#Things to do in Oman

[salalahtours]

Oman jet skiing | Salalah Boat day | Snorkeling in Oman

[onlineomanvisaa]

9 unique things to do in Muscat

With various ancient monuments and Mosques, Muscat is one of the active ports of tourism in Oman. With its heritage sights and fun activities, the destination offers a great experience of the thriving city with a fascinating past.

If you are planning to get an Oman visa and are considering traveling, then you must put Muscat on your list. The fascinating capital of Oman is worth exploring!

There are tons of fun things to do in Muscat that attract tourists from around the world. Every visitor indulges in different activities; some tend to go for adventurous activities such as snorkeling, boat touring, and many more. In contrast, some travel to enjoy the calmness and secluded beaches.

To know some unique things to do in Muscat, we have prepared a guide for you. Do not forget to check this guide before getting your Oman evisa.

Sneak peek into the Secret Quarter

An enclosed quarter next to the Mutrah Souk, Al Lawatia is an ethnocultural community made up of prosperous merchants residing in Muscat. The quarter comprises astonishing townhouses constructed in the Arabian style. It's open to the public again, but before you go in, you need to check in with the guards at the gate.

Climb up the Mutrah Fort

The Portuguese constructed Mutrah Fort in 1580, and although the fort itself isn't very interesting, we will suggest taking the 250 stairs up to the top for the amazing views. You'll be able to take in breathtaking panoramas of the city and its bays and get a feel for the area's rich past as well. The rugged coves and the intimidating mountains in the distance on an oceanic peninsula. Just amazing!

The Royal Opera

The Royal Opera House, Oman's primary venue for the performing arts since its 2011 opening, is likewise a stunning structure, resplendent in its use of marble. The white edifice has some cutting-edge technology that makes it superior to traditional opera houses. Get tickets to a ballet or concert and enjoy the opulence for a night on the town.

Dolphin Watching

Amazing experiences with animals are plentiful in Oman, and seeing dolphins is must see in Muscat. All of Oman's coastline is beautiful, with a nice variety of rocky coves and sandy beaches, but if you take a boat ride off the coast of Muscat, you can see the forts that dot the cliffs, the Sultan's Palace, and the dolphins swimming alongside your vessel. You can't find a better way to begin your day in Oman than this! It is amongst the unique things to do in Muscat.

Have Some Afternoon Tea

The Al Bustan Palace, which sits on its own harbor, is a landmark in Muscat. What's not to like about a place with magnificent architecture and amenities, a first-rate beach, and breathtaking scenery? Even if you aren't staying at the hotel, you may pay a visit and have an afternoon tea with traditional Omani sweets in the central atrium. Locals and foreigners frequent this hotel to unwind and hear about the latest social scene in the area. For travelers, this place is Muscat worth visiting.

Street Food in Souk

If you are looking to try some Omani street food in your budget with mouthwatering flavors, then you must head to the street near Hotel Radisson Blu. The entire street is home to numerous cafes that offer traditional Middle East food. If you are visiting the place, then we suggest having Yemeni dishes, which are known for their extravagant flavors.

Cruise around

Except wandering about Muscat on foot, what else could be better? Exploring Muscat via boat! A traditional dhow leaves Muscat every day at sunset for scenic tours. Stroll along the seaside Corniche of Mutrah and take in sights like the Al Alam Palace and the Al Bustan Palace.

It's fun to spend time on the water and get a new perspective. Excursions to see dolphins set sail from Muscat every day are a must thing to do in Oman.

Qaboos Grand Mosque

The Sultan Qaboos Great Mosque is a must-see when in Muscat. There's no denying the mosque's aesthetic value and lavish design.

Even if you're not a practicing Muslim, you should still visit this mosque since it's one of the biggest in the world and a sight to see. Sultan Qaboos presented an example of contemporary Islamic architecture to his country in 2001, during his 30th year as monarch. Millions of worshippers a day have been coming here since then.

Everyone is welcome to attend the mosque between 8 and 11 in the morning, regardless of their religious beliefs.

Mutrah Souk

The Mutrah Souk must be visited at least once by each tourist in Muscat. It's what brings most visitors to Mutrah, and it's one of the most visited sites in Oman. It is the primary attraction of Mutrah and a top tourist destination in the whole Sultanate of Oman.

Here you may visit a real, authentic souk on the Arabian Peninsula. A souk is an "Arabian market or bazaar." Although reading about them is interesting, seeing one in person is another experience. The Mutrah Souk is a maze of winding streets after you pass through the entrance. There are several small stores here selling perfume, jewelry, and authentic Omani apparel.

Frankincense incense is unique to Oman and has deep cultural roots since it is distilled from the resin of certain plants.

Epilogue

Taking a Big Bus sightseeing tour, where you may get on and off at any stop along the route, is one of the best ways to view this historic city. The ancient domes of the Muttrah Souk, the more contemporary Royal Opera House, and the highest clock in the nation, located in Muscat's parliament building, are just a few of the many modern and historic architectural pleasures strewn around Oman's beautiful city. Explore unique things to do in Muscat and capture your lifetime moments. So if you haven’t applied for your Oman visa online, then you must hurry; otherwise, you will regret missing such an amazing experience.

[jareaul0ver]

Bruises

part 2

Summary: You get hurt during hockey practice and an unexpected blonde patches you up.

wc: 823 warnings: physical fighting, bruises, blood, denial of feelings, regina being a SOFTIE pairings: regina george x fem!reader

"C'mon Shane, put some power behind that!" The head coach yelled at one of your teammates. He groaned in frustration.

You were about to run a scrimmage. You'd been put on the opposite team of Shane, who was now pissed off. Everything was going good, you had the puck on your stick and the only thing standing between you and taking a shot was Shane.

In one quick motion, you were slammed into and knocked onto your back. He didn't even make a move for the puck. "Oman, watch it! You good, Y/L/N?" You heard your coach shout from the side.

You sat up on the ice and readjusted your helmet. "I'm fine, coach!" you called out and got back onto your skates. The scrimmage continued, and you had finally scored, bringing your team up a point. You scored again, and once more.

Shane seemed to have had enough of this. You had the puck again, and you passed it. A few seconds after you passed it, Shane sped at you, slamming you into the wall of the rink. You hit it forcefully and fell onto your knees.

"What the fuck, Shane?" You yelled out. You stood up and took your helmet off, tossing it to the side. You did the same with your stick, then rushed over to him, hitting him hard with your gloved fist. He almost fell back, but he caught himself.

You two were now fighting. Your teammates all froze and watched it go down. Shane had gotten a good hit on your cheek bone, splitting the skin open. You felt blood drip down your face. The only reason you didn't swing again was because of your head coach and assistant coach pulling the two of you apart.

Shane was ushered to the boy's locker room, and you to the girls. You took off the top half of your gear, throwing on a t-shirt, and waiting for the trainer to come in and check you out.

Instead, you watched as a blonde figure rounded the corner. You immediately sat up. "Regina? What're you doing in here?"

She made a beeline towards you, leaning down to get a good look at your face. You were surprised. Not because you weren't friends, you were very good friends. Regina had practically picked you up from the ground and placed you on the same level as heaven during your sophomore year.

You were just shocked to see her here, standing in front of you with a frown on her face. "Y/N? Are you listening to me? Can you listen to me, do you have a concussion?" She pulled you away from your thoughts.

"Yes-" you cleared your throat. "Sorry, yeah, I'm listening." No you weren't, you both knew that.

She sat next to you and sighed. "Shane did this to you?" She spoke gently and you nodded. She clenched her jaw. "Fucking idiot. Not you, him." She brought her hand up to your face and gently brushed over your cheek.

You winced and her face softened. "Sorry." Regina had never had a soft spot for anyone. Not until she met you. Something in her constantly pulled her towards you, and at first she tried her best to fight the feeling off, but eventually she gave in.

"You didn't answer my question. What're you doing here?" You keep your eyes on her icy blue ones. Usually they were cold, unless she was secretly staring at you without your notice, and except for now. They were soft and almost apologetic.

"Word travels fast and I needed to make sure you were okay." Her tone was genuine, and it made your heart melt.

You looked down at your hands in your lap, looking at the bruising on your knuckles forming. "I'm okay. My face kinda hurts though." I smiled a little, meeting her gaze again.

She rolled her eyes and her lips twitched into a small smile. "You're such an idiot." She reached out for your hands and took them gently into hers. She looked at the bruising and grimaced a little. "I'm sorry."

"What for?" You asked, a little confused.

"You got in a fight with my idiot ex."

The confused expression never left your face. "And why is that your fault?"

Regina knew exactly why it was her fault, but she could never tell you. She couldn't say that Shane was actually the one who ended things with her. The fight they had wasn't about him with another girl, no. It was about her with you. He had accused Regina for having feelings for you, and while she didn't admit to it, she never denied it, so he broke up with her.

"It- it isn't, I just feel bad." She swallowed nervously. She looked down at your hands and gently ran her thumbs over your knuckles. She brought one of your hands up to her mouth and gently kissed the bruises.

theres gonna be a part 2 to this, definitely, but its nearing 4am and i am TIRED

[smusherina]

yard work - chapter 12 (regina george x reader)

fandom: Mean Girls (all media)

pairing: Regina George x OFC/Reader

summary: You'd been in the same class as Regina George since kindergarten. You'd lived on the same street even longer. Once upon a time, when life was sandbox disputes and who got the swing first arguments, you'd even been friends. Now, in junior year of high school, you doubted she even remembered you. The same couldn't be said about you. You definitely remembered her. warning(s): a homophobic character saying some homophobic shit. listen, it's set in 2004 it was inevitable.

chapter 1 / chapter 2 / chapter 3 / chapter 4 / chapter 5 / chapter 6 / chapter 7 / chapter 8 / chapter 9 / chapter 10 / chapter 11 / chapter 13

"So..." Gretchen drawled from the passenger seat. "You're still not doing the dance with us?"

Regina glanced at her. "No."

"Cady's taking the lead." The brunette said, very badly acting as if she wasn't looking for a reaction. Regina resisted the urge to bite back, to defend her honour, and kept her eyes on the road.

"Great." She said, voice tart. "She's doing the stunt, is she?"

"Yup." Gretchen's breath hitched. "She's, uh, got it nailed down."

A mean smirk spread her lips. "Oh, really? I'm looking forward to it."

Gretchen swallowed. Regina spied from the rearview mirror Karen was watching the scenery pass by dreamily.

"What's up, Karen?" Regina asked.

"The sky!" Karen stated proudly. "And birds, I suppose. Hold on..." She felt up her boobs, pulling at her nipple obscenely. "Ouch. Yeah, it's gonna start snowing soon."

Regina, knowing the forecast had promised much the same thing, hummed. "Gonna have to stay in, then."

Gretchen shifted her weight on the passenger seat. She seemed uneasy. Both she and Karen had been severely late to arrive at her car today and had seemed... Dodgy. Regina could hardly blame her, though. Things had gotten weird recently.

She wasn't being nice. Not exactly. She'd just, kind of, dialled it back a little. A year ago she'd have spent the days leading up to Christmas break making the rounds, spreading nasty rumours about this and that, ensuring everybody's holidays were ruined just the right amount. This time, she'd forgone that.

A part of it, a large majority, was due to the Thanksgiving fiasco with Jorts. Another, smaller part, was because she was tired. She just didn't want to.

Arriving at her house, Regina parked and stepped out of her car. Gretchen and Karen followed her inside where mom greeted them with mugs of hot chocolate. Fancy chocolate and skim milk. Regina pointedly left her mug on the tray.

As she was going up the stairs, she noticed neither Gretchen nor Karen had grabbed a mug.

"Take them." She gestured vaguely back to her mom. "Don't be wasteful, girls."

Making her way up leisurely, she relished in the sound of the two girls scrambling to grab their mugs and then follow her as fast as possible. She might've loosened her hold on the student body, but Gretchen and Karen she'd keep. She didn't care if it was immoral or something, she'd done a lot of work to get them where they were.

"Shane Oman's doing a Christmas party this Friday," Gretchen informed them as they settled around Regina's room. "There's talk he's specifically invited Doris Harris."

"Who the fuck names their kid Doris Harris?" Regina scoffed and inspected her nails. She'd have to get a new set soon. "Are you going?"

"What? You- you're not?" Gretchen sputtered.

"I have... Plans." Important, top-secret plans. "Shane Oman is a sleazebag and a womanizer. Doris can have him." She said airily and looked at the two girls sitting on her floor.

"What plans do you have?" Gretchen probed. Karen looked on, seeming to be in her own world. Little specks of snow were beginning to fall outside.

"Private." She left it at that. "Who are you bringing to the party?"

"Probably Jason." Gretchen sighed. Regina's face twisted.

"You're still with that douche?" She sat down cross-legged near the two. "Why?"

