#BI Company in New York

[palms-upturned]

For US unions like the UAW — which has thousands of members in weapons factories making the bombs, missiles, and aircraft used by Israel, as well in university departments doing research linked to the Israeli military — the Palestinian trade union call to action is particularly relevant. When the UAW’s national leadership came out in support of a cease-fire on December 1, they also voted to establish a “Divestment and Just Transition Working Group.” The stated purpose of the working group is to study the UAW’s own economic ties to Israel and explore ways to convert war-related industries to production for peaceful purposes while ensuring a just transition for weapons workers.

Members of UAW Labor for Palestine say they have started making visits to a Colt factory in Connecticut, which holds a contract to supply rifles to the Israeli military, to talk with their fellow union members about Palestine, a cease-fire, and a just transition. They want to see the union’s leadership support such organizing activity.

“If UAW leaders decided to, they could, tomorrow, form a national organizing campaign to educate and mobilize rank-and-file towards the UAW’s own ceasefire and just transition call,” UAW Labor for Palestine members said in a statement. “They could hold weapons shop town halls in every region; they could connect their small cadre of volunteer organizers — like us — to the people we are so keen to organize with; they could even send some of their staff to help with this work.”

On January 21, the membership of UAW Local 551, which represents 4,600 autoworkers at Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant (who were part of last year’s historic stand-up strike) endorsed the Palestinian trade unions’ call to not cooperate in the production and transportation of arms for Israel. Ten days later, UAW Locals 2865 and 5810, representing around forty-seven thousand academic workers at the University of California, passed a measure urging the union’s national leaders to ensure that the envisioned Divestment and Just Transition Working Group “has the needed resources to execute its mission, and that Palestinian, Arab and Muslim workers whose communities are disproportionately affected by U.S.-backed wars are well-represented on the committee.”

Members of UAW Locals 2865 and 5810 at UC Santa Cruz’s Astronomy Department have pledged to withhold any labor that supports militarism and to refuse research collaboration with military institutions and arms companies. In December, unionized academic workers from multiple universities formed Researchers Against War (RAW) to expose and cut ties between their research and warfare, and to organize in their labs and departments for more transparency about where the funding for their work comes from and more control over what their labor is used for. RAW, which was formed after a series of discussions by union members first convened by US Labor Against Racism and War last fall, hosted a national teach-in and planning meeting on February 12.

Meanwhile, public sector workers in New York City have begun their own campaign to divest their pension money from Israel. On January 25, rank-and-file members of AFSCME District Council (DC) 37 launched a petition calling on the New York City Employees’ Retirement System to divest the $115 million it holds in Israeli securities. The investments include $30 million in bonds that directly fund the Israeli military and its activities. “As rank-and-file members of DC 37 who contribute to and benefit from the New York City Employees’ Retirement System and care about the lives of working people everywhere, we refuse to support the Israeli government and the corporations that extract profit from the killing of innocent civilians,” the petition states.

In an election year when President Joe Biden and other Democratic candidates will depend heavily on organized labor for donations and especially get-out-the-vote efforts, rank and filers are also trying to push their unions to exert leverage on the president by getting him to firmly stand against the ongoing massacre in Gaza. NEA members with Educators for Palestine are calling on their union’s leaders to withdraw their support for Biden’s reelection campaign until he stops “sending military funding, equipment, and intelligence to Israel,” marching from AFT headquarters to NEA headquarters in Washington, DC on February 10 to assert their demand. Similarly, after the UAW International Executive Board endorsed Biden last month — a decision that sparked intense division within the union — UAW Labor for Palestine is demanding the endorsement be revoked “until [Biden] calls for a permanent ceasefire and stops sending weapons to Israel.”

[izzabela]

In The Mafia's Eyes (pt.2) - Lin Kuei Trio x fem!reader

in which the deadliest mafia group's leader and two brothers have you in their grasps

a/n: commenter, you ask so you shall receive

ship[s]: tomas, bi han, kuai liang x fem!reader

warning(s): MDNI, smut, threesome, DP, f!reader = f!genitalia, dirty talk, praise, cuckery!, breeding kink..., unprotected sex

It's in the eyes, little barista

The note that Raiden handed you stayed in your apron pocket until the end of your shift. You were... afraid? Excited? Nervous? Mixed emotions bubbled and brewed like ready hot-pot, and you weren't sure if opening the lid would be worth it.

Once your shift was over, you changed out of your uniform into a thrifted tweed skirt and a button-up. All thrifted during an outing with some friends. You changed out of your work shoes and into some black loafers, and finally hung the apron on the wall. You made sure to take the note out, but another piece fell. You were confused to say the least.

"But Raiden said that this was the only note..." you muttered to yourself.

You nervously opened the folded paper and were greeted with an address. It wasn't yours, thankfully, but the address line was somewhere in the area, where the rich folk live. Taking out your phone, you punched it into maps and found the address leading to a luxurious apartment complex a couple of blocks away from the teahouse.

Is this where they lived? Why would they give you their address? Isn't this how women die in true crime shows? You were drawn out from your thoughts when Kung Lao knocked on the wall.

"You still in here?" he called. He smiled and sighed when he found you, "There you are! Do you recognize this glove? It was left on seat of the chair where I found the tip."

When he showed you the glove, you wanted to strangle someone.

It was Bi Han's, a black and blue colored one with white accents on the side. You took the glove and looked at the note again, realizing what you had to do.

You sighed out loud, pinching your nose bridge, "I know whose this is... I'll be clocking out now. See you guys tomorrow!"

You took shoved your uniform in your work bag and bid quick farewells to your coworkers. Opening your phone, you followed the maps route to the apartment. You looked up and saw the clouds roll over, gray beginning to shroud the blue sky. Your mood soured further with this.

Hopefully, the unprecedented storm would wait until after this visit.

=====================

The rain didn't even bother with your consent, pouring immediately as you were halfway to the apartment. When you got to the door, you were soaked through and through, practically shivering as the doorbell rang through the apartment. Actually, you couldn't even say it was an apartment.

Your handsome regulars lived on the top floor of the complex, the penthouse suite, the complex building was owned by Empress Real Estate. With a quick Google search, you learned they were a company with huge connections to New York's founding. The "King" Jerrod, "Empress" Sindel (who it was named after), and their daughters Mileena and Kitana. Still, the fact couldn't take away how cruel the weather was to you.

The entire day you worked, the sun shone apologetically, why did it have to change so quickly?

The door opens and Tomas's face twists into shock and pity. You offer a smile, but it's hard to deny the state of yourself when your teeth chatter aggressively. He immediately takes you in, leading you to a plush chair in the (rather humble-looking) living room. He reaches for a throw blanket and unfolds it, wrapping it around you. You sink into the warmth, nuzzling into the plush material.

He's crouched to your level, "Warmer? I apologize for not being able to answer sooner," he said with a frown.

You smile, "It's quite alright, Tomas, I didn't know it would rain."

He smiles, and you can see him lift his arm, about to pet your head. However, he stops and stands up quickly. He covers his mouth to hide the pink that creeps his cheeks.

"I'll, uh, go get my brother. Kuai Liang will be here soon, though, please feel comfortable."

He disappears into a hallway next to the kitchen, and on cue Kuai Liang comes out of the kitchen with tea and a warm towel on a tray, and an equally soft smile on his face. You nod to greet him.

"You look as if you expected me," you tease, "You even have a warmed towel!"

He chuckles, "Who's to say this wasn't?"

You blush, looking away shyly as you fiddle with your hands. Kuai Liang chuckles, setting the tray on a side table and taking your hands into his, rubbing the towel over them to get you warmed up quicker. The warmth, and his touch, is making you squirm a bit. He chuckles at your innocence.

"You seem nervous," he states obviously, but he leans close to your ear to whisper, "Are you nervous, dear?"

You sharply inhale, a hazy feeling of lust beginning to fog your brain. You shake your head, muttering a small "no" before he parts from you. Just before he can say anything, you turn your head to the shuffle of feet coming from the hallway Tomas disappeared into. He comes out behind Bi Han, a slightly agitated face on him.

"Why do you wear such clothes, woman? Did you not see the forecast for the day?" he huffs out.

Your arousal dissipated like smoke, eyes rolling as you crossed your arms over your chest. Your shirt was still decently wet despite the blanket offered to you, and your colored bra pressed against the wet fabric ever so slightly. Bi Han glanced briefly before looking to the window, where the downpour grew into a raging storm.

You sigh, "This was not how I wanted my afternoon to go..."

Kuai Liang moved to your side, "It doesn't look like it will let up, best if you stayed here until it stops."

Tomas nods, "I agree, brother," he turns to you, "Whenever you're ready, I can show you to your room for the evening."

You nod, keeping the blanket around you as you followed him. Looking behind you just for a moment, Kuai Liang and Bi Han seem to just be staring at you.

You knew better, though, especially after the note.

Reaching the room, you thank Tomas for escorting you and enter.

"There should be some extra clothes in there, for the guests we have on occasion," his hand grips the door knob, "We'll have dinner ready for you soon, so feel free to roam around our home if you're ready beforehand."

You nod, "Thank you again, Tomas."

Tomas begins to shut the door, but not before he could see you undress just a little bit. Like a Roman statue, you looked carved by the hands of God, plush and round and well-taken care of. Your arms looked toned and soft as well, but he shuts the door before his imagination jumps out of its cage.

You felt the room shake with the slamming of the door, and you look back at it left wondering what went through his head.

=====================

You left the room after getting changed into a sweatshirt and spandex that you wore under your skirt. You also had knitted socks, warming the coldest part of your body. You decide to check on the men who were seeing to your care and saw them cooking, all three of them working together to create dinner.

They were all in more relaxed loungewear than earlier, each one of them in a colored tank top that had similar colors to their suits. They also wore grey-black sweats, all of them at varying heights of their waist. Bi Han had his the lowest, his v-line very much on show as his tank hugged his chest. Kuai Liang's was in the middle and Tomas was tied up.

Your mind began to overload you with disgustingly detailed images of you on your knees in front of them, so to get away from it you decided to wander the penthouse. Passing the kitchen, you were greeting with the rest of the living room.

Huge floor-to-ceiling windows, an interesting light piece that emitted a soft, orange-yellow hue, and a huge wrap-around couch that faced an even larger T.V. You noted numerous video game consoles at the foot of the T.V. system, and the scattered controllers belonging to them.

You sighed and walked past everything to stare at the window, the gloomy scenery of the rain and occasional thunder plaguing the city. You look to the direction of your own flat, and sigh again with worry. Surprised, Kuai Liang was by your side as he noted your expression.

"You seem worried, did you leave something at home?" he asked.

You nodded, "I have a Balinese a Border Collie. The Balinese doesn't like thunder, so she cuddles with my Border Collie, but I worry he won't be able to control her when the thunder strikes harder."

He nods, "I can send someone over if you'd like?"

You turn with hopeful eyes and a relieved smile, "Could you? That would be so great! Their names are..."

You mention their names, gave your address, and watched Kuai Liang send a couple of messages on his phone before he turned it off, paying attention to you once again.

You stretch your neck, a weird tension in your muscle you can't seem to stretch. Kuai Liang takes notice and is behind you.

"May I?" he asks politely.

You agree and feel his magic work. His fingers smoothly glide across your shoulders, pressing every spot and using his thumb to massage it in circles. You feel immediate relief and lean into him more, a moan escaping your lips at the pure pleasure. He moves up to your neck and uses his thumbs to rub the back of it, and it's clear he found the spot.

You moan even louder and lean back to him, flinching as you realize what your bottom pressed against. His cock, barred only with two pieces of clothes, was firm and hard against your plush ass. You gulped nervously and looked behind you, his eyes meeting yours.

For some reason, you two are in sync and you both lean into each other, his hand on your chin as he forces you to stay looking at him. He kisses you hard and deep, his other hand on your waist to grind into his hard dick. You moan into his kiss and you're led away from the window, falling into his lap while he falls into the couch.

His grip on your face remains, but his other hand moves to go up and behind your sweatshirt, his hands roaming over your bralette and finding its way to your actual tit. He squeezes gently and you moan out loud, eyes wide open and pushed away from him in embarrassment.

"Kuai Liang! Your brothers will hear us!" you hissed, but he simply smirks and nods ahead of you.

You're met with the hazy and up-turned faces of Tomas and Bi Han, whose hands palm their clothed erections gently. You turn from the kitchen and back to the lust-hooded eyes that clouded the men's vision. You sputter fragmented sentences but are immediately shut up with Tomas's finger, and he smirks playfully as his fingers gently pass your plump lips.

Your train of thought had derailed from it's planned route, and it was headed to fuck-a-ton station.

Kuai Liang removes his hands from you and brings it to your own hands, guiding them to his brother's clothed erections. You turn back to him and gasp, Tomas's fingers leaving your mouth, but you couldn't say a word due to Bi Han grabbing your chin and forcing you to look into his eyes. There's a devilish, playful glint in his eyes, and he lets a devious smile grace his face.

"Look at me, woman. What did I tell you about eyes, hm?"

