#aus election 2022

[thatmexisaurusrex]

The Offering

Hey, people! Here is one of the fics I've made for @marveltrumpshate 2022, The Offering! A sweet Sam/Riley Arranged Marriage Royalty AU Prince!Sam with Wings and Werewolf!Riley Leader of a Small Pack romance. It's longer than I expected it to be but I love it dearly. Enjoy! 🥰

The Offering

| Pairing: SamRiley | Rating: M | WC: 6.7K |

Summary: Small fry Pack Leader Riley Torres wants to make an alliance with the soon-to-be Falcon of the Winged Lands. He's enjoying getting to know Sam as he waits to meet the prince, though.

Excerpt:

“I’ve heard he’s handsome,” said Sam, like he wouldn’t know what the prince looked like. Unless he hasn’t seen the prince either? “I know he’s supposed to be kind,” said Riley with a shrug, “Thoughtful. Smart. A bit of an adrenaline junkie.” Sam snorted. “Really? An adrenaline junkie?” asked Sam, rolling his eyes. “I don’t think that’s so bad. I’m an adrenaline junkie myself. Part of why I climb so well is that I kept trying to reach higher places no matter how deadly it was,” said Riley, a hint of mischief in his tone, “There’s something about the rush, the need for it, the feeling of that high. It’s addicting. I get it.” Sam’s annoyance softened. “Yeah,” said Sam, “I get that too.” “But he’s also hot,” Riley said as he watched Sam laugh, “I’ve heard of him being hot. I probably won’t see him any time soon, but – I don’t know, it would be nice to meet him. Maybe talk. Maybe make a deal with him if he doesn’t choose me.”

READ THE REST ON AO3!

[kjack89]

Play in Peoria

For @themiserablesmonth Day 30: Smile.

Modern E/R, US Politics AU.

Read on AO3.

“Congressman Enjolras!” the gaggle of reporters called, swarming him as soon as he stepped foot outside of the Capitol Building. “Congressman, can you answer a few questions?”

Enjolras hesitated. “My staff will probably kill me for stopping to talk to you,” he said, just a little ruefully, before shrugging, “but fire away.”

He wasn’t wrong – Combeferre would probably throttle him – but Enjolras liked to get a little bit of facetime with the press corps in hopes that they might just decide to slip some actual leftist ideas in among the regurgitated right-wing talking points. 

He nodded at one of the reporters, who held up his phone, clearly recording. “Congressman, you don’t have an election this November—”

“Everyone in the U.S. House of Representatives has an election this November,” Enjolras interrupted.

The reporter made a face. “Sorry, I meant, you don’t have an opponent this November, so your win is guaranteed.”

Enjolras shrugged. “That is correct, though as you may recall, I did manage to fend off a fairly well-funded establishment opponent during the primary.”

Not that almost any of their papers had chosen to cover it at the time. They’d written more than their fair share of think pieces about how one of the most socialist members of House of Representatives was being challenged from the right of his party, and how that clearly spelled the destruction of leftist policies, but not one single publication had printed anything about Enjolras’s win.

“Since you don’t have to worry about your own election,” the reporter continued, “have you been working to support any other candidates?”

Enjolras nodded. “Sure, I’ve endorsed some candidates who I support, though only when I thought my endorsement would help and not hurt.”

“So you think your endorsement might do more harm than good in some places?” a different reporter asked, jumping on Enjolras’s statement.

“With blatant gerrymandering throughout much of the country?” Enjolras asked wryly. “I recognize that some of my colleagues are in tight races.” He shrugged again. “Personally, I don’t think that moving to the middle accomplishes as much as they think it does, but their job is to represent their districts, just like mine is to represent my constituents to the best of my ability.”

A third reporter stepped in, and Enjolras vaguely recognized her as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, not one of the more sympathetic outlets to his political views. “But Congressman,” she stared, “don’t you agree that what might be good for your constituents doesn’t play well in some of the more conservative-leaning districts in the country?”

Enjolras huffed a light laugh. “Doesn’t play in Peoria, in other words?”

“So to speak.”

Enjolras picked his words carefully as he responded. “What’s good for my constituents is this: respect and dignity for all people, regardless of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and anything else that Republicans use to divide us; wages and workplace protections that allow everyone to earn enough to live a good life; and government that’s more focused on helping the least among us than on ensuring that the rich continue to get richer.” He looked directly at the reporter as if daring her to contradict him as he added, “If those values don’t play in Peoria, then I think it says a lot more about the fine people of Peoria than it does about the rest of the country.”

“Congressman, any thoughts on the Brazil runoff?” someone else asked.

“Just that I hope the people of Brazil elect the president that will work best for them,” Enjolras said. He’d been yelled at many times over for wading too far into politics in other countries, so hoped that response would suffice.

Judging by the follow-up, it hadn’t. “And do you think that’s Lula or Bolsanaro?”

Enjolras paused. “That’s for the people of Brazil to decide, but I don’t think anyone’s going to be surprised to find out I’m not Bolsonaro’s biggest fan, and I certainly hope the Brazilian people recognize that they have a better choice available.”

It seemed neutral enough to not cause an uproar, and luckily, the reporters moved on. “Congressman, what would you say to people who are discouraged by the ‘just vote’ or ‘vote blue no matter who’ messaging surrounding this election?” one asked. “To those who voted and feel like nothing has changed or that their vote doesn’t matter?”

“I would say I understand their sentiments,” Enjolras said honestly, not surprised when the reporters murmured amongst themselves in response. “When the Republican Party is increasingly willing to work outside of the democratic process and in some cases outright planning on throwing out any election results that they don’t like, it’s an extremely bleak situation. And the fact of the matter is that there are places in this country where some votes will not be counted, where some results will be dismissed or thrown out. Not to mention this election very well may only stave off the disintegration of our country, not stop it.”

“That’s a far cry from your usually more hopeful rhetoric,” the Wall Street Journal reporter said.

He just arched an eyebrow at her. “That’s because you didn’t let me finish. There are decisions happening now, still choices being made by those in power that can help stem the tide of fascism, that can bring about real change, and that can realign this country so that we are moving in a direction of liberty and justice for all. And the only way those decisions and choices do so is by electing people who will make the right choices. And the only way that happens is by voting.”

He surveyed the assembled reporters, hoping if they were going to take anything as a sound bite, it’d be this: “It’s not a perfect system by a long shot, and the time may be closer at hand than ever to figure out a better way. But until then, it’s what we’ve got, and the only thing sitting it out does is provide greater cover for the folks who want to destroy it altogether.”

The silence that met that was punctuated by someone from the very back of the scrum, who raised his voice to ask, “Congressman, one final question – can you give us a smile?”

Enjolras’s eyes narrowed, partially from the inanity of the question, and partially because he was pretty sure he knew that voice. “Excuse me?”

“Just, you know, flash us a quick glimpse of those pearly whites,” the voice said helpfully, and all the reporters turned to gawk at the questioner, who grinned at Enjolras.

It was a smile Enjolras couldn’t help but return, even as he rolled his eyes. “Ok, who decided to give my partner a press pass?” he asked, holding out his hand for Grantaire, who crossed over to him and took it.

“Don’t be mad at them,” he told Enjolras, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “They thought it would be funny, and they were right.”

Enjolras just shook his head affectionately. “Everyone, you know my better half, Grantaire.”

Grantaire gave the press corps a brief wave. “Salutations.”

“Mr., uh, Grantaire, can we ask you a few questions?” a reporter asked hopefully.

Enjolras glanced at Grantaire, who just shrugged. “Sure but I don’t think your editors are going to be thrilled you wasted your footage on me.”

“They’ll probably just use it as b-roll,” Enjolras told him in an undertone.

Grantaire winked at him. “That may be the most romantic thing you’ve ever said to me.”

Enjolras laughed as the reporter doggedly continued with her question. “The Congressman on occasion has referred to you as the more cynical between the two of you, so I have to ask: have you already voted, and if not, do you plan on voting?”

"Ok, not to actually sound as cynical as I’ve been accused of being, but if you think there’s a world where the significant other of a congressperson is going to say they aren’t planning on voting…” Grantaire trailed off before continuing, “I have voted, yes. I voted early this past weekend. I am lucky enough to live in a county in a state that makes it very easy for me to cast my ballot and make my voice heard.”

“And do you agree with your, uh, I mean, um, with the Congressman—”

The reporter floundered and Grantaire gave him a look. “With my partner?”

“Yes, sorry,” the reporter said, flushing. “Do you agree with him on the importance of voting?”

Grantaire considered it for a moment, and Enjolras tried not to hold his breath as he waited for his answer. “Enjolras has two quotes, both likely apocryphal in whomever they’re credited to, that he loves to say,” Grantaire said finally. “The first is this: ‘history is made by those who show up’. In this country, under this system, we show up by voting. Like he said, it’s not perfect system, but it’s the one we got.”

“And what’s the second one?”

“That every two years, we have the opportunity to peacefully overthrow our government through elections. Maybe it’s time some more folks took advantage of that.” Grantaire squeezed Enjolras hand before telling the reporters, “Now if you’ll excuse us, the congressman owes me a date.”

Enjolras gave them a wave as he let Grantaire pull him towards the waiting car. “You know, Combeferre doesn’t like when I use words like ‘overthrow the government’.”

Grantaire smirked. “That’s why I used them for you.”

Enjolras rolled his eyes. “Great, so the headline will just be ‘Congressman’s Partner Advocates for Overthrow of Government’, rather than ‘Congressman Advocates for Overthrow of Government’.”

“Disappointed?” Grantaire asked, opening the car door for him.

“Couldn’t be prouder,” Enjolras said, kissing his cheek before sliding into the car. “What was with asking me to smile?”

Grantaire slid in next to him. “You looked stressed, and very serious,” he said with a shrug. “And I figured it might make you smile for real once you realized it was me asking.”

“Well,” Enjolras said, feeling unexpectedly touched by that. “You weren’t wrong.”

“I know,” Grantaire said, a little smugly. “I so very rarely am.”

Enjolras just shook his head, but he still couldn’t stop his smile as he wrapped an arm around Grantaire’s shoulders and tugged him close to his side.

[akajustmerry]

couldn’t find anything about the murdochs suppressing press freedom would you mind sharing links please

ooooooft okay. i do forget that not everyone is aware of these things. but!! if you wanna know why dominant news media in the global north sucks / wanna be more aware of media influence on politics / wanna appreciate succession more - here is a 'fuck the murdochs' reading list

a recent article on the current court case between Fox News (founded by Rupert Murdoch) and Dominion Voting Systems. Dominion is claiming defamation after Fox News pushed the lie the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, which led to the Jan 6 riots.

Opinion piece by former Aus PM Malcolm Turnball on why he's leading a campaign requesting a Royal Commission into Murdoch's monopoly over Australia's press and Murdoch's unjust influence on Australian politics

here is a podcast breaking down how Lachlan Murdoch (irl Kendall) is suing an independent paper here in Aus for connecting the Jan 6 insurrection to fearmongering of Murdoch press in the States. like, he is literally suing journalists for accurate reporting. that *is* suppressing freedom of the press by definition.

The Murdochs: Empire of Influence (2022). 6 part documentary featuring historians, journalists, ex-employees etc. covers everything there is to know about the family's role in press and politics from world war 1 up to 2022.

Book: Breaking News: Sex, Lies and the Murdoch Succession by veteran anti-Murdoch journalist Paul Barry. The book is from 2013, but is a thoroughly accessible analysis of on the family's rise

Vanity Fair also recently published this hugeeeeee investigation: Inside Rupert Murdoch's Succession Drama

The official Succession podcast is free and discusses the show's influences pretty openly. it doesn't go super in-depth (probably because they don't want to be sued) but it makes mention and discussion of real events and people that influence the show.

just for good measure: here is a list of every news outlet and publisher and media outlet the Murdoch family own across the US, UK, Europe and Asia. handy for when you do your own research, which you should so you're not reading from *their* sources. The whole reason you have trouble finding this kind of information on them is because they suppress it, or make it hard to find.

like... i know a lot of people don't know this, but Succession is a political satire and is about a very specific group of people who are actively shaping the world for the worst so they can become rich and never live with the consequences. the majority of Jesse Armstrong's work is about how internal dynamics between people in powerful institutions literally shape society. if you don't understand that's what Succession is then you're actually missing a huge part of it. so i hope you, and anyone else who needs it, take a gander at these resources because you won't only understand Succession more, but the state of your local politics and media too.

[heartandfangs]

NOT IF IT'S YOU— PART ONE.

GENRE University AU, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, Romance, Angst, Smut, Fluff 

PAIRING Nerd!Heeseung x f!Reader

WARNINGS 18+ ONLY MDNI, Jealousy, Cursing, Making out, Arguing, Anxiety, Depression, Flirting, Mentions of food, Brief violence, Brief mention of alcohol, Brief mention of somnophilia, Crying (all sorts), Degradation, Breast worship, Multiple Orgasms, Squirting, Coming untouched, Heavy spit play, Light BDSM, Edging, Spanking, Oral Sex, Unprotected Sex, Cream Pie, Dry humping, Praise kink, First-time blow job, Ball sucking, Fingering, Cum eating, Ear licking, Biting, Public Sex, Light bondage, Dom!Heeseung, Brattysub!FemMC, Sub!Heeseung, Softdom!FemMC, Other OC’s

SUMMARY Befriending a nerd who wants nothing to do with you in a coding class you want absolutely nothing to do with becomes the challenge of the semester— and you’re determined to ace that shit no matter what.  WORD COUNT 29k (Fic Total)

AUTHOR’S NOTE Long time no see— it’s P, the romantic at heart! This one’s for the people who play otome games, whose favorite spot on campus is the library, and who are afraid to be loved but want to love as hard as they possibly can.

Enjoy my contribution to the tropey Uni AU genre! Also wtf thank you for 1k followers (If you’re a minor please unfollow me. Idc if that puts me way back under. If you’re not, thank you, and stay tuned bc I will do something to celebrate… once I get through 6 months worth of notifications rip)

See end of part two for author’s note cont.

Masterlist, Part Two

© 2022, Heart and Fangs. All rights reserved. Do not translate or post anywhere.

“Have you ever gotten the random urge to give someone a blow job?”

You lifted your head from your notes, eyes wide and scrutinizing. Why did your friend have to be so damn loud in the library, of all places?

A scoff barely escaped your mouth before you dived back into your textbook, “There’s not a person with a dick on this university campus that deserves one from me. Why? Have you?”

“All the time, but especially when I’m on my period,” Rin confessed, “Hormones.”

“Oh, I bet.”

I don’t know how Rin finds the time to think about these things… 

Your friend pouted while drumming her pencil against the communal library table as if she could hear your judgemental thoughts. There were more important things for you to worry about, clearly. 

You sighed as you began to pack up your backpack to catch your most dreaded class of the semester, coding. 

It was an elective you immediately regretted taking, but you swore to yourself to see it through to expand your skill set. Unfortunately, it was just a week into the semester, and the horrid feeling that you would fail a class for the first time was way too real.

Rin continued to spew nonsense, “Maybe I should check this dating app—”

You slung your backpack over your shoulder and ruffled Rin’s hair on your way to the elevators, “You are a slut, aren’t you?”

“Please stop acting like you’re not,” Rin rolled her eyes and raised her voice just enough to carry over the bookshelves and be heard by unsuspecting students, “There’s only so many otome games one can play!”

“Shhh!” You hissed at her to shut up, eyes shooting daggers at the snickering girl.

She must’ve been spying on you every time you pulled out your phone to take a break. What did she have against your little games? After your first relationship went up in flames, they were a pretty decent replacement for dating and soon became an addictive hobby. 

They were great time-killers, required minimum commitments, and had a plethora of eye candy to choose from. Even if you did screw up, you just needed to wait a few days to replenish your lives. Plus, they all fit in your pocket…

And they could never break your heart like your ex had. 

‘I’m gonna kill you’, You mouthed at her over your shoulder while slamming your fist against the elevator button. 

Rin tapped her lips with her middle finger and sent you a flying kiss. Deep down, she hoped you’d come across a sweet boy for your own good.

While you stared at the colored lines of code on the monitor in front of you, determined to at least figure out how to embed one damn photo onto your website for tomorrow’s critique, your silent tablemate on your left tapped away at his keyboard with ease.

Everything about the guy screamed overachiever; it was 45 minutes after class had ended, and he was still working away on his project after everyone else had left.

Meanwhile, you were pretending to know what you were doing by typing in some random characters and then immediately deleting them. Being the anxiety-ridden person you were, you managed to work up a nervous sweat, your palms going numb.

Fuck, this is embarrassing. I should just leave and figure it out once I get home.

The student next to you didn’t seem to have any issues, but then again, the course you enrolled in was actually a combined class with different levels, and clearly, this wasn’t his first course in the subject. It was definitely an odd curriculum; you weren’t sure why you hadn’t read the class description more thoroughly. 

“Hi! Mind if I sit here?” You asked the student earlier upon seeing the closest open seat available.

The boy didn’t say hello, he merely spared you a glance, adjusted his glasses, then resumed the staring contest with his computer screen.

“Okay…” You said with a touch of annoyance in your tone. His eyes barely shifted to your face in response, and then he was back to typing.

His standoffish attitude from the moment you walked into the class and took the closest open seat next to him irked you more than it should’ve. 

It wasn’t until you sat down next to him that you were thrown off by how big the guy actually was, but even more so, the faint scent of sweet lavender wafting off of him. You weren't sure whether it was cologne or detergent, just that it somewhat reminded you of your favorite macaron flavor.

How unexpected. Well, that ruins it, you thought. 

Even if the guy smelled pretty damn nice, he was snooty in your book. If he didn’t have such an aloof attitude about him, you might’ve befriended him just to reach out for notes in the class in case you got sick. 

Rin often called you a prideful bitch, and you’d brush off her accusations, but deep down, you knew her words had some weight to them. Prideful was a fair adjective; your strong desire to handle your own business kept others at bay, which was great for someone like you who liked to be left to your own devices.

Though pride paired with stubbornness wasn’t necessarily the most beneficial combination when finding oneself in a pinch…

Nearly two hours of the class begrudgingly swept by, and you were still stuck on the initial steps, your brain utterly confused by the jumble of lines and coding rules you had to adhere to. It was a huge struggle to keep up with the pace the professor taught, let alone ensure the material stuck in your brain. 

It also didn’t help that the boy next to you had the audacity to pull up a window of manga on the side to read while you were struggling your ass off.

You rolled your eyes and scoffed at him.

Now, the class was well over, and you still managed to convince yourself to stay even though the shit your professor covered in lecture went in through one ear and out the other. 

After such a long day of stacked classes, your facade slipped, and you dropped your head into your hands. If you were honest, some of your pride slipped along with it. Since you were so busy, the last meal you had eaten was yesterday’s dinner, and you were starving. There were tons of other class assignments you hadn’t even touched yet. 

You bit your lip and watched the boy out of the corner of your eye, debating for a solid minute if you should ask for help. At this point, you were just wasting precious time that could be spent running to the nearest McDonald's for a burger.

In the name of efficiency, you decided to reach out for help from the person you least wanted to ask— but just this once.

“Hey. Could you show me how to add an image to my site? I can’t figure it out even though I tried to follow the directions….”

First, you saw the boy’s brown eyes widen ever so slightly before he looked over you in consideration. 

If he says no, I guess I’ll go fuck myself. 

“Sure.” 

Oh.

Feeling your heart flood with relief, you replied gratefully, “Thank you.”

You were taken aback when you watched him slide off his chair and drop to his knees by your side. He leaned over the edge of the table to take control of your mouse and keyboard, his attention fixed on the debauched code on your screen.

Really, you two could’ve just switched seats, but you decided to let him do his thing while you tucked your hands under your thighs and watched. Your brain was beyond trying to make sense of what he was inputting into your code.

Funnily enough, the silence between you two was even more awkward than it had been before you spoke to each other. Still, you refrained from distracting him, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. 

After a minute, you decided to check him out instead.

Your eyes shifted between the computer screen and his calm, concentrated features since you hadn’t really gotten a good look at him before.

His black, wispy bangs hung just over his dark eyes, and his circular, silver-rimmed glasses sort of amplified their roundness. They held a touch of naïveté in them– but when you looked at him from the side, they were sharpened due to focus.

Admittedly, he had the softest-looking set of lips, the kind that anyone would easily be jealous of. The slope of his nose was just as cute, to your annoyance.

Your eyes trailed downwards to the pronounced curve of his throat, but just for a moment before returning your attention to the screen of code.

He was attractive in an unexpected sort of way.

It actually was kind of sweet that he’d be willing to kneel on the questionable floor of the computer lab to help you out. You wondered if he was trying to make up for ignoring you at the beginning of class.

“Is this the photo you want to add?” He hovered the mouse over the recent file in your downloads folder.

“Yeah.”

You must’ve really fucked up your code because the slowest five minutes passed before he clicked save on your program, and most of it you spent trying to act like you hadn’t been staring at him every other second.

The boy finally stood up with the slightest groan, and to your dismay, the sound went straight between your thighs.

Woah there.

“Try refreshing that,” He instructed while rubbing at his kneecaps through his jeans.

With the click of a mouse, you refreshed the program to see a jpg of your favorite Shrek meme pop up on your otherwise bare-bones-looking website.

“Wow— it actually works. Thank you,” You were unable to help yourself from beaming up at him, rather impressed at his efficiency.

He merely nodded, averting his eyes.

Was he older than you or younger? Did he work on the weekends? Have a significant other? A myriad of ridiculous questions bombarded your mind.

“What’s your name?” You asked.

That was a good, normal place to start.

“Heeseung,” he stretched his arms over his head and winced at the slightest crick of his shoulder. All your eyes could focus on were the sharp lines of his waist peeking out under the edge of his sweatshirt. 

You introduced yourself as casually as you could, “My name’s ___. This really isn’t my thing, so thank you.”

“Anytime,” He said simply, rubbing at the back of his neck.

In a flash of a second, the shameless part of your mind dared to imagine how that shy expression of his might twist into one of pleasure— how his breathy sighs would fill your ears while he was hunched over, bracing himself on the table. At the same time, you pictured yourself between his long legs, mouthing kisses over his bulge, watching him twitch above you all the while.

‘Who’s the slut now?’ You could already hear Rin’s ridiculous comments; she must’ve poisoned your brain with the thought. 

Feeling yourself starting to go slightly demented from the turn of events, you excused yourself and threw your supplies into your backpack to leave as quickly as you could, entirely oblivious to how Heeseung stared after you on your way out.

Heeseung meant it when he said, ‘anytime.’

From that day on, there wasn’t an instance where he didn’t hesitate to help when you asked him for it. Each day, you grew less and less hesitant to ask him for assistance which was… interesting.

What was even more unbelievable was that he never asked for anything in return, and you were so grateful, so smitten by him. The assignments you received were absolutely distressing, yet Heeseung didn’t appear to resent your requests and was always more than willing to lend you a hand. Based on your life experience, that was far from normal. 

There was a question that you just had to ask a few weeks into the semester when he was helping you work on one of your projects for the nth time.

“Honestly, do you like doing this?” 

Heeseung leaned back in his chair and appeared contemplative while stretching his wrists. “No. Coding is a tedious process, but if you’re referring to helping you,” He looked at you with an earnest gleam in his eyes and gave you a small smile, “Yes, I really like helping you.”

It was the first time you felt your heart skip in a while.

Right then and there, you could’ve dropped to your knees and let him use your mouth however he pleased. Fuck everyone else in the class; you would’ve done it.

On a serious note, it was unfortunate that you had nothing to offer him of value in the class.

Your creative mind worked so differently, and you two didn’t share any other classes you could help him with. So you often tried to make up for it by conversing and attempting to get to know him.

Emphasis on attempt.

The downside to your interactions was that he rarely engaged with you on the occasion, even when you tried to initiate a casual conversation with him.

“What are you always reading during class?” You glanced over at his screen curiously one day.

Heeseung was always quick to minimize the extra window when you caught him. “Nothing much, just manga. Need something?”

“What? I— No, I was just wondering,” You’d quirk a brow at him, and he’d return to his task.

Every time you came into class and took the same seat next to him, you’d greet him, and he’d greet you in return but left it at that. After assisting you with an issue, he’d always quietly turn back to his computer and pick up where he left off. Maybe you’d be able to get in a question or two, but he hardly talked up a storm.

Even when you probed him about his life, Heeseung merely gave short replies or shook off your questions. He was so difficult to get to know and apparently didn’t care to hold a conversation with you outside of coding. Still, you were insistent because you were a relatively private individual yourself. Really, you tried to understand where he was coming from.

“I’m so glad I don’t have classes after this,” a yawn escaped your lips as you covered your mouth with your hand.

Heeseung’s typing never ceased, “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” You stared at his profile, waiting to see if he’d continue the conversation. After a second too long of waiting, you asked, “Do you have any night classes?”

“I don’t. I have work.”

You perked up in your seat. “Oh? Where at?”

“I’m actually about to change jobs, so it really doesn’t matter,” Heeseung responded curtly. 

You sank back into your chair. “Oh. Sorry.”

He turned to look at you as if to say something, an apologetic expression nearly taking hold of his features, but he seemingly held himself back and returned to his work. 

Still, within the coming weeks, you grew curious about his family as well. One day your curiosity was at its peak, and you rattled off questions about any possible siblings he might have. That was less intrusive than asking about a significant other, right?

“So, are you an only child, or do you have any siblings?” You probed during a particularly long day and difficult class session. When one’s brain was already fried, it didn’t hurt to completely give up on figuring something out, especially if you had Heeseung. 

Just for today, you promised yourself as Heeseung was clicking away at your keyboard, helping you out as usual.

“... I have a brother,” Heeseung hesitated, “Stepbrother, actually. He’s a student as well.”

“No way? Same major as you?”

“No…” and he left it at that, making you wonder if they weren’t on the greatest terms... Or if he just didn’t care to share more of his life with you.

Nonetheless, your attempts to converse with him day after day eventually took a toll on you. Clearly, you were bothering him with the questions, but it’s not like you just chose anyone to put effort into getting to know. Why couldn’t he understand that? Most people would’ve loved getting asked about their life and would easily drone on and on about themselves. 

Rin would cackle at you now if she only knew of your circumstances. As if you would ever tell her with the shit way things were going. 

God, I should just stick to my little otome game apps with automated responses.

After several weeks of your relationship with him going nowhere, your savior became the source of your frustration.

Guys never helped you out without an ulterior motive or expecting something in return, so it was almost inconceivable to think someone like Heeseung existed. His caring personality subverted your initial expectations of him, and you knew his selfless actions came from a sincere place, but still…

This had grown beyond needing his help in class. All you wanted to do was get to know Heeseung because you had taken a genuine interest in him.

Was that asking for a lot?

The day you walked into class and plopped into your seat without saying hello to him, Heeseung knew something was up. The boy had gotten much too used to your greetings every day.

Barely able to contain your irritation with him, you stared straight ahead at your screen and got to work, despite feeling his eyes on you. 

Beside you, Heeseung was desperately trying to read your stoic expression. He’d glance at you meekly, and look back at his computer for a few seconds, only to peer over at you again. 

This cycle went on for the next few minutes until you heard him greet you first, for once.

“Hey, ___–”

“Hey,” You barely spared him a look and settled back into your workflow just as swiftly.

Stumped by your odd behavior, Heeseung drew his hands into his lap and fell quiet once more.

Just when you thought he’d leave you be, Heeseung pulled up to your side in his rolling chair, that signature lavender scent of his invading your senses. His knee bumped into yours but stayed there.

“Do you need my help with anything?”

“No, thank you,” you replied coldly.

You saw him wilt out of the corner of your eye, and something vengeful in you felt good about making him feel the way you’ve felt for the past months. The other part of you just felt plain guilty.

Feeling suffocated, you abruptly left the class to get some fresh air. You were hoping the open-air foyer filled with wooden benches would grant you a moment of reprieve.

Choosing the farthest bench from the entrance, you sat down and propped up your legs, pulling your knees close to your chin. The evening breeze swept across your flushed cheeks, and you were mortified to realize tears were threatening to spill down them.

It was childish of you to reject Heeseung’s attention once you finally got it, but… you couldn’t help it. You knew the attention wasn’t due to any sort of genuine feelings toward you; it was merely your petty behavior that provoked him.

Was this how it felt to be rejected while trying so hard to befriend someone? Is this how people felt when you made them jump through a hundred hoops to get to know you? 

You thought back to when you took the chance to let someone in for the first and last time. Had you just been too much? Or maybe not worth the trouble?

If that were true… maybe that was the reason your first love had cheated on you. 

Old feelings bubbled up in your chest, and suddenly everything really felt like shit. 

To make things worse, you were sulking. Even though Heeseung could tell something was up and was trying to diagnose the situation, he still infuriated you. If anyone had to deal with an aloof individual for as long as you did, you were sure they’d go crazy too.

Especially if they were as cute as Heeseung was.

Fuck. 

There was no way you were about to cry in public over a boy, the most angelic, frustrating boy you’ve ever met. 

Not everybody reciprocated people’s feelings equally, and it was simply life to deal with it. Still…

Once you buried your face into your arms, you released your pent-up emotions with a shaky breath, letting the hot tears fall and soak into your jeans. You decided to stay there for a while, long enough until you knew everyone in class would be gone, so you could rest assured no one would see your pathetic tear-stained face.

It was a good half hour after class ended before you made your way back to collect your belongings and catch the bus to head home. Somehow, you cried for the majority of it as quietly as you could.

It actually helped a bit, as it had back then. 

When you pulled open the door, you froze like a deer in headlights.

Heeseung stared up at you with wide eyes from where he was sitting; he was the only one left in the class, which you hadn’t counted on.

He wasn’t waiting for you, was he?

“Um…” You trailed off and slowly turned to leave again, but he was already out of his seat, making his way toward you.

Jesus—

You were hardly ever standing next to each other, so facing him head-on at his tall stature was intimidating, even with his cardigan and those nerdy glasses of his. Perhaps it also had to do with the unfamiliar look in his eyes and the intense concern in them.

“Are you okay?” He reached out to touch your arm, but you stepped back and caught him by the shoulders, holding him back at arm's length.

Unable to look at him directly, you stared down at your shoes next to his, eyes stinging again as if you didn’t just spend half an hour crying.

Just seeing his face and hearing his voice brought on a flood of confusing emotions.

“Yeah? I-I’m fine,” You insisted.

Even though Heeseung couldn’t see your face, he saw your tears fall onto your sneakers and felt your grip curl into his shoulders.

“___, if it’s something I said or did…” Heeseung’s voice went soft, and you nearly jumped when you felt his hands slide over yours, his thumbs stroking comfortingly over your skin, “You can tell me.”

His mere touch slowly brought your anxiety down, one stroke of his thumb after the other— at the same time, it sent shivers along your skin. 

It’s what you didn’t say or do.

Fear threatened to cut your voice off completely. You took several deep breaths, trying to sort out your thoughts so that you could properly convey how you were feeling. 

Here was your chance to be honest with him from the get-go. It was scary, but you needed to try.

“I consider you as someone who I’m really grateful for, Heeseung. Especially after how much of your time you’ve given me this semester,” You sighed, glancing up at him even though your vision was blurry, “You’re a really talented guy. It’s just impossible to get to know you because you like to keep to yourself. I think I understand why you do. Even I don’t like letting other people in all the time...”

Something seemed to click in his mind at your words; you saw his lips part ever so slightly in realization, his eyes widening a fraction.

“... But it’s still hard to be on the receiving end of that. However, if that’s where you want me,” You pulled your hands out of his, letting them drop to your side, “Then there’s not much I can do about that.”

Quietly, you brushed past him and packed your backpack in a hurry to leave.

Heeseung fell silent behind you, and when you left him, you kept your eyes trained on the floor.

The next day, you remained in a foul mood as you chose to sit on the opposite side of your table to avoid the tension of being next to Heeseung for two hours straight. As you expected, the student who usually sat there confronted you about it.

“Hey, this is my seat. I’ve been sitting here all semester.”

You didn’t care to grant her your full attention and continued typing, “I don’t see your name on it.”

It was definitely a shitty thing to say, but you couldn’t bring yourself to give a damn at that moment. 

She was stunned into silence and subsequently stomped over to the next row to take her seat next to Heeseung. There was no doubt that he overheard your confrontation. 

Class sped by while you were laser-focused on completing everything you needed to get done for that period— without Heeseung’s help. At least one good thing came out of taking notes and watching Heeseung work these past several weeks; your evolving skill set. You were far from excellent, but you had gotten at least a bit better with the basics. 

This time, you didn’t plan on sticking around after class.

It seemed like Heeseung was prepared for you not to because the moment you stood up and bolted to the door, he was already out of his seat, hot on your trail.

Heeseung called out your name.

You ignored him, even as he easily caught up with your pace. His silence yesterday already confirmed all you needed to know about how he felt about you. 

He caught your elbow, and you stopped to look him dead in the eye. “What do you think you’re doing? Let go.”

Heeseung immediately released you, “Sorry, I just wanted to talk—“

A menacing force slammed into your back, propelling you straight into Heeseung’s chest. Someone halfway down the hall called out a sarcastic apology, but it barely registered— you were startled by how Heeseung steadied you against his hard body.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” You scowled, already shaking his hands off despite your body aching at the feeling of him so near, “What did you want now?”

Heeseung‘s eyes wavered, but he managed to hold your scrutinizing gaze. 

“Do you want to grab dinner?”

He really felt the pressure of an impending ‘no’ when all you did was stare at him.

You frowned, “What?”

Heeseung gulped but continued, “You don’t have any other classes for the day, right? There’s a really good Thai place just on the edge of campus, and their Pad Thai is the best— at least within a 20-mile radius.”

Was he doing this all of a sudden because he pitied you?

“You don’t need to do this.”

Heeseung looked like he was on the verge of panicking, but just as quickly, a sense of determination overcame him. 

He took a step forward, “But what if I want to?”

You looked off to the side, “I’m confused. Why all of a sudden?”

“I know it’s like I’m doing this out of the blue,” He sounded in a rush due to nerves, so he slowed down his speech, “I’m not good with words, and it’s true that I’m easily distracted by my classes. But I do care about you, ___.”

Your chest throbbed as he peered down at you from under his lashes with furrowed brows, “I know I’m usually pretty distant, and I can’t make up for everything in a night, but I really would like to talk with you over dinner… only if you want to join me.”

Heeseung’s expression appeared so hopeful, and his gaze held an amount of tenderness that had you shifting your weight under the unusual attention you were receiving. 

What was that look he was giving you?

He felt you brush by him, and he hung his head. 

Heeseung felt his stomach twist with guilt, he knew you wouldn’t give him a chance after how he’d been treating you—

“… Fine.”

Heeseung straightened up with wide eyes and turned to face you as you set off in the completely wrong direction. 

“It’s this way,” He eagerly called after you.

You came to a quick halt, then turned back around, crossing your arms, “Lead the way then.”

He smiled to himself when he heard the unmistakable sound of your stomach grumbling ever so faintly.

 

Walking across campus with Heeseung was convenient because the majority of people made plenty of room for the two of you, all thanks to the giant by your side. Usually, they’d have no issue bumping shoulders with you or overlooking you. 

Must be nice to be able to part seas of people, you thought enviously. 

Heeseung remained quiet for the majority of the walk except for mentioning a direction here and there. All the while, you were trying to anticipate what Heeseung might have to say to you once you got to the restaurant. 

The sky grew to be a deep orange by the time you entered the quaint Thai restaurant at the front of the campus. A simple aqua blue neon sign that read 01 Thai shone across asphalt above an old, cream colored building. While you considered their signature menu options, you turned Heeseung’s words over in your head.

“I do care about you, ___.”

Do you really?

“And what would you like to order?” The cashier asked you.

“Oh. I guess I’ll try the Pad Thai.”

“Anything to drink?”

“Just water, please,” You absentmindedly dug in your pocket to hand over your card, but Heeseung was already handing over his. 

Your brows drew together as you quietly glanced up at him, not wanting to make a scene.

He gave you a nervous smile, “My treat.”

You looked over your shoulder for seating, “I’ll Venmo you later.”

“No need,” He shook his head, guiding you to a corner table. 

“I will.”

Even from across the small wooden table, Heeseung sensed your lingering discomfort, understandably. He looked like he wanted to say something, but so did you, so he waited.

After a contemplative moment, you met his eyes and folded your hands on the table. “Heeseung, don’t tell me you're doing all this just because you feel bad.”

“No— I mean, in a way, yes. I know how I can be, and I’m sorry that you had to deal with that. I never meant to hurt you the way I did.”

I really did emotionally throw up on him yesterday, and his silence didn’t make it any better. Even now, I still feel high-strung about the whole ordeal, but he seems sorry about it…

“Listen, I get that you feel guilty, but if you really do just want to be friends, there’s no need for anything crazy. Just talking would be nice to start.”

“Right...” He stared right at you. 

Your brows knit together once more at the uncertainty in his voice.

“Right,” Heeseung repeated, almost to himself, “That’s doable. Although guilt plays a significant part in driving me to do what I’m doing… Please know it’s not my only motivator.”

Heeseung startled you when he reached out to take one of your hands in his. You still looked utterly confused, so he exhaled softly before squeezing your hand and running the pad of his thumb along your knuckles, just like he did back in class. 

Goosebumps immediately broke out on your skin from the heat of his touch.

Oh.

Behind his glasses, his eyes were intent; you had his full attention. “I’ve been really out of touch with people these days, and I regret it. However, I had some personal things I was working through. It’s not an excuse, but I do care about you, ___. I hope you can eventually find a way to forgive me.”

At his sudden admittance, your heart rate began to pick up. Immediately you hated how vulnerable his words made you feel, but that also meant that they were real. His forwardness rendered you genuinely speechless; even your mind drew a blank. 

It seemed like he could sense it.

“I-I see,” You stared at your daintier hand in his own, then looked back up at Heeseung’s keen gaze. 

His brows drew together, and his lips curled upwards ever so slightly, “Am I making you nervous?” He sounded like he was making a discovery. 

Heat immediately flooded your face once more, and you took your hand back out of embarrassment. 

He gnawed on his lip, his eyelids lowering a fraction, “Sorry.”

A waitress pulled up to your table with a tray of steaming bowls, and Heeseung thanked the waitress as she left while you reached for a pair of chopsticks.

“What kind of question is that?” You mumbled while you picked at your noodles. Your brain was failing to make sense of Heeseung’s feelings towards you.

He didn’t let up.

“You make me really nervous, ___,” Heeseung dared to reveal in a low voice. 

As he expected, his declaration drew your attention back to him. Your eyes narrowed at Heeseung, who wore a small yet knowing smile, clearly trying to get a rise out of you. 

Is this really the same guy who chased me down to grab dinner with him?

Little did you know the boy sitting across from you was attuned to your every movement— from the quickened pace of your breath to the twitch of your leg when his knee brushed against yours underneath the table.

Naturally, he would be after spending so much time at your side for the past couple of months, taking note of your little habits and mannerisms. 

He also knew you’d be skeptical for a while after this, that it would take time to prove his sincerity once more. Heeseung was willing to overcome that by any means.

When Heeseung realized he had stunned you into silence, he finally looked down at his own plate. “I’m sorry, I’ll stop teasing. Let’s eat before it gets cold.”

“Agreed,” You were grateful for the change of subject because you just barely survived his sudden undivided attention. Also, you were beyond famished.

All the while, your mouth was watering at the sight of the food, so you took a bite of the Pad Thai and savored the flavorful spices on your tongue. It was pretty damn good, Heeseung had taste. One bite of noodles, and suddenly, you felt as though you were gaining back your senses. 

He’s kind of flirty, isn’t he?

After several more bites and a nice gulp of cold water, you felt ready to hold a proper conversation.

“Don’t bullshit me anymore, Heeseung,” You commented, propping your chin up on your palm.

He chuckled softly, and you squinted his way.

“I’ll try my best, ___.”

Over dinner, Heeseung allowed you to delve into his mind, which was certainly a treat. 

Not without difficulty, of course. 

His answers remained vague unless you pressed further; it was like pulling teeth, but you could tell he was trying. With enough persistence, he divulged you.

“Do you just really like to keep a low profile?” You asked, referencing his deflection of your attempts at conversing with him during class, “I mean, I figured you just found me annoying.”

Heeseung slowly began, “I wasn’t in the best headspace this semester. Things at my old job weren’t going well at all, and those issues combined with the stress of my classes resulted in me feeling very closed off from my surroundings.”

You scratched your cheek. “I see. How does that usually affect you?”

“I tend to isolate myself under pressure, and it becomes difficult for me to connect with… well, those around me,” Heeseung explained, running his fingers back and forth over the grain of the tabletop. 

“Hm, that’s tough. Honestly, you always seem like you have your shit together.”

Heeseung shook his head, “It’s… a facade of sorts.”

“Well, a lot of people have one,” Your eyes wandered down to your plate, it had been scraped clean for a while. 

The shop was empty save for you two, it must’ve been growing closer to closing time, what with the moonlight shining through the windows. 

“Yeah? What’s yours?”

Ah, now it’s his turn to take a shot at me.

Being vulnerable was difficult, especially with all of Heeseung’s attention on you. Silence fell over you two, but he waited, even when it felt like you weren’t going to speak. 

“Probably enjoying being alone. Not that I don’t, but it depends on how I’m feeling that day. I see independence and loneliness as two sides of the same coin.”

It was the truth, to an extent. You enjoyed the benefits of being independent, but there was a fine line between that and being lonely. 

“It’s a normal human thing to go through,” You shrugged.

It’s how I’ve always been, and it usually keeps me safe. But I can’t believe I just admitted that to another person, let alone Heeseung. Though that’s the whole point of this conversation, isn’t it?

“Um, anyways…“

“I’m sorry if I ever made you feel lonely.”

Your eyes flitted to Heeseung’s expression; he seemed cautious yet sincere.

“Don’t be. It’s not your responsibility to make me feel otherwise.”

It was a difficult realization to come to, and as such, you gave a detached response. In due time you’d have to see if he meant everything that he said.

With an inward sigh, you felt disappointment replace the anger that had been slowly filtering out of your system for the past hour. Heeseung was willing to try to be friends, which was more than you could’ve asked for, so deep down, you fought your desire for him. You were being given the chance to take things day by day and come to terms with the reality of your situation. 

“Besides, being lonely is a good skill to have. It’s weird to say out loud, but I really think it is,” You stated, glancing out the window into the dimly lit streets, “It’s useful and easier than most people think.”

When Heeseung said nothing in response, you turned to look at him once more, wanting to hear his voice. 

Something from him, anything.

Instead, you met those dark brown eyes behind his glasses; they contained a mix of something you couldn’t place and a tinge of sadness, but most surprisingly– knowing.

You fidgeted with the hairband on your wrist. “What? What’s wrong?”

Heeseung spoke, “Nothing… What do you mean?” 

His question seemed hollow as if he feigned confusion; his eyes told you everything yet nothing, all at once– like he could see right through you. 

You shook your head, voice coming out as a whisper, “I don’t know… You’re making me nervous again.”

“Sorry,” Heeseung blinked and shifted his eyes elsewhere, and suddenly you felt like you could breathe, but just barely. 

He distractedly removed his glasses to pinch at his nose bridge, and that’s when your breath caught in your chest. 

A slight smile tugged at your lips, “Hey, you look different without your glasses.” You were apt to change the subject.

“Oh, really?” Heeseung moved to adjust them back in place quickly.

“Wait,” you leaned over the table and placed your hand on his to stop him, wanting a better look, “You look really handsome. Not that you don’t with them on, but….”

Heeseung noted how intrigued you looked, the fascination brightening your features. It was certainly a contrast to the way you regarded him just a moment before. “I’ve worn glasses my whole life. I don’t look odd without them?”

“No, but I think you’re cute either way—“ You curiously brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes, and his brows rose in surprise. 

Upon realizing what you had done, you promptly sat back in your seat and stuffed your hands in your pockets. 

“I— You just look different,” You tried to cover up your embarrassment with a smile. 

You hadn’t intended on getting touchy, but you just couldn't help it. Then again, he comfortably initiated way more physical contact with you today than he had all semester. 

Heeseung quietly glanced off to the side, and then his eyes were back on you without a moment’s notice, observing.

Ah, there’s that churning sensation in my stomach again.

Even though you could see his eyes clear as day, you couldn’t read him as easily this time.  

“Thanks,” His eyes flitted away as he fixed his glasses back in place.  

Uh-oh. Did I mess up? Did I turn him off by touching his hair? Or with my comments on his appearance?

“We better go, I think they’re closing,” You rubbed your cheek while throwing your backpack over your shoulder, “Thank you for dinner.”

“Sure. Thanks for hearing me out… and for sharing,” Heeseung led you to the door and held it open for you.

His voice sounded odd, almost tight. 

“Yeah...”

It had been a rollercoaster of a day so far; you weren’t sure what kind of note you were going to end it on. 

The brisk night air hit your skin and made you shudder. You turned towards the bus stop across the street, anticipating an arrival soon, “I’m headed over here. I guess I’ll see you in class?” 

When you glanced back over your shoulder, Heeseung was looking after you in such a way that caused you to freeze. His demeanor had shifted from the start of dinner to now like there was a barely tamed intensity about him. He felt unpredictable— he even seemed on edge. 

What was going on? Maybe you really stepped on his toes earlier with your comment about his glasses. It certainly wasn’t your intention; you meant it as a compliment. 

He could’ve been self-conscious about it, you idiot!

Heeseung gave you a curt nod, “Get home safely, okay?” 

You frowned. 

“Okay…” You paused before giving him a quick hug. 

Next to free food and a bit of communication, hugs diffused most escalating situations, right?

But even to you, it felt like a blur; you barely gave him enough time to return it, and then you were slipping out of his grasp just as quickly as you had drawn close. 

“Bye,” You whispered. 

Taken aback, Heeseung dropped his arms to his sides as he watched you jog across the street to board the bus that arrived a moment before and nearly took off without you. 

He inhaled deeply.

Now, his whole body ached. 

Oh, he hated you even more for that.

The cold suddenly seeped into his skin. It hadn’t affected him until you left his side. 

Your bus took off just as his phone faintly vibrated in his pocket. He lost count of how many times it had gone off during his dinner with you, but he hardly paid it any attention. He ignored it for the past two months but couldn’t bring himself to block the number. 

Finally, he decided to answer it. 

“Heeseung! Do you know how many times I’ve called you today? And the day before? Over the past eight fucking weeks? We were supposed to meet–”

“I was at dinner—” Heeseung immediately kicked himself for even sparing an excuse. There was no need to anymore. “Please stop calling me.”

His thumb hovered over the button to hang up and block her number; he should’ve done it earlier. 

“Don’t do this to me, love.”

Anger slithered up his veins, “How else do you expect me to act after all that you’ve done?”

“What you saw wasn’t what it looked like—“

Beep—

That’s what she’d said in the hundreds of voicemails she left, or so he guessed. Listening to one was sufficient. 

From that day on, Heeseung dialed back on the forwardness he displayed in terms of physical contact with you, and you couldn’t figure out why for the life of you. However, your conversations in class were plentiful and on friendlier terms, save for the interesting underlying tension that persisted through his frequent teasing comments and lasting stares. 

That’s not to say there was a complete absence of flirtatious touching, he simply wasn’t as outright with it. But you noted each subtle instance with amusement whether it was a tap on the shoulder, a bump to the knee or an accidental brush of hands when he’d reach for your mouse. 

He seemed somewhat back to normal compared to how you left him that one night, but something definitely changed between you two. 

On the other hand, you soon discovered the breadth of his sense of humor. The off-handed, dry comments he’d whisper about some odd gesture or explanation the professor would make had you snorting in your seat— turns out you weren’t the only one who occasionally got annoyed with the way your professor taught. 

Even so, together, you both managed.

Thai food after class became a routine for you both, a couple of times a week. Ever since Heeseung made an effort to open up, sometimes you’d talk up until the last bus was available for you to catch if he didn’t have work, and other times, you’d work on assignments together.

For every question you asked him, it tickled you that he had one for you of equal measure. These brief moments with Heeseung stood out from your otherwise mundane campus life. Unfortunately, things didn’t always go according to plan.  

One evening, a meeting with your advisor concerning your schedule for next semester ran over time significantly and you were 30 minutes late to your dinner at 01 Thai with Heeseung. 

The frigid air lashed across your face the moment you stepped outside the administration building causing you to wince. It was an evening filled with storm clouds, and the sun had long set; it was starting to get darker earlier in the day. You reached into your pocket to update Heeseung on your whereabouts but let out a frustrated grunt when you realized your phone had died on you. 

Fuck. 

The restaurant was on the complete other side of campus so you decided to cut through a back way that was a bit more obscure but quicker than usual. The first droplets of rain hit your skin before it turned into an outright downpour by the time you were half way across campus. 

Just my luck. 

There weren’t a whole lot of shaded areas along the buildings in the back route you took so you braced yourself through the chill until the droplets began to feel like ice pellets. It was too much so you chose to take shelter when you came upon the first shaded area that came into view near the back exit of a building. 

Something on the floor caught your eye as you quickly approached. A dog with soaked fur was curled up on its stomach and appeared to be breathing irregularly. On instinct, you kneeled down to run your hand over its fur, and it let out a thin whine. 

“Oh, you poor thing. Where’s your owner?”

You felt along its furry chin for a tag and found purchase in a sleek, black collar. However, there was no tag with an owner's contact to be found.

Maybe it’s a high-tech tracking collar? 

With your back against the wall, you slid down to sit for a moment, enduring the mist that the wind blew against you both, cradling the dog close. “I don’t think the rain will let up any time soon… You don’t wanna come with? You just wanna stay here and wait for your owner, huh?”

The dog merely blinked up at you. 

“Alright, then you need this more than I do. Hopefully they’re just around the corner…”

You shrugged off your jacket and used it to dry off the pup a bit before swaddling it in the fabric. After you finished and went to scratch its chin, it licked your palm non-stop.

“You’re welcome,” You stood up with a giggle and readjusted your backpack. Although it was storming, if you let Heeseung wait any longer it would give him the wrong idea. 

You received stares from other students the moment you stepped through the restaurant doors since the single layer of your T-shirt was soaked through. Immediately you crossed your arms over your chest but made a beeline towards Heeseung who sat in the corner. 

He looked you over with concern. 

You couldn’t help but stutter from the cold, “S-sorry. My meeting ran late with my advisor and my phone died—“

“It’s okay, I figured. Weren’t you wearing a jacket in class earlier?”

“I—I may have given it away…”

“To who?”

“To a dog I saw on the way here…?”

You realized how ridiculous it sounded once you said it out loud, but the soft spot you had towards canines made you do silly things from time to time. 

Heeseung raised a brow at that, “Did you just lose it?”

“Sure, I lost it on this awfully cold day, ” You rolled your eyes.

Heeseung shook his head with a snort, and tugged his hoodie over his head, “Well, why don’t you change out of that?”

A chill racked through your body but you brushed it off, until you glanced down to see your shirt plastered to your body and around the prominent outline of your black bra. 

“Um….”

“Here,” Heeseung deposited his hoodie into your arms before you could refuse, “I’ll ask them for a plastic bag to hold your clothing. Your food just came out, so go change.”

“Thanks.”

As you ignored the stares from others occupying the restaurant and clicked the restroom door shut, you gave yourself a once over in the mirror.

There really wasn’t a spot on you that wasn’t damp. You stripped out of your top and bra then proceeded to squeeze them out over the sink before tossing them into a plastic bag. You dried down as much as you could with a wad of paper towels then tugged Heeseung’s hoodie over your head. 

Immediately, you were enveloped by his scent; a light sweetness with new undertones of soft musk you hadn’t detected before. The fabric was still warm against your skin with his body heat which made you feel odd. 

You slowly tugged the collar up to your nose then dropped the fabric abruptly. 

Let’s not make this weird. It certainly beats being cold and wet. 

Heeseung eyed you once you remerged. “I ate already and was about to go looking for you to drop off your food.”

You plopped down across from him. “Yeah, sorry. Do you have to go soon?”

He glanced at his phone screen. “In about 10 minutes, for work. I’ll hang out for a while, though.”

“You don’t wanna work on an assignment while I eat?”

Heeseung pressed his cheek against his palm and leaned onto his elbow, his languid eyes on you, “Mm-mm.”

You stared at him before proceeding to shovel the tasty noodles into your mouth, “Okay.”

Heeseung chuckled, “How’d your meeting go?”

“Fine, I guess. My advisor thought he screwed up and almost made me think I had to take an extra two classes, but we straightened that out. I’m on track, and I’ll have a decent load to finish off next semester since it’s my last.”

Heeseung looked like he was in thought as you shared your schedule with him.

“None of those classes ring a bell.”

That fact bummed you out, more than you’d ever show. “Oh, really? What’s your semester looking like next year?”

“Hm, since it’s my last semester too, I’m thinking of going for an internship, it’s about time.”

You dabbed at your lips with a napkin, “That’s actually really good. I need to do that…”

“It’ll help when you apply for jobs, for sure.”

The impending doom of your future weighed heavily on your shoulders, and Heeseung seemed to notice you suddenly felt burdened. 

“So, you like dogs?”

You glanced up mid-chew, “I do!”

“Did you really give a dog your jacket?” Heeseung squinted. 

“Would you believe me if I said yes?”

“Maybe the second time around,” He was amused at how you pouted, “What breeds do you like?”

“I like all breeds. The funniest dogs are ones that are like humans. During last thanksgiving there was this one dog at my aunt’s that wouldn’t let me pet him at first. So, I let him be and sat in the living room alone, but every so often he would saunter in and get closer to me every time,” You laughed at the memory, “Then eventually he got so close, I just stuck my hand out and he pressed up against me for pets. Finicky but adorable…”

Heeseung cleared his throat, and wore a sheepish expression, “Sounds like it… You don’t own any dogs?”

“Not yet. I’m saving up and waiting ‘till I’m done with school. I want to be able to give it the attention it deserves.”

“I think that’s smart.”

You sighed, “Yeah… I wish I had one.”

As you finished your food, Heeseung finally said what was truly on his mind. 

“You should be more careful about walking around campus without a working phone. It gets dark faster these days,” He began. 

His scolding caught you off guard. 

“I am cautious, I’m not dumb,” You interrupted, “And I didn’t mean to. I would’ve charged it in the library or something but I didn’t want to keep you waiting—“

“It would’ve been fine if you left me waiting a little longer to do that. It’s such a big campus where anything could happen when you least expect it, so you should always have your phone on,” Heeseung motioned for you to hand over your phone, “And I know you know that.”

You pouted but dropped it into his hand, and he connected it to a portable charger he took out of his backpack, “Alright, mother.”

Heeseung sighed but gave you a small smile anyways. 

“Are you still at your old job or did you start your new one already?” You asked since Heeseung felt at liberty to say what he wanted. 

Heeseung’s eyes turned troubled. “Still there. Just for a little while longer.”

You pressed, “Where do you work?”

Heeseung’s lips parted to answer but he seemed to think better of it. 

“It’s not the greatest place,” Heeseung checked his phone and stood up, “Sorry, I’ve gotta go. See you.”

You bit your tongue. “Won’t you get all wet if you’re walking to work?”

“Uber,” was all he said with a tight smile, “Don’t worry about it. Get home safe.”

Heeseung left you his charger as he stepped outside into the rain, the deep slope of his shoulders inciting a sense of regret in you. Perhaps you shouldn’t have pushed him on the topic when it was clearly sensitive for him. He didn’t deserve your snappy attitude after he expressed his worry for you either… but you knew he wouldn’t hold you to it because that’s the kind of person he was. 

When you weren’t grabbing dinner with Heeseung, there were evenings when you would pour over your studies and meet Rin in the library, like you always had. 

“So, how are your otome games going? On to the next one?” She questioned. 

Oh shit. You’ve been neglecting your pixel husbands basically since the start of the semester—

“I actually haven’t touched any games in a while.”

“Really now?” Rin seemed unsurprised at such a revelation as she continued, “How about that coding class? These days you seem less stressed about it….”

“Yeah, I finally picked up a thing or two. There’s actually this guy who’s been—“

Rin jumped out of her seat and pointed at you accusingly, the screech of her chair drawing annoyed looks from other students. 

“I’ve been fucking waiting for you to bring him up!”

Your eyes widened, “Wait, how do you—”

“Shhhh!” Someone hushed. 

You both put your heads together and dropped your voices to a whisper. 

“How do you know Heeseung?”

Rin explained everything in detail, perhaps too much detail. Figuring out Heeseung consulted her the day you cried in front of him made your face burn. 

Apparently, he hung out enough in the library to recognize Rin as your friend, although you certainly had never seen him while studying. 

“Truthfully, at first, I was mad at the guy for upsetting you; the dude was too honest for his own good and actually told me he was in deep shit with you. I nearly caused a scene in here, but he seemed really apologetic and genuine about wanting to make things right with you. 

So, I told him food was the way to your heart, but I warned him you’d be a little stuck up about paying for yourself. Seriously, you have the weirdest eating schedule just to achieve ‘optimal efficiency’ and avoid ‘brain fog’ or whatever,” Rin grinned. 

Well, she wasn’t wrong. Free food definitely helped on top of everything else Heeseung managed to pull off since then.  

“I appreciate that, but I can’t believe you knew about everything the entire time,” You felt a tad guilty for not looping her in on the situation, having thought she would’ve teased you about it, “And that he actually went out of his way to ask you about me….”

You couldn’t help but look at him a little differently now. He was serious. 

“Well, I only knew what happened up until that day, but you seemed better these past several weeks, so it looks like my advice worked.”

You slid further into your seat and stared up at the ceiling, “Yeah, I suppose it did.”

“I didn’t want to ruin anything, so I stayed quiet. He’s very cute,” She grinned at you.

You paused, “We’re just friends.”

“What? All that drama for a friendship?”

“Hm…”

Rin rose an impeccably plucked brow at you. 

“Yes,” You sighed, patting her head. 

Your friend pouted, “I would’ve guessed otherwise, girl. There’s still time, though.”

Was there?

Soon enough, another month had flown by— finals were around the corner, and both you and Heeseung were typing up code for your class project when you ran into your first distressing issue in a while. 

You called to him without taking your eyes off the screen, “Hey, something’s off, and I can’t figure out what. I swear if it’s just an extra period somewhere, I’m gonna—“

Heeseung was at your side in a heartbeat, “Let me see.”

You scooted your chair over to make room for his, but he got comfortable on the floor. “Stop kneeling. You know you’re gonna permanently fuck up your kneecaps, right?”

“I’m used to it,” He said simply before he froze up as if he had said something wrong. 

Assuming that he was poking at you, you scoffed, “I don’t ask you for help that often anymore, Hee.”

Heeseung cleared his throat and got to work on your code, “No, I know.”

While you waited for him to finish diagnosing the issue, you secretly inhaled his familiar, comforting scent of sweet lavender out of habit.

You saw him smirk out of the corner of your eye. 

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Seriously, what?”

He shrugged, “You’re doing that thing you do every time I get close.”

Fuck. When did he even– Fuck—

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The tapping of keys halted.

A mischievous lilt made its way into his voice as he faced you, “We’re gonna go that route?” 

“Yes. Yes, we are because you are not going to out me here,” You hissed under your breath. 

“Ha, so you admit that you do take a whiff—“

You took hold of his jaw and forced him to face your computer screen, “Focus.”

Heeseung eyes darkened, but he let out a chuckle. 

You were pressing two fingers to your temple and looking anywhere but at him, so you failed to notice. For the moment, you put aside your pride and stayed quiet until he figured out what the hell was wrong with your project. 

God, how embarrassing. 

A few keyboard and mouse clicks later, and Heeseung was settling back into his seat. “It was an extra period on line 976.”

“Of course it was,” You rolled your eyes and heard him laugh even harder. He was quick to figure out how often he could test your patience…

“Why do you always smell like pastries?” Your sudden question came out as an accusation. 

At this point in your friendship, you found yourself blurting out random things that were on your mind when with Heeseung, and he managed to learn how to go with the flow. 

“I bake in my spare time,” He said, clearly amused. 

You gawked at the new discovery, “I—I guess that explains it….”

“I’ve always baked, it’s sort of just a hobby I never thought to share.”

You swore there was always something to learn about the guy, even at the quick rate that you’d gotten to know him.

“Well, what do you do with all the stuff you make? Keep them all for yourself?” You jabbed at Heeseung.

“No, I just…” His voice quietly tapered off, so you were unable to catch his last words.

“You what?”

“I’ll just give it away to the homeless on the street if I deem it edible,” He muttered. 

“Huh,” You turned to Heeseung, “That’s actually really sweet.”

“It’s nothing,” He pressed his lips together and continued, “By the way, I just started my new job, and my shift is in the evening, so… we’re going to have to postpone Thai nights.”

“Oh. You started your new job finally?” Your heart and stomach dropped; you were so looking forward to it before you’d have to really buckle down for finals, “I guess we’ll have to postpone them. The timing, though….”

Postpone them until when? The two of you had completely different tracks from here on out. Would he even want to hang out with you next semester when there was nothing else to bind your schedules together?

Heeseung leaned over to rest his elbows on his knees, appearing contemplative while watching you cycle through the endless thoughts in your mind.

“I work at this new cafe about ten minutes away from campus. Do you want to drop by and check it out after class? If you want, you could study there until I get off, and then we can have dinner at my place.”

Dinner at his place?

He saw the way your eyes blew up, and he couldn’t tell if it was in shock or excitement. 

“Don’t feel pressured, it was just a thought,” Heeseung brushed off a piece of lint on your knee, his touch lingering, “I get off at around 10:00, so it’d be a later-than-usual dinner.”

“S-sure,” Your voice pitched unusually high, and you nearly threw up in your mouth. 

Geez, calm down! 

Heeseung looked pleased as he stood up from his desk and slung his backpack over his shoulder, “Shall we?”

The moment you stepped foot in the new cafe, your body appreciated the drastic change in temperature inside, the weather was extremely chilly these days. Didn’t change the fact that you’d order something iced, though. 

“Take a look at the menu, I need to get changed, and I’ll be right out to make you something to drink,” Heeseung ushered you further into the store, his hand at your lower back. 

“No problem,” You held Heeseung’s warm gaze and forgot to breathe. 

As Heeseung set off to the back, you exhaled and took in the bright, cozy interior of the cafe along with its high ceilings. Evening light filtered through the tall windows, casting the whole place in warmth. 

What a nice cafe to work at. I could study here more often too.

The aroma of ground coffee beans and sweet pastries filled your nose, causing your brain to perk up at the thought of caffeine even though it was evening. The people that occupied the space were relatively quiet– the seats were mainly filled with a few students and young professionals. 

An empty table was waiting for you in the corner, so you set down your belongings there and pulled out your wallet. Curious about their menu, you returned to the counter to consider the items. 

A handsome, light-haired young man eagerly approached from behind the bar upon seeing you, “Hi there! What can I get for you?”

Your brain raced for an answer even though you were supposed to wait for Heeseung. “Um, I’ll try the iced matcha latte….”

“Perfect,” He gave you a thousand-watt smile, “Anything else I can get you? We have macarons that we bake daily.”

“Sure,” You considered the colorful rows of macarons behind the glass counter, “I’ll try a lavender one and a vanilla bean.”

As the boy picked out your macarons, you imagined how Heeseung might look like working his shift here, from his mannerisms to his barista skills and if he dealt with customers easily or not. It was something you’d never thought of previously since you had no clue about his work.

“I threw in a couple of other popular flavors on the house,” the boy gave you a wink, making you blush unexpectedly.

“Oh, thank you so much!”

The barista took a step to his right without taking his eyes off you and bumped right into Heeseung, who suddenly appeared. You noticed he looked especially cute in his work uniform, somehow fitting your exact image of how a barista would look in his white button-down and his chestnut-colored apron. A smile made its way onto your face; his glasses completed the coffee connoisseur look. 

“Sorry, man—“

“Hey, no worries. I’ll ring her up,” Your eyes widened at the slight insistence in Heeseung’s voice that left no room for argument, “Jake, meet ___.”

“Hey,” Jake gave you a little wave, despite looking a bit confused at why Heeseung intercepted. 

“___, this is my friend Jake. He also goes to our University,” He mentioned while tinkering with the cash register.

You took out your card and gave Jake a shy smile, “Oh, nice. Great to meet you.”

He winked at you, “Likewise.”

Apparently, only hot people work here, you surmised. 

You thought you saw Heeseung pout at the exchange between you and Jake, but whether or not he actually did, he ignored your card and handed over your bag of macarons, swiftly stepping away to prepare your drink.

“Wait, I need to pay—“

“I’ve got you. It’ll just be a few minutes,” he called over his shoulder and got to work.

Your cheeks grew warm. 

Why did he have to act so sweet sometimes?

“I mean, I knew you had a girlfriend, but you should’ve told me she was dropping by,” Jake chuckled as he pulled up by Heeseung’s side.

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

“She’s not?” Jake questioned. 

“But I’m interested in her,” Heeseung clarified while frothing your matcha latte a bit too aggressively. 

“Aw,” Jake moped, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed, “That’s too bad, she’s kinda….”

When it went silent, Jake playfully glanced over at Heeseung, who was staring him down. He slapped him on the back, “Only messing with you, dude.”

“Right.”

Just as you finished unpacking and settling in at the corner table, Heeseung approached with your matcha latte in hand and set it down in front of you. 

“That was quick,” You felt giddy getting the special treatment.

“Give it a try, and let me know if it needs anything.”

You stirred the pretty green liquid with the straw and took a sip, glancing up at Heeseung as you did so. Heeseung bit his lip and tilted his head expectantly.

“It’s perfect.”

“Good, just let me know if you need anything,” He smiled, but before he could leave, you caught his sleeve.

“Wait, have a macaron before you go. Jake gave me a lot,” You randomly chose the dusty pink one that smelled like roses and held it up for him to take.

Instead, he drew close, placing his hand on the back of your chair to steady himself, parted his lips, and waited. You glanced up at him to check if he was joking, but the glimmer in his eye said otherwise.  

Woah—

Brain on autopilot, you fed it to him, and he took a bite out of the fresh macaron.

He licked at his lips and smirked at you, “Thanks.”

After he disappeared behind the counter, you dropped your forehead into your hand, flabbergasted. You just knew your face was so red. 

This crazy ass—

What, did he expect you to finish the remainder of the macaron? 

This was too much for you to handle– Heeseung was too much for you to handle today.

And, of course, you finished it.

Two hours flew by at your table while you were jamming to some nostalgic tunes in your own little world while studying for your upcoming finals. 

Feeling the urge to stretch, you took off your headphones and extended your stiff limbs with a wince.

Condensation ran down your empty glass of matcha, and you had finished nibbling on your macarons earlier. Besides the lavender and vanilla flavors you had chosen, the rose one was pretty aromatic, and the other strawberries and cream flavor Jake picked out for you was delicious. The snacks certainly whet your appetite, and now you were more than looking forward to having dinner with Heeseung… at his place. 

You peered at Heeseung over the top of your laptop as he kept busy behind the espresso bar; Jake was a very charismatic cashier, as you experienced first-hand, while Heeseung was rather efficient at serving up beverages and hopping in to take orders when needed. They seemed to handle themselves well as a team, as far as you could tell from the past couple of hours.

Girls and guys often wandered in to gawk at the two, and you completely understood why. Nonetheless, it didn’t help the surge of discomfort you felt when you caught two girls checking Heeseung out from behind. There was nothing you could do but seethe in your seat.

Relax. They’re not the ones headed home with him tonight. 

Ah, that reminder helped, sort of. 

Now you were feeling antsy about the fact that Heeseung had invited you over in the first place. There was no way you prepared in any way, shape or form with how little heads up he gave you, but you couldn’t have easily passed up the opportunity to get a look at his place and spend more time with him. 

And if he baked, he had to be a good cook, no?

The chatty girls ended up being the last customers to leave the cafe, except for you in the corner, partially anxious but mostly content because you were alone, and so was Heeseung. 

After a quiet period, you were drawn from your studies when a woman who stood out from the average patron strolled into the cafe. She was dressed well enough to convince you that she was a model or at least an influencer of sorts, especially by the confident way she held herself. 

Jake welcomed her warmly, and you were about to slip your headphones back on when you heard her speak, “Hello. Does Heeseung work here?”

“Yeah! Do you want me to get him for you? He’s prepping food in the back.”

“Please.”

Who is she? A friend?

Jake made his way to the back kitchens. “Hey, Heeseung! Someone’s here to see you!”

“One sec,” You heard Heeseung call. 

The woman stood calmly and patiently at the counter; she appeared to be in her mid-twenties and looked sharp in all-black fashion with a set of alluring, shadowy eyes. An uneasy feeling passed through your stomach at the way she suddenly rolled her shoulders and neck— you couldn’t put a finger on it, but if it involved Heeseung, you didn’t like it.

Heeseung emerged from the kitchen doors, and you became deeply concerned at how his face went stoic upon seeing the mysterious woman. Jake sensed something was off as well and looked back and forth between the two. 

“Hi. I hope I caught you at a good time. As you know, I’ve been wanting to chat,” Her tone was overtly sweet. 

Heeseung rounded the counter and approached her, dropping his voice to an inaudible murmur. 

Whispers were exchanged between them; you focused on trying to read their lips, but it was difficult. They were familiar with each other, that much you could tell. However, they couldn’t have looked like more complete opposites. 

Feeling that you were being nosy, you stopped staring and returned to your project at hand, not wanting to overstep any further. 

A sharp slap followed by a harsh clatter resounded in the empty cafe, alerting you.

Shocked, your head whipped towards the source of the noise, only to see Heeseung, whose face was angled away from you. Your sights landed on his glasses on the tile floor.

The woman standing in front of him took an easy breath, but the way she flicked her wrist gave away her rage.

Somehow, you were already standing from your seat, crossing the floor, “Excuse me. Did you just–”

The woman kept her eyes trained on Heeseung, “Mind your own business, love.”

Jake jumped in front of you, waving his hands, “Jesus— Easy, easy. I’ll handle this.” 

Red filled your vision once your brain registered what had happened, but you had enough sense to stand your ground a safe distance away— for that woman’s sake.

“Get her out of here before I do it myself,” you gritted out. 

Jake nodded and was quick to address the woman, “Miss, I’m not sure what’s going on, but you can’t just assault our staff. I’m going to have to ask you to leave immediately due to store policy.”

She eyed you, and her sharp expression slowly morphed into a feigned smile, startling you.

“Just one more thing,” She inclined her chin towards Heeseung, “Then we’ll chat back at my place after you wrap up here, alright, love?”

Heeseung’s gaze flickered at the woman, but he said nothing. 

She sauntered up to him, much too close for anyone’s comfort, and reached out to take hold of his chin, her sharp nails gauging into his skin. Stunned, you watched him shut his eyes tightly, how his brows drew together— and then he caught her wrist before she could get any closer.

Heeseung spoke in an extremely deliberate tone, “No. This is the last time I’ll be saying this to you. We’re finished. We’ve been finished. Do you understand?”

As the woman’s fingers curled into a fist, so did yours. 

“Leave. If I see you bothering any customers or staff who occupy this space, I’ll let the authorities deal with you,” He warned.

“I’ve taken care of you since we were children, Heeseung.”

The statement took you by surprise. 

“We’re done talking,” Heeseung tugged her past you and Jake towards the cafe entrance. She pulled back on his grip, but he remained unfazed. 

The two of you watched him take her outside and proceed to lock up the front of the store. Jake quickly followed and began to pull down the blinds as the woman pressed up against the windows. Her eyes slowly dragged over your form in the most demeaning manner. 

“Talk about a crazy ex,” Jake murmured to no one in particular, pressing his back against the covered window. You exhaled heavily, speechless at the turn of events.

When you bent over to pick up Heeseung’s glasses and inspect them, you noticed a lens had cracked. One could only imagine how much the slap must’ve stung. 

Heeseung touched the small of your back, “I’m really sorry you had to see that.”

Feeling left in the dark, you turned around and gave him a look of confusion, “Exactly how long has it been since you broke up with your ex?”

“Since the start of the semester,” Heeseung answered right away, “This is the first time I’ve seen her since. I don’t know how she found out about my new job.”

“And she still can’t take a hint?” Jake asked while cleaning up behind the register. 

“She will now because I’m not entertaining her games.”

You felt relief, but you immediately regretted the question. 

What a thing for me to ask after everything that just took place, you thought, ashamed. 

“Are you okay?” Your hand was shaky when you reached out to touch his cheek. 

His fingers brushed against the back of your hand in reassurance. 

“I’m fine. I’ll be better once we get out of here and grab something to eat back at my place,” He managed to give you a small smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

[fatehbaz]

In September 2022, the Australian High Court upheld a law that effectively allows “preventative incarceration,” or the imprisonment of people even after their sentence has been served, based on whether or not a court thinks the prisoner might be at risk of committing a future crime.

Indigenous people make up 4% of the population of Western Australia, but 40% of the state’s prisoners are Indigenous.

At Western Australia’s Banksia youth prison, 75% of incarcerated youth are Indigenous.

Australia allows for the imprisonment of children as young as 10 years old.

---

Excerpt:

Casuarina prison is a sprawling, concrete jungle on the southern outskirts of Perth, Western Australia (WA). It is a maximum-security, adult facility, home to people who may never leave its confines. However, on July 20, the penitentiary “welcomed” a new cohort of prisoners: 17 kids under the age of 18, who had been moved from the Banksia Hill Juvenile Detention Center to Casuarina [...].

When current WA Premier Mark McGowan was elected in 2017, his Labor party promised to lower the rate of Indigenous incarceration in the state, which is the highest in the nation. First Nations people are 16 times more likely to be incarcerated in WA than non-Indigenous people, a number that has only risen despite the promise of the government.

Dr. Hannah McGlade, a Noongar academic and human rights lawyer, isn’t surprised by the state’s failure to uphold its promise. “Our government cares little for Aboriginal lives,” McGlade told The Diplomat. [...]

In the past month, the Australian High Court upheld a law designed to keep the worst offenders in prison indefinitely, even after their sentences have been complete.

Known as the High Risk Serious Offenders Act (HRSOA), the legislation was challenged in Australia’s apex court when Peter Garlett, a 23-year-old Noongar man, was imprisoned after stealing AU$20 and a necklace while pretending to be armed. Despite this being his first adult offense, when his sentence was up, the Western Australian government asked the High Court to keep Garlett, now 28, in prison.

The court agreed, effectively paving the way for preventative incarceration in Australia.

Though five of the seven High Court judges upheld the constitutional validity of the HRSOA, many academics, lawyers, and activists who deal with the lives of First Nations people inside the legal system on a regular basis, note that this will only further trap Indigenous Australians in the carceral system. Garlett had been in near-continuous detention since he was 12, and this became the rationale for keeping him in prison beyond his criminal sentence.

One of the judges even hypothesized that the law could “potentially lead to the imprisonment of one seventh of the entire prison population of Western Australia for offenses that they have not committed.” [...]

“This is a crystal-clear example of an indirectly discriminatory law: one that is not discriminatory in its express terms but is discriminatory in its practical effect.” [...]

Though Indigenous people make up less than 4 percent of the state population, nearly 40 percent of Western Australia’s prison population is Indigenous. That is particularly troubling given the horrific record of Australian prisons. Since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in 1991, over 500 First Nations people have died while imprisoned in Australia. In 2020-2021 alone, 13 prisoners died in custody in WA – five of them Aboriginal.

No custodial or police officer has ever been found criminally responsible for any of these deaths.

The structural forces pushing Indigenous people into Australia’s prisons start early. In the Banksia Hill Juvenile Detention Center, three-quarters of the inmates are Indigenous. Despite its mandate to rehabilitate people for their eventual release, reports show some of the prisoners receiving as little as five hours of education a month. In April, the state’s prison watchdog outlined a series of “cruel, inhumane, and degrading” treatments in the facility’s Intensive Support Unit. Children have reportedly made suicide pacts due to their treatment, with some being kept in isolation for 23 hours a day. [...]

Penglis and McGlade point to the age of imprisonment in Australia being only 10 years old as devastating. [...]

---

Text by: Dechlan Brennan. “How Western Australia Criminalizes Indigenous Children.” The Diplomat. 7 October 2022. [Italicized first lines/heading in this post added by me.]

[collapsedsquid]

U.S. Rep. Cory Mills says he has helped 23 Americans exit Port-au-Prince Haiti, which has fallen into chaos as criminal gangs have overpowered government forces. "Our team has now successfully rescued and evacuated more Americans than (President Joe) Biden and his entire administration," he claimed in a tweet on X. "Americans deserve support from their government. Not the pattern of abandonment this administration has shown." [....] Mills said he rescued 255 Americans out of Israel after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas, as well as another evacuation of U.S. citizens from Afghanistan when the military pulled out in 2021. Mills is in his second year in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was elected in 2022 to Florida's 7th District, which straddles northern Seminole and southern Volusia counties. While in the Army, Mills served tours of duty in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo, among other locations. After military service, he co-founded Pacem Solution International LLC and Pacem Defense LLC, which provide intelligence and security in faraway places. The gangs have been able to control key parts of the capital, Port-au-Prince, including the airport, leaving treacherous conditions for Americans wanting to leave.

We got a congressman with his own PMC, ominous

[callsignspark]

Hello, yes. It’s me.

Tell me more about the frat boy Bob college AU!

this is one of my favorite AUs I have bubbling in my brain because frat boy Bob? he’s a sexy sweetheart 🤤 also this is like 80% @withahappyrefrain’s fault because she’s the one I originally word vomited this onto

it all started sometime last January when Rainey posted that photo of him on his birthday and his keys were in the photo, a gym membership tag on the chain. (and it’s a crime I can’t find it rn omg) but it really cemented my favorite thing about Lewis. which is how he’s so “just a guy” all the time. famous dad? just some guy with a gym membership tag on his keys. second tier character in 2022’s biggest movie? just some guy who does theater in his spare time. he has two hats, and three shirts, and one pair of boots. I like him so much because he’s Just Some Guy™ - just a simple man. I adore that about him. having said all that: I present my frat boy college!Bob AU

Bob feels like someone you would have gone to college with, had a huge crush on for all four years, then forget about after graduation. But not without a lot of work to stop those feelings and pining, but eventually, a few years later he floats away. Except for those few times he appears on a mutual friend’s social media. And every time you see him on social media, the crush reignites. Just a little tiny bit.

One day you run into him randomly and find out he’s moved to your city. He doesn’t know anyone else and you exchange numbers, you learn he actually did you know in school. He actually had a crush but didn’t do anything about it and would you like to go out now?

Because Bob was the cool nerd in school. Like he’s quiet and shy, so studious and freaking brilliant. But he’s also in a frat somehow and on the baseball team at a school that doesn’t care about baseball. So he’s absolutely in shape and at the gym in his free time but no one ever notices how big his biceps and how handsome and funny is his because they’re staring at the football players.

But our leading lady notices him.

She likes the quiet guy from her creative writing class (an elective for both of them) who has the same backwards baseball cap on every time she sees him at the gym. Bob also notices her at the gym when he goes in the evenings for him team workout. His morning workout is rowing in the river in town, and if the dock where he likes to start his mornings happens to go by the apartment building where his pretty classmate likes to do homework on her balcony while the sunrises? Well that’s just a bonus.

She’s part of the school’s dance ensemble club (a relaxed, just for fun, non-performance version of the dance team) and he loves the glimpses he gets of her through the studio door. Her smile is always so wide and bright as she moves to the music in the little studio. The studio which is conveniently next to the weight section he always ends his workouts in. They frequently end up leaving the gym at the same time and always give each other polite smiles. He eventually gets brave enough to open the door for her and it becomes a little tradition that he quick walks ahead to grab it for her. Eventually they get up to exchanging “thank you” and “have a good night” and smiles but they never talk more than that.

Cue graduation and real world starting. And bam then they’re running into each other at a gym. As he’s finishing his last cool down stuff he notices a familiar head and watches as she walks out of a barre class. He scrambles to open the door for her - his established way of flirting!!! - and our story begins. There’s nothing sexier than a courteous man. Especially one that has sweaty little curls poking out the sides of his hat!! And once they tumble into bed she finds out how much sexier those sweaty curls are when she’s the cause of them.

[meraki-yao]

20 Questions For Fic Writers ✒️

I have a bit of time between now and my consultation for my essay so I’m finally answering these! Thank you to @luainthewild and @typicalopposite for the tags!!!!

How many works do you have on ao3?

13 right now! I’m a baby fic writer lol I only started in 2022 as a coping mechanism from university fucking me up, but I’m fully in love with it now. It’s so good to get back into writing for myself after writing for school and exams according to a marking scheme for so long.

What's your total ao3 word count? 43,982!

What fandoms do you write for?

浪浪钉 LLD (The collective ship name for the main ship Wenzhou and the rps Junzhe), Shadowhunters (mostly Show canon but I do have book canon fic ideas in my drafts), RWRB

I have a Sanders Sides Hadestown AU in my drafts too but that’s been gathering dust there for a while😅

Top five fics by kudos:

I’d Hang the Moon for It to Shine on Him Sleeping (RWRB)

I Need Comfort (But I Hate Being Comfortable) (RWRB)

Dancing Under Red Skies (Shadowhunters)

Take Me Out and Take Me Home (Shadowhunters)

Achilles Come Down (Shadowhunters)

Do you respond to comments?

Not really, mostly because I have no idea how to handle compliments🫠

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I’d say my first fic? Four Times Love Meant Sacrifice and the One Time It Didn't Need To, because that was literally four ships with a bad ending (or at least endings presented as bad) with one final happy ending ship. But otherwise I mostly stick with happy endings, or at least hopeful endings

But I will say my WIP that I posted on Wednesday is gonna break that record and have the angsiest ending, because it’s about Arthur Fox’s cancer diagnosis and Henry’s emotional journey through that point of his life

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I’d say most of them are fairly happy? But I do think I do hopeful endings more.

Probably Can I Have This Dance? It ends with Alex and Henry dancing around in the Texas family house after the election

Do you get hate on fics?

So far so good, no, and I’m hoping it stays that way 🥹

Do you write smut?

Very, very tame. The most explicit thing I’ve written is The Word of Your Body, which is a RWRB Movie Paris scene fic. It’s very tame, but writing the main event gave me such a crisis

Craziest crossover:

I don’t think I’ve done a crossover? Between fandoms, that is. And I don’t think I’ll ever plan to? Unless you count what I did for Four Times Love Meant Sacrifice and the One Time It Didn't Need To because I was mixing the actor’s characters from different projects and shipping them together (which is a really prominent thing in the LLD/JZ fandom)

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No, not that I know of

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but with my growing interest in translation, I am thinking of translating some of my own fics, starting with the LLD (since that’s a dominantly Chinese fandom to began with)

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, not yet!

All time favorite ship?

Aw, you can’t make me choose, that’s impossible!

What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have way too many ideas in my RWRB draft box, so there’s a lot of doubt there

But for fics I actually already started, it’s a song fic on “I’ll Cover You” from Rent for Junzhe. I was like 40% done with the draft, but the last time I touched it was in 2022.

It’s supposed to be a sort of exploration on cross-dressing and femineity which started because I was pissed at the government’s “Anti-sissy” declaration, and Zhehan (one part of the ship, but don’t search him online yourself a lot of shit happened and there’s massive misinformation everywhere about him) was really loved and known for his perceived femininity after holding a dominantly masculine image for most of his career. The gender neutrality in his style during and after Word of Honor suited him better, and I wanted to write about that

What are your writing strengths?

Descriptive writing and character studies, which is why most of my fics are either putting visual media into words, or missing scenes, or canon compliant

What are your writing weaknesses?

Dialogue and anything regarding movement and action, so choosing to write a Tangled AU for the RWRB Big Bang is a challenge I set for myself

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

Be careful with it, and be respectful. (and of course, if it’s Chinese, I will be extra critical)

First fandom you wrote in?

Lang Lang Ding/Junzhe! Or if you categorize according to AO3 tags, Word of Honor RPF

Favorite fic you've written?

Eh, I’m pretty happy with most of my fics but I’ll go with I’d Hang the Moon for It to Shine on Him Sleeping, The Word of Your Body and Achilles Come Down

No pressure tagging @o0anapher0o @pippin-katz @lfg1986-2 @noemiettedraw @thinkof-england

[myminecraftfantasy]

DSMP Fusion AU

(This note was last updated April 6, 2022. Any event/lore/new members after this date is probably not included.)

This AU is inspired by Steven Universe and @koopattemptsart on Instagram.

How the World works:

Only one cluster of fusion crystals were found. Its appearance is similar to an amethyst cluster but is transparent like glass. The cluster was broken into five shards, and divided among those who found it.

The living cannot fuse with the dead(aka ghosts). The living can only fuse with the living, and the dead with the dead.

In order to fuse, their thoughts and bodies must sync or harmonize. Even if two people do not like each other, it is possible for fusion to happen as long as they meet the requirements.

Fusions give you a more intimate understanding of the person you fuse with.

There is no 3 Canon Lives system.

How it started:

Begins before the L’manburg Presidential Election

BadBoyHalo finds a translucent crystal while mining and breaks it into five shards. He brings it to Gay Castle where Eret was holding a small celebration for its completion. The other guests in the small get-together was Skeppy, Ponk, and Awesamdude

Music was playing when BBH entered. He held a crystal and was about to show them, when Skeppy grabbed his hands and pulled him into a twirl.

The crystal they’re holding as they twirl begins to glow. black, red, and blue light mix into the crystal. The light consumes them both, and one figure is left in their place.

A fusion between Bad and Skeppy appeared, and everyone is shocked. Sapnap decides to call the fusion “Bappy”.

Bappy unfuses The others try to recreate it but they don’t know how.

When it came time to leave, the crystals are divided among Bad, Eret, Sam, Skeppy, and Ponk.

CRYSTAL OWNERSHIP PROGRESSION:

BBH —> Sapnap

Ponk —> Schlatt —> Dream —> Techno

Sam —> Quackity

Eret —> Niki

Skeppy —> Punz —> Tubbo

Sapnap borrowed the crystal from BBH.

Ponk gives his crystal to Schlatt as part of their trade. Schlatt then gives the crystal to Dream along with the revival book. Dream uses the crystal with Technoblade during Doomsday, which Techno keeps after.

Skeppy trades his crystal to Punz. Punz gives the crystal to help Tommy and Tubbo during the Confrontation, which Tubbo keeps.

Sam gives his crystal to Quackity as part of their deal at Las Nevadas.

Eret gifted his crystal to Niki.

(I’ll make another post with all the existing fusions and their timeline appearances. I just need to organize my mess of notes.

I both loved and hated making this au. Making fusions of characters is fun. But I remember combing through multiple stream vods, looking for fusion opportunities because of my need to keep it lore accurate time wise. There are dates listed! I don’t even remember anymore T^T)

[licensedqueerio]

Part One - The Hallucination

I haven't posted in ages, so have something I've been working on for a bit. This is a Eddie Munson ghost AU, where he was in fact a cult leader, some stuff went wrong, and ultimately lead to his death. Now he's trying to fix it.

So far, this is a three part story, I hope this first part interests you enough to keep reading. Happy holidays, and Happy New Years. Last post of 2022, whoo, thank you everyone who stuck with me through the year!

(Side note, there's a random character thrown in. I promise he's relevant later in the story)

—

Word count: 4.6k

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Male!Reader

Warnings: some horror stuff, character death mentioned, swearing, mention of drugs

Request Here

—

"Why do I have to go?" You sighed tiredly as you glared at the other three boys wrapped up in varsity jackets. Really, out of the four of you, you didn't understand why you'd been elected to go and check out the supposed 'haunted' trailer park. It was apparently a town legend.

"Because you're the skeptic," Mason, a boy on the team and your friend, said with a casual shrug. "Who better to go check out this place? Maybe it'll finally get you to believe the freaky shit that happened here."

You sighed again, "no matter how many times you say it, I'm not buying the satanic ritualistic sacrifice gone wrong," you droned, "it isn't haunted, I have so many other things I could be doing right now instead of freezing my dick off and trespassing."

"And breaking and entering," Mason completed, and frowned at the looks he received, "what?" He complained, “whatever. Do it, don't do it. You literally have nothing better to do," he claimed.

He was right of course, but you weren't about to admit that to him. You sighed and stuffed your hands back in your pockets, the cold was making them go numb. "Fifty bucks?" You asked.

Mason grinned, his cheeks dimpled, "yep. Fifty bucks, as agreed. Bring back a souvenir as proof."

Bringing back a 'souvenir' sounded like you were begging a ghost to come haunt you. You didn't say this either. You sighed and wondered how you'd gotten here, but also didn't voice that thought because you knew what Mason would say; some smartass answer like 'a car', because he was an asshole.

"Fine," you relented and snatched the flashlight out of his hands. "I fucking hate you," you muttered under your breath and stomped to the fence that sectioned the trailer park off. You got past it with relative ease and held the flashlight like a weapon as you walked through the place. It felt like a graveyard.

Fifty bucks was not worth it, you should have negotiated for more. You pulled your jacket tighter around your body as you searched for the correct trailer you were supposed to be rooting around in.

The story you were told was this; a satanic cult leader tried to murder a cheerleader in some sick ritual a handful of years ago in '83 and it had backfired. The two were both found dead inside the trailer. The inhabitants of the trailer park all soon moved away, including the boys guardian. It's been empty ever since.

Last year, apparently a girl had dared venture into the trailer and claimed she saw the undead cult leader.

When you were told this story, obviously you scoffed at it. Ghosts weren't real, and neither were satanic cult leaders. Not in Hawkins Indiana. It was a ridiculous idea to entertain.

But here you were.

You shined the light onto the trailer and squinted at the old number hanging on it. You had arrived at your destination.

You walked up the three stairs to the front door, the old wood creaked beneath your feet and you prayed they weren't too rotten and we're able to support your weight.

You turned the doorknob, unsurprised to find it unlocked. You pushed it open slowly and grimaced at the creak. You slipped inside and a punched out noise escaped your lips as you shone the light across the small trailer.

Baseball caps decorated the top of the walls, while shelves carried an assortment of mugs, all appearing to be different shapes and colors.

A layer of dust coated everything across the room, and the ceiling had a disturbing looking tear across it, with a dark stain overlaying it. Maybe mold had done it, or water damage. But directly below it was blood, stained into the carpet.

One minute you were staring at the stain of blood, and the next, you were there; in the past, staring down at the two bodies as they bled out.

Soft brown eyes snapped up to you as the boy laid dying on the carpet, his hand valiantly trying to stop the blood pouring from his neck.

Around you, you made out the face of a curly haired boy who stood in a circle with six others.

It did look like a cult.

"What are you doing here?" The dying boy mouthed, but you heard his low whispered voice directly in your ear, startling you back to the present. You whipped around to stare at the empty space beside you.

You exhaled slowly, reassuring yourself that no one was there and you were safe. You were just paranoid from all the stories you'd heard. That's all that was going on.

You shook yourself and continued to look around. Other than the blood stained on the floor it looked like a normal home. The furniture hadn't been touched, and as you continued to walk deeper into the trailer, you noticed everything on the counters had been untouched. Medication bottles, scattered papers and mail, and forgotten dishes.

You urged your feet forward into the kitchen area. Everything smelled…old, and stale. It made sense, considering how long ago everything had gone down. You were surprised to see pots of what had once been food still on the stove and dirty dishes in the sink. Nothing had changed.

"Get out," a malicious voice hissed from directly behind him.

"What the fuck!" You snapped and whirled around, shining your light from left to right, but no one was there. You were going crazy, it was official.

Wonderful. Mason owed you a hell of a lot more than fifty dollars.

You passed the kitchen, not keen on seeing moldy food or maggots.

You soon found yourself in a bedroom. It looked like it had belonged to a teenage boy once. Band and horror movie posters covered every inch of the walls. Nothing about it screamed cult leader. Maybe the metal posters could be taken the wrong way, but his taste in music didn't make him a cult leader.

You frowned as you cautiously stepped forward, sweeping the room further. There wasn't much space for things, but the two desks and the single drawer in the room were covered with things. Small figurines, books with obscure titles—a few Tolkien works, but others seemed darker. The strange thing was, nothing had dust on it. The room was in excellent condition and still looked lived in.

Directly in front of you, hanging in front of a wide mirror, was the most beautiful guitar you had perhaps ever laid eyes on.  You stepped forward and reached out to touch it.

"Get out!" The same voice repeated, Louder this time and you dropped your hand.

"Fuck you," you muttered under your breath before you could catch yourself. Great. Now you were talking to your hallucinations.

"You're brave." Mocking laughter echoed in your head, flossing through your ears. "Take the guitar," the voice suddenly urged.

You paused as you stared at said guitar. Why would you listen to a strange voice in your head? It didn't sound smart, in fact, it was probably the dumbest idea you'd ever had.

You reached out and carefully pulled the guitar down, dust sticking to your hands. You looked down at it and shine the light on it to get a better look. It was red and black, and the strings looked to still be in good shape.

It would make a good souvenir to bring back to Mason, and as you turned around to leave, you saw a boy standing in the corner with a grin on his lips.

When you did a double take to see if he was real, you found nothing.

Strange.

You held the guitar by the neck and quickly hurried out of the old trailer. You weren't scared, but you didn't want to spend any more time there than you had to.

Mason and the others whooped with joy when you returned, though they quieted down once they realized you had brought back a souvenir. Almost like they hadn’t planned on you actually going through with it.

“Here,” you said and held out the guitar to Mason, “it’s still in decent condition, might have to change the strings though,” you said and shrugged, “I’m never going back there again, it’s disgusting. There’s still blood on the floor,” you said with a shudder.

“Holy shit,” Mason whispered, but immediately shied away from the guitar, “oh no, you keep that. Bad luck,” he said wisely. He dug his hand into his jean pocket and pulled out a crisp fifty dollar bill, “here. Now come on, you can buy us dinner,” he said with a grin.

“You’re delusional,” you replied with a laugh, you looked down at the guitar, and for a second, you could almost feel cold fingers wrapping around your own. You shook it off though when one of your teammates complained about being cold and climbed back into the car.

You ended up buying an extremely late night lunch anyway before heading home. You snuck back in through your window so your parents wouldn’t know you’d been sneaking around and hid the guitar in your closet. You would make up a lie for it’s sudden appearance tomorrow, but now you just wanted to sleep.

You fell face first into your bed and passed out.

—

There were fingers trailing across your cheek. Gently grazing your skin with featherlight pressure. It sent a chill down your spine and an involuntary shudder racked your body. The touch halted, before it disappeared entirely.

Later, you chalked it up to a dream, that you’d still been sleeping and had a strange dream that involved you and a stranger. Despite that, it weighed on the back of your mind all day and led to a split lip and bloody nose from taking a baseball to the face.

Lucky for you, this meant you were able to go home early, which you did gladly.

Then things got weird.

You walked into your bathroom, a wad of toilet paper pressed to your nose to stop the profuse bleeding. Your eyes still stung with tears brought on by the pain and with a frustrated growl you wiped them away. You missed the reflection of a boy standing behind you.

You sighed and pulled the toilet paper away from your face. You grimaced at the bruises that had already formed and sighed. You bent your head and scrubbed the blood off your hand and then wiped it off your face, careful not to aggravate your wounds.

You lifted your head back up and a startled yelp escaped your lips at the translucent boy standing over your shoulder. With a racing heart you whipped around but saw nothing but the wall. You exhaled sharply and muttered, “what the fuck?” Before you wiped your face and tried to shake the feeling of terror that had flooded you.

You leaned forward to examine the mirror and swiped a hand across it. Maybe it was just a trick of the light, or the tears in your eyes. Or a ghost. You shook your head and dispelled such silly thoughts. Ghosts didn't exist.

“Your pretty face got messed up,” a chilling voice whispered into your ear, almost as if it could hear your thoughts and had to prove you wrong. You spun around again with wide eyes and only saw a flash of translucent clothing before it was gone.

You quickly fled the bathroom with a pounding heart. You hurried down the hallway where the voice taunted, "don't be scared, darling."

You made it into your room and slammed the door shut. You pressed your back against the painted white door and heaved for breath through your panic. You tried to reassure yourself that you were fine, that you were tired and needed some sleep was all. Everything you heard was a sleep deprivation hallucination.

"Oh sweetheart, a closed door can't stop me," the same voice whispered in your ear. You held your breath as ice cold fingers grazed the back of your neck and down your spine. You could feel the chill through your shirt.

Mocking laughter filled your ears, and it got louder and louder. It overlapped itself until it was a chaotic cacophony of harsh noise, you had to slam your hands over your ears in a desperate, vain attempt to drown it out. It didn't work of course.

Your ears rang that entire night. You laid in bed, paranoid as the shadows of your room seemed to jump out at you. But you would have rather died than risk getting up and shutting them back on. So, you suffered through the night until the sun came up.

—

"You look like shit," Mason said, accompanied by a low whistle. "You good, man?"

No, you were not good. Your nose bridge was bruised and it had spread to your eyes. It hurt, and you still couldn't completely hear. Oh, and you were exhausted due to your restless night.

"Fuck off," you mumbled and dropped your head onto the cafeteria table. It was so loud, you were beginning to regret coming to school. "I feel like shit. Fucking face hurts you fuckwad," you grumbled under your breath.

Mason only laughed and clapped a hand on your shoulder, "I wasn't the one to hit you in the face, that honor falls on Sinclair," he responded.

"What did I do?" Sinclair asked as he sat down. He was a senior, two years older than you.

"What didn't you do," a new voice snorted.

"You busted Y/N's face up," Mason responded. "He looks like shit. Shame, his looks were the only thing that saved his shining personality."

You lifted your head, intending to punch him in the shoulder before you violently startled when you made eye contact with the boy besides Sinclair. You stared unblinking at the head of curly hair, disbelieving. What the fuck.

"Dude," Mason said, "what's wrong with you?" He asked with a frown.

"I have to— I have to go, I'm gonna, I'm gonna go," you stammered out. You nearly face planted when your foot got caught on the table's bench, but Mason grabbed your arm to steady you. You said nothing and instead tugged your arm away from him and hurried out of the cafeteria.

He had been there. The boy with curly hair was there when that kid died. He had been standing in that circle, watching as he bled out. What the fuck.

"Scared of Dustin?" The chilling voice breathed in your ear, and you stumbled. You caught yourself on the wall and ignored the looks you had received. You choked on your breath as you shoved the door open and stepped outside.

"Kids harmless," the voice taunted, "don't be scared, darling," it continued, sending a chill down your spine.

"Fuck off," you snapped and ran to the field, then past it and into the trees. You didn't know where you were going, you were just trying to outrun the voice.

"Ouch, that's not very nice," it hissed.

Suddenly, you felt something in front of your leg at the same time something shoved you from behind. You tripped and flying to meet the ground, landing on your front and wheezing for breath. "Fuck," you ground and rolled onto your back. You sucked in a deep breath and tried to calm your hammering heart.

"Get up."

You flinched and sat up instantly. You whipped your head around and tried to look for whoever was speaking. "Show yourself!" You demanded, "who the fuck are you!? Just leave me alone!" You shouted and clambered to your feet, brushing the dead leaves off your body and from your hair.

"No," the voice whispered, drifting in through one ear, then the other.

You flinched away and slammed your hands over your ears, "then go fuck yourself," you snarled and whirled around and stomped back the way you came. A chilling presence on your back alerted you to your doom half a second too late. You went sprawling on your front once more.

"You piece of shit," you groaned into the dirt.

"You aren't being nice, darling," the voice cooed, "haven't you figured it out yet? No? Well, you'll figure it out soon enough," it said and disappeared.

You stayed on the ground for half a second longer before you shoved yourself to your feet. You sighed and brushed more of the leaves off of yourself. You were going insane. That was fun. Even worse, you had talked to your hallucinations and it had responded, which was vaguely terrifying but you were much too tired to deal with it.

—

You got little more than an hour of sleep that night and the bruises on your face seemed to have only gotten worse, which was just great.

"What happened yesterday?" Mason immediately asked when you sat at the desk besides him. "You freaked then disappeared. And you look like shit again," he said before sighing, "I'm worried."

"Don't be, I'm fine," you responded. "Just having trouble sleeping."

Mason narrowed his eyes, "okay," he said slowly. "If you need anything, let me know, yeah? Or I can hook you up with some stuff to help you sleep," he offered.

"Naughty naughty, darling. Friends with dealers?"

You flinched and looked over your shoulder, but like always, nothing was there. God you needed to sleep. "Yeah, do that. I'll stop by your place after school," you said before he could ask what was wrong.

Mason sighed. But he nodded and turned his head to the front of the room when the teacher walked in.

You dutifully copied down notes without any incidents. Until, you looked back up at the board and saw him. He was leaning innocently against the board, staring at you with curious brown eyes.

Oh.

You stared back at him. Well. That's what you get for going into that damn trailer, you were so paranoid you were hallucinating a dead boy. Something was wrong with your head. Maybe your parents dropped you on your head when you were a baby, you'd have to ask.

"Mr. L/N!"

You jolted and looked at the teacher, "sorry. What?"

"I hated her," the boy said matter of factly, though he was on the other side of the room you could still hear him directly in your ear. "She kept failing me."

You glared at him, willing him to be silent. It was your hallucination wasn't it? It could at least shut up when someone was talking.

Speaking of which, you heard nothing the teacher said and looked at her blankly. "What?"

Giggles erupted around the room and you frowned.

"Mr. L/N if you're having trouble focusing in my class, perhaps you'd do better in the office," she suggested.

"What? No, no. I'm fine," you denied. "I'm fine, I'm focusing. Sorry."

"See? Bitch," the boy hissed and glared venomously at the woman.

You ignored him.

"Well then come up here and solve this problem. Let's go," she said sharply and held out a stick of chalk.

You stood up and made your way to the front of the room. You took the piece of chalk from her and stared at the math problem at the board. After a moment, you began to write.

"Well aren't you smart, darling?" The boy purred in your ear and you shuddered, but otherwise ignored him.

You hurried to finish the problem before quickly heading back to your seat, staring at your notebook instead of the boy.

"You good? You were spacing out there, man," Mason whispered.

"I'm fine," you snapped under your breath.

Mason impatiently sighed, "whatever, dude," he muttered.

You frowned at him before sighing too. Whatever was right. Once you got your head back on straight you'd apologize, until then, he would be fine, you had more pressing issues than his hurt feelings. Like the dead boy staring at you from across the room, distracting you for the rest of class.

—

You didn’t see the hallucination for the rest of the day, which you were thankful for, you were going to go crazy at this rate. You knew moving to this middle of nowhere town had been a mistake. But did your parents listen to you? Of course not.

You drove out to Mason’s house in the evening, cash in your pocket from hard earned money that you deserved to spend on…pharmaceuticals. And Mason was one of the only dealers in school, and because you were friends, he was usually willing to give you discounts on the goos stuff.

It was perfect.

You walked around and into his backward and knocked sharply on his window. It took two seconds before his curtains were being yanked open and he appeared in the glass. He smiled and pulled his window up and open, “hey.”

“Hi,” you responded, head tilted back so you could look at him, “how much?”

Mason held the sealed baggie out, “free of charge,” he answered and leaned against the windowsill. “I feel bad,” he explained.

You frowned and furrowed your brow at him. Why would he feel bad?

“Because we forced you to go into that trailer. Now you’re not sleeping, I feel bad,” Mason explained, “we shouldn’t have made you go in.”

You took the baggie from him, not one to turn down free goods, and stuffed it in your pocket before you looked back at him. “Not your fault I’m going crazy,” you laughed, like you weren’t genuinely concerned for your mental state. At his curious stare you continued, “I’m hallucinating. I think because of the lack of sleep, I keep seeing that dead kid,” you confessed and scratched your jaw.

“The…dead kid?” Mason slowly repeated and frowned, expression twisting, “...Munson, you mean? That was his trailer. Why…How do you know what he looks like? You have to know what he looks like in order to hallucinate him,” he said and frowned at you, like you had said something wrong.

“Oh, go on, sweetheart. I want to hear you explain this,” the boy—Munson said in your ear, you could feel his cold breath fan over your ear and shuddered. At least you hadn’t flinched this time.

How did you know what he looked like? You didn’t know him, had never seen any photos of him. So how would you hallucinate him? Was it even possible? Were you actually seeing Munson or did your brain just tell you it was Munson and you were hallucinating a stranger you saw on the street?

“He’s waiting,” Munson unhelpfully informed.

“In-in his room,” you quickly stammered and stepped back, away from his window and judgemental facial expressions, “I saw a picture in his room. It’s where I got the guitar. I’m gonna go,” you said and nearly tripped over your own feet as you tried to get away, “thanks,” you belated called over your shoulder and hurried out of his yard and back to your car.

You made it down the street before ‘Munson’ reappeared with a “boo!” that scared you so bad you had to pull over and take a deep breath. You didn’t realize you were shaking until you took your hands off the steering wheel.

“I could have died,” you said and stared at the wheel. Was it suicide if your hallucination caused the wreck?

“It’s not as scary as the movies make it out to be,” Munson drawled from the passenger seat, and when you looked over, you saw him sitting there like it was perfectly normal. Like he wasn’t see through and a hallucination. He turned his head to stare at you, “hi.”

Your mouth opened and closed a few times, but no words came out. Munson raised a brow and pushed long, curly hair out of his face. After another second of this, he frowned and leaned forward, across the center divider and into your space.

He inspected you up close for a moment and in your bewilderment, you let him.

“So,” he said, “why can you see me? I’ve been trying to get people’s attention for the last three years and suddenly you come into my trailer and see me? Why?” He demanded.

“...you’re my hallucination, of course I can see you,” you said slowly, “I think I may be insane. Damn. My middle school bully was right.” You frowned at him.

Munson didn’t seem to find this funny and stretched a hand out and poked you in the forehead.

To both of your surprises, his finger made contact with your forehead, rather than travel through you.

“Huh,” Munson said and looked out at his hand, “I thought earlier was a fluke. That was weird, I can’t touch anyone, it’ll go through…” His voice trailed off and he poked you in the forehead again, “and I’m not a hallucination, sweetheart. I promise.” He faked a smile, “I’m a ghost. A very annoyed one. You’re not insane.”

You jerked away from his hand, “no, I’m definitely insane. You’re not a ghost. You can’t be a ghost, because ghosts aren’t real. You aren’t real.”

“Hey!” Munson said sharply and stuck his finger in your face, “I’m real. I can touch you! How am I not real? Also, who doesn’t believe in ghosts?”

“Me!”

“Well, now you have to believe because I’m sitting right in front of you,” he hissed and poked you in the cheek this time.

You narrowed your eyes at him, which he mirrored half a second later. The two of you stared at each other until finally, you sighed. “Fine. Let’s say I believe that this isn’t some insane hallucination slash dream my mind concocted, what do you want? Why won’t you leave me alone?”

Munson took his hand back and victoriously smiled, “I’ve been stuck like this for three painful years. I know exactly how to be human again and leave this ghost bullshit behind, but I can’t use any of my knowledge because no one can see me. Until you.”

You mocked his fake smile, “what. Do. You. Want?” You repeated.

“I need your help in getting a body. A dead one, specifically. But you have to kill him in a certain way or else it won’t work and I’ll remain a ghost. Got it?”

You recoiled, “you want me to kill someone!?” You shouted, “No! What are you, crazy? No, absolutely not, no way.”

“Yes way,” Munson said, “he’ll only be dead for like, a minute tops!” He promised, “then I can take over his body and boom! Human again!” The excitement in his voice made you pause in your panic. If, and that was a big if, he wasn’t lying, if ghosts really did exist and he was one of them, he had been stuck like this for years. Unable to talk to anyone, unable to be seen by anyone, unable to do anything but exist in the balance between life and death.

It sounded awful.

You dropped your head and stared at your lap. With a heavy sigh, you murmured, “fine. Fine, but I want you to know this is crazy. Level ‘I believe the earth is flat’ crazy,” you said and lifted your head to glare.

Munson only grinned back at you, “I know,” he excitedly laughed and punched his arms in the air, “I’m gonna be alive again. I’m gonna be alive again!” He screamed and whooped, laughing the entire time.

You couldn’t help but smile at his attitude and nodded, “I’m going to drive home and you are going to be silent. Then, you can explain everything to me and we can set up ground rules. Deal?” You asked and looked at him expectantly.

Munson stuck his hand out, after a moment, you took it. “Deal,” he echoed with a warm smile.

[lordisitmine]

📚 fic ask :) 📕📘📗

Hi, I am SO sorry it took me so long to answer this- I'm in a play and today was my birthday and I've been busy but I'm so excited to do this! Since you sent me three I'm gonna give you three! They're gonna be from all across the universe of ships, some I've written for before and some I haven't, but I hope you enjoy!

(and for the rest of you- send me book emojis and I'll tell you about a fic I've daydreamed of but never written)

One: WORKING TITLE - and the gentleness that comes (fullmetal alchemist brotherhood, roy/ed)

I've actually been sitting on a complete outline since 2019 and I've written about 15 percent of it, so it's more than a daydream, but I'm gonna talk about it anyway because I want to finish it but I don't know if I ever will lmao.

It's set ten years after the promised day: Ed is 26 and a new professor teaching theoretical alchemy at central university. Roy is a full general and serves directly under Fuhrer Grummand, who is very old and in poor health. Amestris is a semi-democracy now, with an elected senate that in turn elects the Fuhrer every five years.

Roy and Ed meet by chance at a bar, having not seen each other for a decade, and strike up some sort of... friendship??? Anyway, Grummand dies soon after, and Roy is quickly put on the short list to be the next leader of Amestris. Roy and Ed keep running into each other.

But pretty soon, a conspiracy develops that could threaten the entire nation as well as Roy and Ed's lives, and it doesn't help that they're... falling for each other? Even though Roy is still a bastard and Ed was so annoying when he was a kid. They can't possibly be in love, right?

I really do wanna write this some day

Two: Keeper of the Mountain's Heart (the hobbit, thorin/bilbo)

Hobbit fix-it fic. I also have this whole thing outlined and have written the first chapter and several other scenes. This one has been in the works since spring of 2022. I also plan to write it for realsies.

Thorin, Fili and Kili survive the battle of the five armies. Thorin is badly wounded, but makes a slow recovery. Kili is mostly fine, and Fili's injuries leave him paralyzed from the waist down (I am co excited to write wheelchair stuff for this fic). Bilbo decides to stay in Erebor, just until the spring, when it's safer to travel, and besides, Thorin says he needs him to stay.

The big conceit of the fic is that Bilbo confessed his love for Thorin on Ravenhill, when Thorin had been wounded and lost consciousness. Thorin doesn't remember anything Bilbo said. Also, Dain and the Ironhill dwarrows are invoking an old law that would see Bilbo be executed for stealing the Arkenstone. Thinking quickly, Thorin proclaims that no, Bilbo didn't steal it, he gave it to Bilbo as a betrothal gift. Because they're totally engaged. They've been in love this whole time! And since he doesn't want to die, Bilbo has to go along with it. Shenanigans ensue.

So, fake-dating, mutual pining (because Thorin is also in love with Bilbo, secretly), and amnesia, along with a huge helping of cultural differences, courting rituals and sexual tension. Tropey and wonderful and I like to just think about it when I'm falling asleep at night. And I will write it some day I swear.

Three: Scars You Left (DC cinematic universe, bruce/clark)

I ALSO have this one completely outlined and partially written. It's a soul mate AU where you get the scars of your soul mate's injuries, and if they die, you feel it happen and get a mark that corresponds with that event.

Bruce just never had marks ever, so he always assumed he never had a soul mate. It happens sometimes. No big deal. He never wanted that kind of thing anyway. Love just means you have something to lose- he knows that all too well.

Clark never got any marks- obviously. He wasn't born on Earth, and he's impervious to damage, so he never gets injured- why would he feel someone else's wounds? It's difficult to watch his parents, soul mates through and through- but that doesn't mean he'll be alone forever.

Then, the events of Batman V Superman happen, and when Clark dies, Bruce feels it. he has a starburst scar on his chest, where the kryptonite spear went through Clark. It makes no sense, because Clark wasn't even from Earth. But it's undeniable. And it's the worst truth he's ever had to come to terms with.

And then, one night, months later, Clark digs his way out of his grave, throws himself across country and through Bruce's living room window. And maybe there is such a thing as a second chance.

The main plot follows the 2007 animated movie Superman: Doomsday, wherein Lex Luthor creates an evil slave clone of Superman and wreaks havoc on the world about it. Also lots of mutual pining and angst. I really love to pack in the angst before the happy ending.

These were really more WIPs than daydreams, but that's how I daydream- I write an outline and a couple of scenes to get it out of my system so I can focus on my actual real projects, the ones I'm supposed to be working on. Speaking of work, I have to get back at it, bye!

[litfever]

❧ fic masterlist

welcome! here are my fics.

i post them on ao3 under the pseudonym daintyfleur and i mostly write modern/college aus about ittosara and huxiao from the video game genshin impact. this list will be organized chronologically.

genshin impact

love makes mockeries of men

pairing: hu tao/xiao | alatus date published: 2021-04-17 word count: 948 rating: teen and up summary: love makes mockeries of men (but, just this once, he'll allow it)

only the moon could love the sun (the way i love you)

pairing: hu tao/xiao | alatus date published: 2021-05-22 word count: 337 rating: general audiences summary: he makes her soft—unbelievably so.

keep your friends close (and people who are terrible for your rationality closer)

pairing: kaeya/rosaria date published: 2021-06-05 word count: 411 rating: teen and up summary: "You're welcome, Rosaria darling." She will murder this man.

abstruse (see also: my love for you)

pairing: hu tao/xiao | alatus date published: 2021-06-11 word count: 4,060 rating: teen and up summary: A chuckle rises in her chest. She can feel the way it reverberates inside of her, warming her as his kiss has.

unwavering devotion (decidedly so)

pairing: hu tao/xiao | alatus date published: 2021-07-08 word count: 732 rating: teen and up summary: Xiao swears time stops when Hu Tao’s lips meet his.

when we meet again (infallibly)

pairing: hu tao/xiao | alatus date published: 2021-07-11 word count: 3,801 rating: teen and up summary: The air whistles an eerie tune. She laughs a nervous laugh and turns around slowly, placing her hands behind her head because she didn’t know what to do with them. A spark of recognition ignites in her brain. She curses herself out, it was a day of bad decisions (and apparently bad thoughts), and it might cost her her life.

my heart is a canvas (free for you to paint with the colors of your affection)

pairing: kamisato ayaka/thoma date published: 2021-08-04 word count: 2,317 rating: teen and up summary: You see, art as an elective course seemed like a good idea five months ago.

the rain drew daggers on my skin (and you held me as i wept in pain)

pairing: kaedehara kazuha & yoimiya, kazuha/yoimiya date published: 2021-08-09 word count: 751 rating: general audiences summary: The rain has always been relentless in Inazuma.

underneath the stars (but somehow, on top of the world)

pairing: albedo/sucrose date published: 2021-08-29 word count: 2,090 rating: general audiences summary: In the list of all the things that she would never expect to happen, Albedo Kreideprinz picking her up out of the blue was probably at number one.

sorry, i'm a little chai

pairing: hu tao/xiao | alatus date published: 2021-09-28 word count: 734 rating: teen and up summary: He stores away that little bit into his memory, for what? He’s not sure. It isn’t like they’ll ever see each other again.

tolerated (only by you)

pairing: arataki itto/kujou sara date published: 2021-10-13 word count: 10,253 rating: teen and up summary: “I’m going to wipe the floor with you.” Please do, his inner voice said.

beginning, middle, end

pairing: arataki itto/kujou sara date published: 2022-07-01 word count: 15,775 rating: teen and up summary: Itto and Sara are rival editors who have to co-edit a book.

it drives you crazy, getting old

pairing: arataki itto/kujou sara date published: 2022-10-11 word count: 2,910 rating: teen and up summary: Itto, Sara, and the stars. The stars, Sara, and Itto.

daylight

pairing: arataki itto/kujou sara date published: 2023-06-07 chapter count: 3/3 word count: 13,270 rating: mature summary: She’s right. She usually is. It would have ended the same.

here is my heart (i know you can stomach it)

pairing: arataki itto/kujou sara date published: 2023-07-08 word count: 4,059 rating: general audiences summary: She is Sara Kujou, and she is seventeen and sparkling, and starting the rest of her life.

[heaven-s-black-box]

Notes- Modern Star Wars pt.1

Return to File

Recovery date: August 15th, 2022

Description: N/a

Notes: N/a

Parts: 1 2 3 4

Back to directory

- the jedi all go to the same temple, in this au the jedi religion is no different then being Jewish, Muslim, Christian, ect.

- Caleb and Cal are neighbors, they've been besties since kindergarten (I refuse to separate these two, they are now a pair)

- Caleb's nickname is Kanan

- masters= parents (adopted or bio, a few exception cases like Ahsoka and Ani, Obi wan and Ani, ect.)

- obi wan is qui gon's bio kid, Anakin was adopted

-Ahsoka is adopted by plo koon

- while I would love to include all clones, last time I tried that I fried my modern AU, so here's a more edited list with my faves

- Jango had Boba and Omega

- Rex and Cody are brothers, they're boba and omega's cousins

- the bad batch(quintuplets) + domino twins are brothers and are boba and omega's first cousin once removed (so Jango's aunt/uncle's kids)

- pretty much everyone in the fett family joins the military to some degree

-Bd-1 is Cal's small dog, C3P0 is a golden retriever (or possibly a service dog for Ani due to childhood trauma) and R2 is a cat (maybe a tuxedo), Chewwie is one of those big super fluffy dogs, Chopper is a ginger cat, and Jar Jar is Padme's overly excitable yippy dog (couldn't decide on a breed)

- Hera and Kanan eventually adopt a wolf dog they name Dume, Chopper hates sharing attention

- Kanan adopts Ezra

- Sabine is related to Bo-Katan and Satine (somehow, I know she's the same clan so extended family!)

- After meeting clan Wren (I am writing this as I watch Rebels) I have decided Ursa was Satine and Bo-Katan's adpoted first cousin once removed

- Hera is totally Airforce, like I feel like that's the closest to her role in rebels, her and Kanan met in highschool

- their song, which later became their first dance at their wedding, is "Ain't no mountain high enough"

- Zeb is another friend of theirs from highschool, he was a year or two younger

- Zeb is a security guard, Ezra is an animal conservationist (see him and Loth wolves), his parents had a radio show where they talked about endangered species

- Kanan is a firefighter (because irony) and Cal is an elementary school teacher who is in charge of his school's fencing club

- in this au Kanan's injury comes from a job, once he's blinded he joins Ezra in his work

- Cere is a highschool music teacher, Merin is a history teacher who also has an elective cultures course, and Greez is a freelance pilot who's business is definitely totally 100% legal(/s aka he takes some shady jobs)

- Cere and Greez are neighbors, Merin works at the same school as Cere, and she meets Cal through her

- Din obviously adopts Grogu at some point, and Luke volunteers at the temple's Sunday school which is where he meets them(???)

- I feel like Luke would own a martial arts school, Leia becomes a politician like her mum, Anakin would be a robotics engineer

- Satine is prime Minister of Mandalore, Bo- Katan is either military or lawyer (she strikes me as the lawyer type), Sabine was going to join the military but ended up pursuing an artistic career, Korki wants to go into politics like his aunt

- Mandalore works like the u.s where it's a bunch of small countries a trench coat, except they're more functional... mostly

- Obi wan is either a social worker (helping other kids like Anakin) or some kind of diplomat, he only became a diplomat cause he took a few classes to spend more time with a cute international student *cough* Satine *cough* and found he was good at diplomacy

- Plo Koon and Ahsoka are body guards/ security, Plo has his own company, Ahsoka started as being in charge of marketing (I consulted my mom for Ahsoka's job and she suggested marketing because she's so bubbly)

[aurianneor]

Avoir la majorité du pouvoir sans la majorité des votes

Le mode de scrutin que ce soit à la présidentielle ou aux législatives n’est pas proportionnel. Seuls les candidats qui ont le plus de voix vont au second tour. Il favorise les gros partis avec un leader incontesté.

La Vème République a été crée pour un homme, Charles de Gaulle qui était un leader incontesté d’un énorme parti. Valoriser un leader incontesté est une valeur de droite. Tous unis derrière un seul homme n’est pas une valeur de gauche. La gauche valorise la diversité des opinions et le dialogue. La gauche ne peut pas s’imposer avec ce type d’élections.

A l’élection présidentielle française de 2002, il y avait 10 candidats de gauche. Aucun n’est arrivé au second tour mais cumulés ils représentaient 64%. Chirac et Le Pen cumulés ne représentaient que 36% des voix au premier tour. La majorité des français avait voté à gauche et ils ont eu un deuxième tour droite contre extrême-droite.

Lors des élections présidentielles de 2017 et de 2022, Emmanuel Macron rassemblait 24% en 2017 et 27% en 2022 des voix au premier tour. Les gens ont voté pour lui au deuxième tour pour éviter Marine Le Pen. Les candidats de gauche cumulés au premier tour représentaient 27% en 2017 et 31% en 2022. S’il n’y avait eu qu’un seul candidat à gauche, il aurait fait face à Marine Le Pen au deuxième tour.

Aux législatives de 2024, E. Macron n’a pas laissé assez temps pour que les partis fassent campagne et que la gauche puisse s’organiser en fonction des Européennes (baisse du vote pour la France Insoumise). C’est anti-démocratique. Les prévisions donnent le Rassemblement National largement gagnant alors que le vote à gauche représenterait. Plus la ville est petite, plus le score du Rassemblement National est haut.

W. Bush et D. Trump ont tous les deux été élus aux Etats-Unis du fait du mode de scrutin par grands électeurs, alors qu’une grosse majorité de gens avait voté contre eux.

Aux Etats-Unis (electoral college) et en France, il y a beaucoup plus de circonscription dans les campagnes que dans les villes. Il y a un surreprésentation du vote rural.

En Angleterre, en Italie, en Espagne, en Suisse ou en Allemagne, le scrutin pour les législatives est proportionnel.

Elections législatives : comment vote-t-on dans l’Union européenne ? – Toute l’Europe: https://www.touteleurope.eu/vie-politique-des-etats-membres/elections-legislatives-comment-vote-t-on-dans-l-union-europeenne/

Il faut redonner le pouvoir au peuple en demandant des représentants élus à la proportionnelle et le référendum d’initiative populaire pour contre-balancer leur pouvoir. Les parlementaires élisent ensuite un premier ministre. Il n’y a pas besoin d’un président. Le peuple est souverain.

Types de démocraties – Democurieux: https://democurieux.fr/types-de-democraties/

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

The American people’s choice: https://www.aurianneor.org/the-american-peoples-choice-fahrenheit-119/

Elire, c’est pas voter!: https://www.aurianneor.org/elire-cest-pas-voter-oui-au-referendum/

Les autorités illégitimes: https://www.aurianneor.org/les-autorites-illegitimes/

Oui au Référendum d’initiative populaire: https://www.aurianneor.org/oui-au-referendum-dinitiative-populaire-petition/

Vème République, toujours là…: https://www.aurianneor.org/veme-republique-toujours-la-to-read-this-in/

Législatives 2024: choisir la gauche ou la droite.: https://www.aurianneor.org/legislatives-2024-choisir-la-gauche-ou-la-droite/

2 France: https://www.aurianneor.org/2-france-jusqua-quand-travail-famille/

[anarchotahdigism]

"

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Browse:Home/2024/February/09/Haiti: People Demand Resignation of Prime Minister

Haiti: People Demand Resignation of Prime Minister

On Wednesday, Haitians went to bed without the satisfaction of seeing Prime Minister Ariel Henry resign, but on Thursday they took to the streets to continue their efforts to force him to hand over power.

The riots have almost paralyzed this capital city, where the demonstrators erected dozens of barricades with tires and set them on fire.

Stores, schools, public and private institutions closed their doors, while traffic was practically null the day before.

Videos circulating in the networks showed angry citizens smashing several shops, which were then set on fire.

In numerous localities of the Caribbean country, including Port-au-Prince, gunshots and bursts of automatic weapons were heard, and several people were already reported injured and one lost his life.

The tweet reads, “At least six people were killed and more than a dozen injured in violent anti-government demonstrations in Haiti, which brought together several thousand people demanding the departure of Prime Minister Ariel Henry after 30 months in power without concrete results.”

The Haitian authorities reiterated the prohibition of carrying firearms in the anti-government protests, and stressed that any citizen caught with weapons on the public streets during the marches will be punished according to the law.

The same will occur with those who opt for violence and deliberately attempt against the life and property of others.

On December 21, 2022, an agreement was signed in which it was emphasized that Henry would remain in office for 14 months, which he would hand over on February 7 of the current year.

He was to form a new government, establish a Provisional Electoral Council and assume the organization of the next elections.

In view of his silence on the matter and the absence of an attitude that would please his detractors, the opponents began to promote protests."

[reasoningdaily]

A long-simmering crisis over Haiti’s ability to govern itself, particularly after a series of natural disasters and an increasingly dire humanitarian emergency, has come to a head in the Caribbean nation, as its de facto president remains stranded in Puerto Rico and its people starve and live in fear of rampant violence. 

The chaos engulfing the country has been bubbling for more than a year, only for it to spill over on the global stage on Monday night, as Haiti’s unpopular prime minister, Ariel Henry, agreed to resign once a transitional government is brokered by other Caribbean nations and parties, including the U.S.

But the very idea of a transitional government brokered not by Haitians but by outsiders is one of the main reasons Haiti, a nation of 11 million, is on the brink, according to humanitarian workers and residents who have called for Haitian-led solutions. 

What is happening in Haiti and why?

In the power vacuum that followed the assassination of democratically elected President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, Henry, who was prime minister under Moïse, assumed power, with the support of several nations, including the U.S. 

When Haiti failed to hold elections multiple times — Henry said it was due to logistical problems or violence — protests rang out against him. By the time Henry announced last year that elections would be postponed again, to 2025, armed groups that were already active in Port-au-Prince, the capital, dialed up the violence.

Even before Moïse’s assassination, these militias and armed groups existed alongside politicians who used them to do their bidding, including everything from intimidating the opposition to collecting votes. With the dwindling of the country’s elected officials, though, many of these rebel forces have engaged in excessively violent acts, and have taken control of at least 80% of the capital, according to a United Nations estimate. 

Those groups, which include paramilitary and former police officers who pose as community leaders, have been responsible for the increase in killings, kidnappings and rapes since Moïse’s death, according to the Uppsala Conflict Data Program at Uppsala University in Sweden. According to a report from the U.N. released in January, more than 8,400 people were killed, injured or kidnapped in 2023, an increase of 122% increase from 2022.

Armed groups who had been calling for Henry’s resignation have already attacked airports, police stations, sea ports, the Central Bank and the country’s national soccer stadium. The situation reached critical mass earlier this month when the country’s two main prisons were raided, leading to the escape of about 4,000 prisoners. The beleaguered government called a 72-hour state of emergency, including a night-time curfew — but its authority had evaporated by then.

Aside from human-made catastrophes, Haiti still has not fully recovered from the devastating earthquake in 2010 that killed about 220,000 people and left 1.5 million homeless, many of them living in poorly built and exposed housing. More earthquakes, hurricanes and floods have followed, exacerbating efforts to rebuild infrastructure and a sense of national unity.

Since the earthquake, “there have been groups in Haiti trying to control that reconstruction process and the funding, the billions of dollars coming into the country to rebuild it,” said Beckett, who specializes in the Caribbean, particularly Haiti. 

Many armed groups have formed in recent years claiming to be community groups carrying out essential work in underprivileged neighborhoods, but they have instead been accused of violence, even murder. One of the two main groups, G-9, is led by a former elite police officer, Jimmy Chérizier — also known as “Barbecue” — who has become the public face of the unrest and claimed credit for various attacks on public institutions. He has openly called for Henry to step down and called his campaign an “armed revolution.”

But caught in the crossfire are the residents of Haiti. In just one week, 15,000 people have been displaced from Port-au-Prince, according to a U.N. estimate. But people have been trying to flee the capital for well over a year, with one woman telling NBC News that she is currently hiding in a church with her three children and another family with eight children. The U.N. said about 160,000 people have left Port-au-Prince because of the swell of violence in the last several months. 

Deep poverty and famine are also a serious danger. Gangs have cut off access to the country’s largest port, Autorité Portuaire Nationale, and food could soon become scarce.

Haiti's uncertain future

A new transitional government may dismay the Haitians and their supporters who call for Haitian-led solutions to the crisis. 

But the creation of such a government would come after years of democratic disruption and the crumbling of Haiti’s political leadership. The country hasn’t held an election in eight years. 

Haitian advocates and scholars like Jemima Pierre, an associate anthropology professor at Columbia University, say foreign intervention, including from the U.S., is partially to blame for Haiti’s turmoil. The U.S. has routinely sent thousands of troops to Haiti, intervened in its government and supported unpopular leaders like Henry.

In fact, the country’s situation was so dire that Henry was forced to travel abroad in the hope of securing a U.N. peacekeeping deal. He went to Kenya, which agreed to send 1,000 troops to coordinate an East African and U.N.-backed alliance to help restore order in Haiti,but the plan is now on hold. Kenya agreed last October to send a U.N.-sanctioned security force to Haiti, but Kenya’s courts decided it was unconstitutional. The result has been Haiti fending for itself. 

“A force like Kenya, they don’t speak Kreyòl, they don’t speak French,” Pierre said. “The Kenyan police are known for human rights abuses. So what does it tell us as Haitians that the only thing that you see that we deserve are not schools, not reparations for the cholera the U.N. brought, but more military with the mandate to use all kinds of force on our population? That is unacceptable.”  

Now that Henry is to stand down, it is far from clear what the armed groups will do or demand next, aside from the right to govern. 

“It’s the Haitian people who know what they’re going through. It’s the Haitian people who are going to take destiny into their own hands. Haitian people will choose who will govern them,” Chérizier said recently, according to The Associated Press.

Haitians and their supporters have put forth their own solutions over the years, holding that foreign intervention routinely ignores the voices and desires of Haitians. 

In 2021, both Haitian and non-Haitian church leaders, women’s rights groups, lawyers, humanitarian workers, the Voodoo Sector and more created the Commission to Search for a Haitian Solution to the Crisis. The commission has proposed the “Montana Accord,” outlining a two-year interim government with oversight committees tasked with restoring order, eradicating corruption and establishing fair elections.