"Oh, do you think I should break up with him?" Gretchen looked between her and Karen, seeming lost. "I can do that."

Regina rolled her eyes. Okay, maybe she'd put a little too much work in these two. They were old enough to think for themselves.

"Look, Gretchen..." She closed her eyes. "I'm not gonna say sorry. I'm, uh, just not going to." She didn't tack on the yet that meant to crawl up her throat. Too much too fast. "However, it's becoming apparent that my usual methods are no longer as effective. Exhibit A, Cady Heron."

Gretchen stared at her. Then, her head tilted to the side like that of an inquisitive dog. Karen was gaping at her, having probably not comprehended a single word. Regina sighed.

"Look, I'm not gonna just waste my time and energy putting people down anymore!" She was feeling way too defensive and the others hadn't even said anything. "I might, like, join a sports team or something for senior year. Focus on myself."

"Wow." Gretchen breathed out. "So, you're just gonna step down?"

"I'm still Regina fucking George. I'm not gonna stop being me." That being a vicious bitch with a lot of hate in her heart. "I'm just saying that it's getting old."

"Why? You- you can't just stop. That makes no sense. Someone's gonna take you over, like- like Doris Harris!" Gretchen took several short breaths, this close to hyperventilating. "Doris Harris is going to be the new Regina George!"

She rolled her eyes so hard her entire head rolled with them. "That statement contradicts itself. If she's the new Regina George, I'm still on top. The original."

"You sound so alike." Karen smiled. "You two are so cute. True love."

"Karen!" Gretchen snapped, sounding like a chihuahua. "Shush!"

"Who sounds alike?" Intrigued, Regina leaned forward. "Me and who? True love?"

"Oh, uh..." Karen looked to Gretchen, who was trying (and failing) to subtly shake her head, and then to Regina whose eyes bored into hers. "Uhhhhhhh..."

"She's rebooting." Regina huffed, leaning back. "Gretch, I just... I don't care anymore."

It had been a startling realization. Not a quick one despite the one eureka moment that'd brought it all together. There were things more important to her than maintaining a hierarchy in high school. It still was important, to a degree, but well. If she had to pick between one-upping some random girl at a shitty party and date night with Jorts, the choice was entirely too obvious. It was going to be date night every time.

(If she even had that privilege anymore. She's called her slurs, for fuck's sake. She could only hope her apology would be good enough.)

"How can you not care?" Gretchen screeched. Karen sipped at her hot cocoa nervously.

"I just don't." Something like this, not caring about something, wasn't a decision she could consciously make. At least, not entirely. Once you stopped caring, you just did. That was that.

It wasn't easy, though. She didn't have the strength of will to be deliberately mean to everyone, every single day, but she would not tolerate people stepping on her toes. If somebody encroached, she wouldn't hesitate to bring them down. Where the line went, distinguishing between a serious threat and a general nuisance, was the hard part.

Letting go of the instinct to just be mean was a challenging hurdle.

"She's changed you. All this time, you've been talking to her, haven't you? J, Jorts, whoever she is. She's corrupted you." Gretchen sneered. "What happened, Regina? Or should I say, Reggie?"

Regina looked at her friend, minion, accomplice- whatever.

"Excuse me?" She said, so quietly it could've been mistaken for a whisper.

"You heard me." Gretchen's sneer dissolved, old instinct to cower kicking in. "Reggie." She hissed, a feeble attempt at keeping her power.

"What the fuck do you know about J?" Regina could feel herself grow cold, anger mixing with panic, mixing with visceral, palpable terror.

Of course, all that manifested as blind fury.

"We know plenty about J. You've never shut up about her. Y'know, I used to think she was an ex-boyfriend of yours 'cause of the way you talked about her. And now, it all makes sense." Gretchen spread her arms provocatively. "Because she's gotten into your head, used her sticky, lesbo fingers to mix you up. Snap out of it, Regina. This is not who you are."

Anger roiling in her stomach, she was about to release pure acid onto the dimwitted, insensitive, stupid girl, when Karen spoke up.

"Gretchen, you're being stupid." She said so lightly. Both of them turned to look at Karen. She was watching the window, looking immensely pleased with herself. Yet another correct weather report.

"What?" Gretchen breathed out.

"Stupid. That's stupid. I didn't know you were, like, homophobic." Seeming to focus, Karen turned to face Gretchen. "I think I told you my brother's gay."

"Oh." Gretchen deflated. Regina didn't know what she should do. "Well, that's different, he's a guy! Lesbians are totally different."

"How?" Karen, more engaged than Regina had witnessed her be in a long time, kept her eerily wide eyes trained on Gretchen. "How is it any different?"

"Listen, everybody can do what they want with... Whoever, like, consents, but it's different when they shove their beliefs in people's faces." Regina, quite astounded, didn't know what to say. Karen did, though.

"J didn't shove anything in our faces. I don't think she shoved anything in Regina's face." She put her finger to her chin. "Unless they're into that sort of thing."

"Karen..." Regina sighed.

"Anyway, I think your opinions about gay people are weird, Gretchen. You should look into that."

"My opinions are just fine!" Gretchen's shoulders rose all the way up to her ears. "You guys are the weird ones! It's not like I hate gay people! There's just, y'know, healthy concern. If it was so easy to turn Regina then what can they do to impressionable little kids?" Gretchen licked her lips nervously. "What about Kylie?" She asked, looking to Regina for sympathy or agreement or something.

By that point, Regina had checked out.

"I don't think Regina's changed. Not really." Karen's owl eyes turned to her. "She's just... Shedding. Like a snake. Getting a new skin." She dragged her eyes up and down. "Yeah. New, shiny scales. Like a blonde, human green tree python. My dad has one. A snake one."

"Thanks," Regina said, tone flat. She then turned to Gretchen. "Get out."

Her hands trembled. Rage or fear, she couldn't tell where the tremor stemmed from.

"Regina, this isn't right-"

Just the sound of her voice made her blood boil. Her eyes stung too, but she refused to feel anything but anger.

"What isn't right is that you're still in my house. J is my childhood friend and the assumptions you've made about her are life-threatening. People are killed because they're gay, Gretchen. She hasn't turned me into anything, much less something you're insinuating." The claim that Jorts had turned her into a lesbian was false. If there were to be a claim about Regina's sexuality alone, then the answer wouldn't be so clear. "Get your fucking act together. I'm too good to bother with high school politics. We're going to college in two years. Stop being so small-minded and do something with your life for once."

She heaved in lungfuls of air. She stood up abruptly, walked to the door and pointed down the hallway.

"I-" Gretchen tried to say something, but Regina just reiterated her point.

"Out!"

She didn't particularly care that her friend (ex-friend) didn't have a ride home. She didn't care that she was a bigot, that Gretchen was right about her and Karen being the weird ones. She didn't care that Jorts had definitely changed her in some way.

As soon as the brunette had scuttled down the stairs, the front door slamming on her way out, Regina slumped against her door. She didn't care. She did not care.

"So, is it just us, now?" Karen asked from her spot on the floor. Regina was pretty sure she hadn't moved an inch since she plopped down. "Is J gonna be our new friend?"

"I don't know, Karen." She buried her face in her hands. Fuck. She wasn't supposed to care. "I didn't know Gretchen was like that."

"Hmm." Karen hummed. "I didn't know you weren't like that."

Her head snapped up, looking at Karen. Her expression was unreadable, like a book with blank pages.

"I... I'm scared, Karen."

"Yeah. My brother's boyfriend is from Alabama and he's been beat up before 'cause he looks gay. And he is gay, but the earring gave it away, I think. And my uncle died of AIDS and my family don't really talk about him and we weren't allowed to see him. My aunt that's in New York's been living with her best friend of, like, thirty years for forever and I went to visit one time and they had only one bedroom."

That was perhaps the longest, most coherent sentence Karen had ever said. Too bad the subject was so grim.

"Wow, Karen. Sounds like your family's full of..." What could she call them? Her mind defaulted to nasty slurs. "People like that."

"I guess." She smiled faintly. "I hear them crying sometimes, in my brother's room, when they're home for the holidays. Mama says I shouldn't go up and snuggle them until they feel better. They're having a moment." Karen looked confused at that. "Are we having a moment?"

Regina slowly unfurled from her slump against the door. "Maybe."

"Oh. Okay." She accepted easily. The familiarity of the scenario had a smile creeping back to Regina. "My brother smiles the biggest when me and his boyfriend team up against him at board games. My mom cries when we visit my uncle's grave. She tells us stories about him and shows us pictures. My aunt has three cats with her bestie and they call them their children and they wear matching rings."

"That's really sweet, Karen." Regina, now smiling in earnest, shuffled closer.

"I don't really get it." She said in the same light tone she'd use when talking about schoolwork. "Like, my brother's boyfriend is really nice so I don't get why people beat him up for dating my brother. And I think it was really mean that my grandma didn't let mama see her brother when he was sick. And my aunt and her best friend already live together, have cat-kids, and kiss on the mouth, so why can't they get married for real?"

Regina stared ahead, more than a little floored. Gretchen, simultaneously surprisingly and unsurprisingly, was a homophobe. Regina knew the political climate and knew that being openly gay was social suicide, and sometimes literal suicide, but she hadn't expected someone so close to her to be like that. They hadn't talked about it much, to be fair. Besides, Regina wasn't much better. While she might've not been a real homophobe, as in actually subscribed to the ideology, she'd done plenty of homophobic acts.

Whether or not in the name of projection or denial didn't really matter. Janis 'Imi'ike had been the first girl she'd subjected to hate crimes and discrimination, but not the last. How many times had she shoved other girls under the bus so she could get off scot-free? How many times had she done it for a twisted sense of fun?

Too many, was the easy answer. Not enough, whispered the scared, hidden thing in the back rooms of her mind.

And Karen was an ally. A supporter of the cause. And unexpectedly well-spoken when she had something she liked to talk about.

"Karen, I like girls."

"Me too!"

Regina's heart beat like a drum. She was beginning to sweat.

"No- I mean, like, I'm... A lesbian. I guess."

"Okay!"

She snuck a glance at the other girl. She was peering mournfully into her empty mug.

"Like your aunt and her best friend." She took a deep breath. "I like girls in that way."

"Uhh, duh," Karen smiled at her, beamed, really. "J is your true love."

"I wouldn't go that far." Regina sighed but had to purse her lips to keep from smiling. At the same time, a knot tightened in her chest, like hiccups trying to escape. She threw her head back and puffed out a breath, blinking rapidly.

"Let's go get more hot chocolate and I'll tell you about my talent show performance." She wiped discreetly at her eyes and extended a hand to Karen.

"Hot cocoa!" The girl exclaimed as she pulled herself up with Regina's help. "Ouuuhh, what kinda performance?"

"A song." Regina guided them down the hallway. "For her."

Obviously, she had more than just a song planned. A proper apology, for one, was in the works. Karen didn't need to know about that, though. That was between her and J.

Notes: Boo I lied it's not the last one. I thought it would be! I was wrong! I did start rambling like I kind of predicted in the notes of the last chapter. Or, like, I felt the ending would be a little too abrupt without some downtime. So have some Regina POV!

Will no longer be making predictions about when the end is. I'll only be contradicting myself lol. But like, the arc is coming to a close, a natural end is coming. And then the epilogue things.

Praying to god the taglist will work. Trying a new method today, fingers crossed! Hand-typing every single fucking name, no commas in between names, the utmost technicalities. This is the night fellas, the night we've been waiting for.

Edit: it didn't work. in fact, it worked worse than the other times! fuck! put another version of the list, back with commas, and it seems to tag some people but not all. gonna have to do some scouring on the internets.

Taglist: @autorasexy, @wedfan2, @unadulterated-moron, @modernsapphicism , @9unknown0 , @sage-rose2000 , @massive-honkas , @nattys-swiftie , @likefirenrain , @luz-enjoyer , @dandelions4us , @natashamaximoff-69 , @alexkolax , @jareaul0ver , @here4theqts , @charleeeesworld , @natsbiggestfan1 , @brocoliisscared , @yellowwallflowers , @scarlettbitchx , @ayoungexwife , @cyberbonesworld , @syddie-reads , @screechcat , @theenglishswiftie , @gabby-duhh , @sweetmissnothing , @masterofpuppets-10 , @l1lass , @starved-mortal , @nothanksbye07 , @nenas19 , @jvuyii , @starry-night17 , @reneeswife24 , @glorioushamsterqueen , @krononan , @slug-on-bike , @rayisaknight , @chaseatlanticlover91 , @reginassweetheart , @mirage018

(if you want to be added to the taglist, comment so on this post! beware it seldom works. i try my best.)

[cheriladycl01]

So, you lied to me? - Lando Norris x Tourist! Reader

Plot: Going on a travel year you end up in Monaco, the plan wasn't too fall for the man who helped you to the British Embassy and gave you a place to stay when someone stole everything from you ...