You gulp again, but you can see that he wants this as much as you. Feeling a bit confident, you palmed their covered hard-ons and watched their faces morph into relief and lust. Kuai Liang was an adventurer, his hands exploring every part of your body before settling on your tit and underneath your underwear. You moaned as you felt him circling your clit, fidgeting in his lap as he bucks into your behind to release some friction.

Impatient, you motioned to the sweat the standing men wore and asked them to take it off. Obliging, they do so and include their boxers in the clothes they're stripping. Finally free of their fabric prison, their cocks spring free and are in front of your mouth. You nervously wrap one hand around Bi Han's and press your lips on Tomas's, teasing it a bit before putting it in your mouth.

Your body was in overdrive: hand and wrist pumping Bi Han's girthy length, tongue swirling around Tomas's curved cock, and your pussy stimmed and wet with Kuai Liang's talented fingers. You moved your hips to try and get some sort of pleasure, but Bi Han's hand gripped your throat.

"Don't be so hasty now," he gently pulled you off Tomas's dick, "We're only getting started."

Your mouth was on Bi Han's cock now as hand worked on Tomas's length, pumping it up and down with a steady pace. Bi Han's hand moved from your throat and into your hair, holding it like a leash to control the speed at which you bobbed up and down. You gagged, bits of drool coming out the side of your mouth, but you were high in ecstasy and pleasure. It felt even better when Kuai Liang's fingers slipped into your pussy.

You melted immediately, his fingers curling to hit all your good spots. Kuai Liang, kept you grounded with generous kisses on your back and constant reassurance and praise. Little "good job"'s and "such a good girl" filled your ears with pride, and it made your arousal shoot through the roof. You bucked your hips on his fingers, hoping to mimic the feeling of his dick in you (though, your imagination was the only frame of reference you had).

Bi Han's pace quickens as his grip tightened in your hair. You look up briefly and see him breathing a little harder, and Tomas is doing the same as he runs his hand through his hair. You quicken your pumps and bobbing, hoping to get a release. Your hips buck even more and grind into Kuai Liang's (still clothed) cock, and you whimper for more.

Tomas chuckles darkly, mocking you with condescension in his tone, "What, you want more? You're such a lowly woman wanting three men at once."

It was a stark 360 to Tomas' usual tone and cadence. Still, you nodded and answered, humming on Bi Han's cock. Tomas looks to Kuai Liang for approval, and he nods. Kuai Liang's fingers left your cunt, not without a slap on it though, watching you jolt in shock. You pouted at Kuai Liang, who simply kisses your forehead.

"I only joke, dear," he stands up along with his brothers, "Do you want to head to the bed?"

You nod shyly, and Tomas scoops you up into his arms, bridal style as he lead the way to the bedroom of Bi Han. Your face was warm with embarrassment, and over Tomas' shoulder you see the brother's look at you with a warmth on their face. Kuai splits from the group, however, and into the bathroom on the side, leaving you at the others' mercy. Once you three made it to the door, Bi Han goes to open it and for you two.

Tomas tosses you onto the bed and crawls between your legs, mouth immediately attacking your wet cunt. You don't pull away, in fact, your hands find their way to his ash hair and want more from his talented tongue, and you moan aloud at the pleasure. You're briefly drawn out from your lust as a pair of rough hands find their way onto your tit and chin. Bi Han turned your face to him and presses your forehead against his.

"Dirty woman," he teases, "You're enjoying this more than your eyes let on when you looked at us."

You hum into his mouth as he begins to make out with you. His tongue dips into your mouth while his hand plays your nipple and tit. Gentle and playful pinches that vastly differ from the way he attacks your mouth with distress and ownership, like you belong to him. You part from him quickly as you see Kuai Liang enter the room, a towel, lotion, and some wipes in hand.

You tease him playfully hand on Bi Han's face, "What's all this for? You're cumming already?"

There's a fire in his eyes as he immediately rushes to your side, his mouth on yours to shut you up. You moan and he groans, one of your hands reaching to his cock while your other is on Bi Han's. Bi Han guides your hand to stroke his dick properly, while you pump away at his Kuai Liang's. Finally, he lets go from you and positions himself to where his cock was in front of your mouth, and you lavished in the musky taste of it. Warmth filled your mouth as you took every inch of him, another "good girl" floating into your ears.

Your eyes were about to shut close when you suddenly heard a little wrapper rip, and your eyes shot to the direction of Tomas, who was opening a condom. No wonder it felt a little empty down there. Regardless, you take Kuai's cock out of your mouth to speak to him.

Tomas looks at you with concern, "I'm opening this to simply be ready. I was actually about to ask if you were okay with me being your first? If not, I can go back to what I was doing."

Bi Han nods in agreement, "He is correct, it is your choice. We will listen to your requests."

They all look at you with anticipation, and you mutter something quietly.

"My dear, would you speak up for us?" Kuai Liang coaxes.

You stutter, but compose yourself, "I'm actually, uh, um.. I'm on birth control. You may do as you please..."

Your face was buried in your hands and your eyes peek through to see Tomas's, which have become dark with lust. He doesn't even bother with the condom and grips onto your hips, lining your opening up with his even harder dick. He taps it, and he stares at you one more time and asks for your consent.

"I trust you, Tomas," you said, "I trust all of you, so don't be afraid."

Bi Han growls, "You are going to regret that, little woman..."

Tomas pushes himself into your cunt, and you gasp at how big he truly felt inside. He gets used to your tightness, sighing in relief after he gets used to it. He slowly pumps into your pussy, and you moan into the air of the room. Bi Han takes your throat and turns you to his cock, keeping you occupied while Kuai Liang operates your body once more, hands playing your tits and nipples. Your eyes begin to roll, and the mist of lust had turned into a thick fog, making your thoughts hazy.

You let go of Bi Han's mouth and turn back to Tomas, who's still driving himself into you. Like a wolf in heat, he fucks you ruthlessly and grips onto your hips to feel more of you. He looks at you with pathetic eyes, panting and almost begging.

"Good God... I might cum soon..." he said as he closed his eyes.

Kuai Liang tapped his shoulder and whispered something to him, and they switched. You felt the emptiness begin to creep into your entrance, but after flipping you to your belly and hiking your ass up, he filled your hole again. You let out another loud moan, but Bi Han puts your mouth to better use and has you take his cock like before.

You notice Tomas just on the side of the bed, stroking himself quietly as he watches the scene unfold. The woman he loved since he laid eyes on you at the teahouse, getting spit-roasted and dirtied up, was a sight to behold.

Definitely taking note on how he might be a cuck.

Still, you loved the attention on you, and you preened in it even more as Kuai Liang praised you.

"Such a good girl," he praises, "Taking us so well... you're so tight for me, stay like this for brother, hm? Okay?"

You can only nod and Kuai Liang spanks you, watching the recoil on your body. He chuckles and grips onto the mark that was forming on your ass. He leaned down and whispered into your ear.

"Only you could take us like this. Taking me so well, you'll do the same for Bi Han right? Be a good girl for all of us."

His elder brother scoffs, "Are you done with useless chatter? If I recall, it is my turn with her, as a reward for setting her up to meet us."

Oh, it was totally a trap and you fell for it. Honestly, you'd do it again if it meant having more of them.

You whine as Kuai Liang left your cunt high and dry, not without slapping it once more. He shuffles to the side of the bed and strokes his cock at his own pace, hopefully not cumming before he had the chance on cumming on you. You look at Bi Han who was standing up, and he takes you from the bed and into his arms. You face him and realize he's planning on fucking you upright, with nowhere else to look, you watch as you sink onto his cock.

You groan and you're even wetter than before, the sound of your cunt slapping onto his skin. He turns to his brothers.

"You did not tell me she squeezed so tightly," he grips onto your ass, "You two did not lie to me, did you?"

Tomas chuckles, "If you're feeling it, are we lying?"

You chuckle at his quip, but he glares at you, slamming you down harder. Your breathing hitched and are immediately put into a state of bliss. The rhythmic patter of his balls slapping your body, the squelching of his cock in your pussy and the strokes of his brothers watching, and the moans that escaped you, it was putting Bi Han in a frenzy and he fucked into you harder. For a second, you thought you felt him go past your cervix.

"Oh God..." you whine, "I think I'm cumming... Bi Han! Tomas... Kuai Liang!"

His thrusts become more erratic, and you can hear the others shuffle to meet you where you are. Tomas's hands roam your body while Kuai Liang keeps stroking his cock while locking lips with you. Your eyes squeeze shut as you can feel yourself climax from everything happening around you.

"Oh my, leaving us out to dry?" Kuai Liang teases as he let go from your lips.

You breath heavily, Bi Han not stopping as you spoke, "Please... on my body... all of you."

Tomas chuckles, "No need to ask us twice."

Bi Han stops briefly to move you to the bed, his brothers surrounding you by your shoulders. Their groans are a harmony to your ears, and you wait patiently for them to mark you as theirs. Bi Han is the first to let go, a groan from you and him as his seed fills you up. His brothers follow suit as streaks of white cover bits of your belly, breast, and neck (surprisingly not your face). You can hear them sigh as well, the pressure of their needs finally met.

The entire ordeal left you exhausted, and you begin feeling your lids close due to the weight of said exhaustion. As you floated between sleep and cognition, you hear fragmented sentences.

"No, you clean her out like this," from Tomas.

"Did someone bring the candles?" Perhaps from Kuai Liang.

A grunt of disgust, probably from Bi Han, "You bastards, getting her all messed up like this."

You felt the coolness of a wet wipe, the rustling of sheets and clothes, and your body being gently lifted up and put into some clothes. You couldn't care due to the fact you were: a. too tired to care, and b. sleepy and already sleeping.

=====================

When you awoke, you were surrounded by each man sleeping at every side of you: Tomas using your thighs as a pillow/sleeping companion, Kuai Liang's head on your shoulder, and Bi Han's arm around your shoulder as his head touched the side of yours.

While you loved the sentiment, you noted the surroundings, especially the window. The evening sky was no longer cloudy, and the stars were clearly visible against the darkness. You looked for any sign of a clock, moving too much and waking each man.

"Is something wrong?" Tomas yawns, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes!" you exclaim, "The rain has stopped and it's late. I really should be going, thank you all for an, uh, eventful day, but I must be going and-"

Bi Han just takes you into his chest, interrupting you again.

"You talk too much," he complained, "Sleep."

Kuai Liang strokes your hair, petting your head in between to coax you to sleep. Tomas draws circles on your legs to draw you into their siren's song of slumber. You try to fight them, but it's no use as you begin to fall asleep once more.

Oh fuck it, why not get some actual sleep this time.

=====================

OMG THAT WAS SO LONG

I'm a stickler for continuity, so I do my best to introduce some sort of background before anything else. Besides, I also like world-building, so I add tidbits of stuff i make into these fics

please enjoy this lengthy ahh story, and i'll see yall in the next fic!

[ladykailitha]

Across a Crowded Room Part 5

Here we go! The last chapter of this short story that was only supposed to take a couple hours and be absolutely light and fluffy.

*checks notes* yeah this thing was none of that!

But I hope you like the ending!

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

****

Eddie found a table quickly. That was the best part about going in the morning on a week day. While the colleges were out, the school age kids were still in class so the zoo was practically empty.

He pulled out his phone to check any messages he may have gotten, when his phone lit up with Nancy’s number.

He sighed, wondering if he should just let it go to voicemail, but he figured he might as well rip the bandaid off.

“Hello!” he said.

“Eddie!” Nancy said. It was clear she was already irritated. “Did you hear that Robin is staying with some stranger when she moves out to New York?”

Robin had in fact called him after she called Steve because she was avoiding calling Nancy.

“It would be no different if she was moving into the dorms,” Eddie reminded her. “The girl she’s staying with is the cousin of one of her friends so she’s not a total stranger. Plus they talked first to see if they could tolerate each other enough to be roommates.”

Nancy sighed. “It’s just I was really looking forward to having her on my couch, you know? After Jonathan left me, I really wanted the company.”

Eddie pinched the bridge of his nose. After Steve opened his eyes last night, he was starting to see a pattern to Nancy’s relationships. She was in a word, a serial monogamist.

“Yeah,” he said instead. “But it’s good she has a place to move to right off the bat so she isn’t living out of a suitcase, like she has been all this week.”

Another sigh. “You’re right, of course. I just worry about her. She’ll be on the other side of the city and we won’t be able to see each other that often.”

Eddie silently cheered. “That’s too bad. Look, I’ve got to go, Steve’s due back any second.”

“So how is Steve these days?” Nancy asked. “I heard he graduated from college.” But the way she said it, she made it sound like a fucking miracle.

Eddie chuckled. “Things are great! We went apartment hunting yesterday and decided to go to the zoo today.”

There was silence on the line for a beat too long before she said, “It’s good you two are reconnecting.”

“Oh there has been a lot of connecting all right,” Eddie said with a smirk. “With our hands, our mouths, our dic–”

“What?!” she shrieked. “You and Steve are dating?”

He puffed out his chest in pride. “Yeah. We finally got on the page on Monday after I got into Chicago. It’s been really great.”

“And you’re already moving into together, isn’t that fast?” she asked, her voice quivering.

Eddie looked up to Steve smiling down at him. “Look, he’s here. I’ve got to go.”

“Edd–”

Nancy didn’t get to finish his name because he had hung up on her.

