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ckret2 · 2 years ago

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How are ford and dipper interacting with Bill. (especially after their ptsd due to how he hurt them)

So "how are they interacting with Bill OVERALL" is a big question—and one i've already touched on in a couple previous asks—so to shrink the question to manageable size, I'm gonna interpret this one more as "talk about any Bill-related trauma Ford and Dipper might have and how seeing him again impacts it."

I actually don't think either of them necessarily developed PTSD (although Ford has worse odds). Not because they didn't go through traumatic experiences thanks to Bill, but rather just because not everyone who goes through a traumatic experience develops PTSD. Some excerpts from the National Institute of Mental Health:

It is important to remember that not everyone who lives through a dangerous event develops PTSD. In fact, most people will not develop the disorder.

Many factors play a part in whether a person will develop PTSD. Risk factors make a person more likely to develop PTSD. Other factors, called resilience factors, can help reduce the risk of the disorder.

Some factors that may promote recovery after trauma include:

Seeking out support from other people, such as friends and family

Finding a support group after a traumatic event

Learning to feel good about one’s own actions in the face of danger

Having a positive coping strategy, or a way of getting through the bad event and learning from it

Being able to act and respond effectively despite feeling fear

The Pines are part of a close knit family that shared in Weirdmageddon, and 3/4 of them were puppeted, hurt, and/or manipulated by Bill and can commiserate. They also have friends in Gravity Falls they can talk to about their Bill experiences. Although Ford and Dipper are ashamed of being fooled by Bill in the past, even during the course of the show they started helping each other process that; and all four of them have reason to be proud of how they faced Weirdmageddon. They all ultimately responded to their fears by taking action. The family's in a good position to get through the aftermath with minimal lingering trauma!

The biggest potential issues are their physical isolation from their support network, and Gravity Falls' Never Mind All That Act hampering people from talking with each other; but if you assume they're still regularly talking with each other on phone or online and that people are still willing to talk in private amongst friends about Weirdmageddon, I think they can get around the majority of those issues. (Plus, realistically, the Never Mind All That Act would hamper recovery from trauma; but since it was clearly intended to be a funny cartoon joke about life going back to normal, I don't want to narratively treat it like a serious thing with serious consequences.)

(I'm also on the fence about headcanoning whether Dipper & Mabel tell their parents; Dipper spends most of summer trying to tell the nearest adult relative all about the weird stuff in Gravity Falls and Mabel immediately writes to mom & dad about the new gruncle that came out of a magic portal, I don't see why they'd stop that when they get home. Odds the parents get the kids therapy is like 90% but odds they'd let the kids go back next summer is 5% so... *makes a weighing scales gesture*)

So I think they'll get through with minimal trauma-trauma. But the scars of the incident can show on them in ways other than full-blown PTSD.

The worst of it Dipper experiences is nightmares. Sometimes about Bill, sometimes about being stuck outside his body while it sleeps below. Admittedly, nothing to sneeze at; few things are more terrifying than waking up, disoriented and in the dark, from a nightmare about a guy who can actually invade nightmares—you can spend the next half hour asking yourself "what if it was real?" But if you've got a sister in the next room to reassure you it wasn't real and a grunkle in a weird time zone you can call at 3 am to hear he's had similar dreams for thirty years and they never meant anything... eventually a half hour of fear becomes five minutes of fear and the dreams become annoying instead of terrifying.

If anything, being in the Shack with Bill helps Dipper deal with the nightmares—it's reassuring to be able to wake up from a Bill nightmare, bellow "GET OUT OF MY DREAMS YOU FREAK," and hear back from the floor below, "I'M NOT IN YOUR DREAMS, I'M WATCHING TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES WITH ABUELITA."

Even his dreams about out-of-body experiences have decreased since coming back to the shack—that's probably a sign of healing, right?

(One of the things Bill plans never to admit to the humans: he still has a sizable amount of dream-related magic, and he's started shoving Dipper's soul back in his body whenever Bill sees him astral projecting because he's sick of getting blamed for Dipper's "nightmare" when he wakes up.)

Between Dipper and Ford, Ford's the most likely to actually get PTSD—specifically because at the outset, he got the least emotional support. After he found out Bill's motives, he was trapped alone in his house for weeks, afraid that the world could end if he fell asleep, until the point that he was hallucinating Bill in other people's eyes—if it was a hallucination.

That extreme sleep deprivation, that paranoia, that terror, and most of all that isolation from any support—THAT sure could trigger PTSD.

But Ford's had thirty years to process that, all while traveling through a multiverse full of people like "oh, THAT Bill Cipher? Oh yeah we totally sympathize, that's the exact kind of thing that guy would do." Getting dumped into the multiverse probably gave him a better shot of healthily processing the experience than he could have had on Earth. (Note that he's not checking people's eyeballs when he gets home from the multiverse.)

On the other hand, I do believe he's got some noteworthy trauma from thirty years in the multiverse, but never mind that! (You could arguably call that "caused" by Bill—but I don't think interacting with Bill conjures up memories of traumatic multiversal travels for Ford. He didn't see Bill during those 30 years. His mind sorts them in different boxes.)

The biggest negative psychological impact Bill left on Ford is trust issues. When he first returned to Gravity Falls, that was more global—TRUST NO ONE. Those trust issues have shrunk a lot—now it's just "don't trust Bill." Bill could tell Ford the sky is blue, and he'd have to go look to make sure Bill isn't trying to keep Ford from finding out that the sky's turned pink.

Upside: this makes it almost impossible for Bill to mess with Ford's head. Ford is all but mess-proof. Everything Bill says carries zero weight with him. Downside: this makes it almost impossible for them to carry on a conversation.

(Bill's the only one who considers this a downside. He's looking for a way to twist Ford into regretting not listening to Bill. Maybe the next time the kids are in trouble, he'll go tell Ford first, and then he can feel all self-righteous when Ford feels all guilty about brushing Bill off and not helping the kids.)

#grunkle ford #dipper pines #bill cipher #human bill cipher #gravity falls #fanart #my art #about my writing #bill goldilocks cipher #(I think tumblr deleted my second illustration?? Somehow??? So i edited it back in)#(If there's somehow TWO of it now: blame tumblr)

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squeakadeeks · 7 months ago

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hello, here to pester you with a question >:3!

where do you get the money to make your cosplays?? i'm in the middle of crafting a bunch of stuff for a plant convention and gyatt damn everythings so pricey

:((

along with the storage ive been getting this one a bunch too haha

to tell true, this is no fault on your part so no frets here at all !!! BUT i'm not comfortable discussing my personal finances online. because on a wide scale, anything in regards to money gets incredibly niche to a person's circumstances and will make people get upset/can leave you vulnerable to a lot of bad things. My pay scale and spending habits are not something i'm hip to sharing online since its really private and opens a lot of dangerous doors. (also my spending habits are not exactly healthy or generalizable either.) I'm not saying this to like...dodge being a secret billionaire or anything, but even if i say "i work a STEM job" I've had people get weird about even just that information.

That being said, there are ways i make cosplay more affordable.

usually in-store fabric shopping at say joanns, is just about as expensive as it gets. if you have to shop only at joanns, michaels, etc the bill racks up fast. There are some in-store fabric shops that are cheaper, especially if they are wholesalers or general fabric warehouses, but those are not easy to find outside of cities most often. Joanns does have good coupons, and i can only shop at joanns these days if i have a coupon or there's a sale on that fabric type i'm interested in!

online wholesale fabric shops are a good way to find fabrics that are at lower prices, but then it does incur extra shipping costs. because of that i try to limit the number of orders I make (more orders, more extra shipping). this looks like grouping orders between projects, or even compromising on fabric types based on the stock of one website so i dont have to split an order between two sites.

sometimes you really do have to sacrifice material type. theres been a number of projects this year that i wanted to make out of a nicer type of fabric, even Thistle for example i considered making out of a dupioni, but it was just too dang expensive. dupioni would be around $25 a yard...vs poly suede which is $6. or even a cheaper satin at $3 a yard is a common sub i use as well. I also very frequently have to throw out entire cosplay ideas just based on cost since its just not feasible no matter how many compromises i make.

reduce the burden by extending your timeline. unfortunately theres no way around it, most projects i make are $200-300, and thats....fairly low in the grand scheme of things for crafting-focused cosplayers on mid sized projects. but either way, dropping all of that at once in one place is a huge blow to the wallet. but if you break up that whole $200 cost into say...$20 chunks from one week to the next, its softer. if you cant or dont want to reduce your budget, expanding your timeline is a good solution. now granted, that does cause a problem with the whole "less orders means less shipping costs" but the weighing of those two scenarios has to be done person to person/project to project.

