#TOP SOCIAL RESEARCH FIRMS

[spadesurvey]

#BEST SOCIAL RESEARCH COMPANIES #SOCIAL RESEARCH #SOCIAL RESEARCH AGENCIE #SOCIAL RESEARCH AGENCIES IN INDIA #SOCIAL RESEARCH FIRMS #SOCIAL RESEARCH SERVICES #TOP SOCIAL RESEARCH FIRMS

[softnmart]

Best Marketing Research Agency

Why should you hire the best marketing research agency?

Hiring the best marketing research agency can provide numerous benefits for your business.

First, a reputable and experienced agency will have a deep understanding of the industry and the latest research methods, allowing them to provide you with accurate and actionable insights.

Second, they will have a team of experts who will be able to conduct research in a professional and unbiased manner, giving you more confidence in the results.

Third, they will be able to customize their research to meet your specific needs and goals, which will ensure that you are getting the most value out of your investment.

Fourth, their wide range of services and capabilities will allow you to get a comprehensive view of your market and competitors, which will help you make better strategic decisions.

Finally, they will have a global reach, which will enable you to understand your target market across different countries, cultures, and languages.

In short, Hiring the best marketing research agency can give you a competitive edge by providing you with the insights you need to make informed decisions and drive your business forward.

#softnmart #softnmart limited #best marketing research agency #marketing agency #social media marketing #best marketing research firms #best marketing research companies #best marketing recruiters #best marketing research tools #best marketing recruiting firms #best marketing research #best marketing agency uk #what is market research agencies #best b2b market research companies #what is b2b market research #best market research firms in the world #top marketing research companies in chennai #top marketing research companies #what are the examples of marketing research #what are specialist market research agencies #effective marketing research #best market research agency #good marketing research topics #top marketing research companies in hyderabad #top marketing research agency in india #is marketing research a good career #best marketing agency name #best marketing recruiters nyc #best marketing research books #best marketing strategy for real estate agents

[cherryredstars]

a request totally not based on a rumor that’s going around my university’s meche labs rn

miguel’s on a rare summer vacation as a phd student with his friends. they’re at the beach and happened to into reader and her friends. miguel’s shocked because reader has ass and tits out (hot girl summer tbh) as opposed to her usual lab attire. before this, he just knows her as “the other phd student in the lab”. they get freaky and when the semester starts, their advisors are really happy about the inter-department collaboration in their work lmao

Pairing: Miguel O’Hara x fem!reader

Warnings: 18+, NSFW, Smut with Little Plot, Brief Mentions of Revealing Clothing, Slight Fingering, Penetrative Sex

Summary: Some fun in the sun never hurt anyone. 

A/N: Okay..but are the rumors true… (for research purposes and not because I’m nosy!)

Word Count: 1.2K (Not Edited)

Miguel O’Hara very rarely questions himself.

He’s the top PhD student in his class. Has been told time and time again that he’ll go far. He’s won various certificates and awards and recognitions for his work already. With someone as qualified as him, there simply isn’t any time or reason to question himself. 

But, here he is, summer sun burning down on him as he question how it’s fucking possible that he’s never realized how edible you are. Sure, he’s seen you around the lab a handful of times, even worked with you once during his first year as a PhD student. He knew you were a smart girl, catching you pulling all-nighters in the labs with your white lab coat draped over your very much not lab-safety approved attire. But he’s never seen you like this. 

You’re down by the water, a group of your own friends chasing you as you try to run away and splash them. Your skin is covered in the most vibrant fabric he’s ever seen, your ass and tits looking like they’re about to fall through the flimsy ties of your bikini. When his friends had first dragged him on this beach getaway, he had been a grumbling mess. Now, he can’t find himself to hate the...view… all that much. 

He had watched you the whole time, dilated eyes hidden by sunglasses. His eyes trailed everywhere, to the way your ass bounced as you moved, how you constantly had to readjust your top so you didn’t accidentally flash anyone. It took everything in him to not lean forward in his beach chair for a closer look. Luckily, he doesn’t have to do that for a good look when his group of friends start walking towards him, you and your own group in tow. 

It’s decided that the merged group would go back to the hotel bar for drinks, getting tipsy as you reminisce over past school semesters and bitch about the ones to come. The whole time Miguel makes it a point to be near you, offering to get you your drinks and subtly grazing your body with his. Even behind the sunglasses he's still wearing, you can feel his heated gaze on you as you socialize and flush. 

It’s sometime between your third tropical margarita that you find yourself following Miguel up to his hotel room. The walk is a stumbling mess of heated kisses and touchy hands as the both of you paw at each other. His bare skin is warm under your fingers, tracing the ridged definition of muscle as his hands fumble to slip the keycard into the door handle. Once the faint beep of a green light sounds, he’s quickly twisting the door open and pushing you through.

Your back hits the cold door with a gasp, your hands getting lost in Miguel’s hair as he rests his hands on your ass to give it a firm squeeze. You take it as a sign to jump up, wrapping your legs around his hips as he grinds his erection into you. You moan into the kiss, leaning your head back to rest against the door as he trails hot kisses along the expanse of your neck. With a sharp tug of your fingers and a small whine, Miguel pushes away from the door and throws you onto the soft bed. 

He wastes no time latching his mouth around the cup of your bikini top, brows furrowing from the leftover taste of saltwater as he sucks your nipple through the fabric. The prettiest noise leaves you as you arch your chest into him, the breathy sound of his name echoing in his ears. His fingers slip down to your bottoms, pulling at one of the strings until it falls apart. He pushes away the useless fabric, fingers finding your wet entrance and sinking two fingers in. 

More of those delightful noises leave you as you grind into his hand, your hold harsh in his hair as he curls his fingers in you. The sound of your wet arousal being pumped rapidly by his fingers begins to overpower the sound of crashing waves from outside, causing him to groan as he pulls away from your tits. He quickly rips off the top, throwing it somewhere to the side as he looks up at you.

He makes sure your eyes are on his as he licks a strip between your breasts, the taste of sun and salt on his tongue. A desperate noise leaves you as you stare down at him, your legs beginning to shake as his fingers bring you closer and closer to the edge. Before you reach it, he’s pulling away. You make a sound of protest, trying to grab his hand to bring it back to you before you watch him remove his swim shorts. 

His cock is red and leaking, standing at attention as he slowly pumps himself to the sigh of your naked body sprawled on the bed. He crawls back over you, one of his hands hitching your legs around his waist as he begins to line up with your entrance. A deep moan leaves the both of you as his tip slides in, your hands scratching down his back the more he pushes in. The resounding slap of his balls hitting your ass vibrates against the walls once he’s fully inside you. 

He gives you barely enough time to adjust, pulling out slowly to the tip before quickly snapping his hips forward again. Your back instantly arches off the bed and your nails carve indents into Miguel’s skin for support. A series of moans and whines leave your mouth as Miguel keeps his pace hard and fast, sweat building up on both of your skins. 

His hand grips your leg in place while the other slides under your head to cradle it, his face buried in the crook of your neck to suck purple marks into the soft skin and to mumble praises and sounds of pleasure into your ear. The gruff sound of his voice makes you clench hard around him, causing soft grunts and hisses to pass his lips. He only pulls his face out of your neck to pull you into a deep kiss as his hips begin to stutter. His tongue slides effortlessly into your mouth and you moan in surprise as his thumb comes to flick at our clit. 

The unexpected stimulation makes you explode around his cock, your walls tightening around his cock to milk him of the cum he begins to spurt into you at the feel of your release. You both pull away from the kiss a panting mess as you both try to calm down from the highs. When he slips out of you, a thin streak of white follows and he wipes it away with your bikini bottoms. Later, after  a quick shower that potentially involved more summertime activities, the both of you lie in bed and come to an agreement. 

For the rest of summer break, the two of you find yourselves sneaking into each other's rooms, wet sounds and muffled noises following closely after a door shutting. And, when the school semester starts again, Miguel’s advisor is over the moon when Miguel visits his office to suggest a project collaboration between the two of you. Obviously, his advisor agrees, excited at the prospect of the two highest achieving students coming together on a project.

When Miguel leaves the office, a smirk covers his face as he imagines all the other lab rules he can break with you and what lab surfaces would be the safest to fuck you on.

Another rushed post. Wrote this right after turning in a 13 paged-paper, I’m so sorry.

#miguel o'hara #miguel o'hara x y/n #miguel o’hara x reader #miguel ohara x you #across the spiderverse #atsv miguel #spiderman 2099 x reader #spiderman 2099 x you #cherry's requests🍒 #miguel o hara #miguel o'hara smut #miguel ohara #atsv smut #spiderman 2099 #spiderman 2099 smut

[ijustwanttoreadfanfiction]

Just Happy To Be Here

Eddie Munson x AFAB! Reader

This is such a crack fic, honestly I love writing adorable Eddie.

Warnings: References to sex, references to oral sex, explicit language.

_______________________________________________

Eddie is almost 99% sure he dreamt you up. There's no other explanation, you're beautiful, smart, sexy as all hell, funny, kind, caring, and you love him. Did he also mention sexy as all hell? He did? Good.

The whole thing was absurd, it warranted scientific investigations, academics would one day research the phenomenon and write expansive books on the subject.

'The woman who obviously hit her head incredibly hard and fell in love with the town freak - a study.'

In the two years you'd been dating, aka the best years of Eddie's life, the thing he appreciates most is how comfortable you are with each other now. When you first started dating that was also great but you were both trying so hard to impress each other all the time. He remembered when you got a really bad rash from shaving your pussy so much, the sore, red raw skin made him so sad, he had told you in no uncertain terms after that, that you could have a glorious bush to rival Laura Sands and he would still the happiest (and horniest) man on Earth, because it was you.

Besides, who doesn't enjoy an adventurous trek through the jungle every now and then?

But back to being comfortable, like now you’re sitting length-ways on the sofa, back to his chest, stained sweatpants, holey t-shirt, three day old hair, shoveling popcorn into your mouth in, quite frankly, an aggressive manner and all Eddie can think is 'goddess'.

"- I mean I know you shouldn't root for the shark, but pay more attention to your kid lady!" You gripe around your mouthful, gesturing at the television. Eddie presses a firm kiss to your cheek, grinning over just how much he adores you.

"What was that for?" You ask, a bashful smile on your face.

"Nothin', just like you is all." He says attempting to be casual, but failing miserably, fingers tracing up and down your arm.

You beam at him, and he thinks he might have a heart attack when you turn your head, planting a big kiss on his lips, you taste like caramel and cherry cola.

"I like you too baby." You whisper, pecking at his lips one more time before turning back to the screen to shout. 

"I mean c'mon who cares about some whiney kid, what about the fucking dog?!"

Anyway, sex, oh sweet Jesus, sex with you, it’s the best. Being a social outcast, Eddie hadn’t been afforded many opportunities to have relations with the female of the species, he certainly wasn’t a virgin but outside of the occasional inebriated hook up he relied mostly on his hand and vivid imagination.

So when you strolled into his life, with your heavenly curves and devilish smirk, and actually wanted him, he was decidedly at your mercy. He still can’t believe that he gets to see you naked, like if he wants to see your tits he only needs to ask, and you’ll happily flash him.

Last weekend you had been hanging out at the trailer, both of you sprawled across his bed, Eddie leaning against the headboard busy learning some new chords.

“Eds I’m bored.” You sigh, throwing your book to one side, crawling over to him on all fours.

“We can go for a walk or something in a bit if you want sweetheart.” He murmurs absentmindedly, practicing his finger placement.

“I don’t want to go for a walk.” You say coquettishly, pressing your arms into your chest, giving your tits a boost.

“So - uh - what did you want to do?” Eddie asks, hands stilling on the strings, eyes unabashedly fixed to your breasts.

“You.” You reply simply, leaning back to pull your top over your head.

If he had been holding anything other than his guitar it would have been flung across the room, instead he scrambled up, placing her back into her stand as carefully as possible before throwing himself back to the bed in a chaotic state of undress; so eager to just be involved.

The first time you had sex together Eddie came in two minutes, you were so fucking beautiful and sexy, and you definitely have a vice between your legs rather than a vagina. He was mortified, thinking you’d up and leave, instead you giggled and smiled blissfully, kissing and petting him until he was ready for round two… and three.

There is always laughter during sex, it's only to be expected, both of you being inherently clumsy and awkward humans. You’ll say dumb shit like “Climb aboard sailor, and find me booty!”, or when switching positions someone will accidentally get kneed in the crotch, Eddie’s rings catching in your hair, you deciding you’re not actually going to squirt but rather desperately have to pee halfway through. Some of Eddie’s best orgasms have been when he is laughing with you, like the time you had to relocate to his floor as Wayne was home and the bedframe kept nudging against the wall with a tell-tale ‘thump, thump, thump’, instead of getting up like normal people you both decided to simply roll off the mattress still connected. Teeth, heads, and elbows colliding painfully, but you had sat up with a breathless laugh, resuming your frantic pace, Eddie delirious and hysterical beneath you. 

The idea that you found him sexy honestly baffles him, why would you pick him when there were people like Steve Harrington in the world, but then he would catch you staring at him; biting your bottom lip, dreamy look on your face and he knew you were down just as bad as him. Even so the first time you asked to suck him off he asked you to clarify three times just to be sure he hadn’t misheard, when you repeated your request he near enough died, and when you finally put your mouth on him - well it would have been a hell of a way to go out.

