#Advanced Level: Auditing

[ipasantosh]

Diploma in Taxation 

[archerstreet]

i don't feel like studying any of the subjects from The Plan rn but everything else is so boring that i also don't want to waste time on like watching content or something and i would rather switch subjects then give up on studying for the day and by old me standards ive already done enough but new me i still feel like i can do more but i don't know what ughhhhh this is torture

[dstryvampres]

drabble or short fic, where the reader is a ballerina and cillian (or any of his other characters) is her teacher and they start an affair??? please arhgggh i love your fics!

Doll Parts

Cillian Murphy x Ballerina!Reader

Warnings: age gap(reader is 20, cillian is late 30s early 40s), power imbalance, smoking mention, fingering

Word count: 2k

A/N: thank you so so so much for the request ! this honestly was a prompt i’d never thought of but really just ended up loving :)

You had essentially been raised by your ballet studio. Years and years spent in the small confines of the studio, moving from the soft and simple preschool classes to the advanced stages. As you moved up your class sizes became smaller and smaller, and your teacher’s became stricter. Finally, as you prepare to audition for the role of Copelia in your company’s spring ballet production. You have been given the honour of training one on one with one of the studio’s ballet instructors. Unfortunately for you, they had paired you up with Mr. Murphy, a teacher you had during your late teens that you found distracted you far more than he actually helped you. You were infatuated with him ever since you first walked into that class with him at 16, and it stayed that way now as he watched you stretch before practice, four years later. His blue eyes were haunting at points, analysing every inch of you at almost every second you were in this practice space together. At almost every moment he tore you apart with his eyes, and you couldn’t get enough of him.

Every night you left the studio to go back home you continually thought of just him. The small touches on the waist as he adjusted your posture, his smooth voice as he whispered praises in your ear, and how you longed for him to press his lips against yours. God, how you longed for him to do anything to soothe the fire that he lit in your body.

Mr. Murphy clapped his hands together, startling you out of your thoughts.

“Okay. Do you think you’re ready to run through the routine from the top, one last time?” Mr Murphy asks, walking over to stand in front of the mirrors

You nod, picking yourself off from the floor and to the centre of the room. Taking a deep breath in before going into the starting position.

“One, two, three, four,” Mr Murphy counts in, clapping his hands in a steady beat as you move through the routine.

Your legs still ache from practice before your break as you start up the routine, but as any dancer at your level would, you work through it. Focusing elsewhere on your breathing and the steps. Gentle leaps, spins, and footwork move you around the fake stage you’re on to the beat of Mr Murphy’s clapping. You’re doing well enough that he hasn’t stopped you yet, able to make it through 3/4th of the routine before you hear anything.

“Stop!” Mr Murphy shouts, and you freeze with your hands above your head and a foot off the ground.

He walks over, shoes making soft thumps as he approaches you. The sound stops as you feel a hand settle on your waist, you close your eyes as his other hand moves to the thigh of your raised leg.

“I understand that you’re tired,” Mr Murphy sighs out, directly in your ear, “but you can’t start to get sloppy when it’s almost over. Your work needs to be consistent all the way through sweetheart.”

You want to melt at the pet name, but stay still as he pushes your raised leg upwards a little bit more. His breath fans over your ear and cheek, grabbing ahold of your chin lightly and turning your head to face the mirror with the hand that was once on your waist. His touch is soft, light, and warm, something that will keep you up tonight. Now the two of you are cheek to cheek, it’s so intimate that for a second you falter, but are able to gain your composure quickly. He smiles at your falter and clicks his tongue.

“Look at how I’ve positioned you,” Mr Murphy whispers, the movement of his lips tickling your cheek.

He slowly removes himself from you, but his touch still feels like it’s burned under your skin, like it always does after practice.

“Continue,” he demands when he is situated in front of the mirror once again.

You start from where he left you, pushing through the last minute of your routine with as much energy as you could manage. Finishing up in a wilted position on the ground, breathing heavily as you wait for any sort of feedback from your instructor. A couple seconds pass before you hear a slow clapping from him. Slowly you look up to be met with a warm smile from Mr Murphy, a foreign sense of joy peaking through his normally harsh and critical exterior.

“Well, that was quite wonderful. Dare I say one of the best practices we’ve gotten through so far. If you continue improving like this for the next three weeks you could land a sizeable role,” Mr Murphy says, walking over to you. He sticks out a hand to help you up, and you take it gently.

“Thank you. All my progress is thanks to you,” you reply meekly, not able to look into your instructor's face now. He’s far too close than what is professional, but it’s not like you mind.

“Would you want to go out and get a drink? Just a small celebration, on me,” Mr Murphy asks, whispering it into your ear. A secret you know that if you take in, you won’t be able to back out.

“Yes,” you whisper back, face getting warm with excitement.

He pats you on the shoulder, tracing his hand down your arm and to your hand before squeezing it. Your chest feels tingly and heavy at the action.

“I’ll meet you outside the studio then,” his hand is slowly pulled away from your own before he leaves the room.

You know why Mr Murphy wants to take you out of the studio tonight. It’s the same reason he looks at you with his icy blue eyes in that way, it’s the same reason why his touch lingers on you for far longer than necessary, and why it’s only you he ever praises and compliments. Still, you wonder if you’re right about your hunch as you meet your instructor outside your studio tonight. He stands leaned up under a light post in the snow, a cigarette between his lips. As soon as he sees you he takes one last puff before squashing it on the ground.

“Hello,” He greets, offering a sly smile to you. His cheeks and ear tips are red from the cold, you almost feel guilty about making him wait for you out here.

“Hi.” You don’t voice your guilt to him, too worried about embarrassing yourself.

“You’re one of my best students,” Mr Murphy states, stepping closer as he tucks a piece of hair behind your ear, “Don’t tell anyone I said this, but I think you’re one of the best dancers at the studio.”

Now he’s so close that the condensation of your breath is mixing together with his. Forming a big cloud above your heads each time either of you take a breath. You stare into his eyes for a couple seconds, searching for what he means by any of this. He smells of cigarette smoke and vanilla. A hand cups your cheek.

“Are you cold?” He offers as a horrible excuse for his close proximity and the hand on your cheek. You both know this, so he leans in slowly, and your eyes flutter shut.

His lips are pressed against your own, softly, gently, like if he pushes any harder against you you’ll shatter. Slowly he pulls away, eyes scanning your face for any discomfort. This time it’s you that pulls him into a kiss, hungrier and harder than the last one. You both pull away.

“I am a pretty good bartender myself,” is all Mr Murphy has to say to get you to follow him back to his apartment.

You walk with haste beside him, arms brushing against one another, almost, the whole way there. Once you get into the elevator he’s already unzipping your jacket and kissing you again, hot and passionate. You know years of longing for him are being released on your end tonight.

Soon enough you’re sitting criss cross on your dance instructors couch, taking in the fairly nice space. Mr Murphy comes to sit beside you after he’a put away your coat. His hand comes to rest on your upper thigh, rubbing it softly and slowly. You bat your eyelashes at him and he leans in to kiss you again, this time you get enough courage to slip your tongue into his mouth. His hands settle on your waist and direct you into his lap to sit. Pulling back from the kiss just so he can stare at you for a brief second, perched upon his lap, before bringing you back into the kiss.

His kisses alternate between your lips and your neck, filling you with hot desire as you trace up and down his torso with your hands. In return Mr Murphy slides his hands under your skirt, toying at your panties underneath.

“Do you want me to finger you baby?” He prys, biting at your ear to punctuate the sentence.

“Yes,” you breath out, grinding down against his lap.

His lips are back on yours once again, pushing you off his lap and into the cushions of his couch. You shudder as he starts to trace your slit through your panties, only able to release now just how wet you are. Spreading your legs open to try to tell him to start fingering you already. The message seems to come across, as he flips the front of your skirt up and pulls your panties down your legs.

Mr Murphy breaks from the kiss to stare at your pussy, spreading it open with his fingers and toying around your wet hole. You whine, bucking your hips up demanding more. He clicks his tongue as he looks back up at you, but still goes back to kissing you. Sliding a digit up and down your pussy, gathering your wetness before sliding a finger in.

You gasp into his mouth at the finger, feeling him smile at your reaction. He pumps it lazily in and out of your wet hot cunt. Not going deep enough, it makes you want so much more. He slides in a second finger, earning him a moan from you. Now with two fingers inside of you, he finger fucks you properly.

He sets a steady pace, hitting different spots inside you each time until he finally hits the spot that has you moaning into his mouth with every push of his fingers. His fingers are long and thick, something you’ve craved for so long to be inside of you. Nights of dreaming about gagging on his fingers, and about him making you cum on them has now come true.

“Do you like this sweetheart? You like how I finger your dirty wet hole?” Mr Murphy asks, speeding up his pace.

You let out a moan in response, nodding your head as your eyes roll back. Your hands look for purchase somewhere, one lands on the couch and the other on his bicep. Mr Murphy’s fingers feel so nice inside you, the way he fingers you brings you to as close to heaven as you’ll get. You squirm around as he speeds up, feeling the heat in your lower stomach increase with every pump on his fingers into your cunt. His heavy breathing just pushes you further to your release.

Mr Murphy’s thumb reaches up to your clit, rubbing small fast circles into the bundle of nerves. As soon as his thumb came to brush your clit, you knew you had seconds to go before you were tumbling over the edge.

“Cum for me sweetheart,” Mr Murphy says, looking at your face contorted in pleasure.

His words finally push you over the edge as you cum all over your dance instructor's fingers. Gasping and moaning loudly, as your hips buck upwards a couple times. You lay on his couch for a couple seconds, breathing heavily as you try to compose yourself. Mr Murphy removes his fingers slowly from you, grabbing a tissue from the coffee table to wipe his hands off. The embarrassment of the situation comes back to you as you try to cover your pussy with your hands.

“There's nothing to be embarrassed by now,” Mr Murphy lets out a dry chuckle.

[j0eyj0rdis0n]

RAMMSTEIN - Teacher AU: what subject they teach

Okay… I know some of this isn’t very realistic, especially as this takes an American perspective on school. But…

I do what I want lmao

BUT Rammstein as teachers has been infecting my brain for a fat minute now. Ever since I read this one fic on ao3 I’ve been dying. I needed to get this out. And lord knows I have more to say than just this one little imagine post. So if you’re interested, PLEASE let me know. I won’t shut up about it then.

