#square queue law

[yeenybeanies]

when you’re not up to take a dragon fully-shifted, half-shifted works just fine 🤭

(full 🔞 version here)

patreon ✨ ko-fi

[bangtanficsforyou]

Hello, Love! (JJK)- 01

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Genre: fluff, angst, probable smut (we don't know yet lololol)

Rating: 18+

Summary: You had a plan when you returned home, seven years later. However, falling in love with your sister's fiance wasn't it.

Word count: 2K (approx)

Warning: mentions of drug addiction, familial neglect.

The ring fits Jungkook as if it was meant just for him. Not one bit tight nor is it one bit loose. Snug around his finger as if it has always belonged there.

A round of applause breaks out and he looks at the smiling faces of his family and that of his soon to be in law's. 

As the cheers and claps die down, he takes it as his queue. His hand makes it’s way to his pocket. However, when he is not met with a small square jewellery box, he immediately checks his other pocket. That pocket, too, disappoints him. 

He looks up awkwardly at his fiancee and tries to give her a reassuring smile. Now checking for the pockets of his trousers, he fumbles around to somehow make the box appear out of thin air. 

Realising that he is running out of time, he turns towards Jimin. “Jimin, did I not give you the ring box on our way here?” 

Jimin looks at Jungkook with eyes wide like that of a newborn baby. “No, you didn't.”

“Yes, I did,” Jungkook claims with more surety than he actually feels inside. 

“When?!”

“When we were outside–”

“You were talking on the phone—”

“And, I gave it to you while—”

“Here,” Riya offers, with the small red box resting on her palm. Before Jungkook can ask, she answers, “I found it lying on the floor of our balcony.”

Jungkook gives an awkward chuckle in response, trying to play it off. “Jimin has become very careless these days.”

Before Jimin can protest and defend himself, Jungkook shoots him a look that somehow shuts him up. 

Jungkook doesn't waste another minute before taking the ring out and putting it on Riya's fingers. The sooner it is done, the lesser are the chances of running into any other bumps on the road.

Another similar round of applause breaks out and Jungkook heaves a sigh of relief. 

The engagement is done. 

“Dad,” Jungkook greets cheerfully as he takes a seat.

“Hmm,” his soon to be father in law doesn't bother looking up as his eyes remain occupied with the official documents he's currently working on. 

Jungkook remains unfazed by the lack of enthusiasm and continues. “You know I'm currently discussing a project with Mr. Elgin, right?’’

“Hmm.”

“And well I was telling him how I'm about to marry your daughter Riya Roy.”

“I see.”

“Do you know the praises he sang for you?”

Now that somehow catches his dear soon to be father-in-law's attention. 

“Did he?” He interlaces his fingers, and relaxes against the chair, temporarily discarding the documents in the process.

“Yes!” Jungkook nods excitedly. “He was telling me how well you would display and advertise your designs to potential investors during the early business days.” 

“What else did he say?” he muses.

“He also told me how well you have single handedly managed the business. How you started it from scratch and made it what it is today.” 

The older man lets out a chuckle. “It doesn't sound too odd for someone to praise me for advertising my clothes in a clothing line business or for working hard when I am the one who started it.”

There's a brief pause where Jungkook seemingly processes the words.

“Now tell me, how much money do you need?” 

Oh. 

Now, it's Jungkook who lets out a chuckle, albeit an awkward one. “You haven't even listened to what he said on learning that you're planning on expanding your business.”

“Trust me, I don't need to know,” comes the reply. “You tell me the amount, I need to get back to work.”

Jungkook considers his options then in the blink of an eye, his whole demeanour changes. “You know how I almost have the contract for this year's cricket world cup?” 

Much like earlier, the man hums. 

“However, suddenly, they have raised the bid by six million.” 

“So you need six million dollars?” 

Jungkook nods, hoping that the amount doesn’t sound as big as it is. 

There’s a pause and then there’s a low hum in response. “Did you return the one million dollar you had taken from Riya?”

“Well I almost have. There’s only a little left to pay back.”

“How much are you yet to pay?”

Sometimes, Jungkook wishes he knew how to read this man a little better. His father in law, undoubtedly, is every bit of the businessman you’d think of him to be. He thinks like a businessman, walks like one and talks like one in every sense possible. 

Jungkook knows that one would never find this man speaking one word, that is not required. And that just makes it all the more difficult to ever get a hint of what his father in law is thinking. 

Sometimes, Jungkook thinks speaking to this man is the equivalent of playing chess with a computer. You’d never know what the next move will be but you can rest assured, that you'll never outsmart them. 

“Some two hundred thousand.”

“That’s the amount you are yet to pay?”

Jungkook pretends he hadn’t heard the question properly, the first time. “Uhm, no that’s the amount I have paid.”

“So what’s the amount you are yet to pay?”

“Eight hundred thousand—,” he replies and then quickly adds, “—but I will pay everything back as soon as the contract is finalised.”

“Sure,” his father in law nods. “I’ll get back to you on this, soon.”

“Listen, no matter what, I anyhow, need a meeting to be scheduled with Mr.Shro—I don’t care what his manager is saying about him being busy.”

The wind blows at a steady pace and somewhere in the lobby, a toddler shrieks in joy. 

“Mail his manager as many times as you need to. Just refuse to accept no as an answer.”

Poor Sam, Jimin thinks, pitying the poor boy who didn’t know what he was signing up for when he agreed to be Jungkook’s manager. 

“Yes, yes! Mail them again—not now Jimin!”

Unfortunately, Jimin doesn’t seem to catch the hint and taps him on his back, again. 

“What is it Jim—”, only it is not Jimin. “Sam, I’ll get back to you later.” 

“You asked dad for money.”

Uh oh. Jungkook could tell Riya wasn’t in the brightest of moods, but nothing could have prepared Jungkook for this. 

“Riya why don’t we take this inside?” Jungkook suggests, keeping his voice soft and calm. He hadn’t thought much of it when he was screaming at his manager left and right in the balcony, for everyone to hear. But an arguement between the freshly engaged couple, might just not be that ideal.

“Jungkook, do you not have any self respect?”

I do, in fact that is why I am asking you to move this inside, Jungkook thinks to himself. Instead of speaking the words out, he again, mildly tries to guide her inside a room. 

Riya, however, remains adamant on not cooperating with him. “You tell me, Jungkook, how can i respect a man who has zero self respect?”

“You do—”

“You know what keep your ring, I don’t want it.” In the blink of an eye, the ring that had almost managed to cause a commotion merely a few hours ago, now rests on Jungkook’s palm, again. 

“Riya, what is your problem?” Long gone is the calmness Jungkook was trying so hard to keep. Now, he sounds extremely confused and perhaps frustrated. 

“My problem is the fact that I cannot marry a man who has zero self—”

“It’s not self respect that I lack! Its ego!” Jungkook snaps. “If I know asking for help could get me the opportunity that I have worked so hard for, why shouldn’t I? Plus, it’s not like I have ever failed to pay back.”

There’s a beat of silence, where Jungkook tries to regain his composure. “I don’t understand Riya, the years when you were struggling to make it into the industry, I supported you in every way I could. So now that I'm the one who’s facing struggles, why can’t you find it in yourself to do the same?”

Something in Riya softens at the mention of all the times, Jungkook stood by her side like a rock. Every penny Jungkook earned was spent on Riya’s then struggling career. Lord knows, there were times when she felt like giving up but Jungkook wouldn’t let her. When she lost faith, Jungkook would believe in it for both of them. 

