#what do you mean. what do you mean no one reviewed the terms and conditions on the PO of this several hundred thousand dollar project.

[junonreactor]

I've been working for 1.5 hours and already the overwhelming emotion of "holy fuck i gotta get out of here"

[daloy-politsey]

“They’re trying to discharge her constructively. Do you know what Constructive Discharge means?” She asked.

As soon as I heard the term ‘Constructive Discharge,’ I knew I’d never seen it on a vocabulary quiz.

“No. What does it mean?” I asked.

She explained.

“Constructive discharge is a fancy way of saying “being forced out.” It’s not good. And if you’re not a lawyer or in human resources, you’ll probably learn what it means when it’s happening to you.”

“Oh my God. I’ve seen this my entire career and never knew it even had a name.” I thought.

You’ve seen constructive Discharge too. You may have experienced it. We’ve all made choices to avoid it.

Constructive discharge defined

“We can’t fire you, but we’ll make you so miserable you’ll quit, and then we won’t have to pay your unemployment.”

Then there’s the textbook definition:

“A constructive discharge occurs when your employer has made working conditions unbearable, forcing you to resign.”

Or as one person put it.

“I didn’t get handed a pink slip, but when you’re not wanted, people have a way of letting you know.”

HR isn’t always the secret police.

Employees aren’t always victims of evil-doers.

However, employers push employees out all the time to maintain and protect the, “We didn’t do anything wrong, YOU did,” power structure.

Constructive Discharge looks like this:

— Meeting invitations slow to a trickle, and you’re excluded from emails and generally looped out of what’s going on.

— People stop talking to you or stop talking when you walk in.

— Your emails don’t get answers, or they arrive too late to be of value.

— Suddenly, your work is not good enough, though nothing about your work has changed.

— Reviews, once good or even glowing, are now mediocre or bad.

— Instead of a bonus, you get a Performance Improvement Plan.

— Warnings and write-ups start so they can justify your eventual termination with documentation of your “poor performance”

— Your work, clients, assignments go away, or they overwhelm you with work.

— The words “Set up to fail” were practically invented to describe this scenario.

Constructive Discharge is illegal

It isn’t easy to prove you’re a target, and it’s even more challenging if you don’t even know constructive discharge is a real thing.

If you’ve ever experienced this and don’t fully understand what’s happening to you beyond knowing you’re in the process of being excommunicated, it can be hell. It’s not uncommon for the experience to leave long-lasting scars.

Talk to anyone who’s ever been through it. They’ll tell you.

Knowing constructive discharge exists and how it’s used gives you power to predict what’s coming and to protect yourself.

Seeing the endgame helps you in two ways.

You know what to expect. Having a sense of what’s coming next is enormously empowering. You can go on the offensive and protect yourself. Constructive discharge works to crush your ego, making you feel you did something wrong and deserve this treatment.

Without strategy, you end up being a miserable pawn in your employer’s endgame.

Remember, they’re almost certainly building a case to fire you in the event the hellscape they create for you doesn’t persuade you to quit.

If you’re getting pushed out, and you know what to look for you can prove constructive discharge and you can get unemployment benefits, be released from payback obligations on a signing bonus, and protect your mental health.

You’re not crazy, incompetent, or a failure. This is real and it’s carefully executed to leave you holding the bag and feeling like you did something wrong.

If they force you out, in addition to feeling horrible, you lose your paycheck, benefits health insurance, and possibly owe them money.

[aphrodieties]

Personification—a challenge

My understanding of the Law of Assumption has significantly evolved since I started this blog about five months ago, I’ve decided to review and revise the contents of my account, and I thought about the many different ways that I could convey my new understanding of the Law of Assumption and decided that the best way would be through a fun challenge! I took inspiration from @divinegrapes’ "Operation Revive the Law of Assumption community"

Hello, I am Amphitrite—better known as Aphrodieties and I will be your host for this one-week challenge! I will introduce to you some fundamental topics for understanding this challenge and completing it successfully;

Understanding consciousness

Creation is finished

Consciousness is the only reality

The Relationship between Greek Gods and the Law of Assumption

The Challenge

Understanding consciousness

The definition of consciousness is difficult to explain as the term has been recycled and reused by a variety of different manifestation communities and each variation of the word, means something completely different. Consciousness can refer to the subconscious mind, universe, god, imagination, or reality depending on who you ask, but I propose a simpler definition—consciousness is awareness, that's all. Consciousness implies being awake or awakened to an inner realization of a fact, a truth, or a condition. Here's a little example for you, If I am sick, I must be conscious of the fact that I am unwell and I am conscious of this because I FEEL IT. I feel sick, and I am conscious of the fact that I am sick, and thus I am sick. When I refer to consciousness, I am referring to awareness, and that is what it means to be.

Creation is finished

Creation is finished is the idea that all things exist simultaneously; creation is finished is fundamental to the Law of Assumption and the success of an individual in their journey—wish fulfilled, Sabbath state, and living in the end, all entertain the idea that creation is finished. If everything already exists, then what is there to manifest? Creation is finished and all things exist within consciousness, If you can conceptualize it then it must exist, and therefore all you must do is become aware of such.

Consciousness is the only reality

We can only experience that which we are conscious of being; “Man is incapable of seeing other than the contents of his own consciousness. If I now become detached in consciousness from this room by turning my attention away from it, then, I am no longer conscious of it. There is something in me that devours it within me. It can only live within my objective world if I keep it alive within my consciousness." — Neville Goddard, Consciousness is the only reality

This doesn't mean that we aren't real and everything is an illusion—it means that if something exists within our objective world, then we must be conscious of it. Not as the outer man, no, it doesn't matter what the outer man sees, hears, smells, touches, or tastes because the outer man is helpless, the outer man cannot create or be anything other than what the inner man is conscious of being. Consciousness is the only reality and I mean the only reality! You are helpless as the outer man and you cannot control the world, and that's where most of you go wrong. You have no power as the outer man and you have no power in this world because consciousness is the only reality and that's why there is nothing and no one to change but self. Let go of control and control within. — I’m sure that you can tell that this passage is heavily inspired by @/sexyandhedonistic and @/Edwardart

The relationship between Greek Gods and the Law of Assumption

I'm sure some of you may recognize this from an older post of mine, which I've archived but—One might wonder about the relationship between Greek mythology and The Law of Assumption, these two topics seem to drastically contradict one another. However, that's not exactly true; Greek Gods are the personification of the natural world and the experience within, and personification is the representation of a thing, abstraction, or inanimate object as a person. This is very similar to what we talk about in the Law of Assumption community regarding; States, imagination, conceptualization, experiencing, and being. For example; A common misconception about Greek Mythology is that Apollo is the god of the sun and Artemis is the goddess of the moon, but that's not true exactly—Helios is the sun and Selene is the moon, Artemis and Apollo merely utilizes those domains. Apollo is sunlight and enlightenment but not the sun itself and Artemis was heavily associated with the moon because she used its light to guide hunters through the night. Another example would be Persephone, she's not the Goddess OF Spring—she IS spring. The personification of it.

This is what it means to occupy a state, what it means to conceptualize, experience, and, or be. If you wish to be something then you must be conscious of being that which you desire, similar to Persephone—she is not the Goddess of spring but spring itself, it is her and she is it. To imagine is to experience, similar to Apollo and Artemis who experience the sun and the moon.

The challenge

This challenge lasts for about a week and you can start whenever you wish. We talk a lot about not conditioning our desires and removing rules but this is an exception, There are some things you must do that are necessary to participate in this challenge.

The first rule would be to be indifferent toward the 3D, let's not place any weight on our actions in the physical world because this isn't about the physical, and there is no one and nothing to change but self. I don't mean to ignore your responsibilities or obligations, I mean to not view them as confirmation of anything. If you are manifesting Blue hair and you look in the mirror and your hair is black, continue throughout your day as if nothing happened. You don't need to affirm the opposite or try to logicize why your hair is still Black when you're manifesting it to be blue, You don't need to tell yourself, "My inner man has blue hair" or "My hair is blue in imagination" continue to live as you’ve always done and just remain faithful to the imagination.

The second rule would be to personify consciousness, decide what you want, and personify it. Yes, this applies even if you have multiple desires as mythological Gods often presided over multiple domains—you can create your own personification or become aware of being one that already exists, For example; I want to manifest Talent and health—I might become conscious of being Apollo, as he’s the personification of such things. I might create my own personification; (y/n), personification of talent and health. Either way, I am conscious of being that which I formerly desired, and it doesn't have to be a Greek God either! I want to manifest beauty—I become conscious of being Narcissus, I conceptualize and experience; I fall in love with a reflection of myself in a lake and I am simply enamored with my own beauty, I feel it, and therefore I am.

Third, trust in self, always. Do not question if you're doing something right or continuously start over and try to perfect the technique, You don't need to meticulously plan anything either. The goal is feeling and if you feel anything then you're doing it right.

And finally—have fun and update me! I want to know who you’ve all chosen as the personification of your desires and who you’ve decided to be conscious of being!

[studywgabi]

Anyone Else?

I am 18 years old and I just found out I am intersex.

I started puberty at an earlier age than average. I had severe acne, oily skin, and hirsutism in second grade. I remember my dad telling me to wash my face because I was getting "a type of pimple called a blackhead" (he had to explain to me what it was, I had never heard of them) when he dropped me off at before-school daycare at 7 years old. When I told my mom I had hair under my arms that same year, she flat-out refused to believe me. She simply said I did not, that it was impossible.

I started shaving my legs in third grade, after begging my parents to let me for a year. My mom said I should only have to shave every other day, and again denied the truth when I told her that wasn't enough. Once I started shaving my legs, I noticed the hair everywhere else: my back, my chest, my face, all over.

I googled my symptoms over and over, scouring the internet for a documented experience of any other woman who was like me. I questioned my gender identity over the years. I had wondered if it was possible for me to be intersex, but I had a very limited view of what that could mean, and I assumed if I was, it would be very physically, externally, obvious. At that time, I didn't think it was possible for my doctors, my parents, and everyone else in my life to miss something so important.

For about a year, I identified as non-binary and used they/them pronouns. I think that part of this came from a place of being young and exploring my identity, but it also came from deep insecurity. I didn't feel like being a girl was an option for me because of the way I looked, so I thought it would ease my pain to pretend I wasn't a girl. I want to make it abundantly clear that I am in no way saying questioning one's gender identity is only about being insecure. That was my personal experience, and I am in the minority. I am the exception to the vast majority of experiences.

I bought plain, solid-color, clothes 3 sizes too big and wore pants and long sleeves all summer to swallow me up. I always wore my hair down and I always had bangs to cover as much of my face as possible. I wanted to make it impossible to see my face at all, and, between bangs, glasses, makeup, and a mask, I was fairly close.

By the time I was 12, I had developed a four-hour daily routine for removing all my hair. After a year of seeing my therapist, I finally broke down and told her about my hirsutism via pen and paper and through tears. I was so, so ashamed that I couldn't even say the word "hair" out loud. She immediately told me I might have PCOS, something I had never heard of, and it turns out she was right.

It was only recently, six years after my PCOS diagnosis, that I found out there was any discussion at all about PCOS being considered an intersex condition. I am ashamed to say my first reaction was one of more fear and insecurity. I have been chasing womanhood all my life, and this felt like yet another barrier to it. Even if I didn't identify as intersex after reading about this, it's taught me I have quite a bit of unlearning to work on.

I am in no way qualified to declare PCOS to be an intersex condition, and I am not telling other people with PCOS that they have to be intersex, but I now identify as intersex. I love that PCOS awareness is a trending hastag on tiktok, but there is still so much more research that needs to be done, especially into this particular area. I read peer-reviewed journals from scientists and blog posts about individuals' real experiences and I found a term that feels like home for me, that fell in line with the way I had always felt about myself. I will still use she/her pronouns, because they also feel right for me.

When I experience things like this, I don't know what else to do but write about them. I hope we learn more about this, and I hope I can talk to someone who has also had this experience. Thank you.

[mirandasidefics]

But Home is Nowhere- Chapter 10

Pairing(s): Lucien x Plus Size Reader, Azriel X Plus Size Reader, and Ruhn Danaan x Plus Size Reader

Chapter 10 Summary: Helion sets a condition for Reader's use of the libraries, so Rhysand sets his own in response. Ruhn takes over as Reader's "supervisor". She and the two shadow wielders grow closer, each in their own ways. All leading up to Reader attending her first Starfall celebration.

Word Count: 12.5K (I'm not even sorry)

Warning(s): Very mild self-deprecation, talk of contraceptives, lack of body autonomy, use of drug/illicit substances, a morally gray Rhysand, and an Azriel that still hasn't learned the art of true apologies.

A/N: This part has more Azriel! Finally! This part may be a bit confusing in regard to the passage of time. It starts with Reader and Ruhn after her return from the Day Court. The Starfall celebrations occur 1.5 years later. A couple of flashbacks are used to go over key events between Reader and Azriel. Text in italics indicate flashbacks. The scene with Az helping Reader bake is based off this request! The song Reader sings is The Gartan Mother’s Lullaby.

Again, a HUGE thank you to @hardcoremarvelfan for the numerous hours of brainstorming, reviewing, and editing. And thank you to @loving-and-dreaming and @thesunloveschips for being extra eyes that provide additional insight to making this story flow.

Series Masterlist

Previous: Chapter 9 Pt2 Divider by @/tsunami-of-tears

As soon as Lucien and you returned, the High Lord called for you. You had little choice in being able to stall until the morning, hoping for at least one more night of peace. Especially since Rhysand came to learn of the requirement for your future trips through a letter Helion sent prior to your return. Not surprisingly the High Lord of Night was less than thrilled about being told what to do with his emissary. 

In wanting to keep peaceful relations he agreed to Helion’s terms; however, Rhysand had his own requirement that your trips not interfere with your or Lucien’s respective duties. Lucien would accompany you, but only after being called to the Night Court on official business. Meaning he would be returning to his home with Vassa and Jurian and only come to the Night Court to provide updates on his dealings with Autumn, Spring, and the Mortal Lands. 

You recognized you had no choice but to agree to the terms. You did your best to suppress the breaking of your heart. While you felt sadness, you could tell that Lucien was pissed by the feathering muscles in his jaw. That walk back to the townhouse had been uncomfortably quiet. Your agreement for no physical contact made it feel all the more strained. Understandably so, given that Rhysand’s order essentially meant that the only way for you to see and spend any time with Lucien for the foreseeable future would be your trips to the Day Court. You wondered if this was your punishment for Helion sending Mor back early. Needless to say, you were glad that the two of you spent your last hours in the day court soaking up physical contact preparing for your return.  

The trip to the Day Court had been just the thing you needed to revitalize your spirit. Or at least it would have been if your dynamic with Lucien didn’t have to change. So, when you and Lucien arrived back at the townhouse that night, he had immediately asked to speak to Ruhn, alone, and the two excused themselves to talk in the back garden. 

You went upstairs and opened your window in the hopes of eavesdropping, but all you could hear was the chirping of crickets. You assumed Lucien was asking Ruhn to keep an eye on you as he had suggested before you left Day. What you really wanted to know was the explanation he was providing to the dark-haired male. Would he tell him about how you both decided you needed space after waking up naked together? Would he say that it was a mutual decision he would no longer share your bed? Or was he going to tell him about Rhysand’s new declaration in response to Helion allowing you to come and go from the Day Court?

What would Ruhn’s response be? You had a feeling deep in your gut that he would help in whatever manner was needed. But what would that mean for your friendship? You felt like all you did was take, dependent upon the generosity of others just to function daily. You weren’t used to it; you were used to being the one that others depended on. If Ruhn agreed to stay, you would have to be better about reciprocating his kindness.

You held your breath and leaned forward on the window ledge. You could see the two males at the far end of the garden, swathed in the moon’s soft glow. And while it looked like they were speaking, you didn’t hear either of their voices. Giving up on being able to hear the discussion, you decided to take a bath and prepare for bed. 

Soaking in the warmth of the scalding water you let your mind wander. You tried not to think about the stress that surrounded your sleeping patterns. But gods, were you tired. Tired of nightmares and vivid dreams. Tired of the pity on the faces of others when they saw the bags under your eyes. You were just plain tired. Which led to you feeling guilty, yet also relieved, that Helion had agreed to help. 

“Of course, I will speak to Thesan,” the High Lord smiled. “Anything for my new friend; and since we are friends, I do hope that you come and visit me often. I don’t want that room going to waste. It belongs to the two of you now.” You felt Lucien tense at the words.  

“I’m afraid that won’t-” Sadness flashed in his eyes, but Helion held up a hand, interrupting him before he could continue. 

“If a second bed is required, then it will be added to the room before your next visit.” He recognized whatever emotions skittered across your faces. Seeing the look on your best friend’s face made you want to take back everything the two of you agreed upon earlier that morning. The cracking in your chest and desire to comfort your friend was almost too much. 

“As I mentioned before, you have unlimited access to the libraries in my court. My only requirement when you come to visit, whether my palace or any of the libraries,” Helion continued. “Is Lucien, as one of the Night Court emissaries, must accompany you. I don’t want to offend Rhys or cause him any undue concern about me trying to steal his precious human relative away.” The gleam in his amber eyes told you that he would certainly try if given the opportunity.  