STOCKING UP....when there are sales or other things, building a horde can be a great move. like silverbell didnt actually show up much on my finances this month because all the fabric i used on his suit was storage fabric. so it was ""free"" to me this month, because i already bought it.....3 years ago...and that money isnt real anymore haha.

this is really regional and depends on where you are, but thrift stores can have material sections that have good fabrics as well as sheets/blankets/base garments etc. ive been weirdly lucky with finding great fabrics at thrift stores...like literal joanns fabric for half the cost there, but thats super SUPER hit or miss and not something i rely on, but i do check that section whenever i'm there

#i dont usually like to talk money bc not only can it get dicey safety wise but also theres no quick way to talk about it haha #BUT THIS IS WHAT I GOT....#i have to change my plans or cancel them outright due to money a lot

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soon-palestine · 1 year ago

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While most telecom networks bury their cables 60cm (about 2ft) underground, PalTel buries its cables up to 8 metres (26ft) deep. In case the Israelis cut off electricity, its data centres in Gaza also have three layers of redundancy: generators, solar panels and batteries. The company has also developed emergency protocols to direct workers remotely from the occupied West Bank, and if severed communications make this impossible, Gazan staff are empowered to act autonomously. Despite all the redundancies and preparations, the sheer scale of bombings these past weeks has still crippled the network. About 70 percent of the mobile network has been taken offline. Solar panels have been rendered mostly useless either by being destroyed in attacks or covered in dust and debris. The relentless nature of the conflict is also weighing on staff, who are dogged by danger from their house to the field. Rabih*, a fibre optics technician, was called to repair a cable just metres from the border on October 15. Prior to going, he had to give an exhaustive list of the repair team’s names, the colour of their cars and registration numbers to the Israelis, because “a mistake could be deadly”. As Rabih and his team laboured for two hours to fix the cable, the buzz of a drone above him and the sounds of shelling intermingled with the sound of their excavator. “Any wrong move could mean being targeted. I cannot explain to my wife and kids why I do that or why I volunteer to go out during the war. My company doesn’t oblige me, but if someone can do it, it has to be me,” he said. No matter how many metres deep they dig or the number of solar panels they install, Gaza’s connections to the outside world ultimately relies on the Israelis.

The cables that connect Gaza to the outside world run through Israel, and the country on at least two occasions has deliberately cut off the strip’s international communications. “It’s clear for us that it was cut off by a decision. What proves this is that we didn’t do anything to get it back,” Melhem said. Israel also controls fuel to Gaza, allowing a small trickle into Gaza on Friday after weeks of pressure from the United States. Described as a “drop in the bucket” by humanitarian groups, Israel announced that 120,000 litres (31,700 gallons) of fuel would be allowed into the territory every two days for use by hospitals, bakeries and other essential services. PalTel will also be given 20,000 litres (5,283 gallons) of fuel every two days for its generators. On Thursday, the company had announced it would go into a full telecoms blackout because its fuel reserves were exhausted for the first time during the current war. According to Mamoon Fares, the corporate support director at PalTel, the 20,000 litres provided “should be enough to operate a good part of the network”. However, Gaza’s telecoms network will still be at the mercy of Israel should it decide to cut off fuel deliveries or network services that run through its territory. Without the ability to communicate, the already dismal situation in Gaza would only further deteriorate. “No ambulances, no emergency services, no civil defence or humanitarian organisations can work without telecommunications,” Melhem said. * Names have been changed to protect the individuals’ safety.

#palestine #gaza #free palestine #mobile network #telecom #communication #data center #telecommunications

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klanced · 2 years ago

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mx katie klanced are we voting voltron straight through in the worst fandom poll or genshin. your troops await

i am so sad i missed this poll. i am now going to hold you all hostage and force you to read my outrage. i know this ship sailed literally two weeks ago but LISTEN TO ME!!!!!

anyway i cannot BELIEVE that voltron lost to south park. the category was "most annoying fandom." this is distinctly different than "most annoying show" or "worst show," and it is NOT synonymous with "most unhinged fans." okay? for this poll, what matters is the group character and cultural staying power of the fandom that organized around the show.

an annoying fandom must be:

incredibly vocal and prominent, to the point that even the most reluctant and detached layperson still has some vague idea of the fandom's biggest discourse/fights, usually entirely against their will; and

annoying, in the sense that the fandom's presence (or even a mere reference to their presence) is enough to actively disrupt or impede one's ability to enjoy online internet spaces; and

the fandom is annoying BECAUSE of the source material in question.

point 1 is fairly subjective, as it's all based on one's own experience or perception of a show's cultural diffusion across the broader public consciousness. so i weigh it less heavily when ranking how annoying a show is.

for point 2 i would argue that south park is annoying, and south park fans are annoying, but the south park fandom itself is NOT as annoying (i.e., the fandom is the least annoying aspect of south park). this is because i firmly believe you can differentiate between south park fans versus the south park fandom.

[[actually if i can be frank -- does south park actually have an organized fandom? obviously they have fans, i have seen them in the twitter wilds (usually in the context of out-of-context incredibly well-developed yaoi art/content of? 10 year olds ?????????). but is there actually a cohesive fandom that routinely interacts and develops concepts together? is there a collective identity ??????? my gut reaction is no, but this is very much an online space i don't enter, so what do i know? i also have no idea what that fandom can even talk about, other than the yaoi (although you could easily say this to the voltron fandom as well). whatever, for this argument i will presuppose that there IS a organized south park fandom with a fairly coherent and cohesive identity.]]

anyway, what i wanted to highlight is that there are certainly incredibly annoying individual south park fans who are outrageous, vulgar, and vile. so you would think that, if you put all these annoying individuals into a single collective, that single group would have skyrocketing amounts of annoyingness. but that doesn't seem to happen. i cannot recall any specific complaints about the south park fandom; personal stories involving individual south park fans, sure, but what does the fandom actually do on a broad scale?? if there is any sort of discourse or mobilization, it seems to be fairly contained and localized.

so how can a collective fandom somehow be less annoying than its individual parts? this brings me to point three: an annoying fandom MUST be annoying BECAUSE of its source material. and this does not apply in the south park fandom's case.

to qualify as an annoying fandom, it is not enough to be a group of annoying fans loosely connected by a shared interest; rather, the source material ITSELF must be the inciting incident that galvanizes the group to organize and THEN become annoying.

is the south park fandom annoying? to some extent yes, of course. but i would argue that the south park fandom is annoying, not specifically because of the show in question, but rather because the fandom is comprised of persons who were already predisposed to being annoying, regardless of whether or not they had ever watched south park. this is a subtle but incredibly important distinction.

south park's vulgar and vile humor certainly enables its most annoying fans, but the continued annoying activities of said fans are NOT dependent on the show's existence. a shithead south park fan was always going to be a shithead, now they just have cartman to idolize.

i have spent a lot of time talking about south park. let us now move on to voltron and the voltron fandom.

in contrast to south park, the voltron fandom qualifies as an annoying fandom because its annoying activities were entirely dependent on the existence of voltron the show. would individual voltron fans still have been annoying even if they had never stumbled upon voltron? of course. but the voltron fandom was an organized collective of people that specifically came together to BE ANNOYING ABOUT VOLTRON. and then they made it everyone else's problem.

the voltron fandom was like an ouroboros devouring its own tail; a symbol of infinity, referencing the literally never-ending fighting; and it survived entirely by maiming and cannibalizing itself. the voltron fandom actively ruined every online space it entered. i saw the greatest minds of my generation destroyed by voltron.

honestly, i would argue that the voltron fandom's impact has completely altered the way online fandom functions to this day. the voltron fandom capitalized on the momentum started by the steven universe fandom and other early 2010s online fandoms, and spawned an entire new flavor of fandom discourse that was obsessed with morality and virtue. truthfully, it feels disingenuous to frame what happened as something innocuous as "fandom discourse"; it almost feels like a disservice to the levels of personal faith, passion, and vitriol people poured into voltron. the terms "pro-shipping" and "anti-shipping" have been around for ages, but the voltron fandom turned "pro" and "anti" into genuine identity markers.

this post is already way too insane so i need to quit while i'm ahead. but i would just like to conclude by reiterating that south park has annoying fans but not necessarily an annoying fandom, whereas the voltron fandom was annoying specifically BECAUSE it was the voltron fandom. i think the south park fandom could dissolve tomorrow and assimilate into other similar fandoms without a problem. whereas the voltron fandom was like lightning in a bottle; the activities of the voltron fandom are quintessentially wrapped up in the specific details, characteristics, and attributes of voltron. if voltron's characters or story was even slightly different -- if, say, every character was a college-student for example -- then the nature and activities of the fandom would have been irrevocably different.

and that is why voltron is the more annoying fandom and SHOULD HAVE SWEPT SOUTH PARK IN THE POLL.

#at any given moment i have a 300k thesis brewing in the back of my mind about how the american 2016 presidential election #(and general political developments between 2012 - 2020) is irrevocably tied up in how the voltron fandom developed #it's the most batshit insane thing ever. i know.#anyway i'm going to law school in boston this fall!! using my debate skills for. this.#ask #anonymous

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canonsinthehead · 2 years ago

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RGG/Yakuza/Judgement at the Grocery Store

UPPER MANAGEMENT = UP WORKING CLASS = WC CHAIRMAN AND HIS ENTOURAGE = CE CLIENTS= C

Yakuza:

Kiryu (WC): Initially a Stock clerk was eventually Promoted to IT (responsible for price accuracy for the printed price shelf tags, maintaining the computers, point of sale software the cash registers use, and any electronic scales that weigh and print prices).

