#acronym is already made so it's offical

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for possibly emasculating my husband?

My husband (27 M) and I (32 F) have recently gotten married and bought a house together. For context, we started dating three years ago, and I immediately fell in love with him. We met through a mutual acquaintance and he asked me out after twenty minutes of conversation. He was a perfect gentleman, incredibly intelligent, very handsome, funny, hardworking and kind. On our third date, when we began to get serious, he told me he was transgender – that he had been born female but transitioned to male in his early twenties. This came as a surprise but didn't really change anything. He was the perfect boyfriend and is currently a fantastic husband. He's not out to most people, but a few mutual friends know.

Since we bought a place together, we've both started jobs in the area. He has a very good full-time job at an office about twenty minutes away, and my job is part-time, about ten minutes away from home and five minutes from his office building. His office building has a fast food place next door where most employees get lunch.

Often, my husband forgets his homemade lunch, and I make sure to bring it to him during my lunch break, or after my shift ends. I take a lot of pride in my cooking, and I want to show off to him, so I like to bring him different kinds of meals, in what I've been told is kitchy and cutesy presentation (I write him a love note on the napkin, or make a heart out of vegetables, or fold a rose out of salami slices, etc.)

I take the elevator up to his office, hand him his lunch, give him a kiss, and then I'm off back to work. It's almost like a ritual of ours, and sometimes I find myself looking forward to him having forgotten his lunch. (Does that make me a bad person?)

A mutual friend of ours who works at my husband's office told me in private that I'm emasculating him by bringing him overly cutesy lunches and, her words, not mine, "fawning over him." She also knows about my husband's past, and is very educated and active in LGBT+ rights outside of work. I'm really not as educated, and I grew up in a conservative immigrant household and neighborhood where I hadn't even encountered anyone LGBT+ until I was in college. When she brought this up to me, it made me incredibly self-conscious, and worried that I wasn't validating my husband's masculinity. Recently, I didn't take him his lunch when he forgot it, and he asked me if I was mad at him when he got home. I assured him I wasn't, but now I'm worried.

I'm also worried to ask him what to do, because I don't want it to seem as though I'm treating him any differently because he happens to be transgender. It's never been an issue before, but now I'm thinking more deeply about our relationship and wondering whether I'm unconsciously emasculating him. I love my husband and don't want to hurt him, but I'm wondering whether I have already, by making him seem less masculine in front of his coworkers.

Am I the asshole?

What are these acronyms?

[loudlittleecho]

Frozen in Time: Too Late to Save Them

Previous

Part 6

Tim got an alert on Forever Ice in Wisconsin. 

Seems there had been an accident. He quickly scanned the document. Mr. Anderson had given a statement, grateful that no one had been harmed, thankfully, and he also did not expect this to delay shipping. He mentions that his new facilities had better safety measures installed, and while he was sad to let the building go, it was time. . . a little further in the article mentioned how everyone who had worked at the facility had been given two lucrative options. Take a generous severance package, or transfer to another facility with housing and transportation cost support. 

Tim frowned. He had gotten alerts about the other facilities two months ago. When he had scanned them they all seemed above board. Seems Anderson had found a way to recreate his ability. Tim had purchased one crafted from a newer facility, and had analyzed it beside the first. They were identical.

Tim had a hunch he didn’t like. Anderson was making friends with quite a few people. 

He noticed a file he hadn’t added to the report, written in code. 

He narrowed his eyes. This folder was open to anyone in the Justice League to add to if they so desired. 

The only one who would add something in code was The Question. 

—

The woman, Nora, had requested his team to clear one of the smaller offices of the warehouse they were occupying, and to find a bed for the boy– though by now the boy was back as a block of ice.

His crew had glanced at him for confirmation; he nodded for them to comply. 

She had only given her first name, but Snart was able to put the pieces together. Nora Fries, wife of Mr. Freeze. He hadn’t kept up with Gotham news, but it looked that somehow Freeze had managed to bring his wife back.

Now how the kid connected to the two, he didn’t know. 

Nora had told him the boy had felt feverish; she believed if a room was made colder than his own, his body wouldn’t need to form his own ice. 

Snart worked on the logistics. 

—

Sources (See interview 1c): noted complete flip in N.A.’s personality. Clone? Mind Control? 

P.A. using ice BEFORE N.A. (See interview 1a). Need full interview with P.A. 

B.A. No Meta gene, biological sibling of N.A. (See D.M.A. Federal Employee Background Check)

Forever Ice: hired employees previously working with CADMUS. Deeper connection?

Tim rubbed his eyes. He enjoyed cracking codes, but The Question had written his added documents in seventeen different ciphers. Two to three, Tim understood, but seventeen on an already secured folder? He admired the man, sure. But he also recognized this could be his future if he wasn’t careful. 

It seemed The Question had taken on the case. That was good, because Tim already had enough on his plate. He started to close out the file when he paused.

He wanted to let his fellow detective know he was willing to help if needed. Tim smirked.

Wrote a coded note, and closed the file. 

— 

The room was set below freezing, using Nora’s cryokinesis and Snart’s devices to keep it at the right temperature. 

It had taken a week, but they had finally found the correct temperature. Nora wasn’t quite sure why Cold was helping. But she didn’t complain. 

When she removed ice from the boy, it didn’t replace itself. 

Slowly and gently she placed him on the bed. It had frozen over, of course, but was better than the floor.

His chest slowly moved up and down; breathing. 

Noticing the medical band from his wrist, she removed it. 

Fenton, Daniel.

ADM: 09/16/–

DOB: 04/03/–

The band was frayed, so Nora couldn’t be positive about its accuracy on the current situation. But based on dates alone, Daniel Fenton was fourteen 27 years ago.

Author note:

Acronyms: N.A., P.A., B.A: Nathan, Paul, and Becks Anderson

D.M.A.: Department of Metahuman Affairs. 

The D.M.A. is a real department in DC comics. Now, they don't have a 'Federal Employee Background Check', but honestly I wouldn't put it past the DC Universe to do so: Especially to not have a Queen Bee, Count Vertigo, etc situation happen in the states.

[international-writing]

Intelligence agencies 101: MI6

Dashing spies and deadly agents, from James Bond to Alex Rider and George Smiley. We have all heard of British Intelligence, but just how much do you know about MI6?

1.- It is the oldest secret service in the world.

If we want to get technical, spies have been working for the British crown since 1569, thanks to Queen Elizabeth I and her Secretary of State, Sir Francis Walsingham. But for now, we'll focus on the contemporary Secret Service.

Hear me out, back in 1909 in the midst of what we call the "armed peace", things were getting anything but peaceful. Countries developed and accumulated weapons like it was a sport, and most of them were unsatisfied with the territories they owned. Germany was going all Queen and screaming "I Want It All", which made the rest of the European countries slightly concerned by its imperialistic ambitions.

Britain was the first to grow paranoid and so Prime Minister Asquith decided to have the Committee of Imperial Defence, create a Secret Service Bureau.

However, it is worth mentioning that the existence of the agency wasn't formally acknowledged until 1994, under the Intelligence Services Act, and even though everyone had known about it for ages.

2.- They have very... diverse tasks

Officially, MI6 is tasked with the collection, analysis, and adequate distribution of foreign intelligence (it is a common misconception that MI6 also handles national affairs, that's what its counterpart MI5 is for).

Now, note that I said "officially", and that is because unofficially (it is kind of very illegal), MI6 has been known to carry out espionage activity overseas. But you already knew that, didn't you? Otherwise, why would you be here?

3.- Roles

As described by the SIS itself, there are several roles within the organisation:

Intelligence officers: Must be UK nationals of at least 18, with no drug use and pass a very intrusive security clearance. The jobs are divided into the following subcategories:

Operational Managers: planning and managing intelligence collection operations.

Targeters: turning information (data) into human intelligence operations.

Officers: link to Whitehall (government) as well as validating and testing intelligence.

Case Officers: managing and building relationships with agents.

Operational Data Analysts: Must be UK nationals of at least 18, with no drug use and pass a very intrusive security clearance. Tech abilities are a must. Training course lasts 2 years.

Tech Network Area: Must be UK nationals of at least 18, with no drug use and pass a very intrusive security clearance. Skills in: GoLang, gRPC, Protobuf, Kubernetes & Docker Python, Java, C#, C, C++, and React (+Redux).

Language Specialists: Must be UK nationals of at least 18, with no drug use and pass a very intrusive security clearance. Russian, Arabic and Mandarin linguists are the most solicited, followed by translators.

4.- Their alphabet is a bit jumbled up

Anyone that has ever seen or read any 007 material knows that M is the head of MI6, whether that be Judy Dench, Bernard Lee or Ralph Fiennes.

But what if I told you that the head of MI6 is actually a certain C?

Back when the Secret Service Bureau was created, a 50-year-old Royal Navy officer called Mansfield Cumming (and dubbed "C") was chosen to head the Foreign Section.

5.- MI6 or SIS?

Officially, the agency's current name (adopted in 1920) is Secret Intelligence Service, hence the acronym SIS, but it wasn't always that. We've established that it started its days as the Secret Service Bureau, and during WWI, the agency joined forces with Military Intelligence, even going as far as to adopt the cover name "MI1(c)".

The agency continued to acquire several names throughout the years, such as "Foreign Intelligence Service", "Secret Service", "Special Intelligence Service" and even "C's organisation". It wasn't until WWII started, that the name MI6 was adopted, in reference to the agency being "section six" of Military Intelligence.