_______________________________________________

Taglist: @take-everything-you-can @angietherose @chronicles-of-koystee @lottie9090-blog @akiratoro420 @eddies-hid3out @whoahoney @

#eddie munson x reader #eddie stranger things #eddie x fem!reader #eddie munson #eddie munson x afab reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson fic #eddie munson smut #stranger things #eddie munson x y/n #eddie x reader #eddie x y/n #eddie munson 18+ #strangers things eddie munson #reader insert #eddie munson x afab!reader #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson fandom #eddie munson crack fic #eddie munson fanfic #shitpost

[raamitsu]

[From GWS.com] JUJUTSU KAISEN is officially the world’s most in-demand animated TV show, taking the title from Attack on Titan which held it since 2020.

According to data-science firm Parrot Analytics, JUJUTSU KAISEN has a global demand rating 71.2 times greater than that of the average TV show.

Parrot Analytics calculates ‘demand’ based on how much attention, engagement, desire, and viewership is expressed by consumers for content.

Their system captures billions of new data points each day, including video consumption (streaming and downloads), social media engagement (hashtags, likes, shares), and research actions (reading about a show on IMDb, for example).

Actions which require more effort on the consumer’s part, such as watching or downloading a show, are weighed more heavily when calculating demand.

Based on Gege Akutami's manga series of the same name, JUJUTSU KAISEN follows the story of high school student Yuji Itadori, who joins a group of Jujutsu Sorcerers to defeat a Curse named Sukuna, of whom Yuji becomes the host.

The anime fought off close competitors One Piece and Attack on Titan to claim the top spot in 2023’s rankings.

One Piece enjoyed a boost in interest due to the release of Netflix’s live-action adaptation, which brought in new fans to the series as well as inspired older fans to rewatch earlier episodes.

Attack on Titan, which concluded its final season in November, remained immensely popular but narrowly lost out this time.

Side note: Congratulations to Akutami sensei and MAPPA animators who made this possible 👏🏼

#jujutsu kaisen #jjk #gege akutami #raamitsu is serving some news/info on the table #guinness world records

[lunas-side-anime-blog]

AOT Icks (Eren, Armin and Mikasa)

one thing about me: i am a hater

Eren

def has mommy issues and no woman could ever compare to her like good luck to any of his girlfriends lmao

^^ that being said, as a roommate he’s a nightmare like you can tell his mom cleaned up after him all the time because it doesn’t even occur to him to do so now

toxic gym bro who says shit like “we all have the same 24 hours”

def has the the 3 in 1 bottle in his shower, I just know it

prob calls women “females” 

the cringiest instagram captions like I know he will post sum: “I think my closet bi-polar, it keeps throwing fits💯”  like dude, get a grip

attempts thirst traps, he has a ripped body so it kinda works but the content is so transparent you can’t help but roll your eyes

go out to a bar with him or something and he’s the type to try to make everything a fight

like if someone bumps into you, he's quickly in their face like "what's good bro😡” and you know its not actually about you so much as eren tryna beat someone up

i think he’ll use spit as lube thinking he’s so bad boy and lewd when it’s actually just so bad for your PH like ewwww (if u have a vag ofc)

i feel like his hair would get so greasy, mikasa and armin have had to force him down with shampoo in hand before 

so gross but you came here for icks and I don’t believe Eren believes in holding back his farts for anyone

it can be the most intense and serious event like a funeral and he’ll rip a loud one and be like “what? it’s not good to hold it in??”

Armin

nail biter who will chew on them till the bone and you hear that loud ass “crONCh"

says he hates drama but that’s just something he says to not seem petty bc at the first sight of a fight best believe he’s sitting there, watching it all go down, wine glass in hand like "🍷🤨👂" 

lil shit will even add lil comments to keep the beef alive, like i can see him loudly asking “okay but jean didn't you say her outfit made her look fat though?”

if you're in a debate with him, he’s the type to say something like “you're so uneducated about the subject, I’m actually pretty well versed in it” and your like "okay so what's all ur research then?" and he'll just quickly change the subject bc he didn’t actually have sources to cite lmao

is one of those bfs who would make fun of you for liking trashy tv but guess who eats that shit up everytime? armin.

he does that dad thing where he walks around in the living room and acts uninterested with what’s happening on the screen but he’s actually so invested and would be fuming if you dared watched an episode without him 

i think he’d also be the type to try to be friends with his ex even if they obviously still have feelings for him, but if you dared even talk to yours he’d get all huffy and puffy like “go be with him then🙄” 

got obsessed with skincare after watching your routine but u kinda created a monster bc now he’s critiquing your products and techniques? “Babe you should really consider a gel moisturizer, it’s better for your pores'' and you're like, “boy you used neutrogena when I met you???” 

is that bf who will shower at your place and use up all your expensive washes and scrubs 

not the best gift giver tbh, I think he’s a firm believer that all gifts should be practical so even if it’s a romantic anniversary date and he slides over a lil present, it’s probably just gonna be socks or something, srry

Mikasa

applies her chapstick like a man (iykyk)

“he know where home is” bitch, I hate to say it

i think she’s a girl’s girl until her man cheats on her, then she’d be the type to fight the girl and not really address her man…which is just… 😣

as a friend I think she’s sadly the type to unintentionally embarrass you bc she doesn’t get some social cues.

like you can miss a hang and ppl ask where you are and she’d just say matter of factly “oh they’re fine, they just have diarrhea rn!” and she won’t understand why you’d be mad?

outfit repeater to the max, she has like three tops that she likes and all pics of her are with her wearing one of those three tops

a lil delulu and prob genuinely believes all the tiktok pick a card vids on her feed

likes her coffee black and somehow thinks she’s better than everyone for that???

as a gf she checks your snap score and location regularly and has no shame in it 🙂

fights in her sleep like you will just be sleeping next to her all soundly and next thing you know you get punched in the face? she refuses to apologize in the morning bc she “has a right to defend myself in a nightmare” or whatever

when shes mad at someone she’ll post like ultra specific lyrics or captions and it’s so obviously targeted at one person everyone else is like "girl go to bed, don’t even post the quote…"

#aot headcannons #eren x reader #eren headcanons #armin headcanons #armin x reader #mikasa headcanons #mikasa x reader #modern aot #modern attack on titan #modern mikasa #modern eren #modern armin

[owlwithanapple]

Your Hero

Part 16.

( Bakugou Katsuki X Y/N )

On the way to the Shirogane Drug Research Center, you clicked the phone to read information on social media, accidentally found a story related to Dynamight. You clicked on it to take a closer look.

On a certain day in a certain year, a huge tragedy occurred in the world, taking away countless lives and Quirks. All professional heroes, including students from the U.A. went together to face this danger.

A chaotic battle put everyone in crisis. Even all the professional heroes were deeply exhausted and seriously injured. When everyone fell into despair, a young hero who was covered with wounds stood up again. He faced despair and declare that will definitely win.

Everyone has fallen into a tragic and desperate situation, but these did not make him who was seriously injured and bruised bow to failure. For his self-esteem, for winning and losing, and for his dream of becoming the No. 1 hero, he once again stood firm in despair and guided everyone.

His stubbornness, self-esteem, pride, dreams and desire to win all pushed him step by step to the top and beyond his limits in despair. His shouts and fighting spirit instantly awakened in desperate situations and ignited the fire in their hearts.

Since he was a child, he has longed for All Might, the No. 1 hero symbol of peace. After the birth of the strongest hero, he has always been at the top of the hero popularity list because of his upholding justice, bold style, and superior combat power, so he is called the "No. 1 Hero."

But that young hero is different. He has a fiery personality, a strong self-esteem, and possesses powerful Quirks and fighting talents. He endured all the pain just want to win. Even his whole body could not move, he did not give up the small hope of victory.

He will never give up to prove his strength and worth to everyone at any time. Even if he falls into the abyss, even his body is seriously injured, even if his self-esteem is ruined, he will still get up again.

All Might is a character that is loved by the public as he shows a confident smile even in crisis. He is the complete opposite. He pursues the way to win and lose, and pursues first place. Even though he has a fiery personality, he has never forgotten his original intention.

The young hero relied on his talent and strength to become the youngest professional hero in the new generation. After winning recognition from many people with his excellent results and outstanding abilities, he successfully climbed to the top and became the No. 1 Hero.

With all his strength and sweat, he successfully proved to the world that he, who was still a young hero had reached his peak. He was once an immature boy, but now he has become the strongest No. 1 Hero.

Now entrusted with important responsibilities, he has set off a wave of heated discussions around the world. Although there will always be people criticizing and talking about him behind his back, these remarks actually push him to continue to prove himself.

This famous and powerful hero is Bakugou Katsuki, Hero Name Great Explosion Murder God: Dynamight.

"Hedgehog. Your history is at the top of the rankings." You looked at your phone.

"Of course! I'm No. 1!" He said confidently while driving.

"But this article is a bit fake because you are not as handsome as it says." You said with a smile.

"I'm going to fucking kick you out of the car!" He complained.

You heard Bakugou's words, but ignored him and looked out the window, not out of anger or disgust. It's just the following investigation mission that makes you feel a touch of melancholy.

Your situation seems familiar to the case, but can't tell whether it is related to the case. You and Katsuki decided to investigate before making a conclusion. He proposed to keep your own situation confidential for the time being.

On the way, Katsuki repeatedly warned you if remembered something, must tell him and never hide it. His intuition emerged in his mind and kept telling this case is related to your situation.

If your past memories are just an ordinary life, he feels reassured for you. But if the past really lying on the operating table, injecting drugs or human experiments are simply too inhumane and cruel.

Although you are calm, he knows that you will show a hint of uneasiness, and not show it immediately when something happens. He knows you are really feeling uncomfortable right now.

"I believe you." Katsuki said suddenly.

"Eh?" You turned to look at him.

"You are Hero, have to face any crisis, whether it is the enemy or yourself. Remember two points, I trust you, you have me to rely on." Katsuki said calmly.

You calmed down immediately after hearing what he said, and you were no longer as melancholy as before. It's incredible that he doesn't treat people gently, but the words that come out of his mouth are polite and comforting.

After arriving at the Shirogane Drug Research Center, Katsuki parked the car and you were about to get out but he stopped you. You turned your head and he kissed your forehead then lips. After separated, he glanced at you and smiled proudly.

"What are you doing?" You asked him with a blushing face.

"Just admiring you. Get out of the car." He got out of the car.

"The fuck?" Leaving you in a daze.

After you got off the car, you saw Kenji talking to other police officers, and several summoned heroes standing on the other side. Dynamight whistled for you to come over and go with him to understand the situation.

Kenji distributed the information from the research center to you and Dynamight, the two of you walked over to the heroes who were looking at the information. The heroes present that you are familiar with, including Hawks who is chatting, Deku who is reading the information, Shoto who is expressionless, and the cute Froppy.

"Hey, old friend! No.1!" Hawks immediately waved to you.

"Hi, everyone!" You walked towards them holding the folder.

"Wind Breaker, Kacchan." Deku greeted you both with a smile on his face.

"This is an investigation mission." Shoto said calmly.

"Kero, but why are you targeting this drug research center?" Froppy tilted her head asked.

"Idiot! Since it is related to drugs, it is basic common sense to start the investigation from the drug research center." Dynamight said.

You flip through the pages and read the information. The recorded information is the same as what Dynamight showed you privately, because they are all previous records.

The founders are Shirogane Raiju and Hayase Mei, but there is no news about them. A search team was sent to investigate before and there was no trace at all. Only the remaining files and information were retained.

Seeing the faces of these two people, a picture flashed in your head unconsciously. You pressed your head closed your eyes to recall it, but you only saw the picture of the operating table that kept playing in your mind. This picture made you feel extremely scary, you have begun to sweat.

A feeling of nausea filled your heart, you covered your mouth ran to a corner far away from the research center to spit it out. After vomiting, you no longer feel that way. You take out a handkerchief from your pocket and wipe your mouth clean.

"Damn it!" You hit the ground hard to calm yourself down.

It was just the photos of those two people that instantly reminded you. Although memory was fuzzy, you pretty sure you were related to this research center. The only thing that can be done now is to complete the investigation mission.

You felt someone tapping your back. You turned around and saw Froppy was following you to see how you were doing. Her expression showed concern, you stood up and responded to her with a smile.

"Kero...are you okay? You don't look good." Froppy hugged your wrist.

"I'm fine. Thanks for your concern, Froppy." You smiled.

"Just call me Tsuyu-chan." Froppy said with a smile.

"Then...Tsuyu-chan. You can call me Y/N-chan or Wind-chan." You said shyly.

"Kero~" Tsuyu-chan stood beside you happily.

The two of you were startled by the sudden call. You took out your phone it showed "Hedgehog". You answered the call immediately. Froppy stood aside and waited silently.

"Where are you?" His tone seemed a little anxious.

"I'm going back with Tsuyu-chan now. Sorry, I suddenly felt unwell just now." You explained to him.

"You go back to the car and wait for me." He said.

"It's really okay now. I can continue participate in the investigation mission." You said.

"Don't try too hard on yourself." He said.

"I'm begging you let me continue, Katsuki." You said urgently.

"Hey! You..." You hung up the phone on him.

Call Ended-

You looked at your phone it showed you had hung up on Katsuki. You blamed yourself. You knew he was concerned about your physical condition, but you tried to push yourself again and again.

You admit you are afraid. There is a pit deep in your memory that you don’t have the courage to cross. The vague fragments always disturb you, but you are even more afraid of recalling everything that happened.

"Wind-chan..." Kero comforted you.

"I'm fine." You said.

After you finished speaking, you saw her groping in her pocket. You stared at her out of curiosity to see what she looking for. She took out her phone and you looked at her blankly.

