#open source email hosting

[masglobalservicesblog]

Unlocking Business Efficiency: Zimbra Email Hosting Solutions in USA

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Security You Can Trust

In the age of digital threats, the security of sensitive business information is non-debatable. Zimbra Email Hosting Solutions the protection of your data with robust security features, ensuring that your communication remains confidential and shielded from potential cyber threats. From encryption to authentication, Zimbra takes a 

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Businesses evolve, and so should their communication solutions. Zimbra Email Hosting is designed with scalability and flexibility in mind, making it an ideal choice for businesses of all sizes. Whether you're a startup experiencing rapid growth or an inveterate enterprise seeking a solution that adapts to your changing needs, Zimbra provides the scalability required to support your business journey.

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Conclusion

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[miku-earth]

miku.earth update: September 15

Hi all! This is a lil progress update for those interested. In a rush? Here's the cliff notes!

The map site at miku.earth is back: sorry for the delay in fixing it! Check it out: it has six hundred Mikus!

Including the hyuge ol' queue, we've collected over 3,100 mikus!

Representation is important! I've been using some fancy stats to avoid bias. To that end, please help make sure we have a Miku in every African country!

oh hey! you clicked 'keep reading!' well hi! here is your Miku Direct. . The map site, miku.earth, is back!

I ran into a kinda complex issue and it was a whole Thing. I was working on the site the whole time though! Sorry for the delay, and I hope you enjoy now it's back up and running.

This site has six hundred Mikus on the map, and more are added each week. It was recently rebuilt from scratch (fun fact! I am not a web developer) so I hope it is far zippier and less glitchy as before. A mobile-friendly version is coming soon too!

Also: check out the new search feature! In addition to the title, artist name and region(s), it can also search for the categories indigenous and historic!

cw: this video involves moving around a 2D map with some speed. on the site itself site, this only happens when you hit the Enter key.

We've reached more than 3,100 mikus!

Even at its Miku-per-hour speed, the queue will continue until 2025 at least! This is with thanks to an incredible number of contributions, including donations of literal thousands of links.

Thank you so much to @awnowimsad, @worldmikuposter @the-hatsune-miku-trend, @communist-hatsunemiku, @council-of-beetroot, L-A and a whole host of DMers and emailers for helping get this far.

Oh and by the way: over two thirds of the collection are tumblr posts! Given that this was originally a twitter trend… if you know any Twitter users who are into this trend, please reach out. Some napkin math tells me there are at least 10,000 works of art total out there, which is, by the way, surreal. Let's make sure not a single one is lost.

If you're super curious, the collection is public! I have some tools to auto-annotate (I do not want RSI), but be aware the backlog isn't vetted.

Representation is important!

Fun as this trend is, this project was always intended as a serious study into how people represent their own culture through artwork. I'm no anthropologist, but I feel it is important to make sure this collection is respectful and bias-free. If we're to represent the world, we have to avoid underrepresentation!

To that end I've used some fancy statistics to calculate a "representation value" for each country. Here's a table if you're into the stats of it! This info is handy to help me with the queue – especially with tweets as they're a lil more effort than a carefully-tagged reblog. Of course, Indigenous, hyperspecific and low-note Mikus get priority.

And, well, of course you can see on the site there are purple regions for countries still missing a Miku. In particular, please help me make sure every country in Africa is represented.

Thank you for reading!

Phew! That was a lot. If you're still curious, please check the behind-the-scenes and source code. I work in the open! Even if my code is probably messy.

And if you're a programmer, issues and pull requests are welcome! This is actually a static site, so it's purdy easy to develop.

[genderkoolaid]

As a strident critic of efforts to silence the movement for justice in Palestine in this way, I expected to encounter opposing perspectives. The conference’s many sponsors included the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Academic Engagement Network (AEN), two organizations at the forefront of such weaponized attacks on college campuses. Fellow speakers included operatives like Kenneth Marcus, who has helped shape the campus crusade for over two decades, including within the Department of Education during the first Trump administration. While I didn’t expect to change their minds, I felt it was important to add my voice to this contested space as a Senior Research Analyst at Political Research Associates and co-author of Safety through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism. I took my place alongside plenty of other experts resolutely opposed to the heavy-handed tactics of the pro-Israel Right and Center. A week after returning from LA, I opened my inbox to discover emails with blaring subject lines from Jewish Insider: “UCLA hosts anti-Zionists at conference on antisemitism,” and one day later, “ADL Alters Conference Sponsorship Policy After Anti-Israel Speakers Exposed.” The two articles listed me as one of three participants whose presentations or mere presence at the conference had crossed a line; in my case, because some years ago I worked as campus coordinator for Jewish Voice for Peace. [...]

The author also published their words at the conference. The whole thing is worth reading but here are some highlights:

Our approach at Political Research Associates, and in Safety through Solidarity, understands antisemitism as an anti-democratic political project that uses conspiracy theories to explain the world through an appeal to supposed Jewish wickedness, subversion, and control. The conspiracy theory of the elite Jewish cabal is a projected image of power, used by authoritarian and nationalist leaders to divert widespread anger, alienation, malaise, and anomie away from the actual sources of social immiseration, and towards an imaginary, diabolic enemy instead. Antisemitic conspiracy theories offer stunted attempts to make sense of the world, easy answers to deeply felt crises of political agency. They can be seductive and appealing, lending purpose, resolve, and hope in place of helplessness. In times of widespread social dislocation, when millions are grasping for answers and eager for someone to blame, authoritarians use antisemitism to sow division and consolidate power, build momentum and expand their coalition by demonizing elite cabals as ciphers for progressivism, as all-powerful threats to tradition, order, and the “common man.” Today antisemitism is a core component of a broader project to entrench authoritarian rule; to sweep away decades of civil rights advances in a wave of white racial backlash; to restructure the national polity and civic life around the contours of white and Christian dominance. Elon Musk and Steve Bannon are normalizing Nazi salutes; leading MAGA podcasters are platforming Holocaust revisionism and lurid tales of Israeli pedophile cabals to audiences of millions; top administration officials are sharing Leo Frank conspiracy theories and statements from the leaders of groups that marched at Charlottesville. [...]

Antisemitism does show up on the Left, but it structures the Right; it weakens the Left, but it strengthens the Right; it diverts the Left from its goals of freedom and equality, but it helps the Right pursue its goals of exclusion and domination. Elon Musk, the richest person on the planet who’s actively dismantling the federal government, holds immeasurably more power than any undergraduate or college professor. It’s clear where the greater long term, foundational threat to Jewish safety and thriving lies. Tracing the intersection of antisemitism with other forms of oppression gives Jews a stake in standing with Others, and Others a stake in standing with Jews. It grounds the particular fight against antisemitism in a universal project. This means that promoting a robust democracy, and working to end economic and social inequality are important means of fighting antisemitism at its root, by chipping away at the structural dispossession, desperation, and alienation that motivates people to grasp for conspiracy theories and scapegoats. This means that ending antisemitism is everyone’s business, not only out of moral concern for Jews but also because it’s essential to building a more just world for everyone. [...]

These campaigns also fail at actually fighting the real antisemitism that can exist among some pro-Palestine activism. Anti-Zionism isn’t inherently antisemitic; quite the contrary, it’s often motivated by values of justice and equity. The accusation is spurious and flimsy at best, cynical and malicious at worst. But some forms of anti-Zionism can mobilize antisemitism, knowingly or not, when fantastical portrayals of outsized, shadowy “Zionist” power take the place of grounded criticism of Israel’s injustices, or concrete assessment of the actual political influence wielded by the state or its supporters. In a few highly-publicized instances, Palestine solidarity protesters have appeared to indiscriminately target Jewish individuals or institutions to express generalized rage at Israel; subject Jews to political litmus tests; or couch anti-Zionism in the mold of Christian anti-Jewish demonology, for example. Other times, protesters have lapsed into vulgar campism by uncritically cheering on Islamist nationalist movements as vanguards of liberatory resistance, or by mobilizing oversimplistic binaries that caricature all Israelis, Zionists, or Jews as monolithic oppressors. In some of these cases, the antisemitism is clear-cut; other times, what we’re seeing may be a reductive, callous and counterproductive brand of ultraradicalism; understanding this as inherently antisemitic tends to obscure, rather than clarify, the political dynamics at play. Initiatives like the JDA and Nexus can help offer the kind of rigorous, contextual evaluation we need to parse these distinctions. Lost in the din of media hysteria and overzealous lawfare is precisely this capacity to think critically in public. It is possible to have open, honest and tough conversations about antisemitism within the Palestine solidarity movement, which is one goal of our book. But the indiscriminate, authoritarian crackdown makes this incredibly harder, fostering a siege mentality among its targets, provoking activists to double down and bristle with defensiveness and distrust.

[sheerfreesia007]

Gathering Courage

Pairing: Seungmin x Reader

Word count: 6,423

Content warnings: Fluff, suggestive

Summary: You’ve been in love with your capable assistant Kim Seungmin since he started working for your company. What happens when he starts receiving pressure from his family to date a family friend for his sister’s wedding but he’s in love with someone else? Will you help him gather the courage to confess? Will your heart survive this endeavor?

Gongjunim: Princess, Jagi: Sweetheart

The small commemorative clock sitting on your desk clicked over to eight o’clock and you smiled softly as you heard the soft thud of a leather messenger bag hit the desk right outside your office. There was a knock at your office door before it opened slowly to reveal your overly competent assistant Kim Seungmin. He walked in holding a tall coffee cup, which no doubt held your normal coffee order, in one hand while a tablet was in the other hand that he was gazing at.

”Good Morning.” He said stoically as he placed the coffee cup on your desk on the starry night decorated coaster before walking around your desk to flop down into the armchair in front of it. 

“Good Morning Seungmin.” You responded pleasantly to him not bothering to correct his antics. The man had worked with you for almost ten years now and the two of you had gotten quite close and comfortable with each other. You knew if you did correct him he’d just slump further in the armchair not bothering to care much for your opinion. You know that he did care for your opinion but only on certain things, his posture not being one of them. You loved that he was able to be this comfortable with you and you knew when it came down to the business side of things he was always able to step up and carry his own weight and be the support you needed. It was duality to him that you cherished and had grown to love.

You reached for your coffee cup and raised it to your lips to take a sip as you gazed over the newest email you received this morning from Changbin, a close friend of yours that helped you with any security that you needed for any events you hosted. Just as the hot drink reached your tongue you gagged loudly in shock, this was definitely not your normal drink order. Seungmin laughed loudly from his spot in the armchair as he watched you stare at the coffee cup offendedly before shooting a glare at him. “What is this garbage?” You asked him disgustedly and he smirked softly at you from across your desk.

”Your source of caffeine this morning.” He said smugly and you glowered at him as he shrugged his shoulders at you. “Your doctor said you have to cut back on sweets. I’m just helping you out.” He said importantly and you scowled at him regretting telling Seungmin anything about your latest doctor appointment when he had asked. He had sweetly disguised his question as one of concern for your health but you really should’ve known better that it would just bite you in the ass.

”More like trying to poison me. Did you scrape this off the bottom of the communal coffee pot?” You asked as your top lip curled in distaste causing him to laugh loudly once more.

”I’m saving you from an early grave of too much sugar.” He taunted you softly and you glared at him.

”The doctor said I needed to cut back not completely cut it out of my life.” You snapped at him and he smirked softly again at you.

”Agree to disagree.” He said nonchalantly before standing from the armchair. “Drink up, you’re not getting another one until noon after lunch. And you’ve got at least three mind numbing meetings this morning.” He said with a wave of his hand over his shoulder.

”Seungmin! This is horrible, I can’t drink this!” You cried out to him as he kept walking out of your office.

”Then suffer.” He snipped at you over his shoulder as he winked at you. You gritted your teeth at him from your desk chair fighting the urge to hurl the cup at his head. You wondered if you could find another assistant as competent as him on short notice, sighing loudly you knew that you wouldn’t be able to find anyone else like him and kicked yourself for training him so well to your preferences.

Looking back at the coffee cup in your hand you curled your top lip once more before taking another sip of the black coffee preferring something much more diluted and sweeter than this sludge. You gagged loudly after swallowing and could hear Seungmin’s answering chuckle from outside your office.

*-*-*-*

You watched Seungmin talking on his cellphone from the back seat of the black company car. You had just finished your fourth meeting of the morning and you were eager to get to lunch before stopping at your favorite coffee place and picking up your normal iced coffee afternoon pick up drink. Seungmin paced away from the car and you watched concerned as he flung out his hand looking aggravated by whatever it was he was talking about. He suddenly stopped when he faced the open door of the car and stared darkly straight at you as you furrowed your eyebrows at him. He nodded once and said something into the phone before hanging it up and slipping it back into his pocket then stalked to the car.

Once he effortlessly slipped inside and slammed the car door you turned to face the front of the car to nod to the driver who then pulled away from the curb. The car traveled slowly through the afternoon traffic and you gazed out the window to watch all the pedestrians of the busy city. You wondered if it would be too soon to ask if Seungmin was alright, you knew that when he grew aggravated or angry with something he liked to take his time to get over the initial anger. But the way he had stared darkly through your eyes made you shiver slightly, it had seemed so menacingly and angry that it made goosebumps rise along your skin. Throwing caution to the wind you took in a soft breath and turned to him.

”Are you alright?” You asked curiously, trying to soften your tone as much as you could for him. He huffed softly as he stared out of the window and you waited patiently for his response. It took him a few quiet moments to respond and when he finally did you were not expecting the words he said.

”I need to take a week off in the beginning of December. December third to the eleventh.” He said stoically and you flinched at his words before you settled back in the seat quietly. You mind began to race with all the reasons for his time off, Seungmin had rarely taken time off and when he did it was only for a few days not for nearly ten days straight. Was there something you had missed, was he upset about something you did or how the company was running? “Breathe Gongjunim.” He said softly into your ear as he leaned over to your side causing you to suck in a sharp breath before your head turned and your eyes stared up at his smirking face. “Relax, it’s just for my older sister’s wedding.”