TILL LINDEMANN - Vocational Education

Teaches woodworking, metals, and automotive technology. He does it all so classes are pretty sparse. And hard to get into…

He likes the idea that the kids who are seeking out his classes are the ones who are truly interested in the subject. Especially since his classes are decently difficult to get into.

And honestly being a more specialized teacher, he has more freedom to do as he wishes when it comes to the syllabus and activities done in the classroom.

I mean who else in the school is going to know what to teach in that position besides him?

No one.

So he does as he wants!

He definitely holds extra workshops during his free period or before/after school.

PAUL LANDERS - Band/ Orchestra

He has the degree to teach all sorts of performing arts but he really embraced teaching band and orchestra. He’s always been a music guy.

Very supportive to his students! Always making sure they find the right instrument to play if they’re just starting out.

Or showing them different pieces or artists to keep students engaged and exploring music!

One of the more eccentric teachers of the bunch.

But because of that the students absolutely LOVE him. Like they beg to sit in the band room to eat lunch. (Which is against the rules) but he agrees anyways.

Also sponsors the fall play and spring musical with Flake and Richard. Mainly in charge of the music and band, but definitely helps Richard with the casting and auditions.

CHRISTOPH SCHNEIDER - History/ Social Studies

Rigid exterior, soft when you get through to him. Students either love or hate him. NO in between.

He prefers to teach AP European history, AP World history, or AP Psychology. He likes it when the students are actually there because they’re interested, not because the class is required.

Like I said before, students either love or hate him. So they either avoid him like the plague or they follow him like a cult.

Honestly, he likes his alone time, so he’ll 100% lock his door during lunch time so none of the students who enjoy him will bother him.

Hands out a shit ton of homework.

Also has no patience or sympathy for troublemakers. He looks like he got two hours of sleep the night before, don’t test him.

FLAKE LORENZ - Visual Arts

Teaches basic arts classes like 2D arts, and 3D arts. But he also delves into the more complex classes like AP drawing/painting, advanced ceramics, and AP art history.

He likes each class for its own reasons, but his favorite is advanced ceramics. He loves the freedom and loves seeing all the interesting designs and pieces the students make.

Also, just like Schneider and Till, he likes that the classes besides basic 2D and 3D arts are sought after because the students actually take interest in the subject matter

Definitely the kind of teacher who fosters a calm environment. Students are allowed to wear headphones but no music playing out in the open.

More often than not sits beside his students and works on pieces of his own!

He also works closely with Paul and Richard when it comes to the school plays and musicals. He helps make backdrops and props. Definitely groans and moans about it, but in the end he loves seeing his work on the stage. Even if it’s on an incredibly amateur level.

RICHARD KRUSPE - Language arts and English

Teaches English language classes, advanced creative writing, speech, and AP literature and composition. Yeah he forced some other unlucky teacher to take on the basic creative writing classes.

He didn’t want to deal with the dumb brats who can’t write or spell. Fuck them kids.

He enjoys speech and English the most, he definitely likes the way the kids squirm when they’re forced to stand up front and speak.

Not a big fan of homework. He honestly neglects grading so he just makes it easy and gives out a one page worksheet, nothing crazy.

Helps with casting and oversight with the students in the plays and musicals. He enjoys helping with lines and memorization!

OLIVER RIEDEL - Buisness/ Computer classes

Teaches intro to business, personal finance, AP business management, and typing/basic computer applications.

He likes that it’s decently laid back. That if there’s a problem, there’s always an answer. Press the “A” key and “A” will appear. You know?

Questions in his class are pretty self explanatory and the guides he gives for the students to work through, aren’t too hard at all.

It’s decently hard to not pass his class.

I mean… shit… there’s no homework. None.

He’s pretty reserved, so it’s not often students talk to him for anything besides questions. Which for the most part he doesn’t mind. But when there’s that one rare student who actually gives a shit about how his day is going, it definitely makes him smile.

[stuffforthestash]

Modern Academic AU pt3

All this because I couldn't stop thinking about what kinds of classes Professor Raphael would teach... He's laughing up at me from hell, I just know it.

part 1 and part 2

------------------------------

Kagha (by request!) - Environmental Science. Will only teach courses about political lobbying and activism. She's also a militant vegan and active member of PETA, and won't shut up about it.

Dammon - College of Engineering. Teaches "Advanced Manufacturing Processes" and "Finite Element Analysis", and runs the machining shop. Also teaches a metal sculpture class when there's room in the Art School's budget. He's one of the faculty liaisons for several LGBTQA+ orgs on campus as well, and is completely oblivious to the fact he has a fan club (which is for the best, really)

Zevlor - Campus Security. A retired Green Beret who refuses to talk about his time in the service, he's well liked by most faculty and known to be a bit of an old school charmer. LOTS of rumors and speculation about what kind of injury got him discharged, and how he got it.

Barcus - College of Engineering. He teaches classes on Thermodynamics and Process Design & Safety. Has no idea how popular and well-liked he is by both students and staff.

Wulbren - Chemical Engineering Dep't Chair. He's brilliant, but also an asshole, and is constantly trying to weasel more grant money for his research into ethically questionable chemical compound modifications. Also makes his TAs teach all his classes for him.

Lorroakan - English Dep't Chair. Thinks he's hot shit for it but really no one else wanted the job. He makes his TAs teach all his classes AND do all his admin work, so he can spend all his time (and the department's money) on schmoozing with alumni and donors.

Blurg - Environmental Science. Isn't that great of a teacher but it's required for keeping the research grants coming in. Thankfully his passion and enthusiasm for topics like Sustainability in Agriculture make up for his shortcomings.

Omeluum - They're actually Bluurg's research partner and not technically a member of faculty, though they also act as his unofficial TA because otherwise Bluurg's course work interferes with their research timelines.

Nine-Fingers Keene (by request) - School of Business. Her classes are all advanced level and titled things like "Gaining The Competitive Edge". She also runs an entrepreneurial outreach program for young women seeking to start their own businesses.

Dame Aylin - VP of Diversity and Inclusion. She's very passionate about her job and a VERY vocal advocate for social justice issues like inclusivity, diversity, and accessibility. Completely incapable of keeping her personal life separate from her professional one, as she's a devout believer in leading by example.

Isobel - School RN. Is fiercely protective of students right to medical privacy and access to judgment free care, but is much better known on campus for being Dame Aylin's wife.

The Emperor - Board of Trustees. Outwardly just an ordinary Trustee, generally pleasant to interact with and actually rather good at rubbing elbows with students, faculty, and admin alike. There's just something off about them, enough that they've had multiple audits and inquests over the years despite nobody ever being able to find any actual signs of misconduct.

------------------------------

Sorry this set took a bit longer to figure out. A bunch of these characters were a real challenge to fit into roles that actually exist in reality, and I had to do a bit of research to find out wtf kinds of classes or departments certain fields of study even have. Ah, the things we do for the blorbos, amirite?

[jahayla-parker]

Hi!! Just here to see if you could write pin x f! reader (doesn’t rlly need to be f!) where is the scene where he passes out from being sick, but the other way around and it’s the reader instead. And like maybe the reader is super loved by the town and they’re concerned, but specially pin cause they’re dating. Totally ok if not!

Thanks i’m advance!

Fallen Low : Pin Hawthorne x Reader

Description: 6.6k wc, reader is Pin’s girlfriend and during her audition she passes out. Pin and the town rally to make her feel better.

Warnings: mention of hospitals, doctors, fainting, blood sugar complications, minor injury concerns, and related. But overall fluffy!

Notes: y/h/n = your horse’s name

“He’ll be here y/n, just relax,” Zoe reassured, rubbing Y/N’s upper back.

Y/N nodded but regretted it as her vision blurred even more. She took several desperate breaths as a tingling feeling set into her muscles.

“Even if not, you have to go out there, it’s your turn,” Mia remarked, gently pushing Y/N closer to Y/H/N.

Y/N closed her eyes as she tried to get her body to stop whatever it was doing.

It was like she didn’t have control over it; everything felt overwhelming and chaotic.

Her limbs felt tingly and heavy despite the spinning in her head making her otherwise feel as if she were loose and floating.

She could barely see through the fuzzy coating her brain was claiming was before her eyes.

Something was wrong, really wrong.

But, y/n was so confused and fatigued that she couldn’t place what it was.

She felt as if she was forgetting something, but couldn’t figure out what.

Y/N had gone over her routine countless times in the last 24 hours.

Mia was sure to check Y/N’s uniform for any imperfections.

The others had all offered her their encouragement prior to taking their seats in the arena.

Well, everyone but her boyfriend Pin.

That’s what she figured was causing this.

Pin was always there for her.

Or he had been.

But she hadn’t seen him today.

She knew he had work to do, and they’d had a disagreement yesterday afternoon.

But she assumed he would still be here.

He told her he would be.

Yet, he hadn’t shown.

Several of their friends had gone off to find him, trying to reassure Y/N that her boyfriend would never intentionally miss this.

While she was anxious and disappointed he wasn’t there to help, it was more than that.

The couple was always good at keeping each other level headed and ensuring they took care of themselves, even when things were difficult or important.

Perhaps if he were here she’d be able to pinpoint what was causing this feeling.

She was fairly certain she’d had enough water today; something Pin always got on her about.

Y/N couldn’t recall how much she drank, but Jade had brought her a water when these symptoms first set in.

Besides, she was used to anxiety; this was more than that.

“What she means to say is, you’ll do great, you have us here for you!” Susie smiled, resting a hand on Y/N’s arm as she took her place next to Y/H/N.

“Thank you, I’m just…” Y/N whispered breathily, feeling lightheaded, “whew… okay, we’ve got t-this, huh Y/H/N?”.

Gaby and Zoe cheered and nodded, pointing towards the arena.

Y/N mounted Y/H/N in a very atypically shaky manner.

Becky ran in, her hair covered in dirt and leaves, glancing up at Y/N and giving her a thumbs up as she caught her breath.

Pin was here?

Y/N felt her anxiety lower, but her symptoms remained.

She forced a grateful smile, but Jade, who Y/N hadn’t seen enter behind Becky, gave her a questioning look.

“Are you okay?” Jade questioned her friend, rubbing the muzzle of Y/H/N.

“Y-yeah, I think I’m just…” y/n mumbled, gripping the reins in her hands tighter.

“Pin is here, that’s what you wanted. Now, get on with it,” Mia huffed in annoyance.

Susie chastised Mia for that statement, reminding her of her own nerves moments ago.

Meanwhile, Y/N tried to focus on the friendly comments from the others.

But, she was having a hard time even hearing what was being said, let alone processing that information.

