#San Francisco tour stop

[shadowetienne]

We have finished the design on the Gilbert Baker flag that we are bringing to OnlyOneOf's San Francisco tour stop! @redeim and I spent the day working on this (along with his partner).

Top picture is the finished flag from above, second picture is Redeim and I holding it once the main line work is done, third picture is us holding it once we'd added the accents, and fourth picture is with our signatures/messages added.

If you are going to be at SF, we'd love to have you sign it! We will figure out logistics of that closer to the day.

Thank you lyOnblr for providing feedback on the original design. I'm so excited to see them live again!

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Lies, damned lies, and Uber

I'm on tour with my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me TONIGHT in PHOENIX (Changing Hands, Feb 29) then Tucson (Mar 10-11), San Francisco (Mar 13), and more!

Uber lies about everything, especially money. Oh, and labour. Especially labour. And geometry. Especially geometry! But especially especially money. They constantly lie about money.

Uber are virtuosos of mendacity, but in Toronto, the company has attained a heretofore unseen hat-trick: they told a single lie that is dramatically, materially untruthful about money, labour and geometry! It's an achievement for the ages.

Here's how they did it.

For several decades, Toronto has been clobbered by the misrule of a series of far-right, clownish mayors. This was the result of former Ontario Premier Mike Harris's great gerrymander of 1998, when the city of Toronto was amalgamated with its car-dependent suburbs. This set the tone for the next quarter-century, as these outlying regions – utterly dependent on Toronto for core economic activity and massive subsidies to pay the unsustainable utility and infrastructure bills for sprawling neighborhoods of single-family homes – proceeded to gut the city they relied on.

These "conservative" mayors – the philanderer, the crackhead, the sexual predator – turned the city into a corporate playground, swapping public housing and rent controls for out-of-control real-estate speculation and trading out some of the world's best transit for total car-dependency. As part of that decay, the city rolled out the red carpet for Uber, allowing the company to put as many unlicensed taxis as they wanted on the city's streets.

Now, it's hard to overstate the dire traffic situation in Toronto. Years of neglect and underinvestment in both the roads and the transit system have left both in a state of near collapse and it's not uncommon for multiple, consecutive main arteries to shut down without notice for weeks, months, or, in a few cases, years. The proliferation of Ubers on the road – driven by desperate people trying to survive the city's cost-of-living catastrophe – has only exacerbated this problem.

Uber, of course, would dispute this. The company insists – despite all common sense and peer-reviewed research – that adding more cars to the streets alleviates traffic. This is easily disproved: there just isn't any way to swap buses, streetcars, and subways for cars. The road space needed for all those single-occupancy cars pushes everything further apart, which means we need more cars, which means more roads, which means more distance between things, and so on.

It is an undeniable fact that geometry hates cars. But geometry loathes Uber. Because Ubers have all the problems of single-occupancy vehicles, and then they have the separate problem that they just end up circling idly around the city's streets, waiting for a rider. The more Ubers there are on the road, the longer each car ends up waiting for a passenger:

https://www.sfgate.com/technology/article/Uber-Lyft-San-Francisco-pros-cons-ride-hailing-13841277.php

Anything that can't go on forever eventually stops. After years of bumbling-to-sinister municipal rule, Toronto finally reclaimed its political power and voted in a new mayor, Olivia Chow, a progressive of long tenure and great standing (I used to ring doorbells for her when she was campaigning for her city council seat). Mayor Chow announced that she was going to reclaim the city's prerogative to limit the number of Ubers on the road, ending the period of Uber's "self-regulation."

Uber, naturally, lost its shit. The company claims to be more than a (geometrically impossible) provider of convenient transportation for Torontonians, but also a provider of good jobs for working people. And to prove it, the company has promised to pay its drivers "120% of minimum wage." As I write for Ricochet, that's a whopper, even by Uber's standards:

https://ricochet.media/en/4039/uber-is-lying-again-the-company-has-no-intention-of-paying-drivers-a-living-wage

Here's the thing: Uber is only proposing to pay 120% of the minimum wage while drivers have a passenger in the vehicle. And with the number of vehicles Uber wants on the road, most drivers will be earning nothing most of the time. Factor in that unpaid time, as well as expenses for vehicles, and the average Toronto Uber driver stands to make $2.50 per hour (Canadian):

https://ridefair.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Legislated-Poverty.pdf

Now, Uber's told a lot of lies over the years. Right from the start, the company implicitly lied about what it cost to provide an Uber. For its first 12 years, Uber lost $0.41 on every dollar it brought in, lighting tens of billions in investment capital provided by the Saudi royals on fire in an effort to bankrupt rival transportation firms and disinvestment in municipal transit.

Uber then lied to retail investors about the business-case for buying its stock so that the House of Saud and other early investors could unload their stock. Uber claimed that they were on the verge of producing a self-driving car that would allow them to get rid of drivers, zero out their wage bill, and finally turn a profit. The company spent $2.5b on this, making it the most expensive Big Store in the history of cons:

https://www.theinformation.com/articles/infighting-busywork-missed-warnings-how-uber-wasted-2-5-billion-on-self-driving-cars

After years, Uber produced a "self-driving car" that could travel one half of one American mile before experiencing a potentially lethal collision. Uber quietly paid another company $400m to take this disaster off its hands:

https://www.economist.com/business/2020/12/10/why-is-uber-selling-its-autonomous-vehicle-division

The self-driving car lie was tied up in another lie – that somehow, automation could triumph over geometry. Robocabs, we were told, would travel in formations so tight that they would finally end the Red Queen's Race of more cars – more roads – more distance – more cars. That lie wormed its way into the company's IPO prospectus, which promised retail investors that profitability lay in replacing every journey – by car, cab, bike, bus, tram or train – with an Uber ride:

https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN1RN2SK/

The company has been bleeding out money ever since – though you wouldn't know it by looking at its investor disclosures. Every quarter, Uber trumpets that it has finally become profitable, and every quarter, Hubert Horan dissects its balance sheets to find the accounting trick the company thought of this time. There was one quarter where Uber declared profitability by marking up the value of stock it held in Uber-like companies in other countries.

How did it get this stock? Well, Uber tried to run a business in those countries and it was such a total disaster that they had to flee the country, selling their business to a failing domestic competitor in exchange for stock in its collapsing business. Naturally, there's no market for this stock, which, in Uber-land, means you can assign any value you want to it. So that one quarter, Uber just asserted that the stock had shot up in value and voila, profit!

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2022/02/hubert-horan-can-uber-ever-deliver-part-twenty-nine-despite-massive-price-increases-uber-losses-top-31-billion.html

But all of those lies are as nothing to the whopper that Uber is trying to sell to Torontonians by blanketing the city in ads: the lie that by paying drivers $2.50/hour to fill the streets with more single-occupancy cars, they will turn a profit, reduce the city's traffic, and provide good jobs. Uber says it can vanquish geometry, economics and working poverty with the awesome power of narrative.

In other words, it's taking Toronto for a bunch of suckers.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/29/geometry-hates-uber/#toronto-the-gullible

Image: Rob Sinclair (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Night_skyline_of_Toronto_May_2009.jpg

CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

[jjoongstar]

𝖍𝖔𝖙𝖊𝖑 𝖌𝖍𝖔𝖘𝖙𝖘

wc: 475 (tbh, idek what is this...)

from his recent live teehee;)

Seonghwa going on live, showing off his souvenirs that he got while on tour. some were even given by hongjoong and his stylist.

"this is San Francisco.... oh wait shit, no, its Seattle. sorry, hehe,"

laughing embarrassingly in front of the camera with his mistake bout the magnets in his hands. atinys sent laughing comments and teases him during the live. he kept on showing more of the magnets from different places he went, until,

"aahhhh~"

a familiar yet embarrassing sound emitted suddenly from behind the hotel walls. he looks straight into the camera. shocked? embarrassed? stunned? he took a second to scan around him, "is there a ghost in this hotel? I'm scared, " was all he could mutter. some atinys caught that sound and were asking bout it. Seonghwa's heart panicked a bit seeing those comments. deep down he knew what it was, where's coming from, who was involved, but he chose to cover it up by saying its just some female ghost whose haunting his hotel room and like him.

"this one was given by-"

"aaahhhh.....AAHHH JOONG AHH~"

Seonghwa has never ended a live so fast till that. without saying a single word he quickly grab his phone ending the live, closing all apps. and shut everything down. his face red in embarrassment. did atinys heard all that? please don't. he tried to convince himself. picking up the hotel's phone, he dialed the room next door. knowing the man behind the walls, he won't answer his own phone since he's busy.

the man finally stopped pounding from your behind when the phone rang. you sigh in relief when he went to pick it up. finally, after hours-

"YAHHH KIM HONGJOONG!! HAVE SOME SELF CONTROL!!"

hongjoong looks at you over his shoulder with a smirk and puts the phone on loud speaker.