Akiyama (CE): Investor. Due to his generous “donations” to the company, he is part of the chairman’s entourage (due to his wallet’s size, his opinion matters). Thanks to him (and Tachibana), they were able to raise the salaries of the employees not part of upper management, so all of them love him and get along well when he is there. Akiyama can admit that he grew quite fond of many employees, especially Hana who will become his personal secretary. As expected, many members of upper management can’t stand him, wondering why he is even allowed to be around (they are jealous)

Haruka (WC): Cashier

Nishiki (WC): Online order clerk. Spends a lot of time chatting with Kiryu but likes his position since he is away from the upper management most of the day (he thinks they are scary and wants none of it)

Yumi (WC): Cashier

Daigo (CE): Chairman. A big picture of him is in the store saying he is the boss but you can rarely see him in the building. But for the few times, he visits the place, the upper management wake up out of their coma and pull up an act as if issues where not part of their daily lifes (they basically threaded MAjima to not blow the whistle about who is not doing their jobs. Saejima (WC):. He prefers something more simple and since he listens to Majima’s endless rants about his position everytime. he would better be left alone away from customer service but ended up as a Loss prevention associate (helps a grocery store combat and apprehend shoplifters and unlawful employees. They often monitor security cameras for suspicious activity, and some dress as shoppers to monitor activity covertly. Loss prevention associates often contact local law enforcement to alert them of problems.). Lee, who is a security guard works along him.

Ryuji (C): Rude customer

Yuya (WC): shopping cart attendant. While he was proposed higher level position many times, he declined them

Nishida (UP): Previously a stock clerk who graduated from his position to become Majima’s right man. They separate Majima’s workload between them.

Majima (UP): Customer Service Representative. Held to higher regard because of more experience, knowledge, and skills. Since nobody in this company wants to do their job, he has to do a lot people’s tasks. Is the main person dealing with issues with customers (that’s the person we send when they say “I wanna talk to the manager”). Stressed.

Date: (highest working class) Pharmacist.

Rikiya (WC): Floor Clerk

Hana: (upper working class) HR Secretary. She will likely interview new employees. Nishitani (UP): Supervisor. Regardless his personality, he actually does his job. He knows how to make the daily life spicy (Kashiwagi hates but since he knows how to manage rude clients to fuck off so gracefully and he can shut down arguments easily). Since he does his job so well, you can find do all type of random stuff in the store like taking hold of the AUX cord to blast Japanese 80s hits in the radion (play Namidawo Misenaide -Boys Don't Cry- by WINK) or buying items just to annoy Majima. His favorite activity is to announce employees birthdays on the store’s microphone before slapping a cake in their faces (Kiryu couldn’t escape it, Nishiki ran for his life). Nishitani succeeded to slap a cake in daigo’s face to everyone’s excitement (covertly or invertly expressed). He is just appointed himself to Mine’s burning anger, not now but one day. Always to take home what they are supposed get rid of (past date item and damaged food products) Mine (CE): Chairman Assistant/Secretary.

Kashiwagi (UP): Inventory Control Specialist. Give this man a break. He is at the clock at 6AM everyday. Mr. Black Coffee. He spends most of his time making calls to suppliers (and often arguing with them) and check the inventory (IF PEOPLE WERE ENTERING THE DATA CORRECTLY SMH.)

Shinida (WC): Grocery clerk, who graduated from his position to become (kinda off) Majima assistant to help with everyday tasks. To take charge when Majima is too tired or angry. If not, they kinda work as duo for Majima’s work load.

Tachibana (CE): Financial Advisor. He is basically the one over the upper management of the store. If it was not for him being so good at problem-solving and calm regardless of the situation, Daigo will penalize him for how poorly the upper management are doing their job (that’s not on him lol). Always wanted to give Kiryu a promotion so he could join the upper management team and put things back in order.

Baba (WC): shopping cart attendant. Just wants to put his earphones on be left alone.

Hamura, Kuze & Sagawa (UP): Head supervisior, but nobody is sure what is role is since they can’t answer nobody’s questions about anything. More the corporate type, since they send another head supervisor (lower than them) to do all the work (a.k.a answering clients complaints). they spend all their day laughing, chatting and smoking and discussing everything but work-related things. But if there’s financial losses or their quota are not met, you will sure hear one of them raging anger ready to crack the whip on any subordinates. Shimano (CE): Store Manager. He represents the Chairman when he is not there. So he kinda acts like he owns the place (in a way he does owns the building). He is the one watching over a lot of things in the store and especially keeping an eye over the employees. He picks Majima apart and sends Sagawa to scold him about what he is supposedly doing wrong. He is behind most (if not all) employees discharges. Keeps the business afloat. Mirei (UP): HR Yakuza 7/Like A Dragon

Ichiban (WC): Started as a custodian but (after Jo’s training) was upgraded to stock clerk for general merchandise and non-perishable food items. They are always calling him to go check prices and exchange articles since he is so fast and his store clerk colleagues are nowhere to be found.

Adachi (upper working class): Butcher Nanba: (upper working class) Works in the pharmacy.

Han Joongi (WC): Food Preparation: Bread.

Zhao (WC): Food Preparation: Pastry/bakery. Decorates the cakes and makes pastries sold in the grocery store. Saeko (WC): Beauty & Health Department Staff. Masato Arakawa/Ryo Aoki & Kume (C): KAREN Jo Sawashiro (UP): Hourly Supervisor & Training. Technically has the same job as Nishitani but he doesn’t even want to associate with this brown hair clown. But recently he has been upgraded to pay management and was more than willing to cut Ichiban’s pay off when he accidently spilled his coffee on him. (Chill, Jo! Is it even legal?!? Apparently, it is…) Taka The Striker (WC): Auto Care Center Main Manager Yumeno (C): Karen Reina (WC): Cashier Hamako (WC): Senior Cashier

Judgement/Lost Judgement/Judge Eyes

Yagami and Sugiura (C): they came only to buy a bag of chips and move on with their life but they are stuck waiting to checkout and it takes forever. For some reason, everyone that day filled their cart to feed the entire population of china.

Minami, Akutsu, Kaito (WC): Stock Clerk who is always late (or don’t even come) when someone call his department. Spends most his time chatting and smoking. Get to work when the boss or supervisor is near.

Tsukumo (WC): Data Entry Clerk

Higashi (WC): Electronic Department Staff

Mafuyu (WC): Beauty & Health Department Staff

Saori-San (WC): Cashier that covertly hate her job

Awabe (WC): Overnight Stock Clerk

Kengo (WC): shopping cart attendant

Sawa-Sensei (WC): Cashier

Kazuki Soma (CE): Investor. While nobody really knows where he stands or where his interested for the company comes. Rumors says he is an old supervisor but nobody ready really knows. Gets along well with Shimano and was able to conclude all types of deals with him like in exchange of generous “donations’” they could redirect some of the employees to work in his company. Some believe, him and Shimano use the grocery store for money laundering.

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new-dinosaurs · 2 years ago

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Kumimanu fordycei Ksepka et al., 2023 (new species)

(Type specimen of Kumimanu fordycei [scale bars = 10 mm; with bones of an emperor penguin, Aptenodytes forsteri, the largest extant penguin, for scale in 1 and 3], from Ksepka et al., 2023)

Meaning of name: fordycei = for R. Ewan Fordyce [New Zealand paleontologist]

Age: Paleocene (Thanetian)

Where found: Moeraki Formation, Otago, New Zealand

How much is known: Partial skeleton of one individual, including parts of the right wing.

Notes: K. fordycei was a close relative of modern penguins. Many Paleogene members of the penguin lineage grew much larger than the biggest living penguins, and K. fordycei may be the largest discovered so far. Estimates of its body mass suggest it might have weighed around 150 kg, comparable in size to a large ostrich.

The only other species of Kumimanu that had previously been named was K. biceae, which is also known from the Moeraki Formation, but was a bit smaller than K. fordycei (though still huge) and had a slightly differently shaped humerus (upper arm bone). Like modern penguins, members of the genus Kumimanu were flightless wing-propelled diving birds; however, they still retained some similarities to flying birds in their wing skeleton, which may suggest that they were less specialized for diving than penguins are today.

Reference: Ksepka, D.T., D.J. Field, T.A. Heath, W. Pett, D.B. Thomas, S. Giovanardi, and A.J.D. Tennyson. 2023. Largest-known fossil penguin provides insight into the early evolution of sphenisciform body size and flipper anatomy. Journal of Paleontology advance online publication. doi: 10.1017/jpa.2022.88

#Palaeoblr #Birblr #Dinosaurs #Birds #Kumimanu fordycei #Paleocene #Oceania #Phaethoquornithes #2023 #Extinct

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starseneyes · 8 months ago

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"I wish I could write 'weird sh*t' as a diagnosis"

I love my General Practitioner. My last one retired, and it took me over a year on a wait list to get into this one a girlfriend recommended, but it was so worth it.

