#I guess it's kinda obvious

[justplainwhump]

Not Products

Inspired by @gottawhump and many other wonderful BBU writers. My first piece diving deeper into the safehouse system.

This is set some years in the future of Angel's timeline, and far into her recovery. (Yet right before a certain... setback)

Content - BBU, debts, mafia structures, implied human trafficking, implied forced prostitution, threats, noncon touching, BBU romantic.

The building that Kayleigh stopped in front of was large, elegant modern structures of carefully twisted glass, to make it shimmer in the sunlight.

Orange letters were running down the side of the building, and Angel fought the nausea rising up from looking at them too long, she could read, she just needed to be strong. Coo- Coopers and - and Bard. Att-

She didn't go on trying to decipher the letters of the remaining words. Attorneys at Law. She could deduce those ones.

'Lawyers. Worst kind of people', a voice echoed in her head, followed by hearty laugh. 'But we need them, don't we?'

She didn't know whose voice it was, one of the ghosts that lived on inside her, and she'd learned to live with.

"Wow", Kayleigh whispered, putting her head back and squinting up at the sheer size of the building. "Still can't believe it. Wouldn't have thought that someone like Coopers finds an interest in helping us out."

"They wouldn't if it didn't support their business," Angel remarked dryly. "People like Coopers? They're just the ones who'd still happily own pets if it had remained en vogue."

"Angel," Kayleigh hissed. "I know you hate rich people. Your owner hurt you, I get that, I -"

"Do not go down this road with me ." Angel clenched her teeth. "This is not about me, or my past. I am your colleague, not your charge. This is about the future of our house, and the question, if we want someone like Coopers can help us. All I'm saying is: He has a price, and we'll need to decide if we want to pay it."

"Maybe he just has a conscience?"

"He works with organised crime. We're both aware of this, aren't we?"

"Well, we're criminals, too. You even more than I am. What we're doing is highly illegal. Doesn't make it wrong."

"Well, what Coopers and Bard have their fingers in, is pretty wrong often enough."

"Shut up." Anger flared up in Kayleigh's eyes. "I didn't bring you to talk me out of this. You couldn't - haven't seen our numbers, how bad it looks. We need him, or we'll have to shut down the safe house."

Angel hadn't seen the numbers indeed, she had tried once, but the headache had grown too bad. She had however seen the clumsy system Kayleigh used to track the safehouse's finances. She shouldn't judge her, for doing her best. But she did judge her for her rejection of any advice.

"Yeah," she said, somewhat of a bitter laugh on her lips. "You brought me because I look good in business attire."

She held Kayleigh's gaze, while she pinned a button to the lapel of her blazer. People, not products.

"Don't flash this to me like this." Kayleigh sighed. "I brought you because you know how to read a room."

"Soft skills," Angel intonated with a little sing song. "Yeah. That tracks." She stepped back and gestured at the door. "After you. Boss."

*

Philip Coopers was a tall man with warm eyes and a firm handshake. Auburn hair, a little longer than usually considered appropriate for a business like this, a tailored navy coloured suit, probably from London, expensive leather shoes - Angel couldn't tell how she knew all this, but the she did.

"My assistant, Mx Carter," he introduced the thin person next to him. "Nice to meet you again, Kayleigh, and this is your friend?"

"Colleague," Angel corrected. "Angelina Harris. I am in charge of the practical side of things at our... house."

She felt his gaze take him in, shortly rest on her hands as she shook his. There was a thin silver chain dangling around her wrist, a tiny bracelet, that could hide nothing underneath. And there wasn't anything to hide either. Her skin had healed, the scars from the tattoo removal so tiny they could only be seen when light caught them from a specific angle. Nothing but a faint memory.

"Well, it's a pleasure." He invited them to sit at a conference table set up in his impressive office. "I am looking forward to support you, and to do my part to help you continuing your important work."

Angel bit her tongue to hold back a sarcastic return. This was Kayleigh's turf. Even though it sometimes felt like her own.

"We've talked about the general idea, let's just nail down the specifics." He gestured at his assistant, who took over, and Angel listened - rates, book keeping, conditions, existing and future contacts that needed to be covered.

