#Teen Review Tuesday

[kingsbridgelibraryteens]

Teen Review Tuesday: How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black

Here’s a review from Mona: 

In this short story you get a glimpse of Cardan’s past childhood and him talking to a troll who tells him a story. This book is super short and really interesting as it reveals more about Cardan’s character. 10/10

[lilibetbombshell]

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Someone New 3

No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.

Warnings: this fic will include angst, pining, romcom tropes, and some darker elements later in the series. Some triggers may not be specifically tagged. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This fic will contain explicit content. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: You’ve had a crush on your best friend for years, but you’re slapped in the face with reality when he takes things to the next level with his girlfriend.

Characters: Steve Rogers, Thor

Note: why am I so anxious all the time?

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

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!) Please do not just put ‘more’. I will block you.

I love you all immensely. Take care. 💖

If Peggy’s party promised everything would change, the ‘yes’ you give to Arturo pays on that promise. Almost at once, everything is different. Your boring, orderly life is suddenly thrown into chaos. You have a hundred worries at once and not enough times; passport, visa, packing, flights. Not too mention all that you’re leaving behind; apartment, furniture, and... friends. 

It’ll be good. You keep telling yourself that, just like Arturo, just like Sam. They seem more excited than you are. You struggle to see past the grief of saying goodbye to the life you built there; the life you built around Steve and false hopes. It’s foolish and naive but it still hurts. 

And you’re scared. Norway. It’s far away. And you’ll be all alone. You survived college because you found Steve; you could stomach the furor of the city for Sam and Bucky, but on your own, what could you do? You’re not brave or bold or anything like that. 

It doesn’t matter. You’re going to work. To forget. Focus on the dig, don’t think about everything else. 

You’ve already lost so much. Steve’s busy, you are too. Maybe that’s good. You have to condition yourself for the trip. For a new life. A year is a long time. You feel like the newly graduated teen heading off to college, the one who walked into the wrong lecture hall on that fated day, the one he picked out and put firmly in her place; a friend, just a friend. 

As you sort through your closet, tossing fabric into one pile or the other, your music stops playing and your phone buzzes loudly against your nightstand. You hurry to pick it up as that noise makes your neck bristle. You hate it. 

You pick up without checking the display. You hope it’s the visa office. No, it’s Sam. 

“Hey, chicky poo,” he chirps from the other end. 

“Chicky poo?” You echo flatly. 

“Hm, you’re right, I’ll keep workshopping,” he chuckles, “so you’re leaving in a week?” 

“As long as my paperwork shows up,” you sighs and cross your arm over your middle. You sway as you look around at the clutter of your bedroom. “And I can get all this shit out of my place.” 

“When’s your flight?” He asks pointedly. He’s not subtle. Men never are. For years, you’d hoped Steve was being subtle and look how that turned out. You know now he was so obviously not into you.  

“Thursday, 5am,” you answer. 

“Ah, that’s pretty early to be hungover but it will be worth it.” 

“Hungover?” You wonder as you slowly sit on your bed, “why?” 

“You’re leaving us so obviously, you need a final hurrah,” he insists, “I’m throwing you a going away party. Just the four of us, unless you have any plus ones?” 

“Going away party?” 

“Neither of the other jerks are gonna do it,” he scoffs, “nothing fancy, promise. Just some drinks.” 

“What about Tuesday? Give me a day to recover?” 

“Wednesday works. Steve’ll be back by then.” 

“Back by then?” You must sound like a parrot. 

“Oh, yeah, the lovers went up north to look at venues for the engagement party. Too bad you won’t make it. I’ll have to drink myself into a stupour all by myself,” he intones. 

“Yeah, sorry about that,” you grumble and pick at a wrinkle in your pants. 

“Don’t be sorry. You deserve this. I’m so fucking excited for you,” he chimes, “you have to tell me everything. I want pictures of vikings and castles and stuff. All of it.” 

“Sam, I’m just going to be digging,” you mutter. 

“And? You can’t just go over there an put your head down. Go sightseeing, go out on the town, have a wild one-night stand--” 

“Sam,” you drone. 

“You need it,” he cackles, “it’ll be a story to bring home with ya. Make us all jealous with your wild Norwegian adventure. Hey,” he pauses and sucks his teeth, “you’re like Uno reversing a whole country. Vikings used to invade others, this is your chance to go right in there and raise hell.” 

“You’re stupid,” you laugh and shake your head. 

“Never said otherwise.” 

“Hm, fine, Wednesday,” you agree, “if I'm gonna be there, I gotta get all this shit packed.” 

“Did I not say if you need anything? I can help,” he offers. 

“No, no, I got it,” you say, “really, it’s not that much.” 

“Right, well, I should get back to it and let you do the same,” he says in a resigned tone. 

You hang up and heave. You put the phone down and drop your head into your hands. You feel like you should cry. You’ve felt that tide of tears pushing on your eyes since the party but they just won’t come. All that tension is driving you mad but you just can’t dislodge the nail driven deep into your chest. 

💟

Your life is hectic but you’re not surprised Steve isn’t part of the whirlwind. Why would he be? He has so much going on. A wedding is much more important than what could possibly be the most spontaneous and naive decision of your life. Impulsive more than anything. Cowardly when you think about it. You’re running away because you can’t face the truth. Because it’s just easy to leave your emotions in New York. 

Still, you thought you’d hear more than this. More than a thumbs up emoji or hearsay from Sam. Even after your conversation on the balcony and his reassurances, you still feel his discontent. Will he really miss you that much or is he just upset you won’t be there to celebrate the love of his life? 

It doesn’t matter, does it? 

It’s gone so fast and you hope the next year goes just as quickly. That all this passes. Not just the trip but everything else. The sadness, the pain, the fear. You try to be positive. You thought college was scary and look how that turned out. 

Ugh, you’re really doing this. You're leaving is all behind. You’re leaving your friends and your family and your home. You have no one to blame but yourself. You could’ve gotten over Steve Rogers a decade ago. More than that. You couldn’t rip the band-aid off, you had to pull it slow so ever hair rends painfully from the flesh. 

The GPS guides you between the shining marquee. You can see the pulsing dot of your destination on the screen. You don’t drive towards it, instead hunting for a parking spot among the cramped lots and lined curbs. You should’ve taken a cab but you’re only having one drink and you’re saving for the inevitable expense of hurling yourself halfway across the world. 

You get out and grab your phone, your purse hooked over your elbow. You raise the small screen and get your bearings, squinting as you set yourself in the right direction. Just across and at the end. 

As you approach the bar, you stop short. This isn’t exactly the flavour. Well, not for them. You peer up at the neon light in the shape of a martini, a bright pink beacon, under which a large group of women cluster. Whoops and hollers go up as they enter and leave you standing out in the technicolour-tinted night. Did you get the address wrong? 

You check your messages with Sam. No, it’s correct. Strange. Maybe he didn’t know. 

You pull open the violet-shaded glass door and peer around as you step out of the way of the patrons behind you. You text Sam to check if he’s there already. You can’t seem to keep up with the clock hands these days.  

As you wait for a response, you glance around. It’s like a Sex and the City reenactment. The guys always teased you for your rants about Carrie Bradshaw’s selfishness. They weren’t much for the genre. With them, it’s sports bars and beers and what ball game is in season. They never notice your cute new earrings or your efforts to spruce up your work clothes with a flashy belt. 

‘Here. You’re looking cute.’ Sam’s response comes.  

You narrow your eyes and stand on your toes to look around. He’s sitting at a tall table with Bucky, the two of them looking out of place before the feathered centerpiece and glitzy wall art of high heels. You can’t help a grin. This is absolutely ridiculous. 

You weave through the tables and bodies, past the bar of gabbing girl groups and a few men mixed in. You near your friends and claim one of the tall stools around the round table. You use the bottom bar to haul yourself up onto the seat and hang your purse from your knee. 

“Hey, this place is... sparkly,” you look around with a dumb smile. You can’t help it! You never get a girls’ night. 

“It is,” Bucky agrees in a grit. 

You stop short. You look at him then at Sam. You didn’t notice before. They’re wearing bows on their heads. Sam has a head band with a gregariously big pink ribbon, whereas Bucky has a glittering purple bow pinned into his thick locks. You laugh and smother it behind your hands. 

“What is this?” You snicker. 

“We are your ladies tonight!” Sam announces and shifts to stand, bending under the table, “and you get to be queen bee!” He reaches to the floor and you lean to see the huge tote underneath, “here is your tiara!” 

He pulls out the plastic tiara with fake pink gems and white feathers. You giggle again as he places it on your head. This is too much. 