Today I received my formal Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome diagnosis. Not vascular, in my case, but does cause me quite a bit of daily pain and I'll be off to PT shortly.

But what is often my least favorite part of visiting the doctor became a revelation today—the weigh-in.

TW: miscarriage, bleeding, pregnancy

The year was 2020. It was late February and I was getting ready for what would become my last Tae Kwon Do belt testing before the Pandemic shut the world down. I didn't love my weight, but I felt strong.

See, after I had my twins, I went back to pre-pregnancy weight in 17 days. Yup. 17 days. And for a 30-year-old, I was shocked and pleasantly surprised!

But after my daughter, three years later, I had 20 extra pounds that I couldn't shake. This was partly due to a rough pregnancy (almost lost her at 12 weeks, placenta previa, couldn't work out) and then complications after her birth (trapped placenta, bled for 5 months, hemorrhaged, etc).

I started Tae Kwon Do in 2019 mostly because I'd been told my whole life that I couldn't do it. I wanted to prove that person wrong, but also show myself that I was capable. I had to work hard, but I wasn't bad. That last belt test, I earned my blue-stripe (mid-level belt).

And I was strong. I didn't lose a single pound doing Tae Kwon Do, but I turned it into strength. Into muscle.

It was when I stopped weighing myself. I realized that the number on the scale didn't reflect the body I had.

But, when the world shut down, everything shifted for all of us. I was sick for 10 months of 2020. I lost 40% of my income. I had to balance working from home with homeschooling three children, and I barely ate.

Now, I am not one of those people who loses weight when they don't eat. My body goes into preservation mode, and it all goes to my stomach, arms, butt, and hips.

I gained 20 pounds, and since 2020, I haven't been able to get them off.

Six months ago, I went for a weigh-in as part of my physical. I tried to ignore the number, but I knew it well. No changes. Today, I went in for a follow-up—and 18 of those 20 pounds are gone.

I knew I felt different. I felt stronger. I felt healthier. My clothes felt different. But I don't get on scales anymore, so I didn't realize the difference of having the stress gone.

You see, 5 months ago, our lives changed. After a year of trying to keep up with medical debt by taking every extra job I could, working all hours and not sleeping, I finally put up a GoFundMe in shame and desperation.

In 48 hours it raised $8,000 and we erased all but two medical payment plans—one that is now down to $300, and the other has a few thousand to go for my braces.

I went back to working normal hours. I started being able to afford groceries again for me and not just for the kids. Everything shifted in a beautiful way.

I haven't gotten into a workout routine, yet, but I started walking several times a week for Mental Health Walks.

Life changed for us radically because a bunch of people (some of whom I've only met online) rallied around us in our darkest hour.

And for the first time in years, I am getting back to a healthier me. I cannot express my gratitude. There aren't enough words.

It's a reminder that sometimes we can't do it alone. We need our community. We need people who love us. And I am humbled and honored by the love showered on me.

And you. Yes, you! If you don't feel loved today, I hope you know that I love you. I value you. I am proud of you. You are beautiful. And you are loved.

#tw miscarriage #cw miscarriage #cw blood #tw blood #cw pregnancy #tw pregnancy

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theargopriestess · 1 year ago

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I Can’t Stop Wanting You - Part 4

(A/N: Warning! ⛔️ - this is quite graphic and NOT intended for anyone under 18 years!)

Well, their cute attempt at baking together has failed in spectacular fashion.

Well at least for the cupcakes. The ones that never even made it into the oven in anyway.

She’s showering off the last of it, and she tips back her head, using her hands to scrub the shampoo out her hair, relishing in the feeling of the hot water pouring over her body. She sighs, content. She allows herself to cast back into her memory of their escape on the kitchen counter. A bolt of pleasure rushes through her, all the way to between her legs.

She’s leaning over the counter top, reading the printed out recipe she found online when the front door to her apartment opens. “Hey Carls”, Freddie calls out, closing and locking the door behind him and joining her at the counter top. He sets down a coffee beside her, his hand sliding along the small of her back as he leans down to kiss her cheek. “Hey”, she smiles sweetly, leaning her head into his.

“Sleep okay?”

“I did, did you?”, she straightens up and starts looking for the weighing scales Harper insisted that is next to the sink. “Ah, there”, she says triumphantly. Carly throws her hair up into a bun at the top of her head before she picks them up carefully and moves them next to the recipe and turns back to the sink to wash her hands. She realises Freddie hadn’t said anything for a while, she moves to turn around when his strong hands grip onto her waist, sliding down to her hips to hold her in place, he leans his head into the back of her’s, breath tickling her ear and making her shiver.

His lips brush the exposed skin behind ear. She giggles and turns, forcing him to loosen his hold, their foreheads bump and he nuzzled his nose gentle against hers. She’s begun to notice that it’s a habit, albeit an adorable one that she’s loved getting used to. He tilts his chin toward hers, mouth barely brushing over hers before she pulls away with a smirk. “Make yourself useful. Wash your hands and start making the frosting,” she pecks gently at his lips with her own before stepping sideways and then around him. “Not fair”, he mutters, Carly smirks and pulls a mixing bowel from the cupboard switching the oven on before beginning to weigh out and deposit the ingredients into the bowel.

She’s just cracking and mixing the eggs in when Freddie appears beside her, she glances at him. He’s taken off his jacket and she stops, transfixed at the play of his defined biceps straining against the short sleeves of his form fitting T-shirt as he starts to beat the butter and powdered sugar into frosting. A bit of the frosting splatters onto his wrist and he stops momentarily, bringing it to his mouth, his tongue brushes over his bronzed flesh and she stops suddenly.

A noise escapes her. A soft, light moan.

Oh.

He’s heard her, she knows he has because, if only for a moment, he stills, as if waiting for her to do it again.

He repeats the motion, and jolt flashes through her like a bolt of lightning, all the way to the juncture between her legs. She places her hands on the counter top, pressing her thighs together, in an attempt to reduces the dull throb. She bites her lip, sucking in a sharp breath. She knows he’s noticed because he’s watching her now. He’s got that damn lopsided smirk on his face again. And there it is again. That darkened look in his eyes.

Desire.

He approaches her slowly. Moving to stand close to her. Too close. She swallows thickly. “Carly?” his voice is rough as he speaks, his fingers brushing over hers, “babe? Are you okay?” She nods. Forcing a smile and hoping to God she isn’t as red and as flushed as she feels. “Yeah, all fine”, she insists, trying desperately to sound calm and confident. She fails and words come out a nervous squeak.

She feels his fingers move slowly over her hand, to her wrist, caressing the inside of it, fingers rubbing gently over her veins. Then they move higher as he steps closer, Carly swallows again, biting her lip when she feels his breath against her ear. “Are you sure?” Freddie pushes, his voice barely a whisper against the shell of her ear. She shivers, letting out a small gasp. His fingers brush the baby hairs at her hairline away, his lips replace them, moving achingly slowly down her neck, he sucks her sensitive skin, his hand travelling simultaneously away from the back of her neck to slide along her back and around her waist.

Carly feels her knees tremble and she reaches out, her hand moving to his shoulder, gripping tightly onto him. His breath tickles her throat as he chuckles. She tilts her head to the side, granting him easier access to her neck. Freddie let’s out a grunt, it’s barely audible but she still hears it, and he turns her roughly until her back hits the counter top, he steps close in front of her, one hand braced on the counter top, the other firm on her waist, fingers spread out across her flesh.

Why are his hands always so hot?

Fuck!

She lets out another moan when he pulls the strap of her crop top down over her shoulder as his lips travel down, over her shoulder and to the top of her breast. She cups the back of his head, threading her fingers into his hair and pulling his face up to hers.

“I love it when you wear this”, he murmurs against her lips, his eyes have darkened even more, if that was even possible. Carly is too breathless to respond, feeling as is someone had squeezed all the air out of her lungs and she can only let out a strangled moan. She pulls him closer, arms around his neck and kisses him fiercely. She whimpers when she feels Freddie’s hand leave her waist and suddenly both is his hands are on her ass pulling her against him. She whimpers again.

She squeals when he bends to slide his hands over her ass and down to the backs of her thighs as he suddenly lifts her up to sit her on the counter top. She wriggles forward until she’s sat on the edge of the counter.

She reaches round behind herself, her fingers finding the edge of the mixing bowl and she carefully moves it to the side and out of the way.

His fingers graze the flesh inside her her thighs, sliding tantalisingly along her flesh. He holds her gaze never breaking away. His hair is mess, sticking out in all directions, dark eyes almost black with desire blown wide, his lips bruised and swollen. She’s sure her appearance must look similar to his. She relishes in the feeling of his fingers sliding higher and higher along her thighs, under her skirt. She shivers, letting out a small mewl. Shifting her thighs, trying desperately to get some friction to aid the aching burn between her legs.

His fingers brush the band of her underwear, with one hand squeezing her hip, the other slips to clasp between her thighs and she lets out a whine, throwing back her head and panting as he gently strokes his fingers over her aching centre.