Steve rolled the cooler over to the table and hefted it onto its surface. “Nancy I’m guessing.”

Eddie blinked at him for a moment. “How did you know that?”

“Robin called me,” he muttered. “Said she was really upset that Robin was moving in with Cassie–”

“Chrissy, love,” Eddie gently corrected.

Steve snapped his fingers. “That was it, yeah. Chrissy. Anyway, Robin said Nancy was upset that she wasn’t staying her because she wanted ‘girl bonding time’ or some shit.” He started unpacking their food. “Like Nancy didn’t recently come out as bi.”

Eddie sighed as he got to work, too pulling out the plates and utensils. “You said we shouldn’t call Nancy last night to blast her, so I called Jonathan. I wanted to know what he said about their break up.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhmm,” Eddie hummed. “He told her wanted couple’s counseling because he felt like the relationship had become more unbalanced lately and he wanted to make it work out.”

Steve opened their sides and sat down next to him. “I’m guessing that went over like a lead balloon.”

Eddie took a chip from the bag and munched. “Pretty much,” he said around the chip. “So he gave her the ultimatum and she chose to break up.”

“I give her three weeks before she goes running back to him.”

Eddie snorted. “I bet she thought with Robin coming up to New York she could scoop up a new girlfriend.”

“I wouldn’t put it past her.”

They settled into a comfortable silence as they ate their food. They cleaned up and walked back to the car.

“This was a fun idea,” Steve murmured. “Even if Nancy decided to call and put a damper things a bit.”

“Yeah,” Eddie said. “But I’m glad you had fun today.”

Steve chewed his bottom lip. “Would you like to go to dinner with me to that Italian restaurant I was telling you about yesterday morning?”

Eddie’s eyes lit up. “Like a proper date?”

“Yeah.”

“Hell yeah,” Eddie said, pumping his fist. “I’ll drop you off at your place so I can shower and change. And maybe tonight you could spend the night with me at the hotel?”

Steve grinned. “That sounds like great idea Eds. I’ll pack an overnight bag and bring it with me to dinner. Is that okay?”

Eddie pulled him in for a deep kiss. “I’m game.”

****

Steve showered and shaved. Whistling a happy tune, dancing to the song to the music in his head.

His phone rang and he walked over to the counter to see who it was. He rolled his eyes when he saw it was Nancy.

He sighed. It seemed that she had gone the rounds with Eddie and Robin and having gotten no where with them, decided to go to Steve.

“Hey.”

“Steve,” Nancy said, her voice clipped. “Eddie spends two days in your company and suddenly everything has changed. And certainly not for better. So I have to ask what the hell did you say to them?”

Steve threw his head back and laughed. “You’re afraid I told them the truth about us.”

“There is no truth, Steve,” Nancy hissed. “You believed one thing and I believed another.”

“You can keep telling yourself that,” he said. “And Eddie and I got together when he got into town. We were to meet up for drinks. Originally he was supposed to get in around three and meet us for drinks at seven, but because of a tropical storm, his flight was delayed three times. So he got in, came to the bar, and kissed the hell out of me. I had barely got a hello out before we were kissing. So I literally didn’t have time to tell him anything.”

He could feel her brooding on the other end of the phone. “And as for Robin, when we met up for dinner after a disastrous apartment hunting her and Eddie commiserated about having to find a place in a new city. I suppose she was still feeling that when she spent the night at Kendra’s and told her all about it.”

The brooding intensified.

“Is there anything else you would like to accuse me of or can I go on my date with Eddie now?”

“That’s all,” Nancy huffed. “It just seems so sudden.”

“Life is like that,” he agreed. “And oh, never call me again. I’m blocking this number.”

He hung up and proceeded to do just that. He felt lighter than he had in days.

He grabbed his stuff and left the apartment with a smile on his face.

****

Eddie tapped on the wheel as he waited for Steve to come down. He was glad that things had smoothed out after that disastrous second day in ole Windy City.

The zoo was just what they needed to take their minds off of things.

When Steve came thundering down the stairs, Eddie wolf whistled. Holy fuck.

Steve was wearing a grey vest over a light blue button up, first three buttons undone, sleeves rolled up, and messily tucked into the tightest blue jeans Eddie had ever seen.

In other words, Eddie was doomed. He would be writing songs about Steve’s ass in those jeans for years to come. The boys were going to murder him, but god it would be worth it.

Steve opened the door and slid into the passenger seat, throwing his pack onto the back seat.

“You ready to go, baby?” Eddie asked brightly.

“Yup!”

Dinner was amazing. The conversation flowed as easily as Steve’s wine. Since Eddie was driving, he only had one beer that he nursed throughout the meal.

When they got back to the hotel, Eddie was relentless in his pursuit of Steve’s pleasure. He loved mapping out every freckle, every mole. Finding out which parts made him moan and which ones made him giggle.

Finding out he was ticklish under his right knee was a revelation to Eddie, because Steve would scrunch up his nose when he giggled and god, did that melt Eddie’s heart.

Sex was less intense then their first time, but more enjoyable for it’s learning of each other’s bodies.

They cleaned themselves up and got ready for bed. Eddie licked his lips when he saw that Steve didn’t bring any pajamas.

“Is this how normally sleep or is this a show just for me?”

Steve looked down at the one scrape of clothing covering his body and shucked off his underwear. “I usually just wear briefs to bed because our apartment is awful. It’s freezing in the kitchen and front room, but ass hot in bedrooms.”

Eddie eyed Steve’s body as he thought about joining him in the naked sleeping thing. “Why don’t you go full frontal?”

Steve snorted. “Robin.”

Eddie’s eyes snapped up to Steve’s. “Oh. Right. Roommate who doesn’t like man bits, not wanting to see said man bits even accidentally. Got it.”

“And depending on my next place I might need to sleep with five layers and twelve blankets or nothing at all,” Steve said with a giggle.

“Can I vote for nothing at all?”

Steve laughed.

They crawled into bed. Eddie had chosen to at least put on pajama bottoms because he didn’t like the idea of having his balls touch those sheets.

Once they were cuddled up in bed Steve murmured, “Nancy called me right before you showed up.”

Eddie sighed. “Because of course she did. What did she want?”

“To blame me for you two turning on her,” he explained.

Eddie frowned and moved back enough to look Steve in the eye. “What? I don’t think Robin and I said anything to that affect.”

“Oh I know,” Steve agreed. “But she thinks I tricked you into dating me and conjured Chrissy from thin air all to ruin her life.”

Eddie snorted. “Once you told me about the cheating I told Uncle Wayne about it, and he said that there were a lot of things off about Nancy that he had noticed over the years and wondered why I hadn’t seen them, too.”

Steve let out a long sigh. “Because she didn’t want you to see them. I don’t blame you for it.”

Eddie kissed him. “Thank you for that. But anyway, the point is that once he said that, it was like someone had turned on the light and could see everything so much cleared and everything was only ever for her benefit, she was just really good at making you feel like it was for yours too.”

He pulled Steve in close. “But the blinders are off, babe. I’m one hundred percent yours.”

Steve smiled. “That’s all I could ever ask for.”

Eddie kissed him soundly and then they settled into sleep.

****

Steve rarely slept in, but sleeping in Eddie’s arms apparently made his internal clock line up with Eddie’s instead.

He woke up and groggily looked at the digital alarm clock on the bedside table and blinked at it. He wasn’t sure, but he could have sworn it said 10:54am.

That couldn’t be right. He picked up his phone and nope. Apparently that was the correct time.

Then he realized what had woke him. Eddie came out of the bathroom with a fond smile on his face.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” he greeted, bending down to kiss Steve on the lips. “I’ve ordered us some food, but alas it has to be lunch at this point.”

Steve chuckled and slid out of bed. “I blame you entirely for that, by the way. I never sleep in like that.”

“It’s good for you,” Eddie grinned. “Especially after the roller coaster of emotions that has been the last few days. Your body needed rest, so you got it.”

Steve nodded. “I figure we can go out today and look at more apartments, if you’re up to it.”

“Sure thing, babe.”

There was a knock on the door and Eddie went to go answer it as soon as Steve was in the bathroom.

Eddie tipped the guy and they settled down to eat their brunch, such as it was.

While they ate, Eddie and Steve pulled up several different apartments that could work for them with their budget and made a list of out of the links based on how close they were to Eddie’s hotel.

Steve showered and got dressed. He packed up his stuff and threw it in the back seat of Eddie’s rental.

The first one was a bust. Literally. A pipe had burst the night before and the owner had been working on getting it fixed, so he hadn’t updated the site. It wouldn’t be livable for two months. Well past when Steve or Eddie needed to be moved in by.

So they moved on.

Crumby landlords, obvious signs of pests, and high prices struck again.

They stopped for dinner.

“Fuck,” Eddie groused. “I’m going to be making a fair amount, but not enough for these prices.”

Steve nodded. “It’s why I was living with Robin. Everything is just too expensive these days.” He chewed on his lip for a moment.

“Move in with me!” he blurted.

Eddie looked up at him with wide eyes.

“What?”

“We both loved that third apartment we saw,” Steve explained. “It had two bedrooms and two full baths. It had a nice kitchen and was already wired for internet. Neither of us can afford it alone, but...”

Eddie gulped and pursed his lips. “And you’d want that, with me?”

Steve nodded.

“Yeah,” Eddie said with a fond smile. “Let’s do that, then. You can move in right away and get things set up and then when I move to Chicago at the end of the month, I can just slide right in.”

Steve kissed him fiercely and then called the landlord.

Two hours later they were the proud renters of a brand new shiny apartment.

A lot of their friends thought that they were moving a little too quickly getting an apartment together, but Eddie and Steve knew it was the start of something wonderful.

And really that was the best outcome either one of them could have hoped to dream for when they had made plans for Eddie to come out to Chicago.

Robin and Chrissy got along so well, that before classes even started in the fall, Robin had moved into Chrissy’s bedroom and they turned the second bedroom into a dance studio for Chrissy.

Nancy tried getting back with Jonathan a month later as Steve predicted, but he told her to get therapy and moved back to California to be with his mom, who had retired out there.

Steve didn’t know if she ever got the therapy she needed, but he hoped she did.

Eddie’s band was making lots of great progress on their album and the company was getting ready to release their first single. A little song about finding love right when you needed it most.

Steve had gotten a teaching position at a middle school as their basketball couch and US history teacher.

He was happy with the life he had, he didn’t need to worry about the life he’d lost when he broke up with Nancy all those years ago.

It was too soon to think about marriage, but Steve had a ring that he had bought years ago that he thought would look good on Eddie’s hand. But they had time.

And wasn’t that just amazing.

****

Tag List: @mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @emly03

@spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie

@chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @danili666

@goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog

@justforthedead89 @vecnuthy @irregular-child @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690

@anne-bennett-cosplayer @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon

@cinnamon-mushroomabomination @dragonmama76 @scheodingers-muppet @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt

@useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95

[uwmspeccoll]

Milestone Monday

On this day, October 23, 1906, aeronaut Alberto Santos-Dumont (1873-1932) flew his biplane 14-bis for 50 meters at an altitude of about four meters. 14-bis, also known as Oiseau du Proie or “Bird of Prey,” was a powered heavier-than-air machine that took off unassisted by an external launch system at the Bagatelle Gamefield in Paris. This was one of the first heavier-than-air flights certified by the Aeroclub of France and recognized by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.  

In celebration of this momentous shift within aerodynamics, we are exploring Santos-Dumont's earlier flights through his autobiography My Air-Ships published in New York in 1904 by The Century Company. Santos-Dumont's first experiments with flight were conducted in lighter-than-air balloons, oblong shaped and filled with buoyant gas. He conveniently named them numerically No. 1- No. 10 and kept detailed records of the successes and failures of each balloon.  

Most notably was Santos-Dumont's flight No. 6 in 1901 when he flew around the Eiffel Tower. The flight took 29 minutes and 30 seconds and awarded him the Deutsch Prize. The flight is heavily documented in his autobiography along with all of Santos-Dumont's lighter-than-air designs and airships.  

My Air-Ships features a lovely publisher's binding, is a gift of George Hardie, and is part of the George Hardie Aerospace Collection at UW-Milwaukee.

View other Milestone Monday posts.

– Jenna, Special Collections Graduate Intern 

[forabeatofadrum]

What's poppin' LGBTs and happy Pride! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️✨ I already went to a Pride event yesterday and I am filled with joy. Man, I love Pride parades. I was tagged-back by @kurtsascot and @blackberrysummerblog.

I still haven't written a lot due to, ya know, academic papers (just handed in one!) and exams AND preparing to move house and preparing a vacation. But as I mentioned last time, the upcoming chapter of Ljubili se is almost done.

“Blaine, can I be honest with you?” Quinn says. “Always.” “Was [working for your dad's company in New York] ever a great idea to begin with?” Blaine blinks a couple of times. “What do you mean?” “I mean, what were you going to do there? The same as in Ljubljana?”