It was all too easy. Too high amounts, too few conditions. Too good to be true, not from a man like this, running a business like his.

"Oh, and before I forget", he said, and Angel's gaze perked up. He'd never forget anything, his behaviour had made that abundantly clear. This was going to be the thing she'd been waiting for. "We'd like to employ the services of a psychological consultant. To make sure the... refugees are treated according to their needs."

"They are," Angel said. "We're making sure of that."

"That's a little different," Coopers insisted with a condescending little smile. "We would want them to meet the consultant right upon arrival, so they can determine which place is best equipped for them."

Angel frowned. "Are there more safehouses that you support?"

The assistant tilted their head. "*Places*," they said. "Safe spaces."

"And what's the criteria?"

"For the safehouses?"

"No. For the people, contacting *us*, arriving at our doorstep, to be let in or turned down."

"They're not turned down, Ms Harris. On the contrary. They're going to be cared for."

"So. Your only condition for funding us is to be allowed to psychologically screen runaways and then determine whether they go to us or somewhere else." She narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

"Angel," Kayleigh mumbled. "Calm down."

She didn't intent to. "Running a safehouse is expensive. Food, rent, medical bills, therapies, compensations for the volunteers."

"It is."

"What's your gain?"

"Doing the right thing is not enough?"

"No." Angel shook her head. "Not from you. You know what I think? Prices for a well trained guard dog from WRU start at about 250k, as far as I know. Romantics, similar. Can be much more, depending on specifics. Seven figures, even." She leaned in. "Is that your return? Acquisition for your preferred clients? Private security? Prostitution?"

"Interesting." His mouth twisted into a smile. "You've looked into the more hidden corners of our client list."

She shrugged. "I like to be thorough." She still heard the monotonous voice of the screen reader. Even set high speed, it had cost her many sleepless nights finding the names she'd been looking for.

"I see." He smirked. "But let me ask you. What if these... wild theories were right? Worst case scenario. You'd still run a safe house, one that as I understand it has absolutely no funds otherwise. One that Kayleigh here has put her college fund into, and bet her grandmother's house on."

Metal scrapped on wood when Kayleigh pushed her chair back, pale and trembling. "I... That's..." She shook her head, gaze to the floor, almost feverish in her movements as she pressed her hand to her mouth. "I... need to use the washroom, please?"

Upon their boss' gesture, the assistant jumped to their feet and opened the door. "Of course, Miss. I'll show you the way."

Coopers looked past the two of them, before he turned back to Angel.

"Sacrifices," he said, all but savoring the word. "That's what keeps your system running. That's what saves dozens of runaways, who already found shelter in your place, who you managed to get to safety and into a fulfilling life. Your friend sacrificed all she had for the case. And you refuse to reroute a single one of these... sluts, to a place that suits them better?" Carefully embedded between well chosen words, the slur cut into her like a hidden blade.

"Yes," she whispered. Her throat was constricted all of a sudden.

"What is your problem, Ms Harris? We give them shelter, warmth, food, company - they're having each other there, something I hear some of them have missed desperately in their past lives." He cocked his head as he said it, with a soft smile, that mocked understanding and was everything but. These has been her own words once, she herself had talked like that about her past, feeling constantly alone and desperate for company. He couldn't possibly know, she told herself. She was here with Kayleigh, with her colleague, she was an activist with a spotless wrist and a normal past. And she wouldn't let him get through with this.

She raised her chin decidedly. "You want to sell them out. Abuse their conditioning, instead of helping them overcome it."

"Ah," he tutted. "Shush. Selling them out, that's a strong word. They work for a living, like the safehouse system prepares everyone for. Like normal people do. According to their specific... qualifications."

She took a breath, trying to calm her racing heart, setting out to speak, but he talked over her. "Imagine one of them trying to do my job." He reached for a one of the documents scattered over his desk and held it up, presenting it to her. Little letters danced over the paper, twisting and turning, a garbled mess in front of her eyes, all but mocking her. It was sickening. She averted her gaze, and he chuckled. "Some people are made to think, Angelina. To make decisions, to manage large businesses, to read and understand things, you know. Others, however..." He waited until she looked up, holding her gaze for another moment. She couldn't breathe. "Others," he went on, "are simply made to fuck."

