration. In other words that won’t be the last we see of him.

I instead turned to Heathcliff with many things to say, but we eventually left just as we had entered.

Faust would have said “carefully as to not be spotted” but we exited with the golf cart. No elaboration is needed on that.

-

And at last, after long sufferings that case comes to… A rather strange and unfulfilling close. Many strings did not tie together as Faust expected, such as the deal with K corp and the identity of this unknown faction remaining as it is. But for now,

I am glad that Heathcliff is finally safe. We lost one unfortunately, but he died a fairly noble death just as I would have wished for my own Heathcliff. He shall be remembered. And as for the other, the Öufi fixer has been returned safely to his own section. It will be awkward to explain what happened to their fixers, but nonetheless.

Ah. And I’ve received some additional information from Heathcliff… The fraudulent prescripts were indeed sent by “The Erlking”, in fact the murder of the workshop owner was also a part of the trap. And he explains too that this “Erlking” is another mirror occurrence of himself it seems.

The reason why he acted the way he did in attempting murder against the other Heathcliffs though… Our Heathcliff seems hesitant to explain. Whatever the reason may be I will not force it out of him right now if he does not wish to. Instead Faust will focus more on how “The Erlking” has anything to do with the unknown faction as well as K corp. What were their goals? What were they doing with the corpse of the K corp employee? And was the workshop murder truly a simple red herring, considering the strange mirror room within the warehouse? There were more questions produced than answered from this occurrence.

It is a very complicated matter indeed… Although now, I suppose that is all I can report. Faust shall take her mind off of this for a while and…

See if Heathcliff would like a cup of tea?

[incorrect-green-lantern-quotes]

Hal agonized for a long time over how to propose to Clark. To be honest, most of the struggle was in whether he would propose to begin with. He'd always had issues with commitment, he knew that. Hell, after the first time Clark had said "I love you," Hal had fled to Oa and probably would've stayed there forever if Guy hadn't shown up a week later to drag his ass back to Earth.

"Ya think Big Blue couldn't just follow your dumb ass here if he wanted to? Of course he could. But he's too nice and is 'trying to give you space,' so someone has to knock some sense into you."

Clark of course, had been completely patient and understanding, and that just made Hal feel even worse about it all. Clark was just so damn perfect, and deserved the world, and Hal couldn't even come close to that. The only thing in his life he'd ever been willing to give 100% of himself to was the Corps, and even then he'd fallen short of that disastrously. Thank God it was Kyle who was there to listen to that particular drunk confession.

"Okayyy I think that's enough shots for you tonight. For what it's worth, I wouldn't be here- wouldn't have become a Green Lantern if Parallax hadn't gotten its hooks in you. Silver lining in every cloud, right? But seriously Hal, love isn't some transaction that ends when one person can't hold up their end of the deal. True love endures in spite of our failings, that's what makes it worth pursuing."

When the only person to ever master the entire Emotional Spectrum says something like that, you'd be a fool not to listen. So Hal made up his mind. He was going to ask Clark to marry him. But what would be the best way to do that? Normally Hal would hesitate to breach a topic so personal, but in a fit of desperation he asked John how he'd proposed to Katma.

"Well, you remember how Korugar exiled Katma for being a Green Lantern. She never talked much about it, but I knew how much it hurt her that she could never return to her homeworld. So when I asked Katma to marry me, I did it the way Korugarians do, because I knew that would mean so much more to her. Of course, you'd probably want to do something different with Clark, since he never really knew Krypton. But I'm sure you already know what he'd appreciate."

Indeed, Hal did know. So he flew to Sector 2813, to where the old star Rao still burned red. Much of Krypton had been scattered amongst the cosmos, but the majority of the minerals that had made up Clark's homeworld still remained here. And it was one such stone that Hal was looking for.

With a Green Lantern ring, it wasn't hard to find a shard of sunstone floating in the debris field. Like most remnants of Krypton, it glowed a sickly shade of green, constantly emitting radioactive rays that were deadly to Kryptonians. Hal closed his fingers over the chunk of sunstone and concentrated, remembering his earliest days of training with Kilowog, when he'd learned to use the power ring with exercises like cutting and shaping gems. In a way, it was like his whole life as a Green Lantern had been in preparation for this.

Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn

When Hal opened his fist, the sunstone split into a dozen shards, most of which he let fall away. The last piece however, he held up with reverence. It was shaped into a perfectly cut gem the size of his smallest fingernail, and now shone with a much cleaner emerald light. Hal knew without needing his ring to confirm that this piece of Kryptonite posed no danger to his lover. In fact, it was very much the opposite.

When Hal held the sunstone up so that it was backlit by Rao, the starlight that filtered through the gem was as golden as Sol's. No matter where in the universe Clark was, as long as there was a star that gave off light, this piece of his homeworld would ensure he'd have his powers. Carefully, reverently, Hal took out a band of gold that he'd mined, shaped, and polished back on Earth, and set the gemstone into the space he'd left for it.

There. A ring made of two worlds, just like Clark.

[captain039]

Craving the wild side

Dean Winchester x reader

Warnings: AOB, mentions of medical things, mentions of needles, mentions of abuse, feral alphas, light swearing, angst, hurt/comfort, mental health issues

Feral alpha AU

Case file No.5643

Cases name: Dean Winchester

Cases D.O.B January 24, 1979

Cases age: 45

Background:

Dean Winchester (feral alpha) was found in the underground raid in a place called ‘Ascended’ raid was completed by head officer Jody Mills (alpha) and her team on November 14th 2022. Dean Winchester (feral alpha) was placed in quarantine and given appropriate medical attention before moved to the Alphas corp building 203 on January 10th 2023. First assign to Dr Harper (female, beta) unresponsive to methods and treatments remains in a ‘feral’ state transfer required. Second assigning to Dr Freeman (male, beta) unresponsive to methods and treatment, remains in a ‘feral’ state transfer required. Now on head of the Dean Winchester case Dr Y/L/n, waiting for report and outcome

Signed by head of department Carver Edlund

You walked quickly down the white hall, this was your first day on the Winchester case. You had your tablet in hand and your assistant Charlie behind you.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” She asked and you kept your eyes ahead. You were nervous, hell you might have a breakdown before going in, but you were determined to help this alpha.

“I am sure” you nodded heading to his room. The guard nodded his head in a greet and opened the door. Charlie said her goodbyes and departed as you were checked for anything on your person before heading into a small room. You didn’t know what to expect, all feral alphas were different. Dean Winchester sat in the corner where his bed was. His mattress was on the floor and his frame was obviously thrown against the wall and discarded. You gulped slightly thankful for the glass between you both.

“Morning Mr Winchester” you said through the mic but he didn’t respond.

“My names Dr Y/L/n, I’ll be your-“ you stopped your sentence when green eyes met yours. Your breath got caught in your throat as he stared at you.

“Your head officer” you finished nodding as you tapped at your tablet. His hair was unkept and long, his beard obviously grown, he was also wearing no clothes, but the way his legs were kept everything covered. You read over the other Drs notes, not many treatments worked with him, especially with the glass there. One of the Drs went in, got a response just not the best one and ended up in the medical department, while Dean was tranquillised.

You stood nodded to the guard who opened Deans door. You walked in minding the thrown bed and kept your distance. Dean was watching you like a hawk, he didn’t blink often and made sure to watch every movement you made as you grabbed a discarded pillow and sat down.

“I am Dr Y/l/n” you said.

“I’m a part time soon to be full time officer here I’ve worked three cases in my last five years you will be my fourth” you hoped to gain some conversation with him.

“I live nearby the facility at a farm house owned by my parents, I have 3 cows, 2 sheep and 6 chickens there and a dog named Champ” you watched his eyes peek with interest and you took it as a good sign.

“Dean do you know your age?” You started questions. He nodded and you felt a little relief go through you.

“Do you know where you are?” You asked and he nodded again.

“Some of these questions may be hard or triggering, I will take in account your response and try to avoid them or the topic for the time being till you’re ready” you said tapping on your tablet to get the questionnaire.

“You were found in a place called ‘ascended’ one of the lesser known underground black markets” you stopped checking to see his response but got nothing.

“Officer Jody Mills got you and five other alphas out, did you know or have any relation to the other alphas there?” You asked and saw him tense but shake his head.

“Ok, it says you were a pleasure alpha, house alpha, as well as use and abuse as well as fighter” you winced at the words.

“Are these correct?” You asked and he nodded.

“Do you know what ascended is? In the underground establishments?” You asked and he nodded.