Y/n believed she mumbled a ‘thank you’ before signaling for her horse to start making their way to the arena.

Y/n instantly regretted the movement.

The even and rhythmic bumping of y/h/n’s trot that was always a relief, was now making her feel even less focused.

She wasn’t even aware she’d made it to the main center of the arena until she heard her name being announced.

Y/n moved her heavy eyes left, seeing what she believed to be a blurry Pin.

If she’d been able to see clearly, she would’ve seen the concern in Pin’s eyes; and the way his father, Ted, was holding him back from rushing over to her.

As the judges asked what y/n and y/h/n would be doing for their audition, she opened her mouth but nothing came out.

Pin shot a look over at Marcus, who had already turned to look over at Pin.

Neither one had seen her like this before.

“Miss Y/L/N?” One of the judges called out, the question echoing in Y/N’s head.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Y/N forced the words out of her lips.

Only, unbeknownst to her, the words weren’t audible or intelligible enough for anyone to be able to comprehend.

Pin removed his father’s hand from his chest as Ted had continued to hold him back from rushing towards the course.

Pin stepped closer to the barrier, his face etched in fear and confusion.

Y/N pleaded with herself to stop panicking, needing the spinning and shakiness to stop.

In an attempt to steady herself so she wouldn’t fall off, y/n squeezed y/h/n slightly with her calves.

But it was enough for Y/H/N to take it as a sign to begin.

As Y/H/N took off, the audience fell silent.

Y/N however could hear every faint sound echoing loudly in her mind, her vision now gone, brain only visualizing a blank space with static and pulsing sounds reverberating inside.

Pin yelled for someone to stop Y/H/N the second he saw Y/N’s eyes close, body starting to go limp.

It took Marcus a moment to realize she wasn’t closing her eyes of her own volition, rather she’d passed out.

Marcus rushed into the ring, right behind Pin.

But they weren’t fast enough, as y/h/n had understandably attempted to continue the routine and therefore leapt upwards to jump over a bar.

Y/h/n would have stopped earlier but y/N’s body had slouched forward some, which helped her stay on.

Pin shouted as he watched y/N’s feet slip out from the stirrups as her body went completely limp and she fell off of y/h/n mid-jump.

The whole fainting incident lasted less than one minute, but Pin saw it in slow motion.

Y/N’s eyes opened just as her body slammed into the ground.

Marcus rushed to guide y/h/n back to the stables while Pin dropped to his knees beside her.

“Hey, hey,” Pin panicked, his eyes scanning her for an explanation.

She blinked slowly at him, confused as to how she ended up in this position.

“No, don’t” he said, holding her down so she couldn’t sit up, “we need to figure out if you’ve hurt your spine first”.

She squinted slightly, wiggling her arms and fingers in hopes of fixing the numbness and tingling sensation in them.

“Do you remember your name?” Pin questioned, staring intently at her.

“Y-y/n” she answered, her confusion as to why she was being asked was evident.

Pin relaxed a little as he brushed some fair from her face.

“Why am I on the ground?” She whispered, gazing into his eyes.

Pin stroked her cheek, fingertips unclipping her chin strap as he held her head in his hands, “You passed out”.

She stared at him in confusion as she tried to understand what he was saying to her.

“Y/n, love, what happened? Did you feel something before it happened?” Pin questioned, slowly moving his hands as he checked the nerves in her neck and upper back.

Y/n let out shaky breaths as she tried to respond without crying.

She wasn’t even sure why she was wanting to cry, but she just knew she felt horrible.

“Shhh okay, don’t talk yet, it’s okay” Pin promised, “we’ll figure it out, you’re going to be okay..”

Y/n slowly moved one of her shaky hands to grab Pin’s arm as more people started crowding them.

Pin gave her a sympathetic smile despite his concern and kept checking her nerves.

“I - I don’t feel good” she let out weakly, “Pi-Pin, something… something’s… wr-wrong. Some-“.

He nodded rapidly, moving his hands to her face “I know babe, I know. I’ve got you. We’re going to help figure this out, I promise”.

Y/n attempted to squeeze his arm, but it felt more like a tap due to her frail muscles.

Pin looked up at his father, who nodded and pointed to his phone to signal he’d already begun calling for help.

Pin turned back to y/n and caressed her check, “do you want to try sitting up?”

She whispered a pathetic yes and dizzily began to lean forward.

He quickly supported her back, helping her to sit up.

“What are you feeling, y/n/n?” He asked, holding her up.

She squeezed her eyes shut with a small groan , “I’m -re-really dizzy, like… ver-verti-“.

“Vertigo?” Pin offered.

“Yeah” she whimpered, eyes watering.

Pin frowned, arching his body around hers so he could still hold her up in a sitting position but could look into her eyes.

“Y/n/n sweetheart, it’s okay, you’re going to be okay” he soothed, his eyes checking her pupils for any signs of a concussion.

“It doesn’t…, I’m not…it doesn’t feel- it’s not…right… I’ve never-“ she mumbled incoherently.

Pin nodded, understanding that even if she had a concussion, that wasn’t what she was predominately experiencing.

He knew it didn’t explain her fainting suddenly.

But, given her hard fall, he wanted to make sure she didn’t get a concussion as a result.

“Okay love, that’s okay, you’re okay,” he rambled, “Here, head down towards your lap, yeah?”

She silently obeyed as he guided her to arch her back until her head was lowered, helping the blood flow easier.

“Is she okay?” Someone asked.

“Does she look okay Maddie?” Someone else responded.

Y/n squeezed her boyfriend’s free hand as she tried to mentally silence all the voices talking about her.

Pin’s eyes finally left y/n when Marcus began asking people to step back and stop recording.

His eyes turned from worried to silently furious as he noticed how crowded it had gotten.

He felt guilty knowing the crowd and voices he now picked up on likely made her vertigo worse and yet he was just now seeing it.

His mind had been so focused on helping her and seeing if she was physically okay that he hadn’t even noticed or heard the spectators.

His father sighed and tried to give Pin a look to signal for him to calm down, but to no avail.

Pin squeezed y/N’s hand once before briefly diverting his attention.

He glanced over Marcus and their friends who were trying to shield her so she could have space and privacy.

“Marcus!” Pin shouted over his shoulder in frustration; feeling slightly guilty for yelling.

“I know, working on it mate” Marcus responded as he increased his attempts to push the crowd of spectators back.

Pin took a stiff deep breath as he worked to keep his frustrations in check.

Once Marcus was able to get a few people to start moving away, more followed suit.

Pin sighed in relief before looking back at his girl.

“Hey, hey, head down, love” he said, frowning when he saw she’d looked up and over towards where he’d been staring.

She hummed in agreement as she slowly lowered her head back to her lap, trying to grip his arm to relieve the weird feeling in her fingers.

“I’m here darling, medics are on the way, just stay with me…, can you do that?” Pin asked, rubbing her back softly.

“Yes” she said, her right hand palming the ground as she tried to get rid of the sensation still lingering on that side.

Soon, Ted noticed his son’s concern over what she was doing and joined her other side. “You’re alright kiddo, just keep breathing,” he encouraged shyly as he held her right hand.

She let out a sigh of relief now that she had something to grip in order to make the feeling return to her fingers, ceasing the tingling sensation.

Pin gave his father a thankful nod over y/N’s back as he tried to think of causes. “How much water have you had?” he asked, looking towards their friends.

“She said she had some throughout the day, and I made sure she got a bottle when she started feeling off,” Jade informed him.

“You’ve been feeling off? For how long?” Pin asked, concern lacing his voice.

“J-just a.. bi-bit” she answered, wiggling her toes in an attempt to return feeling to them as well.

“Do you want a pillow?” Susie asked, seeing how y/n was craning her neck.

“Where are you going to find a pillow?” Mia responded.

“I don’t know, I-“ Susie argued but stopped when Pin abruptly stood.

Their friends watched in confusion as he stripped off his jacket.

He folded it up into a pile and placed it on her lap, adding some support below her head.

“Thank you P-Pin” she softly spoke, voice muffled by his jacket.

He nodded, “‘Course love. Shouldn’t be much longer okay?”

He looked over at his father who merely nodded and pointed towards the side door.

The medics had finally arrived.

Pin sighed in relief as he waved them over.

Marcus jogged to meet them and explain what they knew so far.

“Love, they’re here. Everything’s going to be fine,” Pin promised, squeezing her hand.

“Alright miss y/l/n, I hear you’ve lost consciousness?” One of the medics asked.

Y/n merely hummed in agreement as she felt a small bead of sweat roll down her forehead towards her nose.

“Keeping your head down was the right step to help, but I’m going to need to see your face now, okay?” The medic asked.

Y/n slowly lifted her head, Pin helping hold her neck steady.

He unintentionally let out a sigh of relief at how much better she already looked.

“She’s got color back in her face,” Becky said happily.

Y/n glanced at Pin, who merely smiled softly at her and nodded.

“Has this ever happened to you before?” The medic wondered.

“No, I- … oh… wow I’m sorry babe…” y/n said looking at her lap, “I didn’t realize I was sweating so much”.

Pin shook his head, not bothered in the slightest by the dark spot on his jacket, “I don’t care about the jacket darling, you’re okay”.

She gave him a half smile before looking back at the medical staff.

“This hasn’t happened?” The medic repeated.

“Not like this, I’ve… I’ve gotten some of it before but not this bad” she tried to explain, still foggy, “never fainted. Did I really faint?”

“You did love. I’m not sure why though” Pin informed her, his fear still running through his voice.

“Oh” she whispered, staring straight ahead, trying to make sense of it all.

“When this has happened before, albeit not to this level, what was the cause, do you know?” The man asked.

Y/n didn’t even hesitate as she answered, her voice showing she was clearly still in a haze, “my blood sugar.”

Pin froze, her blood sugar?

How long had that been an issue?

And why wasn’t he aware?

He could’ve helped.

The medic looked up at him for an explanation, and Pin felt even worse.

How did he not know this about his girlfriend?

What if she hadn’t woken and he couldn’t tell the medics how to help her?

“Do you have diabetes?” The medic asked.

“No” she said, blinking as she tried to focus back on the moment.

“Let’s test her levels” another medic suggested, getting out his pack.

“I have a gluc- a test thing” she supplied, unable to think clearly enough to form the word she wanted, “in my bag”.

Pin was even more confused.

How long had it been acting up that she had to carry a meter on her?

And why hadn’t she told him?

Maybe if he hadn’t fought with her the other day, she would have told him.