"Let's exchange contact information so we can keep in touch in the future." Tsuyu-chan smiled.

"Okay!" You happily took her phone.

You entered your contact information into Tsuyu-chan's phone, and she put your name as Wind-chan. It feels like she is comforting you in this way, but having her as your friend will naturally make you feel much better.

"It's okay, let's go back together." Tsuyu-chan said.

"Yeah." You smiled happily.

You all returned to the door of the research center to gather with the others. You saw Katsuki leaning against the door with his hands in his pockets and glaring at you. You looked at his fierce and cold eyes, you swallowed hard as you approached them.

"Here, old friend." Hawks threw a bottle of water at you.

"Oh... thanks." You took a sip of water after catching it.

"Are you okay?" Shoto asked.

"You looked very bad just now. Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?" Deku was nervously concerned.

"I'm fine." You shook your head.

"Wind-chan, do you have something to say to Bakugou-chan?" Tsuyu-chan poked you.

You nodded in response to Tsuyu-chan and walked over to Katsuki. His hands crossed in front of his chest expressionlessly, you took a deep breath to prepare, thinking about what you wanted to say.

Others watching from a distance were nervous for you, because Dynamight just glared at you with an angry look on his face. They didn't dare to get close to you two at all, for fear of starting a fight and not being able to stop you.

"I'm sorry Katsuki, I shouldn't have spoken like that and hung up on you so casually. I want to face everything, whether it's memories or you. Are you willing to give me a chance?" You smiled lightly.

"Do you know being unwell will affect your work? If you have time to apologize, why not save your energy and wait aside." Katsuki walked past you.

Listening to what he said, you understood his point. It was your stubbornness and assertiveness that caused the quarrel. Instead of yelling at you, he calmly reasoned with you to made you understand.

Katsuki is such a person. The calmer he is, the scarier he is. The more violent he is, the stronger he becomes. The combination of the two personalities is simply a strong one, but as his subordinate you have been causing him trouble and slowing him down.

You just stand there and reflect on yourself silently. In private life, you and he are lovers, but in the workplace, you work with him as a subordinate. You still know his bottom line very well.

Rather than sighing here, it's better to concentrate on completing the investigation mission now and then complain. It's work time and you have to stay awake and sane.

You mustered up the courage to shout to him "Dynamight!"

He stopped and looked back at you, "Huh?!"

"I know what I just did was wrong, but I want a chance." You walked up to him and said to his face.

He crossed his hands on his chest and looked at you expressionlessly. You felt his resentment, but he was much calmer than before. It was scarier than you imagined. Please stop making trouble next time.

"Final warning, if you dare to slow down the work, I want you to get out and stop interfering." He pointed at you.

"Yes! Boss!" You laughed, your heart finally calmed down.

After a while, Kenji came over and said, "It will start in 10 minutes."

"Ok!" Everyone was fully prepared to start the investigation.

You and the other heroes gathered together discuss the topic of the investigation mission. During the discussion, Hawks kept staring at you. You ignored him and continued the discussion. Until the conversation ended you were curious about what he was looking at.

"Hawks, is there something on my face?" You patted his back and pointed at your face.

"Come here." Hawks put his hand on your neck and pulled you close to him.

"Damn Eagle...get your fucking dirty hands off her" Dynamight complained from the side.

"Bakugou...why are you so murderous?" Shoto asked.

"Shut up! Half and half!" Dynamight scolded Shoto.

"Are you hiding something from me?" Hawks suddenly asked.

"Huh?" You asked him in confusion.

Hawks leaned close to your ear and said "Who left the mark on your neck?"

You were confused. He said there were marks on your neck. You took out your phone and looked at your neck. You saw there were teeth marks there. You immediately covered them with your hands wondered when they were there.

"Who is so possessive? Tell me!" Hawks clung to you.

"I..." You were thinking about how to explain.

"Old friend, don't tell me you don't know who it is~" Hawks looked at you with a mischievous expression.

"Fuck him to death." Dynamight was very angry.

"Kacchan?!" Deku was stunned by his aura.

"Bakugou-chan is much scarier than usual." Froppy added.

The only thing you thought about was Katsuki seemed to be biting, kissing and licking your neck in the morning. Although it doesn't hurt, but there doesn’t need mark in such an obvious place. When think back to what happened in the morning your face turns red.

"Keigo...you're annoying..." You said with a smile.

"I know him?" Hawks smiled sinisterly.

"Huh?!" You were surprised that he actually wanted to guess.

"General citizens or Hero? Wait! Let me narrow down the list and guess which lucky person it is." Hawks was curious.

"Keigo...you fucking want to guess?" You tilted your head.

"It's boring to tell me directly, so I'll just guess. Give me a hint. Is he here?" Hawks said with a smile.

"Hahaha." You nodded awkwardly and he was right.

Hawks looked around to see who it was, but he decided to be evil. He wanted to see who left the marks. After all, his personality is such a naughty one, he pulled you close to him and looked directly at you.

"Keigo?" You were confused by his actions.

"Your eyes are so beautiful." Suddenly he complimented you.

"Huh? Are you acting like an idiot?" You looked confused.

Hawks looked directly at you, and you knew that he did this on purpose to lure out the person who left the marks. You and he have been friends for several years so knew who he was.

Katsuki, who was in the distance, watched Hawks treat you very close, and he felt jealous. He vaguely felt that Hawks treated you differently, but now not the time for him to intervene.

"So who is it?" Hawks' face slowly came closer to yours.

"Fucking Hawks!" Just as Katsuki was about to pull Hawks.

You covered his face with the document "Sorry, my friend. I'll tell you next time."

Seeing you blocking Hawks' approach with documents, he finally felt relieved because you reject him. He's jealous because Hawks has known you longer than he has.

"Tch, stingy. You still want to hide it from me." Hawks pouted.

"I'll tell you when the time comes." You smiled and walked away.

The thought of Katsuki leaving marks in conspicuous places made you feel shy but a little amused. You walked up to him and prepared to argue with him, while Deku and the others stepped aside.

You stepped on his foot. "Boss, give me an explanation."

"Don't like it?" He tilted his head and smiled evilly.

"Fuck..." you secretly chuckled.

"The investigation mission can begin!" Kenji shouted.

"Yes sir!"

Once the door opens, Dynamight leads you and other heroes into the research center to conduct investigation tasks, while Kenji and other police officers patrol outside and seal off the scene.

Now it’s time for you to find the truth.

Part 16 end.

*If you have any ideas, you can leave them in the comment section, and I will try to add in the story.*

#mha bakugo katsuki #bakugou katuski x reader #bakugou x you #bakugou x y/n #bnha bakugo katsuki #bnha bakugou #mha bakugou #katsuki bakugo x reader #bakugou x reader #bakugou katsuki #bakugou fluff #bakugou smut #ao3 bakugou #katsuki bakugo mha #katsuki x you #katsuki x y/n #katsuki smut #boku no hero academia #my hero acedamia #bnha x fem!reader #boku no hero academia fanfiction #my hero academy fanfiction #bnha fanfic #bnha fanfiction #boku no hero fanfic #bnha #mha fanfic #my hero fanfic #my hero academia #mha x you

[thisisthinprivilege]

Since I keep seeing "$61 billion weight loss industry"....

This is a super old figure, folks.

In 2022, the US market cap of the weight loss industry was $75 billion [1, 3]. In 2021, the global market cap of the weight loss industry was estimated at $224.27 billion [2].

In 2020, the market shrunk by about 25%, but rebounded and then some since then [1, 3] (Tell me thin privilege is socially constructed without telling me that thin privilege is socially constructed).

Also disturbing, "Multi-level marketing companies constitute a major force in the [US] weight loss market, with the top 8 firms accounting for $3.4 billion in 2020 sales. Included in this group are Medifast, Herbalife, Shaklee, BeachBody, AMWAY, USANA, Isagenix and more." [3]

By 2030, the global weight loss industry is expected to reach be valued at $405.4 billion [2].

-ATL

References

LaRosa, J. March 10, 2022. "U.S. Weight Loss Market Shrinks by 25% in 2020 with Pandemic, but Rebounds in 2021." Market Research Blog. Available here.

Staff. February 09, 2023. "[Latest] Global Weight Loss and Weight Management Market Size/Share Worth." Facts and Factors Research. Available here.

LaRosa, J. March 27, 2023. "U.S. Weight Loss Market Partially Recovers from the Pandemic." Market Research Blog. Available here.

#statistics #fat discrimination #weight loss #weight loss industry #fat liberation #diet culture #dieting #diets #FAQ

[mariacallous]

Elon Musk may have put the final nail in X’s coffin. On Wednesday, Musk appeared to endorse an antisemitic post by user @breakingbaht alleging that “Jewish communities have been pushing the exact kind of dialectical hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them.” In response, Musk posted, “You have spoken the actual truth.”

The original post seemed to echo the beliefs of the “great replacement” conspiracy theory, which is popular among white supremacists and right-wing extremists. The backlash has been swift. In a statement earlier today, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates condemned the “abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate in the strongest terms, which runs against our core values as Americans,” and marquee advertisers have been quick to pull their business. IBM, Disney, Liongsgate, and the European Union have pulled advertising from X in response to Musk’s post. According to a report in Axios, Apple has also paused advertising on X.

At the time of publication, Apple had not responded to multiple requests for comment, nor has it confirmed that it is pulling its advertising from X.

“Advertisers like IBM and Apple aren’t just big names, they’re big spenders on X,” says Angelo Carusone, president of Media Matters, a media watchdog group which has been tracking advertiser behavior on X. Carusone, citing data shared by data insights firm Sensor Tower, says that in July, the top five advertisers on X by spending were Apple, FinanceBuzz.io, Amazon, Mondelez International, and Hewlett-Packard. In the past, Apple has frequently been among the top 20 advertisers on X.

Carusone adds that Apple typically signals a certain level of brand safety to other, smaller advertisers. The company is also known for its stringent policies around controversial content in its App Store and on its own platforms. If Apple has paused, or plans to pause, its advertising on X, it “could have a halo effect,” Carusone claims, scaring other advertisers away from the platform. “It goes way beyond money.”

In August, X CEO Linda Yaccarino emphasized that the company was expanding its brand-safety tools, designed to give advertisers and marketers more control over what kind of content their ads appeared in proximity to.

But this recent spate of antisemitic content on X, and the juxtaposition of big-brand ads next to it, only underscores to advertisers that X is a risky bet, experts argue. “Even with those tools, if you’re an advertiser right now you’re thinking, there’s quite literally nothing I can do on this platform to improve my experience,” Carusone says.

“The problem with X is not only that there's misinformation and antisemitic content on the platform, and other hateful content as well, but that it's being spread by Musk himself,” says Jasmine Enberg, principal analyst for social media at Insider Intelligence, a market research firm.

“The brand safety concern for advertisers isn't just about the content but about the platform and the leadership.” Enberg argues that Musk has treated the company like something he could remake in his own image, not understanding that “what he wants and what he seemingly believes is not necessarily aligned with what users and advertisers on the platform want and believe.”

Under Musk’s leadership, X is expected to see an unprecedented 54 percent drop in advertising revenue, which previously accounted for more than 90 percent of the company’s total.

Even before Musk took ownership of then-Twitter, experts worried that his particular brand of free speech absolutism would lead to a flood of trolls and hate speech on the platform. In his first weeks as owner, Musk laid off nearly everyone working on trust and safety, the teams responsible for ensuring that hate speech, violence, and inappropriate content stay off the platform. (Hate speech did, in fact, increase under Musk’s leadership.) Musk’s lax approach to content moderation also nearly got the platform banned during the 2022 presidential runoffs in Brazil, the platform’s third largest market.

In response, advertisers began to flee, worried about the brand safety risks of their products appearing next to hateful or inflammatory posts. Since joining X as CEO earlier this year, Yaccarino, formerly global advertising lead at NBCUniversal, has seemingly been hampered in her ability to woo back advertisers by Musk’s decisions. And while X has claimed it was regaining advertisers, an October study from Media Matters found that X’s 100 largest advertisers were spending 90 percent less than they did before Musk’s takeover.

[callmeyourala]

Today's Job Market: Breaking In

In an age where Bachelor's degrees are as impressive as high school diplomas, and even a Master's does not guarantee an interview, what is it that employers are looking for?

The answer is - experience.

Experience is your most valuable asset when you are applying for a highly contested role.

Consider, if every candidate who applies for a position is required to have a 2.1 or higher how are employers meant to distinguish one 2.1 business graduate from another?

Experience not only shows you have a clear understanding of the industry you are entering, it shows that other organisations in your industry have seen enough potential in you to offer you a position, albeit temporarily.

The issue is the job market is more competitive than ever. Many people struggle to secure internships at top firms and that is because nowadays you need some level of work experience to even secure an internship, especially at top firms.

So, what do you do when you have no experience and the odds of you securing an internship are slim?

Unpaid/volunteer work. It is the best way to gain all the skills and experience you need to help your application stand out.

Volunteering as a committee member for a social enterprise or society shows a level of tenacity and initiative that is appealing to employers.

Unpaid internships or work experience in your industry can also award you with connections and the commercial awareness to help solidify yourself as a stellar candidate.

Unfortunately, many people don't have the means to take on long periods of unpaid employment.

This is where your communication skills come into play. Working customer service, retail, cleaning jobs etc all come with transferable skills which, when clearly communicated, can make up for a lack in industry experience, especially when you are still a student.

