#commerce assignment help

[kellelkallel]

hrmm does anybody have advice for a commerce assignment 😋😋

I'm gonna fail commerce guys it's due next week and I've barely written like 1/6 of it 😭 oh well I wasn't planning on becoming an investment banker anyways and it was a better option than geography 🫰

It's on competitive advantage and innovation?

[sarah-scara]

Cold Sloan Creamery

A charming cutie steals your attention at your boring coffee-shop job. Turns out they've got a food service gig as well - a much sweeter one. Modern AU.

Another experiment I did with first-person stuff. Sex is alluded to but not present. Word count: 2253. Enjoy!

Five A.M. Entirely too early to be doing anything, let alone having to drag myself into work for another day; yet here I was, miserably reading the back of a shampoo bottle in the shower. Mornings like this, I would idly wonder if it was worth quitting my job. Technically, I could probably survive college without it if I took out more loans. There were benefits to working at a coffee shop as well. I just had to push through it.

I turned off the water and grabbed a towel. Working on campus was pleasant at least, even on the weekends it felt like I was part of a community. I had a few regulars I knew and enjoyed talking to. I was hyping myself up as I dried myself off, hoping to make the day a little less miserable. It worked slightly, as I was at least able to muster up the energy to get ready and make it there.

The lights were already on, and I mumbled “good morning”s to my coworkers as I kept preparing myself mentally for the day ahead. I made myself a small coffee - one of the perks of the job was a free drink per shift, and I needed it now - and drank it entirely too quickly for something that hot. With that, I was finally ready to start the drudgery of commerce. It was Saturday, so there was no rush of people coming to class, but there were still a few customers. Just get into the groove, it’ll be fine. I thought to myself.

I was able to dissociate and lose myself in filling orders and making drinks, and by the time I looked at the clock again I had made it to eleven. Not too bad so far, just a few hours to go. The next customer came up, looking a bit frazzled, and I couldn’t help but notice how cute they were. Cute brown hair, an eyebrow piercing, a dazzling smile - they had it all. And they would have their caramel latte with extra whipped cream they ordered in that beautiful high-energy voice.

They took their drink and sat themselves on one of our tables, pulling out a laptop festooned with stickers. A few pride stickers, including a nonbinary flag in a cute heart, as well as a litany of representations of historic places. A column from the Parthenon, a pyramid from Giza… this was clearly someone who was well versed in the wonders of the world. Exploring sounded nice right about now, trapped in work. At least it was lunchtime. Maybe I should talk to them? No, that was weird. I took another small coffee - one small coffee plus another still added up to one free drink, right? - and sat down at a table near enough to the mysterious cutie without being so close that I’d be anxious. It didn’t work. I was still anxious, hearing them tap-tap-tap away at their keyboard. I hadn’t had an infatuation this powerful or instant in a long time, and it had me sweating.

“Howdy!” They’d directed their attention to me. I was careful not to get my hopes up, but there was an outside shot that this was my chance. “That latte was really good. You seemed kinda down so I figured I’d uh, swing by?” They had taken their laptop over to my table, and were smiling that adorable chipped smile at me again. 

“Oh, thank you.” I said. Don’t fumble now, I thought to myself. “I was just thinking about an assignment I have due next week.”

They nodded. “Ugh, I feel that. I was actually working on a paper about the classical structures of Rome, which I love, but the writing still gets to me.”

“That sounds unique. What degree is that for?”

Their eyes lit up and they started to ramble a bit. “Archaeology! It’s been one of my favorite topics… well, my whole life! It’s been so fun to study. Still not into the writing though.” They sighed. “I wish I could get out of the classroom and out into the field, but digsites won’t take you without the degree. Lame.”

“Where are you hoping to get to work at once you get the degree?”

They paused for a moment in thought, then continued with their mile-a-minute responses. “I mean my favorite place in the whole world is Cairo, and I’d love to get to find an undiscovered part of the Pyramids, but I worry that staying in one place will mean I miss out on all the other places I could explore! I guess my answer is that I want to travel a lot? It would certainly be better than now, where the farthest I travel is from my dorm to the gym.”

Their figure did look as if they were into working out - not too much, but they certainly looked like an arm wrestling contest with them would not be particularly close. Hot. Averting my eyes, I checked my watch. Three minutes left on my lunch break. “Well, I’ve gotta get back to work. It was really nice talking to you…” I realized I hadn’t got their name.

They realized too. “I’m Sloan! Nice to meet you too! Hopefully I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah! Best of luck on your paper. When in Rome and all that.”

They stuck their tongue out playfully as they packed up their laptop, and left with a wave. I spent the rest of my shift hoping I’d see them again soon. That said, I think I was the only one who was going to drink two coffees in one day, so I guess it’d have to wait…

---

Two P.M. I was finally free from my job for the day. Most of the time, I only worked weekends, so in a way I was already halfway through the week. Despite this, I was still willing to spend a bit to get myself a little treat. A new ice cream shop had opened near campus, and it did sound relaxing to get a cone and relax in the courtyard in the summer sun. 

A small bell rang on the door as I entered, and I heard a surprisingly familiar voice greet me. “Welcome to Lindholm’s Ice Cream, where sweet treats are always…” They trailed off. “It’s you! Hello!” Sloan was there, on the job, dressed in a cute but admittedly somewhat tacky red and white striped outfit adorned with a hat and bowtie.

“You work here? I promise this is a coincidence.” I said sheepishly.

“Aw shucks, I mean you’re allowed to come visit just for me.” They said with a grin. “What can I get ya?”

“Oh, um…” My order was suddenly gone from my mind, lost in their eyes. “Whatever you recommend? Dealer’s choice.”

“Not something I hear often, but I can dig that.” They said, getting a scoop out and taking a hunk of pink dessert. “This one’s a simple combination I like. Strawberry and vanilla.”

“That sounds good. Thanks!” As they took the second scoop and placed it into a cone, I took the treat. “Is it alright if I hang out here? I’m not sure how busy you guys get.”

“Of course you can! As for business…” They put their hands on their cheeks in exaggerated disappointment. “You’re the first customer we’ve had today. I don’t know if the owner doesn’t do any advertising or what, but it gets pretty boring.” They perked back up a bit. “I still get paid the same either way, so I guess it doesn’t matter.”

“So how long have you worked here?” I asked, taking a spoonful of ice cream. The strawberry flavor was really refreshing after today.

“Like a month. It’s honestly not that bad. Nobody comes in, so I’m not bothered. Plus, they let me mess around with my own uniform for, uh, gender reasons. Let me wear this snazzy bowtie.” They stepped out from behind the counter with their own ice cream and sat down across from me.

“This is good! My compliments to the scooper.”

“‘Course! My taste is always good.”

---

The next few weeks, stopping by the ice cream shop on days when Sloan was working became something of a ritual. It was always nice to give them some company, chat about what was going on in our respective classes, and just… soak in their energy. Their bright smile, their cheery laugh, even down to their regularly changing nail polish, they just exuded positivity and light. Soon, they started coming to get more coffee more regularly, and we spent my breaks there talking as well. It turned my feelings on work around to know I’d get to see Sloan around midway through the day.

It was about a month before during one of our conversations over ice cream that I noticed Sloan was acting kind of strangely. Their eyes wouldn’t quite meet mine, their hands trembled a bit as they served out our desserts, and they nervously tapped their fingers on their side. They sat down across from me, eyes staring straight at their ice cream. There was no one else in the store, as usual - I’d seen maybe two other customers in the last month. 

“You okay, Sloan?”

“Yeah. Yeah!” Their downward gaze still didn’t change. They muttered under their breath. “¡Demonios!”

“If something’s bothering you, I’m happy to listen. Professor being a jerk again? Argument with someone?”

“No, no. Nothing like that.” They breathed in deeply. “Could you come with me to the back for a second?”

“I know I come in here a lot, but I don’t actually work here.” I said with a laugh.

“It’s fine, nobody else will come in anyway.” They grabbed my hand and practically dragged me to the storeroom in the back.

“Did you need me to like, do inventory?” I said, befuddled.

“Will you go out with me?” They said, finally meeting my gaze. “I know this is sudden, but I just can’t stop thinking about you.”

I stood stunned for a moment, overwhelmed by what had just happened.

“This was a bad idea. I knew it. I’m sorry. I don’t want to cause trouble-”

“Of course, Sloan!” I interrupted. “I’d love to, I just - I’ve thought about this for so long, ever since we first met. I was just afraid to ask too.”

Sloan smiled, a big grin showing off their chipped tooth, and pulled me into a hug. “Thank you. Thank you so much!” They mumbled into my shoulder. It was so comforting, their frame wrapped around me, the warmth of their body making the momentary anxiety fade away, their eyebrow piercing shining in the light, their goofy paper hat sliding off as they leaned into me.

“Do we need to go back out front? I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

“Nobody’s going to show up, and I want to go further. I need you.” They cupped my face in their hands.

“Okay. Take the lead then.”

Sloan took a moment to summon their usual optimism and courage, freeing themselves from their earlier fear; then, they pulled my face in for a kiss. Their lips gave in to mine with ease, and I melted into their embrace. I could taste a hint of sweetness on them. They reached an arm around me and gently lifted me, letting me fall deeper in. This was bliss. My tongue met theirs and my mind started to go blank. The rest of the world seemed to fade out; I was focused on them exclusively.

After an amount of time - I couldn’t tell how much - we pulled apart a bit, still in an embrace but not quite as close. “Still doing good?” Sloan panted out.

“So good.” I said. “If you want to go farther I’m willing.”

Sloan thought for a second, then shook their head. “Not here. That’ll have to wait for after my shift. I don’t want to get THAT much in trouble with my boss.”

I laughed, managing to get to my feet. They did as well, and I helped them smooth out their uniform to try to hide the evidence of our little escapade. Their hair was well mussed from my hands grasping through it, so I attempted to fix it. With a few brushes of my hand in a more orderly fashion, it almost worked. 

Sloan took out their phone to look at themselves. They laughed too. “Sloan Cameron, back in action, baby!” They mimed finger guns at me.

Clutching my heart in faux pain, I blew them a kiss and headed back out to the front. Just as they predicted, the ice cream shop was barren. “Looks like your job’s safe, Sloan.”

“Of course! You didn’t doubt me, did you?” They said. 

As the flood of emotions faded from me, I suddenly started to notice one thing that I can’t believe I hadn’t up until now. I was freezing. “How cold is it back there?” I said, starting to shiver.

“It’s an ice cream freezer! I’m just used to it.” They said with a smirk. “I’ve got an idea, though…” They threw their jacket at me. “Just bring it back to me later! I just keep it here just in case, I’m not using it much anyway. It’s hot out.” Grabbing a scrap of paper, they quickly scrawled in messy handwriting a note and handed it to me. It was their dorm room, their phone number, and a heart. “See you soon!”

[democracyunderground]

GOODBYE VOTE BY MAIL

"Louis DeJoy has resigned from his role as Postmaster General of the U.S. Postal Service, according to a source familiar with the matter. He told the USPS Board of Governors on Monday that it would be his last day on the job, naming Deputy Postmaster General Doug Tulino as his replacement until the Board names a permanent successor. Shortly after this story’s publication, DeJoy released a statement confirming his resignation.