"i was doing a live and atinys could hear y/n moaning, keep it down,"

you knew your voice was loud, but not this loud. you've never been so embarrassed in your whole life. not just knowing that Seonghwa heard you, but atinys too? your face was so flushed red, you hid your face in between the pillows near you.

"apologize to Seonghwa, sweetheart,", hongjoong handed you the phone.

you voice was muffled by the pillow, but Seonghwa could still hear you. he didn't mind much, cause he knew its not your fault. its the naked man who's holding out the phone to you.

"say your sorry sincerely to atinys too, baby.", hongjoong added while stroking pieces of hair out of the side of your face.

"Seonghwa, can you please tell atinys that I'm very sorry for the uhh....well...you know, that, and uhh DONT SAY IT ITS FROM ME!! just like....from next door-"

Seonghwa replied with a giggle. he can imagine so well your flustered expression, cause this wasn't the first time it happened.

dividers

[cactuslester]

okay guys not to be insane, but i really do think there's a good chance that dnp might have no show on oct 19th bc they're going to when we were young in las vegas because look at this

on the left is their actual tour pathing; it's kinda weird to me that they're going from oakland (it's not marked on the map but it's between san francisco and san jose lol) southeast to phoenix, then back up northwest to la and san diego and then northeast to salt lake

but, what this pathing does allow them to do is stop in vegas on the 19th without making any kind of detour bc vegas is almost perfectly on the way from la to salt lake (the arrow in grey is their pathing if they weren't going to vegas)

on the right is a pathing through this part of the country that would make more sense to me (i kept the same dates though i know if they did this, they'd probably make the la and sd shows closer in date), but note that this would mean going from phoenix to salt lake instead of la to salt lake, which involves a much bigger detour if they wanted to stop by vegas on oct 19th

granted, this is complete conjecture because i've seen a lot of other dates that seem to have less than intuitive pathing, so this could just be a coincidence, but i'm just saying, dnp at wwwy on oct 19th doesnt sound too unbelievable to me because it would make their pathing make a lot more sense

[getmehighonmagic]

WIP Wednesday, April 10th 2024

Thanks for the early tags @suseagull04 @duchessdepolignaca03 @onthewaytosomewhere ♥

TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY! ♥ My last year in my twenties... Pray for me that I won't spotaneously get wrinkles now that 30 is so close?

Anyway, for my birthday, I decided you get cowboy Alex and Henry!

From take me back to San Francisco, coming soon:

They’re not the only ones who chose an early morning ride, and their group stops frequently when their tour guide points out views and spots they otherwise would have missed by concentrating on keeping their horses in line. It’s clear that Alex has some experience in riding horses as well, because he steers his horse to the side easily and waits until Henry catches up with him, before he turns to send him a boyish grin. “This was a really good idea,” he says, bending forward to pet his horse’s neck. “I haven’t ridden in so long, I forgot how much I love it.” Henry laughs softly, watching Alex squirm happily in his saddle. “How come?” Alex shrugs. “Not much opportunity for it in New York,” he explains. “I grew up in Austin, though. My grandfather used to own a ranch and June and I would go every weekend to help him clean out the stables and lunge the horses.” It isn’t hard to picture a young Alex working himself into a sweat in the stables and out in the fields. Henry hopes they’ll have enough time for Alex to share more childhood memories with him, before he has to leave. He wants to know everything about the man; wants to be able to play out his stories behind closed eyelids when all he has left is the memory of Alex, forever engraved in his mind. “Tell me more?” Henry suggests when their group starts moving again, and Alex does. By the end of the ride, all Henry can do is kiss him, their cowboy hats knocking together.

Gently nudging @magicandarchery @bigassbowlingballhead @eusuntgratie @sparklepocalypse @kiwiana-writes @happiness-of-the-pursuit @affectionatelyrs @indomitable-love @heysweetheart-writes @wordsofhoneydew @firenati0n @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @anchoredarchangel @clottedcreamfudge @anincompletelist @cricketnationrise @violetbaudelaire-quagmire @lostcol @matherines @captainjunglegym @thinkof-england @inexplicablymine @three-drink-amy @priincebutt @nocoastposts @littlemisskittentoes @cha-melodius @i-am-freyja @itsmaybitheway @saturntheday @ships-to-sail @bitbybitwrites @cactusdragon517 @ninzied @porcelainmortal ♥

[allwaswell16]

All the One Direction fics I read and enjoyed in January 2024. You can listen to my podcast to hear me talk about each of these fics as well as an overview of what was posted on ao3 including the fics on this month’s fic roundup which you can find here! Please let the writers know if you liked the fics by leaving kudos and comments! Happy reading!

Fanfictional Podcast #58 |  ko-fi | fic recs

- Louis/Harry -

❄️ and i would search the night sky to find you��by devilinmybrain / @thedevilinmybrain

(E, 56k, omegaverse) Harry Styles is a high class, well-bred Omega attending Bosworth Academy - a prestigious boarding school looking over the small town on Kinsey. He has his whole life already planned for him, learning his place as the potential mate for an important Alpha, practicing his home making skills, and be obedient above all else.

❄️ You're Not My Type (still I fall) by Imogenlee / @imogenleewriter

(M, 38k, omegaverse) This is just a bit of rain; it'll blow over. Then Harry will just... well, alright, he isn't entirely sure what to do when the rain stops because he'll still be stuck and lost. 

❄️ I Really Like Your Styles: The Baking Advent-ure by @homosociallyyours

(T, 35k, coffee shop) Louis isn't much for frills, and the coffee shop he co-owns with his best friend Liam is evidence of that. Yes, it's got a decent sized, well-kept industrial kitchen, but Louis insists that people come to coffee shops for coffee, not mediocre pastry and plastic wrapped cookies. 

❄️ Until the Pearls Get Lost by LadyLondonderry / @londonfoginacup

(M, 25k, omegaverse) With rumours swirling around about the reason for the rejected bond, Harry gives in to Liam’s pleas. He hasn’t the slightest idea how that decision will shape the rest of his life.

❄️ Something To Remember by @parmahamlarrie

(T, 25k, soulmate au) Will a trip to Maui’s most exclusive and private resort bring these two soulmates together, or will their bodies be constant reminders of what they missed out on?

❄️ Rolling Stone UK Awards AU (series) by INnenaHeart / @thechavier

(M, 15k, canon divergence) Harry started walking away from him and he felt like he was missing the moment, if he let him go like this he would lose on something. Something great. Something beautiful.

❄️ Sex Drunk Suckerpunch by thinlines / @thinlinez

(E, 7k, sugar baby) Sugar Baby Louis did what any sugar baby should avoid doing but (clichely) end up doing anyways, that is, failing for his sugar mama.

❄️ Harmony by @nouies

(E, 6k, omegaverse) When they get stuck together in an elevator, Harry scents Louis after nothing else works to bring him out of his panicked state.

❄️ Saving Sweet Creature by The_Halcyonic_Lachesist / @chai-hat-tea

(G, 6k, mermaid) Louis lives a life he wouldn’t change anything for, with Cliff by his side. What happens when he meets a mermaid who quite likely hates him?

❄️ powerless (and i don't care) by localopa / @voulezloux

(E, 4k, daddy kink) everyone on tour calls each other daddy, don’t ask why. and louis is so used to calling everyone “daddy” that, when he finally comes home, naturally he calls harry that.

❄️ Tuca Tuca (ILikeYouILikeYouILikeYou) by @persephoneflouwers

(E, 4k, canon) The San Francisco getaway AU, where Harry is needy and Louis has a flight to LA in a few hours.

❄️ Stuck in Midnight Traffic by LetTheMusicMoveYou / @letthemusicmoveyou28

(M, 3k, Christmas) the one where two broken people meet in an empty tube car on Christmas Eve. Can they find a way to heal each other?

❄️ Just Hold On by @silverstuff50

(M, 3k, security guard) “Harry, I’m fine.” Louis says soothingly. “I know I’m safe because you and Joni are there. As long as I can feel you holding me I know I’ll be ok.”

❄️ tuck a knife with my heart up my sleeve by padfootyoudog / @louisisworthit

(G, 2k, royal au) Doncaster loses the war, and Louis is the prize.

❄️ Mistletoe Kiss by @neondiamond

(G, 1k, roommates) A little bit of mistletoe is just the thing Louis needed to let his roommate Harry know he’s got quite the crush on him.

❄️ Oh Christmas Three by @tommokat

(M, 1k, omegaverse) A birthday surprise goes awry. Louis doesn’t understand. Harry blames the oven.

❄️ Always You by @enchantedlandcoffee

(G, 1k, exes) Louis calls his ex on Valentine's Day.

- Rare Pairs -

❄️ like a moth into a flame by we_are_the_same / @so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed

(T, 5k, Zayn/Louis) A student writes Zayn a sex poem. The only logical conclusion is for Louis and Zayn to fake date.

