#illegal sale of alcohol

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"NO SURRENDER TO LIQUOR MEN," Kingston Daily Standard. September 9, 1913. Page 1. --- Allegation Re Transcontinental Denied. ---- SECTIONS COMPLETED ---- Proclamation Was in Accordance With the General Practice Along These Lines. --- Ottawa, Sept. 9. - The proclamation appearing in the Canada Gazette, recalling the operation of the criminal code in respect to the sale of liquor on the Transcontinental Railway, between St. Boniface, Manitoba, and the Quebec bridge, involves no "surrender to liquor interests," as has been alleged in some quarters.

Part three of the code contains stringent provisions' respecting the sale of liquor on or adjacent to any public works, and this was brought into force along the line of tne Transcontinental as soon as construction was begun.

In accordance with the general practice in such cases, the proclamation was withdrawn from time to time in the sections where the railway has been completed. This was in order that the territory might then be administered under the usual provincial laws and the authority of those who are responsible under the privy council decision respecting the retail sale of liquor.

The proclamation just issued was in consequence of a report by the Transcontinental commission that the railway in the districts mentioned is completed and that this portion of the code might therefore be withdrawn.

[allastoredeer]

Ya'll want to know the funniest shit?

I'm researching the era when Alastor was alive right now to get a better idea of both his character, the life he lived before Hell, and to hash out a backstory for him.

And so, apparently, Alastor lived through the Prohibition (which was basically the United States government illegalizing the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcohol because they thought it was the cause of a lot of domestic violence and child abandonment).

Alastor canonically died in 1933.

Do you know how long the Prohibition lasted?

From 1920-1933.

ALASTOR LITERALLY DIED THE SAME YEAR ALCOHOL BECAME LEGAL AGAIN. CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW BITTER HE MUST'VE BEEN?

The Prohibition officially ended on December 5, 1933, and now my headcanon is that Alastor died December 6, 1933. Literally the day after he could legally drink all the booze he wanted.

I am learning a LOT about New Orleans and the era Alastor lived through (including the gay community in the city at the time) which has been a lot of fun, and I just wanted to share that tidbit because it is so fucking funny to me.

[reasonsforhope]

"Starting in July 2024, California will be the first state to charge an excise tax on guns and ammunition. The new tax – an 11% levy on each sale – will come on top of federal excise taxes of 10% or 11% for firearms and California’s [7.5]% sales tax (x).

The National Rifle Association has characterized California’s Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Act as an affront to the Constitution. But the reaction from the gun lobby and firearms manufactures may hint at something else: the impact that the measure, which is aimed at reducing gun violence, may have on sales.

As a professor who studies the economics of violence and illicit trades at the University of San Diego’s Kroc School of Peace Studies, I think this law could have important ramifications.

One way to think about it is to compare state tax policies on firearms with those on alcohol and tobacco products. It’s not for nothing that these all appear in the name of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, also known as ATF...

The ATF focuses on those products because, while legal, they can cause significant harm to society – in the form of drunken driving, for example, or cancer-causing addictions. They also have a common history: All have been associated with criminal organizations seeking to profit from illicit markets.

Alcohol and tobacco products are thus usually subject to state excise taxes. This policy is known as a “Pigouvian tax,” named after 20th-century British economist Arthur Pigou. By making a given product more expensive, such a tax leads people to buy less of it, reducing the harm to society while generating tax revenue that the state can theoretically use to offset those harms that still accrue.

California, for instance, imposes a US$2.87 excise tax on each pack of cigarettes. That tax is higher than the national average but much lower than New York’s $5.35 levy. California also imposed a vaping excise tax of 12.5% in 2021.

Of the three ATF product families, firearms have enjoyed an exemption from California excise taxes. Until now...

How Much Will the Policy Help?

It’s unclear how the new tax will affect gun violence. In theory, the tax should be highly effective. In 2023, some colleagues and I modeled the U.S. market for firearms and determined that for every 1% increase in price, demand decreases by 2.6%. This means that the market should be very sensitive to tax increases.

Using these estimates, another colleague recently estimated that the California excise tax would reduce gun sales by 30% to 44%. If applied across the country, the tax could generate an additional $1.5 billion to $1.9 billion in government revenue.

One possible problem will come from surrounding states: It’s already easy to illegally transport guns bought in Nevada, where laws are more lax, to the Golden State.

But there’s some evidence that suggests California’s stringent policies won’t be neutralized by its neighbors.

When the federal assault weapons ban expired in 2004, making it much easier to buy AR- and AK-style rifles across much of the U.S., gun murders across the border in Mexico skyrocketed. Two studies show the exception was the Mexican state of Baja California, right across the border with California, which had kept its state-level assault weapons ban in place.

Gun seizures in Mexico show that all four U.S. states bordering Mexico rank in the top five state sources of U.S.-sold guns in Mexico. But California contributes 75% less than its population and proximity would suggest.

So, California laws seem to already be making a difference in reducing gun violence. I believe the excise tax could accomplish still more. Other states struggling against the rising tide of guns will be watching closely."

-via The Conversation, May 21, 2024

[hobiebrownismygod]

Did Hobie Brown give up his mask/identity as Spider-punk? - ATSV Analysis

from @benio on TikTok ⬆️

During Miguel's speech, we see some of the spiders looking at either their past or future events, and we see Peter's wedding (past), Gwen digging herself out of her grave (future), Jess escaping rubble (unknown) and we also see Hobie looking at his canon event, which was giving up his mask and his identity as Spider-punk.

So its completely plausible that like Gwen's canon event, this is one of Hobie's upcoming canon events, where he'll end up giving up his mask later on. However, I like to think that he had given up his mask prior to ATSV for the following reason:

Hobie wasn't supposed to be in Mumbattan during ATSV

The scene in ATSV where Miles was invisibly watching Gwen talking to Jess and Lyla actually has a second deleted version. This deleted scene was similar, except instead of talking to Jess and Lyla, Gwen was talking to Miguel and various other high-level spider people.

A/N: I know this scene was deleted so it can't really be considered canon, but JUST HEAR ME OUT

While they're talking about Gwen's mistake and Spot's presence in Mumbattan, Hobie's name is mentioned (1:58).

Gwen: "He took time off"

Miguel: "Yeah because he doesn't believe in institutions, or teams. Lyla can't even find him"

Gwen: "He gave me a way to contact him"

At this part in time, prior to his introduction to ATSV, Hobie was not technically a part of the Spider Society. Nobody except for Gwen, not even Lyla, had any way to contact him.

So we've already established that people in the Spider Society usually catch anomalies or are assigned missions to do so, as being a part of the Spider Society would probably mean being willing to work as a team and contribute to the community. If you want to look more into this, @the-cat-and-the-birdie has a really cool post where they explain their views on how the Spider Society works, and I'm kind of going off on that.

If Hobie left, it would mean that he wasn't completing these missions anymore, didn't want to be a part of the community and didn't want anyone to be able to contact him about these missions or anything Spider-man related, unless it was Gwen, who he probably only gave contact information to because she's homeless and doesn't have anywhere to stay, and its been established that she stays with him sometimes.

So why did he leave?

My guess? He experienced an extremely traumatic canon event that led to him deciding to give up his mask. He was so angry at Miguel and the Spider Society for allowing this canon event to happen, that he cut off ties from the community, severed all connections with other spider-people and stayed put in his own universe, only giving Gwen his contact information.

And in this time he "took off", he began to devise his plan to wreak havoc in the Spider Society, and create his own watch. This would explain why he was so quick to help and support Miles, and why he already had watches available for both Gwen and the rest of the Spider-team to use.

The watch he gives Gwen also has the writing "Project Bootleg" written on it.

Bootleg:

the illegal manufacture, distribution, or sale of goods, especially alcohol or recordings.