And now, the weather: @quizasvivamos @coffeegleek @caramelcoffeeaddict @raenestee @tectonicduck @nightimedreamersworld @urban-sith @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @bookish-bogwitch @confused-bi-queer @that-disabled-princess @special-bc-ur-part-of-it @larkral @cutestkilla ​ @wellbelesbian ​ @artsyunderstudy ​ @facewithoutheart ​ @shrekgogurt @rockitmans @bitbybitwrites @whatevertheweather @theotherhufflepuff @shame-is-a-wasted-emotion @esilher @nightimedreamersghost @ivelovedhimthroughworse @thnxforknowingme

[mariacallous]

One night this past February, over drinks and moody bar lighting in Brooklyn, Eric Green and his friends were swapping stories of their recent hookups when one mentioned they’d used the app Sniffies to have public sex. A 30-year-old tattoo artist who works in Bushwick, Brooklyn, Green identifies as a bottom, is a frequent user of dating apps, and has an active sex life—only, he’d never heard of Sniffies.

It wasn’t long after that night out, Green was overtaken by “complete and total horniness” while at home, and decided to sign up himself. When he opened the app he was reminded of Google Maps, only instead of restaurants and shopping recommendations, he was inundated with nudes and suggestions for the nearest pump-and-dump. “I expected it to be like Grindr and Jack’d, but after I checked it out I realized it was super accessible,” Green says, referencing two other popular queer hookup platforms. “More accessible than any other app.”

Access is Sniffies’ main selling point. A map-based cruising platform for men of all sexual identifications (gay, bi, DL, and straight-curious—yes, you read that right), Sniffies has become something like an adults-only Disneyland for queer men interested in sex-positive, no-strings-attached casual encounters. “We really focus on in-the-moment connections,” says Eli Martin, the company’s chief marketing officer and creative director. “On other apps, it’s not always clear what people’s intentions are—some people want to find a boyfriend, others just want to look around—but on Sniffies, we try to make it clear that people are fulfilling their sexual desires and fetishes.”

Sniffies is not your typical dating app, or a dating app at all, really. In lieu of the typical song and dance on Tinder or Bumble, where conversations are bogged down in endless chatter that often never materializes into an IRL meeting, on Sniffies you can anonymously browse a map of guys looking for sex with other guys. Along with web-apps BKDR (short for backdoor), Motto, and Doublelist (think a more streamlined Craigslist personals), it has reignited an appeal in cruising culture that for so long had been taboo, even among certain queer circles, for fear of acceptance or health concerns.

“Destigmatizing casual sex has been our biggest hurdle in general,” says Martin. “It’s been ingrained in us to be monogamous, but we should have this sexual freedom. Cruising doesn’t have to be seedy or something that only happens in back alleys.” Thankfully, he says, that’s changing. “In the last couple of years, we’ve been able to enjoy it more without as much judgment, but it was still hard on day one, because I was like, how do we create an app that’s [not only cool] but going to continually push people to engage in?”

Launched in 2018, Sniffies was the brainchild of former Seattle-based architect Blake Gallagher. A problem-solver by nature, Gallagher was fascinated by the way urban environments influence sexual interactions. He wanted to better augment natural human connection in public spaces, and decided to implement a map feature and geolocation technology as the basis for Sniffies—tapping into what author Jack Parlett calls “the democratic potential of cruising.” Gallagher first tested his idea in Seattle and, with the help of his brother Grant, a programmer, slowly built Sniffies into what it is today—a “cruising app for the curious” with an increasing global reach.

“We really push for the physical aspect of getting off your phone and out and about,” Martin says. And it’s paying off. According to data shared with WIRED, the US cities that see the most action—that is, the horniest cities—are Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, Chicago, and Atlanta. (These figures are based on the highest number of sessions within a geographic area.) London saw a 475 percent growth in usership from 2022 to 2023, and Vancouver is Sniffies’ most discreet city.

Green says he uses the app twice a week “if I’m actually going to meet up with somebody, but I will go on there and scroll every so often.” (His last name was changed to protect his privacy.) According to the company, the average Sniffies user identifies as vers (25.6 percent of total users), has a penis size of 6.67 inches, prefers to cruise a park, restroom, or a residential tower of some sort, is into edging and cum play, and is most likely having sex on Mondays. Since joining, Green describes his time on Sniffies as “kinda calm,” compared to his friends. The encounters he has had, he says, have been “from apartment to apartment, nothing outside or in the gym.”

BKDR is another rising player among the burgeoning world of queer cruising apps. Eric Silverberg says users on Scruff and Jack’d—sister apps to BKDR (all three are owned by Perry Street Software)—were identifying “a clear desire for a platform that prioritized sexual expression and sex.” Cruising has occurred for centuries, he says, and an app like BKDR is a “direct, no-nonsense product that allows people to get on and get off in a very literal sense.”

The demand certainly seems to be there—and the potential for such apps is only growing. Although BKDR launched less than a year ago, it has already expanded to Latin America and Europe. “It’s early days for us, but over 1 million people have visited BKDR in the past month,” Silverberg tells me, adding, “We think it will be the biggest product in our portfolio.”

Growth brings its own set of problems, however. A recent Reddit post detailed how a more conservative kind of user now inhabits the Sniffies. “Now that [the app] is getting really popular in some places there are a ton of guys on the map in my area and most of them are just there to waste your time. I'm looking for [a] hookup right now,” user @curiousFriend2 wrote. “Sniffies used to cater to lowkey guys and even some cumdumps and the more sleezy side, but now the Grindr crowd [has] come in and a lot of them are not even into those things and publicly announce it.”

Sniffies took off following the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020, and Martin believes the isolation of the pandemic led to users being more open-minded about cruising. “People’s mindset changed to realize that they want to take advantage of the moment,” he says.

That’s mainly what Green is after most days, though he says he tries not to use Sniffies as a crutch. “It’s cool to go on during my downtime—late at night or early in the morning,” he says, “because I actually have stuff to do, and I don’t want to throw my day looking for dudes,” he says, before adding that “if you’re solely looking for fun,” it’s unbeatable.

[fabuloustrash05]

2012 Caseynardo’s Love Story Headcanon

How the Leo x Casey ship would come to be if I wrote TMNT 2012

Their love story starts during the farmhouse arc in season 3 when Casey notices Raph is under a lot of stress and pressure from being the temporary leader of the group while Leo is injured and recovering. He’s got a lot on his plate: taking care of Leo because of his injury, looking after Mikey and Donnie, and even being the one who is making sure Mikey, Donnie and April are all keeping up with their ninja training. Because of this Casey offers to look after and take care of Leo so Raph can focus more on training everybody, and Raph accepts.

This decision results in Leo and Casey spending a lot more time together while living on the farmhouse. Casey would keep Leo company at the house while the others were off training, and together they would hang out, play video games, joke together, watch movies (sometimes Spaceheroes), and also chat and get to know each other more. Overtime the two actually became really close, and they realize they had a lot more common than they originally believed. They are both the oldest siblings of their families and they are willing to do everything in their power to protect them and keep their younger sibling(s) safe and happy (Reminder: Casey canonly has a little sister). They both relate to the feeling that they feel more like a parent to their siblings then an actual sibling because their fathers are never around to take care of them because they are always busy so they unwillingly take on the responsibility.

After this moment of realization and bonding, Leo began to develop feelings for Casey first. Spending so much time together Leo began seeing another side of Casey realizing there’s more to him than just being the reckless troublemaker that his brother hangs out with all the time. Leo admires that no matter the difficult and hard situation Casey is in, he always looks at the positive side of it all. Casey comes from a broken family and lives a difficult life (Note: I believe the writers have confirmed that Casey’s parents are divorced, that’s why I say “broken family”) but yet he still holds his head up high and keeps going. He’s actually more mature than Leo thought.

Casey also began to develop feelings for Leo around this time because Leo was the only person who genuinely listened to him and understood his struggles. April never truly did that. She listened, but didn’t understand, and for Raph he understood but hardly listened because he (like many others) don’t take Casey seriously. Also around this time Casey feelings for April began to fade. He still cares about her, and loves her as a friend, but not in a romantic light. He also grew tired of the love triangle, because he knew that April was growing feelings for Donnie at this point, so he found it pointless being in a competition where he already knows what the results will be, but that doesn’t stop him from still messing with Donnie when it comes to April related stuff.

So Leo (being the closest bisexual I HC him to be) becomes very overwhelmed with his new feelings for Casey, while Casey (who I also HC as bi) is chill with it and doesn’t overthink his feelings but thinks Leo doesn’t feel the same for him, when in truth he does like him too, Casey’s just very oblivious. Whenever he would get close to Leo (hugging him, touching his shoulder, etc) Leo gets really flustered and blush and then panic like an idiot, Casey just thinks that he’s making Leo uncomfortable. Leo also doesn’t realize that Casey likes him to because he thinks Casey still likes April because he still sees him rivaling with Donnie for April, which reminder Casey’s only doing this now to mess with Donnie not because he likes a April anymore.

During and after they leave the farmhouse, there’s pining feelings between them, sometimes even friendly flirty. Later on the Kraang are defeated, New York was saved by the Turtles and Mutanimals, and the city is trying to go back to normal. One night while on patrol, Casey ask Raph if Leo ever talks about him when he’s not around. Raph immediately picks up what’s going on (their little moments of flirting we’re obvious to him, but everyone else was blind) and quickly tells Casey to just go for it and ask out his brother, because out of everybody Raph knows Leo had a terrible first experience with romance (Note: Leo’s romantic feelings for Karai disappeared the second he found out she was his sister, something the writers should’ve done, and because of this Leo had a hard time excepting romance again. *Cue “I Think I’m In Love Again” by Kat Dahlia*)

A little nervous, Casey takes Raph’s advice and asked Leo if he wants to go on a date with him. Leo is shocked by this and believe Casey just means to hang out as friends, but Casey tell him that he’s liked him for a while and wants to go on an actual date with him and Leo happily accepts.

Keeping their newfound relationship a secret from everybody else, except for Raph because he obviously now knows, the two have their first day at the hockey rink. The two have a really fun time and by the end of the date they come close to sharing their first kiss, but Leo stops himself. Leo tells Casey that he really does like him and wants to be in a relationship with him but Leo knows he can’t right now. At the moment he has too much stress and pressure of being leader, Karai is still out there lost in her mutant snake form (though Leo is not interested in Karai romantically anymore he still cares about her because she is his family and he wants to bring her home), Shredder is still out there, and who knows what others threats will soon come their way. Casey is sad but completely understands, telling Leo that he will wait for him. The two agree to be friends after that date and the story continues on as per usual with the occasional flirty banter between them both. By season 4 everyone picks up what is going on between them, and some wonder when are they finally going to get together. It’s a “right person wrong time” situation.

By the end, they would officially get together and their relationship would be confirmed during the season 5 episode, When Worlds Collide. Remember that scene of Leo in the dojo training with Karai? Have that scene play out and just replace Karai with Casey ;)

[itsparis-07]

BROOKLNY'S SPARROW PT.1

( since this my first fic ever please go easy on me now, and as always stay fresh and reblog this fic for pt.2!!! - with love, Paris!)

In the year 202X, Earth-42 was a world much like any other. People lived their lives, went to work, raised families, and tried their best to ignore the rising tide of crime that threatened to engulf their world. But in one small corner of the universe, in the bustling city of New York, there was a company called Oscorp that had a secret plan to change everything. They had created human-avian hybrids, soldiers designed to stop gang crime once and for all. The project, code-named "XJR-10," was supposedly aimed at restoring order to the city, but the truth was far more sinister.

Oscorp's real goal was to use these hybrids, known as "Reapers," to wipe out every bi-poc area in New York City, starting with Brooklyn. The plan was to infiltrate the neighborhoods, gather intelligence then launch a coordinated attack that would leave no witnesses. It was a brutal and a genocidal scheme, but it was one that Oscorp felt was necessary to maintain control over New York City.

As the Reapers began their mission, they encountered resistance from the very people they were supposed to protect. In one of Oscorp's "Metro" facilities in Brooklyn, a riot broke out as the Reapers tried to round up innocent civilians. The facility was overrun, and one of the hybrids, Michiko, managed to escape. As she fled into the night, she found herself in the midst of chaos and confusion.

Little did she know that her escape would lead her straight into the path of Rio Morales, a nurse at the time saw something in Michiko that reminded her of her own past, of the innocence and hope that had once filled him. She decided to take her in.

As they walked along to park slope, Rio walked her inside, placed down her bags and walked toward the kitchen. She grabbed a small box of Mango tea and started the kettle on the stove.

"Are your wings feeling better? You were in the hospital with me for awhile" Rio said as she placed the mug of tea in front of Michiko. Miciko smiled softly and nodded, "Yes, thank you." She took a sip of the tea and let out a small sigh of relief. "You've been very kind to me Ms.Rio, I'm not sure what I would've done if you hadn't found me." Rio chuckled, "I couldn't just leave you there not even if it was my son, as a mother I can't stand to see kids like you going through thing like that."

As they continued to talk, Rio began to tell Michiko about her family and her life before becoming a nurse. She shared stories of her childhood, her teenage years, and even her early adult life. Michiko, in turn, shared some of her own experiences, though she was careful not to reveal too much about her past as a Reaper. The two women seemed to connect on a deep level, and Rio couldn't help but feel a sense of protectiveness over Michiko.