His sudden departure comes after he struck an agreement earlier this month to allow Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency inside the USPS to cut costs and remove bureaucratic red tape. DeJoy’s allies fear that his absence will leave the agency vulnerable to a dramatic and disruptive takeover by the Trump Administration. Both President Donald Trump and Musk have recently floated ideas to reshape the beloved institution, such as privatizing the Post Office or folding it into the Commerce Department. “It’s been just a tremendous loser for this country,” Trump said."

In a letter to the agency’s 640,000 employees, DeJoy, 67, expressed confidence that Tulino and the organization could continue steering the USPS toward financial sustainability, saying “the entirety of the Postal Service will aggressively shape its future and become more efficient, capable, and competitive as it continuously changes and improves to best serve the American public.”

Since taking the helm in 2020, DeJoy launched a 10-year plan to remake the USPS and save it from insolvency. He built new processing centers and modernized the delivery network. He renegotiated contracts for air and ground transportation to eliminate billions in expenses. Most consequentially, he shepherded major legislation through Congress to rescind a 2006 law requiring the Postal Service to prepay the next 50 years of health and retirement benefits for its entire workforce—a rule no other federal agency was forced to follow. Those changes have been starting to bear fruit. In the final quarter of 2024, the USPS made $144 million, its first profitable period in years.

Still, DeJoy was always planning to step aside this year. Last month, he told the Board to start looking for a successor, ending a five-year tenure running the agency through a pandemic, three elections that relied heavily on mail voting, and his logistical overhaul. But he originally planned to stay in the position for several more months, helping the USPS transition to a new leader.

A source familiar with the matter tells TIME that DeJoy had clashed in recent days with DOGE representatives assigned to the Postal Service, whom he tasked with reviewing the agency’s structural problems that he ascribed to a law passed in the 1970s. Musk’s lieutenants wanted more control over the USPS than DeJoy was willing to allow, a source familiar with the matter says. DOGE officials complained that DeJoy was “uncooperative.” Some suspect that DeJoy stepped aside to prevent a larger conflagration.

For DeJoy, it’s a somber end to his government career. After making a fortune building a logistics firm worth more than $600 million, he became a GOP megadonor and helped to raise millions for Trump. He was set to serve as the official host of the 2020 Republican National Convention until the USPS Board asked him to become Postmaster General. Taking over in the thick of COVID-19, he initially struggled to transition from life as a corporate executive to a high-level bureaucrat. But, by his own admission, he grew to love the job and the arduous project of trying to rescue the agency from existential threats, even as Democrats and Republicans alike called for his removal. On his watch, the USPS struggled with on-time delivery and meeting its own service standards. But when the Postal Service turned a profit for the first time in years, it was a sign that his plan might be working for the only delivery service that reaches every American in every corner of the country. Yet for all his turnaround efforts—and his history as a Trump backer—it was not enough to withstand Trump’s war on Washington.

Now, he will be leaving the agency unsure of what will follow him. “It has been one of the pleasures of my life and a crowning achievement of my career to have been associated with this cherished institution,” he wrote to his colleagues on Monday, “the United States Postal Service.

A PURGE IS COMING

[patriunicornio]

Angels and Divine Messengers and Protectors🪽

The concept of angels, or divine messengers or protectors, appears across a multitude of cultures and religions. Reflecting beliefs about guardianship and strength through history, these beings carry our stories, our prayers and our fears into the skies. From ancient temples to modern cathedrals, something in us has always looked upward, hoping there’s someone, or something, watching out for us.

In Greek and Roman mythology these creatures were called angelos, which means “messenger” in Greek. These divine creatures functioned similarly to angels by delivering messages between gods and humans. Hermes is one of the best examples. He was the Greek god of communication, commerce and travel, often depicted with winged sandals and caduceus (staff). He functioned as a messenger between the gods and humans. Other creatures similar to angels are daimones, sprirituals beings that acted as protectors or guides that weren’t gods or demons, but mediators between humans and the divine. And genius, that was a divine spirit that accompanied every man, while juno did so for women. These spirits were connected to the individual’s well-being and personal fate.

In Christianity, angels are messengers of God who carry out divine will. They protect, guide and serve humans in various ways. Gabriel is one of the most important archangels in Christianity. He delivered important messages, like announcing the birth of Jesus. Angels in Christianity are guiding souls that carry out God’s orders.

In Islam, angels are spiritual beings created from light, who do not have free will but are perfectly obedient to Allah. Jibril (Gabriel in Christianity) is the most importan angel, delivering Gods revelations, such as the Quran to Prophet Muhammad. Also in Islam, two angels are assigned to each person recording their every action, good or bad. These records are presented on the Day of Judgment affecting one’s fate. While angels in Islam are not seen by humans, their presence is essential in guiding, protecting and recording human actions.

In Zoroastrianism, the Amesha Spentas are divine immortals who serve the supreme god Ahura Mazda. They embody divine attributes such as truth, righteousness and creation, helping to maintain the balance of the world. These beings are seen as spiritual protectors, guiding humans to live virtuous lifestyles. Similar to angels, the Amesha Spentas act as protectors and helpers, assisting humanity in its pursuit of goodness.

In Hinduism, Devas are celestial beings associated with natural forces and cosmic order. They are not “angels” in the strict sense of the word, but share similarities like protecting, guiding and blessing humans. They maintain balance in the universe, often intervening to help people live virtuous lives. Each Deva governs a specific aspect of life, such as health, wealth and wisdom. In some tradition, individuals pray to particular Devas or divine figures for protection and guidance, much like invoking guardian angels.

In Buddhism, particularly in the Mahayana tradition, celestial beings known as Devas live in heavenly realms, often representing forces of compassion, wisdom and protection. Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who remain in the world to help others achieve enlightenment, acting as guides and protectors. Additionally, some Buddhist deities, known as a wrathful deities, appear fierce, but their anger is focused on protecting the Dharma and guiding individuals along the spiritual path.

In Norse mythology, Valkyries are winged women who choose which warriors die in the battle and escort them to Valhalla. They act as divine protectors of those who show valor in the battle. Unlike the traditional protective angels, Valkyries are fierce warriors who ensure that only the bravest souls enter Valhalla to prepare for Ragnarök (the end of the world). They carry the worthy to the afterlife, acting as spirituals guardians for those who fight with honor.

Many indigenous cultures around the world believe in spiritual beings that guide and protect individuals, often through the natural world or ancestors. In Native American beliefs, spirits animals, ancestors and nature spirits serve protective roles, deeply linked to the land and natural cycles. Similarly, in Aboriginal Australian culture, ancestral spirits are believed to have shaped the land and continue to protect it, guiding people through life’s challenges and helping them stay connected to both the earth and the divine.

In various African cultures, spiritual beings similar to angels serve as protectors and guides, though the identities and roles of these beings vary across regions. In East Africa, for example, the Kikuyu people believe in guardian spirits that protect individuals and communities, often linked to ancestral linage. Similarly, in South Africa, the Zulu and Xhosa cultures honor Amadlozi, ancestral spirits who guide and protect through rituals and ceremonies. In West Africa, among the Yoruba, there are spiritual beings known as Orisha, who serve as intermediaries between the divine and humanity, offering guidance and protection. These beliefs illustrate how different African cultures view spiritual beings as guardians, each with their unique practices and identities, yet all emphasizing in protection, guidance and the deep connection to the ancestors.

In conclusion, the concept of angels and divine messengers is common across many cultures, each with their own interpretation of these spiritual beings. From Greek daimones to Amesha Spentas in Zoroastrianism, Gabriel in Christianity, and Jibril in Islam, these beings serve as guardians, guides and protectors. The similarities across religions highlight humanity’s universal desire of protection and connection to something greater that themselves. Whether through ancestral spirits, celestial beings or divine intermediaries, these figures continue to play a central role in shaping the spiritual practices and worldviews of cultures worldwide.

If want to learn more about the topic:

Greek and Roman mythology

Detailed information on Greek gods and mythology

Information about Hermes

Christianity

Biblical reference to angles, including Gabriel

Archangels

Islam

Angels in Islam

Article about angels in Islam

Zoroastrianism

Encyclopedia entry on Amesha Spentas and their function

A scholarly approach to Zoroastrian belief and practices

Hinduism

An explanation of Devas in Hinduism

Buddhism

Information on Bodhisattvas and their role

Details on Buddhist celestial beings

Norse Mythology

Valkyries and their role in the afterlife

Encyclopedia entry on Valkyries

Indigenous Beliefs

Native American Religious and Cultural Freedom

Ancestral spirits in Aboriginal Australian culture

African Sprituality

Detailed exploration of guardian spirits and their roles in East Africa myths

Information on Amadlozi spirits and ancestral worship in South Africa

Orisha and their role in West African Yoruba culture

Henry Ossawa Tanner, Angels Appearing before the Shepherds

MUSIC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THIS WEEK

Music To Watch Boys To by Lana del Rey

Bel Air by Lana del Rey

Angel by Madonna

Negro Swam (2018) by Blood Orange

Genesis by Grimes

Suite bergamasque, CD 82, L. 75: III. Clair de lune by Moura Lympany y Claude Debussy

🪽🌟

[gingermintpepper]

SO BASICALLY,

The general concept is that Hyacinthus, the (secret) sixth prince of Laconia is sent to Olympia to help out after the catastrophic earthquake that's completely paralysed the town. He gets there, he's given his land and he finds this cool statue of his Very Handsome Man on his land and would you look at that, the Very Handsome Statue is talking to him and introduced himself as Apollo, how nice-!

In short, it's something of a domestic mystery - much like in Fields of Mistria itself, the earthquake has awakened old magic in Olympia once more due to interfering with the seals far below the earth. Hyacinthus, motivated to help Apollo get his lost memories back and for the good of the town, traverses down the mines so he can break the seals and, in the process, maybe un-statue the really hot guy that's sharing this farmland with him.

Below the cut I'll put the list of the characters I assigned to the townspeople if you're interested <33

Farmer → Hyacinthus

Sent by the Adventurer’s Guild to help repair Olympia. Is the only one that can hear the voice of the Radiant from the statue on his farm. Sixth prince of Laconia, still in contact with his family, wanted to help his people after the disaster. 

Caldarus → Apollo

A God of old Olympia, used to be widely worshipped but is now sealed away deep under the earth. Has lost most of his memories along with much of his power but has recently reawakened due to a disaster which disrupted his seals. Can only communicate to Hyacinthus through the statue on his farm.  

Balor → Hermes

A prolific merchant who excels at delivering quality goods in unorthodox places. Took a special interest in Olympia after the disaster and remained the town’s sole contact to the outside world in the wake of their bridge collapsing. Always smiling and extremely mysterious - he has suspiciously low prices despite the danger of his work. 

Nora → Demeter

Head of Olympia’s Chamber of Commerce and co-owner of the General Store in town. Works closely with both Hermes and Hektor to keep the town running smoothly as well as coordinate the restoration of Olympia after the disaster. 

Holt → Triptolemus 

Co-owner of the General Store and Demeter’s life partner. Extremely reliable but a bit lost without Demeter’s instructions, he’s extremely skilled at cultivating crops and is responsible for stocking the general store with seasonal seeds and saplings. Strictly vegetarian.

Celine → Persephone

Demeter’s daughter and an avid lover of flowers. Constantly busy with the beautification of Olympia when she’s not researching the rare and mythical flora of Olympia’s past. She handles stocking the general store with seasonal flower seeds and furniture. Is in a secret relationship with Hades, one of the merchants from out of town.