“Sam! How—this is so stupid. You didn’t have to do all this.” 

“What? It’s about time. Don’t worry about us. It’s all about you,” he snaps his finger and points at you, “we’re going to order girly cocktails and dish on the cute dudes.” 

Bucky shakes his head as he fixes the bow in his hair, “I wanted a flower.” 

You bring your hands down to your next and wiggle on the seat giddily. This is amazing. Your eyes sting and your throat locks up. You’re going to miss these idiots. 

“You guys,” you breathe. 

“No crying!” Sam claps his hand, “I already got this guy moping around.” 

“I’m not moping,” Bucky sniffs. 

“We have to decide who’s who. I know you hate Carrie so we’ll save that for Steve. He is the stuck up blond, after all,” Sam smirks, “I’m definitely Samantha, it’s already in my name. And you,” he points at you, “Miranda. The level-headed one who has to put up with our BS. That means Bucky--” 

“Charlotte?” Bucky frowns, “can’t I be Stanford?” 

You nearly gasp, “Bucky, are you a stan?” 

“I’ve seen some episodes,” he shrugs. 

“Well, that’s decided,” Sam checks his watch, “where’s that bozo?” 

You frown and look around. You look at your phone. You were just on the cusp but Steve is late. Bucky takes out his cell too and all three of you scroll through your screens. 

“Whatever, we don’t have to wait for him, drinks,” Sam blacks the screen and sets down his phone. He reaches for the pink pleather drink menu, “I was looking at the Paradise Punch. Sounds interesting.” 

“Mm, I’m just having one,” you state, “I gotta drive home.” 

“Pfft, don’t worry about it. You can get your car tomorrow.” 

“Sam, I leave at five in the morning.” 

“Fine, I’ll take care of the car. You’re storing it, aren’t you?” 

“I wouldn’t expect--” 

“Tonight is going to be fun. No arguing,” he points a long finger at you. 

The phone jitters and his phone lights up. He picks it up as your cell remains lifeless in a rare moment of peace, though it’s fraught nonetheless. You peek over at the empty fourth stool. 

“He’s not coming,” you utter. 

Sam huffs and puts his phone down, “he’s not. Peggy has a work dinner and he’s invited.” 

“Oh,” you nod and try not to deflate entirely, “that’s... that’s fine. He said he’d come to the airport but I wasn’t counting on that either.” 

“Asshole,” Sam sneers. 

“Hey, no,” you shake your head, “he’s busy. He has a wedding and all that--” 

“You’re going away,” Bucky surprises you with the emotion in his tone, “and he can’t be here.” 

“Really, it’s not--” 

“It is,” Sam insists. “How long are you gonna let him walk all over you? Isn’t that why you’re leaving?” 

“It’s work, it’s nothing to do with Steve.” 

“Sure,” Sam accepts hotly, “keep telling yourself that.” He cringes and swallows, “tonight isn’t about him. For once. It’s about you. Us. Having fun. Saying goodbye. It’s gonna be terrible without you. I hope you know that.” 

You could laugh at his rebuke. The conflict between celebratory and reproachful is amusing. You exhale and put your hands up. 

“Alright, I got it.” 

“Buck,” he gestures to the other man, “go.” 

You turn to the Bucky and he slides off his stool. He reaches down under the table and brings up a gift bag. Your mouth falls open. Your chest tweaks, a mixture of glee and guilt. You’re happy to have friends with them but you feel so bad for not seeing it earlier. For being so tunnel-visioned that you couldn’t appreciate them fully. 

“This is so—you didn’t have to,” you say. 

“We did. Obviously,” Sam scoffs, “don’t worry, my gift is the grand finale.” 

“Right,” you smile and accept the bag from Bucky. You push through the tissue paper and pull out the heavy shape inside. You reveal it and just as quickly hide it back in the polka dot bag, “Bucky!” 

You let go of the taser and retract your hand. Sam guffaws and Bucky gives a confused grimace, “you need it.” 

“What?” You hiss. 

“You’re going to be all alone over there. You should be safe.” 

“I... appreciate the thought but it’s a bit extreme.” 

“He’s right,” Sam adds, “you know, going to the land of the vikings, you can never be too safe. I’ve heard they like to carry women off in their boats.” 

“You two,” you roll your eyes. 

“My turn,” Sam says, “you’ll love this.” 

He once more searches under the table and the tote crinkle. He pulls out an envelope and you tilt your head. Really? 

“Money?” You wonder. 

“What am I? Your grandma?” He snorts, “here.” 

You take the envelope and turn it over. You pull the flap open and reveal a pamphlet within, along with a second slip of paper. A reservation... 

“I found this place over there. It’s at some coastal castle, there’s a spa and all that. They do like ancient types of treatments, hot rocks or whatever,” he explains, “I made sure you can adjust the dates too if you need. You just have to call.” 

“Wow, that’s... Sam, I’m going to be so busy--” 

“I told you not to work yourself too hard. That’s a good excuse for you to get your head out of the dirt. Literally. Just think of me when you’re in a mud bath with a glass of champagne.” 

You put the envelope next to the gift bag and drop off the stool. You open your arms to them. Sam is up first and Bucky drags himself to his feet. You wrap them in a hug and they do the same in turn. It must be an absolutely ridiculous sight but you don’t care. You tuck your head against Sam’s arm and feel a rumble in Bucky’s chest. 

“Sam, that’s my ass,” Bucky snarls. 

“I was just making sure you didn’t forget your wallet,” Sam chuckles. 

“You’re a moron,” Bucky pulls away and shoves him. 

“Peas in a pod, bud,” Sam lets you go as the hug breaks up, “now, I need a drink and you...” he points in your direction, “need a double.” 

[starryeyedjanai]

when the tide turns

@flufftober prompt: enemies at first sight @eddiemonth prompt: cavalier 2.7k | rated: teen tags: "enemies" at first sight, misunderstandings, idiots to idiots in love, first kiss, demiromantic eddie

read on ao3

Eddie wouldn't go so far as to say the first time he bumped into Steve Harrington, it was enemies at first sight, but it was a close thing.

He was just trying to get to his professor's office hours, when they collided right outside of Professor Click's office. It sent the pen Eddie had in his hand flying across the hallway in the opposite direction.

And he hadn't even apologized, this guy. He just kept it moving, like Eddie was the one who was in the way.

Eddie went to get his pen and turned back to find this guy inside Click's office, asking questions about the homework. The only reason Eddie's a little bitter about it is because he was kind of there first, right? He would have made it there before him if he hadn't brushed past him like he was the only person with places to be.

And then he'd had to wait his turn, taking his headphones off and listening to this guy ask the exact same questions he had about the assignment, Professor Click's voice too low and the sound of the air conditioning too high for him to catch what she was saying.

So he was annoyed. That this guy had just basically cut him in line and didn't even apologize for it.

And what's that one phenomenon where it's like once you notice something, you keep noticing it?

Whatever it's called, it's happening to Eddie right now. He runs into this guy one time, and now he's seeing him everywhere.

Once Eddie notices Steve, once he literally bumps into him trying to get to his calculus professor's office hours, it's like he can't stop seeing him everywhere.

And yes, now he has a name.

Eddie didn't know this guy existed two weeks ago and now he knows his name.

After the office hours debacle, then it was the cafeteria, seeing this guy in line, grabbing the last of the chicken tenders, a couple people in front of Eddie. So he had to wait, again, because of him, while they fried up some more. And yeah, maybe it's just a coincidence that the second time he sees this guy is when he's inconveniencing him again, but it feels like it's more than a coincidence.

The third time he sees him, before he ever knows his name was in the library, when this guy was sitting in his seat. Legitimately, literally, actually sitting in his fucking seat.

He got up to go to the bathroom and came back to find his stuff moved and this asshole sitting in his seat - arguably one of the only comfy chairs on this floor of the library. And, okay, maybe he was hogging it for a while, but who the hell just moves someone's stuff like that?

So it wasn't enemies at first sight, technically, but by the third time obviously Eddie is thinking of this guy as his nemesis, his first college nemesis. His first nemesis, period. Because he took his seat, he took his spot during office hours, and he took the last goddamn chicken tender.

And now he has verifiable proof that it's not just a coincidence. That this guy has it out for him personally for some reason.

Because he turned in his Intro to Fiction assignment for peer review and some guy named Steve absolutely ripped into his assignment, saying his interpretation of the religious aspects of Old Man and the Sea lacked nuance.

He looks up Steve on the registrar's website - there's no one named Steve in his Fiction class, so he must be in the other section of this class that meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

He finds a million Steve's that go to their school, but narrows it down some based on their year. Clicking into every single account to look at the grainy little picture from everyone's student IDs is time consuming, but there's a dire need in him to know who the hell this guy thinks he is.

