#and AMEN TO THAT LAST STATEMENT!!!

[t4tails]

what's up w minthe, like? is turning someone into a plant not some level of murder?? like ok let's js say mortals r unimportant (which throws off gods sense of morality in a way that doesn't track w the rest of the webtoon so far but wtv idec) but she's a nymph??? perse mauled a whole fkn village over a couple of nymphs but suddenly when it's minthe its awlll gewddd????? ily minthe idk y they keep doing this to u,,,, also justice for fkn thanatos, bitch that was a BABY!!! hades is one fuckass dad glad he's impotent fr

good fucking point about minthe vs the nympths perse killed for! this whole comic is full of horrible double standards and hypocrisy

[republicansaredomesticterrorists]

☝️😡

“What was eye-catching was her explanation of why. In her ruling, Mizelle wrote she had consulted the Corpus of Historical American English, an academic search engine that returns examples of how words and phrases are used in select historical texts. Mizelle searched “sanitation,” a crucial word in the 1944 statute that authorizes the CDC to issue disease-prevention rules, and found it generally was used to describe the act of making something clean. “Wearing a mask,” she wrote, “cleans nothing.”

Searching large linguistic databases is a relatively new approach to judicial analysis called legal corpus linguistics. Although it has gained in popularity over the last decade, it is barely discussed outside of an enthusiastic group of right-wing conservative legal scholars. Which raises the question: How did this niche concept wind up driving such a consequential decision in the country’s health policy?

Now, new disclosures seen by HuffPost shed some light. Just weeks before she issued the ruling, Mizelle had discreetly attended an all-expenses-paid luxury trip from a conservative group whose primary mission is to persuade more federal judges to adopt the use of corpus linguistics. For five days, Mizelle and more than a dozen other federal judges listened to the leading proponents of corpus linguistics in the comfort of The Greenbrier, an ostentatious resort spread out over 11,000 acres of West Virginia hillside.

The newly formed group that picked up the tab, the Judicial Education Institute, received more than $1 million in startup funding from the billionaire libertarian Charles Koch’s network and DonorsTrust, a nonprofit that has funneled millions in anonymous donations to right-wing causes and has been dubbed “the dark money ATM of the conservative movement.”

Trump appointed Mizelle to the federal bench in late 2020 over objections from the American Bar Association that she had not been practicing law long enough to be qualified. A search of her other rulings found she had never previously applied corpus linguistics.

Neither Mizelle nor the Judicial Education Institute responded to requests for comment.

In response to the new disclosure, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee who chairs the subcommittee on federal courts and oversight, called for more disclosure surrounding when judges attend ideological educational retreats.

“The multi-pronged billionaire-funded scheme to influence the judiciary includes flying amenable judges to luxury resorts to bathe them in the latest fantastical right-wing legal theories,” he said in a statement to HuffPost. “At the very least, the public ought to know when judges are attending lavish ‘seminars’ promoting the agenda of partisan special interests. The Judicial Conference should take a close look at tightening its rules to ensure transparency around such junkets.”

[cositapreciosa]

can you maybe write for kitty where he meets a girl thats similar to him personality wise?? and he falls in love w her immediately and stuff

Head first

Arturo '' Kitty '' Paez x female!reader (strong language, toxic relationship (not with kitty) mentions of cheating (not kitty/not you), spanish female pet names, you’re wearing heels/a dress, the usual for the show), 3215 words

a/n : @hausofmamadas once again saving the day with the Kitty gifs, amen 🙏🏻+ thank u my Kitty ride or die for pulling this one out of me @narcolini <33

As always it's the fictional, not the real deal, enjoy xx

‘’ You’re a fucking bitch, is what you are! ‘’

Between the loud music from inside and the half-open backyard door, Kitty is surprised when your voice reaches his ears. He can see you on the other side of the pool, been watching you like a hawk for a while now, sunglasses down his nose as you push around that boyfriend of yours. Palms on his chest, lips curling with every word that comes out of your mouth. Diego has always been too weak for someone like you, he has no spine, no guts. He didn’t like him. Arturo had decided that a while back, when you first started to bring him around at the house parties, at Roxanne’s.

Arturo doesn’t know you that well. He knows what Ramón tells him, when he finally gets tired of hearing him beg and whine about it, that is how he knows you would ‘eat him up and chew him out’ if he dared approach. Maybe that is why he never did. A friend of a friend, of a friend. He had always listened to Ramón and stayed back, simply because having to work hard for it is something he never liked doing. You could have anyone wrapped around your finger, as long as they were up to your standards. It is a shame, really, that he never made a move. Especially when he can see the fire in your eyes and how it matches his perfectly. Especially when he knows what kind of pendejo actually made it past your walls when he couldn’t.

You are screaming again, hands frantically pushing strands of hair behind your ears. He knows that he shouldn’t be spying on you like this, pretending to go out to light up his joint when he knows doing it inside is allowed. His hand wraps around the handle to push the rest of the door open, taking in the fresh air from the night. The music from inside is still loud even with the door closed, not one of you turning to acknowledge him.

The water reflects light on your legs, on that sparkly dress you are wearing tonight. Short, flamboyant, stunning. Arturo lights his smoke, watching your boyfriend screaming back this time, his finger pointing and piercing the skin of your chest with each word. He can see the disbelief on your face from here, the audacity of the man.

‘’ If it was such a problem, maybe you should have taken your cojones, Diego, and told me yourself, instead of going around and fucking about! ‘’

‘’ Fucking about? You’re the one walking around looking like a whore. ‘’

This one stings, deep in his bone, piercing his chest. All the way over here, he feels angry for you, cheeks hot and red burning his face. You don’t answer back after this, stunned or embarrassed, he can’t tell. He does see how flushed your chest is, how your jaw sets, tense with unspoken words. This is it. The last straw. He won’t allow Diego to insult you any further.

He calls out your name as he walks closer to the side of the pool, it’s more like a statement than a question, a greeting. I’m here, you’re good.

‘’ You’re all good here, mami? ‘’

He knows you heard him, even though you don’t turn to acknowledge him. He is surprised that your boyfriend does, scoffing as he looks him up and down. He is audacious, Arturo has to give him that. Does he think he’s safe in this house? Doesn’t he know who your friends are, who’s been paying for his drinks since he got here? Diego’s finger is pointing at him now, laugh dry and mocking. As if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

‘’ Him? ‘’ he says, ‘’ Him? ‘’

Arturo knows what he is implying, as if Diego wasn’t the one that was in the wrong, the one that had been fucking half the town behind your back. They had their suspicions in the beginning when you had started to run out of reasons for him not showing up to gatherings and birthdays. He knew he was right when Ramón told him you had given them five dollars for gas money and a few dozen eggs to throw at Diego’s apartment. He couldn’t believe it when he saw you with him the following week, acting as if nothing had happened.

Arturo’s attention turns back to you when you don’t answer, don’t bite into it like he thought you would. He can take a better look at you now that he is closer, inches away from the ledge. He sees the tears dancing on your lash line, your nails digging inside your palms, and he decides he hates it. He hates him. It must be horrible really, giving so much to someone so pathetic, having your words twisted back against you.

He tries to ignore how much Diego’s finger pointed at him bothers him. It is like a stab in the chest, a provocation, like he is making it personal. In a way, it is, he made sure of it the second he decided to belittle you like this in front of him. The thoughts of gripping his hand in his, crushing his joints- He blinks once, twice to shake the images out, and then he says your name again, an invitation now. Let’s leave this. Leave him.

‘’ You should leave. ‘’

Both sets of eyes turn to you as you speak up. Finally, he thinks. You are not asking, you are demanding, telling Diego his time here is over. Diego’s eyes twitch between you and Arturo’s side of the pool, he has to know he will lose if he tries to fight him. From the look of it, he is most likely smaller than him, unarmed. Arturo knows he only hangs out with them for the coke, maybe the small possibility of being one of them too, and then having you back in his bed after the parties. It breaks his heart to know you didn’t catch on to his bullshit before tonight. It is hot in his chest, a deep burn he can’t shake off, maybe it is jealousy.

Diego turns to you, as if your words meant nothing, like you didn’t just ask him to leave. His hand wrapping around your forearm as if you would follow him. The pool is the only thing keeping Arturo from jumping in between you two and sliding his hands around his throat.

‘’ Come on, let’s do this somewhere else. ‘’

‘’ Don’t touch me, Diego- ‘’

He can’t stand it, having to watch this asshole pretend he is still the one in control. Your upper arm is white from Diego’s grip and he can’t help how fast his hand goes to his back, feeling the gun tucked in his waistband with his fingertips. A reassurance that he could end this, here, right now. He will shoot him, he doesn’t care, five times if needed, as many times it would take for this idiot not to have a face anymore.

‘’ Are we gonna have a problem here? ‘’

He doesn’t stutter. It is a warning, his first and final one, spoken clearly in the open space between them.

‘’ Shut the fuck up, pendejo, can’t you read a room?! ‘’

‘’ Kitty… ‘’

You finally catch his eyes across the pool. Your voice is a warning, almost scolding him like a child, telling him to let you handle it, that you can take care of this. Can you? Should you? He notices the sparkles on your eyelids, the same color as your dress, the dried tears on your cheeks. He can’t be stopped, he doesn’t want to, he is too invested in this. Pendejo. Arturo doesn’t remember when he started moving, following the tiles around the ledge, opting to close his fists and take care of this naturally instead. If Diego wanted to play the tough guy, he would show him what it looked like.

He is halfway around the pool when you start moving, twisting in your heels. You grab Diego by the hair, using the momentum and his hold on your arm to push him into the pool. He is taken aback for a moment, stopping dead in his tracks, scared Diego’s grip on your arm will bring you into the water with him. But it doesn’t and you are tiptoeing around the edge, hands in the air, unmoving, like you just dropped something you shouldn’t have.