She inhales shakily and looks at the ring and it somehow manages to ground her to why she said yes to Jungkook in the first place. 

“And if it bothers you so much, I won't ask dad for money.”

She nods and then gently takes the ring from Jungkook. It's in that gentle touch of her's that Jungkook knows things are settled, at least for the time being. 

“I'll go look for Mili aunty, I heard she was looking for me,” Riya says, and somehow the abrupt end of argument doesn't surprise Jungkook, in the least. 

As Riya walks back inside, Jungkook releases a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He finds it a little difficult to believe that Riya almost broke off the engagement. Although he probably shouldn’t be so surprised. 

Over the years, Jungkook has become very familiar with Riya’s habit of breaking up with him at the slightest inconvenience. Now that they are engaged, breaking up means...well, calling off the engagement. 

Arguments with Riya are always like this, short lived but very frequent. Riya would state the reasons why she thinks this won’t work and all the reasons why Jungkook is wrong and then Jungkook would have to remind her of all the reasons as to why the both of them have stuck together for so long. 

Maybe it has always been like this, be it for Riya’s career, or for their relationship, Jungkook has always kept faith on behalf of the both of them when Riya couldn’t. 

Perhaps securing the deal he's currently working on, would finally give Riya the reassurance that she's looking for. Well, he sure hopes so because if this contract doesn't, Jungkook doesn't know what will. 

Getting this deal has the potential of turning you into the equivalent of Leonardo DiCaprio of the event organisation industry. There's simply no looking back from then on. You'd have career stability, money and a reputation among your peers. 

It's probably everything a woman looks for in the man, they are marrying. 

So yeah, he genuinely hopes that he can prove himself to be capable and can put rest to this constant breaking up and patching up cycle the two of them have found themselves in, for years. 

And he's definitely going to give his best, even if that means being rude to his innocent, sweet, doe-eyed manager. 

Chapter two will be up on my Patreon on early access by the end of this week!

[beardedmrbean]

Hufvudstadsbladet writes that Alexander Stubb took Åland by storm during his first visit there as president on Tuesday.

Describing it as a "charm visit" the paper features a photo of a seemingly endless queue in the main square in the capital, Mariehamn, of people lined up to take selfies with the president.

Hufvudstadsbladet also points to a more serious side to the visit, writing that Stubb said exactly what the Ålanders wanted to hear — the demilitarised status of the autonomous region is not a problem, and that having reviewed Finland's defence plans for Åland, he sleeps well at night.

Iltalehti reports that the president's press conference in Mariehamn on Tuesday was mainly focused on current foreign and security policy issues.

Asked about his statements to the French newspaper Le Monde regarding possible peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, he stood by his position, stressing that any decision on whether or not to start a negotiation process is in Ukraine's hands.

In reference to the counter-attack by Ukraine in Kursk, Stubb said that Finland would not impose restrictions on the use of the arms it supplies to Ukraine.

"Ukraine has every right to defend itself within the framework of international law," said President Stubb.

Potential for sabotage

Several papers picked up on a report first published online on Tuesday afternoon by Helsingin Sanomat saying that the Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo) sees Finnish arms aid to Ukraine as a target of potential Russian sabotage.

This summer, Finland sent its 24th shipment of arms aid to Ukraine. Officials have not revealed any details about their content or, for example, the mode of shipment.

The total value of all defence materials sent from Finland to Ukraine now stands at 2.2 billion euros.

Helsingin Sanomat quotes Supo researcher Lotta Hakala as saying that there are no signs of anything unusual concerning the logistics, storage and transport of Finland's arms aid. However, Supo has now publicly said they are potential targets for sabotage.

Supo has also found no evidence of Russian involvement in recent break-ins and vandalism at some water processing facilities in Finland.

The Security Intelligence Service adds, though, that Russia is trying to influence public opinion in countries that support Ukraine in order to create a climate of fear and uncertainty aimed at eroding popular support for Ukraine.

Covid up, but most cases mild

The number of cases of coronavirus infection is on the rise in Finland, but according to the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) symptoms seem to be less severe than in the past, and people are less likely to seek hospital treatment.

Ilta-Sanomat looks at the situation after asking readers to tell the paper about their experiences with covid over the summer, and receiving more than 600 responses by early this week.

The vast majority of respondents said they had mild symptoms after being infected. The most common symptoms included fever, headache, fatigue, cough, runny nose and muscle aches.

This is all very similar to the effects of a common cold.

Around 30 covid deaths were recorded in Finland between June and July this year, compared with over 120 in the same period last year.

Ilta-Sanomat notes that THL specialists have said that for the elderly or others in poor health Covid, like other infections, can still pose a serious and require hospitalisation.

Urban legend debunked

Have you heard of the old lady who feeds bread crumbs to birds from a large bag in Helsinki's central park? The story goes that she wears a black coat and a black scarf in summer and winter and doesn't say a word. If anyone approaches her, she vanishes.

Or how about the treasure hidden under what is now the Laajasalo bridge, stashed away by Carl Olof Cronstedt, a Vice-Admiral in the Swedish Navy? Cronstedt surrendered what is now the Suomenlinna fortress to Russian besiegers in 1808, and the story goes that first, he hid a huge bribe that he received for raising a white flag.

These are a few of the urban legends Helsingin Uutiset mentions before delving into its own investigation of one more — a longstanding rumour that the Helsinki House of Culture is home to an infestation of venomous spiders.

It is a fact that sometime during the 1970s a few Chilean recluse spiders apparently hitched a ride in a crate from South America to Helsinki's Museum of Natural History and established a small colony in the building.

HU set out to find investigate whether there is any truth to claims that something similar happened at the House of Culture.

The facilities production manager, Antti Sarmanne, claims to have seen the spiders several times in well over 20 years on the job.

"I think they came long before me. The story goes that the spiders came to the House of Culture in the equipment of a foreign artist, or from an exhibition," he said.

A thorough search by HU of the cellar's nooks and crannies found spiders, and spiders of more than one species, but none of them exotic or venomous.

Chilean recluse spiders have not been seen outside the Natural History Museum, its curator Timo Pajunen assured HU. During the 1990s, a spider was sent from the House of Culture to the museum for identification and it turned out to be a common house spider.

Helsingin Uutiset's conclusion is that whispers of deadly creepy-crawlers in the House of Culture can safely be ignored.

[garudabluffs]

Republicans make DANGEROUS legal change in court

Apr 28, 2024 Democracy Watch with BTC & Marc Elias

Democracy Watch episode 113: Marc Elias discusses the GOP's dangerous attorney swap and what it will mean.