Hobie already had a plan for what he was going to do. He had already created Project Bootleg to infiltrate the Spider Society himself, and Miles' interjection became Hobie's reveal.

Now to tie back to the first point I made, that Hobie wasn't supposed to be in Mumbattan during ATSV:

The rest of the Spiders were shown coming in through portals, whether it was Miguel's entrance in the beginning of the movie, Gwen's entrance to Miles' room, or even Jess's entrance in Mumbattan where the giant spider-ship came through a portal in the sky. Hobie, Gwen, Miles and Jess were even shown using a portal to get into the Spider Society after leaving Mumbattan. However...we never see Hobie enter Mumbattan through a portal.

He just appeared. But Pavitr was surprised, so there was no way that Hobie had already been in Mumbattan before, and since Jess and Lyla didn't have his location, there was no way that they could have contacted Hobie to come help Gwen fight Spot. So how did he get there?

We have a LOT of unanswered questions about Hobie. He's a complete mystery, from his backstory, to his universe, and to his place in the Spider Society. While the other members are shown as contributors to the Spider Society who all know each other, i.e. Gwen and Jess greeting the Peters in HQ while Hobie doesn't acknowledge any of them and vice versa, Hobie isn't shown having any kind of interaction with any of the Spider Society members except for Gwen and Pav. We know that he knows the other members, because Jess, Peter and Miguel know him by name, but we don't know his place in the Spider Society and we don't know what he does. This is why I think he left the Spider Society. Because if he was still a part of it, the interactions he had with the people in it would've been different. The way he acted in the HQ, his attitude, everything, would've probably been different if he actually was a part of it or even helped out in some way.

Summary, because this analysis was kind of all over the place:

I think that Hobie quit being spider-man before the events of ATSV because of a traumatic canon event. I think he lost someone or something very close to him, and because of that he cut himself off from the Spider Society. I think he blamed the idea of canon events for what happened and that he wants to help Miles save his dad and break his canon because he thinks that by doing this, he's making up for not being able to break his own canon. I think he's been planning this Project Bootleg for a while before Miles showed up and he decided Miles would be the perfect reveal for his plan and he'd use it to prove that canon events can be broken, and that what happened was wrong.

Poor guy.

A/N:

I think this HC overall would be a cool concept for fanfic writers to focus on in their stories, because I've seen a lot of stories where reader/oc was Hobie's canon event, but very few of these go into depth about what his reaction to reader/oc's death would be and how that would impact his identity as Spider-man and his involvement with the Spider Society afterwards. If you do decide to write it, tag me in it! I'd love to read your fanfictions! <3

[winterchimez]

The Spy Who Loved Me | Lee Sangyeon

SUMMARY: you had a clear mission: find out what happened to the missing submarines and get your hands on the microfilm being sold illegally on the market. it was a fairly straightforward task, and you were certain that you would be able to complete it in no time—that is until you crossed paths with the infamous Agent 007 himself.

PAIRING: 007!Sangyeon x agent f!reader

GENRE: james bond / 007 au, spy, crime, angst, suggestive

WARNINGS: nc-17, its a james bond / 007 au so...expect it to be action-packed, mentions of blood, murder, mentions of gadgets and weaponry (guns, missiles, snipers), petnames (honey, sweetheart, princess), violence, Sangyeon is so goddamn flirty here i had a hard time writing this folks (expect loads of teasing and flirting from him 😃), kissing, making out

WORD COUNT: 9,276

A/N: here is my submission for the 007 files collab!! i've chosen the film the spy who loved me & obviously sangyeon (which later on i realised that i should not have wrote this film for him bcs i was going through a crisis...yall would know why as you read this 🫠) i tried my best...wished i could've executed it better but its done and dusted!! shoutout to @momhwa-agenda for always, ALWAYS, beta reading my works for me & that she's always there for me throughout the entire process 🥹🫶🏻💗

You weren’t too sure how you even managed to get yourself into the mess you were in.

Your mission was as clear as day: find out what happened to the missing submarines that had been stolen from the British and Russian army and to get your hands on the microfilm which contained illicit submarine tracking systems that were being offered for sale on the black market.

It all started out fairly smoothly—leave Russia at 5 in the morning to catch the earliest flight possible to Cairo and meet up with a man named Max Kalba, who apparently has his hands on the microfilm itself. By evening, you had safely arrived at the club after tracking his movements while scouring the bar. Sure enough, you eventually find him sitting at the corner of one of the rooms, enjoying the performance that unfolded right before his eyes.

After a few attempts to talk your way out with the club workers, you finally made your way towards the infamous man himself. You sat beside him and tried your best to coax him into handing over the microfilm.

That was until you heard a thud coming right next to you. The individual took a seat down with his glass of whiskey in hand, spinning his alcoholic beverage. At the same time, he attempted to cut right into the conversation you were having with Mr Kalba.

“Why, good evening, Mr Kalba. I’ve been eager to reach out to you-” he paused momentarily before moving his free hand to pick yours that was laid on the hems of your dress, leaving a gentle kiss on your hand. “It’s also my pleasure to meet such a beautiful young lady like you,” he winked.

The male was dressed in a full tuxedo, the suit tugging on his skin a little tight, which obviously shows that he has been hitting off the gym for quite some time. His brunette hair was parted to the sides, his shiny forehead out and shining brightly. He also paired his look with a pair of glasses, and you could’ve sworn that he probably wore a little lip tint, given the fact that his lips were a little too bright red than the usual men you have come across.

You were used to men swooning over you or using all sorts of methods to impress you because, respectfully, you weren’t labelled as one of the wisest yet most beautiful KGB agents in history. It was also part of your tactic to get them to fall for you first before you eventually turned the tables and used them to your advantage.

However, something in this person’s eyes seemed a lot different than the men you have encountered in the past. Something tells you that this man isn’t someone to be taken lightly off, as he looks back up to you with this malicious intent.

It was as if he was trying to tell you to challenge him.

What was he then? Was he after the microfilm just like you were?

After a few minutes of the male trying his best to break the ice between Mr Kalba, this whole facade that he has been working hard on finally comes to a halt as he leans over, intertwining his fingers, and stares intently at you.

“I would like to purchase the microfilm.”

As far as you knew, only the KGB agents were aware of the missing submarines and the microfilm being sold on the black market. You were certain that the general had made it clear to you that none of the other agencies or associations were aware of this matter, and it was strictly up to the KGB agents to deal with the case privately.

So who was he? Why did he know about your supposed mission?

The adrenaline came rushing all over you, and you needed to do something and act fast before the microfilm fell into the wrong hands.

“I would like to bid for a higher price, Mr Kalba,” you announced, leaning in close to the infamous man to give him a little whiff of your perfume, hoping he would fall for you. Sure enough, the man couldn’t resist the scent or your outfit before responding to the other male waiting patiently at the side.

“I’m sorry, gentleman. You heard the woman, and clearly, you’re at a disadvantage right here, don’t you think?”

“Well then, I suppose I just have to bid higher than the stunning woman herself, no?” he said confidently.

Mr Kalba was certainly intrigued and was ready to hear the male’s proposal before he got interrupted by one of his servants, ushering him out to another room to pick up an urgent call. Once he was out of the room, the male suddenly moved closer towards you, to the point that his shoulders were touching yours, leaving little to no space between you both.

“Who are you exactly?” you bluntly spat out, not giving him the opportunity to start the conversation, at least like normal strangers would.

“Aww sweetheart, that’s some very bold language you’ve got there coming straight out of your mouth. You don’t trust me at all, huh?” He leaned in closer till you felt his hot breath on your bare skin.

“You’re a spy; which agency are you working for?”

“That’s too blunt.”

“I’ve got no time to waste,” you replied.