“That’s alright we have one here” the medic responded, reaching for her hand.

Pin’s father let go of her right hand so Pin didn’t have to release his hold on y/n.

As one of the medics cleansed her finger tip, the other continued to ask clarifying questions.

“You’re not diabetic? So what type of blood sugar issues is it?” The second medic questioned.

“Hypogly-“ she mumbled, groaning as she pulled her hand from both Pin and the medic as she began to hold her head, “hypoglce-“

“Hypoglycemia,” Pin cut in, concluding her attempted statement.

“Is it starting again?” Pin asked, holding her head still.

“I.. I'm just still dizzy,” she whispered.

The first medic medic interrupted and instructed, “Let’s lay her down, she’s less likely to pass out again if she’s horizontal.”

Pin frantically helped lower her to her back, then onto her side.

The first medic grabbed her hand and initiated a finger prick.

Pin shut his eyes tightly as he waited for the meter to beep that her results were back.

It was only a few seconds, but he felt them drag on and on.

“Bloody hell,” One of the medics huffed, dropping the meter and reaching back into his bag.

Pin squeezed y/n’s hand in his as the medic drew a bright orange case from his bag, withdrawing a needle and vial from inside.

“This will help for now, but you’ll feel a pinch,” he said as he dispensed the dose before leaning over her arm.

The medic inserted the needle and administered the medicine as the other checked her vitals again.

“Let’s head out, she's good to transport now” the man said.

Y/n squeezed Pin’s hand tightly.

“I’m not leaving you, I’m here y/n, I promise” he swore, squeezing it back.

“We’ll check in with you guys soon,” Mia stated.

“Yeah, good luck,” Jade added.

“Keep us updated “ Becky pleaded.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Pin’s father found his son pacing the halls of the hospital.

“What is it?” He asked.

Pin shook his head, looking up to see his father had arrived.

There was only room for one person in the transport, so Ted followed behind in his personal vehicle.

“They’re still running tests,” Pin mumbled.

“Okay, son, she’s alright” his father tried.

“She- she could’ve! She-” he panicked, running his hand through his hair, “why…? Why wouldn’t she tell me?”.

His father sighed, “I don’t know Pin. Sometimes people keep things private for reasons that aren’t related to us.”

Pin scoffed and shook his head as he continued his pacing. “I should’ve known, if I’d have known-“ he argued.

“Pin, even if you had, you couldn’t have stopped this” his father consoled.

“I might’ve if I was there. But I wasn’t.” he scolded himself, “I was too upset that she’d been focusing so hard on this that I didn’t even see what it was doing to her! Not to mention if I had shown up earlier today I could’ve made sure she was eating and drinking and-“.

“Pin, we don’t know that that had anything to do with it”.Ted tried.

Pin shook his head, “I ca-I can’t lose her”.

His father saw the well of tears in his son's eyes and frowned.

Ted squeezed his son’s shoulder, “I know Pin. But you won’t. She’s just on the other side of that door, she will be okay”.

Pin nodded slowly, aggressively scrubbing his hands across his face, “it was really low… I… she looked so so sick, even after she came to.”

Ted stepped closer, pulling his son to his chest. “She’s going to be fine. You both will. She’s going to need you though, so try to stay calm”.

Pin let his tears roll down his face as he nodded, “You’re right”.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Pin?” Y/n’s tiny voice croaked out as her eyes landed on her boyfriend seated beside her.

Pin sucked in a breath of air as his lips curled into a small smile, “hey love”.

“Ar-were you crying?” She asked, her hand squeezing his.

He gave her a soft smile and nodded, “I jus-… I was worried”.

She frowned and sighed, “I’m sorry”.

Pin shook his head, “I just needed to hear your voice and see those eyes.. you’re alright?”

Y/n smiled and nodded slowly, reaching out her free hand to stroke his sharp jawline, “I’m safe, and healthy again, I’m okay”.

He let out a breath of relief and held her hand against his face, kissing her palm, “Good”.

“I really am sorry baby, I-…” she sighed, sitting up.

Pin stood, moving closer to her head, “don’t overdo it, please”.

“I won’t. I just wanna sit up though” she promised, smiling at her boyfriend as he adjusted the hospital bed to allow her to do so.

Once she was sitting, Pin sat back down beside her, not letting go of her hand.

“I didn’t know I was going to pass out,” she whispered, looking at the IV tube in the back of her hand.

Pin sighed softly, stroking her hand with his thumb, “It hasn’t happened before?”

Y/n shook her head and gave him a small frown.

“But you have had blood sugar problems before?” he questioned.

Y/n sighed and nodded, “I get hypoglycemic crashes randomly. It’s not because of diabetes or anything. It’s just how my body is”.

Pin bit his lip as he listened to her explain, his mind running through any possibly relevant medical information he knew.

“Do you know why you have these crashes?” He asked.

“Not really. Hormones impact it of course, so does stress. But, stress increases one’s blood sugar so I shouldn’t even have had a hypoglycemic crash today” she groaned.

“Is that why you pushed through it?” Pin wondered.

“Maybe? I don’t know. I think by the time I noticed it was happening it was too late; I was already foggy and confused. I think the stress just made my confusion worse when I thought of other reasons for my symptoms” she told him.

Pin hummed and stared into her eyes as he tucked her hair behind her ear, “I should’ve been there”.

“Pin-” she sighed.

He shook his head, “If I had, you’d have less possible explanations to blame, and we could’ve figured this out together-”.

“Pin Hawthorne, stop. You were there when I needed you to be,” she said softly.

“No I wasn’t. I was selfish and jealous that you’d been spending time with Marcus. I know it was for training, but I still got jealous and we fought. I shouldn’t have let my insecurities impact us-” he rambled.

Y/n interrupted, “That’s not how this works, love. We talk about these things, we don’t let them simmer. Okay? You have nothing to worry about with Marcus; I’m in love with you and only you, Pin. Jealous or not, I was prioritizing my audition over everything else far too much. I’m sorry, but we’re okay now. Right?” She asked, blinking at him.

He nodded rapidly, “of course. We already were, I was just stubborn”.

She chuckled and smirked, “nothing new.”

Pin laughed and shook his head, “You’re not mad I wasn’t there? ‘Cause I am. Sick or not, I wish I’d been there”.

She squeezed his hand, “You will be next time. I’m just glad you are here now and that you were there when it happened”.

Pin nodded, leaning closer to lay his head on her shoulder as he took a deep breath, “I am too”.

“I’m sorry you had to see it, I’m sure it wasn’t … enjoyable. But, I was so scared, Pin. I-I…I… I’d never felt like that before and-“ she sniffled, resting her forehead on his head, “it was a lot. I didn’t know what to do. But as soon as I saw you it was like it didn’t even matter. Despite all the chaos in my head, I knew I would be okay, because you were there”.

Pin tilted his head back to look up at her, eyes watery as he gave her a smile, “I will always be there. Why haven’t you mentioned this before?”

“I had it under control… or I thought I did,” she whispered.

“You told me I couldn’t hide things just because they might dampen the mood, I need the same from you, y/n/n” Pin requested.

“Okay” she agreed.

“Next time, if you feel it dropping at all, you call me okay?” Pin asked, thumb running across her bottom lip.

“Alright, I’m sorry” y/n told him.

He shook his head softly, thumb still playing with her delicate lips, “We’re okay. You’re okay. That’s all that matters.”

She hummed and pulled him back down to her, lips pressed to the crown of his head as he hugged her.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“How are you feeling now y/n?” Ted asked as he entered her hospital room.

She smiled softly up at him before looking over at her boyfriend, “I’m good, thank you sir.”

Pin shook his head, a small smirk on his lips, “You don’t need to keep calling him sir.”

Ted laughed softly, “He’s right. Regardless, I’m glad to see you both doing better.”

Y/n hummed, squeezing Pin’s hand lovingly.

Pin smiled at her, pressing a kiss to her forehead, pleased it was no longer clammy. “Any news from the doctors?” he asked, looking over at his father.

“Did they say when I could leave?” Y/n followed up, hoping it was soon.

Pin glanced at her and shook his head faintly in amusement before turning back to Ted.

“Yes, they will be in soon. And no, they didn’t say when,” Ted answered, sitting down in the chair at the opposite side of the room.

It was then that y/n saw the crowded countertop.

She raised an eyebrow in confusion, “What is all of that?”

Pin chuckled, “You had a lot of us worried, people wanted to share their support.”

Ted nodded, “There’s more at the castle, too. Pin suggested we start moving the new deliveries there so it would be easier when you are cleared to leave”.

Y/n smiled, nodding as she turned to look at Pin who was biting his lip.

“Honey, why the castle?” She questioned knowingly.

Pin blushed and rubbed his neck, “It’s away from everyone, and Arthur will be there to help me take care of you.”

Y/n smiled softly, reaching out to cup his face, “That’s not necessary, handsome. Very sweet, but not necessary”.

Pin pouted slightly, “I know it is probably overkill, but I’d really appreciate it if you would stay at the castle with me for a few days my love.”

Y/n leaned to the side, pressing a tender kiss to his lips, his hand finding her hair.

“I will, you know I’d follow you anywhere, I just don’t want you thinking I need that, or that life. I’m not with you because you have a castle or a butler, I don’t need that” she reiterated, peering into his eyes.

“I just need you, Pin” she confessed, tracing shapes on his cheek, “I don’t need a duke. I need my moody horse boy.”

Pin blushed deeply, delicately pulling her face back to his, his lips pressing against hers, “you have me, my darling. But, you are resting in the castle, it’s much warmer and safer”.

She giggled and kissed his nose before laying back against the hospital bed.

Ted smiled to himself as he watched his lovesick son and his son’s equally lovesick girlfriend comfort each other.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“So, in sum, your blood sugar was dangerously low,” the doctor explained, “but, it was a whirlwind of events that caused you to faint. While the blood sugar eventually would have done it had it not increased, you experienced what we call a vasovagal response”.

Pin pursed his lips as he closed his eyes, making y/n confused.

She squeezed his hand, holding it to her chest.

“Essentially, your heart rate and blood pressure dropped too suddenly. This is often caused by stress” the doctor added.

Y/n then understood why Pin was acting the way he was at the explanation.

“Pin, it’s not your fault,-“ y/n softly spoke.

Before he could argue, the doctor agreed, “Given the details surrounding the event, I must agree. While impossible to determine precisely the trigger, things like standing for too long, heat exhaustion, overworking or straining your muscles, dehydration, etcetera, can cause responses like this.”

“See, “ she argued.