She stumbled to her feet, shaking her head. Her elegant blouse was too tight, the collar tightening around her neck. "We're not," she struggled to say, fighting the voices in her head, Handler Nguyen, Handler Parker, Sir, telling her the same words. "We... They, they're not, nobody is."

The man was grinning now, and it took her too long to realize. She'd played right into his hand. "Oh, Angelina. You're making this about yourself, aren't you? How come you're relating so hard, hm?" He closed in, the sort of casual, measured steps that she knew should make her run, but they made her freeze instead. "Tell me," he whispered, tucking a strand of her hair back behind her ear. His touch was soft, almost gentle, his hand warm on her skin, and she knew how she should react, and she knew she shouldn't. "Tell me, Angel, what were you made for?"

#bbu #bbu story #bbu pet lib #angels story #angel #kayleigh #philip coopers #mafia whump #bbu romantic #recovery #no idea how to tag this #I guess it's kinda obvious #anyway #this is fun

[front-facing-pokemon]

#well. i see why she's always looking down #virizion #i don't think that her getting a little crush on emolga near the end was an ending that really made sense for her #i get that she's all nice and wants to have friends now but emolga just isn't. the one i would expect that from #i guess it's kinda funny because now it's an obvious love triangle between dunsparce / emolga / virizion #emolga likes dunsparce. dunsparce likes virizion. virizion likes emolga. literally the definition of a love triangle #no y'know what i like it now. that's really fuckin funny

[justanotherrandomperson]

Just started 1899 last night and the ship is called KERBEROS??? AS IN THE COMPUTER AUTHENTICATION PROTOCOL (THAT VERIFIES IDENTITIES)??? WHILE EVERYONE ON THE SHIP IS LYING ABOUT WHO THEY ARE????

#Is this sone kinda trauma simulation???? #obvious we got the lying #brothers #and ling yi an her mother and that egole deal #clemence and lucien who are #happiky newly weds #(also dont trust Clemence....) #and I know in my heart Maura Franklin aint who she is... miss Singleton!!! #anyway #this is probably wrong #BUT mmmmmm #1899 #1899 spoilers #in tags i guess?? #theories

[starflungwaddledee]

is that silhouette at the end of your last post supposed to be a morpho form of meta?

it looks like it has meta's wings and his galaxia

this fandom is incredible...

"what is the unintelligible shape in this shadow?!"

"pfft. starflung this is easy. despite the fact we can see only two of her tines and the hilt is wrong it is CLEARLY the legendary sword Galaxia."

kirby fans really are so powerful at picking up hints and clues from just a shred of information. anyway, here's your... reward?

and uh... and uh...

@phanzon no but it.... it could be.

#now i'm probably just being cheeky but i figured i shouldn't drop two design reveals in one post? 😅 #these are both Bad Endings (one bad; one worse) and they don't actually have names #metamorphosis is the *obvious* choice but i know there are already other works in the fandom by that name so this'll have to do: #chrysalis au #meta knight #metamorpho knight #that'll do for now i guess #cw angst #cw blood #<- kinda? from galaxia's red eye. better safe than sorry. #replies #asks #my art

[justalittleguest]

The ending scene of Chapter 26 from “Spilled Ink” by Im_sorry_buddy on AO3 is the only thing my rotten brain let me think about every day since I read it. That kind of consistent obsession can be sorta comforting.

#LIKE GENUINELY #I ranted about it to my friends who’re not even in the fandom and they agreed this shit’s insane /pos #so guess who made an art blog way earlier than they thought they would because of this specifically #utmv #spilled ink #ink sans #dust sans #my art #also how obvious is it that I kinda gave up at the end like. Im trying but still #and new brush lol