And I truly do hate to be the bearer of bad news but... the name MI6, as cool as it sounds, is no longer in use. Writers and journalists still use that name, but those within the organisation just call it SIS nowadays.

6.- They are fond of their traditions

Remember our dear Commander Mansfield? Well, turns out he started a thing. The man used to sign his letters in green ink and always with the letter "C" a tradition that proved to be sticky enough to be passed down to every single Chief afterwards. Another tradition worth mentioning, is that of calling intelligence reports "CX reports", which... you guessed it, is still done to this day.

7.- Special friends

On 1949, the SIS began a formal collaboration with the CIA, even though the agency had already helped to train their predecessor's personnel, the U.S. Office of Strategic Services.

Even the CIA has admitted that the MI6 has provided them with some of the most valuable information of all time, including information that helped during the Cuban Missile Crisis and key elements to the capture of Osama Bin Laden.

I hope this will be of some use to your future writings and do feel free to submit an ask if you happen to have a specific question regarding British intelligence, or any other International Relations subject!

Yours truly,

–The Internationalist

[anxious-alastor]

May I Have This Dance? ||Pt. 2|| Albert Wesker x Fem! Reader

Cameras flashed from multiple directions while reporters pushed microphones as far as their arms could reach. Wesker kept you close and didn't spare a single glance to those grasping for the pair of you.

The soft light from the event hall was welcoming as you passed through the doors. Several hundred conversations muddled into a soft roar just below the sound of live music. You glanced around the crowd, there were some minor celebrities, officers from the RPD, and of course several of the largest donors the city had. You hadn't realized you were approaching them until Wesker offered a greeting.

"Lord Spencer, my pleasure to be seeing you again." Your captain put his other hand on his chest and bowed slightly. You moved slightly to match him with a curtsy.

"Ah, no need for such formalities Albert, Oswell is fine." Oswell seemed amused as he shifted his attention to you, "And this must be the darling doctor I've heard so much about."

"It's very nice to meet you, sir." You smiled politely and offered your free hand to him.

"As it is with you my dear. Albert rarely gives praise to his coworkers." He chuckled and gave your hand a firm shake.

You could feel the blood rushing to your cheeks as you glanced up at your captain. Beneath his sunglasses his eyes were fixated on you and he was smirking. This naturally made the flustered feeling worsen and you quickly looked away. You couldn't deny you had the urge to wipe the smirk off his face but there was something else you were feeling.

"Excuse me a moment, Oswell. I should bring my guest here to the STARS table. I'll be back to go over some things with you." Wesker bowed again.

"Of course. We have a lot to discuss." Oswell nodded and seemed to chuckle some more as Wesker whisked you off to one of the many round tables.

The one you stopped at had your office's acronym as well as the words "Alpha Team" underlined beneath. Wesker pulled the chair out for you which you gratefully accepted. He didn't move to sit down after though. Instead he leaned down to talk into your ear.

"I've got some business to attend to. I'll be back soon." His tone seemed secretive. You opened your mouth to question or object but he was already gone.

•••

"Hey doc!" You heard Jill calling nearby and saw her approaching you along with an irritated looking Chris. Jill was in a royal blue floor-length dress that hugged her figure and flared at the bottom while Chris was in a tux. They both sat at the table with you.

"Jill! Chris?" You eagerly turned to them, excited to see your friends here.

"How are you here? Where did you get that dress?" Jill was always quick with the questions. Chris huffed distantly, eyes fixated somewhere else in the ocean of heads.

"Well Captain Wesker actually came by my apartment and-" Upon saying his name you had seemed to finally register the oddity that had happened.

"And?" Jill's eyebrow was cocked and she too had smirk. Something about that simple twitch of the mouth was driving you crazy tonight.

"He brought me this dress and a limousine ride." You knew it sounded ridiculous. How could it not? You promptly shifted topics, "What's wrong with Chris?"

"A rookie brought his sister as a plus one." Jill rolled her eyes.

"A rookie! Can you believe the audacity?" Chris scoffed and muttered something about not being good enough for Claire.

Both you and Jill exchanged glances before laughing. People around your trio shifted with some giving irritated looks while others smiled. Brad and Barry had joined the table a little while later and quickly you all fell into conversation as you ate. It was a nice night to be with friends.

"Hey I can't believe I finally found you guys!" Rebecca's voice caught your attention as she approached from your blind spot. She was in a pale green dress with lace flowers that faded upwards from the bottom of the skirt. She sat down and leaned close, "It's almost time for the speech from Chief Irons."

"You look like a pixie." Chris chuckled, giving Rebecca a thumbs up. Rebecca grinned and returned the gesture.

The ringing sound of metal on glass caused silence to sweep across the hall. The lights dimmed everywhere besides a long rectangular table that sat on a platform a half-foot above the others. Chief Irons was standing in the middle.

You didn't pay attention to a word the Chief said as you were too lost in your own head, thinking only of your Captain.

•••

The last of Chief Irons' speech rang throughout the hall, and soon after applause followed. The chief bowed and gestured to Wesker who was sitting to his left, "Captain Albert Wesker of the STARS Alpha Team would like to give his own toast."

"Thank you Chief Irons." Wesker nodded to the chief after standing up, "I'd like to give a special thanks to our highest donor, Lord Oswell Spencer, CEO of the Umbrella Corporation whose generous donation has fulfilled our goal." He paused as a round of applause was given to Oswell and removed his sunglasses. His piercing blue eyes met yours with an intensity that made a knot form in your stomach.

"One last thing. I want to give my appreciation to the doctor who has been by my side for several years, who has been loyal, compassionate, and the light during dark times. If you would be so kind dearheart," He moved off the stage and to you, leaning into a bow and offering his hand to you "May I have this dance?"

The entire room seemed to have held its breath. Shock and surprise was the only thing you saw as you glanced amongst your friends. It felt like the entire world had stopped as you gazed at Wesker. You didn't dare look away from him, afraid to see everyone staring, and afraid that he would stop. After a couple seconds you finally took his hand and followed as he led you to the dance floor.

Time returned to the rest of the world as the soft hum of voices slowly rose and the musicians began to play a waltz. You didn't notice the whispering. You were too enthralled by him, by the way his gaze made you feel, and by the way warmth was spreading from where your hands met. You felt like you could've floated away and the only thing keeping you grounded was him.

"How long..." The words caught in your mouth.

"How long have I had my eye on you?" He offered. When you nodded he chuckled softly, "Quite a while now dearheart."

You had no idea if your cheeks could grow any hotter. He pulled you closer into an embrace as the music slowed and he whispered to you

"Your stubborness, your sweetness, your anger, and your joy, all of it is absolutely enchanting to me." He was breathless as he brushed his hand against your cheek. "I want all of it–all of you."

"You mean that?" Your hand reached to his and grasped it tight as you looked at him helplessly.

"Why else would I have dropped everything to bring you here?" He smiled earnestly and you couldn't help but believe him.

You allowed his words and actions to quiet that little questioning voice inside you and you leaned close to him. You pressed your lips to his as you both slowed to a stop. After a few moments you pulled away and registered the sounds of applause.

"Let's get out of here." You offered with a smile.

"Gladly." Wesker grinned before quickly scooping you into his arms and dashing out the hall. Whistles and cheers followed you through the exit and you found yourself wondering if you were dreaming. Another kiss proved one thing to be true.

It wasn't a dream anymore.

[yellow-lemon-lime]

An anecdoctal tale on how having to learn a new language in my 30s helped my overall speech.

Under cut because I still ramble way too much it seems

I have had speech problems for years. I suspect they have been there for longer than I remember, but they came especially prevalent to me in my teenage years because that was when people around me started saying "speak slower" or "HTL" which translated to English is an acronym for "loud, clear and slow" and I came to despise whenever people would say that, which they sometimes would before I had even started saying anything. It was as if they expected the worst. The thing though was that I couldn't hear my own speech as being particularly fast, so when I did try to slow down it would feel like I was "humping" along the words and it just felt unnatural for me to speak like that. I did seek help in 2022 (I think?) and met with a speech therapist who not only confirmed that I had both stuttering and cluttering, but she also did these excersises with me as well hear my backstory and look at the psychological aspect of my speech. Also an interesting thing that she did is, one time my brother called on the phone while I was at an appointment (I don't remember if he had called while I was in the waiting room, or if I called when I was already in the ST's office) but while I was having the 1-2 minute conversation with my brother, she had apparantly been listening to and analysing my speech, because she told me afterwards the pattern she had heard. I think it's a very common thing to do when you come across something that you are an expert in (in her case, speech) to analyse things (in regards to your patient, she obviously wouldn't go up to a random stranger on the street and give her thoughts to them about the way that they speak).

During these speech therapy appointments I realised that part of my speech problems stemmed from the fear of not being taken seriously, but it was like the snake that bites its own tale, because my speech made me sound anxious and uncertain, but it was my anxiety and uncertainty that caused me to have speech problems. I was a very very shy kid and it didn't wasn't much better in my teens either, and my speech often depicted that, but only to an extend, because if I was with people who didn't make me nervous (which were very few) I would still talk fast and cluttered, but there wasn't the usual "They probably think I'm an idiot because I can't speak normally"-idea in my head.