He luckily doesn't have to scroll too far because he finds Steve and wouldn't you fucking know it? Steve Harrington is the same motherfucker who's slighted him multiple times in the few short weeks since they've been back at school.

He does some digging on Facebook and comes up short because this guy has so little personality in his online presence, it's shocking how this could be the same guy who left him a scathing peer review. Other than finding evidence of some weird little frenemy thing he has going on with some guy and the guy's girlfriend, there's nothing.

So Eddie just silently seethes every time he sees Steve and wonders what the hell is going on inside that pretty little head of his.

Truth be told, there were much worse people at Indy State than Steve, but something about him just gets under Eddie's skin. His cavalier attitude, maybe, the way he can just rip into someone's perfectly good paper, how nonchalant he seems to be about everything - it all makes Eddie want to shake him until he gets a reaction out of him.

He's maybe a little bit obsessed, but he's never claimed to be normal about anything in his life ever.

It's nearing midterms when he finds Steve sitting in the only comfortable chair on the third floor of the library and he groans, turning away to go to a different floor.

"Oh, wait, Eddie?" he hears as he's walking away.

And there's no way.

There's no way this guy knows his name. There's no way this guy is calling his name like he knows him, like they know each other.

He turns back around and Steve is walking up to him.

He squints his eyes at him. "Yeah?"

"I thought that was you. Hey, I know you're in Click's calculus class and I'm really struggling with wrapping my head around some of this stuff. Do you want to study together for the midterm?" Steve asks and Eddie's entire world tilts on its axis.

Why would Steve want to be study buddies with him?

Eddie's literally flabbergasted, but he finds his voice and says, "But I thought you hated me."

Steve looks confused. He says, "I don't, I don't hate you. I don't even know you? But I definitely don't hate you."

And Eddie sputters because no way was this all in his head. He says, "But what about the first time we ran into each other? You breezed past me to get to Professor Click first. You didn't even say sorry when you knocked into me."

And Steve still has that cute, confused look on his face. He replies, "If I bumped into you, I definitely would have said sorry. Maybe you had your headphones in? I know you wear them around campus a lot."

Steve noticed him around campus?

"O-okay, sure, maybe I had my headphones in and didn't hear you. But you stole my chair that one time," Eddie says, nodding over at said chair.

Steve looks back at the chair and actually looks a little repentant about that one, so Eddie knows he's right. He had to have done it on purpose.

But Steve says, "I am sorry about that one. That chair is the only remotely comfortable one up here though. And I only took it because you were gone for so long. I got up here and no one was sitting there so I waited for like ten minutes before moving your stuff. I thought you were one of those people who leave their stuff on the good chairs while they're in class, which is such a bitch move. But then you came back and I was gonna apologize, but you just took your stuff and left so quickly."

He does look like he feels bad about it.

And he's not wrong, is the thing. Eddie went to the bathroom and then saw Jeff from his chemistry lab there and he remembered a question he had, so they talked for a while before he headed back to his seat.

When he got back and saw Steve had taken his seat and moved his stuff to one of the other available chairs, he basically saw red and gathered up his shit and left. He was fuming about that for days. And Steve didn't even do it maliciously, apparently.

"What about my English assignment? You ripped my analysis of Old Man and the Sea apart."

Steve snorts and says, "Lacks nuance about the religious themes?" and when Eddie nods, he says, "I wrote that on everyone's assignment. Professor Brenner doesn't look at what we write. He tallies up how many times you comment on other people's stuff and that's how he determines your online participation grade."

Eddie knew he wasn't reading those fucking comments, that old bastard.

But it appears that this feud between him and Steve has been all in Eddie's head.

And that kind of makes him upset. Because he's been running around under the impression that he had a nemesis for the first time and this dude has probably never thought about him a day in his life before today. Upsetting.

"Oh, man, I seriously thought you hated me this entire time," he says with a sheepish look on his face.

"Nah, man. I, uh, I actually keep seeing you everywhere on campus and noticed you're really good at math. And I could really use a study buddy, if you're interested?" Steve asks, sounding hopeful.

What the hell. Why not?

He says, "If you can help quiz me on some of my chemistry shit, I will totally make numbers make sense to you."

And so it begins.

Now, the problem is that he's hanging around Steve so much that it has the opposite effect of what he thought was going on before.

Hanging out with him, with how well they get along together, playing video games together, just doing normal stuff - it all has him kind of craving more.

He feels like Steve is all he thinks about now. And okay, maybe he thought about him a lot before, when he thought they were nemeses, but it's different now that he knows him.

Everything he learns about him, he likes. Every new part of him he sees, he likes. He's never been like this about anyone before.

Steve shows him a picture of him and his friend's dog and Eddie is shooting heart eyes at it the entire time, cooing about how cute his dog is.

Steve tells him he likes playing silly video games with his friends like Surgeon Simulator and Eddie buys a monthly subscription to Xbox Gamepass for his laptop so he can play that stupid game with him.

Steve needs help editing an English paper and Eddie is kind of bad at English, especially citations, but he looks up APA citations and helps him figure it out.

Steve likes playing frisbee with his Ultimate friends and Eddie is signing up for the intramural frisbee competition with him because his team needed another person even though he fucking hates organized sports, especially stupid ass ones like frisbee.

He's kind of got a bit of a Steve problem and it's hard to shake. He's everywhere and even when he's not around, Eddie is thinking about him, about his stupid, perfect hair, about his eyes, about his smile. All things he didn't let himself think about when he thought Steve hated him.

But now, once the floodgates opened, he can't get Steve out of his head.

He likes him way too much, likes hanging out with him way too much.

The semester closes out with Eddie in way deeper than he ever thought he could be. He's never really fallen for someone like this and he doesn't know what to do about it.

Because he knows Steve and Robin are platonic soulmates now, and he knows Steve isn't seeing anyone, but he doesn't know if Steve even likes guys, if he even likes him. He knows they hang out a lot, but that doesn't mean Steve thinks of him as a friend or anything. He's so not equipped to deal with this.

He spends all break moping and pining, so much so that Wayne asks about it, asks who's got him in such a tangle. And Eddie blushes hard when he tells Wayne about his crush.

Wayne looks at him and says, "If this is that boy you stayed up on the phone with playing your little video games with until 5 in the morning the other day, I don't think you have anything to worry about, son."

Eddie scoffs. "He just, he likes playing these stupid co-op games that the kids he used to babysit for got him into. We didn't mean to stay up that late."

"All I'm saying is I wouldn't stay up all night talking to someone I didn't like," Wayne says and it feels like everything comes into focus suddenly.

Steve and Eddie have been hanging out for months, getting to know each other, studying together - sometimes just talking, completely forgetting about their homework or whatever quiz they're studying for, staying until the staff is literally kicking them out of the library.

Steve's best friend is a lesbian.

Steve has texted him every single day since the semester ended.

If nothing else, Steve is probably one of the best friends he's ever had.

He gets back to campus in mid-January and knows he's going to tell Steve, somehow, that he's into him. It might not be right away, but he's going to do it.

He sees Steve the afternoon he gets back and can't help the way his face lights up when he sees him. He's missed him, even though he spent all break talking to him, texting him, staying up way too late with him voice chatting while they played whatever game Steve was obsessed with that week.

Steve's standing in front of his dorm building like he's been waiting for Eddie outside ever since he texted him saying he was coming over.

As soon as Eddie gets close enough, Steve pulls him into a hug and Eddie sinks into it like he's finally home, like in Steve's arms is where he belongs.

They stand there in the cold of the winter, in each other's arms, and Eddie knows what it means to want - with the way his heart clenches and he feels every hair on his arm standing at being so close to Steve.

They pull away and Eddie is suddenly ready to say it, ready to tell Steve how he feels, ready for whatever consequences there may be to that.

But he doesn't have to.

Because as soon as they pull away, Steve stays close and presses his mouth to Eddie's, just a soft, dry press.

Eddie's breath catches in his throat and his hand comes up to cup Steve's neck as their lips slide together a second time, as Eddie opens his mouth to deepen the kiss. Steve's arms wind back around him and Eddie wants to stay here forever.

The world around them is chilly, but Eddie feels so warm right now, wrapped up in Steve's arms, with Steve's mouth against his, with Steve's tongue against his.

Steve pulls back from the kiss and smiles at him - this shy, little smile that Eddie's never seen on him before.