[mushroom-person]

a doodle on occasion of me finally buying dread‼️‼️

alt version + sketch under cut

#digital art #art #digital doodle #doodle #metroid #metroid fanart #samus metroid #samus #samus aran metroid #samus aran #btw i like the game a lot its really fun i bought it together with bayonetta 1+2 and im having fun playing as ladies with guns #metroid dread #metroid dread fanart #i kinda went for like a card look??? card-like look i guess??? #funfact uhh my mom likes cards a lot #she once bought a super expensive set of cards and told me to dont touch them because cards get like #broken??? in a way??? when you touch them #bright colors #bright #i once saw this awful ass take on tiktok (obvious cause tiktok is full od awful ass takes) #that drawing fanart is bad cause you give your favorite media a free ad?? and i was like??? #yeaah??? that's the whole point??? to show your appreciation and perhaps make someone like the same media??? #like im fixated on metroid only because i saw some samus fanart and got interested in the character??? #comments were turned off btw so i know that it's not only my opinion that was a terrible take

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

A Tempest of Tea

first in a YA fantasy duology

follows a young immigrant woman in a fantasy Victorian city who runs a tearoom that doubles as an illegal bloodhouse for vampires at night

when their business is threatened, she gets a chance to save it by teaming up with her best friend, a rich girl with a talent for forgery, a vampire artist, and a mysterious city guard to do a heist to infiltrate high society and collect a logbook that may reveal the extent of the corruption in the city

fantasy city with a masked ruler, arthurian elements, themes of colonialism

#a tempest of tea #aroaessidhe 2024 reads #This has a really cool concept and worldbuilding and some fantastic characters! #I like the discussion of immigration and colonialism (I appreciate a story in this niche that’s not so white) #I like arthie and jin’s relationship and Arthie is a great character. #It definitely feels like the first half of a story - like is the arthurian stuff gonna come up more or is it just... #the mc is called arthie and has a gun she pulled out of a stone. Is there more to that lmao. it does end on a cliffhanger too. #The main thing I *didn't* like is that the middle kinda turns into…miscellaneous events purely to facilitate the characters being attracted #to each other. good for them I guess but i don’t care. #(I probably should have expected that based on the author’s other duology so that's on me I guess) #(the romances also feel on the older side of YA) #I also found that the audioboook narrator paused slightly too long between sentences. #I love having author interviews at the end of audiobooks! #which also directly called me out for guessing the obvious twist but not the multiple others directly after #(granted the obvious one I was like... genuinely confused whether it was supposed to be a twist bc I thought we already knew that) #also what's up with the coconut. lol. why that specifically

[essekthelysssideblog]

Re: the forearm squeeze. The take I've seen floating around these days is that Caleb was out there doing his damned best to honeypot Essek while Essek's demi ass was just happy to have a study buddy, and I concede that that IS a very funny and not-completely-inaccurate way of framing early Shadowgast.

HOWEVER, I don't think that's the full truth of it. Liam, at least, has said of the forearm squeeze that Caleb genuinely was trying to comfort Essek and did feel badly about the group pushing him to his limits. And Essek did not respond well to that! He saw Caleb openly trying to ingratiate himself to Essek and did not tolerate it!

I think what the "Essek was oblivious to Caleb's honeypotting" takes miss is that while Caleb was certainly attracted to Essek from early on, it was never anything that he acted on in either an obviously romantic or sexual way. For all that the joke now is that Caleb is a bisexual maelstrom, and for all that that is true in its way, the other truth is that especially during that period of time, Caleb had repressed his romantic/sexual interests extremely hard (see everything about his attraction to Jester and how that played out).

So while the manipulation and the attempts to impress Essek were definitely there along with the attraction, I don't think it's so much a case of Essek "missing" Caleb's advances out of demisexual naivete (a narrative I resent a bit, to be honest); rather I think on Essek's end, he WAS aware that Caleb was trying to ingratiate himself to him, and was cautious of that, but ultimately was won over because beyond Caleb's attempts at manipulation, there was also genuine shared interest and chemistry between them.

In other words, imo, early Shadowgast wasn't a case of Caleb trying and failing and then eventually succeeding to seduce Essek. It was a case of two people who are very cautious and distrustful and manipulative by nature feeling each other out and realizing that they genuinely enjoy each other's company, and, eventually (very eventually, as it turns out) figuring out a balance between them that accounts for the complicated relationship they each have with intimate relationships.

#shadowgast #critical role #mine #meta #essek thelyss #caleb widogast #maybe this is really obvious and we're all just joking around #but idk man i really do kinda resent the idea that essek had NO idea what caleb was doing #because asexuals are just idiots when it comes to sex i guess #both essek and caleb were EXTREMELY aware that the other might be manipulating them #that was the whole POINT!