Coincidentally 2022 was also the year that a Finnish guy sent me a message, which changed my life. I moved to Finland, got married to that guy, and as a consequence of moving to Finland, I am now in the process of learning Finnish (I moved in January 2023 and started officially learning in February 2023, although I did do a little bit of intimidating green owl before I moved, but I haven't used that one since coming to Finland) My language learning was also severally halted for over a year by my former job because it was English-speaking and in my free time I would be so depleted of energy (long commute) that even when I went to the Finnish course I wouldn't able to comprehend what was being said even though it was like A1 Finnish that I normally have no trouble understanding. I am now without a job (the job market here is really really bad, everyone knows that, I have also reach the age where I am not willing to risk my health, my fertility or my relationship for a workplace that won't even remember me in 20 years, which makes it more important for me to actually learn Finnish so I have a better chance of finding a workplace where language isn't a problem (although to be fair even for Finns finding a job is hard, so who the hell knows what to do)

But although my learning was halted for a very long, I did notice another change recently, and I had at first attributed it to being in my 30s, way older and more different thinking than my teens and 20s (and also escaping a family with a mother who I later realized neglected me emotionally. I still talk to her sometimes, but there's nothing in me that screams I'm her daughter, and whenever I think I have a physical trait that looks like her, I have to remove it instantly) but the change I noticed was beyond my own shyness and lack of hugs in my childhood. Finnish is often considered one of the hardest languages to learn so when having to start learning it in my 30s I knew that it was going to be a struggle and an uphill battle, but that was also what ultimately helped me view the psychological aspect of my speech problems in the languages I know by heart. Throughout my teenage years and 20s I was afraid of speaking to people and engaging in conversation because I feared sounding stupid, or saying the wrong word or just generally messing up my speech, would make them either think I was dumb, or they would feel overly sorry for me. When speaking Finnish I know that I will often use the wrong word for something, that I will conjugate a word wrong, that I will mess up complete sentences and that my speech will be far from good. And knowing that it will most likely sound stupid whenever I speak Finnish, ultimately set me free from worrying how I sound when I speak the languages that I know fluenty.

These are still only my experiences, my speech problems came from a mental problem, so I'm not even sure starting to learn a new language would benefit someone whose speech problems are because of physical trauma, and I'm not even sure if other people whose speech problems ARE an effect of mental illness and mental trauma could be helped by learning a new language. My knowledge of how acquired languages work in comparison to native languages in the brain is nonexistent. These are just anectdotes and what I personally experienced.

[mystical-flute]

I Am The Ghost That Hides in the Night Chapter 5 - These Monster Can Fly, And They'll Never Say Die

Also on AO3 || Buy me a Ko-Fi

Twilight pressed a hand to his forehead and exhaled as he strode to WISE headquarters a couple of weeks later. The rest of the weekend had gone relatively smoothly. Anya hadn’t provided any crucial information he didn’t already know and managed to get some rather difficult math problems she had been struggling with, and Yuri and Franky didn’t interrupt at all. Best of all, neither he nor Yor had been given any other assignments, which said to him WISE and whoever Yor worked for weren’t suspicious of them.

Everything would continue as normal.

Hopefully.

Nope, if he thought too much about the alternative, he would get a stomach ache, and that was the last thing Twilight needed to deal with right now. Handler was a master of figuring out people’s emotions, despite herself being known as the Iron Lady.

He sat down across from her, she did the usual greeting, which had his stomach untwisting from the knot it had placed itself in. Good. This was good. She seemed unconcerned with what she’d discovered about his wife and daughter.

“There isn’t much to report on when it comes to Project Apple - not as much as we’d hoped anyway,” Handler said after her usual greeting (which gave him a sense of calm. So there wasn’t some new big emergency). “Have you discovered anything, Twilight? Anything new to report from Anya?”

Twilight could only shrug. “Anya has managed to memorize the PEMDAS acronym by using Spy Wars characters.” The fact that she’d managed to memorize anything regarding mathematics was impressive, in Twilight’s mind. “And her grade in mathematics has gone up one percent.” She was still failing, but the grade was trending upward, which was a good thing. “Ever since the… incident she’s been working harder and… in a way I think opening her mind up to her classes.”

“Good. Perhaps there’s hope yet for a Stella regarding academics,” Handler said with the barest hint of a smile. “But… everything is okay at home with Yor? There hasn’t been any strange deliveries or anything?”

“No. Everything is continuing as normal.”

Handler nodded. “Good. And I’m glad that Anya’s grades are going in the right direction. See if you can… figure out anything else from her. I’m not asking you to use your typical methods of information extraction but whatever we can find out about that project Anya went through, the better chance we have of stopping it.”

Twilight nodded. He had sworn to make the world one without war or strife - a world where every child could smile and laugh, and that urge only got stronger with Anya. He didn’t know if he had genuine parental instincts or if it was just something he felt strongly about due to his mission, but either way, Operation Stryx would be a success and he would wipe out anything that caused Anya pain.

“You are dismissed, Agent Twilight.”

Twilight felt his muscles relax just slightly as he stepped out of Handler’s office and made his way back up to the busy streets of Berlint.

Something bothered him about this whole thing though: Anya’s biological parents. When he’d first adopted her, it had been easy to assume that she was an orphan, and her reaction to Headmaster Swan’s question about her birth mother had only solidified that assumption. Now, though, that he knew that she had been an experiment in a lab, he had doubts. What if her parents had been scientists that had experimented on her? He’d met so many awful people in his life he wouldn’t have put it past them.

At one point, Twilight had felt sympathy for Anya being an orphan, but now… he really hoped he’d gotten her out of there in time.

… though, given the nightmare she’d had the other night, he wasn’t sure if he had.

It bothered him, for some reason, that he didn’t have all the answers about Anya. Yes, he was legally, morally, responsible for her, but there was something else inside of him, a deep seated part of him that needed to know why and needed to fix everything that she felt was wrong.

He slid his hands in his pockets as he passed by the bakery. Now wasn’t the time to buy sweets - he needed to get back to the hospital so he could continue his work. He never knew for sure what sort of information would help WISE, but any little bit helped, he supposed.

“Doctor Forger, good, you’ve returned early!” his colleague said with a smile that was tinged with relief. “There is a new patient on their way and I thought you would be the best fit for her.”

Twilight raised a brow. “Me? I’m flattered, but why?”

“Because she’s six years old. Just a year younger than Anya, right?”

Twilight’s blood ran cold. Why would a six year old need severe mental health treatment? Children that age hadn’t grown up like he did - not in a war zone where bombs were alarm clocks. They had only known peace time.

“I see. Of course I’ll take her on.”

As he made his way to his office with her file in hand (patient name: Lila Michaelson, and her parents Edmund and Anna Michaelson), the only thing he could think of was that this girl was a classmate of Anya’s who had been struggling since the bus hijacking. Perhaps she had an older sibling that had been on the second bus (Michaelson didn’t sound familiar as anyone in Anya’s class) For an average six year old, he wouldn’t have been surprised. Even Anya had struggled in the aftermath of that, and he’d thought she was an average six year old. If this Lila girl had a sibling who had gone through it, he couldn’t imagine what sort of nightmares an average six year old had had.

Twilight got the play therapy box out and tried to make his office a little more comfortable by pulling the blinds closed and only having the dim lights of his lamps on, rather than the bright overhead lights. Hopefully his new patient would enjoy the toys a little more than Anya had when she’d come to the hospital for her assignment.

The memory made him faintly smile. How funny it was to look back on so many of Anya’s slips of the tongue and realize they hadn’t been slips at all, but her actually knowing everything that had happened at any point.

Which was making him question every decision he’d made regarding her over the past year. He’d thought he’d been making decisions that kept her safe, but how did you keep a telepathic child safe from danger - or keep closely guarded work secrets a secret?

Ah, but the knock on the door tabled his troubled thoughts. He pulled the door open with a warm smile, finding a couple and an unfamiliar child on the other side. Not one of the children from Eden then. Strange.

“Good afternoon. I’m Doctor Forger. You must be the Michaelsons,” his eyes trailed down to the little girl, and he bent to her height. “I’m guessing you’re my patient then, Lila?”

The young girl with dark blue hair nodded with wide eyes.

“We can’t thank you enough for taking our daughter on, Doctor Forger. My father’s friend is a patient of yours, and he says you are the best of the best,” the father, Edmund, said. “We just want to help our daughter.”

Twilight stepped aside, allowing the family entry to the office and closing the door behind them. “It’s not a problem at all, Mister Michaelson, that’s what I’m here for. It’s flattering to know that my reputation among my patients is positive, so I hope I can help Lila. as well. You all can take a seat on the sofa.”

While the family did so, Twilight observed their behavior as he reached for his notepad and a pen. He could see the nervousness in the parents’ eyes, but that was probably normal - though he only had Anya, he couldn’t imagine having a child with a mental illness like this. Neither of their eyes were darting around the room, only taking careful looks behind them to discard their coats and Anna’s purse (a discarded chair, which was a strangely intimate place to put things for them being in a hospital setting and despite Twilight having a coat rack in the office). There were no secret gestures between the family, only a shared look of nervousness between Edmund and Anna - which was to be expected, given what was happening.

Maybe this really was just a normal family that needed help for their child.

He would have to get to the bottom of this.

Twilight cleared his throat as he took a seat in the chair across from the family. “Alright, so when I see a patient for the first time, I like to spend the session just getting a baseline. What their normal day is like, or their background. Given Lila is a juvenile, I’m hoping you both can help me with this.”