As the front sofly opened Miles walked in to greet his mother as usual, as he walked to the kitchen he stopped to face the two women. Michiko and Rio looked up at him, their eyes filled with curiosity and wonder. "Miles, this is Michiko. She was in the Metro facility when it was attacked and she managed to escape. I found her wandering around and decided to take her in." Rio explained, her voice gentle but firm. Miles nodded, taking in the sight of the young woman with wings. Michiko smiled shyly and took a sip from her cup as she brushed her sister locs out of her face. He stared at Michiko for a bit then sat down at the table along with his mother.

"I know it's job your to take care of others, but she's can't be here for long. I mean she's on the news and Oscorp has the cops searching all of New York for her." Miles said worriedly.

Rio looked at Miles and then back at Michiko."We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, Miles. For now, let's focus on making sure she's safe and comfortable. And if the police do come looking for her, we'll figure something out then." She reached out to pat Michiko's hand reassuringly.

TO BE CONT!!!

[gremlinbabe]

Sterek kink/bdsm club fic

*** wanna write this but could use some help cuz I’d like 30+ ish chapters. Lmk if you’re interested must be 18+ to participate. Supernaturals & pack dynamics exist but supernaturals aren’t known outside of other supernaturals (they all got a spidey sense for it) , Derek is led to supernatural club by his mentor. Stiles and lydia are co owners of said club. All characters will be 21+***

Characters: Derek Hale, Stiles Stilinski, Erica Reyes, Vernon Boyd, Scott McCall , Jackson Whittemore, Kira Yukimura, Lydia Martin, Issac lanhey, Allison argent , Cora hale, Jordan Parrish, Malia Hale ,Ethan and Aiden Steiner, Braeden (teenwolf)

Main Ships: Sterek(stilesxderek),Berica(boydxerica) , scissac(scottxissac), jethan(Jacksonxethan), malira(maliaxkira), allisaac(Allison x issac), Jordan x Lydia x Aiden(Aydia, marrish, & SOME Jordan x Aiden)

Secondary ships: sterica & stoyd, some derica, some doyd, jydia(cool with each other but past), Malydira(after jydia breakup), (romantic but taking it very slow because they’re new to men but find each other attractive- will cuddle or occasional kiss)Jordan x Aiden, Cora x Isaac (practices flirting with each other 24/7 but 100% platonic lol ), Cora x og female character(romantic)&(ace!Cora likes nude photos cuz she thinks their neat) , mentions of some scallison (cool with each other but past cuz of different views on wanting kids so they aren’t together BUT both really like issac & think he deserves nice things and date him separately)

Main tags:canon-divergent, magical emissary!stiles, Alpha!Derek, Beta! Erica, Boyd, Issac, Cora, Scott, Allison, Aiden , Ethan, Were coyote!Malia, Kanima! Jackson, kitsune!Kira, Mentor/mistress! Braeden (still working on the tags)

***Prequel***- In beacon hills everyone knew everyone and Derek was tired of it. He’s known for a long time now that he’s bi but he’s always wanted to explore his kinks further or attend some kink or bdsm clubs to see what they could offer him. But being from such a small town everyone’s business is a little too intertwined. He knew he had to leave town if he ever wanted to explore this side of himself. So he joined a site for likeminded individuals who wanted to explore their kinks. He didn’t want to go into this blindly so he knew he had to get educated by someone before stepping into this lifestyle. He talked to many people but eventually he ended up becoming friends with a certified mistress,kink educator, and club event coordinator named Braeden. She explained all the ins and out and do’s and don’t to Derek and explained to him that what he might be looking for is a dom/domme. Knowing that he wouldn’t find a dom and maintain his privacy in beacon hills he had asked her about other places he could go outside of cali. After confirming if he was willing to move to explore his kinks. She recommended a some popular locations. But there was one place in particular stuck out to Derek. She told him that there was a lot of options in New York rumored to have some of the best places to vet for a genuine dom. If he was gonna be serious about this lifestyle and invest his time and energy Derek knew he needed to find a job in the same state even if it wasn’t super close to the clubs & that was fine he didn’t need anyone following him home. Working up the nerve to actually move all the way to New York he started applying to jobs that he could put his auto mechanics degree to good use. At the same time filling in braeden that the next few weeks to some months could be a bit hectic on him so he might not be as consistent in messaging. She understood that moves can be messy and helped him find a moving company for his stuff. But he took the time to clean up any loose ends in beacon hills. Soon he found a place and was getting call backs for jobs. After everything was secured, movers moved the last of his things and he was more settled into his new apartment he filled braeden in on his last few weeks. After adjusting a bit more to his new space he called up braeden. He knew there were special ways to get into some club. So he hired braeden as his mistress for the weekend . He invited her over to his home and she gave him a quick rundown of what to expect, rules, and makings of a safe word.

She had told him that there was a club named hourglass that she’d like to take him to but he had to be led in by collar and leash so it’s known that she’d be in charge of him and making decisions about his safety physically and emotionally for the night . He excitedly nods but he knows she always needs a verbal agreement.

“Yes mistress I’d love to see the club you want to take me to, I don’t mind the leash” he said a little breathless.

“Good, I can lead you there but I have some friends that attend events or work there that could potentially point you in a better direction. You’ve been interested in exploring more with men, if you want to chat with specific people you should always come to me first to check if they’re ok to talk to. Some people have limits for themselves or their partners. If anyone piques your interest you can always let me know and play but participating isn’t mandatory if you don’t feel like in getting in anything tonight you don’t have to. If you’re uneasy you can always come find me I’ll be near and keeping a eye out but I want to you have a more organic experience . And last thing most people understand traffic light rules but remember SSC, RACK, and always remember to have a safe word if you plan to participate. And if none of my friends can provide it for you themselves. I’ll always take care of you.” She sends back a flirty wink.

“I.. I don’t know what to wear” he explained.

“That’s alright sweetheart I think I something perfect for you” she grinned. She opens the bag she walked in with.

You sure you aren’t psychic?” He asks. She laughs “no I just know you’re a newbie.

She pulls out a long sleeve mesh shirt, tiny leather shorts that would barley hold anything, and a slim black leash attached to a soft collar with a spiral on it looked like a piece of the tattoo on his back.

“I let the club owners and staff know I’m bringing you today so if they see a tall, tan, and handsome man with a spiral collar just to keep and eye out in case there’s an emergency and I’m not near.” She explained. “ now get dressed and let’s get going” she handed over the bag.

“Are you changing too?”Derek asked curiously.

“Yes sweetheart I’m already dressed under this” she emphasized by picking up the edge of her shirt.

“Yes sweetheart I’m already dressed under this” she emphasized by picking up the edge of her shirt.

Additional possible tags: established friendships and relationships for the most part, polyamory, partner switching, smut with plot, supernatural kink club, primal dom, primal sub, cuckolding, switch/verse ,asphyxiation, ropeplay, blood play, knife play, vampirism, Voyeurism, spanking, feet, handcuffs, blindfolds, role play, Olfactophilia, Navel fetishism, Odaxelagnia, Narratophilia, Pygophilia, Omorashi, Pedal pumping, Salirophilia, Troilism, Wet and messy fetishism, Autoerotic asphyxiation, Feederism, Transvestic fetishism, Toxophilia, Lactophilia, Liquidophilia, Maiesiophilia, Maschalagnia, Mazophilia, Pictophilia, Kleptophilia, Algolagnia, Heterophilia, Hoplophilia, Hybristophilia, etc.(a lot honestly lol)

[schrijverr]

Eddie's Famous Husband

Eddie loves his husband and all his coworkers know that, because he loves talking about Richie. He just forgot to mention that his husband is famous comedian Richie Tozier. Outsiders POV.

On AO3.