[annefic]

LOTS OF PEOPLE BUSYBODIES up in my notes very CURIOUS and NOSY about the video of tim adjusting himself that was brought up (NOT BY ME!!! I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT EXISTED!!!) in response to the message I got about tim's... size

So here, ya filthy animals:

@thiziri sent me this! Don't fuckin' @ me!!!

#it's so obvious (even without this evidence) that he prefers traditional loose boxer shorts #and idk what is wrong with me (it clearly runs deep) but for some reason I think that's kind of cute #just feels... kinda old fashioned I guess? I feel like most guys these days don't? so probably a result of his dad being older #and y'all know that any mention of daddy laurence gets me FERAL #paniniseller in particular your use of the phrase ''plum shuffles'' has been BURNING A HOLE THROUGH MY BRAIN since I read it

[hozuhaku]

something about the light and the shadow and the sun and the moon

#hikaaki #hikaru no go #kagakuro #kuroko no basket #KNB's more out in the open about their “the light and his shadow” thingy but with HNG its kinda lowkey #but tbh akira's chinese name is 俞亮 （yu liang）which is super close to 月亮 （yue liang，the moon). so i guess in the cn drama its obvious

[swinging-stars-from-satellites]

the poetry of Bruce losing Jason, his son, and through that having Tim (a mirror, always a mirror) come into his life. of a kid who's never done a thing wrong except for reaching out a hand into the darkness to offer kindness to those the world would call monsters carrying on the legacy of a kid who was killed by the worst monster of all. of that kid who was killed coming back monstrous himself and taking out all his hatred on the one kid who could never hate him back. of a brother who wasn't a brother in time getting a second chance. of a family who hides so much of themselves gaining a child and a sibling who sees them so easily and clearly for who they are. of a kid whose family wasn't there finding himself in a family that chooses, over and over again, to be there. of pain and healing coming from the same place. I'm just emotional about Tim Drake tonight, ladies

#tim drake patron saint of those deemed monsters #this is vaguely unhinged but it's midnight and I'm feeling some kinda way while working on a fic so like. go off then brain o' mine #Lu rambles #batfam #tim drake #meta finding tag #i guess? #thinking about how tim is a mirror of bruce in some very obvious ways but he also actively chooses to mirror dick #and as i keep saying is also naturally something of a mirror to jason. tim drake mirror boy of my heart #when i get sleepy i lean really hard on motifs and imagery skskfjdjfndksj

[satsuha]

that text post i made a few days ago

#satsuhart #temehika #hwagjagka idk if ill ever draw proper dog teme again but i just wanted to see the folded ears #but still well... dog technically suits him the best bc of the obvious canon nickname and the sheep herding thing #looking up dog breeds for that reminded me that i used to be extremely good at the dog breed category on online hangman #and then that website died when flash died #and even with flash emulator on firefox i cant play it..!! fuck!!!!! #edit: i looked into it again and i forgot the website host made an app and its like a dollar . #well i bought it bc i have extra balance left from whaling in drgl and im never gonna spend money on a mobage again #its kinda ass compared to the website version but at least its something ... i guess #none of this has anything to do with the pic except kuvasz is a breed i would not have known if not for online hangman #octo2

[zorphie]

out of all of the school counterparts, myth + storm will always be my fav. theyre so similar in the way their schools represent creativity, but have different approaches to it. they get along really well but in the everlasting rivalry way. they're the epitome of autism to autism communication but they're always at each other's throats

#wizard101 #w101 #txt #does anybody get it. #so to me they have the same goals but go at a different pace #also somethinf about storm being future oriented #myth beinf about preserving the past #i guess that works too #BUT TO ME THEYRE more similar to each other #while fire + ice and life + death are obvious opposites you kinda have to think about the myth + storm one a liftle #storm's bio on the website says storm magic is all about crearivity but we all know myth is too because its. literally myth #theyre each other's biggest fan but biggest hater simultaneously

[angeart]

wrote this on discord last night at 1 AM when i couldn't sleep. guess you guys can have it too. a li'l bit of comfort? or something?