The smile that graced your features was melancholic from the memory. You hadn’t found much information in regard to other worlds during the short time you and Lucien spent in the main library with Helion. Though you were finding some interesting materials on Prythian’s early history. You even started making a list of the titles for materials that were housed in other cities within the court. There were a few select libraries that, per one of the catalogs you flipped through, housed various artifacts used to document the histories before information was compiled into book format. Helion called them libraries, but they were really museums. Based on your current list you estimated it would take you years to get through all the materials. However, it would likely take much longer than that if your feelings about the brief discussion with Rhysand were anything to go by.

“(Y/N)?” Ruhn’s gentle low tenor pulled you from your thoughts. The bath water had long since cooled, becoming tepid to the touch. 

“I’m in here,” You called out through the closed door of your bathroom. “I’ll be out in a minute.” You stood from the bath, water dripping down your body. Carefully climbing out, you wrapped a towel around your body and searched for where you had set down your night shirt. Only, the night shirt wasn’t in the bathroom with you.

You peeked your head out from behind the door, peering around the wood to see Ruhn sitting on the armchair next to your bed. His onyx hair gleamed in the light of the moon that streamed through your open window. His head was tilted back, and his eyes appeared closed. It was late and he had likely spent most of the day training with Cassian or running around the shops with Bryce and Hunt. The hinges on the door squeaked and Ruhn’s head snapped in your direction.

“Um…” You swallowed, mimicking the movement of his own throat as he took in your appearance. “Can you hand me my pajamas?” You pointed to the six-drawer walnut dresser that stood opposite the large bed. The item you believed was in the bathroom still within the top left drawer.

“Sure,” He agreed. You watched as the muscles in his forearms flex as he pushed against the armrests. You direct him to the correct drawer, and he starts to rummage through its contents looking for the black fabric as you instructed. You glance down pulling the towel tighter around you even though the door is blocking most of the view of your body.

“What is this?” Ruhn’s voice hummed with amusement. You leaned forward to get a better look at the garment he held up with his fingers. The sheer black negligée with floral lace appliques shifted with the light breeze that passed through the room. Ruhn’s smile was wide, his eyes bright. You felt your face burn from the heat of embarrassment.

“You should wear this instead,” He teased. You had yet to even try it on. You never even had the opportunity with Lucien having stayed with you most nights. It didn’t matter though; you wouldn’t be caught dead in the outfit anyway. It left extraordinarily little to the imagination. There was no way that you could wear that around anyone.

“Put that back,” You scolded him, motioning towards the open drawer.

“Aw, come on sweetheart,” He started to look through one of the other drawers for a pair of panties that would complement the ensemble. “Model it for me?”

“Are you out of your mind?” You asked, eyes going wide. He couldn’t be serious. “I wouldn’t wear that in a million years.”

“Please?”

“No! Just,” You laughed at the ridiculous pout he made, “Put it back and give me the one I asked for, damn it!” The male reluctantly complied, making a playful show of setting the garment back in the drawer and pulling out the more sensible, and definitely less sexy article of clothing that you originally requested. He handed what was the equivalent of an oversized t-shirt to you and went back to sit in the armchair. 

“You’re such an ass. That thing is not even my style,” You explained despite the lie that it was very much your style. “Bryce picked it out.” On one of your rarer outings around Velaris, she and Nesta pulled you into the Boutique. They picked out a few items for themselves, Bryce using who knows what money, before the pair made it their own personal mission to find you something as well. Just in case the redhead had winked. 

“My sister gave that to you?” He cocked an eyebrow, that devilish smirk still plastered on his face. “Who are you supposed to wear it for?” You didn’t think it was possible to blush this much, certain that your face was as red as a tomato. You could only guess that Bryce and Nesta picked it out with the intended viewer being Lucien, since it seemed everyone assumed you were together in that fashion. Personally, you speculated the male would prefer a color other than black…You shook the thought from your head. No one would want to see you in anything that was so revealing. Even if Lucien had responded in a favorable way to seeing you naked earlier that morning. Your cheeks continued to burn at the memory.

“None of your damn business,” You clutched the oversized shirt he gave you and retreated into the bathroom. You set the shirt to the side before patting the rest of your skin dry. You were grateful that the bathroom was stocked with your lotions as you began to rub them into your skin. As you readied for bed, you could hear Ruhn do the same on the other side of the door.

“So uh,” He paused, the clinking of his belt clued you into his nervousness. “Lucien filled me in on what happened in that other court you went to. Rhys sure is a dick when it comes to you.” He again chuckled, trying to ease any tension at the High Lord’s name.

“It’s not fair that everyone is getting into your business like that,” He continued, his voice muffled as you pulled the black shirt over your head. The hem rested against your mid-thighs, covering your ass, but leaving your legs on display. You briefly wondered if you should ask him for a pair of shorts, but then remembered that Ruhn has also seen you in this type of attire while having slept in your armchair the week prior. So, it didn’t really matter if you wore anything else or not. Having hung up your towel to dry, you came back into the room. You quickly walked over to the bed, pulling back the covers and climbing underneath them. 

“Anyway, we’re both worried about you,” He sat at the edge of the seat of the armchair, elbows resting on his now bare knees having stripped down to his boxer briefs. You kept your eyes trained on his vivid blue orbs as he spoke. “He wants me to stay with you until we can all figure out a better solution. I’m willing to do that, but only if you want me to.” Your fingers curled around the sheet, fisting the cotton fabric in your lap. You were torn. You didn’t want to be a burden, but you also were frightened of what could happen if you were left alone. As of right now the available options to keep you safe while you rested were extremely limited. Your gut twisted as you contemplated a response. 

“I don’t…I,” You sighed and looked at the ceiling. “This is my burden, my responsibility to fix. I can’t ask you-”

“I’m offering,” Ruhn cut you off. “You are my friend. You are understandably struggling with the trauma you experienced. And no, that stubbornness of yours won’t make it all just magically go away simply because you want it to.” You sighed at his words and opened your mouth to speak, just to have him raise his hand and continue his speech.

“Allowing others to help you is acceptable, and I want to help. We wouldn’t be having this conversation if I didn’t offer my help freely,” He sat next to you on your bed before taking hold of your hand, “But I will not do anything that makes you uncomfortable. So, how can I best help you?” Well, if you didn’t want to cry before you certainly did now. Your heart ached at his sincerity. 

“I want you to stay,” You squeezed his hand in return, “But don’t you dare stop your life for me.” He laughed.

“I’m certain that my sister will agree with you on that,” He kissed the top of your head. “Which is why I wanted to ask if you’d want to come with us to Midgard?” You blinked at him in surprise.

“Ruhn, I don’t know…”

“Personally, I don’t think you should have to ask permission,” His jaw set with tension. “Why Rhysand insists on dictating your life, I can’t figure out… but we’ll ask him in the morning. A friend of mine can create a false identity for you. The Asteri aren’t paying much attention to humans right now, so it wouldn’t raise any alarm bells. We have a safe house near Ember’s new home. You could even…” His voice trailed off at seeing your expression.

“Let me think about it,” You placated, squeezing his hand. 

The next morning Ruhn spoke to Rhysand. Unsurprisingly, the High Lord denied your ability to leave the Night Court, regardless of how well thought out Ruhn’s proposal was. It didn’t make a difference that your traveling to Midgard would have logically been the safer and more beneficial option for you, given the circumstances. You would have been amongst humans in a technologically advanced environment more closely related to the world you left, providing you with a sense of normalcy. You would also have access to mental health services that you were more familiar with, such as talk therapy and medications, and access to information regarding Midgard’s northern and southern rifts. If there was still a goal of getting you home, then letting you do whatever was needed to figure out how to do just that should have been Rhysand’s number one priority. However, that didn’t seem to be the case, and for a moment you wondered if he had ulterior motives.

Instead, the High Lord wanted to keep you here and didn’t bother to explain his reasoning when challenged by the Prince. As compensation, he offered you more time away from your duties with Nyx and to arrange for you to speak with the priestesses in the library. He explained that many of them had undergone their own traumas and may be able to help you on your healing journey. You didn’t have the energy to argue with the male or point out his ongoing hypocrisy. Instead, you chose to focus on keeping Ruhn calm.

“I’m staying here,” His tone was harsh as you walked him to the gate at the River House. “Bryce will just have to deal with it.”

“Ruhn, I told you-” You tried to convince him that he didn’t need to drop everything for you.

“You are what matters to me most right now,” He interrupted, his tone holding no room for negotiation. “There is a reason that you were brought here. And if that fucking prick can’t see how important you are…”

“He does,” You reminded him. “And he’s afraid. It’s not fair, I know. His treatment of me is not fair at all, but I’m trying…honestly, I would do the EXACT same if I were in his position.”

“That doesn’t make it right,” His jaw was tight.

“I’m not saying it does,” You acknowledged. “But things could be so much worse for me. I could still be locked in darkness. And eventually something’s gotta give. We will figure out why I’m here and all this bullshit can be put behind us.”

“But-”

“I need to focus on surviving right now, Ruhn.” He looked at you then, eyes wide, as if the reality of your situation finally set in. You suppose it was for you as well. The truth of the matter was that you were just surviving. Your daily routine of training and caring for Nyx was just enough to keep you from spiraling down further into your darkness. The darkness that threatened to swallow you whole whenever you sat still too long. And despite the comfort that Lucien, and now Ruhn provided, you weren’t really healing.

“If you want to stay,” You began, “I will not argue, and would be forever grateful.”

“Then I will be here for as long as you need me.”  He brushed a few strands of your hair out of your face. “I’m gonna need to switch out that armchair for a couch though.” You laughed, the tension in the air dissipating, and pushed him out of the gate. He needed to return to the townhouse and speak with his sister before she and Hunt returned to Midgard. While you wanted to join him, you had to stay and care for Nyx. 

“I’ll see you at home.”

“See ya at home (Y/N).”

Starfall. One of the Night Court's two main holidays was an experience like none other. At least that is what Azriel had told you. All you knew was that Feyre and her sisters had spent the better part of the past week speaking with various vendors regarding food, decorations, and music. The River House had been bustling with activity, so you were surprised when you found it silent on the day of the celebrations.

Upon seeing you, Feyre informed that she had everything set up for you to get ready at the House of Wind, with Azriel waiting in the garden to fly you there. You were utterly confused as you initially believed you would be watching Nyx while everyone else celebrated as you had the previous two years before. Apparently, that would not be the case this year and Feyre fully intended to have the entire “family” present for the event. 

You found yourself to be nervous about attending. You didn’t want to believe that you were considered as part of that group. Azriel must have sensed your trepidation, his grip on your thighs was tighter than usual as he carried you. But you couldn’t think on that too long for as soon as you landed on the rooftop Mor and Bryce whisked you away. 

For the past two hours both Morrigan and Bryce had taken it upon themselves to dress you up for your first Starfall. Bryce said that any special occasion deserved special attire. Honestly, they probably just enjoyed having a living doll to dress up. You couldn’t complain though. You enjoyed the feeling of Mor’s gentle fingers running through your hair and Bryce’s chattering away reminded you of your own sister. It helped that the hair and makeup styles they chose for you were within your own personal aesthetic. However, your ass was going numb from how long you sat in what was surely the most uncomfortable chair throughout the entire House of Wind. Despite the conversation around you, you pushed your mind to not dwell on the sense of nostalgia that washed over you. 

So much occurred over the past year and a half. True to his word, Rhysand allowed you and Lucien to travel to the Day Court where you continued your efforts to find information on your world. However, that has only been four times since you returned from that initial trip. A part of you hoped that Lucien would be present at tonight’s celebrations. With the exception of his surprise arrival at the townhouse last week, you hadn’t seen him in months. You really missed your best friend.

You supposed there was a bit of a silver lining in that with Lucien gone most of the time, your other relationships had room to grow. It was weird not seeing the redhead whenever you liked, but you were ultimately grateful for the opportunity to get to know others a bit more. Especially Ruhn. The male stuck by your side just as he promised, and he quickly became just as important to you as Lucien was. You didn’t want to imagine what your life would be like if he wasn’t there every night. It took a while for you to become comfortable with allowing someone else to share your bed after Lucien, but after a few months on a couch that was clearly causing Ruhn physical pain you invited him to join you. 

At first you weren’t sure why you hesitated. It wasn’t as if there was anything more than friendship between you and Lucien. Yet somehow it felt almost wrong to have someone else sleeping there on his side of the bed. An argument could be made that he had provided a blessing of sorts for you to be able to seek comfort from Ruhn. Afterall, with his inherent knowledge of what you needed, Lucien had asked that Ruhn be there to support you. You supposed that part of your hesitation also stemmed from just not wanting additional drama. The Inner Circle had made it well known that they weren’t afraid to meddle in your life. It wouldn’t be fair to bring that same scrutiny upon Ruhn. Yet, Ruhn was still there. Without complaint or any expectations. The nights with Ruhn certainly provided much needed comfort and mutual companionship.

Rhysand also arranged for you to meet with a few of the priestesses once a week. While some of your discussions provided useful information, there was still a bit of hesitation when it came time for you to share your experiences. Many of the females knew a softer side to Azriel and you didn’t want to ruin their perceptions. Perhaps you couldn’t discount your progress too much though, the friendship you were developing with Azriel was slowly growing. 

In addition to your ongoing daily training, he had taken to randomly showing up during your time with Nyx. At first you found it highly annoying, his “casual” run-ins during park outings or helping you prepare food at the River House. The annoyance slowly disappeared, giving way to friendly banter. The Shadowsinger had successfully worked himself into your life, slowly getting you used to his presence. It helped that he would always leave when your nerves had as much as they could take, garnering a certain level of trust that your boundaries were being respected. This proved to be beneficial as you no longer shook when he was in the same room as you.

It didn’t cure everything though. There were still times when the conversations between you were less than friendly. Especially regarding your more personal struggles. Every few weeks he would check in on your sleep and your meetings with the priestesses. You didn’t know if or why he cared, but he always seemed to notice the next day after you had a rough night. The issue finally came to a head when Ruhn had spent a week in Midgard six months after Lucien stopped staying with you overnight. 

“When was the last time you slept?” He asked. His sudden speech jolted you back awake. He must have caught you dozing off while reading a book on the couch in the townhouse parlor.

“What?” You rubbed your face and lifted your head to look at him. “I don’t know. A couple of days maybe?” He loomed over you, his expression darkening at your answer. You shrank back at the sight. He instantly softened his features and sat down beside you.

“Would it…” He hesitated, “Would it help if I stayed here tonight?” His question surprised you. You held his gaze, his hazel orbs felt like they bored into yours. Instead of the cold detached emptiness that you were used to, his eyes appeared gentle, sincere even.

“No.” The male sighed at your answer, one of his fists closing at his side.

“You allow Lucien and Ruhn to help you. I thought things between us were getting better. Why do you continue to refuse my assistance?” There was a small hit of annoyance in his voice.

“The difference is that I trust Ruhn and Lucien,” You explained. “That is why I allow them to sleep in the same room with me, the same bed as me.” It took 3 months of Ruhn sleeping on that too small couch he pulled into your room, only to end up next to you after spending 30 minutes calming you down every night, before you invited him to sleep in the bed. “I do not yet trust you Azriel.” 

“I’m not trying to sleep with you.” His tone was sharp. “Not that I’d want to when you’re like this.” The comment sliced at your self-esteem, much in the way that Truth Teller had sliced at your skin over 2 years ago. You didn’t know why his comment struck you as hard as it did. He must have seen the hurt in your eyes as he immediately backtracked. 

“I’m sorry, that came out wrong and sounded worse than I intended.” He raised his hands up defensively. “I know that I would be of no help in that manner, not after… I just want to help. So how can I help?” You paused and held his gaze. 

“I need a new sleep tonic,” For a split second you debated on how much to tell him, settling on everything. “The one from the Night Court healers doesn’t work, even though they told me to take it daily for the full benefits.” You twisted your fingers in your lap.

“Helion is trying to find something that could replace it, but the last one he gave me only worked for a single night. Ruhn doesn’t know that it didn’t work. He would not have left otherwise. He hadn’t seen his family in 6 months. I can’t, I-I need something that works, and soon. It is not fair to Ruhn, even though he hasn’t complained, but…but the tonic doesn’t work a-and I-” Your throat constricted, exhaustion and frustration blocking the remaining words. You were so tired.

“I thought your nightmares had stopped 3 months ago?” He asked, concern laced over his features as your eyes began to sting. That was what you told Azriel, and it was mostly true. Over the past few months, you had a grand total of three nightmares. Those three nights were the only ones where Ruhn wasn’t by your side, as you were assessing the samples of new tonics that Helion sent you. Unfortunately, none of them worked. And you felt so guilty that Ruhn kept putting off going back home. 

“Only because Ruhn is there,” You tossed your hands in the air, hoping the movement was enough to dispel the growing frustration and keep the tears at bay. “That’s why he has stayed here as long as he has. My stupid, stupid…” You trailed off. That line of thinking wouldn’t do you any good. For the last several months Ruhn and the priestesses all reminded you that trauma heals at different rates for everyone. You had to make yourself remember that. There was no pressure, no need to punish yourself for what your mind did to process what happened to you. 

“I hate that…that his worry for me has kept him from his friends, his family,” You took a breath. “Sadly, the only thing that seems to truly help me is having a body next to mine. Even then there are a few nights…”

“What if I could find a solution? One that allows you to sleep without needing a male beside you?” His eyes held a gentle sincerity you never expected to see from him. The hazel and green speckled hues calmed you. You must have been exhausted for his eyes to have that effect on you. 

“One good deed doesn’t guarantee trust,” You quickly turned away from him, damning your stubborn pride. “Trust takes time. And why does everyone care so much about who sleeps next to me?” Of course, the male had no answer for that. 