Before the male could even give you a proper response, something made him turn his head immediately towards the other room. He stared at the locked door for a good couple of seconds. He immediately examined the room, not caring about your presence, causing you to trail him from behind.

Once he did manage to pick the lock, the both of you were met by the lifeless body of Mr Kalba, lying in a pool of his blood. The male immediately bent down to examine the body up close, shaking his head when he did not feel a pulse on his wrist. Before he was ready to leave the body, he noticed the marks that were left on the side of his neck, causing his eyes to widen at the sight of it before he began marching down the hallway.

You wouldn’t get your potential witness or suspect off that easily, so you decided to jump onto the vehicle he had stolen from outside the party—a food truck.

As you easily opened the passenger door and slipped right into the vehicle, the male glanced at you before diverting his attention back to the road and driving off into the darkness.

It seemed as if the male could tell that you had so many questions to dump on him, but he beat you to it before you could even open your mouth.

“Major Y/N is working for the KGB. An agent who has never failed a single mission and is always on the hunt for the most notorious criminals across the globe. A seductress, seducing men has always been your primary method to manipulate people and get them to cooperate with you-”

“Okay, you made your point,” you cut him off. “Now, tell me what made you decide that driving into the darkness in the desert is the most plausible reason, given the situation that we’re in now.”

“Honey, you’re a high-ranking agent from the KGB; I’m sure you have noticed the bite marks on the late Mr Kalba’s neck,” he replied nonchalantly.

Bite marks? You were confused. You definitely saw that the source of the blood was oozing out from his neck, but you never did witness bite marks upon the wound with your naked eyes. Could it be that you missed a crucial detail? And how was the man able to catch onto something you couldn’t?

Your stunned behaviour and look gave the male more than enough reason to believe that you couldn’t examine the body up close, so he did you a favour by telling you all about his thoughts and predictions.

“Those bite marks belong to a notorious criminal that you and I have been trying so hard to catch over the past few months, and I’m sure that will certainly ring a bell now.”

Sure enough, it did, and there was only one person you knew of who also committed crimes with the same modus operandi.

“Jaws.”

“That’s right, honey. Let’s go meet our man of the night, shall we?”

After hours of driving through the desert, both of you arrived at a seemingly deserted site filled with tons of broken-down monuments and statues.

There was absolutely no reason for anyone to come here at all, so you knew from the back of your mind that this would be the perfect hunting ground for Jaws as there was also barely any signal out here, making it nearly impossible to contact the headquarters if something tragic were to happen.

As the two of you stepped out of the vehicle, the male immediately took one of his free arms to keep you in place behind him. His other hand was busy reloading a Walther PPK 7.65mm to ensure that he was armed and ready should Jaws ever strike back. You decided it was best to follow in his footsteps while trying to be his other pair of eyes to scour the place.

The place felt eerily silent, almost way too silent. It was an abandoned site, and no one would be in the right mindset to come to a place like this. But the fact that both of you were on the hunt for a wanted criminal paints the situation differently.

Just when the both of you have reached the other end of the site, your sixth sense immediately tells you that something is going to happen within the next few seconds, and that is when you look up to see a brick falling right on top of the both of you. You immediately push both of you out of the way with your quick reflexes before a looming shadow falls upon the male himself.

It was Jaws.

The criminal was already armed with a broken wooden board in hand and began swinging violently at the male to hurt him. The unnamed spy was trying his best to dodge by landing a few punches onto the criminal, which was clearly deemed ineffective, given that Jaws was known for their brute strength and solid defence. Unlucky for the male, he actually took out quite a few hits from the wooden board—you were surprised that he was still standing strong despite having a few cut marks on his bare skin.

You quickly backed away and hid in a corner, trying to take out your revolver where you hid on the holster that was wrapped around your thigh and reloading it with bullets. You have encountered the criminal a couple of times in the past; you knew that normal bullets would do little to no damage to that man; his body was as solid as steel.

Instead, you looked around to see if there was something you could aim at to ensure that the criminal could be stopped momentarily while trying to save the agent who was fighting for his life. A minute passed when you finally landed your eyes upon a rope close to breaking off several metres high from the brawl between Jaws and the agent. There are a few stacks of abandoned materials that would knock them out for a while if they were to fall upon someone.

Quickly running in closer without being detected, you aimed your gun at the rope before mentally counting down for a few seconds before firing the shot. The shot was loud enough to make both males divert their attention towards you, and thankfully, the agent was able to catch on with your doing before he quickly ran towards you and grabbed your wrist to take you away from the site as the wooden boards and abandoned materials came crumbling down directly onto Jaws.

Rushing right back to the vehicle, you offered to drive as you deemed the male himself to be unfit for the driver’s seat (given the injuries he had sustained). As you peered through the rearview mirror, you could tell that Jaws was slowly making his way out from the crumble and would start charging towards you. Not wanting to allow him to do so, you stepped onto the accelerator and quickly sped away from there, not caring if you were going beyond the given limit.

After minutes of driving at full speed, you finally slowed down when you decided you had lost him far enough. Now, you can drive at your own pace while taking in everything that has happened throughout the night until that voice cuts you off from your train of thought.

“Geez, can you female agents not drive at an average speed? Where’s your sympathy for us sitting on the passenger seat?” He sulked.

“I think you owe me a “thank you” instead for what I did back there,” you replied bluntly.

The male could only respond with a smile before he took his hands off the handle and leaned back into his seat. “Actually, I think you might want to thank me instead.”

Right after he finished his sentence, he pulled out a little black USB containing the sole mission you were tasked with for the night.

The microfilm.

But now, it was in the wrong hands, and you needed to negotiate with the agent to find out how he knew precisely about this and who he was working for.

Composing yourself, you took a deep breath before politely asking the male, “What do I have to do to get my hands on the microfilm?”

“Huh, look at you, ready to pounce on me already? Did they not tell you to behave as an agent-”

“Cut off the wild thoughts. I’m only here from the microfilm, and that’s it.”

That was when the male began twirling the USB device on his fingers, giving you a little Yes-I’m-currently-thinking look, trying to rationalise with himself on what to do with you. “How about a glass of red wine while we gaze at the sunrise next morning?”

“What are you, a romanticist?” You growled back, feeling a little annoyed with the answer that he gave.

“Of course, darling. It’s one of the many reasons I always succeed at my job.”

“Clearly, those young ladies need to check their eyesight at the doctors.”

“Now, now…” he pouts before almost laying his hands to rest on your thigh but retracting when he saw that you were giving him the death stare as if you were about to ditch him out here right in the middle of nowhere if he ever had the guts to do so. “Hmph, you’re no fun.”

“What exactly do you want, Mr Agent.”

As you said those words, his flirtatious image began dying down, and he looked at you as if he were being drop-dead serious. You intrigued him, and he was now resting and leaning his arm on the winded-down car windows while he stared right into your soul.

“You’re not bad, Major Y/N. You definitely live up to all the expectations people label you as.”

So, he knew about your identity.

Instantly, you stepped on the break vigorously before pointing your loaded gun right into his face, forcing him to spit out whatever else he was hiding before anything else.

“Time is up. I’ve been patient enough to deal with your nonsense, but I’m done playing pretend. So you better tell me who exactly you are before I pull this damn trigger,” you threatened.

As he looked up and down from the gun to your face, he gently placed two of his fingers right on top of your gun before pushing it down gently so that he could lean in closer so that he was merely inches away from you now.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Major Y/N. The name is Agent 007, better known as Bond. James Bond. You will be coming with me instead, my princess.”

You couldn’t believe it when the general informed you that the Soviet agency would collaborate with British Intelligence. Right after that confrontation in the desert, Agent 007 took over the wheel and drove you both to a secluded area near an oasis, where he informed you that both generals from your respective agencies were already expecting your arrival.

