#Digital Lean Planning Tool

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Dirty Work 6

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as bullying, familial discord/abuse, and possible untagged elements. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: You start a new gig and find one of your clients to be hard to please.

Characters: Loki

Note: I had the worst Monday that could have ever existed. Onto Tuesday.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me.

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!)

I love you all immensely. Take care. 💖

"I trust this should be amenable to your work," Mr. Laufeyson holds open the door along the east wall of his study. One you've never opened before though you're familiar with the space within. The library also opens into the hallway and keeps you busier than many of the other rooms. "When you should require it. I expect much of your work will keep you afoot."

You peer past him, his tall figure like a second shadow. You clutch your kit tight and nod. You didn't exactly bring the tools for this new role.

"I should have a blank ledger somewhere, oh and a pen of course," he advises, "given our new... arrangement, I would require a contact point."

You nod and tear your attention from the full shelves and luxurious velvet chaise. You won't get to enjoy those but they give the space a much more welcome feel than the rest of the house. You face Mr. Laufeyson as he keeps the door propped open with his foot. He slides out his phone as if it's a task. 

"Never to worry, I wouldn't bother you much so long as you do your work adequately," he assures, "but in case of... emergency."

"Oh, erm," you sputter and reach into your hoodie pocket, revealing the tiny flip phone.

"Hm, vintage," he muses, "as you would."

He holds his phone, gesturing to it with his other hand. You teethe your lip before you recall the digits of your number. Your plan doesn't include a lot of talk minutes but he doesn't promise much of that. He keys them into his screen.

"You'll have mine," he taps his thumb and your phone chimes. "In case."

"Thanks, uh, Mr. Laufeyson."

"Mmmm," he hums again. "Suppose you would need some sort of proper device, a computer of sorts." He clucks and checks his watch, dropping his arm with a huff, "I've an important event shortly, I'll try to venture by the electronics shop before I return.”

You nod and fold your phone, slipping it away as you peek back into the library. He inhales deeply, "suppose you should begin. The list is on the writing desk.”

You accept the command easily. You’re even thankful for it. It gives you a proper reason to find distance. You go to the desk and look over the typed list. You don’t sit, hesitating as you wonder if it would seem lazy, maybe even presumptuous.

“Let me fetch that ledger,” he says before letting the door drift closed.

You run your finger over the top line. ‘Create a schedule’. Hmmm. You look over the bullets that fill the paper. You can only assume he refers to all of that. It’s straightforward, you can handle a schedule. It’s everything that comes after that gives you doubt.

“And you’ll have to review what my wife, ex that is, left in shambles,” Mr. Laufeyson interrupts as he pushes through again. “Her little folder is here. She was always fond of order, even though she left me in much less. This is what’s left of her handiwork,” he approaches coolly and sets down a plain fawn coloured ledger, a fountain pen, and a white folder with golden flowers on it.

“Thanks,” you eke out as his hands linger on the edges.

You sense his gaze, discerning and weighty. He leans forward slightly and you nearly take a step across as he points to the list. You follow the line of his arm and his extended finger.

“Another point to add, ‘acquire work attire’,” he instructs and turns his hand over, flippant flicking his finger in a gesture to your plain hoodie and worn gray denim. “I trust my pay should afford that necessity easily, however should you require a write-off, I suppose it could be argued as a professional expense.”

“Sorry, Mr. Laufeyson,” you frown in embarrassment, “I didn’t…” You look down at yourself, wanting to hide behind your arms. 

“You wouldn’t think of it, just a maid,” he dismisses, “very well, I think you have more than enough to begin. I should be some hours.”

“Yes, Mr. Laufeyson,” you agree. He is correct, there is more than enough to keep you busy.

“I will review the schedule upon my return,” he affirms. “Should you require refreshment, you recall where to go.”

You nod and cautiously reach for the ledger, sliding it closer as he backs up. You slowly sit, hovering before you let yourself rest. He lingers by the door as you roll the pen aside and put the ledger and folder parallel. You open the former and line up the list inside the cover, resuming your perusal of the bullet points.

The door closes and you keep your attention to the paper. You don’t dare a glance up until you hear his muffled footfalls cross his study. You feel as if he’s waiting for you to make a mistake. You think you might be too.

🧹

A clunk sharply pierces the tenuous peace of the empty house. You hadn’t heard the door or his approach, not even right next door, not until the hefty thunk. You listen but keep your nose down. 

You’re just about done with the schedule. Two cleans throughout the week to spread the duties evenly. The main floor on Mondays, and the upper on Thursday. You’ll be able to fit in an unexpected tidying between your other to-dos.

You flutter through the pretty white and gold folder. The embossed suede speaks of a sophisticated owner. You wonder why she would ever abandon it, though you assume, a separation may not inspire sentiment.

You turn over another note. This one about the gazebo. A blurb on a repair. You’ll have too go out and check to see if it was actually done, there’s no confirmation of the job. You stop to admire her loopy writing, as elegant as the folder.

The door opens without pretense. You sit up and wiggle the pen between your index and thumb. Mr. Laufeyson as a flat white box in his hand, along with a smaller one on top. He does not near you, instead place his lot on the square table by the window.

“Here,” he orders shortly.

You rise and leave the pen in the centre of the ledger. You cross to him as he moves the smaller box aside and unfolds the two smaller flaps from the large one. You can’t help but watch curiously.

“This should suffice,” he shimmies out the cardboard insert, revealing a sleek silver laptop, “hmm?”

He shifts it towards you and lets you look it over. You put your hands behind you to keep from touching. You lean in just a little.

“It looks nice, Mr. Laufeyson. Thank you.”

“For your work, of course. These days, it is a requirement. And this,” he takes the smaller box and offers it up, “a proper work phone. It is more professional. Any calls on my behalf, you will make on this. That relic you have won’t do much.”

“Uh, yes, Mr. Laufeyson, that’s really thoughtful.”

“Thoughtful? Practical. Company property, of course,” he insists, “another point to add. Set these up. They should be functioning by the end of the day. You’ll need them to keep up with the rest of your tasks.”

“Yes, Mr. Laufeyson. I will put it on the list.”

“Mm,” he circles around you, striding to the writing desk before you can react. You follow at a few paces, not wanting to crowd him. He takes the pen and uncaps it. He adds the bullet himself. “There you are.”

“Thank you, Mr. Laufeyson,” you recite again.

He snaps the lid on the pen and his lips twitch, not quite curving, “I’ll review,” he snatches up the open ledger, your schedule open to see. You almost rush forward. You meant to rewrite it before you handed it over. It has scribbles all over it. You won’t argue.

“Go on,” he steps around the desk, waving to the side dismissively.

You return to the table and gather the laptop and phone, along with the stray box. You bring them back to the writing desk and stay standing as you free the laptop from the insert. You let your eyes edge along the top of your vision as Mr. Laufeyson sits on the chaise and browses the ledger.

You refocus and investigate the cord buried in the box as a collection of booklets fall out. You sort through them and find the one in English. You start on the front page, reading over the different buttons and features. The diagram is especially helpful. You’ve never had a computer before, not that it belongs to you.

You squint as you read the precautions. Your mind flits back and forth between your current task and everything beyond. You would go to the library sometimes and spend an hour on the PC, and in school you did all your work in the resource room. This is much fancier than any of the boxy computers you’d used before.

It says you should plug it in and charge to full before booting. You unravel the cord and search for an outlet against the wall. There’s one not far. You hook up the cord to the port on the side of the slender laptop then trail it to the wall. The little light on the side glows yellow.

Then you take the little box. A phone. The flip phone was second-hand but this is shiny and new. You’re like a kid at Christmas, not that you got much for the holiday, even when you were younger.

You slide out the small device. Your hand is unused to it. It’s not clunky like your phone. It feels easy to drop even if it’s bigger than the flip. You peel off the plastic film around the border and across the screen.

You take out the booklet and read it as closely as the first. Same thing; charge before use. You don’t want to mess up any of this. You plug it in above the computer and place it on the closed lid. You carefully sit in the chair, careful not to jostle the cords.

You peek up and find Mr. Laufeyson looking at you over the top of the ledger. His green eyes gleam and flick back down to the page. You hope he doesn’t see how clueless you are. This stuff that’s all so normal to everyone else is new to you. A job alone is a novelty still.

“You may ask it,” he says abruptly.

You wince and shrug. You don’t know what he means. His brows tweak in amusement.

“You’ve not asked about time off. I am unaware of your previous commitment, what days you had to yourself.”

You didn’t think of it but he does seem to think of everything. You twiddle your fingers on the desk. You would work as much as you need to. You still haven’t seen the final hospital bill.

“Mr. Laufeyson, I worked three shifts per week, but I was on probation,” you explain carefully, “I can work more than that.”

“How much is more?” He wonders, his thumb tapping the corner of the ledger.

You blink. You don’t know what’s appropriate. You don’t want to say too little and come off lazy, or say too much and seem ignorant. 

“Six?” You utter, “six days, Mr. Laufeyson?”

His thumb stills, “per week?”

You nod. His eyes narrow and his lips thin in consideration.

“Should do,” he accepts and his eyes fall back to the page.

You think you got the right answer. You look down at the bullet points. It seems like a lot written out but surely it can’t be. Besides, the more you think about it, the more exciting it is. This house is so beautiful and this list means you get to explore it.

You don’t sink too deep into the moment of optimism. Mr. Laufeyson stands, still intent on the ledger. He paces blindly around the library, a click of his tongue as he reviews your handwriting.

“There will be some nights,” he intones, “other occasions where I require you in the evening.”

“Mr. Laufeyson,” you accept as you flutter the pages of the laptop instruction booklet.

“Mm,” he hums flatly, “I do think the cook liked you, didn’t she? Suppose we might retain that service for the time being.”

You nod and make a note in the corner of the list; simply, Corissa. He shuts the ledger and grips it tight. He walks around the table then turns back, coming back to you. He lays down the book on the desk.

“I won’t know until the day in question. You understand, this would be on-call. I’ve a busy life and so will you,” he girds, leaning on the book as he bends over the desk. “You will be doing more than watching little birds flapping around the garden.”

You nearly recoil as he plucks the memory out so precisely. That was careless of you. You should’ve kept your head down and just got to work. It’s a warning you’ll remember.

“I won’t, Mr. Laufeyson, I understand,” you assure.

“Not to say that you can’t,” he stands and pushes the bottom of his jacket back, hooking his thumbs in his pockets, “but only when there are no other pressing matters.”

“Yes, Mr. Laufeyson.”

He sighs and tilts his head back, “you must resist distractions. You are prone to it. I’ve noticed.”

You chew your lip and accept the remonstrance. You’ll take it instead as advice. He is right, you do find yourself bewitched by this place at times.

“Like that man,” he says staunchly, “don’t think I forgot. I will warn you, he is my brother… regrettably. He is well above the staff and he knows it.”

You take the hint. It’s improper of you to stare. Even if he had touched you. Or maybe, you misinterpreted an accident.

“Yes, Mr. Laufeyson.”

“Hear me when I tell you, he is not interested in the likes of you,” he sniffs, “with any luck, he won’t be much around for you to believe anything of the like.”

You nod and pick up the pen, nervously rolling it between your fingers. His reproach scalds your cheek. To think he assumes you would ever think of something like that. That you might encourage a stranger in that way.

He watches you for a moment before he spins away. He checks the time on his wrist as you reach for the ledger.

“Very well, I must be at my own work,” he declares, “as I trust you will be diligent in your own.”

#loki #dark loki #dark!loki #loki x reader #fic #dark fic #dark!fic #series #au #maid au #dirty work #mcu #marvel #avengers #thor

[dewdrops-whammy-bar]

Playing Doctor

@cirrus-ghoulette made this fun post about Aether doing a pelvic exam on someone, which I reblogged with a VERY horny string of tags. Turns out people liked it (got yelled at in rbs) sooooo I was inspired to write this. Enjoy!

Tags: trans Dew, med kink, speculum use, aftercare, vibrators, established kink scene, use of safeword (yellow), checking in, aftercare, pwp

Terms used for Dew's genitals: cunt, pussy, vagina, walls, labia, clit, Tdick, dick, cock

Note: if you want a better idea of the speculum used, it’s a Cusco model. Yes I went down a rabbit hole of speculum research for this kinky gay fanfic.

Aether’s tail flicked idly back and forth as he arranged his tools on the countertop of the exam room. He was taking his time, knowing it would just make Dew more worked up. They had been planning this scene all day, going over boundaries (and more importantly, how to be inconspicuous). Dew had snuck into a rarely-used exam room in the infirmary while Aether distracted Omega, then Aether had slipped away and joined him. It was risky, but it was late at night and the older rooms were basically abandoned anyway.

Aether pulled a pair of latex gloves from the box on the counter and pulled them onto his hand with a sharp snap. He looked over at Dew, who was laid out on the exam table. He was fidgeting with the hem of his hoodie while watching Aether.

“Color?” Aether asked softly.

“Green,” Dew replied. His tail flicked against the paper on the table, giving away his excitement. Aether gave a pleased chuff before he closed his eyes for a moment and let himself step into his role for the scene.

“Could you open your legs for me?” Aether asked in his “nurse voice”- professional, detached, and clinical. He wasn’t sure why Dew got so turned on by it, but he certainly wasn’t complaining.

Dew’s cheeks flushed a darker red and his legs spread. Aether could see his hard and throbbing T-dick peeking out from the bush of soft blonde curls between his legs. 

“What are you having problems with again?” Aether asked, using his gloved thumbs to spread Dew’s labia in a mock exam. The smaller ghoul let out a shaky breath and cleared his throat.

”Um- I’ve been uh… unusually sensitive down there.” Dew replied. “It’s making me… aroused all the time and it’s really hard to focus on anything.” He shifted his hips, his cunt clenching and dripping. Aether placed a hand on his lower belly, gently holding his hips in place.

”Hold still, please.” He told Dew. “I’ll need to perform a full pelvic exam, if you’re comfortable with it.”

”Yes.” Dew blurted quickly. Aether’s lips twitched upward in a brief smirk before settling back into their previous neutrality.

”Alright. I’m going to use my fingers to palpate the inside of your vagina.” The Quintessence ghoul explained. “Deep breath in… and… out.”

Dew made an absolutely sinful noise as Aether inserted two gloved fingers into his cunt. He clenched around his fingers, more slick drooling from around the digits.

”Any discomfort?” Aether asked, curling his fingers upward into Dew’s G-spot. The fire ghoul whimpered and shook his head.

”N-no, just, um, pleasure.” Dew replied shakily. Aether hummed in acknowledgement and pressed his fingers deeper. Dew’s hips bucked.

“Hold still,” Aether said, his hand pressing harder on the smaller ghoul’s belly. “It’s normal to feel pleasure or even orgasm during the exam. Just let me know if anything feels painful or weird, alright?”

“Yeah.” Dew’s voice was breathy. He let out a whine as Aether’s free hand pulled back the hood of his clit. Aether had to stop himself from leaning down and taking it into his mouth.

“Your bottom growth is coming along well,” Aether commented. “You’re a lot bigger than you were at your last exam. How long have you been on hormones again? Three years?”

“Y- yeah.” Dew repeated. Aether glanced up at him, admiring his flushed cheeks and slightly parted lips.

“Is it giving you any discomfort?” Aether asked, rubbing his thumb over Dew’s twitching dick. “Oversensitivity or anything like that?”

“No, not- not before the rest of the o-oversensitivity.” Dew stammered, his breath hitching as Aether’s fingers explored his cunt. Aether hummed in acknowledgement.

“Alright, I’m not feeling anything out of the ordinary right now so I’m going to use the speculum.” Aether slowly slid his fingers out of Dew’s pussy, much to the dismay of his partner (if the needy whimper that escaped his throat was to be interpreted correctly).

Dew watched in anticipation as Aether applied lube to the tool. It was a metal one, rather than the more comfortable plastic speculums that the infirmary currently stocked. Aether knew Dew would like the cold temperature.

“Okay, relax for me.” Aether requested, positioning the tool at Dew’s entrance. Dew let out a surprised squeak as he felt the cold metal on him.

“Legs wider,” Aether told him, tapping the insides of his thighs. Dew obliged.

Aether’s thumb rubbed tiny circles at the base of Dew’s cock as he inserted the tool. Dew clapped a hand over his mouth to muffle the wanton cry that escaped his lips. Aether pressed his hand to the smaller ghoul’s stomach again to prevent his hips from bucking.

“Oh Lucifer…” Dew breathed. His thighs clamped around Aether’s broad shoulders. Aether took a few moments to sit back and admire the view.