Dell → Pelops

Demeter’s ward and a greatly troubled child. Rambunctious with a very vivid imagination, he has big dreams of returning to the capital and taking his rightful place as a Duke. Due to the remote nature of Olympia, it is the perfect place for him to be hidden away from his father’s madness and, luckily, no one in Olympia takes his tales seriously. Demeter worries about him endlessly.

Eiland → Cassandra

The younger child of the Baron and Baroness of Olympia, she is greatly concerned with the history and architecture of Olympia. Extremely perceptive and always on the lookout for more hints about Olympia’s buried past. Founded the History Society so she could more effectively research her current obsession, the scattered steles of a long dead god.

Adeline → Hektor

The elder child of the Baron and Baroness of Olympia, after the disaster struck he dedicated himself to restoring Olympia at all costs. He truly believes in the people and potential of this town and though he has never been particularly superstitious, he has found himself more inclined to pray and pay attention to natural omens since starting this project. He personally dedicates himself to working alongside Hyacinthus for the sake of restoring Olympia to its former glory. 

Elsie → Paris

Older relative of the Baron and a Count, he agreed to look after Hektor and Cassandra in Olympia while their parents were away. Seems to prefer Olympia’s quieter countryside but always has a story or two to tell about his exploits in the Capital. Seems especially fond of a particular man and woman he left behind in favour of coming to live with the Baron and his family.

Juniper → Penthesilea

A foreign woman who has not entirely settled into Olympia. Runs the bathhouse and gym and spends a lot of time on the Eastern Road. Is especially interested in the seals and inscriptions scattered around Olympia but staunchly refuses to join the History Society. Apparently, she is not very fond of Orpheus. 

Valen → Orpheus

The extremely skilled but extremely reserved town doctor. He has a clinic in the town centre and mostly keeps to himself, though he is especially fond of flowers and trees. Doesn’t speak much and instead prefers to write his thoughts down or communicate with sign language. Wears a wedding ring but notably, lives alone.  

Olric → Zephyrus

The older of the blacksmithing duo, a gentle man with a big heart. Part of the History Society and very enthusiastic about life, he was part of a skilled band of adventurers called the ‘Anemoi’ before eventually retiring and moving to Olympia. Spends a lot of his time on high hills and summits and can speak the language of flowers. Is good friends with Persephone.

March → Dionysus

The younger of the blacksmithing duo and undoubtedly the more skilled craftsman of the two, has been working extremely hard to help put the town to rights after the disaster and is a bit on edge because of it. Super welcoming and friendly but also somewhat unsettling due to his intensity, doesn’t actually care much about smithing and would much rather spend his days making wine casks and custom drinking cups.

Hemlock → Asclepius

Co-owner of the Sleeping Eclipse Inn and the town doctor before Orpheus moved in. He’s an anchor of the town and the inn is Olympia’s beating heart. Extremely well-read and a skilled luthier he helps wherever he can. Due to some difficulties with his health after the disaster, his family has been forcing him to take it easy. Cries every time he hears Orpheus sing.

Josephine → Epione

Co-owner of the Sleeping Eclipse Inn and the town veterinarian. She’s a powerful woman, the second tallest person in Olympia and very intimidating on first glance because of it. Despite this, she is extremely gentle-natured and always has a smile for those who enter her doors, works closely with Aristaeus to ensure the town’s internal supply of animal produce isn’t threatened, especially after the massive losses taken after the disaster. Was a ranger before she met Asclepius and still has her horse, Miel.

Reina → Iaso

Eldest child of Asclepius and Epione, was educated in the Capital but came home in a huff due to a major blowout with her boss at the hospital she worked at. Currently studying the healing power of food and cooking and works as the Sleeping Eclipse’s chef while she does her research. Is extremely concerned about her father’s health but refuses to let it show.  

Luc → Machaon

Middle child of Asclepius and Epione, he is determined to become a surgeon and surpass his father’s legend. Very smart young lad and one of the few people in town who completely believes Pelops’ stories, he loves small animals like insects and birds and often tries to nurse any small injured creature he can find back to health. Is fascinated by Pelops’ shoulder prosthetic and hopes to one day be able to make such a difference for someone else.

Maple → Hygeia

Youngest child of Asclepius and Epione, is a  twin but her sister died shortly after being born. Despite never knowing her sister, Hygeia struggles with a deep sense of loneliness and grief that has only recently started to ease with the help of the townspeople. Adores Orpheus and often spends the day shadowing him in the hopes of hearing him sing or play his lute. She is the only one Orpheus talks to about his dead wife.

Ryis → Thamyris

A carpenter who studied music in the Capital, came to Olympia shortly before the disaster at his friend’s request and was trapped after the bridge collapsed. Has a bit of a poor attitude due to once having big dreams of becoming a famous bard but is now too attached to Olympia to leave, no matter how much he grumbles about its backwater nature. Is convinced there’s something singing in the mines but is completely useless with a sword. 

Landen → Hippolytus

Owner of the Red-tailed Stag House of Carpentry (or the Stag House for short) and a very good friend of Thamyris. He gave up on urban life a long time ago and is dedicated to living in oneness and harmony with nature. Strictly vegetarian and kind of a stickler for his views being respected, he’s been on edge since the disaster since there’s been a massive change in the lands of Olympia. Most of the townspeople don’t take him seriously, but Penthesilea seems to think of him as a kindred spirit. He doesn’t work on the 6th or 16th of every month.  

Errol → Eros

Museum Curator, ex-adventurer and all around incredibly offputting guy, despite his open nature and pretty face, Eros seems to know everything about everything yet is unwilling to share that information with the rest of the town. His only delight seems to be the History Society and he is extremely pleased that Hyacinthus has decided to collect old artefacts and explore the mines. Apart from Cassandra, Eros is the only one that acknowledges the statue on Hyacinthus’ farm and occasionally passes by just to stare at it.  

Hayden → Aristaeus

Owner of Sweetwind Farm and the only other farmer in Olympia, Aristaeus has deep roots in this town and his family has lived and farmed here for generations. Skilled with animals and is extremely handy with preserving food, pressing olives into oil and keeping bees, he has almost single-handedly kept the town fed during the worst of the shortages brought on by the disaster despite the losses to his animals. Has a deep aversion to dogs and wishing stars. Seems to know a few things about Olympia’s history that no one else does but isn’t exactly eager to talk about it.

Terithia → Medea

A beautiful woman who lives alone on the beach. Has lived a long and eventful life and refers to Olympia as her ‘jail-cell’, her ‘gilded cage’ and her ‘death-house’ based on her mood. Much like Eros, she seems to know many things but is not inclined to let anyone else know, but unlike Eros, she very openly spins exciting tales of her youth when she was a court sorceress and princess. Though she doesn’t do much magic these days, she still has the knowledge and is always willing to decode some arcane knowledge for a price. 

Obviously there are a lot of liberties taken for the sake of the AU but that's the broad strokes of it. Thanks for asking about it @gotstabbedbyapen !!

[ambiguouspuzuma]

Children of the Sword

It was one of those rivers that was deeper than it was wide, and deceptively so - the churning waters reflected mild grey skies above, but lay slick over dark caverns underneath. There were stories, the sort of cautionary tale that every child has drummed into their nightmares: bathers who'd been scrubbed clear of existence. Children who'd played too close to the banks. Ramblers who had tried to ford a crossing, and been snatched away before they could scream for help.

They called it the Sword, for obvious reasons: silver, narrow, deadly. It ran sharpest in the spring, reinforced by glacial meltwaters from the mountains upstream. Latha knew well to keep her distance. She'd heard those same stories, and had no wish to join that list of fools who'd fallen for the river's charms; it looked shallow where it was deep, and calm where it was furious. It was the shroud over a grave, a mausoleum of hungry crevasses, and few of those taken even had their bones returned to bury somewhere else.

But her people had grown comfortable, living on its edge. The Sword ran through the valley, straight and true, and they were grateful for it. Latha's forebears had imagined it had fallen from the heavens, a silver blade to cleave the land in two, carving their sanctuary between the hills - and sanctuary it was, for no army climbed the Eastern slopes, and none saw fit to descend from the West. By the same token, few of their descendants left, hemmed in by the sheer sides to their basket. Those who lived by the Sword died by the Sword, as the saying went. If they didn't die in its depths.

"Another unusual find today," Gorla was telling her. Her older sister worked the fields, which meant she got to leave the house whilst Latha stayed and kept it clean. "Dar and the trappers were all in a huddle by the fire, debating what to make of it, but without the care to keep their voices low. Most of the tribe will know by now."

It wasn't that their neighbour was entirely hostile. The Sword took at every opportunity, but it was also known to give. There was fishing to be had, for those who knew how: the white water would snatch at lures and break most lines, but the trappers had learnt to set up coarse nets along its banks, to snare that which it brought willingly to their feet. Like a cat with a disembowelled mouse, she thought. Or a mother bird, regurgitating grubs to feed her desperate young.

They were Children of the Sword, in that sense and more; defined by this poor stretch of woodland bordering its banks, and unbothered by the peoples of the plains or hills to either side. Hatha was dimly aware of battles which raged downstream, where the blade flattened out and was good for fishing and commerce and mills, and at strongholds in the mountains, where there were lakes and natural springs. But nobody wanted to take what meagre lands they had, here in the middle, where it was narrow, white and rough. Few would wish to live here, and so they were largely left alone.

"A sheep?" They were an occasional treat, washed down from the mountains: still fresh, and dying the current red. They ate well on those nights. Horses were rarer still, well-bred chargers coursing down their narrow silver road, gifts from the warrior peoples to the West. Latha preferred that sweeter taste, lean like venison; and there was more to go around. But she wouldn't get her hopes up.

"A man," Gorla said, savouring the shock in her sister's eyes. Ever since the Casting when she'd come of age, her assignment to the fields, she'd relished her role as Latha's first link to the outside world: she liked to come home with fantastical stories spun out of the mildest of days, knowing they'd be grasped at like alms to the desperate. The eldest daughter had the use of everything first, including the village gossip.

"Someone we know?" That put Latha's nerves on edge. Dar was safe, she'd said. But there were others that she cared about. Family. Friends.

"A stranger," Gorla reassured her; she clearly hadn't expected her news to be taken in that way, and reached out her hand for a comforting squeeze. "A warrior, looks like. Bound in metal rings. From upstream, of course, but they had no idea how near or far. Looks an accident, Da said."

"Most likely," Latha agreed, pretending not to be surprised. The Children were well versed in those themselves. The Sword knew well the taste of sheep and horse, and also seemed to enjoy the flesh of man. "Strayed into the river, poor foreign fool. They don't know its power."

It was clearly a lesson that bore repeating. A week later, another visitor arrived, more familiar in his appear: his skin wore the same pallor of death, but his body was more colourfully draped in oriole orange and black, a livery that the goatherds recognised from the lips of nearby hills. This was a man who should have known the Sword, Gorla said; and known to keep his distance. Accidents happened, but it was strange to see two in such swift succession.

"What are people saying?" Latha hated that she had to ask, so dependent on regurgitated grubs herself. She would come of age within the month, and have a Casting of her own: the Elders casting lots to assign her to a trade, a trapper or a goatherd in her own right. Then she could walk the river for herself, and learn such things first-hand. But for now, she was sequestered in her nest.

"They're worried," Gorla said, her own face drawn and tense. "Whether a change in the river, or some conflict upstream, it's hardly good for us. People like the way things are. They don't like change, especially when we don't know what it means."