5:26 you see a growth industry of litigation

5:29 now targeting to strike down these laws

5:32 I mean who's in favor of harassing

5:34 election officials well I'll tell you

5:36 who people who support Donald Trump

I can't say

11:10 this enough times Republicans only

11:12 strategy for 2024 is to make it harder

11:15 to vote and easier to cheat

that Republicans are

12:39 setting things up now to make it easier

12:41 to cheat later and we have to be aware

12:43 of it now and it is incumbent on

12:45 everyone watching this video to stand up

12:48 in their Town Square you know not

12:50 everyone has two and a half million

12:52 viewers like Ryan Tyler con does not

12:55 everyone has uh a a soap box with social

12:59 media with hundreds of thousands of

13:01 followers but every one of you can stand

13:04 up in your town square by posting on

13:06 Facebook by posting on social media by

13:08 posting on TiK ToK by telling your

13:10 friends your neighbors your co-workers

13:12 your customers your clients tell them

13:14 what is happening so that we can stop it

13:18 now and of course uh you know I would

13:21 just add that if you want to to continue

13:23 Gathering that good information so that

13:24 you're so that you're um well informed

750 Comments

_____________________________non-sequitur below

FYI On Thurs. April 25,2024 i called the Thom Hartmann Show & was told to call back for ANYTHING GOES FRIDAY. Placed in queue 15 min.,:"What's on your mind today,Jerry?" Happy Arbor Day! "That's today? Plant some trees." ME : I have 4 to plant...'To summarize the SCOTUS Hearing, my paraphrase ( of the ridiculous fiasco)   "The Pope is INFALLIBLE'; therefore POTUS 45 (ex-President Trump) has ABSOLUTE IMMUNITY."                                                                                   {i failed to say, Exonerated,he's not lying [about having absolute official immunity] --so we have to take him at his word}                            [[Thom- The court did not mention anything about papal doctrines]] My other comment is : I've developed program code for a Trump Dial-A-Trial HOTLINE , so people can call-in and LEND their moral support...and if they want to SEND financial support..TRUST ME...I'll be sure he gets YOUR money! THOM "Sorry Jerry, this show doesn't allow solicitations over the airwaves." -Say, Thanks for taking my call (paraphrase). <I wasn't anticipating this response so i was too flustered to speak "i don't know how to write program code, i'm being sarcastic/satirical/facetious - making a joke of Trump's claiming he's above-the-law!>     the joke's on me - now public radio audiences thinks like Thom that i am a Republican trying to raise funds for hocus-pocus bogus POTUS 45 !!!!!!!! {{ conversation paraphrased}}

[donaldwinger]

Perspectives in Financial Technology

Financial technology (FinTech) refers to digital technologies transforming the banking and financial sector. The transformation is powered primarily by key software innovations and developments. Financial institutions have sought to cut operational costs and streamline service delivery by leveraging technology for many years. FinTech development creates an ecosystem where financial processes are customer focused, timely, convenient, and cost effective for all parties.

By 2026, the global finance market valuation is projected to be around $234 billion. This market is increasingly becoming digital-driven, a fact that underscores the need to design, develop, and adopt FinTech products and solutions in a timely fashion without causing undue marketplace disruptions.

FinTech solutions solve many of the problems that have faced the financial sector for ages. For example, business owners, companies, and customers can leverage FinTech for better financial operations management. Also, through FinTech, financial institutions and professionals can offer services like digital portfolio management.

The FinTech growth is fueled by a combination of factors. These include an increasingly competitive environment, a changing marketplace, and the emergence of new technology. New and pending consumer law changes also fuel the need to adopt FinTech.

Users have largely moved from analog processes to digital apps and mobile platforms. For example, they want to avoid long bank queues to withdraw or send money or make other transactions. Instead, they now turn to new FinTech banking options, thereby disrupting traditional and legacy banking systems.

According to Allied Market Research, from 2020 to 2030 the global FinTech market is expected to grow from $110.57 billion to $698.48 billion. A compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.3 percent is projected for 2021-2030. With such growth potential, FinTech firms and developers have the opportunity to introduce new products, apps, and platforms for customers who want a break from the old ways of conducting financial processes. Accordingly, many are investing heavily in financial software innovation and development.

No longer strongly associated with financial startups, FinTech has moved into legacy and established financial institutions. The largest FinTech companies today include MasterCard, Visa, PayPal, Stripe, Intuit, Adyen, Square, Fiserv, and Coinbase. Meanwhile, leading FinTech apps include Google Pay, Zelle, PayPal, Cash App, Venmo, Coinbase, Credit Karma, and Robinhood.

Today, many major banks have launched their own FinTech initiatives or partnered with FinTech companies, with some venturing into new territory. For example, in 2016, Goldman Sachs launched the online bank Marcus. In 2019, JP Morgan Chase invested $25 million in several FinTech startups.

Finally, it’s worth noting that the technologies that underpin FinTech business models tend to vary considerably. They include, among others, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), blockchain technology, big data analytics, and robotic processing automation.

AI and ML provide businesses with valuable insights on consumer behavior and spending habits, allowing a better understanding of customers. Blockchain technology has facilitated decentralized transactions without third party inputs. Big data can help predict market changes and create data-driven business decisions and strategies.

Also known as software robotics, robotic processing automation (RBA) leverages technology to deploy and manage robots that emulate human actions. In finance, this has improved the accuracy, speed, and efficiency of financial processes, including payments.

[inatelescopelens]

amsterdam-london 19th december

While today, bookmarked at each end with the ferrying of suitcases down hotel corridors, was labelled as a travel day on the handwritten plan which accompanied us throughout this trip, it also contained the purest stretch of Amsterdam tourism for us so far. Our Eurostar train returning to London did not depart until late in the evening—though we had to pack up our bags and bid a kind of farewell to our residency at The Hoxton, the city was still ours for a while longer. We began at the place whose grip on typical Amsterdam tourists is undeniably strongest: Van Stapele Koekmakerij, a tiny shop offering only one item. The freshly-baked dark chocolate cookie with a centre of melting white chocolate is available from ten o’clock until its source of dough is depleted for the day, and people line up on both sides of the street to acquire them. As we were waiting in the opening-hour queue, we saw the girls working for the shop come down the street bearing huge tubs of the raw dough, baked to serve within.

Eventually we made it to the front of the line and were able to enjoy a cookie each under the grey, rain-specking sky of the nearby square before a bookshop window. So began a morning of hunting down Amsterdam’s iconic gastronomical experiences, the ones that had alluded us so far with bitterballen and Hollandse Nieuwe ticked off my list. We started on a walk down towards De Pijp, across atmospheric misty canals which were thankfully no longer surrounded by streets of ice, but still quite cold. I admit to being very fond of a grey-skyed day; I remember my last day in Amsterdam three years ago was grey too, even though it was the middle of summer then. I took the opportunity to cement in my mind the vision of related yet unidentical houses, fraternal twins with consistently variable accent colours, heights and adornments. We followed the road past the great brick monolith of the old Heineken brewery into those flat streets unbroken by bodies of water.

About eleven-thirty we came upon the Albert Cuyp Market, a century-old street market with all the usual stalls and food trucks. We couldn’t possibly leave Amsterdam without trying some fresh stroopwafels, so we waited for a few minutes at Rudi’s Original Stroopwafels for our turn to be served by the enigmatic stroopwafel chef. Rudi—Ruud—and now his son and son-in-law, one of whom was at work today, have been running this little enterprise for nearly fifty years, serving what is said by many to be the best stroopwafel on the market. Ruud and his family preserve a tradition of thin spiced biscuits sandwiching a syrup filling, following the old recipe of Gouda. They earn their reputation.

Unlike the showy ones in the centre of town, which are perfect circles decorated with gaudy lollies and novelties, these stroopwafels were rustic, their caramel filling seeping out around rough edges after it was cooked and assembled from scratch before your eyes. No tacky flavours, only original and lightly chocolate-dipped varieties. The man behind the counter, who took his time taking and preparing each order with a friendly conversation about travel or the weather included free of charge, never multitasked for maximised profit and delivered a careful spiel about holding the hot stroopwafel properly flat to maintain structural integrity to each customer before they went on their way. An experience for tourists, perhaps, but a genuinely felt one, fuelled by earnest passion and the highest-quality ingredients. Van Wonderen Stroopwafels may boast a hundred thousand social media followers and the affection of the modern influencer, but it can’t hold a waffle iron to this un-meddled, crisp caramel-spice treat.