Dew’s cunt pulsed and clenched around the tool. Aether watched in satisfaction as another glob of milky slick oozed onto the paper on the exam table, joining the already impressive puddle there. Dew’s water traits were few, but one of the remaining ones was how wet he got. Not enough to rival Rain, but definitely enough to require a towel to be put down on the bed before sex.

“Color?” Aether asked softly.

“Green,” Dew replied immediately.

 “I’m gonna open it now, alright?” Aether asked. Dew nodded and let his head fall back on the crinkly paper of the exam table. Aether squeezed the handles of the speculum, slowly spreading Dew open. His inner walls were soaked, strands of gooey slick stringing between the jaws of the tool.

“Looks good so far,” Aether remarked. He pulled a penlight out of the breast pocket of his scrubs and clicked it on, shining it inside Dew’s spread-open cunt. “Nice healthy cervix…” He scooted his chair closer and used one finger to gently stroke Dew’s inner walls. He let out an amused hum as Dew clenched in response, a broken whine being quickly muffled by his hand.

“Try to relax.” Aether murmured. His finger lightly explored Dew’s exposed flesh, drawing whimpers out of his “patient”. Now that he was opened up, slick pooled in the curved bottom jaw of the speculum. He dragged his finger through the pool and smeared it on Dew’s dick, making him twitch. He resisted the urge to lick it off, to bury his nose in the soft curls framing Dew’s cock and suck on it until the smaller man was incoherent. He shook his head slightly to clear his thoughts. That wasn’t part of the scene, it could wait for another time.

“Mhm.” Dew hummed. His tight clenching slowed, though he still fluttered beautifully at every touch.

“Hmmm… I’ll try a different angle” Aether mused. He slowly rotated the speculum, now exposing the top and bottom walls of Dew’s cunt. He ran his finger along his bottom wall first, from up near his cervix down to his taint.

“How does that feel?” Aether asked. He bit back a love or a darling. It was tough to not praise Dew, to tell him how pretty he looked and how good he’d make him feel.

“Good.” Dew breathed. “Really good.”

Aether’s lips twitched in a smirk. He moved his finger to the top wall of Dew’s cunt and slowly dragged his finger toward himself, searching for the spot that would make Dew unravel at the seams.

There. The soft, spongy spot just behind his pubic bone. Aether applied pressure to the spot and Dew keened.

“Ah.” Aether chuckled. “There we are.” He rubbed tiny circles against the spot, drawing lewd noises out of Dew. His finger withdrew after a moment and Dew panted, his eyes dazed and unfocused. 

Aether reached into the breast pocket of his shirt again and pulled out a small bullet vibrator.

“I’ll test your sensitivity now, alright?” Aether told Dew. The smaller ghoul nodded, hands gripping the side of the exam table.

Aether clicked the button on the end of the vibrator and it buzzed to life on its lowest setting. Using his penlight to guide him, he slid the tip of the toy against Dew’s upper wall until it pressed perfectly against that perfect little bundle of nerves.

Dew’s hand flew to his mouth again, this time shoving his fingers inside to muffle his noises. Aether clicked the button again, the vibrations increasing in intensity. He pressed his hand against Dew’s stomach to stop his hips from bucking. Dew’s tail lashed and reached out to curl around Aether’s arm.

“Sensitivity is high.” Aether muttered to himself. He was having trouble holding onto the little toy from all the slick on his fingers and as he readjusted his grip, the angle of the tip changed slightly. Dew let out a muffled cry, biting down on his fingers. His cunt clenched hard around the speculum and then he was gone.

 Aether watched with satisfaction (and a little amazement) as Dew’s pussy spasmed and pulsed. It was a totally new and not unpleasant experience to watch his orgasm from the inside, his muscles clenching and releasing, slick drooling onto the table below him. He was transfixed.

“Y-yellow- '' Dew panted, snapping Aether back to reality. He pulled the vibrator away and looked up at Dew with concern.

“You alright?” Aether asked. Dew nodded, a dazed look on his face.

“Mhm, mostly. I- I wanna end the scene.” Dew replied. Aether nodded and gently closed the speculum, then slid it out of Dew. He kissed the inside of his thigh and set the tool aside before rolling his chair over to Dew’s side.

“How you feeling?” Aether asked, brushing some of his partner’s hair out of his face.

“Fuzzy brain.” Dew mumbled. “I liked that.”

“That’s good. Scale of 1-10, how fuzzy are you?” He always asked this question during aftercare to gauge the level of care Dew would need.

“Mmm… Four.” Dew mumbled. “Want cuddles.” He reached out for Aether and grabbed his hand.

“Can you wait a bit, firefly?” Aether asked. “I gotta clean up the room, but then we can cuddle all night long.”

Dew sighed and nodded. “Okay… that’s fair. Can I have the blanket?”

Aether retrieved the blanket he’d brought from the chair in the corner and draped it over Dew. “I’m gonna clean you up a bit down there, is that okay?”

“Mhm.” Dew nodded. Aether could hear him start to purr as he buried his face in the fuzzy blanket. Using a soft towel and some warm water from the sink, he wiped away most of the mess Dew had made of himself with a gentle hand. Then he helped Dew into clean underwear and sweatpants, his partner purring the whole time.

Fifteen minutes later, the exam room was spotless and Dew was still purring in his blanket cocoon. Aether scooped the smaller ghoul up effortlessly and nestled him against his chest.

“Mmmm…” Dew hummed, burying his face in Aether’s chest. “You’re so strong.”

“You’re not that heavy.” Aether chuckled, using his knee to turn the door handle and turning off the lights with his elbow. His voice dropped to a whisper once they were in the hallway. “I could carry two of you, no problem.”

“Suuure.” Dew’s whisper was as sarcastic as ever, but he shut up as Aether carried him through the back hallways of the infirmary and out a side door. He was fast asleep in Aether’s arms even before they got back to the den.

#Thanks to everyone who yelled at me in rbs you fueled me through this entire writing process #I'm bad at writing endings but I hope the shameless kinky gay transgender sex makes up for it #the band ghost #nameless ghouls #dewdrop ghoul #aether ghoul #tw med kink #med kink #dewther #dewdrop/aether #dew/aether #aether/dewdrop #wham writing

[healthy-liiviing]

What are some good habits to follow?

Here are some good habits to follow across different aspects of life:

Health and Fitness:

Regular Exercise: Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week.

Healthy Eating: Focus on a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats. Limit processed foods, sugary drinks, and unhealthy fats.

Quality Sleep: Strive for 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night. Develop a consistent sleep schedule and create a relaxing bedtime routine.

Hydration: Drink plenty of water throughout the day to stay hydrated and support overall health.

Mental Wellbeing:

Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques: Practice activities like meditation, deep breathing, or yoga to reduce stress and improve focus.

Positive Thinking: Challenge negative thoughts and cultivate a growth mindset. Focus on gratitude for what you have.

Strong Social Connections: Nurture relationships with loved ones and build a strong support network.

Learning and Growth: Continuously learn new things and challenge yourself intellectually.

Productivity and Time Management:

Goal Setting: Set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) to provide direction and motivation.

Prioritization: Identify and prioritize important tasks to ensure you're focusing on what matters most.

Time Management Techniques: Utilize tools and strategies like scheduling, to-do lists, and time blocking to manage your time effectively.

Organization: Keep your workspace and digital life organized to minimize distractions and improve efficiency.

Financial Wellness:

Budgeting: Create a budget to track your income and expenses, and ensure you're living within your means.

Saving: Aim to save a portion of your income regularly for short-term and long-term goals.

Debt Management: Develop a plan to pay off debt and avoid accumulating unnecessary debt.

Financial Literacy: Educate yourself about personal finance to make informed financial decisions.

Remember: Consistency is key! Gradually incorporate these habits into your routine and find what works best for you. Don't be afraid to experiment and adjust your approach as needed.pen_sparktunesharemore_vert

if you want learn more this article click here

#that girl #it girl #discipline #health and wellness #confidence #feminine #life #affirmations #manifesation #study blog #2024 goals #2024 #2024 planner #pink pilates girl #pink academia princess #pink pilates princess #pink #matcha girl #clean girl #healthy #health #studyblr #studyspo #study aesthetic #student #girlblogger #girlblogging #critical role #habits #habit tracker

[sugarsprinklesoul]

Your ultimate guide to glowing up physically and mentally in 2024.

This is a guide to glowing up physically and mentally in 2024, including skincare tips, hair care, mental health, vision boards, journaling, and creating new habits to achieve your goals.

Physical Fitness:

Incorporate a mix of cardio, strength training, and flexibility exercises into your routine.

Focus on a balanced diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains.

Stay hydrated by drinking an adequate amount of water daily.

Skincare Routine:

Develop a consistent skincare routine with cleansing, moisturizing, and sun protection.

Consider adding products with ingredients like retinol and vitamin C for anti-aging benefits.

Hair Care:

Maintain regular haircuts and consider trying new hairstyles.

Use quality hair products suitable for your hair type to keep it healthy and shiny.

Fashion and Style:

Update your wardrobe with pieces that make you feel confident and comfortable.

Experiment with different styles to find what suits your personality and body type.

Mindfulness and Mental Well-being:

Practice mindfulness through activities like meditation or yoga.

Prioritize self-care and set aside time for activities that bring you joy and relaxation.

Create a vision board:

Identify your short-term and long-term goals

Collect magazines, newspapers, printed images, quotes, and any other materials you can use to represent your goals

Choose a board or poster as the base for your vision board. It can be a physical board or a digital one, depending on your preference.

Cut out images, words, and phrases that resonate with your goals. Arrange them on your board in a way that is visually appealing and meaningful to you.

As you place each item on the board, take a moment to visualize yourself achieving those goals. Feel the emotions associated with success.

Include positive affirmations related to your goals. Use words that inspire and motivate you.

Put your vision board in a place where you'll see it daily—this serves as a constant reminder of your aspirations.

Your vision board is a dynamic tool. Update it periodically as your goals evolve or as you achieve them.

Journaling:

Journaling can be a powerful tool for self-reflection, stress relief, and personal growth.

Establish a consistent time for journaling, whether it's in the morning, evening, or during specific events in your day.

Let your thoughts flow without judgment. Write about your feelings, experiences, dreams, or anything on your mind.

Include a section for things you're grateful for. This practice can shift focus towards positive aspects of your life.

Learning and Growth:

Read regularly to expand your knowledge and stay informed about various topics.

Set personal and professional goals to continually challenge and improve yourself.

Positive Relationships:

Nurture positive relationships and distance yourself from toxic influences.

Surround yourself with people who support and uplift you.

Cut off toxic people:

Detoxifying your social circle by cutting off toxic people is a crucial step for your mental well-being.

Remember, prioritizing your mental health and well-being is not selfish; it's essential for personal growth and a fulfilling life.

Organization and Time Management:

Create a schedule that allows for a balance between work, personal life, and leisure.

Declutter your physical and digital spaces for a clearer mind.

Hobbies and Passion Projects:

Cultivate hobbies that bring you joy and a sense of accomplishment.

Consider pursuing a passion project or learning a new skill.

Financial Fitness:

Develop a budget and savings plan to achieve financial goals.

Invest time in understanding personal finance for long-term stability.

#self love #inspiration #motivation #self care #self help #self improvement #becoming that girl #glow up #glow up era #manifesation #skincare #ultimate guide #glow in 2024 #2024 goals #self growth #girlblogging #cut toxic people #positive mindset #pink blog #pink pilates princess #self awareness

[dreamingofyeo]

Mafia Mingi & Jongho x undercover reader oneshot tws: harsh language, suggestive, threat, angst, use of name ‘doll’

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You delicately circle the rim of your glass with the tip of your finger at the bar, the ice has long since melted. You're not here for a good time. For such 'threats', the two men you're yet to see in the exquisite space aren't exactly punctual.

sending a subtle glance toward the door, you adjust your glasses, clicking the hidden button in the process to view the men's digital profiles again before the action starts. They're possibly the most useful tool for you in your line of work, subtlety and information at your fingertips, the entire database for Arriba is on them.

[ name : 송민기 Song Mingi ] [ 09.08.99 - 24yo - male - 1.83m ] [ member of 'The Black Pirates'. Specialises in pyrotechnics] [ wanted for: arson, assault, breaking and entering, murder ] [ only engage with backup ]

[ name: 최종호 Choi Jongho ]

[ 12.10.00 - 23 - male - 1.76m ]

[ member of 'The Black Pirates'. Specialises in reconnaissance ]

[ Wanted for: assault, breaking and entering ]

Only thing they’re missing is pictures next to them. You scoff inwardly at the level of supposed 'threat' they posed, you'd been sent on far more dangerous missions. all you had to do was your own bit of reconnaissance and report back to your leader. These 'black pirates' as they call themselves have been getting rather ballsy lately, almost half of Arriba's clientele have switched to them, a fact your boss is none to happy about. Your brief for the evening is to simply observe how they present themselves to said clientele, if you find an angle to work, their prospective 'customers' can be turned away. You could care less personally for the little turf war that is playing out, but its better to nip it in the bud than wait for them to decide if they want to wipe out your crew all together.

Just then, the sound of the bell in the entryway rings out behind you. You bring your glass to your lips but swallow nothing. The sound of boots on marble comes closer painfully slowly before coming to a halt, arms leaning on the bar table. He calls the barman over with a short tight whistle.

The man in question turns around, an equally tight smile forced onto his otherwise tense countenance.

"Ah Mr. Song, what can I get you tonight?" he gets out, customer voice on full display, so much so you almost have to suppress a chuckle.

"I'll get a tequila sunrise, and one for this lovely doll here" he says, you can hear the smirk on his lips as he says the words.

Knowing you cannot avoid the interaction, you turn towards him- putting on your best acting skills. The words from his profile screaming at you to get out of the situation.

"Hello, I'm sorry but I already have a drink, don't want to overdo it" you smile coyly at him.

the barman chuckles lightly, "You say that y/n, I'm not even sure why you're here tonight, it doesn't even look like you've touched your glass"

Bastard. You could slit his throat right now.

you only offer a light laugh in return before giving him and your onlooker a plausible story for your lack of drinking. Unfortunately, your alcohol consumption does not seem to be the only thing lacking as the man you're here for raises one eyebrow at you and the barman simply nods. Just great, if they didn't already know your face this Mingi would've definitely caught onto something being amiss by now.

it's then that you realise the lack of his partner and your mind freezes. You never gave the bartender your name.

Jongho specialises in reconnaissance, Mingi specialises in pyrotechniques. Mingi is near rows of alcohol, Jongho is somewhere in the room, waiting for the opportune moment to enact whatever plan they've got going. They know, they must've caught onto Arriba's plan- either that or there's a mole. You need to abort the mission, now.

You can't run. It's not an option, not when you don't know where Jongho is lurking. The possibility of a mole is information so crucial to return it's not worth the risk of being captured or worse, dying. The only plausible option in front of you right now is to play into the tone Mingi used when he first approached you- disgusted as it makes you.

"Yeah that was a lie, my apologies. I thought I'd try something different tonight but its not to my taste, I'll take that drink if its still on offer please sir." you delicately say, lightly placing your hand on his upper arm. You can hold your alcohol, you'll just have to hope he can't.

For a moment he looks taken aback, as if not exactly knowing what to do next. For only a moment, then he nods at the bartender who all but leaps into action making the tequila sunrises. Leading with your story, you decide to push it a bit further.

"Like I say, this is not to my taste, you're more than welcome to finish it." you say, pushing the glass towards him.

He takes it to his lips and takes what's most likely an amount equivalent to a shot straight. Enemy as he might be, you'd have to be blind to not acknowledge how attractive it is, or he is for that matter.

4 drinks later and you excuse yourself to the bathroom. Only to leave it coming face to face with a man. He is so uniquely beautiful you simply freeze in place. You don't even notice the familiarity of his shirt thanks to the alcohol.

He tilts his head knowingly before speaking in a low tone.

"Starstruck?"

this draws a light scoff from you, you're not that far gone.

"Cocky?" you counter. He smirks walking closer to you.

"maybe."

fuck...

"Either way, you don't seem to be complaining." he offers, now very close to you. Who cares. The mission went to shit anyway, why not enjoy yourself a bit.

"What's your name?" you ask lightly, his fingertips pushing a lock of hair behind your ear just as gently.

"You'll have to earn that one I'm afraid doll." He pulls back and tilts his head slightly again.