You yelp when the water splashes back on you, the bottom of your dress, your shoes. It shakes you out of it and you step back from the puddle of water at your feet. When Diego surfaces out from the deep, he is heaving, breathing through his nose, paddling around with both arms. A well-deserved swim, if he could say so himself, but Arturo is not even looking at him. He doesn’t matter, you do, and he only has eyes for you. He is not sure what to do now, he is surely not going to jump in the pool to finish this, who knows what chlorine would do to his Ralph Lauren shirt.

‘’ You’re a fucking bitch, Diego. ‘’

You laugh and it is music to his ears, loud, genuine. You are waving your hands around like you can’t believe this, free at last.

‘’ Stay the fuck away from me from now on, or he’ll shoot you. ‘’

You are pointing at him now, passing the eventual dirty work to him. Arturo knows you have never held a gun in your life, how you can barely accept those that are tucked in your friends’ jeans, but he would do it if you asked him, in a heartbeat, no questions needed. You push at the water on your thighs, probably wishing it would take the chemicals and the water out of the fabric. You turn to him, head thrown back, fists closed, like a child.

‘’ Look what he did to my shoes, Arturo. ‘’

You are whining and he is trying to pretend that his name coming out of your mouth didn’t make his knees buckle for a second. Eat him up and chew him out. You turn back to Diego.

‘’ They’re Versace you fucking bitch. ‘’

Your voice quivers on the last word, a small crack in an otherwise strong façade. Arturo’s hand moves from behind his shirt, leaving the comfort of the handle of metal at his back, motioning for you to come over. It is too cold tonight for you to stand outside, legs out for days, and a drenched skirt stuck to your thighs.

‘’ I’ll buy you new ones, mami. Let’s move before the fish comes out of his tank, yeah? ‘’

He is trying to be funny, but he can hear you sniff, see your hand raise from your side to wipe at your nose. He can understand how it’s too much, too fast now, adrenaline coming down, the cold seeping in.

When you turn his way and brush past him, his first instinct is to try and grab you, to be able to drape a warm arm around your shoulders, protect you when Diego couldn’t. It hurts him when you duck from his grasp, continuing your way to the door, but he swallows it and pushes down whatever angry, sad feeling is bubbling up in his throat. He chooses to follow you inside, follow what his guts tell him, and not take any of this personally. Easier said than done, but Arturo decides to focus on the sound of your heels against the tiles instead, to breathe in your perfume when he skips before you so he can open the sliding door for you.

You make a line for the kitchen and he is thankful no one stops you to ask what happened. Arturo follows your step, tall and burning behind you. You are holding back your tears, he can tell. He doesn’t know why he feels like he has to make sure you are alright. Diego might be an ass, but he wouldn’t dare enter the sharks’ enclosure after that. If this was his house, he would turn around and drown the fucker with his own hands. Nothing he hasn’t done before.

‘’ I’m not crying. ‘’

It’s the first thing you tell him when you enter the kitchen with him, your new shadow, still hot on your heel. You are, and it’s okay, he understands, right? You are alone in the room, just you, him, the marble countertop between you as you turn and pace. You are rummaging through shelves, one hand whipping at your cheek while the other chooses a glass.

‘’ It’s not- this isn’t because of him. I’m not crying- ‘’

A sob leaves your throat as you open the refrigerator door. He feels bad now, his heart squeezing at the thought of your makeup sliding down your cheeks. Arturo leans on the door frame and he looks as you pull out juice from the open door, the other hand grabbing a bottle of tequila left on the counter. The amount you pour into your cup makes his eyebrows frown.

‘’ It’s alright. ‘’

‘’ It’s the shoes. I’m not crying. ‘’

The tears on your face do tell him that you are, that it is about Diego. He doesn’t deal with heartbreaks often, he usually never stays around long enough to feel it. He is a grown man, he never cries, he shouldn’t care, but he does feel better when you open the juice jug, pouring enough that he is not too concerned about how it would taste in the end. He speaks up again.

‘’ It’s alright if it’s not just the shoes you know. ‘’

‘’ You would really buy me new ones? ‘’

He raises his eyebrows at that and you are now pushing yourself up on the counter in front of him, crossing your legs, glass in hand. Your eyes are dry and red, but the glitter on your lids is still pressed to the skin, unmoved. He likes it, he decides, the shimmer suits you, it reminds him of the diamonds he has on a watch at home. You are looking at him, waiting for an answer. Like it would fix everything. Your Versace heels, he would buy you new ones if you asked, the same pair if you wished, an even more expensive one if you begged him to.

‘’ Por supuesto, mami. ‘’

I would shoot him too, let’s keep our word. He doesn’t tell you that, but the thought crosses his mind, throbbing inside his ribcage. The things he would do for you. Something changed tonight, inside of him, changed how he looks at you, how he really looks at you. You laugh at this and he is thankful, happy to hear the sound again. He hopes it means he is doing something good, something to make you feel better.

‘’ I’m just messing. They will dry, I was just being dramatic. ‘’

Rightly so, he wants to tell you, that he would have done worst for less, but he doesn’t, he laughs it off with you.

‘’ All good, mami, I go crazy for less. ‘’

You haven’t touched your drink yet, playing with the rim and the ridges on the side. It is a good sign to him, that whatever he is doing is working, heart being fixed, tears kept at bay. He feels awkward, standing there and looking at you, trying to keep his eyes away from tracing the curve of your legs, the idea of your nails wrapped around his neck-

‘’ You like shopping? ‘’

It’s quick, out of his mouth before he even processes it, anything to keep the silence from going on any longer.

‘’ What? ‘’

‘’ Well, I- ‘’ he stuttered, he never does. Tongue rolling in his mouth, words knocking his front teeth on the way out. Of course you like shopping, ranking bills for days, and matching your shoes with your tops, who wouldn’t? Right?

‘’ Well, because I do. ‘’ He feels like the dumbest person in the house. ‘’ I mean- I mostly look, I don’t always buy. It gotta fit with the rest, you know? ‘’

You hum, nodding with the sound. Your lips touch the rim of the glass, bringing silence back to the kitchen, and he feels like he fucked up. He had to open his big mouth and spill out some none sense. Maybe you don’t like shopping. Maybe you think he is taking too much space, that he should leave you alone-

‘’ Let me tell you a secret. ‘’ Your hands are back on your lap, playing with the side of the glass once again. There is a glint in your eyes as you lean towards him, like you are sharing a secret. Lips pursed, you are not whispering, but he feels like you are. A secret for him, only for him.

‘’ Sometimes it doesn’t even match, but I still buy it, I can’t help myself. ‘’

You have glitter on your fingers from when you wiped your tears off and he can’t take his eyes off yours, you are pulling him in and he takes a step closer as you continue.

‘’ I always think I can make it work, but after a while, I send it to my primas, so it’s not really a loss, you know? ‘’

‘’ You’re free Friday? ‘’

You hesitate a moment, barely a second, but it’s enough to make him self-conscious again. ‘’ Why? ‘’

‘’ Let me take you out. ‘’ Let me make this right. Make you forget him. ‘’ We can go en el centro. I don’t think they got Versace there, but they got nice options. ‘’

He shrugs his shoulders, already pretending that he is going to be okay if you reject him. He knows he won’t, that everything, every minute spent with you until today wasn’t a random twist of fate. He can feel it, feel you deep in his bones, there has to be something there. He can’t be wrong, you have to say yes.

Your fingers move in the space between the two of you and, since he is closer now, you can reach and hook a finger around one of his longer chains, moving the golden cross around so it catches the light.

‘’ Is Thursday too early for you? ‘’

He is flushed when you look back up at him, too stunned to speak, too hot and too cold at the same time. He has asked people out before, multiple times even, but right now, with you, he can’t get a grip, he can’t get himself to breathe and not be putty in your hands.

‘’ Not at all. ‘’ Is all he finds to say when he is brought back down to earth. Arturo can’t stop the smile that pulls at his lips, he can taste your perfume on his tongue. ‘’ Even better, mami. ‘’

[bts-hyperfixation]

Outside of the fox

Part 15 of ? 2816 words

Y/N longs for a new life when the one she'd been living comes to an abrupt stop. Without much thought to those she is leaving behind, the little fox packs a backpack and disappears. She stumbles across the shelter and makes an interim home for herself while she works out exactly what she wants from her second chance.

Last

"So the good news is we won't require surgery to reset the break, but that cast is going to need to stay on for a couple of months." Jin says, gesturing to a barely comprehensible X-ray.

Namjoon nods, taking a close look at the break presented to you all. Jungkook cuddles in close to Jimin's uninjured side and scents him gently.

"So are we okay to go home today?" Yoongi asks. "Don't want to miss out on the holiday if we can help it."

"Yes, absolutely, I've just got a bit more paperwork to follow up on and we need to set a date for a review of the damage but then you folks are free to go back to your holiday merriment, although might I suggest no more tree climbing?" Jin answers.

"Of course Doctor, thank you so much." Namjoon shakes the man's hand. "Right, I don't think we all need to be here for discharge, a couple of us should head back in the first car."

"I'll take Hobi and Taehyung back to the house. Y/N do you want to come with us?" Yoongi suggests.

"With Jimin an arm down I think I'll need to drive won't I? If you're taking Tae?"

Taehyung had driven the second car originally, the main pack in one car, friends and associates in the other."

"Sure, that makes sense. We will meet you back at the hovel." Yoongi grabs his jacket.

He pulls the keys from the pocket and signals for the other two men to follow him out of the room. Obediently they get up and mutter 'See you soon's as they exit. Doctor Jin produces a form for Jimin to sign, which he does, shakily with his non-dominant hand.

"Okay Jimin, I want to see you in two months, is there a better day for you?" Jin asks

"No work is pretty amenable, whatever works best for you." the red panda responds, already gathering his items, eager to leave the hospital.