 A few days later he arrived at the River House unexpectedly. You and Elain were enjoying a small picnic near the water’s edge with Nyx. Ruhn was at the House of Wind, working with Cassian on learning the Illyrian fighting techniques. You had assumed Azriel was with them as well. The two males had similar powers and so they had been sharing tips and tricks. 

You believed all was well. At least that was the case until he rapidly approached, asking to speak with you alone. His face held lines with which you were unfamiliar. As soon as you were out of Elain’s hearing range, he spoke. His voice was soft and rushed. Anxiety spiked inside you. 

“This brew is one that my Mother created and uses for herself.” He pulled an old wine bottle from the shadows at his side.  

“Wait, what?” Confusion spread alongside the anxiety. Azriel pushed the bottle into your hands. 

“It is extraordinarily strong. About a quarter of an ounce should do the trick for a dreamless sleep.” He glanced around. Even his shadows seemed nervous as they held close to his body. 

“Azriel, wait, what’s wrong?” You reached your hand out but stopped when a shadow darted towards you. “I-I don’t understand.” 

“Don’t drink the tonic that you get from the healers,” His voice lowered with anger. “I know it doesn’t help, and it won’t help because it’s a fucking contraceptive.” You were stunned. 

“Rhys didn’t want Lucien getting you pregnant. But the two of you were never intimate, were you?” It wasn’t panic that kept his muscles taut, it was rage. You shook your head, confirming that things had only ever been platonic with the Autumn Fae.

“I’m sorry for what I said before. When I found out about your tonic this morning, I-I raced to my Mother’s and back.” He practically vibrated with fury. You wondered if it was from the same source as your own. Rhysand made a decision, which directly affected your body and your choices surrounding it, without even consulting you. This time you didn’t flinch back when you set your hand on Azriel’s bicep. You could immediately tell that he was barely containing the wrathful energy permeating off him.

“Rhys cannot find out that I gave this to you though. One of the ingredients can become addictive, so use this tonic sparingly. I recommend using it only for the nights when Ruhn is gone.” You could tell that he tried to reign in the anger that filled his voice. “If he plans to be gone for more than a week. Let me know. Please.” You saw the effort he was making to ensure that his behavior didn’t trigger you. And you recognized that his actions were also in defiance of his High Lord. All because he really did care that you got better and had what you needed to stay safe. Even with the risk of addiction that accompanied this proverbial olive branch.

“Okay.” After nodding your agreement, he quickly turned on his heel.

“Az?” You called him again when he was a few feet away. He stopped but didn’t turn to face you. “Thank you.”  

That was the biggest turning point in your relationship with him. The tonic worked. Worked almost too well if you had to be honest. Ruhn was in a panic when he returned from Midgard and found you practically non-responsive. Once you had explained everything to him, Azriel had to physically restrain Ruhn from leaving the townhouse in his desire to rip off the High Lord’s testicles. It took an hour to talk him down. He only finally calmed down after he pulled you into his lap, nose pressed against the side of your neck taking deep steadying breaths. You were at least grateful he waited for Azriel to leave before doing that. You didn’t know why the thought of him seeing you physically close with Ruhn nagged at you. 

Needless to say, Ruhn refused to leave you alone after that. He had only returned to Midgard once more, and it was only because you would be in the Day Court with Lucien. Lucien had expressed his own displeasure at the situation, and you had to beg him to not make an issue out of it. The conversation between the two of you went on into the early morning hours, but he finally relented. 

Since then, you opted to store the contraceptive tonic given to you by the healers, in order to not tip off Rhysand that you had stopped taking it. You weren’t having sex, so a daily contraceptive wasn’t necessary in your mind. Given that you were from a different world and not knowing all the ingredients, you couldn’t speak as to what kind of long-term effects the concoction would have on your body. While both Lucien, and even Helion, explained that there shouldn’t be any issue as the contraceptive tonics in Prythian were perfectly safe. Of course, your counter argument was that they were safe for Fae, but you were human. 

“Hello?” Bryce’s hand waved in front of your eyes. “Earth to the dreamer.” You blinked and refocused on the two females in the room. Bryce leaned back in the chair across from you, eyeshadow brush in hand as she examined the symmetry of nude colors she applied to your lids. While Morrigan stood behind your chair, her fingers deftly pinning the final strands in place. You had been most surprised by her offer to help with styling the half up half down style. The chatter between them flowed freely. 

You couldn’t remember the last time you had a moment like this. Getting made up for a night of dancing and general revelry. It almost made you forget that you were in a land filled with creatures and beings straight out of fantasy and folklore. Bryce was exceedingly eager to assist you in getting ready and attend the celebrations herself this year. She insisted on applying your makeup, which given your past discussions with her wasn’t all that surprising. The two of you had certainly spent a few ‘girls nights’ lounging in one of your bedrooms in the townhouse recounting trashy reality TV from your respective worlds. 

With your hair and makeup complete it was time for you to change into the dress that Mor had picked out just for this occasion. The long deep wine-red dress was tailored from bust to waist, yet flowy and breathable as it flared out at your hips. Made of a soft satin with sheer gossamer overlay, the fabric draped over your form in the most flattering way. The ruffled neckline was one that allowed you the choice of it being off your shoulders or on, and as with so many of the dresses you’d been gifted a slit traveled up your left leg. It was a beautiful dress overall. 

“Before you change,” Bryce cooed, her mischievous smile caused you to groan, “You need to put this on.” A small pink shopping bag, clearly from a Midgard lingerie store, dangled from her index finger. The style of the bag was eerily similar to that of a very specific and well-known lingerie store in your own world. 

“A) That better not be what I think it is, and B) what for?” You crossed your arms, the silk robe you wore bunched up around the bust. Your glare did nothing to deter the half fae woman. 

“A) It’s exactly what you think it is,” She encouraged, pulling out the lacy bra and panties, “and B) Tonight's a special night.” You scoffed, rolling your eyes before they landed on the opening door to the bedroom, the three Acheron sisters joining your little group. 

“I’m certain that someone, perhaps one that you’ve spent an awful lot of time with this past year, would be thrilled to see you in this little number when you return home at the end of the evening.” Bryce couldn’t have been more obvious in her attempts to play matchmaker between you and her brother. You refrained from the urge to pinch the bridge of your nose. That was the last time you would ever mention finding the male attractive to her. 

“Besides,” Mor added, her conspiratorial smile making you even more nervous, “The House already took your clothes. It's this or you wear nothing under the dress.” 

“Nothing under your dress? (Y/N) I’m shocked,” Nesta smiled. You snatched the flimsy undergarments, which you didn’t miss were the same shade as Ruhn’s eyes, from Bryce’s open hands. You noted that Feyre also suppressed a smile as your cheeks burned. The only one that appeared to not join in on the joke was Elain. At least one of them didn’t find teasing you to be endlessly entertaining. 

“I will put this on, but not because anyone will be getting to enjoy the sight,” You growled, wagging your finger at the redhead. “I’m just not walking out there without a bra.” 

“Come on (Y/N),” Bryce whined. “He adores you!” The redhead followed you to the far side of the room where a wooden partition rested along the wall. 

“Who?” Elain asked, hanging her own outfit that Feyre had no doubt arranged for her to wear, on a hook of the large wardrobe. 

All four remaining females answered at the same time, “Ruhn.” The partition wobbled as you and Bryce stretched the panels out to create a separated changing area. 

“Oh,” the middle sister mused. “I will admit, the two of you look quite cute together.” 

“Et tu, Elain?” Your jaw fell slack. The brown eyed female just smiled. Your eyes went to each of the females in the room, each of their grins fanning the flames of embarrassment. It wasn’t exactly a lie to say that there had not been a particular “itch” building in you. One that you had no chance to really scratch while having a platonic bed partner next to you. But your sex life, or even the lack thereof, was none of their business. And you certainly weren’t about to ask for help in that department. 

“You are all horrible meddlers,” You tried to make your voice sound harsh, but the playful atmosphere tugged at the corners of your lips. “Ruhn and I are friends.”

“And sometimes friends have unexpected benefits,” Bryce called out as you strode behind the dark cherry partition to get dressed. The group descended into a small fit of giggles before readying themselves. As you listened to their chatter you had to bite the inside of your cheek to curtail the wave of longing for your old life that threatened to wash over you.  

After changing and being given the final touch of your outfit by Feyre, in the form of a delicate golden necklace, you plopped onto the bed to wait for the others to finish getting ready. However, your comfort was short lived as a soft knock sounded at the door. Seeing as you were the only one decently dressed you made your way over to answer. Slowly you opened the door and peeked your head out to see whoever was on the other side. To your surprise Azriel stood, poised with his fist to knock a second time. 

Your breath caught in your throat as you took in his appearance, actively stopping yourself from doing a double take. Gone were the Illyrian leathers that you had grown accustomed to see him wear. The traditional garb was replaced by a deep navy-blue button-down shirt and black slacks. You could only speculate as to how he got the breezy fabric over his wings. Your eyes roamed over his muscled forearms that were laid bare from the rolled-up sleeves. The casual attire allowed you to finally see that classic beauty that everyone seemed to gush about. 

“Hi,” His voice was almost breathless. You felt your cheeks warm as his hazel eyes flitted over you. 

“Hi,” You struggled to find your own voice. What the hell…

“Um,” He blinked rapidly. “Feyre said that you were ready for someone to walk you to the terrace.” 

“Oh, um, yeah,” You stepped through the crack of the door, careful not to reveal those still changing inside. You and Azriel walked in silence along the red stone corridors of the House of Wind. While you didn’t feel any tension at being alone with him, your fingers still wound themselves together with nervous energy.  

“So, is Starfall some type of meteor shower?” You asked, breaking the silence between you. The Shadowsinger chuckled to himself. This was the third Starfall celebration since your arrival and you had yet to ask anyone what it was about. 

“Starfall isn’t a meteor shower,” He gently explained. “It is the annual crossing of the spirits. Where souls of the departed, both recent passings and ones from long ago, journey across the sky. While it is unknown where they come from or where they go, every year we gather to watch as they make their journey.” You hummed and nodded along to his explanation. The two of you turned a corner and the entrance of the terrace came into view. 

“It is a time when we remember our departed loved ones,” He continued, his honeyed eyes glazed over, almost seeming far away before returning to focus on your face. “Over the centuries Starfall has evolved into a celebration of life. Life that is honored with good food and drink, music, and dancing. Some even exchange gifts.” He nodded to the golden necklace that rested against your clavicle. Your hand reached up and gently traced along the delicate chain. You got the sneaking suspicion that the necklace wasn’t a gift from the High Lady, despite her claim. 

Your eyes never left the male as you made your way onto the terrace. You were entranced, but by what you couldn’t quite place. The explanation of the holiday resonated deep within you, and you wondered if your own ancestors would be passing by overhead within just a few hours' time. You had opened your mouth to ask Azriel another question, but it never made it out. Azriel dipped his head in parting as Ruhn’s deep tenor broke the spell that had surrounded you. 

“Hello Beautiful!” The male picked you up by the waist and spun you around. You squealed in surprise. 

“Put me down weirdo,” You laughed.  

“Only if you dance with me,” He smiled, holding you close. You rolled your eyes at his playful antics yet continued to laugh.  

“Yes, just put me down.” You conceded. Ruhn set you back on your feet, however, his hands never left your waist. His blue-violet eyes wandered down and back up along your figure. 

“I mean it,” He lowered his face towards your own, “You are absolutely breathtaking.” The conversation from a few moments ago sprang to the forefront of your mind. Your cheeks flushed red again. 

“Thank you,” You grasped the male’s hands, pulling them off your waist and interlacing your fingers with his. “That’s very sweet of you.” You had slowly become more comfortable in accepting the compliments he so often made. Though the compliments didn’t really change the perspective you had of yourself; you started to think that maybe, just maybe, they could be true in his eyes.  

An hour later and Azriel was still on the fringes of the dance space, a glass of wine in hand. He had been watching (Y/N) for most of the night out of the corner of his eye. He only ever caught himself staring when her laugh echoed across the terrace. He felt an odd longing to be the source of such an easy and carefree laugh. However, it seemed that Ruhn was the only one privy to eliciting that sound from her lips. Though there had been instances where you started to show your smile in Azriel’s presence. 

Azriel didn’t really know what to expect when he walked into the River House, but it certainly wasn’t the frazzled woman covered in flour. He stopped short at seeing Nyx strapped down by his shoulders in a highchair. The child flapped his wings and when he couldn’t move upon seeing his uncle, his famous pout appeared. He was clearly displeased that he was not getting his way to fly about the room.  Azriel knew it was only a matter of time before an all-out meltdown occurred as the child’s lower lip began to wobble at seeing his uncle. 

The adult male made his way around the large kitchen island counter, which was covered in various baking items, and tapped the child playfully on his nose. His eyes then fell to the sack of flour that was tipped over, its contents over every visible surface like freshly fallen snow. His gaze then traveled along the countertop. Broken eggshells and stripped vanilla bean pods lay haphazardly in a corner. A large wooden cutting board had a pile of chopped walnuts. Smaller bags of sugar, salt, poppy seeds, and other powdered baking ingredients were lined up along the edge. Finally, his gaze landed on the small pot simmering on the stove top. He instantly knew what she was making and had to restrain the grimace that threatened to spread across his features. 

(Y/N) had taken to providing everyone with various baked goods and desserts for Winter Solstice. During one of their many outings, she had spoken to Azriel about some of her own family traditions, including the wide variety of sweets her Grandmother and Father would make. Most of the items she made were good, but a few…well it appeared that only he and Lucien were brave enough to put themselves through the torture of eating the nut and poppy seed rolls. Whatever they didn’t eat they had discreetly discarded without her knowledge. Unfortunately for them, Ruhn had been honest with her about the absolutely horrendous flavor.  While she had been upset at the time, it appeared that didn’t deter her from making them again this year. 

Currently she was rolling out the dough, pressing down hard on the rolling pin. Her movements were anything but composed. Azriel stood behind her, and placed his chin on her shoulder to peer over it. Her resulting scream caused a slight ringing in his ear. But that pain was nothing in comparison to the smack of the wooden rolling pin against his forehead. 

“What the fuck Azriel!” She turned, pushing hard at his chest. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.” He took a half step back, chuckling to himself and rubbing at the sore spot on his forehead. Nyx giggled like a madman from his perch across the room. 

“I’m sorry,” He laughed. “But how did you not see me walk right in front of you?” He took up a position next to her. 

“Bull-fucking-shit you’re sorry.” He watched her lips twitch up in amusement. Their dynamic had certainly changed for the better over the past year. She had opened up to him in a way. Telling him stories of her nephew and her siblings. Conversations between them were definitely easier now, but he wasn’t brave enough to yet call it a friendship.

There were memories that hadn’t completely healed. These were seen in the instances when she recoiled from his touch, or startled easily at his sudden appearances, such as she did now. But those instances were becoming fewer. However, he could not say the same thing for his shadows. He could tell that she was still terrified of them, no matter how much she tried to hide that fact. It didn’t help matters either when his shadows almost always gravitated towards her when she was in the room with him.  

“I see you’re making your desserts again,” He mused, changing the subject. “But the rolls…”

“I know!” She slammed the rolling pin against the already thin layer of dough. “I can’t get the recipe right. They were the only things I had never made myself before, so I didn’t have it memorized. But…” Her voice trailed off, eyes shining like glass from the water that started to line her lower lids. She took a few more angry passes of pressing the pastry dough against the splotched granite of the kitchen counter. 

“Why are the rolls so important to you?” He tilted his head to better see her expression, quirking up a brow in the process. 

“It’s -it’s just not the same without them! It's not Solstice-” She cut herself off and took a deep breath. “The late fall and early parts of winter is a time of celebration in my world for many cultures and religions. It’s a time dedicated to families-humanity at large even-coming together to celebrate…life and light returning to the world. Though I do recognize that not everyone has positive relationships with their blood relatives, so found families are just as valid.  And technically speaking each of the different holidays celebrate different things, the fact remains that it is a special time of year filled with traditions. This recipe was my great-great grandmother’s recipe and I am going on another year without…” Azriel’s lips twitched as she rambled, his eyes snagging on her bottom lip that she bit to stop herself from speaking her pain out loud. His shadows danced around her in a quick flurry. Spinning around her waist and winding their way up and into her hair. For the briefest of moments her body froze, only relaxing when the shadows returned to his side. Though he didn’t need them to tell him the feelings that she held back. 

“You want to feel close to your family even while you are stuck here,” He supplied. “I personally…enjoy you sharing this part of yourself with us. But these rolls…” His smile turned to a grimace. 

“I KNOW!” She took the rolling pin in one hand and began to pound it against the crumbling pastry. As if the literal beating of the dough would improve upon its bland taste. Nyx laughed gleefully at the sight. Azriel gingerly grasped her forearm, stopping her movement before she either broke the tool or the countertop. 

“I see that this is frustrating you, because it is important to you,” He released her arm and pried the pin from her hand. “But the rolling pin is innocent, and not at fault for the taste.” She growled, leveling the Illyrian with a challenging glare. Azriel could only assume it was supposed to be a menacing sound, but instead it came out as comical, causing him to bark out a laugh. He set the rolling pin to the side of the stove top, taking a quick peek at the simmering goo of poppy seeds in the pot. 

“I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.” She sighed, leaning on her elbows on the island counter and carding her fingers through her hair. 