"what's yours?" he asks like he already knows the answer, you're so far gone from his proximity you can't find it in you to care if he really does or not.

fuck it.

"not a chance" you say lowly before leaning forward and connecting your lips.

He kisses you back almost instantly, fingers threading through your hair, connecting them to the back of your head. Your glasses bump against him, he removes them from your face without a word and goes back to you, tugging on your bottom lip with his teeth gently causing you to gasp into his mouth. You feel him smirk against you before pulling away, leaving one last soft peck.

You know damn well your eyes are glassed over with longing right now, he chuckles at the fact before speaking.

"Sorry doll, you're a little too drunk for anything else, I'll see you again." He lifts your knuckles to his mouth and kisses them lightly before turning and walking out into the main room of the bar, turning right towards the exit.

As you collect yourself you realise like a punch to the gut that he still has your glasses. You race after him, only to find the bar now completely empty, not even the bartender is there.

The bartender.

The man's shirt.

The petname the man used.

How unusually badly you handled the alcohol.

The lifelike mask matching the bartender's face you spot laid out perfectly on the bar table next to where you now stand, a note at its side.

'sorry for getting you wasted doll' it reads. You can almost see the smirk on his damn face.

Specialises in reconnaissance indeed.

Choi fucking Jongho.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

a/n: happy new year! written straight onto the post, will likely edit later. also I've never written a oneshot or anything suggestive before so please bare with me while I try to figure out how to do it well haha. I'm pretty happy with how this turned out though please lmk what you think and if you'd like to be added to the permanent taglist for my work <3

taglist: @jongnado @voicesinmyhead-rc @n3atjok3r246

#ateez fanfic #ateez jongho #ateez mingi #mingi oneshot #jongho oneshot #jongho x reader #mingi x reader #ateez oneshot #ateez mafia au

[bcdrawsandwrites]

[ID: A Psychonauts fanfic cover. Most of the picture is in grayscale in addition to three colors. Loboto stands on the left side of the cover with his back to the viewer, the view over his right shoulder, a threatening smile on his face as he holds out his claw. Bright green and red lights shine down from his loupes and down onto Raz and Oleander, who are huddled together close to the center of the image. They are both looking up at Loboto and appear very small compared to him. Raz’s goggles are on, and he looks scared and apologetic, holding his hands up in defense. Oleander stands behind Raz, grabbing him by the shoulders and holding him in front of himself as he looks up at Loboto in terror. The red and green lights are reflected off of them. Circling in the air around them and held up by purple telekinetic psychic powers are a number of tools. Counterclockwise starting from the bottom left are a rusty syringe with a bent needle, a hooked dental pick, an ice pick, a hammer, and a strange-looking drill (similar to the one Loboto has in his lab). Loboto and the tools’ shadows are cast over Raz and Oleander, though their faces are illuminated by the light from Loboto’s eyes. The rest of the room around them is very dark. The fic’s title “Psychics Ruin EVERYTHING” is in light text on the top right. /end ID]

Fandom: Psychonauts

Rating: K+

Genre: Angst, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort

Characters: Razputin Aquato, Caligosto Loboto, Morceau Oleander, Truman Zanotto, Otto Mentallis, Sasha Nein, Milla Vodello (and briefly Morris and Queepie). (The fic mostly involves the first three!)

Warnings:  References to canonical child abuse and medical abuse in future chapters (more warnings to be added later)

Description: A few days after the whirlwind of events of Psychonauts 2, Razputin receives his first mission as a Junior Psychonaut: go into the mind of the recently-re-captured Caligosto Loboto and make sure he’s ready to be released... and if not, well... go from there. But it shouldn’t be that hard, right? Loboto’s all better now that his moral compass is back... isn’t he?

Beta Readers: @jaywings​ and @of-science-and-stars and Pinky G. Rocket

Notes: FINALLY. I started this fic back in August last year and I have been dying to post it since. This will be multiple chapters (looking like about 7 at the moment) and I’m going to try to post a chapter a week. (Most of the fic is already complete!) Also, this fic will make references to some of my previous fics, BUT YOU DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE READ THEM TO UNDERSTAND THIS! This can be read on its own!

---~~~---

Chapter 1: First Assignment

Summary: In which Raz feels uneasy about his new title... until he receives his first mission.

---~~~---

“...and so it's, um, still a lot to think about, you know? Since it just happened uh…” Raz paused, flicking his fingers up and down, counting out the digits. “...yesterday? Yesterday.”

“Understandable,” Morris replied.

Raz shifted in his seat. “On second thought, maybe we should have waited a week or something for this to settle before—”

Morris shuffled his notes, the fwip of paper against paper drowning out Raz. "So, now that you're an official Junior Psychonaut—"

"Hey, you are, t—"

Morris cleared his throat and gave Raz a glance. "Now that you're an official Junior Psychonaut, what are your plans?"

"Well, obviously I'm gonna...." Raz blinked and leaned away from the mic on the back legs of his chair.

Morris leaned forward on his wheelchair and waved Raz forward with one hand. "Yes?"

"Now that we—er, now that I'm officially a Psychonaut... I'm not sure what to do. I haven't exactly been given any missions yet, other than to familiarize myself with the Motherlobe, the quarry, and..." He gestured with raised palms, even though the less than half-a-dozen people listening to the station couldn't see them. "...other stuff. ...Am I really going to be going on missions?"

"You say that like you've never been on one!" Morris said, raising a single eyebrow.

"Well, yeah, but this is for real. Really real. Really official. Not as an intern! And without, y'know, messing with—"

Dude, Morris rang out inside Raz’s head. Raz darted his eyes to the side; Morris stared back with a grimace, while waving a flat palm beside his throat.

"—um, stuff," Raz finished. “You don't want to mess up as an official Psychonaut! Now that you've got an official job and everything... wow. You know, this sounds a lot more stressful when I put it that way—”

"AND that's all the time we have for today!” Morris called into the mic while pulling it away from Raz. Raz jumped in his chair at the volume of Morris’ voice, nearly tipping over. “Thanks for listening to K-L.O.B.”

Morris set the mic back down on the table and tweaked a few knobs on the radio. Then, he turned to look at Raz, staring at him with a slightly squinted stare.

"Wow," Queepie commented from the corner. "You're really bad at this."

"My thoughts exactly," Morris said, leaning back in his chair. "Our listeners probably tuned out halfway through."

"Hey, it's just been a lot to think about!" Raz tossed up his hands over his head. "This only happened, what, yesterday?"

"Two days ago."

“Two days?” Raz blinked and looked at his fingers again. I’m not that bad at math, am I?

"Mom says you slept eighteen hours," Queepie added.

"Oh." Raz scratched the back of his head. "I guess that's why I feel so... off."

"Really though, you haven't thought about going on missions?"

"I mean, growing up, yeah."

"...Aren't you like, ten?"

"Yeah, but... I read every True Psychic Tales issue I could get my hands on, and imagined myself going on missions like that... But I'm not so sure those tales are as 'true' as they say anymore." He rested his chin against his hand, then gave a start. "What am I saying?! I know they're not! The issue about Maligula was a bunch of baloney!" Raz found himself pacing around the little treehouse. "They painted Lucy as some kind of... of irredeemable monster, and everyone else as these heroes who never did anything wrong... And they said Helmut was dead!" He paused, rubbing a finger against his chin and glancing aside. "And they misspelled his name with two 't's, come to think of it. Should've been my first clue that something wasn't right."

Turning away from his brother and his fellow intern—er, junior agent—Raz looked through the doorway and out into the quarry, its waters a blinding orange as the sun set over them. "But after spending time with these people, and... going on real missions myself... I know these things aren’t always as heroic and fun and cool as they sounded."

Memories of bad mental connections in Hollis's mind, Sasha and Milla dazed with psilirium sickness, and the office construct being overtaken by mountains of teeth and gums and tongues filled his mind.

"They're... messy."

Morris quirked one of his eyebrows. "Man, I should have left the mic on." He shook his head. "Really though, what are you trying to say?"

Finally, Raz turned back. "I'm saying I... don't know what I'll be doing now that I'm a Psychonaut. I have no idea what to expect."

Queepie and Morris exchanged glances. "Well... that's the point, isn't it?" Morris asked with a shrug. "We're secret agents. Every mission's gonna be different."

"Yeah... I guess so."

"Well, one thing that's predictable... is the cafeteria's schedule!" Without warning, Morris zoomed past Raz and out the doorway. "I'm getting dinner. Hold down the fort for me, will you Queepie?"

"Got it!" Queepie pushed his seat over to the radio, which began to blast “Welcome to My Mind” for the eightieth time that day.

Giving the kid a thumbs-up, Morris began hopping his chair down the path out of the treehouse. "You coming, Raz?"

"Oh, yeah! I'll... be right there!" Raz called back, and wrapped his arms around himself. "Maybe, anyway."

"You're not going?" Queepie asked as he bounced around in his seat.

"I dunno. I'm still... thinking about stuff." He turned back to his younger brother. "Do you really think I'll be going on a real mission soon?"

Without stopping his dance, Queepie only shrugged. "How should I know? I dunno anything about your weird job."

"Guess not." Sighing, Raz made his way out of the treehouse. "See you around."

"If you're gonna get food, could you get me a soda?"

"Nah, I think you're good without the sugar."

Leaping off the platform, Raz grabbed a thought bubble and gently floated down to the ground. After a few more acrobatic-slash-psychic stunts, he arrived at the entrance to the Motherlobe. Many agents were casting long shadows across the stone floor as they entered and exited the building, either heading home for the day or arriving for an evening shift. Everything felt at ease; no one gave him a second glance, and he only heard the barest mentions of the events of two days ago other than comments on the updated mural and remarks about the "wild storm." He passed the receptionist, who earlier that day had indicated she hadn't realized anything out of the ordinary had happened.

Was this just... normal?

A ThinkerPrint scan and quick levitation-lift ride later, Raz found himself in the Atrium, still as full of people as it had been earlier, though many of them were heading to the Noodle Bowl. They were just fellow agents going about their day, like he would be, too, now. But in spite of all his exploration, everything was still so... new to him. Not the parts like the Atrium and Nerve Center and other wings—he still felt a thrill run through him as he remembered that he was really here—but there were still parts he hadn’t seen, not labeled on the tourist map he’d been given. On top of that, his mind still reeled at the thought that he would be expected to be here every day. And all these people... even though he could pick out the names of agents and workers around him via natural mind-reading, he didn't really know them.

He didn't know what he was doing, either.

Change like this shouldn’t have felt so weird, should it? He was a circus performer—he’d been traveling his whole life, seeing new places, new people… but it was always the same shows. Occasionally there were new acts, and occasionally they’d partner with different circuses, but what was expected of him was a constant.

Now it was the complete opposite—he would be in the same place, but his missions might be wildly different each time. But this was what he’d wanted, wasn’t it?

So… why was the thought of it making his stomach tie itself in knots?

The doors to Astral Lanes swished open, and a couple stumbled out, leaning against each other as they talked and laughed. Raz watched them go, feeling a tug within him—he was an agent too, just like them. Why couldn't he be that happy? (Well... other than the fact that he wasn't going to be consuming alcohol for another ten years or so at least.) Maybe he should talk to...

A moment later he found himself walking through the long hallway into the bowling alley, hurrying around the shoe rental. "Sash—uh, Agent Nein—"

He skidded to a halt to stop himself from bumping into another agent, who laughed, adjusting his tie. "Wow! I didn't know I looked that tall."

"Ugh, sorry." Raz looked around the bar area, his heart sinking when he saw no sign of Sasha or Milla. "Hey, um, have you seen Agents Nein and Vodello, by any chance?" Remembering something they'd said earlier, his heart raced. "They haven't left for camp yet, have they?!"

The man's brow furrowed. "Uh... man, I dunno, kid. They're probably too busy to sign autographs though—"

"They got called up Truman's office," the bartender called from across the room. "Sounded like something came up."

"Oh no...!" Raz's heart was pounding in his throat as he bolted out of the bowling alley and to the nearest Otto B.O.N., only to growl in frustration when it refused to open. "What now?"

"Apparently there was an issue with the hatches," a nearby janitor said, mopping the floor by Raz's feet and prompting him to move away. "They're shut down for now."

Groaning, Raz hopped onto his levitation ball, barreling toward the Nerve Center to take the long way to Truman's office. His mind raced during a ThinkerPrint scan that felt like it took an age. Had Gristol escaped? Had something gone wrong with the Astralathe? Had something happened to Ford or Nona or—?!

The doors slid open, and Raz barreled through. He had to carefully swerve around workers in the huge room, at one point bouncing over the head of one who nearly walked into him. Several people were abuzz about something, but he didn't have time to stop and listen, instead heading straight up to Truman's office.

Maybe Truman wasn't okay after all, maybe something had happened to him! Was Lili—what the heck was so loud?

Raz stopped just before the stepping stones that led up to the office. Now that he'd been broken out of his thoughts, he could hear what sounded pretty close to a wild animal snarling just around the corner, the voices of Sasha and Truman and a few others barely audible above it.

"Psychic wolverines!" Raz cried. "I knew it!"

After a few hops across the rocks (ignoring the now-friendly watery hand that waved as he passed), Raz dismissed his lev ball and struck a psychic pose atop the stairs. "Don't worry Truman, I—"

Raz faltered.

Standing before him was Sasha, Milla, Oleander, Truman, and Otto, who all stared at him in surprise. And hovering in the midst of them was a figure he was not expecting to see again anytime soon.

Doctor Loboto, held in place by a psychic fist, swiveled his mechanical eyes down to stare at him. "Say, you look familiar."

"Uh."

"Agent Aquato," Sasha said, and Raz stood taller, unable to stop himself from smiling. "Your presence is... unexpected, but at least you've gotten our captive to quiet down."

His smile fell. "Uh, sorry, I just wanted to catch you before..."

"We're a bit preoccupied at the moment, darling," Milla said.

"Yes!" Otto raised his hand and, with it, the psychic fist holding the doctor. "I found this fellow wandering lost through my Otto B.O.N. system. Seems he escaped from the lab when no one was looking."

Raz stiffened, shuffling his feet and looking away. "Oh. Uh... weird how that happened."

"I wouldn't be lost if you told me how to leave!" Loboto grunted, struggling in the fist. "I have to get back to camp!"

"What, did you leave your car keys there?" Oleander remarked with a smirk.

"No, I left the keys to the spare brain tank," Loboto shot back.

Oleander's eyes widened as he broke into a grin. "There's still a spare—?!" Sensing the stares around the room, he took a step back, hands on his hips. "I mean, uh... I'll... have to dismantle that when I get back."

"That man is absolutely not leaving this place!" Truman cried, swiping his hand as he stepped toward Loboto. "He was an accomplice to the man who stole my brain!"

"Yes, it took a while to pry Nick Johnsmith's name out of him," Sasha remarked, and Loboto froze.

"Wait, hold on..." Raz held up a hand. "We got the information we needed from him, right?"

"Maybe so, but Truman is right." Sasha turned his gaze to Loboto, who had gone a shade paler and was muttering faintly to himself. "Even though Gristol Malik has been detained, Loboto could still be a danger to others. We cannot let him leave."

"I have to!" Loboto wailed, kicking out his feet. "My kid's still at camp!"

Sasha, Milla, and Oleander exchanged bewildered glances (or Raz figured Sasha must have looked bewildered behind his goggles), and Raz joined them, looking from Loboto to the counselors a few times. He couldn't help but feel relieved that they were as lost as he was. "So uh, did he really have a...?"

"If he had a kid," Oleander began, eyeing the doctor, "he didn't mention it to me when we were planning—" He faltered. "Uh, when, um, we infiltrated his mind."

"What?" Loboto's eyes darted toward Oleander, his brows furrowed.

"Caligosto," Milla said gently, "none of the children that attended camp last week share the same last name as you. Unless your spouse has a different last name—"

"Spouse?" Loboto's optics pulled back. "I don't have one!"

"Then why would your child—"

"I never said he was one of those kids! Unless you started accepting lungfish at your weird psychic—"

"Linda?!" Raz blurted out. Immediately he started cracking up, bending over as he gripped his sides. "Your kid is Linda?!"

"Who's Linda?!" Loboto snarled.

"The lungfish you experimented on?" Raz raised his head, still giggling, only to realize everyone was staring at him. Quickly he straightened, his giggle turning into a nervous chuckle. "She... uh... told me that was her name."

"Huh." Oleander rubbed a knuckle against his chin. "Didn't know it had a name."

"She, he, Linda, Larry, whatever, I need to get back to her!" Loboto hung his head. "I left her all alone in that cold, cruel lake..."