“Of course,” Anna said, and Edmund was nodding in agreement. “Ask us anything - we’re open books.”

Was that too easy? He hoped not.

“Alright, well… I would like a little backstory on you all. Where you’re from, what you both do for a living, what your situation was like when Lila was born - ”

“We don’t know what it was like when she was born, Doctor Forger… Lila was adopted. We really don’t know much about her life before she came to live with us.”

Ah. Now that was an issue.

Still, Loid Forger gave them a polite smile. “Alright, well, Lila, there’s a small box of toys there on the table in front of you. You’re welcome to play with them if you’d like while I talk to your parents.”

Lila nodded quietly and pulled the box closer to her, picking up each toy and looking at them like she was weighing the pros and cons of using each. What a peculiar case this was going to turn out to be.

“So Edmund, Anna, what made you decide to adopt?”

That question seemed to rattle them, forcing them to exchange a nervous glance, before Anna spoke.

“Everything we say here is… confidential, right? You won’t be reporting us to the Secret Police?” she asked.

Loid shook his head. “Not unless you give me reason to, like if I suspect there’s abuse.”

“We would never!”

He held up his hands as a show of peace. “Easy, I don’t mean to insinuate that you’re abusing Lila. I’m just trying to make sure you’re comfortable with me. I have no intentions of turning any of my patients in to the secret police unless absolutely necessary.”

“No, I know. I-I’m sorry, Doctor Forger. I didn’t mean to jump down your throat. It’s just… we had to pull a lot of strings, that’s all. You see, my husband got a job at Berlint University a few years ago. It’s prestigious, and we didn’t expect it since we’re such a young couple but here we are. One of the things people there kept hammering home to us was having children. You know how much families are emphasized in Ostania, especially in the education field.”

Yes, he was quite familiar with the propaganda surrounding the perfect family unit - especially when it came to young adults. Westalis had a similar idea. Likely, both countries were trying to show the other that neither’s spirit had been broken after the war. But Twilight also knew not having a family made people suspicious and couples desperate to escape the Secret Police’s radar would turn to underhanded tactics in order to get a family and keep themselves safe.

Twilight had all the connections he needed in order to pull it off. He couldn’t imagine what an average person had to go through.

“We’ve been trying to have a baby naturally but… it doesn’t seem to be in the cards, so we found this… horrible little orphanage on the outskirts of the city before we moved here. We would have adopted the whole place if it wouldn’t have looked even more desperate,” Anna continued. “That’s where we found Lila.”

A horrible orphanage on the outskirts of town? It couldn’t be…

“Lila is incredibly smart. Despite living in such a run-down place, she knew about Schwarz, the Ostanian philosopher who came up with the theory of what it means to have a perfect family unit,” Edmund added. “My specialty is history and philosophy, so we bonded very quickly over that. It was a no brainer that we adopt her. Since the orphanage didn’t have the greatest credentials, we had to get Lila a new birth certificate, listing us as her birth parents.”

“That’s okay! I like you better anyway,” Lila suddenly piped up, smiling at Edmund and Anna in a way that reminded Twilight of the trust and love Anya showed him and Yor. “You’re nicer than the other people, and you agreed to adopt Gustav too!”

Loid laughed softly. “So you weren’t the only one adopted that day, Lila?”

Lila shook her head. “Nope! Mama and Papa adopted Gustav too! He’s not my real little brother, but we got close at the orphanage and I didn’t wanna leave him there! That place was gross.”

If it was in fact the same orphanage he’d found Anya at, he couldn’t blame her for thinking that way. “That was very kind of you, Lila. Do you like living with Gustav, Edmund, and Anna?”

She nodded eagerly. “Yeah! My mama and papa are nice and they let me play with toys and send me to school so I can meet other kids and they read with me! When I was in the other place all I did was study, which was boring! But now I like learning!”

Twilight made a very careful note of that. “That’s all very good, Lila. Learning is very important.”

“Yeah, and I’m glad I have a family now. You aren’t gonna take them away, are you?” She looked up at him with wide, fearful eyes, almost like she was regretting speaking up.

Loid shook his head and gave her a gentle smile. “Of course not. I would never separate a child from their loving parents. Your parents are just worried about you, and I’m going to try and help get you better, okay?”

Lila looked at him, relieved, and went back to playing with the toys.

“Mister and Mrs. Michaelson, what is it you’re hoping Lila gets out of therapy with me?” Loid asked. “So far, she seems like a very bright and happy six year old.” She reminded him of Anya, really, and he still couldn’t tell if it was good or bad that she did.

“We don’t want to force it but… we’re hoping to gain some knowledge of her life before the orphanage, so we can help her through whatever it was. We’re hoping to get her into Eden and while we aren’t worried about the written exam, we are very worried about the interview. We’ve heard horror stories about children being brought to tears during it. If we could help Lila through whatever trauma befell her before we found her.”

Twilight very nearly winced at the memory of their own interview with the Eden teachers. He wanted to give them a winning smile and a promise that the interview would be fine, but he couldn’t. That whole day had been nothing but a disaster (and suddenly Yor taking down a fully-grown cow made way too much sense), and he would feel terrible about lying to these people. Instead, he took a deep breath, removing his glasses as he did so.

“The road to Eden is a difficult one, and I know that first hand because my daughter goes there. I understand your worries about the interview, because ours is something that still keeps my wife and I up at night. But the important thing is to be united as a family, and trust in each other. You have to trust that Lila will know what to do when they ask her questions - they won’t all be scary, I promise.” That, he could promise at least. “Eden is an excellent school, and will be lucky to have Lila.”

Anna gave him a relieved smile. “That is great news, thank you Doctor Forger. But… if there’s any advice you can give us on childhood trauma…”

“Children, much like adults, process trauma differently. Some people shut down and refuse to speak of it, but others do, and want their story out there. There is no right or wrong way to react to it. That said, I would never recommend forcing anyone to discuss their trauma, especially a child. I’ll do my best with your daughter, and see what I can do for her.”

Edmund nodded. “Thank you.”

“Of course. That’s what I’m here for.”

The sound of the toys falling over into the box had him glancing down at his young patient. “Alright over there, Lila?” he asked with a kind smile.

Lila seemed frozen as she stared into the box, decidedly not meeting any adult’s gaze. “I’m sorry! Please don’t punish me!”

That sounded like another problem.

Loid looked at her with a warm smile, ignoring the frantic, concerned looks of Anna and Edmund. “Hey, don’t worry, Lila. They’re just toys. You can always pick them up and start your play over again. There is no punishment here, okay?”

Lila looked at him warily, then at Edmund, who nodded in agreement. “You are safe here, Lila. Your mother and I wouldn’t bring you somewhere scary, you know that.”

At least they were able to actually promise that. Now that he knew Anya could read minds, everything he had done, every mission he had gone on since adopting her was now in question. How many places had she sneaked into in an attempt to help him? How many times had she nearly gotten herself killed?

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. Now was the time to figure out what had happened to Lila before the orphanage, and figure out how to help her recover from it.

“Mister and Missus Michaelson, has she had worries like this before? Like when you first brought her home from the orphanage?” Twilight asked.

Anna nodded. “Yes… she accidentally knocked into a table while she was helping us move furniture into her bedroom. A picture frame fell over - it didn’t break, just fell forward onto the table. Lila was in hysterics, thinking we were going to send her and Gustav back to the orphanage. It took almost an hour for us to calm her down.”

He understood quite clearly now why they were worried about going for Eden, but if it was something they truly wanted for their daughter, he was going to help prepare Lila for it to the best of his ability.

A knock on the door caused everyone to jump.

“Pardon me, Doctor Forger? Your next appointment has just arrived,” came Fiona’s muffled voice.

It had been an hour already? This day was just flying by.

Loid rose to his feet, prompting Edmund and Anna to do the same. “I do apologize for the abrupt ending to our session, but I believe I have enough information to begin a treatment plan for Lila. You can make your next appointment with Miss Frost, and if you need anything else beforehand, do not hesitate to reach out to me,” he said with a polite smile.

As the Michaelsons departed, he realized he ought to take another look at some of the child psychology books he’d originally checked out of the library when he adopted Anya.

“Hello Mister Weber,” Twilight said, gently helping the aged military colonel into his office and into a comfortable chair. “Please hold on for just a moment, I have something I need to ask Fiona, alright?”

“Alright Doctor Forger, but don’t be too hard on that young lady.”

Loid laughed lightly. “Don’t worry, I just need her to fetch something for me.”

Closing the office door tightly, he swiftly made his way to Nightfall’s desk, speaking in careful code. “Nightfall. I need you to find any information you can about Lila. Enlist Franky’s help.”

“Wha - of course Twilight, but why?”

“I think she may have lived in the same orphanage as Anya. I just want to make sure she wasn’t a product of the same experiment Anya was.”

Fiona’s eyes widened. “I see. You will have that information delivered to you as soon as possible.”

The sinking feeling in his stomach returned as he made his way back to his office for his next appointment.

[kaonarvna]

Oops, the second piece is here a day later than anticipated! This poll (open 18 08 24 - 25 08 24) can help decide the next installment from the outlines I've already made. :)

"Chapter" Name: An Even Temperament — Sector Zero, Midgar 199X

Summary: After a photograph of Sephiroth and Genesis dining together in plain clothes makes the rounds on Red Leather and Silver Elite forums, the Head of PR has a conversation with Sephiroth about the visibility of his personal relationships.

Tags: Slice of Life, Emotional Hurt/No Comfort(?)