“Fuck!” She cries, whimpering again and rolling her hips forward. For a while longer, he continues to tease her through her underwear. His lips press on the inside of her throat, biting her flesh harshly, eliciting hisses and gasps, and then he soothes the skin with his lips and tongue. She rocks her hips against his hand, reaching to grip his wrist as his thumb presses firm circles against where she is neediest.

But then he stills, and she lets out a soft grumble of frustration. He pulls his hands back from between her thighs to rest against her hip and leaning his forehead against hers. “Don’t you dare stop!” Carly berates him in answer to his unasked question. But then she pushes on his shoulder, forcing him down onto his knees. Freddie leans forwards, brushing his mouth on the inside of her knee, just above the crease of the joint.

“Fuck me!” Carly gasps.

“What do you think I’m trying to do?”

She doesn’t answer, not that she needs to. Slowly, achingly, painfully slowly, Freddie begins to drag down her underwear, a flimsy scrap of white lace, past her thighs, her knees, where he stops and his lips brush over the flesh of her left. He continues to pull her underwear down her calves, her left ankle and then her right. For a moment he toys with the bit of fabric, biting his lip. Chest rising and falling heavily.

“Freddie!” Carly whimpers again, she shifts desperately. “Oh god, you’re torturing me here”. He lets them drop the floor. He straightens up, setting his hands to her thigh and hip, pulling her to edge of the counter.

He begins running his lips slowly along her thigh, nipping and sucking gently, teasing her sensitive flesh. She gasps sharply as he travels higher and higher, his grip on her hip and thigh tightens, holding her steady as she squirms in his hold, her hand reaching for his head, threading her fingers into his soft, dark hair. Then she feels his breath on her, hot and coming out in short bursts.

Then he leans in.

When he kisses her afterwards, she can taste herself on his lips and tongue.

They’ve had sex a few times now, but. . .

She’s never wanted him this much!

“I think we should go on a date”, Freddie says to her. They’re tangled up together on the couch, she’s laying between his legs, her back to his chest, curled underneath a blanket. She’s holding a bowl full of popcorn and they’re watching a movie. She turns her head to him. “A date?” She questions, brows furrowed. He smiles lightly, gently brushing her hair back behind her ear.

“Yeah, a date. Like, a proper, I wanna treat you right, you’re my whole world and I’m head over heels in love with you, date”, he elaborates. Carly smiles, nodding her head.

“Yeah, I’d love that”, she tells him, leaning up kiss his cheek. He holds her tighter, as if he’d lever let her go.

She didn’t ever want him to.

“For the record”, she says, not looking at him, “I’m head over heels in love with you too”.

He doesn’t respond, at least not with words. His hand, warm as ever, covers hers and he squeezes gently.

“So”, Carly says playfully, “this date, where would you take us?”

For a moment, Freddie is quiet and he doesn’t respond.

“Freddie?”

“Hm.. you know what, it’s gonna be a surprise.”

• • •

The date certainly was a surprise.

All week, Freddie refused to give so much as a hint about their date.

“Just go to this restaurant at this time, I’ll be there”, he promises. She smiles and nods. He cups his hands under her chin and kisses her softly. “I love you, okay? I’ll see you there”.

He kisses her again. Once, twice, three times. His hands slip away and then he goes to leave. But he stops and turns. “Oh and Carls?”

“Yes Freddie?”

He doesn’t say anything.

Smirking, he winks, and then he’s gone.

Pulling her cell phone from her pocket, she dials Harper’s number. She picks up after the first ring.

“Hey, Harper?”

“What do you need sweetie?”

“I need a favour.”

“Anything for you girl.”

• • •

“Are you sure about this?”

“Girl, trust me, he’s already crazy about you. And you’ve slept together enough times-”

Harper interrupts herself.

“I still have to clean that counter every time I even make coffee, so thanks for that. Look you’re both too straight laced, you need to spice things up a little bit, you never know you may even find that you enjoy it!”

“I haven’t got any complaints about him so far, he’s actually really-”

“NO! I do not want know! Now go try that on!”

Carly sighs, and picks up the shopping bags Harper brought back for her and carries them into her bedroom and placing them on her bed.

She empties the first bag and almost chokes at the contents.

“Harper! Are you serious?”

She hears a mischievous giggle from the living room, and then-

“Trust me.”

She lifts one item up to inspect the negligee

It’s blood red and sheer to a point where it is almost entirely transparent, the neckline drops deeply.

Carly looks down at the other item, a flimsy pair of lacy panties in the same colour.

Fuck!

“He’ll definitely want to if he sees you in that”, Harper teases her.

Shit, I said that out loud. Fuck!

“Look in the other bag”, Harper calls out.

She does.

“Now these”, Carly says, genuinely impressed, “these, I like.”

To be continued. . .

(For the full thing, please go to Ao3, under WriteMyLove)

#carly x freddie #creddieedit #carly shay #freddie benson #icarly revival #icarlyedit #carly shay x freddie benson #creddie #icarly #icarly reboot

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dei360 · 2 years ago

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What We Want Our Future Leaders To Know

What will make a future leader successful? I explored this in my piece, *Portrait of a Future Leader, published as part of Upwork’s Work: Reimagined series on Medium. Really getting down to the nitty-gritty of how major workforce trends will affect leaders was exciting. But I don’t know everything.

I would love for you to weigh in— what’s one quality a future leader absolutely must have?

It turns out we have some of the same ideas. Here are five qualities that I believe are imperative for future leaders, and the valuable perspectives of my peers.

1. High Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

What does a leader with a high EQ look like? They’re curious about people they don’t know, aware of their strengths and weaknesses, skilled in active listening, and aware of their own emotional states, enabling them to respond rather than react.

The qualities that indicate a high EQ are also valued by my peers.

I appreciate Susan bringing up compassion, a quality that in the past may have been viewed as a weakness in leaders. A teenager recently asked me how to improve his EQ. I told him to practice kindness and compassion.

You may be asking, isn’t a high EQ important for our current leaders? Yes, it is very important. But in the future, organizations will not be as centralized, and hierarchy will diminish in importance. Leaders will be constantly creating and dismantling teams to complete projects, which requires a strong understanding of building and maintaining relationships.

Another important part of relationship building and maintenance is being a proponent of a purpose-driven strategy and culture.

2. Proponent of a Purpose-Driven Strategy and Culture

The purpose at work is a major driver for the future of work. Leaders will measure success on more than profit and loss.

Last year, Aaron Hurst, author of The Purpose Economy, wrote in The Guardian that we’re “experiencing the rise of the fourth economy in our history, in which a sense of purpose is recognized as a critical human need and driver of innovation.”

He explained that this critical human need was sacrificed in the industrial and technological economies in order to maximize efficiency and scale.

So how does a future leader create a purpose-driven strategy and culture? It starts with valuing more than just profit. He or she must also prioritize the personal development of employees, along with the sense of purpose that each employee embodies, all while continuing to focus on tangible deliverables like targeted goals and bottom-line commitments.

Personal development is also a key to being a successful future leader. The desire to learn is a must.

3. Lifelong Learning

We’ve all witnessed how quickly technology has changed the fabric of our world. The increasing global pace of growth only adds to that rapid-fire change. In order to keep pace, a leader must be constantly learning. Whether this happens in the form of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) or peer-to-peer information exchange is irrelevant. What matters is that the leader of the future wants to learn on a continual basis and prioritizes this need for education.

I agree with Kathleen. Yet many leaders say they don’t have time to learn new skills. So how can organizations instill a sense of constant learning in the cultural DNA? This is an important question to answer as we move into the future of work.

Learning goes beyond mastering the latest technology trends. The demographic makeup of the future workforce is going to be different, requiring leaders to learn to be more culturally aware and able to eliminate bias and discrimination.

4. Diverse to the Core

Future leaders are not straight, white, and male by default. So say goodbye to ‘pale, male, and stale’ and hello to diversity.

Today, only 3.8% of the CEOs at Fortune 500 companies are minorities. This, is despite minorities making up a full 36% of the American workforce. In the future, what we consider minorities will be the majority of consumers, clients, employees, and leaders. This requires that the leaders of the future understand their diverse employees and consumers.

5. Entrepreneurial Mindset

Our new workforce will function as more of an ecosystem than a pyramid, so leaders of the future need to have an entrepreneurial mindset; they need to be agile and innovative. Their ability to pivot, pull teams together quickly, and exhibit out-of-the-box thinking will influence their success in a decentralized structure that is constantly evolving.

Jennifer and Paul make a good point. Part of being entrepreneurial is pulling together people who will fill the gaps in your abilities, inspire you, and take you to the next level. There is no room for feeling threatened in the future of work. Entrepreneurs need to be too good to ignore.

Outside of the five qualities I believe exemplify our future leaders, Mike brings a valid quality to the table.

Leaders of the future will be facing an exciting and ever-evolving workplace and economic landscape. If they do not believe in themselves, they will become daunted by all of the change happening around them. A leader needs to create a vision that people believe in and want to contribute to. That takes confidence.