"Uh... pretty sure she's fine. I sorted out everything in her mental world and she was doing pretty good when I left." Raz turned to the others. "Did you know that her boyfriend's a turtle?"

"...Turtle?” Loboto squeaked, shuddering.

"Well, now that that's settled, it doesn't look like you've got any reason to leave here anytime soon," Otto remarked, tugging Loboto slightly closer. "Like I was saying earlier, if you let me pop out his brain, I could—"

"AAAAAAAAAAAGGHHHH!"

Everyone flinched back, Truman and Oleander rolling their eyes while Raz covered the sides of his helmet, for all the good it would do.

Sasha let out a tremendous sigh. "Just when I thought we'd gotten past this..."

"Now, now," Otto said, turning Loboto to face him. "If you let me have a peek at your brain it would certainly—"

If it were possible, the doctor began screaming louder, struggling even harder to get away.

Around the pain in his head from the noise, Raz glanced in annoyance between Loboto and Otto. Couldn't he see he was just aggravating—

Raz gave a start. "Wait!"

Mercifully Loboto stopped screaming as everyone turned to Raz once more. The doctor's mechanical eyes darted between Otto and Raz, brows creasing as he looked at the latter.

Initially Raz thought to bring up what he'd seen in Loboto's memory vault several days ago, but faltered. He certainly wouldn't want anyone bringing up his memory vaults out of the blue, so maybe... "Uhh... Agent Nein already used a bunch of devices on his brain the other day," Raz said, looking between Sasha and Otto. "Right?"

"Of course, but there's still plenty more I could do without—"

"Maybe you'd get, um, better results if you gave his brain a break from machines for a while," Raz proposed.

Sasha and Otto exchanged glances. "Well... he's not wrong," Sasha admitted. "It would yield more accurate results if he were given time to rest. I did have to use quite a lot of different devices to uncover what he was hiding."

"...I suppose you're right," Otto said, and Raz couldn't help noticing the way he slumped as he spoke.

Loboto heaved a sigh of relief, his terror quickly replaced by annoyance. "Right, and I'd be able to rest well if you let me get back to—"

"However," Otto went on, "Malik did do a number on him—more than could normally be expected from a non-psychic. I do think that brain would be quite interesting to study in the future, so we can better understand what—"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"No testing!" Truman cried, waving his hands. "Not if it means we'll have to deal with that screaming!" Once the doctor shut up again, he stepped back, a hand to his head. "Ooof, a migraine's the last thing I need right now, after everything else my brain's been through..."

"Not to mention the poor thing's scared enough as it is," Milla said. She took a step closer to Loboto. "What he really needs is a look into his head—"

"AAA—"

Milla gently tapped him on the tip of the nose, shutting him up. "In your mind, darling, no brain-removal or machines involved."

"Oh," Loboto said dully. "I knew that!"

"Who has time for that though?" Oleander asked. "We've got camp again in less than a week, and some of us have some things to wrap up before then."

Sasha nodded. "Yes, I still have Malik to attend to."

"Yes, Sasha, and you'll need help with that," Milla added, though Raz got the feeling that "help" probably involved more of keeping Sasha in-line.

"Ah, astral projection without the use of additional machines isn't quite my forte," Otto admitted. "Besides, I've research to do to figure out how to get Helmut's body out of the ice."

"I've still got things to catch up on, and Hollis will be out for two weeks..." Truman shook his head. "Most of our other senior agents are out on missions right now, too."

Missions...

Raz looked around at the agents in the room, then at Loboto. "Hey," he said, eyes going wide. "I don't have a mission assigned right now! I could work with Doctor Loboto!"

Immediately the adults turned their attention to him, including Loboto, whose eyes swiveled as he looked Raz over. "You'd be a bit short for an assistant."

"Ra—" Sasha caught himself. "Agent Aquato, you must remember that you are a junior agent. It is highly unorthodox for junior agents to perform a mission entirely solo."

"How come?" Raz crossed his arms. "I've done it before."

"That is true, darling," Milla said, turning to Sasha. "He was the one that rescued you and I a few days ago, when we'd been captured."

"And at the Rhombus, too." Oleander rubbed his chin.

"Not to mention all the others he's helped over the past few days." Otto nodded to Raz, smiling. "He's done wonders to help some of our friends."

"Though it has been such a short time after the last... incident." Milla tipped her head toward Raz. "Agent Aquato, are you sure you'd be ready to take on a new mission so soon?"

Before walking into this room, Raz's answer would have been "no"—he hadn't felt ready at all to begin his real life as a Psychonaut. Going on a full-fledged mission seemed like a lot, especially after everything he'd just gone through. But looking Loboto over, he felt an odd sort of... relief.

"Yes," he said, nodding firmly. "I've dealt with this guy before, anyway. What's one more time?"

"You never scheduled an appointment," Loboto grumbled, drumming his claws soundlessly against the psychic fist.

"This is the young man who saved my brain, but... ohh... I don't know about this," Truman muttered. "If Hollis were here, I'm not sure she'd approve. This man is highly dangerous—"

"Hmm, not so much, now. To the non-psychic world, or when collaborating with another dangerous individual, yes, but not to us, while he’s alone." Sasha nodded to the doctor. “I managed to break through the hypnotism he received, so his withholding information should no longer be an issue. He's been thoroughly searched and his prosthetic no longer has any trace of sneezing powder components. As well, he has no psychic powers of his own."

Raz almost argued against that, but thought better of it.

"Yeah, so long as you're not surrounded by psilirium, he's no match for a psychic," Oleander said, crossing his arms. "He's no threat to any of us."

"Oh, you didn't seem to think so during our first meeting," Loboto said, grinning down at Oleander. "I can still remember you s—" Another psychic hand muffled him.

"Can it, Cal!" Oleander hissed through grit teeth.

"Very well, that settles it, I suppose." Giving Loboto a wide berth, Truman approached Razputin. "Agent Aquato, for your first mission as a junior agent, I am assigning you to the case of Caligosto Loboto. Your mission is to explore his mind and help uncover anything that would aid in this man's... um..." He cast an uncertain glance back at the doctor. "...recovery."

Muffled, angry sounds came from the doctor, and Oleander finally dismissed the psychic hand he'd called. "Recovery?!" Loboto blurted, eyes flashing. "From what? Listening to you bozos yammer all day?"

"Yes, sir!" Raz said, puffing out his chest, fighting the urge to geek out in front of the Grand Head. "I accept this mission!"

"Good. I'll get some paperwork sorted out for you later."

"Don't forget his dental insurance," Loboto muttered, rolling his optics.

Truman pointedly ignored the doctor. "For now, though, get him out to your office and keep him secured."

Raz paused. "...I have an office?"

"Oh." Truman rubbed his head. "I knew I was forgetting something..."

"He can borrow mine for now," Oleander said, "so long as he keeps that mad doctor out of my things. I've got some business to take care of elsewhere."

"But Morry, don't you think my office would be more comfortable for them?" Milla asked. "Your office is..."

"My office is fine, Vodello.” Oleander’s voice dropped to a mutter as he went on, “Or so Hollis tells me..."

"Seems to be settled, then," Otto said, finally tugging Loboto away from the rest of the group and heading toward the exit. "We'll take him to Morry's office and go from there."

"Don't I get a say in this?" Loboto whined, optics swiveling as he was carried.

"Great!" Raz practically leaped after him, only to stop and turn back to Truman. "Don't worry, Grand Head Zanotto, I won't let you down!"

Truman smiled back at him. "Good luck, Agent Aquato."

Milla waved to him. "And don't be afraid to call on any of us for help, darling."

"I'll be okay. Good luck with your own missions, fellow agents!" Raz called back, hurrying to catch up with Otto. He'd hovered gracefully over the stepping stones, while Raz hopped from one to the other. Upon touching down on the other side, he jumped in surprise when Oleander landed abruptly next to him, apparently having bounced over the water via levitation—not something Raz had seen him do before. The Coach mumbled something about "fancy offices" before following Otto out of the room, and Raz rushed after them.

Once he was keeping pace with Oleander, Raz turned to him. "I haven't seen your office yet, Coach."

"Don't expect anything fancy like what you saw from Nein and Vodello," Oleander said. "I think Truman and Forsythe like to play favorites."

"I did search for it, though," Raz went on, then looked down, his brow furrowing. "I saw a plaque with your name on it, but I think someone put it up as a joke. Agent Forsythe had it on a list of 'mission-critical assets' for me to obtain, and when I took it down, the door said 'supply closet' underneath!"

The Coach winced. "Oh.”

Switching gears, Raz fiddled with his gloves. "So, uh, have you been on a mission like this before?"

"Not in a while, but sure," Oleander said, relaxing at the change of topic. "It's pretty common for when we've apprehended troublemakers." Leaning closer to Raz, he lowered his voice. "All you're doing is pokin' around his mind to make sure he doesn't have any thoughts of hurting anyone or causing harm. If he does, we'll have to keep him longer until we get him straightened out, if not just turn 'im over to the authorities."

Turning his gaze back to Loboto, Raz grimaced. "...Oh." That seemed a bit of a tall order, but... Loboto had had a change of heart, hadn't he?

Glancing around uneasily, Oleander cleared his throat. His voice entered Raz’s mind: I’ve also… had a bit of personal experience from the other side of that, recently.

Wait, when did—oh, right. Raz attempted a grin. Well, you must’ve done pretty well, since you didn’t get arrested!

Hmph.

It didn't take them long to reach the Agent wing of the building past the aquarium. There were a lot of offices here Raz hadn't been to—while exploring the Motherlobe had been a top priority, he wasn't about to barge into random agents' offices... except Milla's and Sasha's. They seemed okay with visits.

They passed the smaller offices, and Raz found himself looking around eagerly, wondering where Oleander's office was and how he'd overlooked it. However, Oleander and Otto were approaching the supply closet door, and Raz's brow furrowed. "What are we stopping here for?" Suddenly he perked up. "Oh, is there something we can grab that'll keep keep Loboto subdued—"

"Oh, no, this is our destination," Otto said, frowning at the door. "I see they've yet to fix that label on it."

"Forsythe's had other things on her plate," Oleander grumbled, looking away. "No time to fix a door, I guess."

"Putting me in a closet for solitary confinement, eh?" Loboto raised a brow. "They've tried that. It doesn't work!"

Raz looked between Loboto and the other adults, raising a finger. "Uh...?"

Either neither of them found anything concerning about that remark, or they’d missed it entirely, as Oleander unlocked the door to the "office" and Otto carried Loboto inside.

Oleander hadn't been kidding when he'd said it was "nothing fancy." While the room wasn't as small as Raz had expected (they make supply closets this big? he wondered), it still felt tiny compared to Milla's comfy office and Sasha's spacious lab. In fact, it was slightly smaller than the office within Sasha’s lab. A portion of it was dedicated to a large wooden desk with a rolling chair cranked up to its full height, and a couple other chairs sitting off to the side of that. A large metal cabinet took up another significant chunk of the space, as did a short bookshelf lined with books on mechanics, military tactics, and psychic techniques (Raz recognized a copy of Mindswarm that stuck awkwardly out from the other books), as well as a few out-of-place looking rabbit figurines. The walls were covered in posters for different military branches, and several medals hung above the desk.

No, it wasn't big or fancy, but it was definitely Coach Oleander's office.

It did feel a bit more cramped than Raz would have liked, and the fact that there were no windows did not help. For a moment he wondered if it was too late to take Milla up on her offer to use her office instead, but he didn't want to upset the Coach.

"You're free to interrogate our captive to your heart's content here," Oleander said, waving his hand out. "Just don't let him touch my stuff."

One of Loboto's optics extended toward the medals on the wall. "No need to worry about that. I don't have much need for plastic."

"Don't worry, Morry," Otto said over Oleander's growls. Lifting Loboto with his psychic fist, he gently sat him down on one of the chairs. "I think your craftsmanship looks very convincing."

"Thanks." Oleander looked at Otto askance before facing Raz again. "You know how to keep an enemy restrained, right, soldier?"

"Uhh..." Raz looked at the fist holding Loboto. "I've never done that before. I can pick people up, kinda, but not... restrain them." His stomach gave a sudden twist at the realization that he was unprepared for such a basic part of the mission.

"No need to worry!" Otto said, eyes lighting up in excitement as he fished something out of his pocket. "I grabbed this just in case before carrying this strange fellow out of my lab." He held the object out eagerly.

Raz found himself looking down at what appeared to be a large wad of tightly-wound cables with a red light mounted to the top. Frowning, he looked back up at Otto. "But I thought Sasha said no machines?"

"None that will affect his mind. Here!" He placed the device in Raz's palm. "This is a device I made specifically to use when dealing with non-psychics. There's a switch in it that can only be activated with telekinesis! So hold it out to our friend there, and go ahead and activate it."

"Okay..." Raz held up the device flat in his palm, the light facing him, the other side facing Loboto, who was starting to look slightly unnerved, his optics twitching to look in different directions around the room. "Here goes!" Reaching out with telekinesis, he felt the switch within the device, and activated it. Otto let go of Loboto the second the device sprang out of Raz's hand. Multiple cables rapidly uncoiled and immediately latched onto Loboto, who yelped. The cables effectively tied Loboto to the chair, rendering him immobile, and the red light (now in front of Loboto's chest) turned green with a cheery ding!

It was very hard to maintain a professional air after seeing actual Psychonauts spy-gear at work, and Raz couldn't help but let slip a wowed "cool."

Loboto looked significantly less impressed as he stared down at the device keeping him still. "You know a dental chair would have worked better. They've got restraints and everything."

"There! Works like a charm," Otto said, beaming. "You won't have to worry about maintaining a telekinetic grip on him now, so you can keep your psychic abilities focused on the mission at hand."

"You'll want to work on some better telekinesis later, soldier, but tools like this can help you in a pinch," Oleander remarked. "You ready to begin your mission?"

With a confident grin, Raz nodded to his senior agents. "Yes, absolutely! Thank you Agents Oleander, Mentallis!" He hopped onto the desk chair.

"Call me if you need backup!" Oleander said as he turned to leave. "That guy's craftier than he looks."

"Good luck!" Otto turned to leave as well. "Bring that back when you're done, and be sure to give me some feedback on it as well. I'm still testing it."

"Uh—"

The door shut behind them, leaving Raz and Loboto alone in the office.

#caligosto loboto #razputin aquato #morceau oleander #psychonauts #psychonauts 2 #psychonauts 2 spoilers #truman zanotto #otto mentallis #sasha nein #milla vodello #morris martinez #queepie aquato #my writing #my art #fanfic #psychics ruin everything

[talentdelunecomic]

Arc 2.5

(Part 2) (foreword)

“...Nice one, Chu,” he mutters a couple minutes later, squashed into the corner of the elevator shaft. You’d think a booming business like this could build wider elevators, damn. “We can kiss that dream budget goodbye thanks to—” He gestures at the blood on Ambre. “—all this.”

“Sorry for having scruples,” Sarah grumbles back. The adrenaline crash has left her disappointed and low. She’s stuck in close quarters with two people she’s quite upset at, currently, and she still can’t even see.

Ambre seems to lean over, audibly shuffling in place. “Are you mad at us, Sarah?” She seems younger than she is, like this, her voice disembodied and childish. Granted, Sarah really can’t vouch for her maturity, and that’s not even considering the child-rearing acumen of a top-secret, governmental, child-soldier factory.

When she thinks about that too hard, a buzzing sense of anxiety rises in her chest. Is she a hypocrite, for raising a stink about Talent technology restrictions while averting her eyes from the moral crisis of Ambre’s entire thirteen years of life?

“I’m kind of mad at you,” Sarah responds, curling tighter into a ball and clutching her suitcase like a blanket.

Ambre huffs unhappily.

“Mostly I’m mad at Penwood.”

He’s unbothered. “Great, ‘cause I’m mad at you too. We can all be mad at each other.”

He’s infuriating, sometimes. Sarah has never expected emotional heavy-lifting from Penwood, not even when they first met and she didn’t know him—he was her boss, after all. He was practical and unconventional enough to immediately promote her to the highest position he could bargain for, but it had nothing to do with sentiment. Though he seems to have grown fond of her over these past six years, he hasn’t changed. He’s as stubborn and selfish as ever.

“If I’m that troublesome, why not just let me get killed?” Sarah attacks, and then immediately regrets it. She sounds like a moody teenager. She sounds like his disregard for her objections hurt her. It’s true, but it’s pitiful.