Our final stop on this thematic voyage, arrived at just after a midday opening which had already provided it with a decent queue, was Fabel Friet for some crispy high-class wedges of golden potato. This particular frites shop didn’t yet exist the last time I visited, representing something of an ascension from the mediocre mass-served versions on the main street that were most popular then. These ones came in little takeaway containers with a choice of toppings—both Mum and I accepted the standard recommendation of signature truffle mayonnaise and parmesan. Unsurprisingly delicious, though it would be difficult to get the combination of deep-fried potato, creamy sauce and salty cheese wrong, so destined do these components seem to be to appear in the same recyclable cardboard terrines. We could leave satisfied knowing that the most important cornerstones of any Amsterdam travel itinerary were now complete.

With still an afternoon of time to fill, we went back to the area around the Oude Kerk and stepped inside the mouthful of the Museum Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder, or, Our Lord in the Attic Museum. This was a preserved and recreated hidden Catholic church from the seventeenth-century period when the religion was not openly practicable, a once common occurrence in the hidden parts of wealthy Catholics’ houses where a small local community could gather to worship. An audio tour led us through the many rooms of the house, offering details of religious history and daily life at the time; some rooms were furnished, others displaying cases of broken crockery and kitchenware discovered in an archeological excavation. Up the narrow, uneven wooden stairs in the attic, as might have been predicted, was the church. It felt strangely spacious despite the cramping of pews, altar and galleries into the one attic floor. A screen showed a video of how the hidden pulpit unfolded in a flair of clever mechanisms from the wood beside the altar. There weren’t many people in the museum—from the street, you would hardly know it was there, just as the sorry merchant Catholics must have liked it some three hundred, four hundred years ago.  

There was little time now, and we were tired, so we waited out the rest of the day in the buzzing hotel lounge with cups of tea to tide us over. The last notable sight we saw on our way was Amsterdam’s alleged smallest building, a mere sliver of brickwork in an alley that now hosts a tea shop in its tiny ground floor. But despite its narrow face, it bore all the same markers of the city—the hook over the highest window for delivering items of furniture and stock upstairs, affixed to a corniced pediment; the iron stitches holding it all together. In no way made remarkable amongst its congruous neighbours, except by its size.

Rather than repeat the fraught journey on foot with our suitcases that began our stay, we allowed a taxi to take us on the unavoidably roundabout route up to Centraal Station. As Eurostar travellers we were herded through brusque, no-nonsense security checks to be held in the pen a while, wincing at every diseased cough, sneeze and snort in the crowd. The British passport control agent who got me seemed to be either bored or suspicious of my being a human trafficking victim, as he has me stand there answering an array of interrogative questions. Eventually, well under the cover of night, we made it aboard and settled in for a long voyage by train. We ate simple supermarket to-go food for dinner on the way, not arriving in London until late on a carriage now half-empty from departures at previous stops. King’s Cross Station was very quiet and empty, the shops were closed.

We found a cab and asked the driver to bring us to Covent Garden, to the cobbled lane of Henrietta Street at its northern end. Under the Christmas lights this part of London was mostly as shut-up as the station had been, reduced to a late Monday night state of civility. The front desk of the Henrietta Hotel was watched over by a sweet young European man who showed us across the road to the rooms they keep in a charming townhouse there; we’re up on the fourth floor, sharing a large space with me on the completely bed-like sofabed and a glamorous bathroom between us. While Mum turned in for the night, I sat on the floor in front of my laptop and engaged in a focussed organising session. We have only two days in London before this trip ends, and holiday-planning—even last minute—my newly nurtured passion.

[golflounge]

Golf Shop: Should Stock The Best Merchandise

Every golf shop should stock competitively priced golfing equipment that should span the gamut of products and also be able to proffer golfing advice as well as expertise. Needless to say, the golf shop should provide excellent service and if it is conveniently located so much the better. It should stock the best of branded merchandise that should be supported by manufacturer guarantees as well as provide back-up sales.

A Fun And Easy Shopping Experience

The shopping experience should be fun, easy as well as enjoyable and it would help to have all items of equipment be divided into customer profiles so that there should be left-handed items as well as differently stocked items for low handicappers as well as slicers, starters, as well as affordable and more. A good golf shop should have staff that are well versed with golf and who are committed to providing quality service in all aspects of the game.

The golf shop is also an ideal place to pick up books on golf that may contain the latest rules as well as contain the decisions that may help resolve Rules problems, both simple as well as complicated that may arise from all levels of competitive golf. Such books are treasures that contain many illustrations that help in facilitating better understanding of the game of golf and its laws, and may even lay emphasis on situations that lead to difficulties in tackling situations that most golfers would face every now and then.

One can also pick up items such as Hole in One Ties, Captains & President ties as well as Past Captains & Presidents Ties. There would also be information related to golfing etiquette for the uninitiated as well as for seasoned players, and tips on golfing fitness as well as getting golfing lessons at the golf shop. Online golf shops also abound and for the golfer, shopping over the Internet can provide a relaxing experience that does away with a lot of the shopping travails that one faces such as queues and pushy salespersons.

The golf shop at Torrey Pines is an award winning outlet that encompasses more than 4,000 square feet of area that covers every aspect of golfing equipment as also, the latest fashions including logo items as well as designer labels. Such golf shops set the standards for others to follow and the name itself stirs up the imagination of golfers all round the world. For more information Hamburg Oktoberfest

[bandsanitizer]

me analyzing the darl+ing mv and face the sun scheduler bc why not

starting with the the painting that’s shown on the wall with jun…

it shows them playing outside followed by them entering the church with the sun motif above the two. then the doors of the church lead into the depiction of them falling in darkness with some glowing thing (the light vernon was holding?) followed by a black vine growing upwards from the bottom of the frame before them on a rock? looking mainly towards the right with one of them with a telescope. the idea of the scene seem to be a search and if we go with the peter pan/wendy darling/lost boys approach, it seems fitting. at the top of the scene, though are some lines stretching from the top corner. it looks to be coming from a cloud, conveying the sun is being covered.

which considering the five photos for the five ep.s, each scene might tie to 1-4 with darl+ing as the ep.0 or prologue, giving the overall story. considering the peter man notion and the “growing pains” book with the clock and the imagination and playing only to take off the blindfold to be alone, I think youth and growing up are prominent aspects which… “control” easily lends into why we want to escape youth but also why we value it. it’s the freedom that youth does and doesn’t provide. the general freedom from certain responsibilities and weights (while it’s not a universally equivalent experience) relative to adulthood, mixed with the control that exist as part of being a child and not yet fully independent.

this is sort of the whole peter pan idea, which with all the playing and running and they gathered in the room conveys. but then they take off the blindfold and realize they don’t have a shadow, only to start growing shadows of their own. this would fit with “shadow” and the second scene of the painting, where they go into the church and are depicted with shadows. and this is where I’d point to the tile word game they were playing.

sort of top to bottom, left to right, would read as “grow a shadow” but the W in shadow is actually an M based on the point placement, and considering the DRE from the D in SHADOW, perhaps this can also be read as “grow a dream”. a little strange with an idea of holding onto youth that peter pan conveys, but the darl+ing mv isn’t that. it’s facing the growing up. it’s facing that you have a shadow.

