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greenthestral · 1 year

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Unleashing the Power of Partnerships: Goal 17 and the Path to Global Transformation

In today's interconnected world, achieving sustainable development requires a collaborative and inclusive approach. Among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set forth by the United Nations, Goal 17 stands out as a catalyst for progress. "Partnerships to achieve the Goal" is not just a goal in itself; it is the driving force behind the successful implementation of the other 16 goals. This article delves into the significance of Goal 17 and explores the transformative potential of partnerships in addressing the world's most pressing challenges.

The Foundation of Goal 17: Partnerships for Sustainable Development

Goal 17 stands as a powerful reminder that the challenges we face in the pursuit of sustainable development are multifaceted and interconnected. No single organization or entity possesses all the resources, expertise, or perspectives needed to tackle these complex issues alone. The recognition of this reality is the cornerstone of Goal 17, which underscores the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships.

Partnerships for sustainable development bring together governments, businesses, civil society, academia, and individuals in a collaborative effort to address the world's most pressing problems. These partnerships are characterized by their inclusivity and the diversity of stakeholders involved. Each stakeholder brings unique perspectives, knowledge, skills, and resources to the table, creating a synergistic environment where collective action can thrive.

Public-private partnerships are a vital component of sustainable development partnerships. By forging alliances between the public and private sectors, these partnerships harness the resources and expertise of both to drive positive change. Governments provide regulatory frameworks, policy support, and funding, while businesses contribute innovative solutions, technological advancements, and financial resources. Together, they can implement sustainable practices, create sustainable business models, and promote responsible investment.

International cooperation is another crucial aspect of Goal 17 partnerships. Global challenges require global solutions, and cross-border collaborations are essential to address issues that transcend national boundaries. International partnerships foster knowledge exchange, shared learning, and joint action to tackle common problems such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and poverty. These partnerships enable countries to work together, pool resources, and align their efforts to achieve sustainable development on a global scale.

Knowledge-sharing networks play a pivotal role in partnerships for sustainable development. These networks facilitate the exchange of information, expertise, and best practices across different sectors and regions. By sharing knowledge and lessons learned, partners can avoid duplication of efforts, accelerate progress, and implement evidence-based solutions. Knowledge-sharing networks also promote innovation and foster a culture of continuous learning, driving the development and adoption of sustainable technologies, practices, and policies.

Capacity-building initiatives are integral to partnerships for sustainable development. They aim to strengthen the skills, knowledge, and capabilities of individuals, organizations, and communities to contribute effectively to sustainable development efforts. Capacity-building initiatives encompass training programs, workshops, mentorship, and skill-sharing activities. By investing in capacity building, partnerships empower stakeholders to take ownership of sustainable development initiatives, driving long-term impact and sustainability.

One of the significant advantages of partnerships for sustainable development is their ability to foster innovation. When diverse stakeholders collaborate, they bring together different perspectives, experiences, and expertise. This diversity sparks creativity and innovation, leading to the development of novel approaches, solutions, and technologies. Innovation, in turn, drives progress and propels sustainable development forward by addressing complex challenges in new and transformative ways.

Partnerships also enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of sustainable development efforts. By pooling resources, sharing costs, and leveraging expertise, partnerships optimize the use of available resources. This efficiency translates into a greater impact on the ground, as projects and initiatives benefit from shared knowledge, experience, and funding. Partnerships allow for economies of scale, enabling the replication and scaling up of successful models and interventions.

Moreover, partnerships for sustainable development generate meaningful impact at multiple levels. They operate at the local, national, and global levels, ensuring that no community or region is left behind. At the local level, partnerships address specific challenges faced by communities, tailoring interventions to their unique context and needs. Nationally, partnerships enable governments to align policies and strategies with sustainable development objectives, leveraging the resources and expertise of diverse stakeholders. Globally, partnerships contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals as a collective effort, promoting global solidarity and collaboration.

In conclusion, Goal 17 recognizes the essential role of partnerships in achieving sustainable development. These partnerships bring together governments, businesses, civil society, academia, and individuals in a collaborative endeavor to address complex global challenges. By leveraging collective knowledge, resources, and expertise, partnerships foster innovation, enhance efficiency, and generate meaningful impact at local, national, and global levels. Through public-private partnerships, international cooperation, knowledge-sharing networks, and capacity-building initiatives, partnerships for sustainable development are driving positive change and paving the way for a more sustainable and inclusive future.

Enhancing Collaboration for Sustainable Development

Goal 17 serves as a call to action for governments, businesses, and individuals to join forces and collaborate effectively. Through collaboration, the barriers to achieving the other goals can be overcome. Here are some key aspects of collaboration under Goal 17:

Government Partnerships: Governments play a crucial role in fostering partnerships by creating an enabling policy environment, promoting transparency, and mobilizing resources. They can establish regulatory frameworks, incentivize private sector engagement, and prioritize sustainable development in national agendas.

Business Engagement: Businesses are key players in advancing sustainable development. Through corporate social responsibility initiatives, ethical practices, and responsible investment, businesses can align their objectives with the SDGs. By partnering with governments and civil society organizations, businesses can leverage their expertise, technology, and resources to drive sustainable solutions.

Civil Society Engagement: Civil society organizations are essential in driving social change and holding governments and businesses accountable. Their active participation in partnerships ensures that decisions are inclusive, responsive to community needs, and promote social justice. Civil society organizations can bring grassroots knowledge, advocacy skills, and community engagement to the table.

Unlocking the Transformative Potential

Goal 17 serves as a powerful enabler of change, unlocking the transformative potential of partnerships in several ways:

Knowledge Sharing and Capacity Building: Partnerships facilitate the exchange of knowledge, expertise, and best practices. They provide opportunities for capacity building, technology transfer, and learning from successful models. This exchange enhances the effectiveness and efficiency of interventions, avoiding duplication of efforts and accelerating progress.

Resource Mobilization: Achieving the SDGs requires significant financial resources. Partnerships enable resource mobilization by leveraging public and private investments, philanthropic contributions, and innovative financing mechanisms. By pooling resources and aligning priorities, partnerships can address financing gaps and scale up impactful projects.

Innovation and Technology Transfer: Partnerships foster innovation by bringing together different sectors and disciplines. Collaborations between academia, research institutions, and businesses drive technological advancements, research breakthroughs, and sustainable solutions. Technology transfer from developed to developing countries through partnerships promotes inclusive growth and bridges the digital divide.

Successful Examples of Goal 17 Partnerships

Numerous partnerships have emerged in recent years, exemplifying the transformative power of Goal 17. Some notable examples include:

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria: This public-private partnership has mobilized billions of dollars to combat the three diseases. It brings together governments, private sector entities, and civil society organizations to support prevention, treatment, and advocacy efforts worldwide.

The Sustainable Energy for All Initiative: Led by the United Nations, this partnership aims to ensure universal access to affordable, reliable, and clean energy. It catalyzes commitments from governments, businesses, and civil society organizations, driving investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable infrastructure.

The Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator: In response to the global pandemic, this partnership was formed to accelerate the development, production, and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments. It brings together governments, international organizations, and private sector actors, emphasizing the importance of global collaboration in addressing health crises.

The Road Ahead: Amplifying Partnerships for Global Transformation

As we look toward the future, the significance of Goal 17 becomes even more apparent. Strengthening partnerships is essential to accelerate progress across all the SDGs and overcome complex challenges such as climate change, poverty, inequality, and conflict.

To amplify the impact of partnerships, several steps can be taken:

Policy Coherence and Alignment: Governments should align their policies, strategies, and funding mechanisms with the SDGs. This coherence ensures that national and international efforts are mutually reinforcing, enabling effective collaboration and resource mobilization.

Scaling Up Successful Models: Identifying and replicating successful partnership models can drive widespread change. Lessons learned from existing partnerships can inform the design and implementation of new collaborations, avoiding reinvention and optimizing impact.

Promoting Inclusive Partnerships: Partnerships must prioritize inclusivity and diversity. By involving marginalized communities, women, youth, and indigenous groups, partnerships can address systemic inequalities and ensure that no one is left behind in the journey towards sustainable development.