"Wonderful, in which case we will see you on February 23rd at 2:00 pm." Jin hands over a small appointment slip to Namjoon.

Immediately the bear hands the paper off to Jungkook, a practised manoeuvre knowing he would likely lose such a small item easily.

Each of you says your goodbyes and make your way towards the door but Jungkook lingers fidgeting back and forth on his feet.

"Is everything okay Jungkook?" Jin inquires.

The bunny chews at his lip, clearly nervous. Like he is debating whether he should say what he really wants to.

"Bun?" Namjoon prods.

"Aaaa...re you really going to spend tomorrow... alone?" Jungkook asks.

"That's my plan Jungkook, yes. But don't feel sorry for me. I'm quite used to spending time by myself for holidays." The doctor reassures him.

But the statement seems to only distress Jungkook further. He whines lowly at the thought of the doctor having to be alone. He looks between you, Namjoon, and Jimin trying to hint at the idea forming in his head, however, none of you seems to be on the same wavelength as him today. He waits to see if any of you catch up with him, to no avail. Eventually, he just leans into Namjoon's side and whispers in his ear.

The bear's mouth makes a small 'o' shape as he finally catches on. Jungkook's ears have gone bright red and he turns his face into the crook of Namjoon's shoulder in order to hide from view.

"Doctor, it would seem our youngest packmate would like to invite you to our winter solstice activities tomorrow." Namjoon explains.

"That would be lovely, but I couldn't intrude on your family's day like that."

"That's okay, we have lots of outsiders this year!" Jimin provides.

It's obvious he is trying to be encouraging, but the word outsiders hits you like ice running down your spine. Because no matter how much you like being around the family and how much they claim to like you around, 'outsiders' includes you.

"But it's so short notice, I wouldn't want to take away from what you've already prepared for yourselves." the doctor refuses politely again.

You can hear Jungkook growling a little into Namjoon's collar but it's not clear if Jin can hear it yet.

"We insist doctor, please join us." Namjoon strokes Jungkook's back to calm him.

"I suppose I could drop by if you really do insist."

Namjoon writes down your address on the back of an appointment card along with a rough time for when dinner is planned and finally, you leave the hospital. The drive back to the house is quiet. Jungkook is asleep on one side of Namjoon in the back seat, and Jimin is staring happily out of the window at the scenery from the passenger seat.

It's late when you pull into the driveway. Jungkook runs ahead back to the house as Namjoon helps Jimin to clamber out of the car. They really are so well-entwined with one another. You can tell without looking that Yoongi is waiting at the door with Jungkook wrapped in his arms carefully watching his pack to make sure they are okay.

You turn off the engine and take a deep breath feeling the tiredness in your bones. All you want is to slip into bed and pass out but if you don't get the smell of the hospital out of your hair you'll never be able to settle.

Yoongi waits for you to trail in behind the others before locking the door and checking the latch is secured. He leans over instinctively to scent you as you walk past surprising you a little, it's not something he has ever done before. If he notices you flinch a little he doesn't mention it and neither do you.

You hand the keys on the hook and traipse up the stairs into your room only to be met with a nearly nude Taehyung. Water drips from his hair as the precariously balanced towel around his hips threatens to fall when he moves.

"Sorry, I thought I might have a little more time to get dressed." He supplies.

"That's okay, I'm going for a shower anyway, I'll just grab my clothes and leave you to it."

"Dang, if I knew you were going to shower maybe I would've waited... could've saved some water." He winks

"How eco-friendly of you." You roll your eyes

"Very concerned for the environment me." He flashes you his widest smile.

You quickly grab your pj's and escape from the room that was suddenly stiflingly hot.

The water is not as warm as you would've liked but it still feels good washing the clinical smell down the drain and replacing it with soft florals.

You take your time to dry off, moisturizing correctly for maybe the first time in your life, hoping to come across a fully dressed Taehyung when you return this time.

The panda is tucked up in bed when you return, waiting for you so he can turn the lamp off. You bid each other good night and find sleep easily after the chaos of the day.

___________________

Everyone seems to sleep in the next morning Jimin being the last to emerge from his bedroom at 11 with half-brushed hair and lidded eyes. Jungkook had already told you all how difficult the redhead had found it to sleep with the pain and awkwardness of the cast. Yoongi set a full English breakfast in front of him and started fussing with the messy parts of his hair.

"Can we do presents now?" Hobi asks.

The human is as excited as a child about the prospect of starting today's festivities. He has been bouncing off the walls since nine waiting for everyone to wake up so they could start. Evidently his family never really celebrated the holiday.

"Let Jimin eat first Jagiya," Yoongi says affectionately, reaching out to cup Hobi's face.

He pouts but does as he is told, busying himself by taking hold of Yoongi's outstretched and playing with the fingers.

Jimin makes quick work of the food, looking forward to having enough food in his stomach to be able to take his next painkiller. Taehyung swipes up the plate as soon as it's empty and washes it before anyone can protest.

"Alright, who is opening presents first?" The panda asks as he flicks the water off his hands.

You move into the lounge, a tight fit for the seven of you but you make it work. Hobi squishes next to Yoongi on an armchair. Jimin and Namjoon naturally gravitate to either side of Jungkook and Taehyung sits on the floor closest to the presents. You slot yourself in across from Tae to complete the circle and then he hands out presents.

You decide it best to open all of your presents at the same time to save the embarrassment of having everyone watching each other react.

Each present was clearly well thought out and matched personalities well. Obviously, some were a little generic like Taehyung's for example, but they were thoughtful nonetheless. Jimin bought you a book you had been talking about, and Jungkook had made you a painting of his favourite spot in the backyard. Yoongi bought you a gift card to the restaurant you had both visited the other day. And Namjoon bought you a new stationary set that he said reminded him of you, something about the purple colour reminding him of your lavender scent. Hobi bought everyone a matching sweater.

Taehyung's gift surprised you. It was a bottle of your favourite perfume, and expensive bottle that you had decided you couldn't leave behind in your old life. A bottle that was getting dangerously close to empty but there was no way Tae could've known that when he bought the present. You look up to see him already looking at you.

"It's the correct one yeah? If it's not we can return it and purchase the right. It's the one you were wearing the first day we met." He says as if he hadn't just spent £100 on you.

You nod and glance down at the bottle, an inscription that you had missed is etched into the silver ring.

'To my favourite fox."

You don't notice the jealous looks around the room as the boys abandon their openings to look at the ornate bottle in your hands.

"Don't look so sour boys, you haven't opened my presents to you yet." Taehyung gestures to the boxes in front of them.

The men around the room shake off their jealousy long enough to tear the wrapping paper from each gift. Each man is met with a matching bottle a cologne that compliments each other one in the room.

"I hope I guessed right, I was going off descriptions of each of your personalities supplied by Y/N. She talks about you guys a lot you know? It feels like I've known you forever."

"Taehyung this is very sweet but it's too much." Namjoon states, getting ready to wrap the bottle back up.

"Of course it's not too much. Courting gifts should be extravagant and meaningful shouldn't they?" Taehyung says matter of factly as if everyone had missed the very obvious point.

Each established member of the pack looked at one another confused, while you just blinked owlishly at your coworker.

"Typically extravagant isn't a necessary criterion," Yoongi stated, not sure what else to say.

The jackal turned the expensive bottle in his hands, finding the engraving on his own bottle.

'To the fierce protector, I wish to put at ease.' Was inscribed around the top of the bottle.

Each bottle had its own unique phrase.

"Tae, I don't want this to sound... ungrateful... but how did you afford this as a mail room boy?" You ask, setting the bottle gently to the side.

"Wait you think I'm the mail boy?" Taehyung tilts his head confused.

"Well? yeah. The only thing I see you do at work is deliver mail and talk to people." You shrug.

"That hilarious." Taehyung laughs until tears roll down his cheeks as the rest of you wait to be let in on the joke. "Y/N don't you think I would've been fired by now if I were just the mailboy? Like I'm a terrible employee"

"So what do you do then?" Jungkook asks him, sitting on the edge of his seat.

The bunny's fingers rub across his own perfume, tracing the letters absently.

'To the bunny I want to promise the world.'

"I own the company." He states as if it's no big deal. "Well my dad does, I will soon though."

You each glance between the bottles and him and then all the eyes in the room land on you.

"How could you not know that Y/N?" Hobi asks.

You shrug hoping to move the conversation back to the point.

"Did you say these were courting gifts?" You shift attention back to Taehyung.

"The first of many." He confirms

"You realise that's insane right?" Yoongi says. "We literally met you yesterday."

"Not true, we met two days ago." Taehyung points out as if that makes it any more normal.

Typically courting doesn't begin until you've known someone for at least a few weeks, maybe been on a date or two. For Taehyung to decide to court a stranger was beyond odd. To want to court 6 people that weren't already intrinsically linked? That was insanity.

The faces around the room showed a complete range of human emotions. Jimin looked thrilled with the prospect. Namjoon and Yoongi looked concerned, and Jungkook looked a little terrified. Hobi just sat there quiet and confused, barely having been opened up to the concept of courting Yoongi and now facing the potential of another man to court if not an entire pack.

"I'm sorry have I overstepped? We can just call them friendship presents if that puts you more at ease. It's just between the notes and what Y/N says about you, it felt as though I already knew you. And I know for a fact courting Y/N will be easier if I'm also courting the other men vying for her attention."

Taehyung is a very smart man. His decisions always seem to be uncalculated and messy but they always have solid reasoning behind them. Normally it's quite interesting to watch his solution to a majority of problems he encounters. Today however just left you flustered and perplexed.

The subject is dropped when there are three sharp raps on the front door.

"We should talk about this more, maybe after the holiday," Namjoon suggests rising from his seat.

Before the bear can even move for the door, Jungkook raced past him to reveal the stunning Dr. Jin standing on the porch.