You took a gap year before university and decided to travel you'd started off the New Year on a flight from London, to Qatar to New Zealand. You travelled around New Zealand and Australia for the majority of January, before moving on to Papa New Guinea, Fiji and Samoa.

You then travelled round the South Asian countries, like Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines and Taiwan all throughout February. You then moved onto China, doing both Disney Parks while you were there and sight seeing. You did South Korea and Japan.

Coming into April, you moved onto Sri Lanka and India, and The Middle East, doing Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrian, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

Afterwards, now having done 2 continents, you moved onto Africa, you spent the end of April and the majority of May travelling here, before leaving for Europe.

A nice 2 weeks island hopping around Greece, before a week travelling up the boot of Italy.

It was when you drove to Monaco in a rental car that things got difficult.

You were walking along the harbor where all the expensive yachts were docked wishing that one could be yours. You didn't have all your bags on you, the larger ones left behind in the hotel room you'd booked for the night. But you had your important stuff on you, like you passport, your drivers license and all your travel documents.

You were taking a picture on your nice Canon camera of the yachts and the street that had weird red corners rounding it that you put down to being measures to just help drivers slow down round the corners, but they were definitely an eyesore.

Every time nice cars drove by there was whistles and claps that made you look at what car it was, you could never tell what model it was but they looked nice and you guess you could say sporty.

As you were distracted taking your pictures a guy comes up to you with a small, parcel cutting knife in his hand. He slit the straps of what you thought was a really sturdy bag and the weight notifies you to the loss of the bag. You let your camera drop as you turn to see the guy now holding your bag and starting to run away with it.

"Hey! Stop" you shout before running after him.

"Aide, Aide" you shout as you continue to follow him, your minimal French not helping as people scold you for being a bustly tourist.

You aren't really looking where you going and you loose him at a busy intersection of people, you spin round looking at every possible direction he could have gone in.

"Shit!" you whisper to yourself quietly tears coming in your eyes. You spin round a little to quickly, bumping into someone who drops the bag that they were holding.

"Désolé, mon erreur" you try looking at the young gentleman you'd bumped into in a hoodie and jeans. He looks at you with a confused look, a smirk coming onto his face.

"Oh sorry, tu ne parles pas français? Maybe Italian, erm fuck scusa, parli italiano?" you ask with again the bare minimum of Italian you know.

"I speak perfectly good English" he smiles, laughing a little as your expression turns to shock.

"Oh! Oh I'm so stupid. Hello!" you smile looking at the very attractive man in front of you, you blushed a little looking up at him.

"You look panicked what's wrong?" he asks.

"I was tacking pictures of the harbor and some guy took my bag. It has everything in of mine and I don't know what to do" You say to him looking a little more panicked.

"Everything as in money ... because I can help with that" he says placing a hand on your arm.

"I don't care about the money, but he has all of my documents. My passport, my drivers license everything" you cry a little.

"Oh! Erm, I have a friend who was born here, and let me get him and he can help us file a police report. Then mmm the British Embassy is all the way in Paris and you cant get a flight so we'll have to drive there..." he starts to rant and your face turned shocked.

"We?" you ask, confused as to how this guy has just inserted himself into your life drama's.

"Oh yeah, I've gotta help you out now. You got that whole damsel in distress thing going on right now! Any way damsel, what's your name?" he jokes and you look over at him offended.

"I am not a damsel in distress! And Y/N" you retort.

"You so are, the tear stains, the wide, helpless eyes, the guppy fish face your pulling right now, the butchered French and Italian to a strange man who actually is British... Y/N" he laughs making you pout and push him a little.

"I don't even have a place to stay after 3pm today and I cant check in anywhere without ID" you say rubbing your head, looking around as if the man would randomly pop back up and hand you your bag back before saying how sorry he was.

"You can stay at my place, I have two spare bedrooms" he smiles and you look at him in shock.

"You live here, in Monaco ..." you ask.

"Yeah, I moved here a few years ago, for ...work" he offers, he phones his friend walking off for a few seconds alone before he pulls you along one of the side streets and too a quiet cafe he went to, to keep under wraps.

"Okay, Y/N this is my friend ... er Percy" he says pointing to Charles, so far you hadn't shown any signs of knowing who he is and he didn't want you to catch wind of that.

"Hello Percy, its nice to meet you" you smile and he looks at you with a vacant yet confused expression.

"Oh and whose this you are beautiful" you compliment looking at the girl behind him.

"Y/N this is my girlfriend Alex" Charles indicates to Alex behind him who smiles and pulls you in for a kind hug that you definitely needed. You could hear both of their strong accents as they introduced himself.

"Oh, I never got you name, what's your name?" you ask turning to look at Lando, who freezes for a second.

"Erm, my names Robert, but you can call me Bob" he smiles and you raise and eyebrow at him.

"Hmmm, you don't look like a Robert... or a Bob. Interesting choice" you voice your opinion making everyone awkwardly laugh.

Charles, Lando and Alex took you to the nearest police station in Monaco, Charles translated what they were saying and you answered to which he and Alex would help translate back.

Charles explained that they were escalating it because you are a tourist in need, but you picked up some words that made the sentence not sound like that at all.

You were asked if you had a place to say and Lando explained you'd be staying with him until everything was sorted out.

The Monegasque police got in contact with the Paris British Embassy for you, they explained that the police had sent over you information and if you wanted to hold off on a new passport for a few days to see if it would turn up you were more than welcome, but right now your passport was on lockdown.

And that was how you ended up spending the end of July and all of August with Lando, it was strange really. For a man who had and extremely nice collection of clothes and a very large apartment he didn't go to work often. There was one room you weren't allowed in which is where he often went, you assumed it was a man cave or gaming room where he played with his friends because you heard lots of shouting and aggressive banging.

He'd been so sweet, he took you on dates from going out to dinner, to picnics, to going swimming and lots more. It felt like more than a summer fling. Especially once he asked you to be his girlfriend, which you immediately said yes too.

But he got a lot more twitchy after he had.

Eventually, Lando or Bob as you knew him took you to Paris so you could get your passport. He explained that he travelled a lot for work and he would need to leave soon and you explained that before you bumped into him you'd been on a gap year travelling the world.

"Baby, why don't you come with me?" he asked randomly as you were both lying on the sofa, cuddling while watching a film.

"You wont even tell me what you do for work Baby! And besides I had a schedule that I'm already behind on. A week ago you said you didn't mind going our separate ways for a little bit until Christmas and then you'd come to England with me" you say playing with his curls.

"Okay, I'm going to be honest with you now... my name isn't Bob" he says shyly and you sit up at the speed of light turning to look at him.

"I knew it! So you lied to me?" you exclaim laughing.

"So, what's my boyfriends actual name?" you ask looking him dead in the eyes, he leans up on his elbows before sitting the full way up.

"Lando, I am Lando Norris" he smiles.

"Hmmmm, Lando... Lando. I could get used to that" you smile.

"You aren't mad?" he asks looking over you, brushing you hair back and tucking it behind your ear before kissing your cheek.

"I knew you weren't being completely honest when we first met... but I also knew you had your own reasons" you offer.

"I think its going to be easier if I just hand you my Instagram" he admits with a gulp as he hands you his phone. The first thing you notice is how many followers he had, there was around 10million and he had nearly 2,500 posts.

You look at the friends list, and one peeks your interest. Charles Leclerc, who looked exactly like Percy who Lando had introduced you too.

You then go back and look at his bio, that told you his actual job.

"So, I'm dating a super famous athlete?" you ask looking up at him away from the phone to see his head down in his hands. He turns to the side to sneak a look at your expression, his eyes a little glossy.

"To be specific, a Formula 1 driver" you ask again and he nods.

"You are such a muppet, my god" you laugh before pulling him into a hug.

"How aren't you upset with me?" he ask unsure.

"Well, I agreed to date you, because you are you. I doubt you change into Mr Hyde when you become a what was is Porsche race-car driver? I fell in love with you, not Bob, not Lando, you. So whether that is Bob, who kindly helped a crying lady on the street who just had her passport stolen from her, or Lando a cool and amazing race-car driver. Whoever you are is the person I love" you grin and he pulls you into a hug.

"So you want to join me for the last few races? Or you want to finish this world trip of yours?" he asks.

"Well, looking at your calendar, I can actually meet you at the rest of the races, While travelling. I'll continue to do Europe until you have the Netherlands, and ill go back to Italy, just for you. I'll miss Azerbaijan and Singapore because I did that, but I'll knock out some of South America, I'll meet you for Austin, then we can do Mexico and Brazil together, then we can do Vegas together! And by that point I can call it done with my trip!" you exclaim and he looks like he considers it for a second.

He's shocked, he cant remember the last time a girlfriend tried so hard to link up their schedules like this, and proved that they'd be able to work despite some potential scheduling issues.

"I love you. I fucking love you" he grins pulling you back down onto the sofa kissing all over your face making you giggle.

A/N: I've been doing a lot of Lando recently, I don't know if you can tell but I love writing about him, he's my fav to write about right now.

Taglist:

@littlesatanicassholebitch @hockey-racing-fubol @laura-naruto-fan1998 @22yuki @simxican @sinofwriting @lewisroscoelove @cmleitora @stupidandunnecessary @clayra-g @daemyratwst @honey-belden @moonypixel @lauralarsen @vader-is-hot @ironcowboycopnickel @itsjustkhaos @the-untamed-soul @beebo86 @happylittlereader @ziejustme @lou-larcher5 @thewulf @purplephantomwolf @chasing-liberosis @chillyleclerc @chanthereader @annoyingmoonballoon @summissss @evieepepi08 @havaneseoger08 @celesteblack08 @gulphulp @fandom1ruined2me @celebstories @starfusionsworld @jspitwall @sierruhh @georgeparisole @dakotatankbig @youcannotcancelquidditch @zzonsbeek @tallbrownhairsarcastic @mellowarcadefun @ourteenagetragedy @otako5811 @countingstacksandpanicattacks @peachiicherries @formulas-bitch @cherry-piee @hopexcroc @mirrorball-6 @spilled-coffee-cup @mehrmonga @bigsimperika @blueberry64857959 @eiraethh @lilypadlover @curseofhecate @alliwantisadonut @the-fem1n1ne-urge @21stcenturytaegi @dark-night-sky-99 @spideybv28 @i-wish-this-was-me @tallrock35 @butterfly-lover @barnestatic @landossainz @darleneslane @barcelonaloverf1life @r0nnsblog @ilove-tswizzle @kapsylia @laneyspaulding19 @viennakarma

[ziggyzolch]

Queen Bee-atch Ⅳ (Regina George x Reader)

Warnings: underage drinking, cursing, attempted assault

✮✮✮

Grass tickles your bare feet as you run around the field, picking pretty flowers and humming random tunes. Falling to the ground, you stare up at the sky. You turn your head to the sound of little footsteps approaching. A little kitten appears next to you on the ground and paws at your cheek, pressing harder and harder with each poke. How can something so tiny press so hard? The kitten opens its mouth, but instead of a meow, it lets out a, "Dude, wake up!"

You jump up in your bed, falling off and landing on your ass. Two voices laughing at you catch your attention. You look up and find Janis and Damien laughing their asses off, Cady standing behind them with her hands joined at her front, smiling. "What the hell, guys!" You stand up, rubbing your palm into your eyes, "What're you guys doing here?"

Janis adjusts your blanket as she takes a seat on your bed, "Cady told us what happened, we came to check on you." She says while pulling you down to sit next to her. "It's nothing, seriously." You roll your eyes at her. Cady joins in, "Look, there's a Halloween party tonight, you should come with!" Your groan is interrupted by Damien, "Girl, you look horrible. It'd be good for you to go out and get your mind off of things. If anything happens, me and Janis are waiting for you at her house."

Never in a million years would you be caught dead at a high school house party, but you don't think they're going to take no for an answer. "You need a distraction, some fun! You do know what fun is, right?" You shove her lightly with a smile on your face. Cady celebrates at your reluctant nod, "It'll be so fun!"

✮✮✮

Spoiler alert, it was not fun. The crowding and loud sounds were starting to become overstimulating, and Cady had ditched you to look for Aaron the second you reached. You were clad in a short black dress with fake blood smeared on the bottom half of your face. In the 15 minutes since you reached, you've been pushed, cursed at, and almost thrown up on. You were now leaning against the kitchen counter, nursing your 5th cup of mystery alcohol. There was no way you'd stay sober at a party like this. You thank whatever god is out there that your tolerance was low. The familiar buzz had made itself known 4 drinks ago, and you were now borderline drunk, watching Shane Oman approaching you.