Another thing to note is that you don't always need to look for experience in your desired career. If you are an aspiring a solicitor, you can also get experience as a paralegal. If you are an aspiring journalist, you can gain experience as a copywriter.

As long as you can get some sort of experience in your desired field, you can still develop an understanding of your industry and the necessary skills that you need to demonstrate to recruiters.

General Tips

1. At the end of the day, making your experience work for you is the key. Companies will tell you in their job descriptions and person descriptions what your position will involve and what skills they require from you. Find a way to make the experience you have fit what they are asking for. Use their words against them - make it clear that you are what they want.

2. When applying for internships, traineeships and work experience, make it clear what your learning needs are. How can this company and position support you in bolstering your career and why should they care about your career progression?

3. Know your stuff. Do your research on the company and the specific department you would be working in. Not irrelevant information like the year it was founded but what direction the company is heading down, their 10 year plan, how your role would fit into it and what expertise you have that can support their plans.

#musings of igbo barbie

[verefex]

Skylark

Short story (17 pages) of Lark meeting Sky, the titan. Featuring the most clever ship name ever

SFW, giant/tiny interactions. Read under the cut!

An electrifying, booze-filled night full of loud music and stumbling drunks is how a true rooftop party goes. Nearly every Friday night, you can hear the hum of cheers combined with the boom of the bass at the top of the cityscape. Strobe lights dance on the neighboring windows, reflecting a kaleidoscope of glimmering colors. These parties are all the rage, not just because the liquor is so abundant it flows like water, but patrons are often dancing in close quarters to none other than a colossus of a person; a titan.

Why else would these festivities be held on the summit of a tower? Standing at over 100 feet tall, with footwear larger than a bus, being at ground-level while a massive man steps to and fro with no notice of other party-goers is just asking for someone to be flattened.

Fortunately, titans are more than just giant humans; their origins date back for centuries where humanity revered them as powerful gods. Nowadays, their presence is more casual, mingling and merry-making with their tiny human friends. Supposing a human did get in the way of a titan’s foot, they will live to tell about it so long as the giant wills it. How great their size, strength, and mystic talents are.

No one is really sure just where the giants get their divinity from, and collectedly their origins are mysterious. Even the titans themselves are incognizant of their genesis, which has prompted earnest research on the subject.

One such titan enthusiast, a vivacious scientist by the name of Jung, often attends events with various titans to become more acquainted with them and the humans they associate with. While it may seem flippant to relate research to drinking and dancing on a giant man’s hand, Jung has no doubts that his methods of obtaining research material are impeccable.

On one such occasion, in the city of Horizon, Jung was going about his usual business. Drinking, dancing, flirting, the tall dark-haired man was having a great time. He had brought along a friend as well, an old classmate of his by the name of Lark. While Jung was off socializing, Lark stood in the corner of the boisterous rooftop, sipping a cocktail while she faced the opposite direction of the majority of the patrons. This was not only her first time going to such a party, but also her first time being in the city of a titan. Indeed, she knew about their existence and had caught glimpses of the giants in the distance as they traverse the landscape with lengthy strides, but never in very close proximity.

The titan that inhabited Horizon city, and who was also present at the party, was named Sky. Standing at 130 feet tall, this friendly colossus of a man was often eager to interact with humans. His fair skin with barely a blemish contrasted handsomely with his black hair, and dark sideburns lined his jaws. The color of his eyes matched the inside of his mouth, as blue as his namesake. He was quite a spectacle, towering over the boisterous rooftop of dancing, singing humans no bigger than his finger.

Not one of the humans batted an eye when Sky’s enormous hand hovered over them, gentle fingers spreading as he picked up an unconscious drunk and set them on a comfortable couch. The presence of a giant was so commonplace in Horizon that this was no extraordinary feat, and the other party-goers paid no heed. Except for Lark, who couldn’t even muster the courage to move closer to the railings lining the roof.

Jung, in the thick of his merry-making, eventually noticed his wallflower friend and sauntered his way over to her. He sat himself on the couch beside Lark and threw his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into him as he held a drink in the other hand.

“Hey girl, you not having fun? What’s wrong?” He blurted as he gave his timid friend a firm squeeze with his forearm.

“I’m having a lot of fun.” Lark lied, wincing at her tactile friend’s embrace.

“C’mon. Didn’t you want to finally meet a real live titan? He’s literally standing over everyone.” Jung said as he craned his head back and pointed at the looming head of Sky.

Lark did not follow his gaze. Her cheeks became pink as she clutched her drink in both of her hands, which was mostly just ice by now.

“I know…” Lark murmured as she fiddled with her straw. “He’s hard to miss.”

“Yeah, especially if you don’t even take a shot! C’mon girl, I’ll introduce you to him.” Jung gave her shoulders a squeeze as he stood up a little too quickly.

“N-no, that’s okay… I’m sure he’s busy with everyone else.” Lark whined as Jung beckoned her off the couch.

“Naw, naw, he’s just chilling with us, he’s cool. C’mon.” Jung snapped his fingers at the fair-haired woman as she reluctantly followed him.

“I-I’m not even dressed up for this place…” Lark peeped as she was led through the crowd by her gregarious friend. She looked down at her red zip-up hoodie, khaki shorts, and black high top sneakers; more street wear than anything to her. She would have dressed up, but her visit to Horizon was rather spur of the moment, and the party even more so.

As she looked up, through the booms and cheers of the crowd dancing in the middle of the rooftop, her eyes widened at the sight of the giant. His head was tilted back, a perfect side profile before her as he took a couple swigs from a can larger than a phone booth. Lark felt her heart drop as she took in the size of him; the mere height of him from the shoulders on up was dizzying already. She couldn’t even think about looking up at him from ground-level, over 100 feet of mountainous man towering over her.

Lark’s blue eyes couldn’t get much wider. She found herself transfixed on the giant as he downed several sips of his drink before leveling his head and slowly turning his attention towards her and Jung.

It was then that Lark realized she was afraid; very, very afraid, of giants. Seeing them from a distance was nothing compared to the terrifying reality of being so much smaller than this colossus of a being. Glowing, blue eyes fixated on the pair as Sky studied Jung, leaning in just a little closer to see him, before softening his expression and smiling.

“Hey, Jung. How’s the party?” Sky said, though his voice boomed nearly as loud as the music blaring over the speakers.

“Oh it’s bumpin’. I got a plus-one this time, me and her studied together back in undergrad.” Jung stood underneath the giant’s gaze as he gestured to Lark, who lagged behind him as if using her friend as a place to hide behind.

Lark jolted as Jung turned the giant’s attention towards her. His gaze stupefied her, and she stood motionless as Jung stepped to the side and introduced her.

“Lark, this is Sky. Sky, Lark.” Jung beamed as he gestured from enormous face to quivering body. “Hey, Sky, Lark! Skylark! How cool is that?” The man laughed out loud as he stepped behind Lark and squeezed her shoulders affirmingly.

Lark’s head started to spin the more this interaction went on. Just looking up at Sky’s expansive face was making her dizzy. And then he looked right at her, and raised his enormous hand over the railing. Long, log-like fingers stretched towards her as Sky turned his fingertips upwards.

“Nice to meet you.” He boomed.

This was nothing more than a friendly gesture, a handshake on a colossal scale. Ordinarily, a human would place their hand on the titan’s fingertip and the two would briefly shake, one with just the finger and the other with their whole arm. However, to Lark, who was not aware of this gesture, vastly misinterpreted it as a motion to snatch her entire being off of the ground.

“N-no!” Lark shrieked as she backed away quickly, bumping into Jung as she tumbled backwards in recoil. Jung and Sky both stared at her in shock as she tripped backwards, regained her footing, and ran hurriedly back inside.

Sky brought his hand back to his face, watching the scared woman run from him. He examined his hand, brows furrowing quizzically.

“Oh… goodness.” Jung sighed as he nervously ran his fingers through his hair. “That didn’t go as planned.” he uttered as he glanced up at Sky, who was still looking at his hand.

“Sorry, Sky. She’s new here…” Jung said as he leaned on the railing in front of Sky. The titan put his hands in the pockets of his jeans and gave his small friend a smile.

“It’s fine… I didn’t mean to scare her...” Sky rumbled as he carefully glanced in Lark’s direction, catching no sight of her.

Lark, meanwhile, was huddled in the bathroom. Sweat and tears moistened her pink cheeks as she ran her fingers through her short, blonde hair. She shuddered as she recalled the looming, giant hand of the giant. Though it was terrifying for her, she caught a glimpse of his confused face before running away in abject terror.

“Oh no…” She whimpered, balling her hands into fists as she rocked back and forth in the bathroom. As frightened as she was, the titan’s feelings were also hurt. How could she possibly go back out there and face him, now?

Later that evening, the party was starting to wind down. Several daredevils jumped into Sky’s glass from the balcony, which was more of a common occurrence than one might think. Putting their full trust into the towering titan that oversaw the party often led to trouble when it came to mind-numbing drinks. Luckily, Sky fully expects these things to happen, and is quite relieved at the end of the night when everyone is too tired to jump off the roof into his not-quite-ready hands.

The dark-haired giant waved goodbye to the last of the patrons as he headed home, treading carefully through the dimly-lit streets. He walked cautiously, stepping one foot in front of the other in the empty roads, the width of his sneaker nearly the same as the asphalt strip.

Despite his careful way of moving through the city, his immense footsteps still rumbled nearby windows and quaked scattered debris into storm drains. If it weren’t for the residents of Horizon city being quite accustomed to having a titan around, there would undoubtedly be screams coming from the lofty apartments.

The night was still, the city slept, and the giant yawned. His home was not far off, especially for his long stride. Sky’s residence was an enormous concrete bunker, nestled in the hillside covered with leafy trees. Building a living space for a giant was no easy feat, especially one that was above-ground. Many years ago, humans built these bunkers for the titans to shelter and live in if they so chose.

Sky walked up to the door of the bunker and punched a few numbers on a keypad. Heavy metal pins within the frame released, and the door swung inwards, revealing a dark, cave-like interior. The giant man entered his home and shut the door, taking care to watch the floor as the gargantuan door swung shut. While he enjoyed the company of humans, he has had too many close calls with little enthusiastic fans trying to sneak through the closing door.

The titanic titan was beat. He winced as he sat down on the ground and started to untie his shoes. “Ugh… I have got to start sitting down more at these things.” Sky muttered as he took off one of his shoes, sighing when he realized he had been on his feet for hours, standing next to the rooftop to be with the partying humans. Ordinarily standing for long periods of time would be less of an ordeal if you’re not like Sky, who happened to weigh over 2 million pounds.

Sky started to take off his other shoe, but not before noticing something moving in his pant leg. He gripped the end of his pants at his ankle and tugged on it. A small object brushed the back of his bare leg, which prompted the giant to shake it out.

None other than Lark fell out of his pant leg. Astonished, Sky froze as he watched the little human tumble down the back of his shoe and onto the ground. Lark floundered on her back before scrambling up onto her hands and knees, eyes wide as she trailed her gaze up the giant’s body before meeting his. The two locked eyes for a moment, and the room was silent.

Sky did not speak. He felt shocked, annoyed, and the lingering buzz of alcohol swirling in his head. The giant merely narrowed his gaze and waited for the trespasser to say something.

Lark couldn’t believe it. She did not intend to be seen or caught by the titan, at least not until morning. She had such a brilliant plan earlier, in her drunken stupor, to hitch a ride on the man’s massive shoe until he reached his home. Well, in actuality, it was Jung’s idea. He claimed to “ride” the titans in this way often as a means of quick travel, and he was more than happy to urge Lark to do the same.

As it turned out, it was more of a bumpy ride than she anticipated, with thousands of pounds of mass quaking every footstep. She had no choice but to climb into his pant leg, which was slightly less tremulous than his shoe, but did not give her the visibility to keep an eye out for her stop.

Now she was sobered up and faced with the terror of staring up at the monolith of a man, who sat on the floor with one shoe on and one shoe off. Her limbs shook under his gaze, and she had half a mind to prostrate herself and beg for forgiveness.

“I-I… I…” She stammered through chattering teeth. None of the words she formed in her head were coming out of her lips. Her voice came out like a little squeak, further emphasizing her mouse-like nature and size in comparison to the giant, shuddering in his shadow.

Sky took notice of her trembling, and his gaze softened. From the look of her clothing, she seemed to be Jung’s friend that he met at the party. Well, ‘met’ was an overstatement. His reaching hand sent her running before they could exchange words.

“...Hi there.” The titan uttered as he placed his palms on his thighs. He leaned over her just slightly, mindful of his movements, keeping them slow.

Lark watched his movements from her vulnerable position at the base of his foot. The giant’s loud, yet gentle voice filled her ears and caused her to sit up, rocking onto her heels in a low kneel. There was no hint of anger in his voice, yet she dreaded what might come next.

“...Hello… um…” She breathed, chest heaving as if his looming body above her was suffocating her. Her words became lost and she just stared up at the mighty man.

Sky tilted his head slightly at her. He had never quite seen a human so deeply affected by him in this way. Perhaps this was how all humans were when they first met the titans, he thought. He breathed in deep and exhaled before speaking again.

“Did you mean to hide in my clothing like that?” Sky spoke lowly, gently. “You could have gotten really hurt.”

Lark glanced around her. Sky’s leg arched over her, the crook of his knee almost directly above her head. A dizzying sight that made her want to turn heel and run, but the giant’s polite manner of speech kept her somewhat calm.