"I was hoping you'd kiss me back," Steve says, like there was ever any doubt. Thinking about Steve wanting this, thinking about this, has Eddie's mind spinning. How long has Steve liked him?

He says, "I mean, I think I had a crush on you even when I thought we were nemeses."

That gets Steve to laugh. "You're such a dork. Nemeses."

"Hey, you just kissed this dork," he says, noticing how close they're still standing, noticing how easy it would be to just lean back in and kiss him again.

"I did," Steve says, the expression on his face soft and fond. "Let me take you to lunch? Not in the caf. Somewhere else?"

"You tryna wine and dine me, Harrington?"

"And if I am?" Steve asks.

Eddie grins at him. "I just might let you," he says, leaning in again.

[cariantha]

Relief

Book: Open Heart, Book 2 Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Dr. Sawyer Brooks) Rating: Teen Warning: Sexual innuendo Category: Hurt/Comfort; Fluff Word count: 1.4K Prompt: From @jerzwriter, “In your HC, does Sawyer have any long-term effects from the chemical attack or its treatment?”

By mid-afternoon, the cafeteria wasn’t nearly as busy, making it easy for Ethan to spot Sawyer sitting alone at a corner table. With a fork in one hand, she moved food around her plate while rubbing her forehead with the other. 

Ethan began walking in her direction but was abruptly stopped in his tracks. “Oh, Dr. Ramsey! I’m so glad I ran into you. Finally, I can introduce you to my husband,” the silver-haired woman proclaimed. 

“Hello, Mr. Reed. It’s nice to meet you,” Ethan politely responded, shaking hands with the gentleman at her side. 

While Mrs. Reed explained to her husband that his ornery mother had taken a shine to the doctor with “dreamy blue eyes like Paul Newman,” Ethan kept a side eye on Sawyer as she stood and emptied her tray into a nearby wastebin. 

Heads turned, and people whispered as she walked past a few occupied tables on her way to the exit. Since her return to work last week, the gossip mills had been spinning again, speculating about her physical and mental well-being and his and Sawyer’s more than just professional relationship. 

Not wanting to feed the rumors, Ethan caught Sawyer’s eye just before she walked past him. With a subtle lift of his chin and a question on his brow, he silently asked if she was okay. She signaled that she was with a quick nod and forced smile. But as Ethan’s eyes trailed her out of the room, and she lifted her hand to massage the back of her neck, he was unconvinced. 

<><><><><><><><><><>

“Morning,” Ethan offered as he entered the hospital gym early on Tuesday morning. 

“Ram-Man! I didn’t think you were coming this morning,” Bryce grunted between pull-ups. “Sawyer said she was staying at yours last night. I figured you’d be working out at home… doing some thrusters,” he teased, dropping to the floor and vulgarly thrusting his hips back and forth.

Ethan rolled his eyes and shook his head. “She wasn’t feeling well last night,” he explained as he programmed his treadmill. “Said she had a headache and wanted to go home and sleep it off.”

“She gave you the headache excuse? Damn, man. What’d you do to piss her off?”

Ethan scrunched his brow together. “What? Nothing.” The thought of Sawyer making up an excuse not to spend the night together hadn’t even crossed his mind. 

“That you know of…” Bryce chuckled. 

He flipped him off, then started running at full speed on the treadmill, hoping to tune out the obnoxious scalpel jockey.

His gym buddy laughed in response. “I’m just giving you a hard time, man. In all seriousness, I’m sure it’s been hard for her to be back. She probably just reached her limit and needed to crash.”

Ethan nodded. Did she need space? Had he been hovering? Was he being overprotective? Or, attempting to keep their relationship out of the public eye, had he inadvertently hurt her feelings? The thoughts in his head whirred round and round like the rubber tread under his feet.

<><><><><><><><><><>

Dr. Ramsey rattled off medication adjustments to the nurse as they exited their patient’s room. He paused to let her type the orders into a tablet when, down the hall, a familiar voice caught his attention.  

“Page me if you need anything, Esme. I’m going to take a quick lunch break,” Sawyer said to her intern. 

He quickly reviewed and signed off on the patient’s chart and tried to catch up with her. When he reached the end of the hallway, he turned the corner and found Baz and Zaid engaged in conversation. 

“Did you see which way Sawyer went?” Ethan interrupted, looking left and right at the intersection. 

“No, she didn’t come this way,” the twins said simultaneously. 

Ethan swirled back around, trying to figure out where the woman he was dating had disappeared. Then he noticed the door to a supply closet. Cracking the door open, the light from the hallway illuminated the small, dark space. 

Sawyer sat on the floor, her head leaning against the wall with her eyes closed. The door softly scraped on the floor as Ethan pushed it further open, and she cracked one eye open. Seeing the familiar face, she quietly groaned, “Hi.” Stepping into the tight space, he closed the door behind him. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, flipping on the lights. When Sawyer winced, he quickly turned them off. 

“Thank you,” she murmured. 

She laid her head on his shoulder when he sank to the floor beside her. 

“Another headache?” he guessed, taking her hand in his. 

“Yeah.”

“How bad?”

“Like migraine bad.”

“And how long has this been going on? The headaches?” 

She hesitated before answering, and Ethan knew he wouldn’t like the answer. “I’ve had them since the attack, but they’ve progressively worsened since being back at work.”

Ethan sighed deeply. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to bother you with it.”

“Dammit, Sawyer… I wish you would stop saying that.” Remembering her pain, he quickly tempered his frustration and squeezed her hand lovingly. “I care about you. I’m all in with you. And I want to be there for you. Aside from all that, I’m still technically your physician. You should have told me-”

“They’re just minor headaches…”

There was a buzz in his pocket. As he reached for his phone, Ethan rolled his eyes and mumbled about doctors being the worst patients. Dismissing the unimportant call, he continued his lecture. “They’re not so minor if you seek refuge in a dark closet. I won’t let you suffer like this. And Sawyer, we don’t know anything about the long-term effects of the poisoning or the antidote. You need to let me run some tests and ensure it’s nothing serious.”

“Okay, and you’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Come here.” Ethan guided Sawyer’s body down until her head rested in his lap. Carefully untangling the elastic from her hair, he combed his long fingers through it, then gently massaged her head. 

“That feels good. Thank you,” Sawyer whispered.

He continued to rub her head through a fifteen-minute power nap before waking and convincing her to call it a day. “Go back to my place. It’s quiet, and you can soak in the tub. I’ll take over your patients.”  

After dusting themselves off, Ethan opened the door for Sawyer to step out first. His chest bumped into her back when she suddenly froze at the threshold. Looking over her head, he saw a familiar face stepping out of the patient room on the other side of the hall. The nurse smirked. “Good for you, doctors.”

“It’s not what it looks like, Maureen,” Sawyer attempted to explain.

“Uh-huh,” she sang, walking away.

Sawyer turned to face Ethan. “I totally have sex hair right now, don’t I?”

He handed over her elastic hairband with a sympathetic half-smile and smoothed her teased hair down. 

<><><><><><><><><><>

A few hours later, Ethan entered his quiet apartment. Following the soft yellow light that filtered through the half-open door of his bedroom, he found Sawyer curled up in bed, scrolling through her phone. 

“Hey, Rookie, how are you feeling?” he asked, toeing out of his shoes and pulling off his tie. 

“Hi. Much better.”

Lying down next to her, he tugged her close for a hug and kiss. “I got a couple of Maxalt samples from the pharma rep and sent a prescription to the hospital pharmacy. You should be able to pick it up in the morning.”

“Thank you,” Sawyer said, but her tone sounded defeated.  

“I know you don’t like taking medication, Soe, but I think it will bring you some relief.” Ethan kissed her forehead and ran his fingers through her hair. “I can’t bear to see you in any more pain. Not after all that you’ve already endured.”

“Speaking of relief, can I ask you a question? As my doctor?”

“Of course.”

“I read a study earlier today, and the data suggested that sexual activity can lead to partial or complete headache relief in some migraine patients.”

“I’m familiar with the study.” Ethan smiled, knowing his patient well enough to see where this line of questioning was going.  

“Of course you are…” She chuckled and rolled her eyes. “Well, I was wondering if you think it might be effective in my case.”

“Sex releases endorphins, which are natural painkillers,” Ethan explained. “So yes, it could very well ease your symptoms.”  

Sawyer scrunched her face and rubbed her forehead. “Ooooh… ahhhh… my head is suddenly throbbing.”

Gesturing to where his pants were now feeling very tight, he smirked. “Yeah, so is mine. You rub mine, and I’ll rub yours?” 

“Deal.”

Tag List: @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics @peonierose  @potionsprefect @trappedinfanfiction 

@jerzwriter @queencarb @coffeeheartaddict2 @quixoticdreamer16 @jamespotterthefirst 

@liaromancewriter @tveitertotwrites @tessa-liam @youlookappropriate @kyra75

@socalwriterbee @txemrn @midnightmelodiz

[dragonflycap]

What to expect from the stock market this week

Last week, the review of the macro market indicators saw with the August options expiration in the books, equity markets showed strength, continuing the climb out of the July pullback. Elsewhere looked for Gold ($GLD) to continue its uptrend to new highs while Crude Oil ($USO) consolidated in a tightening range. The US Dollar Index ($DXY) continued to move to the downside in consolidation while US Treasuries ($TLT) consolidated in their downtrend. The Shanghai Composite ($ASHR) looked to continue the short term trend lower while Emerging Markets ($EEM) had re-broken resistance and looked to start a new uptrend.

The Volatility Index ($VXX) looked to remain low after a rapid pullback to levels from 2 weeks ago making the path easier for equity markets to the upside. Their charts looked strong, especially the $SPY and $QQQ on the longer timeframe. On the shorter timeframe both the QQQ and SPY looked to gain buyers on a move higher in the new week over short term resistance. The $IWM was showing its own strength as well breaking back above long term resistance.

The week played out with Gold pushing to a new all-time high Monday and Tuesday before some profit taking while Crude Oil printed a new 7 month low before a bounce. The US Dollar continued lower, accelerating down after the Powell speech Friday while Treasuries consolidated near the August highs. The Shanghai Composite gave up its weak bounce and fell back to last week’s lows while Emerging Markets continued their nascent move higher.

Volatility settled into a tighter range in the teens, up slightly from last week. This let equities continue the run higher early but they saw selling ahead of Powell’s speech Thursday afternoon. The SPY and QQQ found support and reversed Friday to finish the week higher. This resulted in the SPY ending back near all-time highs. The IWM was the big winner with a large move to the upside upon the Powell confirmation of a dovish view. What does this mean for the coming week? Let’s look at some charts.

SPY Daily, $SPY

The SPY came into the week pressing on short term resistance in a V-shaped recovery on the daily chart from the quick drop at the start of August. It broke above that resistance Monday and then held there all week. The RSI has moved back into the bullish zone with the MACD rising and bullish.

The weekly chart shows a third week moving higher and closing at the highest weekly close ever. The RSI is rising in the bullish zone with the MACD turning back up after a reset lower and positive. There is resistance at 565 and a Measured Move to 580 above that. Support lower is at 561.50 and 556.50 then 549.50 and 545.75 before 542 and 540. Uptrend.

SPY Weekly, $SPY

With the Fed Jackson Hole meeting in the rear view mirror, equity markets continued their progress higher, shifting from the large caps and tech names to small caps Friday, but without a rotation this time. Elsewhere look for Gold to continue its uptrend while Crude Oil consolidates in a narrow range and at risk for a drop. The US Dollar Index continues to move to the downside while US Treasuries consolidate in their downtrend. The Shanghai Composite looks to continue the downtrend while Emerging Markets may start a new uptrend.

The Volatility Index looks to remain low and stabilizing making the path easier for equity markets to the upside. Their charts look strong, especially on the longer timeframe, with the IWM joining the SPY and QQQ in that view. On the shorter timeframe both the QQQ and SPY are slowing down and watching the short term money flow into the IWM. Use this information as you prepare for the coming week and trad’em well.

Join the Premium Users and you can view the Full Version with 20 detailed charts and analysis: Macro Week in Review/Preview August 23, 2024

[imaginespazzi]

hiii!!! first time anon and silent fan and follower of ALL ur fics!!! ive reread GH a billion times its so damn good your characterisation is impeccable and the way u write angst UNPARALLELED i live for it! every update from you makes MY day i live in australia so i wake up every Tuesday morning and allocate the first 20mins of my morning to a new chapter☺️☺️☺️

ANYWAYS decided i need to show my appreciation FOR CHAPTER 6 as it is 1000+/10 so here is my long review:

- Love love love all the description around the wedding details - to be known is to be loved and it’s only been a year…how could Olivia possibly know Paige the way azzi does. She really never stood a chance🫢

- Drew being “sick” and later saying “so she’s not stopping the wedding” - so endearing he just wants his pookie sister in law😭😭 i NEED an angsty scene with him and azzi in present time (how old would he be? Teens/early 20’s) where he’s clearly resentful about how everything went down

- Man Tim and Katie🥹🥹🥹 the NECKLACE my heartttttt. So gracious and supportive..would love to know if there was a part of them crushed by Paige not ending up their daughter in law

- Finding out on instagram about the pregnancy is insane i would have to be put down. Surely azzi did not find out about the wedding over instagram…surely……pls…..

- “the first thing you’re gonna see is your smile. And you’re gonna think it’s the most beautiful thing in the world. Just like I do” Paige’s way with words…Paige just can’t help it but ur heart breaks for azzi having to hear such beautiful things from her EX

- Paige crying alone in the tent crushed under the weight of both Azzi and Stephie in her heart ugh

- MAYBE MY FAVOURITE DIALOGUE YOUVE WRITTEN: Why is your daughter like this?” Paige demands, “how is she gonna make me cry and then send somebody else to wipe my tears.” “Why couldn’t she just have stayed?” the blonde questions, “why does she always have to overthink things and make it more complicated? Why can’t she just listen to her heart once in her fucking life? Why can’t she just let herself live? Why is it always no with her and never just yes?” - it’s v poetic but you’ve somehow managed to write it in a way that isn’t clunky but feels SO REALISTIC I can literally see the regressed 20 something version of Paige complaining to her defacto MIL about her girl problems. AMAZING

- NVM best dialogue you’ve ever written: “it’s the same one Tim had when he first met Azzi.” how does ur brain work like this?!!???????

- Steph guest appearance YAY! I wonder whether Steph ever makes fun of Azzi for how she named her child, or if they were already closer at that point. UNCLE TWIN☺️

- Naur Paige falling to her knees to catch Stephie - down astronomically bad it’s literally been a day i love them sooooooo much

- And then I yelled at Mama and it made Mama cry too and I hate making Mama cry.” - Paige and Stephie have so many similarities (purple, mint icecream etc) but the biggest thing - they BOTH love Azzi so much 🥺🥺🥺 what a privilege and simultaneously a terrifying prospect… that you are two people on the planet that can have the greatest capacity to impact her (both positive and negative)

- “that’s okay ‘cause I don’t miss.I’m Azzi Fudd’s daughter. Right Mama?” “Right baby,” This made me clucky fr! Stephie is spectacular give me 14 rn 👩‍🍼👩‍🍼👩‍🍼👩‍🍼👩‍🍼

- The constant theme of Azzi being content, having enough but not having everything she wants💔 she’s sacrificed so so much it hurts me how scared she is to accept that she could be happier

- I am a SUCKER for the trope where person 1 cannot stand seeing person 2 having a meltdown and person 2 goes to leave but person 1 cannot bear the thought of letting them go and hugs them ugh this story is like a MOVIE

- “You want me to say that I flew to Dallas once to tell you that I fucked up but then I saw you with Olivia and decided you deserved better than me-” the parallels to the UCLA fic and Paige seeing Azzi with Zoe..need to see this scene written PLEASE

- “It’s never too late for us,” Paige whispers before crashing her lips against the woman” Oh Lord here we go. This lowkey shocked me cannot lie - was NOT expecting this. V v curious about the aftermath of this….before day 1 of practise is CRAZY.

ANYWAYS WOW v v long review but i just needed to show my appreciation for this masterpiece! please know that this fic brings me infinitesimal joy and i cannot wait for the next chapter!!!!!!!!❤️❤️❤️

OMG HI FRIEND (or I guess I should say mate like Australians lol?)!! Welcome to my inbox!

No one knows Paige the way Azzi does because Paige won't let anyone see her the way she lets Azzi see her

Drew is so absolutely done with these two dumbasses and had to make it very clear. I think Paige-Azzi were such an example to him and to have that taken has really made him cautious about love at the very raw age of 20 (that's how old he'd be in 2033 right?)

Paige always says the right things, the timing just isn't always the right one.

AH omg honestly it means much to me that you think my dialogues are realistic. Especially ones like that one where it's kinda heavy, I'm always a little self-conscious that maybe it sounds too speech-y and fake so I'm so glad it doesn't come off that way.