Regina had been watching you take shot after shot from the other side of the room. Her plan was to drag Aaron away from Cady and guilt-trip him into getting back with her, but she couldn't bring herself to take her eyes off of you. The memory of you running out of her room crying was still fresh in her mind. God! Why is she being like this? Who even invited you!? Pushing you to the back of her mind, she stomps towards Aaron, dragging him away with the intention of carrying out her plan, when she notices Oman attempting to get with you.

You were frozen up, your feeble attempts to push him away weren't working. "Come on, you want this. Think of this as your apology for being an ungrateful bitch-" A punch lands on his jaw before he could continue. Using all your strength, you lift your head up and see a familiar senior readjusting his stance. "Thank you, Aaron, I'll take it from here," Regina smiles gratefully at him as he drags a barely conscious Shane out of the party.

Her attempts to wrap your shoulder around her were stopped by you weakly shoving her away. "F-fuck you, b-bitch," You slur out while swaying on your feet. Regina sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Do you have a ride? Do you know how you're getting back home?" You squint your eyes at her, about to reply, when you fall into her arms, mumbling incoherent insults. "That's what I thought." She grunts, placing her hands under your armpits and lifting you upright. "I'm good, I'm good-" Regina's eyes widen as you turn, throw up, then fall to the ground. "Gross, gross, gross, gross..." Regina gags as she picks you up from where you were lying in your own vomit.

"Move!" Regina bumps into Cady on her way to the front door, ignoring her calling after her.

"Hey! What the hell happened?" Cady yells over the loud music.

"Maybe you'd know if you didn't ditch her for a boy!" Regina snaps, adjusting her hold on you.

"Oh fuck you! I saw you about to chat it up with Aaron, and she was fine by herself!"

"No she wasn't! She's like an antisocial puppy, why would she be fine at a party?"

A groan coming from you stops Cady from retorting.

Sighing, she looks at Aaron then back to Regina, "Now's not the time. Please take her back to yours. I'll call her mother and tell her she'll be staying at mine."

As much as Regina wanted to argue that Cady brought you here, so she should be taking care of you, she takes a deep breath and walks away, shoulder bumping Cady for good measure. Being the bigger person really suits her.

✮✮✮

You were being insufferable. Throughout the whole car ride back to her house, you kept making lame angel jokes, which she assumed were meant to be insulting. She was now wrestling you into her bathroom.  Your whine bounces around the bathroom walls as Regina finally manages to place you on the edge of her bathtub. "Sit still and lift your arms up, puppy" Regina doesn't let her eyes linger on your body as she peals your dress off of you. 

After pointing out where the body wash and shampoo was and making sure you were good to wash up on your own, she exits the bathroom and takes out clothes for both of you. She rushes into the bathroom after hearing you call out her name. "I'm done" you say, avoiding eye contact.  The shower had sobered you up enough to feel embarrassed about how you were acting.  She smirks at your sudden shyness.

After handing you a towel and waiting for you to cover up, she leads you to her bed. "I'll be back, okay? Gotta wash your vomit off of me." She laughs at your glare and walks away.

✮✮✮

It's been 10 minutes since you woke up and you haven't moved from your spot, staring at the ceiling, mortified. God! You can't face Regina after yesterday. Sneaking out without letting her know was your only option. You put on the first pair of shoes you find as quietly as possible. 'I should become a spy' You thought immediately before bumping straight into her bedroom door.

 Regina jumps up, now awake, and finds you at her door rubbing your head. The second you notice that she's up, you move to open her door, but are stopped by her hand on your shoulder.

"How are you so fast-"

"You're leaving already?" Regina interrupts.

You roll your eyes, "What do you want, Regina?"

"Seriously? You're being a bitch after I took care of your drunk ass?"

You could feel heat creeping up your neck. "Sorry. Thank you, really, but I have to go."

"No, fuck! Can we please talk?"

You really didn't want to talk about her making fun of your weight after she saw you naked, but you knew she wouldn't stop, so you compromised, "Look, I am really busy this whole weekend. I give you full permission to drag me away if you find me at school, though."

 "Okay." She really wanted to talk to you now, but this was better than nothing. You bid her a goodbye, making sure to avoid her mother on the way out. You truly had no idea why she even cares about your opinion of her, but you figure she felt bad for you after realizing who you were and was trying to make up for it.

Moving to lay back down on her bed, her eyes widen in realization. She never gave you a change of clothes, and you were now unknowingly walking home in booty shorts with 'SLUT' plastered on the back.

✮✮✮

A/N : not proofread, so tired. sorry for any mistakes or awkward wording. thank you for reading!

[sapphicnae]

Love, Hate and Everything in Between

Summary: Regina hated you and you hated Regina. Each of you so obsessed with taking down the other. But was this obsession pure hatred or something more?

Character Pairings: Regina x fem!reader, Regina x Cady (if you squint)

Warnings: Slurs, Bullying, Toxic Behaviour, Internalised Homophobia

Words: 2.6k

A/N: This is my first fic / one-shot on here so I hope you guys enjoy. I’ve been reading some fics on here and decided we don’t have enough Regina fics going round, so I thought, what better than a classic enemies to lovers (?). Apologies for any mistakes I did write half of this at 4am. If you do enjoy, please let me know because I wouldn’t mind turning this into a full blown fic, I have plenty more ideas for it. Also, I’m very open to requests!

You and Regina. Two of the most popular girls in school.

Regina hated you, and you hated Regina.

 It had been this way since you had joined North Shore a year ago and gained popularity, despite Regina’s attempts to take you down at every turn. But one thing you and your best friend, Janis Imi’ike couldn’t figure out was why Regina was so obsessed with you. To the point you would catch her staring at you from across the cafeteria almost daily, albeit with an icy glare plastered on her face. You had both had your fair share of run-ins with each other, after all, Regina couldn’t stand to see the new girl rise to popularity as fast as you had in your year of being at this school. But the difference between you and Regina was that you actually treated people with respect... and you just happened look pretty while doing it.

Jealousy. That’s all you had chalked her behaviour down to, until recently.

Regina had consistently made it clear that she was in fact, not gay. From her messy relationship with Aaron Samuels to openly flirting with Shane Oman in the halls, she had made it very clear she only had eyes for men. Her performative gestures with Shane in the hallways also coupled with the spreading of rumours about certain people being a lesbian. From the way Regina had spoken this word, it had made it seem as if this was the worst possible thing to be known as at North Shore. No one in school had ever had the guts to stand up to Regina for her problematic behaviour, especially since she ruled the halls with fear. Yet her reign seemed to be interrupted the moment you transferred to North Shore. You were the only person who wasn’t afraid to defend yourself, or others for that matter.

Naturally, Regina could not stand this. Which lead to you having a constant target on your back for rumours and blatant lies in order for you to lose your popularity as well as your dignity. You thought it was incredibly excessive of her to make out that being a lesbian was a bad thing. Partly because your best friend and partner-in-crime, Janis was a lesbian and partly because deep down, you knew you had an attraction to girls too. Yet the only people who knew this was Janis and Damien, of course, your two closest friends.

You had not yet been in a relationship since joining North Shore that year, not due to avoidance, but due to all your time being taken up by your rivalry with Regina. Which was totally normal… right?

The most recent rumour that was circling the halls, of course spread by Regina, was that at a party that you had both been to last Friday night, you had made a pass at Regina. Hearing this from Damien in English class that day was the last thing you had needed, after enjoying a supposedly drama free day for once. Anyone who was at the party that night would’ve known that wasn’t true, yet Regina had a certain charm to the way she could make anything seem believable. You of course weren’t surprised at her attempts to drag your reputation down for the umpteenth time this year. She loved making out that you were the one who was obsessed with her and not the other way round. It irked you to think that she could get away with having the last laugh. You would have just let it slide, but your ego once again stood in the way of your ability to allow Regina to think she had won.

So that’s when lunch rolled around. You, Janis, and Damien were sitting at your usual table, with the plastics in view. Having to watch them gossiping with each other and occasionally glancing your way had left you with a deep-seated feeling of rage. You had never been one to keep your emotions in check, this seemed to be your downfall in situations like these. Feeling anger like this was always the driver of your revenge. Coupled with the fact that thoughts of Regina didn’t often leave your mind. Which was obviously due to the fact that you resented her so much. You hated everything about her. Sure, she was gorgeous, with those stupid green eyes that always harboured some form of winged eyeliner, along with the rest of her makeup that accentuated her already flawless features. That stupid beautiful blonde hair that always seemed to sit in the perfect place, flowing down her back like she was some sort of supermodel. Those perfect lips tha-

“Dude, are you even listening to me right now?” Janis questioned, lightly punching your arm, ripping you away from your thoughts. A small blush crept up your neck, realising you had been so deep in thoughts about Regina that you had completely zoned out of the conversation you were supposed to be having.

You faltered for a moment before attempting to save yourself with a reply “Y-yeah of course. I was just-“

“Clearly planning her revenge against queen of the plastics, god Janis, keep up” Damien chimes in, attempting to save the day. Janis just rolls her eyes at both of you. She had been dealing with Regina and her posse for years, which meant she had more or less tuned their drama out in an attempt to stay sane at this school. With you however, it was a different story, Regina somehow always found the perfect way to rile you up.

“The day queen bitch of North Shore gives it a rest with these dumbass rumours, will be the day I know peace” Janis huffed, which made both you and Damien chuckle in response. “Especially with her obsession over who’s a lesbian and who’s not. If you ask me, she should just come out of the closet already.” She then nods to you “I mean, the closet might as well be glass with the way she stares you down at any given moment. Coming from a fellow girl kisser, she wants you baaad.” She laughed at her own words. Receiving an eye roll from you this time.

“That girl needs to be called out on her shit.” You glance over at Regina who is sporting a smug smile listening in to her friends gossiping. You couldn’t stand the fact that she had gotten under your skin once again. With the rumour fresh in your mind, you couldn’t help yourself from wanting to act. Deep down you loved the drama between the both of you, it gave you some sort of high, being able to pull Regina off her own narcissistic pedestal. It was like some sort of addiction; you couldn’t get enough of it “in fact… what better time than right now?” You uttered, as you shot up from your seat. Before either Janis or Damien could sway you out of it, you were already making your way over to the table across the cafeteria.

As you approached, you could see Regina’s eyes flicker towards you, a wry smirk growing on her face. On seeing Regina’s attention shift, the rest of the plastics turned to face your way, which didn’t deter you in the slightest. Having a rivalry with Regina for this long, you were used to all eyes being plastered on you while confronting her. Plus, nothing about Regina’s minions scared you. All they ever seemed to do was blindly follow her around like lost puppies. The only person who you had never understood as being part of the group was Cady Heron. You had sat with her in a couple of your classes, and with the way she spoke, it seemed she so desperately wanted to be her own person instead of being grouped in with the meanest girls in school. This lead to you gaining a small amount of respect for her. A few times you had considered asking her why she still sticks with Regina after seeing the way she treats her, but you knew that would be a whole other mess. Besides, there was a high chance that she’d go running straight to Regina about it. It seemed as though Cady was on the tightest leash out of anyone in the plastics… probably because Regina knew she could be pulled away from her with the right amount of convincing.

Right before you reached the table you noticed Regina stiffen her posture, followed by a groan, “here comes queen lesbo of North Shore”, which was followed by a few snickers from Gretchen and Karen. Funnily enough, Cady remained silent. “What’s up? Couldn’t get enough of me Friday ni-“

You interrupt her by slamming your hands on the table, which not only grabbed the attention of the plastics, but those from surrounding tables too. You lock eyes with Regina as you spoke in a low tone, attempting to control your anger towards her.

“Real cute hearing that you’re telling people I came onto you, when anyone who was there knows we barely even made eye contact.” Regina raised an eyebrow at you, smirk still in place. She then spoke condescendingly, before you could continue.

“Oh honey, of course you don’t remember, you were sooo drunk and all over me, everyone saw it, right Gretch?” You then see her shoot a subtle dangerous look to which Gretchen instantly nodded in response. This amused you slightly, knowing she was laying it on thick. She was trying so desperately hard with this angle that you decided to use her tactics against her for once. You let out a laugh of false amusement before continuing.

“Oh please Regina, you’re trying so hard to convince everyone it’s true, almost as if… you wish it was? I mean it wouldn’t be surprising. I’ve seen the way you stare at me in the hallways, you make it a bit obvious don’t you think?” By this point, the smile on Regina’s face had completely dropped, morphing into a poisonous glare. As she opened her mouth to cut you off, you kept speaking, raising your tone to catch the attention of others. “-so obvious in fact, that I don’t even need to say it out loud, people are whispering about it already. So next time you wanna spread rumours like that, try taking a look in the mirror first.” People around you gasp, hearing you speak to Regina in the same way she would leaves even the queen bee herself in slight shock before she manages to compose herself. You hadn’t even considered the weight of the words you had spoken until they had left your mouth. You had basically just accused her of having a huge crush on you and judging by the state it left her in, it didn’t seem like that was far from the truth.