“I just… wanted to apologize to you personally.” Lark gasped, forcing herself to cease her trembling. “But I didn’t know where you lived… so I just climbed on… I didn’t think you’d notice.” She half-laughed, realizing how foolish she sounded.

Sky looked at her with an amused grin. “Apologize? For what?”

“Oh… well, for getting scared, I guess…” Lark peeped, feeling even more foolish. “I shouldn’t have ran from you. You’re Jung’s friend, after all… I…” She stammered as she lowered her gaze, then fumbled in her pocket for her phone. “I should call him, h-hang on…” The nervous woman said as she patted her pants and jacket pockets.

“Shoot, my phone!” She blurted as she looked along the ground for her cell phone. Crawling on her hands and knees in the dimly-lit bunker, Lark searched with no luck.

Sky leaned down and scanned the floor for a sign of a tiny phone. He let out a puff of breath as he realized before she did that her phone probably fell out before he entered his home. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his own phone, a rather dated design with modular buttons and a small screen, a billboard-sized device.

“It’s fine. I’ll text him.” The giant said calmly as he flipped open the keyboard and typed on it. Lark stopped her searching and looked up at him, even more astonished at seeing the enormous gadget.

“...I, oh… you don’t have to, I’m sure mine’s around here somewhere…” Lark said as she watched him tap the buttons.

“I got it. He’s probably worried about you.” Sky said as he glanced down at the curious little woman at his foot. “You look exhausted. You can stay here for the night, if you’d like.”

Lark’s eyes were wide. “Stay… here?” She said rather quietly, looking around the enormous bunker. It was very dark, except for two rod light fixtures on either side of the room. She could barely make out a row of cabinets, a sink, and a table with two chairs from her position on the floor of a giant kitchenette. The rest of the interior went on further, but the lights didn’t illuminate that far.

“Yeah. I can’t really bring you anywhere right now, not at this time of night. And roads don’t come up to my place, so if you have a ride… they’d have to walk quite a ways.” Sky said as he slowly swung his leg away from Lark and took off his remaining shoe. He stayed seated on the floor as he looked down at the confused little human on the concrete.

“I… well, that’s… very kind of you.” Lark said, still in shock. Admittedly, she didn’t quite plan for what she would do after apologizing to the giant. Especially not at 1 AM.

Sky nodded at the polite little woman. “Yeah, it’s no worry. Sorry for scaring you earlier, by the way. If I had known that you never met a titan before, I wouldn’t have gone for a handshake.” The giant chuckled, flexing his feet in his socks.

Lark realized she was still sitting on the cold floor as Sky apologized to her. She stood up suddenly, shaking her head with an embarrassed blush. “N-no, it’s fine! It’s uh, it’s more of a me thing. I’m not sure what came over me… I just thought for sure you were going to… grab me.” She bit her lip.

Sky raised an eyebrow at her. “Oh?” He mused as he leaned closer to the shy woman. “Don’t like the thought of being in my hand?”

“Ah… t-the thought didn’t even occur to me. I just saw something big coming towards me…” Lark gasped as she again stared up at the looming giant. She could tell that he was amused by the situation, and she did her best to hide her fears. The sheer height of him just sitting down was dizzying to her.

“Hmm. You know, I’m so used to humans being… used to me.” Sky rumbled as he tilted his head at the tiny woman standing on his floor. “So I don’t want to traumatize you, Lark. Are you going to be okay if I stand up?” The giant said as he nodded towards the wall behind him. “I need to turn on the lights.”

Lark was quite thankful that Sky was so accommodating. She almost forgot what she was even scared of, until he mentioned standing up. She looked down at her own feet, then up at him, realizing that she would be at ground level, looking up at a towering titan over 100 feet tall when standing.

She started to feel dizzy at the thought of it, but it’s not like she could tell him what to do in his own house. Lark nodded and brought her hands up to her chest nervously.

“O-of course. I’ll be okay.” She lied, thoughts racing as she scrambled to mentally prepare herself for what was coming.

Sky took her words at face value and slowly stood up, drawing his towering legs towards him as he rocked forward and planted his heels on the ground under him. His titanic form was now hunched over Lark, who didn’t dare move from her place on the vast concrete floor.

Sky couldn’t help but smile to himself as he looked down at Lark, who couldn’t peel her eyes off of him. Even from his lofty position he could tell that her eyes were as blue as his, wide and wavering in his shadow.

The world shrank as Sky slowly rose up on his legs, standing at his full 130 foot height, nearly reaching the ceiling of the enormous interior of the bunker. Though he stood still, Lark could feel the weight of him through the ground. Micro-tremors pulsed underneath her as the giant’s mass settled onto his heels, and she felt her head spinning, spinning, until everything was black.

When she awoke, she was no longer on a hard, concrete surface. Lark groggily lifted her head, feeling her body sink into something soft.

She had been laying on Sky’s bed, tucked neatly under a blanket. More specifically, she was on one of his pillows, and beside her rested the giant himself on the other side of the massive bed.

“...Sky?” Lark said as she sat up, cheeks reddening as she looked at the massive, sleeping face of the titan. He was resting with his head on his forearms, still dressed in his jeans and hoodie as he laid on his stomach, facing the pillow that Lark was placed onto.

Lark leaned forward, studying his sleeping face. He looked as if he had just nodded off, though she had no idea how long she was out for. She stiffened up as she realized that he must have picked her up and carried her here after she fell unconscious. Her heart fluttered as she imagined how that might have gone, him bending down and plucking her off the floor with those massive fingers.

The woman bit her lip as she glanced around her, utterly dwarfed by the giant’s pillow. Much like a wedding ring in the middle of a silken cushion, her entire being was encompassed by soft, white fabric. She couldn’t imagine a bigger bed, save for the actual mattress Sky himself was laying on adjacent to her.

Suddenly, the giant’s eyes blinked open, and an immediate look of relief came upon him when he saw Lark sitting up, awake.

“Oh, thank god.” He said as he raised his head up to look at her. “I wasn’t sure how long you were gonna be out for.”

Lark’s breath caught in her throat as she stared at the no-longer slumbering giant beside her. His face was close, very close. She could almost feel the warmth of his body emanating off of him.

“I… did I pass out?” Lark asked.

“Yeah. About oh… 20 minutes ago.” Sky said as he glanced at the clock. “I’m sorry, I had to pick you up to bring you here. I couldn’t just leave you on the floor.”

Lark bit her lip and looked to the side. With the main light on inside the bunker, she could see more of Sky’s place. The inside looked like a large-scale studio apartment, built with industrial-grade concrete and rebar. Not exactly homey, but at least the bed was comfortable.

“It’s okay… thank you, Sky...” Lark said as she turned back to face him. As she looked up at his hulking face, she remembered why she blacked out in the first place. “Ugh…” Lark groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose. This giant must really think she is hopeless.

Sky let out a short laugh. “Do you have vertigo?” He asked as he tilted his head at her. “You looked up at me and just… kept going. Fell flat on your back. Would have had a nasty bump if I didn’t fix it.”

“I might have vertigo.. that would explain a lot.” Lark replied. “Wait, what do you mean ‘fix it’?”

“When I picked you up, I healed your head.” Sky said matter-of-factually. “Yeah, I don’t know how it works, either. I can heal humans by my touch.” The giant shrugged, then covered his mouth as he yawned.

“Huh…” Lark mumbled as she watched him yawn. She felt herself tire as well, and couldn’t help but yawn in succession.

“I think it’s time for bed. Is this comfortable enough for you?” Sky smiled as he nodded to the pillow that surrounded her little body.

Lark blinked and looked around. She certainly was comfortable, but this meant that she’d be sharing a bed with a titan. “I… yeah… is this okay?” She blurted. “S-sharing a bed?” Her face blushed.

“It’s hardly sharing a bed. You’re on my pillow.” Sky rumbled as he leaned to the side, pulled the blanket out from under him and shimmied underneath it. “Not like you take up space, you know. Don’t worry… I won’t bother you. I’ll stay on my side.” The giant grunted as he rolled over to the other end of the bed and settled under the covers.

Lark was too tired to argue. She was quite comfortable on the giant’s pillow, covered by the thick edge of a huge blanket. It had been such a long night of travel, partying, and riding in a giant’s shoe. Sky’s gentle yet assertive way of speaking gave Lark no reason to complain; she was just happy to have a safe place to rest after a night of drinking.

“O-okay!” Lark peeped as Sky reached over to the bedside lamp and switched it off. Suddenly the room was almost completely dark, and only the sound of Sky’s breathing reminded her that she wasn’t alone.

“Goodnight.” The giant rumbled, and Lark replied back with a hasty “Night!” before settling down under the covers. Sky rolled onto his side, his enormous back facing Lark. He had shared his bed with humans before, so the situation didn’t bother him. In his mind, as long as he stayed still while laying on the bed, she would be safe from getting crushed.

Lark, on the other hand, found it difficult to sleep. As comfortable as the gigantic pillow was for her, she couldn’t get over the fact that she was in bed with a giant man. She glanced over at his hulking, sleeping form, and sighed wistfully. She laid her head back and looked at the far away ceiling, longing for her own room that wasn’t so vastly oversized. The huge underground room was cold, even with the blanket covering her.

The woman shivered as the night went on. Sky seemed to be in a peaceful sleep, completely unmoving aside from the swelling of his breaths in his enormous lungs. His massive body did not seem bothered by the chill of the air, much unlike the little human on his pillow.

Lark, unable to sleep or to get warm, decided to crawl closer to the giant. She figured it would be warmer, though how close she was daring to get was still to be determined. The shivering little human slid off of one pillow and started climbing onto the next one, upon which rested Sky’s head.

In the darkness, Lark could make out the large, dark form of the back of the giant’s head. His sleek, black hair was hard to make out in the darkness, but it looked soft and warm; perfect for Lark to snuggle into.

The woman hesitated, however. As she scooted closer to Sky’s head, she looked up at the top of his skull, which was easily twice her height. Though he hadn’t moved at all tonight, what would become of her if he rolled onto his back? She’d be completely smothered, flattened against the pillow.

Lark nervously glanced around, scooting backwards to see more of the massive man. Any other part of his body would be just as dangerous to cuddle up against. She tried to imagine the best place to be on the sleeping giant; there had to be a place for her to get warm and also be safe from getting crushed.

As she was brainstorming the next step, she was startled when Sky suddenly spoke.

“Are you cold?” He rumbled without turning his head.

Lark scooted herself backwards. Was he awake this entire time? Or perhaps her small self woke up the giant by pitter-pattering around his head?

Regardless, she replied with a resigned “...yeah.” It was late, she was tired, and frankly had enough of scuttling on the oversized bed.

Sky smiled to himself. He had a hunch that Lark would eventually scoot her way closer to him overnight. As timid as she was around him, at least this meant that she wasn’t as terrified as their initial meeting.

The giant kept still as he reached up to his shoulder, bringing his hand into view of the little human beside his head. He beckoned her with his finger as he spoke. “Come on over here.”

Lark stared at his huge hand, fingers draped across his wide shoulder and steep neck above her head. Did he really intend for her to climb over him? His mountainous frame? The small woman opted to skirt around his huge head instead. Sky waited patiently for his little friend to make her way to his front, wobbling her way along the indents of the pillow. He laid still on his side and soon the blonde woman stepped in front of his vision, pushing her way past the fringe of his hair.

The two made eye contact for a moment, and Lark awkwardly looked away, taking in the length of his body laid out before her. His frame seemed even more vast, covered in an enormous, thick blanket.

“I’m sorry, I guess it is pretty cold in here for a human.” The titan uttered as he lifted his head up, adjusting his view so he could see her more clearly. “I just wasn’t sure how close you’d want to be to me.”

Lark hugged her shoulders as she stood under the giant’s gaze. She looked down at her feet as he spoke to her. “No, I appreciate it. Honestly, you’re… a lot more accommodating than I expected you to be. Like… not only are you huge, but you’re so… popular? It’s like all the people here know you, and here I am… a total stranger in your house.” She said quietly, unable to look the titan in the eye as she spoke.

Sky couldn’t help but chuckle. This was the closest look he had of Lark so far, and to him, she was quite cute. He liked her shy personality, even if it meant going slower with her than the usual humans he interacted with.

“Aww. I’m not really that popular, humans just like to be around titans.” Sky smirked at her. “Well, some do. Are you still scared of me?” His blue eyes were focused on the little human on his pillow.

“I… I don’t think so.” Lark said, still averting her gaze.

“Then…” Sky chuckled. “… feel free to come closer, and get warm.” The giant said softly as he raised his arm and gestured to himself.

Lark finally looked up to see the titan gesturing to his huge body, and her cheeks flushed. It was as if he was offering himself to her as a luxurious, heated bed.

“Um… ah…” She stammered, hesitating at the sight of his vast being. Where to even begin? She felt so vulnerable before him, and yet he was just laying there, presenting his huge and warm body. Her arms gripped her shoulders tighter in hesitancy.

“It’s okay. Just think of me as a big teddy bear.” The giant giggled and lowered his head back down on the pillow, watching her in amusement.

Lark nodded slightly, daring to take a step closer. She eyed his face, his chest, both so broad and imposing. If he truly was a giant stuffed bear, this would be no problem. But the fact that he was indeed a towering titan of a man made it hard for her to picture it.

Sky could see her hesitating, and had to stop himself from reaching out and pulling her close. He could tell that she wanted so badly to huddle up to him and warm her little body up, but having never encountered a titan so close before… perhaps she didn’t even know where to begin.