Potential TWs: Enforcement of systemic homophobia in the workplace.

WC: ~2000 (5-10 minute read)

Short sample below the cut!

            The falsely red-haired propagandist flicks through the images on his pristine tablet, as it lays on the desk between him and Sephiroth. He flicks and flicks with his fingertip—at first, it’s only pictures. It’s pictures of him and Genesis in public doing mundane activities, sometimes the trio of FIRSTs, sometimes coming to and going from HQ together. Between them, is screenshots of forums—Red Leather and Silver Elite in particular, comments and speculations about the nature of their friendship, the two, the three.

            “This is all fine for the most part, that’s positive engagement, that’s good,” Quirinus, Public Safety’s Head of PR, says. His usually dry and corporate-pleasant tone has been usurped by something more tired and honest, within the confines of his fiftieth-floor office. It is not the worst place to be. The lights are always low and the seating is comfortable. “But this?” He closes the gallery and opens another. It’s crisp image of Sephiroth and Genesis, hands held across the table in a warm and dimly lit restaurant, on the umpteenth course of some decadent meal with overpriced wine pairings. It looks like it was shot from within a doorway, likely from a staff area. They look happy. They are both smiling. Little creases at the corners of the silver FIRST’s eyes are just barely visible.

            Sephiroth says nothing, sitting, despite his usually imposing and perfect-postured stature, defeated.

            “I mean, come on—this was sloppy of you.” He pinches and zooms on their hands resting on the table. “Where was this, anyway?”

            “You would have to ask Genesis,” he answers, speaking quietly. “He had a professional contact within the restaurant. They are in Sector Eight. There was no outside signage.”

            “Sector Eight. Right. Amazing. The place you’re both most likely to be recognized in public,” Quirinus scolds as he flicks to the next image. It’s a screenshot of forum comments. “Should I read these out loud for you?”

            Sephiroth says nothing, squinting imperceptibly at the tablet. The lines of text bleed together within his atypical sight.

            “Mm, I’ll read them.” Quirinus doesn’t wait for an answer—he turns the tablet around, so it faces him. After clearing his throat, he reads, “This one’s Silver Elite. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen him’—they’re talking about you—'wear a real shirt before, must be a special moment.’” His grey eyes flit up from the screen to look at Sephiroth.

            He isn’t even looking towards the tablet, staring down at the clutter on Quirinus’ desk, at the dusty nameplate, ‘Quirinus, Amos’ partly obscured by several broken staplers, their mangled insides exposed.

            “Red Leather now.” Quirinus goes to the next screen grab. “’Who do you think ate who for dessert?’ Someone replied to it, ‘I bet Genny tastes better. He eats lots of fruit L-O-L.’ That one has a lot of upvotes…” He reads the acronyms letter by letter, fully enunciated.

            “That is not even—” Sephiroth shakes his head.

            “These aren’t the worst ones. Silver Elite! ‘Guess my dreams of carrying his children are dead. Crying emoji. They’re putting chemicals in the water to turn the soldiers gay. Skull emoji. Radioactive emoji.’ I won’t put you through it, but ‘Chairwoman H’ has made dozens of inflammatory statements about how you’re a ‘virile heterosexual male’ in response to people here. I think we both know who that is, unfortunately.”

            Sephiroth grimaces. His throat feels thick, swallowing the less than pleasant words he just isn’t allowed to say.

...

Read the full piece on Ao3!

[diavolaangelica]

This is what happens when you elect corruption. You fell for his bullshit and now you are in the hot pot with the rest of us. If you think this targeting of all illegals for deportation is not going to have real economic consequences, think again. America's dirty little secret of their love affair for cheap non retaliatory labor that they don't have to pay properly or give benefits to is what is costing Americans jobs... not the illegal. It's greed. Do you know the other acronym for "FEMA" when disaster hits? "Find Every Mexican Available." Who do you think rebuilds this country when disaster hits? Who do you think has had a long history of sending their military here to help too? Any guesses? Mexico! If you want to start blaming the Mexicans for everything wrong in this country then you need to take a long look in the mirror and ask yourself if you aren't part of the problem too, because you blindly believe everything bad you've heard from those abhorrent politicians who have only one mission today... distract you from the ugly shit they are actually doing to this country. The opioid crisis didn't start in Mexico, it started right here in the united states with big pharma pushing their highly addictive drugs on people. Doctors were paid to prescribe Oxycontin, so they were handing it out like candy. People really need to start aiming their ire toward the greedy bastards that have no real interest in the American people or how we get by, because all they want is to line their pockets any way they can. I know many of you think you want all the illegals out, but I wonder, if you hate them so much, why do you love their food so much and why the fuck do you celebrate Cinco de Mayo? When I was in college, I was working in grocery store deli. It was a big chain back then. I don't remember who was in office at the time, but I remember local news casters warning people to stay away from places where large groups of people congregated like the mall, shopping areas, and farmers market, because immigration was out picking people up. I remember going to work one day and they had a big ass light navy green and white immigration bus that looked like a prison bus parked in the parking lot to try and snatch people up. The raids didn't last very long and in that month, the grocery store took a big hit due to lack of customers, overtime paid to people who came to work to fill the void for employees who were not coming to work out of fear they would be arrested even though they were legal, and loss of product that couldn't be sold before expiration. The shit Trump is doing right now has real economic consequences, you may ]not see it right now, but you will... we all will, and it's not going to be good. He's already started off on the wrong foot, and of course he is incapable of the slightest empathy for the victim's family members of the plane crash, instead he would like to blame Obama and Biden... someone needs to remind him the HE is the one at the helm it is his responsibility and his duty to take accountability. Or should we be asking the neo-nazi shadow president Elon Musk to take accountability? Other people are writing his executive orders and he's just signing them. He is absolutely clueless of half the shit he is agreeing to right now, because he doesn't read shit and he doesn't want to hear shit, he'd rather be golfing... but let's just keep pumping out those meme coin scams.. for those who have lost all on his coin keep this in mind, 80% of the money made off that coin went directly to him... that is almost unheard of in the crypto scam scene. Usually it's lower because it's spread out between many people... but I digress... tldr we are fucked!

The First Felon could never be hired. DEI standards laugh at reject hacks like Trump.

[in-the-pocket]

@idolatriia has joined the rhythm. [ Pippa x Greg ]

-"Aw, hun, don't be so much of a grouch about it, this is good for you."

Pippa, 26, couldn't help but roll her eyes at the forced positivity in her mother's voice over the phone. She could already picture her mother's face pulled tight into a stiff smile, hand over her heart because apparently everything was going to give her chest pains.

The 26-year-old bit the inside of her cheek and said nothing.

-"Pip?"

"Yeah, one sec, 'Ma," she shifted the large bag of laundry from one shoulder to the other, trying not to sound out of breath. She could only imagine what sorts of questions that would bring up. Allergies? Asthma? Not enough exercise? Vaping?

Pippa sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, I know it's good for me." Her voice was uncharacteristically gravelly and betrayed her heart. Her mother sighed on the other end.

-"Please, Pip. For me. For your father."

Pippa bit back the sound of the wince that tried to push past her lips. She kept it locked in her throat until it would eventually melt. After a few more steps, she spoke again.

"I'm at the laundromat, 'Ma. I'll talk to you later. I love you." A pause. A slightly painful pause.

-"Love you, hun. Be safe."

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. D-B-T. At least it was a crisp and staccato acronym. Unfortunately, no matter how nice the sound was, the practice itself made her want to scream. Her mother had made the executive decision that enough was enough. Pippa was going to get help for her ' issues ' , as her mother put it. Issues. Drinking. Mood swings. Suicidal thoughts. The imaginary friend.

Hadn't she done enough to destroy her mother's life? She destroyed her music career, she stole her body, she sucked away her youth and everyone loved her for it. It's always "how's the baby?" and never "how are you, Maria?" Every rotten, self-loathing person owed their mother an apology. That included Pippa.

Therapy wasn't fun. Pippa hadn't ever thought it would be, but it was even less fun than she thought. Every session it was asking her to explain her irrational thoughts logically and show how they're rooted in nothing. Hoopla. Then she had to build safeguards to recognize patterns and stop them before they reached terminal velocity.

Her therapist was nice enough. He was definitely unique, but he gave off an air of non-judgment no matter what angle his head seemed to be at when their gazes met. There were a few times it almost seemed like he'd recognized something in her. Or around her.

Walking into the laundromat like a vagabond, she peered over at the front desk. The kid sitting behind it with his feet up on the counter shot her a neutral look. His eyes scanned her before he gave her a little nod. She nodded back and made her way over to the washing machines towards the back. If she looked at this place hard enough, it was something that belonged in the MoMA. The fluorescent lights casting ghoulish shadows on the patrons' features, the underage kid overseeing the place at 1 in the morning, the older woman falling asleep on a bench by her drying clothes, the scattered machines spinning, droning together in an oddly harmonic chorus.

She laughed to herself. This fuckin' city. Everything was modern art if you tried hard enough and Lord knows the concrete groupies did. New York City could do no wrong.

Armful after armful, the clothes went into the damp machine. Sweet memories and forgettable moments caked into fabric. Laundry day was Pippa's favorite. It was a reset. From the top.

As she dug through her pocket for her quarters, something familiar felt close. Judging by her heart feeling calm, it wasn't her usual nightmarish imaginary friend that whispered in her ear. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked over her left shoulder.