There’s a tsunami of change ahead but the changes will deeply enrich the culture of organizations. With a high EQ, purpose-driven motivation, a love of learning, a deep interest in diversity, and an entrepreneurial mindset, the leaders of the future will surely thrive.

Now it’s your turn. What’s one quality a future leader absolutely must have? I can’t wait to continue the discussion.

Let us share experiences. Leave a comment below, send us an email, or find us on Twitter.

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#top leadership consulting firms #executive coaching dc #leadership development consulting #human capital strategic consulting #benefits of executive coaching #human capital consultants

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soft-bellied-tannies · 2 years ago

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Highs and Lows of the Gain

Read here or on AO3!

Jimin stepped off the scale with a pout, watching 153 flash back at him. He had hit a major plateau during the summer after hitting his first goal of gaining twenty pounds. Months later, Jimin had expected the number to at least go up a little after being absolutely spoiled during his birthday, but the scale was actually showing that he had lost four pounds since his last weigh-in.

If he were being honest, Jimin was a little disappointed and afraid that this was some sort of mental block that he was creating for himself unconsciously or a weird health issue. He genuinely considered ordering another scale online, convinced something was wrong with their current one. Jungkook had turned his birthday into a week-long celebration and Jimin felt like he was stuffed for literal days so how had the number gone down two weeks later?

Deciding to push the various emotions aside for now, Jimin continued to get ready for the day. Being a freelance interior designer meant he could make his own schedule and today was a free day on his calendar, however, he still enjoyed choosing his outfit and doing his morning routine. Jimin chose to focus on what he would have for breakfast and what errands he needed to run rather than fixating on the numbers for the rest of the day.

—

Overall, the more enthusiastic push for their dynamic had been developed over a year ago. It had actually started with Jungkook gaining a bit of relationship weight during their first holiday season living together and then jumping straight into an intense gym routine to work it off. Jimin had asked him if he chose that for himself or if Jungkook had assumed that he needed to look a certain way for Jimin.

That developed into a much deeper conversation that led to preferences and kinks eventually finding that they didn’t hate the idea of either of them putting on a few pounds. Both enjoyed cooking together and thought of themselves as casual foodies, wanting to try new foods and explore new tastes and flavors. It seemed like something to at least try.

Jungkook, once again, seemed like the obvious choice to gain with his bigger appetite and sweet tooth. It was no more than ten pounds and just hadn’t felt as satisfying as they thought it would. He savored the food and appreciated Jimin’s praise, but they both knew it wasn’t working for them. A few months passed and Jungkook had lost a bit of the weight again, staying in his typical range.

Then, the holiday season returned and Jimin celebrated well with no reason in particular at the time. He indulged slightly more than he usually would have and weighed a little more than he usually would have by the time the new year hit. Both quickly realized that had been focused on the wrong person in their relationship and that Jimin was the one who needed to gain.

It was just a few pounds, but Jimin was excited by the prospect of going further and Jungkook was absolutely captivated by his partner. The change was subtle, but there was this little extra curve to Jimin’s hips that Jungkook had his hands on as often as possible.

From then on, the couple set small goals and Jimin decided to set a temporary weight limit with a plan to re-evaluate every part of the dynamic each step of the way to ensure both were gratified. His starting weight was a slight 137 and their first goal was twenty pounds.

With their anniversary in February, Jungkook planned an eventful date night with their first stop being the couple’s favorite restaurant. Jimin was surprised that they only ordered their main dishes when it was typical for them to get an appetizer and a dessert along with their meal. Once they arrived home, Jimin was grateful they had not gotten their usual order.

Jungkook had requested the full Valentine’s special from a local bakery for the second part of their evening with no intention of eating any himself. A dozen chocolate-covered strawberries, a dozen mini assorted cupcakes, two white chocolate raspberry cheesecake parfaits, and six daifuku mochi were cutely decorated and wrapped up in boxes in their fridge.

Jimin felt his mouth watering at the thought of eating it all himself - not sure if his stomach would actually allow it, but he was ready to try his best, especially considering the dinner he had already eaten. Jungkook told him to go change into something comfortable while he set up the spread, both clearly ready to try out their first stuffing session.

To this day, both would agree that it was easily the best sex they had ever had and it solidified their decision to pursue that element of their relationship.

Returning to the living room in just one of Jungkook’s t-shirts, Jimin plopped down on the couch and looked over everything laid out on the table. His eyes widened just a bit at realizing how much was really there yet he also had the intense feeling of determination paired with arousal that was something Jimin had never felt before.

Without any further hesitation, Jungkook held one of the strawberries up to Jimin’s lips in anticipation. He watched as his partner’s plump lips encased the whole berry, only leaving the stem. Jimin made a quiet sound that told Jungkook it tasted great and then it took off from there. Jungkook continued to feed him with occasional pauses for kisses or if Jimin needed a quick break to digest a bit.

At one point, Jimin was leaned back against the couch with his eyes closed and one hand resting on his stomach that had begun to swell forward with the amount of food packed inside. Jungkook continued bringing the spoon to his lips, enjoying the fact that Jimin was mindlessly eating his way through the second parfait - completely turning over his control.

Jimin had considerably slowed down toward the end, panting through bites and shifting around to find more comfortable positions. Eventually, he put his hand on Jungkook’s thigh and physically tapped out. “Ggukie, I’m so full.”

Jungkook surveyed the table, feeling quite satisfied with Jimin’s performance. There were five mini cupcakes, three mochi, and one strawberry left - the rest securely tucked away over the past hour. Testing the waters of how far Jimin would let him push, Jungkook picked up the last strawberry and said, “I know you are, baby, you did such a good job. Do you think you can manage the last strawberry? We can’t leave just one, right?”

After letting out a deep breath and sitting up a bit straighter, it seemed that Jimin was won over by the encouraging question. He simply nodded and opened his mouth, allowing Jungkook to feed him the final strawberry.

The second Jimin took his last bite, Jungkook moved in closer and slipped both hands under Jimin’s shirt while his partner labored through chewing and swallowing. He was stunned by the incredible feeling of Jimin’s stomach, distended to accommodate the hefty amount of dessert they had packed inside.

Jungkook had carried Jimin off to their bedroom and showed him how much the night had affected him. He worshipped Jimin’s body, not at all surprised by the absolute pleasure both experienced. It was also not surprising that Jimin all but blacked out shortly after into one of the best nights of sleep he had ever had - a sugar-induced coma and post-orgasm combination like none other.

From that night on, the couple created a few more dates like their anniversary and researched healthy yet hearty recipes to benefit Jimin’s softening waistline. The weight did add on slowly but surely, only going up since their decision to pursue heftier goals. By the time mid summer came around, Jimin hit his first goal.

Watching the scale light up with 157 in bright red numbers had been more satisfying than Jimin expected, immediately calling across the apartment for Jungkook who came running in afraid something was wrong. The mood quickly shifted when he realized why Jimin needed him - pulling his partner out of the bathroom and laying him across their bed for a mid-morning celebration that went well into the afternoon.

Then the plateau seemed to hit him immediately. Two weeks after their first milestone, Jimin felt a rush of anticipation when he went to weigh himself again, part of him very much hoping to see 160 when he stepped on. The excitement quickly evaporated, replaced with confusion when he saw 154 instead. Stepping off and then hopping back on as soon as it reset, Jimin was met with the same number and a growing discontented feeling.

Shaking it off, Jimin went on with his life and tried to ignore the odd sense of frustration that surrounded the thought of weighing himself. Jungkook noticed that something was off, finally getting his partner to explain what happened. He was supportive and comforted Jimin - reasoning that weight was a fickle thing that fluctuated for everyone and ensuring that he loved him no matter what the number said.

Jungkook also spent many evenings telling Jimin just how much he loved his body and he wasn’t particularly concerned with what the scale said when he could see the evidence of Jimin’s gain on his body. He had his hands on his partner whenever possible, squeezing his ass and caressing his soft tummy - praising Jimin’s wider backside and softer middle that had started to round out nicely behind his belly button constantly.

That held him over for a while along with the scale showing he was back up to 157 by early August. Jimin was actually surprised with his hang-up on the numbers, trying to emphasize that this all started from a place of him and Jungkook both enjoying his body together - not how much he weighed.

Everything mellowed out after Jungkook’s birthday. They spent the weekend going to places Jungkook loved including a fellow artist’s tattoo parlor where they both got a small piece done and a noreabang with their friends. The celebration ended with Jungkook spending Sunday afternoon sharing all of his favorite foods with Jimin which really meant Jungkook feeding Jimin all of his favorite foods until he was stuffed to the brim.

Jimin ended up weighing in at 159.7 in late September, so close to 160 that it did in fact sooth his lingering annoyance within him that had carried since July. However, it was short-lived as he was back down to 157 the day before his birthday in October which further fell to 153 as of that morning - every bit of frustration with his plateau back in full force.

—

“What’s wrong, baby?” Jungkook asked the second he stepped into the kitchen after getting home from his morning run.