Conclusion

Goal 17, "Partnerships to achieve the Goal," acts as a linchpin for global transformation. By fostering collaboration, knowledge sharing, and resource mobilization, partnerships unlock the potential to address the world's most pressing challenges. Governments, businesses, civil society organizations, and individuals must come together to harness the power of partnerships and drive sustainable development forward. As we embark on this collective journey, Goal 17 reminds us that our shared future depends on the strength and effectiveness of our collaborations. Together, we can build a more equitable, resilient, and sustainable world for all.

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sagunpaudel · 1 year

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WHO outlines 40 research priorities on antimicrobial resistance

WHO has published its first global research agenda for the world’s scientists to address the most urgent human health priorities to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). It outlines 40 research topics on drug-resistant bacteria, fungi and Mycobacterium tuberculosis that must be answered by 2030, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. The WHO Global Research Agenda for AMR in human…

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#AMR #Antimicrobial Resistance Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform #Antimicrobial Resistant #Global antimicrobial resistance and use surveillance system #News #Public Health #Public Health News #Public Health Update #Research Capacity Building

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internationaldayoffamilies · 1 year

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Programme of the International Day of Family 2023 "Families and Demographic Changes.

Observance of the 2023 International Day of Families will be held on Monday, May 15th, from 1:15 to 2:30 PM (EST) at UNHQ New York Conference Room 11.

Moderator: Masumi Ono, Chief, Social Inclusion and Participation Branch Division for Inclusive Social Development, DESA. Launch of Background Paper & Keynote Address: Zitha Mokomane, PhD., Professor & Head of Department, Department of Sociology, University of Pretoria “The Impact of Demographic Change on Families”

Panelists:

-Jonathan Perry, Social Affairs Officer “Leaving No One Behind in an Ageing World: Findings from the 2023 United Nations World Social Report” - Ernest Gonzalez, PhD., James Weldon Johnson Professor of Social Work, Director of the Center for Health and Aging Innovation New York University Silver School of Social Work; “Intergenerational Equity & Solidarity: Good practices from the field” - Angela Fallentine, Doha International Family Institute Representative.

- Elisabeth Mueller, European Large Families Confederation Representative. - José Alejandro Vázquez Alarcón, PhD., International Federation for Family Development Representative “Civil Society Declaration for IYF+30”.

#International Day of Families #15 may #families #IYF+30 #International Year of Family #Families and Demographic Changes #Intergenerational equity #Multi-stakeholders #Civil society Organization

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internationalwomenday · 2 years

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Open, safe and equal – Shaping a feminist digital future - Side event.

This event will bring together high-level leaders from Governments, civil society organizations, youth, and UN agencies to draw attention to the CSW67 priority theme and the “once-in-a-generation” opportunity to place gender equality at the heart of the digital revolution. The discussion will focus on reaffirming Generation Equality’s shared principles for a feminist digital future, on the role of multi-stakeholder partnership cooperation in advancing gender equality in technology, and on demonstrating how technology and innovation can provide transformative solutions to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.

Open, safe and equal – Shaping a feminist digital future, 7 March 2023, 1.15–2.30pm EST, Conference Room 4, UN Headquarters,

The event will be webcast UN Web TV.

#multi-stakeholder #gender equality #international women's day #women’s digital rights #intergenerational digital futures #digital age #digital technology #Digital future #CSW67 #technology and innovation #side event #UN Headquarters

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premimtimes · 2 years

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Not Yet "Hamba Kahle", Thulani, By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu

Thulani Maseko was the outstanding lawyer of his generation. His crime was to believe that his beloved eSwatini, Africa’s last absolute monarchy, could be and deserved to be better. He believed that this cause was best served by reforming the country into a constitutional monarchy and he forged a formidable coalition to advance this goal. For this, he has given his life. His killers and those who…

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#African Union (AU)#Amnesty International (AI)#Chidi Anselm Odinkalu #eSwatini #King Mswati III #Lawyers for Human Rights #Multi-Stakeholder Forum #Southern African Development Community (SADC)#Swaziland #Thulani Maseko

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dontmeantobepoliticalbut · 1 year

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Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has signed a bill that is aimed at fighting homelessness.

Called “Home IL,” it will bring state agencies, nonprofit organizations and other advocates together. The bill focuses on an equity-based approach, which includes the voices and contributions of those who have experience homelessness.

It codifies the collaboration to move Illinois to “functional zero” homelessness by bolstering the safety net, targeting high-risk populations, expanding affordable housing, securing financial stability for unhoused individuals and closing the mortality gap.

“Every person deserves access to safe shelter and the dignity that comes with housing,” Pritzker said. “This is a first-of-its-kind multi-agency cooperative effort — bringing together state agencies, nonprofit organizations, advocates, and people with lived experience to prevent and end homelessness. I’m grateful for their dedication and believe that together, we can prevent and end homelessness once and for all.”

Rockford has already taken strides in this aspect. In 2017, it became the first community to reach “functional zero” levels among veterans and the chronically homeless.

Illinois’ Interagency Task Force and Community Advisory Council works across 17 state departments and agencies, as well as over 100 processes, programs and policies, to develop a comprehensive plan to combat homelessness.

The goal of the plan is to prevent shelter entry or ensure that shelter stays are limited and lead to quick transitions into stable living situations.

Pritzker has also committed about $360 million for the initiative in his FY24 budget. These investments include:

• $118 million to support unhoused populations seeking shelter and services, including $40.7 million in the Emergency and Transitional Housing Program.

• $50 million in Rapid ReHousing services for 2,000 households, including short-term rental assistance and targeted support for up to two years.

• $40 million in Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Capital funds to develop 90+ new PSH units providing long term rental assistance and case management.

• $37 million in Emergency Shelter capital funds to create more than 460 non-congregate shelter units.

• $35 million for supportive housing services, homeless youth services, street outreach, medical respite, re-entry services, access to counsel, and other shelter diversion supports.

• $21.8 million to provide homelessness prevention services to approximately 6,000 more families.

• $30 million for court-based rental assistance.

• $15 million to fund Home Illinois Innovations Pilots.

• $12.5 million to create 500 new scattered site PSH units.

“People experiencing the trauma of housing instability are our neighbors and community members who deserve to be treated with humanity and dignity. With this cooperative effort, Illinois is ensuring our state agencies can continue to collaborate, and that stakeholders are at the table with us, to support our most vulnerable in living healthy, well, and with dignity.” Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton said. “Our state is making it clear that we will continue to work together so we can all move forward, and we will focus on holistic strategies that bring us closer to ending homelessness in our state.”

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developmentinformationday · 1 year

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Enhancing Advocacy, Financing and Accountability: Key Messages from Civil Society to the SDG Summit and Beyond

This plenary session will feature a high-level dialogue providing a space for open exchange between civil society stakeholders and key representative from governments and others relevant sectors to share learnings from the first half of the SDG cycle, share views on progress and provide suggestions for ways forward on implementation.

Lead Facilitators:

United Nations Foundation

SDG Action Campaign

The session will focus on SDG mobilization through:

Advocacy: enhancing SDG advocacy / collaboration among multistakeholder partners (CSO, private sector, academia, youth, creative sector), local & global social mobilization, intergenerational dialogue.

Financing: unlocking development finance and establishing long-lasting affordable financing mechanisms through multistakeholder partnerships.

Accountability: increased political commitment on means of implementation, accountable and inclusive institutions and societies.

The key objectives are to:

Bring together main messages from civil society for the SDG Summit;

Create an opportunity for civil society to share key messages as they relate to the implementation of the Political Declaration for the SDG Summit;

Enable dialogue and exchange, including with high-level officials from the United Nations and other decision-makers, to support and amplify collective action for the SDGs across civil society and grassroots organizations.

The key expected outcomes of the session are:

Enhanced the involvement of civic movements and groups in SDG advocacy by bringing them together with decision-makers ahead of the SDG Summit and the high-level week;

Generated key messages from civil society stakeholders as they relate to the implementation of the Political Declaration for the SDG Summit;

Shared key priorities with the leadership of the United Nations and other decision-makers.

#sustainable development goals #civil society #agenda 2030 #SDG Action #Advocacy #sdg8 #financing for development #sdg17 #decision-makers #multi stakeholder

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centrally-unplanned · 1 year

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Another big stop in Tokyo for me was Jimbocho Book Town! It is a neighborhood of, depending on who you ask, up to 400 generally-secondhand bookstores flanked by some of the major universities in Tokyo. The local government even prints out maps of the stores to help people find them all:

Which, you will note, is not 400 stores, because the process of becoming an "official" Jimbocho Town Bookstore is an intensely political operation run by local stakeholders with tons of fights over what should qualify and what rights that entails - never change humanity!

"Book Towns" used to actually be quite a common thing, and they peaked during the literary boom of the late 19th century. Figuring out "what books existed" was a hard task, and to do serious research you needed to own the books (you weren't making photocopies), so concentrating specialty bookstores in one area made sense to allow someone to go to one place and ask around to find what they need and discover what exists. It was academia's version of Comiket! Modern digital information & distribution networks slowly killed or at least reduced these districts in places like Paris or London, but Jimbocho is one of the few that still survives.

Why it has is multi-causal for sure - half of this story is that Tokyo is YIMBY paradise and has constantly built new buildings to meet demand so rents have been kept down, allowing low-margin, individually-owned operations to continue where they have struggled in places like the US. These stores don't make much money but they don't have to. But as important is that Japan has a very strong 'book collector' culture, it's the original baseball cards for a lot of people. The "organic" demand for a 1960's shoujo magazine or porcelainware picture book is low, but hobbyists building collections is a whole new source of interest. Book-as-art-collection powered Jimbocho through until the 21st century, where - again like Comiket - the 'spectacle' could give it a lift and allow the area to become a tourist attraction and a mecca for the ~cozy book hoarder aesthetic~ to take over. Now it can exist on its vibes, which go so far as to be government-recognized: In 2001 the "scent wafting from the pages of the secondhand bookstore" was added to Japan's Ministry of Environment's List of 100 Fragrance Landscapes.

Of course this transition has changed what it sells; when it first began in the Meiji area, Jimbocho served the growing universities flanking it, and was a hotpot of academic (and political-polemic) texts. Those stores still exist, but as universities built libraries and then digital collections, the hobby world has taken over. Which comes back to me, baby! If you want Old Anime Books Jimbocho is one of the best places to go - the list of "subculture" stores is expansive.

I'll highlight two here: the first store I went to was Kudan Shobo, a 3rd floor walk-up specializing in shoujo manga. And my guys, the ~vibes~ of this store. It has this little sign outside pointing you up the stairs with the cutest book angel logo:

And the stairs:

Real flex of Japan's low crime status btw. Inside is jam-packed shelves and the owner just sitting there eating dinner, so I didn't take any photos inside, but not only did it have a great collection of fully-complete shoujo magazines going back to the 1970's, it had a ton of "meta" books on shoujo & anime, even a doujinshi collection focusing on 'commentary on the otaku scene' style publications. Every Jimbocho store just has their own unique collection, and you can only discover it by visiting. I picked up two books here (will showcase some of the buys in another post).

The other great ~subculture~ store I went to was Yumeno Shoten - and this is the store I would recommend to any otaku visiting, it was a much broader collection while still having a ton of niche stuff. The vibes continued to be immaculate of course:

And they covered every category you could imagine - Newtype-style news magazine, anime cels, artbooks, off-beat serial manga magazines, 1st edition prints, just everything. They had promotional posters from Mushi Pro-era productions like Cleopatra, nothing was out of reach. I got a ton of books here - it was one of the first stores I visited on my second day in Jimobocho, which made me *heavily* weighed down for the subsequent explorations, a rookie mistake for sure. There are adorable book-themed hotels and hostels in Jimbocho, and I absolutely could see a trip where you just shop here for a week and stay nearby so you can drop off your haul as you go.

We went to other great stores - I was on the lookout for some 90's era photography stuff, particularly by youth punk photographer Hiromix (#FLCL database), and I got very close at fashion/photography store Komiyama Shoten but never quite got what I was looking for. Shinsendo Shoten is a bookstore devoted entirely to the "railway and industrial history of Japan" and an extensive map collection, it was my kind of fetish art. My partner @darktypedreams found two old copies of the fashion magazine Gothic & Lolita Bible, uh, somewhere, we checked like five places and I don't remember which finally had it! And we also visited Aratama Shoten, a store collecting vintage pornography with a gigantic section on old BDSM works that was very much up her alley. It had the porn price premium so we didn't buy anything, but it was delightful to look through works on bondage and non-con from as far back as the 1960's, where honestly the line between "this is just for the fetish" and "this is authentic gender politics" was...sometimes very blurry. No photos of this one for very obvious reasons.

Jimbocho absolutely earned its rep, its an extremely stellar example of how history, culture, and uh land use policy can build something in one place that seems impossible in another operating under a different set of those forces. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip.

#Ash Japan Adventures #Jimbocho #anime culture discourse

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mariacallous · 1 month

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Let’s get one thing clear: the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, was never the border czar, despite her political opponents’ attempts to label her as such. If Harris has ever had a Biden administration czarship—not with an official title but with broad authority to coordinate and direct multiple agencies, organizations, and departments on a multi-faceted policy priority—it was in artificial intelligence (AI). Strangely, this doesn’t seem to have come up a lot in the 2024 presidential contest, despite the presence of AI everywhere else these days. In fact, this role doesn’t even merit a passing mention on the “Meet Vice President Kamala Harris” page of her website even as she prepares to formally become the party’s presidential candidate at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

AI might lack the political resonance of the border today, but it is time we reconsider its significance to the average voter. As Harris graduates from a vibes campaign to one with more substance, the vice president should put a spotlight on the AI in her record. When AI is recast as a sweeping change that could affect jobs, income equality, national security, and the rights of ordinary citizens, it is rather quickly transformed from esoterica to an everyday concern. The Trump-Vance campaign has received support from the likes of Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and Marc Andreessen—all major Silicon Valley and AI influencers and investors—but it is Harris, not former President Donald Trump, who has actual fingerprints on AI policy. So, what has been Harris’s track record in this area? And where is the vice president likely to take AI policy if she wins the White House?

Harris’s role as AI czar may be the political season’s best-kept secret. But if one were to trace AI policy development in the world’s leading AI-producing nation, all signs point to Harris. Remarkably, AI policy development has been led by the White House rather than the U.S. Congress. In fact, Congress has done precious little, despite the growing need for AI guardrails, while the White House, with Harris as the seniormost public official involved, has helped frame and follow up on its October 2023 executive order on AI.

That order was designed to ensure the “safe, secure, and trustworthy development and use of AI.” In addition, Harris has made a broader commitment to “establishing a set of rules and norms for AI, with allies and partners, that reflect democratic values and interests, including transparency, privacy, accountability, and consumer protections.” Significantly for a technology disproportionately reliant on a handful of industry players, Harris suggested and has led the important first step of bringing these players together to commit to a set of AI practices and standards that advances three critical objectives: safety, security, and trust.

Given the disproportionate influence of the United States on AI used around the world, it is critical for the country to have its public position clarified in international fora. Harris has represented the United States in key international convenings and led the country’s global advocacy efforts on ensuring safe AI, such as at the AI Safety Summit in Bletchley Park, England. At the other end of the stakeholder spectrum, Harris has also met with the communities most directly affected by the wider adoption of the technology, including consumer protection groups and labor and civil rights leaders, to discuss protections against AI risks.

Harris’ contact with AI has another dimension, too. As the ultimate political unicorn—a woman of color, an underrated and parodied vice president in the Biden administration, and an overnight sensation as presumptive presidential nominee of the Democratic Party after U.S. President Joe Biden stepped aside from the 2024 race—Harris’s narrative has been defined largely by others, whether it is through AI-assisted disinformation campaigns or viral memes. She has been personally targeted by deepfake videos of her supposedly making garbled statements, such as, “Today is today, and yesterday was today yesterday.” An AI-aided voice synthesis that led to a demeaning parody of her presidential campaign advertisement was reposted by Musk himself on X. Trump has also falsely claimed that the large crowds at Harris’s campaign rallies were AI generated. In other words, Harris can legitimately claim to have had AI weaponized against her personally.

Finally, Harris hails from the global capital of AI. As former attorney general and senator of California, she has been financially supported by many in the tech industry; more than 200 Silicon Valley investors have backed her run for the White House. One of her closest confidantes is her brother-in-law, Tony West, Uber’s chief legal officer (now on leave to work for the Harris campaign). It is legitimate to ask if she would be willing to confront the industry on difficult issues; at the same time, her closeness with industry leaders could help with greater government-industry collaboration.

What can we learn from Harris’s record as to what she would do in the presidency on this issue? As AI czar, Harris showed some clear patterns. For one, her primary focus has been promoting safety and addressing the risks of unregulated AI use, which can lead to bias or abuse. Second, the White House under her stewardship has accomplished a wide range of safety-, security-, and trust-enhancing actions since the issuance of the executive order—from AI testbeds and model evaluation tools developed at the Department of Energy to the Office of Management and Budget-issued government-wide policy on AI, the latter with safeguards to assess and monitor AI’s societal impact. There have been pilots at the departments of Defense and Homeland Security using AI to protect vital government software and a call to action from the Gender Policy Council and Office of Science and Technology Policy to combat AI-generated image-based sexual abuse. Harris has also been the seniormost official behind the release of a Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, outlining principles for the ethical design and use of AI.

Another of Harris’s initiatives has been aimed at promoting authenticity as concerns about AI-generated content skyrocket. This includes proposing international standards for tracing authenticity of government-produced digital content and identifying AI-generated or manipulated content, through digital signatures, watermarking, and labeling.

While Harris is not, any means, an expert on AI, and much work remains to get a full-throated AI policy in place, the numbers tell a tale of steady early accomplishment. A list of 100 action items following the executive order has been completed by various federal agencies on issues ranging from developing new technical guidelines for AI safety to evaluating misuse of dual-use foundation models and developing frameworks for managing generative AI risks. Harris has obtained voluntary commitments from 15 companies to ensure safe, secure, and transparent development of AI technology. 31 nations have joined the United States in endorsing a declaration establishing norms for responsible development, deployment, and use of military AI capabilities. And the U.S. government has won commitments of up to $200 million from 10 leading foundations to fund work around five pillars that cover issues from democracy and rights to improving transparency and accountability of AI.

Harris’s campaign rests on the idea of looking to the future and “not going back.” The Democratic National Convention in Chicago presents an opportunity for Harris to communicate more to the public about a key part of that future: AI’s economic and societal implications and her role in influencing them. Time is running out on conveying this issue’s importance, especially to the working class. While the impact of AI on different occupations is a matter of debate, some argue that, in the near-term, higher-income workers are more likely to benefit from productivity improvements due to AI and the share of income going to capital is likely to increase at the expense of the share that goes to labor. Both trends would contribute to an increase in income inequality.

As for the impact on jobs, there are different schools of thought. Some believe AI could help make many services, such as medical care, or currently elite job responsibilities, such as research, writing. graphics design and software coding more accessible to the middle class. Others see a plausible scenario of a hollowing out of specialized job functions. Policy and election promises need to show how a Harris administration would help steer toward the former outcome.

On the global stage, there are numerous existential risks associated with AI. Autonomous lethal weapons are a critical concern as multilateral agreements to ban such weapons have failed. Tensions with major AI-producing nations such as China are escalating, with no roadmap for getting to common ground as both the United States and China have declared their aspirations to become the world’s AI leader. A recent seven-hour meeting between top officials of the two countries in Geneva advertised as a dialogue on managing AI risks reportedly ended with no concrete agreements or follow-up meetings scheduled.

In parallel, the atmosphere has only become more tense with U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports and restrictions on the export of high-end chips to China. The Commerce Department is considering further restrictions on exporting proprietary AI models to China. Meanwhile, Beijing and Moscow are discussing a strategic partnership on various issues, including technology, while the Chinese embassy in Washington has accused the United States of “economic coercion and unilateral bullying.” If mishandled, these tensions can escalate.

Harris’s campaign can distinguish her candidacy with an acknowledgement of her track record and momentum on AI policy development. It must make the case for at least three sets of issues her administration would address. First: understanding AI’s impact on jobs and the resulting impact on economic inequality, and setting forth a plan to mitigate risks and protecting the most vulnerable. Second: developing a strategy for harnessing AI that addresses key kitchen-table concerns, such as accessible healthcare and education and skill-building. And third: crafting a vision for U.S. leadership in AI that advances responsible innovation, reduces geopolitical tensions, and preserves American national security interests.

Going from czar to president is unusual and comes with unusual challenges. Czars are usually not formally appointed as such—Harris was never officially designated AI czar despite the clear czar-like nature of her involvement—but can work to bring multiple parties together, often doing so outside public view. Then-Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, for example, played a key role as de facto climate czarin increasing cooperation on that issue with China without much fanfare.

In other instances, and when they are brought in during an acute crisis, czars come with enormous expectations: The city of Boston awaits a rat czar, and residents want to see quick results. Czars do not have executive powers but have the respect of many, which is the calling card that allows them to convene parties with differing agendas. Presidents enjoy none of these luxuries. They own the problems they take on and they do so in public view.

There’s no escaping the reality that we are—and this election is being held—firmly in the age of AI. It is important that Harris’s team conveys the significance of AI to people’s lives and lets voters know how Harris would build on her unique track record. American voters have a choice to make for the nation’s next president this November, and on this one critical issue at least one of the candidates has a running start.

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pearwaldorf · 1 year

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Copper Canyon Press is a local poetry publishing house based out of Port Townsend, WA. You may be familiar with some of their poets, who include Richard Siken, Ocean Vuong, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Natalie Diaz.

For many years their pressmark was the Chinese word for poetry, 诗*. The reason given was that the character combines the concepts of "word" and "temple", which is not true at all and most likely derives from orientalist bullshit and incorrect interpretation of characters as ideograms.

It was the 70s in rural Washington, of course there was going to be this sort of hippie nonsense. It was certainly not meant maliciously, and in the greater scheme of things you roll your eyes and move on with your life.

But. As part of their ongling DEI initiative, stakeholders elected to embark on a multi-year process to design a new pressmark, one that is more abstract and inclusive without the orientalist and appropriative vibes of the original. Their Racial Equity Work Plan details some of the thinking behind why they did this.

It can seem like bikeshedding to people who aren't in the know, and if that was the only thing that changed, it absolutely would be. But the Press is putting in the work, and adding updates as they follow through on list items. This is the sort of transparency other non-profits, especially those who have been taken to task about stated timelines and opaqueness, should strive to emulate.

*My Chinese name is 丽诗, which means "beautiful poem". My grandma came up with it, also to align with my English name.

Poetry is very important in Chinese culture. Yilin Wang explains some of the context, and why what the British Museum did to her translations and Qiu Jin's poetry was an act of colonialist violence by an institution that damn well knew better and backed down only with the threat of legal action.

#non-profits #transparency #how to do the work #things involving me #not really but idk where else it fits

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dotieeee · 2 years

Text

The Dream That Got Away

Chapter 7

Pairing: Dark!Morpheus x You (no Y/N!)

This is a multi-chapter fic — Weekly updates (either Saturday or Sunday) because I found a rhythm of sorts lol

(The entire fic has been outlined, so I will see this to the end, you have my word)

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Link to the Masterlist

Overall Warnings!! Take heed:

Morpheus is DARK – in canon, he changes for the better (or at least, tries to – but we don’t do canon lol, so he goes even more batshit crazy) cue obsession, manipulation, possessiveness, powerplay

18+ ONLY – explicit scenes will be present, some explicit language

DUB-CON and NON-CON scenes

Character death (sort of)

Creator vs Creation drama

And other dark stuff that may be added in the future

This chapter’s warnings:

mentions of blood and injury

signs of PTSD and trauma

You have been warned!! Proceed with caution!!!

Link to the previous chapter

Chapter 7: Nightmarish Visits

It was nice to sit back and watch the humans form their own dreams for a change.

You arrive in Maurie Ellis’ dream just as it starts. As you have seen in all your visits, her dream always begins with a memory: that of her getting lost in the woods as a child, from which she was rescued only the morning after. She had probably relived her traumatic experience night after night, being trapped in her five-year-old body, hungry, thirsty, and helpless. That was until she had chosen to participate in Ollie’s sleep trials.

By now, it was the third round of trials for his invention which he had temporarily named LeRêve – “It’s French for ‘the dream,’ I can’t think of anything yet,” you remember him saying. With his work now becoming increasingly popular among his peers, there are now three sleep laboratories running the LeRêve experiment, with three more on the waiting list vying to be a part of this groundbreaking study. He had a myriad of investors backing the study, and for the past eleven months, both of you had been busy – him overseeing the studies and rallying stakeholders, and you going back and forth between the participants’ dreams to observe the device in action.

Five-year-old Maurie, now aware of the nightmare she’s in, walks to a dead tree with decided steps and touches its bark. In an instant, the tree shakes violently before disintegrating into minuscule pieces. She picks up a piece of the tree and eats it, and when she swallows, the other trees also crumble, leaving behind tall mounds of what you recognize as tree bark. You watch your entire surroundings transform – the night sky gives way to a pinkish, sunny glow; the forest floor, previously strewn with gnarly root trees and dead leaves and twigs, starts sprouting tiny blades of green grass, and right before Maurie, a cobblestone path appears, stretching on for miles until it disappears through the smaller patch of trees on the horizon. Now in her thirty-something-year-old body, she looks around in awe of her creation. A butterfly flies a little too close to her – she catches it, and like the tree bark she picked up, she also places it in her mouth and chews lightly before swallowing.

Curiously, you walk up to a pile of bark and pick it up. Making sure it is what you think it is, you bring it close to smell it – and the wonderful aroma of chocolate invades your senses.

Not the cheap, drugstore candy you’ve tasted in other dreams, no: Belgian, silky-smooth chocolate. Eagerly, you take a handful of pieces before sitting down on the grass. You regard Maurie with absolute pride – she had just managed all by herself to turn a recurring, nightmare-memory into a candy-filled hypnagogic dream that wouldn’t look out of place in Willy Wonka’s factory. Finishing your chocolate, you pluck a lollipop growing out of the grass to munch on as you watch her chase more of the poor butterflies, which upon closer inspection, are made of delicate, spun sugar. As Maurie crouches down to lick the cobblestone path, however, a resonating beeping is heard all over the dream, indicating that the dream is being drawn to a close.

You get up, stretch your limbs, and will yourself back to Ollie and his dream-space to report your findings.

***

Ollie sets down a cup of coffee on the coffee table right before you. Absently, you whisper ‘thanks,’ concentrating on the book you had propped on your knees. You hear him settle down on the couch before you and wait for him to say something snarky as always does, but surprisingly, he doesn’t say a word. Putting down the book, you see him facing you with an odd expression on his face.

“Out with it.” You decide to say.

“With what?” He asks innocently.

“I know that look on your face,” Raising your eyebrow at him, you continue, “Come on and just ask me, Ollie, how bad can it be?”

He rubs the back of his neck, a guilty grimace growing on his face. Before you could find yourself regretting asking him what he had in mind he blurts out, “Uh, I…Imayhavetoldafriendaboutyou.”

“You what?”

“He’s my best friend. His name is Marcus Sutton, he’s the engineer I told you about that duplicated the prototypes. We can trust him.”

Why did you have to ask? You rub your palms on your face, involuntarily whispering a string of choice curse words.

“Now, don’t lose me just yet, I didn’t tell him that whole you’re-a-dream thing, or else, he’d have committed me to the psych,” His hands holding out to you as if trying to placate you. “I told him you’re the really smart… friend who kind of helped me discover this.”

You place your hands on your hips, trying to maintain an irritated expression, but it’s a difficult feat with that wide, innocent smile of his plastered on his face. “So what are you saying, Ollie?”

“I need you to come with me to the Waking World, please. To meet him, that’s all.” As he sees your jaw drop at his request, he adds, “Look, he’s been badgering me for the past few months. You’ve no idea how much of a nuisance he can be once he’s made up his mind. Come on, Mera, please.”

“Are you seriously suggesting I commit treason?” You ask him incredulously.

“Just one dinner? Besides, your boss isn’t here. It’ll be like taking an extra five-minute break on your terms. Goodness knows you need a damn break.”

You don’t deny his analogy, but you cross your arms in mock annoyance, contemplating the request. Certainly, a short visit wouldn’t hurt, especially in your King’s absence, right?

Crouching down in front of you, he takes hold of both your hands, his smile widening as if sensing your train of thought.

“Please? The restaurant we’re going to has this amazing, melt-in-your-mouth mango-crumble basque-burnt cheesecake.”

Not being able to hold down our smile any longer, you reply, “Fine.”

Ollie lets out a delighted giggle. “I knew I’d get you at ‘cheesecake.’”

You watch him as he slowly brings your right hand to his lips and plants a kiss.

Then he had the gall to flash you a knowing smirk that sends butterflies flying in your stomach.

Swallowing that lump in your throat, you tear your hand away and get up from the sofa, focusing instead on the view of the gardens outside the tall windows. In an effort to maintain your composure, you joke, “I get two slices.”

From behind you, you hear him chuckle, saying, “Get the whole damn cake, I don’t care.” He gets in front of you, blocking the view, and softly adds, “I just want you to be there.”

You give him a furtive nod, muttering ‘great’ while avoiding that warm gaze of his. This isn’t a date, get a hold of yourself. You force your treacherous thoughts away and clasp your hands together, signaling your readiness.

“Alright then. Wake up, and I’ll be there.”

“See you.”

With a wink, he’s gone, leaving you alone to finally concentrate on the upcoming task of traveling to a world you’ve never been to before.

Ollie had thankfully constructed the study to match his own in the Waking Realm, making the work so much easier. In your mind, the thread connecting the Dreaming and the Waking is as clear as you’ve seen it more than a century ago – with a deep breath, you steel your resolve, close your eyes and grip the thread firmly. In an instant, you feel a tug in your navel, and you begin to fall.

The journey is surprisingly much lighter and quicker than you had anticipated. This allows you to keep your footing as you land on the Waking version of Ollie’s office and, on impulse, change your clothing to one that could be more acceptable for the mortals.

“Mera? Is that you?”

You turn around to face the Doctor, but you’re greeted with a tight, enthusiastic hug. Ollie lifts you off your feet and spins you around, earning an embarrassing yelp from you, but his unintelligible shouts of joy drown it out. Finally, he props you back down, cupping both your cheeks and squeezing them lightly.

“You’re here! You’re actually here, in the flesh! You’re – what the fuck are you wearing?”

You’re still breathless from his rather animated greeting, but you laugh with him all the same.

Looking down at your clothes, you remark, “Hmm, I suppose I haven’t been keeping up with fashion trends, these days.”

“Oh that’s fashionable – granted it’s the year two thousand and one, and you’re a backup dancer in a Britney music video.”

Sticking your tongue out to him, you walk to a mirror in the study and, with a wave of your hand, change your attire to a long-sleeved black dress with a classic heart-shaped neckline and with an A-line hem reaching just a little over your knees. Your eyes dart to the ruby and the gold chain on your head – you take it off and put it in your dress pocket, feeling lighter than you have ever felt in a century. Happy with your handiwork, you turn to Ollie and ask, “What time is the dinner, anyway?”

“It’s, uh… eight, I-I think?” He stutters absently, staring at you with his cheeks and ears all red. Gulping and running his hand through his hair, he mumbles, “You look really pretty.”

You mutter ‘thanks’ and give him a small smile. You could feel your own face threatening to blush, so you distract yourself with the clock on his wall to take a look at the time. Get a hold of yourself. Clearing your throat, you note, “It’s only thirty minutes away.”

Seemingly composing himself, he says, “Yeah, we better get going. I’m driving.”

“Aw, and I thought I’d finally get a chance to test my driving skills,” you feign a pout, earning a small, affectionate pinch on your cheek from him.

“Fat chance. I’d like to get there in one piece, thanks.”

***

You glance up at the clock hanging just above the towering shelves of booze on the bar: a little over eleven o’clock. For the bartender named Gabriel wiping the glasses on the counter, his day is just getting started. With a contented sigh, you stir your cosmopolitan with the toothpick-skewered cranberries, looking around the chic, arte-moderne bar you had moved to after dinner. You watch the patrons with a certain fondness, getting lost in the mellow cacophony of chatter, laughter, and light jazz music. After a while, you feel Ollie’s warm hand on your shoulder, and he takes the seat right beside you on the bar and orders an old-fashioned.

Turning the chair to face him with a relaxed smile, you ask, “Did Marcus get home alright?”

“Yeah, he just got in a cab.” His tender, smiling eyes never leave you as he takes a sip of his drink. “I hope the Waking World has made a good first impression.”

The dinner with Marcus was fantastic. Although the food in the Dreaming was second to none, the fare was made more delectable with the first company you had since Ollie – Marcus proved to be just as energetic, bubbly, and full of ideas as his best buddy. They made an instant connection in college with the same interest in sleep technology, so he was more than happy to help with the prototype devices when he heard Ollie’s idea, even throwing in improvements of his own. He said he was glad you talked him into it, because according to Marcus, Ollie was bored to death with the routine in the old clinic, and had no creative outlet. After the hearty main course, the three of you proceeded to decimate an entire cheesecake, while they animatedly recounted their misadventures in medical school. Cheerfully, your eyes wander once more around this total gem of a bar. So, as far as first impressions go…

“Everything’s wonderful, Ollie. Thank you for convincing me to come here.”

As your gaze focuses on him, he inches closer to you, your foreheads almost touching together. “That’s good,” he whispers, lightly brushing the hair framing your face with his fingers. “Because I still have so much to pay you back for. So fucking much.”

You don’t exactly know who leaned in first between the two of you, but your lips brush together lightly for a few seconds, before he pulls away, completely flustered.

“I’m sorry, was that okay? I don’t know what came over me,” he apologizes profusely, running his hand through his hair.

You take a sip from your forgotten cosmo, trying to convince yourself unsuccessfully that the heat in your cheeks is just the effect of the alcohol in your system. “Well, I haven’t slapped you in the face yet, have I?”

He lets out a breathy chuckle, and, looking at you expectantly, asks, “So, could we…?”

“Could we what?”

“You know what I mean, Mera.” He says with a serious tone. “I like you. A lot. You don’t know how hard it has been these past few months, trying to work and act normal while you’re there. It drives me fucking nuts.”

You couldn’t deny the way your heart seemed to flutter at his confession. At this point, the realization that you probably feel the same way, that you have been feeling the same way for a while, hits you like a ton of bricks.

The face of one furious Endless invades your thoughts – against your will, you remember the heated stares, unwanted touches…Suddenly feeling queasy, you start regretting your decision of getting your fourth glass of the drink; it wasn’t the brightest idea you’ve had in a while.

Ollie seems to sense your hesitation. “I take that as a ‘no,’ I guess,” he laughs dryly, emptying his glass.

“I’m sorry, Ollie, I just…” Inwardly, you fight back the emotions threatening to spill, and your voice trembles at the effort.

He somehow easily recognizes your distress, so he tries to amend, “Oh no, no, sorry I didn’t mean to pressure you!”

When he doesn’t get a response from you, he places a reassuring palm on your shoulder. “Mera? Forget I asked, okay? Is something wrong? Hey, you can tell me, you know that, right? If you need me to listen as a friend, I’m all ears. Unless I turned you off that much. Is it my breath? Odd, I just took a couple of mints before –”

“Ollie.”

“Yeah?”

Whatever feelings he had for you, you know you have to nip it in the bud, regardless of whatever you feel. Ollie does not deserve to be dragged into whatever business you had with anyone who might take his affections against him.

“I’m currently committed.”

“Oh.” He is stunned by your confession, then he smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his green eyes. “Yeah, I should’ve known. Someone as…beautiful and smart and talented as you…it wouldn’t be surprising.”

You could tell he's still reeling from the blow and he’s trying to hide it. I’m sorry, Ollie, this is for the best. “You know you’re quite the charmer.”

Motioning Gabriel for a shot of the whiskey bottle in his hands, he questions, “May I ask who? So I can congratulate the lucky bastard.”

There is no point in trying to hide it, least of all from him, so you say, “The King of Dreams.”

Halfway through his shot, he sputters, spilling most of the drink on his lap. “Wait. Your boss?” He asks incredulously. You could only nod in response.

“What the fuck? You didn’t tell me you’re practically royalty.”

“No, I’m not,” you say, grabbing a wad of napkins from the counter and throwing it on his lap. “I’m his creation. He gave me my current function, then he…changed it. Just before he left.”

“‘Changed it?’ That’s the most fucked up promotion I’ve ever heard. Doesn’t look like you want it, either.”

He’s looking at you with these wide eyes full of concern, but you shrug it off. “It doesn’t matter what I want. It’s my duty. I’m to fulfill it for him.”

“But, of course, it matters what you want. He can’t force you, can he? Have you told him about this?” You shake your head, so he adds, “Maybe you should tell him, then.”

But in your heart, you know that once the Dream King has made up his mind, there was no convincing him otherwise. So, you lie to Ollie through gritted teeth, no matter how much it pains you.

“Hmm. Maybe I will. When he comes back.”

“Good.” He nods in satisfaction, eyeing you sideways. “And don’t think I’m telling you to tell him just because… well, you know…”

Lightly chuckling, you reply, “Yeah, sure. So smooth, Ollie. Can we head back? I’m quite tired.”

He acquiesces, watching you finish off the cranberries on the toothpick. He pays his tab, leaving a generous tip behind. Walking out of the bar, he gently and wordlessly takes your hand in his. You give no sign of protest, and you swear you could feel him tighten his grip, only by a tiny fraction.

***

“It sucks that you have to go back to the dreams. I mean, we could have an actual, proper break…we could drive around the countryside, get some fresh air for once, admire the views…”

“Yeah, keep dreaming!” You shout from the kitchen, sitting on one of the dining chairs with a heavy sigh. From the hall, you hear his boisterous laughter.

After the drive home from the bar, you made a beeline to his kitchen and ransacked his cupboards for some drip coffee. You had just turned the electric kettle on, waiting for the water to boil. You’re bone-tired at this point, noting how much energy your brief visit to the Waking World had cost you. At least, you had some left to change into a pair of comfortable pajamas and a fluffy pair of house slippers. You hear the kettle click shut, so you slowly get up from your seat and pour the steaming water into the mugs, finding comfort in the waft of fresh-smelling coffee. You wait for the coffee to finish, then proceed to dump copious amounts of milk on both cups – Ollie likes it milky and sweet, the same way you do. You pick them both up and carry it them to the study, but you don’t even get past the kitchen exit when it hits you.

It’s a strong, mighty wave that sends you keeling over like you’ve been punched in the gut – it makes you drop the mugs you’re holding, and you collapse on the scalding hot mess of coffee and broken ceramic pieces. The pain doesn’t register; with shallow breaths, you’re filled with horrifying visions of a cracked circular glass cage, its shards flying everywhere; the sound of multiple gunshots is drowned out by the whooshing of strong winds controlled by the ancient, endlessly powerful being stepping out of the glass.

He’s back.

The ominous warning of the Voice awakens the dormant fear you had been downplaying and brushing aside for a long time. The return of your master might spell the salvation of the Dreaming, but what does that spell for you?

“Mera, what the – are you okay?”

Ollie comes rushing to your crumpled figure on the floor cursing under his breath. You’re soaked in coffee and one of your palms, now bloodied, had ceramic pieces sticking out of it. He scoops you up from the floor and sets you down on the kitchen counter. Taking your palm in his hands, he carefully picks up the shards and cleans the cuts, before wrapping your hand with a clean bandage.

“This is the second time you scared me half to death. Do it for the third time and I might just have a heart attack.” He tries to joke, but he fails to get a reaction from you. Cupping your cheeks so you’re looking at him, he asks, barely in a whisper: “What happened?”