”Oh.” You said softly before you began to nod your head slowly as your brain finally began to catch up and function. He was still leaning close to you in the back seat and your eyes darted from his smirking lips up to his sparkling teasing eyes before darting away completely. “Of course, was just surprised my workaholic assistant was asking for that many days off.” You taunted him softly and he chuckled dryly at your words.

”Well my boss is a bit of a slave driver. So kind of have to be a workaholic to fit her needs.” He hummed out in a low tone as his lips quirked up at the corner in a lopsided grin while you gasped and whipped your head back to glare at him indignantly.

”I am not a slave driver.” You insisted heatedly as you leaned closer to him shortening the distance between the two of you. You didn’t see his eyes dart down to your pouting lips or the softening features of his face when he saw how adamant you were that you didn’t make him a workaholic. “I give all of our employees ample vacation and sick time. I make sure that they’re insurance is full coverage and that they have mental health programs to help aid them.” You argue heatedly and he chuckled softly at you as he nodded his head.

”Then let me take my vacation time.” He teased you softly which caused you to jerk back from him as he grinned widely at you as he leaned further into your space. You blinked at him a few times as if dazed for a moment and he watched as your brain finally caught up with you.

”Of course you can take your vacation.” You answered as if it was a no brainer. “I’d never deny you a vacation. I was just surprised.” You said and he nodded his head at your words while still grinning.

”It’s going to be the first time we’re away from each other for that long.” He said teasingly and your eyes darted up to focus on his teasing face and you huffed before crossing your arms over your chest and turning away from him to stare out the window much to his amusement.

”We’ll survive.” You snipped out and he chuckled softly at your attitude change before he leant over your shoulder to whisper in your ear.

”But will you survive without me?” He asked and you sat there stunned wondering the same thing.

*-*-*-*

The weeks after that seemed to all blend in together for you as your business kept you busy and you started to get into the busy time of promotional season. You and Seungmin were soon bogged down with meetings of other businesses as they contracted you to help them host promotional parties for their products. You had almost forgotten completely about Seungmin’s vacation as your mind was kept in a whirlwind of constant stimulation of work.

You were staring at a few display boards of party themes that you had thought of for Minho LLC. There was to be a meeting this afternoon and you were still unsure of some of the themes not feeling overly confident with them. You didn’t hear the thud of Seungmin’s messenger bag, nor did you hear him enter your office before he was standing at your holding out a coffee cup in front of you. You scowled softly at the coffee cup but still took it from his hand, it had been the same black coffee every morning for the past month. Thankfully he took pity on you and would get your normal iced coffee order with milk and sugar in the afternoon but every morning it was black coffee and only black coffee.

Luckily for you your taste buds had adjusted quickly and you no longer gagged when you drank the strong bitter liquid, but you still curled your lip and turned your nose up at it every morning. Seungmin was quiet as you both stood in front of the themed boards that you were going to present to Lee Minho in an hour. You turned your head to look over at him when he remained quiet which was not the norm for him, usually he would have made a comment or said something about the boards to give his opinion.

He stood there staring at the boards but not really seeing them and you frowned softly as you raised your cup and took a sip of your drink. Grimacing slightly you watched as he just stood there gazing into the distance. He was dressed in his normal attire of a neat business suit, this one was a royal blue that had a matching tie sitting on his white pressed button up shirt.

”Good morning Seungmin.” You greet him and he frowns softly before turning his head down to stare at you. His eyes clear instantly and he smiles softly at you before nodding his head.

”Good morning.” He responds before turning his head back to the boards. “You should switch the second one with the third one, it flows better from theme to theme.” He says as he tilts his head to the side and you do the same before nodding your head as you move to do just that, trusting his judgment completely.

”Good idea.” You state as you take a step back to his side and gaze at the boards once again agreeing with him that it does flow better now and looks more cohesive. You take another sip of your coffee and curb the lip curl from the taste, Seungmin’s soft chuckle pulls your attention away from the boards and you turn to look at him curiously.

”You’re getting used to the taste of it.” He said, sounding triumphant and you rolled your eyes at him.

”Yes well, when my assistant insists that I give up my morning dose of sugar just to get my caffeine intake, I kind of have to.” You grumble out to him and he beams down at you, definitely looking triumphant now. He leans towards you with that wide grin on his face and his sparkling eyes taking in your face with quick darts.

”It’s all to make sure you’re around forever.” He says softly and you scoff while shaking your head at him before walking to your desk.

”I’m not dying Seungmin, get that thought out of you head.” You snip at him before making it to your desk chair and sitting down in it as you shoot him a glare. “Unless that’s what you want to happen by denying me my sugar.” 

“Oh I’ll give you a different form of sugar.” He quips quietly and your eyes narrow while focusing on him as he stalks to your desk with a heated look in his eyes. You stare at him wide eyed as you take in his form, he’s staring at you with dark heated eyes as his body seems to loom larger than he actually is and you’re instantly affected by the image he presents. Your thighs clench and squeeze together as your core clenches around nothing in desire for him. The way he looks so dominant and predatory has your mind fogging and body heating with just for him.

Just as he’s about to reach your desk his cellphone rings loudly in his pocket and it halts his movement instantly. He groans under his breath as he tilts his head back with a pained look on his face. “Not now.” He groans out frustratedly and you furrow your eyebrows in confusion. “I have to take this, I'm sorry.” He says as he digs his cell phone out of his pocket and sighs when he sees who's calling. He quickly answers the phone as he turns and walks out of your office. 

You sit there at your desk shocked feeling a little disappointed that he had to answer his phone call. Over the ten years that he had worked for your company and been your assistant you had grown to care deeply for Seungmin. Not only was he impressive with his work ethic and his way to solve any issue that came up, but he was also handsome and when he wanted to be he could be the sweetest most caring man you had met. It hadn't taken you long to develop feelings for him and you had soon found yourself falling deeper and deeper into your feelings for him. It had gotten to the point that you feared you were in love with him and you knew you didn't want to picture your life without him. Which is why you had chosen to hide your feelings for him, you knew that being his boss would be frowned upon and you didn't want to jeopardize your current friendship and lose him all together. The sound of your desk phone beeping pulled you from your thoughts and you quickly shook your head before answering it.

*-*-*-*

It's another week gone by when you start to notice something off about Seungmin, it started on Monday when he forgot an important file for one of your meetings that you were having in the Hwang incorporations building. He had been so apologetic about forgetting it but you had easily reassured him that you could do without it since you had the work saved on your laptop as it was and could project it onto the conference room screen that way. 

But then on Tuesday you noticed that he had forgotten to get the mail down to the mail room on time and you had missed a deadline for a contract that would’ve brought in a lot of money for the company. Once again he was very regretful and apologetic but you had reassured him that it was alright and there was always another contract would come along. 

It was by then that you started to keep a closer eye on him and started to notice that whenever he got a phone call during the day he would get distant and in his head to the point that he would forget things. You were just returning from a lunch meeting with Changbin and as you were walking through your floor weaving in between the desks of your employees you spotted Seungmin on the phone once more. You frowned deeply when you saw him running his hands through his hair in agitation as he talked to whoever was on the phone with him. You slowed your pace as you watched him aggressively hang up his phone before dropping it onto his desk with a scoff of disgust.

Placing the bag of food that you had ordered for him and brought back from the restaurant on his desk you stood in front of him as he whipped his head up at you with a look of surprise. He sighed softly when he saw your eyes surveying him quietly before he twisted his lips into a lopsided pout.

”Come eat in my office. I’d like to speak to you about something.” You said to him softly and he sighed once more before nodding. “Leave the cell phone at your desk, don’t want any distractions.” You said over your shoulder as you walked into your office not looking back to see if he would follow you.

Seungmin walked into your office holding his bag of food looking like a kid who was entering the principal’s office. You stood over by the small round table that sat next to the large windows in your office, you turned and gestured to the spot across the table from you and Seungmin nodded before slowly closing the door behind him. You watched as he tiredly walked over to the table and took a seat, you took your own seat and waited for him to begin eating before you decided on what to say to him. 

”Do you want to tell me what’s going on with you or are you going to make me play twenty questions?” You asked him as he ate, he looked up at you with a worried look on his face as you leaned back in your seat and crossed your arms over your chest. “I’m worried about you Seung. This is a new side to you and while it’s not an unwanted one I know that you’re beating yourself up about these little mistakes that you’re making. Tell me what’s going on.” You said softly to him almost pleading with him. Seungmin chewed his food silently for a moment as his eyes darted back and forth on your face before sighing heavily.

”It’s my Mom.” He admitted softly and you frowned at his words confused and now very worried that something was wrong with his mother that was affecting him.

”Do you need to take time off to go be with her? Is she sick? Does she need a doctor that she’s not able to see? I can call in some favors and get her what she needs quicker.” You began to ramble as you leaned forward resting your elbows on the table worriedly. You whipped your head up when you heard Seungmin’s dry chuckle and saw that he was shaking his head back and forth.

”Why are you so sweet to me?” He asked bewildered as he stared at you with wide eyes. “I’ve been nothing but a forgetful mess lately and you’re more worried about me than the company.” He said with a raised eyebrow. Your face flushed with embarrassment and you pushed back from the table back into your seat.

”I’m worried about you.” You admitted sternly as your brow furrowed over your eyes. “Something is affecting you so much that it’s making you forgetful at work. I care about your wellbeing. The company will always be here but I need to make sure that you’re okay.” You tell him adamantly and he stares at you with wide eyes and his mouth parted slightly.

”You worry about me?” He asks quietly and you scoff loudly at him as your face pulls into a look of incredulity. 

“Of course I worry about you!” You snap at him feeling anger rush through you. “Why do you think otherwise?” You ask bewildered yourself. “You’re someone I care an awful lot about.” You admit softly and Seungmin’s eyes connect with yours causing you to gasp softly at the shocked adoring look in his eyes.

”My mother wants me to start dating a family friend before the wedding so that I can bring her as my plus one.” He admits and your body flinches at his words as your arms cross instinctually across your torso. You know subconsciously you’re trying to protect yourself, your poor heart is twisting and clenching hurtfully in your chest as you stare at him silently.

”Oh.” You say dejectedly and you try to pull yourself back together in front of him as his watchful eyes gaze at you quietly taking in all of your reactions and expressions.

”I’m in love with someone else though.” He blurts out and your body flinches viscerally at his confession as your heart shatters in your chest.

”Oh, have you told this person?” You ask him softly as your hand rests on the table and your fingers begin to fidget and tap out a soft beat against the polished surface.

”No, I haven’t told her. I’ve been waiting for the right moment.” He said softly as his eyes tried to connect with yours, you know he’s trying to make a connection but you just can’t force yourself to stare into his eyes and not let him see how much your heart has shattered for him.

”Well, if you want to take this woman to your sister’s wedding you should confess to her so that your Mom can leave you be.” You advise him softly and begin to stand from the table but Seungmin grabs your hand softly with his, causing you to stare down at him as he gazes up at you. You feel the hole in your chest throb with how he’s gazing up at you with admiring eyes silently begging you to stay with him.

”Gongjunim” he says softly and your face twists with heartbreak for a second before you suck in a breath steeling yourself against the pain.

”You shouldn’t call me that anymore if you plan to confess to someone.” You say softly as you begin to pull away from him, you turn away trying to hide your sorrow filled face.

“I need your help.” He blurts out suddenly and you turn back to face him with a furrowed eyebrow as you watch him silently from your spot. “I need help confessing.” He admits and then hangs his head quietly. You stare at him bewildered in silent shocked stupor for a few long moments. He shyly lifts his head and sees you standing there staring at him, he suddenly softens his eyes and pouts out his bottom lip and you groan loudly before tossing your head back. You were weak against his puppy dog eyes and he knew that.

”How old are you again?” You ask incredulously and he chuckles softly before you feel him grab onto your hand. Your body jolts at the touch, not hearing him stand from his chair or move closer to you. Tilting your head back down you stare at him silently wondering if your poor heart could take this torture, or if you’re going to completely obliterate it during this process of helping him.

”Old enough that I should know how to do this but I don’t.” He admits and you huff at him before groaning softly and then nod your head at him as he grins widely at you.

”Fine, I’ll help you. We could brainstorm ideas on how you’d like to do it later tonight or whenever you’re free.” You offer and he eagerly nods his head before he grimaces and ducks his head.

”I can’t tonight I’m meeting my sister and her fiancé for dinner.” He admits and you wave your hand, that’s not held captive in his, in dismissal.

”Then another time. Maybe you’ll figure it out on your own and be able to confess without my help.” You says hopeful and he looks at you with  another puppy dog pout causing you to sigh softly at him before he grins widely once more and pulls you into a tight hug. When he releases you you feel your heart slowly begin to piece itself back together in your hollow chest as you walk back to your desk and he walks back to finish his lunch. You still wonder if your poor little heart is going to make it out of this ordeal intact or vaporized.

*-*-*-*

Another few weeks have gone by and you find yourself sitting at the same small table in your office next to the large windows laughing as Seungmin tells you another story about his childhood that you’ve heard time and time again. He’s in a much better mood lately ever since you’ve started to help him gather ideas and the courage to confess to the woman he’s in love with. After that day that he had confessed that he was in love with someone he had gone and met with his sister and her fiancé and came back an almost changed man. It seemed the meeting with his sister had gone well and changed his outlook on things with his Mom. Which you were happy about because you no longer worried too much about him being irritated or aggravated due to his Mom’s pressure.

But these evening meetings with him were starting to become too much for you and your battered heart. When the office was quiet after everyone had gone home the two of you would be holed up in your office going over different ways that he could confess to this woman of his dreams. He had told you all about her, she was strong, independent and a woman who he greatly admired for her tenacity. He admitted that he has been friends with her for a long time and had known almost at the first time he met her that he’d be in love with her, she was just so awe inspiring to him that he couldn’t help it. 

Hearing all of this about the woman he was in love with hurt you greatly but you were glad and happy for him that he found someone who he could feel like this for. You were glad that he was able to love her so grandly but you admitted to him that while you were happy for him you wished he’d be able to break from his conservative nature and confess to her. He had agreed with you and told you that he wished the same but it was hard when she was so much to him that he didn’t feel as if he measured up. You had shot down those thoughts fairly quickly when you heard them telling him that he had to be delusional if he thought he wasn’t just as wonderful as this woman.

You had told him that he was just as important and awe inspiring as this woman. You had unconsciously admitted to him how you viewed him to be someone who was so dedicated to his work and hard working, a gentleman among a crowd of unsavory men, someone you loved to see the softer side of when he allowed you. You hadn’t noticed after praising him that he would be softer with you while at work and when you did notice that he was being sweet with you your heart would thud heavily in your chest with a hopeful flutter.

But it wasn’t until your meetings with him to go over what he should say to this woman to confess to her that your heart almost gave out. Like tonight for example as you sit in your chair staring out at the lit up cityscape outside your office you can’t help but be lulled into a soft romantic headspace.

”Earth to Gongjunim.” Seungmin says as he comes back from throwing away your empty take out containers. You smile lazily up at him as you roll your head on your neck to look at him. Humming softly your eyelids fall shut for a few moments just absorbing the peaceful cozy moment with him. He chuckles softly at you as he pulls his chair around the table to sit next to you. “Feeling good Jagi?” He asks softly and you hum once more as you feel him press his side into yours and you rest your head tiredly on his shoulder as your eyes fall on the lights of the city.

”Beautiful isn’t it?” you ask softly almost in awe of it all. Seungmin hums softly in response and you grow bold as this peace fills you up. “You know I always dreamed of this moment.” You confess softly. “Sharing all of my success with someone special to me.” You say softly and you feel Seungmin tense gently against you.

”Was that person always me?” He asks curiously in a soft tone to match yours. You grin widely before turning to face him and you nod your head at his question.

”I think you became part of that dream the moment I met you.” You confess softly to him and watch as his eyes soften down at you. You begin to smile brightly up at him when suddenly you remember why he’s still here in the office with you. Your smile falls from your lips suddenly and he furrows his brows at your sudden change.

”Jagi?” He asks softly and you shake your head as it dips down not wanting to face him suddenly. Your hands come up to grip his button up shirt tightly in their grip before you shake your head once more and take in a shaky breath. He cups your face gently and tilts it up to look into it with worried eyes. “What is it, Jagi?”

”Please don’t call me that when you’re in love with someone else.” You plead with him softly as you feel tears begin to pool in your eyes. “I don’t think I can handle that right now. You have to give me time to come to terms with losing you.” You say softly in a broken cry. His arms come to wrap around you and you shake your head quickly at the feeling of his arms around you. “No, please.” You say softly and he tries to pull you closer to him but you pull away and he stares at you with hurt flashing across his face “I think we should stop here for tonight. I’m gonna head home.” You tell him softly as you stand from your chair and begin to move to your desk with a wave of your hand. “You should get home too, it’s getting late. Have one of the drivers take you home.” You say trying to distance yourself as you feel your heart beginning to crack inside your chest.

”Wait, please. You’re misunderstanding.” He tries to tell you and you nod your head agreeing with his words.

”I know.” You say with a quiet finality before you look over at him and take in another shaky breath. “I know I got caught up in the moment. You should prepare to confess to her, you’ve only got another week or so until the wedding and she’ll need to book travel to match yours.” You say nodding your head. “Lock up the office will you?” You ask softly as you grab your briefcase and jacket before rushing out of your office thankful that it was the weekend and you could spend that time alone mending and piecing your heart back together.

*-*-*-*

On Monday you walk into the office and take in the quiet of it all as you walk out of the elevator onto your floor. You know no one else will be here this early and you silently weave your way through the cubicles towards your office, you halt your steps when you spot Seungmin sitting at his desk typing away at his computer. He looks up suddenly and sees you standing there like a deer caught in the headlights, your heart thuds heavily in your chest still sore and battered from your cozy moment with him on Friday night.

Shaking your head slightly you clear your sadness from your head and begin walking again towards your office. You make it quickly past Seungmin’s desk and as you enter your office you go to close your office door but it stops heavily causing you to whirl around to see Seungmin towering over you in the doorway with his hand braced firmly against the door. You stare up at him surprised before he crowds you further into your office and shuts the door behind him so that he can lean back against it and survey you quietly.

You nod your head at him quietly before turning and walking to your desk to set your briefcase down along with hanging up your coat on your coat rack. You slip out of your coat and move towards your coat rack but Seungmin is there already taking the coat from your hands.

”Let me.” He says softly and you look up at him trying to ease your sore heart as you nod your head at him.

”Thank you.” You tell him softly and he smiles warmly at you before nodding his head at you. You move to sit in your desk chair and begin to boot up your computer to begin going through emails.

”You’ve got only one meeting this morning.” He tells you and you frown softly as you don’t remember having scheduled any meetings this morning wanting to stay in your office sequestered away from everyone else to help ease your heart back into seeing Seungmin.

”With who?” You ask confused and curious as to who this meeting is with.

”Me.” He says confidently and you turn your head to watch him walk over to you and lean his hand against your desk while leaning in close to you. “Talk to me Gongjunim.” He says softly and you gasp quietly at the nickname.

”Seungmin-“ you begin to stop him from repeating his mistake on Friday but he pushes on and talks over you.

“I know you may not believe me right now but that’s okay, I’m willing to spend the rest of my life convincing you of how I feel about you.” He says softly to you and your eyes widen as you stare up at him as he gazes down at you. “Last Friday night when we were looking at the city lights together you asked me if they were beautiful and I told you they were but I lied.” He confessed softly and you furrow your eyebrows at him confused. “I wasn’t looking at the city lights when I said that, I was looking at you.” He whispers to you and you feel your heart rejoice with his admission.

”Seungmin-“ you begin again to speak up to him but he shakes his head quickly and you quiet once more.

”I’m in love with you. You’re the love of my life that I’ve been telling you about.” He confesses and your eyes widen into big saucers as your breath stutters in your chest while your heart begins to race. “I’ve never found the right moment to tell you until last Friday night. But then you misunderstood me when I was trying to find the courage to confess to you. I love you Jagi, wholly and completely. I don’t want to be with anyone else but you.” He says and you nearly melt as his hand cups your cheek gently. “Let me love you.” He whispers before he presses his lips sweetly against yours.

Your answering hum is enough for him as he pulls you from your chair and lifts you up onto your desk before slotting himself between your legs and capturing your lips once more as his hands come up to cup both of your cheeks and tilt your head to the side while his tongue sweeps into your mouth. The two of you are soon breathless and you're clutching at him as if he’s the only thing keeping you tethered to this earth.

”Wanna play hooky? Your schedule is clear today.” He whispers softly against your lips and you chuckled softly at his playfulness coming out.

”Now where did my workaholic assistant go?” You ask bemused and he grins wickedly against your mouth before kissing you once again.

”He’s got a different kind of work to do today.” He whispered against your lips and you tilt your head at his words.

”What other work?” You ask and he smirks deliciously down at you.

”Convincing his boss to go on a nine day vacation with him.” He says sultrily against your mouth and you gasp loudly at his words before you smile brightly up at him as your eyes sparkle with delight.

”Let’s go, he's got a lot of work ahead of him.” You whisper against his mouth and he’s quickly shutting your computer down and guiding you back out of your office and down to the company car with his hand firmly planted on your ass.

SKZ Taglist: @intartaruginha

[codingquill]

Welcome back, coding enthusiasts! Today we'll talk about Git & Github , the must-know duo for any modern developer. Whether you're just starting out or need a refresher, this guide will walk you through everything from setup to intermediate-level use. Let’s jump in!

What is Git?

Git is a version control system. It helps you as a developer:

Track changes in your codebase, so if anything breaks, you can go back to a previous version. (Trust me, this happens more often than you’d think!)

Collaborate with others : whether you're working on a team project or contributing to an open-source repo, Git helps manage multiple versions of a project.

In short, Git allows you to work smarter, not harder. Developers who aren't familiar with the basics of Git? Let’s just say they’re missing a key tool in their toolkit.

What is Github ?

GitHub is a web-based platform that uses Git for version control and collaboration. It provides an interface to manage your repositories, track bugs, request new features, and much more. Think of it as a place where your Git repositories live, and where real teamwork happens. You can collaborate, share your code, and contribute to other projects, all while keeping everything well-organized.

Git & Github : not the same thing !

Git is the tool you use to create repositories and manage code on your local machine while GitHub is the platform where you host those repositories and collaborate with others. You can also host Git repositories on other platforms like GitLab and BitBucket, but GitHub is the most popular.

Installing Git (Windows, Linux, and macOS Users)

You can go ahead and download Git for your platform from (git-scm.com)

Using Git

You can use Git either through the command line (Terminal) or through a GUI. However, as a developer, it’s highly recommended to learn the terminal approach. Why? Because it’s more efficient, and understanding the commands will give you a better grasp of how Git works under the hood.

GitWorkflow

Git operates in several key areas:

Working directory (on your local machine)

Staging area (where changes are prepared to be committed)

Local repository (stored in the hidden .git directory in your project)

Remote repository (the version of the project stored on GitHub or other hosting platforms)

Let’s look at the basic commands that move code between these areas:

git init: Initializes a Git repository in your project directory, creating the .git folder.

git add: Adds your files to the staging area, where they’re prepared for committing.

git commit: Commits your staged files to your local repository.

git log: Shows the history of commits.

git push: Pushes your changes to the remote repository (like GitHub).

git pull: Pulls changes from the remote repository into your working directory.

git clone: Clones a remote repository to your local machine, maintaining the connection to the remote repo.

Branching and merging

When working in a team, it’s important to never mess up the main branch (often called master or main). This is the core of your project, and it's essential to keep it stable.

To do this, we branch out for new features or bug fixes. This way, you can make changes without affecting the main project until you’re ready to merge. Only merge your work back into the main branch once you're confident that it’s ready to go.

Getting Started: From Installation to Intermediate

Now, let’s go step-by-step through the process of using Git and GitHub from installation to pushing your first project.

Configuring Git

After installing Git, you’ll need to tell Git your name and email. This helps Git keep track of who made each change. To do this, run:

Master vs. Main Branch

By default, Git used to name the default branch master, but GitHub switched it to main for inclusivity reasons. To avoid confusion, check your default branch:

Pushing Changes to GitHub

Let’s go through an example of pushing your changes to GitHub.

First, initialize Git in your project directory:

Then to get the ‘untracked files’ , the files that we haven’t added yet to our staging area , we run the command

Now that you’ve guessed it we’re gonna run the git add command , you can add your files individually by running git add name or all at once like I did here

And finally it's time to commit our file to the local repository

Now, create a new repository on GitHub (it’s easy , just follow these instructions along with me)

Assuming you already created your github account you’ll go to this link and change username by your actual username : https://github.com/username?tab=repositories , then follow these instructions :

You can add a name and choose wether you repo can be public or private for now and forget about everything else for now.

Once your repository created on github , you’ll get this :

As you might’ve noticed, we’ve already run all these commands , all what’s left for us to do is to push our files from our local repository to our remote repository , so let’s go ahead and do that

And just like this we have successfully pushed our files to the remote repository

Here, you can see the default branch main, the total number of branches, your latest commit message along with how long ago it was made, and the number of commits you've made on that branch.

Now what is a Readme file ?

A README file is a markdown file where you can add any relevant information about your code or the specific functionality in a particular branch—since each branch can have its own README.

It also serves as a guide for anyone who clones your repository, showing them exactly how to use it.

You can add a README from this button:

Or, you can create it using a command and push it manually:

But for the sake of demonstrating how to pull content from a remote repository, we’re going with the first option:

Once that’s done, it gets added to the repository just like any other file—with a commit message and timestamp.

However, the README file isn’t on my local machine yet, so I’ll run the git pull command:

Now everything is up to date. And this is just the tiniest example of how you can pull content from your remote repository.

What is .gitignore file ?

Sometimes, you don’t want to push everything to GitHub—especially sensitive files like environment variables or API keys. These shouldn’t be shared publicly. In fact, GitHub might even send you a warning email if you do:

To avoid this, you should create a .gitignore file, like this:

Any file listed in .gitignore will not be pushed to GitHub. So you’re all set!

Cloning

When you want to copy a GitHub repository to your local machine (aka "clone" it), you have two main options:

Clone using HTTPS: This is the most straightforward method. You just copy the HTTPS link from GitHub and run:

It's simple, doesn’t require extra setup, and works well for most users. But each time you push or pull, GitHub may ask for your username and password (or personal access token if you've enabled 2FA).

But if you wanna clone using ssh , you’ll need to know a bit more about ssh keys , so let’s talk about that.

Clone using SSH (Secure Shell): This method uses SSH keys for authentication. Once set up, it’s more secure and doesn't prompt you for credentials every time. Here's how it works:

So what is an SSH key, actually?

Think of SSH keys as a digital handshake between your computer and GitHub.

Your computer generates a key pair:

A private key (stored safely on your machine)

A public key (shared with GitHub)

When you try to access GitHub via SSH, GitHub checks if the public key you've registered matches the private key on your machine.

If they match, you're in — no password prompts needed.

Steps to set up SSH with GitHub:

Generate your SSH key:

2. Start the SSH agent and add your key:

3. Copy your public key:

Then copy the output to your clipboard.

Add it to your GitHub account:

Go to GitHub → Settings → SSH and GPG keys

Click New SSH key

Paste your public key and save.

5. Now you'll be able to clone using SSH like this:

From now on, any interaction with GitHub over SSH will just work — no password typing, just smooth encrypted magic.

And there you have it ! Until next time — happy coding, and may your merges always be conflict-free! ✨👩‍💻👨‍💻

[erenists]

Caught on Camera [G.S x fem!Reader] ❤︎

Synopsis:

Gojo is LA’s newest rising star, making waves in the celebrity scene. At an exclusive pool party hosted by one of his A-list connections, he’s introduced to you—a powerhouse in your own field and someone he’s admired from afar. But what should’ve been a smooth first impression turns into a viral disaster. In front of 500+ elite guests, Gojo slips… and accidentally crashes lips with you. The moment is caught on camera, instantly sparking dating rumors. Now, with the internet in a frenzy and PR teams scrambling, Gojo finds himself in an unexpected fake relationship with the one girl he never thought he’d get close to.

What could possibly go wrong?

Warnings: Eventual smut, Gojo is highkey a little cringe and embarassing, downbad and flirty Gojo, Mentions of drugs & sex.

Part two ✦ wc: 7.6k

You wake up to 34 missed calls from your pr manager and a migraine shaped like Gojo Satoru.

Your phone buzzes against your face for the 35th time. You groan, crack open one eye, and get greeted by the lock screen lighting up like a warning sign.

“GOJO & 𐙚˙⋆.˚  MIDNIGHT MAKEOUT INCIDENT: EXCLUSIVE: Sources say she left wearing his jacket.

You’re not even fully conscious yet and already ready to fake your own death. You open Twitter (mistake number one) and scroll through the trending tags.

#GojoX𐙚˙⋆.˚ #MysteryMakeout #ItCouple

Someone’s posted grainy footage of the kiss from three different angles. Another account slowed it down and added romantic piano music. There’s a particularly cursed theory thread titled “Body Language Expert Reacts”, claiming your hand placement on his chest is “intimate and clearly territorial.”

You zoom in. You were literally just squished against him and the floor..

“This is hell,” you mutter into your pillow. “I died at that party for sure" Your phone rings again and finally you pick it up. "hello..?" your voice still groggy from just waking up. "I called you more than 30 times do not tell me you were just sleeping." you pursed your lips together squeezing your eyes before speaking up. "I might..have been asleep" Your pr manager groans and you can imagine she's face palming. "me and your assistant are coming over to get you ready for your brunch date with Gojo" you roll your eyes forgetting that was the plan for today. You sit up in your bed and Immediately stretch before hopping off and waddling to your bathroom. You stare at yourself in the mirror and sigh.. today was going to be a long day..

—

You splash cold water on your face like it might rinse off the shame —your reflection still stares back like someone who's definitely regretting accidentally entering a relationship in high-definition.

“Brunch date,” you mutter to yourself. “Brunch. With Gojo Satoru.” Like repeating it will somehow make it less real.

You dry your face off and start digging through your closet, only half-functioning. What does one wear to a fake date with the most unserious man alive while under public scrutiny? Something thats cute and casual but also “I’m not here for love,” or something extra that screams “yes, we have undeniable chemistry and you’re all obsessed with us.” You land on something understated but flattering. Neutral tones, chic sunglasses, and just enough lip gloss to look like you're glowing on purpose.

By the time your manager and assistant arrive, you’re halfway through your second existential coffee.

“Okay, you look fine, that’s a win,” your manager says, breezing in with a laptop and at least seven unread stress emails. Your assistant offers a supportive granola bar.

“Here’s what we’re doing,” your manager starts, snapping open the laptop. “You go. You brunch. You laugh at something he says, but not too hard. There will be photographers at the back entrance, so we’ll go through the front to control the optics.”

You nod slowly, chewing on the granola bar like it’s your last meal.

She keeps going. “He’ll probably pull something. A hand on your back, a stupid little inside joke—he lives for the bit. Play along. But not too into it. We don’t want them thinking this is a full-on relationship.”

You raise an eyebrow. “You do remember he posted a soft-launch caption about a second kiss last night, right?”

Your assistant snorts. Your manager visibly short-circuits.

Before she can reply, there’s a knock on your door. Too rhythmic. Too chipper.

Then, from the hallway:

“I brought flowers~ and a matching color scheme~!”

You stare at the door.

“No,” you whisper.

“Yes,” your manager says grimly. “It’s showtime.”

You open the door and there he is—Gojo Satoru in a linen button-down, his snowy hair artfully messy, holding a bouquet that absolutely cost more than your rent and smiling like he didn’t set your life on fire twelve hours ago.

“You ready, sweetheart?” he asks, like this is normal.

You deadpan. “You posted about a second kiss.”

He winks. “Manifesting.”

Your manager makes a sound like she’s being physically restrained.

Gojo offers his arm. “Shall we?”

You sigh, grab your bag, and slide on your sunglasses. Fake dating. Brunch. Photographers.

Hell.

But you loop your arm through his anyway.

Because if you’re going down, you might as well look good doing it.

The moment the car door shuts behind you, you realize two things:

You should have made a stronger coffee.

You should not have agreed to this.

Gojo’s already buckled in, grinning like he’s about to ruin your life recreationally. Again.

“You clean up nice,” he says, eyeing you up and down. “Like, brunch-worthy. But also, accidentally got caught on camera and now everyone ships us chic.”

You glare at him. “You did post that soft launch, Satoru.”

“I was being strategic.” He leans back with the confidence of a man who has never faced consequences. “You know how fast the news cycle is—if we give them something to obsess over, they’ll forget all about how your knee was in my crotch for like ten full seconds.”

Your face heats. “You tripped! onto me!”

He gasps. “So you admit you were under me”

You throw your head back against the seat. “Why are you like this?”

Gojo, without missing a beat: “Trauma and impeccable genetics.”

The driver up front coughs in what you think is an attempt not to laugh.

You cross your arms and look out the window. “I can’t believe I have to be seen in public with you.”

“Oh, c’mon,” he says, leaning over to nudge your shoulder. “We’re giving people hope. Romance! Spice! The thrill of unexpected love.”

“This is fake.”

“It’s real to them,” he whispers dramatically, tapping a finger against your sunglasses like you’re both in a soap opera.

You bite back a laugh despite yourself.

He pulls out his phone and holds it up. “Selfie?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Too late,” he says, snapping one anyway—mid-scowl, your face turned away, sunglasses sliding down your nose. He studies the photo. “Oof. You’re gonna owe me for this lighting.”

You grab for his phone and he ducks, laughing. “Okay, okay! I’ll delete it—geez, fake girlfriend’s got claws.”

You’re about to respond with something that’s probably unprintable when he suddenly quiets down, staring at you for a beat too long.

You frown. “What?”

He grins. “Nothing. Just... you’re kind of cute when you’re mad.”

You blink.

Then turn fully back to the window. “We’re almost there, right?”

He taps his fingers against his thigh like he’s fighting a laugh. “Oh yeah. Almost.”

You hate how your heart skips a little when he says it.

You’re barely out of the car when the first camera flash hits.

Then the next. And the next. It’s like stepping into a lightning storm made of chaos and extremely long camera lenses.

“Satoru! Over here!”

“𐙚˙⋆.˚ ? Is this serious?”

“Is it true you gave her your jacket and your heart?!”

You freeze halfway up the steps. Gojo throws an arm around your shoulders like it’s the most natural thing in the world, smile dialed up to “America’s Sweetheart” levels.

“Relax,” he murmurs out of the corner of his mouth. “Just smile like you’re in love and not actively planning my murder.”

You grit your teeth and give the cameras something between a grimace and a polite grin.

One of the photographers leans forward, hopeful. “Can we get a kiss?! Just one! For the fans!”

Gojo raises his brows at you. “Should we give the people what they want?”

“Touch me and I’ll end you.”

He makes a wounded noise, clutching his chest theatrically. “You’re really leaning into the enemies-to-lovers pipeline, huh?”

You’re about to retort when a voice cuts through the crowd:

“𐙚˙⋆.˚ , IS HE THE REASON YOU MISSED THAT FASHION WEEK INVITE?”

Another: “IS THIS A PUBLICITY STUNT OR ARE YOU REALLY DATING?”

Gojo’s smile falters for a fraction of a second, then clicks back into place like a switch. He squeezes your shoulder gently—a warning, or maybe a thank you.

You grab his hand.

You don’t think about it, you just do it.

And that’s all the crowd needs. The camera flashes go nuclear, and someone actually screams.

Gojo leans in, lips near your ear. “Okay, that was Oscar-worthy. Keep that up and I might fall for you by accident.”

You manage to smile sweetly for the cameras while digging your nails into his hand. “If you do, I’ll schedule a press conference to deny everything.”

He laughs, way too charmed.

By the time you finally get through the doors of the restaurant, your face hurts from fake smiling, your heart’s doing something weird, and Gojo’s still holding your hand.

And somehow, that might be the scariest part. Inside the restaurant, it's a whole different world. Muted lighting, upscale décor, and the faint hum of string music that screams we cater to people who have assistants for their assistants. The host greets Gojo like they’ve been best friends since birth, and you’re seated at a table by the window with just enough visibility for anyone walking by to conveniently “notice” the two of you.

Gojo pulls out your chair with the flair of someone who’s never been told no in his life.

You sit, blink at the glimmering cutlery, and wonder if you can legally drink this early in the day.

"So," he starts, lounging across from you like this is his natural habitat, "are we doing the cute couple act or the tortured slow burn?"

“I think I’m going with ‘mildly hungover woman trapped in a PR nightmare.’”

He grins like you just told him he won the lottery. “God, you’re funny. No wonder the internet ships us.”

You stab at the menu with your eyes. “They don’t even know if we’re actually "dating" "

“Exactly,” he says, pointing at you with a spoon. “Mystery. Intrigue. You’re the plot twist in my life story.”

Before you can respond with something scathing and/or violent, the waiter appears.

And unfortunately, he definitely knows who Gojo is.

“Oh my god, you’re Gojo Satoru.” The poor guy is vibrating. “I love your whole vibe. That campaign you did for Givenchy? Life-changing. My roommate has a poster of you above her bed. It’s kind of weird.”

Gojo beams. “Weird is my brand.”

The waiter turns to you, eyes wide. “And you must be 𐙚˙⋆.˚! I loved the kiss video. It was giving soulmate energy. So natural.”

You cough. “Yeah, well, you know. Gravity.”

“Oh my god,” the waiter whispers. “You’re funny too. Are you two, like, official now?”

Gojo leans back, draping his arm along the booth behind you. “What do you think?”

“I think I’m about to cry,” the waiter says, scribbling something on his notepad without looking. “Do you need a few more minutes or is your connection so strong you just know what the other wants?”

You blink. “I need coffee.”

“Coming right up!” he chirps, then sprints away like he’s about to tell his entire group chat.

You let your head fall back against the booth with a dull thud. “I hate everything.”

Gojo watches you for a second, then hums. “You’re kinda cute when you suffer.”

“Say that again and I’ll make you the mystery in a true crime podcast.”

He bites his lip like he’s trying not to laugh. “You know, for a fake girlfriend, you’re dangerously good at this.”

You look at him over the rim of your water glass. “And you, for a fake boyfriend, are surprisingly tolerable.”

“Wow,” he mock-gasps. “You’re falling for me already.”

“I’m falling asleep. There’s a difference.”

He clutches his chest, pretending to swoon, and you think—just for a split second—that maybe you’re not the only one with a headache shaped like the other person. The awkwardness is palpable as you sit across from Gojo at the table, both of you trying (and failing) to act like you’re just another couple on a brunch date, but every part of this feels like a performance. The waiter has already come by three times to make sure you’re ‘enjoying your time,’ and every time, you force a smile that feels like it’s carved into your face.

Gojo’s not helping. He’s too busy ordering random items off the menu when the waiter comes back with your coffee, clearly enjoying his role as the ‘charming celebrity’—and if you weren’t so irritated, you might actually be impressed by his commitment to the bit. He waves the waiter off with a flourish, as if the entire restaurant is hanging on his every word.

"Two orders of eggs benedict, please, with extra hollandaise sauce. She loves the sauce. And I’ll have the pancakes. Yes, the big stack. Gotta keep my energy up for the rest of the day," Gojo says, his smile practically glowing.

You narrow your eyes at him, resisting the urge to facepalm. You barely know him, and now you're acting like this is normal? “You’re such a drama king," you mutter under your breath.

“I prefer the term ‘charismatic,’” he responds with a wink.

The waiter looks between you two, clearly confused but just nods and walks off. The second he’s out of earshot, you turn to Gojo.

“Are we really going to do this?” you ask, leaning in a little closer, the only thing keeping you from fully snapping being the overwhelming urge to avoid making this worse.

“Do what?” he asks, clearly pretending not to know what you mean.

“This whole... thing.” You gesture vaguely between you. “Pretend to be some picture-perfect couple while people stalk us like we’re some reality show?”

Gojo shrugs nonchalantly, already lounging back in his chair. “It’s not about perfection. It’s about the fun of it, the drama—besides, we’re just two attractive people who happen to be caught in a web of bad timing. Why not lean into it? I mean, look at the way you’re dressed,” he adds, eyeing your outfit as if it were a work of art. “You’re already playing the part.”

You glance down at your attire: chic but casual. Gojo’s right, you do look like you’ve been styled for some kind of influencer brunch. “Oh, great. Now I’m an accessory to your drama,” you mutter.

“Well, technically, you are my partner in crime now, so... it’s a good look for you,” he says, lifting his coffee cup to his lips with a smile that makes you want to roll your eyes.

You take a deep breath, pinching the bridge of your nose. “This is... this is too much. We’re getting way too into this, Gojo. People are already watching us.”

Gojo leans forward, his voice dropping to something almost conspiratorial. “Exactly. That’s the point. This isn’t just a brunch, sweetheart. This is your big debut into the world of public relationships.”

“Public relationships?!” you exclaim, a little louder than intended. You immediately glance around, hoping no one heard. “What kind of term is that?”

“Don’t worry. You’re going to love the spotlight. We’ll play it cool, and soon enough, they won’t know what hit ‘em,” Gojo assures you, his confidence as infuriating as it is infectious.

You slump in your chair, massaging your temples. “I think I might actually be getting a headache from all this performing,” you groan.

Gojo laughs, looking far too pleased with himself. “You’re not the first one. You get used to it. You’ll be the talk of the town by the end of the week, and I’ll be your favorite co-conspirator.”

Before you can respond, the waiter returns with a new round of drinks and a basket of fresh pastries. Gojo reaches for a croissant like it’s his favorite thing in the world, all while keeping his eyes trained on you.

“I’m telling you, this whole thing is going to be legendary,” he says, tearing a piece of the croissant off and offering it to you with a grin.

You stare at the piece of croissant. It feels like a metaphor for your current situation. A little too sweet. A little too staged.

“I swear if you’re going to start feeding me like some Instagram influencer, I’m out,” you say, not entirely joking.

Gojo raises an eyebrow but doesn’t take the bait. “Fine, no Instagram influencer vibes. But trust me, you’ll get used to the absurdity. Besides, once the rumors start about us, no one’s going to believe they’re fake.”

You take a deep breath, realizing you might have no choice but to ride this wave.

“Well,” you mutter, glancing at Gojo who’s still confidently munching on his croissant. “This is either going to be great or absolutely disastrous.”

“Why not both?” he says, and you’re not sure if he’s being sarcastic or just too sure of himself. Brunch wraps up in an unsettling blur of awkward silences and a waiter who definitely has a fan account for both of you now. You half expect to see a headline titled “Gojo Satoru and "𐙚˙⋆.˚ : What They Ordered and Why It Matters” on your feed by the time you leave.

As you step out of the restaurant, Gojo pulls his sunglasses on with the same theatrical flourish he’s been perfecting all morning. You take a deep breath, already anticipating the madness that’s bound to follow.

Of course, the moment you exit, a few camera flashes go off. Then a few more. You glance at Gojo, who’s clearly enjoying the attention as he casually waves. You can already feel your headache intensifying.

"You seem to like this whole... attention thing," you mutter, shielding your eyes from the flash of cameras. You move closer to him, trying to act like it’s not all so utterly bizarre.

“Of course I do,” Gojo says, slinging an arm around your shoulders like you’ve been together for years. “It’s how I pay the bills. And how I make people think I'm cool.” He grins, looking down at you. “You’re good at pretending to be my girlfriend. It's the least you can do to make me look even cooler.”

You shoot him a look. "Pretending to be your girlfriend is not on my resume."

“Oh, trust me, it's a skill you’ll need soon enough,” he says, a teasing glint in his eye. “You’re practically a pro at it already."

Another set of flashes goes off, and you find yourself being herded toward a waiting car. You didn’t even know how they knew to pick you up, but at this point, you wouldn’t be surprised if Gojo had a paparazzi hotline on speed dial.

The ride to Gojo’s place is eerily quiet except for the soft hum of the city outside the tinted windows. You lean your head against the cool glass, trying to gather your thoughts.

"This whole thing is ridiculous," you mutter, half to yourself.

Gojo turns to you, unbothered by the paparazzi situation. “And yet... it’s working.”

“Is it?”

“Did you see the look on the waiter’s face when I mentioned we’re basically soulmates? The internet's gonna explode with that.” He looks at you, not entirely teasing anymore, just... studying you. “You’re good at this, but you gotta let loose a little. Fake relationships are all about chemistry, after all.”

You raise an eyebrow. “And you think we have that?”

Gojo’s smirk widens. “I mean, look at us. We’re already a trending topic. I’d say we have it in spades.”

You roll your eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure. If by ‘chemistry,’ you mean forced proximity and shared trauma from this whole thing, then yes. We're practically on fire.”

The car pulls up to a building that looks like it’s made entirely of glass. You assume it’s his place from the confident, almost knowing look in his eyes.

As you both step out, Gojo hands you a coffee cup, the steam rising from it like a faint reminder that life must go on despite everything.

“Don’t worry,” he says with a wink, “I think we’re getting better at this whole ‘fake relationship’ thing. Just wait till tomorrow. You’re going to be a pro by the time this is over.”

You glance at him, annoyed but also a little curious. “Why do I get the feeling I’ve already been roped into something way worse than I expected?”

“Because you have,” he says casually, like it's just another Tuesday in the life of Gojo Satoru.

You follow Gojo into the building, still nursing your coffee as you try to wrap your head around the whirlwind of the day. Your life—your very private life as a celebrity—has now somehow been hijacked by Gojo’s own celebrity antics, and you’re starting to wonder how the hell you’ve ended up in this mess. Not to mention, you still have no idea why you agreed to this in the first place.

Gojo takes you up in the elevator, the hum of the machine the only sound between the two of you as the doors close. His easy confidence is starting to rub off on you, but it also feels like it’s only making things worse. How are you supposed to act normal in this situation? You’re pretending to be his girlfriend, and every time you think you’ve got a handle on it, he pulls some new stunt that messes everything up.

You glance over at him. He’s leaning against the wall of the elevator, clearly unbothered by anything at all. Of course he is. This is probably just another day in Gojo Satoru’s world.

“So,” you start, trying to keep the tone light, “what’s the plan now? Do we go inside, get cozy, and start planning our ‘romantic’ Instagram posts?” You raise an eyebrow at him, trying to get a rise out of him.

He turns his head to look at you, a sly grin playing on his lips. “If you want to post something, I’m all for it,” he says, completely unfazed. “But we’re not just hanging out. I've got some work to do that Ichiji told me about , and you’re coming with me.”

You blink, not quite understanding. “Work? You mean... we’re not just, like, pretending to be a couple for a few hours? There’s actual work involved?”

Gojo shrugs, his grin widening. “The ‘relationship’ part’s just the beginning. There’s a lot more to it than that. You think the media just stops after one brunch date?” He chuckles, clearly amused at your confusion. “If we’re gonna sell this, we need to keep the momentum going. Meet the fans, take some pictures, do interviews. The usual stuff, I thought your pr manager would have told you by now”

You groan. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope,” Gojo replies, clearly enjoying this more than he should. “By the time we’re done, people won’t know whether to ship us or hire us for their next rom-com. Trust me, it’ll be fun.”

Before you can protest any further, the elevator doors slide open, revealing what can only be described as a luxury penthouse. The floors are gleaming marble, the walls lined with art, and large windows offer an expansive view of the city. The entire place exudes an air of wealth and excess, but Gojo walks in like it’s nothing special, slipping his shoes off casually by the door.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” you mutter under your breath. “This is where you live?”

Gojo looks back at you over his shoulder. “I told you. It’s a bit much, but it’s mine.” He walks farther in, seemingly at home here, while you’re stuck standing in the doorway, trying to process everything.

“Alright,” he says, turning to face you, “I need to grab some things, and you need to change into something a little more... casual for the media rounds.”

You blink, confused. “Media rounds? Like, we’re doing press now?”

He holds up a hand. “Of course we are. The internet is already making wild assumptions about us, and I have to make sure we’re controlling the narrative. You’ll be fine. You’ve got this.” His smile is teasing, but there’s an edge of seriousness beneath it. “The sooner we get this stuff out of the way, the sooner we can relax.”

You look at him, half-exasperated and half-terrified. “I’m so not ready for any of this.”

Gojo smirks. “Good thing you don’t have to be. Just follow my lead, and you’ll do great. Besides, you’re already nailing the ‘girlfriend’ thing. It’s working wonders.”

You sigh, your hands clenching around your coffee cup as you mentally prepare yourself for what’s next. This day isn’t even halfway done, and already, you feel like you’ve crossed the threshold into some weird alternate reality where nothing makes sense, but it’s all somehow happening to you.

“Fine,” you say with a resigned sigh. “Let’s do this.”

The next few hours are a blur of photo ops, interviews, and awkward, highly staged moments designed to make your fake relationship with Gojo seem as real as possible. You start to feel like you’re part of some weird reality show, constantly on camera, always on for the public eye.

At one point, during a particularly cringy interview with a gossip blogger, Gojo casually tosses an arm around your shoulders and whispers into your ear, “Remember: chemistry. You’re doing great.”

You try to keep your face neutral, but on the inside, you’re screaming. This is so not your idea of a good time. But when the interview finally wraps up, Gojo gives you a playful nudge.

“You’re getting the hang of it,” he says. “A little more ‘we’re so in love’ and less ‘this is torture’ next time.”

You glare at him. “I think I’m going to need a nap before you start planning the next round of chaos.”

“Take all the naps you want,” he says with a wink. “I’ll just make sure the fans think you’re madly in love with me while you’re sleeping.” you

The day continued in a haze of media events, each more ridiculous than the last. At one point, you find yourself in a boutique, trying on outfits Gojo insists will help sell the “romantic” vibe. You can’t even remember how you ended up here, but at this point, it feels like you’re just a prop in Gojo’s fake dating game.

He’s still the same: effortlessly charming, annoying, and completely in control. He practically drags you through the racks of clothes, offering his “expert opinions” on everything you try on, and you can’t tell whether he’s being serious or just having fun messing with you.

"How about this one?" he asks, holding up a black dress that could probably cost a college students tuition. "It screams 'I’m secretly in love with you' while still being mysterious. Very sexy, right?"

You deadpan at him from behind the fitting room curtain. "I don’t know, Gojo, I’m pretty sure ‘mysterious’ can also mean ‘unemployed and broke’ when you're wearing something like that."

He laughs loudly enough for the whole store to hear. "You're killing me, you know that?"

You walk out, still in your regular clothes, and cross your arms. "I’ll stick with what I’ve got."

He grins, unfazed. "Fair enough. You’re probably saving me from making a whole bunch of questionable purchases anyway."

The rest of the afternoon is a mix of sponsored content, staged photos, and Gojo trying to make you laugh every time a camera catches a shot of you two. It’s exhausting, but somehow, it feels like you’re getting better at it—if only because you have to.

By the time you finally collapse on the couch in Gojo’s penthouse after the last media appearance, you can’t remember the last time you’ve been this drained. You pull a blanket over yourself and bury your face in a pillow, hoping that the chaos of the day will finally end.

Gojo plops down next to you, his energy still as high as ever, even though you’re pretty sure he’s been going nonstop since dawn. "Tough day, huh?" he asks, as if he doesn’t know the answer.

You groan into the pillow. "You’re the one who made me do all of this. I should be asking you if you’re okay."

He chuckles. "I’m fine. Just keeping up appearances."

You turn your head to glance at him. "Yeah, I can see that. But how much longer is this whole thing gonna last? You know, the fake relationship?"

Gojo's grin fades, just a little, his eyes flickering to the window. He leans back, tapping his fingers against the couch thoughtfully. "You’ve got a lot of questions today. Want the truth?"

You sigh and sit up, curiosity piqued. "Sure, give me the truth."

He hesitates for a moment, and for the first time, you see a flicker of something more serious behind his playful exterior. "I don’t know how long this whole thing will last," he admits. " Ichiji says the media moves fast. One week we’re in love, the next week it’s over, and no one cares anymore. But... if this helps with the scandal, it’ll be worth it. You’ll be out of it soon enough, too."

You’re quiet for a beat, processing his words. Part of you wants to ask why he’s even doing this—why agree to something so crazy that could end up backfiring.

After a moment, you finally speak. "You’re really good at this, you know. The whole... fake relationship thing. The cameras, the smiles, the ‘we’re totally in love’ act. It’s like you’ve been doing it your whole life."

Gojo shrugs nonchalantly, his signature grin back in place. "You get used to it. Plus, it’s fun when you’ve got someone to keep you on your toes."

"Right," you mutter, sinking back into the couch. "Well, just know that I’m not sticking around for the afterparty. I’m counting the days until I can go back to my normal life."

Gojo lets out a loud, exaggerated sigh, clearly amused. "Fair enough. But you might miss me. I’m pretty irresistible once you get past the insane amount of chaos I bring."

You can’t help but laugh despite yourself. "I don’t know if ‘irresistible’ is the word I’d use."

"Give it time," he winks at you. "You’ll be begging for my autograph before this is over."

You groan. "At this point, I’ll be begging for a nap."

Gojo laughs, his voice light and carefree. "Deal. But just know, when the paparazzi get too much, you can always hide behind me. I’m like a walking shade tree."

You shake your head, but there’s a part of you that appreciates how unrealistically confident he is, and maybe, just maybe, there’s a hint of admiration buried underneath the frustration.

"Alright, Gojo," you say with a grin. "We’ll see how long that lasts."

And just like that, the tension between you two shifts a little. Maybe this fake relationship thing won’t be so bad after all. Or maybe, by the end of it, you’ll be begging for the media to leave you alone.

Gojo, ever the showman, is lounged across from you with the lazy confidence of someone who doesn’t realize he’s poking a tiger with a spoon.

"You know," he says, tapping away on his phone, "I still can’t believe you said yes to this whole fake-dating thing."

You snort. "I didn’t say yes. I was blackmailed with a viral video and thirty missed calls."

He grins. "Tomato, to-mah-to. Either way, I win."

There’s a pause. You glance over at him, noticing something softer in his expression now, less teasing, more... thoughtful.

"I thought you were way out of my league," he says, almost too casually. "Like—untouchable. You’ve been dominating your field since I was still posting outfit-of-the-day selfies with ten likes."

You blink, caught off guard. "Is this supposed to be flattery or just a very strange confession?"

Gojo chuckles. "Both? Look, I’ve admired you for a while. You’ve got that intimidating, ‘I-own-the-room-just-by-existing’ vibe. I mean, half the internet thinks you invented success."

You tilt your head, skeptical. "And that made you want to fake-date me?"

"No," he says, a little too quickly. "That made me want to talk to you. The fake-dating thing just... forced the issue."

You study him, trying to read through his usual deflective charm. It’s weird—he’s ridiculous, yes. But not fake. Not in this moment.

"And what exactly did you imagine would happen if we did talk?" you ask, voice quieter now.

He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Honestly? I thought you’d think I was a joke. But instead, you kissed me . Accidentally. But still."

You roll your eyes. "You tripped, and I got tackled into because a suspiciously slippery floor was involved."

He smirks. "Details, details."

A beat of silence.

"You’re not what I expected," you finally say. "Not just the chaos. There’s... more underneath it."

"Careful," Gojo warns with a playful wag of his finger. "If you start liking me, this whole thing becomes complicated."

You arch a brow. "Who said anything about liking you?"

He grins. "You will."

You laugh—against your better judgment. And for a moment, you forget about the flashing cameras, the curated headlines, the pressure of being a public figure. For just a moment, it’s two people sitting in a too-bright apartment, sharing bad coffee and worse jokes.

And Gojo? He looks at you like maybe, just maybe, he doesn’t want to stop pretending.

Not yet.

The next day starts way too early for someone being forced to participate in a public soap opera.

You’re barely out of bed, squinting at your phone with one eye open, when the onslaught begins: fifteen new texts, seven missed calls, and a voice memo from your assistant that just starts with, “Please don’t kill me, but—”

You pause it immediately. That never ends well.

Moments later, you're standing in your kitchen in mismatched socks, scrolling through a headline that makes you physically recoil.

GOJO & [REDACTED]: THE RISE OF A POWER COUPLE “Sources close to the influencer say she might be The One.”

“The One?” you mutter. “The one who tolerates him for more than five hours, maybe.”

Right on cue, Gojo texts:

Gojo [7:16 AM]:

u up 😇

Gojo [7:16 AM]:

also ur on like…three blogs and someone made a stan edit of our brunch lol

Gojo [7:17 AM]:

…also ur assistant said i have to pick u up in 30 we’re going to a press event ily 💙

You stare at the screen for a full ten seconds before replying.

You [7:18 AM]:

I hate you. Bring coffee.

The car ride is quieter than yesterday, though only because you’re still half-asleep and Gojo’s too busy showing you fan edits like a proud parent.

“Look at this one,” he says, holding his phone toward you. “They used sparkles. Sparkles, babe.”

“Stop calling me that.”

He ignores you. “This one says we’re giving ‘power couple with generational wealth and matching trauma’ and honestly? Accurate.”

You slump deeper into your seat. “How is this my life now?”

Gojo leans back, throwing an arm over the headrest to look at you. “You’re thriving, that’s how. And don’t act like you’re not curious to see what chaos today brings.”

You shoot him a look, but it’s half-hearted at best. You kind of are.

The press event is exactly as horrible as you thought it would be.

Red carpet, flashing lights, the whole “step-and-repeat” nightmare. Gojo, of course, is in his element. He’s wearing designer like it’s thrifted, grinning like he’s been media-trained since birth, and keeping one hand on your waist the whole time like he actually wants to be there with you.

You, meanwhile, are internally screaming.

The questions start flying as soon as you step in front of the cameras.

“Are you two official?”

“What’s the story behind the kiss?”

“Are you working on any projects together?”

Gojo answers the last one before you can.

“We’re working on not murdering each other in public,” he says with a smirk. “So far, it’s going well.”

You flash a tight smile. “Barely.”

Another reporter leans in, clearly emboldened. “But you two do look good together. Any chance you guy might be the one for each other?”

Your breath catches. For half a second, you freeze.

Then Gojo says, with just enough charm to make it sound like a joke, “We’ll let you know after dessert.”

The crowd laughs. You don’t. Because when you glance at Gojo, he’s already looking at you—not with the usual smugness, but something quieter.

Something that almost looks real. Backstage is a blur of too-bright lights, assistant whispers, someone yelling about a missing bottle of Evian, and at least three PR reps trying to shove last-minute talking points into your brain.

You barely make it through the curtain before someone’s tugging you toward a makeup station for “a touch-up,” even though you were just on camera for twenty solid minutes and your face is basically cemented in place.

Gojo, of course, is already lounging in a chair with a smoothie, sunglasses on indoors like he’s allergic to humility. He grins when he sees you. “Survived your first official red carpet as my fake girlfriend. I’m so proud.”

“You were loving every second of that.”

“You weren’t?”

You stare at him.

He leans in conspiratorially. “Come on. You did look good out there. You were giving mysterious, unattainable goddess. I was just here for the supporting role.”

“You said three separate times that you were the star.”

“I lie when I’m nervous,” he says, deadpan, and takes another sip of his smoothie.

Before you can retort, a harried-looking woman with a clipboard appears.

“There’s a quick joint interview in ten. You’ll both be sitting. Keep it flirty, fun, and off-script. We’re trying to make people feel like they’re seeing something real, not staged.”

You raise an eyebrow. “So lie, but make it sexy.”

“Exactly,” she says, unbothered, and disappears again like a cryptid in heels.

You turn to Gojo. “Tell me you at least pretended to read the talking points.”

“I skimmed,” he says, shrugging. “Besides, I figure I can just talk and you’ll do your intimidating genius thing and people will love us.”

“...That’s your entire strategy?”

“That, and my bone structure,” he says, tapping his cheek.

You sigh, sitting beside him in the corner of the green room. He’s still watching you, but quieter now. Less teasing, more thoughtful.

“You know,” he says, suddenly serious, “I meant what I said. About you being good at this.”

You glance at him. “What, fake dating?”

“Well, yeah, that. But also…” He gestures vaguely. “This. Fame. Pressure. All of it. You walk into a room and people listen. You don’t try to be anything you’re not, and somehow that makes everyone pay attention.”

You blink. “That’s the most coherent compliment you’ve given me since this started.”

“I’m evolving,” he says, solemnly. “Like a sexy Pokémon.”

You snort, but your stomach flips a little anyway.

Before you can answer, someone calls for the two of you.

Gojo hops up and offers you his hand with a crooked smile. “Come on, soulmate. Time to go lie on camera again.”

You take it. His fingers are warm.

“Let’s go make them believe,” you mutter.

He grins. “That’s the spirit.” The interview set is aggressively glossy—white couches, soft lighting, and a backdrop plastered with the event’s logo on loop. There’s a camera crew already rolling, a host with a dazzling smile too sharp to be sincere, and two microphones waiting like weapons on the low coffee table in front of you.

You sit. Gojo flops beside you like this is his living room, one arm draped lazily across the back of the couch, behind you but not quite touching. He’s turned slightly toward you already—calculated angles for the camera—and you realize with a jolt that he’s done this before. Maybe not at this scale, but the man knows how to sell an image.

The host launches in, bright-eyed and ruthless.

“So!” she chirps, crossing her legs and leaning in just enough to seem nosy. “Tonights red carpet—wow. The internet’s calling you the new It Couple. How does that feel?”

Gojo doesn’t miss a beat. “Surreal,” he says with a smile that could’ve been engineered in a lab. “But I mean—have you seen her? If I wasn’t in love before, the dress tonight did it.”

You nearly choke. Your PR manager will be proud—your laugh comes out smooth and charming, not unhinged.

“She’s used to attention,” Gojo adds, nudging your knee slightly with his own. “I’m just lucky to be standing next to her while people finally start figuring out I’m more than just a pretty face.”

You shoot him a sideways look. “Bold of you to assume they figured that out.”

The host laughs like that was the best line she’s heard all day. Gojo just grins, eyes crinkling under the edge of his sunglasses now perched atop his head.

“Okay, but seriously,” the host says, flipping through a card she absolutely doesn’t need. “There’s been speculation about how the two of you met. Theories range from a secret project to fate at a rooftop party.”

You open your mouth, but Gojo beats you to it. “It was fate. I tripped. and fell on her. Very romantic. Lots of camera flashes. The whole meet-cute package.”

You deadpan, “You almost squished me to death.”

“But I got to kiss you,” he says, hand briefly tapping his chest. “That’s the part they’re keeping in the movie version.”

The host absolutely eats it up.

“Any inside jokes between you two yet?” she asks, clearly loving every minute.

Gojo glances at you, and for a second—just a second—he looks a little too sincere. “She calls me annoying at least twice a day. I’m hoping that’s her love language.”

Your lips twitch. “I’m still learning his language. It’s mostly chaos and memes.”

He grins. “She’s catching on fast.”

You both breeze through a few more questions: favorite things about each other (“Her brain,” he says. “His hair,” you say, mostly to throw him off), how you’re balancing your “newfound relationship” with your careers, and what the future looks like.

It’s ridiculous. All of it. But somehow, sitting next to him, batting lines back and forth like you’ve been doing this forever—it starts to feel natural.

Almost too natural.

As the interview wraps and the cameras cut, Gojo turns to you with a low whistle.

“Not bad, huh?”

You shake your head, dazed. “You’re scary good at this.”

He leans in close, voice dropping just enough to make your stomach do something stupid. “That’s because I’ve been imagining this for a while.”

You blink. “This? A fake relationship?”

He smirks. “You. Sitting next to me. Looking like that. Laughing at my dumb jokes.”

And just like that, he’s up and gone, waving cheerfully to the crew, leaving you frozen on the couch with a brain full of static.

Fake relationship, you remind yourself.

Totally fake.

But the way your heart just skipped? That didn’t feel fake at all.

Twitter is a war zone.

As soon as the interview drops, your phone is vibrating nonstop like it’s trying to eject itself from your bag. You make the mistake of opening it.

There, at the top of your feed:

“THEY’RE SO IN LOVE I’M GONNA SCREAM.”

@User3245: the way gojo LOOKS at her??? that man is not acting idc #GojoGate #PowerhousePrincess

“Body Language Expert Reacts: Gojo Satoru is DOWN BAD.”

16-minute YouTube analysis incoming.

“they said inside jokes??? FAVORITE THINGS??? i’m throwing my phone goodbye.”

Someone already has a clip on loop of Gojo saying, “I’ve been imagining this for a while,” followed by the audio from that one song that makes everyone cry. There’s fanart. Shipping hashtags. A tweet that simply reads, “help. i want what they have.” followed by four thousand retweets and a very cursed slideshow edit.

The internet is in love with an illusion. And maybe, just maybe, it’s starting to love you too.

Back at Gojo’s apartment, you kick off your shoes like you’re shedding a second skin. Your head is still buzzing with the afterglow of flashing lights and fake laughter. But there’s something else too—a tight pull behind your ribs that won’t quite let go.

Gojo flops onto his couch, arms stretched along the back like he’s hosting an imaginary talk show. “We killed it, didn’t we?”

You sink down beside him, careful to keep space between your bodies. “We were convincing, I’ll give you that.”

He looks over at you, that playful gleam still there—but softer now, like the stage lights are gone and he’s just Gojo. Not the internet’s favorite almost-boyfriend.

“You really think I was just acting?”

Your breath catches. “What?”

“That stuff I said,” he shrugs, casually, like it’s no big deal. But his voice is quieter. More real. “About imagining this.”

You pause. “I figured you were just selling it. Like always.”

“I was,” he admits. “Mostly.”

Your heart’s doing something deeply inconvenient again.

He doesn’t look away. “But I’ve followed your career for years. You’re brilliant. You’re terrifying. I never thought I’d even get to talk to you, let alone sit next to you and joke like this.”

“Gojo—”

“And yeah, this whole fake thing? It started out as damage control,” he says, leaning in just a little. “But you don’t fake what’s been happening when the cameras are off.”

You don’t realize how close he is until the space between you disappears completely.

Not a kiss. Not yet. Just silence. A breath caught between one world and the next.

“I didn’t think this would get to me,” you say finally, eyes meeting his. “But it kind of has.”

He smiles—genuine, without a trace of performance. “Good. Because I was starting to think I was the only one losing it.”

You laugh, the tension breaking just enough for you to lean in too.

When it happens, it’s soft. Unrushed. Like a secret being told just for you.

And for once, no cameras flash. No hashtags appear. There’s no crowd, no trending tags, no need to fake a thing.

Just you and Gojo.

No pretending.

Only real.

A/N: RAHH part two is complete and yes THEY KISS, 𐙚˙⋆.˚  is definitely starting to warm up to Gojo and omg Gojo admits how he's actually known about 𐙚˙⋆.˚  and admired her for a while oh mer gerddd I hope you guys liked this I think im making two or three more parts :)

Masterlist ✼ Part three

Taglist! @pickledsoda

[darkmaga-returns]

On that tape? Oprah Winfrey herself, hosting an auction, handing him over to a room full of VIP abusers like he’s some prize to be claimed.

Yes, the same Oprah who has just been hit with a legal bombshell in Russell Simmons’ rape case – ordered to hand over documents, recordings, and “tangible things,” plus sit for a potentially videotaped deposition.

The walls are closing on Oprah and this isn’t speculation. This child auction video is the video—the kind that makes the elite sweat bullets and pray it never sees daylight. And guess what?

The elite’s worst nightmare is about to come true.

Where did it come from? Straight from the source: Wendy Williams. Yeah, that Wendy Williams, the one they’ve got locked away right now, trapped in a nightmare, a textbook case of medical kidnapping.

She’s being held against her will, silenced by a system desperate to keep her quiet. But while they are imprisoning her, her people slipped us this tape – an act of defiance.

She wants the world to know the truth about the machine that’s crushed her, the same machine that’s protected these predators for decades. This isn’t just a recording; it’s a Molotov cocktail aimed at the heart of their empire.

We are the team who busted the Pizzagate story wide open – John Podesta’s emails, the Clinton links, and those original Justin Bieber revelations back in 2016, long before the world was ready to listen. Diddy? We named names while the cowards hid.

And now? We’ve got something so massive, so incendiary, it could torch the whole rotten system to the ground.

Want to be the first to get the truth unfiltered? This is highly sensitive content. Subscribe to The People’s Voice Locals community for the full video:

[badgalsasuke]

Kishimoto at the Boruto: Naruto The Movie Premiere Preview (July 29th, 2015)

SOURCE

Image says "Executive producer: Masashi Kishimoto"

Livedoor news "BORUTO" is complete! Masashi Kishimoto: "This time, Sasuke is really at his best," he confidently stated.

The premiere of the latest film "BORUTO: NARUTO THE MOVIE" (released August 7th), based on the anime "NARUTO" by Masashi Kishimoto, was held in Tokyo on the 28th, with Kishimoto and the main cast members taking to the stage. During the stage greeting, a glimpse into Kishimoto's private life, which has not been talked about much until now, was given, and the "shadow protagonist" of the film was revealed.

This new animated film is based on the smash hit comic "NARUTO", which has sold over 200 million copies worldwide. Kishimoto himself oversaw the production, including the original story, screenplay, and character visuals. It is positioned as the culmination of the "NARUTO New Era Opening Project" that began with the previous film "THE LAST -NARUTO THE MOVIE-" released last December.

The seven guests who appeared on stage that day were the original author Kishimoto, Sanpei Yuuko who plays the main character Uzumaki Boruto, Kikuchi Kokoro who plays Uchiha Sarada who said it was her first time to greet people on stage, Takeuchi Junko who plays Uzumaki Naruto, the main character of the series who becomes the Seventh Hokage, Sugiyama Noriaki who plays Uchiha Sasuke, Naruto's rival and friend, Ono Kensho who plays Nara Shikadai, and Namikawa Daisuke who plays Momoshiki, the mysterious man who attacks the Hidden Leaf Village and is a key character in this work. The host was TV Tokyo announcer Aiuchi Yuka, who is also a big fan of "NARUTO", and rushed in bringing her own forehead protector.

"This time it was tough", Kishimoto said, looking back on the film's production. "I thought I'd finally be able to take a break after the serialization ended, but I couldn't take a break at all… I worked harder and put more effort into this movie than I did into the serialization," he said, revealing his excitement about the film. He continued, "When I saw the preview, I thought it was perfect. I'm sure everyone will enjoy it," exuding confidence, and shared highlights, "I wrote it with the intention of packing in 15 years of Naruto, so I tried to include as many of Naruto's standard lines as possible. I think there will be some parts where fans can make quips about."

Next, when Aiuchi revealed that the stage greeting was to be held on the birthday of Kishimoto's son, some of the cast members expressed concern, asking, "Is it okay for you to be here?" A shaken Kishimoto responded saying, "Well, um…", but confessed, "If you watch the movie, you'll understand, but there is a scene that exactly matches this situation, and I am exposing my own private life in the movie".

Sanpei, who played the lead role of Boruto in this film, said, "As a fan of the series, when I heard the news that there was going to be a movie with Boruto as the main character, I was excited. But when I found out that I would be appearing in it, that expectation was directed towards me. When I thought about that, I was so nervous I couldn't sleep for several days." It seems she was under a lot of pressure from appearing in the film. Even before the stage greeting, she exchanged emails with Kikuchi, who played Sarada, saying, "I'm nervous," and Kikuchi replying, "Me too."

Additionally, Sugiyama, who plays Sasuke, commented, "The relationship and distance between Sasuke and Naruto have changed, and the expressions and nuances during their conversations have also evolved. I hope you enjoy that aspect as well." Kishimoto then spoke enthusiastically, "Sasuke really is at his best this time," and added, "I thought this was more of a Sasuke movie than a Boruto movie. So when I was making the movie, I told Sugiyama, 'I entrust Sasuke to you, I'm counting on you!*'" - a comment that raises expectations for Sasuke's leading role.

Towards the end of the show, members of the four-piece rock band KANA-BOON, who wrote the theme song for the movie, appeared. Regarding the band, Kishimoto said, "When I heard KANA-BOON's song 'Silhouette' in the TV anime version, I got goosebumps like I hadn't felt since ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION. When I listened to the full song again, tears came to my eyes… I thought, 'This song is about me. How can they know me so well?' I decided it had to be KANA-BOON who made the theme song so we made them a fervent request to do it."

KANA-BOON performed the film's theme song, "Diver," on stage. In the background, the "BORUTO Special Video: The Inherited Path," which looked back on famous scenes from "NARUTO," was played along with comments of "love for NARUTO and BORUTO" from all over the world, and the venue was filled with emotion. When asked for his impressions after the performance, Kishimoto expressed his deepest feelings, saying, "It was cool. I almost cried again."

The cast members voiced their opinions, saying, "It makes you want to see the next movie. It's that kind of movie," and announcer Aiuchi asked about his next movie, "Sensei, what do you think?", but Kishimoto pleaded, "That’s not gonna be possible. Please let me take a break…" It was clear that he was giving his all to this movie.

*Kishimoto told Sugiyama サスケ頼みます! (Sasuke tanomimasu!). 頼みます is an expression where you're requesting someone, almost begging, to take care of something or someone like "please, take good care of your grandmother" and you're relying on them to do so.

[masglobalservicesblog]

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[leslekieuart]

Hello! I couldn't find where to message you and felt silly to email the question on your business email, so you're absolutely free to ignore this!

Love your comic so so much, your characters are wonderful! As someone who also wants to make a webcomic (traditionally, not like webtoon or tapas or any scrolly place), how did you get your website made up and hosted? I'm always stuck on the details of that stuff. Making the art isn't hard, it's the technical details that I'm too boomer to understand!

Apologies if it's such a weird or awkward question, but thank you for reading nonetheless!

Not a weird question at all, I feel like with large social media platforms being the main places where people post their work, the art of making your own website is truly lost in this day and age (I know I had to fumble a bit to make mine)

I use Bluehost to host my site, and used Wordpress's open source website builder for it. I highly recommend checking out Toocheke, which is pretty much what I used for the framework for my site. I am not a tech savy person (most of my css knowledge was editing my own tumblr back in the day), but toocheke was fairly easy to install and I was able to get most of my problems fixed by light researching.

I would highly advise against trying to make your website on wordpress itself, for some reason toocheke costed more to use since they put custom themes like that behind a paywall on their own built in builder if you decide to host with them.

[tallerthantale]

I finally got around to doing a close reading of transcripts of the Tortoise episodes, and I am very glad that I did.

My view remains that I find all the allegations both very credible and very damning. The updates to my views are that I feel more positively (though not entirely positively) about Tortoise, and that there is a probable very bad actor in all of this that isn't getting nearly enough attention. (Not Amanda Palmer. Or well, yes Amanda Palmer, but she isn't who I'm talking about.)

Tortoise first.

I'd been seeing a lot of comments claiming that Tortoise was anti BDSM. I don't know what the people in the podcast have as their personal views, but they made a point multiple times to clarify that BDSM does not operate like what Neil Gaimen was alleged to have done, and the condemnation they had for the alleged actions was not a condemnation of consensual BDSM. As someone who has been very involved in BDSM community for decades, I am fully in agreement with everything the hosts have said. The line people got most hung up on was a guest expert snarking about degradation ever being consensual. It is ambiguous in context what definition of "degradation" he is using, but it seemed to me he was referring to processes of establishing coercive control, and not referring to degrading roleplay in a mutually invested, healthily negotiated kink scenario. My remaining critique on the host / guests perspective is that the language around abuse and coercive control used by the hosts and guests often presumes all abusers are male and all victims are female. It doesn't diminish the value of the rest of what they are doing, but I think it is worth being critical of as a side note.

The other big point of concern with Tortoise, which I got major bad vibes off of from day one, was the manner in which they talk about their "understanding of Neil Gaimen's position." That sets off my internal red flags because it immediately prompts the follow up questions, "How did you acquire that understanding?" "Who told you that?" "Why aren't you quoting and / or citing them?" I had been speculating that they were from his side of the communications provided by the people coming forward, or comments from lawyers that weren't being properly attributed. Council of Geeks had a great "Cite Your Sources!" whiteboard moment I would generally agree with.

However.

It turns out there is actually a good reason for the citation fuckery. I think a lot of people missed it, so I'm going to try to explain it. When the hosts are referencing communications provided by those coming forward, they say so. When they are referencing comments by lawyers, they say so. The issue is, the bulk of the time, their understanding is coming from piles of direct emails with Gaimen that are OFF THE RECORD. Journalists have to take that seriously to get to keep doing journalism. They are professionally obligated to NOT cite or quote him when he is off the record. Normally in such a situation journalists wouldn't do this squiggly 'our understanding of their views' thing, they would leave it out entirely to be on the safe side of their professional obligations. Sprinkled through the podcasts are comments about the moral importance of hearing from both sides, the great public interest need to hear from both sides. This is a very snarky justification for the game they are playing of vague-posting the gist of his off the record statements without ever putting the exact statement on the record.

A lot of their snark surrounding that, and some other bits, leave the very distinct impression that Gaimen and his lawyers have threatened legal action against Tortoise several times already. Honestly I hope that they do file legal action, as that would open Gaimen up to discovery. Discovery is a process by which Tortoise would be able to demand access to nearly all documents and / or electronic communications Gaimen has relating to the matter, and in doing so make them public. Discovery is far broader sweeping that what is admissible in court, because it has to be 'discovered' before the court can rule it admissible or not. But inadmissible thigs are still usually public record. A jury wouldn't see them, but we still can. Because of that, it is extremely unlikely that Gaimen will file a legal claim, but again, I truly hope that he does. Tortoise probably does too.

But there is another person deserving of investigation and discovery in all this.

The main focus of my current attention is from a bit in the first episode that jumped out at me. Like, it made my eyes bug out, jaw on the metaphorical floor, and I was shocked that I haven't seen it mentioned. But then I figured, people might just not have the context to know how big of a deal this is. So I'm going to talk about it.

According to Scarlett's account, after she came forward to Amanda, Neil asked her to take a call with a therapist that both he and Amanda see. It seemed like his financial assistance offer to her may have hinged on the call being part of the deal. At first read, it looks like Gaimen strongarming Scarlett to tell his therapist he didn't assault anyone. She does the call, and there is a message from the guy that seems designed to plant the suggestion in Scarlett that her friends are manipulating her into perceiving a consensual relationship as a non consensual one.

To me, that is a five alarm fire. Everything happening in there should not be happening, ever. A person who provides individual therapy should not provide it to both partners in a relationship. A person who provides relationship therapy should not be providing individual therapy to people in the relationship. (They should do one-on-one sessions with each in the context of the relationship therapy but that is different.) A therapist should not be framing things the way they are described in that message, or interacting that way towards someone who is not a client, particularly if they have a conflict with someone who is. Therapists are very aware of the potential for clients to coerce others into saying things that fit the client's narrative, and should not be encouraging them to try. And all that is before we even get to the part where he seems to have been tasked specifically to gasslight Scarlett into mistrusting herself and blaming her friends. By Scarlett's paper trailed account, this person should be facing very serious repercussions and investigation. According to Tortoise, he has not responded to any of their attempts to get in touch with him, and he has a phone that is set up to not accept voicemail.

The name of this alleged professional is stated in the podcast, so I looked him up. He is most widely known as an author. His first professional descriptor for himself is as an executive leadership mentor. That more or less translates to person who gives expensive pep talks to rich people. He is also a minister, and a 'consultant.' He does call himself a therapist, but he has no degrees, background, or training in psychology. His degree is from divinity school. He does not list any professional qualifications or certifications in mental health, he does not list any memberships in any mental health organizations. He did co-found an organization that appears to have put on motivational seminars for a variety of organizations. His 'client list' was last updated in 2012. His website has features that are only accessible by those who are 'fully committed.' He is based out of Arizona, USA.

Searching for his name + therapist will get you to a podcast episode with Amanda Palmer, where she had him on as a guest, described him as a therapist, her therapist, and her and Neil's relationship therapist, and promoted his books. It was recorded in 2019, and it is utterly vapid and out of touch from the both of them. Searching his name + therapist will not get you any information on his work as a therapist, because he is not a therapist.

He can't get stripped of his status as a mental health practitioner, because he isn't one. Tortoise states that he has protected confidentiality to Neil and Amanda. If he does have protected confidentiality, he has it solely through his status as a minister, not as a mental health professional because again, he isn't one. As a minister, he may have greater client privilege than an actual mental health professional, who would be required to break privilege if they have reason to believe their client is a danger to themselves or others. Religious client privilege is very strongly protected in most of the US even if the client is explicitly planning to commit specific acts of violence. This might be the main selling point to people who choose to work with ministers who pretend to be therapists rather than actual therapists.

Scarlett doesn't have confidentiality much less privilege by any avenue, his communication with her did not form a professional relationship despite the ways his message seemed to blur those lines, which would have left him free to pass on whatever she said to Neil and Amanda. That would also open the door for him to corroborate what Scarlett told him to the media, but my impression is that if he can be contacted, he will cite a duty to his real client, Neil Gaimen, to avoid saying anything. This is one of many reasons why real therapists do not take clients who have potential conflicts of interest with their other clients. I can't tell from the content of either podcast to what extent he may have materially represented himself to be an actual mental health professional to his clients, but if he has done so he absolutely should be liable if not culpable for that.

I would like to see this man investigated to hell and back, but I don't know if anyone in the media is going to bother. For anyone who needs to hear it, do not go to therapy with someone who isn't a licensed mental health professional. Do not have the same individual therapist as your romantic partner(s). If you are setting up couples therapy, it needs to be with someone who has never met either of you before, and you make first contact with them as a unit.

Obligatory this is all personal opinion disclaimer. The internal states of public figures cannot be determined or scientifically evaluated by their public statements / appearances / works / ect... I am not the behaviour panel, nor do I endorse that kind of thing. But under certain circumstances I am willing to put out some personal opinions about what certain actions, if they happened, would seem to suggest.

I've been saying for a while now, the allegations paint a very strong and compelling picture of Gaimen knowing what he was doing and engaging in deliberate strategy even if he can make pocket experiences for himself where he gets to believe that the relationships were real. I think the evidence pointing towards Gaimen having a long running pseudo 'therapist' he is comfortable sending his accusers to talk to, who then encourages the accuser to think their friends are controlling them, speaks to how deeply this approach to life can saturate a person's existence. When I say 14 represents a lifestyle choice, these are the kinds of things I'm talking about. Someone who fucked up and made a few grievous errors, and did soul searching, and is trying to do better doesn't send their victims to their on call professional gassligter with religious privilege who they outsource to. This looks like 'life revolves around finding ways to control and silence people' level shit.

[adafruit]

A Compact Pi Compute Module Backpack 🍓🥧📸🎒

We used to stock a PiCam Module

that would plug into a Pi CM4 or CM5 - recently we went to restock it, but the vendor hasn't replied to our emails for many months. So, it could be a good time for us to design something that works similarly but with more capabilities. So we tasked Timon

with designing something for us - we just said, "Make the best thing ya can," and he delivered! Check this board out that plugs onto the compute module and provides many great accessories: USB connection for bootloading/USB gadget, USB 3.0 host type A for CM5, micro HDMI, micro SD card for data storage on 'Lite modules, camera connection, and mount, two DSI connectors, fan connect, Stemma QT / Qwiic connection, and RTC battery. There's one shutdown button for CM5 and two GPIO buttons plus one LED. Timon's gonna try to add an EYESPI connector for our next rendering so we can get some I2C/SPI/PWM outputs easily. What do you think? We wanted to keep it compact and not too pricey (aiming for <$30 cost. We'll see if we can get it there) but were able to craft fairly complex projects in a small space.

[sirfrogsworth]

It's hard to be nostalgic about Tumblr without remembering my friend Tru.

Truett McGowan.

What a fantastic name.

We met each other because we were both tech geeks following Leo Laporte. He was the very first live streamer. Originally he hosted a TechTV cable show called The Screen Savers. But once G4 took over and focused more on video games, Leo's show was cancelled and he was looking for a new way to broadcast content.

So he built a studio near his home and created his own infrastructure in order to live stream video on the internet. He called his new show "This Week in Tech" or TWiT for short.

Along with his new streaming venture he created a TWiT community using an open source microblogging platform called Laconica. It was a form of Twitter that you could create specifically for a single community. Basically a custom niche Twitter feed. I was trying to be a web designer back then, so I created custom themes for Lacnonica.

This was my own personal theme for a website that I ended up never launching.

Leo called his custom Twitter, "The TWiT Army." And I was his graphic designer and webmaster. I made all of the cute little graphics for the website.

I also did fun holiday themes...

For the Thanksgiving theme, if you hovered over the Turkey it would change to being cooked.

I also took it upon myself to photoshop a little army helmet on the avatar of every single user of the site.

This was the zombie avatar I made for myself during Halloween.

The TWiT Army was also where I started posting my first attempts at Photoshop comedy. Many of them related to The TWiT Army.

And The TWiT Army is where I met Tru. He used a space invader avatar. I made him a couple of different versions.

You may have seen his avatar on the sidebar of my main Tumblr.

We became fast friends. We finished each other's jokes. We talked pretty much all day, every day. He loved Apple back then. I was strictly PC at the time. So we debated about that quite a bit. He would probably be astonished I have a MacBook and that I really love it too.

Our friendship lived in a little text box. We never talked outside of instant messages. But it was one of the most profound friendships of my life. I loved Tru just as much as any friend I've ever known in real life.

Tru started blogging on this brand new site called Tumblr. He reviewed apps for the iPod Touch. Not the iPhone, as that wasn't yet a thing.

I made the banner for his Tumblr.

He kept trying to get me to join Tumblr, but I was busy trying to create my own custom comedy website. But my site kept getting more and more complicated and I could never quite finish it. I was trying to arrange guest authors and create 3 months of content and I was always futzing with the theme and never happy with it.

I was getting frustrated that I could never launch my perfect comedy website and Tru suggested just making a Tumblr and posting funny stuff so I could be creative and have an outlet until my big site was ready to launch.

Little did I know Tumblr would end up being my big comedy website. Eventually I abandoned months of work and just stayed on Tumblr. All of my success here is pretty much because that little space invader pestered me to join when I was being stubborn.

Unfortunately, as some may have figured out already, the story gets sad from there. Tru mentioned briefly that he had a heart defect, but he never said it was serious. He acted like it was no big deal so I never thought too much about it.

We always talked through instant message and email, so we never exchanged phone numbers or addresses or anything like that. Tru was a very private person so he never even published an image of his face online. I only knew him as a space invader.

One day I woke up and sent him a message and got no reply. He usually woke up before me and answered as soon as I said hello. This had been our routine for nearly a year.

An hour went by. Two hours. Three hours.

It was odd for him not to respond for that long. I was really worried but all of my TWiT friends told me I was being paranoid. But there was a huge knot in my stomach telling me otherwise.

But then those hours turned into days. Days into weeks. Weeks into months. My worry grew exponentially as more time passed. I didn't know what to do. I tried finding his family. I even looked into hiring a private investigator. I don't know if I have ever felt a combination of depression & anxiety that intense.

In my heart, I knew what had happened. I knew that heart defect took his life. He was only 26 and it just didn't seem fair. But the not knowing for certain ravaged my mental health. Before all of this I had lost nearly 90 pounds and I gained it all back.

I think maybe a year or so later I found a friend of his who knew him in real life. They were finally able to confirm my suspicions. He passed away from his heart condition. That was my first real experience with grief. But I was so thankful for that bit of closure. I was finally able to let go of my anxiety and mourn him properly.

But Tru gave me such a wonderful gift. He pushed me to just start making things. To stop stalling and just create things to make people smile.

And you all probably know the rest from there.

[seradae]

My Plex server has grown!

Since the last time I talked about it, things have jumped up substantially in terms of content volume: 351 movies, 60 TV shows, and now 179 audiobooks. 3.4TB of content, or the equivalent of almost 5000 CDs / 720 DVDs 🥹

If you don't know what Plex is, it's a way of sharing content so it can be downloaded/streamed anywhere, totally free. I host a large invite-only server where I'm constantly adding new stuff.

Audiobooks are new as of today, because I really wanted a better way to access my library, so those are currently uploading, but they're accessible both through Plex and audiobookshelf (a really nice little open source project that makes accessing audiobooks on mobile devices painless).

Joining

If we're mutuals and you're not already on my Plex server, all you have to do is DM me your email and I'll add you! Feel free to send requests and I can typically get new stuff up in minutes 🥰

If you want audiobookshelf access, just DM me the username you want and I'll send you an initial password and the info for what server to point to.

[mayajadewrites]

Suguru Geto x Reader: Never Say Never

Hi!! Geto is my favorite JJK character, so I knew I had to create a fanfic for him since I rarely see any! This is geto x reader, but I will be using first person instead of saying "you" constantly. This series will have smut.

This is a modern Suguru Geto AU!

Summary: Reader and Geto have been basically raised together. They've been enemies, frenemies, friends, and now roommates. Has there been a connection all this time that both of them have ignored? What are they willing to do to prove this connection wrong?

ao3 link

Suguru Geto has been my sworn enemy since I was in diapers. We were born about 2 months apart, and our families never let us forget. His parents and mine are very close, like close enough for us to spend holidays together.

Suguru has always been a source of not only competition, but annoyance. He was always making fun of me or pushing me down the slide when our parents weren't looking. While he has gotten older, that doesn't mean he's matured. We fight every day, some say like a married couple. I would not want to be caught dead in a marriage with Suguru Geto.

Now, in our final year of college, I can say that Suguru has grown A BIT. We still hang out constantly, but we also have other friends that balance us out. Gojo, Shoko, and Nanami.

The 5 of us rent out a house together so we can stay near campus and have cheap rent. This also meant complete chaos almost every weekend, courtesy of Satoru Gojo.

"Knock, knock." Geto burst my door open, without actually knocking.

"You know you're supposed to knock on the door before you enter, not say it." I lift my eyes from my book. "What is it?"

"What book are you reading?" Suguru leaned against my doorframe, his tall stature taking up most of the space.

"Suguru I swear, what the hell do you want?"

"I just came in here to say..... you're late to your last class. By like, 30 minutes."

I grabbed my phone and gasped, glaring at Suguru. "You waited until NOW to tell me?!"

"I didn't know it was my responsibility to get you to class on time."

"You knew I was reading, and when I read -"

"You get immersed into the world within the words. I know." Suguru shook his head. "It's one day. I'm sure your professor will be fine with it."

"Who am I? Gojo? I can't sweet talk my way out of things. Speaking of, where is that white haired rodent?"

"I think he's hosting a woman in his room."

The house was mapped out with my room and Geto's room on the first floor, while Gojo, Nanami, and Shoko have their rooms upstairs.

I'm used to sharing almost everything with Suguru, so a bathroom was nothing. The only thing that sucked was hearing girls moans from his room when he decided to bring them home from a night out.

"I'll send my professor an email saying I felt sick. Next time, please get me out of my reading trance if I'm late."

"You got it." Suguru winked, turning on his heel and walking out of my room.

🧦☕🧸🧺🪵

"Shoko, do we have to go out?" I whine, brushing my hair.

"It's Gojo's birthday. We have to. He's gonna drag us out against our will anyways."

I scoff, finishing the curls in my hair. Gojo always goes all out for his birthdays, obviously this year is no different. He reserved a table at a club with his favorite bottles. As his roommates, we're obligated to go.

I ran my fingers over my black ribbed midi dress, accentuating my every curve.

"Your ass looks fat as hell." Shoko smiled, smacking it lightly. "Someones trying to bring a guy home tonight."

"If I bring anyone home, it'll be when no one is here. I hear enough from Suguru and Satoru." I tie my heels up my shins, kicking them up to show Shoko. "The only man in this house that's respectful is Nanami."

"Kento keeps to himself, that's why. He doesn't like hookups, he wants a wife."

"Smart man." I finish my look with my favorite pair of gold earrings, twirling my body. "How do I look?"

"Like any man is gonna want a piece of you." Shoko smiled, flattening her dress. She's sporting a tight, short, green dress with chunky heels.

"Ladiessssssssss." Satoru sang. "It's time to go. The Gojo train is exiting the building."

"Coming!" I grab Shoko's hand and leave my room. The boys are gathered in the living room, Satoru obviously looking the most... well, Satoru. Nanami is wearing a grey suit with a patterned tie, his undercut freshly done. Suguru is wearing a plain black suit with his hair tied up in a bun, but a couple of pieces of hair are in his face.

"Damn." Gojo whistled at Shoko and I. "You ladies clean up real nice."

"Tone it down birthday boy." I roll my eyes, grabbing my purse from the counter. "This happens once a year, so we do this for you."

"I'm eternally grateful." Gojo bowed, his glasses at the bridge of his nose, exposing his piercing blue eyes.

I couldn't help but notice Suguru's eyes glued on me. He's a man of few words, but his body tells a whole story. His eyes followed every curve, mesmerized by the movement.

I'm blaming it on the fact that I never wear dresses like this.

"You ladies do look beautiful." Nanami said, pressing his hands to our shoulders.

"Thank you, Kento." I look to Suguru, who looks like he's fresh out of words for the day.

Nanami ordered the Uber, so it was outside as we all were ready. The Uber was on the same type of time we were - playing club music and lifting our spirits more.

Suguru and I were in the back, per usual. Satoru always wanted to have the front seat, Nanami and Shoko got car sick, so we were stuck with the worst seats.

"Hey," Suguru looked at me with his chocolate colored eyes. "I didn't want to say this in front of Gojo, but you look beautiful."

"Are pigs flying? Is hell freezing over?" I look around, acting like the world is falling.

"That's the last time I compliment you." Geto shook his head, glancing at the window.

We hit a pot hole and my body flys into Suguru's, my tits pressed against his chest.

"Sorry!" The driver said with a toothy smile. "They need to fix these roads."

"Of course you don't have your seatbelt on." Suguru rolled his eyes, but didn't push me off of him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were the seatbelt police." I pulled the seatbelt over my chest. "Won't happen again, sir." I salute, while Geto sucks his teeth.

🧦☕🧸🧺🪵

The club's music is blaring, so much so that I can barely hear a word anyone is saying. Gojo knows everybody, so he's mingling and celebrating his birthday his favorite way - by having other people celebrate him.

I'm sipping on my rum and pineapple, swaying my hips to the music next to Shoko. Geto and Nanami are close by, observing the crowd. Both of them are quiet and like to enjoy the environment since their social batteries are always running low.

"Come on boys, let's dance!" Shoko grabbed Nanami and Geto's hands, bringing them to the dance floor. "You too!" Shoko called my name.

Against my will, I followed Shoko. I'm not the best dancer but I'm not standing by myself at Gojo's table.

Shoko loves to dance, so she's in her element. Nanami dances like an old man - but it's cute at the same time.

Geto sticks by your side, not sure of what to do. He usually follows what Gojo does, since everything Gojo does is 100x more embarrassing than anything he could do.

I start to move my hips to the rhythm of the music when I feel a pair of hands on my waist. The hands are strong and come with a strong fragrance of cologne.

"That dress looks delicious on you." The man whispered in your ear. "My name is Toji."

I told him my name, taking in his features. He's rather muscular with long black hair that covers some of his face.

I put my hand on the back of his neck, pulling him toward me gently. "Do you always grab random women?" I say in his ear.

"Only the ones that look like you." Toji whispered in my ear, earning a smile from me.

I could feel Suguru's eyes burning a hole into my skin.

[monetizeme]

Proton, the secure-minded email and productivity suite, is becoming a nonprofit foundation, but it doesn't want you to think about it in the way you think about other notable privacy and web foundations.

"We believe that if we want to bring about large-scale change, Proton can’t be billionaire-subsidized (like Signal), Google-subsidized (like Mozilla), government-subsidized (like Tor), donation-subsidized (like Wikipedia), or even speculation-subsidized (like the plethora of crypto “foundations”)," Proton CEO Andy Yen wrote in a blog post announcing the transition. "Instead, Proton must have a profitable and healthy business at its core."

The announcement comes exactly 10 years to the day after a crowdfunding campaign saw 10,000 people give more than $500,000 to launch Proton Mail. To make it happen, Yen, along with co-founder Jason Stockman and first employee Dingchao Lu, endowed the Proton Foundation with some of their shares. The Proton Foundation is now the primary shareholder of the business Proton, which Yen states will "make irrevocable our wish that Proton remains in perpetuity an organization that places people ahead of profits." Among other members of the Foundation's board is Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of HTML, HTTP, and almost everything else about the web.

Of particular importance is where Proton and the Proton Foundation are located: Switzerland. As Yen noted, Swiss foundations do not have shareholders and are instead obligated to act "in accordance with the purpose for which they were established." While the for-profit entity Proton AG can still do things like offer stock options to recruits and even raise its own capital on private markets, the Foundation serves as a backstop against moving too far from Proton's founding mission, Yen wrote.

There’s a lot more Proton to protect these days

Proton has gone from a single email offering to a wide range of services, many of which specifically target the often invasive offerings of other companies (read, mostly: Google). You can now take your cloud files, passwords, and calendars over to Proton and use its VPN services, most of which offer end-to-end encryption and open source core software hosted in Switzerland, with its notably strong privacy laws.

None of that guarantees that a Swiss court can't compel some forms of compliance from Proton, as happened in 2021. But compared to most service providers, Proton offers a far clearer and easier-to-grasp privacy model: It can't see your stuff, and it only makes money from subscriptions.