As soon as you both met your superiors, Agent 007 wasted no time briefing the team about what he had found on the microfilm itself (apparently, he could examine it while you were speeding off from Jaws). Unfortunately, the crucial evidence from the film has been removed, and there isn’t much to go on with it.

That was until the infamous agent discovered a faded-off crest at the far end of the film. With Q’s help (the quartermaster of the M16), they could track down the source, which belonged to the famous scientist Karl Stromberg. However, his lab was located in Sardinia, which required a train and a boat ride to reach the island.

Luckily for you, you were pretty familiar with the place itself since you have spent much of your time there hunting down wanted criminals for the past decade, so you practically knew your way around the entire island.

However, it was also unlucky for you that both agencies decided that two brilliant minds like you two would prove to be worthy and crucial for the mission to succeed, causing them to make a pact, and they agreed that both agents would work together to fulfill the mission.

So here you are now, sitting in Agent 007’s car as he drives the both of you up to the highest mansion in Sardinia, making your way towards Mr Stromberg’s lab while posing as Agent 007’s wife.

Yes. Wife.

That idea irked you so much at the beginning, knowing that both of your first encounters with one another weren’t the best, and you certainly did not return the favour of him trying his best to woo and flirt with you. But you knew that taking on multiple identities was part of your job, and so was keeping your personal feelings and emotions out of the way while you were on duty.

With that, you decided to casually guide Agent 007 around the city, securely infiltrate Mr Stromberg’s lab, obtain the necessary information, and quickly leave the islands to return to headquarters.

It shouldn’t be that hard.

Right?

“Say, princess, tell me a little more about yourself.” Agent 007 broke the silence between you two, desperately trying his best to break down the solid wall of ice between you both since that first encounter in Cairo.

Yet, you had no interest in returning the favour and tried your best to turn him down. “I would suggest you drive safely instead. The rocky roads up to Mr Stromberg’s lab are pretty nasty if you’re not careful.”

“Oh, honey, don’t worry about me. I’ve driven pretty much every single vehicle or transport out there. I could take you up in my very own helicopter for a little ride after this whole mission is complete.”

“Don’t bother. I will cut ties with you after we secure the microfilm.”

“Shame. I thought we were getting closer now that we’re partners.”

As soon as you heard the word “partners,” you couldn’t help but feel a sudden wave of anger rise upon you. You began raising your voice to respond to the male while swiftly turning your entire body towards his direction as well.

“You’re insane for thinking that we could ever be partners. Clearly, you don’t prove yourself to be worthy as Agent Seryozha-”

That was when you instantly slapped a hand to cover your mouth, trying your best to calm yourself down as you readjusted your sitting position. You have no idea why on earth this man irks you so much, to the point that you’ve messed up and even brought your lover—well, ex-lover—into the picture.

Agent Seryozha unfortunately passed when he was on a mission in Austria, and a week later, the missing submarines happened, and you were sent off to Cairo. Hence, you barely had time to grieve over your actual partner in crime before you had to convince yourself and everyone else that you’re nowhere near as affected by the sudden news.

But your now bright red face proved otherwise, and Agent 007 was able to catch on pretty quickly to what happened, and he immediately handed you a napkin from his side pocket while his other hand was still on the wheel.

“W-What?” You sniffled.

“Take it, honey. Wipe off the teardrop dripping down your face. It doesn’t look good on you.”

That was when you realised you were crying, and you quickly snatched the napkin away from his hands before drying your eyes. Things went quiet for a while, but he decided that you probably needed some comfort after all that had happened over the past several weeks.

Without saying a word, he instantly intertwined his fingers with yours, holding them tight while giving you a little squeeze to let you know that everything would be alright and you were more than welcome to let out those tears if need be. At this point, you desperately needed this for so long, someone who wouldn’t judge you, and that time could slow down for a little bit. With that, you shut your eyes tightly while letting the remaining tears fall straight down onto your hand as well as his, all while you tightened the grip of your hands with his, too.

After a good minute or two, when you finally could calm down, you mustered up all of the courage left within you to give him a simple answer: “T-Thank you…”

“Call me Sangyeon instead; we’ve now made a pact that we’re partners in crime on our new mission together.”

Thankfully, both of you could easily infiltrate Mr Stromberg’s lab without being detected. Once you got out of the car, you immediately showcased your professionalism by taking on the role of Sangyeon’s wife and linking your arms around his. He introduced himself as Lee Sangyeon, a scientist who was also into marine biology like Mr Stromberg. He was eager to share his recent discoveries with the infamous man himself.

Mr Stromberg strictly requested that only a few people enter his lab one at a time, so you had no choice but to stay in the common area with his assistant while your “husband” went off to attend some business.

Before he left, he quickly turned his attention to you and pecked you on the cheeks, which caused them to heat up fairly quickly. Then he smiled and gave you a little wink.

“I’ll be back real soon, honey.”

As Sangyeon and Mr Stromberg entered the elevators and brought them down to his official lab, you sat on the couch and quickly placed your palm on your cheeks to feel the heat. Unfortunately, your actions did not go unnoticed; his assistant remarked on them, making you feel ten times worse.

“Seems like you both are a newlywed couple, huh?” She smirked.

“W-What! No! I-I mean…what makes you say that?” You tried your best to keep your composure.

“Oh, sweetheart, it’s how you both look at one another, especially your husband, as he came back to peck you on your cheeks. And look at you now, trying your best to reduce the redness and heat that’s rapidly rising,” she commented while moving her fist to cover her mouth as she giggled.

As much as you hated how she taunted you, you couldn’t deny every detail she had just pointed out in her speech. It was true, and you hated how Sangyeon was making you feel things and that you weren’t keeping your cool as usual.

You have made out with many men before this because of your mission, so a little peck on the cheeks would prove to be little to no concern for you. But it was different this time. It was the James Bond, his real name being Lee Sangyeon, who was actually making you feel this way, and you’re not sure what exactly your viewpoint on the man himself is anymore.

Not wanting to create more of a scene, you quietly looked down the entire time while playing with the hems of your dress, trying to calm yourself down and not having other unnecessary thoughts. Mentally, all you wanted was for Sangyeon to get the microfilm and get out of there quickly.

Perhaps this is something you have to discuss with Sangyeon about? You certainly can’t be going on like this forever; it would definitely be best if you both came clean and-

Wait. No. Absolutely not.

There’s no way the KGB's Major Y/N would be vulnerable to small matters like this. You have fought armies, destroyed nuclear weapons, and guided the Soviet army into war; there’s no way a little flirting or romance could crumble you like this.

Because that would be humiliating for you.

After what seemed like hours of waiting, Sangyeon finally returned. He immediately approached you, causing you to get up frantically from the couch before clearing your throat to get back into your supposed role.

“H-How was the discussion with Mr Stromberg, my love?”

“Oh, I assure you, honey, that everything went very well, and it’s time for us to move now.”

With that, you linked your arms with his before you bid farewell to the assistant as she showed the way out. Instantly, you both got into the vehicle and drove off from the lab, heading straight to the docks.

Again, it seems as if Sangyeon hasn’t had enough of the breaking-the-ice talks with you. He decided to keep the ball rolling and would constantly come up with something to discuss when all you wanted was peace and quiet.

Especially after what happened back at the lab.

“Honey, you’re still blushing,” he teased.

“Cut the crap, Sangyeon. We’re no longer in our role-plays.”

“Aww, and I thought we were both finally partners now? What’s with the foul mood once again?”

“Shut up and drive, I swear,” you huffed.

“Or else?”

“I will actually throw you right into the ocean right now.”

“Feisty. I love it.”

Oh, hell no, you were definitely frustrated, alright.

Just before you could make your following remark, a bullet instantly grazes through the vehicle, causing you both to turn your heads behind to see that you were now being chased by several vehicles, all of whom were part of Mr Stromberg’s bodyguards.