The hospital lab coat does him no justice. He is wearing a simple maroon crew neck jumper, on anyone else it might look average, but on him he looked like an idol, golden complexion and broad shoulders only accentuating the look.

"I'm so glad you should make it doctor." Namjoon shakes the man's hand as he joins Jungkook at the door.

The doctor produces a carrier of wine and gives it to Joon.

"Thank you for the gracious invite. Please call me Jin though not Doctor."

"Of course Jin. Please make yourself comfortable, we were just tidying up before dinner."

The bear gives you all a look that has you all springing from your seats to rush to clean up the wrapping paper scattered across the floor. Yoongi leaves the mess with the three of you left in the living room and turns on all of the pots ready to finish making the lunchtime feast.

__________________

Next

Masterlist

Notes:

I'm not going to apologise again for being MIA 😂. I am going to say I'm probably going to go MIA again. It is unintentional and I will always come back usually within two to four weeks. Hope everyone's having a good spring getting ready for a summer. I know I'm excited because it's only 8 more weeks of school and then I can fly to my home country (don't worry, I'm the teacher not the student)

So I've split this chapter in half because I was rambling on and I just wanted to get something out.

Also if you guys want to know the rest of inscriptions let me know and I can put them in the comments. I can't fit them in to the actual fic at the minute and they may never come up again honestly.

Like the only way I can organically think to fit the minute any point is if after this finishes I do either a breakup or a marriage one shot...

[inexplicablymine]

Some Sentences Sunday

So here are uhhh more than 7 sentences of the next Little Drummerboy update because I have no self control.

“You mean the author?” Alex looks down at the byline and sees a familiar last name grace the page. Allison Tidwell. She’s a mouthpiece for JRR and usually speaks favorably about Kensington as well. She’d prey on young stars like a vulture, haggard and gaunt, looking for its next meal. She would misquote, misassign, and misdirect those she interviewed making artists look worse, planting feuds and all around being a shitty person.  “Ahh Shitwell, yeah I’m familiar with her writing, we know when it's coming because it stinks up the room before it arrives.” Henry snorts next to him and holds his hand out for a fistbump. It is highly unlike him to do so, but Alex had told him to start assimilating into the culture of the Luna Records or he was going to burn all of Henry’s button down shirts in an effigy to the fashion gods. Pez was around at the time and lifted his hands up in an amen gesture. Henry had been upset that his “two best friends were ganging up on him like this.” Alex took that statement and tucked it between his ribcage for safekeeping. 

I am also counting this as my last line tag as well!!

Thank you for the tags: @kiwiana-writes @leaves-of-laurelin @onthewaytosomewhere @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @wordsofhoneydew @littlemisskittentoes @suseagull04 @rockyroadkylers @happiness-of-the-pursuit @alasse9 @three-drink-amy @firenati0n @getmehighonmagic @iboatedhere @welcometololaland

AND ALSO TAGGING: (and open tag tag me BACK I WANT TO SEE YOUR WORDS) @anchoredarchangel @anincompletelist @affectionatelyrs @cultofsappho @whimsymanaged @read-and-write- @rmd-writes @cha-melodius @tintagel-or-cockleshells @dumbpeachjuice @cricketnationrise @myheartalivewrites @matherines @onward--upward @orchidscript @leojfitz @lizzie-bennetdarcy @gayrootvegetable @gay-flyboys @everwitch-magiks @indomitable-love @indestructibleheart

[missmungoe]

Shanks x Makino & RHP, because I had to after that last SBS.

“An incorrigible flirt? Ben?”

Her bemusement was met with a shrug, and lifting his drink to his lips, “I keep saying we can’t take him anywhere,” Shanks said. “Yasopp suggested putting him on a leash after that last incident.”

“This being the incident with the princess?” Makino asked, picking up another glass to polish, a glance offered to the subject of their conversation, busy reading the paper further down the counter, his grin jutting around his toothpick, a substitute for his usual cigarette, courtesy of the bump protruding under her apron.

Shanks opened his mouth, before he paused, and, “Wait, did we not tell you about the Vice-Admiral?”

Her brows lifted adorably. “A Vice-Admiral?”

They were all looking at his first mate now, but Ben didn’t look up from his newspaper, only said, “She was amenable.”

“She also threatened to arrest us all the next morning,” Shanks said. “We even offered her breakfast! And to drop her off at the nearest navy base if she needed a lift.”

“Can’t imagine why she’d turn that down,” Makino mused, placing the polished glass back on the shelf, before turning towards him, her hands spread on the counter. “But here I thought you were the resident flirt, Captain. Or at least so I’ve been led to believe. Specifically by you.”

“I use my skills responsibly,” Shanks said, with a grin that cheerfully contradicted that statement, and even twelve years since the first time he’d used it here, was delighted to see that her reaction hadn’t changed, seeing the smile that split her cheeks.

The way her eyes danced said enough about what she believed, but, “I imagine there are a lot of barmaids who’d beg to differ,” Makino said, her arms crossed as she leaned over the counter. “Should I be worried?”

Before he could even open his mouth, a voice called out across her bar, “You’ve got nothing to worry about, Makino!”

“Yeah, Boss doesn’t give ‘em the time of day!”

“Doesn’t stop them from trying, but we’ve got your back!!”

Shanks sighed, but their protectiveness of her honour was, while unnecessary, regrettably endearing. “If my fidelity was ever in question,” he mused.

Her delight lifted her cheeks, but her look was gentle, and there was no teasing in her eyes now as Makino said, “I’ve never doubted it.”

A tender beat passed, their gazes holding over the bar top, a gentler desire than he was often subjected to in the ports they stopped, but while he might have thrived off that kind of attention in his youth, nothing could compare to being desired by a heart like that, wholly and completely.

“They’re not wrong, though,” Shanks said, leaning closer, his thumb brushing the soft underside of her wrist, and heard the soft hitch in her breath, his eyes hooding as he pitched his voice lower, “In terms of flirting, there’s only one girl whose skirts I want to get under.”

Despite her efforts at maintaining a straight face, her demure composure faltered, and, “Charmer,” Makino laughed, her eyes averting from his grin, the particular filthy width she usually saw from a very different angle, usually cradled between her thighs.

He was so close their noses were brushing, but flicking her eyes up to his, “You’ll have to try harder than that if you want to get into these skirts,” Makino quipped, and patting his cheek, withdrew before he could pull her back into a kiss.

His rougher laughter chased her, and he was about to make good on the challenge when, “You two do remember that you’re married, right?” Yasopp asked, having appeared by the counter for a refill.

“No excuse to let my skills get rusty,” Shanks said, as Makino took the tankard to tap it. “Now do you mind? I’m trying to seduce my wife here.”

Pushing the refilled tankard over the counter, “If you need help, maybe you should ask your first mate for advice,” Makino said, and before Shanks could choke out a response, had breezed past them both, a demure look cast over her shoulder that made him wonder just who was seducing who.

Yasopp’s grin said he had a good idea of who had the upper hand, but, “She’s got a point,” he said, with a nod to Ben, still reading the paper. “Don’t know what he tells them, but it always does the trick. Was sure that marine was going to have him arrested for trying. Or just shoot him.”

“I wish I knew what it was,” Lucky sighed. “I might try it next time.”

“Maybe it’s nothing specific,” Limejuice said. “He might just have mad game.”

“But a marine?”

Stopping by the counter where his first mate was sitting, picking up a new glass to polish, “You took my advice, then?” Makino asked.

Flicking the corner of the paper down, Ben smiled. “You were right,” he said. “It works every time.”

The conversation in her bar stopped so abruptly, you could have heard a pin drop.

“Um,” Shanks said, after a stunned beat where they all just stared at her, primly polishing her little glass.

“What?”

[pommunist]

I really appreciate coming to your blog, to be honest for me its like a healing balm after even just skimming and scrolling others feelings on all of this. I feel like sometimes people are so unreasonable and it hurts to see people "taking sides" at all with this situation.

All Ive ever cared about with this issue is the facts. The fact that a lot of workers got screwed over and instead of buckling down and talking to people QStudios would rather it all just stop happening, make changes and not acknowledge what they did. Honestly they dont have to say anything that even takes blame for it! All anyone was asking for at first was a goddamn DM man. Like they didnt even care if they got fired they just wanted a message SAYING that. But somehow they "cant talk about it" otherwise they would be "complicate" as if they were expecting people to sue them before anyone was even suggesting that?

Everyone is acting like legality is so important as if the people who first stepped up about all of this were instigating lawsuits when thats only happening NOW because they refused to say anything! Its like...why did they have to be "careful with what they say for legal reasons" when no one was threating to sue them. Almost as if they KNEW what they were doing was considered illegal and DID have grounds for legal recourse. If not then why not make ANY statement? Why be so scared to say anything at the beginning? It just dosnt make any sense. I mean even the Union was like "we dont wanna sue you just talk to your workers" at first!

It just feels a bit like a lot of this is being blown out of proportion and considering in his last stream Q ONLY talked about himself getting doxed (not saying that Q is "over reacting" from getting doxed by the way, of course, but rather the community seems to want to use this as a reason to exempt him from any wrong doing), the Brazilians (which by the way the fact that it took ALL OF THIS SHIT for him to BARLY EVEN mention the xenophobia is just….wild ill say), and that hes not gonna be the CEO anymore and like….okay cool dude not what anyone wanted a stream from you about but like pop off I guess. It just feels like every stream hes done about this situation never clears up anything and gives vague promises that dont seem to be held or at the very least is giving us basically no info and just promises.

Amen to all of that anon ! Like everyone (including myself i’ll admit) is saying how it’s difficult to speak about these things because it could lead to legal consequences but also… You want to avoid a lawsuit ? You truly have a desire to make things right ? Then go talk to your workers. Give them the answers they’ve been waiting for. Listen to their experience, listen to their demands, listen to what they want from you. Release a statement with full excuses on the behalf of the whole company to them, thank them for what they did. Pay them the fair compensation you owe them for the months of labour they did for your project. Demand that your community and everyone else leave them be in peace, and condemn everyone who doesn’t.