Pin huffed slightly, still feeling as if he were slightly to blame; he could’ve prevented most of those factors.

“Now, take those factors and add in malnutrition and/or low blood sugar, such as you had, and it is easy to see how this happened,” the doctor said.

“What do we do from here?” Pin asked, staring intently at the man.

The doctor set his notepad to hand Pin a pamphlet, “Miss y/l/n must maintain healthy levels of blood sugar as much as possible and limit the factors we discussed. She’ll be just fine, but her body needs to rest for a day or two in order to bounce back. Should you feel faint again, lie down promptly to avoid losing consciousness again. Other than that, it’s unlikely to happen again if the factors are mitigated,” he assured.

“Thank you sir,” y/n said.

“Yes, thank you. Is there anything else we should know? She’ll be staying with us for the next few days at least” Ted informed.

Pin held up the pamphlet in his hand as a response to his father.

“That handout will discuss hypoglycemia management and treatment, should it drop again. Other than that, just ensure she rests, and it’ll be over soon,” the doctor answered.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“We should update your emergency contact while you wait for your discharge forms” the nurse instructed as she disconnected y/n’s IV line.

“Oh yeah, probably” y/n laughed, looking over at Pin.

“I called your mum, but it went to voicemail. I can try again” Pin said softly.

Y/n shook her head, “She’s probably still asleep.”

Her mother had returned to America after the summer but allowed y/n to remain.

Zoe’s mum had offered to check in on y/n and watch over her, even offering her a place to stay.

After much debate, y/n’s mom let her stay with them.

However after Gaby moved in, things became tense in the house between Zoe and Gaby; making y/n feel uncomfortable.

As such, she’d been staying at her late aunt’s house; the house her mother had traveled to the area to make arrangements with upon the passing of y/N’s aunt.

That’s how y/n ended up meeting everyone at Bright Fields, having joined her mother that summer.

They settled on keeping the house as it was important to her aunt and her mother found it a distant connection to her recently lost sister.

Y/n had begun to repair, with Pin’s help, the house upon leaving Zoe’s.

By now it was completely functional and safe, but that didn’t mean her mother would be pleased to learn of the change in her residency.

Nor did it mean Pin wanted her to be sleeping somewhere alone after today.

Even before today's events, Pin worried about her living alone as they were all still fairly young.

He tried to arrange for y/n to room at Holloway, since she’d declined to move in with Pin and his father, but she’d rejected that idea, saying Callum made her uncomfortable.

It had only been a few weeks, and she assured Pin and Ted that Zoe and Gaby would sort things out soon and she would then return to their home.

Pin nodded at his girlfriend, rubbing her hand.

“I see here that the last time you were in was nearly a year ago, in the summer…, and I show your mum is listed as the emergency contact. Is that still correct?” The nurse asked.

“Uh no, that wouldn’t be very useful,” y/n admitted with a small laugh.

The nurse nodded, “Okay, who would you like as a primary emergency contact?”.

Y/n stared at Pin, who blushed and smiled softly.

“Is there an age restriction or any other rule?” Y/n questioned.

“Yes and no. You can have whomever, but you will need an adult to agree with the discharge plans,” the nurse explained.

She glanced over at Ted.

Ted nodded kindly, “Of course. You can list me, or I have Maggie’s number if you want to put her.”

Pin smiled at his father over y/N’s shoulder in appreciation.

“Thank you, s-Ted” y/n chuckled, “I’ll put Pin and you down, then”.

Pin blushed and kissed her hand, honored to be chosen.

Ted nodded and helped the nurse update the contact information.

“You didn’t need to do that love,” Pin whispered, playing with her hair.

“I know, but I trust you two the most. And I want you there if something were to happen. I’d need you” she shyly admitted.

Pin chuckled softly, tilting her head up so he could place a tender kiss on her lips.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“I know it’s been a lot today,” Pin whispered as he guided her to the main bedroom of his castle, “and I don’t want you to feel like this is me pressuring you into staying here, or like I see it as moving in or anything, I just need to kno-“ he said, opening the bedroom door.

“Pin, babe,” she smiled, bracing his bicep, “it’s okay. I don’t feel pressured. And I’m glad to know I have you here with me”.

Pin blushed and nodded, grabbing her hand as he pulled her inside.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Pin” y/n giggled trying to grab his hand as he continued to fluff her pillows.

“Pin, Pin, honey, hey, come here,” she said, pulling at his wrist, “sit down.”

Pin complied, sitting next to y/n and brushing hair from her forehead, “What is it, sweetheart?”

“I think you’ve poked and prodded those pillows enough, just come lay down with me, hmm?” She asked.

Pin smiled and blushed, “In a moment darling, I need to grab a few things.”

Y/n pouted but nodded, letting Pin tuck her back under the blankets before he excused himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Is that Elvis I hear?” Y/n asked, looking across the room at the window as Pin entered.

“Elvis and y/h/n, yes” pin answered, setting a tray on the bedside table.

“Is (s)he okay?” Y/n pondered, “I didn’t even think to check on him/her, (s)he's pro-“.

Pin shushed her kindly, “Darling, don’t fret. Y/h/n is perfectly fine. Tomorrow morning we can walk out and see him/her, let him/her know you’re okay too”.

Y/n hummed and smiled over at him as she looked away from the window.

“What’s all of that?” She questioned, eyes scanning the variety of items he’d brought in.

“Arthur made some tea, he’s much better at it than I am,” Pin chuckled shyly, “but I also got you some water and these lollies should help if your levels drop.”

Y/n smiled and nodded, “That sounds perfect thank you, handsome.”

Pin blushed, “My dad went to get some more test strips to check your levels since your kit was running low, and Arthur is working on dinner.”

She grabbed his hand, “Thank you for managing all of that. Now, your highness, please join your girlfriend as she’s in need of cuddles.”

Pin blushed and gave her a soft glare, “Don’t call me that.”

She chuckled and rolled her eyes, “Fine, but I do need cuddles.”

Pin grinned and slid in next to her, “Anything for you.”

“Please miss y/l/n, stop thanking me,” Arthur requested as he cleared her and Pin’s plates from the dinner he’d brought them.

Y/n bit her lip and nodded, snuggling into Pins arms as the butler left.

“How are you feeling y/n?” Pin asked, looking down at her as she rested against his chest.

“Sleepy, but in a good way,” she explained as she saw Pin begin to panic.

“Are you wanting to sleep?” he wondered.

She nodded, sinking down under the covers more.

“Did you want to change first?” he asked, pointing towards the closet where Arthur had hung the clothes Ted picked up from her house earlier.

She shook her head with a yawn, but then paused, “Wait, a sweater sounds nice.”

Pin nodded and promptly raised from the bed, heading to grab the sweater.

“Better?” he asked as she sipped on some tea, her hands now covered by the sweater material.

“Much” she sighed as she set the tea back down, a smile on her lips.

Pin grinned, pleased she was doing better.

“Good, now it’s time for you to rest,” Pin said, pulling the blanket up to her chest.

“Aren’t you staying in here with me?” she asked quietly.

Pin blushed and rubbed his neck.

“I wasn’t sure if you wanted- yeah, of course.” He smiled.

She beamed and snuggled back into him as he laid beside her, “My moody horse boy.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Nope,” Pin laughed, shaking his head.

Y/n frowned. “Why not?”

“We said relaxing and low stress activities, love,” he reminded her.

She nodded, “I could read for a bit, but I didn’t think to have Ted grab my book when he stopped by my house”.

Pin hummed and kissed the top of her head.

“I can check the castle’s library, or there are plenty of letters addressed to you that you could read.” He offered.

Y/n raised an eyebrow, “Really?”

Pin nodded and laughed, “I told you, the whole town was concerned. They started sending them to the stables where my father picked them up. Want to see them?”

She nodded and pulled the blanket into her lap as she adjusted her posture.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“These are so sweet” y/n whispered, holding yet another kind letter up for her boyfriend to read.

Pin smiled as he quickly read the note, his attention more on y/N’s happiness than the letter itself.

“They love you, “ he said, rubbing her arms.

She shook her head shyly, “I didn’t even finish my audition.”

Pin kissed her ear, “Doesn’t matter. They know how talented you are. And more importantly, they know that you have a huge heart.”

Y/n blinked up at him through her eyelashes, “Thank you, Pin”.

He hummed, kissing her nose, “I know you’re disappointed with the outcome, but I’m sure you’ll get it next year. What’s important to me - and the town, clearly - is that you’re okay”.

She turned in his arms, moving until she was straddling him.

“I am Pin, and it’s because of you. I'm sorry I worried you so much, but I appreciate you taking care of me” y/n whispered.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day the couple went on a short ride around the castle’s yard.

She’d barely tied y/h/n to the post when she felt arms around her.

Y/n smiled to herself and turned around, wrapping hers around Pin in response.

“Hey what’s wrong?” she asked, seeing the glassy look in Pin’s eyes.

He shook his head with a dorky smile of his lips, “I love you, you know that?”.

Y/n giggled, pulling him in for a kiss “Yes Pin, of course I know that. It’s be impossible not to,” she said as they parted, “I love you too”.

“No more close calls okay? My heart can’t take anything else happening to you,” he said seriously.

“Ditto,” she stated, pulling him back in for another kiss.

Pin Hawthorne Navigation/Masterlist

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[literary-illuminati]

Book Review 39 – Lying for Money: How Legendary Frauds Reveal the Workings of the World

This is one of those books I’d heard mentioned in a dozen different places before I finally decided to read it. I think it was the review in Thing of Things that finally pushed me over the edge and convinced me to read it myself? Very happy I did, even if I had a severe case of deja vu reading a few particular passages (and even if it does suffer from a few of the usual pop nonfiction issues at times).

The title gets across the substance of the book clearly enough; this is, to paraphrase the author, a work of counter-economics. That is, an attempt to illuminate the workings of an advanced capitalist economy by showcasing the sorts of crimes that take advantage of its complexity and parsitize it. It’s nowhere near as dry or academic as all that, of course (Davies keeps up a chatty, conversational sort of tone throughout, and takes every chance to dunk on academic economics as a discipline that presents itself); most of the meat of the book is case studies and anecdotes of particularly famous or illuminating frauds, which are all great reading. Honestly reading about con artists is so fun I should really feel guiltier about how hypocritical my disdain for more traditional true crime is.