“Guess the infamous man himself isn’t so dull, after all,” Sangyeon commented before speeding up the vehicle. As he was about to reach for his revolver, which was hidden on the side of his seat, you immediately stopped him by grabbing his wrist.

“Don’t bother, just continue driving up ahead. I’ll keep them busy.”

With that, you instantly took out the gun that was hidden inside your purse and reloaded the weapon within seconds before you peered your head out from the windows and began shooting at the bodyguards.

It was fairly easy for you, being KGB’s best sniper, as you were able to hit all of the vital spots of the vehicles, causing each of them to lose control before either crashing right into the slope of the hill or into the ocean. However, it seemed as if the vehicles kept coming, for you were not coming any closer to knocking them out for good.

“It seems like Stromberg has way too many henchmen on patrol,” you commented before resuming your work.

At this point, Sangyeon has already driven you nearly half the distance to the docks, and you were coming far from eliminating all of them. Suddenly, things were about to get from bad to worse when a big truck came crashing into you, trying its best to damage your vehicle in hopes of attempting that the both of you would surrender. That was when the driver peered their head out from the windows and immediately aimed his gun towards you.

Jaws.

Sangyeon clearly saw what had unfolded, and he quickly swerved the vehicle to the left in hopes that the criminal would miss the shot (which he did) before pressing onto the accelerator once more to head as fast as he could to the docks. At the same time, the sound of a helicopter's thrum came flying in, and you both peered your heads up to see that it was the same assistant from before driving it.

“Agent 007 and Major L/N, I would highly advise you to hand over the microfilm and surrender quietly right now,” the assistant announced out loud through the radios before aiming her gun towards you both.

You both were stuck in a tight-knit situation: a car chase from Jaws and his men while Stromberg’s assistant was above the high ground. Now, there was nowhere to hide or run.

Or so you thought. 

“Say, Y/N. Can you swim?” Sangyeon asked swiftly.

“W-What? What are you saying-”

Before you could respond, Sangyeon quickly pressed one of the many buttons on his steering wheel, causing his vehicle to launch a missile from the back towards Jaws and his men. The missile instantly hit the cars, and they all blew up within seconds before Sangyeon drove the vehicle straight into the ocean.

Once the vehicle came into contact with water, it seemingly transformed itself into a mini-like submarine, making it easy to navigate and drive through underneath the water.

“Well, it also seems that we should eliminate our unwanted guests, no?” Sangyeon questioned before pressing another button. He launched a missile that shot straight up out from the waters and right towards the helicopter, making it explode almost immediately.

Now that all enemies were gone, Sangyeon rolled his shoulders to relax the tension that he had gotten throughout the car chase before driving smoothly through the waters.

Throughout your time as an agent, you have witnessed and experienced crazy things, but nothing came close to what you had just seen with your very own eyes.

Grabbing onto the handle upon your seat, you turned to Sangyeon and let out a little huff before shaking your head. “You’re insane.”

“I know, sweetheart. That’s why people adore me.”

It has been about an hour since the both of you got back to your accommodations, and you were now just writing in your journal as a time to wind down for a little bit. Both you and Sangyeon had a little chat about the findings he had gotten through the microfilm, and talking to Mr Stromberg himself was that he had a hidden supertanker in the ocean called The Liparus and an underwater base named Atlantis. In order to proceed, both of you needed to wait for your next orders from both generals specifically to arrange a much more suitable transport and disguise to head over to the locations.

So here you were, relaxing with your journal while Sangyeon was busy taking a nice hot bath after all the chase from Stromberg’s henchmen hours ago. When you heard the water supply being turned off, the male stepped out of his bathrobe and took a towel to dry his hair as he approached you.

Once again, your cheek began burning red as you took in the sight before you—his hair dripping wet, his bare face as he just got out of the shower, and the slightly exposed chest from the bathrobe.

It’s illegal to look this good, Lee Sangyeon.

“Like what you see, princess?”

With that, you immediately snapped back into reality, clearly your throat, before ducking your head back to your journal. “In your face, you idiot.”

Just when you thought that returning to your journal would help you escape his torments and flirty comments, you suddenly felt the need to lift your head to see what was happening. You felt that someone had been eyeing you up close for a while now.

Turns out your instinct was true, and you could’ve sworn that you were about to explode anytime now due to the immense heat rising rapidly up to your head as Sangyeon had positioned himself entirely on top of you, both of his legs on either side of yours as he leans his head forward, making you lay back down on the couch.

“W-What on earth do you think you’re doing!” You screamed, covering your face with your journal before the man himself removed it.

“You have been acting strangely since this morning, Y/N. Care to share with me why exactly that is?”

“I-It’s none of your business!”

“Unfortunately, now that we’re no longer strangers but partners, I deserve to know every single detail about what’s going on in that little mind of yours,” he retorted while lifting his fingers to rub your nose, making your stomach feel even worse. “Tell me, princess. Pinky promise that we won’t keep any secrets from each other, no?”

“Jokes on you, we’re spies. We’ll always live a double life. You’ll never get to know about my secrets, ever.”

“Hmm, maybe I can make that happen.”

In the blink of an eye, he immediately leans down to kiss your lips directly, slowly increasing the pressure as he lowers his body to yours. You were too stunned to react and could only open your eyes to see the whole thing unfold before you. Within seconds, he pulled away before rubbing his thumb across his lips, savouring your taste on his.

“Hmm, mango lip balm huh? That’s my favourite kind of flavour,” he smirked.

Goddamn you, Lee Sangyeon.

“I swear you’re so-”

Before you could finish your sentence, a knock was heard from the front door, and Sangyeon immediately got up from you and headed towards the source of the sound. He then unlocked the door to see that a messenger had arrived to pass him a note.

As you squint your eyes to examine the letter from afar, you clearly see the stamp on it, and you know that it is time to cut off all of this nonsense and get back to work as soon as possible.

Sangyeon immediately returns to the living space and opens up to read the letter in his hands. Thanks to Q’s examination, it seemed that The Liparus and Atlantis were keeping something far more threatening, and it was up to you two to head there as quickly as you could before it was too late. The two of you were to board a US submarine that would be passing back to Sardinia early the next morning, with the general already informing the crew abroad about your presence.

“Alright, that seems plausible,” Sangyeon replied before burning the letter into the fireplace (it was what spies usually do after receiving a message about the next mission or crucial evidence anyway).

As you took on the next mission, you stood up before heading back towards your room to pack up for the trip before Sangyeon stopped you in your tracks by posing a question.

“That nightgown sure does look pretty on you.”

You figured you were done trying to escape his comments, so you took a deep breath and tried your best to respond properly. “Yeah, I got it in Austria a few weeks prior. It’s such a beautiful place.”

“Indeed. I miss travelling there; I’ll have to head back there soon.”

“Oh? So you have been to Austria? When was your last trip?” You asked.

“Two weeks ago.”

Just then, that comment suddenly rang a bell in your head. Sangyeon was there two weeks ago, just like you did, but both knew very little about the other. But what if…there was a possibility that he knew about your ex-lover? You were all spies; surely you must’ve known about one another, even in an auditory manner.

Instantly, you marched towards Sangyeon, pulling up a picture of your ex-lover and shovelling it into his face. You desperately wanted to find answers and a conclusion to the case. “Do you recognise this man?”

It took Sangyeon a while to look at him before he stepped away and started pacing around the room. “No, what makes you say that?”

“He was Agent Seryozha, my lover,” you bluntly replied.

After a few moments of what seemed like Sangyeon trying to find the right words to respond to your comment, he placed both hands on his hips and slowly walked towards you.

“Hear this out, Y/N. If you’re out trying to enjoy your little break and someone comes up behind you in an attempt to murder you, you don’t always have the time to remember who the individual may look like. In other words, agents like us must always be prepared to give up our lives in the line of duty. If I knew that, then so did he.”