Like sure, that may need you to admit that you did wrong which could be used against you in court but lets be for real. Lawsuits are stressful, can cost money and are time consuming, so who, especially young people without a lot of money and ressources to their disposal, is going to want to go through that whole legal process after getting everything they wanted and deserved from you ?

This isn’t talking about the Q vs the higher ups who refused to pay the admins and mistreated them btw thats a whole different legal affairs but still then, wouldn’t ex admins have be able to provide you screenshots of payments and conversations that you could then use in your favour in court ?

Also my blog where all I talk about is workers exploitation is like a healing balm to you anon ? You sure you’re okay ? /j ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

[highlordofkrypton]

ACOTAR wips // high lord's meeting ft. eris 💅

I wrote this chapter yesterday, or the day before, and I really enjoyed it. I think a few people would too, since it features Rhysand as a villain and Eris doing anything but be the side character I meant him to be. I loved it so much, I had to share.

This chapter is part of cosmogeny on AO3.

CONTEXT: This happens post-ACOTAR, with the ACOMAF and ACOWAR events mashed together. Rhysand is twisting and exaggerating events to make Tamlin look bad. It doesn't quite work out in his favour.

WAR LORD, Chapter 27

Seven seats for seven High Lords. Four of which are empty—

One Lord glows in a far corner by the window, looking out at the city of Lautnita, basked in Dawn’s copper glow. Another Lord has been replaced with a pale imitation of himself, a son who will never ascend to the throne. One seat speaks of the absence of Winter, a loud statement in the face of supposed peers. The last Lord was never invited, for there is no room against a duplicitous villain.

“Well, then, Great Lord of Night,” Eris leans against his jeweled hand, already bored. “Tell us what urgency requires the presence of Prythian’s leaders.”

“One of which you are not,” Rhysand clips, his violet eyes staring down the imposter. Beron doesn’t even trust his spawn to take his throne, why should Rhysand ? His absence marks the unimportance of this meeting in his eyes, and Rhysand takes that as an insult. “Do not think we are equals.”

“And yet, you are not my superior, so get on with it before you find yourself proselytizing to an empty room.” Eris cocks a perfect auburn brow in Rhysand’s direction. “Unless… you plan on keeping us here? Do you miss the undeserved attention from under the—”

“Enough!” Thesan snaps. This is his home, and the only Court willing to play neutral ground for seven High Lords, half of which are volatile and violent. Every single one of them is reeling from the damages done by Amarantha, and he refuses to sit and listen to childish snarking. “I do not mean to rush you, High Lord Rhysand, but please, do get on with it.”

Rhysand’s gaze lingers on Eris for a long moment, considering punishment or worse. There will be a time and a place, but there are more important plans in motion. He offers Thesan an apologetic smile. “Of course, my apologies. It’s just… with the news that I have, you can understand my nerves are a bit frayed.”

Eris rolls his eyes, but everyone else seems amenable to his excuses. Everyone being only Thesan, Helion, Eris himself and Tarquin. The youngest High Lord looks uncomfortable, despite his perfect composure. This is his first High Lord’s meeting since his cousin’s death, and he is doing his best. Rhysand would commend him for that, if the situation were less dire.

“We all swore that we would never allow an evil to take hold of our lands ever again. We all understood it when we brought back the Cursebreaker.”

Feyre is a symbol to them all—not only of their salvation, but of their own failures to protect their people. They owe it to her to protect her.

“Unfortunately, the High Lord of Spring has abandoned all hope in us. Hybern’s emissaries have been in his lands for the last three months. They patrol the wall and they gather information about our efforts to rebuild. They know we are struggling to unify our efforts.”

The meeting is a perfect reflection of this. Some of them couldn’t be bothered to show up for Prythian’s sake. (They couldn’t be bothered to listen to Rhysand who has been working to protect them at every turn. It is not his fault that they have limits to how far they will go.)

“They’re harboring a weapon,” Rhysand adds, in hopes of driving his point home.

Most of the Lords are old enough to school their expression, but Tarquin’s eyes widen ever so slightly. Thesan, traitor to his own composure, reaches to touch Tarquin’s hand and offers him comfort. They will get through this, one way or another.

“And what weapon is that?” Helion purses his lips. As the oldest between the Lords present, he’s seen his fair share of curses, monsters and innovation. Very little surprises him anymore.

Rhysand clenches his jaw, guarding the smile threatening to slither onto his handsome features. There is something validating about knowing something the other Lords don’t. He steels himself, despite his eagerness to see the inevitable shock on their faces.

“A Death God. The Death God.”

Tension spears through each of them, knitting them together with the taught string of fear. Only Helion remains unbothered, hiding behind his usual carelessness, but Rhysand knows he couldn’t have expected this.

“How,” Tarquin clears his throat, faltering on the word. “How do you know?”

“Mine is the only Court that houses several of them.” Rhysand answers, pride lining the proud upward tip of his chin and the strength of his shoulders. “I would recognize a death god if I saw one.”

“Until now,” Eris points out.

“The Spring Court has no control over theirs. Ours are imprisoned, as they should be for their crimes against our ancestors. Tamlin is playing a dangerous game, and we need to prepare for war.”

“We should speak to him,” offers Thesan. “It has been hard coming home for all of us, I’m sure. Perhaps our first mistake was trying to heal on our own.”

“You expect us to work together with him ?” Eris juts his chin in Rhysand’s direction. “Prythian’s turncoat?” He sighs. “I suppose it takes one to know one.” The eldest Vanserra son whistles sharply, and a hound appears by his side, gray smoke rolling off it. It regards the other Lord with bright red eyes. Eris whispers something in a foreign tongue, and the herald disappears. “Father will want to investigate, as our territory borders Spring’s.” Eris nods at Tarquin. “On both our behalfs. I will send a hound with updates.”

The Autumn prince stands, done with this conversation.

“Wait,” Tarquin speaks up. “I meant, how did you know Spring is doing all this? Tamlin has been avoiding meeting me since his return. I’m surprised you were able to go and see for yourself.”

This time, Rhysand’s jaw ticks in anger. “You’re forgiven for your ignorance, Tarquin, but do you not know I’m a daemati ? Very little escapes me.” He raises his hand, a generous High Lord despite all his power. “I don’t use it freely. That would be boring. Feyre came to me after Tamlin beat her as a reward for saving Prythian. I believe he wanted the glory for himself. She gathered as much information as she could before coming to me.”

Eris doesn’t care, he turns to leave. Rhysand stands, slamming the door closed with a breath of magic.

“I’m not done. If you think this is simply a matter of checking in with Tamlin, then you are sorely mistaken. He has let Hybern in. War has come. We are past negotiating.” Rhysand stands leaning on the great table before him. A clear glass presides over the mechanical marvel that is a map of Prythian with moving parts—creatures and characters of interest to Thesan. 

He glances at each and every Lord present.

“If you think Amarantha was a nightmare, then you have sorely underestimated what now infests our lands. If you will not move against Hybern, then against the hellish creature that will seek to destroy us all. It is not faerie or human. It lacks our morals and rationality. It must be stopped.”

Rhysand should not have to campaign this hard; this is the right thing to do. Fists clenched, he considers forcing them to yield.

“I’ll need time to think about this,” Helion says, and fades into the sunlight, riding the sliver of warmth home. 

Coward. Rhysand expects the others to follow suit.

“I’ll wait for Eris’ assessment.” Thesan decides, and Tarquin nods.

“If you’re so sure of yourself, Rhysand, why are you so concerned whether we agree now or later?” Eris smirks, and forgoes leaving by the door. In his wake, a falling curtain of smoke.

[proclaimtheword]

A short introduction, testimony, and statement of faith

Hi! I am a 26F born Catholic who now goes to a Baptist church. I was baptized September 1st 2024! I welcome all my brothers and sisters in Christ as Jesus prayed for his disciples and all those who hear their message to be one (John 17:20-21) and Paul wrote “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬)

Since last year I lived abroad where Christians are a minority. I rediscovered Christianity after many years of searching for God and truth in all sorts of spirituality, philosophy, and religion, to the point of falling hopeless and becoming atheist, and finally this year I met a (false) teacher and deceiver who preached a false prophet and god, and who tried to “snatch me,” then I heard the Shepherd's voice calling me (John 10:27-28). I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior in January 2024, and while I fall, He holds my hand to perfecting my faith until my final day. I met a lady who invited me to church when I was still unwilling, and I reconnected with her and started going to and having fellowship with common believers. Ever since then I felt the Spirit's presence and work transform me in my life, and I had a thirst for God's Word and longing to obey Christ's commandments. It has been a blessing and experience to receive the redeeming grace and love of God, and the life-changing gift of eternal life, that I did not earn or deserve at all, but only made possible to me through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If you have not yet accepted Christ and feel compelled now to do so, I invite you to pray and say this with your heart:

Dear Father, have mercy on me a sinner. Thank You for the gift of salvation in Your Son, Jesus Christ, who died in our place for the forgiveness of sins, so we may be redeemed and have everlasting life. Now I accept You in my heart, Jesus, as my personal Lord and Savior from here on until the end of my life. I receive the Holy Spirit that I may forever be by Your side. Amen.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭23‬)

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭9‬)

Peace and Love, Softspoken-softheart

[plethoraworldatlas]

GenCon Crit Awards situation

The Crit Awards are a relatively new Awards ceremony focused on Actual Plays. They recently announced that, supposedly due to safety concerns, they will not be hosting their ceremonies at GenCon 2024. This announcement has been met with numerous tabletop gaming personalities to cancel their appearances and trips to GenCon, as well as many others voicing support for the Crit Awards and condemning GenCon. As well as others doing the opposite.