“So, you are gay?” Karen pipes up first, mouth slightly agape as she speaks. Regina shoots a glare at her this time, making her immediately look in the opposite direction.

It was your turn to smirk seeing her cheeks turn scarlet as she gritted her teeth. She was clearly outraged, the look on her face said so. Yet, hidden behind her eyes, there seemed to be an ounce of shame present. Having a moment to study this look almost made you feel… regret? Though in the next beat, she rose up from where she was sitting and took a few steps towards where you’re stood, towering over you slightly. She had rarely ever made a move to get this close to you before, and standing where she is right now, you could practically smell her expensive perfume. You fought the urge to take a step back, as your breath hitched slightly. For a moment she hesitates, her eyes flicker to your lips for just a split second, but not fast enough that you don’t catch her doing it. If this wasn’t happening in front of the whole school crowd, you would be sure that she was about to lean in and kiss you. You felt yourself taking a heavy breath to steady yourself before she snaps at you.

“Listen, dyke. If you ever catch me staring at you it’s because I think you’re a freak. And if you think for one second, I would ever be into you, then you’re even more delusional than I thought. So why don’t you and the rest of your sad little band of freaks over there, go and-“

She is almost immediately cut off by a teacher who walks over to the group, clearly having been alerted of the altercation going off in the middle of the cafeteria. Regina immediately takes a step back from you and fixes her hair, attempting to seem as innocent as possible.

“Girls, what seems to be the problem?” Ms. Norbury questions, looking between the two of you. With the rest of the plastics keeping silent, it was up to one of you to speak up first. Regina then plasters a fake polite look on her face and turns to Ms. Norbury to speak. Right as you expected her to defame you all the way to your seat in detention, she instead gives a different response.

“There’s no problem, everything’s fine.” Regina smiles at her as you see the rest of her crew nodding behind her, which brings you to scoff at the sudden change up in her demeanour. Having dealt with Regina many times before, it was clear that Ms. Norbury saw right through this attempt to get her to leave you both to it. Which lead to what she had to say next.

“Look girls, I know the two of you have had issues in the past. But I won’t tolerate drama like this during school hours.” She then steps between the both of you. “Now separate this and I’ll see you in my office after school. Both of you.” She then turns on her heel and walks away.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” you huff out in disbelief. After this, you decide it’s best to walk away from Regina and return to your table before your day could get any worse. But not before she hastily grips your forearm and subtly whispers some hostile words a little too close to your ear.

“We are so not done, freak” she then roughly drops your arm before coasting back to her seat. Though her threatening remark left you stunned for a moment, her closeness left you breathless for longer. As you made your way back to Janis and Damien, you couldn't get the thought of her out of your head. After all the tension and pent-up anger between you, you secretly hoped she might be right. Because as you stared at her from across the cafeteria, your heart thumped in your chest, not out of fear, but something else. You were definitely not done with each other. Not by a long shot.

[illdowhatiwantthanks]

The Mango (The Surprise, Part 13)

Emily Prentiss x fem!reader Warnings: explicit language, innuendo, implied sex, periods, mostly just fluff, reader taking care of Emily because our girl deserves it Word count: 1.9k

Summary: Emily comes back from a hard week in the field and you treat her in all the ways you can possibly think of. Because she's baby girl and she deserves to be taken care of.

Week 23: The Mango

In both your personal and professional life, you were a wildly independent person. Self-sufficient, dedicated, proud of the work you did and how hard you’d worked to get where you were. You were nobody’s doormat, nobody’s housekeeper, nobody’s mom.

If anyone else you knew, especially men, asked you to cook for them or do their laundry or take care of them in any way, you would have been personally affronted. You would have said, “You’re a fucking grown-up, do it yourself. I’m not your mom.” And you’d mean it.

So it embarrassed you a bit that, with Emily, you acted like a full-blown ‘50s-style housewife and you loved it. Not all the time, of course. But enough of the time that you couldn’t just brush it off. Dinner on the table when she got home? Your pleasure. Packing her lunch? A joy. Doing the laundry and making sure she always had a second go-bag packed and ready in case there was a quick turnaround on cases? You lived for that shit, especially when you hid little notes in the pockets that said things like:

I love you (so does little mango)!

We miss you! <3!

So proud of you for saving lives and kicking criminal ass! P.S. It’s hot. ;)

The bottom line? You were down bad for Emily. You had been from the moment she’d asked you out and all the years since. But after you’d gotten pregnant, your roles had switched a bit. Emily had always taken care of you well, but in the last few months she'd taken over significantly more of the household tasks since you were often tired and achy. You ordered takeout more often than you cooked (Emily had tried, but after her third time setting off the fire alarm you’d said, “You know what, babe, why don’t we just order out?”).

You missed taking care of Emily. God knows, she wouldn’t let anybody else do it. So when she’d called you from the jet to let you know she was on her way home after a grueling week in the field–made even more grueling by the fact that she was on her period–you set out to treat Emily right. To treat her in all the ways you used to treat her before you got pregnant, in all the ways that Emily deserved to be treated and so rarely let herself be.

You had groceries delivered to make her favorite meal, and when the little Find My dot that was Emily showed up at Quantico and started making its way back to DC, you ran her a bath–water scalding so it’d be nice and hot when she came in, fragrant with lavender Epsom salts. You lit candles, turned the bathroom lights low, even put her favorite hoodie and sweatpants and a fluffy towel in the dryer so they’d be toasty and warm when she got out of the bath.

You started on dinner, playing Emily’s favorite Salah Ragab record on the turntable. The food processor growled as it worked overtime to blend a homemade hummus, complete with your secret ingredient: a splash of aquafaba. You chopped parsley and mint for fattoush, made a marinade for the chicken flavored with all the spices Emily loved so much from her childhood years in Oman and Egypt, sumac and cardamom and coriander and all the others that you ordered online from a specialty Middle Eastern spice seller.

Your oven shawarma wasn’t as good as shawarma from a spit in Cairo, but it was about as close as you could get at home, and Emily loved it. And you made a damn good fattoush and hummus. You sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, whipped together a quick yogurt sauce.

You’d just put the chicken and veggies in the oven and were starting on the cream cheese filling for the stuffed dates when you heard the door open and shut.

“In the kitchen!” you called, hands sticky from slicing the dates.

Emily looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes, her blazer rumpled from a long day of travel. But her face lit up when she saw you.

“Do I smell… shawarma?!” she asked, wrapping her arms around your waist and kissing your neck, her hands resting protectively over your baby bump.

“Mmhm.” You grinned, feeling Emily’s body melt into yours, the tension in her muscles already dissipating.

“What’s the occasion?” She turned you around, so she could lean her arms on your shoulders, running her fingers through your hair.

You shrugged. “Can’t a girl just want to treat her wife?”

“She sure can.” Emily smiled and leaned in to press her lips softly to yours. You held your hands out at your sides so you wouldn’t be tempted to press them into Emily’s clothes or skin.

Emily pulled away, watching you lovingly as you sliced and mixed and stirred.

“Can I help with anything?” she asked, lowering herself into a chair and wincing slightly.

“In the kitchen!?” You scoffed. “Absolutely not. There’s a bath ready for you, so go relax for a bit.”

Her eyes brightened. “Aw, honey. That’s so sweet of you.” She grabbed your hips again, once again turning you away from the counter so she could press you against it in a hungry kiss.

You giggled and swatted at her with a dish towel. “Go before the water gets cold!”

“Care to join?” she asked suggestively, pulling lightly at the waistband of your shorts.

You smirked, gently grasping her fingers and moving them away. “I have to finish dessert.”

Emily walked toward the bathroom like a scolded puppy, looking back with big eyes. “I can think of something else I’d rather have for dessert,” she commented, eyebrows raised.

You waved her off, blushing furiously. “Get out of here, you dork! Go take your bath!”

“I thought we were treating me tonight!” Emily called from the bathroom.

“That’s an after-dinner treat, honey,” you yelled back. “I’ve got shit to do first.”

“Fine! But I’m gonna hold you to that!”

You shook your head, grinning, as you spooned cream cheese filling into the halved dates, pressing them into a mixture of crushed pistachios and rose petals. God, you loved your wife.

When the dates were plated, the bulgur in the fattoush soaked through, the pita warmed, and the chicken covered in foil and resting on the counter, you washed your hands and went to find Emily, grabbing her comfy clothes and towel from the dryer.

You heart surged when you found her still in the tub, eyes closed, face relaxed. This is what your girl deserved. You leaned down to kiss her on the forehead.

“You alright, honey?” you asked, trying to squat down next to the tub, but ending up on your knees thanks to the baby.

She hummed in affirmation, keeping her eyes closed. “Thank you so much for this, baby,” she mumbled quietly.

“Anytime, love.” You watched her for a few more minutes, then set the stack of warm clothes on the bathroom counter. “There’s a warm towel and some PJs here for you,” you said, struggling to get to your feet.

“You good?” Emily chuckled, watching you out of the corner of her eye.

“Yes.” When you finally managed to make it to your feet, you had beads of sweat on your forehead. It wasn’t even that your belly was that heavy yet, it was that it threw off your center of gravity and made moving from one position to another awkward. “Get dried off when you're ready,” you told her. “I’ll get dinner on the table.”

You were proud of the spread when you stood and surveyed it. Shawarma chicken straight from the oven, spiced and heavenly-smelling. Warm pita bread and a swirl of smooth, creamy hummus with just a bit of paprika and olive oil on top. A lovely, vibrant fattoush, sliced cucumbers, juicy tomatoes. A little plate of stuffed dates, popping with green and pink from the pistachios and rose petals.

Emily walked in, hair wet around her shoulders, blotching her sweatshirt. You pulled her chair out for her but, before she sat down, she wrapped her arms around you, pulling you in for a hug. She smelled like lavender and fresh laundry, and you breathed her in, holding her close.

You could tell by the way she lingered there, by the way she breathed easier with her body pressed against yours, that Emily would need a lot of touch tonight. Not just in a sexual way, though Emily’s sex drive was always through the roof on her period. You could tell that tonight, Emily would let you hold her, that she’d curl herself around you tightly, possessively, as if to cover the most that she possibly could of your surface area.

In other words, she needed comfort. And she didn't get it from anyone else, not really. It had taken her a long time to even ask for it from you, to seek it out. So when she did, you were always more than happy to oblige. More than happy to hold clingy, sweet, needy Emily for as long as she needed.

She whined a bit when you pulled away, and you kissed her cheek, playing with her fingers.

“You’ve got to eat something, love. Then I promise I will not let you go for the rest of the night.”

She sat obediently, squeezing your hand, and piled her plate with all the things you’d made, eyes rolling back in her head when she swiped a finger through the hummus and put it in her mouth.

“I don’t know how you do it,” she gushed. “I swear your hummus tastes just like my friend Zainab’s mom’s from when I lived in Oman.”

“It’s the specialty spices,” you shrugged, taking a bite of pita with shawarma and veggies.

“No, I think it’s the special person making it,” Emily cheesed, beaming at you.

You smiled and rolled your eyes playfully. “Oh, you’re getting it tonight.”

“I certainly hope so.”

When your plates were cleared and the leftovers tucked safely into the fridge, you led Emily to the bedroom, pulling back the covers for her, tucking her in.

“You know these are just gonna get untucked, right?” she asked, biting her lip.

“Shh,” you scolded. “Let me take care of you.”

You crawled into bed next to Emily, drawing her body into yours, holding her gently as you pressed your lips to hers. She melted into the kiss, already breathless.

You brushed her hair out of her face, placing your hand gently on her lower stomach. “How are your cramps?” you asked. “You want any medicine or anything?”

“The only medicine I need is you,” she said, guiding your hand lower.

You chuckled. “Alright, Romeo. Calm down.” You lowered your face to her neck, planting kisses all across her shoulder and collarbone. “I told you I’d take care of you, and I will.”

Emily held your face gently in her hands, looking deep into your eyes. “Why are you so good to me?” she whispered.

You pecked her on the lips. “Because I love you. And you deserve good things.”

And with that, you started your long, slow journey across the topography of Emily’s body, ready and willing to give her every good thing you possibly could.

[srbachchan]

DAY 5990

Jalsa, Mumbai July 12/July 13, 2024 Fri/Sat 3:44 am

🪔 ,

July 13 .. birthday greetings to Ef Manoj Kumar Ojha .. Ef Taran Ghantasala .. and Ef Kalpesh N. Gohel from Oman 🇴🇲 .. 🙏🏻❤️🚩

Yes .. the desire and the will to connect even at this unearthly hour - to some - to many it is time for work ... but for me I need to utilise the time for the Ef connect ..