which brings in the light and the falling scene. you need light to cast a shadow. vernon brings in the light and that’s when the dust seems to lift and the room their in falls and then begin falling into a different world. I would tie the light with “ray” and the picture in the schedule announcement to the idea of them falling into this different world. this world in contrast to the one at the beginning of the mv though is much darker, following the eclipse that’s depicted in the mv. their outfits are also darker, their hair less fluffy and more wet? looking, and the injuries they seem to have. the implication is the sun is covered and now they must climb out (since they fell).

which is where the vine in the painting would come in along with the compass from the mv and the “path” ep.4 with a picture of a map. it also fits the fourth scene in the painting with the idea of looking forward and where to go. that they seemed to be depicted in the midst of travel/a journey.

keeping in mind that they’re seeming to perform in front of each other and an imaginary crowd with the idea of mirrors and reflections that build up and how the darker world aesthetic feel older in some ways… perhaps it’s some reference to their career. to go from predebut with this excitement and notion that many people have at the start of chasing dreams to find it realized in someway (debuting or even just training?) and facing the other realities that aren’t as picturesque as the initial dream may have felt yet still quite rewarding. but then taking into account all the growing you must do in and out of the career. to grow as both an artist and a human.

it’s the control people have over you and the control you take for yourself that comes with growing up. it’s the shadow you cast as you step into the sun and as you (physically) grow. the necessity of light in that, of sun rays, and also in the ways you cast out something as well, in how art reaches other people. then the path it takes to continue growing and creating, to better yourself and do more and find happiness and light.

which brings us to “pioneer” which is someone who ventures somewhere unknown or opens up for new ideas, etc. this easily ties to the arts in wanting to be the first to try something, to create something different new and to explore different concepts, etc. I think while that isn’t necessarily the ultimate goal of every artist, I think it’s within the goals that exist to many artists and the idea of being able to reach people in different ways is a pretty big one. and in the idea of growing up, I think “pioneer” might tie to the venture towards the unknown future and our unknown selves. it’s the discovery of all we were and are and will become.

the idea of a blank page/canvas/slate that the white pioneer album represents seems to fit the idea of creation and realizing. along with black as the opposite in control—that control can exist as limitations which in the concept of creating/art can be quite a barrier. that growing and show takes away some of that darkness. the orange for ray like the sun. and the gold of path which conveys the idea of looking for treasure. it fits well with the mv aesthetics and sends that the journey they’re on has a purpose—that they’re looking for something/there’s a goal in mind, even if they don’t know it. which again winds up at pioneer and white and the idea of the unknown being explored and realized and the new that comes from the blank space.

overall then… to “face the sun” is facing the new day. it’s facing time that passes and thus aging—growing up. it’s recognizing your shadow as you grow and it’s understanding more of yourself—search inside for more of yourself to further who you are and your dreams. that there’s a whole journey to get there. and it’s the notion of not necessarily arriving anywhere in particular but discovering the unknown future by living in it and the unknown parts of ourselves by them coming to light and being realized.

I also would like to think in the context of this coming out as we’re transitioning back to in person concerts and events, that a bit of it is seventeen and carats navigating their ways back to each other, too.

[fatehbaz]

On Saturday, August 2, 2014, the water supply for the city of Toledo, Ohio, was poisoned. Officials issued an unequivocal order to the half million residents connected to the municipal intake: Don’t drink, cook, or brush your teeth with the water. [...] Stores ran out of bottled water, leaving residents to queue up at local fire stations [...]. The culprit was a bright green plume of Microcystis, a cyanobacterium that thrives in warm water [...]. In spring, rains wash a pulse of nutrients off the surrounding region’s fertilized farms and send it down the Maumee and Sandusky Rivers and into western Lake Erie. [...] Tests showed that the city’s water contained dangerous levels of microcystin, a liver toxin produced by the bloom.

The source of the problem stretches for thousands of square miles across northwestern Ohio and eastern Indiana. The rich earth [...] in the region produces hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of soybeans and corn, as well as wheat, vegetables, pork, and poultry. The landscape is a vast, flat expanse of tidy fields and modest farmhouses crisscrossed with county roads — but it wasn’t always this way.

Centuries ago, this part of the Midwest was a wild expanse of wet forest and marsh stretching across a million acres, and early settlers who slogged through the muck and mosquitoes called the place the Great Black Swamp. [...] On an 1808 map, the swamp, which covered most of northwestern Ohio, was designated as “land not worth a farthing.” 

But settlers came anyway, felling the giant sycamores and oaks to create roads, and digging miles of drainage trenches to slowly bleed the water away from the muck. [...]

They [”the wetlands”] are considered a menace, a threat, a thing to be overcome. These attitudes are enshrined in state law, which makes impossible any action, including wetland restoration, that slows the flow of runoff through those miles of constructed drainage ditches [...].

[S]oldiers recorded the striking bounty of the Black Swamp and Lake Erie’s southwestern shore. On an April morning in 1813, two hungry soldiers stationed at Fort Meigs, near present-day Toledo, walked down to the Maumee River. The clear waters swarmed with perch, muskellunge, sturgeon, and catfish. Plunging spears into the water at random, they caught 67 fish in 30 minutes, often killing two or three with a single stroke. Every river mouth west of the Sandusky held dense beds of wild rice, where waterfowl settled to feed, then rose in flocks that darkened the sky. The rice stalks stood taller than a man’s head: to feed, ducks grabbed the stems with their feet and tugged the seed heads down to the water. [...]

In 1859, the Ohio General Assembly passed a law authorizing county commissioners to construct drainage ditches. Farmers benefiting from ditch construction shared the cost. The other Midwestern states also enacted laws authorizing drainage districts, enabling the construction of vast networks of ditches that drained great swathes of land — a mission that required investment and coordination, and could not have been accomplished by individual landowners.

Through the work of drainage districts, the Corn Belt states would lose more than 95 percent of their native wetlands. [...]

Some enterprising soul tested the abundant clay that lay a foot or two beneath the soil of the Black Swamp, and found that it made excellent tiles.

By 1880, more than 50 tile factories operated in northwest Ohio, and the Black Swamp was dismembered and used to feed an accelerating and diversifying cycle of human industry.

The great wetland trees — ash, elm, oak, sycamore — were felled and used to build houses, make furniture, and power the railroads that sprouted up across Ohio. In the 1860s, Ohio’s railways consumed one million cords of wood each year as fuel, and an unknown quantity for ties. The discovery of underdrainage created a growing demand for tile. All this drove an orgy of forest clearing and land draining which in the course of five decades, from 1870 to 1920, completely erased the Black Swamp. A wilderness went up in the smoke from railroad engines, and flowed in drainage ditches down to the Maumee and Sandusky, which began to run murky and lost their once-bountiful populations of fish.

Among the descendants of the settlers who conquered the Black Swamp, drainage is viewed as sacred, while wetland restoration borders on the profane. In terms of water quality, a prime place to create wetlands would be where they intercept the flow of polluted water in farm ditches. That could cause water to back up and flood the fields, however, and it is forbidden under Ohio’s ditch laws, which have changed little since 1859.

-------

All text, images, and captions published by: Sharon Levy. “Learning to Love the Great Black Swamp.” Undark. 31 March 2017. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks added by me.]

[yeenybeanies]

local snake gets pampered as he deserves 🐍🧼💖✨

(full 🔞 version here)

patreon ✨ ko-fi

[abstractvanity32]

Wish Granted: Above Dad

Mandy was annoyed, as her dad grounded her again. As she was as sent to her room, she shouted she wished she had the power of her dad. On queue the genie appeared and snapped his fingers. Mandy vanished from her room, as she found herself in what seemed to be a penthouse.

Mandy didn’t know what was going on, as she felt her body getting hotter, as her hair began to turn red. She grunted, as her body began to grow and expand. Her clothing began to tighten, as her arms and legs began to get larger and fill out with muscle. Her hands got larger and hairier, as they began manly and rough. Her chest began to broaden, and expand as muscle continued to swell.

His legs got hairier, and thicker as muscle continued to swell and pulsate. His feet began to break out of his shoes, as they widened and got hairier. He looked at his giant manly feet, as he saw a bulge forming between his hairy legs. His hair turned more red, as it receded up his head. He used his big hands to rip off his shirt revealing his toned chest, as hairs began to sprout on it.

His new manhood finished forming, as his neck thickened and broadened. His voice began to get deeper and horse, as his jawline expanded and squared. His nose broadened and got larger, as stubble formed on his aging face. His brow line thickened, as his face finished aging and changing.

Jonathan looked at his office, as memories of him working at a law office was becoming more apparent. He was the new boss and used his power to get what he wanted. He especially hated this older guy, Howard. Memories of torturing his former father were filling his head, as the executive got out a cigar and lit it.

His eyes turned and shifted, as his face and body finished changing. Jonathan smoked his cigar, as he undressed from his day. He worked his ass off all day, and he wanted to call one of his girls to go out for the night.

[basilly]

little things they do || irl!mcyts x reader

. not requested- i just thought of this randomly and i think its adorable

. includes: irl!wilbur, irl!karl, & irl!quackity

. no pronouns mentioned

. uhm for clarification i was not copying @quackitree and fawn actually posted theirs first- i had this written and in my queue for a while and hadnt talked to fawn so no clue this was going to happen. but didnt want to post it same day so i pushed it back :)

Wilbur:

. holds the corners and edges of cabinets and tables so you don’t hit your head

you may not see it, but as soon as you bend down or reach down and there’s a sharp corner, he would hold it until you are done

“oh- i dropped it, one second.”

*covers*

. phil will notice and give him a knowing smile

. granted, it saves you from hitting your head but not stubbing your toes-

*thud* “ow!” “y/n? are you okay?” “i just stubbed my toe T^T” “do we need to babyproof the house??”

. he teases you in a loving way

Quackity:

. puts sticky notes with notes all over the house

. whether it is a drawing, joke, or cute message

you shuffled into the dark kitchen, flipping on the switch. it was way too early for you to be up, but you had an early appointment and you had to get ready. you hadn’t even bothered to wake up your boyfriend, wanting him to get more sleep. he was a law student after all, he needed his rest. 

opening the fridge, you noticed a bright pink square of paper attached to a water bottle

good luck mi amor- stay hydrated :]

. quackity loves to keep little reminders for you around the house using them and he loves seeing you light up once you see one

. one time you had gotten a cheesy pick up line with a cute drawing

haha hey are you a helmet? because you’re always on my mind ;) 

*a kinda bad drawing of his minecraft character with a helmet*

. they’re adorable though, he’s so sweet

Karl: 

. always keeps a hoodie in the backseat of his car incase you get cold

. he knows how much you love his hoodies and how often you forget a jacket

“thanks for picking me up-” “anytime bubs”

you were slightly shivering, your thin sweater not providing you much warmth against the bitter winds. karl reaches behind the seats, pulling out a fluffy, partially-worn hoodie.

“did you forget your sweater?”  “uhh maybe?” “take this” “thank youu”

. he’s just worried- if he had to he’d give you his hoodie he was wearing if it meant you were warm

an: fsdkf super short but so cute

taglist: @salinesoot @mayasimagines @acidtabletz @big-gay-nerd-420 @bozowrites @kai-was-here @xoxothornbudoxox @nite-land @truthfulsyncerity @forutheworld @losingvienna @luluwinchester @cr0wbonezz-wr1ting-inc @dreamiewrites @a-simp-for-block-people @dysfunctionalcrab @ella-ivanov @akasuki @bioluminescentfrog @brainsanalysis @momo-has-a-gun @korylyzed @etherealexsistence @sleepysoupi @1ghoste1 @ialexabsuniverse @disastrousdream​ @inniterhq​ @spoonz @bugthegremlin @god1ngs

[tinnchan]

Tag Game: Reveal Your Blogging Style

Thank you @wanderlust-in-my-soul for the tag!! That was fun :)

different blogs for different interests OR all-in-one blog (I was supposed to have a football only blog once, I even had the perfectest url but i got lazy and now it's just my blog to check if the tags work on my post)

default theme OR custom theme (i just do minimal changes to the default themes I wish I had the patience to do more though)

one username till death OR change username according to mood/obsession (must change. right now i have the best url i could hope for but i can see myself returning to hislaststar after my moonlightchicken brainrot dies)

round avatar OR square avatar (squared!)

personal avatar OR fandom related avatar (every time i see a personal avatar on tumblr i go O: )

thematic consistency between header image and avatar OR who gives a fuck (who gives a fuck all the way. i need to display as much obsessions as possible at a time!)

reblog without tags OR reblog with tags (TAGS!!!! people please leave tags!)

category tags only OR personal commentary in tags (i ramble and overshare)

like+reblog OR only reblog (LIKE AND REBLOG LIKE AND REBLOB LIKE AND REBLOG.)

replies allowed on posts OR replies switched off (replies turned on but sure regretted it when i was making those pro amber heard text posts)

askbox open OR askbox closed (Same as above)

anons allowed OR anons blocked (anons always allowed! i miss my taylor swift x tms anon! baby please come back)

respond to every mention in replies OR be a hermit

a quiet observer and enjoyer OR initiate conversation with an unknown blogger (I am a dm slider. this is how i trapped kit in our friendship.)

send ask OR send message on chat OR converse with people in replies (if its more personal its dms but if its something related to what a mutual posted then can be an ask)

blog from computer/laptop OR blog from phone (pc baby)

personal posts OR fandom posts only (thank god you guys can all mute my personal posts tbh)

have a well organised filled queue OR post intermittently and make it everybody else's problem OR post daily like it's a 9 to 5 (especially since i finished law school and i am free for the next short while i am going to like...make up for it)

likes and following displayed on blog OR likes and following hidden (if i like something i will reblog it so its kinda redundant. the only time i like something i dont rb is when im specifically liking someone elses tags or a friends personal post and theres no need to display i feel)

@kermitthequeer @hemi-demi-semiquaver @pranpats @billlkin @loooreleii @morathicain @pi-erd and idk O:

[ziseviolet]

Hello! So before I ask, I just want to say that you have an incredible tumblr and I want to thank you for answering questions about Hanfu, it helps a lot! Anyway, I have two doubts about Hanfu. The first one may be silly, but I wonder if in some dynasty fashion women wore earrings. The second question is whether clothing during the Qing Dynasty can be considered Hanfu. Sorry for my bad english!

Hi, thanks for the questions! (image via)

For your first question, please see my post on earrings here. 

As to whether clothing during the Qing dynasty that lasted almost three centuries (1644-1912) can be considered hanfu: the simple answer - no. The more nuanced answer - it depends. 