Jimin jumped a bit, not realizing that his partner had returned. “Oh, um, just zoning out. Why?”

Jungkook raised an eyebrow, not believing the response. “Well, you are staring at your breakfast like it just insulted your mother.”

Rolling his eyes in an attempt to mask the real reason, Jimin shrugged and replied, “I’m tired. It’s a slow morning.”

“Hmm…I don’t know about that, Min. What’s up?” Jungkook asked, already assuming the direction of the conversation. He walked around the counter and slipped his hands below Jimin’s sweatshirt which was actually his, spreading his fingers across his partner’s plush middle. Taking note that he could actually tell that Jimin had lost a little bit of weight by touch alone, Jungkook braced himself for Jimin’s most likely disheartened answer.

“I lost another four pounds. I just don’t understand, I literally haven’t changed a thing,” Jimin pouted, leaning back into Jungkook’s chest for comfort - willing to admit that his partner’s gentle massage was helping.

Jungkook pulled Jimin closer and leaned forward to press a few kisses on his cheek. “It’s okay, baby. We’ve been over this. You are doing nothing wrong and this is just a part of it - bodies are weird and everyone is different. Also…”

Jimin looked back over his shoulder when Jungkook trailed off. “Also?”

“You know what is a big cause of weight loss?” Jungkook asked, realizing that he may have found the answer to at least the recent drop.

“What?” Jimin responded, a little skeptical of what his partner would say as sometimes Jungkook just attempted to make him laugh or take his mind off the topic instead of giving a real answer.

Jungkook pulled his hands out from under Jimin’s shirt, turning his around by his hips before cupping his face. He dropped a feather-light kiss on Jimin’s nose and whispered, “Stress.”

Jimin’s eyes widened at the single word, his body stilling for a moment in Jungkook’s hold. “Oh…”

Deciding he needed to make a point that Jimin would hear as clearly as possible, Jungkook launched into an explanation that he hoped would stick in his partner’s mind for good.

“I know you’ve been worried about this for months now and I get it, I do, but there is nothing wrong with your weight fluctuating. Sometimes, life gets busier and sometimes, your body just does its own thing. There are literally no consequences whether you gain or lose. We could call off the entire thing tomorrow and I will love you the same. You could gain a bit more and decide its enough and I will love you the same. You could decide to keep gaining past the initial limit we set and I will love you the same. Are you seeing my point here?”

Letting out a huff of laughter paired with a few tears building on his waterline, Jimin swayed into Jungkook’s chest and caught his lips in a grateful kiss. After pulling back, he stared up at his partner like a burden had been physically lifted off his shoulders and nodded. “Yeah, love, I understand.”

Jungkook smiled and brought his lips back to Jimin’s, lingering longer than the first two. Once he was satisfied, he stepped back and turned Jimin around to face the counter again. “Now, you enjoy your breakfast. I’m going to shower and then we can go run your errands together. Both my appointments cancelled so I’m all yours today.”

Jimin watched Jungkook head back to their bedroom with a grateful smile before digging into his food with a much better attitude toward the day and himself. In that moment, he concluded that he was going to take a much more relaxed approach from then on. Jungkook fed him well and there was no timeline so why not just slow down and enjoy it?

—

With Christmas just two weeks away, the anxious weigh-ins and frustrated episodes were a thing of the past. Jimin had let life simply happen as it was intended, fully accepting Jungkook’s praise and finding himself happy - only weighing himself a couple times in November. There was more fluctuating back and forth, but since that discussion with Jungkook, Jimin was able to attribute the changes to certain things like a busy project or a more active week now instead of irrationally worrying about why it went down.

Jimin was currently cuddled up on the couch watching a random holiday film while he worked through the container of cheese balls. He was waiting for Jungkook to finish his last appointment of the day so they could go finish their list of gifts to buy. Due to his packed schedule the last two weeks with people trying plan renovations and projects as Christmas gifts, Jimin was looking forward to a relaxing afternoon of shopping and snacking.

Unbeknownst to Jimin, Jungkook had been executing a plan of his own throughout December. Partially as a gift to himself and to his partner, Jungkook was attempting to break Jimin’s seemingly intense plateau that was still very much hanging on. He absolutely meant every word said to Jimin in comfort from the consistent worry of his weight, but Jungkook would also admit that they both let go of the same enthusiasm they had up until Jimin’s birthday.

After that talk in late October, Jungkook gave Jimin some time to grapple with the terms of releasing the stress and relaxing his fixation. It was certainly what they both needed yet it hadn’t quite returned since then either. He very much continued to enjoy Jimin’s body and loved the fact that his partner was content and happy, but it just had gotten a little mundane.

Trying to regain some of the energy they used to have toward the entire dynamic, Jungkook spent December slowly increasing Jimin’s appetite back to where it was during the spring. He brought home treats from their favorite bakery near his shop every few days and he got back into meal prepping some of the heartier recipes for Jimin’s lunch.

If Jimin had noticed, he hadn’t mentioned it to Jungkook. The well-stocked pantry had been the only thing that received a comment, Jimin thanking him for picking up some of his favorite snacks during the last grocery trip.

Getting home from work that afternoon, Jungkook found that the snacks were being well loved to his delight. He greeted Jimin with a peck on the forehead over the back of the couch, eyes finding the near empty container next to him on the couch that was at least half-full that morning. Jimin watched the end of his movie while Jungkook got ready to go back out - finishing off the container by the time they left.

By the time Christmas day came, Jungkook thought that he may have been successful in his efforts. He woke up that morning with his chest against Jimin’s back, hand tucked under his shirt and splayed across his lower belly. Intimately familiar with his partner’s body, Jungkook felt that it was ever so slightly rounder.

After coming home from Busan where they were absolutely spoiled by both their mothers, Jungkook’s speculated thought became much more confident. Jimin had yet to mention anything, but when he left their bedroom wearing one of his usual lounging shirts, Jungkook could see that it was a little more snug around his middle than it had been a few weeks ago.

Jungkook encouraged Jimin to polish off most of the holiday leftovers himself and may have grabbed quite a few of the clearanced holiday sweets off the shelf at the grocery store during a run before their new year dinner. With most of their friends still away for the holiday season, the couple decided to spend the evening together at home.

They turned on the American celebration to see some of the early music performances and ate a takeout dinner instead of cooking. As the clock struck midnight for them, Jimin leaned in from where he was comfortably snuggled against Jungkook’s side and gave him a gentle but passionate kiss. They lazily made out for a while, Jungkook eventually pulling Jimin to straddle him - immediately enjoying the heavier weight in his lap.

What came next had surprised Jungkook though. Jimin wrapped his arms around his partner’s neck, tenderly running his fingers through Jungkook’s hair as he whispered, “I’ve been meaning to thank you.”

Jungkook titled his head in confusion and let his hands travel down Jimin’s sides until they landed on his soft thighs. “Thank me for what, baby?”

“Oh, don’t play innocent now,” Jimin replied with an obvious teasing tone, rolling his eyes dramatically. He dropped his hands to Jungkook’s, bringing them back to his sides and squeezing slightly to emphasize the added roundness of his belly. “I’m not as naive as you think, my love.”

Jungkook had the decency to look a little embarrassed, only at getting called out, not for his plan itself. He slid his hands around Jimin’s back and drew him into his embrace while dropping a few kisses across his face. “You may not be naive, but you certainly are beautiful.”

Jimin’s teasing expression melted into one of pure love, resting his forehead against Jungkook’s and taking time to bask in the reverent moment. Wanting to reciprocate the praise for his partner, Jimin finally said, “And you are very dedicated. You pushed me right out of our little funk.”

Jungkook couldn’t help the pride he felt in knowing that he was able to rejuvenate Jimin’s feelings toward the whole thing. However, there was one question that lingered on his mind. “Out of curiosity, when was the last time you checked?”

“Probably the last week of November - it was 152 and I needed to ignore it for a while so I wouldn’t think about it too much,” Jimin admitted, knowing he could be fully honest with his partner about the rocky process since hitting his first goal.

Feeling confident that the number would be above that, Jungkook patted Jimin on the ass in a silent ask to head to their bedroom. Once inside their bathroom, Jungkook pulled the scale out from under Jimin’s vanity and tapped it with his foot to turn it on. Jimin looked at him a little hesitantly as if the number would disappoint him.

Jungkook simply kissed his forehead and gave him an encouraging nudge to step on. The numbers flashed for a moment until they started to blink with the determined result. He looked at Jimin to find that his partner was looking at him instead of the scale. All Jungkook could say was “You are amazing.”

Deciding to look down, Jimin’s eyes widened with a little gasp. “Holy shit, eight pounds in a month? I’ve never gained that much before.”

“How does it feel to finally hit 160, baby?” Jungkook asked with a bit of a teasing tone although there was underlying pride as he knew Jimin was pretty fixated on hitting that in the fall.

Jimin smiled as he stepped of the scale, taking Jungkook’s hand and walking them toward their bed. “It does feel pretty amazing, Ggukie. Do you want to find out for yourself?”