Ships: Richie x Eddie

Warnings: none

~~~~~~~~~~~

Eddie is the new worker on the floor. He has transferred over from the New York offices of the company to where they are located in LA. He is a little uptight, especially about hygiene and can be a slight pushover on projects. However, he works hard and well in the team. Louis likes him.

Louis shares office space with Eddie and has been the one that gave him a tour on his first day. On that first day, he felt awkward around the man, who was dressed with everything neatly in place, resting on a sturdy classy cane, scar across his cheek. He looked a bit like a mobster.

However, Louis slowly got along with Eddie, because while he can seem like an asshole from time to time, he is a caring guy.

He has a bit of a phobia of getting sick or injured, but that means he is highly up to date on the safety codes that are in place for them, always sticking up whenever he sees something that should not be allowed. He also has an apothecary in his desk and if Louis has a headache or something, he knows he can ask Eddie for some painkillers.

It’s one of his oddities that makes him likable, despite his strict oddities. Another one of his endearing qualities is how much he loves his husband.

The amount Eddie talks about his husband is something Louis hadn’t seen coming when he first saw the guy in his perfectly pressed suit screaming professional corporate straight man, who makes ball and chain jokes, like so many others on their floor.

Yet a week into them working together a small pride flag appears in the meticulously kept pencil holder. Eddie looks like he is prepared to fight anyone, who talks shit about the flag, defiant and confident.

A part of Louis can’t help but think that must be terrifying and maybe a mask. So, he tries to remember all his girlfriend ever told him about coming out as bi and smiles at Eddie as he says: “I like your flag.”

True to prediction, Eddie seems to loose some tension and smile back as he says: “Thank you, my husband bought it for me. Says I need more office decorations and not look like a little corporate robot.” Eddie chuckles at that.

Louis also smiles and replies: “Sounds like a smart guy. You’ve been together long?”

“Well,” Eddie hesitates for a second, then explains: “We knew each other from childhood, but we lost contact for a long while. We got together two years ago, been married for almost one year now.”

“Congrats,” Louis says, unsure of what else to say. Eddie is older than him by a good decade, so getting only together two years ago with his childhood friend means he must have dated people before, maybe even been married. If he is honest, Eddie looks the type to be repressed for a long while, making the act of the flag all the more brave.

However, Louis doesn’t say or ask after any of that, because he isn’t an asshole. And despite his clumsy words, Eddie seems to appreciate it. He sends Louis a happy content smile that cannot be faked and says: “Thank you.”

So, that is the first time Louis hears about Eddie’s husband, though by far not the last, and when Eddie wins his respect. It is also when he decides he wants to be Eddie’s friend.

After that day, Louis starts more conversations with Eddie as they work, asking after his weekend or if he’s also in dying need of some coffee. The words earn him a lecture on the dangers of caffeine that Eddie looks almost apologetic about it, as if he can’t help it either that he is doing this and he must tell Louis of the dangers.

It also makes that he hears more and more about Eddie’s husband.

And it isn’t like Eddie goes on and on about the guy in an annoying way, he just continues to make little comments when relevant. It’s as if he can’t help but be reminded of his husband, like his brain has a thousand connections to him. It’s really sweet.

The months they work together are filled with little moments. After one weekend Eddie looks particularly happy and Louis asks how his weekend was.

Eddie smiles and replies: “My husband and I found time together. He’s been traveling for work, but we had all weekend together. It was great.”

“That’s nice, is he away often?” Louis asks.

“Sometimes,” Eddie answers. “How was your weekend?”

Louis responds with his own story, not thinking much off the answer. They work in the business part of LA, where people needed to fly all over the country for work. He can imagine that Eddie, who regular dresses in brand suits (mostly Marsh suits) had a husband who earned just as much, if not more.

Then when they have their first big project together, which means a week of over-time and getting in early, Louis groans into his coffee: “How do you look so put together each day, I barely have enough time to look alive each morning.”

To that Eddie responds: “Oh my husband gets up with me, even if he doesn’t have to. He helps me pack and makes breakfast so I have time to press my suits.”

“God, you press your suits, of course,” Louis exclaims, taking another sip.

It’s said in a playfully dramatic enough tone that Eddie doesn’t take it to heart, just chuckles. Then he says: “Yeah, yeah, I know. Trust me, I get teased every morning.”

“You don’t look to mad about that,” Louis observes with a smirk.

“Nah,” Eddie smiles. “He does it with love. Now, I worked a little bit on it yesterday evening, because there was something bothering me about it and I think I’ve found it. Here, look at this page of the assessment.”

Louis looks and nods, a smile breaking out on his face. “Thank god for you, Eddie,” Louis says, absentmindedly filing away the knowledge that the husband doesn’t work the same hours that Eddie does, yet is sweet and thoughtful.

Later he learns that the husband’s name is Richie, that they have a shared friend group from their youth that they regularly hang out with, that Richie goes to the gym with Eddie once a week to soothe Eddie’s worries about his health. Louis also learns that Richie is more a people person than Eddie and that they share a love for arguing about nonsense, because they think it’s fun.

However, Eddie also lets it slip that Richie has been a great help in his divorce, which Louis mentally puts into the ‘called it’-column in his brain. As well as that he is helpful in Eddie’s fears about illnesses.

In short, Richie sounds like a total package and it’s obvious how gone Eddie is for the man. It can almost make someone jealous, if Louis didn’t have such an amazing girlfriend himself.

He is quite sure Becky is getting tired of hearing him talk about Eddie, but Eddie has been the first coworker Louis actually gets along with and doesn’t want to strangle. So, she indulges him, which is one of the things he loves about her. Plus, she mustn’t mind that much, since she said it’s nice to hear about older, thriving queer people.

Still, Louis and Eddie are nothing more than work friends and since Eddie doesn’t do social media, it isn’t like Louis knows more about him or his husband aside from what Eddie tells him.

Of course, there are also the phone calls. They don’t happen often, since Eddie is highly organized and rarely forgets something at home. However, whenever he does, his husband will call and they’ll meet up for lunch somewhere so he can give it to Eddie.

These phone calls bring their own sense of hilarity. They show an entire new side of Eddie that Louis would have never seen coming.

The first time Richie calls opens Louis up to a new side of Eddie that surprises him. It’s not at all the professional exterior many of their coworkers see and base their judgments on. Though it might be better that they believe Eddie is an uptight professional, then who picks up the phone. It rings and at first Eddie answers like he always does: “This is Edward Kaspbrak.”

Something is said on the other side of the line and Louis barely listens, used to others getting business calls while they’re working in the same space. However, then Eddie snorts and says: “You can’t just claim that, dickwad.”

Immediately Louis’ eyebrows shoot up. He has never heard Eddie sound so relaxed, not to mention swear. So, he can’t help but tune his ears as he pretends to work, while actually listening in.

“You don’t even have files,” Eddie exclaims indignant at whatever has been said to him, but he looks to fond to mean his offense. “Just tell me what it says at the top.”

Then he rolls his eyes at the description that is likely being given, before his eyes widen and he swears: “Ah, fuck, I need that today. That meeting is this afternoon.”

Louis half expects some more swears to come out of Eddie’s mouth, but instead he melts at the reply and softly says: “That- that actually sounds very nice.”

However, the person on the other end says something that ruins it, because Eddie sighs – though with a grin, that hasn’t left his face all throughout the conversation – and he rubs his brow. “Of fucking course. You are one asshole, you know that, Rich?”

Rich. Richie. Louis brain catches up to what he had already known on some level. This is how Eddie talks to his famous husband, well, if you want to call a person known by office gossip famous that is. Despite all its stars, Hollywood is just a small part of LA.

He tunes in to hear Eddie agree: “That I do,” in a loving voice that seems more out of character than the swearing has been.

Then Eddie snorts, a harsh contrast to his early tone and surprises Louis further by exclaiming: “You shouldn’t have made fun of me then, hope you cry,” which is something Louis never would have expected out of the man, who seems to adore his husband so much. Then, as if that is normal, he continues on by asking: “Does one o’clock work for you?”

Richie must have agreed and thought it was normal, because the next thing Eddie says is: “Cool, see you then. Bye, love you.”

After another sappy smile, presumably when Richie returns the sentiment, he hangs up and puts down the phone.

It is only then that Louis realized he has stopped pretending to work a while ago and was blatantly listening in. He blushes a bit and smile apologetically, before asking: “Your husband?”

“Yes,” Eddie says, unable to help the smile. “I forgot the Lemmin Inc. file at home. We’re grabbing lunch together and he’ll give it to me.”

“Sounds fun,” Louis comments, unsure how to bring up the way he talked to his husband in a way that doesn’t come across as creepy or judgmental.

Oblivious Eddie says: “It is. I know I see him every night, but I miss him at work. Which is frankly ridiculous, because he is the most annoying guy I know, but I love him.”

“Does he annoy you often?” Louis asks, glad that he can seize the opportunity to pry.

Eddie looks genuinely surprised at the question as if he can’t believe anyone would ever think he gets annoyed with his husband. “Richie is never annoying,” he says. “Well, he is. But he’s not. He and I always go back and forth and that annoys our friends to no end, but I never think Richie is annoying. Even though he still makes jokes about my mother, despite the fact she’s been dead for years now.”

And that is almost more disturbing, but Louis decides to focus on the fact that this is normal behavior for them and they seem happy together. So, he just files it away under the oddities of Eddie and his husband and moves on.

To Louis Eddie’s husband exists in a way that far off cousins exist. He hears about them from time to time by others, usually talking about the good stuff they do, he rarely thinks about them unless they are spoken about and he doesn’t really care for meeting them.

Richie is a person to Louis, someone whose shenanigans amuse him whenever Eddie recalls them with a fondness, but he’s not someone Louis has strong opinions about. Well, other than the fact that he is apparently a strange and sweet guy.

And Louis probably would have never thought about it more than that were it not for the fact that he actually gets to meet Richie.

Eddie and he have been coworkers for nearly a year when it happens. It is one of the rare days where Eddie has forgotten something and he groans: “I’ll have to use my lunch hour to go home and get that stupid file.”

Louis grimaces sympathetically, before suggesting: “Can’t your husband bring it by?”

“Hmm,” Eddie hums and bites his lip. “I mean, he has meetings this entire afternoon, but maybe he can bring it on his way there. I’ll ask him.” Then he pulls out his phone and shoots Richie a texts, grinning victoriously. “He has time.”

“God bless,” Louis grins. His lunch hours are a lot less fun without Eddie when he has to spend them listening to their other coworkers talking about their investment and the state of the economy or whatever nonsense they’re on about now.

Lunch hour is nearly there when Richie gets there. Louis isn’t really paying attention, but he looks up when the office suddenly gets quiet and then louder as if something is interesting enough to get everyone whispering after the shock.

Walking in their direction is a man and it takes Louis a second to realize who he is looking at. The man is Richie Tozier, comedian, who has had a major breakthrough into popularity a few years ago when he came out and started writing his own material, as well as star in a Bill Denbrough adaptation.

Then it takes another second for more pieces to click in his brain.

Richie Tozier. Richie, Eddie’s husband. They are the same person. Eddie talked about his husband traveling for work, yet having a way more flexible work schedule. How he makes immature jokes and is annoying. How they afford Marsh suits easily and they fact that they know each other from childhood. It just all makes sense.

Yeah, yeah, so Louis is a bit of a fan. His girlfriend was first and he just got sucked in. And now he feels like he knows too much about Eddie after all the bits Richie does about his husband, whom he is totally besotted for.

However, he also can’t believe that this is real. That his hardworking, professional coworker is married to a man, who tells primarily dick jokes for a living. How in all that time talking about his husband it never came up that he is famous.

Eddie seems oblivious to the stares and gaping that follows Richie, just beams as he gets up and waves to get his attention, so Richie knows which way to go.

When Richie spots Eddie, his face breaks out into a grin and he loudly exclaims: “My Eddie Spaghetti!”

“Don’t call me that, asshole,” Eddie replies, but he is laughing.

Richie throws an arm over Eddie’s shoulders and plants a small kiss on his forehead, before softly asking: “How’ve you been, baby?”

“I’ve been good,” Eddie answers with a small smile. “How are you? Stressed for your meetings?”

“A little,” Richie says. “But I’ve already done one special with Netflix, I’m sure it’ll be similar this time. Just gotta put on that good old Richie charm.”

“I’m sure they’ll fall for it,” Eddie smiles lovingly. “Just don’t order beans or you’ll scare them off with the smell.” He grins teasingly.

Richie snorts, raising a brow and asks: “Really? Fart jokes? Is that the level we’re at? Besides, you love odeur de Tozier.”

“Firstly, don’t judge my jokes when you’re still telling me how you want to fuck my mom. It wasn’t funny then and it isn’t now,” Eddie starts.

“You love my jokes about your mom,” Richie protests. “And they are always funny.”

“Oh shut up,” Eddie says, effectively derailed. “No one has ever liked them. Not even Mike thought they were funny and he also makes your mama jokes. And you’re gay. You don’t even want to fuck her.”

“Still, funny,” Richie says and Louis can almost see Eddie’s blood begin to boil under the languid smirk Richie gives him. However, Eddie’s posture is relaxed and he looks to be enjoying himself, making Louis remember the phone calls he has overheard.

“Whatever,” Eddie rolls his eyes. He snatches the files Richie brought over out of his hands and checks if they’re the right ones. When he has confirmed, he smiles at Richie. “Thank you,” he says and kisses his cheek, having to get onto his toes to reach.

“You’re welcome,” Richie smiles and the two are disgustingly in love, you can see it in their eyes as they look at each other.

Eddie snaps out of it first, checking his watch, before ushering Richie towards the door. “You have to go or you’ll be late.”

“Do you know my schedule?” Richie asks.

“Of course I know your schedule,” Eddie answers. “You’ll never get anywhere on time if I didn’t. Now good luck, kick ass, and think of your cholesterol when you order.”

“I will, I will,” Richie says, as he goes. “Good luck with your boring meetings!”

“They’re not boring,” Eddie yells after him.

“Whatever you say, Spaghetti,” Richie yells back as the elevator doors start to close.

“Don’t call me that,” Eddie exclaims, but Richie can’t hear him anymore. He sighs fondly and rolls his eyes, watching the closed elevator doors for another second, before going back to his desk where Louis is waiting. He seems oblivious to the stares he is getting. Just like he’ll likely be oblivious to the rumors that will be going around after this.