More answers came over the next few weeks; or the same answer, repeated again and again. Bodies. Some wore the same plumage of orange-and-black, others came in silver-and-blue, but all were armed for battle, or disarmed from it. Some bore wounds, great gaping rends in their frigid skin, their multicoloured capes allowed to dye the same shade red. They came in increasing numbers, as if the underlying calamity was getting worse.

"Or getting closer," Gorla relayed, on one of her daily recaps. "The goatherds recognise the silver-blue tabards too, and they're our nearest neighbours; even closer than the orange-black. "Whatever killed these men, war or otherwise, it seems to be making its way to us."

"What could it be, if not war?" That threat didn't seem real, somehow. There had never been a battle here. Upstream skirmishes might wander close enough to watch, but they would never spill over into this unwanted valley; it was too pointless to gain, too difficult to hold in a conflict. The Children held it with no force at all, in the absence of any other taker.

No answer came. Gorla didn't know; nor did the goatherds, or the trappers, or anybody else that she might listen to. Over the coming days, she only returned to the nest with scraps of information, or apologies for its absence: the bodies had no obvious cause of death, having been rent asunder by the rapids and the rocks. Not all seemed to have been of fighting age. Smoke had been seen on the horizon, and tasted on the evening breeze.

But Latha kept asking questions, desperate to understand the world beyond their door. Each fragment only revealed the gaps in her understanding. What damage did the rocks do, she needed to know - and could it look like a blade, or a claw? What was fighting age? How far away was the fire? What did that mean? She was grateful for every morsel, but ever hungry for more.

At least the timing was fortunate. Within a week, she would reach her own age of majority, with the chance to seek out answers for herself - to both her and Gorla's undoubted relief. But first she needed to attend her Casting, to learn which walk of life would free her from her home. Latha hoped to be a trapper, like their Dar: close to the river, and the source of more knowledge. But the choice wasn't hers, and the Elders could decide they needed her talents elsewhere: holed away weaving in another hut, she thought, knowing her luck.

"We understand that you have displayed... some curiosity about the bodies from the Sword."

They came to deliver the verdict. Latha didn't know if that was traditional; she couldn't remember how it had happened for Gorla. She had imagined her sister might relay the news, as she had everything else, or that Dar would be informed to tell her that night. But on the day of the Casting, five Elders arrived at her door in her family's place. They wore dusty robes and grim expressions, and they only grew sterner when she answered back.

"I don't understand anything about them at all, and it doesn't sound that anybody does. What do you know about the bodies? Please, you must have some idea of what's going on."

"Precious little," one Elder spoke hesitantly, as if reluctant to share even that. "At first, we thought they must have strayed into the sword, not knowing its power. But these are local men. Armed men. Here."

He offered her the bundle in his arms: a set of folded robes, but not remotely dusty. Freshly washed. Latha recognised the colours, the silver-and-blue, from Gorla's stories. This was the raiment of a corpse. The cloth was heavy, and her suspicions were confirmed when she lifted a fold of the bundle to find a blue-and-silver sword cocooned inside. A foreign weapon. A dead man's blade.

"We have kept the trappings of the men we trapped. The bodies were easy enough to dispose of, gifted onwards to the Sword, as a surprise for our neighbours to the East. But we thought the weapons, the clothing, might help us to determine how they died. At first, we meant only that they warranted further study: trying to decipher the message in a battle standard, to solve the royal cypher on that shortsword's hilt. But now it seems this problem calls for... a more direct approach."

"For me?"

He nodded. "We are Swordsmen and Swordswomen all, but none of us are warriors. Unfortunately, war comes for the innocents too. Something killed all of these men; something getting closer. Your Lot will be to journey West, to peer over the foothills of our neighbours... and to find out exactly what."

"A disguise," Latha realised, letting the rich cloth run through her fingers. The assignment didn't sound too dreadful; it was the same thing, more or less, that she had charged Gorla with each day. To find out what she could, and report back. That seemed to suit her curiosity, and she was glad that it had come to her. It was better than weaving, anyway. "And if it is... something else than a war? Something I can't outrun, or risk leading it here?"

He righted the sword in her hands. Silver-blue. Sliver-sharp. It shone like a river, the world swallowed into its reflection, as if it also had hidden depths. Latha hoped that went for both of them.

"The direct approach," he said.

[cb-writes-stuff]

William Bio

Full name: William Cooke

Species: Human

Age: 38

Gender: Male

Cultural background: Delgan

Height: 6’0” (~183 cm)

General weight: Heavy, muscular, rectangular

Description of appearance: Short dirty blond hair, gruzzly scruffy beard, sort of darker skin but still clearly white, dark blue eyes

Occupation: Mercenary

Typical clothing style: Functional, hardy, and resistant to damage (worth noting is his uniform cloak, faded green with a yellow insignia of a running horse)

Associated color(s) (not necessarily worn): Orange, faded green, earthy tones

Voice: Deep, gruff, with a Delgane accent

Opinions of…

Gloria: “She’s been in the Company longer than I have. I wasn’t sure at first, but she’s definitely one of the better folks when it comes to the sword. I still think we could teach each other a thing or two. We don’t work together too often, but I never doubt my safety when we’re assigned to the same job.”

First impressions of…

Nauth: “Strange little man. I’d almost call him reclusive. He seems normal with his friends, though. I guess shodathi are just like that.”

Ven: “He’s the kind of person to never amount to anything. I expect little out of this… Ven.”

Lynn: “A Delgane, but he dresses like a shodathi. Strange. He doesn’t look very strong, but I’m not surprised. I hear the Vandeth Desert makes a man weak in some ways and strong in others.”

Mela: “You know, I would say that it’s strange for a woman to be in the business of commerce, but I work with a woman. So, I’m hardly surprised at this point.”

Elvi: “Acts her age, pulls her weight. Very helpful, I must say.”

Elial: “Hmm. I don’t like her, and I certainly don’t look up to her. In a metaphorical sense. Literally, I—Well. It’s not important.”

Sils: “Odd little girl. She hardly acts like a child, and the way she carries herself sometimes, the air she has about her, it’s almost surprising she’s not an adult. And, in a weird way, she almost looks she could be my daughter.”

[mymidnightramblings]

I met a guy who didn't know what congress was

Growing up outside DC, politics was always a massive part of my life. Our yearly field trips were to the Supreme Court and Capitol Hill. We attended hearings and held protests as a part of school assignments. In fact, civic duty was so ingrained in our culture that almost all schools in DC and the surrounding area allowed students one day off to participate in “civic engagements.” This included protests, volunteering on behalf of a political party, or going door to door to make sure people vote. I always assumed civics was this ingrained to everyone, across the United States. It’s your duty, as a citizen, to be informed about the country you are a part of. Yet, only 19 states in the country require some sort of civics certification [Learning Policy Institute]. Looking online, I found out that many people barely took civics classes in school. For me, it was required three times. Once in fourth grade, once in seventh grade, and again in senior year of highschool. Each time built upon the last to make sure we had a whole and well rounded understanding of the government. It didn’t just teach me about the government, but also how the populus affects government decisions and what I can do to help change what I want to change. Civics is so much more than just a “government class.” It teaches you how to debate effectively, listen to people with opposite ideas, and what to do if you believe your rights are being infringed upon. It teaches you what to expect from the government and how to hold it accountable. Change begins in the people, but if the people are unsure, how will change happen? 

Participation in government is essential for a democratic government to be upheld. If there is no participation, then a democracy ceases to exist. Despite this, knowledge and understanding of civic engagement is dangerously low among Americans. According to a 2024 study by the University of Pennsylvania, one-third of Americans can’t name all three branches of government. If Americans are unable to name even the branches of government, can the populus truly be expected to cast well informed votes during each voting cycle? Additionally, less than half of those surveyed could realistically name multiple rights outlined within the constitution, and even less could name what political party controls the House and the Senate [Annenberg]. This is information vital to understand the processes of the government, how laws get passed, and how the supreme court makes their decisions. Often the blame for certain government decisions gets blurred between the endless departments and sectors. With many lacking a basic understanding of the three main sectors of the government, these large numbers of Americans wind up pointing their anger for civic policy in the wrong directions. When they should be angry at Congress, they are angry at the president. When they should be angry at the president, they are angry at Congress. All these signs point to one thing: Civics education is completely lacking in the United States, and it's leading to even more confusion. 

With confusion, trust begins to fall. According to the Pew Research Center, trust in the government was at 77% during the Johnson administration, but has since faced a rapid decline. Today, only 22% of individuals state that they trust the government to make the choices which best benefit the country. Experts are now worrying that voter engagement will further fall as mistrust deepens [Federal Times, US Chamber of Commerce Foundation]. Still, we find noticeable differences in the extent to which democrats and republicans distrust the government. As expected, democrats trust the government more when a democrat is in power, and the same applies to the republicans. However, the level of mistrust whenever an opposing party holds office is unprecedented [Pew Research Center]. This follows the trend of political polarization growing at an alarming rate in recent years. Our population is composed of more and more individuals who are unwilling to participate in healthy discourse with opposing ideologies, a problem further exacerbated by the growth of social media and social “bubbles.” 

Despite these growing challenges, civics education remains our most valuable weapon against these issues. Civics classes emphasize a culture of healthy arguments and open mindedness which enables students to become informed and open-minded citizens.When I took a government class in highschool, we often had healthy debates from individuals on the republican and democratic side arguing about supreme court rules, congress bills, and presidential cabinet appointees. The people I would argue against often had completely opposing viewpoints, but the way we argued made it so that I was able to understand the opposing party and their ideas better. Not only does this help individuals change the way they think about people with opposing opinions to them, but it helps individuals become more informed. People gain a better understanding of laws being passed and supreme court decisions being made when they get more viewpoints and opinions. With more understanding comes less confusion, and additionally more trust as people are willing to understand and maybe agree with the opposing ideas more. 

Creating an informed voter starts early. By allowing students to learn about their civil rights and liberties, as well as emphasizing an education on the US government, we are ensuring the next generation has the qualifications to successfully bring the United States into further prosperity. According to the National Institute for Citizens and Scholars, 66% of people who have a high civic knowledge are voting in the next election, compared to just the 47% who don’t have a high knowledge. Civics education reaches far beyond just what a “government” is. It teaches students about their rights and their liberties, and what they can do to change the world themselves. It makes people more engaged, and makes the US a better democracy.

[dreaming-of-days-to-come]

Had another dream, this time it was one of the Side-Quests ones.

I was assigned by my family to hunt for a car for me to use, but it was smaller like a child's play car. On the way my teeth began to wiggle, but I met a man with nondescript features (which is unusual, I normally dream in extreme detail, it was almost like He was phasing in and out, like the Flash) except for dark curls and some kind of uniform, who came along to help me with my journey. Or rather, He invited himself along, and I did a lot of the manual work. His company was appreciated though, and He would communicate for me to store employees while my teeth wiggled so much I was scared to open my mouth.

I woke up and researched a bit, Lord Hermes has the poetic epithet of Masterios, of Searchers. He's also associated with travel, commerce, communication, and the (plot-twist) theft we ended up pulling at the end of the dream.

Before I fell asleep I'd asked for a sign from Him to confirm what kind of epithet would best suit Him, and of Searchers seems to fit the best. After all, it can apply to so much: searching for an object, a person, the right thing to say, an adventure, belonging... I feel drawn to it which is I guess what matters most.

I've been making devotional cards for the Deities I work with, and added to His the epithet and dream context. So far I've finished His and Lady Aphrodite's. If anyone is interested in seeing the cards I'll post them (they're nothing fancy, just written with a calligraphy pen on sketchbook paper, but deeply personal).