"Greg?" Her eyes were less dull than usual looking at him, probably from the change of usual scenery she saw him in. His office felt much more appropriate to meet, not in front of an open washing machine full of her gross clothes.

[shammah8]

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."

1 John 4:18

FEAR OF DEATH

Satan uses and plays on one of the basic elements and instincts of our nature—fear. It is natural for finite man to fear—especially the fear of the unknown, the fear of being hurt and the fear of death. There is nothing more Satan would like than to see us paralyzed with fear just like King Saul when facing the Philistines and Goliath.

Why do we allow fear to be so controlling? On the one hand, we have past experiences that we don’t want to relive and on the other hand, we are very hesitant about what might lay ahead. But often the events and situations creating most fear in people have no basis in reality.

All fear is based on perception. Thus fear has been described in the English language as an acronym for “False Evidence Appearing Real.” If we could consciously remember this, it would help us to allay many fears. But that false evidence sometimes is so convincing! However, we must always realise that dread and fear—like other tactics of the enemy—are based on a lie. This is why throughout the scriptures we are repeatedly commanded — 366 times — to “fear not.” It is intensely liberating for our witness when we personally overcome the fear of death. This allows us to focus on Christ and His kingdom.

Living as a Christian under Romania’s dictatorship  posed  extreme  difficulties  and dangers. Even though Rev. Joseph Tson had counted the cost and served the Lord and His flock faithfully, he feared the day that he would be called in by security. He knew the possibility of facing death was inevitable.

The day that Joseph feared arrived. Security officers arrived at his home one day and took him to their headquarters. He was instructed to sit on a chair and a gun was put to his head. “The choice is easy,” came the commander’s voice. “Deny Jesus or we pull the trigger.”

This was indeed the moment that Joseph feared all through his ministry. But suddenly the Spirit of the Lord filled his whole being. “If you kill me today you will do me a great favour. All my sermons that were recorded will be in great demand because I will be a martyr for Christ. You will help me greatly to share my messages. You will also help me to go to my Lord quickly!” Joseph fearlessly replied.

The officer dropped the gun. “You Christians are crazy,” he shouted and then commanded the officers to take Joseph back home.

Joseph’s life was spared but in a sense he lost it that day. “Never again did I fear what man can do to me. Never again did I fear to lose my life,” Joseph concluded.

Response

Today I will not allow Satan’s favourite tactic of fear and intimidation to conquer me in any way.

Prayer

Lord, enable me to overcome the fear of physical death as I realise that I am already dead to myself in You. May this be true today too for believers in conflict zones of our world.

© 2013 Open Doors International. Used by permission

[theorist-influencer-untitled]

9.7.23 Thursday

4:43 pm

I'm home and I still have windblow trap... I feel bad today...

Before the end of our shift Coach John and Melai announced that only few passed the exams on our TLC...

Well, I have so many observations in Iqor their way of teaching the skills are somehow weird... For example Iqor will throw you in the canal first before they will teach the right way... Not all but on calls experience.

The new girl Ana,the arrogant one, is the highest on our TLC exams which is 44... A double number... Melai announced this... But I heard Ana approached coach Gian, Ana said that she is the highest on our 75 items exam.

The total items is 75... So, I'm somehow panicking... I'm praying for half as well but it could be a play or there will be a reverse game on someone made by coach John ... I sense something bad...But I can't pin-point...

It is just weird that they hired you then there is a chance that they will remove you... It is not a job... Why,they will motivate people to be a professional, people went there to have a job and earn...

I'm almost wanting to give up on call center these days but I feel bitter ... I feel bitter...

Why being a call center agent is so complicated.. Why, I can't do it and why other's can...

Melai mentioned about the DNA acronym but who made it? She gave a quick annoucement before doing our call, she said ask the customer if there was a Device,Network and Account that I wasn't able to cover ( tell this to your cx's )...

I hate church of christ, I sense a church of christ crime...

We had a "QA Talk" the narrator explained those " first degree, 2nd,3rd and 4th degree"... Is this a crime scene??? Was someone murdered? Or they plan to kill someone... But degree's over the phone... It is very crucial coz there is a pattern to follow or flow your call... You shouldn't have dead air... Shit,no dead air!

I feel fat,ugly and wrinkled and I can't get a position... I feel bitter!!! I WANTED TO BE SUPER SKINNY,ANGELS...But I hate the stress part...

Weird! You already got the job, you will have your atm, they hired you then they will remove you coz of an exams... Work is different but if feels like I'll be student forever... I feel bitter...

11:54 am

Lately, I'm getting 6 hours sleep plus this windblow trap...

I'm thinking of that exam... There are so many things to say but I'm so damn busy in the house...

I wanted the foreigner on TV, the owner of Iqor... Damn! I'm not that Filipino but Filipino but not that much...

There are so many fake people let's face it, they are all competing for that fucking job!

We are just having some trouble these days...

The bitterish part there is no back-up for me, if there is I'm now a product manager... Not exposing myself while mastering the skills and the product... I'm on the isolated place, supposed to be... If there is really a back-up or a foreigner bf there, one of the top handsome aliens...

If I have a businessman bf handsome and wealthy....I should be in the office, getting the job and learning it piece per piece... Once I got everything, that's time I will face people to present this products...

1:07 pm...

I feel bitterish,poorish but still doing my own selfie...

1:21 pm

Hmm...

The right way of hiring,if the applicant passed everything, but during the training applicants have their own ups and downs, they can't remove them for straight 6 months or a year...

Coz being a call center and learning the tools and the information and flow of the product is not easy most specially,I'm not a kid...But they still saw me or seeing me as a kid... I have personal struggles in life right now, family and money...

People who came into that road of call center are all coming from all walks and struggling road of life but there are some wealthy kids or a group inside that are already organized to be leaders of that fucking world... But I need money and job for a long while...

I'm really an outsider / courtsider there in Iqor, not yet... My point since people who came there from different struggling roads of life,like my case, I just borrowed the money to apply and during my first 2 weeks, it was a borrowed money that I need to pay... Gets my points angels?

1:32 pm

I'm just hoping and somehow expecting that I got a half of the 75 items that I almost perfect my exams in Caregiving lately that it was like you are on a Biology class as well that I always got 140 to 180 plus out of 200 items every Friday, every week for straight 7 months... It was exams! Hellish but I'm expecting that Nigthingale will assist us going out on a quality homecare in USA but pandemic came in and my certification is becoming nothing these days... That I told them I have frustration and it is really depressing that you are expecting a 100k monthly, we had OJT's and it was hellish OJT's but they never take me seriously... My sacrifices just to earn 100k... Then they will just smash me down in Iqor call center for 13k... Ouchie!

Recalling the exams!

I'm trying to recall the exams mostly you should answer in a "dialouge form" how will you deliver this situation to your customers...

Define the differences of Jump and JOD.

Jump- There will always be P360 meaning a protection for your phone. It always goes with that insurance. If you pay 50% of it the device you can return it to the store or do a job order.

JOD-Jump on Demand-- The mobile is for lease or for rent. There will be no device promotion coz it is for lease but if they have good credit score they can upgrade every 30 days.

The different kinds of suspensions that the company gave to their customers such as Military,Lost & Stolen, & Seasonal Suspension.

Military-- Customer can suspend their service for 9 months up to 39 months, no charge.

Lost & Stolen-- Customer can suspend just for 30 days with charge,it depends on the tiering or bracketing or category of your phone. They will just file an insurance or can get a replacement.

Seaonal Suspension-- 90 days ( twice in a calendar year ) $10 per line.

The tools such as Dash where you can process the order... In Atlas you can check the account of the customer even on Samson. ( But these things take time, familiarization and being get used to your job as call center agent ).

Triple A on us! My super favorite!!! -- This is a road help,expensive if not part of the plan. But on some plans the ancestors it is just free...

Easy Unlock/ Carrier Freedom-- meaning from different provider we can take care of customer's device with a reimbursement up to #650/line. But this is applicable for trade in!

Keep & Switch-- the customer will "port-in" from different provider. They kept their device and number. The reimbursement is up to $800/ device.

Coverage Beyond or Tmo Tuesday-- it is the benefits that a customer can get for being part of the family or a loyalty program. Check that on offer on our C2 policy.

Phone Freedom-- the first uncarrier moves,it is as well a " go back guarantee".

Go back guarantee-- ported over then they will go back to their old provider for $50, they can return within 30 days.

BRP--billing right party or PAH - Primary Account Holder. The main leader of the account meaning that BRP can have more than 1 lines under his name or ownership. This is usually used in a company group...

Internet Freedom or Test Drive Kit-- this is super favorite of Tin2x, it is for $ 750. But we have...

Unlimited Home Internet-- but it has a requirements to pass such as if the "billing address" is eligible for coverage to put an installation.

Home Internet Lite Plan--If the area or location doesn't have a line yet or network coverage coz this is wireless...

Close Date-- the day of activation or day of joining.

Ex. Aug. 16 the close date or date of activation.

Sept. 17 start date again. From here count 20-24 days that will be the due date! ( but on the actual this is kinda confusing with the tools and talking over the phone ).

Introduce or position the promo to your customer. This promo you have to check the plan of your customer if they are eligible. If they are eligible and no past due. You can promote the promo,the usual this is an upgrade plans or sometimes they give free phone or discounted phone and service but it depends on the promo.