“For starters you may want to keep this from burning,” He picked up the wooden spoon and gave the mixture a stir. Steam rose as he scraped the sticky substance from the bottom of the pot. She groaned, swearing under her breath. Scooting him to the side she hastily took the spoon from his hand and swore again. 

In the blink of an eye, she picked up the burning metal and threw it and its contents into the sink. The sharp resounding tone of metal clanking against stone rang through the room. Both Nyx and Azriel covered their ears at the sudden sound. The force of her throw caused the granite to crack along the edge. To say Azriel was surprised by her strength was an understatement. Perhaps there was some merit to the belief that she had distant Fae heritage. 

“Fuck it! I give up!” The frustration in her voice was palatable. She turned the tap allowing the mixture to cool and soak. As the pot filled with water she turned back around and began to roughly grab the dough that was sticking to the countertop. Azriel watched the muscles in her jaw tense as she tossed the crumbling pieces into a large sack. His shadows skittered around the baking debris, though he couldn’t tell if they were trying to help her or stop her as they intertwined with her fingers on the countertop. Regardless of their intent, they were successful in distracting her as she attempted to swat them away like annoying flies instead. 

“Why don’t I help you,” He offered, his lips finally pulling up into a soft smile. She sighed but moved aside allowing him the space to reach the various ingredients and begin mixing a new batch of dough. 

Azriel smiled at the memory. The ease of which they fell into a rhythm in the kitchen. One would measure while the other mixed. Taking turns with quick tastes for each of the fillings, adding extra sugar or vanilla as necessary. It took a few more hours and at least three trial runs before they were successful in recreating the flavor of her childhood memory. He remembered how the flakey and buttery dough melted in his mouth, giving way to the sweetness of the poppy seed spread. With the way she had opened up to him and her expression of absolute happiness at their success, he could see why she had been so keen on keeping this tradition alive. 

He supposed that to anyone watching the perfectly domestic scene they would have assumed the pair had never been at odds. She had readily accepted the perfectly sliced piece of the poppy seed roll he offered to her, crumbs sticking to the corners of her lips. The joyous smile she wore after taking that final bite made his chest swell with pride. There had been no hesitation whatsoever on her part, but when she offered a piece back, Azriel found himself pausing. In her good mood she was insisting that she feed it to him, the intimacy of the action completely lost to her. He debated upon correcting her actions, but refrained given that he selfishly didn’t want to disturb the progress in her comfortability towards him. Besides, it wasn’t as if he could have a human for his mate. 

Azriel watched as Ruhn spun (Y/N) around, the music of their most recent dance coming to an end. The way in which her hair and skin glowed under the soft silvery faelights that lined the terrace made her appear ethereal. He caught her eye, and her smile towards him practically lit up the space around her. Azriel didn’t even feel his feet begin to move. He didn’t even notice that he had made it halfway over to her before another body slotted itself in his path. Nor did he hear the soft feminine voice that called his name until a hand was placed upon his cheek.

“Are you okay?” Elain asked, her brown eyes filled with worry. Azriel blinked, his eyes finally focusing on the female before him. As soon as reality caught up with him, he had the good sense to take a step back. Elain slowly lowered her hand, a small nervous laugh escaping her lips. “I called your name a few times, but I take it you were lost in thought.” 

“Oh, um,” He looked back towards the woman, who was already being swept back up into another dance, this time with Cassian. “Yes, sorry. I’m okay.” He forced a smile as his gaze settled on Elain. She flashed him a shy smile of her own. 

“Then, would you care to dance?” She offered her hand to him. He paused, tilting his head to the side as he struggled to read her expression. The two hadn’t really spoken in the past several months. Elain made it clear that she didn’t want to be involved in the drama surrounding her mate and (Y/N). More specifically, she expressed not needing people defending her “claim” to Lucien. So naturally, he assumed that Elain was still mad at him.  Though he later realized both females may have felt cornered with how he approached each of them in the kitchen, He was therefore surprised to see that Elain’s irritation had subsided. 

But was a dance with her safe? He had spent the better part of the past couple years trying to distance himself after she had returned the necklace he gave her for the Winter Solstice before Nyx was born. Neither of them had ever discussed their almost kiss, not that he didn’t still think about her from time to time. Surely one dance wouldn’t hurt. His shadows had already informed him that Lucien arrived a few moments ago and had yet to greet her. They also informed him that the female standing before him had no intention of seeking her mate out for a dance. Settling on the idea that a single dance wouldn’t hurt, Azriel allowed the female to grasp his hand and lead him onto the floor. 

“Lucien!” His best friend’s excited call filled his ears as (Y/N) and Ruhn made their way over, interrupting his conversation with Feyre. Though he couldn’t really speak as to what their conversation had been about. His eyes, and therefore his attention, had been too focused on the dancing pair to process anything that Feyre may have said. Or more specifically, his attention had been on the large hands that never seemed to leave the woman’s body. Even now as she came to greet him, Ruhn’s hands remained plastered to her hips. Lucien felt his golden eye narrow as he met the other male’s stare. He almost hated the genuine, friendly smile Ruhn gave him. 

“I was beginning to worry that you weren’t going to be here,” She admitted, not bothering to mask her relief. However, he did note that she withheld embracing him as she nervously played with Ruhn’s hands that had made their way to her belly. For a split second her attention deviated from Lucien as she told the dark haired male to stop. Ruhn acquiesced, but only with the directive that he was going to get something for them to drink. Once the male left, the High Lady bumped her own hip against (Y/N)’s, the former’s lips lifted in a smile while the latter rolled her eyes. Clearly set on ignoring whatever silent conversation Feyre was attempting to spark, the woman instead asked him about his most recent trip to Spring.  

The simple exchange of pleasantries felt forced but was necessary in keeping up their agreement. Although, in seeing just how diligently Ruhn was taking his responsibilities Lucien was starting to convince himself that he’d need to find more ways to visit the Night Court without the High Lord’s knowledge. 

“It looks like my mate is struggling with managing his own son,” Feyre chuckled as she watched the pair from across the terrace. Lucien’s gaze followed hers and sure enough, the nearly four-year-old was exploring every potential escape route out of his Father’s grasp, including trying to climb over his face. (Y/N) also laughed at the sight and shook her head. Her gentle and melodic laugh sent an imperceptible shiver through Lucien every time he heard it. Her considerably longer (h/c) curls, which he learned Mor and Bryce had helped her style, gently swayed with the movement.

“I should go help him,” Feyre began, but (Y/N) placed her hand on the High Lady’s shoulder before she could take a step.

“Let me,” She offered. “It’s been way too long since you two have actually had the chance to talk apart from discussions of courtly duties. Stay and catch up. This is my job anyway.” She turned to Lucien and squeezed his bicep before making her way over to the struggling Father and son duo. Lucien blinked in surprise at the woman’s comment and smiled. 

The week before Starfall he had sneaked over to the townhouse to surprise her, only to find that she had a mild cold. She allowed him to vent about so many things, including missing his friendship with Feyre. He had been mid-sentence when he caught her dozing off in the comfortable armchair near the hearth in the front parlor. At least he had thought she had been asleep. When he called out her name, she had only grunted a response. A few seconds passed by before Ruhn returned from the kitchen with hot tea for her sore throat. Ruhn had gently woken her, making her drink what he had prepared. 

Lucien could still recall the strong scent of lemon and ginger a week later. She had a sour look on her face the entire time she forced herself to drink the tea before the two eventually retreated to bed. He remembered watching Ruhn fuss over her. He couldn’t help but take note of how the male was able to show just how much he loved her. However, she rebuffed Ruhn’s efforts and refused to be carried up the stairs.

While any of the Fae were able to carry her with minimal effort, Lucien had come to realize that she only allowed Azriel to do so. And even then, it was only for the purpose of going to and from the House of Wind. He recognized that she was self-conscious of her body. But…he still didn’t fully understand why. 

She looked beautiful in her dress tonight. The way the sheer fabric hugged her frame before flaring out at her hips had his eyes returning to her periodically throughout the night. Staying away from her had been torturous, even more so than having to stay away from Elain. Lucien tried not to focus on the guilt that stirred in his chest at that fact. He could feel the strained pulling of the thread leading to his mate with each passing day. Within the last 2 years there were even some days that the unrequited bond caused physical discomfort. 

“She’s so good with him.” Feyre interrupted his thoughts, “I swear sometimes I think she was sent here by the Mother for that very purpose.” Lucien followed the High Lady’s gaze. Nyx’s arms were outstretched towards his human nanny as she approached. From this distance he could make out her voice telling Nyx they would find a quiet space to calm down. Nyx verbally protested while at the same time making himself comfortable in her arms by resting his head on her shoulder and his small arms reaching around her in a hug. 

Her smile was warm as she walked away from the High Lord, who let his son go freely. The sight of the scene before him pulled at a deep sense of longing. The feeling was so strong that it caused Lucien to rub at his sternum. Slowly his attention returned to Feyre and their conversation resumed. 

Azriel had been listening to Elain recount an amusing exchange she had at one of the local bakeries when he heard a soft melody on the wind. At first he was confused, the voice seemingly from nowhere. He glanced around, looking for the source, even sending out a shadow. Elain’s voice trailed off as well, likely noticing that he had stopped paying attention. 

“Do you hear that?” He asked her. He watched as she tilted her head, listening carefully as another spring breeze ruffled her own golden hair. 

“I think that’s (Y/N),” She replied. “She’s likely singing to Nyx. She does it quite often. She has such a lovely voice, don’t you think?” Elain was right, the voice was beautiful. Her warm timbre settled something in him, lulling a sense of calm over the terrace. Before he knew it his feet were transporting him towards her rich vocals. 

By the time he arrived at the small, enclosed patio on the far side of the House of Wind her song had changed. He also wasn’t the only person in the small audience that congregated a short distance away from where she gently swayed with Nyx asleep in her arms. 

Sleep, oh babe, for the red bee hums

The silent twilight's fall

The melody was simple, gentle and lilting. (Y/N)’s warm dulcet timbre reminded him of a comforting blanket. 

Aoibheall from the gray rock comes

To wrap the world in thrall

Out of the corner of his eye, Azriel noticed that both Bryce and Ruhn had what he assumed were their phones in their hands. 

A leanbhín ó, my child, my joy

My love and heart's desire

Azriel watched as her hand lazily rubbed the small child’s back, ever careful of his wings. Though, it was obvious to any of the three Illyrian males present that Nyx was perfectly at ease if she did accidentally brush along the spots where the wings protruded from his back. 

The crickets sing you lullaby

Beside the dying fire

Just as her voice trailed off, the sky lit up. While everyone’s attention switched to the spirits above, Azriel’s remained fixed on (Y/N). He watched from a safe distance as Ruhn quietly approached. (Y/N) placed a finger over her lips, silently instructing the male to remain silent lest he wake Nyx. Azriel felt his stomach flip when the male placed a kiss on her temple and her resulting bashful smile. Ruhn held his phone up again and Azriel saw her lips move, but couldn’t hear the words. Finally her attention drifted towards the sky, eyes reflecting the falling stars. 

Ruhn hovered just behind her, his hands on her hips as she swayed with the heir of the Night Court sleeping soundly in her embrace. To all who were present he was certain that many would assume the pair were lovers. And had Nyx not been born with wings, absolute strangers would have even assumed they were their own little family. That had certainly been the misunderstanding he experienced once or twice while out with her during some of the outings with Nyx. But why did the scene before him nag at something in the back of his mind? 

Before the phenomena that is Starfall came to an end, Elain approached the little trio, offering to take Nyx home with Rhysand’s help. Elain slowly wrapped her hands underneath Nyx’s torso, gently pulling him away from (Y/N). His head drooped down as soon as it was off her shoulder. Everyone in the immediate area held their breaths waiting to see if the movement would wake him. When it didn’t, Elain settled him in her arms. Rhysand came up to her side, his arms around both Elain and Nyx before launching them into the sky and winnowing back to the River House. 

Azriel took that as his cue to return to the main terrace as well, wanting to give the couple some space. However, it seemed that the woman had other plans for the next thing that he knew, there was a light tapping on his shoulder. When he turned, (Y/N) was standing there holding out her hand to him. She giggled at his confused expression. 

“Care to dance with me?” She asked. At first he didn’t know what to do. A wave of nostalgia washed over him, the expression she held reminding him of those first days after meeting Mor. But the woman in front of him now was so much different. He recognized that there truly had been great strides made in their dynamic for her to feel comfortable enough to approach him first. Something about that made him feel lighter. 

Azriel realized that he had not done nor said anything as she slowly started to retract her hand. Quicker than he intended, he reached for her before the hand returned to her side. But she didn’t flinch, and didn’t back away. Once her hand was gently placed in his, he walked her over to the small area reserved for dancing. The music was languid and soft. A smooth legato that allowed them to gently sway.  One hand was clasped with hers, the other tentatively resting on her waist.

“I never properly thanked you for helping me,” She said after a time, her fingers twitched along his shoulder. “The sleep tonic really did work. But I can’t argue that it was scary how out of it I was after just using it for a few days.” 

“In all fairness I did warn you,” He chuckled, bringing his hand further around her waist. “And I overestimated the dose, given that  it’s what my Mother uses for herself. Since you are human you require less. Cutting it should-” She laughed. 

“Aren’t I supposed to be the one that rambles?” She inquired, allowing her body to be pulled in closer to his own. 

“You do ramble quite often,” He acknowledged, feeling the corners of his mouth twitch up. “But I enjoy listening when you talk freely.” The melody swelled, and he pulled her along in time with the rising vibrancy of the strings. 

“You sure that’s not a secret tactic?” She playful squinted her eyes at him, as if studying his reaction. “Lull me into a sense of security so that I can tell you everything.” While her words could be interpreted as accusatory, her tone held only mirth. He opted to take her ability to jest about their past as a sign that things were healing. While Azriel found himself chuckling along, he wanted to reassure her that he didn’t fear what her presence in the Night Court meant for his family. 

“I don’t need to learn any more information about you,” He explained. “I seek out your company and listen because…because I genuinely enjoy getting to know you.” The fluttering dance within his chest surprised him. He felt overly conscious of his efforts to make his voice and smile as disarming as possible. “I am truly sorry for everything that my job required me to do then. I hope that you believe me when I say-” But she again cut him off, this time by placing her hand directly over his mouth. 

“I don’t,” She paused. “I know. I understand what your role was, and since that time you have taken steps to show that you are not proud of what you had to do. So let’s leave it at that. I’d much rather talk about other things.” She lowered her hand back down to his shoulder. 

“Like what?” Azriel took the opportunity to spin her in time with the flourishing melisma. She giggled as spun back towards his chest, nearly losing her balance in the heels that she wore. 

“For instance, is Starfall your favorite holiday?” She clutched his bicep to ensure that she remained steady. “The way you spoke about it makes it seem pretty important to you.” Azriel paused at her preceptive statement.  

“I don’t know if I would call it my favorite,” He mused. He hoped that she couldn’t feel the racing of his heart as he interlaced his fingers with hers. “But it is unique to the Night Court. Most of the other courts celebrate Nynsar, a spring holiday held between the Winter Solstice and Calanmai.”

“The Spring Equinox?” She asked. He could feel the muscles at the small of her back tighten ever so slightly.  

“Yes, that’s what it is referred to in the mortal lands.” Azriel’s brow furrowed as he watched as her head dipped to his collar and her eyes lost focus. She nodded a few times before biting the lower corner of her lip. The mention of the mortal holiday triggered a memory that he could see was threatening to take over. Finally, she looked up towards the stars that continued their ascent across the vast blackness of the night court sky. 

“Today is my brother’s birthday,” Her whisper nearly slipped past his ears. “Gods, he would love this.” Her lower lip trembled as she continued to search the sky. A desire to disperse her worries rose up inside him like the striking winds of Illyria. 

“I miss them so much,” Her eyes met his own golden hues for a fleeting moment before fluttering shut. The movement drove the silver lining her (e/c) hues to slip past her defenses. Salty streaks disrupting the otherwise flawless skin. For the third time that night, Azriel found his body moving without instruction. The hand supporting her back, now gently cupped the side of her face. His thumb gently brushed away the evidence of her sorrow. He had to keep his features neutral as surprise caused his lungs to tighten. She leaned into the caress, even sighing at the gentle comfort it brought. There was no trace of the fear she once held at the sight of his hands. 

The two had already ceased their movements when the final cadence rang through the air. The minor chord echoed off the stone, highlighting and perfectly matching the melancholy that always signaled the last of the spirits descending past the horizon. As soon as the tones faded the bubble that surrounded their dance burst. 

“I’m sorry.” She stepped back, immediately bringing her hands towards her own body and fidgeting with her own fingers. “I’d like to go to the townhouse now, but I need to find Ruhn.” She couldn’t even look him in the eyes. All of that vulnerability retreated back into herself. Reserved only for the ones she truly trusted. The realization hit him harder than he ever wanted to admit.   

“Sure, wait here.” He kept his tone gentle, his own hands dropping to his sides. “I’ll tell him and Cassian to meet us there.” She nodded her thanks and stepped to the railing that overlooked Velaris. As Azriel made his way to the opposite end of the terrace, he wondered if he would ever see that vulnerable side of her again. 

General tag list: @loving-and-dreaming

Next- Chapter 11

Series tag list: @jenniferpendragon @impossibelle @sweet-chai-amore @myheartfollower @iimichie @fightmedraco @nikkitch0703 @eerievixen @ang-taylorsversion @randomness-it-is @thehighlordishere @rachelnicolee @hardcoremarvelfan @awkardnerd @sundayysunshine @jpgtae @cheneyq @morganwdarius

[felinefractious]

Index Page

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You can also find me @catsindoors where I discuss feline behavior, health, welfare and other related topics and at @declaweddisabledpurebred where I promote adoptable cats.

Mittens McFluffy of Tumblr = Cat’s Name

🐱 = Breed

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If the breed featured has a debilitating health issues as their defining feature I will include a [link] to information of the condition beside the breed name.

This is not comprehensive, the abscence of a [link] doesn’t mean the breed is without issue. It may just mean there isn’t one, concise artle to link. Always do your research.

Here is some recommended reading.

AAFP Position Statement Hybrid Cats

Histologic Description of Lykoi Cat

Concerns over Maine Coons on the GCCF

Lykoi Sebaceous Cysts

Manx Syndrome

Munchkin Limb Deformity

Over-typification in Maine Coon Cats

Persian Brachycephaly

Scottish Fold Osteochondrodysplasia [Examples]

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You can send in pictures of your cat if you like and I will tell you what they appear to be. It is helpful to include some history on the acquisition of your cat. It is helpful to include multiple angles, varied lighting, close-up of parted fur and especially nose and paw pads. Remember that this is an educated guess only.

I will answer genetics oriented questions to the best of my ability, I have a working understanding of cat genetics but for more complicated or in-depth questions regarding genotype I recommend asking @amber-tortoiseshell. I’m most confident with my expertise on phenotype (appearance) and cat breeds.

Disclaimer: This blog is to show cat colors and patterns, I share rare or unique colors and good examples wherever I find them. Inclusion on this blog is not endorsement of the breed or breeder.

List of Cat Registries

List of Breed Clubs (TBA)

Here are some good resources to start you off:

Beware Don’t Get Scammed

Ethical Breeding: How to Find a Good Cat Breed?

Finding the Purrfect Pedigreed Kitten

Identifying a Scammer: Red Flags

How to Spot a Scam

Thinking of Buying a Pedigree Kitten? Advice for Purchasers

There are also Facebook groups which can be a useful, additional resource such as Bad Catteries Around the World, BLACKLIST Breeders Cats/Cattery Cats, Exposing Bad Catteries & Educating for Change and GOOD Catteries Around the World Reference and Reviews!

If you’re in the UK you can check Felis Brittanica’s Suspension List.

Breed Specific Groups

Abyssinian Kitten Scams and Breeder Search Guidelines

Bad Sphynx Catteries/Breeders!!!

Black List Bengal Breeder!

The Maine Coon Blacklist

Posts to Read

r/cats Bruce the Minuet

American Shorthair vs. Domestic Shorthair

Brachycephaly in Cats

The Different Bobtail Genes

Gen. Ticked British Shorthair

Highlander/Highland Lynx Health

Is It A Nebelung?

Maine Coon Phenotype

New Style vs. Old Style Maine Coons

Peterbald vs. Sphynx

Siamese vs. Oriental

Sphynx Health & Hygiene

What Is Rufousing?

TICA’s Generative AI Bullshit

Tortoiseshell or High Rufousing?

Yeast in Devon and Cornish Rex breeds

Now introducing Fractious, the official mascot of the blog as illustrated by @jambiird based on the results of the Create A Cat poll series. Icon by @smallear.

They’re a blue silver classic tabby mitted mink longhair.

Don’t fucking put Harry Potter references on my posts or in the tags. You will be blocked.

[literary-illuminati]

Book Review 22 - The Employees: A Workplace Novel of the 22nd Century

This was a fascinating book. Another one I probably appreciate as an art object more than as a story, per se, but in this case that’s not really a knock on it. Or at least, I believe the whole project began as the written accompaniment to an actual visual art display. Which I really rather wish I could have seen, it seems like the right sort of setting and accompaniment would have made this a lot more affecting.

Anyway, the basic synopsis of the book is that, sometime in the future, a massive space vessel called the Six Thousand Ship is launched from Earth and ends up in orbit over an alien world, where strange and vaguely eldritch objects are retrieved and brought on board. The story is told through a series of anonymous employee testimonials to some silent and anonymous survey/study/HR board. Crucially, some large fraction of the crew is not human but humanoid, synthetic workers created and programmed by the organization who own the ship.

The entire thing is perfectly designed to convey a very particular sense of corporate alienation, right down to the polite euphemisms used for murder. Especially at the beginning, everything from obsession to grief and nostalgia over never seeing Earth again is always framed as how it might effect ones productiveness as an employee, and to figure out everything that really happened in any given statement you usually have to first decipher the thick layer of corporate HR-ese its buried under. The packaging provides a sort of antiseptic distance that kind of clashes interestingly with what is actually happening at any given point.

Which is, I’m sue, all making a point of the alienation and inhumanity of the modern workplace and the absolute horror of a life that is nothing but work – I think I first heard this book mentioned in the context of people discussing Severance, and I can absolutely see the relation between the two. I’m sure it’s incredibly uncultured of me, but the whole framing device (especially as things moved towards the climax) also just seemed incredibly reminiscent of the audio logs and scraps of text you would find in a video game, providing the backstory of how whatever environment you’re exploring collapsed into the ruined state you found it in. Which is, certainly, an interesting effect to go for in a book.

The objects themselves are almost certainly weighted with deep symbolic meaning that flew entirely over my head, but the effect they had on the various employees is definitely interesting. Things definitely do happen, but in terms of page count the inner musings and angst over the human(oid) condition and how interaction with the objects effects different individual psychologies is what the book is actually really interested is. Being allowed to care for the objects in the way they seem to like becomes an intense preoccupation for some of the crew involved, even moreso than the allocated time with holographic recreations of children the organization starts providing as an incentive at a certain point.

I’m not entirely sure it really does anything with it, but all the ways the book gestures at transhumanism is at least interesting. The humanoids themselves, with their probably immortality and regular mental reuploads and lack of anything outside the Work to contextualize or complicate their life (at least until the objects show up), as well as plenty of mentions of add-ons that the Organization provides its human workers as needed. And just very oblique mentions of ‘transfers’ to positions with very different mental architecture or sense of self or physical/mental autonomy. It’s all a great/creepy vibe, at least.

On the whole book left me slightly cold, but that’s really a me problem more than the book problem. Short enough to be worth a read if it seems interesting, at least.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

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🦇 Fall For Him Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

❓ #QOTD What's your favorite rom-com (film or book)? ❓ 🦇 Falling through his hot neighbor's ceiling and landing directly into his bed probably wouldn't make Derek Chang hate Dylan Gallagher any less, especially with a poorly timed "It's Raining Men" joke. Though Dylan focuses all his ADHD hyper-fixation energy on getting the repair job done as quickly as possible—avoiding doing anything stupid like acting on his very inconvenient crush—Derek tries to ignore that the tattooed nerd sleeping on the couch is surprisingly witty, smart, and kind, despite the long-term grudge Derek’s been holding against him. But will squeezing all their emotional baggage plus a dog into a tiny one-bedroom apartment be a major disaster…or just prove they’re made for each other? Fall for Him combines banter, hijinks, and heart in a story of finding out what it means to fix things after your life crumbles.

💜 I was fortunate enough to read Andie Burke's debut (and this story's predecessor), Fly With Me, last year, but I didn't expect THIS. Fall For Him is so much more than an enemies-to-lovers, forced-proximity, gay rom-com continuation. There's no list of tropes that can contain the banter, hijinks, mental health rep, and heart within this story. There's so much grief, healing, and love within this story, matched by wit, banter, and fun, descriptive prose. All of it grabs and holds readers with the same beautiful intensity of an old-school rom-com. Andie Burke's writing has truly BLOSSOMED between Fly With Me and Fall For Him; a feat I'm always glad to see a year after discovering a debut author.

💜 Since I can't contain it all in a concise little paragraph, here's What I Loved: ✨ The mental health rep (including the misconception that someone is rude or antisocial or weird when really they're trying to manage a condition). ✨ Derek's outrage on Dylan's behalf, then fiercely standing up against Dylan's family. ✨ The. Bat. Man. ✨ Felicity, my quippy, hilarious, bisexual babe, and her Depraved Shenanigans. ✨ Jodi, just entirely, my demisexual, forest nymph queen. Andie Burke. Please. Please tell me the next book is Jodi & Felicity (my two emotional support gingers). PLEASE. ✨ All the home reno/construction puns. ✨ All the nerd references (the crack in Amy Pond's wall!) ✨ Every character description. Seriously. ESPECIALLY the boys describing each other pre-kiss. And after kiss. ✨ All the quippy, silly banter. ✨ Light blue scrubs. ✨ "Stupid, lovesick, radiant joy." / "Kay." ✨ The older sibling protective/fix-it mentality. ✨ Loving broken things.

💙 By now, you know miscommunication and third-act breakups are among my least favorite story elements. However, this story STARTS with miscommunication; one moment seen from different perspectives that's therefore misconstrued. After realizing that, Derek actively tries to keep that miscommunication from breaking them. He's one of the first MCs I've seen that tries to avoid a third-act breakup before it happens. I do wish we'd lingered in that moment a little longer, seen it happen differently instead of time-jumping to a week later, but it doesn't shatter the story the way third-act breakups often do. I will say I did cry at the end of this one, so the conclusion amplifies emotions in a way that works.

🦇 Recommended for fans of Red, White, & Royal Blue or Boyfriend Material.

✨ The Vibes ✨ 🔨 Mental Health/ADHD Rep 🫀 Contemporary Rom-Com 🖱 Enemies to Lovers 🩺 Forced Proximity ❤‍🩹 Grief Rep/Healing 🐕 Animal Companion 🧠 2nd in a Duology 💙 Dual POV

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #FallForHim

💬 Quotes ❝ I love that English uses the word falling to describe the initial rush of love, capturing the stomach-sinking danger of opening your heart over a chasm of what if. That anyone could love all those deep-inside, messy, jagged bits we try to hide from even ourselves feels like the greatest impossibility. But after all, it’s the impact with the ground that hurts, not the fall, so I guess that’s why the best partners are the ones who cushion us. ❞ ❝ Much like a home renovation project wherein hidden, expensive disasters are created when you try to fix the cosmetic parts only, sometimes you have to break things down entirely before anything gets repaired. ❞ ❝ I wrote it at a time when I needed a reminder that people who feel like their bodies and minds and souls are being held together by caffeine and off-brand Scotch tape deserve to find and can find their person. Because when the ground beneath our feet is crumbling in every possible sense, sometimes we don’t just need a safe place to land. We need a safe place to fall. ❞ ❝ Breaking something sometimes doesn’t mean you’re broken. ❞ ❝ Awkward social interactions created small fractures in his mental armor. Every crack allowed old insecurities to slide right back into his brain. ❞ ❝ That smile did things to Derek. Things he’d rather not admit. ❞ ❝ “I looked for you when I woke up.” ❞ ❝ In his personal experience, every time he invited someone into knowing about his sexual identity, it felt like a small test with big stakes. It was like whispering Are you going to be comfortable with my existence? into a void and just hoping what came out didn’t attack you. ❞ ❝ You deserve stupid, lovesick, radiant joy. ❞ ❝ “I think Felicity wakes up each day and chooses violence.” “You’re not wrong.” ❞ ❝ “Do not ever let someone make you feel that small again. Because you, Dylan Gallagher, are not fucking small.” ❞ ❝ Because if he broke down, how could he still be the one who fixed things? ❞

[talkingpointsusa]

Matt Walsh's ignorant bigotry about Imane Khelif shows just how little he knows about the subject he claims to be an expert on

I'm back from DC folks! I saw Mike Johnson in person (true story, didn't have tomatoes to throw sadly) and got to flip off the Heritage Foundation Building. Now I'm back to talk about lighthearted topics like....transphobia and....misogyny. God, writing this blog is going to be the death of me.

So, Matt Walsh is one of the worlds top experts on transgender issues....or at least he thinks he is. In reality, Matt Walsh is an ignorant and loud-mouthed bigot who mostly shoots from the hip based off of his preconceived notions about minority groups whose existence he hates. Naturally, he decided to weigh in on the latest completely BS controversy about the Olympics that right-wing media made up seemingly to make the first day I got back from DC and checked in on what they’re doing as miserable as possible. In all seriousness, lets see what Matt's yapping about this time.

01:04, Matt Walsh: "One of the most common arguments you'll hear in defense of gender ideology is that some people are intersex and therefor the gender binary is a myth."

At the very least the existence of intersex people proves that the construct of gender isn't as black and white as Matt Walsh likes to portray it as on his show. Matt likes to claim that gender is binary but he's completely wrong. For example, Matt would tell you that a woman is a biological female whilst ignoring that some people are born intersex or born with heightened levels of testosterone, which in Matt's world doesn't make them female. Matt would tell you that a woman is defined by the ability to give birth because "men can't get pregnant" but some women are born infertile. None of these rhetorical games really matter since gender is a social construct whereas sex is biological but they are certainly worth noting.

The truth is that Matt doesn't know jack shit about biology nor sociology and is simply a bigot using distorted versions of those concepts to camouflage his hateful rhetoric. Matt is not somebody who has a lot of respect for science, he regularly disregards the scientific evidence for climate change as nonsense and ignores the mountains of scientific evidence that validate trans and queer identity. However, when he feels like he can use it to validate his weak arguments Matt will gesture vaguely towards "the science", not cite anything, and proceed to act as if he's made some kind of salient point that debunks the scientific community. He's not using evidence, he's using his gut and he'd look like a complete idiot if he actually debated someone that isn't a college freshman without media training.

01:21, Matt Walsh: "You often hear wildly inflated numbers from gender activists about how many intersex people there are in the world. You also hear various definitions for what it means to be intersex, those definitions are often tailored to that -- so that they can inflate the number of people who qualify as intersex."

Matt Walsh has no idea what he's talking about. According to the World Population Review, nearly two out of 100 babies in the United States are born intersex. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, an intersex person is somebody born with sex characteristics including genitals, chromosomes, etc that do not align with the traditional male/female gender binary. Intersex is an umbrella term which is probably where Matt's getting those "varying definitions" from.

Matt seems to think that there's some bizarre conspiracy to artificially inflate the number of people that qualify as intersex but the truth is that some things just don't have a hard definition. However, I understand how this might be confusing for somebody who seems to reduce the human condition down to what genitals you were born with.

01:39, Matt Walsh: "Here's the only definition that has any meaning, as Leonard Sax framed it. Being intersex means that your phenotypic sex, meaning your primary sex characteristics, is inconsistent with your chromosomal sex. For example, someone with Y chromosomes is biologically male and normally has male genitalia but if that person develops female genitalia or genitalia that appear female than that person would be a biological male that suffers from intersexuality."

This definition is widely considered to be pretty outdated. For example, that definition would exclude people with Klinefelter Syndrome which is a condition that is widely considered by modern scientific organizations as a variation of intersexuality that isn't covered by Sax's definition.

Leonard Sax himself isn't a very credible source. Sax is an advocate for single-sex education, the practice of segregating education by gender, and his claims around said topic have been refuted as pseudoscience based off of gender stereotypes while ignoring the children that don't necessarily fit the black and white definition that those stereotypes box children into. Sax has also pushed the antisemitic conspiracy theory that Hitler was actually Jewish, a conspiracy theory that was originally started by Adolf Hitlers own attorney. Historians agree that Sax's evidence was complete ahistorical nonsense. In short, not only are this guys findings on the definition of intersexuality at odds with the broader scientific community but he has a documented record of pushing conspiracy theories and pseudoscience. In short, this guys a wingnut.

02:09, Matt Walsh: "On the other hand, if someone is born with Y chromosomes and then chooses to remove his male genitalia through surgery that individual would not suddenly become intersex."

Absolutely nobody on the planet is claiming that being trans is the same thing as being intersex and there are multiple articles explaining the difference. The issue that Matt seems to be having here is that intersex people are often brought up as an example of how the black and white view of sex and gender brought up by people like him doesn't really make any sense due to the fact that even if you ignore the existence of trans people there are still outliers in even the biological binary. The only person who interprets that as "Ha! You're saying that trans people and intersex people are the same thing!" is Matt Walsh who doesn't seem to understand that everything isn't black and white and that you actually have to look at things with nuance sometimes.

02:50, Matt Walsh: "At the Olympics the other day that confusion led to a male, somebody with XY chromosomes, pummeling a woman in the face at a woman's boxing event on live television."

For those who have been living under a rock, in which case I envy you, this story concerns an Olympic boxing match that took place between Imane Khelif and Angela Carini where Khelif won.

Khelif is a cisgender female and has been for all her life. There is no publicly available evidence that Khelif has XY chromosomes at the time of writing and even if she did that would legally make her an intersex woman due to the rest of her physical characteristics being female.

"But she failed a gender test!", cry the transphobes. Yes, she did in fact fail a gender test but the methodology for this test was never disclosed nor was a copy of the results. The IBA, the organization that gave Khelif the test, is an organization with deep ties to the Russian government that once elected a businessman with deep ties to heroin trafficking and Russian organized crime as their president. Conversely, the IBA only disqualified Khelif after she beat a Russian boxer in the ring, funny how that works. Furthermore, the International Olympic Committee has cut ties with the IBA over concerns of corruption and has denounced the test on Khelif as illegitimate.

Basically, this is another instance of right-wing media running with Russian propaganda to justify their hatred for others. It's disgusting and clear-cut bigotry.

03:01, Matt Walsh: "This male, an Algerian named Imane Khelif, was reportedly DNA tested at the Woman's Olympics World Boxing Championships in New Delhi last year by an organization called IBA and officials at the time disqualified Khelif from the competition because testing confirmed a Y chromosome which means again, that Khelif is a male. There are reports of some sort of disorder affecting the primary sex characteristics, I can't verify those either way."

Hey Matt, I looked this up and I verified it extremely quickly. At the very least it is Matt's responsibility as somebody presenting themself as a journalist to disclose the fact that the legitimacy of this test is in question.

03:42, Matt Walsh: "Intersex is just a word we've come up with to describe people who suffer from certain conditions and deformities. Intersex is not a third sex, it's not an exception to the rule of the sex binary. There are no exceptions. Everybody is either male or female, everyone."

There's that black and white thinking again. The thing is that this argument doesn't make sense because the primary definition of intersexuality is people that don't fit that exact black and white binary that Matt's laid out here. This entire topic invalidates that black and white approach to gender and Matt doesn't even realize it.

04:08, Matt Walsh: "However, the International Olympic Committee, which is overseeing the boxing competition at the Paris Olympics, apparently doesn't care about Chromosomes. According to the Washington Post, the IOC doesn't test for gender. Now, it's not really clear what that means. Does that mean that they'd let Lebron James compete in the woman's basketball tournament?"

I don't know where he's getting that from, this is the full article and I can't find the quote Matt's talking about anywhere but some twitter thread that claims that this article has it in there somewhere. I have a funny feeling that Matt just read something on Twitter and ran with it without checking.

So, Matt's mad at testosterone testing which is something that it doesn't make sense for him to be mad at but go off I guess.

04:27, Matt Walsh: "What it appears to mean based on reporting that I've found is that the IOC allows different events to implement some testosterone guidelines, not rules but just guidelines which can vary event by event. And if that's the case, it obviously would be completely useless for a few reasons. One of them is that even if you have low levels of testosterone now, you might have had very high levels in the past which would contribute to increased muscle strength, bone growth, etc."

Except that testosterone levels peak during your late teens-20's and the current average age for an Olympian is around 27 years old, which by the way is a record high meaning that for most of the history of the Olympics it's been significantly younger. The average healthy male will only start to see a marked decrease in testosterone levels when they're significantly older.

But yeah, good thinking Matt, you really showed them. Truly a man of science over here.

04:56, Matt Walsh: "The other reason is that having high levels of testosterone doesn't make you a man in and of itself, having a Y chromosome doesn't make you a man and a man with low testosterone, even a man with very low testosterone, is still a man."

"And by the way, this doesn't apply to women with high testosterone who are men." - probably also Matt Walsh given his track record when it comes to that group of people.

05:48, Matt Walsh: "Now, one of the things about all these gender tests and DNA tests is that it really, for the most part, they're not even necessary. Like, looking at that footage anyone can instantly tell that Angela Carrini was fighting a male."

And here's where the misogyny comes in. In Matt's eyes, women who are physically strong are naturally men because surely there's no possible way for a woman to actually be that strong without some kind of tieback to masculinity. I guess by his own logic, Matt's also for banning basketball players for being too tall.

06:59, Matt Walsh: "Now, trans activists have claimed that the fact that this male boxer apparently isn't trans, that's the claim anyway I don't know for sure, the fact that Khelif is allegedly intersex, that that somehow proves the point about the woman's sports issue but of course it does the opposite because those of us on the side of common sense have always said that segregating sports based on sex has nothing to do with transgenderism."

It absolutely does! For example, in England trans people were banned from competing in the female category of professional darts. How exactly do trans people have a "biological advantage" in throwing a tiny sharp stick at a target? That story and many others like it show the absurdity of this whole "debate" around woman's sports. It's not about protecting women, it's about bigotry.

This entire thing doesn't really matter though because it ignores the fact that trans athletes go through years of hormone therapy and oftentimes surgery which take away whatever "advantage" they might have possessed. Lots of transwomen have won in women's sports and lots of transwomen have lost in women's sports. Mainly because that's just how sports work!

Oh well, we now know Matt's for discriminating intersex people as well as trans people. At least his bigotry is....consistent I guess? God, I hate this guy. Next clip!

08:43, Matt Walsh: "But if you think that, you know, violent episodes like this are gonna make the trans activists admit that they're, you know, wrong and so wrong that now actual women are being endangered and of course actual women have been endangered by this for a while now, you should know that there is precisely zero chance of that, they're not going to admit anything."

This is just dehumanizing bigotry meant to paint trans people as "the other" and as some evil group trying to endanger women for kicks. This kind of rhetoric is how hate crimes end up happening and Matt knows it.

Matt's also mad at JK Rowling because her particular form of transphobia calls transphobia a "men's rights movement", which is a clear effort to erase trans identity but Matt's too thick to get that she's on his side, but since a big part of Matt's whole identity is whinging about how men are "oppressed" he basically throws a little tantrum about how she's being mean to the manosphere.

11:02, Matt Walsh: "The problem with Rowling's attempt to blame this on the mens rights movement, whatever that is, is that first of all there is no men's rights movement, at least not one with any degree of power right now."

The manosphere is a thing that exists. Just look at the success of Andrew Tate, Jordan Peterson, and even the subject of this post Matt Walsh who regularly parrots manosphere talking points on his show. These people exist and have a lot of influence on the internet which in turn gives them influence in the real world. Essentially, Matt has totally missed the point of what Rowling is saying, which is also disgusting bigoted garbage but the point still stands, I guess this is what happens when you're so wrapped up in your "masculinity" that you become blinded to reality.

I also think that this is definitely something that shows how BS JK Rowling's whole "feminist" schtick is. Never mind that delegitimizing transwomen is inherently misogynistic at it's core, the people that Rowling's allying herself with because of her obsession with trans people hate feminism and women's rights. Here we have a "feminist" allying herself with misogynists and for what? Is the existence of trans people that much of a threat? Don't believe me? Here's Matt Walsh saying that he hates feminism and women's rights literal seconds after the last clip.

11:42, Matt Walsh: "Instead what we saw in Paris this week is a natural consequence, not of mens rights or the patriarchy, it's a natural consequence of the ideology that feminists have been pushing for decades. It was feminists who argued that sex differences are mostly social constructs that are exploited by patriarchal oppressors. Feminists are the ones who laid the groundwork for the idea that there's no job a man can't do that a woman can't do better, OK? They came up with that! Men and women are equal, they can do the same things, genders a social construct, that came from feminism and once you believe that lie you get this. You get women in the boxing ring with men getting violently assaulted."

There's so much wrong with this that it's hard to unpack in one go. The disgusting transphobia, the blatant misogyny, the fact that he handwaved men and women being equal as a "lie". If anything, this is more proof that transphobia and misogyny are directly intertwined.

On a smaller scale, it also goes to show you how much of an absolute douche-canoe Matt Walsh is. However, that particular topic is a recurring theme on this blog so regular readers probably won't be too surprised by that.

Conclusion:

Boy oh boy, starting off with a bang after my holiday ended. Matt Walsh sucks, JK Rowling sucks, that weird antisemitic guy that Walsh cited as a source sucks, this whole discourse around Imane Khelif sucks, everything about this sucks.

While we definitely did approach some of this from Matt's own terms by looking at the actual definition of intersexuality and the stuff about Khelif's gender test, it's important to look at what guys like Matt Walsh actually mean when they talk about stories like this.

Matt doesn't give a crap about Olympic boxing nor does he give a crap about the "sanctity of women's sports". The dude literally stated in his show supposedly about defending women's sports that men and women being equal is a lie. Matt Walsh is just a bigot with a microphone using this story to spew hatred towards a group he's built his career around othering and the thing that he's actually saying is that he wants those groups that he hates so much excluded from the public life.

Original Video:

“Ep. 1414 - Wokeness Turns the Olympics into a Farce.” Dailywire.com, The Daily Wire, 2 Aug. 2024.

Sources:

Halpern, D. F., et al. “The Pseudoscience of Single-Sex Schooling.” Science, vol. 333, no. 6050, 22 Sept. 2011, pp. 1706–1707.

World Population Review - Intersex people.

The UN Commission for Human Rights' definition on intersexuality.

Article refuting false claims about Hitler's Jewish Heritage

“What Is the IBA? Governing Body behind Olympic Boxing Storm Has Russian Ties, Troubled History.” PBS News, 4 Aug. 2024.

"IBA gender tests on two boxers were flawed and illegitimate, says IOC." Reuters, 5 Aug. 2024.

“Testosterone Therapy: Potential Benefits and Risks as You Age.” Mayo Clinic

Hansford, Amelia. “Trans Darts Player Left “Broken” after Tournament Ban.” PinkNews.

[hvnnibvni]

Together Again | JJK *Spoiler*

Pairings: Jungkook/Reader

Genre: Mature themes. Romance. Angst. Arranged marriage AU. Childhood best friends to lovers AU.

Warnings: cheating, reader is a rope bunny (ALLEGEDLY), hard!dom JK, switch!reader, reader likes to be slutted out, drunken sex, unplanned pregnancy(this is in the end dw😅), cunnilingus, oral (both receiving), fighting (talk shit get hit) daddy!kink, praise!kink, dirty talk, spanking, hair pulling. Just all around nasty y’all.

Summary: After reader finds her long-term boyfriend in bed with their mutual friend. She moves back into her family home, but under one condition. She has to marry her childhood friend that has been arranged since their childhood. For a wedding gift they go to a mountainous getaway with a group of friends, reader is told that ex and mutual friend get invited, so reader and jk decide to pretend not to know each other to avoid any confusion or miscommunication.

Authors note: This, if not obvious, is my first time writing. Like call me the virgin marry of writing cuz idk what I’m doing. But we gone figure it out though. Anyways some things might change throughout the story just bear with me. This is actually a piece of the end not the whole thing. More of a drabble if you will darling, cuz idk if it’s good or not and Ian trynna EMBARRASS myself. But in all honesty I want honest reviews just don’t hurt my feelings I will cry 😐 I would like respectful constructive criticism, not no “yOu WrItInG DumB HAr hAr🤓” type bs y’all can take that childish shit somewhere else, and other writers feel the same way when people do stuff like that kind of stuff isn’t cute or funny when you’re the only one laughing babes. Sorry I just went on a whole tangent. Anyways enjoy my piece of a piece 😂 (Edit: ex doesn’t have a name neither does the ex bff)

——————————————————————

Everyone is having their own separate conversations when ex bff brings up the fact that y/n doesn’t look like she’s feeling well. Y/n bushes it off but ex bff pushes a little harder and say “I’m just trying to make sure you and your baby are okay” the table goes dead silent, everyone too stunned to speak. Jungkook watching quietly.

“ what is she talking about?” Asks ex bf. Y/n calm as ever replies “ I’m pregnant.” Looking right at (name). “Well I don’t know what to say,” ex bf goes on to say while acting flattered. “I mean you know I’ve always wanted to be a dad-“

“it’s mine.”

Everyone turned shocked to look at Jungkook who’d been sitting quietly the whole time. “How long?” He proceeds to ask, ignoring everyone around them. “Around 8 weeks” y/n responds. “When did you find out?“ His questioning continues “Yesterday morning.” Y/n answered, not missing a beat “why didn’t you tell me?” He interrogates further. “It was going to be a surprise, but it seems plans have changed.” She answers calmly, although she is agitated that her plans were ruined all for a petty jab that gave the latter 5 seconds of satisfaction.

“Wait… what’s going on?” Ex question confusingly. “you know him?” He asks y/n. “Y’a she does, rather well actually. We grew up together” Jungkook answers. “Y/n and I are married.” “WHAT!!” Ex exclaims “Since when?!” Ex continues “because we broke up about 2 months ago. The time checks out. So that would mean you cheated on me.” He reach’s.

“Well not exactly.” Jungkook goes on to explain. “Y/n and I were arranged by our parents when we were little. But then she chose to be with you and was disowned by her family. So when you guys broke up, she went back to her family under the condition that she marries me. How it was always supposed to be.” He finishes looking at ex.

“So wait.” Everyone turns to look at ex bff. “Y/n isn’t some poor gold digger “ex” found off the street? I don’t believe that.” She says spitefully. “I’ve know y/n for years and not once has she ever showed she is the heiress like you all say. I mean how come i’ve never seen or heard about her? Huh? Riddle me that?”

“Do you not know what disowned means you mamahuevo? Eh? Does anything flicker between the last two brain cells you have AI COÑAZO CULO! EL BURRO SABE MAS QUE TU!!” Gabriella screams at ex bff fed up with her bs this weekend, bout ready to jump her if she wasn’t worried for y/n’s stress levels.

“This is some Penelope Douglas ass shit bitch.” Meimi whispers to Jimin next to her waiting to see what happens next.

[lgcmanager]

ACTING MISSION 019

SCHEDULE TYPE: TRIMESTER ( PART 1 OUT OF 1 ) SCHEDULE RESTRICTIONS: Cannot be paired with another trimester schedule, unless stated otherwise. for reference as to whether your muse is eligible for this event, please click over HERE.

all of the actors are called to a meeting with their managers, BYUN MIDO, HAN YOOHWA, KIM DONGSUN, and SEO HEEJUNG. not wanting to waste any time, the managers begin going through everything that will be happening in the new term.

DORMS

HEEJUNG begins to tells them the rules and information regarding housing, “in the past terms, we’ve allowed everyone who has joined legacy agency the option to stay in dorms or find their own place. however, due to the incident that happened a few months ago and how our bosses have been telling us to be ever so more watchful towards all of you, we’ve changed our rules. similar to last term, every person who joins the subsidiary will stay in the dorms for one term. if you have been under probation before, then that will last two terms — one for the term where you were under probation and another to follow every new person that joins us.”

“for the ones that have gone through one term in this path without any warnings, punishments, or scandals during that time, they will be given the option to live offsite. those of you confirmed to stay will be able to move into your new dorms starting from today. otherwise, for those of you who have chosen to stay in your own place, you will need to pack up and leave your current dorms starting from today as well. and just like AECHA has said in the past, just because you aren’t under our watch 24/7 anymore does not mean that you can go crazy. if we hear of any inappropriate behavior, you will be immediately brought back to the dorms.” DONGSUN looks at each one of the actors, making sure that they know and are aware of the new dorm changes.

SNS

HEEJUNG stated, “sns is important for exposure for our actors. however, it’s not absolutely imperative, so the rules haven’t changed. you’ll be permitted a PUBLIC INDIVIDUAL INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT after meeting certain conditions. first, you must have completed a full trimester in this path and second, you must have at least 6 posts on the legacy entertainment account already. this just gives us comfort that you know what is or isn’t appropriate. for those of you who are eligible for an account, the information will be provided to you shortly. again, as with the dorms, this privilege can be taken away if you decide to do some funny business.”

DEBUT CONTRACT

“now we’re almost done with the basics, but there’s one legal matter that we have to cover right now.” HEEJUNG turns to look at YOOHWA and MIDO, who is giving the contracts to some of the actors. “please read and review through the new terms and conditions. once you are done, sign and return the contract to me or DONGSUN as soon as possible. it doesn’t have to be done right now, but the sooner the better because your modeling career will be starting soon and we want to make sure this is done in a seamless manner.”

( this is just an ic note, there is no need to submit this ooc )

FANSITE ( OPEN EVENT 6 )

for the ones that have joined the path, they will be eligible to participate in OPEN EVENT 6, where they can post content for the fansites! more information about this can be found over HERE.

ACTING PORTFOLIOS

in the past we’ve had the MODELING PORTFOLIOS where you are asked to create their model profile based on a series of questions. for the ACTORS, we are offering something similar to that to help us gauge the types of film works, characters, and genres that the actor might be interested in.

since some of the actors have filled it out in the past, based on our information here are the list of muses ELIGIBLE to partake in this event:

AHN YEIN

BAE SOJIN

CHO MINKYU

HAN ROWON

JO EUNWOO

KIM CHERRY

KO YEJUN

NAM GYURI

PARK SUJIN

( note: as for the ACTORS who have already done this, no need to do anything since we’ve received all of the information needed! )

for this section, please answer the following questions in a separate post and use the hashtag lgc:actporfolio002.

if given a chance, would you be interested in being a part of a musical?

3 genres that you would enjoy the most?

3 genres that you wouldn’t enjoy as much?

3 character tropes that you would be interested in portraying?

3 character tropes that you would dislike portraying?

list 3 of your favorite fictional characters from any work ( eg. movie, drama, animation, musical, play, games, etc. )

out of the four options, rank them in order based on 1 being the most important part to 4 being the least important part in deciding whether to take a specific acting project; character, storyline, staff ( eg. if the director/writer is someone famous ), money.

do note that the post will NOT be counted for activity! however, you will receive +5 ACTING POINTS upon completion! please submit the following form on the points blog before AUGUST 10, 2024 11:59PM EDT.

MUSE NAME ∙ ACTING PORTFOLIO (Q3 2024) - PROFILE: +5 acting [ LINK ]

UPDATE ON PROJECTS BD ( BLACK BANQUET ) & S ( THE HIDDEN ENEMY )

for BLACK BANQUET, the movie will be out at a later time ( past Q3 ) so the cast members are still asked to not disclose any important information about the movie until an official announcement is dropped regarding the release date.

as for THE HIDDEN ENEMY, while it wasn’t the highest-grossing musical during its time, the musical was a success and received positive reviews from the critics.

Q3 SCHEDULES

as a reminder, here are some of the dates for the gigs that will be happening during this term:

JULY 5: ‘welcome to the show’ m/v release [ SEONA / cameo appearance ]

JULY 8: new faces s2 episode 11 release

JULY 11: co-host at m!countdown [ CHERRY ]

JULY 8: passion5 ( gift ) cf release [ JIEUN & AERI ]

JULY 12: passion5 ( bread ) cf release [ MINKYU, JINO, GYURI ]

JULY 15: new faces s2 episode 12 release

JULY 15: passion5 ( making ) cf release [ LEO ]

JULY 17: passion5 ( cake ) cf release [ CHERRY& HYUNSOO ]

JULY 26: babylon cf release [ SOJIN ]

AUGUST 9: krush beer cf release [ SEONA ]

AUGUST 14: batter up! episode 2 release [ SUJIN ]

AUGUST 15-SEPTEMBER 12: co-host at m! countdown [ SEONA ]

AUGUST 23-SEPTEMBER 20: co-host at music bank [ HYUNSOO ]

SEPTEMBER 7: running man episode release [ CHERRY ]

OCTOBER 4: death’s game episodes 1-4 release [ HYUNSOO / supporting ]

OCTOBER 25: death’s game episode 5-8 release [ HYUNSOO / supporting ]

NEW PROJECTS & ACTION SCHOOL

“we’ve been offered two acting projects for people to participate in. however, all of you are only allowed to audition for ONE of the projects. but due to the projects’ premises and themes, everyone will be required to attend classes in SEOUL ACTION SCHOOL. for some that are unfamiliar with the school, it is known for acting and action training. so yes, it is safe to guess that everyone will be learning stunt fighting in some form of it.” HEEJUNG explained out loud as she turns to look at MIDO and YOOHWA, who were holding files for the acting projects offered to the group.

as the two female managers started handing out the files, DONGSUN chimed in as he told them briefly, “as you will see in the files, there are TWO acting projects. PROJECT SD is a historical theatrical play while PROJECT AKA is a crime drama. all of you have until the end of this week to let me or one of the other managers know which project you are interested in auditioning for. once you have told us your choice, we will be giving you the curriculum and classes that you will be taking over the next few months.”

PROJECT SD INFO

if a muse chooses to audition for PROJECT SD, they will be taking the following classes: ‘stage combat’ ( specifically martial arts, sword play, archery ), ‘korean language in sageuk’ ( learning the language and diction used in sageuks ), and ‘improvisation’. while the number of classes they will be taking is less than the other project, more time will be spent on those classes.

in terms of additional point requirements ( besides ACTING ), any actors interested in PROJECT SD must have AT LEAST 75 KOREAN before the writing requirements deadline.

sometime around SEPTEMBER, the muse will be invited to audition in front of THREE staff members, with one of them being casting director, GEUM SUNG CHUL. for this audition, there will be two parts. the first one will be an improvisation scene with the muse being a member of the ROYAL FAMILY and saying a monologue that would be given to their subordinates ( while it is not known ic, ooc wise this is to assess the muse’s improvisation skills along with their strengths and weaknesses in the korean language ). the second part will be another improvisation scene, this time with a stunt coordinator who will act as the opponent who wants to overtake the kingdom owned by the muse’s family. in the second part, they will be asked to act out a simple fighting scene using martial arts.

for the muses interested in participating in this project, they must fulfill the following writing requirements below using the hashtag lgc:castingcall017.

ACTION SCHOOL: write a 300+ word solo or a 4 replies ( minimum 8 lines, 2 posts per mun ) thread with another ACTOR or MODEL attending the PROJECT SD courses about the training or lessons for +10 ACTING ! ** can be done up to two times. if one chooses to do threads for both of them, it must be with different partners **

PROJECT SD AUDITION: write a 250+ words solo about the second part of the audition ( improvised fighting scene and the muse’s reaction to it ) for +5 ACTING and +5 POINTS TO DISTRIBUTE ANYWHERE !

you have until SEPTEMBER 14, 2024 at 11:59PM EDT to complete the requirements and validate your points. please submit the following form ONCE on the points blog.

MUSE NAME ∙ CASTING CALL 017 - ACTION SCHOOL: +10 acting [ LINK ] - PROJECT SD AUDITION: +5 acting, +5 ( skill points distribution ) [ LINK ]

PROJECT AKA INFO

if a muse chooses to audition for PROJECT AKA, they will be taking the following classes: ‘stunt acting for film and tv ( includes motion capture and different fighting styles )’, ‘safety and spotting’, ‘practice and wire stunts’, ‘parkour/free running’, and ‘weapon/gun safety’.

unlike PROJECT SD, there are no additional point requirements aside for this project.

sometime around SEPTEMBER, the muse will be invited to audition in front of THREE staff members, with one of them being casting director, KANG TAEWOO. for this audition, there will be two parts. the first one will be a script reading scene where they will be given a generic script of the muse’s character being interrogated by the police officer. the second part will be improvising a fight scene ( both stunts and dialogue ) with one of the stunt coordinators. the stunt coordinator will play the role of a security guard wanting to take the muse’s briefcase that contains some expensive jewelry and it’s up to the muse to protect the briefcase until they can escape safely.

for the muses interested in participating in this project, they must fulfill the following writing requirements below using the hashtag lgc:castingcall017.

ACTION SCHOOL: write a 300+ words solo or a 4 replies ( minimum 8 lines, 2 posts per mun ) thread with another ACTOR attending the PROJECT AKA courses or JAEHWA about the training or lessons for +10 ACTING ! ** can be done up to two times. if one chooses to do threads for both of them, it must be with different partners **

PROJECT AKA AUDITION: write a 250+ words solo about the improvised scene in the audition ( eg. reacting to the stunt coordinator ) for +5 ACTING and +5 POINTS TO DISTRIBUTE ANYWHERE !

you have until SEPTEMBER 14, 2024 at 11:59PM EDT to complete the requirements and validate your points. please submit the following form ONCE on the points blog.

MUSE NAME ∙ CASTING CALL 017 - ACTION SCHOOL: +10 acting [ LINK ] - PROJECT AKA AUDITION: +5 acting, +5 ( skill points distribution ) [ LINK ]

[thedreadvampy]

fuck me so the migration bill passed in Commons yesterday.

still gotta go through Lords so it MIGHT get slightly defanged but let's look at how well that worked for the Police, Crime and Sentencing Bill last year which passed into law despite native public outrcy with most of its anti-protest and all of its anti-Traveller clauses intact. and there's not been nearly the same degree of concerted protest against this one yet.

in a bid to """""""stop the small boats"""""", the bill will:

Override the rights enshrined in international law to seek asylum, instead prioritising the Home Office's new legal duty to deport any undocumented migrant to concentration camps in Rwanda. yes I said concentration camps they are mass internment camps for a specific group of people to be incarcerated indefinitely without trial. that is what a concentration camp is. here's home secretary Suella Braverman laughing in front of the "estate" built in Rwanda to house deported asylum seekers

allow for indefinite detention of children suspected of being undocumented until they can be removed to the Rwanda camps. Tory rebels said 'could we not have to review that after 3 days to justify their detention?' and the Tory government said 'no but if we pass the bill we pinky promise that we'll think about maybe adding in an indefinite review period at some point' so it passed.

remove temporary protections allowing people claiming they've been trafficked as slaves to stay in the UK while their case is reviewed, and to recieve some support and leniency if it's found that they are Literally Here As Slaves. that's off the table in this bill, if you get trafficked to Britain as a slave who give a shit it's off to Rwanda with you buddy. even former PM Theresa "We Have To Create A Really Hostile Environment For Immigrants" May was like hey steady on there lads. that is incredibly specifically going to make preventing modern slavery way harder because who the fuck is going to come forward and say "help I'm being enslaved and trapped against my will in bad conditions in an unfamiliar country" when the thing that the government will do with that information is trap you against your will in bad conditions in a different unfamiliar country? NOBODY IS GOING TO DO THAT meaning that victims will be penalised in law for being victimised and traffickers will face even fewer consequences. which to be fair is the Tory playbook.

it's fucked. it's fucked and I feel so sick about it and so afraid of how overtly fascistic and genocidal this government continues to get.

meanwhile their new voter ID laws are in place and they've already been caught lying to voters in high-opposition areas by sending out flyers from party HQ claiming you don't need ID to vote. which you now do.

it's very bad lads. it's very very very very bad.

in the past 24 months we've seen a constant flow of legislation targeting Gypsy/Roma/Traveler communities, migrants, LGBTQ+ people (particularly trans people), disabled and chronically ill people, and protesters and dissidents. meanwhile we're in our biggest cost of living crisis in 45+ years, protections for the poor are being stripped and national services are being privatised.

the best case interpretation as far as I can see is that they expect to be ousted in the next General Election (but that isn't until 2025) and are getting everything they want to do in terms of attacking human rights and wellbeing as far as possible so that the next government will struggle to roll them all the way back

the thing is though that Labour are just nodding along with all these policies and are in the process of aggressively removing the remainder of open leftists from the party's core power structure, having already removed the ordinary membership's ability to guide party leadership or policy, and the SNP, which has often lately been the only meaningful opposition party in Westminster, is in freefall and on fire over an embezzlement and corruption scandal. that plus the voter suppression laws and control over media that the government are wielding FEELS A LOT LIKE even if we make it to the 2025 election we might still get another Tory term.

Winter of Discontent...2!!!! has been something of a damp squib - there have been widespread strikes but little obvious impact. this winter felt like the time things were gonna snap but I'm just not sure we're ever gonna snap hard enough.

Idk I feel sick as a fucking dog. I don't know what to do. If anyone knows of any ways to help (in Edinburgh, I can't travel easily out of the city) with the Migration Bill situation or with stuff more broadly, hmu. I'm pretty well tuned in on trans rights and abortion rights protests but I don't have connects for most other stuff.

[thepiedsniper]

A huge review for A Curse For True Love (spoilers, obviously - all below the cut).

DISCLAIMER: I have read the B&N and Waterstones epilogues but not the OwlCrate one yet (I don’t think anyone has, to be honest). So possibly some of my questions will be addressed in that ending.

On the Kiss: there was a compelling theory that Jacks would turn human due to his love for Eva (per the rules established in Caraval) and that’s how they could kiss and be together without killing Eva. I thought this made a lot of sense (because if your universe has established that becoming human is the canonical consequence of an Immortal falling in love, this kind of definitely needs to happen for the prequel series readers to believe that he really loves Eva, right?). Except Jacks clearly never really became human - his tears were tears of blood and the story curse refers to him as a not-quite-human in the epilogue. This also means he's still ageless and will ultimately outlive Eva by A Lot. So, oof.

To that end - I know Jacks is a fatalist and Eva is an optimist, but did it never even OCCUR to either of them to be like "what if we just did everything together EXCEPT kiss for the rest of our lives?" I know Jacks is compelled to kiss (and it’s obliquely confirmed that the apples are his way to fighting that urge) so you'd have him struggling with that arrangement in the long term. But also, Eva seems convinced she's never been in danger of Jacks kissing her before, so why wouldn’t she at least float that idea and see if he goes for it? Why go for the kiss other than Extreme Belief in The Power of Love; i.e. the exact thing Eva found out was actually the one condition that would ensure the curse killed her, according to Aurora like five minutes beforehand. Which Eva Does Not Mention to Jacks, by the way. "Hey, you know that blonde from Valenda you thought was the one exception to your curse and caused you a tonne of angst and confusion ever since? Turns out you had your whole curse backwards these last several hundred years lol."

Eva still owes Jacks a kiss. If you even care.

No but forreal, at least address it. Do a cutesy "OK, then spend that kiss on me, right now, mwah!" bit in the epilogue, or even a juicy "I’m never cashing it in, because not only is it practical that we can still speak telepathically, but I like that you're still tied to me magically foreverrrr". But like, these three magic kisses were the main conceit of this series. Until they weren’t.

The book seemed to shy away from many interesting plot hooks and tropes. Not even subverting them, just...moving on and away instead of fleshing them out. The main one off the top of my head is The Hunt. This seemed like a really specific and interesting event, with a lot of potential tension and parallels to Jacks’ former life as a hunter, if things went wrong in interesting ways. Except we never see any of it, and instead Someone Tries to Kill Eva (turns out Petra had a lover? This plotline is Not Important and everyone quickly moves on despite the fact that I’m pretty sure Belleflower was never found or dealt with) and we get a slightly less satisfactory Hollow II with the Ye Olde Brick Inn. And even the Inn introduces the Only One Bed trope only to sort of fumble it. Jacks has some mystery gold sleep dust (providence unknown) which just kind of doesn't do anything until it knocks them both out at differently convenient times. Idk man, it felt kinda meh to me.

I love Lala. She should have been in this more because she’s honestly one of the more interesting things outside of the romantic tension (which is great, but a novel cannot live on romantic tension alone, lest it become one-note). But also, when she does appear and we finally get to find out what her reunion with her great love was like, it's just kind of glossed over and hinted that her love with Dane has gone sour. Where’s the actual development/exposition!! Who actually dumped who, and why? What did she actually see in him in the first place? The small amount he’s in this book he is a) not turning into a giant dragon (Chekov would be disappointed), and b) kind of a tool. Lala became The Unwed Bride for this guy!!! At least let her have a proper “I realised I was sabotaging all my engagements not because I still loved my unreachable First Love, but because I enjoy the idea of love more than love itself” moment and make her canonically aromantic or something.

Chaos likes/loves Lala? I guess? He also murdered a bunch of people from great houses, for Reasons. He’s around, more than many characters were, but I dunno. What’s his deal these days? Does he still hang out with his vamp friends? Was he killing all those people because his parents asked him to, or was it pure hunger, or personal vendetta? Is he like, Tight with his folks now?

Another wasted (in my opinion) trope is Aurora stealing Jacks' heart away from Eva. I thought we'd get a little juicy angst from Eva seeing the man she loves be manipulated into fake-loving another (which would have also been a little poetic justice for Tella, but that's neither here nor there I guess because the Caraval characters Do Not Matter and are in fact not mentioned At All). But instead, we don't even find out what Aurora wanted to do with the heart, because it's immediately stolen back by Jacks (which like, why didn't Aurora make him swear in blood not to immediately knock her out and steal it back if that was an option? Is she just super delusional?). Also, it was meant to seem really romantic and self-sacrificing that Jacks gave up his heart and possibly autonomy to Aurora to save Eva... except he never intended to let Aurora keep it, so it was just another selfish scheme and not a sign of actual growth/love.

The Valor children in general (aside from Castor and Aurora) were pretty much non-existent when I honestly thought they'd be more of a Thing. One of them has memory magic, but that's not important for some reason. Nah, the thing Apollo did to Eva was just a potion from Aurora or something (providence unknown). Yeah.

It’s unclear why Honora Valor couldn't have reversed Jack's original Archer curse if that's something she easily did with a bit of hair at the end of TBONA. like I guess that says more about that book than this one, but it seems kind of lame that this mythical healer is never even ASKED about Jacks' kissing curse (or anything related to healing ever again).

Cycling back to Aurora for a moment: what was her magical ability in the end? Just non-specific spellwork that seemingly anyone can do (based on the first two books)? They made a point of lamp-shading it and then never actually addressed it.

And speaking of witches/witchcraft, Marisol is one of the many characters that never reappear or get much (if any) mention at all. Eva wouldn't have remembered her stepsister while her memories were gone, which I would have assumed would make for some interesting retconning opportunities for the conniving Marisol. But no, she's just not important anymore, I guess.

Also Gone: Luc. Did he and Marisol run away together after hashing out their twisted histories? Did Luc eat Marisol and then fall of a cliff? Who cares!!!! Not Important Anymore!!!

Tiberius is also Gone (possibly because his existence would have reminded the audience that Apollo has people he Actually Cares About in his life that might have helped him back from The Dark Path). The whole Protectorate just stopped being a thing as soon as the Valory opened. Do they know, or care? Surely they monitor that sort of thing? Was someone from the Protectorate able to piece together the sudden arrival of the “Vale” family at least?

Phaedra of the Damned from the very first book (the girl who first discovered Apollo wasn’t dead after trying to steal his secrets, and also Havelock is there) never gets explained. I assume she’s one of the twins from the Vanished Market mentioned in the Caraval trilogy, but she really was just there for half a scene in the first book and then never mentioned again. OK.

Havelock, Apollo’s most loyal guard, is not mentioned after Chapter 13 (when Apollo really starts ramping up the Atrocities). Again, possibly his existence would have complicated Apollo’s evil villain speedrun, but it would have been interesting to see what he might have done (and if he decided to leave Apollo’s service out of condemnation for the monster Apollo had become, a sentence or two establishing that might have been nice).

Which leads me to Apollo. He went very evil very quickly. I actually really liked the self-delusion in his focalisation, and his whole backstory with the pressures put on him by his father made sense. But damn, dude went from No Murder to Child Murder pretty dang quickly!!! Also, his death was fairly predictable. Which I wouldn't have minded, because not everything needs to be a Surprise Twist, but it really felt like that scene was the climax/final conflict in a sea of other loose ends that got ignored, so I guess I wanted it to be More so that it could make up for all the plotlines whose resolutions got sacrificed for it.