Back from a glorious wedding and the feel after a very long time of public exposure, the wealth of love and affection that I can possibly think of with so many old acquaintances .. they seemed to have changed in their physiognomy, but extremely sincere in their affection towards the association and the love of our times well spent together ..

This is what life is all about .. the associations and love and care ..

It is strange how the little things that matter to each other , remain, but those that had a deeper association or a meaningful spent time, is lost and forgotten .. well not really forgotten , but kept on the back burner, and remembered or brought out only when there is required meaning of the association ..

So , I met a family who had had an association with some longitude, but what remains with them is that when they came to be a part of the audience in KBC , I happened to pick up a piece of dirt that was on the floor of the set , and not beckoned an assistant or the floor manager to do it ..

BUT .. I mean .. what is so great in that .. you see something which needs to cleaned, you pick it up rather than gear up an entire work force of the establishment to clean it up .

Ugguff ! it nothing .. but such a fuss made of it ..

It is not being humble of setting example .. it's just an act of extreme normality .. and the hullabalooo is deafening ..

And the director saying it was one hellava thing that I asked him permission to go to the washroom during the shoot ..

Yes I do need to take permission .. it is his set, his time , he is the Captain, I am the servant that has been employed, if I need to go for nature's call , I must seek his permission .. !!!

He may have designed a shot that needed to be taken 'pronto' .. he may have needed me to stand in for the lighting to be done .. he may have wanted me to rehearse the shot with my colleagues or just me ..

A lot of things happen when the Captain is in charge .. so I need to take his permission to leave the set .. it was he that called me to the set, when it was ready for the shot, it was he that wanted me to work in his film, I have to obey his word and dictat .. and I did just that .. so what is all the fuss about ..

MERELY FILLING IN PRINTED SPACE !!!! No its the paucity in life that is compelling ..

The impotency of content ..

Good night - good morning .. at 4:23 am

Amitabh Bachchan

[stalkerofthegods]

Lady Nyx/Nox deep dive, straight to the point info

Lady Nyx is wonderful, her beauty even ascends the stars, May we respect and adore Lady Nyx as a goddess and as a wonderful mother.

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

Herbs • Dahlias, Cannas, Some lobelia, Night-blooming jasmine, Moonflowers, Datura, Tuberose, Evening primrose, Queen of the Night epiphyllum, Herbs that only grow at night, black leaves, black flowers, Blackthorn, Cypress, Holly, Juniper, Locust, Pomegranate, Witch Hazel, Comfrey, Honeysuckle, Ivy, Lavender, Mugwort, Patchouli, Primrose, Vervain, Nectarines, Dragon Fruit, Morning Glory, Nightshade, Roses, Lilies, Poppies

Animals• Horses, Owl, dogs, bats, black bulls, Blue Jay, Crow, Sparrow, Snake, Turtle, cat

Zodiac • your moon sign. 

Colors • Black, Dark blue, Dark green, Dark Purple

Crystal• Obisidian, Morion, Jet, Hematite, Onyx, Black tourmaline, Black Sapphire, Black moonstone, Black agate, Shungite, Black calcite, Eye Agate, Amethyst, Andalusite, Apophyllite, Cat's Eye, Hematite, Moss Agate, Moonstone, Petrified Wood, Smokey Quartz

Symbols•  Black wings, Dark clouds, Black fog, Egg, New Moon, Stars, key, veil, poppy, serpents, owls.

you can wear in their honor• you can veil in their honor, PJs 

Deity of• Night, she is the personification of it

Patron of• Night, Sleep, Death, the Fates, Nemesis, Old Age, Darkness, Light, Motherhood, Magic, Mystery, and the unknown;

Offerings•  Black candles, Poetry or songs related to the night, Images of the night sky, Beef, Milk, Black flowers, Black fruits, Dark red wine, Black animal votives, Dew (the one that gathers after sunset), Dark feathers, Dark liquors/beers. Black Tea/Coffee, Symbols of Her children (ex-torch, skull, scissors), Black fabric/veil/cloak, Dark chocolate, Honey/molasses, Viniq (shimmery liqueur that looks like a galaxy in a bottle)

Devotional• Go star gazing, donate to owl shelters, go to the zoo to see her animals, draw her, listen to a playlist for her, go camping under the stars, go glamping to look at the stars, Take a night time walk, Get a good night’s rest, Learn a new star or constellation each week, Stay up late, do something you enjoy without fearing the dark, Sleep with your windows open, Burn a candle that represents the stars, Sleep in every once and a while, Watch an astronomy documentary, Be extra polite to those who have to work the night shift, Wear dark colors, Learn about which animals are active at night in your area, Go for a night drive, Do divination at night, Listen to music with your headphones in, Use silver, black, and gold glitter, Plant some flowers that only bloom at night, Use a star/constellation app, Read the House of Night series, Watch the evening light fade away into darkness (you can do this in your window, or watch a lapse on YouTube of it), Wear more things with the stars or planets on them, Defend someone who is vulnerableble, Turn your electronics off a couple hours before bed each night, Drink an herbal tea with cinnamon before bed, If you’re staying up late already, make your night productive. (Ex- Complete some homework, tidy up your room), Keep a dream journal, Learn how to identify owls by their calls, Make the night sky your screensaver/home screen, Wear scents that remind you of the night, watch a video of the stars, and sleep with stars in the background.

Ephithets• Bringer of Night, Mother of Daimones, Mother of the Cosmos, Subduer of Gods and Men, Mother of Mysteries, The Dark and Shining, The Winged, of the Great Shadows, Dressed in Stars, Dew Bringer, of the Witching Hour, 

of the Deep and Silent Dark.

Equivalents (alike but not the same)• N��tt (Norse), Selene (Greek), Hecate (Greek), Nox (Roman), Nyx (Greek), Al-Qaum (Arabian), Nabatean (Arabain), Itzpapalotl (Aztec), Metztli (Aztec), Tezcatlipoca (Aztec), Khonsu (Egyptian), Nut (Egyptian)

Signs they are reaching out• Sudden fascination with stars, seeing her Symbols and attributes all of the sudden, a pull to her and the night.

Vows/omans• None, maybe wedding vows, but many say she just has Erebus as a boyfriend, not a husband.

Morals• Unkown, but most suspect Morally grey.

Courting• Erebus (darkness)

Personality• She is motherly and protective of her children, 

Home• Tartruas 

Mortal or immortal • immortal 

Fact• The first Deity to exist, 

Roots• Gaia, Birthed at the beginning of time, lived in Tartarus. 

Parentage• Chaos 

Siblings• Gaia (goddess of the Earth/mother nature), Erebus (god of darkness), Uranus/Ouranos (god of the heavens), and Tartarus (god of the underworld).

Pet• The two/four horses pulling her chariot 

Children • Aether and Hemera (Day) by Erebus (Darkness), Thanatos (gentle death), Hypnos (sleep), she also made the spirits - the Fates, Sleep, Death, Strife, and Pain. Aether, Moros, Apate, Dolos, the Keres, the Moirai, the Hesperides, Oizys, Momus, Philotes, Geras, Eris

Appearance in astral or gen• In ancient art Nyx was depicted as either a winged goddess or charioteer, sometimes crowned with dark mists.

Festivals • Wiccan Yule, Wiccan Samhain, Winter solstice, you can do a ritual for her on the full and dark moon, but there is a feast you can hold in her honor, which is called Lemuralia.

Day • her time is Twilight, Dusk, and Midnight, and her day is Monday  

Season• winter 

Direction• north 

Status• Primordial Goddess of night, even Zeus fears her, one of the first primordial beings alive, she was there for the creation of the universe.

Planet• Moon

Her Tarot cards• Death, Temperance

Scents/Inscene • Myrtle, Camphor, Patchouli, Lavender, watery, musky, earthy

My opinion • She is a very hard divine being to find information on, I hope this helps, but I've never met her before, I assume she's great, my friend says she is kind and calls her ‘Mother’ 

Prayers• 

In general

Beautiful, black-eyed Nyx, cloaked in darkness, older than old, daughter of misty Chaos, mother of great and mighty spirits, I call to you. Ever-present one, you live in the shadows; we know you in the dusk, in the comfort of the night. Broad-winged Nyx, you clasp the hand of bright Hemera, each eve and morn, you greet her with love and sorrow for only in those moments may you embrace your child. Goddess, awesome one, in your realm are we all unblemished, in your realm do lovers’ promises ring true, in your realm are all things possible, if only until daybreak. Nyx, I honor you.

Small prayer 

“Nyx, mother of the night, mother of sleep, mother of death: Might your darkness embrace me Might your energy caress me Might you be mine and Might I be yours Blessed be.“

In general 

O ancient Goddess, born of Chaos and steeped in shadow, I honor you now and always. With eyes which have watched the beginnings of all that is, see us now embracing your sleep and mystery. With power that strikes fear into the hearts of the most revered of Gods,

I remember your strength when I am searching for my own. In the starless night where light shines not i will give my thanks to your Greatness, And surrender to the dark.

Links/websites/sources • Nyx - Greek-Goddesses Wiki - Fandomhttps://www.theoi.com/Protogenos/Nyx.html mystical-sleepy-musings <a href="https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/goddesses/nyx/">Nyx – Greek Goddess of The Night: https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net</a> - Greek Gods & Goddesses, June 10, 2018 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyx https://www.theoi.com/Protogenos/Nyx.htmlhttps://www.britannica.com/topic/Hypnoshttps://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/goddesses/nyx/https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe/nyx-goddess-0017255 https://www.worldhistory.org/Nyx/https://gods-and-demons.fandom.com/wiki/Nyx https://www.moonfallmetaphysical.com/s/stories/nyx-greek-goddess#google_vignette https://www.moonfallmetaphysical.com/s/stories/nyx-greek-goddess#google_vignette https://mythopedia.com/topics/nyx https://oldworldgods.com/greeks/nyx-greek-goddess-of-the-night/https://www.vintageisthenewold.com/game-pedia/what-does-nyx-goddess-look-like https://aminoapps.com/c/hellenistic-polytheism/page/item/nyx/Vn7V_bmCvIP7XMLvlKzJJbl2lGY55JLxDZhttps://thebacchichuntress.tumblr.com/post/127160005123/offerings-to-nyx/amphttps://www.tumblr.com/heatherwitch/161308460295/nyxhttps://tuiliel.tumblr.com/post/139053552874/epithets-of-nyx/amphttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_night_deities https://greekpagan.com/category/prayers-2/nyx/#:~:text=older%20than%20old%2C%20daughter%20of,the%20comfort%20of%20the%20night.Magickal Spothttps://magickalspot.com › nyxGoddess Nyx: Prayers, Symbols, Books & More [Guide]https://www.tumblr.com/moonlitmagic/189775766368/prayer-for-nyx

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

This post is payment to my friend @briislame

May Nyx cover you with the calmness of night.

I use resources, I do not own the info, and most deep dives have UPG (that I use in my work.) And I only take some information from sources. I am 14, this is my hobby, I am learning but I spent many hours and days on this, and I am always open to criticism. I have been doing worship for 5 years. Please know you can use the info, I do not sue, but I will take action if this work is used without permission and not put as a resource if used in any work. without permisson and not put as a resource if used in any work, for the public.

[erikahenningsen]

10. regina/janis

10. “I won’t let you.”

This is so not Janis's scene. Which is a weird thing to say, considering she's in Damian's house. But things have changed a lot in the last few months.

When Janis decided to forgive Cady at spring fling, she didn't realize she would be inheriting all of Cady's friends, too—people Janis previously found to be profoundly annoying, but most of whom turned out to be okay.

Still, she really has to ask herself how she ended up here, at a rager thrown by Damian, who has somehow become close with Shane Oman, with three-quarters of the North Shore basketball team, the mathletes, Gretchen Wieners, Karen Shetty, and Regina fucking George.

Janis enjoys a good party, but the combination of the jocks chanting chug, chug, chug and Damian and his theater friends belting out showtunes is giving her a headache.

She's looking for her jacket, ready to head home, when she sees Regina, stumbling a little as she tries to jam her foot into her shoe.

"Untying it first might help," Janis tells her, finally locating her jacket thrown over the banister, buried by three other jackets.

Regina makes an annoyed huff, but she does untie her shoe before finally sliding it in and re-lacing it. When she rights herself, the first thing Janis notices is how she sways a little where she stands, face flushed the way it gets sometimes when she's had too much to drink. (How Janis somehow knows this is beyond her.)

The second is that her car keys are in her hand.

"You're not driving yourself home, are you?" Janis asks cautiously.

"What? Yeah, I am," Regina says, rolling her eyes a little as she reaches for the front door.

Janis maneuvers herself so she's blocking Regina's path. "Slow down there, Justin Timberlake. You're drunk. You can't drive."

"I'm fine," Regina insists, irritation starting to color her voice. "Move."