Penwood seems to soften, just a bit. “You’re both troublesome, but I’d get bored if either of you died or disappeared. You’re more important than fully-funded mad science.” He says the last bit with reluctant resignation, but as a whole…

Those were pretty kind words, coming from Penwood. Sarah cracks a smile.

“Yeah,” she says, “you guys need me around to keep you in check.”

“Aww, I hate being in check,” Ambre sighs.

“So what now, kid?” Penwood asks. “You’re the one with the sense of propriety—you decide what we do next. We’re essentially blind, definitely trapped, and every single person in this building wants to track us down and kill us.”

Ambre grins. “The dead ones don’t. Want me to make them all dead?”

Penwood contemplates it.

“Not this time,” Sarah says, and her smile begins to grow as she gets to her feet. “I’ve got an idea.”

---

Sarah stands before the Power Room. The only thing between her and that plasma is a 20-character passcode and three feet of solid steel.

…That sounds more intimidating than it actually is.

Hey, the three of them made it out of that elevator shaft and down to the basement with zero tools!

A little clumsily, perhaps, but they made it down. Now they just need to get inside that room.

Sarah examines the digital lock, Penwood and Ambre hovering over her shoulders to watch. She doubts she’ll be able to guess the passcode, even if she did catch a glimpse when Sec. Malla let them in on the tour. She’s going to have to crack the mechanism open manually and determine a course of action from there.

“Ambre.” Sarah turns to her. “Help me with–”

“Wait.”

The three of them freeze.

“…Just let us do this,” Sarah pleads.

Secretary Sarah Malla offers no sympathy, dry and unforgiving. “What are you planning to do in the Power Room?” she asks.

“You know it’s not right to give this tech to people who might misuse it.” Sarah steps forward and Sec. Malla moves the gun in her direction. Ambre tenses, glances between them, and deliberately untenses. Sarah slows way down.

“When you say things like that, it makes you sound like a child,” Malla says. Sarah is quietly offended. She’s 23. “You think the government won’t misuse your technology? You think they aren’t misusing it right now?”

“I…”

No, she wants to say, I trust them. They’ve taken care of me since I was 17. But even without saying it aloud, suddenly the words don’t feel good enough.

“I’d still choose one group with scary-ass lasers over two.”

Sarah turns, surprised. Penwood ambles forward, hands in his pockets and genuinely pretty unconcerned by the gun. He sighs at her. “You’re catching flies, kid.” She closes her open mouth.

He continues. “The FHTC’s not perfect, but our boss is actually a total goody-two-shoes. It’s annoying, but in terms of—” He rolls his eyes and finger quotes. “—society’s ethics, she’s a decent person, I guess. And a hard worker.”

Sarah’s heart warms. He’s actually kind of getting it. He’s actually trying to help.

“Well! None of that matters to me,” Ambre chirps, “but Sarah is a grown-up woman! Don’t call her a child, she tries really hard to be responsible!” By the end of the sentence, her voice goes affronted on Sarah’s behalf, and she drops into a rare angry frown. “You’re a woman too, so you should know it’s annoying when people act like you don’t know anything while you’re trying to make a point.”

Malla stares at all of them, unwavering for one heartbeat, two. Then she stops aiming at them and lifts the pistol like she’s showing it off. It’s got the safety on, Sarah realizes. Malla was bluffing.

She sets the gun down and points at the door to the Power Room. “Don’t mess with the digital lock. If you input the wrong code or force it open, it’ll tase you.”

Sarah breaks into an incredulous laugh. Ambre is already grinning, and Penwood huffs in amusement. “So you’ll help us?” Sarah asks, just to be sure.

Malla shrugs, and a small, warm smile settles on her face. “We do have the same name,” she says.

Sarah’s cheeks hurt from smiling in return. “I suppose.”

---

A loud thud echoes through the chamber. Then again, and again. With a lot of repetitive effort, the main door finally slams open.

“Goodness, people!” Bright shouts, beaming angrily. “Take a little longer, why don’t you? How hard can it be to ram down a door?!”

“It’s three feet of solid, electrified steel,” a security guard points out.

“Regardless!”

A crowd of employees and guards swarm into the Power Room, sweeping through the aisles. Bright follows, dusting off his already immaculate suit. “Find Sarah Chu and her little friends,” he commands. “And for god’s sake, watch out for that red-haired gremlin! She’s ruthless!” He shudders.

“Hey, Bright!”

His head snaps up, and then his expression drops with dawning horror.

“How’s it going?”

“Now hold on…” Bright is sweating. “We can talk this out!”

Sarah’s jerry-rigged the control panel for the plasma vats. With one press of a button, the glass covers preventing their contents from ‘evaporating into the air and wasting a million dollars’ will pop open.

“I apologize for trying to kill you!” Bright calls to her, inanely. “Why don’t we renegotiate? I’d love to have you on my payroll, even now! And…and we would be very responsible with your technology, oh yes! Tell her, Malla!”

“He told me he wanted to make Talent suppressor water-guns,” Malla says. “For the youth.™”

“I never said that!” Bright lies. “Listen, I don’t think you understand how much money we’re willing to offer you! You could do anything you wanted! No rules, no restrictions, no one standing in your way. You’d be set for life; your great-great-great grandchildren would be set for life! You don’t need to worry about anyone else!”

Penwood and Ambre listen to his speech, open-mouthed. Of course they would; as much as they care about Sarah on a personal level, Bright’s pitching them their wildest dreams. But this decision isn’t up to them, it’s up to her.

They may be selfish, but Penwood made things clear—they like her better than mad-science and power trips.

And that sort of selfishness is just fine with her.

“No one’s forcing me to worry about people,” Sarah calls down. “No one’s forcing me to worry about anything! And all those rules and restrictions, they don’t bother me. If they make the world a better place, why would I have a problem?”

“They…!” Bright sputters. “They make the world a boring place! They make it a safe place! Don’t you understand, Ms. Chu?!”

“Yeah, better than you!” Sarah yells. “And that’s Doctor Chu!!”

She pushes the button.

Bright clutches at his skull, gibbering in disbelief while his employees freeze at the loss of guidance. Ambre laughs and tries to grab at the mist like a child. Penwood sighs, grumpy as usual, but he watches the air glow with a sort of wonder. Malla nudges Sarah’s arm.

“Hey. Is this stuff going to poison us?”

Sarah chuckles, “Probably not!”

“How reassuring.”

The air is still purple as the four of them descend to the main floor. Bright is scrambling, trying to push the glass covers back into place, for all the good they’ll do now.

“You…” He turns to Sarah, his expression the utter picture of despair. “Look what you’ve done. I’ll— I’ll sue you! I’ll ruin your life! You’ll be fired!!”

Sarah crosses her arms. “Of course I won’t,” she huffs. “You literally tried to kill me.”

The words seem to spark something in him, and Bright lunges for a nearby guard’s holster. He shoves the gun right in her face, hand shaking with rage, and Sarah’s stomach drops into her feet.

If moments like this move in slow-mo on TV, Sarah realizes that in real life, they’re like a blur. She catches glimpses, Penwoods hair in front of her, his elbow jabbing into her side on accident. Ambre’s hand outstretched, close to the barrel, about to throw his aim up to the ceiling.

Before Bright can fire, however, a raised voice gives him pause.

“When you called me, Chu, I can admit I was hoping to discover that the mess you three have landed yourselves in was the result of a misunderstanding. Clearly, my hopes have been dashed.”

All of them turn. Framed in the main doorway is Miriam Bosser, the head of the science division, and Sarah, Penwood, and Ambre’s direct supervisor.

The goody-two-shoes.

“Stand down, Brandon Bright,” Miriam says. From behind her, FHTC officers file into the room, and the Bright employees quickly surrender their weapons.

“This is…ridiculous,” Bright wheezes, the gun dropping from his hand. Sarah spares it a glance, then does a double-take. Oh yeah, he’s an idiot. It’s got the safety on.

Malla sets a hand on Bright’s shoulder. He stares up at her, pleading, like she can summon up a miracle and fix the disaster he caused.

“Mr. Bright,” Malla says. “I resign.”

Bright’s head drops down in defeat.

It’s over.

---

“You are not getting off scot free,” Miriam says sternly. “Not this time.”

The chaos is settling down. Sarah’s heart rate has returned to normal. Ambre is back to being bored. All in a day’s work!

“Sure, sure,” Penwood says, obnoxiously. “Just give us a slap on the wrist and let us get back to work.”

“I don’t think you realize the magnitude of this screw-up,” Miriam insists. “Bright Industries is our main supplier of Talent Plasma, and guess what they no longer have any stock of? Crale is going to rip my head off for allowing you three to run around unsupervised.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sarah asks, offended.

“You’re like children. When the three of you join together, the results are explosive. You’re the black sheep of the FHTC. If you weren’t so important, we’d have fired you—”

“Okay! Damn, that’s harsh!”

Miriam sighs. “My head is going to be ripped off.”

“Sorry for being so troublesome!”

“Don’t apologize.” Penwood grins. “You talk a big game, but you like rushing into danger as much as me and Ambre do. That’s why Miriam’s lumping you in with us.”

“That’s silly,” Sarah sputters. “I do not like danger!”

“You were the one who wanted to destroy all that plasma,” Ambre muses, “instead of running away.”

“I just—!”

Miriam’s eyes laser in on Sarah. “Is this true?” she asks, low and dangerous.

Sarah freezes. No other choice. She turns and runs. “Maybe-it’s-true-but-you-can’t-judge-me-I-was-under-duress-okay-see-you-later!!”

“Sarah Chu!” Miriam yells after her. “Get back here! You are actively being troublesome right now!”

It’s easy to forget her worries, with Ambre and Penwood cackling and the wind in her face and the adrenaline of the day still simmering under her skin. It’s easy to ignore the questions she faced and the answers she couldn’t give.

When you say things like that, it makes you sound like a child. You think the government won’t misuse your technology? You think they aren’t misusing it right now?

Hey, she said it herself! Sarah isn’t the most righteous person in the world.

Eventually, she’ll have no choice but to face herself. She isn’t quite sure what she’ll do, when that day comes. Will she run away again? Will it be right to run?

In the meantime, a few more mistakes can’t hurt.

---

Later that month, Sarah will have her first encounter with her dream girl. …Maybe her nightmare girl. How ironic!

Well, she does like danger.

#TDL #talent de lune #Arc 2.5

[marydublinauthor]

Random gt drabbles: Loveliness

Characters: The Wisp & Vampire (new!) @smol-smoggie is letting me play with them ;)

———————-

The Wisp sipped at the cordial in her thimble. Her master did the same, sitting beside her on the velvet seat. While part of her contentment was undoubtedly his aura, it was nice to see him so relaxed. There had been no need to worry about feeding for months now. His shirt was unbuttoned and sleeves rolled up to his elbows to welcome the cracking warmth of fire against his skin.

“I haven’t been paying enough attention to you as of late, have I?” he cocked his head to the side.

The Wisp crossed her legs on the back of the sofa. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’ve been planning so diligently, my lord.”

Perfect white teeth flashed. It was hard to imagine them as tools of anything other than that charismatic smile. “You’re too forgiving of me. But I will make it up to you tonight. I'm all yours.” He spread his arms wide.

The Wisp felt her glow brighten. “I wonder if you would share with me stories of your home village.”

“That was so long ago, my little love,” he replied, shaking his head.

“I know you remember all of it.”

He met her gaze meaningfully, but did not immediately acquiesce her request. He was impossible to read.

“One day,” he purred, setting down his goblet. “I will tell you my name, as well. I want to hear it on your lips.”

He turned and leaned towards her, touched a fingertip to her mouth. He pressed into her, nearly making her drop her glass. Something turned thick in the air as he dragged the single digit to rest over her throat. Her heartbeat quickened - she could not help it. His eyes darted over her, smile widening at the compliment of her tiny pulse hammering under his slight ministration. He had told her before that he could hear her blood pounding when the house was quiet. He said it was like listening to the loveliest aria.

A faint THUD sounded in the manor. “Please let me go! Someone help me!”

Fists banged over and over, rattling the floor beneath them ever so dully. Her master drew away with a flicker of irritation.

“Apologies,” he murmured.

He rose and strode out of the room with purposeful strides. The Wisp finished her cooling beverage and flew down to sit on the rim of his glass to help herself to a bit of his. She did not envy those wretched souls who agitated him.

After a minute or so, the pounding stopped. The cries heightened into curdling shrieks — “NO, God please don’t. Don’t touch me, please, no, no, no…”

The cordial in the goblet rippled as three vicious impacts shook through the manor. Then, blessed silence.

The Wisp drank deeply, staring into the fire.

Her master did not dally, and strode into the room not long after with a spring to his step. He wiped blood off his mouth with his hand and sat before her.

“And here I thought I had overindulged earlier. Where were we?”

#random gt drabbles #gt writing #giant tiny #giant #vampire #wisp/vampire #gt fearplay #gt fiction #g/t story #g/t #g/t community #g/t writing

[badiadesign]

Healthy Living Tips for a Balanced Lifestyle

Healthy Living Tips for a Balanced Lifestyle

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Water plays a vital role in every bodily function. Aim for at least 8–10 glasses daily, adjusting for physical activity and climate.

A diverse diet not only offers a range of nutrients but also keeps meals interesting and enjoyable. Moderation helps in maintaining a healthy weight and prevents nutritional deficiencies.

Planning meals can help maintain a balanced diet and avoid last-minute unhealthy choices. Consider prepping meals in advance and using healthy cooking methods like grilling or steaming.

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Engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity weekly, as recommended by health authorities. Regular physical activity reduces the risk of chronic diseases, improves mood, and boosts energy levels.

Balance your exercise routine with strength training and flexibility exercises. This helps in building muscle, improving posture, and reducing injury risk.

Incorporate physical activity into your daily life. Choose walking over driving for short distances, take up active hobbies like gardening, or participate in community sports.

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Chronic stress can lead to serious health issues. Incorporate stress-reducing activities like meditation, deep breathing exercises, or yoga into your routine.

Quality sleep is non-negotiable for mental and physical health. Create a relaxing bedtime routine, maintain a sleep-conducive environment, and aim for 7–9 hours of sleep each night.

Keep your brain engaged and challenged. Regular mental stimulation can improve brain function and reduce the risk of cognitive decline. Read, solve puzzles, or learn new skills.

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Healthy relationships are key to emotional well-being. Foster connections with family, friends, and community. Engage in social activities that bring joy and provide support.

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If emotional or mental health issues arise, it’s crucial to seek professional help. Therapists, counselors, and support groups can provide the necessary assistance.

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Distinguish between urgent and important tasks. Use tools like to-do lists or digital planners to manage your time efficiently.

Establish boundaries between work and personal life. Learn to say no when necessary and delegate tasks to maintain balance.

Leisure and Recreation: Make time for activities that bring happiness. Whether it’s a hobby, sports, or simply spending time with loved ones, leisure activities are essential for a balanced life. 6. Healthy Habits: Building Blocks of a Balanced Lifestyle

A consistent routine can significantly impact your physical and mental health. Include time for work, exercise, relaxation, and social activities in your daily schedule.

Identify and address habits that negatively impact health, such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, or a sedentary lifestyle. Seek support if needed to make positive changes.

Stay informed about health trends and research. Adapt your lifestyle to include new findings and recommendations for a healthier life.

7. Environmental Wellness: Your Surroundings Matter

Time spent in nature can have profound benefits on mental and physical health. Regular exposure to natural environments can reduce stress, improve mood, and enhance cognitive function.

Make environmentally conscious choices. This not only benefits your health but also contributes to a healthier planet.

A clean, organized environment can reduce stress and improve focus. Regularly de-clutter and organize your living and working spaces.

8. Technology and Health: Finding a Balance

Excessive screen time can lead to physical and mental health issues. Set limits on the use of devices, especially before bedtime, to reduce exposure to blue light, which can disrupt sleep.

Use technology to enhance your health. Apps for meditation, exercise, and diet tracking can be valuable tools.

Regular digital detoxes can help maintain a healthy balance between the virtual and real world. It can improve sleep, relationships, and overall well-being.

9. Mindful Eating: A Holistic Approach to Nutrition

Pay attention to what you eat and savor each bite. Mindful eating involves being fully present during meals, which can lead to better digestion and satisfaction.

Learn to recognize hunger and fullness cues. Eating in response to physical rather than emotional cues is crucial for maintaining a healthy weight and relationship with food.

Meals are also social occasions. Enjoying food with others can enhance the eating experience and foster connections.