I think Steph and Azzi grew pretty close before Stephie because he was already her mentor but once she actually got to Golden State, he really took her under her wing and became more family than just mentor (Steph possibily teared up at the idea of Azzi naming her daughter after him)

Quite LITERALLY down bad lmao

The thing with Azzi, I think, is that she's a little scared to be loved. Like Azzi holds both Paige and Stephie's hand in the palm of her hands, and she's scared that she'll accident hold them too hard and crush them.

I do think there will be a flashback to Azzi flying to Dallas but tbd which chapter!

LMAO they're not very good at the taking it slow thing are they?

You are so very sweet and I appreciated this so very much!

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 12/19/2022

shambling along towards the new year

listening

cotton heads by caravan palace. i think this has been on every spotify wrapped playlist ive ever had. soft and comforting in a way that’s hard for me to describe. this has been part of the background music in some of the softest times of my life, winter-warm and safe and solitary noodling around on some project that involves a lot of fiddling with tiny pieces on a desk. spotify

-

reading

houston thrift stores are, predictably, awash with cowboy western novels. mostly it’s every louis l’amour or zane grey possible (no thanks)

jake logan’s SLOCUM AND THE YELLOWBACK TRAIL is number three hundred and seventy nine in the series, which is quite impressive. i am fascinated when a book attempts to transplant a cowboy into an urban environment so we’ll stick with it for a bit, despite a truly horrible sex scene describing a “rigid pole”. there were no onomatopoeia sex sounds which is both blessing and curse bc the intel SLOCUM gathered during this sex scene seemed like a completely different conversation totally unrelated to the sex he was having. she simply happened to come three times in three pages while telling him everything he needed for Next Location.

-

watching

saw several very beautiful movies in the last two weeks, one of which i liked very much.

Experiment in Terror (1962, dir. Edwards) has one of my favorite Mancini-composed pieces of music but i had never seen the movie it was from. a neo-noir man with an asthmatic rasp puts pressure on a bank teller and her teen sister to rob the bank by terrorizing them through various means. however, despite successfully playing on a lot of Womanly Fears (unexpected phone calls, driving at night, being alone) the fbi. this is perhaps a bit snide since it is extremely good at keeping the tension up through most of the runtime, the leads all did a good job imo— a letterboxed reviewer pointed out the villain played by Ross Martin has a certain chameleon-like quality from scene to scene and it is really arresting, he pops up in some unexpected places to great effect. a well-shot movie, just a hair longer than i wanted it to be, i don’t think any movie could survive the hype i built up in my head after loving than mancini piece so much, and was not quite the vibe i was looking for on the afternoon i finished it.

in a different noir with an important scene during a baseball game, Stray Dog (1949, dir. Kurosawa). everything you could possibly say about this movie has already been said. mifune is such a fucking joy to watch as a somewhat hapless young cop with a bad case of the scruples. gets his fully loaded pistol pickpocketed on the tram, sending him hither and yon during a brutally hot summer tracking down every bullet. widely available for free. fucking beautiful work of art. deeply annoying when widely acclaimed movies are actually really good

-

playing

nothing new to report, nothing i want to play has been a free epic game lately. very excited that a character ive been waiting for is dropping in genshin on…uhhhhh…tomorrow? she has sunglasses. she has a gunbrella. she can call in heavy cannon bombardment. she’s just so cute

-

making

one of the purposes of the tuesdaypost is to remind myself to expand the selection of things i do and my brain partially feels like sludge bc of the time of year and partially bc i haven’t fucking done anything more complicated than scrambled eggs or cleaning things in like two weeks

[lola-andheruniverse]

ZA AU/ZA Tuesday - Caryl Fanfiction Rec

Our ZA AU Tuesday tag is the home of a variety of amazing caryl fics that challenge TWD-established canon. They go from crossovers and time travels, to new pre-series backgrounds that that are sewn into the show or post-series unexpected developments. The only rule? The fic needs to have zombies, and it doesn't really matter if they are our beloveds walkers, variations of them or completely different ones. It's a great premise, but kind of hard to achieve every week, dear fellow caryler. So from now on, our Tuesday tag will also have recommendations for multi-chapter ZA fics that explore in-depth our beloved ship within the canon timeline and events. My intention is to not only balance the recs of ZA and ZA AU fics, but also to have a day to share my love for some stories that otherwise wouldn't have any specific tag to be. Today's rec is one of them!

Staking Claim is an adorable take on how S2 Daryl becomes protective of Carol from three different point of views - the first one being a kind surprise. Written by @alamogirl80, its posted both on FF.net and AO3.

Summary: Daryl probably doesn't even know he's doing it. But he's been sending out signals for a while.

Rated: T / Teen and Up Audiences Word count: 11.195 (3 chapters) Published: Feb 23, 2012 - COMPLETE A lovely and interesting story from start to finish. I wish it had more than three chapters, so 1) we could see what every other member of TF sees and thinks when they look at Daryl, Carol and their silent and soft way of interacting with each other and 2) because our author did a great job describing their blossoming bond - it's full of warmth, awareness, yearning and easy intimacy. All POVs are compelling and true to the characters represented. Dear fellow caryler, I hope you enjoy this precious little fic and the new dynamics for our Tuesday tag. As always, please leave a review or a kudos to our author if you read it. Caryl on!

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Michael Shermer

Published: Mar 8, 2024

Leaked documents from World Professional Association for Transgender Health practitioners reveal a medical profession in the grips of an ideology-driven social contagion

In an early study of crowd psychology, Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds (originally published in 1841 and still in print), the Scottish journalist Charles Mackay documented such delusions as alchemy, fortune-telling, haunted houses, magnetizers, religious relics, and prophecies, and the mad crowds that fell for economic bubbles like the Dutch tulip mania, the Railway Mania, witch crazes, and the South Sea Bubble. “Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds,” Mackay observed, “while they only recover their senses slowly, one by one.”

The redux of my title includes such such popular delusions of the past half century as the Subliminal Messages scare, the Satanic Panic, the Recovered Memory mania, the Self-Esteem movement, the Multiple Personality craze, the Left-Brain/Right-Brain fad, the Mozart Effect mania, the Vaccine-Autism furor, the Super-predators fear, the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program that increased teen drug use, the Scared Straight program that made adolescents more likely to offend, the Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) programmed that worsened anxiety and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and many more that have plagued psychology and psychiatry.

The latest of what is likely to be added to this pantheon of popular delusions embraced by mad crowds is the trans movement as a whole and Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria in particular, as revealed on Tuesday March 5, 2024 by Michael Shellenberger, Mia Hughes, and their colleagues at Environmental Progress in a 242-page document titled The WPATH Files: Pseudoscientific Surgical and Hormonal Experiments on Children, Adolescents, and Vulnerable Adults. “The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) enjoys the reputation of being the leading scientific and medical organization devoted to transgender healthcare,” the authors note. However, after reviewing hundreds of leaked internal documents revealing shocking levels of uncertainty, ignorance, and devotion to outdated and debunked pseudoscientific theories, therapies, and practices, the report’s authors conclude that the opposite is true:

Newly released files from WPATH’s internal messaging forum, as well as a leaked internal panel discussion, demonstrate that the world-leading transgender healthcare group is neither scientific nor advocating for ethical medical care. These internal communications reveal that WPATH advocates for many arbitrary medical practices, including hormonal and surgical experimentation on minors and vulnerable adults. Its approach to medicine is consumer-driven and pseudoscientific, and its members appear to be engaged in political activism, not science.

We devoted an issue of Skeptic to “Trans Matters” (Vol. 27, No. 1) that included an especially thoughtful, sensitive, and deeply-researched cover story by Lisa Selin Davis, “An Overview of the Debate, Research, and Policies”, documenting the massive spike in patients reporting gender dysphoria over the past decade (this data is from a gender clinic in British Columbia but rates are comparable elsewhere). Before 2015, most trans were young boys who identified as female; after 2015 most trans were adolescent girls identifying as males.

As I read the research, the Before Time (pre-2015) was very likely recording real instances of gender dysphoria (GD) in very young children and at a vanishingly rare rate well below 1%; the After Time (post-2015 to today) is very likely a phenomenon called rapid-onset gender dysphoria (ROGD), a label coined by the physician and public health researcher Lisa Littman, after she discovered in her exploratory study based on parental reports that entire peer groups of adolescents and teens were declaring themselves to be transgender, after immersion in social media or exposure in classrooms in which sizable proportions of students identified as anything but cisgender and straight. With watchful waiting and compassionate support for these adolescents, and dealing with their underlying issues of body dysphoria from puberty, autism, anorexia, and normal teen anxiety, sadness, and stress, the vast majority grow out of their self-identity of “being in the wrong body” and/or realize that, in fact, they are gay or lesbian.

Unfortunately, watchful waiting and compassionate support is not a practice that WPATH appears to recommend to medical and psychological practitioners; instead, “gender affirming care” calls for them to go along with whatever their (almost always) underage patients tell them that they want, which is often invasive, irreversible, and life-changing Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and/or surgery, including the amputation of healthy breasts in females (a double mastectomy, or “top surgery”) and the surgical removal of otherwise healthy genitals and reproductive systems that will never again function normally (“bottom surgery”). Detransitioners—those who transitioned then changed their minds and sought to return to their “assigned at birth” sex (a number that is growing by the month)—are discovering that they can never have biological children (they’re told “don’t worry, you can always adopt”), can never breast feed (they’re told they can “strap on” milk-delivering faux-breasts and become “chest feeders”), and can never experience the full range of normal sexual functioning, including orgasms, not to mention numerous drug side-effects, surgical complications, infections, mounting medical bills not covered by insurance, and the like. As the authors of the WPATH Files note:

This report will show that this is a violation of medical ethics and, as is revealed by its own internal communications, WPATH does not meet the standards of evidence-based medicine. It will further show that the ethical requirement to obtain informed consent is being violated, with members admitting that children and adolescents cannot comprehend the lifelong consequences of sex-trait modification interventions, and in some cases, due to poor health literacy, neither can their parents.

Before I review some of these documents, let me note that I have covered this topic before in this column, for example, answering the question “What is a Woman, Anyway?”, on the trans swimmer Lia Thomas in particular, and on trans athletes in female sports in general. I personally know two (MTF) trans adults who transitioned well into adulthood and are happy they did so, I recognize that there are people who genuinely experience GD (which is different from ROGD), and I stand by my statement in the last column that:

Of course we should support trans rights for the same reason we support the rights of people of color, women, and gays: it is immoral (and in many cases illegal) to discriminate against someone based on such immutable characteristics as skin color, gender, and sexual preference, so gender identity should be included in our ever-expanding moral circle and our ever-bending moral arc. The problem arises when there are conflicting rights claims.

In the WPATH Files what we see is the rights of underage adolescents and vulnerable adults being violated by the very people tasked with protecting them, so I agree with the authors’ call for “the U.S. government to oversee a bipartisan national inquiry to investigate how activists with little respect for the Hippocratic Oath could have risen to such prominence as to set the Standards of Care for an entire field of medicine, leading to the medical abuse of minors and vulnerable adults.”

What follows are some of the more revealing—and in many cases egregious—examples of uncertainty, ignorance, and embrace of pseudoscientific ideas revealed in the “semi-private conversations inside WPATH’s internal online forum for discussing specific medical cases,” along with my comments (below each screen shot)

Note that this post is from Marci Bowers, often tagged as “the world’s preeminent ‘gender-reassignment’ surgeon” and who self-identifies as “a woman with a trans history” (i.e., a Male-to-Female [MTF] trans), revealing that medical professionals had no idea of the consequences of transitioning youth. The correspondent inquires about the consequences for fertility and orgasmic response post transition. “The fertility question has no research that I’m aware of,” Bowers admits, but suggesting that puberty blockers will “preclude those opportunities.” Oh is that all? What about orgasms? Again, Bowers is “unaware of an individual claiming ability to orgasm” after puberty blockers. Say again?

Here is a man (AMAB = Assigned Male at Birth) who self-identifies as a non-binary female who is taking Cialis/Viagra (presumably to enhance his—sorry, her—erections) who wonders if they breast feed their 7-month old will the meds get into the infant’s system. Apparently the amounts would be so small that the infant would not experience “any adverse effects” such as, what, erections?

Here's a therapist who practices EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), the long discredited treatment for PTSD/trauma. These people are years behind the science. A 2022 literature review, for example, concluded: “Taken as a whole, this small body of work suggests that eye movements do not reliably affect susceptibility to misinformation, nor do they appear to enhance memory, but they do seem to increase spontaneous false memories.” False Memory Syndrome is the correct interpretation of what was happening in the 1990’s Recovered Memory Movement in which adult patients in psychotherapy were convinced by quack therapists that they had been sexually molested as children, even though the patients had no memory whatsoever of such abuse, nor was there any corroborating evidence such crimes ever occurred. Astonishingly, there were cases of aging parents who were tried, convicted, and imprisoned for sexual molestation based on nothing more than bogus “recovered memories,” a mass hysteria that came to an abrupt end when lawyers sued therapists for malpractice. See Carol Tavris’s account of this madness here.

Here is a discussion of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD), explaining that consent for transitioning must be obtained from each "alter" (alternative personality). DID and MPD is a bogus diagnosis. There is no such thing as multiple personalities, so there can be no "alternate" personalities to give consent. The entire diagnosis was founded on two famous cases that turned out to be fraudulent: Sybil and Eve (as in The Three Faces of Eve). The real Sybil—Shirley Mason (played by Sally Field in the film version)—admitted she made it all up: "I do not really have any multiple personalities. I do not even have a 'double.' ... I am all of them. I have been lying in my pretense of them." As for Eve, the real woman was Chris Costner Sizemore (played by Joanne Woodward in the film rendition), and her three faces eventually transmogrified into over 20, until a book revealed that the psychiatrist who diagnosed her was sexually and financially abusing her. Nevertheless, such quack diagnoses didn’t stop this surgeon from cutting off the healthy breasts of a DID woman, or carving out fake vaginas in two DID men:

For a complete debunking of these and additional bogus psychological theories, therapies, and treatments, see 50 Great Myths About Popular Psychology by the late Scott Lilienfeld and colleagues, and his more scholarly debunking in Science and Pseudoscience in Clinical Psychology. Skeptic’s own columnist Carol Tavris has debunked these and more quack psychology in our pages (for example, see her article on trans issues here).

This post-op trans woman (a man) later "discovered that I was not suffering from any actual pathology related to being trans.” Yet, she claims to still experience cPTSD, ADHD, anxiety, and depression. O-kay.

This exchange shows a practitioner reasonably conflicted about starting a patient on HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) with so many problems, but is nevertheless told it’s “the right thing to do”!

Here a WPATH member complains that their client was denied insurance coverage for surgery until completing a year of HRT, stating that they think the patient needs surgery “for her physical and mental health, along with her safety.” Safety?

This surgeon isn’t sure how to handle patients requesting “non-standard” procedures, such as top surgery without nipples (“non-binary” means “non-nipples”?) and “phallus-preserving vaginoplasty.” The latter is non-standard indeed, inasmuch as normal vaginoplasty involves removing the penis, testicles and scrotum. This patient apparently wants both. In a follow-up missive Dr. Satterwhite explains: “With every patient I operate on, I always take a patient-centric approach and I let my patient lead the journey (not me).” Therein lies the problem when you’re dealing with underage patients who are otherwise not allowed to drive, drink, smoke, vote, serve in the military, get tattoos, and more. Why would anyone—much less medical professionals—think that adolescents could make adult decisions about such life-altering treatments?

Note not only the age of onset of this condition (non-binary), 13, or that the testosterone request comes from the child and not a parent, guardian or medical professional, but that on top of all that this kid is purposefully starving themselves to look “more non-binary”. Presumably this means anorexia. Whatever this youngster is experiencing it is not going to be ameliorated by transgender medical treatments. This is medical malpractice, pure and simple, and it has to stop.

I could go on and on with dozens more such revelatory correspondence from the WPATH Files, so let me close with this observation from John Mackay, who presciently put his finger on the problem we are experiencing today: “We find that whole communities suddenly fix their minds upon one object, and go mad in its pursuit; that millions of people become simultaneously impressed with one delusion, and run after it, till their attention is caught by some new folly more captivating than the first.”

I have little doubt that when the ROGD trans social contagion runs its course it will be replaced by something else, but without politicians or attorneys intervening in the meantime I am not at all confident that the WPATH community is capable of self-regulation and course-correction away from the flagitious path they’ve been on. Still, in the long run, optimist that I am, I hope lessons will be learned from this episode, as they were with the aforementioned previous popular delusions; and with that hope I will give the last word to Mackay:

Let us not, in the pride of our superior knowledge, turn with contempt from the follies of our predecessors. The study of the errors into which great minds have fallen in the pursuit of truth can never be uninstructive. As the man looks back to the days of his childhood and his youth, and recalls to his mind the strange notions and false opinions that swayed his actions at the time, that he may wonder at them; so should society, for its edification, look back to the opinions which governed ages that fled.

Amen, brother.

[thesims4blogger]

The Sims 4: Official Laundry List (December 1st, 2023)

The Sims Direct Communications, the official Twitter account for technical information on The Sims 4, has just shared a new Laundry List of bug fixes that should be resolved with the next game update.

Although an exact date hasn’t been confirmed for the next patch, it is safe fo assume it is going live on Tuesday, December 5th, two days before the release of The Sims 4 For Rent Expansion Pack.

Sul Sul Simmers!

Welcome to this month’s Laundry List, where we share a list of the top community concerns we’re currently investigating and hope to resolve in the next patch. This is only a list of topics with upcoming fixes; there are more topics reported by players that are not listed and are still being worked on.This list is based on reports by players on Answers HQ and helps us continue our work of improving the user experience on a regular basis.

Please note that some topics can be tricky and may require an extended investigation on our end, so even though we are actively reviewing, it’s not a guarantee that we’ll have an immediate fix in the upcoming patch.

Here’s the list of the community concerns we’re investigating and aiming to resolve in the game update this month: 

Admired Icon: Can't fulfill 250 followers on Social Bunny

Sims Use Far Away Sink for Dishes instead of Close

Sims excessively making coffee/tea, autonomy issue

Issues after placing " Standard gas oven by blazin ladles" oven.

Sims gaining fame eventhough they are out of the spotlight

Sims Won't Finish Meal If Finish Drink First

Sims excessively "Ask What Happened"

Constant kitchen fires with fear of fires trait

Plant reverts to dirt pile (Sim is on different lot on season change)

Game 'freezes' occasionally when opening in-game menus

Sims created via genetics are having default body hair

Sims doing country dancing when different style of music is playing

Build Mode Undo Button That Brings Up The Search Menu

Excessive use of phones and use in inappropriate places

Want to solve hard problems for kids but only available to teens

Errands Taste of Adventure: Cross stich task doesn't fulfill

Song/Book/Paint/Nectar progress bar fills up action never finishes

Sims enter locked apartments/houses

Thank you for all your patience and valuable help in reporting!

Please continue sharing with us any issues you’re experiencing on Answers HQ.

We’ll continue to check in and together we can make this game the best it can be. Happy Simming!

[kingsbridgelibraryteens]

Teen Review Tuesday: Atomic Habits by James Clear 

Here’s a review from Izza:

The book Atomic Habits by James Clear is all about habits. An atomic habit is a regular practice or routine that is not only easy to do but is also incredibly powerful. The story discusses bad versus good habits as well as the 4 laws of behavior change. In addition the story mentions how environment and people that surround us may shape us as a person.

[lilibetbombshell]

[beardedmrbean]

Finnish media outlets closely followed Tuesday night's US presidential debate, when Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and her Republican rival, Donald Trump, met face to face for the first time.

Finnish outlets were particularly interested in the candidates' stances on Ukraine — unsurprisingly as Finland is among the world's top military aid donors to the war-torn country.

Ilta-Sanomat reports that Trump was asked whether he wanted Ukraine to win the war, but he avoided giving a direct answer.

"I want the war to stop. I want to save lives," Trump said, adding that Europe had not done its share to end the war. "They [The Biden administration] don't ask Europe, which is a much bigger beneficiary to getting this thing done than we are," Trump said.

Tiktok and kids

Some 1.6 million people in Finland use the short video app Tiktok every week, but the Chinese-owned company doesn't want to reveal who moderates the content.

Hufvudstadsbladet talked to Chloe Setter, the platform's European child safety manager on a recent trip to Helsinki. She said the platform is neither intended for nor suitable for children under 13.

HBL noted that this was an interesting admission given that a survey conducted by the telecom operator DNA three years ago showed that as many as one in five children aged 5–12 in Finland regularly use the platform.

"Verifying a user's age sounds very simple, but in reality, it's complicated," Setter told reporters.

According to Setter, the platform has some 30 moderators reviewing Finnish-language content and argued that the company is an industry leader in working to keep children safe.

What TikTok does not want to reveal, according to HBL, is where the Finnish or Swedish-speaking moderators are actually located. This means that outsiders can't know whether these are people who speak the language or if they are simply employees tasked with monitoring user activity in Finland and Sweden.

Hormonal changes

Fuelled by social media, children as young as ten have started using pricey skin products that scientists now say are harmful to growing bodies as these products often contain phthalates, chemicals associated with numerous health harms.

Known as "endocrine disruptors", they are chemicals that interfere with the human hormone system and are found in a wide range of everyday household products.

Helsingin Sanomat reports on an American study indicating that children as young as four are being exposed to phthalates.

"This finding isn't at all surprising, Jorma Torppari, a pediatric endocrinologist, told HS.

The widespread use of skincare products among pre-teens has become a growing trend on Tiktok. On that front, Torppari said it would be wise for kids to exercise caution.

"Early adolescence is a particularly sensitive period when the development of reproductive organs is most vulnerable to potential harm," he said.

No longer testing on animals, cosmetics companies try their products on synthetic skin and cell cultures that don't gauge hormonal impact, according to Torppari.

"The users themselves are the guinea pigs," he said.

[velvetywhispers]

Madelyn Renee Cline, born Rachel Marchëtti-Beaulieu Vaart, came into the world in a magnificent sunrise. It was a calm Tuesday on March 02, 1999, under the morning sun and the soft scent of olive trees that dance in the sea breeze, blessed to have the stunning view of the golden vineyards on Sant’Erasmo, a peaceful Island in Venice, Italy.

Madelyn had an exceptionally privileged and extraordinary childhood. From a young age, she had been exposed to a world full of wonders and discoveries. Her parents, both successful in their careers, wealthy and intrepid, were always eager to explore the world and provide unique experiences for their daughter. At just five years old, Madelyn was taken on adventures across the globe when the family moved to Porto-Vecchio, on the sunny coast of Corsica, France. The move to Porto-Vecchio brought with it a stunning new setting for Cline’s adventures. The golden sand beaches and crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean have become her natural playground. The blonde grew up learning to speak several languages and absorbing the rich cultural tapestry that the world offered. Her parents invested not just in luxury hotels but also in authentic experiences, providing her with a broad and intercultural education.

Madelyn emerged as a singular figure, a synthesis of grace and intellect. Her journey began as a tale of ambition and talent, where at the tender age of ten, she dazzled the catwalk with a sophistication beyond her years, challenging the limits of conventional aesthetics. As a model, Cline has appeared in ad campaigns for American Girl, Toys “R” Us, American Eagle, Stella McCartney, Versace, Elle India, and Cosmo. Not content with just gracing fashion stages, she turned her sights to the performing arts, playing roles that echoed her versatility and passion. The blonde spent some of her early summers in New York City working on television commercials and print ads for T-Mobile, Flow Automotive, Next clothing and Sunny D. In 2023, she became a brand ambassador for Tommy Hilfiger and appeared on the “Summer Essentials” lifestyle campaign with Mason Gooding.

But her path wasn’t all glitz and glamour. At seventeen, in a move that echoed the footsteps of the great thinkers who preceded her, Madelyn left Porto-Vecchio, towards the intellectual horizons of New Haven, Connecticut. Her acceptance into the prestigious Yale University to study Law was not just an academic achievement, but rather the culmination of a journey marked by determination and excellence. At Yale, she was not just a student but an inspiring figure, a presence that radiated a commitment to excellence and the relentless pursuit of knowledge. Her days were filled not only with catwalks and film sets, but also with dense volumes of jurisprudence, where she unraveled the mysteries of the law with the same grace that parades on the catwalks.

Madelyn began her career as an actress with minor roles such as Chloe in Boy Erased (2018) and Taylor Watts in Vice Principals (2016–2017). She also had small recurring roles in The Originals (2017) and Stranger Things (2017).

In 2020, Cline began starring as Sarah Cameron in the Netflix teen adventure drama Outer Banks. The series has received positive reviews from critics, with her role considered a breakout. The acclaimed blonde next starred in Rian Johnson’s mystery comedy Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, released on Netflix on December 23, 2022, to critical acclaim.

[vexx-ation]

365 Albums in 365 Days: 211/365

Date: Tuesday July 30th Album: Hideaway Artist: Newgrounds Death Rugby Released: 2019 Genre: Indie Pop Review: I really really wanted my favorite song to be 50 Gay Werewolves or one of those other silly-named titles. Unfortunate. Either way, through, I was very much expecting this to be a very different album. The rough-around-the-edges indie pop-rock vibes isn’t something I was expecting, but it’s not unwelcome. While the sound quality could use a bit of work and the vocals don’t have the best tone, it manages to hit upon enough late-teen angst to not lose me. While nothing especially spectacular, it’s good for what it is and short enough to check out for the fun of it. Favorite Track: Beep Beep Beep