2 types of billing:

1. Paperless/ electronic billing

2. Mail/ Snail Mail

SSO-self service option- website of company and the application apps on phone-- customer can check their account status or buy a phone.

Choose a language English or Spanish with a combination of Indians? Huh? Spanish and Indians together??? Shocking!

I love arab people!

I already referred Enrica to be part of Iqor coz she asked me ,my neighbor here if I can put her on my referral.... I did yesterday on my Engage Hr at my Employee Portal.

2:37 pm

Will give the reviewer here,the tools it is about taking time to get used to it...

More more of these airy thingy of bad hearts in Iqor. Guilty or not guilty?

Slack tools- where you can chit-chat with your wave mates, a private chat.

C2- where you can get those circular documents about devices and plans and rules to do the battle... You will be a soldier of words!

If you are a call center agent- you are a soldier of words! Keep on twisting your tongue.

Buyer remorse-- 14 to 20 days customer can return their phone but only applicable for "brand new phone".

What tools to use if you wanna make a follow-up?? --Samson make a follow-up twice leave a voice a call even discuss FCR.

Where you can get the slack? Go to C2 scroll down click the t-nation then on the left click the blue arrow then on the screen click again the blue arrow then on the search box click the slack.

If you can't find slack just keep on closing and try to open again...

If you can't find the these service production or service training on the screen of GOOGLE! See the 3 dots on the right click it then find the bookmarks and if it doesn't appear click at the same time the control, shift then delete and box will appear click that clear cache.

Then open a tab again on the 3 dots go to bookmarks then you will find now these service production/partner and service trainings.

Ooppss! Don't forget to switch off the cpu and the monitor before plugging in your headset, to make sure that the headset will sync in...

CPU is the brain of the computer.

3:13 pm

Chill! Iqorian... We are just on the floor and in a while just a wall flower... If I'm the supervisor chill and just be nice to your customer... That's it!.

Don't smash people! Be nice to people...

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for refusing to argue with my boyfriend?

Alright, so.

My (25F) bf (27M) loves arguing and discussing. I appreciate discussions as long as we're both being respectful and we're actually talking towards something, when it gets to discussing for the sake of it (and I can tell it's happening when he starts attacking all of my points of view and I start getting confused about what we are actually disagreeing on) I just can't. I start shaking and I have to take a break before I get mean or irrationally defensive.

Last time we fought it was about "standing up" for oneself. He got really unpleasant with a clerk at the bank because his computer wasn't working, made a scene in the bank and a woman even told him that if he didn't stop she wouId stop being a civilian and become a police officer, and he'll have to deal with offense to a public officer (we live in france, if it matters).

I hated every second but I just tried to ask if there was anything to do about the computer, and when the poor clerk told me no I thanked him and told him (and my bf) that it wasn't the clerk's fault at all, it's something that happens and we couldn't do anything about it.

When we were out of the bank, I confronted him about it, telling him that I found it unpleasant and he had been really disrespectful, and he told me that I always do this, always stay too calm and accomodating even when I shouldn't be, that when he requires a service he needs it done, I reminded him that human beings can't be machines and always "function perfectly" (and well, not even the machines can), we argued a bit, he refused to have lunch with me and we parted ways (we don't live together).

We talked again about it a couple of days later, and he told me that he gets this need to argue with me every now and then and when he can't provoke a reaction in me he starts losing it.

The thing is that I'm really hard to rile up, and I like this about myself, also because I don't really like who I become when I get angry and I'm not given the chance to calm down by myself for a while ( I get really defensive and never admit I'm wrong, sarcastic and cold).

He loves the provoking part of it, saying things just to make me mad and get an angry reaction out of me, it's how he argues with his family and he seems to need it.

I know this, we have been together for nine years now, and when I was younger (especially at 17-22) I was much more hot headed, but now I don't really see the point honestly.

We couldn't reach a definite agreement about how to handle this, even though we talked about it for literal hours, we both agree that it's not a deal breaker but we didn't get much past this.

So, AITA for refusing to argue with him when he seems to need it? He told me again and again that he never means to get disrespectful towards me during those discussions and that they never change his opinion of me (yeah, I'm a bit anxious), so it's not like he's insulting me? Should I just play along a bit and let that part of me loose for a while? I'm really not sure, and again, we already eviscerated this from every point of view and didn't get a conclusion, so I need an outside perspective.

(english isn't my first or second language so if anything isn't clear I'll be happy to explain!)

What are these acronyms?

[potatoes83]

Random Observation:

So there's a channel on YouTube, but you're really better off following on Rumble, called Odins Men. The guy does some really good and insightful... vlogs, I guess they'd be? Listen, I'm not a social media person. But anyway, those. And one of his recurring points, and something that I had opined about well before, is that the reason everyone's up in arms about all this transgender business is that it's all gone far too far... Yes, there was a time when gay people were criminalized, subjugated as second-class citizens, et al. OK, whether you agree with the lifestyle or not, I think we can all agree that's no good. Two consenting adults want to do whatever with each other, that's their business. And note that I used the term "gay", because there was a time when you didn't need to sling the contents of an entire Scrabble box across the table to hit the latest acronym.

And that's part of the problem. It's all far too difficult. See, I'm a "normal" person. Pretty basic in every sense of the word; it's not exclusionary, it's a quick shortcut to basically identify that I am in the majority race, religion, sexuality, all that stuff. Like, you think of an "American", and you're probably thinking of a guy like me. 40 year old Catholic white guy with a wife in the suburbs, too many pounds 'round the waist, all that jazz. For purposes of this discussion, I'm "everyone else". There was a time in my lifetime that gay people wanted to be treated like "everyone else". Just let us live, do our thing, love and live with who we want, and be happy... Again, putting personal opinions aside, I would think that we can all agree that's cool. You do you, I'll do me; that is the way that "everyone else" does it.

Everyone else doesn't get a special month, parades, flags, etc. Everyone else doesn't get called "heroic" or " brave" because of who they sleep with. Let's save those terms for, oh, I don't know, those folks who are disarming IEDs over in Fallujah and getting their legs and arms blown off? Everyone else doesn't get literal laws passed protecting them from "bullying", or calling them the wrong thing. See, you can call me whatever you want. I'm not a person with enemies, but I am one of strong opinions, and back in school, I was the band geek bookworm in K-Mart clothes, so chances are, I've already heard it. There's nothing I can do about that. Suck it up and move on. You call me a girl for example, since I'm not "identifying" as anything besides a normal human being, I don't get special protections against misgendering. And I'm OK with that. It's part of the deal, it's part of life; some people are assholes, and you're going to run into them. That's what "everyone else" has to deal with.

Listen, I firmly believe, and observing the vast majority of the gay people I know supports this hypothesis, that most everyone just wants to be treated like everybody else, and to go about their business. I do believe that's a thing. But there's an extremely vocal screeching minority who want more, and the problem with that is that they are NEVER SATISFIED. Always pushing the line, always up up up the ziggurat. I'm a man, and I want to be allowed to wear a dress when I go out in public... OK, whatever. And when I take my drivers license photo... OK, whatever. And when I'm at the office, that needs to be OK too... Fine, whatever, you want to wear a dress, we don't care. But it needs to be a really slutty inappropriate one... Umm, hang on, that's not gonna fly in the office. And I want to do it in front of kids, really show off the goods... Yeah, we got a problem here.

So, I mean, getting right to the point, yes, there is a resentment building here, because it's all just too much, and people are sick of it. Treat me equal doesn't mean treat me special, and it certainly doesn't mean treat me better than. Use the term "gay", we're cool with that, OK fine. Now it's a never ending addition of the dozens of made-up genders, which have become synonymous with selective sexualities? How long, and I'm serious here, until we add an F for furries, because grown-ass men (and women) who like to dress as giant anthropomorphic cartoon animals when they get it on is very much a thing, and it's getting distressingly mainstream for something that should be none of anyone's business. To me, that's more of a kink/fetish, I.E., your bedroom business, your PRIVATE business, which nobody would know or care about except that you're shoving it in their face! I can't even address you as gay anymore, you're now part of the... and I'm not going to get this right but I'm not looking it up, two-spirit lesbian gay bisexual transsexual queer questioning intersex asexual and then some more community. I actually think I might have nailed that, but it doesn't at all matter, because there's going to be something else thrown on there by the end of the year. What even is all this word salad???

But it's part of the "you HAVE to call me this, or else" thing. Number one, no I don't; this is fucking America, if you don't like words, plug your ears. Number two, it's hardly "accepting" to criminalize someone for not having the ability to always and flawlessly manage to override in their brain what their eyes and ears are taking in. Sam Brinton... is a man. Besides the fact that he has a penis and a y chromosome, I mean, I don't care if you're wearing a dress and lipstick, you have masculine features, a masculine body structure, a masculine voice, and even if I cared to attempt to sling pronouns, I'm going to invariably get it wrong at some point, because he's looking at me with a fuckin' mustache and Adam's apple! And when I do, and he gets his knickers in a knot, I can get slapped with a hate crime in certain legislatures. For... I don't even know, hurt feelings? When the hell did that become a thing? And again, I don't have those kind of protections. Most people don't.

The demands are never-ending, and increasingly onerous. It's all constantly shoved down our throats, just beaten to death. These things are discordant with a society of people who, and I've said and will continue to say this ad nauseum, just want to be left alone to do their own thing! It's hard enough to get through work five days a week, banking and shopping and laundry and yardwork and all the rest of it, without having to remember the latest version of the gay operations manual, AND put in your required "being an ally" time. Normal people don't have time for this shit!

You do you, I'll do me, and if we could just get back to that, I think we'd all be in a much better and happier place. 🥔

[hardynwa]

1,108 men report domestic violence in six years – Lagos govt

The Lagos State Government through its Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency says 1,108 men have reported being domestically abused in six years. The DSVA Executive Secretary, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, made this known on Thursday at the unveiling of ”The Hidden Crime, Violence Against Men” initiative at Ikeja. Vivour-Adeniyi said the initiative was to encourage male folks to speak up, as they also experienced different kinds of violence. She said that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in his inaugural speech on May 29, informed Lagos residents of the addition of ‘PLUS’ into the THEMES Agenda. The ‘PLUS’, the DSVA scribe said, represented Social Inclusion, Gender Equality and Youth. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the acronym, T.H.E.M.E.S, represents the six pillars of the State’s strategic development agenda. They are Traffic Management and Transportation, Health and Environment, Education and Technology, Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy, Entertainment and Tourism, as well as Security and Governance”. According to the DSVA scribe, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence is one of the greatest hindrances to achieving gender equality. ”It is, therefore, for these reasons, that the agency deemed it expedient to conceptualise this project – The Hidden Crime, Violence against Men. ”We believe that this will be an opportunity to continue to break the culture of silence, which encourages SGBV to thrive. Indeed, men and boys can be victims of domestic and sexual violence. ”A detailed overview of the data recorded over the past six years, revealed that 1,108 men have reported incidents of domestic violence. “This, however, does not include male children that have experienced one form of GBV or the other,” she said. The executive secretary disclosed that the agency’s recently concluded community engagement in over 10 local government areas revealed that Lagos’ residents believed that there had been less enlightenment and spotlight on men who were SGBV victims or survivors. “That research revealed that out of the 140 sex convicts, 80.5 per cent of them said they were sexually abused at an early age, some as young as 6 years old and as such were exposed to unhealthy sexual relationships. ”Majority of them did not receive psycho-social support and as such, they began abusing others, thereby revealing the abused-abuser trend. ”It is, therefore, important that the male folk are aware of this; there is no shame in their pain. “It is also compelling to inform men of the different forms of violence and the support services that the state government has put in place to proactively address these issues. ”We also have a duty to engage men to realise that they play a most crucial role in the fight against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence,” she said. Vivour-Adeniyi said the agency had a mission to ensure that no gender was left behind in its advocacy, preventive and response mechanisms. She said that it already had an inclusive response team in the office and would in the course of the month, engage men in all aspects of the state. The DSVA Community Engagement Officer, Tobi Ikudaisi said that in 2022, a total of 281 men came to the agency to report one form of violence or the other against them. Ikudaisi said that a lot of men had not been bold enough to speak up, as they felt they might be ridiculed by society. He, therefore, encouraged them to speak up against violence meted out on them, so that lives could be saved. : Read the full article

[thefvrious]

“ahh, gotcha, bra pics will be code for it’s time to meet. what a trade off! i get the photos, all you get is me all up in your business.” he teased, leaning back in his seat, scrubbing his hands over his face as he considered what was happening between them. on the surface, it seemed playful enough, but the more it persisted, the more it started to seem like a possibility to xander (who was already thinking about it, he was only a man, after all). the wink only punctuated whatever it was that he was starting to feel, and blew out a breath, rubbing his palms on the knees of his jeans. he already liked her before walking into her office today, the interest had only increased substantially and continued to inflate as time progressed. it had been a while since he had been with anyone, and, charming as he was, felt rusty with a catch like daisy. if he was going to pursue her, he wanted it to be done correctly, didn’t want her to regret a single second.

xander snorted and looked heavenward, “it doesn’t take much to be taller than you, does it?” but that was a perk, not that most of his girlfriends hadn’t been taller than he, or that he had any hangups about it, just that it was nice to have a girl looking up at him every once in a while. his gaze remained focused on her, and so he saw the moment the blush started to creep across her cheeks like ivy climbing. it made him smile to see it, his head tilting as he crossed one leg over the other. god, she was cute. and he was smiling at her with heaps of affection, his reverie broken by her saying he could keep the physical copy of the tentative itinerary. “i’ll get back to you asap.” he said, pronouncing the acronym in lieu of all of those words. “would hate to keep you waiting...”

she was blushing again, and xander was positive that they were having a moment. there was no denying it, not with the way daisy was looking at him or the way she checked to see if the door was closed, cast a subtle glance to the window with its easy shade. his heart started to beat faster, and he wet his lips, pupils widening despite his best efforts to remain cool, calm, and collected. “never been to texas?!” he scoffed, throwing on an accent just for good measure. “austin is the closest to home and, honestly, would be the most fun.” xander was grinning again, imaging the opportunity to show her around a place whose slogan was stay weird. “me. just me. it can be an us thing.” it was opportunity knocking, and he’d be damned if he didn’t take it. he was smiling at her in that effervescent, charismatic way he had, leaning closer to her now. “no reason why the whole gang has to be there if you and me get along so well. ‘sides, id like to spend a little one-on-one time with you, if that’s alright with you?” he tilted his head slightly to the left. "maybe you can come to austin and new york?"

"next time i'll just send you a bra pic in lieu of an email to set up a meeting, that'll certainly get the point across." the wink she gave him was salacious, probably a little too saucy for the teasing tone she was going for, but daisy wouldn't begrudge herself a little light flirting after the day she'd had, especially a little light flirting with a very cute rockstar in her office who she was sitting very close to and who smelled very nice. not to mention the way he'd gone out of his way to try and comfort her, despite his clear discomfort with the state he'd found her in. xander was a good guy, the kind of good guy that, besides the fame and the status, would have been the perfect regular guy she might have matched with on a dating site and been excited about going out with. she wondered briefly how far over the line it would be to ask him to dinner or for coffee before they left on tour, but stopped herself before the thought finished, knowing better. she wasn't even sure if he. was seeing anyone at the moment (surprisingly, for his pr rep) and didn't want to make things awkward again when it was clear that they were finally lightening up.

"hey, you're still taller than me, this world isn't built for a girl who's 5'2, i'd faceplant before i jumped over any bar at all, no matter how far under hell it is." her eyes lifted to look at him again, and she could feel a warm heat crawling up her neck, blood rushing up her face to tint it pink again, as if she hadn't just gotten rid of the ruddy pink from crying, and a blush was far more embarrassing, a blush because she caught his eye, no less. he had nice eyes, though, the kind of eyes a girl could definitely get lost in somewhere along the way. "take it with you. i have another copy in my desk, we can go over the changes next week after you've all had time to look it over. just call me as soon as everyone's had their say."

for a brief moment, teeth curl around daisy's bottom lip, that warmth crawling up her skin again like it's trying to set her ablaze. the way his eyes roam her certainly puts thoughts in her head, and before she can stop herself, her eyes dart to her now closed office door. it's unlocked, but closed. the little glass window peeking out into the hallway easily covered by the little shade that's currently rolled up above it. she's quick to return her gaze to his, locked in for a moment, completely forgetting about what they're talking about as her eyes make a map of his face, of the curve of his nose, of the slight pout of his bottom lip, and she's tempted to reach out and run her thumb along it. instead, she blinks quickly and shakes her own head much the same way he did. "uhm, right. i've never been to texas, that does sound like fun. i grew up in new york, though, so i could probably show you.... guys... you guys a bunch of my favorite spots. maybe i'll hit a couple different shows, just to be safe."

[blehblarghblah]

[I'll be using this for the FFN upload cover as well!]

Summary: Several years after the Split, Piltover and Zaun’s symbiotic societies are on the cusp of prospering. With a bright future on the way for many Pilties—and even some Zaunites—Jinx is left with nothing but wonder for what her future entails. But what’s she to do when her path leads down to the pair of orphaned Zaunites: bombardier Zel and pickpocketer Evi? Simple: do better.

MASSIVE shoutout to decydoodles (insta link) for doing this commission for me! The second I thought about doing an Arcane/LoR fanfic I knew who I wanted to do the cover art and sure enough: she delivered beyond expecations. ( ^‿^) Be sure to check out her work too!

So what else does this future fic entail? Well... feel free to ask about it! For now, I'll say I've taken heavy inspirations from the Legends of Runeterra lore and many a future Jinx AUs. I also wanted to explore a side of LoR, especially the card game's multiple stories, and pulled characters from the game!

Zel is the Boomcrew Rookie card and Evi is the Zaunite Urchin card! They're some of my favourite follower cards in the game. I've taken voice lines, trivia, and all the likes to really get a grasp at these characters while also making them my own.

To get into a bit of the nitty gritty of the writing, this is actually really exciting as this is kind of my first dip into a more... "Mature" fanfic rating. Nothing sexually explicit or graphic is gonna exactly happen, but the canon-typical violence/cursing we see in Arcane is a factor here. So I have to emulate that across an aged up Jinx and well, you get the picture. You can expect the same amount of dumb jokes and innuendoes you usually see if you're familiar with my work, but now the M rating is just less... restrictive toward some of those lines.

Also, I did something kind of new with the narrative writing and I'm excited to see what y'all think of it when it comes out...

The première for the first chapter of TMUT goes live April 20th, 2022! And after that, it shall continue on a biweekly basis. EDIT: It’s out now!

If you have questions, go ahead and ask! I'm always down to chat. (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞

Until next one,

- Bleh