With one final step in front of you, he stares down at your face before he humbly whispers to you with a “Yes, I did kill him”.

Your facial expression immediately sank and tightened. Both hands balled up into fists, resisting the urge to lose your cool for the millionth time before him. Instead, you calmly tip-toed up to bring his neck down with your hands as you leaned into his ear.

“Well then, thanks for finally putting a closure to this case. So when this mission is finally over, I will kill you with my own bare hands.”

Once you had made your point, you immediately shoved him away and stomped towards your room, slamming the door shut loudly before leaning against it. Taking a deep breath, you just wished this nightmare would end soon.

Just when things finally looked good for us, Sangyeon.

You knew from the back of your mind that kiss meant something, or at least you thought it was. Sure, he was a womaniser, but the Sangyeon you knew wouldn’t go around kissing random women like that. As much as you wanted to ask him about it, you had your ego and pride to keep, not wanting to show that he was winning the little game that he was playing. Hence, you kept your mouth shut and spared little to no glance at the man since the day before, even as you were slowly let down into the submarine sent by both of the generals for you to board to head to Stromberg’s The Liparus to find out what exactly he was hiding truly.

The commander was surprised to see a woman like you on board, but Sangyeon jumped into your defence, and you were immediately let loose, given that they were now aware you were the Major L/N of KGB. After some time of meticulous planning of how everyone would proceed, the alarm started going off immediately, sending everyone on the submarine into a frenzy.

It wasn’t long before you and Sangyeon realised that the tanker had captured the submarine, the vehicle slowly rising from the waters to the docks. Immediately, Sangyeon nudged your shoulders and quietly said that the missing submarines had been found, each hanging up on both sides of the docks.

Now, you have plenty of evidence that Stromberg was the man behind the disappearance of the submarines and the illegal distribution of microfilms.

But the question of why Stromberg did it still remains a mystery.

Why?

“All crew members of the USS Wayne, surrender yourselves immediately with your hands behind your back right this second,” one of the commanders announced out loud from the speakers.

This was when you knew it was time to put your feelings aside and that working with Sangyeon for now was best. You both needed to devise a plan to release the two submarines and save the crew simultaneously. Time was ticking as you were now being escorted out of the submarine to the docks, but Sangyeon managed to take off his cap and place it right on your head, pushing it down to ensure it was intact.

“Stay close to me; I’ll keep you safe from Stromberg’s men.”

You didn’t give him a proper response but managed to walk right in front of him as you exited the submarine, lining up with the crew as Stromberg’s men carefully examined every single one of you. They pulled out batons and immediately started landing a few blows directly onto the crew members as if to torture and humiliate them.

Your blood was boiling, and you couldn’t wait to take these men down with your bare hands. You have done it countless times, taking out an entire army alone; it was easy for you. However, Sangyeon notices that you are about to jump right onto the men and perform a takedown; he snakes his hand to intertwine with yours from behind, putting a slight pressure to tell you this wouldn’t be a good idea for now.

The only thing was: were you going to take up his advice?

As one of the men stood before you, he looked suspiciously at you, examining you from top to bottom before commenting on your body: “You look far too slim and weak to be in the navy, youngster.” Just then, he took his baton to lift your cap, causing all of your long, brown, wavy hair to fall straight down to your shoulders, and his eyes widened upon the sight.

Within seconds, you quickly landed a strong punch into his abdomen before running to do the same to the other men, instantly knocking them out cold. All of the other henchmen on duty on higher grounds quickly started aiming their snipers towards you, shooting recklessly in hopes of one of the bullets hitting you eventually. Little did they know that you are the best sniper in KGB, so obviously, reading and sensing where the bullets were coming from was a breeze in the park.

When you have taken down all of the men at the docks, a shadowy figure emerges upon you, yanking both your arms behind your back, leaving you no room for escape. Suddenly, you felt that familiar breath hit the back of your neck, and you slowly turned behind to look at the familiar figure.

“Jaws.”

“My my! What a sight that was!” Another shadow emerges on the top of the deck, accompanied by a hand-clapping sound that the individual was producing. It was the infamous man himself. “I’ve always wanted to see the infamous Major L/N in action with my own eyes.”

This can’t be good.

“Now, it’s very brave of a woman like you to board my tanker, but I think you’ll be far more useful if you quietly come with me. I could definitely use some help in my office.” He steps in front of you and takes a strand of your hair before he starts twirling it around his finger. As much as you want to retaliate and land a blow into his face to break his jaw, you are stuck and unable to move even in the slightest.

Jaws indeed was an exceptional human being.

“Hate to be the party pooper, but I’m sure I could be of better use to you than she will be, Mr Stromberg,” Sangyeon cuts in as he slowly makes his way towards you both, aiming his revolver right at the mastermind himself.

Mentally, you were sending him death stares, thinking that he was out of his mind to aim his gun at Stromberg when dozens of snipers were already aiming right at him from above. Instead of putting up another joke to ease the situation (which he usually did to tease you), he glared right into your eyes, signalling a code only high-ranking agents like you could understand from the get-go.

Don’t miss my signal, and do it right away.

With a gulp, you carefully examined his body movements and speech, studying his demeanour to explore the opening that would let you know that you could finally retaliate and defeat the criminals themselves.

“Ah, Mr Bond. Your disguise as Dr. Lee the other day certainly did not go unnoticed. I assure you that my men are far more ready to deal with whatever tricks you are about to pull,” Stromberg responded confidently.

“Now, that makes me so happy to hear you have been expecting my arrival. But I must first and foremost deeply apologise, for I probably would not be meeting your expectations.”

That sent a confused look in Stromberg’s eyes, and it was then Sangyeon pointed his gun up and fired a shot, causing the entire electricity to go off in the tanker, making all of the henchmen panic and lose their cool.

Now that it was dark, you had a bigger advantage of taking down the criminals, starting with Jaws. You lifted your legs to land a solid kick up on his thighs, causing him to yelp in pain as he released you from his grip. You quickly climbed up to Jaws and gave him a headlock, knocking him out temporarily so that you had time to deal with the other henchmen for now.

Before you could even make your way up, you noticed Sangyeon’s absence and began hearing multiple men grunting on the upper docks. This gave you more than enough hints that your partner was up there dealing with the mess.

Instead, you decided to follow and hunt down Stromberg, following his faint shadows as he disappeared into the bottom deck. Many obstacles were in the way, such as laser fields and sleeping gas. Still, thanks to your flexibility and agility, you avoided each one, narrowing the distance between you and the mastermind.

Eventually, you reached the control room, where the man stood before the panel, his hands inches away from pushing down on a huge red button.

Aiming the gun right at him, you weren’t going to waste any more time and let him run loose again, and you were finally going to get him to spill all of the motives and deeds he had done up till this point.

“You want to know why I stole the two submarines in the first place, sweetheart? I am going to use the missiles in both submarines to destroy Moscow and New York City and create a whole new underwater world where people could reside.”

“You’re just going to trigger a global nuclear war.”

“And what about it? As long as I have the Atlantis, it’ll all be possible!” He screamed, inches away from pushing the button down any second now. “So say your last prayers to these beloved cities, and join us to start a new civilisation underwater!”

No, you don’t.

Without a thought to spare, you instantly aimed and pulled the trigger at his wrist, the bullet penetrating right through the skin and causing him to pull back as he yelped in pain. You weren’t going to let him live just like that, and you were more than ready to throw the man right into the cold, rising ocean water that was now slowly filling up the tanker.

Right when you were just about to do the deed, someone grabbed your wrist and held you back. It was Sangyeon. “Women like you shouldn’t get your hands dirty; let me do the honours.” With one swift push, he was immediately thrown into the waters, trying to survive the best that he could until the water completely engulfed him.