Once he is seated, Louis hisses: “You never told me your husband was famous!”

Eddie looks genuinely surprised at his comment, before looking embarrassed. He answers: “It never came up. All our friends know, I guess I just forgot that is something I have to mention. Besides, it’s not the most important thing about him to me, you know?”

And Louis hates that the explanation is one of the cutest shit he has ever heard, because he can’t be mad at Eddie about it. So, he sighs: “It’s okay. Just blind sighted me. My girlfriend loves his stand up an unhealthy amount. She’s gonna freak if I tell her I saw him.”

At that Eddie grins with pride and he nods: “It’s good, right. I like his new stuff much better. It feels more like him and he likes writing it. If you- if you want I can ask him to sign something for your girlfriend.”

“Dude, that would be great,” Louis smiles.

“Course,” Eddie returns the smile and just like that it’s just normal Eddie and Louis is over any weird feelings surrounding Eddie’s husband.

It’s fitting in a way that Eddie is so smitten he forgot his husband is famous. It’s sweet and Louis is mostly in shock. It’s not every day that you get a look into the life of a celebrity in such a way and it makes him get a new respect for both Eddie and Richie.

They clearly love each other and the way they interact seems strange, but fits them well. You can see how much they care for one another and their humor seems very similar despite the professionalism Eddie tries to project at work.

~~

A/N:

As much as I love private mystery Eddie, I think him being absolutely besotted and forgetting to mention his husband is famous, because that isn’t a big thing to him is hilarious.

The full phone conversation, for those that are interested:

R: Hi, baby, you left a file at home, so disorganized. You’re lucky I am the one who never forgets anything.

E: You can’t just claim that, dickwad.

R: Yes, I can, because I didn’t forget a file.

E: You don’t even need files. Just tell me what it says at the top.

R: Uuhmm, blah blah, important important, Lemmin Inc.

E: Ah fuck, I need that today. That meeting is this afternoon.

R: We can meet up for lunch and I can give it to you.

E: That- that actually sounds very nice.

R: And I can rub in your face that you forgot it, haha.

E: Of fucking course. You are one asshole, you know that, Rich?

R: I do and you love me anyway.

E: That I do.

R: Don’t make me emotional.

E: You shouldn’t have made fun of me then, hope you cry. Does one o’clock work for you?

R: Yeah, it does.

E: Cool, see you then, bye love you .

R: Love you too.

[warningsine]

Africa’s most celebrated dancer and choreographer, Germaine Acogny, turns 80 on 28 May. I have had the privilege of meeting the Senegalese artist, learning from her, and interviewing her as part of my ongoing research into African contemporary dance.

This is a hymn to an African woman who has inspired not only African dancers but a global community of artists to think differently about who they are, their bodies, their skin, and indeed the way they move.

In a continent plagued by legacies of colonisation, racism and patriarchy, Acogny has risen up as a female artist who has defied stereotypes around her Blackness, her femaleness and her long tall body, to become one of the world’s most revered dance makers.

Who is Germaine Acogny?

Born in 1944 in Porto Novo in Benin, Acogny moved with her family and settled in Senegal as a young girl. She is often referred to as Africa’s mother of contemporary dance, because of her long performing, teaching and choreographic career. She has built the legacy of a dance company, Jant-Bi, and her now globally recognised school and dance centre in Toubab Dialaw, Senegal, called École des Sables (Place in the Sand).

As a young girl in Dakar, Acogny attended Catholic school. Feeling alienated from the language, the religion and the colonial rituals, she took refuge in sport. This eventually led to her attending the Simon Siegel School for dance and sport in Paris in 1962. She set out to become a physical training teacher.

Encountering western dance for the first time, and being the only Black (and African) student in her class, she was made to feel that she was not “right” and her shape was “wrong”. Instead of being defeated, Acogny began to invent movements that corresponded to her own body. She told me:

I have taken my flat feet, my big behind and African woman’s hips, my tall west African body, and made this the centre.

A meeting with African American dancer Katherine Dunham, who was trying to establish a dance school in Senegal, was the final impetus for Acogny in her journey to find a dance language that spoke to her. The Germaine Acogny technique is now celebrated as one the first codified systems for training African urban or contemporary dancers.

Acogny has received numerous awards, among them a Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale and a Bessie Award in New York. She has been bestowed with multiple honours from the governments of both Senegal and France.

And she continues to tour the world with her work. While much of the running of her school now rests on her son Patrick Acogny, she also continues to teach and share her dance wisdom globally.

Contribution to contemporary dance

Understanding what Acogny has done for both dance training and performance leads to a reflection on the nature of contemporary dance. Difficult to define, contemporary dance is an open form with the intention to create new dance languages that engage the “contemporary” (the current moment).

In Africa this is a rich interplay between traditional dance forms, European and American modern dance histories and methodologies, and the ongoing search for authentic contemporary African voices that speak to ideas of culture, politics, self and identity.

South African dance writer Adrienne Sichel notes that this definition could further include contemporary dance’s “invention and reinvention of artistic and cultural forms and functions and its ability to disrupt, displace, connect and survive”.

Acogny was one of the first African dance makers to openly disrupt the European norm of a white, rail thin, weightless female dancing body. She actively sought ways to express her own Blackness and her own west African dance rhythms, and indeed her own gendered journey to finding a voice for herself. Her work often reflects on her own history and her embodied understanding that women’s bodies are often the greatest spoils of war, genocide and patriarchy.

Two great works

With her belief that we carry our histories in our bodies, two of Acogny’s dance works in particular stand out.

The first is a collaboration with Japanese dance maker Kota Yamakazi in 2004, with a work called Fagaala (Genocide). It journeys into the horrifying memory of the Rwandan genocide of 1994. This is a dance storytelling that offers a connection between the contemporary Japanese art form of Butoh (often called “the dance of death”) and Acogny’s own unique west African contemporary dance style.

In Fagaala, Acogny worked only with the male Senegalese dancers in her company and asked them to explore what it meant to be female and live through the Rwandan massacres. So, while the dancers were male, the work explored female stories. Male dancers had to physically and emotionally understand – and perform – the consequence of rape and torture, two tactics of the genocide. This means confronting the horror of men and war.

The second work is the deeply personal solo that Acogny created and performed in 2015 at the age of 71. Called Somewhere at the Beginning, this is Acogny’s journey back into her own maternal and paternal histories that criss-cross her dual west African heritages of Benin and Senegal.

She unearths the devastating visceral effects of colonial Christianity, while at the same time connecting with the suppressed power of her grandmother’s Yoruba spirituality. The work is a palimpsest of dance, video, text, and the layering of Black African female histories as she confronts loss and memory. Somewhere at the Beginning is significant not least for its unique feminist decolonial storytelling; it offers the audience the glorious, unprecedented body of an older African matriarch dancing truth to power.

As Acogny turns 80, this is an anthem of praise to the living legacy of a female dance maker who has helped shape Africa’s significant contribution to dance by rethinking bodies, histories and identity itself.

[stockstarsblog]

Philip Fisher: Der Vordenker des Value Investing

Philip Fisher ist ein Name, den man kennen sollte, wenn man sich mit Investieren beschäftigt. Seine Ansätze und Philosophien haben Generationen von Investoren geprägt und bieten auch heute noch wertvolle Einsichten. Geboren im Jahr 1907 und verstorben im Jahr 2004, hinterließ Fisher ein Erbe, das die Art und Weise, wie wir über Aktien und Investitionen denken, revolutioniert hat. Lassen Sie uns in die Welt dieses Investmentgenies eintauchen und entdecken, warum seine Methoden auch für heutige Anleger relevant sind.

Die frühen Jahre: Ein außergewöhnlicher Anfang

Philip Fisher wurde am 8. September 1907 in San Francisco, Kalifornien, geboren. Er wuchs in einer Zeit auf, die von wirtschaftlicher Unsicherheit geprägt war, was möglicherweise seine spätere Leidenschaft für das Investieren beeinflusste. Nach dem Abschluss der High School besuchte er die Stanford University, wo er Wirtschaft studierte. Schon damals war Fisher von der Welt der Finanzen fasziniert.

Nach seinem Studium begann Fisher seine Karriere bei einem Investmentunternehmen, bevor er 1931 seine eigene Firma, Fisher & Company, gründete. Seine Firma spezialisierte sich auf die Beratung von institutionellen und privaten Anlegern. Fisher leitete sein Unternehmen erfolgreich bis zu seiner Pensionierung im Jahr 1999.

„Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits“

Fishers Bekanntheit stieg mit der Veröffentlichung seines Buches „Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits“ im Jahr 1958 sprunghaft an. Das Buch war revolutionär und das erste Anlagebuch, das es auf die Bestsellerliste der New York Times schaffte. In diesem Werk legte Fisher seine 15 Punkte dar, die für die Analyse und Auswahl von Aktien entscheidend sind.

Diese 15 Punkte umfassen Aspekte wie das Management eines Unternehmens, die Integrität und die langfristigen Aussichten. Fisher betonte die Bedeutung einer tiefgehenden, qualitativen Analyse und nicht nur die Betrachtung von Finanzkennzahlen. Er glaubte daran, dass das Verständnis des Geschäftsmodells und der Wettbewerbsposition eines Unternehmens der Schlüssel zu erfolgreichen Investitionen sei.

Fishers 15 Punkte: Der Kern seiner Investmentphilosophie

Verfügt das Unternehmen über Produkte oder Dienstleistungen mit ausreichend Marktpotenzial, um (Umsatz-)Wachstum für mindestens einige Jahre zu ermöglichen?

Ist das Management entschlossen, Produkte oder Prozesse zu entwickeln, die weiteres Wachstum ermöglichen, auch wenn die Wachstumspotenziale der derzeit attraktiven Produktlinien weitgehend ausgebeutet wurden?

Wie effektiv sind firmeninterne Forschung und Entwicklung (F&E) in Bezug auf die Unternehmensgröße?

Verfügt das Unternehmen über eine überdurchschnittliche Vertriebsorganisation?

Wie gut sind die Kostenanalyse- und Accountingtools des Unternehmens?

Verfügt das Unternehmen über eine attraktive Gewinnmarge?

Was unternimmt das Unternehmen, um die Preise zu halten und die Gewinnmargen zu verbessern?

Erfordert das Wachstum des Unternehmens in absehbarer Zeit eine größere Eigenkapitalfinanzierung?

Hat das Management die richtige Tiefe und gibt es eine gute Führungskultur?

Verfügt das Unternehmen über ein integres Management?

Hält das Management Informationen zurück, wenn es Probleme gibt?

Verfügt das Unternehmen über hervorragende Beziehungen unter den Führungskräften?

Verfügt das Unternehmen über hervorragende Beziehungen zum eigenen Personal?

Gibt es noch weitere, Industrie-spezifische Aspekte des Geschäfts, die dem Anleger wichtige Hinweise darauf geben, wie gut das Unternehmen im Vergleich zu seinen Wettbewerbern aufgestellt ist?

Ist der Ansatz des Unternehmens eher kurzfristiger oder eher langfristiger Natur?

Diese Fragen helfen Investoren, die langfristige Wachstumsfähigkeit und Stabilität eines Unternehmens zu bewerten. Fishers Ansatz unterscheidet sich von vielen traditionellen Methoden, die sich stark auf kurzfristige Gewinne und Preisbewegungen konzentrieren.

Der Einfluss von Philip Fisher auf das Value Investing

Obwohl Philip Fisher oft als Pionier des Growth-Investing bezeichnet wird, hat er auch großen Einfluss auf das Value Investing genommen. Seine Betonung auf die langfristige Perspektive und die gründliche Analyse eines Unternehmens passen perfekt zu den Prinzipien des Value Investing.

Ein bekannter Schüler von Fisher ist Warren Buffett. Buffett, der oft als der erfolgreichste Investor aller Zeiten gilt, hat wiederholt erklärt, dass seine eigene Investmentstrategie eine Mischung aus den Lehren von Benjamin Graham (dem „Vater des Value Investing“) und Philip Fisher ist. Buffett schätzt besonders Fishers Fokus auf qualitativ hochwertige Unternehmen mit guten Wachstumsaussichten.

Langfristiges Denken: Fishers Schlüssel zum Erfolg

Einer der Kernaspekte von Fishers Philosophie ist das langfristige Denken. Er war der Meinung, dass man in Unternehmen investieren sollte, die man auch langfristig halten möchte. Diese Denkweise widersprach der damals weit verbreiteten Praxis des kurzfristigen Tradings.

Fisher verglich Investitionen oft mit der Ehe. Er sagte, dass man sich vor der Heirat (Investition) intensiv mit dem potenziellen Partner (Unternehmen) auseinandersetzen sollte, um sicherzustellen, dass man sich langfristig verpflichtet. Diese Analogie unterstreicht die Wichtigkeit der gründlichen Analyse und des Verständnisses eines Unternehmens, bevor man investiert.

Fisher als Mentor und Lehrer

Neben seinen Büchern und Schriften war Fisher auch ein aktiver Mentor und Lehrer. Er hielt Vorträge und Seminare und war stets bemüht, sein Wissen und seine Einsichten an die nächste Generation von Investoren weiterzugeben. Viele seiner Schüler und Anhänger sind heute selbst erfolgreiche Investoren und führen sein Erbe fort.

Innovation und Anpassung

Philip Fisher war nicht nur ein Verfechter des langfristigen Denkens, sondern auch ein Innovator. Er erkannte frühzeitig die Bedeutung von technologischen Entwicklungen und deren Einfluss auf Unternehmen und Märkte. Fisher investierte in Technologieunternehmen zu einer Zeit, als diese noch nicht als sicher galten. Diese Weitsicht ermöglichte es ihm, von den enormen Wachstumschancen zu profitieren, die diese Unternehmen boten.

Kritik und Kontroversen

Wie bei jedem erfolgreichen Investor gab es auch Kritik an Fishers Ansätzen. Einige Kritiker argumentierten, dass seine Methoden zu sehr auf qualitative Faktoren setzten und die finanziellen Kennzahlen vernachlässigten. Fisher entgegnete dieser Kritik jedoch stets mit dem Argument, dass eine umfassende Analyse alle Aspekte eines Unternehmens berücksichtigen müsse, nicht nur die finanziellen Daten.

Relevanz für heutige Anleger

Philip Fishers Ansätze und Philosophien sind auch heute noch relevant. In einer Zeit, in der Technologie und Innovation die Märkte dominieren, bieten seine Prinzipien einen wertvollen Leitfaden für die Analyse und Auswahl von Wachstumsunternehmen. Fishers Betonung auf langfristiges Denken und gründliche Analyse hilft Anlegern, die kurzfristigen Marktschwankungen zu überstehen und sich auf das langfristige Potenzial ihrer Investitionen zu konzentrieren.

Philip Fisher war zweifellos einer der großen Vordenker des Investierens. Seine Arbeit hat die Investmentwelt revolutioniert und bietet auch heute noch wertvolle Einsichten. Für junge Anleger, die sich in einer zunehmend komplexen und volatilen Finanzwelt zurechtfinden müssen, bietet Fishers Ansatz eine solide Grundlage. Seine Betonung auf langfristiges Denken, gründliche Analyse und die Fokussierung auf qualitativ hochwertige Unternehmen ist zeitlos und relevant.

Fishers Lehren erinnern uns daran, dass Investieren nicht nur eine Wissenschaft, sondern auch eine Kunst ist. Es erfordert Geduld, Disziplin und ein tiefes Verständnis der Unternehmen, in die man investiert. Indem wir seine Prinzipien befolgen, können wir nicht nur bessere Investoren werden, sondern auch klügere und weitsichtigere Entscheidungen treffen.

[amalthea9]

OC INFO FOR: PENNY (GHOSTBUSTERS)

FULL NAME:

NICKNAME(S):

FACECLAIM:

FANDOM:

BIRTHDAY:

ZODIAC SIGN:

SEXUALITY:

GENDER:

OCCUPATION:

BIRTHPLACE:

LIVES IN:

NATIONALITY:

MOODBOARD:

CHARACTERISTICS:

LIKES:

DISLIKES:

WEAPON OF CHOICE:

OTHER PERSONAL INFO:

INSPIRATION:

NAME ANALISIS:

Daaww thank you for this ask dear! Sorry it took so long to be answered😅

Full name: Penelope Brighid Duffy

Nicknames: Penny or Pen

Faceclaim: myself/Kathy Bates