10. Lifelong Learning: The Journey to Health

As life evolves, so do your health needs. Be open to modifying your lifestyle in response to aging, changes in physical ability, and other life stages.

View health as a lifelong journey. Celebrate small victories and learn from setbacks.

Keep up with the latest health and wellness research. Attend workshops, read books, or follow reputable health experts.

Take a Look at Online Weight Loss Products for detailed information. In Conclusion — Healthy Living Tips for a Balanced Lifestyle

Adopting a balanced lifestyle is a continuous journey that encompasses a range of practices and habits. By integrating these comprehensive healthy living tips into your daily life, you can achieve a harmonious balance of mind, body, and spirit. Remember, it’s the small, consistent changes that lead to lasting results. Embark on your journey to a healthier, happier life today.  Additional Source: Online Weight Loss Products

#weightloss #weight loss diet #health #health and wellness #supplements #how to lose weight fast #weight loss #i wanna lose weight #nutrition #healthy living #healthylifestyle #healthy diet

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

Finding Something More

Prompt: Is there such thing as Loki with the Avengers found family hurt/comfort? And if so...may I has? - anon

Gonna be honest, folks, this one's weird.

Read on Ao3

Warnings: implied/referenced child abuse, mind control recovery, odin's a+ parenting

Pairings: none

Word Count: 3213

After the Battle of New York, everyone expects the Tesseract to be taken back to Asgard, along with Loki, the perpetrator of the battle and the reason for the loss of so many lives. 

It comes as quite a surprise, then, when the god refuses to go back to Asgard and unconditionally surrenders to stay on Earth. 

But if they've learned anything over the past few weeks, it's that they're nothing if not adaptable. So Avengers Tower finds itself playing host to an Asgardian who seems...well. 

Isn't what he seems.

  The Man of Iron is his first friend. 

It’s admittedly strange to describe them as friends, especially when their first proper interaction was the man striding around and telling him he’s planning to threaten him and offering him a drink in the same breath. Still, there are only so many pointed quips and barbs they can throw at each other before a small amount of camaraderie begins to form. 

And, of course, there is his cell. 

It’s not one of the prison cells on Asgard, certainly, and it’s not the massive glass cylinder they held him in on the Helicarrier, but a cell nonetheless. A penthouse, if Stark is to be believed, complete with all the amenities a rich man on Midgard can offer. Except, of course, the freedom to leave. 

The words freedom is life’s great lie did one exit his mouth, however, so he’ll take what he can get. At least here, he’s not subject to the whims and wishes of the All-Father. 

So here he is, a prisoner on a planet he once tried to rule, listening to the idle prattle of a hero who stopped him. 

“I don’t know, I think it’s a bit too flashy.” Stark turns the screen around, on which is what passes for worthy of worship on Midgard, a human who looks digitally altered even when they move in real-time. “What do you think?”

“The gold doesn’t compliment their undertones. What was the stylist thinking?”

“Mm. You a tailor?”

“Most of my wardrobe used to be bespoke. And unlike Thor, I paid attention.”

Stark snorts. “So I was right. You are a prima donna.”

“Not a prima donna,” Loki corrects, leaning back against the couch, “the prima donna. I’m the original.”

Stark snorts again, waving his hand until the screen vanishes. “That why you came to Earth? To inspire the masses with your fancy Asgardian ways?”

Loki toys with the glass in his hand. The liquor isn’t strong enough to affect him, but the taste is nice. “Earth was supposed to be conquerable. Easy to subjugate. A primitive race of peoples designed to serve.”

“And how’d that go for you?” Loki gestures aimlessly around. “Mhm.”

“It’s hardly the first time I’ve been lied to about a people,” he sighs, “I suppose I should’ve expected it.”

Stark is quiet for a moment. He takes a sip of his own drink. “Meaning?”

“Surely it didn’t escape your notice that Thor so graciously pointed out that I was adopted?”

“Came up in conversation.”

“And I suppose he told you the oh-so aggrandizing tale of how the ever-benevolent All-Father found me, a babe of his enemy, on the remains of a battleground?” He raises his hands. “And took me in under the guise of an Asgardian babe, a tool to be used to rule the Frost Giants if they so much as dared raise a hand against him?”

A sardonic smile twists his face.

“Was it a testament to the mercy of Asgard? Or a warning about how I was always destined to become a monster?”

Stark stares at him for a long moment. “Actually, he just said you were adopted.”

Loki pauses. “Ah.”

Well. 

That’s…inconvenient. 

Stark hums, looking down at his drink, swirling it around as well. “You know, my dad hated me too.”

“What?”

“Oh, he loved the attention,” Stark says, “loved having a protege, loved having proof that he was such a genius, even his children were savants. But actual me? No, couldn’t be bothered. I was sent off to nannies and governesses and boarding schools. Shipped me off like a product to be manufactured somewhere else.”

Loki narrows his eyes. “Why are you telling me this?”

“One, because you’re never leaving this room and who else are you going to tell?”

“Fair point.”

“And two,” Stark says, standing, “because maybe you and I have a bit more in common than we thought.”

Loki looks up at him. “Perhaps we do.”

2.   Next is the Captain. The Soldier, the Man out of Time. 

Stark was right, it’s too easy to come up with nicknames for Steve Rogers. 

At first, he’s painfully boring. What did you want? Who sent you? What were your plans? Honestly, he’s half-tempted to tell the man that this is all part of his plan and the rest is just waiting for the other shoe to drop. But there’s something horribly earnest about the man’s expression and so he finds himself offering little kernels of truth, just enough to make him go away and leave him in peace. 

Then he’s having a bad day when the Captain walks in. He should’ve learned his lesson with Stark, about not sharing information about himself, not unprompted, but he’s no different from any other creature in a cage, lashing out. 

“Is this entertaining for you,” he spits before he can so much as sit down, “to poke and prod at me like some great wonder? If you push the right button will a prize fall out?”

To his credit, Rogers doesn’t even flinch. He just finishes sitting down. “What makes you say that?”

Loki scoffs. “Don’t play dumb, Captain. I know why you’re holding me here. I’m too much of a threat to be left alone and you managed to convince Thor not to take me back to Asgard.”

Rogers doesn’t say anything. 

“That’s all you humans know, isn’t it?” He sits forward, glaring daggers into the man’s skull. “Lock up what you don’t understand, poke it until you do, banish it away forever if it proves to be a threat? Are you to strap a collar to me as well, strip me of my magic?”

“No.”

He scoffs. “Am I to perform tricks for you, then? Am I your dancing monkey?”

Finally. The Captain’s expression tightens. Loki braces himself, ready for whatever punishment the Captain chooses to dish out, perhaps he can sneak past, make it to the door—

“You know, the first thing SHIELD did to me when I got out of the ice was stick me in a dummy room to see what I would do.”

He blinks. Rogers is still staring at him, but not in anger. 

“They made up a room to look like it was from the 1940s,” he continues, “they even dressed up an agent to look like one of the SSR ones.” 

“…what for?”

“Fury wanted to see what I would do.” Rogers leans his weight onto his elbows. “Was I some dumb hick they dressed up in a spangly uniform, or could I look at things and figure out what was really going on? And if I did find out they were lying to me, what would I do?”

Loki swallows. “And what did you do?”

“I broke through the fake wall and ran out into the street until they had to stop me with a squadron of cars.”

He snorts. “I can’t imagine Fury was very pleased.”

“Oh, he was.” A bitterness enters his voice. “Because that meant I was smart enough to be used. I was once again useful enough to be their dancing monkey.”

Loki frowns. “And you worked for SHIELD anyway.”

“Yeah.” Rogers looks down. “Yeah, I did.”

“…why?”

He looks back up. “Because it was what I was used to. I’m a soldier. I fight battles. It’s what was expected of me.”

What was expected of me. 

He has a memory. A memory of staring up into the face of someone he once called Father who told him that he was nothing more than another stolen relic, locked up only to serve a use. 

Rogers stands up. “I’ll talk to Tony about getting your access changed so you can move about the Tower. And for the record, I never said you couldn’t ask me questions either.”

Loki stares after him as he leaves. 

3.   He raises an eyebrow when Dr. Banner walks in next. 

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“No,” he says as he sits down, “which is why JARVIS is on standby and Cap’s right outside the door.”

“Mm.” He sits up, setting his book down and folding his hands. “And what is it that I can do for you, Bruce?”

“When did you first find out you were a Frost Giant?”

He blinks. Well. That certainly was…unexpected. “Not here to ask some science question?”

“What for? It’s not like you’d give me an answer that’s helpful. You’d explain it in Asgardian terms I’d need Thor to translate and I’m not willing to have that conversation yet.”

“Is there some animosity I’m sensing, Bruce?”

“Why, so you can pry us apart?” Bruce shakes his head. “No. I just prefer dealing with one Asgardian at a time.”

Loki hums. “Jumping straight into it, then? What would you like to hear? About how during an invasion of Thor’s coronation, a Frost Giant grabbed my arm and I turned as blue as they? Or how I held the very heart of winter and let it turn me into the monster I had always been?”

He leans forward. 

“Or the terrified look on my poor mother’s face when she saw what I had become? The darkness that lurked deep inside of me?”

Bruce doesn’t flinch. “Or when you found out that the man who was supposed to be your father lied to you for your entire life?”

This time it’s Loki who flinches. Bruce just watches him. 

“What do you hope to gain, Dr. Banner?”

“Perspective.”

“Of what?”

“You.” 

“Why?” He instinctively draws his arms in. “Is it my turn to become the monster everyone fears? Were you not satisfied with throwing me around already?”

“No, that was plenty satisfying.” 

Loki scoffs. “So what, now you mean to flay me alive?”

“I didn’t ask to become the Hulk, you didn’t ask to be a Frost Giant. I was lied to, so were you.”

He doesn’t respond. 

Bruce sighs, already standing. “Maybe we can make our own choices about what to do with them.”

“How noble.”

“Nothing noble about trying to survive,” he calls over his shoulder, “you should come down to the living room sometime.”

4. “You know, I believe you’re still the only person who can sneak up on me like that.”

Agent Romanoff smiles at him as he sits down. He spreads his hands. 

“How shall I cooperate with you this time?”

“You can tell me who hurt you.”

He frowns. “I beg your pardon?”

“No one makes a threat like the one you did without understanding exactly how to hurt someone.” She stares at him knowingly. Too knowingly. “And you don’t learn something like that without being hurt first.”

He shifts. “You sound like you speak from experience.”

“I do.” She tilts her head. “And so do you.”

There’s no trick here. No lies, no deception. They have enough mutual respect to know that whatever dance one of them begins would never end unless there was a knife buried in between their ribs. 

He could stay quiet. She wouldn’t hold it against him. But she is patient, he knows, he doesn’t know if he is. Not like this. 

“…you were made,” he says finally, “you were created for a purpose. And you decided it wouldn’t be yours when someone showed you that you could be different.”

She doesn’t acknowledge his statement, just that he has spoken. “You were a trigger, ready to be pulled.” He hesitates. “…as was I.”

“A trigger?”

“A weapon. A bargaining chip. A token,” he spits, “and something to be regarded only as such.”

She watches him closely. 

“I was a vessel. For the guilt of an old man, for the fear of a kingdom, and for the hatred of many. To be filled and used up when useful and then discarded.” He smiles mirthlessly. “It would never do to have a Frost Giant on the throne of Asgard.”

“And before?”

“Before what?”

“Before you found out that you were a Frost Giant, what were you?”

His mouth twists at the memory of bruises, harsh fingertips, and half-darkness. 

“Convenient.”

For perhaps the first time since he has arrived, he doesn’t feel uncomfortable sitting in silence with another person. 

Slowly, she stands and comes to sit next to him. 

“They won’t touch you,” she says in a very quiet voice, “not again.”

“You either.”

5. Barton knocks. 

He’s the only one to do so. 

Now, where Bruce definitely had some grounds on which to be angry at him, Barton had enough to put an arrow through his skull. He thinks he can’t really be blamed for the way he hesitates before allowing him entry. 

“Hey, man.”

“Barton.”

Barton looks around. “Nice place you got here. Tony really tricked it out.”

He glances about the room. It’s…fine, really, he can’t find a thing to complain about, but that doesn’t explain why Barton’s making…small talk. 

“Can I sit?”

He nods. 

“Thanks.”

He waits for the interrogation, the words, something, but it never comes. Barton just drums his fingers together, seemingly content to sit in the silence. 

“…did you want something?”

Barton looks at him. “Yeah, actually, now that you mention it.”

He shifts a little. 

“How long were you being controlled?”

Loki stiffens. “What?”

“You were being controlled, same as I was.” Barton gestured to his eyes. “You had the same look I did. Your eyes changed color at the end of the fight. So how long did they have you?”

“I…I don’t know,” he says slowly, trying to figure out the trap, “I don’t know how long it was.”

“Okay, what’s the last thing you remember before?”

“Pain.” He clenches his fist. “Just pain. Pain and the great ugly face of the titan Thanos.”

“Thanos?”

“A mad titan that wants to destroy the universe, yes. He’s who wanted the Tesseract.”

“Mm. So he mind-controlled you to, what, get it for him?” When Loki doesn’t respond, Barton sighs. “Look, man, do you know what the others have been doing?”

“Deciding whether or not to kill me?”

“No. They’re trying to figure out the magic of your scepter. Except it’s not really yours, is it?”

A chill slams through him and he sits up straight. “Tampering with that will only lead to darkness and despair. Don’t play with forces you cannot hope to control.”

“Whoa, easy,” Barton says, holding up a hand, “don’t shoot the messenger. Thor wants to know what happened to you, that’s why he’s okay with it.”

“…to me?”

“Yeah. You were being controlled, he’s not happy about it, and wants to know why.”

Loki stares at him. “How can you stand to be in the same room as me?”

Barton shrugs. “We all have to deal with our shit. I’m dealing with mine my way, you deal with yours your way.”

He just stares at him for a long moment. 

“Any help you can give us,” Barton continues, “is good. We’re not—your life here is not contingent upon you…I dunno, being the villain. You’re here now. You gotta live with it like we all do.”

Loki’s jaw stays on the floor long after Barton leaves. 

+1.

Through it all, Thor is there. 

He comes to sit with Loki when he’s first getting used to the boundaries of his room, checking up on his injuries. He talks with Loki when he needs to yell and scream, an immovable shield that catches thrown objects and flailing fists. He’s a shoulder to cry on when Loki wakes up screaming from phantom pain and grinning six-fingered creatures.

When Stark changes his access protocols, he gives him a tour. Then he insists on walking with Loki every day, even going up to the roof deck for fresh air. He offers to train with him, read with him, just…spend time together. 

Loki doesn’t understand why. 

Why is Thor doing this? Why is Thor acting like nothing happened? Why is Thor acting like he didn’t betray him, didn’t become a monster, didn’t hurt him?

And why did Thor agree not to take him back to Asgard?

It all comes to a head during another nightmare, one that has Loki bolting upright with sweat soaking his sheets, breath going faster than his heart. He clutches a hand to his chest with the memory of something skewering through it, trying to calm down. 

He is not with the Other. He is not with Thanos. He is not on Asgard. 

He is on Midgard.

No one will touch him here.

A soft chime at his door and he looks up to see Thor already there, draping a warm blanket over one arm and a tankard of something steaming in the other. 

“I brought your favorite,” he says quietly, helping Loki pull the blanket over himself, “all for you.”

It’s a warm sweet drink, the steam wafting up his nose as he drinks. He tries to breathe slower, leaning into the warmth of Thor’s hand rubbing circles into his back. He’s safe. He’s safe. He’s safe. 

“Better?”

Loki nods and Thor hums, scooting closer so Loki can rest his head on his shoulder. They stay like that until the drink grows cold. 

Loki swallows. “Why didn’t you take me back to Asgard?”

“Hmm?”

“You knew it would be safer if I were in their cells,” he continues, staring at the dark floor, “and it would give Midgard a chance to heal. Why didn’t you bring me back?”

Thor is quiet for a moment, then he moves to look at Loki’s face. “Why didn’t you want to go back?”

“What?”

“You had just been beaten,” Thor says, the dim lighting making it difficult to see his features, “and shot, and, well, you’d had the brainwashing power of the Mind Stone inflicted upon you. And you knew that whoever did that to you would come after you if you failed.”

Loki nods. Thor takes a deep breath. 

“You knew that Asgard would have fought off any invading forces with a much higher chance of success than Midgard,” Thor says, staring at him, “and that Frigga would’ve done her best to protect you.”

His mother’s name adds a new ache to the twist in his chest. 