Sangyeon then turned his head back and walked straight to the panel, typing in a few things that you could barely make out yourself. This made you squint your eyes and try your best to read his fingers on the letters he was typing.

“Don’t do that; it doesn’t look pretty on your face.”

“Mind your own business; what exactly are you doing now?”

“Honey, I’m trying my best to contact the respective submarines to pull back and not fire the missiles, but it turns out that it’s not really plausible since the missiles are already loaded and ready to go.”

“So, what do you plan to do now?”

“Well, there’s only one option left. And that is to make both submarines destroy one another.”

Destroy one another? You have got to be joking. Your mission was to find out the locations of both missing submarines to ensure your respective agencies were safe and sound. So why destroy them now?

“Because that’s the only way to prevent a war from happening, sweetheart. It’s now or never,” Sangyeon made his point loud and clear, and he would not take no as an option. Reluctantly, you finally accepted his decision and gave him a nod, allowing him to proceed with what he was doing.

That was until Jaws interrupted you both once again, this time holding a broken piece of cement from the flood on the upper floors. He quickly aimed and hit you with it, but you dodged it swiftly. It seemed like he wouldn’t go down without a fight, and you certainly couldn’t let him distract Sangyeon while he was trying his best to send coordinates to both submarine commanders.

Then, you noticed an opening where a wired fence had broken apart, leaving a hole that someone could easily fall into if they weren’t careful. Then you decided to take the chance, moving slowly towards that spot while still dodging Jaws’ attacks.

Slowly but surely, you finally began to see an opening, and you immediately moved out of the way, causing Jaws to run right towards the edge of the opening. He started to lose his balance before finally falling straight into Stromberg’s shark tank, which he kept handy while running his illegal business.

After ensuring that Jaws was busy with the shark in the tank, you quickly ran back to Sangyeon, who was now staring intently at the screen with his arms crossed. With that, you clearly got the message that he had successfully sent the respective coordinates and was now waiting for both submarines to launch the missile against one another instead.

“How much longer?” You asked the male.

“Hmm, I’d say in T minus…10 seconds.”

“W-What? 10 seconds? Then-”

“Yes, sweetheart. It’s time to get the hell out of here.”

Immediately, Sangyeon quickly grabbed your wrist and pulled you away. He returned to the docks and found the nearest exit before jumping straight into the escape pod. Sangyeon wasted no time navigating and getting the thing to work as you both quickly got the hell out of the tanker that was about to sink.

Apparently, he could also free the other crew members beforehand while you were busy chasing down Stromberg and had them returned to their submarine. With his signal, the commander on board was to shoot down both The Liparus and Atlantis. In order to do that, both of you needed to get far away enough to make it happen.

After navigating through the open waters for about ten minutes, Sangyeon sent the commander a set of coordinates via the mini-control panel on the side of the escape pod. Two missiles were then launched immediately, shooting down both Stromberg’s hideouts.

It all happened so quickly. Now that both submarines were destroyed, and so was Stromberg’s valued tanker and hideout, the mission was finally accomplished.

Or was it?

Instantly, you pulled out a revolver from your holster and pushed it right towards Sangyeon’s skull. You have always kept true to your promise, after all.

“What is this all about, princess?”

“Like I’ve said before. Once the mission is over, and so will we, I will kill you for what you have done to my past lover.”

Sangyeon immediately shut his eyes and took a deep breath. “Sweetheart, you clearly said that it was your past lover. Would killing me do any good or bring him back to life?”

You hated how much his words stung your heart. You were too blinded by rage and revenge to determine right and wrong. Since the beginning, Sangyeon has always been there and kept you safe while completing the mission. Sure, he was a womaniser and could be a pain in the ass sometimes, but he always kept his word, no matter what he did.

If it wasn’t for him, you weren’t sure you could complete this whole mission alone. Yet, you couldn’t bring it out from your mouth to actually acknowledge his presence in your life and how he was somehow able to give you a sense of comfort throughout the past couple of weeks as you mourned over the death of your ex-partner.

Your grip on the revolver loosened, and Sangyeon made a move to grab hold of your wrist and slowly pull it down. It was evident by now that your tears began flowing again, and he reached out to brush them off with his thumbs before lifting your chin with his fingers to make you look straight into his eyes.

“You have done so well, Major Y/N. I couldn’t be more proud of you as a partner.”

“P-Partner?” You sniffled.

Instantly, his eyes brightened, and he leaned in close to you. “Unless you would like to proceed further than that?”

Not wanting to lose the fight, you placed both hands behind his neck, pulling him in closer to you so that both lips were now inches apart. “Don’t be stupid.”

You had no idea what made you return the favour this time when you have been actively rejecting his comfort and touch for so long. Perhaps it was because you have finally decided to accept reality and move on with life; you didn’t even know much about yourself. But you needed one thing so badly: to feel his lips on yours again.

You couldn’t enjoy it much during your first time with him (well, it was his fault for teasing you and thinking that it would be a good idea somehow to manipulate your thoughts and emotions in a bathrobe). Still, he also wore a cologne that smelled way too good for him, one that would lure you in if you weren’t careful enough.

His lips, god. Never in a million years would his nasty mouth actually hold such plump and flavourful lips, and he definitely knew his way around kissing a woman. He knew the right pace, movement and pressure to please someone, and he was also wearing a mango-flavoured lip balm, very similar to the one you would often wear yourself.

When you both finally broke apart for some air, Sangyeon gave you a grin, and you returned the favour with a slap on his shoulders, knowing that he was going to say something about you.

“So you finally admitted your feelings for me, princess? It took you long enough to do so,” he teased. 

You knew all along that your feelings for Sangyeon weren’t normal. It definitely did seem like Sangyeon was an escape for you to get over your ex, but eventually, it blossomed into something more, and you fell for his charms. At this point, you knew there was no longer a way to hide your feelings, and it was time to face reality the way it is. 

“You could’ve just told me you wanted me this badly, Y/N,” he continued. 

“I’m still going to kill you someday, Sangyeon. Don’t get all cocky,” you deadpanned.

However, the male wasn’t affected in the slightest, and he leans back down to reconnect your lips with his once more.

“Tempting, and I’ll very much look forward to the day when it happens.”

the 007 files masterlist

masterlist

taglist: @deoboyznet @kflixnet @k-films @flwoie @zzoguri @kyusqult @tinkerbell460 @cheonsafics @sulkygyu @jaerisdiction @lngwayup @djidfk @daisyvisions @momhwa-agenda @strayed-quokka @stealanity (join my permanent taglist here!)

[meggletoomanyfandoms]

Run, little rabbit..

(Photo's not mine!)

Human! Alastor x Fem!Reader

18+ ONLY!!

Summary- You ran through the forest, away from the man you thought you once knew. He was a monster, you'd realized, and you were a silly little rabbit caught in his trap.

Word Count- 2,187

Trigger Warnings- Some dubcon, Being chased, Alastor is a warning himself, Choking, Blood, mentions of killing, NSFW, fear, mentions of a weapon

AN- This one is.. A lil' different then some of the other stuff I've written but I do quite like how it turned out! I might write a part 2 to this one maybe but I haven't made up my mind yet!

Running. Right, that's what you were doing. You ran as fast as your legs could carry you through the forest that was only lit up by the bright moonlight above you. Your legs hurt, they screamed at you to ‘please just stop’ but you couldn’t. Unbeknownst to you, you had caught the eye of who you once thought to be a brilliant, charismatic man. But you learned quickly that that was a facade. A show he put on for those around him so they wouldn't be able to catch wind of his true intentions. Intentions which you now understood were deadly. 

And so that’s how you found yourself here. You got too close, despite the fact that your friends had warned you about him. Too close, and being so close to a monster such as him you would most assuredly get hurt. But you’d decided before that you didn’t care; you’d had your heart broken before so what would it matter now? But no, you misunderstood them when they said you’d get hurt. They most definitely meant in a physical sense. 