For more information, the Crit Awards released back in mid June that in addition to banning known racists, Homophobes, misogynists, Transphobes, and the like from being eligible for nominations for their awards, they would ban outspoken zionists as well. The initial statement, admittedly, is a bit vague.

This happened supposedly because the staff found out one of the then proposed nominees either was or was once part of a controversial actual play group that was explicitly zionist; Again, no major details were revealed for privacy, though further statements allude to said controversial actual play group supporting illegal settlements in some way.

Supposedly they communicated with the nominee and came to a peaceful resolution where the nomination was removed; Said nominee has not come forward at this time. The ban announcement happened shortly after.

Since the announcement of the ban, both the Crit Awards and GenCon received numerous threats of violence from numerous sources. After phone calls with GenCon representatives on Jun 24th, the Crit Awards would announce they will not be at GenCon 2024. They released a statement revealing these things, as well as condemning "harassment, violence, and terrorism" as well as stating "we take issue with the pro-imperialist, antisemitic rhetoric that conflates Judaism with zionism" and reaffirming their condemnation for the genocide.

The organization did not call for a boycott, but many individuals have announced they will not attend GenCon in solidarity.

While the Crit Awards haven't said much recently, and their statements claim it was a peaceful agreement with GenCon Staff, many individuals connected with the Crit Awards, Including the Host of the awards ceremony, who are not bound by NDAs, have gone public and stated that GenCon forced the Crit Awards to release their statement and were in fact banned and kicked out by GenCon.

It is important to note that GenCon is held in Indianapolis, Indiana. Indiana, since 2016, has TOUGH Anti-BDS laws. Part of that is banning any and all public or state funding for any group that supports any form of boycotting or BDS, as well as banning all funding from groups that support groups that support BDS.

GenCon is a massive moneymaker for Indy, so much so that the extremely conservative state government has in the past canceled planned restrictions on Abortion rights because GenCon announced it would leave Indiana if they passed said bans. The Indianapolis Convention Center is currently undergoing major renovations to nearly double its floor space and connect to both existing and new hotels, and the area is currently building multiple new hotels and other amenities; While there are many events they are making these expansions for, the fact they announced them immediately after last year's GenCon, which was the largest yet as well as heavily criticized for overcrowding and a poor initial response to it, and they were announced mainly in the context of GenCon shows that these major investments are motivated in no small part by GenCon.

However, after the aforementioned event where GenCon protested the state's government and threatened to leave, GenCon has changed tune over the years, soften criticism despite the government being more overtly anti-choice than before, and most crucially, has signed massive partnership extension deals with Indianapolis and Indiana. These contract mean GenCon is planned to stay in Indiana until 2030; These contracts are often renegotiated often, so there are no plans to leave the state soon.

It has been suggested that GenCon was either pushed to kick out the Crit Awards, or did so preemptively to avoid backlash from the state government, which would definitely include threats to the multi-year multi-million deals with the state. While GenCon is still one of the largest annual moneymaking events in Indianapolis, there are many more events scheduled to take place in the Indy Convention Center as part of a wider plan to expand the number of events in Indy. This includes the 100th anniversary meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous, as well as the National Eucharistic Conference, the first in nearly half a century.

The point is, things have clearly changed, and GenCon both is no longer inclined to protest the state government and no longer as large a player despite making more money every year due to the sheer amount of other events, meaning the state government now has more power in the relationship and can threaten GenCon with cutting funding as well as outright expulsion from the state.

The Crit awards initial statements were very vague and were understandably criticized, and their later statements go out for their way to emphasize that they are against antisemitism and antisemitic individuals were already banned under the previous rules, and they stress that they want to avoid conflating Judaism with zionism. The massive amounts of threats sent to both the Crit Awards and GenCon are unacceptable, and some have reported that it was coordinated by various online groups after reports of the Crit Awards updated rules were done by newsites.

GenCon is getting criticized for the situation, the Crit Awards are being criticized as well, people have been realizing that GenCon notably puts up less of a fight with the conservative state government which gets them criticized more, and people are both pulling out and some are even planning on attending with pins that support the Crit Awards (as GenCon can be a big financial investment and some simply can't afford to not go after buying badges and/or booths)

GenCon starts in less than a months time, August 1st through the 4th. The Crit Awards will be held virtually.

[alchemistoftheend]

Thrown Away (Case #0092302)

Pre-Statement

Statement of Kieran Woodward, regarding items recovered from the refuse of 93 Lancaster Road, Walthamstow.

Original statement given February 23, 2009.

Date of Event(s): August 8, 2008

Statement

Woodward works as a garbage collector, whose crew is comprised of David Atayah, Matthew Wilkinson, and Alan Parfitt

100s of assorted doll heads in a bag

The heads were battered, like they’ve been dragged through rough concrete

Few months later, at the start of spring there’s another weird bag

Inside was long strips of paper, with the Lord’s Prayer, the Our Father, written on it in Latin and slightly singed around the edges

The third bag, 2 weeks later, was filled with thousands of teeth🤮

“It almost felt like a ritual”🤨

The elderly could who answered the door wasn’t aware of what was in their trash

Alan got worse, more irritable and short-tempered

was fired after falling asleep behind the wheel and was replaced by Guy Wardman

On August 8, 2008, 2:09 am Woodward got a text from Alan that read “Found him”

Woodward went back to 93 Lancaster Road

There was a fourth bag, tied off with a dark green bow

Inside was polystyrene packing peanuts, and bronze or copper that had been carved into an anatomical heart, with “Alan Parfitt etched into it with “machine-like precision”

It was cold, like it just came out of a freezer

That was the last sign of Alan

He asked a friend to dispose it in a medical waste incinerator

Post-Statement/Thoughts

There’s been no more strange bags

Alan was reported as missing by his brother, Micheal on August 20, 2008

The teeth bag case was managed by Officers Suresh and Altman

The third bag contained 2780 of the same tooth, all it different states of decay

Do doll heads, Latin, and teeth

The Lord’s Prayer goes like this

Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy Name.

Thy Kingdom come.

Thy will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

The power, and the glory,

Forever and ever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer was a way for Jesus’ disciples to express their reverence towards Christ, their worship and devotion to the divine

It’s also in Latin

In ep 4, I marked this quote “Latin fell out of favour as a language for academic texts in the 18th Century. Since then it has only really used for religious texts”

Ep 4 also reference King Solomon so more religious references

This book was also singed along its edges

This is the second instance where some kind of Latin text was burnt, ep 4 being the prior

I guess teeth would be associated with The Flesh

For the dolls and Latin idk

Just looked at the Fear Wiki

If I had to guess all the fires associated with the Latin could be The Desolation and the uncanniness of the doll heads could be The Stranger?

[junkyardromeo]

I just saw an interview of a journalist calling the current period "a new American Civil War without gunshots" in the sense that it is like if there was two countries stuck together in the same governmental apparatus and that some states no longer want to live with the others. And that neither parties are helping it. I found it an interesting point of view and was wondering: Would you agree with his statement?

P.S. I translated it from French at the best of my knowledge, so I might have lost a bit of nuances, but the main ideas are there.

i agree n think that’s there’s gonna be gunshots soon. m a little drunk rn but they say booze brings out honesty so imma just be real. if they asked me to pick up a gun rn n fight for the south rn then i fuckin would. i ain’t in favor of neither political party n personally i find neither the democrats neither the republicans support what i support. if forced to back a party i’d back the right, but i don’t agree with neither of them. hell, we got a damn so called left wing president n he’s backin genocide. n i don’t fuck w that. but at my damn roots im a son of the south n id back the south in any damn war cuz you better fuckin believe i’d fight for dixie before id fight for anything else. i own a gun n while i’d use it if i have to, id rather not to, but i tell ya, if i thought dixie was in danger, i would. it ain’t no secret where my loyalties lie. there conspiracy theories sayin that we got a new civil war n florida’s gonna secede from the union. n if they did, i ain’t got no doubt that south carolina’d be next. we was first last time n aint got no doubt we’d do it again. hell, secession hall ain’t but half mile from where i am rn. n if it came to that, i’d back dixie. i got my reasons to not, but i weren’t raised to be no damn coward. if i was asked to raise a damn gun for dixie, i would. ain’t no different that 1860 whatever im too damn drunk to think of years rn im fuckin slumped over the curb rn but i know where my damn morals lie n my morals lie with dixie. if i was asked id raise a damn gun like it was the first civil war. i don’t stand for no hate or no racism but i stand for dixie. n thats til i fuckin die. sure, cali calls in the night but i belong to dixie n i will til the day i die. that say you can take the boy from the south but you can’t take the south from the boy n that’s damn true. i stand for dixie til the day i die. n if i start sayin i don’t, you can go ahead n bury me. the day i don’t stand for dixie is the day im dead. n back to your point, i do agree. dixie don’t necessarily wanna stand with the us of a because they ain’t holdin true the values we hold true. the south stands for freedom n honesty n a specific moral code that ain’t bein held up by the united states government right now. we’d rather hold our own than stand for whatever bullshit the us of a has come to stand for. this ain’t the america we know n it ain’t the america us southerners are gonna stand for. i ain’t gonna speak for no one else but i stand for the brand of new confederates that stand for freedom n life n tradition n the south. i ain’t gonna stand for no terrorism or my fuckin tax dollars goin to genocide or racism or classism or any of that shit. i stand for man as his own god n i stand for freedom n i stand for dixie. i stand for my home n i stand for this land n again, i stand for freedom n i stand for dont fuckin tread on me. amen.

[good-old-gossip]

Return of hundreds of thousands of forcibly displaced people to Gaza City and North Gaza must be secured, not used as blackmail card

Palestinian Territory - The international community must take swift and serious action to force Israel to stop committing its crime of forced displacement against the people of the Gaza Strip. Israel has forcibly displaced over 1.2 million residents of the Strip in a systematic, widespread, and repetitive manner since the start of its genocidal war on 7 October 2023.

After being forced to travel and shelter south of the Gaza Valley in recent months, thousands of people must be allowed to return to their homes in the Gaza and North Gaza governorates. This is especially important since the Israeli military attack on Rafah has effectively ended the existence of the so-called “safe zone”, which served as a relative haven for those who were forcibly displaced from various parts of the Gaza Strip and had no other place to stay.

Since the Israeli army issued the final orders for forced displacement on 6 May, more than 700,000 people have left Rafah. The forced displacement is still occurring despite extremely difficult circumstances, with families struggling to find tents large enough to house them, arrange for transportation, and pay costs associated with their evacuation.

The orders to leave Rafah come eight months into the genocide, which has destroyed most families’ sources of livelihood and left the majority of them jobless. These families have not only endured repeated forced evacuation and expulsion, but have also lost a great deal of their belongings, including the meagre food supplies they started out with.

Given the numerous Israeli threats to invade the border city, Euro-Med Monitor estimates that roughly 150,000 people were forcibly removed from Rafah in the weeks prior to the official orders of forced evacuation.

Most of these are displaced people who were forcibly evacuated from Gaza City and North Gaza last October after the Israeli army issued widespread orders for forced displacement on 13 October 2023, stating that all residents of the two governorates were subject to the following warning: “Urgent warning to residents of the Gaza Strip: Your presence north of the Gaza Valley puts your lives in danger. Anyone who refuses to flee from the northern part of the Gaza Strip to the southern part of the Gaza Valley might be linked to terrorist groups.”

Over the course of several months, the Israeli forces have taken various measures to forcefully displace more than 900 thousand Palestinians. These measures have included direct evacuation orders and the creation of a coercive environment that has resulted in a mass exodus due to Israel’s violent bombing, intimidation, storming of homes and shelter centres, and its forcing those sheltering inside to leave and travel south. Nearly 400,000 people have remained internally displaced in the Gaza City and North Gaza governorates.

Since there is no longer any area in the Strip that is even relatively safe following Israel’s invasion of Rafah and forced evacuation of its residents about two weeks ago, Israel’s argument that those displaced from Gaza City must stay in the Strip’s south for safety purposes is rendered invalid.

Due to their large numbers and lack of access to basic amenities, hundreds of thousands of displaced people have been forced to take refuge in the streets and on the coast, west of Khan Yunis and Deir al-Balah in the southern and central sections of the Strip.

According to statements made by Israeli and international media, Israel stated during the cease-fire negotiations that it was willing to return displaced people to their areas of residence in Gaza City and North Gaza. This means that, in defiance of all international legal regulations, the international community is currently permitting Israel to use the possibility of the cessation of this serious crime as a tool of negotiation and blackmail.

Forced displacement is a grave crime that is negatively impacting the lives of over a million civilians, most of whom are women and children. As it is being carried out methodically and extensively, it is considered a crime against humanity and a war crime, and is included in the crime of genocide that Israel is committing in the Gaza Strip.

After nearly eight months of Israeli aggression and forced displacement, which has left over a million people in tents and inadequate shelter centres without access to basic necessities, and in light of the end of combat operations in most residential areas in the north, their right to return home must be granted immediately.

Even though Israeli bombing and bulldozing operations have destroyed about 70% of the Strip’s residential areas, going back to their homes and living next to them is still an obligatory right that needs to be fulfilled right away. This must be supported by an international commitment to immediately provide water, basic necessities for survival, health care, and other temporary housing needs, as well as to compensate the victims for all of their losses in compliance with international law and hold Israel accountable for all of its crimes, including the crime of forced displacement.

Denying this right leaves 1.2 million forcibly displaced people homeless, without any guarantee of return, amid a lack of basic necessities or adequate shelter. Further, Israel’s closure of border crossings, plus its blocking of aid entry and cash into the Gaza Strip, amount to an Israeli decision to impose a new catastrophe on the Palestinian people and continue to cause famine and use starvation as a weapon of war in order to complete its genocide against the Palestinian people.

[godsofhumanity]

Hey, I'm the Wonder Woman anon here

So apparently Modern Wonder Woman's origin story is the product of the Adultery between Zeus and her Mother and was told she was made of clay to trick a Jealous Hera

I fucking hate re-iterations when they're terrible

I like the old versions way better:

_ Diana was made of clay and given life by possibly Aphrodite since originally Aphrodite is the Mother of all Amazonians since she crafted them out of clay. One said there was a magical liquid that gave life to the clay baby Diana

_ Diana was the result of a literal virgin birth, her Mom crafted her out of clay and Zeus gave her life by striking a lightning bolt into her clay body. See the clip here:

https://youtu.be/9ogFRUg_dGA?feature=shared

(A woman literally said Hippolyta wanted a child not created out of unholy union. Which means she wanted to have a virgin birth. I think that's a beautiful cause since childbirth is a horror to women and it also brings out the femininity of the Amazon much more profoundly, it is also my fave version of Wonder Woman's origin story)

I don't think Hera would have anything against a baby who was given life to by her husband's power,it's not like he physically cheated with a Woman again, if anything she would give the child blessings, maybe that's why Wonder Woman is said to be better in some aspects than the Olympians

But the Modern version of Wonder Woman's origin is that she's an affair child and had a faked birth story so Hera won't get jealous

This is why I prefer the old ones, they're so better and not to basic

If Hera can be someone else other than a jealous, evil wife then I think Wonder Woman shouldn't be just an "affair child", considering how she's importantly known as a sacred being, almost reaching godhood

I'm not hating illegitimate children, but I can't see Queen Hippolyta having an affair with Zeus for so many reasons, cuz it literally ruins her character and the entire ideal of the Amazonians, which is to worship all the greatness of a Woman, I don't think they view unholy affair as one of the good things they have followed and preached for centuries

Also the Amazonians greatly worshipped the Olympians, Hera and Zeus ARE the rulers of Olympians, Queen Hippolyta must be willing to shame herself till the end of time if she would do something like sleeping with the God and tricking the Goddess she so greatly worshipped. It's literally Religion 101

I'm sorry but no matter what some might say, cheating with someone's spouse is never cool or it is a feminine/manly thing, it's not okay

first of all. amen to that last statement, i 100% agree with you.

honestly though. personally, the only situation where i can see Hera not going rage-mode over WW is if Zeus actually consulted her and was like, “hey theres this cool clay model of a woman and i think if i gave her life, she’d make a great hero,, if you blessed her also she’d do a lot of good..” he has to include her in it,, king and queen of Olympus creating heroes together. because then, in a sense, WW is a champion of Hera too.

but otherwise. Hera is a very vengeful, quick to anger goddess. so i think in any other situation, even if Zeus technically didn’t “biologically” make WW, she’d still be furious with both Zeus and WW. i say this because, if you look at the myths of Dionysus and Athena, even though Zeus did actually need a woman to create at least dio and thena’s foetuses, Hera sees their births as something Zeus managed on HIS OWN. and that pisses her off a LOT since he effectively renders her sacred role as a mother redundant. it’s a huge slight to her.

i am not familiar with Queen Hippolyta’s (DC) characterisation… however, in the myths, Theseus is usually portrayed as forcing himself on Hippolyta after he defeats the Amazons and they have a son, tragic Hippolytus. so, if that means anything. i’d imagine that Hippolyta (DC), in the spirit of the treatment of her namesake in myth, must also be rejecting relationships with men too. but then again, i do not remember the lore details of the WW films, i only remember that i liked the portrayal of WW herself specifically.

[hazbinhazbinhazbinreblog]

Tomorrow the last two episodes of Hazbin s1 air and i am not emotionally nor mentally nor physically prepared for it

Pretty please let the statement about one of the main 6 dying be a lie and more Vox content amen

[indeedcaptain]

Regulatory Relations, chapter 2: Man with a Plan

Okay, I'm going full steam ahead with Fake Married!! I actually hit par for Nano for the first time since this weekend last night, so I think this is the project my brain wants to work on most. HERE WE GO, I HOPE YOU ENJOY :)

Also posted on AO3 here!

☆☆☆

Between his ready room and Spock’s door, Kirk had changed his mind four times. This was an insane idea. He couldn’t possibly marry Spock. 

But the idea of Spock serving elsewhere, for them to send padd messages back and forth every once in a while until they never spoke again, filled him with a grief that he couldn’t even put a name to. 

But this entire plot hinged on the idea that his favorite marble column impersonator would agree to marry him publicly. 

But if they got married, he would never be able to marry someone else.

He came to a halt in the middle of the hallway, forcing an annoyed ensign to swerve around him, stack of padds wobbling precariously in her arms. He stared down the familiar corridor of the Enterprise as the sheer imbalance of his feelings hit him. When he thought about Spock leaving the Enterprise to be the captain of some science ship across the galaxy from him, the barbed-wire edges of panic started to circle every thought. His chest physically ached. When he thought about giving up the possibility of marrying for love later in life, he felt nothing at all. 

Kirk started walking again. If he was being honest with himself, beneath the nothingness, he felt the barest hint of relief. Every person he had ever dated had hated playing second fiddle to his ship and his career, and it had driven every one of them away in the end. He would never have to worry about that again, because his and Spock’s priorities had, for years, been exactly in line. He spent more time with Spock than with anyone else on the ship. Honestly, him and Spock getting married almost made a certain sort of sense. 

He was wearing the treads of his shoes down in front of Spock’s door, trying to place his thoughts in order and figure out the most logical way to structure his proposition, when the door slid open. Spock in his meditation robes appeared before him, and his mouth went dry. Was he really about to propose to his best friend? 

“Captain,” Spock said. “I could hear you. Why are you pacing in front of my door in such a manner?” 

“Can I talk to you?” 