[seraph-of-sizes]

ahhh another genshin g/t enjoyer!! of course naturally i must humbly request g/t hcs of my two favourite characters, Thoma and Ningguang!! they both seem so sweet but in very very different ways LMFAO

Request: Thoma + Ningguang hcs

Thoma: He’s super underrated! I have fond memories of a Thoma main helping me in lower ARs.

Giant/human size:

Takes being a bridge between Inazuma culture and the rest of the world much more seriously, since he also bridges tiny and human culture. Need to smuggle your tiny family in/out of the country of storms? Thoma’s your best bet. 

His skills at sowing not only apply to animals, but tinies as well. Most tinies near Inazuma Proper have clothes designed by Chiori but sewn by Thoma. He actually was really bad at it at first, but after befriending the tinies of the Kamisato estate (Like Sayu, and some older retainers) he got it quickly.

Housework from Thoma not only includes the normal, sweeping, dusting, etc, but also repairing any damage to the estate’s walls that could cause discomfort to the tinies within. He will politely (read: passive aggressively) ask guests to be sure to wear slippers inside. He frames it as a respect for the estate, but it’s mostly to ensure the quiet atmosphere and not disturb anyone that lives below the flooring.

Tiny/borrower size:

When the Kamisato siblings first found him, he was terrified. Now he trusts them completely, to the extent some other tinies grew worried he had been brainwashed. He’s always quick to assuage these type of fears, he has a lot of freedom since he has the protection of one off the Tri-Commissions. He always seems to laugh when he talks about his freedom, the irony of living in one of the most restrictive countries and being native to Mondstadt.

He works more closely with Yoimiya since he can’t cover much distance on his own, and he’s always more than willing to help her in whatever ways he can in return.

He may not be able to clean the entire estate on his own at his size, but he makes up for it by making it absolutely spotless, coming in after each general clean to be super particular.

Ningguang: Actual queen, One day I will get her skin and then build her a DPS kit.

Giant/human size:

Pretty much business as normal, she does employ a fair amount of tinies for various tasks. Most tinies will move near Liyuen schools when their children become around 12 years old, hoping that they will be picked to join those that live in the Jade Chamber. Of course most tinies picked are for reconnaissance or to help with things of finer details like clothing and jewelry.

She adores learning about tiny culture, finding the lack of Mora in their lives and instead the use of bartering defining their ‘wealth’. She often has a few tinies on her planning teams to un-assign monetary value to a task or item, which helps weigh the true need for whatever it is.

Keqing is one of her favorites to go to for such things, she often riles up the Yuheng by placing an abstract monetary value to something and seeing what the tiny appropriates its value to truly be. One of her favorites from such arbitrary discussions was the price of Mora itself. Keqing then argued until she was blue in the face that Mora is worthless, and backed by nothing but a dead god. Ningguang hadn’t laughed that hard in ages.

Tiny/borrower size:

Some still believe Ningguang should have never been able to get to the point of Tianquan of Liyue, after all how can a tiny become so affluential in the City of Commerce? Especially when it is well-known that tinies do not prescribe to the same notion of rich/famous that humans do, most merely content to live peaceful and uneventful lives.

Ningguang loves fucking with those people in particular, mostly by undermining their businesses or feeding them bad information. (Through a third party of course, she would never sully her own image like that)

[neoassignment]

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[cha-melodius]

Firstprince + Versailles for your fandom fest!

Congrats on your milestones!

(Versailles was such an interesting choice! A different palace? I got it in my head to write a historical AU, so you get 1785 Versailles and rival ambassadors to the court of France. I hope you enjoy!)

chamel’s fandom fest info | read all the fics

Lessons in Foreign Diplomacy

(firstprince, 5.3k, E; read it below or on AO3)

It had only made sense when Congress had sent him to Paris in 1784 to negotiate a large number of treaties with various European states. Alex is damned good at negotiating, and getting a good outcome for these agreements was vital to the continued success of their new republic. What he was not as pleased about is the missive from Washington a few months later assigning him to succeed Franklin as Minister to the Court of Versailles. Don’t get him wrong, living in Paris is— well, it’s pretty great, actually, but he’d still rather be back in Philadelphia, helping govern the country he worked so hard to liberate. Alex knows he’s helping shape U.S. foreign policy, and that’s important too. Much of the work he does is extremely rewarding.

What he despises are the times when the King and Queen decree that he come to the palace at Versailles for some inane weekend of fancy balls and dinner parties and lawn games. He daren’t refuse, though; Louis’ support in the war was instrumental, so Alex has to go pretend to be delighted no matter how distasteful the trappings of the monarchy are to him. The gatherings never fail to make him feel utterly out of place, full of the kind of European nobility and extravagantly wealthy people who look at him as some kind of shabby, poor, charity case from across the sea.

Then there’s the British Ambassador, Henry Fox-Mountchristen. He’s new in the position, just like Alex is, and a Duke of somewhere or other—Alex tries not to pay attention, honestly. All he knows is that any representative of the British government is automatically his enemy. The fact that he’s a noble on top of it is just icing on the cake. Alex had met him first at one of these fancy parties; he’d made no attempt at hiding his disdain, Henry had looked down his nose at him, and they’ve loathed each other ever since.

Annoyingly, he’s very good at his job. In the year that Alex has been working out trade deals and new commerce treaties, Henry has been there representing British interests in the negotiations, and is usually the only one in the room who can go toe-to-toe with Alex. He is constantly getting in the way forcing Alex to settle for less than he’d hoped for (except for that one time when he actually helped Alex negotiate a better deal with Portugal by tying their terms to Great Britain’s, which— Alex still doesn’t know what that was about).

Even more annoyingly, he’s hotter than the fucking sun.

It’s kind of ironic that, in a lavish, opulent court full of lithe young women in low-cut gowns, the one person Alex can’t tear his eyes away from is the Brit wearing frocks that are about as boring as you could get away with at Versailles. It’s those fucking cheekbones, and those piercing blue eyes, and those full lips that Alex kind of wants to bite. Alex’s frustrating desire—as shocking as it had been to recognize—absolutely does nothing to soften his feelings toward the other man; if anything, it just stokes his anger. Why the fuck did it have to be him?

Tonight, Alex is at one such fancy party, drinking too much champagne, dancing with beautiful women, and glaring at Henry from across the room. He is, as always, wearing a stupid powdered wig that makes him look absurdly pale (Alex refuses to wear one, of course, and his appearance never fails to cause a stir even when he’s wearing ridiculously ornate silk coats and waistcoats, though he suspects it’s just as likely because of how brown he is). Henry’s dark blue coat, finely embroidered with silver thread, is downright subdued in comparison to the flash surrounding him, but every time he moves the embroidery catches the light and he shines.

It is so irritating.

Alex watches as he stands off in a corner, drinking champagne and blatantly ignoring the obvious flirting of many hopeful ladies looking for a dance. It’s absurd, really—not that he draws that much attention, because just look at him, but that after nearly a year of this he still hasn’t managed to get the stick out of his ass. Alex despises everything these parties represent, and he still manages to attend them without acting like he’d prefer to be put in the stocks.

Drinking plenty of the free-flowing wine and cognac usually helps with that.

He’s not even really aware of his feet carrying him over to Henry until he’s standing next to the other man. Alex doesn’t even look at him, instead staring out at the ballroom floor where the guests are dancing increasingly haphazard waltzes as the night stretches on, though he sees Henry tense out of the corner of his eye.

“So is there something wrong with your feet, or do you think you’re just better than everyone?” Alex asks eventually.

Alex hasn’t turned his attention away from the room, but Henry’s face snaps toward him. “I beg your pardon?”

“They say you’re the most eligible bachelor here, and you haven’t danced with anyone tonight.”

“Watching me that closely, are you?” Henry returns dryly. Alex has to bite down on a protest that he wasn’t because, well. Trying to deny it would just make him sound like a petulant child. When he doesn’t respond, Henry continues, “None of them interest me, and I wouldn’t wish to… lead anyone on.”

Alex huffs out a scornful laugh as he finally turns to face him. “So you are that conceited, got it.”

“That is not—”

“You just said that no one in this room interests you,” Alex interrupts before he can finish. “You do understand how that sounds, right?”

Henry stares at him for a long moment, a piercing look in his eye that Alex wants to turn away from. He doesn’t, though.

“I didn’t say that no one here interested me,” Henry says, his voice a low rumble, barely audible above the din of the party, that makes something flare hot and bright low in Alex’s gut.

“I— what?”

“You know, I think I’ve rather had enough festivities for the evening,” Henry announces in his usual clipped cadence. “Good night, Mr. Claremont-Diaz. Do try not to cause another international incident tonight?”

“Oh, fuck you,” Alex spits automatically. That was one time, and it wasn’t an incident anyway. Marie Antoinette thought it was fucking hilarious.

Alex knows for sure that Henry’s had plenty to drink himself when the corner of his mouth twitches and he quips, “Another time, perhaps,” before he strides off, leaving Alex gaping as he tries desperately not to imagine exactly what that would entail.

~~~~~

Despite the sheer amount of alcohol he consumed the previous night and how late he was up, Alex wakes fairly early the next morning. He knows from experience that the rest of the court won’t show their faces until much later today, which means he can enjoy the solitude of the empty gardens as he strolls along finely graveled paths between carefully manicured hedges and sculpted trees. He lets his feet carry him aimlessly, trusting that he’ll be able to find his way back eventually and not really caring that much if he ends up late to some stupid event.

He’s certainly not expecting to encounter anyone else out here.

The quiet crunch of footsteps on gravel alerts him to the other person’s presence somewhere beyond the next turn. He could walk the other way, keep to himself and avoid the intruder on his thoughts, but he doesn’t. Alex keeps moving forward as the other footsteps approach him, until they meet at the juncture of two hedges, a statue of a cherub marking the intersection.

Henry.

He’s wearing a light blue coat with almost no decorative embroidery, which is subdued and boring and also makes his eyes shine with the pale, icy, breathtaking blue of the sky in midwinter. Without a wig, his golden blond hair looks absurdly soft as it flops over his forehead, and Alex catches himself wondering what it would feel like between his fingers before quickly closing the door on that. Jesus fuck, he’s got to stop thinking these things.

Especially since it’s clear Henry doesn’t care for his company either. The corner of his mouth pinches and his posture goes rigid, as it always does when he sees Alex, and for a moment Alex thinks he’s going to just keep walking. He does stop, though, inclining his head minutely in stiff politeness.

“Mr. Claremont-Diaz.”

“Ambassador,” Alex returns, because he refuses to use Your Grace. “I hadn’t expected to meet anyone else out in the gardens this morning.”

“Yes, well,” Henry says in an odd tone. His eyes skitter away across the landscape and he tips his chin slightly. “Only part of this bloody place that’s tolerable, aren’t they?”

Alex blinks several times, sure he didn’t just hear that. Henry’s member of the aristocracy, born to this kind of bullshit; Alex never really considered that Henry might detest the opulence and artifice as much as he does, even though, looking back, it should have been obvious from the way he comports himself.

He’s not entirely sure what to do with this information.

“I’m glad to see you upright after your indulgences last night,” Henry adds, as if to prove he’s still a prick.

Alex opens his mouth to respond, but before he can get anything out, a rumble of thunder cuts him off. The clouds have been thick all morning, but now they’re downright menacing, heavy and dark and foreboding of a storm. The kind of clouds that impress upon you a desire to get under cover with some speed; too bad they’re deep in the middle of the garden and Alex has no clue where the nearest shelter is. Hardly a moment later, a few fat drops of rain splatter down onto his shoulders and head. Henry turns a frown up at the clouds as dark spots appear on his pale coat.

And then the sky fucking opens.

It’s a pounding, torrential rain, the kind that soaks through layers of fine wool and linen within minutes so that you lose all hope of staying even a little dry. Still, one hardly wants to stand out in it. Alex spins aimlessly, wondering which way to run, when he feels a tug on his elbow and Henry is calling, “this way,” over the din.

Apparently, blindly following his bitter enemy is a thing he’s doing now.

They run, even though they’re both already drenched, and before too long they emerge from the woods next to a small octagonal building overlooking a lake—the Belvedere, sometimes used as a lounge when the Queen entertains guests out at Trianon. At the moment it’s empty save for a collection of couches, and they stumble in, dripping liberally all over the marble floors. Alex wastes no time before stripping off his coat and tossing it onto one of the lounges, silk pillows be damned, and he’s got his waistcoat halfway off when he hears a strangled noise from behind him.

“What are you doing?” Henry asks, a scandalized expression on his face. It’s irritating that even now, when he kind of looks like a wet dog with his blond hair plastered against his head, he’s still breathtakingly beautiful.

“Not particularly interested in standing around in soaking wet wool,” Alex huffs. At least if he gets his outer things off, his shirt might dry a bit while they wait out the storm. It’s not like he’s getting fucking naked.

Which is definitely not something he’s thinking about now.

“Apologies if I’m offending your delicate sensibilities, Your Majesty,” Alex sneers as he drapes his waistcoat over the back of the couch.

Henry’s cheeks have gone decidedly pink, and when Alex turns toward him fully, he looks away, crossing his arms over his chest and staring fixedly at the opposite wall. Outside, the rain continues to pour down, surrounding them with a dull hiss as it pounds on the roof and lashes against the windows.

“What is your grievance with me?” Henry asks eventually, sounding nothing so much as tired.

Alex stares at him. “Is that a joke? I’m American. Maybe you heard, we fought this whole war against you—”

“Not against me,” Henry interrupts firmly.

“Fine, your country. It makes no difference.”

“It bloody well does!” Henry snaps. He turns away again, pressing his lips into a thin line as he stares out of one of the windows. “Did you ever think to ask me what my views were on American independence, Mr. Claremont-Diaz?”

“What?”

“Of course not. You just assumed.”

“You’re a representative of the British government. Why wouldn’t I assume?” Alex thinks it’s a fair question. He knows Henry was a member of parliament before he became Ambassador. His family is exceedingly well-connected and highly placed in the government. It feels like a pretty fucking safe assumption.

Apparently not, though.

Henry gives him a withering look. “Oh, and I’m sure there was no dissension in the writing of your little Declaration, then?”

Alex bristles at ‘little Declaration’, but Henry unfortunately has a point. “Fine,” he grits out. “What’s your opinion on American independence, Ambassador?”

“I wasn’t the only one in Parliament who spoke against the prospect of an expensive and bloody war,” Henry says evenly, staring out the window again. “A few even genuinely believe in the principles of self-governance, as it turns out. We’ve had to be… cautious in expressing ourselves, of course. I happen to feel strongly that people should have a say in their own lives,” he adds, and somehow it doesn’t sound like he’s talking about government anymore. He lapses into silence, letting the sound of the rain fill up the space between them. Then the corner of his mouth tugs into a tiny smirk. “Thought we should have cut you lot loose ages ago, actually. Much more trouble than you’re worth.”

“Hey!” Alex exclaims, but it also shocks a laugh out of him. Which is… weird. He stares at Henry, trying to make all of this new information fit into a portrait he now realizes was startlingly incomplete. He thinks, a little distantly, that he kind of needs a whole new painting. “I’m sorry for assuming,” he says eventually. “But that doesn’t change the fact that you’re always a prick to me.”

“You hate me, Alex,” Henry says flatly, his mouth going tight again, and something inside Alex turns over at the use of his given name. “Am I supposed to merely smile through the insults?”

Alex can’t help but wince. He wraps his arms around his waist, which he blames on the chill and not the way he’s feeling a little too vulnerable at the moment. Spring’s warmth seems to have abandoned them today, and the cold stone of the Belvedere is doing nothing to help, nor is the way his damp shirt is clinging to his skin.

“I don’t hate you,” he admits quietly. He has a lot of conflicting feelings about Henry. Somehow hate has never been one of them. “I wanted to, but I don’t.”

“I’m not certain that’s better,” Henry says, an obvious wariness in his voice. 

Alex doesn’t really know what to say. He hugs his arms a little tighter around himself and shivers.

“For Christ’s sake, this is why you leave the wool on,” Henry huffs unexpectedly, and a moment later he’s crossing the room and grabbing Alex’s discarded coat. He stands right in front of Alex and reaches around him so that he can drape the coat over Alex’s back. “There,” he says as he tugs the fronts close by the lapels, then reaches up to smooth his hands across Alex’s shoulders.

It’s only then that Henry seems to notice their proximity, or the way he’s still holding onto Alex. Their eyes lock together, and a bolt of heat shoots down Alex’s spine that has nothing to do with the coat. A flush of pink blooms across Henry’s cheeks and his lips part slightly as he inhales, and then he starts pulling away, which is the very last thing Alex wants.

“Henry, wait,” he murmurs as one of his hands reaches out to snag the front of Henry’s coat almost of its own accord. Henry freezes. “Don’t… don’t go.”

Alex thinks of all the times he’s caught Henry staring at him with a look he couldn’t quite read. Of the way that Henry had said I didn’t say no one here interested me only last night. He looks searchingly up into his blue eyes now, dark and slaty in the low light, full of both trepidation and something like hunger.

“I can’t…” Henry starts, but his voice trails off. He lets himself be tugged in closer, his eyes dropping to Alex’s mouth. “We can’t,” he whispers.

“Fairly certain those aren’t words that are allowed in the Court of Versailles,” Alex quips softly.

He takes a step backward so that he’s leaning against the back of the couch, hoping that Henry will follow when Alex pulls him along. He doesn’t really want to think about the relief that surges through him when Henry does, nor how it feels when Henry lets Alex pull him so close that their hips are pressed together. One of his thighs slots between Alex’s, and Alex inhales sharply at the contact.

“Alex, please,” Henry murmurs tightly, his face tipped down toward Alex’s. Alex can’t tell if it’s please yes or please don’t.

“Shhh,” Alex hushes. He lets his grip go slack, but Henry doesn’t pull away. “It’s all right, sweetheart.”

Henry closes his eyes and lets out a shuddery exhale, then he sways forward until their foreheads meet. Their noses press together, and Alex breathes in deeply, filling his senses with Henry. Who turns out to smell like wet wool—which is admittedly not great—but also like the cologne he wears and also something that reminds him of the spring air. Alex nudges forward, tipping his head slightly, until finally Henry closes the narrow gap between their lips and presses their mouths together.

Alex had always thought that if he were to end up kissing Henry, it would be rough and rushed. A battle, as much as their verbal sparring matches had always been, each of them trying to gain the upper hand. He never once imagined it could be like this, soft and syrupy slow, a languid give and take. One of Henry’s hands is clutched almost possessively at the nape of Alex’s neck, the other curled carefully around his jaw, and he takes his time mapping out Alex’s mouth as the kiss gets deeper and more heated, like he’s trying to commit it to memory.

It’s a lot to take in, so Alex stops trying; he lets it wash over him, soaking into his bones as thoroughly as the rain had done. His chilled fingers move to Henry’s waistcoat, fumbling with the slippery buttons until he finally gets it open. He slides his hands underneath it, onto the dip of Henry’s waist, his hot skin searing through the thin linen shirt against Alex’s palm. Henry groans at the contact, his hips rocking forward against Alex’s, and the movement makes the depths of their mutual arousal all too clear.

Alex drops a hand to the front of Henry’s breeches and cups him through the wet fabric, which draws another ragged please from Henry’s throat as he presses into Alex’s palm. That one, at least, Alex is sure of. He flips them around so Henry’s pressed up against the back of the couch, then pulls back just enough to reach the buttons holding his fall-front breeches closed. Too many fucking buttons, actually, but he gets them undone, and then he’s tugging out the long tails of Henry’s shirt and dropping to his knees as he finally, finally gets a hand around Henry’s cock.

“Fuck, you’re gorgeous,” he says without really meaning to, but it’s worth it for the way that it makes Henry shudder and tip his head back as he thrusts into Alex’s grip.

Henry’s knuckles are going white where his hands are tightly gripping the ornate scrollwork carved along the top of the couch, and Alex prises one off to bring it to his head instead. Henry’s fingers twine into his damp curls in a way that makes a hot jolt of arousal lance through Alex, and that’s new information he’s absolutely not going to think about later. Alex licks his lips in anticipation as he works his hand up and down the shaft of Henry’s cock, thumbing over the crown and grinning at Henry’s moan when he rubs at the sensitive spot on the underside.

“Have you ever—” Alex starts, though he can’t quite make himself say it. “With another man?”

Henry lets out a soft puff of laughter before he opens his eyes and looks down at him. “More than a few times.”

There’s something indescribably attractive about Henry’s confidence, in the idea that he’s experienced in something like this, but it does absolutely nothing for Alex’s nerves. He must not manage to keep them off his face, because the smirk on Henry’s lips softens.

“You haven’t,” he says. It’s not really a question. Alex just shakes his head, and Henry’s hand slides down to thumb tenderly along the edge of his jaw. “You don’t have to—”

“I want to,” Alex says firmly. “I want you.” He swallows. Works his hand on Henry’s cock again just to see the way his eyelids flutter. “Want to feel you on my tongue. Want to taste you.”

“Christ, Alex,” Henry groans. “You’ll be the death of me.”

“Not just yet,” Alex says, then wraps his lips around Henry’s cock and slowly sinks forward.

It takes him a moment to get used to it, the weight on his tongue, the taste of his skin, the stretch of his jaw muscles as he moves. He carefully catalogs Henry’s reactions, every gasp and moan and shiver as he swirls his tongue or twists his wrist around what he can’t quite take in his mouth. Henry slowly falls apart under his ministrations, and it’s so unbelievably arousing that Alex is aching in his own breeches, unsure if the curses spilling from Henry’s lips in his posh accent or the way he says that’s good, Alex is doing it for him more.

Then Henry’s fingers close more tightly around his curls as his gasps reach a crescendo, which Alex only later realizes might have been intended as a warning; at the time it just makes Alex moan and try to take him deeper, and then Henry is spilling onto his tongue with a breathless, delirious laugh.

Henry’s chest is still heaving when he hooks his fingers into the front of Alex’s shirt and drags him up into a searing kiss. It’s hard and deep, Henry licking into his mouth and biting down on his lower lip, and it’s all Alex can do not to whimper into it. He’s never had a kiss that felt this all-consuming, like he’s been ignited from the inside and he doesn’t even care if it burns through him and leaves nothing but ash.

He barely realizes what’s happening when Henry grabs his hips and pushes back, manhandling him over to some kind of chaise longue that he only becomes aware of when his calves hit the edge of it and he collapses backward onto the seat.

“Hey, so, uh,” he says as Henry climbs over top of him, a predatory glint in his eye that absolutely does not make Alex’s cock throb. “When you said you weren’t not interested in anyone at the party…”

“Was I talking about you?” Henry finishes, giving him a look like it’s a stupid question.

Look, Alex knew it was a stupid question before it finished leaving his mouth. Still.

“Well, I dunno, maybe you have a list or something.”

Henry stops inches from his lips and glares down at him. “No, you rebellious miscreant, it’s only ever been you,” he says, then kisses him so thoroughly that Alex might actually forget how to speak.

Which is probably the point.

~~~~~

They’re seated next to each other at dinner that evening, which is probably Marie Antoinette’s idea of a joke. A day ago, Alex would have been annoyed beyond belief. Now, though, he knows what Henry looks like as he slowly comes apart. Now he knows what Henry’s lush lips look like wrapped around his cock.

What a difference a few hours makes.

Henry is standing stiffly next to his chair when Alex saunters up, his face perfectly composed in rigid formality as he inclines his head. “Good evening, Mr. Claremont-Diaz.”

“Your Grace,” Alex returns, pitching his voice to convey just the right balance of insolence and provocation.

Something flashes in Henry’s eyes, probably meant as a warning, but also suggesting that he might enjoy hearing it in a very different context, and also that he’d really like to drag Alex off into the nearest cupboard and do terrible things to him. Alex certainly understands the impulse. It’s been less than six hours since the Belvedere, and Alex still wants him so intensely that it’s nearly a physical ache. His fingers itch to reach out and touch, to tug that stupid wig off his head, to press his thumb to the corner of Henry’s mouth. Fuck.

Instead, he puts on his politician smile and turns to greet the person sitting on his other side, who turns out to be some Spanish princess. She does not seem very impressed with this arrangement—typical for royalty, really—but warms a bit once she realizes she can speak Spanish to him rather than the obligatory French. Alex and Henry spend most of the dinner seemingly ignoring each other and talking to the other guests seated around them. Seemingly, because Alex actually uses the cover of the table to variously press his knee to Henry’s, or hook their ankles together, or slide a hand high up onto Henry’s thigh and squeeze. The latter he does when Henry’s attention is turned away, and it makes Henry choke on his wine and direct a vicious glare at him, which Alex marks down as a victory.

Sometime during the third course, they find themselves both at liberty when the rest of their dinner companions become thoroughly wrapped up in other conversations. Henry is quite clearly trying to ignore him, which Alex just as obviously cannot allow to stand.

“Did you mean it?” Alex asks, his voice low but casual, so as not to draw any attention from those around them.

“What?” Henry asks as he slants a look toward Alex.

“When you said maybe I could fuck you another time.”

Henry’s fork slips out of his grip and clatters to the plate, and several sets of eyes turn toward him. His eyes are wide as he stares at Alex in shock, but there’s also something undeniably heated in his gaze. “You are, without a doubt, the worst person I’ve ever met,” he says flatly, loud enough to be overheard.

Alex can’t quite suppress his grin. It draws a few titters of laughter and whispers from the surrounding guests, most of whom are well aware of Alex and Henry’s mutual enmity. When nothing further comes of it, though, they return to their conversations.

“So is that a no?” Alex asks eventually, still smirking.

Henry glances around, but no one seems to be paying them any attention. “Come to my chambers tonight,” he says crisply, as if they were going to be meeting about policy, “and we shall discuss the matter further.”

~~~~~

They don’t truly revisit the conversation until much later, when Henry is splayed out naked on top of the silk bedding and Alex is two fingers deep inside him. Well, they did cover the obvious question, but:

“The worst person you ever met, huh?” Alex says, pressing the words against the inside of Henry’s thigh.

“Are you really bringing this up now,” Henry huffs, exasperated.

“I dunno,” Alex says. He twists his fingers to reach the spot he’s discovered that makes Henry gasp and tremble. It’s been an enlightening experience so far. “What you really think of me seems relevant.”

“I think,” Henry gets out tightly, “that you’re stubborn—”

Alex bites down on the tender skin at the crease of his hip.

“—opinionated—”

A slow lick up the length of his shaft.

“—arrogant—”

A hot breath, ghosting over the crown.

“—uncouth—”

Alex curls his fingers, and Henry whimpers as his spine arches up off the bed.

“—and if you don’t get inside me right now, I’m going to stonewall all of your treaty negotiations for the next month.”

Alex laughs softly as he withdraws his fingers and climbs up the bed, seeking out the oil to slick himself up. “Oh, well then, how could I refuse?” he returns, grinning at the look of desperation on Henry’s face when he teases the head of his cock at his rim. “You’ve got a real honeyed tongue there, sweetheart. Know how to make a boy feel special.”

Henry gets a hand behind his neck in an iron grip and drags him down into a kiss, digging his heels into the back of Alex’s thighs until Alex is sinking into the tight heat of his body. It’s a lot more intense than he thought it would be, and he makes an embarrassing punched-out sound at the sensation of Henry utterly surrounding him.

And that’s before Henry releases his neck, looks up at him with his face impossibly gorgeous and undone, and murmurs, “I also think you’re the most incredible man I’ve ever known.”

It’s too much, like the first kiss in the Belvedere was too much; Alex knows how to handle the verbal sparring, the familiarity of traded insults, even in the middle of sex. He doesn’t know what to do with the strange twisting in his chest at Henry’s words, with the knot that’s lodged in his throat. They’re not— this isn’t—

He lets Henry pull him into another kiss, lets the give and take of their bodies quiet his spiraling thoughts, until there is only Henry’s hands in his hair, and the cut of his teeth against Alex’s lip, and the roll of their hips together in perfect, earth-shattering harmony.

~~~~~

Alex needs to go. He needs to get out of this bed, get dressed, and go to his own chambers. It’s not as though people stumbling out of others’ apartments is an unusual sight in the palace during one of these weekends, but if he were to be seen leaving Henry’s—

Well. The rumors wouldn’t stay quiet for long, of that he’s certain.

Instead he curls a little closer against Henry’s side, presses a kiss to his shoulder. That’s probably too much, too, but Henry just hums softly, a small, blissful smile curving his lips. Somehow, Alex thinks he’s even more beautiful in this moment than he’s ever been before.

“So,” Alex says eventually, “when we get back to Paris…”

They both live there, not even that far away from each other. They could…

He doesn’t know what. Have some kind of sordid, illicit affair? What would that mean for their lives? Their occupations? It’d be messy. Dangerous. A terrifically, catastrophically stupid idea.

A little crease forms between Henry’s brows as he frowns, and for a moment Alex fears that he’s misread everything. Maybe this was never supposed to leave Versailles. Alex doesn’t know what’s even possible for them to have outside these walls, but he also doesn’t know how he’s meant to go back to what they were before now that he’s had this.

“It seems to me,” Henry says carefully, “that there should be ample opportunity for… improving diplomatic relations when we return?”

There’s a beat of silence before Alex can’t choke back the laugh bubbling out of his chest any longer, and the smile that’s been slowly pushing its way onto Henry’s lips finally breaks free. Then they’re both dissolving into giggles, and Alex is grinning like an idiot when Henry pulls him into another lingering kiss.

Yeah. Worst idea he’s ever had.

[busstalks]

Best Business Software Tools in 2024

The right software tools can help increase productivity, draft operations more efficiently and promote company growth in today's high-paced business environment. Whether you are a start-up or an existing enterprise the following business software is necessary to improve different areas of your business.

1. Project Management: ClickUp

It is a feature-laden project manager that lets you handle tasks, projects, and workflows of all types. Its ease of use and user-friendly interface, complimented with diverse dashboards cater to audiences between small teams and large organizations. Task assignments, time tracking, goal setting, and collaboration options allow you to stop hopping between spreadsheets and emails so your projects are complete efficiently.

2. CRM–– Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM — Your Intelligent Customer Relationships Management System. Among other features, it has lead management, sales automation, and analytics to make sales performance improve on a consistent streamline both administrative aspect as well as customer satisfaction. Due to its integration capabilities with other Zoho products, as well as most third-party applications, It has become a flexible option for businesses that are ready to supercharge their customer relationship management.

3. Accounting: Zoho Books

Zoho Books- The Best Accounting Software for Business Owners Invoicing, expense tracking and financial reporting are some of its features. You can also rest assured that your taxes are being handled correctly and always have the latest view of your financial health to help you manage your finances better.

4. HR Management: monday. com HR

It is a complete human resources management software that helps companies to better structure their workforce. This system provides with facilities like employee on boarding, performance tracking, payroll management etc. With the platform's ease of use, UI simplicity, and automation capabilities in HR processes that would otherwise take hours away from key HR initiatives.

5. Payroll: OnPay

OnPay is an excellent payroll software for businesses of all sizes. It is a cloud payroll software for businesses that ensures complete compliance and automation of top-class payroll calculations, tax filings & employee payments. Additionally, OnPay provides HR and benefits management tools, effectively providing a full-fledged employee pay management solution.

6. Point-of-Sale (POS): eHopper

Versatile Point of Sale Software for Businesses Up To Mid-Sized It offers services like Inventory management, sales tracking and customer management. This makes eHopper a perfect choice for businesses that intend to simplify their sales operations using an affordable and intuitive POS system.

7. Inventory Management: Cin7

While there are plenty of other inventory management systems available, Cin7 stands out as one of the most popular options for small to mid-size businesses (SMBs) looking to get their stock levels, orders and supply chain operations under control. These functionalities consist of real-time inventory monitoring, order processing and e-commerce platform integration. With the powerful feature set of Cin7, businesses can keep inventory at an optimal level and fulfill customer demands to the hilt.

8. Website Builder: Weebly

Weebly is the website builder that you can also use to build your site or blog. It has lots of customizable templates, drag-and-drop functionality, and e-commerce ready to go. With Weebly, you can create a professional website even if you are a tech noob and give your business the relevant online visibility it needs.

9. Recruiting: ZipRecruiter

ZipRecruiter: Popular rated job search app for businesses on board. They provide hiring solutions through features like job posting candidates filtering and tracking the application. AI-powered matching from ZipRecruiter surfaces more relevant candidates to businesses faster.

10. VPN: NordVPN

It is a secure, encrypted VPN application that will make sure that you and your business stay safe as you work with the web. It provides features of encrypted connections, threat protection and global server access as well. In this way, It guarantees secure data in companies and privacy on internet.

Conclusion

The business software tools a company uses are very important to increase productivity and power growth. The above-mentioned tools are some of the best & flexible according to the fact which can assist businesses for any sized groups and help them attain their desired objectives. Implementing these tools in your operations can also help speed up processes and lead to higher customer satisfaction, as well as allow you to be on top of the competition.

[007proxy]

What is an ISP Proxy?

An ISP Proxy is a type of proxy hosted in a data center but uses residential IP addresses. Through ISP proxies, you can take advantage of the speed of data center networks while benefiting from the good reputation of residential IPs.

If ISP proxies are a combination of data center and residential proxies in some way, we might want to first define these terms.

Data Center Proxies are designed with simplicity in mind. In most cases, traffic is forwarded from the proxy client to the data center, where the provider redirects your traffic to the destination. As a result, the traffic originates from one of the IP addresses in the data center, meaning multiple users often share the same IP address. For anyone trying to block their use, this can be a red flag. The main advantages of data center proxies are speed and network stability, as data center networks are very stable and offer gigabit speeds.

Residential Proxies rely on the ability of an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to assign IP addresses tied to specific locations. In other words, you get a legitimate and unique IP address that masks your actual location.