❄️ Fine Line by LadyAJ_13 / @ladyaj-13

(G, 1k, Louis/Nick Grimshaw) Telling his family was always going to be a big deal, but doing it alone was a sacrifice he could make. He never thought they’d fall about laughing.

❄️ to wake up by your side is all I wanna do by @beardyboyzx

(G, 1k, Zayn/Niall) Sometimes, Niall still thinks about the way Zayn’s laugh sounds when they watch TV and Niall makes up fake answers for whatever quiz show they’re watching.

[its-vannah]

Being in a relationship with Eddie Roundtree | Headcannons

A/N: Blurring the lines between the book and show rn, forgive me

Daisy Jones and The Six Masterlist

- You and Eddie met while the band was on break between their first tour and the recording of Look at Us Now (Honeycomb)

- He was instantly smitten with you

- You were one of the first girls who looked past Billy and had a soft spot for him instead

- He finally got over Camila after meeting you, something he didn't think would ever happen

- Your relationship was still pretty new when he went on the Seven-Eight-Nine tour, so you only went to local shows, namely the ones in LA and San Francisco.

- He called you one night from his hotel room, fuming because Billy had taken his guitar out of his hands and played with Daisy. You talked him through it and eventually got him to calm down. He told you he loved you before he hung up.

- When the band started recording Aurora, you were in the sound booth every day supporting Eddie in any way you could. Chances were, Billy did something to piss him off in some way. Everyone relied on you to deescalate the situation. You'd talk to him about it and tell him not to let anyone disrespect him but that Billy was the front man at the end of the day.

- He opened up to you about going to bass and how it really affected what he thought of the band. Don't get him wrong, he loved the band, he just felt like he was out of place there.

- When the Aurora World Tour started, you came to their first few shows, standing backstage as they performed. You were out of sight of the audience, but in Eddie's line of view. Every once in a while, he'd look over at you and smile while he played. The audience took note of this and the fans who were sitting on the far right side saw you standing there. It was in the tabloids that Eddie Roundtree had a serious girlfriend the next day, something the two of you had tried to keep under wraps for a while.

- You actually received a bit of aggression from fans who claimed they were in love with Eddie. One time, when he took you out to a date on one of his off days, things got intense with a fan who was following you back to the hotel the two of you were at. The cops were called and they took care of it, but the two of you decided you would head back to LA early for your safety.

- Camila picked you up from the airport and you couldn't help but fall apart in the passengers seat of her car. She comforted you through the strains being in a band and having adoring fans put on relationships, sharing struggles she had with Billy. It was then that you and Camila became as thick as thieves, as you were the only partners of anyone in the band—you didn't know about Karen and Graham yet and Daisy and Nicky were still waiting to come.

- You did, however, rejoin them on the road when they got back to the U.S. after a little over a month of being gone.

- Unbeknownst to you, Eddie had bought a ring at a boutique in Paris. It was at the bottom of his suitcase, tucked between his jeans.

- You were there when everything went down in Chicago. You sat in the audience this time and as soon as the show was over, you went backstage, sensing the tension between everyone. The security guard stopped you at first, but you told him you were with Eddie, but he held you back by the arms.

- Eddie saw what was happening and yelled at the security guard to "let go of his wife", not realizing what he was saying until he said it. When he let go of you, you ran to Eddie, hugging him and asking if he was okay.

- He tells you he doesn't know how much longer the band is going to last.

- That night, in his hotel room, he proposes to you. You say yes, pulling him into a kiss.

- When Eddie finds out the band broke up, he's devastated. He loved music, although the band, in his words, "had gone to shit" by the end of the tour. He revealed he'd miss the thrill of being on stage.

- You ask him what he's going to do now, and he just tells you he has to think about it. He wants to be working before the two of you get married so he can provide for you.

- When he becomes a record producer, the light in his eyes comes bac. The two of you get married a few months later. Because you loved Camila, she and Billy come with their three daughters, who are all flower girls in the wedding. At the end, trying to mend old wounds, Billy congratulates the two of you and wishes you the best. Graham also comes, bringing his girlfriend along. Warren shows up, albiet a little high, to support Eddie. Daisy doesn't want to cause any problems with Billy and Camila, so she stays away. Karen doesn't come either, already working on her own music.

- The two of you move into your own house in LA. This is the same home you bring your son into, and later your daughter.

- You and Eddie live out with music on your mind and love in your hearts, reminiscing about the good old days.

[mamirhodessxox]

Wreak Havoc

Death Island!Leon S Kennedy x Umbrella!Reader one shot

Desc: When Leon & His team Rebecca, Chris, Jill & Claire run into an incident at Alcatraz Reader unexpectedly shows up to grab one of the secret antidotes for her personal studying on the new virus being sprung on humanity & in the process gets into a fight with Leon that makes it clear to everyone about the twos old love history.

Content: Violence, Mentions of heartbreak, Death Island!Leon x Umbrella!Reader, small Implication of sex, Angst, Fluff??, Happy ending :)

{~I'm very serious with you guys interacting with my writing!!!! it would make me so happy & excited, the more comments & reposts the more inspiration i have to write :) Votes and comments are strongly appreciated so please COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT COMMEENNTTT the more comments the more content <3!!!~}

Word Count: 1913 Words used

Leon’s plans were far from what was currently happening, The poor guy was just trying to go on a tour around San Francisco but instead he was stuck in alcatraz fighting off the undead becoming infected & even uninfected and when he was told to grab the antidote to stop all of this mess he ran into you which was an even bigger pain in his ass.

You see, when you were In the technological area of the prison so was Leon & when you were standing across from him in the room his heart was already preparing to jump out of his chest, You two had multiple encounters on past missions that it even had a small fling between you guys but you couldn’t let him too close as you felt the fear of being heartbroken by the man who was your first love, first fuck & first everything so you cut ties with Leon before things got too ‘serious’ and clearly there was still that little spark between you both as you felt a small twang in your chest making direct eye contact with his blue eyes.

You couldn’t handle the tension or distraction that was stopping you from getting what you needed for Umbrella since they wanted to test this virus on multiple people like experiment subjects, the silence was loud & all the two of you heard were technical wires sparking and faint noises from some freakish monster fighting Jill so you cut the memories short & finally spoke up “You done reminiscing on the past yet” “As done as you are, what the hell are you doing here?” Your eyebrow perked up a bit as he held the gun attached to the belt of his jeans “I think you already know why i’m here Leon so let’s make those easy and start handing me the goddamn antidote” “Not happening doll, You know what happened last time you pulled one of these stunts.” You scoffed before stretching your arms “Fine you want to make this difficult and hurt your fragile ego we can play that game.”

Immediately as you started sprinting towards Leon he picked you up and practically body slammed you onto the floor but that still didn’t stop you from anything, you tugged on his hair and lifted both your legs and quickly wrapping them around his head putting his face in an area he was VERY familiar with & very much so missed but that’s for a later discussion, You flipped him over to where you were not on top and quickly got up but much to your demise he didn’t give up, he stood up and tried slamming you against a wall but you acted fast and held on multiple wires hanging from the ceiling and started swinging back & forth enough that you kicked him in the face “Son of a bitch!” You Snickered at his pain as he landed on a technical board while you jumped onto the ground and grabbed a random pole about to hit him with it but he held up his wrists against the pole causing it to bend “Why do you choose to make my life more- fuck!- more difficult than it already is sweetheart!”

You glared at him as he used one of his pet-names for you as a verbal weapon, he knew exactly what he did with that name and he knew it would hurt you in a place of your heart that you locked up & shoved away, “why do you choose to get in the way of MY job leon?” He smirked as he pushed you back as you attempted to hit him one more time “Because you’re so in love with me beautiful” You hated the way he spoke to you with sarcasm sometimes but you knew it was true, You were unexceptionally in love with him despite your split up & you hated it with your entire soul, “Just give up the act sweetheart you know your not gonna get what you want.” He warned as you kept trying to get swings at him but would fail miserably because of his dodges that he learned from training many years ago

After 30 more minutes of endless fighting you eventually gave up, both of you sat across from each other in two separate corners breathing heavily & sweat running down your guys’ face eventually leon broke the silence with a heavy sigh “Why do you do this to me Angel? You know how much you make my heart hurt when I see you so why do you do it?” You refused to acknowledge what he was saying to you so eventually he got annoyed and crawled his way towards you & almost placed a hand on your knee but you quickly pressed your high heel boot against his forehead & lightly pushed him back to where he sat on his stomach sighing “Sweetheart why did you leave? was it something I did back then I just don’t get it? What did I do?” You became irritated with his nagging for answers so eventually you fessed up. “It wasn’t You Leon. I think you know that by now. I was scared of you breaking my heart at some point so I prevented it from happening by dumping you before you could do it to me.”

Leon looked at you with sympathetic eyes while sitting up and moved your leg out of the way to cup your face into his hands while he hummed softly “You know that I would have never left you right? No matter how fucked up your little mind is I find it extremely fucking attractive to the point where I even bought you an engagement ring doll.” You rolled your eyes trying to move your head out of his grasp but he didn’t budge, “Yeah right, I highly doubt tha-“ “It’s true sweetness, I even have it in my wallet to this day after all of those years.” You watched him move one of his hands off of your face and digging into the pocket of his pants and pulling out a wallet he still somehow had on him & fishing out a ting that was slowly starting to show off how old it was getting & placed it into the palm of your hand “You know I never lie Doll face.”

You felt your breath hitch slightly but you gave the ring back to him and just around that time a guy as buff as leon but with short brown hair busted through the doors “Goddamnit Leon where the fuck have you been! And who the hell are you?!” You glared as Leon stood up & pulled you up along with him “Don’t worry about it Chris, let’s go before that weird fucking monster eats up rebecca.” Rebecca? Who the fuck is Rebecca? You didn’t have time to blurt out this question since Leon was dragging you along, Once your eyes settled on that big creature that was swinging it’s weird large fucking tentacles at what seemed to be Jill & Claire you felt pure fear run through your veins

“Rebecca!” You snapped your head as you heard Leon shout out this woman’s name once again but then you saw her run towards Leon with a box of what seemed to be the antidotes of the virus and even samples of said virus. You watched as she hugged around him in relief while blood ran down her face and it made the blood inside of your own body start boiling that you snatched the box she held & quickly held out your gun at Leon, Chris & Rebecca “we’re going to kill whatever the fuck that thing is back there & we’re all going to go our merry separate ways and i’m going to be taking this” “Who the hell do you think you ar-“ you quickly aimed back at Rebecca with an anger expression plastered on your face in which Cho Leon took note of “Watch it Bill Nye I will easily shoot whatever is in that fucking large cranium of yours.” Chris glared you down but you didn’t care, you put your gun away set the box down and started loading up some sort of large machine gun that could possibly take down whatever creature you saw Jill & Claire fight with, Chris was busy making sure Rebecca wasn’t wounded or infected while Leon practically hovered over you trying to help but you would shove him away “What the hell was that about huh? You’re not taking shit from us got it?”

You kept ignoring him, just as you got to make the machinery work the creature had slammed of its tentacles on the area you & leon were currently located causing you to fall down & hang onto a piece of metal while Leon was slammed against a wall “SOMEBODY FUCKING HELP ME?” You saw Leon quickly spring up and run directly towards you while Chris got ahold of a large rocket launcher & continuously blow up the creature wreaking havoc on everybody, You hear Claire shout something out towards Jill & Rebecca run towards You & Leon to help him grab you as he was slowly sliding off of the platform, Leon quickly grabbed onto your hand dragging you back up causing him & Rebecca To fall backwards while you rolled onto the side as you groaned loudly after just now realizing there was a deep gash in your side & due to you quickly loosing blood you passed out.

Eventually you woke up but it was outside of the prison on the ground patched up in stitches & gauze wrapped around the stitched up gash, You sit up quickly and wince causing Leon to move away from his group & kneel towards you “Good-morning sunshine, Thought I lost you for a second.” He chuckled out lightly while your eyebrows furrowed “Is it dead?? What are we doing out he-“ “it’s more than dead don’t worry.” Jill reassured with a smile on her dirtied face “We haven’t seen you in a while, It’s good to finally see you.” Claire spoke out walking towards you “Thanks..It’s nice seeing you guy’s too..” Leon cleared his throat indicating he wanted to speak with you so Claire & Jill walked off towards chris & Rebecca ass he grabbed ahold of your hands “Sweetheart I think you know we will never be able to avoid each other so that’s why I’m going to ask- not even ask TELL you to Marry me, give us an actual chance & be with me. I’ll handle all of your Umbrella bullshit an-“

You smiled up at him and leaned up as much as you could to grab his face and kiss him “Fine. I’ll marry you.” He grinned and just as he was about to kiss you deeply Rebecca stepped towards you “Y/N right..? I’ve heard a lot about you & I just wanted to address that..Leon & I? Have nothing between us an-“ You smile reassuringly “It’s fine rebecca, Don’t worry about it.” Rebecca smiled in relief & congratulated the both of you & eventually a helicopter came around and picked you all up & brought you all to a facility.

2 years later since then Leon & You got Married & Even had a child recently! A sweet little girl who had the both of you wrapped around her finger. Life was doing great you would say, Until You had gotten a call from a very very old friend of yours Albert Wesker, Alerting you that your work is needed immediately for yet, another outbreak.

xtripleiiix’s masterlist

🏷️a list: @ginswife @coolpastelartshoe @greatkoalawizard @cokolin044 @kotoriarlert

[d-criss-news]

Darren Criss' San Francisco Spots

Darren Criss loves sharing music and places with a sentimental meaning. The award-winning actor and singer takes a trip down memory lane and shares all of his favorite places in his hometown, plus he curated some spots he's loving right now.

Amoeba Music I’m probably the last generation of people growing up going to record stores and buying albums. Amoeba was such a fun place to go to. It was like an exclamation point on my hang-out day in the Haight. I loved going there, checking out albums, and listening to as many as possible. You could scan the bar codes and check out the music. There were always a lot of great artists coming through. It was a cool place to hang out, being around music and record people."

Wasteland "Haight-Ashbury has all these great vintage stores. I really got into vintage clothing when I was a teenager. I remember I bought some bell bottoms here that I thought were really cool. I used to wear those at school, and I was like, 'Man, I'm so hip.' I love Wasteland."

The Alembic "This spot opened after I left San Francisco, but when I go back to the Haight, I love to stop by here. As a cocktail bar owner, I’m pretty choosy about cocktail menus, but they have a great one. I pay a visit every time I’m in town."

Golden Gate Park "Golden Gate Park is very dear to me. I’ve enjoyed going there recently as Outside Lands is now a fixture of the city. I loved going to the park for runs. I had soccer games and practice there, too. I’ve just had a lot of fun here walking around all times of the year. I love when it’s foggy and cold, and you have to dress up warm for a walk. I have a Pavlovian reaction when I smell the eucalyptus trees in the park. I have a very strong connection to the place."

Japanese Tea Garden "One place in particular that I’ve always loved in Golden Gate Park is the Japanese Tea Garden. My wife and I are big Japanese culture fans. We taught ourselves to read, write, and speak Japanese during the pandemic, so it’s a big part of our life. I’m a fan of Japanese gardens, and I’m a big tea drinker, so it checks all the boxes for me. It’s a beautifully curated, traditional Japanese garden. It’s a peaceful place to have a contemplative moment in the park."

Marina Green "When I was younger, we lived in the Marina, and I spent a lot of time with my parents at Marina Green—going for runs and doing stuff with my dad. My dad was a big runner. He always loved it there."

Crissy Field Center "Crissy Field is a special place to me. I used to ride my bike here. In fact, it’s where I learned how to ride a bike. This park was fun for us because, obviously, our last name is Criss. So it became ‘Hey, this is our field,’ where we could ride our bikes. It’s an old abandoned landing strip for planes. They’ve transformed it into this really beautiful nature reserve in the past twenty years. A lot of the natural wildlife is coming back to the area, and it has completely been revitalized."

Bourbon & Branch "I recently did the Hedwig and The Angry Inch musical on Broadway, and then I did its tour. I first got into the musical when I was growing up in San Francisco, so I would be remiss not to do it in my hometown. We were stationed at the Golden Gate Theatre in the Tenderloin, and there’s a cocktail bar close by that I’m particularly fond of. You can have a quiet drink there. It’s especially nice after a show when I don’t want to use my voice too much. It’s my idea of the perfect cocktail club."

CreoLa "CREOLA is another newer spot I’m very fond of. It’s a great cajun, New Orleans–style seafood restaurant. My wife and I got married in New Orleans, and we love that city. I just stumbled onto this place when I went here for Sunday brunch. They had a lovely dixie jazz combo playing, which was such a nice treat. I had a delicious crab benedict here—one of the best I’ve ever had."

The Music Store "My brother and I grew up getting a lot of music from The Music Store. We were really into bluegrass. My brother is a banjo player, and we’d go see a lot of local folk and bluegrass bands there. Shelby was the guy that ran the store, and I was always fond of him. You know, even at that point, I realized that having a mom-and-pop record store was special. I hope it can live on forever."

Great American Music Hall "Every Sunday, I’d check the datebook in the SF Chronicle and look for great shows to go to when I was growing up. I saw one of my first concerts at the Great American Music Hall. I saw Phantom Planet open for American Hi-Fi there. I must have been 14 or 15 years old. Phantom Planet is a band that I've continued to love throughout my life. I even ended up playing with them, so the Great American Music Hall has a special place in my heart."

Stonestown Galleria "I spent a lot of time here, particularly during the holidays because that's where I did all my last-minute Christmas shopping. I went to Good Guys for electronics, cool walkmans, portable CD players, and Tower Records to look at records and buy cool stuff there. The mall was a one-stop-shop for my brother and me during the holidays. And, we'd go to the food court, get a hot dog on a stick, and go see a movie."

Seniore's Pizza "San Francisco is not a party city. It can be hard to find late-night eats. The only place that you can get a pizza after a night out somewhere is Seniore’s Pizza. It’s a place where you can find a bunch of young kids trying to squeeze in a pizza right before the whole city closes. It’s definitely a fixture for local San Francisco kids."

Submarine Center "Submarine Center is hallowed, sacred ground. It’s in the ‘last meal’ kind of category for me. The sheer ecstasy that I have going into that little room and having one of the best sandwiches in the world is something that I do wish upon everybody in the world. Whatever sandwich you pick from the menu, it's going to be delicious. Submarine Center is a big leading player in the show of my life."

Philosophers Club "If you want to live like a West Portal or Sunset kid, you hit up this dive bar next to Submarine Center. But if you’re one of the homies, you’d call it the Philly Club. So if you ever want to get a sandwich and hit the Philly club, tell 'em Darren sent you!"

[distorted59]

A Week In San Francisco

summary: Where she’s Kirk's younger sister and her parents are on vacation. So, she’s forced to live with her brother and his bandmates for a week.

pairing: Kill 'Em All!James x fem!reader

warnings: none, just kissing, y/n is around 19

word count: 1699

A/N: Actually one of my first requests! hope you enjoy! sorry if there are some mistakes! xo (this was beta read like once or twice idk)

part2

✪

Y/n sighs and drops her baggage to the floor and knocks on the door. She is sweating, but not just because of the heat. Nervousness kicking in as she knocks on the door again.

“Open up, asshole.” She murmurs.

It’s a warm summer night, August of 1983. Nice time for a holiday, right? Well, that’s exactly what her parents thought. Leaving her to live with her brother Kirk and his bandmates for a week. Their first album “Kill ‘Em All” had just come out and they already felt on top of the world. 

She’d met them a couple times and even saw one of their shows. They’re fun guys to hang out with, for like a day… And she has to live with them for a week no less. Knowing how messy they can be, she's a bit on edge, certainly not 'cause she thinks they're cute…

“Hey, baby sis!” Kirk opens the door with a wide smile on his face. 

“Hey.” She gives him a slight smirk. “Please let me in, I’m dying in this heat.” 

"Yeah! Of course!” He lets out a short laugh and grabs her bags, letting her in. With a big, welcoming hug, he squeezes the air out of her lungs, as if the girl wasn't feeling hot enough. “So, how was the trip?” He puts the bags down and guides her to the kitchen. 

“It was alright.” She shrugs. “The AC on the bus was terrible, but it was better than nothing.” 

Kirk rummages around in the fridge and holds up an ice cold beer bottle. His eyes travel from his sister to the space behind her. 

“You want a beer? Oh, hey James!” He grins.

Y/n turns around and smiles at the blonde boy, “Hey James, nice to see you again.” 

James doesn’t know where to look and smiles back, blushing tremendously. “Hey! Uh, hey.” He clears his throat. “Good to see you again too, y/n. How uhh-“ he walks to the fridge and grabs a beer himself. “How have you been?” He almost gulps half the bottle down. 

“Fine, you?” 

“Go-“ James starts.

“Oh! He's great now since you’re here!” Kirk interrupts James. “He hasn’t shut up about you since we last saw you.” 

“Dude!” James exclaims.

Y/n opens the beer and takes a sip, eying James down. He does the same and the silence almost turns awkward.

“Ahhh, there she is!” A loud voice beams out. “The cuter-looking Hammett!” 

“Lars…” She smiles and puts her beer on the counter before being engulfed with a tight hug from the drummer. 

“It’s so nice to finally have you here!” Lars boasts excitedly. “Come on, I’ll show you your room!” 

“I can take her!” Kirk frowns and grabs her bags. “I got her bags, see? Besides, she’s my sister. I should give her the tour!” He pouts.

James snatches one of her bags out of Kirk’s hand. “Shut up, Hammett.” He walks down the hall, smirking at Kirk.

Y/n looks at her brother with a questioning look and Kirk just returns a defeated one. “Just…” he sighs. “Follow them.” 

“It’s okay.” She giggles. “You’re still my favorite member, big brother.” She kisses his cheek and Kirk groans, over-exaggerating being grossed out.

“Eww! y/n!” He whines. 

“Don’t be such a baby!” y/n taunts.

“You two coming?” Lars yells from around the corner of one of the rooms.

“Yeah!” They both answer in unison. 

 “Me and Lars share rooms and James shares with Cliff.” Kirk explains while they’re walking down the hall.

“Where’s Cliff anyway?” She asks. 

They stop at a room where both Lars and James are waiting for them. She peaks her head inside the room and sees Cliff sitting on a mattress on the floor, plucking at his bass and a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips. 

“Sup, y/n!” Cliff smiles. “Sorry for sitting on your bed here.” He crawls up and flashes her a boyish grin.

Cliff walks up to her and gives her a tight hug, she holds onto him tightly. He smells like smoke and beer, but so does the entire house. She’s not complaining, though. 

“My bed? But this is your rehearsal room, right?” She looks around at the guys. 

The room is covered in posters and pictures from magazines. From Motörhead, Black Sabbath and Misfits to Led Zeppelin, Diamond Head and Iron Maiden. Lars’s drum-set is in the corner and around the room are some amp’s. 

Kirk and James’s guitars against the wall, some torn notes on the floor. Probably forgotten lyrics. She notices a notebook laying on one of the amps, but her attention is also taken away from it as the floor is littered with empty beer cans. 

“Yeah, the only spare room we had.” Lars explains.

“We all agreed on giving you some privacy.” James smiles politely as a slight blush creeps on his face again.

“Sorry for not tidying up.” Cliff grabs some cans. “We try to stay civil here.” 

“Says you!” James laughs. 

“Yeah? Whadda ya gonna do?” Cliff taunts and throws an empty beer can towards James’s head. 

James dodges it and laughs while flipping him off. Cliff wiggles his brows and flips him off as well. Y/n chuckles and grins at the scene in front of them. Yeah, she’ll survive them. 

“Look, I know it’s not like home…” Kirk walks towards her. “But, this is all we had and we all sleep on mattresses too!” 

“It’s fine, man!” She reassures them. “It’s generous enough for you guys to give me my own room!” 

“Okay, good!” Kirk smiles and she sees all the boys sighing with relief, almost like a weight fell off their shoulders. 

“What? You’d thought I’d get mad?” She smirks. 

“Maybe, we could’ve handled you though.” James teases and gives her a playful nudge. 

After spending some time around her, James is looking at her with an excited twinkle in his eyes, and his confidence is rising again. He hasn't stopped thinking about her since he last saw her and made a promise not to get nervous or shy. It's time to work on that part because he's already failed it.

“I bet you would.” She tilts her head and shoves him back, laughing while doing it. 

“Listen, guys. I’m sorry if you still wanted to jam tonight.” She puts her bags next to the mattress. “But, I would really love to get some sleep. I’m beat.” 

“Oh, that’s fine, y/n!” Kirk smiles. “We’ll be out of your hair, goodnight!” 

“Goodnight, boys! Thanks again!” 

While y/n gets ready for bed and is in the bathroom, brushing her teeth. James is pacing around in his room. He forgot his notepad in the rehearsal room, now temporarily y/n’s room. 

“I can’t just walk in now.” He murmurs to himself. “She’ll think I’m a creep, prancing around her stuff or something like that.” 

He grunts and starts pulling his hair slightly. “Fuck it.” He decides. “I’ll just wait and knock.”

James walks out of his room as he goes over what to say to her. He’s too deep in his own thoughts and looking at the floor when he bumps into someone. 

“Oh, shit!” The voice says. 

“Fuck! Sorry, y/n!” James apologizes. 

They look into each other’s eyes until both of them start laughing awkwardly. James scratches the back of his neck and clears his throat. 

“Uhm, my notepad is still in your room.” He explains. “I didn’t want to just walk in without you knowing.” 

“Oh, don’t worry about it!” She assures. “Go ahead and grab it.” 

“Great, thanks.” James nods and smiles back.

Both of them walk into her room and James starts looking for his notebook. “You see, I left it somewhere here.” He motions around with his hands. 

“Was it the one with a blue cover?” She asks. 

“Yeah? Did you see it?” His face whitens. “Did you read it?” 

“I didn’t, don’t worry.” y/n grins. “I saw it when I walked in, it’s on the amp near the drums.” 

James looks over at the amp and lets out a relieved sigh. “Awesome, thank you!” He smiles, shoving the notepad in his pocket. 

He walks back to the door ready to walk out, but he turns to her before leaving. “We’re uh, going to the… the beach tomorrow.” He says. “Hope you brought a bikini.” He mentally face palms himself and his face reddens. 

“Or… or a bathing suit! Just… as we're going to the beach. Just… forget I said that.” 

She giggles and walks towards him, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms. Biting her bottom slightly and it doesn’t go unnoticed by James. 

“Don’t worry, I brought it.” She assures. 

“Good…. Good.” He mumbles as his eyes travel down her neck and to the hem of her shirt. “Nice shirt.” He compliments when his eyes linger over the print “Motörhead”. 

“Thanks.” She smirks. “Goodnight, James.” 

Y/n turns around, but before she can walk away, James grabs her wrist.

“Wait!” 

“Yes?” She turns around, the slightest amount of hope in her eyes. Wondering what he still wants from her. 

“Goodnight…” he looks down at her lips before looking back up into her eyes. Y/n does the same, biting her own bottom lip again. 

“You wanna kiss me, don’t you?” He smirks. 

“Maybe, do you want to kiss me too?” She smiles playfully.

“More than anything right now.” He whispers and leans in, kissing her. Carefully at first, but it turns into a slow and passionate kiss. His hands loosely on her hips as he pulls her body closer to his. 

“Fuck…” he murmurs in between kisses. “Want you…” 

She breaks the kiss and gives him one final peck before shoving him out of her room softly. He looks at her in defeat, his lips are pink and swollen and his blonde hair messy and in front of his needy eyes. 

“We got the whole week, baby.” She winks at him and closes the door. 

[cwritesforfun]

Art Donaldson x Fem!Reader: Soulmates

I haven't written a soulmate fanfic in a while and wanted to... so you and your soulmate can hear each other's thoughts starting at the age of 18. You can only communicate back and forth if you're within 3 miles/5km of each other. Idk why I used 3 miles/5km, but I did. HEHE Y/N = Your Name SOULMATE'S THOUGHTS ARE IN BOLD ITALICS - if they're back and forth, it'll have their initials:) ** I do not own any of the Challengers characters or plot

Masterlist

Y/N's POV

The day after you turned 18, the thoughts of your soulmate filled your brain. You could hear his voice saying the thoughts and the stress he seemed to be under.

After two weeks, you know a lot about him. He has a best friend named Patrick, flirts with a girl named Tashi, goes to Stanford, and plays tennis. His name was something you hadn't figured out yet. It's too bad he doesn't think about his name lol...

You go through 3 years hearing his thoughts and you like him a lot. He seems sweet and caring. His name is Art. He went through a positive affirmation stage and he would say his name in his brain like Art, you are good and kind. It was kind of funny.

Your parents would think you were crazy if you flew to Stanford for him. But you don't care... you want to meet him... your only hope is that Art stays on campus for spring break.

You arrive at the San Francisco airport, rent a car, and drive to Stanford. You see a grocery store and run in to grab flowers to give to Art. Men deserve flowers too... or at least you think Art deserves them... your thoughts may change after you get to know him, but maybe not.

You look up where the campus tennis courts are and you drive over there. You find visitor parking nearby and rush over to the courts.

(A = Art)

A - I hate today. Y/N - Wait can you hear this, Art? A - Uh Y/N what? Why can I hear you? Y/N - I'm at Stanford outside of the tennis court. You think about Stanford tennis a lot and I'm on spring break. So I flew here. A - Where are you exactly? There are so many people. Y/N - Not by the college tours, but I can see them! I'm by one of the doors and I have flowers.

One of the guys that has fluffy blond hair looks directly at you and smiles.

A - Walk over. You can sit over here by my stuff until I'm done. I have to finish this practice with my Coach or he'll be mad. Y/N - Ok.

You walk over to where Art is, he smiles at you as you sit down on the bench, and he returns to playing. You watch him as he plays. He's fascinating to watch and he's cute.

A - Stop thinking about how attractive I am. It's throwing me off. Y/N - Oh shit sorry, but you're cute. A - Thanks, you're cute too.

You open the book in your bag and focus on that instead.

You hear, "Hi Y/N." You look up and see Art smiling down at you. You smile, stand, and say, "Hi Art. I brought you these flowers. I think you deserve them." He smiles and his cheeks flush bright pink. It makes you smile as he takes them. He says, "I've never had a girl buy me flowers before. It's nice. Thank you. If I had known you were going to be here, I would've had some for you." You reply, "That's okay. There is always next time. I'm surprised Tashi hasn't bought you any. You seem to like her." He asks, "Are you jealous? You weren't in my life yet... She no longer matters though. Only you do." You reply, "I was a little jealous, but I understood... should we leave the tennis court or should we stay here all day? He laughs and answers, "Come on, let's go eat lunch. Are you hungry actually?" You answer, "Yeah I am." He grabs his bag, holds his hand out to hold out my hand which I take, and then we walk to his on-campus dining hall. He tells me about these chicken burritos and churros that he likes, so he gets me lunch. The campus is pretty empty, so the dining hall is only half full. You both sit next to each other near a window and you start eating.

Art asks, "So what made you decide to fly out to see me?" You answer, "I don't know. I hear everyone talk about their soulmates or dating. I just wanted to meet you because I wasn't doing anything for this break and I've been saving money up for travel in general. So I chose to spend my break here trying to find you, which I did fairly quickly." He replies, "That's kind of crazy, but I would've done the same thing to find you one day... I like having your thoughts in my head, but I was hoping we just miraculously ran into each other on a random day." You reply, "I can leave the building and re-enter pretending this is random." He laughs and says, "Please don't. I like spending time with you and that would mean you leaving." You smile and reply, "I really do find you cute by the way, sorry for thinking that while you were playing tennis." He smiles and says, "Yeah it was distracting hearing about my hair bouncing in the wind and my piercing eyes as I played." You smile and say, "It was nice to watch. I've never really watched or played tennis before." He asks, "Oh I'm glad you liked it. What sports did you play growing up or now?" You answer, "I did track and field for a while. Now I run for fun without competition or stressing out over my run time." He replies, "Cool."

You & Art talk for a while. You give him your number before you head to your hotel. He offered for you to stay with him in his dorm room, but you just met him and you like your alone time.

You take a shower and put on a different outfit. You relax and watch TV. Art said he had something he had to do this afternoon, but he wanted to take you to dinner.

Art texts you when he is on the way and you wait in the lobby until he texts that he arrived. You see him leaning against his car smiling and holding flowers.

Y/N - He is so cute. A - Thanks, you look beautiful.

You reach Art, he hands you the flowers, and you give him a side hug. You notice a box of chocolates and a bag of chips in the passenger seat. Art says, "I wanted you to have a few snacks for the week. I've heard you think about these both. You do like them, right?" You smile and say, "Yes I do."

You arrive at an Italian restaurant and you're seated outside. You enjoy the time talking and just getting to know each other better.

You hear, "Art? Are you on a date?" You see a girl staring at you with a guy next to her. Art says, "I am, Tashi. I see you're on one with Patrick."

Y/N - So this is the famous Tashi. A - I swear I don't like her anymore like that. Y/N - She's really hot. A - You're hotter. Y/N - You're hot too.

Patrick asks, "When did you start dating? And why are you blushing like that, Art? I thought you would've introduced us to someone that makes you feel like that." Art answers, "This is my soulmate, Y/N. She flew here to meet me and we're dating, yes. Y/N, this is Tashi and Patrick. Tashi is on the Stanford tennis team as well. Patrick has been my best friend for years and he also plays tennis." You wave and say, "Hi, nice to meet you both." Tashi replies, "That's crazy. How did you find him?" You answer, "Uh well Art has thought about Stanford tennis quite a bit so I assumed he was on the team. I flew here and just hoped he would be here for my spring break. I bought him flowers and I found him on the tennis court." Patrick replies, "What a coincidence that he was here and you knew that... flying here feels like something loverboy Art would do." You laugh and ask, "Is that like a nickname you have for him?" Patrick answers, "Art just gives his all in relationships and buys flowers all the time. It's nice to see that already being reciprocated." Art says, "Thanks, Patrick. That's actually really kind of you to say." Patrick says, "Oh also Y/N, he likes physical touch a lot. He will get very clingy. That is my warning to you now." You laugh and reply, "Ok thank you."

Patrick and Tashi head out... you and Art finish your dinner.

You spend the next week together when Art is not practicing. You explore parks, restaurants, coffee shops, and other random places. You enjoy getting to know him and Patrick was right, Art loves physical touch. Once you told Art that holding your hand was okay, you hold hands almost every minute you're together. You go out dancing with Tashi and Patrick where Art has his arm around your waist the whole night. You check out of your hotel early and stay with Art in his dorm room the rest of your break... it only took you three days to cave to Art's puppy dog eyes begging you to stay with him. He doesn't have a roommate, which thank goodness... He cuddles with you and he always is holding you. He's cute.

Masterlist

[shadowetienne]

Hey lyOnblr! @redeim and I have a question for you!