---

Grian can't sleep. And he goes to mumbo.

Mumbo's working on some redstone, he's not asleep yet, but it startles him when grian comes anyway. At first he doesn't know what to expect. What kind of visit is it? Will it be a prank? But then he takes a proper look and sees how tired and miserable grian looks, and he knows.

Grian makes a whiny noise (dissatisfaction that mumbo's not in bed), and heads for mumbo's bed without a word.

Mumbo finishes up, making sure to stop at a point that he'll know how to continue the next day, before following him. He's also tired, and he has a friend to look after. So he goes.

Grian is curled up in the bed, at the edge, so small. Mumbo lays down and he looks at him and… It looks like grian doesn't want to be touched. So after a while, mumbo rolls over. His back to Grian. (they're back to back now)

It gives him space while remaining close.

He asks quietly if grian wants to talk about it, what's wrong. But gets no answer. Still, he has a feeling grian is still awake.

So he plunges on and in a quiet voice, he starts rambling, little things about his day. (he thinks he is terrible at it. Scar would've been so much better at this)

(but Grian did not come to scar, he came to him)

Mumbo fumbles and talks and trails off and talks again. He thinks it's bad, but he tries to offer what he has anyway.

After the longest while, there's a shift. Grian still hasn't said a word, but… He rolls over.

He presses his forehead against mumbo's back. It's the smallest touch. But it's there.

Mumbo asks if he should turn around? Does grian want a hug?

But Grian stays quiet, and mumbo doesn't push it. He tries to read between the lines, even if grian isn't giving him much.

Then after another while, grian touches mumbo's side, snaking a hand over mumbo's waist.

Mumbo lifts up his own hand, and lets his fingers meet grian's. They hook their fingers together, lightly, softly. It's not a full hand holding. It's something smaller. But so, so important.

#ange writes #sleepy rambles for a bit of comfort #grian #mumbo #soft #cuddles #kinda? i guess #idk what to say about this #it's morning and my brain is fried #i couldn't sleep mcbxjn #if that wasn't obvious from all of this

[kiddiekat-toybox]

Heads up to any of my fellow dollie people who don’t know this, VOLKS water wax is an absolute must-have for doll hair imo. It’s made for BJD wigs but works for any synthetic hair; it’s a sort of cream you work just a little of into a doll’s hair and this stuff works MAGIC. Makes hair easier to neatly style and helps hold less complex styles- it’s good for like. keeping bangs shaped/in place without the stiff hairspray feeling that I HATE any of my dolls to have, or making loose curls or keeping frizz down, and I also just discovered it makes the low-quality hair some of the new MH dolls have feel quite a bit nicer! I just used some on my new Lagoona, whose hair was really frizzy and dry after I brushed it out, and it’s a lot softer and neater now! Genuinely just feels a lot more pleasant to work with. 

It comes in a tiny little thing but you only really need a little at a time so it can last a while; it’s $4 but there’s also shipping that for me bumps it up to 10 but I have no idea what that would be in other locations. But like, seriously if you do anything with doll hair ever I really recommend having this on hand, honestly unless a doll’s hair needs washed or something, water wax is the only thing I end up needing to use a lot of the time when I’m fixing up hair. Volksusastore.com if you’re wondering where to get it

...I feel like I sound like an advertisement here, I just use this all the time and it’s really helpful and I feel like especially if you’re just starting to get serious about dolls and don’t have a ton of supplies or anything, just this and a decent comb will get you pretty far

#kitty chat #dolls #dollblr #monster high #doll hair #I have noooo idea how well known this is bc I am kinda just on the outskirts of this community I guess #this might be a Totally Obvious Recommendation #but if it's helpful to anyone then post worth making either way

[bleue-flora]

Ch 13 Good Cop 'Bad' Cop

#good cop bad cop #sandwich label #c!dream #c!bbh #c!badboyhalo #c!dream and c!bad #dsmp #dsmp fanfic #pandora's vault #no one does it like c!dream #c!dream pov #dreblr #welp to no ones surprise I guess dream's pov is once again the longest chapter by a landslide but figured it's kinda weird to break it #dream smp #guess it's kinda obvious who my fav character is lol XD