With ISP proxies, you get access to these legitimate and unique IP ranges, and hosting them in a data center provides an additional benefit. This makes ISP proxies particularly effective, offering the benefits of both residential proxy services (such as the ability to surf the web from anywhere and the good reputation of residential IPs) and data center proxy services (such as impressive speed).

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 Why Do You Need ISP Proxies?

As you can see, ISP proxies combine the undetectable features of residential proxies with the speed of data center proxies. ISP proxy providers achieve this by working with different ISPs to provide IP addresses instead of the user's IP address. This makes them especially useful for various tasks. Let’s take a look at some of them:

 1. Web Scraping

ISP proxies are the best choice for web scraping. They provide fast, undetectable connections that allow you to scrape as much data as needed.

 2. Bypass Rate Limiting Displayed as Residential Connections

To prevent attacks like Denial of Service (DoS), most websites and data centers implement rate limiting. This prevents a single IP address from making too many requests or downloading too much data from a single website. The direct consequence is that if you perform web scraping, you are likely to hit these limits.

However, ISP proxies offer a way to bypass rate limits; they use ISP IP addresses to trick the rate limiter code, making it appear as if the requests are coming from a different residential location.

 3. Accessing Geo-Restricted Content

Like all proxies, ISP proxies allow you to change your location, making it appear as though you are accessing the internet from another country or region.

 4. Bulk Purchasing of Limited Edition Products

E-commerce websites take proactive measures to prevent bots (automated scripts) from purchasing products on their platforms. One common technique is to blacklist IP addresses associated with compulsive purchasing behavior. ISP proxies can help you bypass these restrictions.

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 A Closer Look at ISP Proxies

As mentioned earlier, ISP proxies are hosted in data centers and provide internet service provider IP addresses to the destination. Since ISPs own large pools of public IP addresses, it is nearly impossible to trace the computer using the proxy.

While the main benefit is that they are ideal for web scraping, they also provide other features such as:

- Security: End-to-end encryption, firewalls, web filtering, auditing, and analysis.

- Performance: Web caching and high-speed internet from data centers to destinations.

The uniqueness of ISP proxies is that they are the only proxies that directly deal with ISPs to provide the best anonymous connection. While data center proxies are a good option for providing speed and privacy at a lower price, ISP proxies combine the ability to offer speed and anonymity, giving them a significant advantage.

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 Use Cases

The speed and undetectability of ISP proxies make them the preferred choice for large-scale network operations such as web scraping, SEO monitoring, social media monitoring, and ad verification. Let’s take a deeper look at each use case.

 1. Web Scraping

Web scraping is the process of analyzing HTML code to extract the required data from websites.

While the concept is simple, large-scale web scraping requires proxy servers to change your location because many websites display different pages based on your location Additionally, to scrape large volumes of data within a reasonable timeframe, proxies need to be extremely fast. Because of these reasons, ISP proxies are considered the best choice for web scraping.

 2. SEO Monitoring

SEO monitoring involves checking the performance of your website, content, articles, etc., in search engine results. However, search engine results are influenced by your location, and the cookies attached to your web browser can affect the displayed results. To bypass these issues, proxies are needed to anonymize your connection or simulate a user from another global location.

Moreover, SEO monitoring involves frequent access to the same webpage, which could lead to your IP address being blacklisted or subjected to rate limits. Therefore, it’s best to use proxies when performing SEO monitoring.

 3. Social Media Monitoring

Similar to SEO monitoring, activities in social media monitoring can raise suspicion. As a result, you are forced to comply with the host's rules to avoid being blocked or banned from the platform. For example, managing multiple accounts with the same IP address would certainly raise red flags.

In such cases, ISP proxies can be particularly useful because they fool social network algorithms about your IP address, so you won’t be blocked in the end.

 4. Ad Verification

As a marketer, you may want to verify that your advertising partners are delivering on their promises and that the statistics they provide are legitimate.

Ad verification involves scanning the web to check if the ads displayed on various websites match campaign standards, appear on the right sites, and reach the target audience. Since these scans need to cover millions of websites, ISP proxies are ideal to ensure that your ad verification process runs quickly and without being blocked due to excessive use of IP addresses.

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 Conclusion

ISP proxies combine the best of both worlds by offering the speed and stability of data center proxies along with the anonymity and legitimacy of residential proxies. This makes them the perfect tool for activities that require speed, anonymity, and high-volume operations, such as web scraping, SEO monitoring, social media management, and ad verification. By working with ISPs to provide legitimate and unique IP addresses, ISP proxies help users bypass restrictions, access geo-restricted content, and operate more efficiently online.

[digiexpert894]

WhatsApp AI: Revolutionizing Communication and Beyond

In today’s fast-paced world, communication plays a pivotal role in personal and professional spheres. Enter WhatsApp AI, a game-changer that is reshaping how individuals, businesses, and organizations interact. Leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance WhatsApp’s capabilities is transforming it from a simple messaging app to a robust tool for automation, customer engagement, and personalized experiences. Let’s dive into the world of WhatsApp AI and explore how it is influencing various aspects of our lives.

What is WhatsApp AI?

At its core, WhatsApp AI refers to integrating artificial intelligence technologies into WhatsApp to enhance its functionalities. This includes chatbots, machine learning algorithms, and natural language processing (NLP) models that make interactions smarter, faster, and more intuitive. AI can automate tasks, provide instant responses, and even offer data-driven insights, making WhatsApp a go-to platform for more than just chatting.

The Role of AI in WhatsApp

The application of AI in WhatsApp extends across various domains, such as:

1. Chat Automation with WhatsApp Chatbots

WhatsApp chatbots powered by AI are revolutionizing customer service. These bots can handle multiple inquiries simultaneously, provide 24/7 support, and deliver accurate information instantly. Whether it’s answering FAQs, processing orders, or troubleshooting, businesses can rely on AI-driven chatbots to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction.

2. Personalized Communication

WhatsApp AI enables personalized messaging by analyzing user behavior and preferences. This is particularly useful for businesses running marketing campaigns. Instead of sending generic messages, companies can tailor their communication to individual needs, boosting engagement and conversion rates.

3. Language Translation

Breaking language barriers is another significant advantage of WhatsApp AI. AI-powered translation tools integrated into WhatsApp can instantly translate messages into various languages, fostering seamless communication between users across the globe.

4. Smart Notifications and Reminders

AI can also help users stay organized by offering smart notifications and reminders based on their habits and schedules. For instance, it can remind users of upcoming meetings, tasks, or appointments in a personalized and timely manner.

5. E-commerce Integration

AI has transformed WhatsApp into a mini e-commerce hub. With AI-driven solutions, businesses can showcase products, guide users through purchase decisions, and complete transactions—all within the app.

Benefits of WhatsApp AI

Efficiency: Automating repetitive tasks allows businesses to save time and allocate resources more effectively.

Scalability: Businesses can handle a large volume of interactions without compromising on quality.

Cost-Effectiveness: AI reduces the need for extensive human intervention, cutting operational costs.

Improved User Experience: Real-time responses and personalized communication enhance user satisfaction.

Data Insights: AI tools analyze interactions to provide valuable insights for businesses to make data-driven decisions.

Real-World Applications

1. Customer Support

From handling complaints to tracking orders, WhatsApp AI is becoming a trusted assistant for customers and companies alike.

2. Healthcare

Hospitals and clinics use WhatsApp AI to schedule appointments, share reports, and send reminders to patients, ensuring a seamless healthcare experience.

3. Education

Educational institutions are leveraging AI-powered WhatsApp tools for administrative tasks, such as fee reminders, class schedules, and assignment submissions.

4. Travel and Hospitality

Travel agencies use WhatsApp AI to send ticket details, itinerary updates, and hotel booking confirmations, making the travel experience hassle-free.

5. Retail

Retailers are integrating AI into WhatsApp to showcase products, manage inventory, and guide customers through their shopping journey.

The Future of WhatsApp AI

As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, the scope of WhatsApp AI is bound to expand. Future innovations may include even more advanced conversational AI, predictive analytics for proactive customer engagement, and seamless integration with other apps and services. The possibilities are limitless, and the potential for growth is immense.

[mleemwyvern]

Life Series Solar System- a Winner's Symbolism Ramble

So we all know the winners of a life series get assigned space motifs, right? We've got sun, stars, and moon solidly covered. What about the planets?

I'm Mleem, I go feral about symbolism in an unscripted block people series, and here's the list of which lifer I would assign to each of the planets. This list does not contain all lifers. I do not have ideas for all lifers. I have planets and I'm a space nerd.

MERCURY- SCAR

All planets but Earth are named after Roman deities. Some domains of the god Mercury include trickery, thievery, and commerce. Sound like anyone? GoodTimesWithScam himself is right at home with all of that. It's also the closest planet to the sun [gestures at desert duo] and its very high temperature seems fitting for HotGuy.

VENUS- SKIZZ

Venus is the goddess of love. Love is stored in the Skizz. He's been the kindest person throughout his series, and puts his love for his friends over all else. Plus, Heart Foundation. Venus as a planet, however, is an extremely brutal and deadly place, just like how Skizz can easily succumb to bloodlust. He may be loving, but he is not harmless.

EARTH- GEM

Gem is extremely associated with nature, with her cottagecore aesthetic being one of the reasons. But Gem also embodies the darker parts of nature- she is deadly and predatory. She is life in all its parts, fitting for our living planet. She's also a great duo with Pearl, our local moon!

MARS- MARTYN

Listen, I know Martyn's cosmic motif is debated, but I really think Mars fits him. First off, his name means "devoted to mars". Secondly, the hand of dogwarts and the victor with the most brutal win works very well with the planet named for the god of war.

JUPITER- IMPULSE

The biggest planet, named for a god of storms and lightning. Electrical impulses, perhaps? True to its name, Jupiter is a stormy planet, with its very well-known Great Red Spot being a storm that never stops. Seems fitting for the guy who never, ever lets a grudge go. Also, fun fact- Jupiter has a nearly identical composition to that of a star. And they're both Scotts.

SATURN- BDUBS

Yes, I know he built the earth, but hang on a second. While Saturn, in Roman mythology, is most well known for. uh. something horrible, he was also the titan of time. Something Bdubs is very, very associated with. Saturn as a planet is known for it's beautiful rings, which. Just feels very Bdubs to me. Maybe it's the canonical marriage in Double Life.

URANUS- JOEL?

This is the one I'm least certain on. The Joel association is mainly vibes, pulling from the fact that Uranus in mythology was a sky god (the first one, before Jupiter showed up) and so was Joel in Empires. But really, it's mostly because he'd find the name funny. Someone had to be it.

Uranus is also sideways. The planet is on its side compared to everything else in the Solar System. This doesn't help the Joel vibes, I just wanted to mention it.

NEPTUNE- LIZZIE

What better lifer for the planet named after the god of the seas, than the Ocean Queen herself? An incredibly distant planet, and a player that hasn't joined many series, Neptune also has a very interesting trait to its orbital path- very rarely, it will cross that of Pluto, making Neptune the most distant. And that brings us to...

PLUTO- JIMMY

Who else but our canary in the coal mine, first to fall all but once, to take the (dwarf) planet named for the god of the underworld. Death, and the underground. Demoted once-planet with cringefail swag, yet still beloved by many. The furthest away from the center of our solar system, and perhaps thats why he's so vulnerable to dying first. Maybe Lizzie and him crossed orbits, and that's why she fell first instead.