“And there was something on Asgard that scared you worse than any of that.”

“I’m not scared.”

It sounds like a child. In many ways, it is. 

“I wasn’t going to take you back to somewhere that scared you more than the threats of a mad titan,” Thor says lowly, “not when I had just gotten you back.”

“…you must think very little of me.”

“Loki, I thought the world of you.” He runs a hand through Loki’s hair. “I still do.”

“Even after everything,” he can’t help but say, “you still think of me as your brother?”

“You are my brother,” Thor says firmly, “I choose you to be.”

Oh. 

Oh. 

“And what,” he says, swallowing, “what if I choose you to be my brother in return?”

Thor smiles and leans down to rest their foreheads together. “Then I will celebrate that my brother has come home.”

His fingers twist shyly into Thor’s shirt. “Is this home, brother?”

“It can be.”

…perhaps he can live with that. 

#dragonbabbles #fic #marvel #mcu #marvel cinematic universe #loki

[connorwhumpaddict]

Deserving of pain (Part 2)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Epilogue

Summary: Reed sets his wicked plan in motion, poor Connor is in for a hard time..

---

Chapter 2: Synthetic muscle control

Reed smirked as he discreetly plotted in the DPD's service code for their RK800 android model on the handheld remote. It had been easy to find, noted in the Tin Can’s employment file. What fucking joke, an employment file for a machine! It should be categorized under department equipment at most! Didn’t matter though, all that mattered was the thrill of anticipation that rushed through him when the code was confirmed and a small ‘connected’ alert popping up on screen. Immediately a flood of manual controls and override commands was made available for him to alter in the RK800 model.

Reed looked up to look at the Android standing in the front of the large conference room, preparing its presentation. Fowler had requested that thing to do a lecture on how to handle and negotiate high risk situations when faced with emotionally or mentally unstable, armed assailants. All officers from team Alpha to Delta were obligated to participate. Anderson, thank God wasn’t present as he’d been asked to consult on an ongoing Red Ice ring investigation in the precinct’s narcotic division. Normally it would’ve pissed Reed off, being forced to waste his time with the notion that he could have anything to learn from an inhumane equipment piece! But it did offer the perfect opportunity for him to try out his new device, so it wasn’t all bad. Which is how he was now sitting at the back of the room, leaned back on his chair, his right ankle crossed over his left knee in a causal sprawl. Luckily, it was very in character for him to sit in the back and it enabled him to discreetly work the remote unnoticed while still giving him the perfect vantage point to see its effects on Connor.

“Alright, everyone please sit down and settle!” Connor called out to the room in an authoritative manner. “With everyone present I’ll start with a brief run through of todays program and what tools I expect you to gain when you’ve completed this class.” He cybernetically turned on the HD viewing screen behind him and gestured to the presented schedule on the board. “Please feel free to ask any questions you may have as we proceed.”

Everyone immediately quieted down and turned their full attention to the RK800, all seemingly fully at ease at having to take a lecture from a fucking machine that have only worked on the force for barely a year! Well, they would all soon see that perfect façade crumble.

He let the class commence for about 35 minutes, letting it reach a good flow and allow everyone to be deeply enthralled in its stupid teachings. He looked to the digital screen on the remote, hidden in his jacket pocket, and found an option that read ‘synthetic muscles limit test’. A brief description appeared on the screen, explaining the test function; [Test isolated synthetic muscle groups’ flexibility and durability // Choose area on screen]

When opened it showed a full pictured, rotatable schematic of the RK800 model, allowing him to choose a specific area to affect. Reed pressed the leg on the left side. When pressed, the area lit up blue and a slide bar appeared on the bottom of the screen with the command; [Left leg component // Adjust tension setting // Current tension 5%]

With a sinister smile on his lips Reed slowly adjusted the setting higher, looking expectantly to where Connor was standing as he was giving a verbal walkthrough of a videotaped hostage situation.

“It is always preferable to establish a direct communication with a hostage taker, if possible. It allows for you to better assess and evaluate the offender’s physical as well as mental state.” Connor was midst explaining as he pointed to the screen. “There are several signs you must look for when you..” [Current tension 35%] Suddenly the deviant let out a stained groan and quickly reached out to catch himself on a desk in front of him, when suddenly the synthetic muscle in his left thigh cramped up making his leg almost give out from under him.

“Connor, is everything alright?” Wilson asked concerned as he saw his friend catch himself. The rest of the class looked up as well, pausing in their note scribblings to see what was happening.

“Y-Yes..” Connor quickly lied. [Current tension 46%]. He clenched his teeth to stop himself from crying out as the pain in his leg continued to increase with the muscles contracting even tighter. He took to his affected thigh in an illogical attempt to decrease the pressure. His LED pulsed in a quick mix of yellow and red as he quickly ran a diagnostic check on all his systems, but not finding any errors. [Current tension 10%]. But just as quickly the pain had come it almost disappeared again returning his LED to blue. Confused, but relieved the pain had subsided he pulled himself back to full height so he could resume his class.

“I apologize. I believe I just suffered a momentary fault in my leg’s synthetic muscle component. I’m fine now so let’s continue.” He quickly offered as explanation and carried on with the lesson in a professional manner.

Reed had to bite the inside of his cheeks to not laugh out loud. He looked to the screen again doing an amused inner eeny, meeny, miny, moe to select the next area he wanted to mess with. "Abdominals, great choice! Might as well set it a bit higher this time."

“As I was saying, there are several signs to look for when dealing with an unstable criminal. First you must try and assess to the best of your ability whether the person in question is injured. Knowing potential injury can both be used as a negotiation incentive or, in worst case be used as a potential weakness if the altercation escalates violently. Next..” [Current tension 70%] Connor couldn’t contain a pained shout as his abdominal muscles suddenly contracted unbearably, making the android fold together, arms wrapped across his middle and fall to the floor on his knees. It felt like his abdominal walls were ripped apart from the inside in a constant unyielding weave of anguish.   

“Connor!?” Officer Wilson called out in worry. He and officer Person quickly on their feet to come to the detective’s aid. The rest of the class looked on with concern, some half standing, unsure if they should try and help or stay put and out of the way as Wilson and Pearson jumped to action first.

Connor’s forehead was almost touching the ground from his curled-up position, his breath ragged and fast as ventilation components didn’t have enough room to expand with his synthetic abdominal walls clenching so tightly. His system desperately tried to compensate by speeding up his breath in short gasps to try and cool his rising inner temperature.

“Connor, talk to me, what’s happening?” Person called out as she kneeled in front of the android and put a comforting as well as stabilizing hand on his shoulder.

“I.. I d-don’t.. Know..” Connor gasped out between his shallow breaths, his eyes tightly clenched and his LED spinning a solid angry red. “My system.. I-Isn’t detecting any.. Errors.. But my synthetic muscles a-are.. Malfunctioning s-somehow..”

[Current tension 26%] Connor sputtered a loud exhale before finally pulling a full breath in, as the piercing pain in his abdomen finally let up considerably although not completely, but the pain was at least manageable now.

“Hey, you okay? Did it stop?” Wilson asked.

“N-Not completely but it has subsided.” Connor answered and finally looked up, feeling embarrassed and vulnerable to be malfunctioning so badly in front of a crowd. He forced himself back up on slightly shaky legs, Wilson and Person following ready to catch him if he should stumble again.

“Take it easy kid! We should call it a day and have you checked by John.” Ben, the most senior officer in the room said as he too stood from his seat.

“That.. That might be for the best.. My self-diagnostic program is unable to identify any glitches, errors or viruses in my systems. A technician’s assessment is the next logical course of action.” Connor agreed, still slightly unnerved by the unexplainable bursts of pain he just suffered through.

Ben nodded and turned to address the rest of the room. “Alright day’s over! You’ll all get a notice when todays class will be rescheduled. Dismissed!”

Reed stood up, satisfied he not only succeeded in taking the plastic prick down a couple of notches and embarrass him in front half of the precinct he also got to bail on the Tin Can’s lame ass class. Even better!

The conference room emptied quickly, and Reed returned to his desk. A few minutes later he saw as Connor was making his way down the hallway and across the bullpen on his unsteady legs, one arm still wrapped around his torso, towards the elevator to make his way upstairs for his checkup. Ben, Wilson and Person all surrounded him in a protective kind of way, probably at the ready should he have another attack.

"And why not?" Reed thought and reached back into his pocket unnoticed. He was in the middle of choosing what area he wanted to attack next when he heard Anderson make his way through the office towards his little plastic pet.

“Hey kid, what gives? I thought you were teaching a class all day?”

The RK model let out a disheartened sigh. “I was, but unfortunately I’ve experienced a fault in my synthetic muscle functions that hindered my ability to teach my class sufficiently. Ben suggested I see the staff technician since my own systems runs have not been able to identify the error.” Connor informed regretfully, clearly displeased he’d not been able to complete his class.

“Shit, what kind of error are we talking?” Hank asked concerned at the news.

“It’s nothing to worry about Hank, I’m sure John will be able to fix it.” Connor brushed off quickly, clearly not wanting to worry his partner and father figure.

“Yeah, how bout’ you let me be the judge of that? What happened son?” The gray-haired Lieutenant asked once again.

“Just some minor muscle spasm, I promise I’m fine now.” Connor defended, not elaborating further.

“Mmhmm..” Hank hummed unconvinced but didn’t want to pressure the kid any further. He knew Connor valued his privacy and this obviously was a matter he did not want to discuss further while standing in the middle of public office area. All Hank knew was that he could see the concern and protectiveness burning in Wilson, Pearson and Ben’s eyes and Connor certainly never had a need for three officers to ‘escort’ him to the staff technician before, unless they wanted to stay close if the android needed help.

“Alright, then let’s not keep you, off we go.” Hank said and placed his hand on the brown-haired android’s shoulder to guide him onwards to the elevator.

“Not so fast.” Reed thought giddily. Anderson could not have shown up at a better time. He was going to enjoy this. He quickly Choose the largest muscle group he could find and cranked the bar up!

[Combined back/shoulder components // Current tension 84%]

“ARRGHH!” Connor cried out, he tried to catch himself by the back of a nearby office chair as he stumbled forwards, but it only ended up being knocked over with him as he collapsed to the floor in pure agony. A white soaring fire of painful cramps wrecking up his entire back and shoulder region, sending jolts of pain straight through his aluminum spinal structure throughout his plasticmetal frame.

“Shit! Connor?!” Hank immediately sank to his knees at Connor’s side.

“Someone get John the fuck down here, now!!” Ben called out sharply, two young officers immediately running off to do as ordered.

[Current tension 100%]

“FUUCK!” Connor cursed loudly as the pain increased once again. He lay face down towards the floor, back arching down and fists tightly clenched as he suffered through the worst pain he’d ever felt. Behind his clenched eyes warnings of his rising stress levels and failure messages regarding his affected muscle components piled on top of each other, as they were literally starting to rip apart and break down from the unnatural and extreme strain they suffered despite no apparent cause.

For many it was the first time they’d ever heard the deviant utter a curse and it might have been funny under different circumstances. As it was no one was laughing as they could only look in compassion and horror as their friend and colleague endured an invisible kind of pain they were unable to soothe or help him through.

Reed was careful to school his features to not let on how much he was enjoying the sight of the Tin Man finally breaking down in front of everyone. He felt the remote vibrate in his pocket and glanced at it discreetly.

[WARNING // Overload on muscle component BK203-204, S25-S2, LB4-7LR and SPC1-33// Reduce pressure immediately]

[WARNING // Stress levels rising 82%^^// Seek stress reducing measures immediately]

It was showcasing the same warnings as Connor was currently receiving in his visual, but also popping up warnings to him alone, recomending ceasing the manual override as he was risking damaging the components and cause prolonged restitution time to the affected android. He scoffed slightly at the message and left the dial unchanged. He was going to make sure everybody here was going to see Roboboy wasn’t such a perfect wonder first! This was too good an opportunity to stop just yet.

“Hang on son, help is coming! Just try to breath for me..” Hank tried to reassure, angry and frustrated he could do nothing else to help his boy.

Captain Fowler had also been alerted to the commotion outside his office and excited to see what was happening. When he laid eyes on his downed deviant detective, on the floor, crying out and withering in pain he rushed forward in concern.

“What the hell is happening?”

“We don’t really know Captain. Connor just suddenly started having these painful episodes when he was teaching his class. They’re getting worse, the others didn’t seem as intense or last half this long.” Person answered on behalf of the group, her face pale and pinched as she could do nothing to help her friend.

Fowler ran both his hands across his bald head feeling powerless and aggravated that he couldn’t help the deviant, just as the rest of his officers in the room. “I’ve seen Connor take a fucking bullet without hardly wincing! This is bad, where the fuck is the tech?”

“Right here Cap!” John, the precinct technician answered as called. John was a handsome, tall, blonde, broad shouldered man in his mid-thirties. He exited the elevator in a run, with him he had a heavy boxed satchel full of equipment needed to run an exterior diagnostic. He fell to his knees besides the deviant and immediately feel into his caretaker mode.

“Connor, It’s John. I’m going to try and force you manually into stasis mode. I know it’s an uncomfortable override for you, but it’ll at least make you dormant and stop you from feeling pain until I can identify your problem, okay?” John was quick to explain in a kind voice. He gently placed one of his hands on the deviant’s arched back to comfort, hiding his slight distress as he could feel the rock hard cramping of the synthetic muscles flexing painfully underneath his palm. He quickly rummaged through his satchel, pulling out different kinds of equipment needed for the procedure.

“Y-Yes.. Just.. M-Make it stop! Please..” Connor managed to stammer out through clenched teeth.

“I will, I promise. What are your stress levels at?” John fished out a tablet and a small disk he connected to Connor’s rapidly pulsing red LED allowing him to read all information he needed on screen, but wanting to keep the deviant talking to distract just a bit from his current agony.

“Eighty four p-percent..”

“And your core temperature?” John tapped away at the tablet with lightning speed.

“I-It’s 100.4 and ri..”

Reed chose this moment to up the ante once again before John would ruin his fun and selected the right leg and left arm on the remote as well, despite the continuing warnings that he was causing damage that would require an extended recovery period and technical aid. As if he cared.

[Right leg // Current tension 98%]

[Left arm // Current tension 96%]

Connor let out a piercing cry of anguish as the new weaves of pain washed over him as well.

“I-IT HURTS!! FUCK IT HURTS!!” Connor cried out helplessly on the floor, even more warning messages piling on top of each other clouding his visual, although he did not even have the wits to focus on what they were saying anymore. All he could concentrate on was the seemingly never-ending agony ripping through his body relentlessly.

“Fuck it’s getting worse!!” Hank ran his hand through Connor’s hair in what he hoped was a soothing motion even though it was probably more to sooth himself than it was Connor at the moment.

“Just hurry and knock him out already!” Fowler hurried John along.

“I’m trying!!” John’s forehead was glistening with sweat as he worked to free Connor of his pain as fast as possible but for some reason it was hard for him to gain a good connection, as if another signal was already blocking the receptor. Finally, he managed to hack into the main processor and initiate stasis mode.

Connor twitched violently a few times and let out a distressed sound of pain before finally going slack on the floor, his LED still shifting between yellow and red.

It was as though the whole room took a relieved breath as it the cries of pain and agony finally fell silent. Reed watched as his device screen read ‘connection lost’ and made sure it was all the way out of sight once again. This had worked even better than he’d dared hope.

Beside Connor, Hank ran his hand down his bearded chin. The lieutenant’s eyes were glassy and red, clearly deeply affected at seeing his partner, who he’d come to consider his son, suffer such a brutal and painful experience without being able to help or comfort the slightest.

“He’s out.” John sighed relieved, but also looked very troubled by the event. He placed a gentle hand on the center of the deviant’s chest and felt the thirium pump hammering underneath his palm.

“Wilson and Colins, please help me carry him upstairs to my lab. I need to run some tests while he’s still in stasis.”

Wilson and Colins were quick to jump into action and gently picked Connor up from the floor and carried him upstairs while John packed his bag.

“Is he going to be alright John?” Hank asked worriedly as the first, but all people around had the exact same question shining in their eyes and listened closely as well.

John sighed and ran a hand through his thick blonde hair. “I’ve never seen anything like this before, but I’ll do anything to find the cause and make sure Connor never have to suffer through something like that again, I promise.” John had been hired a few weeks after the revolution to offer aid and maintenance to all of Detroit police departments’ android personnel. He was very professional, but most importantly also made an honor in delivering a kind and personal care both physically and emotionally to all his patients. He’d however been quick to develop a particular soft spot for Connor during the past year. He was by far his most frequent patient since Connor tended to put himself in harm’s way to protect his colleagues, but the detective android’s charm and overall positive and kind demeanor had furthered his affection towards him. It’d been hard to see him suffer so much.

“I would like to monitor him throughout the night, but he should be resting in comfortable, familiar settings.” John looked to Hank. “I don’t want to intrude Lieutenant, but..”

Hank interrupted before he could get any further. “Not at all! I appreciate it greatly. I know the kid is in good hands with you! My couch may be old, but it’s comfortable as hell. I’ll feel much more at ease knowing you’ll be there to help me look after him.”

John nodded determinedly. “Great, I need about an hour to make a run through of his systems but afterwards we should get him home to rest. I’ll do the rest of my tests and repairs there.”

“Make sure to give me a full update on his condition John. I want you to make sure he’s healed and tended to probably. I won’t let Connor back into the field until you give him an all clear.” Fowler interjected.

“Understood Captain, I’ll make sure to do so.” John answered and they made his own way to his upstairs lab to begin his work Hank following close after, not wanting to be far from Connor’s side at this point.

As they’d left Fowler turned to the rest of his officers. “Alright I know we’re all worried about Connor, but he’s in good hands with John and Hank now. Please, try and return to work as normal as possible. I’ll make sure to update you all on his condition as well. Let’s all hope he’ll make a quick recovery and that this was a onetime thing.”

Everyone agreed and obeyed their captain’s order and returned to their work, although most of the people were still shaken and upset from the terrible experience. Reed too turned back to his screen, he was however trying to suppress his satisfied smirk and deep satisfaction. One time thing? Not a chance! He was going to make sure everybody knew not to trust a machine at work or in the field ever again!

#connorwhump #connor dbh #hurt/comfort #whump writing #whump fic #Whump Conner #Hurt/Comfort #angst with fluff #angst with a happy ending #Androids feel pain #Pain AU #oc character #dbh gavin reed #DBH characters

[magicalhideoutengineer]

For the final sequence, Grindelwald plots world domination as the wizarding leaders gather in 1932 at a monastery in Bhutan to elect the new Supreme Mugwump. The intent was to shoot the exterior scene outside. However, with rainy weather in London, they shot some of it in a sound stage, while the top section of the monastery set was an exterior build at Leavesden. Yet utilizing popular LED wall tech proved inappropriate here.

“We initially explored the LED panels but because we were putting in a landscape that would be far away and the sheer cost with a lot to shoot, it didn’t seem like the right tool,” Manz said. “But what we did do was wrap the whole stage in a graduated painted backing that approximated the rough colors of what would be put in there eventually. It was sky blue on one side to represent the landscape and a warmer color on the other to represent where the sun would be, and then the stage was covered in silk, and there were about 300 sky panels above that. It worked out well because we got the right bounce light match [along with everything else].”

The final battle between Dumbledore and Grindelwald (with VFX by Digital Domain) leans into an ethereal dreamscape look, and greatly benefited from fARsight’s VR planning capability. “We shot all of that action on the same set, but George changed the lighting so it was a lot brighter and had a lot more fill and a lot less shadow to give Jude and Mads a different look,” said Manz. “We worked out the choreography with the stunt team and actors using previs and stunt vis.

“The world around them is fracturing, and we were trying to link up the flip into the dark world in Berlin,” he added. “We then added that the cafe at the beginning [with Dumbledore and Grindelwald] would melt into the ethereal white world as well, so it all [connected] to the idea of questioning reality. Then we went back to previous ‘Potter’ films and the molten feel of their spells. But what we wanted to bring to this was that there were these two adults fighting close together and that quick, intense combat stuff. It’s a tease for that big battle between the two of them that eventually takes place in 1945.”

#fantastic beasts #secrets of dumbledore #fb3interview #christian manz #albus dumbledore #gellert grindelwald

[webtechnologyservice]

Maximize Your Startup Success with Cost-Effective MVP Development Services

Launching a startup can be thrilling yet daunting, especially when resources are limited, and the pressure to succeed is high. One strategic approach to mitigate risks and maximize efficiency is through Minimum Viable Product (MVP) development. This method not only streamlines the development process but also ensures that your product meets market demands without excessive initial investment.

The Role of MVP in Startup Success:

The primary aim of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is to develop a product that offers adequate functionality to reassure early adopters and gather valuable feedback to inform the development of subsequent products. This lean startup approach helps in identifying the core value proposition of your product, thus avoiding the common pitfall of overbuilding. Cost-effective MVP development services are designed to help startups test their business concepts with minimal resources while achieving maximum impact.

Benefits of Cost-effective MVP Development Services:

Choosing cost-effective MVP development services allows startups to allocate their limited funds judiciously, focusing on core functionalities that appeal to their target audience. This strategic focus helps in reducing the time and cost associated with the development cycle, enabling quicker launches and faster iterations. Such services also facilitate a better understanding of customer needs, which is crucial for refining the product and business strategy.

Exploring MVP software development services:

MVP software development services cater specifically to tech startups looking to develop software products such as mobile apps, web platforms, or other digital tools. These services involve strategic planning, essential feature selection, and rapid prototyping, which collectively ensure that the product enters the market quickly and efficiently. Utilizing these services, startups can gain valuable insights into the market's reaction to their product and make informed decisions about future developments.

How to Choose the Right MVP Service Provider:

Selecting the right service provider for your MVP development is critical. Look for companies that not only offer technical expertise but also align with your business vision and understand your market niche. Providers should be able to work within their budget constraints while delivering high-quality, scalable products. Additionally, effective communication and transparency throughout the development process are essential for a successful partnership.

Conclusion:

MVP development is a crucial tactic for entrepreneurs hoping to launch products successfully and efficiently. It lowers the risks connected with the introduction of new products by enabling firms to test, learn, and iterate. For expert guidance and high-quality development services, consider visiting deeporion.com. Their tailored MVP software development services are designed to help you transform your innovative ideas into market-ready products while staying within your budget constraints. With the right partner, your journey from concept to market leader can be both successful and sustainable.

[leanitcorp]

Mastering Marketing Automation: Lean IT’s Guide to Streamlining Your Business with Top Tools

Within the ever-changing world of digital marketing, where efficiency and customized communication are paramount, marketing automation is a game-changer. Read this blog to gain a comprehensive overview of marketing automation technologies and tips for putting best practices into action to improve your marketing campaigns. Explore Marketing Automation Marketing automation is the process of using technology to automate repetitive marketing processes. This allows firms to personalize communication, nurture prospects, and analyze data with minimum manual intervention. The goal is to increase the overall impact of marketing efforts while streamlining procedures and saving time.

Lean IT : Marketing Automation Tools

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems: CRM platforms such as HubSpot, Zoho CRM, or Salesforce serve as central repositories for customer data, facilitating marketing automation and tailored communication.

 Email Marketing Automation Platforms: Programs like Active Campaign, Marke to, or Mailchimp provide automated email campaigns that guarantee prompt and focused correspondence.

 Social Media Automation Tools: By helping to schedule and automate social media postings, Hootsuite, Buffer, or Sprout Social enables strategic planning ahead of time.

Lead generation and management tools: Lead pages, Unbounce, and OptinMonster are a few examples of platforms that help with lead generation and form creation. These tools also effortlessly integrate with marketing automation.

 Analytics and Reporting Tools: Campaign performance data may be gleaned via Google Analytics, Kiss metrics, or HubSpot Analytics, which is essential for enhancing and optimizing marketing tactics.

Learn Best Practices for Marketing Automation with Lean IT:

Establish Clear Objectives: Prior to deploying automation for lead nurturing, client retention, or sales acceleration, clearly define your marketing goals and objectives.

 Segment Your Audience: To improve the targeting and personalization of your communications, divide your audience into groups according to their demographics, behaviour’s, or degree of interaction.

Produce Captivating material: Write pertinent and captivating material that speaks to your readers at various points in their journey.

 Establish Workflows: To streamline the customer journey, create automated workflows that drive prospects through the sales funnel.

Customize Communication: Using client information to tailor messaging will boost interaction and give your audience a sense of importance.

Consistently Update and Cleanse Data: To guarantee accurate information for efficient automation, keep your database updated and clean.

Test and Optimize: For better performance, use A/B testing to optimize workflows, landing sites, and emails.

Track and Evaluate Results: Track the effectiveness of automated campaigns on a regular basis, evaluate important data, and use learnings to improve tactics.

Tools for marketing automation enable your business to increase the efficacy and efficiency of their marketing initiatives. Marketing automation is now a strategic necessity in the cutthroat world of digital marketing since companies can produce more successful, tailored, and targeted campaigns by utilizing these tools and following best practices.

Schedule a call with Lean IT to learn more about marketing automation to build your business.

Salesforce, the leading CRM platform, empowers nonprofits through dedicated partnerships. Nonprofit partners specialize in tailoring Salesforce solutions to meet the unique needs of charitable organizations. They leverage Salesforce's robust features to streamline operations, enhance donor engagement, and drive social impact efficiently. Additionally, Salesforce Managed Services Partners provide ongoing support and optimization to ensure nonprofits maximize their CRM investment. Customization partners offer tailored solutions, adapting Salesforce to specific organizational requirements. Furthermore, CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) consulting partners streamline complex sales processes, enabling nonprofits to efficiently manage and track revenue generation. Together, these partners empower nonprofits to amplify their mission-driven work effectively.

Read More At: https://leanitcorp.com/mastering-marketing-automation-lean-its-guide-to-streamlining-your-business-with-top-tools/

Tags: salesforce nonprofit partners, salesforce managed services partner, salesforce customization partners, salesforce cpq consulting

[nickssmith]

From Legacy to Lean: Streamlining Operations through Oracle Decommissioning

Introduction:

In today's fast-paced business landscape, organizations are constantly seeking ways to optimize their operations, reduce costs, and enhance agility. One strategy gaining traction is the decommissioning of legacy Oracle systems. By transitioning from legacy to lean, organizations can streamline their IT infrastructure, improve efficiency, and position themselves for future growth. In this blog, we'll explore the journey from legacy to lean, highlighting the benefits, challenges, and best practices of Oracle decommissioning.

The Case for Oracle Decommissioning:

Legacy Oracle systems, once the backbone of enterprise operations, can become cumbersome and costly to maintain over time. These systems may suffer from outdated technology, complex customizations, and high maintenance costs, hindering agility and innovation. By decommissioning Oracle systems, organizations can eliminate unnecessary overhead, simplify their IT landscape, and reallocate resources to more strategic initiatives.

Challenges and Considerations:

While the benefits of Oracle decommissioning are compelling, the process is not without its challenges. Organizations must carefully plan and execute the decommissioning process to minimize disruption to business operations and ensure data integrity. Key considerations include:

Data Migration: Safely extracting and migrating data from legacy Oracle systems to new platforms or archives without compromising integrity or security.

Compliance: Ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and data privacy standards throughout the decommissioning process.

Stakeholder Engagement: Engaging stakeholders across the organization, including IT teams, business units, and external partners, to garner support and alignment for the decommissioning initiative.

Risk Management: Identifying and mitigating risks associated with Oracle decommissioning, such as data loss, system downtime, and business process disruptions.

Best Practices for Oracle Decommissioning:

To successfully transition from legacy to lean, organizations should consider the following best practices:

Develop a Comprehensive Plan: Establish a clear roadmap for Oracle decommissioning, outlining goals, timelines, and resource requirements.

Prioritize Data Management: Conduct a thorough inventory of data stored in Oracle systems and develop a strategy for migrating, archiving, or disposing of data based on its value and relevance to the business.

Leverage Automation: Utilize automation tools and technologies to streamline the decommissioning process, minimize manual effort, and reduce the risk of errors or inconsistencies.

Communicate Effectively: Keep stakeholders informed and engaged throughout the decommissioning process, providing regular updates on progress, milestones, and key decisions.

Monitor and Evaluate: Continuously monitor the decommissioning process, track key performance indicators, and solicit feedback from stakeholders to identify areas for improvement and ensure alignment with business objectives.

Conclusion:

Oracle decommissioning presents a unique opportunity for organizations to transition from legacy to lean, streamlining operations, reducing costs, and enhancing agility. By carefully planning and executing the decommissioning process, organizations can unlock new opportunities for innovation, growth, and competitive advantage in an increasingly digital world.

[writter123]

Must-Know Tools for Project Managers 

Project management is a multifaceted discipline that requires a diverse skill set and a toolbox filled with essential tools to ensure success. Whether you're a seasoned project manager or just starting out in the field, understanding and utilizing the right tools can make a significant difference in the outcome of your projects. In this blog post, we'll explore 10 indispensable tools that every project manager should be familiar with, helping you streamline processes, enhance productivity, and achieve your project goals effectively. Along the way, we'll also touch upon the importance of continuous learning and development, such as undertaking a PMP to stay ahead in the competitive landscape of project management.

Gantt Charts:

Gantt charts are a staple in project management, offering a visual representation of a project's timeline, tasks, and dependencies. These charts enable project managers to plan, schedule, and track progress efficiently. With a PMP training course, professionals can delve deeper into understanding the intricacies of Gantt charts and learn how to leverage them effectively to allocate resources, identify bottlenecks, and maintain project momentum.

Project Management Software:

In today's digital age, project management software has become indispensable for overseeing complex projects. Tools like Asana, Trello, and Microsoft Project offer features such as task assignment, collaboration, file sharing, and progress tracking, empowering project managers to streamline workflows and enhance team communication. Undertaking a PMP can provide insights into selecting the right project management software for specific project requirements and optimizing its usage for maximum efficiency.

Risk Management Tools:

Every project inherently carries risks, ranging from budget overruns to resource constraints and scope changes. Effective risk management is crucial for mitigating these uncertainties and ensuring project success. By utilizing risk management tools such as risk registers, probability impact matrices, and risk assessment matrices, project managers can identify, assess, prioritize, and mitigate risks proactively. A comprehensive PMP course equips professionals with the knowledge and skills to develop robust risk management strategies and integrate them seamlessly into project plans.

PMP® Training Risk Management

Communication Platforms:

Clear and efficient communication is the cornerstone of successful project execution. Project managers must leverage communication platforms such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom to facilitate real-time collaboration, disseminate information, and foster a culture of transparency within their teams. Through a PMP training, individuals can enhance their communication skills, learning how to tailor messages to different stakeholders, resolve conflicts, and maintain alignment across diverse project teams.

Kanban Boards:

Originating from lean manufacturing principles, Kanban boards have found widespread adoption in project management for visualizing workflow, limiting work in progress, and optimizing task flow. Tools like Jira and Kanbanize offer customizable Kanban boards that enable project managers to visualize tasks, track progress, and identify bottlenecks easily. By mastering Kanban methodologies through a PMP, professionals can streamline project workflows, improve resource utilization, and enhance overall productivity.

Stakeholder Management Tools:

Effective stakeholder management is essential for ensuring project alignment with organizational objectives and securing stakeholder buy-in throughout the project lifecycle. Stakeholder management tools such as stakeholder registers, power-interest grids, and communication plans help project managers identify key stakeholders, understand their needs and expectations, and tailor communication strategies accordingly. Through a PMP individuals can learn advanced stakeholder management techniques, such as influence mapping and engagement strategies, to build strong relationships and mitigate conflicts effectively.

Resource Management Software:

Optimal resource allocation is critical for maximizing productivity and minimizing project costs. Resource management software such as ResourceGuru and Mavenlink enables project managers to allocate resources efficiently, track availability, and forecast future resource requirements accurately. By undergoing training with a PMP institute, professionals can gain insights into resource management best practices, including resource leveling, resource smoothing, and resource optimization techniques, to ensure optimal utilization of material and human resources during the course of the project.

In the dynamic landscape of project management, staying abreast of the latest tools and techniques is imperative for success. The 10 essential tools discussed in this blog post serve as indispensable assets for project managers seeking to streamline processes, enhance productivity, and deliver successful outcomes. Moreover, undertaking a PMP certification equips professionals with the necessary knowledge and skills to leverage these tools effectively, enabling them to navigate complex project environments with confidence and competence. By embracing continuous learning and development, project managers can stay ahead of the curve and excel in their roles, driving organizational success in today's competitive marketplace.

What is PMP® Certification?

PMP® Training Human Resource Management

PRINCE2® Vs PMP®

#pmpcourse #pmptraining #pmpcertification #pmptrainingcourse #projectmanagement #projectmanagers #projectmanagementcourse #Youtube