We got a Gilbert Baker flag (original 8 stripe flag) to bring to the SF stop of the tour for OnlyOneOf. We were thinking of decorating it and adding meanings plus corresponding albums and then maybe seeing if we could get it signed by as many lyOns as we could manage at the concert before sending it on stage at the end if we're able to do that again.

This is a draft of what we were thinking of doing, it would obviously be a little less crowded on a real flag. Do people like it? Do you have any feedback? If you'll be at SF would you want to sign it?

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Palantir’s NHS-stealing Big Lie

I'm on tour with my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me in TUCSON (Mar 9-10), then SAN FRANCISCO (Mar 13), Anaheim, and more!

Capitalism's Big Lie in four words: "There is no alternative." Looters use this lie for cover, insisting that they're hard-nosed grownups living in the reality of human nature, incentives, and facts (which don't care about your feelings).

The point of "there is no alternative" is to extinguish the innovative imagination. "There is no alternative" is really "stop trying to think of alternatives, dammit." But there are always alternatives, and the only reason to demand that they be excluded from consideration is that these alternatives are manifestly superior to the looter's supposed inevitability.

Right now, there's an attempt underway to loot the NHS, the UK's single most beloved institution. The NHS has been under sustained assault for decades – budget cuts, overt and stealth privatisation, etc. But one of its crown jewels has been stubbournly resistant to being auctioned off: patient data. Not that HMG hasn't repeatedly tried to flog patient data – it's just that the public won't stand for it:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/nov/21/nhs-data-platform-may-be-undermined-by-lack-of-public-trust-warn-campaigners

Patients – quite reasonably – do not trust the private sector to handle their sensitive medical records.

Now, this presents a real conundrum, because NHS patient data, taken as a whole, holds untold medical insights. The UK is a large and diverse country and those records in aggregate can help researchers understand the efficacy of various medicines and other interventions. Leaving that data inert and unanalysed will cost lives: in the UK, and all over the world.

For years, the stock answer to "how do we do science on NHS records without violating patient privacy?" has been "just anonymise the data." The claim is that if you replace patient names with random numbers, you can release the data to research partners without compromising patient privacy, because no one will be able to turn those numbers back into names.

It would be great if this were true, but it isn't. In theory and in practice, it is surprisingly easy to "re-identify" individuals in anonymous data-sets. To take an obvious example: we know which two dates former PM Tony Blair was given a specific treatment for a cardiac emergency, because this happened while he was in office. We also know Blair's date of birth. Check any trove of NHS data that records a person who matches those three facts and you've found Tony Blair – and all the private data contained alongside those public facts is now in the public domain, forever.

Not everyone has Tony Blair's reidentification hooks, but everyone has data in some kind of database, and those databases are continually being breached, leaked or intentionally released. A breach from a taxi service like Addison-Lee or Uber, or from Transport for London, will reveal the journeys that immediately preceded each prescription at each clinic or hospital in an "anonymous" NHS dataset, which can then be cross-referenced to databases of home addresses and workplaces. In an eyeblink, millions of Britons' records of receiving treatment for STIs or cancer can be connected with named individuals – again, forever.

Re-identification attacks are now considered inevitable; security researchers have made a sport out of seeing how little additional information they need to re-identify individuals in anonymised data-sets. A surprising number of people in any large data-set can be re-identified based on a single characteristic in the data-set.

Given all this, anonymous NHS data releases should have been ruled out years ago. Instead, NHS records are to be handed over to the US military surveillance company Palantir, a notorious human-rights abuser and supplier to the world's most disgusting authoritarian regimes. Palantir – founded by the far-right Trump bagman Peter Thiel – takes its name from the evil wizard Sauron's all-seeing orb in Lord of the Rings ("Sauron, are we the baddies?"):

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/01/the-palantir-will-see-you-now/#public-private-partnership

The argument for turning over Britons' most sensitive personal data to an offshore war-crimes company is "there is no alternative." The UK needs the medical insights in those NHS records, and this is the only way to get at them.

As with every instance of "there is no alternative," this turns out to be a lie. What's more, the alternative is vastly superior to this chumocratic sell-out, was Made in Britain, and is the envy of medical researchers the world 'round. That alternative is "trusted research environments." In a new article for the Good Law Project, I describe these nigh-miraculous tools for privacy-preserving, best-of-breed medical research:

https://goodlawproject.org/cory-doctorow-health-data-it-isnt-just-palantir-or-bust/

At the outset of the covid pandemic Oxford's Ben Goldacre and his colleagues set out to perform realtime analysis of the data flooding into NHS trusts up and down the country, in order to learn more about this new disease. To do so, they created Opensafely, an open-source database that was tied into each NHS trust's own patient record systems:

https://timharford.com/2022/07/how-to-save-more-lives-and-avoid-a-privacy-apocalypse/

Opensafely has its own database query language, built on SQL, but tailored to medical research. Researchers write programs in this language to extract aggregate data from each NHS trust's servers, posing medical questions of the data without ever directly touching it. These programs are published in advance on a git server, and are preflighted on synthetic NHS data on a test server. Once the program is approved, it is sent to the main Opensafely server, which then farms out parts of the query to each NHS trust, packages up the results, and publishes them to a public repository.

This is better than "the best of both worlds." This public scientific process, with peer review and disclosure built in, allows for frequent, complex analysis of NHS data without giving a single third party access to a a single patient record, ever. Opensafely was wildly successful: in just months, Opensafely collaborators published sixty blockbuster papers in Nature – science that shaped the world's response to the pandemic.

Opensafely was so successful that the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care commissioned a review of the programme with an eye to expanding it to serve as the nation's default way of conducting research on medical data:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/better-broader-safer-using-health-data-for-research-and-analysis/better-broader-safer-using-health-data-for-research-and-analysis

This approach is cheaper, safer, and more effective than handing hundreds of millions of pounds to Palantir and hoping they will manage the impossible: anonymising data well enough that it is never re-identified. Trusted Research Environments have been endorsed by national associations of doctors and researchers as the superior alternative to giving the NHS's data to Peter Thiel or any other sharp operator seeking a public contract.

As a lifelong privacy campaigner, I find this approach nothing short of inspiring. I would love for there to be a way for publishers and researchers to glean privacy-preserving insights from public library checkouts (such a system would prove an important counter to Amazon's proprietary god's-eye view of reading habits); or BBC podcasts or streaming video viewership.

You see, there is an alternative. We don't have to choose between science and privacy, or the public interest and private gain. There's always an alternative – if there wasn't, the other side wouldn't have to continuously repeat the lie that no alternative is possible.

Name your price for 18 of my DRM-free ebooks and support the Electronic Frontier Foundation with the Humble Cory Doctorow Bundle.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/08/the-fire-of-orodruin/#are-we-the-baddies

Image: Gage Skidmore (modified) https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Peter_Thiel_(51876933345).jpg

CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

[blueiscoool]

Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II’s  Statues and Treasures now on Exhibition in Paris

Many of the more than 180 objects have never left Egypt before.

From whichever angle you approach Ramses II, the 13th century B.C.E pharaoh earns his epithet: the Great.

His 67-year reign stands as the second longest in Egyptian history. Bold in both war and peace, Ramses expanded Egyptian territory and signed the earliest-known peace treaty with the Hittites in 1271 B.C.E. This consolidation led to an unparalleled building of cities and monuments—often to himself. Ramses’s progeny was also vast, he’s estimated to have fathered more than 100 children.

There may have been 11 other pharaohs named Ramses, but “Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs,” a recently opened show in Paris demonstrates the pharaoh who acquired semi-godlike status in his own lifetime needs no identifiers.

The exhibition is on the third leg of a five-year, 10-city global tour with previous stops at Houston Museum of Natural Science and San Francisco’s de Young Museum. It was devised through a collaboration between the Supreme Council of Antiquities of the Arab Republic of Egypt and World Heritage Exhibitions.

Across more than 180 objects, many of which have never before left Egypt, the show creates a vivid picture of the country’s ancient Golden Age. Though Ramses’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings was raided and plundered of its gold adornments, the show presents ample treasures directly connected to him including a colossal red granite statue of the pharaoh’s head, one of his many gold rings, and painted reliefs celebrating his military victories.

More broadly, the exhibition presents a view of the world Ramses inhabited, sculpted, and inspired. There is space dedicated to the grave of royal tomb builder Sennedjem, a collection of mummified animals found at the Saqqara necropolis, and treasures discovered in the royal tombs in Dahshur and Tanis.

The exhibition also leans on contemporary technology to bring both artifacts and historical events to life. Drone footage and computer animations have been used to recreate the ancient splendor of Ramses’s memorial temple, photo-murals are projected on walls, and there’s a multimedia recreation of the Battle of Kadesh, a 1274 B.C.E. chariot battle widely considered the pharaoh’s greatest military achievement. There is also a V.R. experience available to visitors.