"No."

"Janis! Get out of my way. I'm leaving," Regina says, drawing out the last word, like Janis is stupid.

Janis shakes her head. "I won't let you."

Regina's eyebrows rise. "You won't let me?"

"Nope," Janis tells her. "You know what it's like to get hit by a reckless driver. You want someone else to experience that?"

This seems to give Regina pause. Janis waits as the gears in her brain turn, slowed by alcohol.

"Ugh, fine," Regina grumbles. Then she pulls out her phone and starts clumsily tapping at the screen.

"What are you doing?" Janis asks.

"Calling an Uber, officer," Regina says.

Janis has no idea what possesses her to say, "I'll drive you home."

Regina blinks at her once, twice. "What?"

"I can drive you," Janis tells her. "I'm heading out anyway, and you're on the way, so..."

It's not that she and Regina aren't friends, but they're not exactly friends, either. They're still figuring out how to navigate that awkward space between being everything and nothing to each other. But this shouldn't be weird, right?

Right.

"Okay," Regina says after a moment. "Don't kill me."

Janis rolls her eyes and opens the front door. "Right. You're more of a do-it-yourself kind of girl."

Janis walks slowly to her car, Regina stumbling after her, walking gingerly on the frozen grass, breath curling like smoke in the winter air.

Janis turns on the car and blasts the heat once they're inside, slowly backing out of the driveway, maneuvering between the cars parked at the curb.

"It's cold in here," Regina complains like a petulant child.

"It'll warm up," Janis replies through gritted teeth. She contemplates making a joke about Regina being a frigid bitch, but decides against it.

"My car has heated seats."

"You can take off a star when you write your review."

Regina tilts her head back against the headrest and sighs. "Are you still seeing Grace?"

The question catches Janis completely off guard. "What?"

"Are you still seeing—"

"I heard you," Janis says. "Um, no, not anymore."

"Hmm," Regina hums contemplatively. "Well, there are lots of other girls out there. You'll find someone."

"You sound like my grandmother."

Regina huffs irritably. "I'm trying to be supportive."

"Yeah, and it's freaking me out, honestly," Janis tells her. If someone had told her even half an hour ago that she'd be talking to Regina about girls in her car, she would have laughed.

"Well, fine," Regina says, crossing her arms. She actually sounds a little hurt. And for some crazy reason, Janis doesn't want to hurt Regina's feelings.

"But, um, thanks," Janis says. "It just didn't work out."

Regina rests her head against the window, breath fogging the glass as she speaks. "You're hot and smart. You'll be okay."

Janis is grateful that she's pulling into Regina's driveway, because her instinct is to slam on the brakes. "What?"

Regina looks at her. She looks exhausted. "What?"

"What did you just say?" Janis needs to hear it again, for some reason.

Regina pauses to think. "You'll be okay."

"No, before—you know what? Never mind." Janis cuts the ignition. "Here you are, Cinderella."

Regina frowns. "Does that make you the pumpkin?"

Janis ignores the question. "Good night."

But Regina doesn't get out. She looks down at her hands, twisted in her lap. "Thanks for driving me home."

"Well, I didn't want to be an accessory to vehicular homicide. I'm applying to colleges, and that would look bad."

"Right," Regina says. She looks at Janis again, searching her face for something.

Janis isn't sure why the air in the car suddenly feels so charged, and it occurs to her that this is the longest she's been alone with Regina since middle school. She has the crazy thought that she's missed Regina, actually.

Finally, Regina pops open her door. "Well, thank you," she says quietly. "Good night."

"Night," Janis echoes, watching Regina disappear into her house.

Janis sits for a few minutes in her car in the driveway, trying to untangle the strange feeling in her stomach. Finally, she turns on her car, resolving to tuck this weird night in the file in the back of her brain labeled times Regina seemed human.

[iamthepulta]

How competitive was the copper market? Would Ea-Nasir have been one of many sellers of broadly equivalent status all trying to make a buck, like how one town might have six building firms all competing for work, or would he have had a near-monopoly like Starbucks? Would he have been a sole trader who brokered deals between mines and consumers, or would he have managed a warehouse with employees and held stock, etc?

Oh SHIT, I never answered this and it got lost in my drafts! I'm so sorry.

This is a fantastic question! Just to flesh out the picture of the trade in the day: Bronze is an alloy of copper (Cu) with either arsenic (As) or tin (Sn). Arsenic is a common unwanted element in copper deposits, and copper-arsenic-oxide (Cu-As-O) minerals look very similar to plain copper minerals. However, tin (Sn) occurs in very different, rarer, geologic environments, and thus must be sourced from different areas.

Likewise, As-Bronze is less malleable than copper, but not by much; arsenic ions are about the same size. Tin ions form good bronze because they're larger than the copper ions and prevent the metal from freely deforming, so it was prioritized for weapons and tools. Arsenic was used when tin wasn't available.

Ur was known for being one of the best cities for bronzework during the Bronze Age: metalworking services were in high demand, and they were the center of the copper, arsenic, and tin trades. Copper from Oman (or Cyprus, as their industry was developing more at the time), tin from Afghanistan, Southeast Asia, or Turkey, (depending on which archaeologist you talk to), and arsenic from India or Egypt.

So yeah, as a middleman, Ea-Nasir probably had numerous competitors who procured copper from Oman, particularly from the halfway point in Qatar, and then sent it back to Ur. Also referencing the plural translation "-those of the people who travel to Dilmun-", although likely only a few of those merchants were chosen to sell to the temple/government. (But that's speculation. Maybe the temple picked one person a year? Maybe copper tithes meant there was usually supply, and it was only this year during war the temple picked Ea-Nasir to buy from.)

It's also quite possible there were people doing copper business like Ea-Nasir further up the Tigris and Euphrates closer to Cyprus, and there were definitely specialist merchants for arsenic-copper and tin procurement. Once the copper was in the city, his buyers were refiners and metallurgists who made the bronze or copper wares that were purchased/exported throughout the Middle East.

As for employees and stock, I honestly don't know. But from the letters, it sounds like he was stretched rather thin, and he was dealing with buyers' messengers himself. So I wouldn't be surprised (although this is speculation) if it was just him and perhaps a servant/slave of the period to handle things in Ur while he was in Dilmun.

[Image References under the cut]

meme from r/historymemes

Peterson, 2012. Forging Social Networks: Metallurgy and the Politics of Value in Bronze Age Eurasia. The Archaeology of Power and Politics in Eurasia. Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139061186.018

Content References within my other Ea-Nasir writeups under iamthepulta: #mining history, or #ea nasir

[smusherina]

yard work - chapter 10 (regina george x reader)

fandom: Mean Girls (all media)

pairing: Regina George x OFC/Reader

summary: You'd been in the same class as Regina George since kindergarten. You'd lived on the same street even longer. Once upon a time, when life was sandbox disputes and who got the swing first arguments, you'd even been friends. Now, in junior year of high school, you doubted she even remembered you. The same couldn't be said about you. You definitely remembered her.

chapter 1 / chapter 2 / chapter 3 / chapter 4 / chapter 5 / chapter 6 / chapter 7 / chapter 8 / chapter 9 / chapter 11

You saw Regina around. You could spot her pink convertible miles away. It was impossible to ignore her in the hallways as the crowd parted for her like the Red Sea. Hard as you tried, there was no real way to ignore Regina George.

Your friends had been keeping a wide berth from you, probably due to your recent affiliation with the lamest of the lame, Janis and Damien, so you spent most of your time at school alone. It was fine. You couldn't go skating with the guys anyway, with the snow and stuff.

No friends, no Regina, and definitely no Janis or Damien. You spent the majority of your time alone. With the fog of your emotions and the constant whirring of the wheels in your head, you couldn't say you minded. You would've probably been shitty company anyway.

You were constantly distracted and away in your own world. Questions kept rolling around your mind, doubt saturating every decision you'd made that night.

At the same time, you couldn't see a world in which that could've gone well. Kissing Regina George, regardless of who had initiated it, was an omen for bad things. It ruined the life of Janis 'Imi'ike and that of Aaron Samuels once and then twice. It ruined yours.

And even if you were being dramatic, because life did go on and you'd graduate and go on, the turmoil you felt now very much felt like it. The only one that'd been spared was Shane Oman unless there was something beyond the surface about him. You doubted it. The guy was shallow like a puddle.

You knew—a lot of things you knew but never said a thing about, so did you really know?—that there had been dysfunction in your relationship with Regina for a long time. Back then, she'd been possessive and jealous, would monopolize your time, would keep you at her beck and call constantly. You'd liked it, liked how she seemed to need you, how you felt wanted around her. And then it stopped. She stopped asking you to her place and eventually began blatantly ignoring you.

You'd learned to take hints early on, particularly when you weren't welcome. You'd learned to stop knocking on the bedroom door after nightmares because while dad would allow you to sleep in the bed, he'd do it with a scowl on his face. You'd learned to not ask for things, learned to fade into the background, learned to watch out for clues.

So when Regina left you alone, you didn't fight back. No matter how much it hurt, no matter how miserable it made you, you didn't beg or cry for her. That was something you shared with Regina. Emotion was a private thing.

That's where your similarities ended, though. Whereas she'd learned to control her innermost feelings, you'd just pushed them away for later. Where she seemed to be completely immune, your condition was fragile, prone to fissures.

Or maybe she was more like you than you thought. Maybe she just had a bigger bottle than you did in which to seal away the bad things.

The thing was, you'd never know. A while ago you'd come to the conclusion that you'd take her back every time. You weren't sure if you could stand by that, but you also did not know if you could resist.

The end of November was spent anticipating Christmas, resisting the melancholy, and praying for snow days. You'd never done better in school because you were putting all your energy into homework and studying. The teachers liked it, but with the SATs already over with there wasn't much use for it. Still, you kept doing it. You managed to surpass Cady Heron with your math grades.

You had a feeling she was playing dumb for Aaron Samuels. You had to resist laughing at the irony. Cady hated Regina so much and yet was acting exactly like her. Why she tricked Aaron when he was single, you did not know. Maybe it was a power play.

Grudgingly, you admitted Regina looked better than ever. She was slow to lose the pounds she'd gained with the help of the Kälteen bars, but if somebody were to ask you she looked better that way. She was actually a normal weight, looked human and not like a mannequin.

"So, still not over her, huh?" You startled, banging your head against the lockers you were leaning against.

"Ow, what the fuck, Janis?" You snarked, whirling to look at her. You rubbed at the spot where you hit your head, frowning down at her. You didn't want to talk to her and the pain only made you more irritable.

"Jeez, it was just a question." She held her arms up in surrender, though the evil smirk on her face spoke otherwise.

"It's none of your business." You fired back and turned to walk away from her. The hallway had gone back to chaos once Regina had passed, so you had a little trouble trying to navigate the throngs of people.

"C'mon, don't be such a spoilsport!" She stubbornly walked after you, Damian trailing behind you two. "We have some very important information to share. And also questions."

"I'm busy."

"With what?"

"No comment."

"Cool, so that means nothing. Grab her, Dee!" With that, you were yanked back by the hoop of your backpack. Damian did not react to your indignant squawking as you were swiftly transported to the back of the school.

"This is your spot, right?" Janis declared as she ducked under the bleachers. "You got any cigs?"

"I thought you weren't allowed to smoke in front of your boyfriend." You said, crossing your arms stubbornly.

"Har har, you're so funny." She smiled cheesily at you, her face going slack as she searched through her pockets. "Today, please." There was a coin in her hand.

"That'll be seventy-five."

"You can't up the price!"

"Watch me." You shrugged, smiling in the same sarcastic way she'd done. Damian was watching you two like a tennis match.

"You're a fraud." She muttered as she procured a quarter. "Is next time gonna be a dollar?"

"I sincerely hope there will not be a next time. In case you have not noticed, I do not like you."

"Yeah, you've been real subtle." Damian piped in sassily.

You reached into your coat pockets and pulled out your pack. You offered it to Damian, who scrunched his nose and waved you away. You shrugged and flicked the lighter to life.

"What, he'd get one for free?" Janis watched the exchange with narrowed eyes. "You got a thing for gay guys?"

"He's got that feminine energy." You said as you handed her the lighter.

"I feel like that's offensive."

"Hey, I'm not saying all gay guys have a feminine energy." You said, taking a drag. "You do." You nodded at Damian. He only nodded back, a little smile on his face.

"Amazing, we've established there's no prejudice here in this space. Now," She took a drag. "Mind telling me why Regina isn't performing with the plastics this year?"

That was news to you. "She isn't?"

"I was hoping you'd have known something about that. We've gathered intel that Gretchen's freaking out about it."

"Cady's info isn't reliable anymore?"

"She's not in anymore. She's turned into one of them, there's no hope." Janis sulked, leaning against the metal. Damian patted her on the shoulder.