First of all, some types of hanfu & hanfu accessories were worn from the Ming dynasty into, and throughout, the Qing dynasty without changing their basic forms. Some examples include: religious clothing like Daoist robes, Chinese opera costumes, children’s clothing like Baijiayi (One Hundred Households Robe) and animal hats & shoes (e.g. Tiger hats), yunjian (cloud collars), and mandarin squares & rank badges. These items were commonly worn during the Qing dynasty, and are considered part of hanfu.

What did change was men and women’s everyday clothing. When the Manchu rulers of the Qing dynasty took power, they imposed their fashions on Han civilians. Wikipedia has this to say (x):

“For a period of time, under the dynastic laws after 1636, all Han Chinese were forced under penalty of death to adopt the Manchu male hairstyle, the queue, and dress in Manchu [clothing] instead of traditional [hanfu]. However, the order for ordinary…Han civilians to wear Manchu clothing was lifted, and only those Han who served as officials or scholars were required to wear them…By the late Qing…a great many commoner Han men wore Manchu male attire. For women, Manchu and Han systems of clothing coexisted.”

As you can see, while Han men’s fashion changed quite abruptly, Han women’s fashion evolved more gradually, taking on more Manchu influences as time passed. Let’s take a look at this timeline (source) of the evolution of Han women’s clothing during the Qing dynasty, from the late Ming dynasty to the beginning of the Republican era. 

Rows 1-3: Han women’s clothing during the early Qing dynasty (rows 2-3) was a relatively unchanged continuation of late Ming dynasty hanfu (row 1). Note the hanfu styles of changshan, pifeng, and bijia:

Rows 4-6: As time time passed, more Manchu elements were incorporated. Note the changing shape of the collar & sleeves, and the use of wide decorative borders (rows 5-6):

Rows 7-9: Women’s clothing of the late Qing is markedly different from that of the early Qing. The collars, sleeves, silhouettes, and decorative borders have taken on the distinct forms that most people today associate with Qing dynasty fashion:

Therefore, the modern hanfu revival movement considers Han women’s clothing of the early Qing dynasty to be hanfu, as it overlaps with that of the late Ming dynasty (1, 2):

However, Han women’s clothing of the mid-to-late Qing dynasty is not considered hanfu, due to the many changes it underwent. Rather, it is in the separate category of “Qing Han Nv Zhuang/清汉女装” - “Han women’s clothing of the Qing dynasty”. The image below shows the similarities and differences between Han women’s clothing of the late Qing dynasty (left), and Manchu women’s clothing of the Qing dynasty (right). The main difference is that Han women maintained the two-piece top & skirt style from the Ming dynasty, while Manchu women wore long, one-piece robes. The other elements, however, are quite similar. Note: Manchu clothing is called Qizhuang/旗装. The “qi/旗”in qizhuang is the same “qi” in qipao, and means “banner��. It refers to the Eight Banners system of the Qing dynasty, and is shorthand for the Manchu people (1, 2):

For more detail on the differences between Ming dynasty hanfu and Qing dynasty clothing, @guzhuangheaven has a great post here. 

Here are additional resources on hanfu & its relation to Qing dynasty fashion:

My “Qing dynasty” & “Qizhuang” tags

The “Notes on Qing dynasty costumes” series by @guzhuangheaven

“The Brief History of Qing Dynasty Clothing” article by Newhanfu  

Please note that I am no expert on Qing dynasty fashion, and welcome any corrections/feedback ^^

Hope this helps!

[namgee]

implications | knj

❥pairing: Namjoon x Reader (f)   ❥genre: fluff, slice of life (pg) ❥word count: 2.3k ❥summary: The adventurer life isn’t for you. You like your routines and you stick to them, but a small mess-up finally forces you beyond your desired level of social interaction as you rely on a stranger. A stranger whose actions and words imply things you wish to explore. ❥warnings: none  ❥a/n: this was just a quick little thing I wrote a few days ago before I got started on another smut fic which should come out in about a week 😋 ^^ I did a quick proofread so sorry for any mistakes 😣

A silence that sounds with turning pages, graphite scraping against thick paper and the ever present hums that arise from thought. Your ears anticipate it even before you're there. It’s, for the most part, the same soundscape you’ve grown accustomed to since you started visiting the art atelier. Well, the building technically has multiple ateliers, whatever your artistic interest, for a reasonable fee each month, you can visit the space and use their resources. Each floor focuses on certain subject areas, people are allowed to move around and work wherever they want. Like a Google workspace except for the arts.

You usually stick to the 4th floor, where most of the graphics tools are. The elevator dings, you step away from the metallic box and towards the senior part-time receptionist, Diane, who gives unsolicited artistic advice under the guise that old age equates to prowess in art criticism. The advice isn’t half as bad as you expected still, you rarely take it. You place your folder on the desk giving her a smile, teeth barely visible, it’s the best iteration of ‘a lady should always smile when talking to others’ smile you can muster with your lips chapped from the borderline glacial air you had to walk through this afternoon.

“Well, hello young lady! You haven’t visited the establishment in a while. Mateo has been asking about you actually.”

Mateo is the head of the graphic art department who you might or might not like, there’s still a few weeks left for you to decide. Your roommate, Jovian, had given you the ultimatum, “You have until you finish whatever creature you’re trying to collage together this time around,” she had said waving her half painted stiletto nail around before diverting her attention to another girl who also seemed to be having a hard time choosing as her family and in laws attempted to decide for her. On one thing you were sure, you would have said no to the dress she had on.

“There we have it! That’s a much better smile that one you gave before. It’s always best to show some teeth,” Diane says, her two row of teeth (some of which look awfully fake) in full display.

“I’ll sure think about it next time Diane. I’m just here to check in right now,” you sigh, removing your decaying gloves which have lost their purpose, your fingers are about as stale as Diane’s as you fish around for your membership card in your wallet.

“The time please darling.”

“3pm to 8pm,” you say blowing warm air into your palms.

It takes a few minutes for her to find your name in the system. “Oh sweetheart, it seems someone else already took your spot.”

“Exactly how did they take my spot?”

“Hmmm,” Diane’s eyes lift upwards as she tries to find an answer in the air, “to be quite frank with you I do not know.” She sounds shocked that she doesn’t know something.

“Uh, excuse me?” Someone questions from behind you. You both turn towards the voice coming from a golden haired man sporting what is most likely the best variant of the fully toothed lady smile Diane advocates for. To make matters even better it’s shaped like a heart. “I believe that I was the one who took the spot.” he giggles nervously as if caught red-handed before sliding his own card onto the desk.

You assume he’s here to work with graphics for some sort of fashion related purpose, in fact he sort of looks like the graphics plastered around the building: colourful, bold, warm but still a bit overwhelming.

“You’re indeed the one who booked the slot first, young man.”

“I believe that this is what the trainer for my position was referring to as a glitch in the system.” Diane says with an air of pride.

“Hm, sorry about that,” The human embodiment of a colour wheel says with an apologetic pout.

“Oh, don’t worry I’m sure I can find another place, it isn’t your fault,” you wave your hand around giving him your second or third genuine smile of the day. He mumbles a shy ‘okay’ before heading right, away from you.

“Can you see if there’s any place on the other floors?” You reluctantly ask, after all you had never gone to other floors unless it was to buy snacks because the queues on the 4th floor were too long or to find unoccupied bathrooms.

Diane finds you an opening for the floor above. You thank her and move back to catch the elevator doors right before they close, swiftly slipping in towards a surprised figure, a big figure. You mumble a quick apology after bumping into him. When you turn your head to look at him he gives you what you assume to be his own equivalent of the barely noticeable smile you gave Diane a few minutes ago.