Fandom: Ghostbusters

Birthday: September 19th, 1953

Zodiac sign: Virgo

Sexuality: heterosexual bi-romantic

Gender: She/her

Occupation: overnight secretary for Ghostbusters Inc. But then when Ray got his occult shop, she became co-manager and store order writer.

Birthplace: Edgewater, New Jersey

Lives in: New York City.😅

Nationality: Irish/Scottish( her adopted mother only talked about some Scottish heritage a little)

Moodboard: will try to make one and post it later!

Characteristics: Sweet, caring, playful, nurturing, hard working, curious, talkative, innocent.

Likes: drawing, singing, movies, music(especially Billy Joel), wicca, pagan folklore, unicorns and fairies, spiritual concepts, the occult, rainy days, winter days and spring nights, taking walks with friends or alone, and spending time with family, found or blood related.

Dislikes: anti-paganism, Aliester Crowley, misinformation on magic and paganism, bigotry, cruelty, misogyny, anti-LGBTQ+, cruelty under religion.

Weapon of choice: iron wand, wards, crystals, her pentacle medallion, her personal wand gifted to her by Ray. And of course, the Ghostbusters equipment when she's helping with a hunt.😆

Other Personal Info: She is half fae(thanks to the wonderful idea of @ariel-seagull-wings !) Her biological mother is Queen Mab, who decided to visit America on a whim(as fae folk do when bored lol). Mab, under the fake same of Ceridwen Smith, enjoyed the company of an Irish immigrant named Roy Duffy. Roy was smitten, of course, and when Mab became pregnant, Roy took every job he could to provide for them. When Penny was born, Mab was alone in the tiny apartment, Roy was working overnight. Mab left the newborn and returned to her kingdom. But before she left, she kissed Penny's forehead and told her that the child would be summoned to the Night Court when the timing was right.

Inspiration: Myself, wishing to be living in the 80s when paganism was coming back and wanting to be a part of the Ghostbusters! But more specifically, wanting to be in Ray Stantz' life.💖

Nama analysis: None

@professorlehnsherr-almashy

[eyeknowmayhem]

💘 and ❤️ for Ray, wingnut and mondo?

❤️ - How did your muse come to realize their romantic and sexual orientations? Was it difficult to accept? Are they proud of who they are?

Wingnut: they may watch a lotta tv as their main information in the outside world, but I think Wingnut did realize she liked girls because of one thing; not at all relating to the idea that girls are super boy crazy - because like, girls are just better. She assumed this was universal and very quickly realized this was not. I think it did kinda click when she used the interwebs to see other ppl’s cosplays of her favorite characters and was very much hit over the head with “holy shit, women!” Beam.

All jokes aside she’s fine with it! Her family accepts her as she is, there’s some teasing here and there about her complete lack of rizz when it comes to girls but that’s more to do with wingnut’s skill issue than her being gay. She’s not exactly a casonva.

Ray: he never really figured out he was gay specifically until a bit later. He knew he liked dudes he just didn’t really know there was a word for it. He would tend to gravitate towards more monstrous men- stuff like werewolves, sea creatures, some kinds of demons. Cuz, he’s not gonna pretend tht he’ll ever have a chance with human men. He says it’s pragmatism, it’s mostly just not feeling adequate enough. He won’t lie- he was a little jealous seeing how well Scumbug and splinter worked out.

Mondo: He loves everyone, and that translates to romantic love too. Mondo never really had a big realization, just as a fact of life and has gone through it knowing that’s just who he was. Honestly it may be a case where all of his siblings knew before he did LMAO. Probably the most likely to own a big ass tyedye bi flag. It’s one of the best qualities in his opinion- the flag colors are awesome.

💘 - What is your muse like when they're in love? What does your muse find attractive in someone else? What are their love languages? How do they show affection? Do they show any distinct signs that they're in love?

Wingnut: if she gets a crush she’s just over. Thats it. She’s done. I feel like- she does like women who- take up space. Loud outfits, loud personality’s, big women, even bigger hearts, enough tattoos to consider yourself a subway wall, the kind of confidence that feels contagious. Though, even with that type I think she’s way too nervous and shy and would make a fool outta herself somehow.

Give it time and she’ll mellow out a little more, offer to spend time doing things they both like. Most likely to end up word vomiting some kind of confession after awhile of simmering on it. In the end though, she’s got a lot of love to give and isn’t afraid to show it- most of the time.

Her love language is that she’s going to binge watch anime with you and talk the whole time (/JOKES) - but real talk. She loves spending time with the one she loves, even if it does mean she’ll have to sit through something she may not enjoy. The company is enough. She’s no stranger to weird, and if they love her weirdness, she’ll love it too.

Ray: unlike the nervous sorta deal Wingnut has his knowledge of having a crush would be - well, apprehension mostly. Especially if it’s a human. Cuz- ok, he can find plenty of men who like other men, they live in New York, but like. The whole “mutant” thing may be a a bit of a hard sell. Though not as much as it was before the humans had more knowledge of mutants. He’s still unsure about it all. Still, it doesn’t stop him thinking about it.

I answered most of the attraction part already in the other ask. As far as like, showing it. He would make a mixtape, then think about how stupid and corny it is to make a mixtape, sends it anyway. He has his own playlist of love songs that he has- he’d rather eat his own tail, stinger attached than ever tell anyone. This also applies to the crush - he’d never be the type to tell them directly; he’s more than content with the companionship. Because sure he’ll never say it with words but would be like- would use one of the “wings” to shield with rain, knows who their favorite musicians are, stuff like that.

Mondo: oddly enough I think he never gets crushes. Not- capital C crushes very often. He’s an affectionate guy and has a lot of love to share but it’s never really relevant if he’s romantically attracted to someone. For him it’s less like, any sorta qualities of someone it’s more a matter of like. It’s weird to describe but like almost like a soulmate sorta deal, where someone just- Gets You on a level few people can.

He doesn’t take love seriously, which isn’t to say he doesn’t care about it, or even hates it. just means it’s another part of life. So if he does like someone, it just means he’ll do what he always does! Invite someone to go to a rave with him, get frozen yogurt afterward, help practice skateboarding tricks at the park- and somewhere in the middle if he confesses or not, but it doesn’t make much difference to him.

[mariacallous]

The US crypto business is having an identity crisis, which could become an existential one. Are cryptocurrencies commodities, like gold and pork bellies? Or securities, like stocks and futures? The Securities and Exchange Commission, America’s top financial regulator, is so convinced that cryptocurrencies are the latter that it’s suing one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges, Coinbase, for breaking securities laws. The SEC has instigated an aggressive campaign of “regulation by enforcement,” going after companies for all kinds of alleged violations and insisting that they register with the agency—something crypto businesses say is all but impossible.

But another regulator, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, has also sued one of the industry’s biggest players, Binance, alleging it has broken commodity trading laws.

The confusion over what crypto is and who sets its rules has left the industry on edge. On Wednesday, senators Cynthia Lummis and Kirsten Gillibrand—a Wyoming Republican and New York Democrat, respectively—will unveil a new version of their proposed regulatory regime for the fintech industry, which hopes to settle the question.

While there’s plenty new in the revamped Lummis-Gillibrand Responsible Financial Innovation Act, its centerpiece is a measure that would classify most cryptocurrencies as commodities, putting them under the purview of the CFTC. It’s a clear rebuke to the SEC, which, Lummis and others say, is stifling innovation in financial technologies.

“The domestic industries really are trying to comply, for the most part, and they’re just getting the cold shoulder,” Lummis says. “That’s not how we regulate in this country.”

The content of the legislation seeks to prevent a repeat of the apparent failings in the crypto industry, which led to a series of high-profile collapses in the industry over the past two years that have left many investors with losses.

According to a person with knowledge of the act, the legislation, if passed, would compel crypto exchanges to keep their customers’ assets in third-party trusts and stop them from so-called “proprietary trading”—essentially, trading with their own funds on their own exchange. It would also give the CFTC the power to supervise “material affiliates” of exchanges—such as Alameda Research, the sister company of the collapsed FTX exchange, whose founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, is awaiting trial on fraud charges. FTX allegedly lent large amounts of customer funds to Alameda to cover its investment losses, ahead of a liquidity crisis on the exchange that led to its downfall.

The act also bans “rehypothecation,” which essentially outlaws lenders’ ability to finance digital assets with collateral already pledged for different loans, the person says.

The SEC and other agencies were consulted on the content of the legislation, according to Lummis, who still worries they’ll try to kill the measure. “They have seen it. We asked them to tweak it, and we’ve incorporated some of their changes,” she says. “After all of our efforts to reach out to them and work with them, I do not want them to come in at the last minute to put their kibosh on this.”

The proposal comes at a point where there is significant animosity toward SEC chair Gary Gensler within the Republican-controlled House. Republicans have even introduced a bill meant to dilute Gensler’s power by adding a sixth SEC commissioner and killing the chair position altogether. But lawmakers admit that they’ve created the space for the regulator to act—often unilaterally—on crypto because of inaction on the subject in Congress.

“The reason [Gensler] is having this opportunity is because Congress hasn’t acted,” says Senator John Boozman of Arkansas, the top Republican on the Agriculture Committee.

After the senators drop their bill Wednesday, the hard legislative work begins. Digital assets fall under the jurisdictions of numerous committees—Banking (which Lummis serves on), Agriculture (one of Gillibrand’s committees), and Finance. Even the Environment Committee wants a say on crypto mining. That’s just in the Senate.

Each of these committees comes at crypto from a different angle. Take the Senate Banking Committee. Its Democratic chair, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, has focused on risks to consumers, while Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachussettes Democrat, has found the issue a bridge to the other side. Last year she teamed up with first-term senator Roger Marshall, a Republican from Kansas, on the Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2022, which would place crypto firms under the Bank Secrecy Act—a 1970 law that requires financial institutions to monitor and report money laundering, among other regulations critics say would crush the crypto industry.

That measure hasn’t been introduced in this 118th Congress, possibly because Gensler and the Department of Justice are all but implementing the bipartisan legislation in real time. Even as industry leaders, investors and their congressional allies accuse the SEC of crippling crypto, what’s become clear in recent months is, if Congress fails to act, again, securities regulators will aggressively go it alone.

[rabbitcruiser]

Straw Hat Day

Straw Hat Day is observed on May 15 every year to celebrate this timeless wardrobe staple. Both men and women wear it in a variety of styles. From conical to Panama, the straw hat has stood the test of time, serving not only as a protection from the sun but a fashion statement. Today’s the day people celebrate this functional yet stylish hat. So, do you own one? If the answer is no, the day’s for you to finally own one and go about your day in style.

History of Straw Hat Day

The origin of Straw Hat Day is unclear. It started in New Orleans in the late 1910s. The day marks the beginning of summer, with people switching their winter headgears to the spring/summer ones. On the other hand, at the University of Pennsylvania, Straw Hat Day was observed on the second Saturday of May, the day being the principal spring celebration for undergraduates and a ballgame. The day was said to be widely accepted in Philadelphia that no one in the city dared wear a straw hat before the ballgame.

A straw hat, a brimmed hat woven out of straw or straw-like materials, is not only for protection but for style, and even it becomes a symbol. And it has been around since the Middle Ages. In Lesotho, ‘mokorotlo’ — a local name for the straw hat — is worn as part of the traditional Sotho clothing. It’s a national symbol. The ‘mokorotlo’ also appears on their flag and license plates. In the U.S., the Panama hat became popular due to President Theodore Roosevelt wearing it during his visit to the Panama Canal construction site.

Popular straw hats include boaters, lifeguards, fedora, and Panama. A boater or straw boater is a semi-formal warm-weather hat. It’s the type of straw hat worn by people around the time Straw Hat Day began. The boater is made from stiff sennit straw, with a stiff flat brim and striped grosgrain ribbon around its crown. It’s still a part of the school uniform in numerous boys’ schools in the U.K., Australia, and South Africa. Although men are seen wearing the boater, the hat is unisex. So, you can style it with your outfit, ladies.

Straw Hat Day timeline

5th — 15th Century The Middle Age

Traders sell straw hats and fashion fad trends.

20th Century The Mokorotlo

Basotho introduces wearing mokorotlo as part of the traditional attire at village meetings.

1906 Panama Hat Becomes Popular

President Theodore Roosevelt visits the Panama Canal, wearing a Panama hat.

1911 Straw Hat Day

People switch their winter hats to their spring/summer straw hats.

Straw Hat Day FAQs

Can you wear a straw hat at night?

You can wear it day or night as long as it’s not a formal get-together.

How long will a straw hat last?

If worn daily, a straw hat can last more than a year.

Who made the first straw hat in the U.S.?

The first documented Straw Hat was made by 12-year-old Betsy Metcalf in 1798.

Straw Hat Day Activities

Wear a straw hat

Tell people about the day

Purchase one

You must wear a straw hat to celebrate its day. The boater, fedora, or Panama, pick your preference. Celebrate the day and head off of the sun.

Shoot some photos of you wearing your favorite style of straw hat. Share them on your social media to let others know what day it is.

Straw Hat Day is also for those who haven’t got a straw hat. Choose your favorite styles of straw hats and buy one so that you can join the celebration.

5 Facts About Straw Hats You Need To Know

The Panama hat isn’t from Panama

Atalia Bis & Partners Company

It caused Straw Hat Riot in 1922

Coco Chanel loved it

Boater was originally a women’s hat

The hats were hand-woven in Ecuador and then exported to Panama in the 19th century.

They made a big straw hat with a diameter of 21 feet nine inches and was eight feet six inches high.

In New York, a fight broke out because some didn’t stop wearing straw hats after summer.

In the early 20th century, she made the boater hat fashionable for women.

Before being adopted as menswear, the boater was worn by women and children in the 1860s.

Why We Love Straw Hat Day

It keeps you cool

To try a new style

It doesn’t go out of style

Wearing a straw hat protects you from the harsh rays of the Sun and keeps you cool. Not only temperature-wise but style-wise too.

Whether you already own one or not, Straw Hat Day can be the day for you to buy a new straw hat. The options styles to choose from are numerous.

No matter the year, you can always wear a straw hat as part of your summer style. From boater to Panama or fedora to lifeguard, it never goes out of style.

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