Those green eyes bring you back to reality. You hold the hands cupping your face and tethering you to reason – having to lie to him once again sickens you to the stomach, but still, you find your voice and say, “I slipped. I’m sorry.”

The look in his eyes says he doesn’t believe you, but he’s sensible enough to let it go, so you get off the counter without preamble and go straight to the balcony on the study to get some air. You couldn’t be near him now that your time with him is coming to an end. Your King of Dreams, after all, would not take it lightly when he finds out the transgressions you had committed – coming to the Waking World being the least of them.

But if you go back now, what would you say? How would you explain to Lucienne and to your King your year-long disappearance? Would they believe you if you said you simply got stuck in the dreams and couldn’t find your way?

Can you go back, knowing you’ll be forever stuck to a function you dread fulfilling?

You rub your biceps, realizing it’s gotten cold outside. You step back inside the study, with thoughts of saying your farewell to Ollie. Perhaps you could do it once you see him, like ripping off a band-aid? You slowly pace in the study you had grown so fond of. Inside, you’re conflicted; you don’t know whether you could bring yourself to run away from the Dreaming and abandon the kingdom you call home, or just go back to your creator, confess your sins and let him decide your fate. You stop just before the bookshelf, lazily running your fingers over the books that you have read from cover to cover.

Without warning, your hairs stand on end, and you sense a presence behind you. Your breathing turns shallow, and you couldn’t help the tears brimming in your eyes from the trepidation – has your Dream King finally found you and come to fetch you himself? What will he do to you now that he knows you had willingly committed an act of betrayal by being in the Waking World?

The feeling of a hand on your shoulder finally breaks you.

You burst into terrified tears, mumbling all of the apologies you know to try to appease the being that had finally come to take you back to your world. A pair of strong arms wrap around you and pull you close, shushing you and trying to calm you down. Bristling at your closeness, you resist on instinct, and to your surprise, the arms let you go.

“Mera, Mera, it’s me, Ollie, it’s okay, it’s me!”

Through your tears, you peer, not into anger-filled blue eyes, but a pair of gentle, forest green ones – whimpering in relief, you break into a fresh bout of sobbing. You halfheartedly hit him in the chest with your bandaged hand, barely feeling the stinging on your palm.

“Don’t you ever walk up on me like that again, you, you fucking –”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” He places both hands on your shoulders to still you, and when you offer no resistance, he wipes your tears softly with his knuckles.

“I-I thought you w-were h-h-him!” You exclaim through your mess of ugly tears and hiccups. “He’s b-back, a-and I thought you were him!”

He regards you with utmost concern on his face, whispering his ‘sorry’ over and over.

You sit on the floor and hug your knees to your chest. You will your inner storm to simmer down, sniffling as you do. Ollie follows your example and sits on the floor right in front of you. You both stay in the same position in silence.

“Jesus Christ, Mera, just what the hell did he do to you?” He finally whispers. His hands are balled into fists like he was trying not to touch you with great effort – one of the many things you have grown to appreciate with him – he knows just what you needed, or didn’t, in the exact moment.

Finding your words, you say slowly, “He tried… he made…inappropriate advances.”

His expression hardens as the meaning of your words dawns on him. “You don’t have to say anything further.” He tells you with tenderness in his voice. “Can I hold your hand…please?”

At your furtive nod, he encases your trembling, uninjured hand with both of his.

“You’re not with him anymore. You’re with me, yeah? You don’t have to hurt like this anymore.”

Your heart tries to take comfort in those soothing words, but your head shakes automatically. “You know I can’t stay.” Please make me stay. Please. Don’t let me go back there with him.

“Can I hug you?”

The moment your ‘yes’ leaves your lips, he pulls you to him and tucks you under his chin. “I don’t think you’re going anywhere, not in this state. Damn if I let him near you and hurt you like this again.”

But what if it’s you he hurts?

This intrusive thought is the last thing on your mind before you close your eyes, falling asleep to the calming rhythm of Ollie’s beating heart.

***

The Dreaming Realm holds no fanfare for its returning, long-awaited ruler.

As soon as the ivory gates swing back at the command of its weakened King, it reveals nothing but the remnants of his empire – once the most majestic kingdom of all kingdoms, perhaps only second to the Creator’s – everything Dream of the Endless had built and nurtured since the beginning of time now lie in ruins. He is devastated at the sight – he’s also furious and bitter that his weakness had led to his capture, and his capture led to this – Lucienne must’ve felt this, for she explains how, in his absence, everything came falling apart.

She tells him of the library. The castle. The residents. The staff. Then she gets to you.

At the mention of your name, his heart wrenches in pain at the thought of a cruel fate befalling you. He recalls, with a pang of sorrow and regret, how your voice so desperately called out to him, and how, at that moment, he could’ve given up anything to come to your side, take all your troubles away and finally make you his.

His only loyal subject earns a glare from her King when she pauses at your name. To her credit, she doesn’t flinch, possibly aware of how urgent the matter is for him.

“You must tell me, Lucienne. What has become of her?”

Lucienne lets out a deep sigh before she speaks. “She said she was going to keep looking for you, for signs of you, in the dreams of the mortals, but the waters have been unsafe for her, Sir. Sometimes, she comes back weeks after, extremely exhausted. In her visits that led to her disappearance, I’d often find her unconscious on the shore. I have tried convincing her to cease her search for her safety’s sake, but she adamantly refused. That was about a year ago.”

Morpheus is rarely ever taken aback, but he is floored at his librarian’s recall of your relentless pursuit of his whereabouts. He allows his heart to soften momentarily at your unwavering loyalty – you had risked your own life to try and find him and bring him back to his realm and to your arms. Yet, he had no time to dwell on this – he makes an inward vow to reward you richly for your efforts. Lucienne’s as well, he adds. He worries about what has happened to you in the dreams: had something barred you from surfacing in the waters and, in turn, prevented you from awaiting his return?

He had much to do if he were to retrieve you from the sea of dreams. Stepping into the ruins of his palace, he gets to work, his resolve now ever stronger to rebuild his kingdom and bring it back to its full glory.

“I will bring them all back, Lucienne. I will bring her back.”

Whatever kept you away from him, he will crush with his bare hands, and he will need all his tools to unleash his fury.

***

Ollie made a rather convincing argument with you about why you should stay with him in the Waking. And you were sorely tempted to, except for the knowledge that the King of Dreams will eventually come after you, like the nightmares he had sought before his disappearance – or capture, if your visions had indeed revealed the truth. You are, after all, now a fugitive in Dreaming terms.

And you had revealed to Ollie this single misgiving – you trusted him with your life, now that you had no more secrets to hide from him. This big snag on his plan stumps him, of course – what could he, a mortal, do against one of the most powerful beings in the universe? The Dream Lord might have been weakened in his capture, but you know he will eventually gain his powers back to their full extent, as the Endless are all wont to do. It’s only a matter of time, the Voice adds.

Two days after your emotional breakdown in Ollie’s study, however, you’re hit by a sudden stroke of genius.

Who else, save Dream of the Endless, had enough knowledge about the Waking World to thrive in it for more than a hundred years? He might be a Nightmare, but at the moment, he is your best shot at perhaps keeping away from a master that would surely seek to punish you for your errors against him and the laws of his kingdom. To find him, however, you need absolute concentration, so with a word to Ollie about not disturbing you under any circumstances, you lock yourself in a room in his home and begin your search.

Finding the Corinthian was not an easy feat. Vaguely, you recalled how hard it was to find Candor in the Dreaming because she was masking her presence (and because you were juggling between your Dreaming duties and looking for her) – if the Corinthian is doing the same, you were likely to hit a dead end, potentially wasting your effort.

Dreams and Nightmares, however, have this unique way of sensing even the tiniest hints of each other’s presence. While it’s true that your connections in the Waking World are significantly thinner than in the Dreaming, making it much more challenging to sense each other, The Corinthian hasn’t exactly been subtle. After six long hours of pure concentration and grappling through the thin, fragile strings of your connections, you find him at last – or a trace of him, at least, strong enough to tell he had recently been in there.