The ride takes a few seconds. You rush out the second the opening of the doors is big enough for you slip past if you just take a deep breath in. Another second goes by where you feel disoriented. The floor layout is not that different from the one beneath but the place looks far more cramped than what you expected. Don’t writers like to be alone? In their own space?

You watch as Mr. Big gives yet another one of his glances, you haven’t figured out how to describe them yet, you don’t know if you’re being judged or just being perceived or whatever it is that writers do.

He goes to the right, so you take the other way. You peruse the space for a place you could sit down to work on your project. Somehow, the writers with their notebooks and laptops seem stingy about letting you settle down despite how packed the floor already is.

For every glance you take at a potential working spot you receive three glances and these ones you know to be of the judgy kind. You walk and walk only to end up on square one. Just to make sure, you do another round and another one as if you were in a full parking lot waiting for one of the cars to magically pull out for you to get a place. By your third tentative walk, the one where you put the most effort to seem approachable and nice, someone takes pity on you.

It seems it’s not only his stature that is big but so is his heart.

“Oh god, thank you!” You sigh, sliding into Mr. Big’s little corner which faces backwards from the café.

“It was starting to look... sad.” He gives you a brief look before focusing back on his laptop screen.

“It wouldn’t have been, if you writers were more welcoming,” you scoff, shrugging off your jacket, the rustling brings your actions to his focus.

A delicate slender hand pushes against his glasses as he leans back, “You’re quite the daredevil, huh?”

“What? Why would you say that?”

“I don’t know, slipping past closing elevator doors and sitting down to probably do something noisy with a lot of... “ He takes a look at your stash of materials, “things while surrounded by silence seeking writers. Those things make me say that.”

“That’s a very boring view on action. Also the concept of this building is literally to allow anyone to work anywhere.”

“Sure, you’re right but just because that’s their goal doesn’t mean it turns out that way. This place is no different from high school, certain spaces have been sort of ‘claimed’.”

“And you expect me to act like a good teenage girl and not start trouble?”

“Your words, not mine.”

“Aren’t you a writer? You should know certain words can imply certain things,” you say matter of factly and receive a disjointed but delightful laugh as his hand fists to cover his wide smile.

“Anything else you know about writers that you would like to share?”

“You might end up making a character out of me, or a scene out of my situation.” You’re playing on stereotypes but for all you know they could be true. You lay out your material on the table forcing him to scoot a bit. He doesn’t protest and you appreciate that, so you give me a genuine tight lipped ‘thank you’ smile.

“So what are you doing?” He asks, lowering his computer screen a bit.

“A collage.”

“Of what?”

“I don’t really know yet. I’m just figuring it out as I go.” You stare at the big pile of magazines, newspapers and flyers you managed to collect over the past month. Something has to come out of it. “What about you?”

“Pretty similar actually, I just came here to write, figuring it out as I go you know.” He picks up a piece of paper nearest to him, a green flyer. “Do you even know what it says?” He holds it up to you. The text is in Arabic.

“No, I don’t.”

“Wouldn’t you want to know? I mean the work will be tied to you.” He questions.

“It doesn't matter, it’s not like anyone will see this,” you mumble, snatching the flyer from him.

“Someone should, I don’t know much about collages, actually I know nothing, but I like what I see so far.”

“What exactly do you see?” You probe.

“Ummm… uhhhh… it’s– there’s branches and,” he leans over to get a better look and hesitates “tentacles? Okay, so maybe I don’t know what it is, but I still stand by it. It’s nice to look at.”

“Would you give it as a gift to someone?” You probe even further.

“You know what, I’m just trying to tell you I like it. Like I would totally buy it! So yes, I would give it to someone, myself!” He has an overly cheery voice that encourages more glances your way. The more you look, the more you start thinking they’re watching you and not judging.

“How much?”

He gives you an incredulous expression, he seems both intrigued and confused with behaviour.

You snort a short laugh, “I’m just messing with you. But don’t get me wrong if you do want to buy it then I’m definitely taking offers.”

At that he retreats back into himself and his silence to focus on the blank document page. You shrug it away, you knew his words were too good to be true.

The two of you work in relative silence, your ripping and cutting does add a bit of a soundtrack for the period of time. After an hour or so of working, you move to buy a cinnamon bun, and while you’re at it you buy a second one. You did feel a bit apologetic for disturbing his workspace, you of all people should know.

You place his plate beside him but he’s too engrossed into his writing to provide any response. He does finally whisper a shy ‘thanks’ once he lifts his gaze from the screen. You answer with a nonchalant but truthful ‘no biggie’.

The hours bleed into themselves and soon enough your allocated time is about to run out. You’re quite used to that routine,packing up your material well in time to leave. However, the man in front of you doesn’t seem to have a good grasp of time. Last minute, he hurries to assemble his belongings, swiftly turning around to check that he hasn’t left anything behind, almost knocking down the plate that you manage to catch.

Your elevator ride to the bottom floor is as silent as the one you had earlier. You walk with synchronised strides somehow following the same way after you leave the building. You’re sure one of you is following the other, but as long as you’re concerned you’re taking the way back home. You walk in silence for a few more minutes before you think of asking him where he lives, just to make sure but he beats you to speaking.

“So uhhh, would–” he starts off in a high pitched voice which he masks with a cough, “I meant, would you like to grab a coffee?”

“At 8pm?” Your eyebrows shoot up.

“Or a drink?” He suggests.

“What does coffee or a drink mean?”

“I thought you were good at getting the implications of certain words.” He smirks, which seems out of character, but then again you don’t know him. You’re just curious about something first.

“What did you end up writing?”

“A short story about an avid museum visitor that discovers a collage at an exhibition that has him intrigued.” He chuckles knowing very well it just proves your point. And you smile satisfied to have finally figured out what that particular glance of his meant. He was just taking you in.

“It’s Y/N by the way,” you would have reached out your hand towards him but they’re cold so you compensate with a warm smile Diane would approve of. “And I wouldn’t mind a drink right now.”

“I’m Namjoon and I’m very happy you said that” He punctuates his excitement with a dimple. The same one you would come to grow enamoured with, so much you would make a collage piece out of all the pictures you’ve taken where it is present. In return, he would, just as he did today, unconsciously and deliberately write your works into his stories, and welcome you into his space.

“By the way, when you let me sit with you in your space, were you claiming me then?” You ask out of curiosity and urge to mess with him.

“I– I don’t know what you’re implying. But if you mean me taking pity on you then yes.” You scoff a bit too loud at his response. “But I wouldn’t be opposed to whatever it is you have in mind,” He says, looking down at your quizzical expression with warm eyes and a restrained laugh as he walks closer to you. It seems you’re not the only one who’s good with implications.

thank you for reading my fic, i hope you enjoyed it 🥺 any feedback or comment is welcomed !!

all rights reserved namgee

[kimabutch]

[ID: a D&D alignment chart where each square has a different method of tagging Rusty Quill Gaming posts. They read:

Lawful good: #RQG Azu, #RQG Cel, #RQG Hamid, etc.; Neutral good: #RQGaming; Chaotic good: #erasing the line.

Lawful neutral: #rusty quill gaming; True neutral: #RQG; Chaotic neutral: #arr queue gee.

Lawful evil: #rusty quill gaming podcast; Neutral evil: #RQGP; Chaotic evil: tagging TMA posts with #RQG. End ID.]

Tag yourself I’m lawful/true neutral on Tumblr and neutral good on Twitter.