The original fox from the ballad doesn’t matter. She doesn't ever get a name. It's Fine. She could turn into a freaking FOX, which seems like a very cool and rare ability, but sure, she was just Some Chick Jacks was forced to hunt (and then kind of fell in love with and got traumatised by killing). Why do you want to know about her?? Why do you want Jacks to address the ways his feelings for her (and Tella) are inherently interwoven with trauma, in ways that don’t specifically relate to Eva?

I’m not sure I’m explaining this properly (because on the surface, of course the original fox is an important part of Jacks’ backstory and the overall plot; but only in a “Jacks is scared to love because he killed this one girl one time, and that also makes Eva sad” kind of way. The same story could arguably have been told without the Archer ballad, and just keeping the original concept of Jacks from Caraval – he’s the prince of hearts, doomed to kill all but his one true love. He kills many ladies that he hopes he’s actually in love with, but they always tragically die instead.

Cool twist with Aurora’s involvement in the curse, even if it was somewhat predictable (again, not a crime for a plot twist by any means), but I don’t know. It just felt like one of many things that got “resolved” with a quick aside (Eva found an expository journal entry) and then everything quickly moved on because hey, the reader knows what happened now that Eva found that journal entry, so who cares if Jacks knows too? Telling him everything important that Eva learned since seeing him would just detract from the love confession!

It's never officially confirmed whether Jacks of the Hollow's family owned the Hollow? Or what happened to his family, or the original owners if it wasn’t his family. The Hollow doesn't seem particularly attached to Jacks, nor he to it (according to the epilogues).

Eva should have gnarly back scars from her secondhand flaying and it's pretty clear they're either not there or just forgotten in ACFTL. My understanding was that The Hollow allowed Eva to become "fully healed" due to the effects of several weeks passing in the space of a day or two. So Eva's body essentially got the chance to heal naturally over time, in a sped-up way (which still would have left hella scars). Apollo, on the other hand, was healed with vampire venom (which canonically removes scars; see: Luc) but he's still got his back scars for some reason. Both of them healed in different ways during the period when the mirror curse wouldn't have mattered. I personally think it would have been interesting to give Eva horrible back scars she can't explain due to her amnesia. But alas.

All in all, it felt like the kind of book that wanted to be third of four instead of third and final. It wanted to introduce new and interesting concepts, but still had to rush to put a conclusion (satisfying or otherwise) to everything that had come before. I had fun reading it, and all the usual romance/drama/angst with Eva and Jacks was still super fun, but pretty much every other element felt lacking (and even a lot of the EvaJacks stuff kind of just Happened and then Kept Happening without a strong plotline to run along). I look forward to reading a lot of fanfiction addressing all the missing bits. Or a new trilogy series from this rich universe, maybe (even though I doubt it would follow Eva and Jacks directly).

[cryptid-cuties]

Planing, Shaping, & Slotting theory

So the Duffers released some bts images of the filming of ST S5. In one of the shots we see this book laying on a table underneath a poster of Pink Floyd The Wall.

After doing some light digging I found something out:

This book does not exist. Meaning, it was made specifically for ST S5. I went down a bit of a rabbit hole trying to break down everything about this book that we can see to potentially find out its importance. The Photo: - Doing a reverse image search of the factory worker didn’t garner any results, which means this is either a photo that someone had of some random factory worker that has never been published previously or, they took this photo specifically for this book cover. A lot of work for something that is meant to be a throw away background prop.

Also when doing a quick reverse image search, it brought up similar photos (not this exact one though) of factory workers. Specifically factory workers working on manufacturing tanks and turrets. 

“Planing, Shaping & Slotting”

A quick google search of those terms reveals that these are all different mechanical operating processes. Most specifically used in woodworking and metal working. The major difference seems to be a difference in how the machine cuts the wood/metal.

Fred H Calvin

Looking up this name as an author yields no results. HOWEVER, something I do find interesting is if you just Google “Fred H Calvin”, this is the first result:

Calvin’s doctrine of predestination is a book by Fred H Klooster, who is a former professor of systematic theology at Calvin Seminary, specializing in the study of John Calvin. - John Calvin is a well known French theologist who is known for his doctrine of predestination and the birth of Calvinism.

Calvinism, also called Reformed Christianity, is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Calvin and various other Reformation-era theologians. It emphasizes the sovereignty of God and the authority of the Bible

Predestination by definition, at least in theology, is the doctrine that all events are willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul.

- If you look at the reviews on the book, there is really only one that kind of breaks down the main points of the book, which I find to be very interesting: 

Now, I am by no means an expert in theology so I had to go and breakdown what some of the key terms used here mean in reference to theology and Calvinism specifically:

**important note** all of these definitions are pulled directly from Google, so I don’t know if these are all 100% accurate or if anything is being misrepresented.

Election: In Christianity, particularly within the theological framework of Calvinism, election involves God choosing a particular person or group of people to a particular task or relationship, especially eternal life. Election to eternal life is viewed by some as conditional on a person's faith, and by others as unconditional. Unconditional election (also called sovereign election[1] or unconditional grace) is a Calvinist doctrine relating to predestination that describes the actions and motives of God prior to his creation of the world, when he predestined some people to receive salvation, the elect, and the rest he left to continue in their sins and receive the just punishment, eternal damnation, for their transgressions of God's law as outlined in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

Reprobation: Reprobation is God's eternal decree whereby he foreordained that (1) certain persons would be excluded from the number of those saved by grace, and that (2) those same persons would instead experience his just wrath. - Something of note that I also found about reprobation, at least in Calvinism, is that God is not viewed as the author or creator of sin, but rather it’s “fearful, irreproachable, just judge and avenger.”

Double predestination: Double predestination is the idea that not only does God choose some to be saved, he also creates some people who will be damned. Some modern Calvinists respond to the ethical dilemma of double predestination by explaining that God's active predestination is only for the elect.

Foreordination: Definitions of foreordination. (theology) being determined in advance; especially the doctrine (usually associated with Calvin) that God has foreordained every event throughout eternity (including the final salvation of mankind)

Unlike predestination, foreordination allows for individual agency (the ability to choose whether to fulfill one's callings).

Proximate: So looking up proximate in relation to theology I found what is called the proximate cause doctrine. The proximate cause, also called legal cause,  refers to a primary cause or an incident that set everything in motion.

So from my rudimentary understanding Calvin believed, in relation to the end of the world, that God has predetermined who will be saved and who will be damned since the creation of the universe. That he has chosen, or elected, certain people to have a specific role in the salvation of mankind and that they, as well as the damned, have the ability, or foreordination, to choose whether they want to fulfill that calling. And that all of this will be set into motion, or proximated, by a specific incident or event. 

Lindsay Publications Inc.

Doing some digging, I did find out that this is a real publication company. If you look at a list of their published works, you see that they are mostly specialized in manufacturing and machine building books. A lot of their works were published in the mid-to-late 80s and early 90s. 

Now taking everything we’ve learned, I’m sure we are all wondering: How does this relate to Stranger Things?

So based on a couple of theories that are already floating around about S5, especially because of the inspo board the writers posted, I believe this book could be alluding to the party working on building some form of machine, potentially in one dealing with time travel. Let me explain:

So we are all already under the idea that s5 is going to deal with time in some form or another, whether that has to do with time loops, time travel, or something similar. We also know that the Upside Down is stuck on the day that Will was taken into the Upside Down and that s5 potentially opens with a flashback to Will in the Upside Down.

Also based on those weird AI generated clips the writers shared during the strikes about specific scenes in s5 we can tell that Jonathan and Steve are building something as well as Dustin, Nancy, and Jonathan in some kind of machine(car?) traveling through some kind of hellscape. 

Based on things they have already referenced in Stranger Things, I wouldn’t be surprised if they took inspiration from Back to The Future and tried to make their own version of the DeLorean. The book, just as a manual on machinery, could be used as a guide on how to build said machine. Especially since none of the party, except for maybe Dustin,has any understanding on building something of that magnitude. 

That part seems obvious based on things we already know. All we are left with is the question of why they are building this machine in the first place. I think the answer could potentially be explained in the other clues of the book. Stranger Things has dealt in religious imagery before, especially in s4. I found this reddit post specifically talking about all the religious symbolism we see in s4. 

Since they have dabbled in religious imagery before, it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that they will continue that theme in s5. In regards to Calvinism specifically, we can take a look again at my rudimentary explanation of Calvinism: So from my rudimentary understanding Calvin believed, in relation to the end of the world, that God (Henry/One) has predetermined who will be saved and who will be damned(Vecna’s victims) since the creation of the universe (The Upside Down). That he has chosen, or elected, certain people (Eleven/Will(?)) to have a specific role in the salvation of mankind and that they, as well as the damned(The People of Hawkins), have the ability, or foreordination, to choose whether they want to fulfill that calling. And that all of this will be set into motion, or proximated, by a specific incident or event(The events of the finale of s4). 

Them time traveling back in time to prevent the events of s4, or even Will being taken in the first place, could be them refusing the call of their roles in Henry’s version of the end of the world/Hawkins. 

Something else interesting is that this book appears underneath the poster of Pink Floyd The Wall. There is a really good post (here) about what The Wall is about. It could be easy to assume that another thing that sets the events in motion could be that the party is not dealing well with coping with the trauma of s4. Eleven’s failure to save Max/Hawkins; Dustin’s failure to save Eddie; Mike dealing with his failed confession and crumbling relationship with El; Will dealing with his, supposed, unrequited feelings for Mike/the return of his connection to the UD; Lucas dealing with the loss of Max. We could see any individual member of the party building a wall around themselves after that. There could potentially be something that happens in early s5 that will cause one or more of those walls to crumble, and the way they see to rectify it is by building a time machine to save those they’ve lost. It also doesn’t hurt that the person in the poster easily looks like one of Henry’s victims. 

I could be way off base here, but I just think all these little details are interesting to pay attention to. Especially since the Duffers have referenced that they hide things in the background purposefully to foreshadow things in the main story.

Tldr; Planing, Shaping & Slotting is foreshadowing the party building a time machine to save Max/prevent the end of the world.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

David Smith at The Guardian:

Joe Biden has insisted that only “the Lord almighty” could persuade him to exit the US presidential race in a potential make-or-break TV interview aimed at quelling a burgeoning rebellion in the Democratic party.

In an exchange free from major gaffes but unlikely to appease his critics, Biden was asked by George Stephanopoulos of ABC News how he would feel if he were to remain the nominee and lose to Donald Trump. “I’ll feel as long as I gave it my all and I did the goodest job as I know I can do, that’s what this is about,” the president replied. In other responses his opponents may see as arrogant or out of touch, the 81-year-old claimed that he is “running the world” and no one is “more qualified” to be president. The interview on Friday came at a critical stretch as the 81-year-old strives to salvage his imperiled re-election campaign after last month’s disastrous debate performance. Four members of Congress have called on Biden to step aside, and it was reported that Mark Warner, who chairs the Senate intelligence committee, is looking to assemble a group of Democratic senators to ask the president to drop his re-election bid.

But on Friday, speaking to Stephanopoulos in Madison, Wisconsin, after a fiery campaign rally, the embattled president continued to strike a defiant tone. “Look. I mean, if the Lord Almighty came down and said, ‘Joe, get outta the race,’ I’d get outta the race,” he said, his voice sounding strained after the rally. “The Lord Almighty’s not comin’ down.” Biden insisted that after meeting with Democratic leaders such as Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Nancy Pelosi and state governors, they continue to back him. Stephanopoulos, a former senior adviser to President Bill Clinton, pressed Biden on what he would do if told that his friends and supporters were concerned that his candidacy would cost Democrats the House of Representatives and Senate.

The president replied: “I’m not going to answer that question. It’s not going to happen.” Stephanopoulos had begun the primetime interview by citing Pelosi, who this week questioned whether Biden’s feeble performance represented an episode or a condition. “It was a bad episode,” Biden insisted. “No indication of any serious condition. I was exhausted. I didn’t listen to my instincts in terms of preparing and – I had a bad night.” Stephanopoulos noted that Biden had returned from Europe 12 days before the debate and that he had spent six days at the presidential retreat Camp David. “Why wasn’t that enough rest time, enough recovery time?” he asked.

The president replied: “Because I was sick. I was feeling terrible. Matter of fact, the doc’s with me. I asked if they did a Covid test because they’re trying to figure out what was wrong. They did a test to see whether or not I had some infection, you know, a virus. I didn’t. I just had a really bad cold.” Stephanopoulos asked whether Biden had watched the debate afterwards. Instead of giving a firm yes or no, he hedged: “I don’t think I did, no.” The interviewer went on to ask what Biden had been experiencing during the debate and whether he had known how badly it was going. Just as he did on that night, the president zigzagged in his answer from one point to another. He said: “Yeah, look. The whole way I prepared, nobody’s fault, mine. Nobody’s fault but mine. “I – I prepared what I usually would do sittin’ down as I did come back with foreign leaders or National Security Council for explicit detail. And I realised – partway through that, you know, all - I get quoted the New York Times had me down, 10 points before the debate, nine now, or whatever the hell it is.

“The fact of the matter is, what I looked at is that he also lied 28 times. I couldn’t – I mean, the way the debate ran, not – my fault, nobody else’s fault, no one else’s fault.” Stephanopoulos challenged Biden that concerns about his fitness for office followed a pattern, citing a recent New York Times article that reported his lapses were becoming more frequent, pronounced and worrisome. Biden said: “Can I run a 110 flat? No. But I’m still in good shape.” Asked whether he would be willing to have an independent cognitive evaluation and release the results to the American people, Biden said: “Look, I have a cognitive test every single day. Every day I’ve had tests. Everything I do. You know, not only am I campaigning, I’m running the world. And that sounds like hyperbole but we are the essential nation in the world.”

The interviewer asked: “Are you sure you’re being honest with yourself when you’re saying you have the mental and physical capacity to serve another four years?” Biden shot back: “Yes, I am because, George, the last thing I want to do is not be able to meet that. I think as some of the senior economist and senior foreign policy specialists say, if I stopped now I’d go down in history as a pretty successful president. No one thought I could get done what we got done.” The 22-minute interview was shown to a national audience on ABC. It was part of a major campaign offensive over the weekend to assuage doubts over Biden’s fitness for office and ability to beat Trump.

During a Friday interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, President Joe Biden (D) told Stephanopoulos that he would drop out “if the Lord Almighty came down” to tell him to leave.

Biden continued to insist that his debate performance was just a “bad episode.”

From the 07.05.2024 edition of ABC's This Week: One On One With President Biden:

[tojiscumdumpster]

𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝙗𝙮 𝙇𝙖𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙣 𝘼𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 2023

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. 𝗙𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴.

𝗚𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘆 𝘅 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲. 𝗔𝗴𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗽 (𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀)

I devoured this book in a day. BookTok has been raving about Terms and Conditions for ages, and I never gave in until now. I've been reading nothing but billionaire romances lately, so I wanted to try this one out. This was my first time reading from Lauren Asher, and honestly, I think I'm going to check out her other work. I really like how she writes.

The author isn't black, but I do appreciate her for writing a Black FMC. She did it well. No stereotypes. No microaggression. You know, things I worry about when a nonblack author writes black characters. She added important things like Iris getting braids, making it know that she's a black woman by making her skin color known, wearing a bonnet, etc.

Speaking of Iris...

I absolutely love her. I think she's super fun and adorable. Like her personality is addicting. No one Declan fell for her hard. I do feel she was a little too hard on herself at times due to her learning differences, which is normal since so many talked bad about her because of it--including her own father. But she didn't allow that to hinder her career. I love how she's her own person outside of Declan. That's important to me in a romance story. It's like yeah the MMC and FMC are supposed to fall in love, but I wanna see who they without each other around. Iris's friendship with Cal was sweet, too. Very enjoyable and clearly they are two peas in pod if they get a kick out of getting on Declan's nerves, LOL. I giggled at times.

Now for Declan Kane...

Yeah, he's added to my book boyfriend list. I see of the bad reviews saying they didn't love Declan, and that's he's insufferable. See, me? I LOVE Declan. He's such a grump. A billionaire asshole who softens up for his girl. I really like how Lauren wrote Declan. He has daddy issues, struggled at times, but overall, he didn't allow that to cost him the future he desperately wanted with Iris. Great development from his character. When he's an ass. He's an ass. But when he softens up for Iris? Gosh, he was so damn sweet to her. I was definitely swinging my feet while reading. His family is... complicating, to say the least. Declan's father is horrible. My bad. Seth is horrible. Declan's relationship with his problems are oddly heartwarming, despite how much they argue. I mean, that's inevitable for siblings. But I still love seeing them interact.

I really love Iris and Declan's chemistry. It didn't feel forced or robotic regardless of their arrangement. It was built very well. The spice scenes were written nicely, too. I didn't really care for the lack of obscenity because it was replaced with intimacy, which I loved. Especially from Declan's POV. You knew from the beginning he always had a soft spot for Iris. Third act break up was good too. Thank goodness it didn't stem from miscommunication. I would've cursed myself if that happened. But Declan I wanted to hit you with car for what you did. Still love you tho. And honestly, I think he didn’t grovel more is because the author probably didn’t want to make the book longer than what it was. Lauren was probably trying to wrap it up, LOL. Still, maybe she couldn’t written in a time frame within those three chapters. The two epilogues were very sweet, too. I love how they blossomed, and enjoy seeing Declan that way and Iris so happy. They deserved that happily ever after.

I highly recommend this book and I would definitely reread this book. I honestly can't find one thing I dislike about this book. Maybe the only I thing I can say I wished happened was flashback chapters for both Declan and Iris's past. I think that would've made the story a bit more angsty. Other than that, an easy five star.