“Do you want a suggestion?” Sky asked her softly. “Crook of the neck.” The giant smiled as he tilted his chin to reveal his neck to the little human. “You can also just crawl into my shirt collar from there.” He patted the base of his neck invitingly.

Lark’s face got even more red as he did so. Never did she expect herself to be so close to a giant; even though she was really just getting warm, to her it was becoming something more than that.

“O-oh, um… okay.” She peeped and slowly made her way closer to the giant man’s neck. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, with a thick collar that hugged his neck and kept it very warm. Admittedly it all looked so comfortable, and Lark’s exhaustion and lack of warmth made her stumble forward and lean against Sky’s throat.

All was quiet as Sky practically held his breath, keeping himself still as his tiny friend adjusted her position. Lark’s curious little fingers touched his bare neck as she sighed happily, feeling his body heat permeate her senses. A smile crept on the giant’s lips, the fluttering of her bashful self against his sensitive throat made his chest warm.

“You’re so small…” The giant uttered in a breathy tone, mostly to himself. But Lark’s proximity to his larynx made her jolt.

“Excuse me…?” She squeaked, feeling the gentle rush of his breaths through his neck upon which she rested her head.

“I just. I dunno. You’re really small.” Sky uttered, her little body against his neck making him acutely aware of their difference in size.

“Are… are you just now realizing that, Sky?” Lark half-laughed, feeling very sleepy. His gentle breaths were very soothing to her ears.

“Kinda.” Sky said as he smiled and pulled his blanket up closer to his chin. “As much as when I picked you up off the floor earlier when you were an unconscious ragdoll.”

Lark’s eyes widened at his words. She suddenly imagined how she must have looked, limply draped across the giant man’s palm. The fact that she wasn’t even awake for that gave her mixed feelings.

“Ah…” She muttered, feeling her cheeks continue to warm. She was glad at least that he did pick her up, or else she wouldn’t be with him on his bed.

Sky giggled at her shy response. “I hope you can get some sleep at least. It’s really late.”

“I know… I’m really tired, but… I guess cuddling a giant is too interesting for me to fall asleep.” Lark admitted, taking care not to move around too much and tickle him.

“Aww. Well I couldn’t just let you freeze.” The titan chuckled. “I’m glad you snuck your way in here, though. Still not sure it was the best idea but...all things considered, I appreciate that you were so dedicated to setting things right.” Sky said sleepily. “Not that I was upset or anything to begin with, but I was hoping to get to know you after Jung introduced you to me. Especially after he told me that you’re new here.”

Lark listened to him speak, blushing a little when she realized that he was interested in her in some sort of way. She grabbed the collar of his hoodie and pulled it closer to her, pressing her back into his neck for warmth.

“Do you… bring humans into your bed often?” She asked timidly.

“Sometimes.” Sky chuckled, tucking his chin down and touching the top of her head with the bottom of his jaw. “It’s nice to have a little snuggle buddy. I’ve accepted the fact that being a titan means essentially becoming a warm bed for tinies.”

Lark giggled. This giant really was like a big teddy bear. She couldn’t believe she was scared of him before.

“Tinies… is that what you call us?” She asked softly, feeling her fatigue getting to her.

“Mmm, yeah, collectively you’re all just tiny little things. Tinies. It makes sense to me.” The giant yawned. “But tonight, you’re my tiny.” Sky uttered to the shy little woman in his collar.

Lark’s face, previously pink, suddenly turned red. His words of possessiveness caught her off guard.

“I… uh…” She stammered, gripping the edge of his collar tight. Never had she felt so small in her life. Despite being shorter in height than most people, the difference in size was nothing compared to this man’s mountainous form.

“Sorry, I’m mostly kidding.” The giant laughed. “I don’t want you to think that I’m trapping you here. I am enjoying your company, though.” Sky said as he reached up and stroked the edge of his collar beneath Lark.

“I-I am too…” She replied, feeling the rustle of his finger against the fabric. She took note of how careful he was being with her, especially with his hands. “This is all just so new to me… but I’m having a good time.”

“I’m glad… you know, I don’t know if you have any plans after the morning, but you can hang out with me if you want.” The giant uttered to the tiny human snuggled against him. “I got nothing going on. And again… you don’t take up much room in here.”

Lark gripped the end of his collar tightly as he spoke. She was having a hard time believing her luck. After having traveled all day to get to Horizon City per Jung’s request just to meet a titan at the party, only to end up in his massive bed with him at 2 in the morning. And now that he was asking her to stay longer, she had no reason to refuse.

“Wow, uh… that would be… that’s very nice of you, Sky.” She stammered.

“It’s no problem.” The giant rumbled sleepily. “Knowing Jung, I’m sure he’ll be busy anyways.”

“Yeah… admittedly it was his idea to get in your sneaker after the party.” Lark bit her lip, recalling their conversation after her exuberant friend found her in the bathroom.

“Of course. I knew it.” Sky sighed with knowing smile. “He would be the type to convince someone to climb my shoe. He’s done it himself multiple times.”

“Really? Yeah, that seems like him… but I don’t even really know what he does for work...” Lark peeped from the giant’s collar.

“Oh, he just… gets to know titans in ways most people wouldn’t.” The giant rumbled in amusement. Sky was surprised that his little friend hadn’t fallen asleep, yet.

“Wha…” Lark yawned, feeling her eyelids flutter, too tired to comprehend his words. She fought herself to stay awake, but the comforting heat of Sky’s neck coupled with his soft sweatshirt collar and rumbling breaths practically lulled her to sleep.

“I think it’s time for bed.” Sky chuckled as he slowly reached his fingers up towards his collar. “Are you comfortable where you’re at?” He asked the sleepy little person huddled against his neck.

“Mm… I am…” Lark mumbled as she glanced up at the vast expanse of the giant man’s neck. She couldn’t imagine a more pleasing amount of warm body heat around her, coupled with an endless expanse of clothing to snuggle into.

“Well… I’m not. I’m gonna roll onto my back, so just stay put.” The titan said softly as he pushed the tips of his fingers into his shirt collar where Lark was tucked into, gently securing her in place as he carefully angled himself from his position on his side to his back.

Lark blushed as she was gently but firmly held in place against the giant’s neck. Soon she was laying directly on top of him, rather than leaning against that expansive wall of flesh. She laid there, frozen in place, hearing Sky’s breaths rush through his windpipe as he sighed in satisfaction.

“Alright… that’s better. You just get yourself comfortable… I won’t move.” The titan rumbled as he laid his head back on the pillow and draped his arms across his stomach. Ideally he would have laid like this in the first place, after picking up the little human and placing them on his chest. But Lark was different… she seemed to have an aversion to those giant hands of his. Though it was tricky, Sky had no problem changing the way he interacted with Lark. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her, and to him, having her snuggled under his collar without picking her up was a job well done.

Lark’s tired eyes started to close. The giant’s words reassured her that she would be safe, and it had been such a long night. She reached down and grasped Sky’s jacket collar and pulled it up to her chin as she settled down on his neck and drifted to sleep without another word, pacified by the sounds of his low, deep heartbeat.

The two of them slept peacefully. As Sky promised, he slept on his back through the night, and by morning, Lark was still snuggled up where she fell asleep. The titan was the first to awaken, blue eyes flitting awake in the dark bunker.

“Mmm…” he mumbled as he blinked himself awake. He became aware of the tiny, warm body in his jacket collar, and realized that Lark was still sound asleep in the crook of his neck.

Sky smiled warmly and laid his head back gently. His chest rose and fell as he breathed, allowing himself a little more time to wake before turning the light on by his bed. He glanced down, trying to get a look at Lark. He could feel her tucked under his shirt, just above his collarbone, where his throat was softest… not moving, still very much asleep. The titan couldn’t see her from his point of view, as much as he tried.

He was quite pleased that she was still sleeping. The giant reached over slowly and flicked on his light, then decided to get up. Sky reached up to his collar and picked up the edge of it, folding it lightly on top of Lark. He pushed his fingers into her from the outside of the fabric and pinned her in place as he sat up on his bed.

Lark made a soft little noise as he did this, but still did not wake. Her tiny hands balled into fists and she nuzzled her face into Sky’s neck, which made the giant smile. He found her to be quite cute when she was asleep. His fingertips gently pushed against her middle, the two of them nearly half of her size.

The titan swung his legs over and stood up, feeling the need to stretch. However, with one hand keeping Lark in place, he could only alternate between the two arms as he raised one over his head, then replaced his hold on her in his collar before stretching the other one.

Sky then walked over to his countertop, which was quite bare. In fact, the giant did not have for himself food or dishes or silverware of any kind. He did, however, keep an array of human food on hand for his tiny guests.

The massive man kept his hold on Lark in his shirt as he bent down and glanced at what was essentially a miniature kitchen on the expansive countertop; fully functional with a fridge, stove, and cabinets.

“I wonder if I have anything that’s good…” Sky muttered as he peeked into the little fridge, spying some eggs, a carton of milk, and various condiments. He would have loved to cook breakfast for his little human friend before she woke up, but the ingredients were simply too small for him to handle. With eggs the size of pinheads, there would be nothing left of them if he decided to crack them between his fingers.

As he was looking over the miniature space, it was then that Lark finally stirred awake. Completely covered up by the giant’s collar, the little human awoke in darkness. Confused, she pushed out at the cloth surrounding her, feeling Sky’s enormous fingers on the outside securing her in place.

Oh, right. She was in a giant’s shirt. She had nearly forgotten this glaring detail, but just hearing the man’s deep breaths around her brought it to her attention.

“S-Sky?” Lark squeaked, flailing in the darkness of his hoodie. She was completely covered up, unable to see what was going on.

Sky glanced down and instinctively removed his hand from the collar, giving her room to breathe. “Hey, Lark… woop!” The giant exclaimed suddenly as the tiny woman, unaware quite yet that he was standing, started to slip down underneath his hoodie.

Lark let out a yelp of surprise as she slipped down, quite quickly, past the giant’s chest. The light above her disappeared as she was enveloped in layers of clothing, trapped between Sky’s hoodie and t-shirt. She felt like she could fall endlessly along the titan’s expansive body, but eventually a solid object came down upon her and halted her descent.

Sky clapped his hand against his belly, stifling a laugh as Lark nearly managed to tumble halfway down his jacket before he caught her. “Geeze!” He uttered as he cupped his hand around the wiggling little woman under his shirt. “I got you…”

Lark’s eyes were wide. “T-That’s one way to wake up…” She squeaked as she flipped herself upright, steadying herself by bracing against the titan’s stomach. Her heart pounded in her chest.

“You okay?” Sky asked as he held her in place, not daring to move. The last thing he needed was for her to fall further down and come out of the bottom of his shirt.

“Yeah… uh…” Lark uttered as she looked around. “How do I get out of here?” She asked timidly,

mind racing as she realized she was pinned in place.

“That won’t be a problem. As long as you let me hold you…” Sky said as he looked down at his middle. He kept his hand in place, doing his best to keep Lark calm. After all, she was quite literally trapped in his jacket.

“Oh… um, that’s fine.” The tiny woman could feel her heart pounding as she leaned forward against Sky’s stomach and gripped his shirt fabric. She wondered if the titan could feel her own, tiny heart, nearly jumping out of her skin.

He could, and the woman’s nervousness put him on edge. He took a deep breath to steady himself as he carefully reached under his shirt with his other hand, cupping it below Lark. He removed his other hand and let the little human drop down and land in his bare palm.

And just like that, Lark was in the hand of a giant. She tumbled down shortly and landed on her rear in the middle of a man’s hand that was easily twice her size. Her breath caught in her throat as Sky removed his hand from under his jacket and held her out in front of him. The giant looked down at her tentatively, watching her movements closely.

“… there you go.” Sky uttered cautiously, holding her as steady as he could. The little woman in his hand felt so warm, so light. One precious little life.

Lark shuddered, looking up at Sky. His chest filled her vision, a massive wall of a body spanning before her. Yet beneath her, the man’s hand was steady. The woman’s hands gripped Sky’s palm as she glanced around her, with the giant’s fingers at her back and his enormous thumb beside her.

She was utterly speechless. This weightless sensation, her entire being suspended in the air, held aloft effortlessly by this titanic being… it was overwhelming, to put it lightly.

“U-uhhh…” She shuddered, blue eyes as wide as dinner plates as her whole self was laid out before the massive man, who eyed her closely. She had spent the night sleeping on top of him, and yet… in his hand, all she could feel was small.

“It’s alright.” Sky uttered suddenly, making Lark jolt. “I won’t drop you.” His face softened as he brought his other hand up and cupped it underneath, securing his hold even more.

Lark bit her lip as she took in his words. His gentle, reassuring words… though she wasn’t even sure if that was what she was afraid of, or if she was truly afraid at all.

“It’s just… you’re so big…” The woman uttered as she covered her face in her hands. She was starting to feel faint again, just taking in the sight of Sky from his palm.

“I am…” Sky said in agreement, peering at the nervous little lady. “Does it scare you?” He asked, unsure of what kind of response he was expecting. She was clearly apprehensive about the whole situation.

Lark peeked out at him through her fingers. His face, though gigantic, was gentle. He looked as though he enjoyed holding her in his hands, despite her uneasiness.

“Well… no…” She uttered, gazing up at the titan. “I’m not really sure what to think, to be honest… I’m not scared, I’m just… wow.” Lark said with uncertainty. “Like… you’re just holding me... everything I am fits in the palm of your hand.”

Sky tilted his head at her curiously. “Oh? I suppose that’s true…” the titan moved her closer to his face, cupping her in his hands softly. “But that’s just what it is… you’re like a little treasure.” The giant said quietly, unable to stop himself from smiling at his own mushy words.