You focus on the trace he left behind and will yourself to it immediately – you had no time to waste.

You land on an empty, dimly-lit alley. It’s void of humans, at least until a door bursts open, and out stumbles a group of them in their early twenties, drunk on their heels and laughing raucously. Masking your presence, you get a glimpse of the establishment inside: you recognize it as a club with its flashing strobe lights and thumping electronic music. Using your Dreaming ability, you don a tiny, sequined dress and put on some makeup so you could fit in the crowd, and through this back door, you enter the club with senses on high alert.

You make your way through the frenzied, dancing crowd, muttering loud ‘sorry’s’ as you go, trying not to stumble on your high heels. Once you get to the bar, you order a cosmopolitan from the bartender. Realizing you had no money, you flash him your most charming smile, which seems to work – he sets your drink down on the counter with a wink, saying “it’s on the house.” You say your ‘thanks’ with the coyest smile you could muster, cringing inwardly at your behaviour. At the bar, you had a better view of almost everyone in the club, so you quietly scan the establishment for your target, ignoring the stares you’re getting and politely declining the men and women offering to buy you a drink.

It doesn’t take you long. You find him on the VIP balcony, leaning on the railing, wearing glasses dark as night: The Corinthian, staring back at you with a knowing smirk on his features.

Aware that you needed some sort of pass to get to the VIP lounge, you grab the waist of a tipsy young woman making a beeline for the stairs. She squeals with delight and holds on to you (shouting in your ear, “You’re so pretty!”), probably mistaking you for a friend. Finally, you get to the VIP section, shaking her loose, you walk to the Nightmare you’re seeking. His gaze does not leave you as you approach.

“Hello, doll. Come to buy me a drink?” He drawls, leaning close to you so he could hear, his charming smile growing wider.

With a serious expression, you respond, “Not in here, no. I need to talk to you, please.”

He lets out a knowing hum. “Stay close and try not to get lost.” He says, wordlessly motioning for you to follow him.

And so you do, until your way is blocked by a drunken man asking you to dance with him. You try side-stepping him, but he’s quick on his feet, making a move to grab your arm. Someone else grabs his, however, stopping the attempt.

The Corinthian tightens his grip on the man’s arm, danger rolling off him in waves, yet his charming smile never leaves his face. It’s quite a terrifying and mesmerizing sight: Dream’s perfect Nightmare, in action. When he lets go of the poor man’s arm, he says threateningly, “She’s with me. Scram.”

The guy backs away, still wincing at his bruising grip. The Corinthian then proceeds to snake his arm around your waist to pull you close.

“Don’t get the wrong impression, doll,” he leans in to whisper to your ears. “And try not to get into any more trouble; I don’t wanna have to murder anyone with all these people watching.”

With you in close tow, he leads you from the VIP lounge, downstairs, and to the back door. Once you were outside, he lets you go, and with a flick of your hand, your clothes change into something more modest. You let out a sigh of relief at finally being able to get rid of those heels, which you vow to never wear again.

The Corinthian watches you with amusement before gesturing once more for you to follow. He takes you out of the alleyway and leads to you a nearby dive bar, much quieter and a lot brighter than the club you were in moments ago. He chooses the farthest booth, probably to avoid being overheard. You sit on the cushioned chair, with him directly across the table. He orders a craft beer for himself and a cosmopolitan for you from the passing waitress, muttering how you seem the cosmopolitan-drinking sort. The waitress comes back after a few minutes with your drinks on a tray and a napkin with a phone number written on it, which she not-so-subtly slides near his beer.

Great, he’s managed to charm the waitress with just a look, you note inwardly with a slight shake of your head.

With a final wink in his direction, the waitress walks away with a spring in her step, leaving you both alone.

“I know you: you’re Dream’s little plaything. I believe we’ve met.”

He takes a swig of his beer before leaning back in his seat and resting his arm comfortably on the cushion.

You tilt your head, also leaning back on your seat. “I’m no one’s anything. And I believe we haven’t.”

“Oh, believe me, doll, we have. You just don’t remember,” he says with a knowing, lopsided smile. “Anyway, what do I owe this little date? You know Morpheus would hate to see us both this cozy.”

You roll your eyes at the mention of the Endless’ name. “Never mind him. I came to ask you how you plan on staying here, now that he’s back.”

“And why would you be interested in my affairs? I didn’t know I was your type,” he responds with a raised eyebrow.

With a grin of your own, you say, “Let’s just assume, maybe I’m inclined to stay here, too.”

His expression changes to one of genuine surprise. “Really? Well, I must say I’m proud of you, Mera! You’ve come a long way from following your King of Dreams like a lost puppy.”

“Things change. We change.”

He lets out a deep chuckle. “Not him, he won’t. So, what is it that makes you want to stay? Let me guess…”

You narrow your eyes at him, which he ignores. “Don’t tell me it’s a lover? Oh, he’s going to be pissed when he finds out his little dream has been playing around where she shouldn’t be,” he says with a gleeful tone. “He’s going to come after you.”

Not knowing how to react, you merely nod. “I know. Regardless of my reason, I don’t think I can go back.”

At your declaration, he leans with his arms on the table, losing his spirited tone. “Well, then. At least we now have something in common. You and I seek the same thing, doll: freedom. And he’s never going to give that,” With a flair, he fishes out a thin, silver dagger from inside his coat, adding, “But I have my methods.”

Understanding what he meant, you ask, “How? And I’m not saying I condone it – I just don’t think anyone can kill an Endless.”

“I know a few people I could recruit, doll. Believe me, it can be done.”

You shake your head at this outlandish idea. “I don’t think that’s the right question, either. Whether we like it or not, humanity needs Dream, and the other Endless, for that matter.”

“No, it doesn’t. One of them has gone for good, but look around you: they seem to be doing preee-tty fine if you ask me.” He then adds with a more serious tone – the most serious you’ve heard of him since meeting him: “So, if you really want to be free of him, doll, you have to fight for it. We both do.”

You place your arms on the table and clasp your hands in contemplation. Could you really take part in a scheme that could bring about your King’s demise?

“No, not in that way, I can’t.” You conclude.

Your Dream Lord might’ve demoted you to a role that you had absolutely no taste for, but he is still your creator – you owe him your life, and you sincerely wish no harm on him. Still, you acknowledge the Corinthian’s unconventional methods of dealing with problems are of his nature, and thus you couldn’t find it in your heart to judge him or resent him. You genuinely wish there could be a better way.

“But thank you, anyway. This has been insightful. I’ll find my own way, as I’m guessing you will. I wish us both luck. We’re going to need it.”

If he’s disappointed in you, he doesn’t show it. “Anytime, doll. Be careful of Dream. He’s not who you think he is. Oh, and next time you see him, ask him this: what happened to the others?”

“‘The others?’”

But he just gives you a secretive smirk. “Just ask him; he’ll know.”

He gets up to his feet, indicating that your conversation is over. His tone lively once more, he says, “Well, I hate to cut this date short, doll, but you’re not exactly my type. If you change your mind and decide to help, you know where to find me.”

He fishes money out of his pocket. “And next time,” he says, waving the note in front of him, “you’re paying.”

Even if you both had just discussed committing a crime against your creator, you couldn’t help the lighthearted chuckle that escapes you. Craning your head, you watch him saunter out of the bar, wishing you had met him in better, friendlier circumstances.

****************************** Link to the next chapter

Author notes on the Chapter:

Our Lord Morpheus is back!! I promise you'll see more of him in the next chapter - I just wanted this to showcase Mera's internal struggle, as well as the PTSD she has from all the trauma she endured with her master. Please stick with me on this!! We'll have more touch-starved, bat-shit crazy Morpheus in the next!

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Author's notes in general:

Thank you, THANK YOU for reading!!

Please engage, comment and reblog!! I love feedback from you guys :) This is my first ever fic, so kindness is truly appreciated!

Thank you to my queen @queenshelby @endlessdreamqueen3 for encouraging me to pen this, as well as to my fellow Dark!Morpheus writers whose work I have thoroughly enjoyed and keep rereading :)

Post date: 12/3/22

Edit date: 12/3/22

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