The books, if not central thesis, then definitely on of the main things it keeps coming back to, is that the optimal level of fraud in an economy is higher than zero. Fraud is fundamentally an abuse of trust, after all, and if no one’s trust is getting abused, then that probably means that an unjustifiable amount of resources are being spent checking up on every possible thing, and a great deal of productive work isn’t getting done because people are too paranoid to work with each other.

The term Davies uses is the Canadian Paradox. Which is the fact (anecdote, popular wisdom, whatever) that Canada, with its mostly trustworthy institutions and rule of law and developed financial system, has vastly more fraud than, say, Greek shipping (I don’t know why specifically Greek and specifically shipping. Specifically Canada because in the ‘90s the Vancouver Stock Exchange was apparently the most full of scams and fakes in the world). The reason for this being that Canadian investors more or less assume that anyone with a stock listing is probably on the level, because they’re usually right; Greek shipowners, by contrast, absolutely expect to get screwed over if they leave themselves vulnerable, and so do business exclusively with people who they have strong relationships and embedded social ties with. The overwhelmingly intended takeaway being that the Canadian equilibrium is the one to aspire to.

The book’s organized around Davies’ own taxonomy of fraud – he divides the broader category into four distinct (if overlapping) types based on the trust they abuse and so (in a broad sense) are crimes against. Those types being: 1) the Long Firm (neither of the words mean what you think they do here), which is just lying and defrauding someone, buying on credit, reselling and skipping town before the first bill comes due, etc 2) Counterfeiting, of currency yes, but also legal documentation, audited account books, hell even mining samples, providing forged documentation that people trust so they accept your lies 3) Control Frauds, when employees or trustees take advantage of their control over assets to juice the books and manipulate returns in ways that maximize ‘legitimate’ profits for themselves (distinct from embezzlement, which is just taking advantage of control over assets to, well, take them) and 4) Market Crimes, which intuitively might not seem like crimes at all, at least in a moral sense, but are regulated or criminalized or made taboo because people engaging in them damages the wider structure society or the market or capitalism or whatever relies upon.

The types of fraud, you’ll notice, get steadily more abstract and conceptual as you go on – the only thing that distinguishes most control fraud from managerial incompetence and over-optimism is a paper trail showing they knew what they were doing. The only thing that distinguishes a market crime form just, being good at business, is the opinion of whatever jurisdiction your in’s regulatory authorities. One gets the sense that these sorts of tricky conceptual crimes interest Davies more than more straightforward sorts of fraud, and his discussions of them certainly get more philosophical than the mostly technical descriptions of long firms and counterfeiting.

Of course, you don’t really read a book like this for the theorizing – I mean, I didn’t, anyway – but for the interesting and absurd case studies of historical frauds. Of which the book delivers in spades; everything from the ‘salad oil king’ of New Jersey with with his vats of water with a layer of oil floating on top, to Ponzi and his original scheme, to the counterfeiter who destabilized the Portuguese economy sufficiently to pave the way for a reactionary military coup, to the first actually comprehensible explanation of the whole Savings&Loans crisis in ‘80s America that I’ve ever read to, of course, the 2008 Mortgage Crisis.

One trait of historical frauds that gets more salient the more of them you read is that, because many of them involve taking advantage of some since-patched loophole in law or regulation, in retrospect it seems positively absurd that they could ever have worked. The book cautions against this point of view – given how bewilderingly complex the modern economy is, there are doubtless more absurd loopholes and abuses of what people will take on trust now than there have ever been. People just haven't written books about them yet.

Anyways, speaking of 2008 - the financial crisis was a generation-defining event for the people who got fucked over by it, but it clearly did a number on the paradigms of guys like Davies too. It gets a chapter to itself as an ‘innocent’ control fraud. That is, an institutional setup and incentive set that inevitably causes massive amounts of crime even though the people at the top actually profiting from it all are, technically speaking, innocent (and most of the low-level employees doing the crimes are mostly just trying to meet aggressive sales targets and keep their jobs. Which, hardly justifies a lot of the conduct, but they weren't profiting from the enterprise like the managers and executives.) The term Davies uses is ��crimogenic’ – as in, an environment that incentivizes and will almost inevitably lead to the commission of crimes.

A note on the author – Davies was a regulator and then a market analyst in the UK for much of the early 21st century, and whatever the specifics is clearly someone with an insider’s view of financial markets and investment banking. Not really an apologist – or I mean, he is, to the extent that he clearly considers them useful institutions that do more good than harm for the world at large, and considers the present regulatory setup governing the markets if not just, then at least pragmatically useful. But about the culture and foibles of the financial services industry itself he’s pretty cynical. In any event, as the book goes on he starts peppering in personal anecdotes about how he was personally involved with some event on the periphery of the frauds he’s discussing or saw them happen live, which I mostly found charming but I can see how it would grate.

In any event, it’s a very chatty, casually written book, by a centre-left pro-regulation but incredibly finance-brained guy. So, you know, caveat lector if you’re going to find that totally insufferable. For myself I found it a fun, casual read, and a more educational one that I really expected.

[a-very-tired-jew]

Heyyy from one very tired jew to another

.. I wanna learn more about ecology! I wish we were using all our collective energy into saving planet instead *everything else*.

Do you work in that space? How would you recommend getting more involved? Or just wanting to learn more/nerd out about it?

So the thing is, there's a whole swath of people working on this.

There's so much research and application going on that does not get talked about because it's not "sexy" science. It doesn't make the news because it's not big world changing once in a lifetime advancements, it's little things that address a problem here or there that collectively make an impact. E.g. there is now research going into various blow flies (Calliphoridae) as pollinators. I know of 5 different entomologists in the world doing this. It's not making the news because flies are not "sexy" and don't need to be "saved". Flies are also considered gross, but according to one of my colleagues who is working on this they're major pollinators of things like onions, mangos, garlic, other crops, and non-crop plants that are important. Understanding their pollinator ecology let's us better understand how they interact with their environment, how they benefit it, and what we can do to better improve those benefits and thus address some of the negative impacts we have.

In regards to actually getting involved, that depends on what level of involvement you want. There are citizen science projects out there that necessitate non-scientists to collect data locally and send it back to the primary researcher for analysis.

There are extension offices that have educational materials and extension officers who give talks.

There are usually outreach events by ecology or entomology departments from big name colleges that can be attended.

There are, obviously, books on the topic. But I personally don't like them to become educated on things outside of textbooks as the nonfiction non-textbooks that we consider "pop science" usually have a singular author's bias or agenda in the text and are overly simplified. Honestly, if anyone suggests a pop science book to you just walk away. They're rarely good from a professional perspective.

Then you have to also think about what you're interested in as well.

Insect ecology? Reptiles? Freshwater? Marine? Physiological? Agricultural? and many more.

There's a lot of subfields to ecology and each of them have their own particular interests, projects, personnel, and so on.

Some universities might have the ability to audit or take a course for free if you're simply curious.

Also consider that local ecology is going to be different, so you might find online resources or information for ecology relating to the North East USA, but you live in the Midwest. Well things like the River Continuum Concept aren't really applicable to the Midwest as the theory was designed for rocky bottom water systems, not the sandy/soil based ones in America's FarmlandTM.

[juno-freehugs]

So I may have fucked up. I didn’t get a comprehensive music education when I was younger and like taught myself theory, and my conductor let me borrow a bassoon cause i wanted to learn the fingerings so I can compose for it better, and he was like “wait I don’t have a bassoonist for any of my orchestras, heres a teacher, you have three months”

And there are three levels of orchestra the kiddy one (really high schoolers and a few middle schoolers), the middle one which is a public orchestra you can audition for and they have occasional events and people of all ages, and the college orchestra the most advanced one.

So he told me to come to the first rehearsal for the kiddy one, since I dont have years of music education and after it I asked when the next rehearsal was and he said “practice your part, keep in touch on your progress” Which I took to mean “WOW YOU FUCKING SUCK” so uh that was two days ago and I sent in a video of me playing the part cause I wanted to show “HEY, I DONT CARE ABOUT THE ORCHESTRA LEVEL, I JUST WANT TO LEARN!” and uh. He was like “can your mother call me” which made me scared but of course I told him to call her, So apparently not only did I make it for rehearsal’s in the kiddy orchestra to practice dealing with anxiety, after five weeks he wants me to go to higher level orchestra.

And then according to my mother he asked for my ACT score and my gpa, so come January this man wants to give me a scholarship??? im not complaining but this is a lot so fast and hope im good enough and rahhhhh. Uh so gotta get good like better than i am. I’ve been playing bassoon for four months, if you have tips or wanna remind me to practice, please do

[tearsinthemist]

Want to learn something new

Want to learn something new in 2022??

Absolute beginner adult ballet series (fabulous beginning teacher)

40 piano lessons for beginners (some of the best explanations for piano I’ve ever seen)

Excellent basic crochet video series

Basic knitting (probably the best how to knit video out there)

Pre-Free Figure Skate Levels A-D guides and practice activities (each video builds up with exercises to the actual moves!)

How to draw character faces video (very funny, surprisingly instructive?)

Another drawing character faces video

Literally my favorite art pose hack

Tutorial of how to make a whole ass Stardew Valley esque farming game in Gamemaker Studios 2??

Introduction to flying small aircrafts

French/Dutch/Fishtail braiding

Playing the guitar for beginners (well paced and excellent instructor)

Playing the violin for beginners (really good practical tips mixed in)

Color theory in digital art (not of the children’s hospital variety)

Retake classes you hated but now there’s zero stakes:

Calculus 1 (full semester class)

Learn basic statistics (free textbook)

Introduction to college physics (free textbook)

Introduction to accounting (free textbook)

Learn a language:

Ancient Greek

Latin

Spanish

German

Japanese (grammar guide) (for dummies)

French

Russian (pretty good cyrillic guide!)

Jan 2, 2023

Want to learn something new in 2023??

Cooking with flavor bootcamp (used what I learned in this a LOT this year)

Beekeeping 101

Learn Interior Design from the British Academy of Interior Design (free to audit course - just choose the free option when you register)

Video on learning to read music that actually helped me??

How to use and sew with a sewing machine

How to ride a bike (listen. some of us never learned, and that's okay.)

How to cornrow-braid hair (I have it on good authority that this video is a godsend for doing your baby niece's black hair)

Making mead at home (I actually did this last summer and it was SO good)

How to garden

Basics of snowboarding (proceed with caution)

How to draw for people who (think they) suck at art (I know this website looks like a 2003 monstrosity, but the tutorials are excellent)

Pixel art for beginners so you can make the next great indie game

Go (back) to school

Introduction to Astronomy (high school course - free textbook w/ practice problems)

Principals of Economics (high school course - free textbook w/ practice problems)

Introduction to philosophy (free college course)

Computer science basics (full-semester Harvard course free online)

Learn a language

Japanese for Dummies (link fix from 2022)

Ukrainian

Portuguese (Brazil)

American Sign Language (as somebody who works with Deaf people professionally, I also strongly advise you to read up on Deaf/HoH culture and history!)