Lark stared at him as he spoke, feeling rather touched by what he said. “A treasure…?” She uttered softly as she returned his gaze, feeling her chest flutter. She couldn’t quite tell if this was the titan’s way of flirting, or if he meant it more literally. Nevertheless, as he lifted her up closer to his face, Lark couldn’t stop herself from blushing. She just hoped that she was too small for him to notice it on her cheeks.

Sky could feel her tense up in his hand as he said this. He let out an awkward chuckle as he narrowed his gaze. “Y-yeah. Something delicate, yet priceless. You being so small only makes it… makes you more of a precious little thing.” The giant rumbled as he attempted to explain his choice of words.

Lark’s face flushed even more. It was clear that the titan had a fondness for her and her tiny self. She averted her gaze now, looking down at her feet as she fiddled with her fingers in the giant’s palm.

Sky could see how shy she was getting, and he couldn’t help himself from smiling. He brought her even closer to his face, studying her features. Her bright golden hair was cut short, but it came down around her cheeks and framed her face. She was small, with thin arms and legs. She looked to be shorter than a typical adult, as much as Sky could tell. And her shyness made her all the more adorable to behold, the way her blue eyes fluttered as she looked down at her feet and up at his face.

The titan tilted his head at her, his own bright blue eyes seemed to glow on their own. Lark returned his gaze shyly, tensing up as he stared at her.

“You’re cute.” Sky said to her suddenly, and Lark’s fingers immediately gripped into the giant’s palm.

“Wh… huh?” Lark stammered, feeling her face flush even more red. “I am… I mean… you think so?”

Sky nodded, closing his eyes as he did so. He gazed at her fondly, the adorable little woman in his hand. “Yes. You’re adorable.” The giant chuckled.

Lark was speechless. Never in her life did she think she would be in this situation, held so close to a giant man’s face, complimented by him. As she dared to look back at him, she realized Sky was rather cute, too.

She fiddled with her fingers a little longer, speechless. She wasn’t sure if she should accept his compliment as it was, or assume that this was him coming-on to her.

“So…” Sky said as he looked directly at the little woman in his hand. “First off, you should give me your number, so I can call your phone and help you find it again.” The titan quirked his brow at her. “Secondly, you should give me your number anyways. If you want. I’m thinking we go out for lunch later, what do you say?”

Lark bit her lip as she looked up at the giant. She had completely forgotten about her lost phone in the midst of all… this.

“Y-yeah… I would like that, Sky.” She said, blushing, still not quite comprehending all of this completely. Did she really pull a titan by being a ditz who literally fell down his shirt? The giant smiled, blue eyes shining with delight at her response. He then leaned forward and stretched out his cupped hand, showing his little lady friend the human-sized kitchen on his countertop.

“Great! Feel free to make yourself breakfast, though.” Sky said as he tilted his palm so Lark could step off of it. “How are you feeling, by the way? Sleep well?” The giant asked as he peered at her and the tiny kitchen.

Lark stepped off Sky’s hand and looked around the countertop kitchen. She was amazed that he would even think to have such a thing installed in his house.

“I’m good, actually… I thought maybe I’d have a hangover this morning but… maybe sleeping on a titan fixed that.” Lark replied to Sky half-jokingly as she peered into the fridge.

“You’re right about that. I can heal you just by touching you.” Sky beamed as he leaned over and watched Lark look around the kitchen.

Lark looked back at the giant, then touched the back of her head. He was right, she had almost completely forgotten that she had fainted last night and hit her head on the floor. Sky must have taken care of it quick enough for her to even remember getting hurt after passing out.

“That’s really handy, I gotta say… does it work for everything? Like, hereditary diseases?” Lark asked him curiously as she took out a loaf of bread and some butter.

“Um. I’d have to test that. You don’t happen to have any hereditary diseases, do you Lark?” The giant had to stifle a laugh as he asked her.

“No… I don’t think so.” Lark giggled as she made herself a plain piece of bread with butter to munch on. She was too excited to eat much else.

“That’s good… well, once we find your phone, I should get you back to your hotel so you can freshen up, huh?” The giant said as he leaned in close to Lark, a big smile on his face as she stood beside the fridge and clutched her bread with wide eyes. “If you will let me hold you, that is.” He winked at her.

Lark stared up at the giant’s face, feeling the warmth of his breath as he leaned close to her. She nodded at him, taking another bite of her breakfast. “Mmhm! T-that’s no problem.” The little woman said bravely to her 130 foot tall date.

She knew this was going to be the most memorable first date she’ll ever have.

#story #sfw giant/tiny #giant tiny #sona #sky #lark #took me forever to finish this. mostly cause I had no idea what I was doing #I just wanted cute nervous human interacting with friendly giant #and well! might continue it with their date

[spadesurvey]

Best Social Research Companies in India

Social research companies play a significant role by providing invaluable insights into the various aspects of society. Their expertise in analyzing social trends and understanding consumer behavior empowers businesses, organizations, and governments to make well-informed decisions that have a lasting impact.

India, with its rich cultural diversity and complex social dynamics, is home to a numerous reputable social research company. These organizations employ cutting-edge methodologies and innovative techniques to collect, analyze, and interpret data, enabling them to unveil invaluable insights about Indian society.

In this blog, we will go on a journey to explore the Top Social Research Companies in India. We will explore their areas of expertise, research methods, and remarkable projects, discover their outstanding contributions to the field of social research.

Whether you are an entrepreneur seeking to understand your target market better or a representative in search of evidence-based solutions, this complete overview will serve as your area to navigate through the leading social research companies in India.

What is Social Research?

Social research is a method used by researchers and social researchers to learn about people and communities in order to build products and services that meet a variety of people’s needs. Different social groups in different sections of a country think differently. Several aspects of human behavior must be addressed in order to comprehend their thoughts and feedback on the social world, which can be accomplished through the use of Social Research.

Social research is a method used by social scientists and researchers to learn about people and communities in order to build products and services that meet a variety of people’s needs. Different socioeconomic groups in various regions of a country have different perspectives

Top Social Research Companies in India

Social Research Company #1: IPSOS

IPSOS is a prominent social research company in India known for its expertise in designing, developing, and executing customized research projects for government and public sector clients. Their research services are aimed at assisting clients in making well-informed, evidence-based decisions.

Services: packaging research, brand health tracking, Social Intelligence Analytics, Automotive and Mobility Development, Audience Measurement

Company size: 10,001+ employees

Foundation Year: 1975

Address: Lotus Corporate Park, Unit No.1701, 17th floor, F Wing, Off Western Express Highway, Goregaon (East), Mumbai – 400 063

Website: www.ipsos.com

Social Research Company #2: Spade Survey

Spade Survey, a reputable data collection agency, boasts a panel of over 600,000 individuals across Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Egypt, UAE, USA, China, and India. Their extensive reach extends to more than 20 countries worldwide.Their primary focus is to provide reliable data collection services that aid in making informed business decisions and achieving favorable outcomes. Panelists are recruited through their website, diverse digital marketing campaigns, and recruitment drives. Furthermore, Spade Survey has established a network of partners who contribute to the feasibility and reach of their operations.

Services: Online Research, Sample, Survey, Research Support, Quantitative Research Services, Qualitative Research Services, Social Research, Survey Programming, Online Research, Focus Groups, B2BResearch Services, Consumer Research Services (B2C) in India

Foundation Year: 2011

Company size: 11-50 employees

Address: #1108, Tower J, Ace City Noida Extension, Sector 1, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201306

Website: www.spadesurvey.com

Social Research Company #3: Kantar Public

Kantar Public is a globally recognized independent specialist research, evidence, and advisory firm that caters to the government and the public sector, covering a wide spectrum of public policy areas. With a presence in 21 countries and a dedicated team of experts and researchers, they leverage a unique global data ecosystem to deliver top-tier data solutions.

Services: Consultancy, Evidence, Public Communications, Public Policy, Public Services, International Development, Behaviour Change, Political Advisory, and Digital Government

Foundation Year: 1992

Company Size: 501-1,000 employees

Address: Unit no. 301, Southern Park Building No. D-2, Saket, Delhi – 110017

Website: www.kantarpublic.com

Social Research Company #4. PwC

PwC is driven by its overarching mission to cultivate trust in society and address critical challenges. As a global network of firms encompassing 152 countries and comprising over 327,000 dedicated professionals, PwC is steadfast in its commitment to delivering excellence across assurance, advisory, and tax services

Services:

Company size: 10,001+ employees

Foundation Year: 1998

Address: Shapath-V, 17th Floor, Opposite Karnavati Club, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

Website: www.pwc.com/gx/en

Social Research Company #5. Delloit

At its core, Deloitte is committed to addressing complex challenges daily. Deloitte member firms apply this ethos to contribute towards solving some of society’s most pressing issues. Globally, Deloitte professionals are dedicated to pioneering inventive solutions for the betterment of society, creating a meaningful impact in the communities they serve

Services:Social Research, Healthcare Research, Audit, Consulting, Financial Advisory, Risk Management, and Tax Services

Company size: 10,001+ employees

Foundation Year: 1928

Address: 706, ‘B’ Wing, 7th Floor,106 b wing 1st floor,301-304 3rd floor A wing, ICC Trade Tower, Senapati Bapat Road, Pune, Maharashtra,411016

Website: www.deloitte.com

Social Research Company #6. E&Y

EY’s primary mission is to contribute to the construction of a more prosperous working world, fostering enduring value for clients, individuals, and society while cultivating confidence in the global capital markets.

Leveraging the power of data and technology, EY’s diverse teams, spanning across 150 countries, offer assurance services that instill trust and support clients in their growth, transformation, and operational endeavors

Services: Social Research, Advisory, Assurance, Tax, Transactions, Audit, Mergers, M&A, Financial Services, Accounting, Professional Services, Law, Technology, Consulting, Data, Transformation, Strategy, Legal, Digital transformation, Legal, Growth, and Managed Services

Company size: 10,001+ employees

Foundation Year:1989

Address: 22nd Floor, B Wing, Privilon, Ambli BRT Road, Behind Iskcon Temple, Off SG Highway, Ahmedabad 380 059.

Website: www.ey.com

How we can help?

The Spade Survey team may create a custom research project for your company. We understand your and your stakeholders’ needs for sustainability, business excellence, and business risk management. We provide comprehensive assistance in the development and customization of surveys, field data collection, secondary research, analytics, interpretation, and reporting with recommendations.

Spade Survey, a Social Research Company, specializes in conducting nationwide and large-scale surveys for non-profits, non-governmental organizations, local governments, and central governments in India, Asia Pacific, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia using telephone survey practices or statistically accurate face-to-face or door-to-door sample survey methods or a hybrid method.

As Social Research Agencies, we have a strong team of authorities who are well-experienced in understanding social concerns and providing support for Statistical and Econometric Data Analysis. The Spade survey has been used in collaboration with famous social workers, social scientists, researchers, and health and development economists who benefit from creating high-quality evidence on developmental efficacy in order to enhance the lives of the world’s poor.

Conclusion:

To gather information about the requirements of customers, social research firms create and conduct surveys, focus groups, and in-depth interviews. Social research initiatives differ from market research studies in that they seek to investigate social relationships.

Spade Survey focuses on working with churches, religious leaders, religion schools, and non-profit organizations. The Top 10 Social Research Companies in India offer a wide range of services and skills, as well as conduct research utilizing various methodologies and technology. Our social research service leans towards ethnography and in-depth data collection methodologies.

We provide customized study designs to organizations interested in exploring a specific area of our social world. Our services rely on our extensive research portfolios to deliver the best and most appropriate research methodologies, providing that your project collects rich and valuable data. We can assist you at any level of your social research project, from initial design and planning to delivery and presentation of findings.

We constantly strive to design out bias according to our experience in study design. In the real world, we always conduct our research with the highest ethical standards in mind, giving top priority to every research participant’s overall well-being. Because we at a third-party research service create social research that is objective, many businesses prefer to outsource this type of requirement. 

#BEST SOCIAL RESEARCH COMPANIES #SOCIAL RESEARCH #SOCIAL RESEARCH AGENCIE #SOCIAL RESEARCH AGENCIES IN INDIA #SOCIAL RESEARCH FIRMS #SOCIAL RESEARCH SERVICES #TOP SOCIAL RESEARCH FIRMS

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Ellen Ioanes at Vox:

Protests over the war in Gaza erupted on Columbia University’s campus last week and have sparked demonstrations at other universities across the country. The demonstrations have resulted in some intense crackdowns and political scrutiny, all coming in the wake of recent congressional hearings on antisemitism on campus and amid an uptick in both antisemitism and anti-Muslim sentiment in the US. Protests have emerged across the country, including at Yale University, New York University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Miami University in Ohio, and Temple University in Philadelphia, among other campuses. Once again, top universities have become the locus around which America litigates questions about the US’s support of Israel amid its deadly war in Gaza, free speech, antisemitism, and anti-Muslim discrimination — and a convenient target for political elites looking to make a point. For example: Lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson today, are visiting Columbia’s campus.

The protests are calling on universities to divest from firms that they contend profit from Israel’s war and occupation in Palestine, more than six months after the start of the war and as the death toll in Gaza has exceeded 34,000. Some groups at universities that conduct military research, like New York University, are also requesting their schools end work contributing to weapons development as well. At Columbia, Yale, and New York University, students have faced mass arrests as administrators seek to quell the unrest. Pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protests have become a prominent feature on college campuses since Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel. They reached a fever pitch in December when the presidents of Harvard, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania gave controversial testimony before Congress about campus antisemitism, both real and hypothetical.