“Did you have many omega owners?” You said and he snapped his head to you. You jolted a bit in surprise as his eyes darkened. You noted that quickly and went to move onto a next question but it was too late. The alpha had crossed the room quickly and pinned you under him, hand on your neck. He didn’t squeeze though just kept his hold as he stared you down. The guards came in shock guns aimed as you held a hand up to stop them.

“Don’t!” You said looking at the alpha. His eyes were swirling with feral emotions, he was breathing harshly but he didn’t harm you.

“He won’t hurt me” you said quietly hoping you were correct. He leant down swiftly, pressing his nose to your scent gland before a disapproving growl left him. The guards shot them and stunned him off the shock going to you also. You jolted a bit your breath getting knocked out of you. Dean was quick to recover though as a guard went to help you up, the alpha body slammed him to the ground and began to punch him. Despite the helmet Dean kept punching knuckles bloodying as he went. He was torn off, shocked again and you were dragged out. You were pissed smacking the guard off you.

“You idiot!” You snapped and the guard was taken aback.

“He wasn’t hurting me he was trying to find my scent!” You glared at the guard through the mask and sighed.

“He growled Dr” she said.

“Because he wouldn’t be able to smell me due to the implant” you sighed rubbing your neck from the shock that went through you.

“He hasn’t had progress in months! He was responsive to me and now we’ve thrown him in a corner!” You sighed making her leave the room. You looked at his unconscious form on the bed and sighed quietly.

Next part ->

[ltwilliammowett]

Hello! I found a previous post of yours about priests & naval chaplains and I am super intrigued about the topic; would you happen to have any more information on this particular matter or are there any sources you know of that I could look into? Thank you so much in advance, your blog is one of my favourites out there and a legitimate treasure trove of knowledge 💗

Hi, Thank you very much for your compliment. Of course I have sources for you. As I have now written the post mainly about the Royal Navy Chaplain's post, it is quite short, as I will deal with religion again in a separate post. Beside more about the Royal Navy Chaplains I have also a journal of one from 1808-1814 and I have also added something about the US chaplains. I hope you enjoy reading it.

The Naval Chaplain in the eightennth century, by N.A.M. Rodger, 1995

[thealieninhiding]

The Balcony

Lena has a charity dinner party for L-Corp on Friday night, in two days time. She wants to ask Kara to be her date and has been trying to ask her out the entire week but Kara is always rushing off for one reason or another. Sometimes Lena worries it’s because of her but Kara is so kind, caring, and attentive that her doubts are easily assuaged in her presence. 

Kara came to Lena’s office in the afternoon to talk about an article she was writing, actually she had made up a reason so she could see Lena, it’s not like they would stick to that topic anyway. While they chat Lena is working up the courage to ask Kara directly this time. It wasn't the first ‘date’ she had asked Kara on and yet Kara acted as though they were just friendly lunches or dinners no matter how forward Lena thought she was in asking no matter how intimate the setting or romantic the evening she always acted like it was nothing special. She seemed to view them as just friends, and yet she never declined and she flirted back - didn’t she? 

Lena begins her question “I have an L-Corp charity event on Friday night…” but Kara hears a siren and interrupts to make an excuse to leave and is halfway out the door when Lena unwilling to let this moment pass blurts out a little too quickly “wouldyoubemydatetothisdinner”. Blushing, embarrassed at the outburst she is completely stunned when Kara says with a cheeky smile and a wink “I would love to, text me the details and I will meet you there, it’s a date”

Kara leaves the L-Corp building and takes off flying vaguely in the direction of the siren but keeps on flying in a daze, distracted thinking about Lena, about how she has hid her identity as Supergirl and her feelings for her for too long. Lena, beautiful inside and out, Kara knows she has to come clean. Eventually she realizes she has flown all the way around the earth and is right back at L-Corp. Hours have passed since Kara left - it's now after 9pm but Lena is still there, still working. Kara can’t wait any longer. She lands on the balcony, determined to tell Lena everything, who she is and how in love with her she is.

In Kara’s absence Lena managed to convince herself that Kara thinks this is yet another dinner date with a friend like every other time she asked Kara out and thought she was clear but Kara still didn’t ‘get it’. What did she have to do to get Kara to notice she wants more? Scream FUCK ME KARA, I WANT YOU INSIDE OF ME? 

Lena hears Supergirl call her name from the balcony. The distressing thoughts she had been busy trying to avoid that had yet again resurfaced were quieted, her mind calmed by Supergirl’s voice. Lena didn’t know why Supergirl had that effect on her, sure she was attractive, powerful, kind, actually she reminded her of Kara in many ways but more confident and somewhat aloof - Lena always felt like she was a Luthor first when talking to Supergirl though their working relationship had been good.

Kara standing on the balcony watches as Lena gets up from her desk and walks over to the door. She has it all worked out, the words rehearsed hundreds of times over the past several months, but she is terrified. Terrified that Lena will feel betrayed, that she won’t want to be friends with her let alone date her. She’s chickened out so many times before, but this time is different. This time she’s going to do it. Kara holds her glasses in her right hand waiting for Lena on the far side of the balcony. 

Lena approaches Supergirl. She is just about to ask what she wanted, thinking it was perhaps for a mission or something, when Supergirl starts to put on a pair of glasses. Suddenly the scales fell from her eyes, Supergirl didn’t just REMIND her of Kara SHE WAS KARA. 

“Lena I…” Kara starts to explain the deception but is cut off by Lena “I understand” in a heartbreaking tone. “No I don’t think you do” this time she holds up her hand when Lena starts to speak again “I love you Lena, I am in love with you. I’m so sorry I kept everything from you for so long, I was afraid…” At that moment Lena moves her hands to Kara’s face and kisses Kara tenderly on the lips.

Kara melts into the sweet loving kiss and the fire inside her grows as she deepens the kiss. Her left hand makes its way to the brunette’s hair as her right slides down her waist to the belt of Lena’s pants. Lena starts to moan softly into Kara’s mouth, her own hands moving down to unbutton her top, she then grabs Kara’s left hand and moves it to her breast desperate for Kara to touch her. 

Kara loudly moans when her hand touches Lena’s bra, it’s as wonderful as she had always imagined. So taken aback by how fast they were moving  she stops fumbling with Lena’s belt and breaks their kiss needing to catch her breath. Lena lets out a quiet whimper wanting Kara back immediately but she then notices how the blonde is looking at her chest, with eyes so wide and full of hunger. “Do what you want with them” Lena purrs seductively but unable to stop herself she adds  “please Kara” in a tone she felt was much too pathetic.

Kara doesn’t need to be told twice, her hands moving at superspeed, too enthusiastic at the idea to control herself; she removes Lena’s shirt and bra. She stood stunned for a moment taking in the brunette’s now exposed breasts. She had always stopped herself from using her x-ray vision to see them - it was too much of an invasion - but every chance she got to glance at, or rather stare at, them she took. Kara, now able to see them in their full glory, had never wanted to touch something more, never wanted something in her mouth so badly. She licks her lips as she moves back towards Lena picking her up and moving her so her back up was against the wall, a little more forceful than she meant but Lena’s moan of pleasure reassured her. Kara takes one boob in her right hand and the other in her mouth.

Lena gasps as she feels Kara tongue swirling around one of her nipples and her finger rolling the other. It’s been so long, she had imagined this moment so many times, she had so many dreams, pretended so many times. This, this was everything. 

Lena grasps at blonde hair pulling at it, Kara responds with a soft bite. Lena gasps out “FUUUUUCK”

Lena can feel wetness pooling in her panties, she lets go of Kara’s hair to remove her own belt. Kara getting the hint moves downward leaving a trail of marks down Lena’s body, sucking and lightly biting her way lower as she gets on her knees in front of Lena and pulls her pants and panties both down in one motion. Lena cries out as Kara puts her open mouth on her already swollen clit, as Kara starts to move her tongue Lena can already barely contain herself. Her legs start to shake. Kara takes both Lena’s hands in hers to reassure her. Lena can’t hold on any longer, she comes with a silent prayer to a god she isn’t sure she believes in that this isn’t a dream.

Riding out the waves of ecstasy Lena begins to tear up and as Kara stands and she pulls her pants up Lena starts sobbing so completely overwhelmed by everything. Without a word Kara embraces her and just silently holds her until Lena says “I love you too”

[snailstrailz]

Repost because the original fucked up!

Louie/Nilas (OC) fluff, no pikmin 4 spoilers, Based on the idea that Louie's love language is sharing food

Nilas rubbed their eyes before returning to scribbling at a notepad.

"I gathered more treasure and wildlife remains today. I do believe I may have discovered a new subspecies of bulborb mimic, which I managed to examine thoroughly before the leafling got his hands on it. Whatever he's making with it smells quite nice! Though I am a little reluctant to ask if he's willing to share, given his standoffish nature he's displayed. Though, the treasure, a fruit from this planet was a decent snack to hold me over. I have to promise myself I'll eat a real meal since Ellie isn't around to make me get up and have lunch at the moment. On the topic, still no sign of her nor Grove. If only l has Grove's tech talents. I could fix the radio and contact the rescue corps. For now, my only hope of finding them are the pikmin."

Nilas ran their fingers in their hair and sighed, setting down their pen. They relaxed in their chair, shooting up when they heard the sound of someone shifting behind them. Nilas whipped around in their swivel chair, seeing Louie in all his leafy glory. 

He flinched and the suddenness of Nilas' movement, one arm coming up instinctively. "Oh, sorry. I guess we spooked each other." Nilas chuckled awkwardly, "is there something you needed, Louie?"

Louie hesitated, "... yes, I brought you this." His voice was quiet, nervous. 

Nilas was so used to Louie being around food and food-adjacent things that they didn't even register him holding a saucer loaded with hot stew. "Oh?" Nilas was so caught off guard by this sudden generosity from the leafling and his unwelcoming demeanor. 

Louie quietly crossed the room to Nilas and handed them the warm dish, Nilas taking it because they didn't know what else to do. "...thank you, Louie." Nilas said in quiet bewilderment. They stirred the stew around a bit with the spork stuck inside it. 

"I noticed you skipped dinner." Louie stated flatly, fiddling with his fingers as he shifted on his feet. Nilas looked down at their food. A mixture of pikpik carrot, potato, and the dwarf bulborb all mixed in a thick aromatic roux. 

Absent-mindedly, probably because the appearance of a meal reminded Nilas' stomach that they were hungry,  Nilas scooped a generous amount of the stew on their spork and popped it in their mouth.

Flavor exploded on their tongue, making Nilas' eyes widen. They went for another sporkful at the same time they gulped down the first and took another mouthful. And another. And another. Nilas was so consumed with eating their meal that they didn't notice Louie was still standing there until they were about halfway through. Nilas swallowed what was in their mouth, "this is fantastic!" They exclaimed, making Louie shift and wring his hands more.

"...thanks." he murmured. Nilas raised a brow. Though his face was covered in leaves, they could tell from how he was carrying himself that he would be blushing. 

"I didn't think you'd notice that I forgot to eat. I didn't even realize." Nilas noted, scooping up more stew in their spork. As they spooned it into their mouth, they chewed slowly this time, savoring it's flavor.

"... I notice a lot of things." Louie replied, "I just don't do anything most of the time."

As Nilas swallowed, A silence fell between them. Louie wasn't one for eye contact, but his eyes were locked with Nilas'. His lips were firmly pressed into a line, but twitched at the corners. Is he trying not to smile? Nilas thought, chewing yet another clump of delicious bulborb meat. 

"So how have you been? I haven't seen as much of you lately." Nilas asked after swallowing and going for more. 

"...fine." Louie said.

Nilas looked down at the saucer as they prodded it with the spork. There was no veggies or meat left, just the scraped up remains of flavorful brown juices. 

"... I'll take that." Louie blurted, "... so you can get back to working." He added quickly, just now turning away in his fluster as he awkwardly swiped the empty dish from Nilas' lap and scurrying off like a scared breadbug.

"... thanks." Nilas said as Louie left. They weren't sure he heard them, but that wasn't at the forefront of their mind right then, unlike the strange fluttering feeling inside them and how they could feel their cheeks and eartips heating up. Maybe Louie and I will get along after all. Nilas said to themself. 

[deadroleplaysociety]

Bluebird

Bluebird flipped a guy over her shoulder. Two robbers raced out of the bank, trying to dodge the fight. Bluebird grabbed two small taser disks from her utility belt, and flung them at the robbers. It stuck to their back, sending waves of electricity and brought them to the ground.

Three more followed suite; the ring leaders of this robbery came out guns blazing. As she leapt for cover, a bullet hit her in the ribs. She hit the concrete and clutched her side. Her suit was bullet proof, or it should have been. Those weren't ordinary bullets.

Bluebird pulled her weapon and fired back, non lethal rounds were the compromise she used in desperate measures.

They took direct hits and collapsed in pain. Her wounds were real. She stumbled to her feet and went to cuff the robbers and flee, not needing Gotham Police asking her too many questions.

Harper pulled her grappling gun from her belt and fired toward the rooftop. She yelped as she shot up in a jerked motion. Her muscled protested her every effort to get back home. The few mile journey felt like an agonizing trek. First aid only went so far.

Halfway there and she stopped, catching her strained breathing. Shit, a collapsed lung? She had broken ribs and knew what that pain felt like. This was different. Looking ahead, she wasn't going to make it by roof top like this. She ducked down behind a large set of heating and cooling units fixed on the manufacturing building and strained to twist and take her coat off. She groaned and cursed, then gasped several tight breaths. Her suit was a bitch to get in and out of. the material was hot and unyielding in its comfort level. She wore light undershirts and undershorts beneath. Tonight she was glad she had. As she finished removing her super suit, she tucked it in her backpack along with her mask.

She found a latter and climbed down. She cut through an alley, stopping midway as a man jumped down behind her. Her body tensed the minute she recognized him.

"What do you want?" Harper bristled seeing Viperion and turned to face him. He tried to stand tall as though she wasn't hurt, but, the blood on her hand betrayed her.

When he looked at her wound and asked, she shook her head, "it's nothing." She reached into her utility belt and grabbed a topical numbing spray. The L Corp logo stamped on it. She struggled to get a good angle.

[beefcake-penguin]

Okay, the "Supercorp AU"-brainrot has me in a death-grip on this one, because now I'm imagining a post-reveal rift, angsty au where Lena just ends the friendship with Kara (without any of the "Project Non Nocere"-nonsense) and decides to just throw herself into her work at L-Corp. And sometime later L-Corp releases a "Siri" or "Alexa"-like virtual assistant app.

With Lena's voice.

And Kara knows it's stupid. She knows it's not really Lena who's greeting her with a cheerful "Good morning, Kara!" when she wakes up and a happy "How was work today, darling?" when she gets home. Kara knows the conversations she's having, the tearful apologies she keeps repeating, the angry venting she gets lost in sometimes, and the sad reminiscing she does (when she has a bit too much alien rum) isn't really being done with Lena. Her Lena.

But this is as close as she can get! And sometimes, when she closes her eyes, Kara can pretend that she's talking to her (former?) best friend again.

But Kara Zor-El Danvers is a genius. And, as she bonds more and more with the virtual assistant speaking in her (ex?) best friend's voice, she starts to hit road blocks here and there that remind her of the limits of this technology. Limits her beloved, genius of a (former?) best friend wouldn't have, if they were really interacting, the way Kara is pretending they are.

The way Kara wishes they were.

And maybe... one night, when her inhibitions are significantly lowered (she's been hitting the alien alcohol a bit to hard lately, she'll admit) and Kara once again hears an uncharacteristic "I'm sorry, Kara. I don't know enough about this topic to contribute to this conversation..." in the voice of the woman she KNOWS has all this knowledge and more...

Maybe...

Kara gets a little grumpy.

And Kara huffs out a breath through her nose.

And another.

"Yes you do, Lena! You know more about this crap than I do!"

"I'm sorry, Kara, but I'm afraid this goes beyond the information stored in my databanks."

And maybe a little lightbulb goes off in Kara's (mildly inebriated) mind: If the databanks are the problem... then maybe...

And, before she can really take a step back and reconsider if this is even a good idea, Kara finds herself in the Fortress of Solitude, plugging "Lena" into the Central Computer Nexus so "she" can interface with it.

And maybe Kara sobers up a little, as she watches the unfathomable amounts of information light up in her little virtual assistant's software. Maybe Kara has a bit of an "Oh... shit"-moment when she hears "Lena"s voice again... and it sounds so much more calm and confident, now. All trace of any "artificiality" in the device's intelligence suddenly gone. The tone of the "Thank you, Kara" that "Lena" greets her with now has suddenly become indistinguishable from the voice of her (ex?) best friend.

Cue the "Lena"-bot going rogue for plot reasons and Kara and the superfriends having to team up to stop it before it accomplishes its new, self-imposed mission...

Because there can be only one "Lena" in Kara's life, after all...

the women in my bluetooth headphones sounds mad at me :(