You hummed, unsure of what you should say. "You haven't, uh, heard any rumours about me, have you?"

Janis perked up like a dog at the word treat. "What, should there be?"

"No." You stated and took a drag. "Just wondering."

"You haven't asked before." Damian piped in. "And you don't seem the type to care."

"It was just a question." You defended, sounding fake even to your own ears. "Honest."

"No," Janis breathed out. "You- she- oh my god, not you too!" She took you by the shoulders and shook. "She kissed you!"

"No, she did not!" You tried to protest and dislodged from her hold. "Don't jump to conclusions."

"Oh, my friend, she's- she's plotting something big." Janis looked like a kid on Christmas day. "She's gonna ruin you in the most spectacular way. Maybe she's gonna do a solo and a slide show about you being a lesbian. No, that's too much. What if-"

As Janis went on, sounding way too excited about your demise, you kept smoking. Damian kept her going, humming and saying affirmations at the appropriate times, all the while eyeing you. You didn't know what his deal was.

He was a pretty loud, friendly guy most of the time. Not around you, though. What his problem was, you did not care to know. You could tolerate them for a smoke or two, but you had no desire to be their friend. As Janis continued to ramble, cigarette basically forgotten, you inclined your head at Damian and left.

Regina and Co. had done their Christmas dance routine at the talent show for years. It began all the way in middle school. Breaking the streak was a big deal. Mrs George was always there, filming the whole thing and dancing along. Secretly, you'd always thought it was more silly than sexy, but you'd never been one to complain about seeing Regina in latex.

Once school finished for the day, you wasted no time getting home. After the weekend, the last week of school would begin. The talent show was on Friday, exactly seven days away. So, the last seven days of your life, basically.

If Janis was right and Regina was going solo, the chances of your survival were little to none. You weren't self-centred, but it'd be dumb to ignore the signs. Something pretty big had gone down even nobody else knew it. If you were wrong for assuming the fight had been a big thing for both you and Regina, well, then you were wrong.

You'd most definitely have to switch schools. If Regina was gonna go ahead with her other accusation as well, that you'd done stuff to her without her consent, you could be facing charges. Dad would not be happy.

That could be something you needed. Maybe you would've gotten over her faster back then if you hadn't had to be around her. Maybe this was the last hurrah.

Toeing your shoes off, hanging your jacket on the hook, and throwing your backpack onto the couch, you headed for the kitchen. You were a little short on food. You'd have to make do with cup noodles for the weekend before dad sent you more money on Monday.

Boiling cup of flavourless noodles and bland broth in front of you, you got to thinking. Maybe you could cook something for her. A simple recipe, both an apology and a goodbye. You'd have to find an opportunity to give it to her alone. Too hard. It had to be something you could put into her locker.

(In addition to selling things at school, you'd done some paid burglary on lockers. It'd been fun, but the one time you'd been caught had been enough to stop you in your tracks.)

Your mind drifted to the Burn Book. You'd never actually seen it, but you figured it was some sort of scrapbook. Cady had made it seem like one, at least.

A scrapbook for Regina George. Now that was something. Cheesy. It would most definitely end up in the garbage. But, hey, you did have all the pictures Abuela used to take of you. And you could write in it too. She'd probably take better to reading about your feelings than hearing about them. If she would even read it.

You could try, though. You didn't want to give up like last time.

Notes: Slightly less polished than I'd like, but I'll return to edit at a later date.

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[arabriddler]

“ I taught him archery, and when his arm grew sturdy, he shot me.”

-Malik Bin Faham Al Azdi.

This is one of my favorite Arabic phrases. People debated its origin, but I’d like to tell the Al Azdi story because it makes me stare at a wall for a couple of minutes, and I’m sad I couldn’t find an English translation of the poem the phrase was taken from.

So Al Azdi was one of the earliest sultans of Oman. At night, he’d entrust his sons with guarding him, and they’d change shifts occasionally. He was very close to his youngest son, Sulaima, and taught him many things like horse riding and archery. Naturally, his other sons were jealous— they told their dad that Sulaima is lazy and sleeps on duty. Al Azdi decided to test Sulaima by sneaking up on him while he’s on guard, and his youngest son shot him on sight. As he died, Al Azdi told a poem that included the famous line “ I taught him archery, and when his arm grew sturdy, he shot me.” Do note that the poem also indicates that he realized that the sons set their little brother up.

what drives me insane is that the phrase is typically used as an equivalent to “ biting the hand that feeds you .” ie. Being ungrateful, but when you look at the whole story, Sulaima is just… doing his job. The problem is his brothers setting him up, and Al Azdi not trusting his closest son enough, or if he did, how easily seeds of doubt grow to break strong wounds. makes me think if rather than “ he bit the hand that fed him “ it would be more like “ I fed him well, I was surprised how strong his teeth were when he accidentally bit me.”

[send-up-my-heart-to-you]

tips for writing arab characters

writer here!! im a middle eastern writer whos noticed that theres a VERY significant lack of info on how to write arabs, so im here to help !! (however, keep in mind that im specifically gulf arab and may not be able to provide as much info on levant arabs or north african arabs. if there are any on here, feel free to reblog w more info !! )

dont get arabs mixed up w muslims. yes, a large portion of the arab population are muslim, but youd be surprised at the number of non-muslim arabs that exist. if you wanna write abt a muslim character, a post i made that might help is here 

list of arab countries, with the adjective:

algeria — algerian

bahrain — bahraini 

the comoros islands — comorans

djibouti — djiboutian

egypt — egyptian

iraq — iraqi

jordan — jordanian

kuwait — kuwaiti

lebanon — lebanese

libya — libyan

morocco — moroccan

mauritania — mauritanian

oman — omani

palestine — palestinian

qatar — qatari

kingdom of saudi arabia (ksa) — saudi

somalia — somali

sudan  — sudanese

syria — syrian

tunisia — tunisian

united arab emirates (uae) — emirati

yemen — yemeni

dialects/language:

dialects greatly differ—the egyptian dialect is the most common, followed closely by the levantine dialect

classic arabic is called fusha (fuss-ha), used in things like official documents, media, education. every arab knows it but its not used in day to day language except in media (all dialects basically come from fusha, but with slight changes)

'p' and 'g' (as in 'gurgle' or 'goal') dont exist in the arabic alphabet, theyre replaced with 'b' and 'j' 

depending on where theyre from, they may also learn a third language besides arabic and english (e.g. moroccans know french, a berber arab may know berber)

appearance:

arabs look different based on where theyre from. if theyre from the arabian peninsula, they have thick curly dark hair, tanned skin, and dark eyes. levant arabs are lighter skinned, and green/blue eyes are more common with them

adding on to previous point, arabs have a variety of skin tones, even if theyre siblings. using a real example, me and my older brother respectively look white passing and afro hispanic

dark irises are considered better looking than lighter colored eyes. eyes are usually thick-lashed, with big round slightly upturned eyes 

big noses are common, along with full lips (and hereditary dark circles for those with more tanned skin)

high cheekbones and well structured faces are also prevalent

culture:

varies depending on location

influenced by indian culture, IS NOT INTERCHANGEABLE WITH INDIAN CULTURE. that was aladdins mistake

poetry is so common, especially with romantic themes

songs also have romantic themes

youd be surprised at how romantic arabs are

dances vary extremely, from dabke (palestinean dance done in groups, consisting largely of leg/foot movements) to yola (emirati dance with battle origins, done using canes or fake guns) i recommend watching videos (tiktok has a lot of videos esp of dabke)

women also dance but you wont find a lot of videos of it bc its inappropriate

etiquette:

things such as giving someone your back, or facing the bottom of your feet towards someone are considered rude 

pda is also taboo (even with straight couples or even sometimes married couples)

cheek kisses are a common way of greeting, but not between genders

in some gulf countries, men greet each other with a nose kiss (not in an intimate way) just stubbing their noses against each other

genders do not mix at all. schools tend to divide girls and boys into two sections starting at a certain age (around age 10/11), and mosques are split into the mens side (usually larger than womens bc men use the mosque more)

having an extramarital relationship is very very taboo (even w hetero relationships) but it still happens. a lot. 

family dynamics (note that this is obviously a spectrum. this is the general dynamic, but obv it ranges from family to family):

NOT ALL OF US HAVE ABUSIVE PARENTS. sure theyll spank you if you skip school, but thats not necessarily abusive. its more strict, and youd be surprised at the amount of freedom some parents give their kids

yes, arranged marriages do happen. no, they arent necessarily forced, it just means that your parents had a hand in deciding who youll marry. yes, marrying cousins is a thing, but its much less prevalent now (also, ew)

fathers care. a lot. they dont show it, but they do. they also tend to joke around a lot

mothers tend to be the rule enforcers, and by far our moms are our best friends. we tell them EVERYTHING i swear 

aunties gossip a lot

uncles are a safety hazard

its not uncommon to have a large number of cousins (mainly bc arabs tend to have a lot of kids)

the average number of children 3 per woman, but from personal experience the older the generation the more kids (e.g. my great-grandmother had a whopping thirteen kids, my grandmother had seven, my mom has six, but a couple of my aunts only have one or two)

social class/work environment/school environment:

schools tend to be either arab curriculums but there is a high density of american/british curriculum schools

boys and girls tend to be separated in school around age nine/ten but some schools will be mixed genders up till graduation

yes, women work, tho admittedly some of them tend to have careers more than jobs (e.g. photographer, writer, etc while the men handle engineering, economics, etc)

no, not all of us are rich. in fact, countries like jordan, egypt, tunisia, morocco, and yemen (and infamously palestine) are acc struggling w poverty. its mainly just gulf arabs who are rich

furthermore, gulf arabs may be generally rich but a large chunk of them have the same lifestyle as an upper-middle class family in the usa. rich but not too rich. dont be fooled by the videos of guys wearing kandoras and driving lambos

speaking of kandoras...

outfits (keep in mind that spelling may vary since its all transliteration, and pronunciation may vary depending on region) (also keep in mind that even if we still live in the middle east, WE CAN WEAR JEANS AND HOODIES AND BAND SHIRTS. just, usually cover up more in public):

abaya: loose overgarment worn by women

jilbab/chandoor: also worn by women, type of long dress or tunic

the white robe all of yall know is known as a thobe, dishdasha, or kandora

the colored headscarf worn by men is known as a ghuthrain in the gulf, kevfiah in the levant. its kept in place with a black cord called a aghal, and under it they wear a skullcap called a thagiyah

those are the most common ones, however if youd like to get a lil more specific on clothong, the ultimate guide to arab clothing is here (it also has specified clothing for individual countries)

hope this helps, feel free to reblog w more info if you have any !!

[acepumpkinpatrick]

A very important interview I want to talk about is Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitta's with Sifr mag.

Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitta is a Palestinian surgeon that came back to Gaza on 9/10/2023 to help and was a first hand witness of the bombing of Al-Ahli Baptist hospitale on the 17th of October.

In the interview Dr. Ghassan says "In choosing the Baptist hospitale, the Israelis chose the hospital with the most international connections. The Baptist hospitale is run by The World council of Churches and it is connected to the Evangelical church in Britain. They chose that hospitale to see how much international dissension & outrage their campaign to destroy the health system in Gaza Strip, will face. In the span of half an hour after the massacre and with the blind acceptance of western media to the Israeli story that is was a misfired Hamas missile, even though the international organizations and media that ran that story did not talk to any survivors, doctors, injured people or their families, that was the international community's message to Israel to go forth with their plan."

"We need to negotiate with the system and not just one tool of the system. If we negotiate the Israelis for just a ceasefire, they will retrieve the tanks and keep the siege. They will retrieve the tanks but the World Bank will withhold the money. The banks will block the donation money that is collected in Bierut or Oman or in other Arab countries from reaching its destination. A regional war will force the system. The system that is America and its tools, WHO, World Bank, IMF or The Red Cross and its agents, be it Israelis or Arab. All these tools you can not negotiate with them unless America felt there's gonna be a regional war. Unfortunately this massacre will not stop unless this war turned into a regional war."

As much as we want fast peace and ceasefire now, these words ring true of the real of a situation that has been going on for 75 years. Right now alot of countries and organizations want to put a bandaid on it in the shape of a ceasefire and move on back to before the 7th of October where Palestinians were being killed in silence. But ironically Israel & the US are actually the ones that are keeping the world from that bandaid. The US government has historically only understood the language of war. If the US doesn't want war it will do everything in its power to not go to war. The thing is, non of the regional countries want to go to war. The region has suffered enough because of the US, Iran & Russia. And the 3 major players (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, & UAE) are in Israel's pocket. That's why what Yemen is doing is so so important. It's affecting their precious economy without going to outright war.

The whole interview is on YT but unfortunately it's untranslated, here's a link: