#and the way we are MAKING THINGS worse for others spending billions upon billions of dollars funding actual fucking genocide

[pinkseas]

people who say death to america have the right idea

[exhenchman]

Okay yall time for my quirky venting X3

I would not hesitate to throttle a billionaire

more money than I have ever touched or seen wasted on greed. so wretched are the rich, born as drunkard kings, never have they faced the pang of true hunger, never have they fought another mortal man for right to shelter, never have they labored in the ice to make the town accessible for no return in wealth but assurance their elders can walk safely. yet all of those pains are caused by their greed, what right do they have to inflict this upon others, and those are the more fortunate of the poor's pain, i am glad things weren't worse for me as a child yet they should have never gotten their in the first place.

a fraction of their wealth could revolutionize the technology of humanity, yet we all live in squalor as more and more people join us. is it too late? are our nations too large and prepared to revolt against? will not the disorganization of the political divides cause us to sink further into hell if revolt does happen? what political view if any is truly sustainable?

I am truly filled with rage at the state of mankind because of greed.

Money is fueled by death, those who hold the most disserve nothing more than to experience what their wealth is fueled by. be haunted o' rich by the lives you've ended by hoarding those green scrolls of death, those tokens of metal forged straight out of the blood of slaves, who were merely born in the wrong place to have good lives

Let me rend thy flesh from your body with my teeth, o' the holders of billions, you wretched liches must taste as lovely as sewage yet it is the only accurate way you could experience my fury, countless lives are sacrificed by every move you make and you do not even bat an eye. i need to tear one of them open, i need to bludgeon one with a stone, i need to hold one under the water until its thrashing stops, until its feeble cries and promises of capitalistic glory if i only just let them live cease, your money cannot protect you from death forever so i might as well end you before you can divide your demise a thousand fold upon the poor you wretched gluttons.

it is immeasurably simple

if you have more than you need to survive comfortably and live with luxuries, you should be satiated, you are human.

if you have more than anyone else, if you have more than could or should be reasonably spent on improving your own life quality and do not spend the rest to improve the quality of other lives. then, in all seriousness, you should be brutally tormented with every method of pain for a year for each dollar you used that indirectly ended a life, and then violently put down by an astronomically large crowd of raging, brick wielding civilians

we are all born into a world of money, a world where we spend death and inequality, none of us are innocent yet we are all forced into playing by the top of the deck, the glutton kings perpetuating more death than any war or plague could on its own

I would not hesitate to throttle a billionaire

[waynecowles]

Get To Work - Nathele Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

First, we must understand that we cannot work for our salvation. Jesus did all the work, and what a price He paid for us. We can’t do anything to add to what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross. That’s a blessing, but too often we are ungrateful and take it for granted. We need to share our faith with everyone. Why are we so selfish with our salvation? “I’m saved, but too bad for you”. That’s a very wrong attitude. The joy of our salvation should be a driving force in our life. We can’t earn our salvation, but we can show our gratitude to Jesus by sharing salvation with others. We all know people who mock and ridicule our faith, but worse than mocking us, they mock Jesus. Instead of getting angry at their ignorance, we need to put in some work. Ask yourself why you believe what you believe? Can you defend your faith? Most of us just parrot what somebody told us.

Ask yourself if the person who taught you had a true grasp of Scripture. There was a TV show many years ago where the mother was a Christian and tried raising her children to believe. The problem is, she didn’t have a clue about what she believed. All that mattered was that she was a Baptist. It takes work to study Scripture, but that’s the way to know God. Study Genesis chapter 1 and look up the Hebrew words. By doing so, you will understand that God created everything in six literal days. Yes, Peter says “But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” 2 Peter 3:8.

Sounds like evolution could have happened, right? First, “scientists” think it took millions or billions of years, not a thousand. It might take some work on your part to study, but it's worth it. If you read a little further in that passage, you’ll see Peter is talking about God being outside of time and the Lord coming back. It seems long to us, but to God it isn’t long at all. Scoffers laugh at us for thinking Christ will take us Home, but the Rapture isn’t a new idea. Paul taught about it and God gave “pictures” in the Old Testament to show us.

For example, Enoch was Raptured prior to the judgment of the Flood. Why would God wait so long to return? That’s an easy question. His delay will allow more people to come to faith and not spend eternity in the Lake of Fire. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9.

If you study Scripture through prayer and guidance by the Holy Spirit, you won’t be confused by Satanic lies; you’ll be able to share God’s truth and hopefully bring someone to faith in Christ.

Prophecy is a very good tool for witnessing. Yes, it takes some work to study and understand, but there are many upsetting reports in the news that show us that prophecy is quickly being fulfilled. It takes work to study it and sort through misinterpretations. A very wrong misinterpretation of Scripture is replacement theology. You can’t find a passage in Scripture where God states He is done with Israel. Prophecy is easier to understand when you put Israel in the right focus. God has been angry with them at times, but He has never replaced them. Today we are living in an “in between” time, a pause if you want to look at it that way.

The prophet Daniel was given a prophecy that covers seventy weeks. That doesn’t sound like a long time, but a little study will reveal that in Jewish reckoning, there is a week of years. Just like if I say “I’ve lived 7 decades”, you know I’m 70 years old. So, this prophecy in Daniel is speaking of 70 weeks of years. That is 490 years. As you read through the prophecy, you will understand that Israel is very much still in God’s sight. “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.” Daniel 9:24.

Daniel was Jewish, so when this prophecy says “…upon thy people…” we can be certain it isn’t talking about Christians, but is talking about the Jewish people, and “…thy holy city… “is talking about Jerusalem. The One who will accomplish the things in this prophecy is Jesus. Only He can “…finish the transgression…make an end of sins… make reconciliation for iniquity…bring everlasting righteousness...” This is talking about their Messiah, Jesus Christ. Sadly, they rejected Him. The prophecy goes on to say that the Messiah will be “cut off” (crucified). This “in between” time in which we live is the time for Christians to get out and work for the Kingdom of God. We need to spread the Gospel to the lost. God doesn’t want anybody to perish, no matter what their sin. True repentance of sin will bring salvation through faith in Jesus, but people need to hear about Jesus.

Daniel 9:27 gives a quick look at what will happen soon. “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” Daniel 9:27.

The “he” in this verse refers to the man of sin whom we call the Anti-Christ, The Anti-Christ is described in many prophecies throughout Scripture, including Revelation. If you study this verse of Daniel, as well as the following chapters, you will see that time is drawing to a close. In order for this evil person to stop the sacrifice and the oblation, there must be a Jewish Temple in place. This is going to happen very soon. The Jewish people have everything they need in order to build and use the Temple. We also know that the Anti-Christ will defile the Temple by setting himself up in the Holy of Holies. We all need to get to work sharing the Gospel so fewer people will be left behind.

During the time between the Messiah being “cut off” and present day, we are living in the “church age”. Christians have a job to do, and I think we have been shirking our duties. It’s up to us to spread the Gospel. Jesus was crucified, dead, and buried, but He conquered death and rose from the grave. That is what we need to share with this fallen world. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23.

Sin in this world is beyond comprehension. Only faith in Jesus can bring everlasting life. The governments of this world are trying hard to silence Christians, and they are accomplishing their goal. Brothers, and sisters, we can’t allow that to happen. Jesus Christ is the hope of the world, but the world is blinded by Satan. Just before He ascended to Heaven, Jesus gave His disciples a mission. “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 28:18-20.

Does that mean all of us need to go to deepest, darkest Africa or the Amazon jungle and spread the Gospel? Some people are called to do that, but our own neighborhoods are a mission field. You may be the only person who can reach a family member, or a friend with the Gospel. Remember the Rapture will happen only after a certain number of Gentiles accept the Gospel of Christ. The Jewish people are, for the most part, blind to the Gospel. “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” Romans 11:25.

It takes work to plant seeds of the Gospel, and we all need to start working for the Lord. There is a certain number, known only to God, that must come to faith before the Rapture. The best thing we can all do is get to work and share the Gospel with everybody we know. Prepare yourself to work for the Lord, so you can answer questions and be confident in your faith. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman, that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15.

Start studying to make sure you have a good understanding of God’s word. How can you teach a non-believer if you don’t understand the Gospel yourself?

One day, after Jesus had healed a blind man, His disciples had a question about if it was his sin or his parent’s sin that caused the blindness. “Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day: the night cometh when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:3-5.

Today we are the vessels through whom the Light shines. We will soon be taken out of this world. If you study prophecy, you will understand that Christians will not go through Daniel’s 70th week, but will be Raptured prior to its start. Revelation makes it clear that we will be called Home prior to the Anti-Christ being revealed and prior to the horrors of the Great Tribulation. The only way to be taken in the Rapture is to believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Repent of your sin and be born again. Study of prophecy will show you that we are extremely close to the Rapture. When that happens, the Light will be gone from the world.

Start studying now. Share the Gospel. Get to work.

God bless you all,     

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com                                                 

www.prophecyupdate.com                                                   

www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos” God breathed.

If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me an email and let me know.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.” Psalm 122:6.

[nickgerlich]

Where Credit Is Due

The holidays can be rough on a lot of people. It’s that time of the year when budgets are blown all too easily as we go out on a gift-buying frenzy. Never mind that we often gift ourselves too, because human nature. We have just made it through a rough semester or some other strenuous life event, and we feel like a reward is in order.

So we shop like there’s no tomorrow, often going into debt. Few stores offer layaway these days (believe it or not, Walmart, Best Buy, and Amazon still do). Those programs started to fade in the 1980s when credit became the new norm. But, those layaway programs forced us to budget better, because in order to take possession of a gift item before Christmas, you had to plan ahead and have it set aside a few months earlier, making micropayments along the way.

The last few years have seen a different form of payment option emerge, one that looks sticky sweet but may not be all it is cracked up to be: BNPL, or Buy Now, Pay Later. We see it on virtually every e-commerce site these days, an offering from a third-party provider like Klarna that operates on razor-thin slices of the action.

Oh, and late payment fees. And now the vultures of Christmas 2023 have come home to roost, because those payments have come due.

Typically when you use BNPL, you pay 25% down, take possession of the product, and then make three more payments, some starting as soon as two weeks after the purchase. There’s no interest charge, unlike credit cards. But if you forget to pay, you are slapped with a fee. And it is easy to forget payments when they are on a twice monthly schedule.

While BNPL bills itself as not being credit, it really is, and there is much worry to be had over whether missed payments affect your credit score. I am betting they do. Heck, a missed power bill can affect your score.

This last holiday shopping season saw BNPL spike in popularity, surging 14% and accounting for $16.6 billion in online spending. It’s kind of like getting an advance on your allowance. Except that you eventually—actually, pretty soon—have to pay it back or suffer consequences.

The typical BNPL person is also likely to be strapped with staggering credit card debt, mortgages, and car payments, and delinquency on BNPL payments is highly correlated with delinquencies in the others. In other words, these are high-risk persons.

It would thus not be much of a stretch to say that BNPL could be a form of predatory lending, preying upon those who have a hard time making ends meet, but who nonetheless want or need to keep buying things. It’s hard to go on a spending diet when there are gifts to be bought, as well as self-indulgences to be had.

But retailers are all too happy to offer these services, gladly ceding a small percent of the sale to Klarna or the like in order just to make the sale. Klarna makes a $0.30 flat fee per transaction, plus anywhere from 3.29% to 5.99% of the transaction. While the retailer is necessarily trimming its own margins, it effectively has outsourced its own credit department to Klarna, et al. Bingo. Big savings for retailer, and it adds significantly to sales.

The question now is how will those BNPL shoppers be able to pay for everything. I know. It is easy to be smug if you are able to avoid BNPL and simply pay cash for everything, or have so much available credit that it just doesn’t matter. That doesn’t help those who are now saddled with a lot of holiday debt that is due right now, not spread out over months and years like with credit cards. In the world of the mafia—I’m summoning my native Chicago memories here—this is where the enforcers come looking for you, carrying a baseball bat. Or worse.

I have never used BNPL, and pray I never have to. But I understand the allure and how easy it works. Klarna will grant credit—because that is what it is—to just about anyone. They are betting not on the certainty of the transaction fees from the retailer, but rather your inability to pay for it.

If there is a literal hell, maybe there is a special place for lenders like them, even though they will certainly defend themselves as having provided a bridge for those who need one the most. I get it, but I worry for the sake of our economy and everyone’s well-being if we depend on things like this to keep everything rolling along.

Dr “Pay As You Go” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[radiosandrecordings]

Ace fic request if ya feel: Jmart taking a bath together at Upton, w some nonsexual nudity/intimacy? Thank u!!

“Ahaha, I’ll ask for some ace fic prompts and do drabbles for it!” I said, naively. 3K words later. Thank you Gwyn for reading over this and fixing my typos because it is. now coming up to 5am because I decided to write 3K in one sitting

CWs for talk of nudity but no one ever gets full nakey. Jon also has a brief panic about not being able to protect Martin without the Eye.

Ao3 version too 

They’d probably been awake for an hour or so by the time the feeling of grime coating his skin became intolerable. 

It felt wrong, really, the juxtaposition of the soft, clean cotton under his head and the greasy knots his hair had woven itself into over the course of their journey. Like it was insulting to the pillow, the case of which, Jon guessed absently, was worth more than his entire bed back in his flat, if it was still standing.

And wasn’t that something? To have to guess that and not just be aware. As it normally was, the Beholding would inform him that that wasn’t quite true, as while the sheets on this bed were certainly nice they were more chosen for display purposes than with the intent of anyone truly sleeping in them. The house was a museum. The curators had not supposed upon the current scenario. 

The current scenario being that there were two men lying in it, half asleep, lying still and just staring at each other with an eye-watering fondness. They had spoken, when they first awoke. Got out all the words they wanted to say. The “Where are we” and the “How long were we asleep?” and the “Is it finally safe to rest?” and the “I love you so, so much.” 

Now the thing to break the silence was the sound of Martin’s stomach making its discontent known. This, of course, sent them both into peals of laughter, because when was the last time they’d felt mundane hunger? 

“Do you think they even have food here?” Martin asks, still buried up to his neck in duvet. 

“Perhaps? Salesa surely has to eat, if we do.” 

“Yeah, but Annabelle though,” Martin chews his lip in mock contemplation. “What if we go downstairs and open up all the cupboards and it’s just… Flies as far as the eye can see, all wrapped up for eating. There’s one in the fridge all done up on a platter like a Christmas ham. Cloves spiked into it and all.” 

Jon winces. “I’d really rather not picture that right now, if you don’t mind.”

“Ah, course,” Martin says, looking slightly sheepish as they lapse into silence again. “Should probably go check though. Don’t exactly want to have gotten through all that just to starve. Though I’d happily let this be my death bed, honestly. Don’t think I’ve slept that well in… Ever.” 

“Mmh, now that you mention it, I’m quite peckish as well… Odd, that. Had almost forgotten what it felt like.” Jon heaves himself into a sitting position, and takes stock of the door to his left. “Probably the bathroom. Ensuite. Very nice.” 

“You want to get cleaned up before we go scavenging?” Martin asks, prying the duvet away like he’s pulling teeth. Jon feels bad that they can’t just stay in bed all day. He hadn’t been able to sleep, in the safe house, but Martin had chosen to dream. He might be biased, but Jon figures that that was probably worse. Martin seemed now to be relishing the opportunity to relax.

“I think we rather need it. Not keen to embarrass ourselves in front of our hosts a second time, so I’d rather not appear downstairs looking like something the cat dragged in.” Jon shoves the duvet away and gets, somewhat shakily, to his feet. Damn. No Beholding means the pain from- Where- The wound… His leg hurts. It means his leg hurts something fierce. He hopes he can stand in the shower. 

When he makes his way over to the door and swings it open, it turns out not to be a concern. The bathroom, in the fashion of the rest of the house, has no shower. Instead, a comically beautiful bathtub sits against the opposing wall. It’s a clawfoot, gold varnish painted over its feet where porcelain turns to antique wood. 

“You want to go first then?” Martin asks, slowly pulling the duvet around himself again. 

Jon rolls his eyes. “Yes, I’ll go on ahead. You enjoy the extra time.” 

Martin gives him a smug look and burrows down again. God, Jon really, really loves him. Which is why, when he puts his hand on the door handle to close it behind him, he freezes. 

Statement readings aside, this will be the first time Martin has been out of his sight in… However you choose to categorize the indefinite amount of time they spent roaming the hellscape. And even then, Jon had his powers. If anything threatened Martin he’d be there to help him. To save him. The Eye offers no such comfort now. Jon doesn’t want to close the door. He doesn’t want Martin out of his line of sight. Not with Annabelle here. He won't leave him alone, not now. 

“... Jon? You okay?”

Jon realises he’s been standing in the doorway for at least a minute now, hand frozen in indecision. He blinks a few times, trying to bring his eyes back into focus. He opens his mouth, and finds himself gaping slightly, looking for the words. 

Martin shifts, sitting back up again. “Jon, talk to me. What’s wrong?”

It comes out like a croak. “I- I don’t Know.”

Martin’s tone is gentle, placating, two hands gently offered out in Jon’s direction. “You don’t know what’s wrong?”

“No, I don’t Know,” he can feel tears beading at the corners of his eyes and tries to push down the lump in his throat. He’s gone this long without crying, why does he have to go and do it now, ruin the peaceful moment that he’d watch Martin lapse into like a drowning man with air. 

“Hey, hey, hey,” Martin hushes, sliding out of bed and walking round from his side. He brings his arms around Jon and just lets them stay there, not pulling him against his chest in a restrictive grasp, but just laying his hands against his back, letting him know he’s there. 

Despite his best attempts, Jon lets out a hiccup. “And- And that should be a good thing. It should. I don’t want to Know. But it’s… I’ve spent so long with this constant presence at the back of my skull and now it feels… It’s raw and it’s vulnerable. Annabelle Cane could be a wall away and I’m vulnerable and that means you are too. If I’m in another room, I can’t Know if something is wrong, and more importantly, if something does go wrong I can’t save you.”

The right wrapped around to hold Jon’s left hip, Martin’s free hand has been tracing soothing patterns into his back through his shirt. It stills when Jon finishes. He takes a moment, before breathing out heavily through his nose. He leans back slightly so he can look down and match eye levels. 

“Jon,” he says, and his voice is as soft as that duvet felt. “I can’t imagine what that’s like. I’m so sorry. I thought being free of the Eye would be a good thing, I didn’t even consider how it would feel for you. I can’t promise nothing will go wrong, because… Well, our track record speaks for itself. But I can try and ease your fears.” He brushes Jon’s fringe out of the way, and presses a quick kiss to his forehead. “Tub seems pretty big. How do you feel about taking a bath together?” 

Jon feels his face, flushed from tears, pale. And oh what a relief, to feel a fear so comparatively… Mundane. To not be afraid of the cosmic monstrosity in the back of your brain, or the spiders with motives that scuttle across the ceiling, or the fact that you are responsible for the suffering of billions. Oh to be afraid of… Intimacy. 

Martin must feel him tense, because the hand on his back drops away, and the one at his hip loosens its grip. “I’m sorry, if that’s too much, we can just-”

“No,” Jon cuts him off, and is surprised at his own voice. “No, I… I would like that. That sounds nice.”

He knows it’s from his earlier anxieties, but Martin must still be able to feel Jon trembling slightly under his hand, because he continues to give Jon a sceptical look. 

“Forgive me for being blunt, but you really don’t seem up for that. If that’s not in your… Intimacy wheelhouse, I get it.” 

“I’m just a little shaken, is all,” Jon says, but he knows there’s a truth to Martin’s words. He knows Martin respects him and his orientation, they’d had long discussions about it in the safe house, about boundaries and desires and how Jon wanted to spend his days glued to Martin’s side but he under no circumstances wished to have sex with him. He knows that this isn’t what that is, that Martin means it in the most innocent fashion imaginable, but there’s still something about the idea of close, physical proximity while naked that makes the hairs on his arm stand on end and his stomach churn. 

It’s not that he was bashful about it. He’d seen Martin naked before, gotten changed in the same room most mornings and evenings in the safe house, but that was just a symptom of existing in the same space, never something actively done with the intent to exhibit. It had, predictably, stirred no feelings in him. The idea of them so close while not clothed… No, that wouldn’t be happening. 

“I- Can I make one request, though?” Jon asks, tilting his no longer watery eyes up to meet Martin’s. 

“Anything,” Martin replies, no hesitation to be found. 

Jon feels his face flush again, and the rapid pooling and draining of blood from his face must be doing terrible things to his circulation. “Can- Can we keep our underwear on? Please? God, sorry, that must sound horribly childish-” 

“No, no that’s okay. Whatever you need to feel comfortable,” Martin says and his voice is not so much laced with sincerity as built from bricks of it. 

They break apart and Martin ambles through the doorway and over to the bath, turning the water on. It sputters, clearly struggling after years of disuse, but after a few seconds it flows clear. Martin waits for the brackish residue to be cleaned away before popping the plug into place.

Jon preoccupies himself with looking over the shelves. They were well stocked, likely by Salesa, as Jon has a hard time believing that plastic bottles full of opalescent purple liquid were considered period appropriate set dressing. He pops the lid open on one and is met by a strong whiff of lavender. He tucks it under his arm before swiping a shampoo and matching conditioner. 

“Find something you like?” Martin asks, leaning against the edge of the tub. Jon hums a response before joining him. The tub was filling up quickly now, almost half way full and the water is pleasantly warm when he drags his fingers through it. Jon deposits two of the bottles where they can be grabbed when needed, before taking the lavender body wash and drawing swirls into the water until a layer of foam and bubbles begin to build on the surface. 

When Jon turns back to face Martin, his fingers are twitching at the hem of his t-shirt. Whoever was responsible for transferring them from cold marble floor to warm bed had also seen to it that their shoes were removed, as well as their bags and coats, which Jon had seen folded and placed over a chair in the corner of the bedroom. They were both down to their now ripped, muddied and bloodied trousers, and two v-neck t-shirts from the same set, Jon’s of which was tucked into his jeans to disguise the fact that it was several sizes too large. What possible conclusion could be drawn from that?

Martin cleared his throat. “Do you mind, then, if I…?”

“Yes, of course, go ahead.” 

Martin pulled his shirt over his head. 

It’s not that Jon didn’t find him attractive. He did, very much so, just in the romantic sense. So seeing Martin shirtless was similar to seeing him in a particularly flattering outfit. It didn’t change the way he felt about him, just intensified it. He was very handsome and Jon enjoyed getting to look at him. 

He pulls his own shirt over his head, before turning back to trail his hands through the water again, trying to gage the temperature and encourage more bubbles. When he turns back to face Martin again, he’s fiddling with his belt, eventually getting it undone and letting his trousers drop. Jon does the same. And then nothing more happens, and Jon breathes a sigh of relief. It’s not that he hadn’t trusted Martin to keep his word and not fully strip on him, it was just.. It was a relief. 

“Shall we?” Martin asks, gesturing towards the water. 

“Let’s,” Jon responds, hooking one leg over the edge before stepping fully into the bath, and letting himself sink below the water. 

He’s just about acclimated when suddenly the water is rising slightly as Martin joins him, placing himself at the other end of the tub. There’s not enough room for his legs, so he ends up with his knees close to his chest, sticking out of the water. Jon’s just about fit, stretching down to the other end of the bath and bracketing each side of Martin’s hips. 

If the bed was heaven, this is absolutely blissful. The warm water surrounds his aching joints, slowly massaging them as it laps around him. The water, just seconds earlier clean and pure, is already starting to take on a stale quality as the dirt begins to slough off of the two of them, but Jon can’t bring himself to care for relief that it’s no longer coating his skin. He thinks the lavender may have been a bad choice, because between it and the warmth he’s finding it hard not to fall asleep again. 

“This okay?” Martin asks, because he’s still worried about Jon and his comfort and that makes his heart ache with affection, that someone would care that much about him and his boundaries. 

“Far more than okay,” he responds, dragging one hand down the other arm in an attempt to get some stubborn filth off. Martin is doing the same, except he’s wisely taken a sponge from somewhere and is scrubbing at a spot on his ankle where his trouser and boot hadn’t quite met and the Buried had decided to leave a crusted circle in its wake. 

They sit in silence for quite a while, each taking care of their own needs before Jon reaches one arm out of the bath to make a swipe at the bottle of shampoo. 

“Here, let me,” Martin says, breaking the quiet. He shifts forward slightly, on instinct, before pausing and rocking back slightly. “If you want, that is. Do you?” 

“Do I what?” 

“Do you want me to do your hair? It’s just- It’s probably easier, y’know, than you trying to do it yourself.” 

“And far more romantic,” Jon adds, smiling as he leans over to press a kiss to Martin’s freshly cleaned cheek. 

“That too. Do you want to turn around?” 

Jon answers wordlessly by shifting until he’s facing away from Martin. He’s surprised, but not unpleasantly so, when Martin’s arms wrap around him and gently pull him backwards until his back is just shy of flush with Martin’s chest. It’s very intimate. It’s very nice. 

“That okay?” Martin asks again, and more than ‘I love you’, that’s a phrase Jon will never grow tired of hearing because it means Martin truly cares for his comfort. 

“Absolutely.” 

“Good,” Martin says, as he uncaps the shampoo and pours a small puddle of it into his hands. Even turned away, Jon can smell the wafts of artificial apple scenting in the stuff. 

When Martin starts to gently drag his fingers against Jon’s scalp, he can feel himself almost melt under the touch. His spine loses all tension and he lets himself fall back entirely against Martin’s chest, and it’s only the knowledge that he needs to keep still for Martin to actually do his job that stops him from turning and burrowing his face there. 

“I really hope that was a positive thing and you haven’t just fainted on me. Like, literally on me,” Martin says from behind him and this close, pressed up against him Jon can feel it reverberating in Martin’s chest. 

“Still conscious, don’t worry. That’s just… Very nice.” 

“Oh! Well… Good.” 

This continues for a few minutes, Martin slowly making his way from the scalp down to the roots of Jon’s hair, untangling it with his fingers and then repeating the process with the conditioner until his hair ran smooth under Martin’s hands. Even when Jon knows he’s long finished any actual hair care, Martin continues to run his fingers through the hair, just because. Jon loved him for it.

Eventually, both of Martin’s hands come to rest against Jon’s torso. “This okay?” 

“Yes. I don’t mind any of the touching, as long as it’s… Nowhere previously established to be out of bounds.” 

“Gotcha,” Martin says, pressing a kiss to Jon’s shoulder that makes his brain fizzle like fireworks. 

It takes Jon a minute to fully realise what Martin is doing. Two hands trace lines along his ribcage, one on each side, thumbs gently drawing and redrawing a pattern. His scars. 

Then, the hands travel upwards. Again, two lines along his chest, traced with as much tender care, and Jon’s brain has gone a little fuzzy. He’s unused to such casual touching. There is nothing hurried about it, no urgency, no purpose other than to make him feel good. To make him feel loved and cherished, and if he’s being honest, it’s working. No ulterior motive. This isn’t the lead up to anything. It just exists on it’s own as an experience he gets to have without worrying about what comes after, because he knows the answer is nothing. 

After, Martin shifts slightly, leaning forward. One hand cups Jon’s elbow, raising that arm out of the water as one by one, from shoulder to palm, Martin makes his way down pressing a soft kiss to each and every circular scar. He repeats the process with the other arm. As if to finish it off, he presses a slow, soft, close mouthed kiss to the line that stretches across the front of Jon’s neck.

He’s perfect. Martin Blackwood is perfect and Jon doesn’t know what he did to deserve… This. This quiet barrage of love, the consideration and care poured into it something Jon never thought he would be worthy of, let alone have become a reality.

Jon twists to lie sideways, pressed against Martin with his head tucked under Martin’s chin. Martin’s knees bracket his shoulders on either side and he feels safe. He is in the eye of the storm, a brief respite from the dreadful horrors that ravage the world outside their bubble, but with Martin Blackwood he is safe.

[ad1thi]

2020 fic recs!! [Part 1]

this idea was stolen from @iam93percentstardust cuz i just,,,thought that this year was absolute shit and it would be nice to make a fic rec list of fics from this year that helped me through it. this will be over a range of fandoms and ships, but all fics were written this year. 

fics are ordered by the month they were published. ive tried to keep to five fics per month, but this is not obviously all the fics ive read that month - i just didn’t want to make this insanely long. 

im releasing the first half of this on the 1st of December, and the second half on the 1st of January 2021 - because otherwise it would just get so long (and also so i will actually have fics for December)

happy reading!! hopefully you find fics on this you haven’t read yet

***

January

The cat is mighty dignified (until the dog comes by): @five-wow

Steve and Danny find them on the pillow in the corner of the dining area, where Eddie is on his side, ass half on the floor because the pillow is more cat-sized than lab-sized, and Pickles is nestled between Eddie’s front legs, essentially being spooned and looking very I-got-the-cream about it. Pickles’ head is tucked into the crook of Eddie’s neck and Eddie’s head slots perfectly on top of Mr. Pickles’, like a furry jigsaw puzzle.

“They’re cuddling,” Steve points out, unnecessarily.

Or: There is a love story unfolding under the McGarrett roof.

Captain ‘Socialist Rage Muffin’ America: @baffledkingcomposinghallelujah

It takes three months of dating Steve Rogers for Tony to understand why Aunt Peggy once shot at him in sheer frustration.

Alternately titled, Honey, I committed treason again.

The Best Laid Plans (Of Mice and Men): @arboreal-elm-ash-oak

His Dark Materials AU

It was Annalise who noticed their small visitor first.

“Tony,” the spider daemon said softly, skittering up the collar of his dress shirt, two of her eight legs resting delicately against his cheek, “Don’t startle them, but I believe we have a guest. Look, by the coffee table.”

Fourteen Million to One: @tunastorks

Six months after Thanos, six months after Tony’s death, six months after Steve returns to his own timeline, Tony Stark turns up on their doorstep.

Brewed Awakening: @iam93percentstardust

Two years after he comes out of the ice, Steve is drifting through life. On his teammate's recommendation, he decides to go back to school where he meets the grandson of an old friend. He finds happiness with Tony but Steve won't be in Boston forever and someone is out to hurt the Starks. Will Steve and Tony be able to reach their happily ever after?

February

the young, the reckless and the foolish: @bruciewayne

In most universes, they don't know each other, not in the slightest, or they hate each other, in a way that's perfectly logical for anyone who were to find themselves in a similar situation.

In this one, they've known each other since they were four years old and naively idealistic.

This is them over the years, against the odds.

a giant sign: @areiton

“Think you can get him to open the weapons division up again?” his CO asks, his voice hungry and Rhodey laughs because this--

“No. Tony hung up his weapons.”

“That’s not what the suit says,” his CO objects, and Rhodey shrugs.

Tony has always had rules, rules he expects the entire world to live by.

And then there was Rhodey, slipping under them.

my heart is driftwood, floating down your coast: @nethandrake

Tonight, there’s a stranger in his backseat. That’s not unusual.

He’s also sad. That’s not unusual either.

What is unusual is that the stranger is silent.

(One night, a stranger enters Steve's taxi. Nothing is the same again.)

Just A Cold: @/delighted 

There’s a new text waiting for him. It’s from Steve of course, and it’s vaguely threatening as most messages from Steve are these days. Still Danny ignores it, and now he’s really playing with fire. Maybe it’ll burn the cold out of him.

Or, Danny’s sick, and Steve can’t stay away. The usual comfort fluff. With a little cameo from a gently meddling Grace.

An Unexpected Guide: @/Rachel500

Danny Williams has hidden his Guide status to keep being a detective, but his time of hiding is up when he unexpectedly finds his Sentinel, Steve McGarrett in the midst of a tragedy.

March

Why don’t we (Collide the spaces that divide us): @five-wow

When they finally catch sight of each other again through the milling crowds, they’re both a little worse for wear. Danny’s left side is covered in glitter and every time he brushes a hand over his hair, more blue and purple confetti rains down. Steve is- Well, Steve is randomly shirtless, which is all things considered not excessively remarkable, but he’s also covered in smudges of colorful paint and has a very nicely printed bloodred lipstick kiss mark on his cheek.

“What did you do?” Danny asks, because it looks like Steve had a lot more fun than he did.

Or: Steve and Danny accidentally end up in the middle of something entirely new.

A Little Unsteady: @finduilasclln 

Written for the Tumblr prompt meme : "Hey! I was gonna eat that!"

Tony lashes out at Bucky for eating his dessert. Only, it really isn't about the dessert.

a national treasure: @starklysteve

Steve isn't looking for an apple and Tony decides his passion is to inspire young souls. -x- OR: the AU where Tony is a Youtuber and Steve is Captain America and somehow they still save the world together.

April

cycle through: @ambivalentmarvel

Twenty-five years ago, Tony Stark disappeared from his family home a month after the tragic deaths of his parents, Howard and Maria Stark, leaving a billion-dollar tech conglomerate without an heir and the world wondering what happened.

Twenty-three years ago, HYDRA gained another super soldier.

Ten years ago, Peter Parker’s parents died in what is ruled as a home invasion gone wrong but he knows was murder, plain and simple, because he spoke to the killer.

And in the present, Project Insight fails, and the Iron Soldier pays the price.

FOREVER-LOVE YOU-I: @/Eudoxia

Tony Stark is twenty-one when he loses his voice. It shouldn't matter, but in a world where the first words your Soulmate says to you are marked on your skin, it can be pretty damn annoying.

Especially for Tony's soulmate.

--

Companion piece to my fic Thumb, Index, and Pinky Extended. This is Steve's POV, with a few extra scenes, as a treat.

(Edit: Sorry if you guys get multiple notifications for this. I just realized (about two hours after posting it) that I fucked up the grammar in the title and I HAD to fix it. YOLO, I guess.)

come build a home out of me: @maguna-stxrk

Steve clears his throat.

“What if I went with you?” he asks nonchalantly, like his heart isn’t threatening to beat out of his ribcage.

Tony blinks a few times, looking at Steve, his mouth ajar. “As a— As my date?”

“Yeah.” Steve nods, feeling a little breathless.

“You don’t mind?” Tony furrows his eyebrows.

“I don’t. In fact, you can just tell them I’m your boyfriend. I’m sure they’ll back off, wouldn’t they?”

What.

“I— Huh?” Tony stares at him, brown eyes blown wide open.

What. What. What.

“Huh? Uh, I mean— You know, that way people will see that you have definitely moved on. Monica will see that you have moved on. Right?” Steve smiles, hoping that it masks his inner panic, because what?

Steve Rogers, what have you done?

i don’t have a choice (but i’d still choose you): @nethandrake

There’s a name inked onto his chest, a name written in an all-too familiar scrawl. And it’s— It’s—

Steve doesn’t realize his body is quaking until he’s tracing the tattoo with a shaky finger.

Because of course that is the name etched into the skin. Like a brand, a reminder for everything he has done. An appropriate retribution.

Anthony Edward Stark.

(When Thanos snaps half of the universe away, he unknowingly leaves the other half with soulmarks.)

ua haʻalele ʻoe iaʻu (a ua hoʻomālamalama ʻoe iaʻu): @just-fandomthings

"The truth is, I was shot in the chest and nearly died, and not even three days after I was released from the hospital, you up and left-- and of those two, I'm not sure which one hurt me worse!"

(Coda to 10x22 because come on, we all need a better ending than the one given to us.)

Title loosely translates to: "You left me in the dark (you lit me up)" -- inspired by the brilliant song "Say You Won't Let Go" by James Arthur

May

A Piece Of The Past: @hddnone

It had been so many years since Bucky had gone undercover in the Stark family's mob, he thought he'd gotten away clean.

Then Tony Stark slid into the seat across from him at his breakfast diner, and Bucky's boss has a new case for him.

the privilege of loving you: @starklysteve

“Why won’t you let me touch you?”

It’s a desperate plea, half-shouted and half-whispered, Steve’s voice cracking at the end. Tony stops in his tracks, halfway to the stairs. He doesn’t dare to turn back, and he really doesn’t want to fight, or to leave, to spend the last month of his life away from his husband and their son. But Steve can’t know, can he?

-x-

Or: Tony has palladium poisoning, but he doesn't tell Steve and Peter

your pillow feels so soft now (but still you must advance): @firebrands

When Bruce is 13, he decides to go to boarding school. It's an opportunity for him to learn about other people, and how to interact with them.

Bruce has the misfortune of meeting Tony Stark upon his arrival in Roxbury. Bruce is moving into his room, and Tony opens the door of his room to watch. He looks a bit younger than Bruce, hair wild and eyes bright. Bruce has never seen a boy like him before—handsome and confident.

Bruce doesn’t like it.

IMPORTANT: This fic has them meeting at 14, then progresses slowly until they’re 17. Includes underage drinking and kissing.

This is set before Bruce becomes Batman and Tony becomes Iron Man and I have no explanation as to how or why they just DO Canonically, Bruce is 17 when he finishes school and goes around the world to train, so we're sticking with that

The Real MVP: @sword-and-stars (part of a series)

[“I have saved this Tuesday!” Sokka announces, rattling the bag upon reentry.

Zuko doesn’t even look up from his phone as he deadpans, “It’s Thursday.”

Okay, so Sokka is still having trouble getting his days right without checking. At least he’s gone back to sleeping at night! Going to bed at night is way easier when you have a cute, cuddly boyfriend who starts falling asleep around eleven o’clock. It also helps that he and Zuko are on solid gold butt-touching terms.

It’s been a while since Sokka has been on butt-touching terms with someone and it’s amazing.]

Or,

Sokka knows a guy, gets laid, and introduces Zuko to the merits of an afternoon delight.

When is a bed not a bed? (When you’re not in it): @riotwritesthings

There’s a tiny safe house, with one tiny window and one tiny couch.

And one tiny little bed.

June

Nice Fingers: @anthonyed

A single compliment given by Tony stirs Bucky restless until he caves in and asks him out on a date.

With Steve’s help of course (whether he likes it or not).

The Darkest Touch: @starkrogerrs

This is the story of how Steve finds that it has been ordained that he is to marry a monster he cannot resist aka the God of Love himself, Tony.

It's Cupid x Psyche retold, but with thrice the amount of porn.

The Night Shift:  @weethreequarter

Welcome to the Emergency Department of San Antonio General where Dr. Tony Stark joins the team fresh from his most recent tour in Afghanistan and - much to the consternation of the other staff - strikes up an instant rapport with Nurse Steve Rogers. Meanwhile, new resident Bruce Banner refuses to give up on his patient, and Dr. Sharon Carter learns something from her own patients. Throw in a pissed off hospital administrator, Clint using the coffee pot as a mug again, and a major car crash and you have, well, just another night shift.

Wind Beneath My Wings: @iam93percentstardust

Sam first meets Tony Stark in 2005 when he joins the EXO-7 Falcon program.

In jest: @/apathyinreverie

“No, babe,” Danny shakes his head with a grin. “If the apocalypse were to go down while I’m elsewhere for some godforsaken reason, then you stay put and I’m coming to wherever you are.” His grin widens. “And I expect you to have cleared any aliens or zombies or whatever else might be messing with us off the island and to have set up a nice, comfortable military dictatorship for us to rule over by the time I get back.”

It’s a joke.

Of course it’s a joke.

Until it isn’t.

(A the-day-after-tomorrow-style apocalypse AU, where the world decides to end right when Danny is visiting one of the other islands with Grace. Because, of course, it does.)

[chasingthepoguelife]

Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, but don’t forget ankles

Got to my first request! The next few will be coming this week. Thanks for requesting and being patient. I love you all!

Summary: Y/N has been a pogue for only a few months. Keeping up with the pogues meant spending time with JJ and knowing all about his hook ups all around the island. JJ and y/n had no trouble admitting the other was attractive, but left it at that. It isn’t until JJ notices something on y/n  body that surprised both of them.

A/N: I apologize again for the terrible writing. I’ve only started writing again after a few years. I’m sorry if you don’t enjoy it, I’m trying. Also not my gif! Credit is under the gif.

Warnings: smut, a bit of angst, swearing, un safe sex ( wrap it up kids), jewelry kink

Hanging out with the pogues came with a lot of advantages. You were always doing something fun and crazy, always in the know of everything going on around island. Keeping up with the pogues seemed liked a full-time job most days between all of John B’s spontaneous adventures and Pope freaking out about what you guys did the next morning. Sometimes you’d get a nice break when the boys would throw parties at the bone yard. Pogues, kooks, and tourons would flood to drink and have fun, especially with JJ Maybank. If it had a pulse, JJ would swarm to add that person to his body count. Kie had filled you in on each of the three boys when you met the group a few months ago, and almost everything she said has been proven right. JJ’s adventurous life style made it hard not to know where he’s been and everything he’s done. Whether you overheard conversations between him and John B, or the touron girls giggling in town over what they let JJ do to them the night before, you knew pretty much everything he was into. The list ranges from daddy kinks to choking, but nothing compared to the night you were trying to sleep on John Bs couch and you had to hear JJ pretending to be a vampire for over an hour. Your crush on JJ had been put to a stop after a few weeks of just listening to him talk. There was always some sassy banter between the two of you, with the occasional civil chats. You had no trouble admitting he was beautiful, but after knowing about every encounter, you decided you didn’t want to be another body count to JJ.

        The pogues spent all say setting up for Pope’s surprise party. After all the shit he’s been through, JJ knowing the most, it seemed like the least everyone could do for him. For once, something was going right and smoothly for the pogues, not a trouble insight. Everything was ready to go until the power had gone out at the chateau.

“Can’t we have one nice thing?” Kie screamed into the air.

“It’s not that bad,” y/n said. “We have a few hours till the party. If we get a holder that is big enough and lots of ice, we can keep the food and drinks cool until we make it onto the beach.”

“Easier said than done,” JJ mumbled.

“Do you have a better idea?” y/n yelled in JJ’s face.

“Ok that’s enough you two,” John B interfered. “If one of you messes up Pope’s big night I’m dumping you at the Crain house and you’re walking back. Kie and I will head out for the supplies, and you two will stay here and get your shit together before Pope arrives.”

John B was the voice of reason in this group, and you hated it when he was right. You’ll just have to wait until he leaves to get a few good passes at JJ. Kie and John B had left 30 minutes ago, and with no AC and no breeze from the beach, the chateau was burning up. JJ was already shirtless, sitting on the floor, sweat droplets already running down his abs. JJ and Pope had a nice mid-section on them, but no other abs in the OBX can compare to JJs.

JJ was about to absolutely lose it. It’s a billion degrees in here and he’s stuck with y/n. Just when he thinks he’s starting to like her she has something to say. He’s found her arrival into the group difficult. This is not what he had in mind when Kie said she’s be brining a new girl into the group. He was busy daydreaming when he noticed y/n in the corner of his eyes. She was down to nothing but her bathing suit now. He’d seen her in her suit plenty of times by now but as he watched her shift, his eyes landed on her ankle.

“Is that new?” JJ’s mind asked him.

His eyes grew wide on that shiny material wrapped around y/n’s ankle. It looked so right on her thin ankle, connected to long tan legs. JJ had eyes, he knows y/n isn’t exactly ugly, but something went off in his head seeing her leg pointed up as she laid on her bank, keeping his eyes on her ankle.

“Hey-y y/n?” JJ stuttered. “What’s that on your ankle?’

“This?” y/n pointed. “It’s an ankle bracelet, you know a bracelet that you wear on your ankle.”

Normally this kind of response would’ve riled JJ up, but this time it went right over his head.

“Have you always worn that? It looks different? Does Kie or Sarah wear one because I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen one before,” JJ rambled.

“You’ve had to of seen dozens on all your touron girls,” y/n snapped.

“I’m pretty sure I would’ve noticed on before, but if you must know, I’m not really looking there most of the time,” JJ smirked.

“We live on an island, I’m pretty sure you’ve seen one before JJ.”

Without warning JJ scooted over and sat down in front of you.

“I know what it is y/n, it just looks different on you,” JJ said as he began to play with the piece around your ankle.

“I like it on you. It’s different,” he said softly.

“This is another one of your weird kinks isn’t it?” y/n asked in disgust.

“Y/n, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were jealous,” JJ said.

“If I was jealous, I could’ve had you from the moment I met you,” y/n said confidently.

The room was now quiet. JJ hadn’t said anything else, which made the tension worse. He was just staring at you, up and down. He started to move, lowering his head to your feet.

“W-what are you doing?”, y/n asked.

“Proving you right, that you could’ve had me from the start,” JJ said.

JJ grabbed your ankle and began kissing on and around your bracelet. This was definitely a first for you, but there was something about the feeling of the cold metal and JJs lips on you. He paid more attention to your ankle and began working his way up to your inner thigh. Your hands made their way to JJ’s hair as he licked up and down your things. JJ’s head was in between your legs and you couldn’t fucking believe it. In just your swimsuit bottoms, you could feel JJ’s breath close to your core.

“JJ,” y/n whined.

“I know baby, me too,” JJ smirked.

JJ’s hands were circling all around your stomach and core. You made the deepest eye contact with him than you ever have before. It was a sweet moment between pogues in the midst of all the sex. You could feel his hand inching closer into your swimsuit bottoms, giving him the nod to proceed. JJ’s hand landed on you, all soaked and trembling. You knew JJ was skilled from all the chatter, but you can’t believe how much he’s affected you with so little.

“If you must know y/n, I never spend this much time,” JJ said as he kept his hands on your core.

“It’s always a quick tap and bounce. I never take the time to get them this worked up.”

“You know what the say JJ, hate sex is great sex,” y/n whined.

As JJ was working his hands and tongue all over your body, he still couldn’t believe that you were under him like this, that after all the name calling and bickering fights, a tiny ankle bracelet connected the two of you like this.

“I’m going to have to declare John B’s no pogue on pogue macking rule void for now, I need to be in you y/n”, JJ whined.

With both you fully naked now, there was only one thing to left. Both JJ and y/n could feel the sweat of each other, feel the hot air only made hotter by your activities, and especially JJ’s hot breath as he whispered into y/ns ear.

“I always thought you were beautiful. I was so excited when Kie brought you into the group, and then it all went downhill. I think we all know you threw the first insult so you have to continue to make it up to me baby,” JJ commanded.

So close to your entrance, something didn’t feel right to JJ.

“Not so fast baby. I’m going to need you to lift your left ankle up and keep it on my shoulder. Don’t move it until I tell you,” JJ ordered.

Upon placing your ankle on JJ’s shoulder, he slammed right into y/n, causing her to moan louder than JJ had ever heard before. Her nails were tearing up JJ’s back and shoulders as he was tearing into her.

“Every, thrust, is -for -all -the- times -I- wish, you were nicer to me,” JJ said in between breaths.

JJ was on cloud nine. Between your moans, letting him control you, and the sound of your ankle bracelet on his shoulder every time he thrusted harder, this has been the happiest he’s felt in a long time.

“JJ!”, y/n yelled, Y/n really didn’t know what to say. JJ was so rough but caring at the same time, lasting more than you thought. He was really taking care of you, unlike that random kook that was your first time a few months ago.

“Oh god y/n! I don’t know how much more I can last. I need you to finish with me!” JJ yelled as he brought his hands now to your clit.

“JJ my god, please don’t stop,” y/n yelled into the crook of JJ’s neck.

Before either of you knew it, JJ was spilling into you, your release onto his cock following. Pure, raw JJ has been in you in several ways today, dare you say your soul as well. Still in disbelief even after JJ pulled out of you, you stared into each other’s eyes as he laid on top of you.

“I’m not just saying this y/n, but that blew away every touron that I ever laid eyes on,” JJ complimented.

“You should know that I never hated you JJ. Moving here and not knowing anything about the future was the scariest thing I’ve ever done. It seemed easy to hate you because then at least I knew where you stood. Although I’m not sure what to think about that ankle bracelet kink,” y’n laughed.

“Well I hope we can change things between us,” JJ said cupping your face.

“I’d really like that,” y/n smiled into JJ’s neck.

“And I’d like it to” a feminine voice was heard from the back.

JJ and y/n turned around bright red to see Kie and John B by the door, grabbing each other’s faces.

“I’d like it to, so much,” John B said to Kie, clearly making fun of his friends.

“But seriously, we’d like it if you would put on some clothes, just imagine if it was Pope that caught you, “John B said.

Both you and JJ laughed at your friends reaction, getting dressed and following them out to the beach, into the first night where you and JJ wouldn’t hate each other.

[acioo]

anybody who knows anything about me will be able to tell you i spend a bunch of my time ice skating & i’ve never seen a guide on how to write a character that figure skates , so i thought i’d compile some tips & explain things , because my whole childhood i was travelling across the country to spin on ice with nothing on but a leotard & some tights , and now i have nothing but a bunch of tacky costumes and this post to show for it . this is pretty in-depth , about 2.5k words , but if you have any questions about specific aspects or want me to clarify anything , feel free to shoot me an ask . oh & a like  or reblog if you found this helpful would be sweet ! tw : injury, mental illness, eating disorders

most people that wind up as figure skaters started ridiculously young. i was probably six, but at my rink, we train kids as young as four and five. if your character has competed professionally at a state-wide level or up, they most likely started super young and have been professionally trained. figure skating is not a sport that you can do casually, most of the time. ice skating, casually, however, totally different thing. but competitive figure skating, being on a figure skating team, and the like, it’s a lot of effort, time, and discipline. in a lot of families, it’s a tradition to teach your kids to ice skate. at my rink, there’s a lot of people who come from slavic families whose parents signed them up - or athlete parents in gen. so, if your character is SUPER GOOD, they’ve put hundreds of hours of work into it, and have years of practice. it is not something you can pick up in a day, and i’d even say you have to be at it for at least two years before you get good good, and it takes a while to even become comfortable on the ice before you can start to do any kind of trick - THAT is why they start young, so by the time we’re pre-teens, we’re really, really good. the problem happens, famously, at puberty, because your balance gets knocked off, your bones are growing, and you have to basically relearn everything you know.

there are so many different types of figure skating. i specialize in singles, but i’ve done showcase and solo dance ( but both of those skills are more for me to be a well-rounded skater, not for competing ), and would sometimes be put into pairs to help learn skills and work together. you NEED to be in one of these categories for competition because they are what all comps are based upon. singles is, as you think, one single ice skater individually doing their routine. singles will do various dances, jumps, spins, etc. i won't lie, it’s hard, and really, really competitive. singles is the most competitive of all these categories. it’s usually a short program ( jumping, spinning, steps - the easier portion of competition because it’s really just a routine that you need to get down pat so you can boost your score. you will learn to do it in your sleep. ) and then a free skate ( longer than the other, it’s more complicated and difficult ). pair skating is really, really difficult, tbh, and you need a good relationship with whoever you are doing it with because there’s a lot of trust involved. it’s hard to break into pair skating because you need a partner that you’re equal to in skill and you like as a person. you guys spend a lot of time together and you need to get along. you guys need to be equally proficient at ice skating. most pairs get put together when they’re still very young. it’s very difficult to from singles to becoming a pair skater. it’s two skaters and they skate around each other, they lift each other, and move in synchronized patterns. it’s highly technical, like all figure skating, but it is more difficult because you have to keep in mind both your own feet and someone else’s. you do NOT want to bump skates with someone. at best, that is very uncomfortable. at usual/worse, you’re both about to eat shit on ice. in pair skating the partner that lifts needs SO much strength. like, so much. i’ve tried to lift fellow skaters, who are the same weight as me, and it’s near fucking impossible for me. ice skates are HEAVY and skaters have a lot of lower body muscle. we are not light people. for example, once time my team and i were out of practice and just skating around and we started playing around and i did a cartwheel on ice and i fell very hard. wiped tf out. and that’s me, trying to handle my own weight. like singles, it’s a free skate and a short program. pair skating is typically male + female ( what a sad world, i know ), but i encourage every writer to take some suspending of reality. ice dance is, basically, dancing. it’s a lot more performative than other types of skating. it’s done in pairs, but can be performed alone, in a different category called solo dance. in the nicest way possible, singles/pair skaters usually look down a bit on ice dancers because it’s a bit less technical, and doesn’t have any jumps of lifts. but ! that doesn’t mean it’s easy because it’s not. it’s rooted in ballroom dancing and they have two parts of competition: rhythm dance and free dance. fun fact: pair ice dancers scott moir and tessa virtue, who are famous to be suspected dating, are the reason we had a no dating rule at the rink. showcase ice skating is usually for some kind of platform, or in front of a large crowd. i’ve done showcase for investors for our rink. there’s usually costumes involved ( there are costumes for all competitions, but their costumes are more, like, theatre - y ), and props, and acting. it’s actually very fun to watch, but you need acting skill. theatre on ice, however, is just what it sounds like. theatre on ice is popular with children and good for ways to show off an entire team of skaters, because you can have eight to thirty skaters on the ice. they can also compete and they can go international, but they aren’t in the olympics and there aren’t many competitions for them. it’s usually just a fun way to get together with your teammates, bond, and then show off what you did.

so, competitions. super complicated, and as a writer, i suggest really glossing over them, because it’s difficult to get it down completely right. there are nonqualifying and qualifying comps. the difference is that in qualifying competitions, you’re looking to start moving up, basically, so if you qualify in the first one, you go onto the next one, then state eventually, then national, and so on. you start with regionals ( singles ) /  sectionals ( pairs and ice dancers ). then, if you succeed, you go to sectional singles / pairs + ice dance finals. the goal is to get on the national team ( i’ve watched ameatur skaters tell other rinkmates they want to compete in the olympics - it was NOT pretty ), basically. which, let me say this. it is nowhere. near. easy. like, just go into youtube and search “ yuzuru hanyu “ ( gold medal in pyeongchang olympics for mens singles ) and watch ANY of his performances. now he’s the gold medalist, right. he started at four years old. so let’s go smaller. google elsa cheng and watch one of her routines. she’s a member of the us national figure skating team. she’s fifteen. YEAH. not an easy sport. nonqualifying is more laid back and for fun, or trophies. nonqualifying is also a way to practice before you enter into qualifying. competitions are really nerve-racking. it’ll cause stress between you and your rinkmates, because more often than not you’re going against one another. you and your coach will usually spend all the prep season creating your two programs, which you will almost always repeat in every single competition you attend. i have about 20 different routines stored in the back of my head. sometimes my coach would give us exercises of coming up with a routine during a time restraint. my friend junior learned a routine that was on yuri on ice. 

for competitions you arrive, you get ready. you’re almost always wearing some kind of elaborate costume/dress leotard thingy. this is a time to start getting mentally ready, talk to your friends, and do each other’s hair and makeup. costumes are bought way ahead of time, and are usually related to the theme of your routine. you do NOT want a wardrobe malfunction. it’ll mess you up & you’ll lose precious points. your hair will most likely always be back and, more often than not, braided or in a bun. the comp will begin and you have a practice session so that you can get warmed up and ready. it’s not long. you will get the music for your program played one by one, and you rehearse - this is usually to check to make sure your music is right & to get acclimated to the ice then you get off the ice and another group will warm up. your coach can’t be on the ice whatsoever, and has to stay outside the rink. usually, competition order is done by a random draw. one by one, you will do your routine. no one but you can be on the ice. then you go off to the “ kiss and cry “ ( because you’re either about to celebrate or get your ear chewed off by an adult in a tracksuit ) where your score gets announced. then, competition continues. your warmup + when you start is not based on how you placed in the last part of the comp ( usually started with lowest ) and you perform the second routine. then, and this is usually determined by like how serious the competition you're going to, but there are trophies handed out, a podium ceremony is held, or medals or flowers are given out. my coach would always make the team pose together after competitions and go out to eat - lots of coaches hold bonding exercises esp after comps. if we did well, we could skip our 9 am practice. if we did poorly, the team meets up at a local park and runs the three-mile trail, and then they do technical corrections at the rink. after your medal/etc ceremony, you’re done. sometimes the top people will perform, but by that time you’re usually exhausted and want to sleep for a billion years ( or, if you did really well, you want to go eat 15 ihop pancakes and conquer the world ). the competition season is from august to april. this is a BASE of what happens. it’s different at different kinds of competitions and for different categories of skating, but it’s almost always something like this. offseason is for practice, rest, and fun, basically, but if you're a serious skater, by the time you’re hitting july, you’re spending more time at the rink than at home. the most well-known and the hardest competitions to qualify for are the grand prix, europeans ( european championships ), worlds ( world championships ), and the, of course, olympics.

another aspect of almost any professional sport is injury. think about any ice skating routine you’ve seen. there is no protection. you’re wearing a thin sheer leotard. you have basically knives on your feet. it’s VERY easy to get yourself beat up by ice. the ice is very hard and not very forgiving. meaning, if you hit, you hit hard. you usually are putting a lot of force into it, too, because you’re falling. don’t even get me started on the BRUISING. you will look like you have gone thru something, all the time. ice skates, which have to sharpened routinely, are, as you imagine, SHARP AS FUCK. knife shoes. i’ve been recreationally skating, because i work at a rink, and just monitoring the skaters and usually messing around with my rinkmates, and i fell, and i sliced open my thigh. i didn’t need stitches, or anything, but there was blood everywhere. very gross. ( ask abt this answered here ! ) and i wasn’t even doing anything particularly hard. and this has happened before. they WILL cut you. ankle injuries are super common. i’ve seen someone break their ankle feet away from me. i’ve twisted my left ankle five times. as for dislocations, they also happen a lot. when i was twelve, i was at the top of my figure skating career. i was qualifying to competition after competition. during a regular, normal practice, i was doing a jump i had usually aced, and i landed the wrong way and i dislocated my knee and blacked out. it’s a very disgusting injury and extremely, extremely painful. like, a good 50k in hospital bills for the surgery to fix it. i was very good and it was my favorite activity on the planet, but it was so awful that i quit. when i was fourteen, i started skating again, joined my team, etc, etc, but it was very difficult to recover from. and that’s a very common story. most people get injured and they have to stop. i know a girl who got a bunch of concussions, and wasn’t able to skate. i’ve been concussed on the ice. people tear their acls or their hip. we have a sports medic at all figure skating practices and comps. and a lot of injuries, once you hurt something, you will hurt it again because you made it weak. we are all very flexible but overuse will make your bones brittle. there’s also stress fractures and different things you can get from just overworking your muscles. shin splints, tendonitis, jumpers knee, etc. you name an overuse injury, and i’ve had it. i was one so exhausted after practice that i laid down on the ice and cried until my coach ( who i love very dearly ) gave me a bag of skittles and told me to suck it up. that’s not saying my coach is a bitch ( john mulaney vc my coach is a bitch and i like her so much ), that’s to say there is no break, no stopping. you get better, and move on, or you quit.

as-is with basically any competitive sport, if you get serious, you will probably go onto some sort of diet along with it. you want to be eating a lot of nutritional stuff ( granola bars are HOARDED in my locker room & to this day i gag at the sight of protein shakes ), anything with a lot of calcium ( because we do be breaking bones ! ), and iron. i used to eat pasta before comps ( like wayyy before not an hr or anything ) because it gives you ~energy~. you need to be eating a lot because you’re exercising a lot. gatorade is banned by my coach because it's so much sugar. you need to drink so. much. water. we all take a bunch of vitamins. usually will eat chicken / meat in general. but keep in mind, like any sport in which you are cutting things from your diet / eating specific things / etc, it can easily lead to an unhealthy relationship with food. there’s a lot of shitty mindsets you will encounter with coaches and fellow competitors about what weight a figure skater should be, and it's even worse in pair skating ( because of lifts ). when i was eleven, one of my old coaches told me that she hoped i never hit puberty because it’d fuck up my balance & when i did i cried. a fellow competitor once told me she wished she had my “ figure skater “ body ( and at this point of my life, i had very unhealthy eating habits ). another time a group of older kids made fun of how gangly i was while i was in earshot. the amt of times my coach has SCREAMED at ice skaters for making fun of / putting down fellow ice skaters is astronomical. it’s rough. a lot of figure skaters have opened up about how figure skating caused / contributed to their mental illness. it’s very easy to fall into because of how “ perfect “ you need to be. you can look up various figure skaters stories on this: adam rippon, gracie gold, and yulia vyacheslavovna - a very famous one as it was part of the reason her career ended & she was the youngest ever skating gold medalist. and i will say, personally, my unhealthy relationship with food ( that would eventually lead to lots o problems & i still feel the impact of today ) began when i was figure skating. there are other risk factors for mental illness as well because there’s so much focus on winning / losing. more than once, competitions would give me panic attacks because of the great stress.

another thing is MONEY. as fucked up as it is, you need money, or a grant, if you want to get good. you need expensive skates, costumes, travel fees, and more. my pro figure skates, not my casual ones, cost upwards of 300, and that’s low balling it. when i was ten, my parents spent upwards of 10k on figure skating. there are rink fees, there are competition fees, there are coaching fees. it adds up extremely quickly. i know a lot of skaters who stopped competing because it was just too expensive. i work for my rink by teaching classes and monitoring open skates and additional things, but if i added up every single dollar i ever made, it would be nowhere near enough to pay for everything. but the thing is, if you get really good, you can make money off of competitions, but getting there is the hard part. at one point in my life, my parents were paying $100 an hour for my private coach who i was seeing multiple days a week. figure skaters also oftentimes will take additional classes to help. my coach made the entire junior team take ballet one year. i took a ton of gymnastic classes as well to help with skating.

so, who are the kind of people that ARE figure skaters ? what do we act like ? there’s a lot of stereotypes that figure skaters are cold people. that’s not necessarily true. i would say that we are extremely competitive people. i’ve seen rinkmates get into full-blown fights during competitions. one of my best friends, who i met at my rink once i returned from my hiatus, HATED me because she knew i was competition. we are on-edge.  stakes are high and the pressure is on. a lot of us are very perfectionistic because you sort of got to be to get to our level. we can have control issues and we can become easily frustrated if we flop jumps or keep stuttering coming out of a spin. the other stereotype is that we are super delicate little flowers. probably because of the way we have to move. realistically, we’re a tactile bunch of people who would probably wind up hurting someone if we played hockey. ( another stereotype : figure skaters and hockey kids. the closest i’ve gotten to a hockey player is the one time i threatened to quick him in the nads because they came early and insisted we get off the rink. ) we all love skating and have a lot of fun while doing it. it’s dangerous, and that’s part of the thrill. speeding around the rink at extremely high speeds is, honestly, exhilirating. we love our sport and, though we can get on each other's nerves, love our rinkmates. it’s not easy, but it’s our favorite thing to do.

[stilloutofmyvulcanmind]

The Wedding

Pairing: Earth-2 Harry Wells x Female!Reader

Word count: 3.2k

Warnings: None

Summary: Needing a date for a cousin’s wedding, you ask your colleague and friend Harry to pretend to be your boyfriend for the day. But is it really pretend when you’re already secretly in love with him?

A/N: My first fully-fledged Harry fic! Ahhhh! If you guys like it and want more, there may be a smutty sequel

                                                       ~

"Got any plans the weekend, Harry?" Cisco asked, leaning back in his chair and stretching his arms. "Or you just gonna wait here for us to get back?" 

Harry glared at him from behind his coffee mug. "Actually, Ramon, I do my best work when I don't have your incessant drivel in my ear."

"Oh yeah, hot stuff? What grand piece of technology are you gonna bless upon us on Monday then? A personality transplant?" Cisco laughed, narrowly swiveling out of the way of the pen that came hurtling towards his head. 

"Nothing this week. I have other plans."

"Suuuch as?" 

"Y/N invited me to her cousin's wedding and asked for me to…pretend we're together. So she doesn't get inundated by annoying questions."

"Ohhh myyy God!" 

"What?" 

"Look, I know my fiction tropes and fake dating? It's a classic! And it's only gonna end one way, my dude."

Harry raised an eyebrow and took a sip of coffee. 

"With you two declaring your love for each other."

Nearly choking, Harry coughed up the drink, his grip on the armrest turning knuckle white. "I...are you…suggesting that I… love Y/N?!" 

"And that she loves you, genius."

Spluttering, Harry shot up from his seat. "Don't be absurd, Ramon! Y/N doesn't love me! The only reason she asked me was because you and Allen are already in relationships! Th-there's no love! Or any romantic…feelings. Why would there be? She's…smart and kind and beautiful! She's brave and strong and I assure you there's no universe in which she'd ever love me!"

Cisco looked at him a moment, smile curling up on his lips. "See, I was just teasing you before, but wow, dude, you're really in love with her."

"Maybe you're in love with her!" 

Cisco simply raised his own mug, failing to hide his own smirk behind it. 

"... Shut up, Ramon." 

~

"Thanks for agreeing to this, Hare," you said, smiling over your shoulder at him before resuming your task of unpacking. 

"It's fine. Nice to get out of the Labs for once." Harry dropped his bag on the armchair of the hotel room you were sharing and hooked the one carrying his suit on the bathroom door frame. "But uh," he gestured to the one bed in the room, "how are we going to negotiate this?" 

"I've got that covered." Reaching into your case, you pulled out the rolled-up sleeping bag.

Harry made a face. "You expect me to let you sleep in that?" 

"I expect you to play me for it." Dropping the bag down, you held up a closed fist. "Paper, rock, scissors."

Harry stared at you a moment then laughed. The sound made your stomach flip in the giddiest of ways. "You should know I've never lost a game," he said, walking towards you. 

"There's a first time for everything, Doctor Wells."

"Bring it on, Y/L/N."

~

You looked yourself over in the bathroom mirror a final time, adding the final touches to your make-up and clasping a silver necklace in place. You were ready, and looking pretty damn fine. Knee-length and with a cold shoulder, the midnight blue dress fit you perfectly. Exiting, with the intent on adding your shoes, you stopped short when you saw the sight in front of you. 

Harry was dressed in a suit that matched the shade of blue you wore, an unintentional but useful detail for your ruse, the white button up standing out stark against the jacket. The most distracting detail was the fact that he'd left one too many of the top buttons undone, leaving a tantalizing amount of neck on display.

Not for the first time you wondered if asking Harry to be your fake boyfriend for the day was your smartest idea. Being forced to share a bedroom and pretend to be smitten with the man you were already in love with was definitely going to take a toll on your sanity. But showing up to yet another family event filled with happy couples on your own, and having to deflect the endless questions as to why seemed worse than having to spend forty-eight trying not to go mad. 

"Y/N," Harry's voice broke you free from the trance, "you...you look…nice."

"Thanks. So do you! Who knew you scrubbed up so well." You moved around Harry quickly, avoiding looking at him too much and sat on the edge of the bed, to pull on your heels, while he tucked the sleeping bag he'd ended up using away out of sight. 

"Ready?" You asked, finishing up and grabbing your purse. 

"As I'll ever be." Harry opened the door for you, then locked it behind you both before passing you the key to tuck away in your purse. 

Even though the hotel had been booked by your cousin for all the out of town guests, you hadn't expected to do much pretending until the reception. While guests were mingling on their way to the ceremony, there wasn't much time to chat yet, so not much time for prying questions or close observations either. Harry, however, seemed prepared to delve straight into it. He took your hand in his almost immediately, giving you a quick glance to make sure it was okay, then walked with you to the elevator. It was a simple gesture, but it sent your heart racing. 

How the hell were you going to survive the day? 

~

You were starting to think you'd accidentally brought another Wells doppelganger to the wedding. A much more polite, charming doppelganger, because it had been two hours now and Harry had yet to reduce anyone to tears or be anything more than a little sardonic. 

"Who are you and what have you done to Harry Wells?" you whispered in his ear as you lined up outside the fancy hall to congratulate the newlyweds and take your seats for the reception meal. 

Harry chuckled. "I don't think your family would approve of your new 'boyfriend' if I was my usual self."

"Okay, fair. Still, it's weird. I wasn't aware you even knew how to be charming."

"You don't build a billion-dollar research company by not knowing how to occasionally butter people up."

"Well, thank you. It must be painful for you, and I appreciate it."

Harry smiled at you softly. It was the same one you'd only ever previously seen him use on Jesse. It did a funny little thing to your heart and nearly distracted you from the hand that came to rest low on your back as he guided you forward. 

"Annie! Congratulations!" You beamed, hugging your cousin and kissing her on the cheek. "You look beautiful!" 

"Thank you!" Both she and her new husband couldn't stop grinning, and you loved how happy they looked. 

"Uh, this is Harry, my boyfriend." The word sounded strange to say. 

"A pleasure. Congratulations," Harry smiled, shaking both their hands. 

"I could hardly believe it when Y/N told me she'd be bringing a plus one! You kept that one quiet!" 

Laughing nervously, you shrugged. "We wanted to keep it on the down-low for a bit."

"Wanted to keep him to yourself more like!" 

"That too."

"You know, you look kinda familiar, Harry, but I can't- oooh! I know! You look like that scientist Y/N used to crush on! What was his name again, Y/N?" 

Feeling the heat rapidly spread up your neck and across your cheeks, you looked at anywhere other than Harry. "I, uh, I can't remember now."

Annie gave you a knowing look, but Harry came to your rescue before any more embarrassment could be had. "We'll let you greet the rest of your guests. Congratulations, again."

"Thank you, Harry. Talk later."

Harry led you into the beautifully decorated hall, his hand still hovering on your back as you made your way to the table. You were the first ones there to take a seat, which meant you were unable to escape the look he gave you. 

"So, you used to have a crush on Harrison Wells?" He asked with an amused eyebrow raise. 

You groaned, wishing the ground would open up and swallow you whole. "In my defense that was years before I joined the Team and found out about the whole evil speedster thing. Don't mention it to anyone, please?" 

Harry looked at you a moment longer, then nodded. "It stays between us."

"Thank you."

Other guests began to arrive at your table, and the topic was dropped. 

~

The food was amazing and the company just as much, and with the distraction of other people to talk to, it was easier to ignore the constant butterflies in your stomach. 

After the meal and the speeches and the first dance, people began to mingle. You and Harry mostly stayed at your table, however, talking with your Great Aunt Margaret. The woman was in her nineties now, but she was just as sharp as ever, and probably one of the members of your family you were closest too. 

"Another drink, ladies?" Harry asked after a little while. 

"Gin and tonic for me, dear."

"Y/N?"

"Just an orange juice." As tempting as it was to just drown your feelings in alcohol, keeping a clear meant it was far less likely you'd make a fool of yourself by saying something you regretted. 

Harry nodded, standing from the table and heading over to the bar. 

"So, who’s he really?" Margaret asked as soon as Harry was out of earshot. 

"What do you mean? He's my boyfriend." Margaret fixed you with her infamous 'cut the bullshit' look. "He's a co-worker. A friend. I asked him so I wouldn't have to show up to another family function alone."

Margaret watched you thoughtfully. "That's what I thought. You've been too skittish around him for you to be together."

"Was it that obvious?" 

"Only to me, dear." She smiled and leaned across the table to you. "But you two need to talk."

"Why?" 

"Because it's clear he's more than just a friend to you, and he's hopelessly in love with you."

"Wh-what? No, he's not!" 

"Dear, I don't think I've ever seen a man more in love."

"I…" Looking away and down at your hands, you chewed your lip. "How do you know?" 

"The way he looks at you. It's plain to see."

"No, no, I'd have noticed if he'd been looking at me like that!" 

"We don't reveal our true feelings when the object of them is watching. We wait until we think they aren't looking. And the way that man looks at you when you aren't paying attention...it's like you hung the moon. I can tell you there aren't many people lucky enough to be on the receiving end of that kind of adoration."

"Oh." 

Margaret's smile was kind when you met her gaze again. "Talk to Harry, Y/N. You deserve to be happy, and I get the feeling he does too."

"He does. He's been through a lot." 

"Did I miss anything?" Harry returned carrying your drinks. 

"Just some girl talk. Thank you," Margaret said as he set the glasses down in front of you. "Why don't you two have a dance?" 

"Oh no, you know I'm not much of dancer-" 

"Nonsense! I went to enough of your dance rehearsals to know better!" 

"Aunt Margaret-" 

"All the other couples are up dancing! You don't want to be the odd duck, do you?" To anyone else, Margaret's happy grin seemed innocent enough. You knew better. "Go on! Off with you! I'll watch your drinks!" 

Before you could protest further, you were being poked out of your seat by her walking stick in your ribs. 

Harry followed suit before he too came under attack, and took your hand as you merged into the crowd already on the dance floor. 

"Sorry."

"It's okay. I'm the one who should be apologizing for this-" Harry pulled a few moves that could really only be described as 'dad dancing.'

Muffling a laugh with your hand, "That's…something," you giggled, swaying your own body in time with the music. 

"Told you."

"Maybe one day I'll teach you a few moves. Ready for when you have to do your Father/Daughter dance with Jesse."

Harry groaned, "Don't. Don't make me think about that."

Giggling again, it turned into a squeak of surprise when Harry suddenly grabbed your hand and twirled you around. 

"That's what happens when you tease," he grinned, hands landing on your hips to steady you. 

"Not the worst punishment I could think of."

"Oh, and what is?" 

"Wouldn't you like to know?" 

"Maybe."

Realizing you were suddenly on the border of flirting, you shrugged. "You know, the usual. The same stuff everyone else hates as punishment," you mumbled. 

"I see." It seemed like Harry was going to step back and let go of your hips when the song changed. A slow song. A slow, romantic song. Harry swallowed, Adam's apple bobbing, "We should...head back?" 

You were going to nod when you looked across the floor to spot Margaret. She motioned for you to move close together. "Or...we could stay. Unless you want to get whacked with a walking stick that is."

"No. No, I don't."

It was awkward for a moment, then Harry took you into hold, one hand staying on your hip while he took one of your own in the other, with your free arm finding it's way to his shoulder. 

He smiled. You returned it. Together you started to sway softly to the music. 

It was way too intimate. More intimate than you really had the capacity to deal with, especially after your earlier conversation with Margaret. So you did the only thing you could think of to not have to look Harry in the eye. You lay your head on his chest. 

For a split second, Harry's breath seemed to hitch, then it evened out again, though his hold on you tightened slightly, drawing you in until there was no space left between you. 

Okay so maybe this was actually way more intimate. But at least now, with your head tilted away from him, you didn't have to hide the sappy smile that spread across your face.

Yet your mind was still racing. Was Margaret right? She'd never been wrong before. But that would mean Harry actually loved you in return, and that...that was nearly enough to make your brain explode. 

You would have to tell him. He'd never say anything himself. But when? Now? Later? Tomorrow? Next week? That would be safest. If things went sour you wouldn't have to share a room or a car, and you could simply retreat to the safety of your apartment and eat away your feelings. Yet it felt like if you didn't say anything soon you'd implode. 

It was so hard to think when he was still swaying you like this and was he…he was resting his cheek on top of your head. He was relaxed. Enjoying it just as much as you were. 

The song came to an end, and Harry's grip loosened enough for you to take a step back. He didn't say a word. Just looked at you with that soft smile again. 

You had to say something. Now. Just say the words and tell him. It'd be fine. You just had to say three little words. 

"I...I'm really warm. I'm gonna go get some fresh air."

Coward. 

Turning before you could see his face drop, you wormed your way off the dance floor and made a beeline for the door, exiting out into the garden and the cool night air. 

"Stupid, stupid!" You muttered under your breath, pacing up and down the cobblestone path. How could you have chickened out like that? The opportunity was right there. And there was no way Harry would've bought the 'needing fresh air' excuse, which meant now you had to come up with something more believable or leave it feeling awkward. Why did you have to fuck it all up? 

"Y/N?" Harry's voice from behind you nearly startled you out of your skin. Spinning around, you saw him approach, illuminated by garden lights that lined the path. "Are you alright?" 

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine."

"If I did something-" 

"No! You didn't do anything. You've been amazing all day, Harry."

Nodding, Harry came to a stop in front of you. "You ran out so quickly, I thought...maybe…"

"It's not you, I just...I had to get out before I did something potentially very stupid. We both know how much you hate stupid."

"The last thing you could ever be is stupid."

"Says the man with seven PhDs. Pretty much everyone is stupid to you."

"Never you."

The way he was looking at you...it made you want to turn and run. There were too many emotions in his eyes, and it almost made you hate the hope that bubbled up in your chest. 

Harry was the first to move, running a hand through his hair as he turned away. "Ramon...he said this would happen. I thought...I told him not to be ridiculous. Now here I am…he'll never let me live it down."

"What did he say would happen?" You asked, voice barely above a whisper. 

Taking a breath, Harry faced you. "He said I'd end up...saying how I love you."

The world seemed to narrow down to just the two of you, the din from the party could no longer be heard, the garden disappeared, only you and Harry and the thumping of your heart remained. "You love me?" 

"How could I not? You're...special. I'm not an easy person to get on with. I know I'm an annoying, cantankerous dick, and while I can act the charmer, when I'm just being…me, I can't, I don't...I don't always find it easy being around people. Except you. From the start being around you was easy. You know when to call me out or when to let me rant, and always you're kind. You're smart and brave and beautiful and I love you."

You stood in shock, simply staring at him. You'd never expected him to say anything let alone make a confession like that. 

Harry cleared his throat, "Of course I value your friendship above anything else. Say the word and I'll never mention it-" 

"I love you too. I wanted to say it in there, after our dance, but I couldn't…I was too scared it wouldn't be reciprocated." 

For a breath, Harry hesitated, then he took your face in his hands, fingers curling around the back of your neck and pulled you into a kiss. Your response was immediate, kissing him back as fiercely as he kissed you, your own hands clutching at his arms. It was everything you'd ever imagined and then some. 

Breaking the kiss Harry stayed where he was, holding you as if he were scared you'd slip away if he let go. 

"Wow," you whispered, leaning your forehead against his. 

"I should've said something sooner."

"I should've too, but it doesn't matter now."

"No, it doesn't."

Unable to stop the giggling like a schoolgirl, you kissed him again. "Just so you know I'm going to want a lot of these kisses." 

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

"I love you, Harrison Wells."

"I love you too."

Best wedding ever. 

Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee! I’ll love you forever!

Tagging: @pinkdiamond1016​

[popculturebuffet]

Carl Barks: Back to the Klondike Review: Blinkus of the Thinkus

Welcome one and all! If your a longtime reader of this blog, you know I love a good birthday celebration, having started with my first year reviewing animation last year with Donald’s and deciding to do Mickey and Scrooge’s later that year. But since I misseda  LOT of disney birthdays, and found several Non-disney birthdays and anniversaries I just gotta celebrate, this year i’m making it up and style and have a whole calender set up to tack these big milestones to the wall. So over the year expect tributes to the greats of disney, looney tunes, and mgm both behind and in front of the scenes, as well as to various shows I like. It’s gonna be a good time. 

So to start us off, it’s only fitting my first duck birthday since Scrooge, is for the love of his life and the stealer of his wallet, Glittering Goldie O Gilt! And I felt the best way to celebrate this storied day was to go back to her very FIRST apperance, one of earliest Scrooge headlined comics and a forever fan faviorite, Back to the Klondike!

But before we get into that, a little history on our gal in gold. Goldie was created for this story by comics god, the late great Carl Barks. Barks ended up just using her once, which is a shame but understandable as he probably only thought of her for that one adventure. While some characters like Gyro ended up being used again and again he probably just didn’t have any more stories in mind for her and figured Scrooge would return to her one day or he wouldn’t, but it wasn’t up to him.  Fans however loved the character, her feisty dynamic with scrooge, and the fact she brought out his good side, so naturally other writers would bring her back. In paticular Barks Superfan Don Rosa cemented her as the love of his life and wrote several more stories with her, fleshing out their backstory and saying that at least in his personal canon, Scrooge retired to spend his final years with her. And while his fanboy was clearly showing, and that can end nasitly just ask Dan “Hates Wally West because he’s not barry allen” DiDio, glad he’s gone.. Rosa’s work with goldie is an example of what happens when it’s done right. Less DiDio or Bendis and more Al Ewing. Using the continuity and what’s there to build on a character who deserved better.. to me that’s one of the BEST things you can do in comics and Rosa’s work is proof of that, ironing out the.. questionable elements we’ll get to and leaving the gold in.  So Rosa’s work combined with Ducktales not only adapting this story but bringing Goldie back a few times after that has elevated the character to a storied and permenat part of the duck canon, with her excellent heavily revamped Reboot counterpart currently carrying the torch with the help of the wonderful Allison Janey, perfect casting there. So with a legacy of gold behind her, let’s take a look at where it’s started and see if it still glitters after all these years under the cut. 

We begin our story at the Money Bin. Scrooge has been counting his money.. but has already forgotten, and forgot where he put the slip he wrote the number on and even forgets who Donald is when he shows up until Donald, while having some fun with him as Scrooge is trying to phone him while he’s right there. As for how he got into the most secure place in the bin.. the story actually answers that both worringly and hilariously: Scrooge left the door unlocked.  Naturally he’s not happy about this and Donald states the simple solution: Go see a doctor something’s CLEARLY very wrong, and the fact this could possibly be something like Demntia is VERY bad for someone who runs a zillion dollar company. Scrooge of course scoffs at “wasting his precious money” But Donald not only points out the obvious, that two bucks now saves him from having someone rob EVERYTHING, but Scrooge’s attempt to tie a string around his finger.. instead triggers a trap. And this entire sequence is decent with some good gags.. it’s just hampered a bit by making light of something that’s kinda bad. Not old people forgetting things.. but an old person with a disease as we find out forgetting things. Not helping is I laughed at first at the gags.. till I remembered a kind, old, friend of the family who had it and forgot me entirely by the end. So yeah, not the worst gags and the boxing glove and donald bits aren’t terrible, but it hurts now my brain’s made that connection. 

Our heroes head to the doctor’s office where Scrooge is diagnosed with... 

That.. might be the best name for a fictional illness i’ve ever heard in my life.. just inching out “Brain Cloud” and “Whale Cancer”. Still not the most SENSITIVE gag.. but it was the 50′s and mental issues weren’t given a lot of respect. IT’s why the above sequence and this whole part of the plot dosen’t scuttle things: It’s not the most repsectful.. but it wasn’t a time where these things were givne proper respect, treatment or knowledge, so barks wasn’t being an insentive douche on purpose, he just didn’t know. It dosen’t make it 100% okay btu it dosen’t wreck the story like say his blatant racist caractures in Voodoo Hoodoo. Seriously that’s.. not okay, and given he’s the kind of guy who researched locations he used, unlike with mental illness i expect BETTER of him than most men at the time. Still respect the guy, but it dosen’t mean i’ll overlook the fact he made some pretty bad mistakes. Same way while I love and miss Stan Lee I won’t ignore his blatant sexisim or racisim towards Chinese and Vitamise people. You CAN like a creator even if their work has some questionable and unjustifable elements, times do change and people do mamke mistakes when their young. It just depends on exactly WHAT they did or wrote that makes that distinctoin.  So on that bombshell, Scrooge is given medication after a needle gag. He needs to take his pills every 12 hours. It’s then he starts to remember something, mubling abotu skagway, goldie and dawson and telling Donald to get the boys, their going to Alaska! Once they get on the boat Scrooge explains: he remembered thanks to the medcince he left a stash of gold nuggets there from his prospecting days.. and part of why this story ended up being one of the single most important to Scrooge’s character. While it establishes some character traits, something I dind’t realize till wikipedia pointed it out, it also establishes Scrooge’s days as a prospector. While other things made him what he was and got him to that point as Don Rosa would later flesh out, it was his days in the yukon that, for better or worse defined who he is now and shaped him into the man he is today: Tough, fair, badass as all hell, mean as the devil and richer than god.  This time would be used a lot to set up stories, which made sense as it was the cleast and most agreed upon part of his past by all writers, and him at his abosltuely peak physically and mentally and the gold rush motif of the time perfectly fits someone defined by being rich. It’s also honestly nice that the Yukon is used, as Canada sometimes gets lost in the shuffle wise and hell until reading life and times I gneuinely had no idea what the Yukon was or where Calvin was headed when he and hobbes ran away from home. 

Scrooge also first mentions Goldie and while clearly remembering her fondly.. goes into a rant about her howing him a thousand dollars which has compounded to a billion the second the boys catch on he was sweet on her with Donald assuming he’s just not a good person. But this is really just setting up another vital part of his character and the other thing: his heart. Before he’d been show as a pretty heartless, greedy asshole. While the previous story, Only a Poor Old Man, had softened him up a bit, this is the first to show that beneath the pile of greed and mean lurks a decent human being. Just don’t tell anyone or he’ll throw his money at you.. then tell you to bring it back to him. It’s what makes the character who he is: he’s cruel, onrey and selfish.. but he CAN care when the chips are down and can do the right thing.. as we’ll see later. 

God I love the little poems Bill Watterson would put in the books. I didn’t as much as a kid, but god I do now. Anyways before our heroes can get going Yukon Ho, they stop in Skagway for suplies before heading out, Scrooge softing at taking a plane as “Soft” and him and the nephews hiking a week.. before running into the same flying service again, and finding out Scrooge OWNS it and forgot, because being scrooge he forgot to take his meds. Something I can relate to and i’m not proud of as staying on them is important to my well being. Seriously always take your meds. Unless their not working for you then talk with your doctor to get new ones. 

So we arrive in Dawson, as our heroes will have to walk rest of the day Scrooge takes the boys to the Black Jack Ballroom, which used to be a hot spot and was where he met Goldie for the first time. After another covering for his reminscing with greedy bollocks, he tells the boys the story.. one that was cut from the original printing despite introducing goldie and something the editors dind’t bother to tell carl till they berated him over trying to sneak a blackjack saloon and a kidnapping in there... and to them, or their long dead skeletons probably, I say. 

Yeah not wanting that in a kids story, while bollocks, tha’ts their perogative.. not having him send in replacement pages to keep story flow.. is dickish and underestimates kids intellegence as Don Rosa, while loving the story felt something was off till he saw the missing pages years later thanks to a fellow fan. So yeah kids, and adults, into the work noticed. Nice job. Again I can’t BLAME them for not wanting Scrooge to be a kidnapper as we’ll see and Don Rosa had to massage the hell out of that, but I can blame them for not caring enough to fix the obvious hole int he story. Though it’s now complete and unabriged and has been since the 80′s so there's that. 

So in a nutshell Scrooge came to town for a coffee, and while the bartender ignored him he didn’t once he plunked down his goose egg nugget, what made his fortune and one of Scrooge’s most treasured possessions. It’s here we meet Goldie. 

Yup.. just in case you thought her being a thief and greedy as hell was a new thing, and I kinda forgot how much, she dirves for the nugget, has Coffee with scrooge.. and drugs it, but makes the mistake of NOT clearing town, so Scrooge fights his way through the ballroom to her, gets the nugget back, forces her to sign the money for the iou he spent.. and then uh.. kindaps her to force her to work on his claim for 50 cents to try and teach her how to work honestly. 

Yeahhhh as I said Don Rosa tried his best to fix this , and did so in his final story, which we’ll get to some day, revealing Goldie had a shot gun on her the whole time and was going along entirely to find out where Scrooge’s claim was. That.. actually makes more sense with the character and is far less horrifying and Scrooge finds this out fairly quick, so them forming an attraction out of this becomes 100% more plausable. So yeah good on Don Rosa for fixing the implications here. I may give out on him from time to time.. but he is a genuinely talented writer and did what a good comic book writer in an established continuity should do: update elements so they aren’t so... eugguuhhh after they become horrifingly outdated. And look YES she did do horrible shit to him.. but you still can’t kidnap someone over that. just put her in jail. What was any of that. 

Anyways Scrooge HAS been taking his medicine, and proves it by showing the boys his pills and the next day they head to Scrooge’s old claim.. only someone’s living there and using it, and his old cabin.. and a shot gun. Yeah so they aren’t getting through in the day what about the night.. well they get attacked by Blackjack, who turns out to be owned by the claim jumper.. and is also you know a bear> And Donald left his back in new quackmore so their outmatched. 

So outgunned and outplanned, if not outnumbered or outmanned, our heroes make a camp fire and whiel Donald again suggests the obvious, call the police.. Scrooge can’t. He didn’t pay taxes on the claim so he’s technically jumping his own claim and techincally she has a right to it. So techncially.. Scrooge is the bad guy here as he left the money here, didn’t pay his taxes and didn’t ever come back for it. Still beats trying to terrify your nephews or deny orphans a train because your an asshole buffet. 

So the next morning Scrooge dosen’t want to rush her because “We Daren’t Get Rough with an old woman”. Two things.. 1... think before you put images in my head scrooge.. brrrrrrrrr. I mean Goldie. is not in the best shape in thie story as you’ll see and neither are you. In the reboot sure you two kept up a lot better but here.

And it’s not even an old people thing. Ann Margret was still fine so fine by the time of Grumpy Old Men, not to get creepy jut to prove i’m not being ageist. For a still alive example Keith David is also still a smokeshow at the tender age of 64. So yeah, not an age thing just not these paticular old people. 

But they need a plan so the boy suggest luring the bear into a trap with honey. Donald and Scrooge build the cage while the boys.. find the jar of honey. 

Regardless since the boys won’t do it for what Scrooge pays and neither will donald Scrooge goes to lure the bear with the honey. Once that’s done, and Scrooge is being covered with honey and licked by a bear...

So while he washes that off, the boys come up with another plan: they run around back while Donald makes noise to draw Goldie’s fire, with that being Dewey’s plan to meet her since he’s figured this out already. But Goldie has a backup plan and when she figures out they disabled Blackjack unleashes mosquitos... ugh. Having been stung like hornets about 50 times in animal crossing I feel you boys. So while Scrooge and Donald run off naked... troy if you will. 

Thank you Troy, the boys confront Goldie who reveals her identity... and that she’s broke, her dance hall having failed with the rush and this claim being all she has.. and her suspecting scrooge woudl gladly take it. The boys vow not to tell scrooge.. but he’s on his way so they kinda have to and he primps to go visit and Donald starts to see through his BS about collecting the debt. Sure enough despite being taken aback by her putting on her old dress , he takes her for all she has and is.. genuinely suprised as she thought she’d have more and she’d actually changed since the old days, donating her profits to orphans from mining disasters. Scrooge.. is clearly rattled by this. Whiel it turns out to my shock he was clealry after the money, though givne who we’re dealing with I shoudln’t of been really, he still cares and still realizes he’s being kind of a dick. So he challengers her to a gold digging race, and if she wins the claim is hers and any gold she finds.. and naturally, while he seemingly puts her soemwhere where there isn’t she finds the claim and Scrooge bemoans not taking his pill.. but while the boys boo him for it, Goldie who fondly waves them off and Donald know better: Donald points out he counted the pills this morning.. and recently. SCrooge DID take one today... he’s just has his cane shoved firmly up his ass with pride so he coudln’t ADMIT he was wrong and instead simply staged that whole thing with the full knowledge Goldie would win. It, again, sets up one of his defniing traits; how he keeps people at arms length. How he’s just so proud and full of himself he can’t bear to admit anything resembling weakness.. but WILl find a way to do the right thing without that or forgoe it as a last resort. He may project being a stingy cretionus old man.. because he is.. but he’s got a heart as big as that nugget.. it’s just locked tight in it’s own bin... his body is complicated and weird that way Final Thoughts:

This story is a classic with a decent setup, great backstory for scrooge, and a great guest character and unquestionable impact on the character. However.. it does have it’s problem; As Don Rosa, who as i’ll remind you is both a huge barks fanboy and huge scoldie shipper, himself pointed out he wrote his final story, and had planned to for years ENTIRELY because this one never quite explains how Scrooge and Goldie went from old enmies to lovers.It did lead to one of his best stories and one of the first I read post life and times so, props to that. And of course as I pointed out some things have just.. not aged well, especially the kidnapping so their relationship kinda comes off like stockholm syndrom as a result of both of these. 

That being said.. warts and all.. it’s still a really damn good story and a good one to try if your intrested in barks work or where Goldie came from: it has adventure, some really good jokes and if you can get past the dated bits the plot is solid. And while it goes without saying i’ll say it anyway Barks art is goregous as always ESPECIALLY in the flashback sequence. Overall not the best AGED Scrooge story, though not the worst either see Voodoo Hoodoo, good god, but defintely a classic for a reason.  If you liked this review, follow me for more, and for more duck content as I still have more of the three cablleros to work through, another chapter of life and times coming up this week befor ewe break again for feburary, and some other fun stuff. Until the next rainbow, it’s been a pleasure. 

[swordoforion]

Orion Digest №42 - The Crossroads of Human History: Why We Should Persist

The events of the past few centuries have brought the threat of extinction closer than it has arguably ever been. War, pollution, disease - as much as the human race has come together with modern innovations, we have also opened the door to the end of human history, and our choices now will determine the future of billions, if not potential trillions. Will we die in a hate-fueled inferno, or stride atop the surfaces of distant planets? Will we drag all of life on Earth down with us, or will we learn to find harmony with it? While there have been many tumultuous times in the history of our species, the idea of it coming to an end makes this time especially vital.

And yet, there are many who argue that perhaps humanity does not deserve to live on, or that it simply cannot. There are some who object to our past and current actions, and believe that human nature prevents us from living peacefully and logically. They think that even if we did survive, we'd be at each other's throats, and it would only spell suffering for many at the hands of few. Others raise the moral flag in regards to our effects upon other species and nature, citing our haphazard destruction as grounds for us to die so that other species may live. Some believe that existence itself simply isn't worth the costs it requires upon the individual.

It is hard to deny that human history has been filled with suffering, and what is worse, unequal and unjust suffering. There have been many souls who, by their mere appearance, have been condemned to live life treated differently than others, spending their days in fear, and working their whole lives just to find some semblance of comfort. Progress has been made on some social fronts, but that fight is far from over, and with a great many problems of our own design on the rise, it is safe to say that the toughest times of humanity may not yet be behind us. The world is getting hotter, the disasters are becoming rougher, the class divide and associated required labor from the working class is increasing, and we still haven't yet cracked the goal of equality.

The situation, admittedly, can seem rather hopeless. And, with the storm on the horizon, we might have the first opportunity in history to stop the race entirely - before things get worse, we have the option to end the human race through whatever means are available, and be done with all of it. We, as the human race, stand at the crossroads of human history, and are granted two choices - accept our destruction, guaranteeing an end to suffering, or persist on, going into the unknown and chancing that our circumstances will worsen. It is a question that has been asked many, many times.

So, what reason do we have to persist, in the face of all that is horrid and terrifying in the world?

As painful as life can be, most people choose to keep living it. Buried beneath the poignant pains and toils, there are brighter things in the world. Large joys that give us purpose, small joys that brighten our day. There is even meaning in pain - by knowing what it feels like to lose or hurt, we appreciate much more how it feels to win or remain safe. The grand knowledge of all that there is and could be in the world - the sights around us, the stories we tell, the friends we love, the memories we cherish - when simply put to the background of our perception, they may not seem worth as much, but to weigh those below the void of non-existence, they are rather valuable.

What is more, we assume that we must go on without improvement, that this crisis we face is all that humans can be or amount to. What is past cannot be changed, but the knowledge of our past gives us the ability to learn from it, and we have proven time and time again that the human mind can conquer anything in its path given time and reason. If we have the ability to subjugate ourselves, to put ourselves in so grave of danger that it could spell not only the end of Earth's dominant species, but potentially most of life on Earth, surely we also have the ability to undo what we have wrought. It is merely a matter of how we order ourselves and where we shift our weight. Given the knowledge and push, the suffering we believe is inevitable could be lifted, Earth made a utopia.

It is a risk to rely on the hope that humanity will settle its issues, but the chance becomes more assured the more we believe in it, the more we support it. If we assume it to be impossible, something unachievable, then it will become so. All those who argue that human nature is to be violent, angry, and spiteful see only a sample of humans forced to resort to their animalistic natures for survival. When one is forced to fight tooth and nail for food and shelter - as one must do in the job market so they may earn money for necessities - they will of course put their survival as a priority. Raised in a world where the value of wealth and luxury is placed on so high a pedestal, it makes sense that people would rush to assure their security, even at the cost of others, for how many would risk their own downfall for a stranger when raised to do the opposite?

However, the unique quality of humans is that with our intelligence and empathy, we can overcome these instincts and fears, rising higher into levels of psychological need and actualization, where we see the strings that hold the puppets. We can come to understand that the system of economy, if managed adequately, could easily be made to support all who live under it, and that with understanding, we could prosper together. We may have within us animal instincts, but if we can understand them, we can control them. Human society already does, in its own way, harness the power of human behavior, manipulating each and every citizen to act in a way that perpetuates its qualities, positive and negative.

The toils and struggles of human existence, that drive many to wish that they had never been born, are human in origin. We are aware of this fact, and while a difficult task, we could one day hope to create a future in which new generations are born, still laboring and having their own individual struggles, but never unjustly, and never without the accompanying joy and hope. It is one thing to push a stone up a hill, and another entirely to do it in chains. It is hard to envision a better world when you have spent your entire life in one; for all you know, it is entirely imaginary, and impossible to achieve. You have spent all your time meeting maybe a handful of people (if any who don't ultimately buy into the flaws of the system in some way; how could there conceivably exist an entire society who behaves as such? From an insider's point of view, flawed is all humanity might ever be.

But that is just it - humanity is both gifted with the ability to see past our mundane perceptions and illusions, as well as to allow our minds to settle into them. It lets us have the foresight to know that the illusion can be shattered, and that we can overcome what we believe to be absolute, while also not being so overcome by such presence of mind that we view life in terms of numbers and psychology, savoring the joy and feeling true the fear. Our emotions and logic affect one another, with the realization of change accompanied by hope, and the frustrating monotony of the world bringing about hopelessness and fear. The same world can cause one mind to imagine life as a purposeless bout of pain, while bringing another to see the beauty and majesty that does exist, and can exist in even greater measure.

The difference in the two is circumstance - what side of the world are you raised in, and what do you see? We know, through logic, that our problems are based on economics, government, and the socialization bred via layered ignorance. A child can be raised in a healthy manner, given the chance to learn about the world around them and respectfully form their own identity, and have the belief that life is indeed worth living, with happiness worth the pursuit of it. However, that same child could have instead been thrown through different traumatic events, and trapped by the demands and expectations of the world around them while they still struggle to process it all. The second child will know the world as cruel, and may lack trust - for what would trust bring them but possibly greater pain? Pain they could not hope to bear?

Which side is right about the world, and not merely the constructed world of humans, but the metaphysical world that is existence itself, in all its infinite potential? If we made such relatively small adjustments as changing how we view mental health and allowing for more personalized models of labor, the entire universe for one person could change, the grand picture of existence reshaped by something as small as policy and structure. While able to understand the concept of things beyond our own point of view, the truth is that these bleak ideas of nihilism come from a perspective that only views the world through a small lens, that sees the horrors and mistakes we have made, but not the capacity to change, if we knew we were able. It is a self-perpetuating cycle - we created a hopeless world which convinces us it is hopeless, and so we continue to create a hopeless world which convinces future generations, and so on, but if we were to break the cycle and take advantage of our ability to change the world, no longer would people be convinced and raised to act so terribly.

At this crossroads of human history, the question is asked - if we brought ourselves to the brink, should we just fall in, rather than potentially making it worse? This question is asked by those who have only ever known the cruel world, watching others taught that it is acceptable to treat others with such disgusting indifference. However, to broaden the lens and see that it was ignorance that caused the first misstep, bringing us through a domino chain to where we are today, tells us that if we are capable of destroying the world, we are certainly capable of changing it. Which option we take is ultimately a matter of which we believe in. If we believe that humans can be good and overcome our animal natures, I have full faith that it will happen. If we believe that humans are incapable of doing so, then we may very well perish.

Between the two options, I have given much thought. For the sake of those that might come into this world just to suffer, I hesitate to say it is worth it for those who might come afterwards in an improved world - sacrificing lives not just to death but torture, all for the happiness of those who have not yet been born. However, this assumes suffering will become an eventuality, and if we were to actively seek humanity's demise, so would suffering result in the inter-rim. To give up hope entirely ensures things will not get better; to persist means that very well could. Instead of wasting time arguing about how bad things could get if we fail, it would do much better to get up and fight to ensure that we don't. Even if we are unsuccessful, is it not better to die in hope than in misery?

And so, I believe that when faced with the choice of dying here at the crossroads or continuing onward into the unknown depths of the future, the latter choice is entirely worthwhile, despite the sentiments of others. We cannot wipe off the stains of our history and ignorance, but we can ensure that the deaths of all those who perished under the sword of injustice do not go unavenged. New children could be born one day, the groundwork for a better and more informed start beneath their feet, and live the lives their ancestors dreamed of, carrying on that hope. And those that march on in the future will appreciate our decision to fight on another day more than we can ever know.

- DKTC FL

[hvitserkmarcosource]

The Arrangement

Chapter Seven - Leaving Kattegat

Warnings: None (Warnings will be updated with every chapter, so make sure you read them!)

Chapter Seven Summary: The voyage to England isn’t as bad as you thought it would be.

Word Count: 2,003

Ahh I updated woohoo!! Sorry it took so long guys I’ve been so busy😫 But I hope you all enjoy this chapter and how the story is progressing, thank you all for your likes and reblogs! 🥰

Chapter Six

Chapter Eight - Coming Soon

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Faith had been instilled in you from an early age and in the beginning you clung to it. Needed faith in the Lord to help you stay strong and believe that the world would get better. Wars would end and sickness would be cured. In the Lord you trusted. And perhaps you still would trust in Him, had he not allowed everything to be taken away from you. Had he not allowed Ivar to go through with his barbaric actions. Did the Lord not watch you being ripped from your kingdom and thrown on the cold hard floors of Kattegat? Or did he not care when he did see it? You’re not sure which one would be worse. Today, however, you prayed. Prayed for your father to accept your letter and agree to have you return. You prayed Ivar would allow you safe passage.

The night came and went in a flash, as quick as a bolt of lightning. You are nervous to say the least. What if your father doesn’t want you back? Did you make too many mistakes at home? Is he disappointed? All of those thoughts ran rampant in your mind all night and continued to do so as the sun rose.

Not being able to remain in bed any longer, you get up and pace by the window. Watching the glow from the sun come up over the mountains. Waiting for the messenger bird to come flying back with a reply. Wondering if you had enough time. Always wondering…

“Has it come yet?” Hvitserk says. He must not have slept well either.

“No, it hasn’t… What if he doesn’t want me to come?”

He doesn’t say anything, he just gets out of bed and joins you by the window. Watching for the bird along your side. “My father was a very complicated man, a lot of people only remember the hero. The Viking. But I remember a lot more.”

You look at him, wanting to hear more about his past.

“He was conflicted and not always the best father to us. Besides Bjorn of course, he loved Bjorn. Towards the end he abandoned us… sometimes I think that is why Ivar is the way he is. Ivar barely remembers Ragnar, he only has the stories of what people think he was like. A brute and ruthless man, someone the people admired greatly.” he sighs and looks down at you “Ivar wants to be much greater than Ragnar, he always has. To some extent he has become greater… but he is a fool if he thinks hurting a woman would be an act my father would condone or commit.”

Your heart breaks a little and you can no longer look into his eyes. Ashamed that you couldn’t put up a better fight. Ashamed that you kept it from Hvitserk, when he clearly knew the entire time. “I didn’t want you to think less of me, or see me differently.”

Hvitserk reaches for you and pulls you into an embrace “Why would I look at you differently? You did not want it, you did not have sex with my brother for pleasure. He took it and hurt you.”

Swallowing a sob you pull away slightly and look up at him “H-how did you know?”

His hand leaves your hips and comes up to brush a stray hair away from your face. “When you came to see me at the Healer, you were bruised and had blood on your dress. You looked disconnected, distant, like your mind was somewhere else.” He clears his throat and chuckles a little “And last night when he came in, you were gripping your dagger so tight I thought you might break your hand.”

You smile at that and say “Thank you again for the dagger, it is very beautiful. I will keep it with me always.”

He nods and lets you go, pointing to the sky “Here comes our bird.”

As the bird lands on the windowsill you jump in excitement, clasping your hands together and watching as Hvitserk begins to read the letter out loud.

“Daughter, I am surprised to be hearing from you so soon and at this hour. I hope all is well with you and your new duties as a wife. I am looking forward to Prince Hvitserk’s visit, on one condition, you shall join him. You and I have many important things to discuss. If your ship does not arrive in three days time I will send a fleet of armed men to Kattegat.” Hvitserk looks at you then and smiles “It has the King’s seal at the bottom it is legitimate. Get dressed, I will inform Ivar, and then we will leave.” Quickly he kisses your forehead and leaves the room.

................................................

In a sea of men and women dressed in browns and grays you stand out as you walk into the throne room. Your cloak a bright color amongst the dark. You wore your jewelry and had your maidens put your long hair into a braid. The way Hvitserk is looking at you speaks a thousand words, words you know he can not bring himself to say yet. Ivar on the other hand doesn’t look pleased with how put together you are.

“Have fun in England Princess,” Ivar says, yelling over all the conversations in the great hall. “tell the King I am also planning to visit the English countryside. I hear it is ravishing this time of year, a sight to behold.”

A smile graced your lips “That it is, but beware my King. The English countryside does not share my father's love for Scandinavia, they will not welcome you with open arms.”

Hvitserk steps away from Ivar and grabs you by your hips, guiding you to the open doors “Take care brother” he yells “I will send word when we arrive”

Once you are outside, Hvitserk stops and spins you around to face him “Do not threaten him like that, our plan worked out this time, but I will not always be with you. I can not always protect you. These men listen to Ivar not me, they are not loyal to me.” He takes a deep breath and continues “You have to bury your pride if you want to stay alive. I can not watch you die too.”

“I’m sorry... He just- he either terrifies me or makes me so mad I could scream.”

He laughs “I know the feeling. Just try to avoid him and if you do see him don’t act like that, please. He will only put up with being treated like that for so long.”

You nod in understanding. This isn’t your first time dealing with an arrogant King and you’re certain it won’t be your last. Luckily your mother taught you how to handle such a problem. ”Kill them with kindness“ She used to say. If you have to kill Ivar with kindness, you’ll make sure he’s deeper than six feet under. You’ll bury him until you hit the end of the Earth.

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As night fell the blue haze of day lifted to reveal the stars. Billions of twinkling lights that bring beauty into the darkness. You find yourself staring up at them and for a moment you wish to be among them. Up in the sky, away from all the trouble of this world, looking down and bringing beauty and hope into someone’s life. You shake the thought, making a wish is foolish.

Suddenly Hvitserk lifts you from your spot on the boat floor and sits in your place, pulling you down with him to rest in his lap. A comfort you didn’t know you were craving until this very moment. You are a princess and by no means should be in the arms of a man that is not yet your husband, it isn’t proper, it isn’t allowed, forbidden, a sin. However right now you do not care. You allow yourself to be consumed by comfort and protection… happiness.

Taking a leap of faith, you snuggle in closer to him. Praying he doesn’t push you away. “It is a beautiful night.” He mumbles, his head resting on the top of yours. You hum in agreement. “Is your cloak warm enough?” He asks “I don’t want you to be cold.”

Smiling, you say “I am quite warm now, thanks to you.”

“You’re very welcome” he chuckles, wrapping his arms around you tighter. “If all goes well, we should arrive in three days”

Once more you look up at the stars, remembering for a brief moment how your last voyage went. You were terrified, filled with sorrow, wanting nothing more than for the boat to sink so you wouldn’t have to marry a Viking. And now you were happily sitting on said Vikings lap and wanting the journey to take longer than three days. Just you and Hvitserk, getting to know each other, spending time together without Ivar and his cruelty. Oh how things have changed.

One of the boat men calls out for Hvitserk and, to your dismay, he has to leave you. “I will be back. Don’t worry Princess. I would never leave you.”

Watching him walk to the other end of the boat was disheartening. You’re becoming attached… and you hope he is too. You hope he is starting to see you as more than someone he has to marry. You hope he is starting to see you as more than a burden.

If you were stupid you’d wish upon the stars, wish for Hvitserk to love you with his entire heart, but you’ve learned your lesson. Never again would you wish upon a star. The consequences are far too great.

“You should get some sleep,” Hvitserk’s voice brings you out of thought “it will be a long journey if you are tired.”

You smile up at him “Perhaps I want it to be a long journey. I am enjoying our time together.”

He holds out his hands for you to take, helping you up off of the floor, and bringing you close “I am too” he says softly, a small smile tugging at his lips. “When we return to Kattegat the preparations will be finished and we will be wed. I have a surprise for you as well, but I won’t say too much about that.”

You giggle and say “I will not pry, I trust you.”

“You do?” He asks

“Yes, I do not know why. I feel like I’ve known you forever, like we are the oldest of friends that chose to wed. Like this arrangement isn’t an arrangement at all, but it is what we wanted.”

He blinks at you slowly, thinking to himself of what you had just said “Fate” He finally says “Like The Norns brought you to me…”

You furrow your brows in confusion “The Norns?”

Hvitserk chuckles “You have not done much reading have you?”

You blush and shake your head ‘no’

“It’s okay, we have time before we get to England, I will teach you about the important Gods now and once we return to Kattegat you can finish your reading.”

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And so he did. Hvitserk taught you about Thor and Baldur, Frigg and Freya, Hel and her Underworld, Odin and his Asgard. He taught you about The Norns and how they control destiny and the fates of men and other Gods. He spoke of the God Loki and his imprisonment for killing Baldur. How Loki’s wife Sigyn stayed with him and held a bowl above his head to keep the venom of a snake from dripping onto his face.

Hvitserk taught you many things over the course of two days, things that interested you immensely.

You almost didn’t realize the climate change or the change of scenery, almost didn’t realize the castle growing larger is the distance. Or the armed Knights standing in a line up the river. Too fascinated in this new world Hvitserk was showing you, to notice your old one.

Until Hvitserk says “Welcome home Princess.”

@alexhogh7137 @ivarthebloodyking @sfyri @curlyhairedhoseok @mavalenovaninagavi @lol-haha-joke @joebob15274 @itsharleyalb @motherofkattegat @kaitieskidmore1

[jvdetan]

BEVERLY CENTER BREAKDOWN

with a shrill scream into the phone’s receiver, 𝐉𝐀𝐃𝐄 could feel white hot tears threatening to spill. getting even more angry at the potential of messing up her makeup. “how could you do this to me? this is so f— this is so embarrassing!” she screamed hysterically, throwing all of her items on the counter and storming out of the store and the shopping center.

the day was supposed to be like any other of 𝐉𝐀𝐃𝐄’s shopping days, and for the most part it was. she began the day with her favorite drink from starbucks, sitting in the café with her drink for a few hours just scrolling through twitter or instagram while taking in the ambiance of the place. every three weeks, she would go to the spa around 11am and have a mud bath, facial, and full body wax if she felt she needed it. things were going as planned, and even down to the occasional text from whatever guy she found herself entertaining from tinder that day, she was in ecstasy. the self care day was much needed, especially with her birthday coming up and all the stresses of trying to plan for it.

after her spa treatment, she found herself trying to decide if she wanted to get her nails done, and deciding if she did she would just stop in the place in the BEVERLY CENTER while she shopped. she’d made it through four stores: target, louis vuitton, sephora, and burberry—with virtually no problem, it’s important to note. she was on the phone with one of her close friends the entire time, practically giving her a play by play of everything she saw in the shops and even asking her which pieces of clothing or bags she should purchase.

it was going on 2pm when the femme casually strolled into BALENCIAGA, airpods still in her ears as she maneuvered the store and decided if she wanted any of the newest season’s shoes. after picking up a cute little black handbag, hoodie, and a fur coat, she made her way to the cashier to pay, not even looking up at the clerk as she handed her card over. she was supposed to have around $250,000 on that card at any given time, and while she was sure she’d spent a little bit more than $110,000 that day, she should have still had more than enough to get these few things and be on her way. so when the cashier handed her card back, she instinctively went to put it away and grab her bag, to which the cashier put her hand on jade’s wrist. 

“um, ma’am, your card declined. it says you have insufficient funds.” she said firmly, and  𝐉𝐀𝐃𝐄 immediately rolled her neck back and tilted the sunglasses she wore to look at the woman closer.

“try it again, maybe the machine’s faulty.” she said with pursed lips and a nod, her impatience already starting to get the best of her and raising exponentially when the clerk tried the card again and didn’t say anything, just turning the screen to show  𝐉𝐀𝐃𝐄—and everyone in line behind her, she felt—that her card declined once again. with a strained nervous chuckle, she fished her other card from her mini purse and handed it to the woman, who took it with a bright smile and swiped it. “yeah, i know i have the funds on th—” upon getting the same response from this card, the clerk, still trying to be positive, raised a brow and shook her head.

“no, sorry. it says declined as well. if you’d like to step out of line to figure out the issue with your bank, you’re more than welcome and we’ll save your spot.”  𝐉𝐀𝐃𝐄‘s blood ran cold. it couldn’t be. was she having a problem with identity theft? what if someone had drained her accounts. what would she tell her parents? no, that couldn’t be it.

“no, let’s try this register over here. that one has to be busted.” she laughed nervously, a thick tension in the air as she stood in front of the other register. her eye slightly twitched as she handed the woman both of her cards once again, her hand shaking a bit when the first one said it declined once again. she was clenching her teeth so hard, she was afraid they’d shatter from the pressure. but when that second card declined, 𝐉𝐀𝐃𝐄 started to hear and feel her heart beating in her ears. things started to move slowly. 

without another word, she stayed in her spot and called her bank. after going through the automated tone to get to a representative and talking for a moment, her heart dropped to her stomach. it was much, much worse than identity theft.

“what the FUCK do you mean all my accounts are frozen? do you know who i— my parents?! no, you’ve got it wr—” she frustratedly hung up the phone in the bank representative’s face, clenching her teeth and offering the cashier another soft smile that poorly masked the rage flowing through her body. while looking her in the eye and still demanding her attention, stopping the flow of foot traffic to those registers, she phoned her father.

“hey sunshine. we thought you’d b—”

“what happened to the money on my card?” her voice was quiet and sinister. she needed to get straight to the point, because her entire body felt like it was on fire.

“well, there is no more. of course, i wanted you to have your last little shopping day, but i’ve been watching your card activity just slowly climb and i had t—”

“YOU DID THIS?!” her voice was on 10 right then. she was yelling, her face hot from anger and sheer embarrassment. the people in the store thought she was a broke ass scammer all because they thought she was spending too much. “you’ve been watching my activity? just put a chip in my arm why don’t you?”

earning a scoff from andrew, he let out a sigh. “don’t be dramatic. just come hom—”

“why on earth would i want to come home are my parents have publicly embarrassed me? riddle me that...” she trailed off, taking a deep breath before taking on another, more pleading tone. “just put the money back so i can make this last purchase. please, dad.” she begged, but andrew was firm in his decision it seemed.

“i’m sorry, baby. i can’t. you’ve been cut off.” if she was made of glass, she would have shattered into billions of pieces as soon as those words left his mouth.

“cu— what? i—you.... cutting me off? does mom know?” she questioned harshly, not knowing whether she was sad, angry, or both.

“her signature is right next to mine on the contract,”

“what? what contract?”

andrew shifted in his seat a moment, clearing his throat uncomfortably. “we’ve signed you up for an intervention of sorts. you just blow through money without regard, and we really want to put a stop to it. it’s like you’re insatiable.” he explained softly, but 𝐉𝐀𝐃𝐄 was not having it. she felt betrayed and humiliated. she was already pushing the card reader away from her, knocking it on the ground as she finally replied to her father. she was tapping her foot to try and avoid bursting into tears; it wasn’t working.

“i can’t fuc— why are you doing this to me?” she asked, more to herself than to her parents. looking around the store, seeing all the products just worsened her enraged state. 

with a shrill scream into the phone’s receiver, 𝐉𝐀𝐃𝐄 could feel white hot tears threatening to spill. getting even more angry at the potential of messing up her makeup. “how could you do this to me? this is so f— this is so embarrassing!” she screamed hysterically, throwing all of her items on the counter and storming out of the store and the shopping center.

and of course, no sooner than she hopped into the car, the video someone had taken of her freaking out in the mall had been sent around and had over one hundred thousand views on youtube. and of course, just when she thought it couldn’t get any worse, an incoming text from her mother made her hold her head against the steering wheel.

from MOM: your flight leaves tomorrow. come finish packing. it’s gonna be a while before you come back.

@sghqs​

[frankgrimesvshomersimpson]

Review of John Palmer on voluntary governments

In science, experiments must be made to test out hypotheses.

All around the world, business people motivated to become wealthy commit their time, money and effort to discover new and more efficient ways to serve the market. Every company is different from all others. As time passes, the ones serving society better will accumulate capital. Capitalism allows for limitless entrepreneurial experiments where merit is the name of the game. Those who serve their costumers better while minimizing their expenses win. To become wealthy is to serve society. That's the beauty of it, like Jeff Bezos has said: “Want to get rich? Solve someone’s problem”.

Politics vs Business

There’s a critical aspect to businesses that doesn’t apply to governments. In the free market, value is subjective and so several companies can coexist. Some people love Apple computers and are willing to spend more for them. Others prefer windows. It's not that some people are wrong, it's just that we all have different preferences and different wealth levels. For example: I don't spend money going to the gym because it's cheaper to go to the local swimming pool and get a good workout. Some people still prefer to go to the gym. Are they wrong? Am I? The answer is no and no. What's right for them is not necessarily right for me. Value is subjective.

Democracy doesn't respect subjectivity. It doesn't matter what’s best for you. The government will rule over you because the majority has chosen it. This is a key issue with democracies.

It's not that humanity hasn't experimented several types of government. Clearly, wealth arises when people are free. Looking at history and at the present shows this. The freer countries are the wealthiest. Capitalism works because it’s the system that rewards value. The more value is offered to others, the wealthier one becomes. However, capitalism is wrongly treated, even though it lifted billions out of poverty.

Surely the way to solve this problem is not with more democracy. One’s own freedom shouldn’t rely upon the acceptance of one’s ideals by others. Instead, freedom-loving people around the world that share a passion for capitalism must come together and create new free countries. New experiments based on consent not majority rule: Startup nations. Balaji Srinivasan has written about this.

Why government innovation is slow

Mr John Palmer writes that political parties are bound by nation states and that nation states are bound by political parties. He argues that maybe political parties in government don’t get an actual chance at trying new things because they are restricted by the other parties. This reminds me of Fidel Castro’s argument for not having elections:” 4 years is not enough to make significant changes.”

To me government innovation doesn’t sound like a positive thing given I consider the American government has been getting worse for the past decades. Government innovation sounds like a more efficient way to tax people and impose rules that hurt the free market.

If by government innovation it is to be meant government reform, then I agree. However, there’s not a motivation in government to reform itself, given the people that are in government have the biggest motivation to make sure the system perpetuates itself. I am not an anarchist. Government should exist, but it should also let the people be free. To shackle the free market is to shackle people. One way for government to concede a way to test out new political ideas would be to allow the formation of nation states inside its territory. The founding spirit of the USA relies on the idea that several states should coexist. That's why it's called USA and not just A.

Creating newly found states within the USA would bypass the problem of needing majority to elect a government and the problem of having a government that’s too restricted by the opposing parties. While I'm not aware of any movement to create new states, there is a libertarian movement that consists in emigrating to New Hampshire to gain through the democratic process meaningful representation in the local governments.

Enabling faster progress

It's truly wonderful to think that the future can be so much better than the present. While I'm not an expert on blockchain, I understand the advantages to total sovereignty over one's own money. Blockchain allows freedom from state, and it seems that the technology to progress humanity into what I believe is the future (free nation states that start in online communities) already exists.

To solve the problem of sovereignty, these new startup countries could from unions that share military resources to make sure no legacy countries try to meddle with their freedom. After all, monopolies don’t like competition, usually.

A decent case use for VR

Testing out whole cities with VR sounds like a weird way to play Grand Theft Auto. It doesn't seem realistic to me to simulate a whole city like this. VR could however be used to show to people what the infrastructure of the new city states could look like.

Software eating currency

Given money is simply a tool and assuming that the best tool is usually adopted by people, it's logical to imagine that in the maybe not so distant future the main currencies of the world will be cryptocurrencies. Whether legacy countries will fight them or welcomed them becomes almost irrelevant in the realm of a startup city laden future.

For centuries, tyranny has ruled over people. Democracy with its faults replaced the legacy systems (tyrannical monarchies and dictatorships) for the better. However, we should always strive for something better. The technology to aid those of us that want to live under a government of their one choosing that respects individual freedoms and is funded voluntarily already exists. Once startup cities become a reality and succeed, the pressure will be on legacy governments to adapt or risk having their people mass migrate to the newly founded startup cities.

[appleclydervinegur]

Week 7: Public Health Campaign

All of us as a human always worried about the health condition of our mind and body every day as well as the wellness of our loved one. We as a human always try to anticipate the illness from destroying our health before going into the worse state of the illness and we would pay extra to keep us healthy and even do a check-up regularly with the doctor or buy medicines. This why public health campaign is important for all of us to be aware of since it can be beneficial for us to use it as information on how to prevent and tackle the disease with proper action. Before discussing the main issue of a public health campaign, we need to understand what is the purpose of it and what it does for us?

What is Public Health Campaign?

Public Health Campaign is a way to raise awareness and to understand about critical health issues and mobilize support as an action to support people with sickness or illness (WHO, 2020). This will improve the health knowledge, attitude, skills, and behaviour of individuals, groups, and communities. The purpose of this is to influence the health of individuals and communities to live a healthy lifestyle as well as the living and working environment that also influences their health.

Why is Public Health Campaign important?

According to Georgia (2020), Public Health Campaign can improve the health status of individuals, families, communities, states, and the nation. Besides, it can also enhance the quality of life for all people and reduces premature death. By focusing on prevention, it can reduce the cost for people when they want to spend on medical treatment.

Is social media useful in spreading Information on COVID-19 in Malaysia or your home country?

In my opinion, social media help me keep tracking the spread of COVID-19 in my home country in Indonesia because I can utilize it to prevent me from going to places where it has a high rate of infected people that visit the places. As indicated by Garza (2020), social media can help the authorities to take fast measure to blockade certain area with a high cluster of infected people that gather in one place because people can share and report at the same time on social media so the authorities can respond to the report. Social media such as Facebook or Twitter become a place where people gather to discuss the coronavirus outbreak that happens in different place and time. 

Unfortunately, social media has never been used to discuss the previous major outbreak. With the real-time information at our fingertip, we can use it to make a smart decision but at the same time, it also makes us anxious about what’s to come as many experts say. It is proven that social media can help many people who are isolated from one another by sharing each other with useful information and tips during the pandemic.

However, social media can also promote other health issues besides COVID-19 such as World Heart Day, CDC’s Tips for Former Smokers, ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, etc (Howard, 2018). By utilizing a cross-section platform, public health entities will be able to combat fake news, rumors, and encourage people to share their feedback and engage by sharing the information with others.

On the other hand, the rate of media consumption in Indonesia is reaching the highest during the COVID-19 pandemic. The media includes TV and mobile phones which is clearly stated that the TV viewership news program is going up 25% and the viewership on kids' audience reaches the highest rating at 16.2%. Indonesia people use mobile phones to purchase vitamin and supplement products to boost their immune system and prevent them from getting infected with COVID-19 which contributes more than IDR20 billion of total digital ad spending. With the increase of COVID-19 cases, health issues are becoming a major concern of the public. Hence, many industries especially related to vitamins and medicines product want to catch the opportunity to increase their sale by increasing advertising spots in electronic media such as social media and TV (Tam, 2020).

Social media can also be a place where people share fake news and conspiracy theories as this happen mostly in Indonesia which was related to spread information that says COVID-19 is not harmful as we thought and it was shared by a famous singer named Jerinx. Jerinx tweeted that “Come on Indonesia, stop being a coward. This virus is not as dangerous as your perception that has been shaped by the mainstream media. Go to the streets. Demand the government to return life to normal and be a dignified people once more. Independence! Or die!”.

Indonesian users quickly responded with their opinion in regards to his dangerous idea and some have also criticized his seeming misplaced crusade against the “global elite” (Sheany 2020).

In conclusion, I am as an Indonesian always has a principle whenever there is information that I stumble upon, I will check the validity of the news or information before putting the trust in it and even sharing it with my families and friends. Fake news is the enemy of many since it can lead people to destruction and make to do bad things so it is best for all of us to check the validity of the information before trusting it.

Stay safe and positive my fellow comrades whenever you are!

Comment down below your opinion regarding this topic :D

Reference: 

WHO 2020, Health campaigns, viewed 22 October, 2020, <https://www.who.int/communicating-for-health/functions/campaigns/en/>.

Garza, A 2020, How Social Media Is Shaping Our Fears of — And Response to — the Coronavirus, viewed 23 October, 2020, <https://time.com/5802802/social-media-coronavirus/>.

Georgia 2020, What is Health Promotion? - College of Public Health UGA, viewed 22 October, 2020, <https://publichealth.uga.edu/departments/health-promotion-behavior/what-is-health-promotion/#:~:text=Health%20promotion%20reduces%20premature%20deaths,would%20spend%20on%20medical%20treatment.>.

Howard, A 2018, 10 Effective Public Health Social Media Campaigns, viewed 23 October, 2020, <https://strategicsocialmedialab.com/10-effective-public-health-social-media-campaigns/>.

Sheany 2020, On social media, Indonesians fight back against dangerous COVID-19 conspiracy theories | Coconuts Bali, viewed 24 October, 2020, <https://coconuts.co/bali/features/on-social-media-indonesians-fight-back-against-dangerous-covid-19-conspiracy-theories/>.

Tam, N 2020, Covid-19 and its impact on the media consumption trend, viewed 24 October, 2020, <https://www.nielsen.com/id/en/press-releases/2020/covid-19-and-its-impact-on-the-media-consumption-trend/>.

[ficnation]

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 𝟏

☁ 𝐍𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 ☁

☁ 𝐀𝐒𝐊 𝐁𝐎𝐗 ☁

1. “I apologise in advance for the inconvenience my murder is going to have on your life.”

2. “I hate you.” “Why? I’m lovely.”

3. “Murder wasn’t on today’s agenda.” “It’s not on anyone’s.” “No, it’s on mine, just not until next Thursday.”

4. “Hold on, you died.” “Yeah, well it didn’t stick.”

5. “This is my life now. I have climbed this hill and now I will die upon it.” “Shut up. We’ve only been hiking for twenty minutes.”

6. “She’s crying, what do I do?” “Go comfort her.” “How do I do that?” “Start with hugs.” “With what?”

7. “What’s our exit strategy?” “Our what?” “Oh my god, we’re all going to die.”

8. “I’m going to need chicken blood, a knife, a lighter, and a bottle of vodka.”

“Vodka? For the bonfire?”

“No, that’s just to make me feel better about going against (Name)’s command.” (changed)

9. “Are you clinically insane or incredibly annoying?” “I don’t know, probably both.”

10. “I saved your lives.” “How? By stealing our freedom?” (changed)

11. “It takes a very special kind of idiot to pull off what you just did.”

12. “I’m getting really tired of pretending I’m not evil.”

13. “Did you just agree with me?” “Oh I wish I could take-” “Nope! You said it! No take-backs!”

14. “It’s a long story.” “You conned me into thinking you were dead for eleven months. I have time.”

15. “I regret a lot of things. Having this conversation tops the list.”

16. “I had a thought.” “Oh no.” “I swear it’s a good one this time!’

17. “(Name), open the door!” “No. It’s cooler when you break in.” (changed)

18. “Do you think they remember you?” “I sure hope not after what I did the last time I was here.” “What did you do?” “You’ll find out.”

19. “You look…” “Beautiful, I know. Can we move on?”

20. “You scared me!” “Well, I am naturally terrifying.”

21. “I’d agree with you, but then we’d both be wrong.”

22. “I’d take a bullet for you, you know that.” “You’re not indestructible, and I’m going to kill you if you keep saying that.” (changed)

23. “You really have no clue who I am?” “You’d think the confused looks and blank stare would have answered that for you.”

24. “I am way too sober for this.”

25. “You don’t strike me as a professional criminal.” “That’s what makes me so good at it.”

26. “I don’t think of you as a protector. More like a distraction.”

27. “We have five people trying to kill us right now, what are we supposed to do?” “Actually, it’s more like eight.” “Oh, sorry I wasn’t specific enough!”

28. “If you could even comprehend where I’ve come from, you would be terrified of me.”

29. “I saved your life!” “You pushed me off a building.”

30. “You know we’re not all born with the ability to be a leader, right?” (changed)

31. “How do we keep getting into these situations?” “Eleven years of friendship and I still don’t know.”

32. “Did you hear that scream?” “Yes, I’m the one who screamed.”

33. “Are you SURE I can’t punch him in the face?” “Yes.” “What if I just break his nose a little?”

34. “You are remarkably well behaved tonight. What did you do?”

35. “You’re-you’re crushing my spleen.” “You don’t even know where your spleen is.”

36. “I’m no detective, of course, but I think this dead body might not be alive anymore.”

37. “Right now, I don’t know if I want to kiss you or shove you off a bridge.” “Can I pick?”

38. “The real treasure was the memories we made along the way.” “I almost died!” “Ah yes, that was my fondest memory.”

39. “I’m trying to have a serious conversation with you!” “And I’m trying to subtly avoid it!”

40. “Hey, I didn’t kill anyone today!” “What do you want? A gold star?”

41. “I hate you.” “Why? I’m lovely.”

42. “On a scale from one to ten, how bad do you think it would be if-” “At least a twenty.”

43. “Literally everything about this would be illegal in the old world.” (changed)

44. “Seven billion people in the world, and you’re overreacting because we killed one man.” “But-” “Seven. Billion. People. Now quit the complaining and drink your smoothie.”

45. “It’s not my birthday.” “It’s definitely your birthday.” “Give me a calendar. It’s not and I will prove it to – oh. Never mind. Happy birthday to me.”

46. “On a scale from one to ten, how bad do you want to kill me right now?” “I’m hovering somewhere in the high thirties.”

47. “I can fix that.” “I’m calling a professional.” “I’m a professional.” “A more professional, professional.”

48. “What’s the word for that infestation of tiny creatures over there?” “Those are children. That’s a school.”

49. “I have a concern.” “Just one?” “No, but I didn’t think you’d let me speak my piece if I told you how many I actually have.”

50. “Why are you glaring at me?” “I’m hoping you’ll spontaneously combust.”

51. “If we die, I’m going to spend the rest of our afterlife reminding you that this was all your fault.” “That’s cool, I wouldn’t mind having company while being a ghost.”

52. “What are you so afraid of?” “You.”

53. “What is that THING in your backpack?” (changed)

54. “I hate the sight of blood.” “Then maybe you shouldn’t kill for a living.”

55. “All that blood looks good on you. It really brings out your eyes.”

56. “Want to see what kind of trouble we can get into?” “Oh god, we’re going to die, aren’t we?” “It’s a Tuesday, I know how to restrain myself.” “You absolutely do not.”

57. “I don’t give a damn.” “You give so many damns they’re visible from SPACE.”

58.  “It’ll be easy. You just have to seduce them.” “You’re kidding, right? I’m about as seductive as a cabbage.”

59. “You’re not as evil as people think you are.” “No. I’m much worse.”

60. “That’s a terrifyingly accurate drawing of us.” “It’s almost like I’m good at what I do.”

61. “You have no power over me.” “You sure about that?”

62. “This isn’t good.” “How can you tell?” “See how they’re slowly surrounding us? And they all have guns and knives and I think one guy is carrying a machete?”

63. “He’s right behind me, isn’t he?” “Actually he’s right in front of you.”

64. “I’m not a thief. I’m just really good at acquiring things that aren’t mine.”

65. “I’m not completely human anymore. Remember that next time you want to punch me in the face.”

66. “Is that blood?” “No?” “That’s not a question you’re supposed to answer with another question.”

67. “I never stood a chance, did I?” “That’s the sad part – you did once.”

68. “It’s okay, I’m here.”

69. “I’m not going to leave you.”

70. “Everything is okay.”

71. “I’m going to protect you.”

72. “I believe in you.”

73. “Do you feel guilty? Like, at all?” “I don’t have time to feel guilty. And neither do you.”

74. “Stop that!” “Stop what?” “Doing that thing with your face when you’re happy. It’s making me nauseous.”

75. “What are you doing?” “…Eating.” “We’re being held hostage and you decide to raid the kitchen?” “They didn’t say the fridge was off limits.”

76. “Is that a dead body?” “Maybe?” “It is. I can see it right in front of me.” “I promise I’ll clean it up before dinner.”

77. “If we’re going to get out of here, we’re going to have to work together. After that, we can go back to killing each other.” “Oh, fine.”

78. “That’s not funny.” “I thought it was.” “You don’t count. You started laughing in the middle of a funeral because you started thinking of a meme you saw on Facebook.”

79. “Do we need wine?” “No, I need wine, you need to put your pants back on.” “But life is so freeing without them.” “Pants. On. Now.”

80. “Can you please go be stupid somewhere that’s away from me?”

81. “I feel like I’m being stabbed.” “How do you even know what it feels like to be stabbed?”

82. “Will you be quiet?” “I didn’t say anything!” “Well stop thinking so loud.”

83. “Did you get my note?” “Of course I got it. You taped it to my forehead while I was sleeping.”

84. “You’re a psychopath.” “I prefer creative.”

85. “Why do people keep trying to put this blanket on me?” “Because you’re in shock.” “That doesn’t mean I need a blanket. It means I need booze.”

86. “Oh no.” “What is it? What happened? Who died?” “I think I just felt an emotion.” “You have GOT to be kidding me.”

87. “When all this is over, I want my sanity back.”

88. “That’s definitely not true.” “Of course it is. I read it in Encyclopedia.” (changed)

89. “You forgot me.” “It was an accident.”

90. “Why do you keep risking your life? To prove a point?” “Yes.”

91. “I would like to join you in acknowledging the difficulties of your life.” “You are the WORST at this comfort thing.”

92. “You’ve got to stop doing that.” “What?” “Saying things that make me want to kiss you.”

93. “Look, if you want to conjure some demon spawn from the great beyond, that’s all fine and dandy. Just wait for me to leave before you start.”

94. “Just calm down!” “My arm just got cut off and you want me to calm down!?” (changed)

95. “You know what they say, panicking burns a shit ton of calories.” “Who even says that?” “Me. Just now.”

96. “Don’t mind me, I’ll just be in the corner, having another existential crisis.”

97. “Oh my god, I had the exact same dream!” “Really?” “Are you crazy? Of course I didn’t.”

98. “I need to go de-stress.” “Where are you going?” “To demolish the living room.”

99. “I think I’m having a feeling. How do I make it stop?”

100. “I’m bitter and complicated. It’s one of my charms.” “I don’t think you know what that word means. Or how to count.”

101. “Well? What happened? I want all the details!”

102. “You always think you know what you’d do when faced with the end of the world. Me? I went home and took a nap.”

103. “Damn it, why aren’t you obeying the laws of physics?”

104. “I’d hug you right now, but you’re covered in evidence. And I also really don’t want to.” “Evidence is a really nice euphemism for blood, gore and guts.” “You’re totally missing the point. Do you know how pissed I am at you right now?”

105.  “This way is more efficient.” “This way is going to get us killed.”

106. “You’re not my favourite person today.” “I’m not your favourite person on any day.”

list by @fictionpants