Chinese (Mandarin, Simplified)

Quenya (LOTR fantasy elf language)

Dec 26, 2023

Want to learn something new in 2024??

Beginner-oriented video on how to sail

This guy has so many videos on baking different types of bread. SO very many.

Coding in Python - one of the most flexible and adaptable high-level programming languages out there - explained through projects making video games

Learn to swim! (for adult learners. I don’t care if you live in Kansas or Mali or wherever. LEARN TO SWIM.)

Learn how quantum mechanics works. Then read some more about it

[Learn about quantum mechanics again, but in a more advanced engineering/mathematics class. Then read more about the math and physics of it]

Poetry Handbook, by Mary Oliver

Something I learned this year: how to sew a quilt (Here’s a very easy beginning pattern that looks amazing and can be done with pre-cut fabric!)

How to hit the ball in softball

Tutorial video on what is under the hood of most (gas) cars + weird engine sounds and what they mean

Full beginner mechanics technical training, if you want to go more in depth

Playlist on how car engine physics work if you want to go ultra in depth

Lecture series on architecture design through study of buildings

How (American income) taxes & tax law work (choose “audit course” at checkout for free class)

Pickleball for beginners (so you can finally join your neighbor/friend/distant cousin who is always insisting you join their team)

+ Para-Pickleball for beginners (for mobility aid users!)

School is so much more fun when there’s no tests:

American Law - Contracts

Shakespeare’s Life and Plays

Fairy Tales: Meanings, Messages, and Morals

Modern Poetry

World History [Part 1, Part 2]

Learn a language:

Arabic + Resource Guide compiled from Reddit (includes info on different dialects)

Chinese (Cantonese) (audio)

Urdu (frequently recommended course on Reddit) + Resource Guide

Yucatec Maya

[kingofthewilderwest]

So if I took up private music lessons again (budget pending), which would you vote for?

Banjo: The original private lessons plan. Bluegrass and its history have become a deep soul-fulfilling passion for me since I got into it in 2019. I've run into technique issues (ex: hand adjustments) that I don't know how to correct and are bottlenecking progress. If the teacher here is good, lessons would un-bottleneck me so I could work up tunes full speed and participate informally in local jam groups, which, if they're sorta good, would be stimulating and allow me to live my passion for a moment.

Cons: bluegrass lessons risk not being as bang-for-buck, with more casual and less intensive information and progress. There are many free resources I could tap into - and while they don't replace in-person feedback, might get me just as far in other respects. Many bluegrass greats didn't learn through lessons, and my prior musical training means I have a good sense of what I should be fixing. I also live in an area where there's rather limited bluegrass.

Level: late beginner Progress stakes: low Rewards: casual Local opportunities: casual

Flute: The instrument I've invested the most into already (besides piano). At my musical "height" in 2011, I was good enough on flute to be first chair all-state orchestra but not polished enough to audition into a good music school's spots. I'm craving returning to classical music and there is no thrill as extraordinary as performing flute like a diva in orchestra. This is when I feel at my best. Truly polishing flute would be working up my first, most driven, and cared-about investment, and could light a deep fire in me like nothing else.

However, I live in a small area with few resources and few ensembles - even fewer good ones. Most interesting ensembles I'm locked out of because I'm not a college student. The other interesting ensembles I'd had difficulties doing because flute is omnipresent and competitive. I'm already in one of the only bands I can access (it's "meh" and doesn't 100% fill my itch). I'm good enough to do the chamber groups at a classically-oriented church. There is a "semi-professional" orchestra and a local chamber group here, but the likelihood of there being a flute opening in the next five years is slim. I'm trained enough I can polish and grow myself. It would be an honor to study under a master flautist, but what is the chance that in this small area, there's someone advanced enough to push me to a new level? (the level I would need to get into the orchestra if an opening did happen)

Level: early advanced Progress stakes: high and ambition-oriented Rewards: best, but rare and high risk Local opportunities: rare for what I want

Viola: The instrument I've historically used to get into ensembles I shouldn't've. I had a grand one year of viola lessons with a high school classmate I was dating in 2011. I've used the viola to get into lower non-auditioning collegiate orchestras and church special events. There is a non-auditioning orchestra here I could participate in. There are always open viola spots in the "semi-pro" orchestra and they're far less competitive to get into than flute. The orchestra will accept advanced high school students, so I only have to be as good as an advanced high school student to squeak in. I suck at viola now, but I'm not starting from scratch. I think that a year or two of viola with a good teacher will get me good enough to be a participating fish in this small pond. I would not be able to work up my viola skills to get into the orchestra without a teacher. There are good string teachers here and I've received a recommendation for a viola teacher. Getting into orchestra would get me into the ensemble I've been most passionate about. This could also unlock me playing string trios at a local church. This is a very strategic choice.

Level: late beginner Progress stakes: medium Rewards: medium Local opportunities: multiple

--------------

I've been thinking I should switch my plan of doing banjo to viola. I could pound out the hardest two years of viola in my life, then switch to banjo lessons. In an ideal world, I'd take multiple instrument lessons at a time (would be nice to find a good piano teacher, too....), but I'm frugal, want to save for housing and retirement, don't have high-paying jobs, and have medical payment obligations that rein me in. So. If I allocate carefully, I can squeak in one instrument at a time properly. (Improperly, I could do two instruments at a time where lessons are every-other-week - ergo cycling lessons between the two instruments.)

[permanentlyexhaustedpigeon88]

23, 34, 45! 💛✨✌️🫶

Thank you for the ask, @themareverine!!!

23. A talent I have

I'm pretty sure you knew this would be a tough one for me, given my own internal monologue at times, just as I'm sure that might be specifically why you asked 💕💕. This isn't so much a current talent, as I am way out of practice, but I've been feeling rather nostalgic today, so I'm gonna have to say my former abilities with the clarinet.

I was in symphony band in high school since sophomore year, section leader of both symphony band and marching band for junior and senior years, multiple times going to solo & ensemble and pulling 1's since 7th grade (that's the highest ranking), and qualifying to go to the next level, but it always conflicted with a pre-existing concert or symphony band trip, so I never took it further. I was selected to be the only clarinet in our jazz band as well, for junior and senior years, and then auditioned for and made the Michigan Marching Band for freshman and sophomore years in college. Yup. I'm a nerd! (And I'm gonna go cringe a bit now, because I'm not used to bragging on myself like this and I feel awkward 😅😅).

34. A time I succeeded

Let's see...I'm going to sort of expose my sometimes crippling perfectionism, anxiety, and over-achieving tendencies, here, but I feel like it's still a relevant answer to the question.

Freshman year of college, I was able to bypass "entry level" chemistry courses, and go straight to Organic Chem because I'd done well enough on the AP test in high school. Chemistry was kinda my thing, my "jam", if you will, so I went into college chem more than a bit cocky (which is surprising for me), and the first exam came along, I studied just the night before, because all of my other exams allowed me to do that and sail through with flying colors.

Oh boy did I ever get freaking burned. Even with the class being graded on a curve.

The remainder of the semester went a little bit better, in that I studied well in advance, and all, but with marching band a huge time-suck, plus needing to keep up in my other classes (huzzah for taking the max amount of credit hours one could take in a semester?), I skated through at the end of term with a B- (and let's be real, I was lucky to get that.) But to my little "all A honor roll" perfectionist self, that was...tantamount to failure. So second semester comes around, I'm enrolled in part deux of the class (they split it into Orgo 1 and Orgo 2), I literally ate, breathed, and slept with that hideous lime green textbook at my side, went to study group religiously once per week, and at the end of semester two, wound up with my prized A. (And it would've remained an A even if they'd taken away the curve).

45. Who I want to hug

I would give absolutely anything for one of my grandpa's hugs, right about now. He just had this way of making me feel like I could conquer the freaking world with one hug, even with all of my self-doubt, and I miss that so, so much, every day.

[deathstrickens]

park sohee, was it? welcome to the safe zone. it says here you’re a 26 year-old actress? just verifying. according to the others, you’re both level-headed and secretive. but, that necklace from your mother? keep it to yourself. guard it. things will blow over soon and you can go back to jogging.

Sohee was born to a rich businessman father and an actress mother, and she currently has one younger sister. They're all back in South Korea, though, so their status is unknown.

Money wasn't exactly an issue in the household. Able to do pretty much whatever she wanted thanks to that privilege, their mother was elated when Sohee wanted to follow in her footsteps and eventually see themself on the silver screen as well. She had just been cast in another drama project, waiting to hear back from a movie audition, when the world ground to a halt. Sohee was in DC with her girlfriend when flights were grounded, travel was restricted, and no one could go anywhere.

Currently, the two of them are in the safe zone. Sohee mostly keeps to herself and doesn't really interact with anyone unless spoken to first. In that case, she does talk as to not be rude but is a little hesitant to make new friends. All she wants is to take her girlfriend out of this mess and go home to check on her family.

STATISTICS

birth name: park sohee

nickname: n/a

birthplace: seoul, south korea

status: in a relationship

sexuality: lesbian

occupation: actress

languages: fluent korean, advanced english

PHYSICAL

height: 5'6

eye color: brown

hair color: blonde

piercings: ear lobes

tattoos: none

accent: slight korean accent she tries to hide

PERSONALITY

positive traits: self-assured, grounded, hard-working, affectionate

negative traits: overly analytical, distant, secretive, occasionally selfish

Overall, she tends to have a cold aura about her. She smiles and jokes when appropriate, but it someone was to really pay attention, they'll notice she does so simply in order to keep up the vibe and without offering up much of themself. Despite being an actress, she's a very private person and only really likes attention on rare occasions. She thrives in smaller groups, or 1x1, but secretly dreads big events and crowds as she finds them overwhelming. Being in the safe zone is currently fraying on her nerves because of all the unfamiliar faces and feeling like an outsider.