Tensions reignited last week after Columbia president Nemat Shafik gave congressional testimony that, per the Associated Press, focused on “fighting antisemitism rather than protecting free speech.” Students erected tents on Columbia’s main lawn to show solidarity with Gaza. Then Shafik took the controversial step of calling in the police to arrest those involved. That contentious decision wasn’t just jarring to Columbia students particularly because of the university’s history, but also sparked outrage among onlookers both at the site and on social media. The controversy at Columbia and other campuses has illustrated how universities have struggled to uphold their dual commitments to free speech and protecting their students during a fraught political moment when more young people sympathize with the Palestinian cause than with the Israeli government. Concerns about antisemitism at the protests (often attributed to students, but largely perpetrated by outsiders according to anecdotal reporting) also piqued national attention; amid this all, Columbia University switched to remote learning on Monday, April 22 — which also happened to be the first day of the Jewish holiday of Passover. [...]

There are antisemitic incidents in the United States, which represent real danger to Jewish communities and individuals — and they have increased since the Hamas attacks on October 7.

In December, the Anti-Defamation League reported that antisemitic incidents had increased by nearly 340 percent since then. Complicating its data, however, is the fact that the ADL does not always differentiate between violent antisemitic incidents like assault and anti-Zionist protests and calls in support of BDS. Removing all Israel-related incidents from their count, America has a smaller but still big problem: Non-Israel-related antisemitic incidents still rose by 65 percent compared to 2022, per their data. Columbia students aren’t alone in facing broad accusations of antisemitism. Students at Yale, the Ohio State University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and others have all been called out by the ADL for engaging in Palestine solidarity protests as well as for specific incidents of antisemitism. Nor are they alone in facing arrest; NYU students and faculty and students at Yale have also been arrested. Police involvement in the protests — particularly on New York City campuses — has been met with backlash, particularly from university faculty and activists. [...]

What’s behind the protests?

In many ways, the demands of the protesters have been overshadowed by the controversy.

At Columbia, the protesters belong to a coalition, Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), which formed in 2016 to demand Columbia and Barnard College disclose investments in and divest — or remove from its investment portfolio — from Israeli and American companies and institutions that support Israel, citing its wars in Gaza and oppression of Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and its illegal occupation of Palestinian territory. The coalition’s demands are of a piece with the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) movement started by Palestinian civil society groups in 2005. BDS cites as its inspiration the anti-apartheid activists of the 1980s who targeted South Africa’s apartheid government with boycotts. While that movement wasn’t decisive in bringing down that government, it was successful in alienating the apartheid government from major global players like Barclays bank, the Olympics, and the International Cricket Conference, forcing countries and international institutions to confront their complicity in South Africa’s racist policies.

In addition to divestment from “companies profiting from Israeli apartheid,” CUAD has a list of five other demands, including a call for an immediate ceasefire from government officials including President Joe Biden, and, importantly, an end to the dual degree program that Columbia has with Tel Aviv University. These demands echo those of student groups at other colleges and universities. NYU student activists are also demanding the university shut down its Tel Aviv campus and “divest from all corporations aiding in the genocide,” including weapons companies, and ban weapons tech research that benefits Israel. Critics allege that BDS and anti-Zionism are at their core antisemitic, arguing that BDS delegitimizes Israel and “effectively reject[s] or ignore[s] the Jewish people’s right of self-determination, or that, if implemented, would result in the eradication of the world’s only Jewish state, are antisemitic,” according to the Anti-Defamation League.

Vox explains very well the nationwide college student protests against the Gaza Genocide and Israel Apartheid that tie in to the broader debate on antisemitism and free speech on college campsuses.

#Gaza Genocide #Gaza #Israel/Hamas War Protests #Israel/Hamas War #Ceasefire NOW #Ceasefire NOW Protests #Israel Apartheid #Colleges #Columbia University #Boycott Divest and Sanctions #Anti Zionism

[samwisethewitch]

what are some good resources for heathenry then?

(especially when it comes to freya’s and odin ecstatic genre of magic? have been interested in these aspects for a while but i never got around to researching norse topics)

When it comes to beginner's resources, a lot of the work of removing fascist influences in Heathenry is being done on blogs. Some that I highly recommend are Skald's Keep (@skaldish here on Tumblr) and North of Annwn (@north-of-annwn here on Tumblr -- currently on hiatus, I believe? but has a backlog of great resources). Skald's Keep is Norse Heathenry, North of Annwn is run by a Norse Heathen but also posts about other topics. If you're interested in Anglo-Saxon Heathenry, there's Lārhūs Fyrnsida -- this is a newer to me resource, but so far it seems legit and it's helpful for illustrating how different Germanic cultures were from each other.

If you're looking for books I absolutely recommend The Way of Fire And Ice by Ryan Smith. It's an introduction to radical Norse paganism and is the only Heathenry 101 book I've found that explicitly talks about how to recognize fascist dog whistles. I've taken some of Ryan's seidr classes and he is truly a delight and is very knowledgeable. I truly recommend anything associated with Fire and Ice Heathenry, which you can access on the site On Black Wings.

For more of a history/anthropology view of Norse culture, there are some great resources on YouTube. Jackson Crawford's channel is excellent for myth-busting, historical context, and explaining Old Norse language and literature (his translations of the Eddas are also top tier). The Welsh Viking is a delight who talks about more granular aspects of Old Norse social life and has several excellent videos disputing white supremacist appropriations of Norse symbols. I've had limited online interactions with Jimmy of TWV, and he seems genuinely delightful.

The ecstatic magic you're referring to is called seidr, and I've only recently found resources I can recommend for learning about it. Ryan Smith teaches classes on seidr, some of which I have taken and highly recommend. He also has a book on seidr coming out next year. The book Elves, Witches, & Gods by Cat Heath is an excellent resource, but it does require you to have a firm grounding in Heathen basics, and it does mix Old English and Old Norse traditions. Diana Paxson's book The Way of the Oracle is genuinely helpful and leans heavily into the ecstatic trance aspects, but is not without its issues. (See my previous notes on Paxson here.)

#ask #12th cup #heathenry #inclusive heathenry #norse paganism #norse pagan #resource #radical norse paganism

[aetherceuse]

𝑃𝑈𝐵𝐿𝐼𝐶

Her full name is Lusamine Delacroix

She is 44 years old, and stands at 6’5” tall. (6’3” without heels.)

She is the president and founder of the Aether Foundation.

The widow of Mohn Delacroix, who went missing while crossing the ocean on an expedition.

Mother of two children: Gladion & Lillie.

A certified genius and child prodigy; she earned her PhD at 15 and began working in her field at 16. She has an impressive memory and is among the top 20 most intelligent people in the world.

Is an advocate for Pokémon conservation, and technological innovation; the Aether foundation rehabilitates Pokémon, runs breeding programs for endangered species, and has developed vaccinations for diseases present in local Pokémon populations, brought from the mainland to Alola. The Alolan government applauds the foundation’s role in keeping the islands safe and clean. The foundation also develops technology meant to improve the relationship between human and Pokémon, along with bettering the general quality of life of the world.

𝑆𝐸𝑀𝐼-𝑃𝑅𝐼𝑉𝐴𝑇𝐸

Lusamine was adopted at the age of 5 by a pair of scientists working for Silph Co.

She was raised between Kanto and Alola, following her parents wherever they were sent for work and research.

She is a bit of a social recluse; Lusamine only attends events related to work, and is an extremely difficult woman to get ahold of.

Her Pokémon team consists of Clefable, Lilligant, Bewear, Milotic and Mismagius; Clefairy was her first Pokémon.

She has a love and fascination for astronomy and unusual phenomena; she is known to fund programs dedicated to space exploration and enjoys collecting “extraterrestrial” Pokémon such as Staryu.

Despite being seen in a positive light by the media, she is known to be an extremely firm and strict boss.

Gladion and Lillie were carried by a surrogate mother, due to Lusamine’s health problems.

𝑃𝑅𝐼𝑉𝐴𝑇𝐸

Lusamine is a faller; she fell through a wormhole from another dimension at the age of 5, and was taken in by an orphanage in Cerulean City, Kanto. She was adopted when her abnormal intelligence was observed by a pair of Silph Co. scientists who wanted to enrich her and see her full potential. The pair raised her with the intention of learning the full capability of the human mind; she was more of a controlled experiment than an actual child.

The dimension she fell from is home to the version of planet Earth that was destroyed by Guzzlord, also known as the Ultra Ruins. When nobody was able to stop Guzzlord from consuming everything in its rampage, the planet was evacuated, and in the process, Lusamine was separated from her parents.

Lusamine’s father was a human being. Her mother was an Ultra Human, making her partially Ultra Human as well. Her unique, green pupils were genetically passed down from her mother, along with her intelligence— which was further improved upon by the exposure Ultra radiation.

She has minor telekineses due to her “species”; Lusamine can move small objects, and people, in short bursts.

Lusamine is responsible for the disappearance of her husband.

Gladion was carried by a surrogate mother, and is the legitimate child of Mohn. Lillie, however, was grown in an artificial womb, and is a modified clone of Lusamine.

Lusamine’s intentions behind having children was to observe her genetics existing in other living beings; it did not come from a place of maternal desire.

Her Ultra Human genetics are responsible for her ability to interact with Ultra Beasts without being harmed.

The Aether Foundation is developing the Beast Ball.

The Aether Foundation is using cryogenic technology to preserve Pokémon DNA in the basement labs, in order to explore splicing.

The Aether Foundation is responsible for the creation of Type:Null.

The Aether Foundation is responsible for the Ultra Wormholes.

The Aether Foundation is conducting human experimentation in its basement, including, but not limited to, exposing humans to Nihilego’s neurotoxin, testing the physical capabilities of Fallers by putting them through stressful conditions, and testing the effects of Ultra Radiation on the human body.

The Aether Foundation is in possession of several Ultra Beasts.

The Aether Foundation is aware of the Ultra Recon Squad, and Necrozma.

Lusamine herself is conducting experiments in order to create an artificial hive mind in human beings, controlled by Nihilego neurotoxin.

#⟣〈 𝐸𝑙𝑠𝑎 ⟡ 𝑀𝑖𝑛𝑎 〉headcanon #{ Finally. The Lore. } #public vs private

[anewkindofme]

Any Addison Montgomery Cg headcanons? she's so soft and I really enjoy her character and I feel like she would be great! (at taking care of me ofc)- @their-bby-dino

Ask me for headcanons on characters from my fandom list!

Ahhh! I love Addison so much. She really would be the best caregiver. (She’s already an excellent mom!)

I did set these somewhat in the Private Practice universe, but outside a couple, they apply to Seattle/Grey’s as well.

Addison constantly worries and second guesses herself as a caregiver. She really doesn’t want to be like Bizzy or the Captain.

She makes the effort to know every last detail about her Little, right down to their favorite pair of socks. She’s very detailed oriented.

Addison is the type of caregiver to wear stilettos and designer dresses to the park but also doesn’t mind if they get dirty.

She for sure has a designer diaper bag, stocked with every single thing you can think of.

I see her as the cloth diapering type if her Little drops that young. Along with putting bloomers on top.

Addison lets her Little dress however they want, but she does try to sneak in the cute, designer outfits. Again, if they get dirty, no skin off her nose. She just thinks it’s cute.

She’s not the greatest cook, but still tries to order “healthy” takeout. There’s a lot of vegetarian restaurants in LA, so she hits those up.

That’s not to say she’s not good for a good sweet. Ice cream is in great supply.

Addison spoils her Little. Anything they want, they get. They definitely have a decked out nursery/Little bedroom and a separate playroom. Even when they’re in an older space, Addison makes sure they have all they want and need.

She also pays for and indulges any activity they want to do. They want to learn to ride a horse? She’s buying a pony. They have a desire to learn Mandarin? She’ll get a tutor.

That being said, she’s firm. There are rules and boundaries. All very reasonable (bedtime, curfew, being respectful, doing chores, etc) but she enforces them.

Her go-to discipline method is a cool down corner. She’s the type to get one of those glitter water bottles and tell her Little to watch as it moves to the bottom, then they’ll discuss their actions.

If the Little goes to school, she takes education very seriously. She’ll help them study and do all she can to help them succeed.

Addison prefers hiring a nanny for when she works versus daycare. She feels it’s better for her Little to get one on one time.

She vets every single nanny thoroughly. No one with less than 10 years experience. They need a degree in Little psychology. Must adhere to all of Addison’s parenting philosophies. And she won’t hire any of them if her Little doesn’t approve.

The nanny (and Addison when she’s not working) takes the Little to playgroups and stuff so they can socialize.

Addison has a nursery/Little space set up in her office so she really only needs the nanny when she has a packed day at the practice or needs to go to the hospital.

Despite being a doctor herself, she freaks out over the slightest cold. Cooper is also specialized as a doctor for Littles and he has to tell Addison at least once a month to calm down.

Addison keeps up to date with all research regarding Littles and adjusts how she does things as recommended. She says she does the same as a doctor, so why wouldn’t she with the most precious thing in her life?

Addison initially doesn’t want to cosleep but if her Little needed it, she’d cave and let them sleep in her bed every night.

Addison pushes her Little to be independent if they wish to be, but if they need to be younger, she won’t hesitate to do everything for them.

#sfw agere #sfw age regression #sfw littlespace #sfw caregiver #caregiver addison montgomery #grey’s anatomy #their-bby-dino #asked and answered