“Ramses II is considered to be the greatest king ever to rule Egypt,” said Mostafa Waziri, Egypt’s Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in a press statement. “This exhibition will illuminate the pivotal moments that earned the great pharaoh his place in history, while bringing visitors face-to-face with absolutely stunning Egyptian artifacts”.

[bearsinpotatosacks]

The beautiful thing about the Bear is that it's such a high stress show that you can apply it to other high stress environments and the AU works. I can see some kind of hospital/medical AU, or, in this case, a dancer AU.

The Berzattos run a dance school for kids, teens, and adults. They do different styles of dance, teach according to syllabus and some of their best students, like Carmen Berzatto even go on to become professionals. Syd used to go there when she was a kid until her dad noticed her passion, and worked extra hard to get into the Joffrey Ballet, then the New York Ballet before she got disillusioned and tried to start her own dance company and failed.

Carmy joined the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, being taught by Andrea, as a child before being picked up by the Paris Opera ballet, before moving to the Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen, then moving onto the San Francisco Ballet before finally joining the American Ballet Theatre in New York, this is where David abuses him.

Mikey didn't have as much promise, he was a good dancer at many things, but didn't have the drive that Carmy did, so runs the dance school instead. He met Richie at the school, his mother was a dancer and she noticed his inability to sit still and put him in the dance school, his dad didn't approve at first but he started getting roles in musicals, he's a brilliant tap dancer and could've gone far in musical theatre but Mikey pulled him in. He got roles, worked hard for them but always got brought back to the dance school eventually.

Tina got into musical theatre 'too late', she's been in a local theatre outside of work but after getting fired, she's heard singing to herself at the bus stop outside the dance school, Mikey hears and offers her a job as the musical theatre teacher with Richie.

Mikey dies and Carmy's left the dance school. The place isn't doing well, they could be going out of business. Syd, who's been idolising him since she saw him in the Royal Danish's production of the Nutcracker, starts to work there. Carmy becomes strict on uniform and respect to the teacher, Richie's more relaxed, he's dance teacher but wants it to be fun, not a military school.

She and Richie don't get on, she's used to the skill levels of professional ballet studios, not local dance schools. She starts to see how good he is with the students, he can control the room easier and his students have more freedom and are generally happier.

Carmy decides to up the stakes of the school's usual yearly show, they promise Jimmy a certain amount of profit and a certain number of new uptake of students. They ask Tina choreograph her own section of the show to whatever she wants, she goes with West Side Story.

Sydney looks at some of the previous shows, and some of the previous work of the teachers to see if there's anything they could possibly do and stumbles upon some of Richie's work in musical theatre. She mentions it to Carmy, they talk to Richie, who's unsure as it's been a while.

She's there late one night when she hears something and sees Richie dancing to Singin in the Rain, which he performed on tour. They talk about dreams and goals, she encourages him to perform, but he's hesitant as it's been so long

Syd and Carmy are going to do a duet, but when it comes to the night, Carmy gets locked in one of the dressing rooms getting something for one of the kids. Syd's scared, so Richie improvises and steps in, he's seen them rehearsing and does his best (is this all because I want to imagine Richie lifting Syd like she weighs nothing? yes).

She joins him in doing 'Moses Supposes' from Singin in the Rain (minus the singing), something he used to perform with Mikey, because she makes him feel confident enough to perform again. They get through, make a fair bit of money and get some sign ups. Richie also gets an invitation to audition for another musical, with Syd's encouragement, he does.

Also added on: Eva being in Richie's dance class, Richie and Syd are in suits when they dance together to 'Moses Supposes', Syd and Richie teaching a class together and reluctantly getting along

[dreamwatch]

You Know, This Used To Be Fun

Written for @corrodedcoffinfest

Day #13 - Prompt: Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll | Word Count: 1000 | Rating: M | CW: drug abuse, alcohol abuse, mention of rehab, mentioned overdose | POV: Eddie | Pairing: Steddie | Tags: Angst, hurt/no comfort (sorry!), a whistle stop tour of the Sunset Strip through the eyes of someone who has never been there, stream of consciousness, run on sentences, Eddie's head is a whirlwind.

I SWEAR I will write something fun for tomorrow, I promise you!

Title from Success Story by The Who

****

They make it to LA in Eddie’s piece of shit van and Jeff’s slightly less piece of shit station wagon, and it’s… well. It’s something.

They find a motel to hole up in before they plan their next move, because they have no idea what they’re doing, nothing is planned, they just said goodbye to everyone in Hawkins and ran, and now here they are.

They need gigs so they go hunting, and hair metal is still fucking hanging on by its polished finger nails, but it’s not just hair metal on The Strip, fuck Metallica played here. So they head there and. Jesus Christ.

Jeff gets a job at Tower Records, Gareth is waiting tables in some restaurant, and Matty works in a gas station. And Eddie, well he asked about bar work but the thing is… the thing is he’s not comfortable with people yet. He gets in his head now since Hawkins. But he finds a job as a janitor and it’s solitary enough to suit him. 

It’s 1989 and they’re going to be rock stars

****

They get a gig at The Whisky. They’re the opening, opening, opening act, the doors have barely opened, it’s Thursday and Matt and Gareth had to call out sick (and they’re praying no one from their jobs like metal enough to come to The Whisky on a Thursday). It’s 7pm. and there’s barely anyone there, a couple of blonde girls and blond boys and a fuck-ton of Aqua-net; this isn’t them. This isn’t their scene. But the crowd comes later and now there’s Metallica and Judas Priest T-shirts wandering around and they slot into place.

When they play The Whisky again they’re the opening, opening act and it’s 8pm and people are coming to see them.

After the show they wander up to the Rainbow and they drink away the last of their money, and watch girls making out with guys whose faces they’ve seen in Metal Edge.

And they play their gigs and they work their jobs and it’s 1990 and one day that’s going to be them.

****

They travel up to San Francisco for some shows, getting on the bill with some other thrash bands. It blows their minds.

They get on a tour to the East Coast; they have to give up their jobs but that’s fine, because Jeff is a step away from becoming the manager and staying there, and Gareth hates his fucking job, and Matty got held up in a robbery a few months back and it scared the shit out of all of them, so fuck it. And it’s amazing, what he remembers of it, the shows are amazing, but the after was amazing too? He thinks? His memory is spotty.

And then, and then, well fuck if they haven’t been signed. Well fuck if they’re not in a studio recording an actual album, not like that shitty demo they did in Indy. Well fuck if it’s not being released.

The drugs in LA are better somehow. Like, Hawkins had baby drugs, like junior training wheels drugs, but the drugs in LA are for the grown ups. When they play shows now they’re the main attraction and now people are giving them booze and coke and pills, whatever they want, they don’t even to ask. Then they’re drinking in the Rainbow and girls are climbing on their laps, and he’s not uncomfortable but he’s not strictly comfortable either. But Jeff leaves, and Gareth walks away with some girl attached to him and Matty’s next to him with one on his lap and one nuzzled up beside him, and Eddie pushes his one off and says ‘rain check’ like he’s ever going to see her again.

The album is released and it sells, it’s in that Tower Records where Jeff nearly became a manager, and they go in there every day moving it to the front of the ‘C’s. And there’s less copies every day because people are buying it.

It’s 1991 and they’re about to be rock stars.

****

The album takes off and they get support slots on bigger tours, bands they know, whose albums are sitting in Eddie’s trailer back in Hawkins. They’re playing five thousand seat venues, and one day he sees a Corroded Coffin banner in the crowd, and fuck, it’s emotional you know? It’s what they always dreamed about.

There’s another album, and money, and then they have a headline tour across the states, Jesus Christ, and people buy them drinks, and they give them drugs, and even though they have money now they don’t have to pay for a goddamn thing. 

There are girls, but Eddie finds guys on the road, guys at truck stops, and they’re famous but they’re not, you know? So it’s cool. It’s safe.

There’s a video and it’s on Headbangers Ball.

It’s 1992 and they’re rock stars.

****

Things get fuzzy after that.

There's another album. There’s festivals in Europe, and bigger tours, arenas, more guys but none of them are him, and then another album, and the drugs are good in LA, you know, but actually it’s the drink he prefers, who knew? But that’s good because Gareth and Matty prefer coke so more for them. Jeff dabbles for a while, but he gets married. She cleans him up. Eddie hates her.

There’s another album, another award, another tour, and they travel all over the world and Steve Harrington finally comes to LA, after years of Eddie asking, just as friends, you know? And Eddie drinks, because he can, and there’s another album but he doesn’t look for guys anymore because he belongs to Steve now, and there’s another tour, and Gareth ODs, but fucking shit he’s ok, and Matty cleans up, and Eddie drinks and he drinks and he drinks until Steve says “I love you but you need to stop”.

It’s 1998.

He’s thirty-two, he's an alcoholic and he’s about to go to rehab.

But hey, he’s a rock star, right?