To the very few who are close to her and know her on a personal level, she's very warm and affectionate. She simply finds it hard to trust and keeps her circle of true friends extremely small.

likes: the color pink, fashion, romance movies, going to concerts, cozy video games, old disney movies, social media, supernatural shows, pop music

dislikes: nosy people, zombie media, edm, horses (she has an irrational fear of them), being patronized or underestimated, cantaloupe without sugar

WANTED CONNCTIONS

annoyance: someone she can't stand. maybe they just complain all day, or maybe they're the opposite: annoyingly optimistic. whatever the reason sohee doesn't like them, the tension is there and her expressions make it obvious she's not a fan.

to be updated as the plot progresses <3

[beardedmrbean]

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) didn't report a staggering $7 billion in award-level obligations and outlays during fiscal year 2022, according to an inspector general audit released this week.

The EPA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) determined that the agency underreported its award-level outlays by $5.8 billion, or 99.9%, and its award-level obligations by $1.2 billion, or 12.9% during FY22, the period between October 2021 and September 2022. The agency further failed to report any of its Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act outlays and under-reported its coronavirus pandemic-related outlays.

"The lack of complete and accurate reporting also led to taxpayers being initially misinformed about the EPA’s spending, and policy-makers who relied on the data may not have been able to effectively track federal spending," the OIG report concluded.

In response to the audit, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., blasted the EPA and called for increased transparency into its activities. 

"It’s outrageous and unacceptable that the EPA cannot keep track of its spending or inform Congress — and the American people — of how it is using taxpayer dollars," McMorris Rodgers said in a statement Thursday. "This eye-opening report only further highlights the need for more transparency at the EPA."

"It also raises questions about whether the agency is incapable of managing its record-high budget or if the agency is attempting to hide the amount of taxpayer dollars it is spending to advance the administration’s radical rush-to-green agenda," she added. "The Energy and Commerce Committee will continue holding this administration accountable for its actions that are driving up costs across the board and hurting Americans."

MICHIGAN DEMOCRAT SIGNED NDA INVOLVING CCP-TIED COMPANY, DOCUMENTS SHOW, CONTRADICTING HER PAST CLAIMS

The EPA ultimately corrected its FY22 figures in May 2023 as a result of the OIG audit while making configuration changes a month later. Overall, the inspector general made five recommendations which it said the agency agreed to make.

The report, meanwhile, comes as the EPA both manages a massive green energy fund and continues to request a larger budget. The Inflation Reduction, Democrats' massive climate and tax bill passed in 2022, created the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which in turn establishes a national green bank to fund green projects nationwide.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS OPEN PROBE INTO BIDEN ADMIN FOR OPENING PUBLIC LANDS TO FOREIGN OWNERSHIP

And the White House is requesting that Congress approve a FY24 EPA budget of more than $12 billion, a record level. Republicans have aimed to reduce the EPA budget to about $6 billion, which would be the agency's smallest budget since the early 1990s.

"The Biden administration is using EPA as a pass through for taxpayer dollars to fund left-wing groups that aim to get Democrats elected, not improve the environment," Mandy Gunasekara, a Heritage Foundation visiting fellow who served as the EPA's chief of staff during the Trump administration, told Fox News Digital.

"A failure to report $7 billion is absurd and unacceptable, but also symbolic of how Team Biden operates: prioritizing their political goals over the needs of the American people," she continued. "I’m glad Chair Rodgers is monitoring this and hope the committee brings forth the agency’s Chief Financial Officer to account for this serious oversight."

The EPA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

[xettle-technologies]

What Are the Costs Associated with Fintech Software Development?

The fintech industry is experiencing exponential growth, driven by advancements in technology and increasing demand for innovative financial solutions. As organizations look to capitalize on this trend, understanding the costs associated with fintech software development becomes crucial. Developing robust and secure applications, especially for fintech payment solutions, requires significant investment in technology, expertise, and compliance measures. This article breaks down the key cost factors involved in fintech software development and how businesses can navigate these expenses effectively.

1. Development Team and Expertise

The development team is one of the most significant cost drivers in fintech software development. Hiring skilled professionals, such as software engineers, UI/UX designers, quality assurance specialists, and project managers, requires a substantial budget. The costs can vary depending on the team’s location, expertise, and experience level. For example:

In-house teams: Employing full-time staff provides better control but comes with recurring costs such as salaries, benefits, and training.

Outsourcing: Hiring external agencies or freelancers can reduce costs, especially if the development team is located in regions with lower labor costs.

2. Technology Stack

The choice of technology stack plays a significant role in the overall development cost. Building secure and scalable fintech payment solutions requires advanced tools, frameworks, and programming languages. Costs include:

Licenses and subscriptions: Some technologies require paid licenses or annual subscriptions.

Infrastructure: Cloud services, databases, and servers are essential for hosting and managing fintech applications.

Integration tools: APIs for payment processing, identity verification, and other functionalities often come with usage fees.

3. Security and Compliance

The fintech industry is heavily regulated, requiring adherence to strict security standards and legal compliance. Implementing these measures adds to the development cost but is essential to avoid potential fines and reputational damage. Key considerations include:

Data encryption: Robust encryption protocols like AES-256 to protect sensitive data.

Compliance certifications: Obtaining certifications such as PCI DSS, GDPR, and ISO/IEC 27001 can be costly but are mandatory for operating in many regions.

Security audits: Regular penetration testing and vulnerability assessments are necessary to ensure application security.

4. Customization and Features

The complexity of the application directly impacts the cost. Basic fintech solutions may have limited functionality, while advanced applications require more extensive development efforts. Common features that add to the cost include:

User authentication: Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and biometric verification.

Real-time processing: Handling high volumes of transactions with minimal latency.

Analytics and reporting: Providing users with detailed financial insights and dashboards.

Blockchain integration: Leveraging blockchain for enhanced security and transparency.

5. User Experience (UX) and Design

A seamless and intuitive user interface is critical for customer retention in the fintech industry. Investing in high-quality UI/UX design ensures that users can navigate the platform effortlessly. Costs in this category include:

Prototyping and wireframing.

Usability testing.

Responsive design for compatibility across devices.

6. Maintenance and Updates

Fintech applications require ongoing maintenance to remain secure and functional. Post-launch costs include:

Bug fixes and updates: Addressing issues and releasing new features.

Server costs: Maintaining and scaling infrastructure to accommodate user growth.

Monitoring tools: Real-time monitoring systems to track performance and security.

7. Marketing and Customer Acquisition

Once the fintech solution is developed, promoting it to the target audience incurs additional costs. Marketing strategies such as digital advertising, influencer partnerships, and content marketing require significant investment. Moreover, onboarding users and providing customer support also contribute to the total cost.

8. Geographic Factors

The cost of fintech software development varies significantly based on geographic factors. Development in North America and Western Europe tends to be more expensive compared to regions like Eastern Europe, South Asia, or Latin America. Businesses must weigh the trade-offs between cost savings and access to high-quality talent.

9. Partnering with Technology Providers

Collaborating with established technology providers can reduce development costs while ensuring top-notch quality. For instance, Xettle Technologies offers comprehensive fintech solutions, including secure APIs and compliance-ready tools, enabling businesses to streamline development processes and minimize risks. Partnering with such providers can save time and resources while enhancing the application's reliability.

Cost Estimates

While costs vary depending on the project's complexity, here are rough estimates:

Basic applications: $50,000 to $100,000.

Moderately complex solutions: $100,000 to $250,000.

Highly advanced platforms: $250,000 and above.

These figures include development, security measures, and initial marketing efforts but may rise with added features or broader scope.

Conclusion

Understanding the costs associated with fintech software development is vital for effective budgeting and project planning. From assembling a skilled team to ensuring compliance and security, each component contributes to the total investment. By leveraging advanced tools and partnering with experienced providers like Xettle Technologies, businesses can optimize costs while delivering high-quality fintech payment solutions. The investment, though significant, lays the foundation for long-term success in the competitive fintech industry.

[avacollinsblog]

Why CPA Firms Are Choosing to Outsource Tax Preparation: A Data-Driven Look

In recent years, more and more CPA firms are turning to outsourced tax preparation services to enhance their operations and improve client satisfaction. This shift is not just a passing trend; it's driven by tangible, data-backed benefits that offer significant value. Here’s a closer look at why CPA firms are increasingly choosing to outsource their tax preparation needs.

1. Cost Savings and Efficiency:

Outsourcing tax preparation allows CPA firms to significantly reduce overhead costs. Hiring, training, and retaining full-time employees for tax season can be expensive, especially when demand fluctuates. According to a survey by the National Association of Tax Professionals, firms that outsource tax preparation report a 20-30% reduction in operating costs. By outsourcing, firms can allocate their budget more effectively, investing in growth and client services rather than overhead.

2. Access to Specialized Expertise:

Tax laws and regulations are constantly evolving, making it difficult for CPA firms to stay on top of every update. Outsourcing providers specialize in tax preparation, which means they have a team of experts who are up-to-date with the latest tax codes and compliance requirements. This is critical for CPA firms that want to avoid costly mistakes. In fact, 60% of firms that outsource report improved compliance and accuracy in their filings.

3. Scalability During Peak Seasons:

Tax season is a demanding time for CPA firms, often requiring firms to increase their staffing levels temporarily. However, hiring temporary staff can lead to issues such as training delays and quality control. Outsourcing provides scalability without the need for a hiring surge. Providers can quickly ramp up or down based on demand, allowing CPA firms to handle seasonal fluctuations more efficiently. 75% of CPA firms say outsourcing provides the flexibility they need during high-demand periods.

4. Increased Focus on Core Services:

By outsourcing tax preparation, CPA firms free up their internal teams to focus on higher-value services such as tax planning, consulting, and client relationship management. This helps firms build stronger client relationships and add more value beyond just preparing tax returns. A study by QuickBooks found that firms that outsource routine tasks like tax prep are able to increase revenue from advisory services by as much as 40%.

5. Reduced Risk and Improved Accuracy:

Tax preparation is complex, and errors can lead to costly penalties or audits. By outsourcing to a specialized provider, firms minimize the risk of mistakes. Many outsourcing firms utilize advanced technology and follow rigorous quality control measures to ensure accuracy. According to Accounting Today, 80% of firms that outsource tax preparation report fewer errors and reduced risk of audits.

Conclusion:

Outsourcing tax preparation services offers numerous benefits to CPA firms, including cost savings, access to expertise, scalability, and improved accuracy. By leveraging these advantages, CPA firms can streamline their operations, enhance client satisfaction, and position themselves for long-term success. In an increasingly competitive landscape, outsourcing tax preparation is not just a smart move—it’s becoming an essential strategy for growth and efficiency. For CPA firms looking to streamline tax preparation and enhance service offerings, partnering with an experienced outsourcing provider can be the key to unlocking these benefits.