Spock’s room was warm and musky, familiar and comforting. Kirk looked around at the evidence that Spock — son of two worlds, claimed by neither — had settled in here in a way he never had anywhere else, and he squared his shoulders. When he turned back to Spock, the Vulcan was watching him with one eyebrow raised. 

“You don’t want to leave, right?”

That eyebrow arched impossibly higher. “No, captain,” Spock said eventually, and despite his flat affect Kirk could read the unhappiness beneath. “I do not want to leave.” 

“I have an idea,” he said. “It’s a little bit illogical--- maybe a lot illogical--- and it might require some acting on both of our parts. And you can say no if you don’t want to, of course. But I want you to stay, and I think it might work.” 

“I am amenable to all suggestions that would allow me to maintain my current posting,” Spock said, and the slight stress on the word ‘all’ revealed how much he meant it. 

“We’re friends, right? And we serve well together. You don’t want to leave. I don’t want you to leave.” Kirk paused to catch his breath. His heart pounded in his chest. Why was he so nervous? 

“Those are factual statements,” Spock said quietly. 

“Starfleet regulations prohibit the separation of legally married couples.” The words burst from him and hung in the smoky air between them. Spock’s eyes widened slightly. He could practically hear the hum of Spock’s brain as he processed the implications of what Kirk had said. What he was suggesting. 

“Captain,” Spock said, his voice low and guarded. “You would offer this to me?” 

“I don’t want you to go,” he repeated. 

“You would not be able to marry another unless we divorced,” Spock said. 

Kirk scoffed, only a little. “I don’t know if you noticed, Mr. Spock, but folks aren’t exactly jumping in line to marry a man who’s never home.” 

“But you would sacrifice ever having the option? To keep me here?” 

Kirk turned back to Spock’s shelves, unable to bear the weight of his burning gaze. It had seemed so simple in the hallway. Nothing had to change between them; in fact, their getting married was the only way he could ensure that things wouldn’t change between them. Spock’s intensity surprised him. He ran a finger over the smooth wood of Spock’s lyre, just to have something to do with his hands. 

“I find that I don’t really care about having the option,” he said. “If it ever comes up, we can talk about it. For you, too, if you wanted it. But right now, what matters most to me is keeping you on the Enterprise.” 

“After T’Pring and the kal-if-fee, a union of that kind will not be available to me. I am hesitant to subject you to the same condition, even if it means securing my position here.” 

Kirk turned back at the quiet desolation in his voice. Across the room from him, Spock stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his shoulder slumped as much as they ever were beneath his robes. His face was impassive, but his eyes were pinned to the ground. 

“Spock, you can’t really believe I value you less than some hypothetical partner in a future that might never happen.”

Spock’s eyes flashed up to meet his. “Do not think that I would ever doubt our friendship, captain. I simply doubt that you will not miss romantic companionship as the years pass.”

Sometimes Kirk really fucking hated his younger self for the recklessness with which he had loved and left. “If that happens, and that’s a pretty big if, we can talk about it then. But for now, and for the rest of my career if we’re being honest, you being around means more to me than any fling ever could.” His stomach sank as he reconsidered Spock’s opposition. “Spock, if you don’t think this is a good idea, or you don’t want to, we just won’t. It’ll be fine.” He wiped a hand across his mouth and turned his head back to the shelves so he wouldn’t have to watch Spock say that he would rather leave than agree to marry him. But Spock unclasped his hands from behind himself and approached him slowly, with a look on his face akin to curiosity. 

He stood at Kirk's shoulder and considered the contents of his shelves with him. Then he said quietly, “You always surprise me, Jim.” The sound of his own name shocked Kirk into turning to look back at him. 

“I did not mean to imply that I was ungrateful for the offer, or that I did not want to attempt this… ruse. But I also needed to know that it would not cause you immediate distress.” 

“Honestly, the prospect of you leaving causes me more distress than the consequences of getting fake-married do.” Kirk leaned slightly sideways to bump his shoulder against Spock’s. Spock hummed slightly, deep in thought.

“If you are certain, captain, I would be deeply grateful. I have found that I very much do not wish to leave.” Spock touched one long finger to a sculpture that Uhura had given him previously.

“Then don’t,” Kirk said. “Let’s get married.” 

Spock walked him to the door, but held his gaze as he turned to leave. “Thank you, captain,” he said. “I do not take this lightly.” 

“You’re welcome, Mr. Spock,” Kirk said, and he couldn’t help but smile at him. “Breakfast in the morning? I believe we have a lot to discuss.” Spock agreed, and said goodnight, and when he disappeared behind the turbodoor Kirk pressed his hands to his face and leaned against the bulkhead until he could wrangle his cheek-splitting smile into something a little more dignified.

Then he walked the ten steps to his quarters, mind whirling, and sat at his desk with a padd for the next three hours, planning how exactly they were going to convince the rest of the crew that they were a couple.

☆☆☆

Spock was waiting next to Kirk’s door when he opened it the next morning, dressed sharply in his science blues. They fell into lockstep as they walked to the mess. 

“Changed your mind, Mr. Spock?”

“No, captain.” 

“Good. I’ve got plans to share with you.” 

Over two cups of tea for Spock, three of coffee for Kirk, and a disjointed breakfast spread of replicated options, Kirk laid out his strategy for how they were going to convince the rest of the crew, and from there the admiralty, that they were wedded partners. Step one was physical contact. 

“You already frequently touch my person,” Spock said, sipping his tea. Kirk grinned. 

“Great! I already have a reputation for being in your space more than other people. Now we can just do it on purpose.” 

“Are you implying that your current level of physical contact with me is unintentional?” 

Ignoring Spock’s pointed and disbelieving eyebrow raise, Kirk continued. Step two was pet names. 

“We do not have pets.” 

“Not yet, anyway. And it’s a human expression. A pet name is a term of endearment. What does your mother call your father?” 

“Sarek,” Spock said bluntly. “We cannot have pets on the ship.” 

“Come on, a cat or something would be cute. Really? She never calls him honey or sweetheart or something?” 

“I urge you to remember the tribbles, captain.” But then Spock pursed his lips before saying, “Ashayam.” Kirk did his best to type it phonetically on his padd. 

“And what does that mean?” 

“Beloved,” Spock said after a beat, so gently that Kirk looked up at him in surprise. Spock looked away from him to stab a piece of fruit with a fork. 

“I had a hunch that Vulcans were secret romantics,” Kirk said, and underlined the word. “Do you have a preference for what I’ll call you?”

“No,” Spock said. 

“Careful. If you don’t choose something I’ll choose it for you.” 

“As you wish, captain,” Spock said. 

“That’s another thing. You’re going to have to call me Jim sometimes.” 

“I do call you Jim.” 

“In public.” 

Kirk laughed out loud at Spock’s expression of dismay. Step three was allowing the crew to see how much time they actually spent together. 

“I do not understand. We share most meals, work together, and frequently play chess in each others’ quarters. What else is necessary to convince the crew?” Spock’s second cup of tea was cooling on the table in front of him, and he rotated it in his hands.

“They know it, but they don’t see it.” 

“Clarify.” 

“Sure, they see us spend time together, but they just assume we’re friends. And we are, of course, but now we need to draw their attention to it so that they think something else is going on.” 

“You intend to intentionally provoke the human propensity for gossip.” 

“I sure do,” Jim said cheerfully. “As bridge crew, we’re hot topics most of the time. If two of us were to accidentally let it slip that we’d been secretly dating for years, it would spread like wildfire.” 

If Spock were less controlled, Kirk thought that he’d be rolling his eyes at him. As it was, he sighed quietly through his nose and took a sip of tea. Kirk drained his own coffee and slid it to the side.

“Then, after the groundwork is laid, we’ll announce our wedding.” 

“You desire an official wedding?” 

“Yes,” Kirk said, affronted. “We’re going to have to submit the paperwork regardless. At least if we have a wedding we’ll have a reason to throw a party.” 

“Fascinating,” Spock said, in a tone that implied that he would rather walk out an airlock. 

“It’ll be fun, it will be good for morale and therefore performance, and it will ensure that the whole crew bears witness to us being genuinely married. Perfectly logical.” 

“As you say, captain,” Spock said. Then he paused, brown eyes scanning Kirk, before saying, “I understand that human beings do not like to keep secrets from their closest friends.” 

“There are caveats, but that’s mostly true,” Kirk said. “Why do you bring it up?” 

“I believe it would be beneficial to you to inform Dr. McCoy of the truth,” Spock said. He watched Kirk over the rim of his teacup. A little knot of worry that Kirk had been ignoring resolved in his stomach. 

“It would be,” Kirk said immediately. “I do want to tell Bones. Do you want someone to tell?” 

Spock considered, as Kirk continued to type ideas on his padd, before saying, “I would like to tell Nyota the truth.” 

“Oh, that’s perfect!”

“Indeed?”

“She knows everything that goes on on this ship,” Kirk said. “She can help us keep track of if people are convinced or not.” 

“It seems you have considered every strategic angle,” Spock said, and held his hand out. Kirk stared at it--- the smooth, dry palm with its faint green lines, the long fingers--- and then back up at Spock. 

“I thought holding hands was highly intimate for Vulcans,” he said, a little shocked. 

“Your padd, captain.” 

Immediately relieved and slightly embarrassed, he handed it over. Spock flipped it around to look at his charts and notes, and Kirk was gratified by the impressed eyebrow twitch. 

“You would have made a formidable politician, captain. Or perhaps a novelist.” 

“Then it’s settled,” Kirk said, and with his padd out of the way pulled a now-cold breakfast sandwich towards him. “We’ll tell Uhura and Bones, we’ll start to flirt and be a couple in public, and then we’ll get married.” 

“And then we will submit the paperwork.” 

“Sure, baby, whatever you want.” 

Spock’s indignant expression at being called ‘baby’ was worth almost choking on his breakfast.