Jungkook had Jimin spread out beneath him on the bed in an instant, tugging away his shirt and preparing to spend all night appreciating the defeat of Jimin’s lengthy plateau.

—

It was a simple decision to spend their anniversary the same way as the year before - the only difference being an extra thirty pounds on Jimin’s figure. They went to the same restaurant and had their usual main dish, both knowing the lovely spread waiting at home this time.

The bakery offered the same Valentine’s Day special every year so Jungkook put in his order for the sweet treats - deciding to once again test Jimin’s limits by adding two more parfaits and selecting the premium box of sixteen strawberries instead of the traditional dozen. He saw that the mochi were smaller than the year prior so his decision to add a little more felt justified even though it didn’t need any.

In similar fashion, Jungkook unpacked the boxes onto their coffee table while Jimin changed out of his date attire. Coming up with the idea the night before, Jimin had dug out the same t-shirt of Jungkook’s he wore last year and Jungkook felt a warm shiver down his spine at the sight. While the shirt fell down to Jimin’s mid-thigh the year before, drowning him in fabric, it now just barely covered his ass with the way it started to cling on the plush area below his belly button.

Jungkook wasted no time, bringing the first strawberry to Jimin’s lips as soon as he sat down. He found a good rhythm, alternating items so Jimin didn’t get bored of something. The pace was already much quick than their first time around and within the first fifteen minutes, Jimin had seen off six strawberries, a parfait, and three mochi.

Jimin fed himself another parfait as Jungkook unwrapped the mini cupcakes, the latter deciding the paper was just in the way every time he grabbed one. As Jungkook returned from throwing the wrappers away, Jimin was scraping the last bit of parfait from the container. After giving him a heated kiss, Jungkook grabbed the tray of little cupcakes and fed them to Jimin one after another until they were gone.

Needing a drink to wash down the sugary frosting and a short break to digest a bit of the cake, Jimin leaned back into the cushions and enjoyed Jungkook’s gentle belly rub. Jimin told Jungkook that he was getting a bit full, but he definitely had more room, ready to continue.

Jimin asked for the mochi next, wanting to get it out of the way since the strawberries and parfaits were easier to eat. Jungkook noticed that the pace had significantly slowed from the start, but Jimin seemed determined to finish which Jungkook was fully on board to support.

While Jungkook let him take his time through the mochi, Jimin’s hands were on his belly feeling the way it was rounding out in front of him. Jungkook’s shirt had spread over his entire midsection now, hugging the taut dome of his skin. Jimin knew he was quickly approaching his full capacity, but he had also not reached that stretching sensation in his stomach when they pushed his limit in the past.

With the last mochi, Jungkook moved into a position they had not tried before and Jimin felt heat flood across his cheeks because of it. Bringing the box of strawberries with him, Jungkook straddled Jimin’s lap - resting himself on his partner’s soft thighs and pushing his lean abdomen against Jimin’s stuffed belly.

Having always been the smaller one, Jimin was typically the one in Jungkook’s position, but given his current state, Jimin wasn’t even sure we was going to make it off the couch when they were done, let alone hop onto Jungkook’s lap. His focus was very quickly taken off that train of thought when a strawberry touched his lips - instinctively opening his mouth and biting it away from the stem.

Jimin fell into that mindless headspace by then, not aware of how much food was left but incredibly aware of how full his stomach was getting. Jungkook’s hands found the top of his belly in between every bite which was helping him push through. He honestly didn’t even know how long he had been eating at this point, feeling as though the steady stream of dessert was neverending.

Jungkook paused before the final strawberry, setting it aside to be the last bite. He leaned back to grab one of the remaining parfaits and asked Jimin if thought he could finish, wanting to make sure he only felt pleasure and never pain. With that same determination as earlier, Jimin told him to feed him until it was gone so Jungkook did just that.

The parfaits did make it easier because there was a lot less chewing, but they were still filling the very limited space left in Jimin’s stomach. He was thankful that all the desserts came in fairly small, cute servings otherwise he wasn’t sure he would have actually finished it. As the last spoonful of the parfait went down, Jungkook quickly grabbed the final strawberry and let Jimin know that he had made it to the end after he swallowed it in what felt like slow motion.

“That’s it, baby. You ate it every single bite,” Jungkook said while he ran his hands across Jimin’s taut belly that was certainly the largest he had ever seen it, not a bit of softness left with how stuffed he was. “You are incredible, Min. So fucking sexy.”

Jimin melted back into the cushions, breathing through the final bit of food and moaning deep in his throat at Jungkook’s praise. He couldn’t even find words to respond with the overwhelming sensations hitting him.

Jungkook couldn’t keep his hands off Jimin, impressed by the performance especially compared to last year and completely turned on by his partner’s body. Just when Jungkook thought he had reached his highest level of attraction for him, Jimin said literally the hottest thing Jungkook had ever heard.

“Oh my God, I have never been this full in my life. I don’t think I could move if I tried.”

A searing shot went straight through his groin as Jungkook let Jimin’s words wash over him. Not wasting another moment, Jungkook stood from his spot on his partner’s lap and watched as Jimin’s eyes widened - assuming that Jungkook wanted to head to the bedroom. “I need to get my hands on you right now, Minnie.”

Jimin stayed exactly where he was reclined on the couch, both hands landing high on his bloated belly with a scoff. “Did you miss the part about not moving, Gguk? I’m fucking stuffed.”

Jungkook’s gaze turned hungrier than Jimin’s ever had been as he began to unbuckle his belt. “Who said anything about moving, baby?” he asked, removing his pants and crawling back onto Jimin’s lap while finding the hem of his shirt. Jimin giggled quietly from the question as he let Jungkook undress him. He knew their night was far from over no matter how much he ate.

—

Six weeks after round two of their anniversary date attempt, Jimin had only gained from there - hitting 180 by the start of April. Jungkook couldn’t keep his hands off Jimin’s wider hips and plump ass, but his favorite part was by far Jimin’s belly, more accurately a now small but growing potbelly, that had rounded out even when empty.

Then, exactly as before, once the twenty-pound mark was hit, the plateau began - seemingly Jimin’s body approach to gaining. They threw out the idea of keeping goals and deciding to just enjoy themselves, reacting much better to the sudden halt in his weight this time around.

One afternoon in early May, Jungkook had come home from the tattoo shop a little earlier than planned and Jimin was still working in his office. Making his way upstairs, Jungkook leaned against the doorway and admired the gorgeous side view of his partner. Jimin used to sit with one leg up on his chair, directly in front of hims so he could rest his chin on his knee.

With his new addition making its way into his lap, Jimin still sat with his knee up but now turned out to the side, laying on his arm rest. His belly sat a few inches over inches over his waistband now, nearly plump enough to rest on the top of his other thigh. Jungkook also loved the way his old college sweatshirt highlighted each curve - it had already started getting snug ten pounds ago.

Jimin was alternating between a bag of honey butter chips and a bowl of grapes as he worked on a design plan, completely focused and unaware of Jungkook’s post at his door. He turned his focus to the door when Jungkook cleared his throat, startling him a little bit. “Hey love! I didn’t know you were back already.”

Jungkook crossed the room, endeared by his partner’s beaming smile as a welcome home and smacked a kiss onto Jimin’s forehead. “Hi baby. My appointment ended up being a second consultation instead of an actual session so I was thinking I could take you out for lunch.”

“Ooh, okay, let me finish this real quick and then I can go change,” Jimin answered, his smile somehow growing wider as he turned his focus back to his computer. While he was making a few last minute adjustments, Jimin watched Jungkook’s hand reach forward from where he stood behind his office chair and sneak into the chip bag.

Pulling out a few chips, Jungkook brought them to Jimin’s lips who looked back up at him with a smirk and an eye roll before opening his mouth. He continued to feed Jimin the rest of the chips while his partner made the final touches on his design. When Jungkook’s hand found the bottom of the bag, he instantly reached for the bowl of grapes to keep feeding him.

Jimin laughed and smacked Jungkook’s hand away. “Enough, you menace, we are about to go to lunch.”

Jungkook ran his hands from Jimin’s shoulders down his chest until the stopped on his stomach, gently patting his plump belly. After another chaste peck on his forehead, Jungkook whispered into Jimin’s ear, “We both know a couple snacks will not ruin your appetite, baby.”

Jimin put his hands over Jungkook’s, stopping him from the continuous teasing jiggle of his midsection and turning to place a kiss on his cheek. “You can feed me all the snacks you want after lunch.”

“Is that a promise?” Jungkook asked, genuinely excited at the proposition.

Jimin stood up from his chair and wrapped his arms around Jungkook’s neck, finally getting a full kiss. “I was back down five pounds this morning so you do have some work to do.”

Jungkook smirked, happy to hear Jimin’s light tone as he talked about his fluctuating weight. He turned Jimin around to face the door, nudging him toward their bedroom and making the other giggle. “Well, what are we doing standing around here then?”

#bts weight gain #bts feedism #chubby bts #chubby jimin #feeder jungkook #supportive jungkook #soft bellied tannies #soft feedism #feedee jimin

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