You could feel the bastard closing in on you now. You could hear his footsteps behind you, slowly advancing. Your heart was racing and you decided as a last ditch effort to hide behind a tall tree in the hopes that the man- the killer- would lose your trail and keep walking. But your hopes were immediately diminished when you heard his footsteps come to halt on the other side of the tree. 

“Dearest,” he called out, “Shall we stop playing these games now?” 

“Why can’t you just leave me be, you sick freak!?” You called out, back against the tree and your nails digging into the wood as if it would somehow save you from what you now knew was going to be your demise. Behind you, the man chuckled. 

“Now now,” he said, “I’ve dirtied my hands for you on more than one occasion, what makes you think I’ll just leave and be on my way?” 

You thought back to a few weeks ago when you found out your boss had been found dead in his home, his death unexplainable. He was an awful, awful man but you knew he didn’t deserve the fate he was dealt. And then, only a few nights ago, an ex-friend of yours who’d tried to turn you into the cops for dealing in the illegal sale of alcohol, found the same fate. Dead in her home, her murder almost exactly the same as the one your boss experienced. And when you put all the pieces together and learned just who had committed these crimes- you sought to escape the moment you were able and now, now you're here. Assuredly about to meet the same fate as the other two at the hands of the same man that killed them. 

“Alastor,” you called out, “Please. If you’ll just leave me alone and let me go then, then I promise I’ll-” you heard the branches and dead leaves crack under his footsteps as he took a step closer and he chuckled. 

“Mon cher, do you really think that I’m going to kill you like those others?” he put his hands on the tree trunk before him, knowing you were on the other side and scared out of your mind. And God, that fear only proved to turn him on more and make him crave you, “That is the very last thought on my mind. Do I want to see you suffer? Watch you struggle? Dearest, you have absolutely no idea what you do to me, do you~?” 

“I don’t care! You’re a murderer! Alastor you.. You scare me!” you said to him. He was now grinning from ear to ear as he listened intently to what you had to say.

“Good,” he said, “I want you to be frightened. I want you to feel helpless and trapped; I want to get under your skin and make your heart race. That, my dearest, was truly my intention all along. Now, will you run again? Because this time if I catch you, and oh I most definitely will, I can’t promise you’ll get to leave this forest… Unscathed.” 

And with that, you took off. Finally now being able to at least breathe a little easier, you ran through the forest as fast as you could. You knew he would follow you and continue to come after you but you figured that if you were able to maybe make it to any sort of road, or maybe if you could find a house or literally anything, anything, to help you get away from that.. That monster! You would keep running as long as you possibly could.

“Oh, my little rabbit,” Alastor called out, not far behind you, “Oh how fun this is! I truly haven't had this much fun in ages!” You could tell from his voice that he was running out of breath, maybe this meant he was also slowing down? But when you turned your head to look back, and oh what a mistake that was, you could see he was now directly behind you. And with the reach of his arms, he caught you.

You both fell at the abrupt and sudden stop, Alastor’s ax falling to the ground beside the two of you. You put up a struggle though; fighting your best to get free but he was much stronger than you and it took him no time to have you pinned to the ground beneath him. He had each of your wrists pinned on either side of your head, his grip on them strong enough it was sure to leave bruises. 

“Bastard!” you screamed, wriggling beneath him as he straddled your waist. Your once fine clothes were now covered in mud and there were dead leaves in your hair, and somewhere along the way you'd lost one of your boots. Alastor, however, looked to be in the same pristine shape he always had, although his boots were now covered in mud. 

“What a chase you gave me, my little rabbit,” he said as he pinned your wrists above your head and held them now with only a single hand. He grabbed his ax and positioned it directly beneath your throat, “Will you stop squirming now and stop with the ceaseless screaming?” You barred your teeth at him as you felt the cool edge of the weapon against your throat. 

“Kill me then!” You spat at him, “Kill me now like you did the others!” He.. Laughed at you. A sick and twisted laugh that sent a chill up your spine.

“Didn’t I tell you already? I’m not going to kill you,” he pointed the edge of the ax a bit harder towards your throat, now drawing up just a tiny bit of blood that made him lick his lips, “I have.. Other plans for you, dearest.” You continued to fight the grip that he had on your wrists, trying everything you could think of to get free from him and ignoring the sharp pain that was now at your throat when you noticed.. This man on top of you had a hard on. 

“You’re a sick bastard!” you said, “A fucking sicko! That's exactly what you are!” you screamed at him.

“I never said I wasn’t,” he said to you, leaning down close to whisper in your ear, “although… I don't recall that having been a problem a few nights ago when I fucked you senseless. Shall we have a second take now?” 

“No!” you screamed, “If I had known then what you are.. I’d have never slept with you! Not in a million years!” He raised his head back up, laying the ax back down next to the two of you and tightened the grip he had on your wrists. With his now free hand, he placed it on your chest where he could feel your heart racing beneath your skin.

“My little rabbit, how your heart races..” he said, “Tell me, are you frightened?” You could feel tears beginning to swell up in the corners of your eyes, despite your best efforts to fight them off and refused to answer his question. He noticed this and smirked, now grabbing your throat with that same hand, your blood coating his fingers as he did so. He squeezed lightly, causing you to gasp. 

“Wasn’t it just the other night that I held you this way?” he questioned, still squeezing, “And if I recall directly, you asked me to do so, didn’t you, mon cher? Begged me to choke this pretty little neck of yours so you could hardly take a breath. How does it feel now, knowing that you begged a serial killer to do that to you? And how easily I could have killed you right there if I wanted?” he laughed, “And if I remember correctly, you were absolutely soaked at the thrill.. Shall I have a look now to see if that pussy of yours is as drenched as it was then?”

“F-Fuck.. You..” you managed to gasp out as he continued to squeeze your neck. He let go, still grinning as you coughed. Although what he said was true and you did ask him to do that to you, that was.. Before.. Before all of this! When you thought he was someone different, a kind and charismatic man who-! 

The feeling of a cold hand cupping your core puts an immediate stop to your thoughts. Your body jolted at the new feeling, going completely still. Alastor laughed- not chuckled, like he did before, but laughed like.. A madman.

“Naughty, naughty, little rabbit,” he said, “You’re even wetter now then you were then! That pussy of yours is absolutely soaking..” He brought his hand up and licked your juices off of his fingers. You turned your head so as not to look at him; you couldn’t do it anymore. Your body betrayed you, and though you’d never in a million years actually say it.. You were turned on. You were scared out of your mind but.. The thrill of this, of all of this, just did something to your body that you couldn't ignore. 

“It means nothing!” you screamed at him as the tears fell down your cheeks, “And.. You mean nothing! Absolutely nothing to me!” 

Alastor narrowed his gaze down at you, gently wiping the tears from your cheeks, “Oh my little rabbit, the things you do to me..” And he leaned down and kissed you. Your eyes widened at the shock of feeling his lips pressed against yours, the grip he had on your wrists unwavering, but the softness of his kiss surprised you. When he pulled away, he spoke once again.

“Why did you run?” he asked, “Did you truly think I was going to kill you? After all the things I did for you, and the positions I put myself in for you? You really, truly thought I planned to murder you?” You were surprised when you saw what you thought to be.. Hurt, in his eyes. 

“Why wouldn’t you? You killed those close to me so it’s only right that I be next-”

“Close to you?” he questioned, squeezing your wrists harder, “I killed those awful bastards that hurt you. That treated you like garbage; I helped you.” Was he right? All along you thought he had just been murdering the ones who were close to you, one by one until he finally got to you. 

“Then why.. Why chase me like this? Why not just explain?” 

“Didn’t I tell you, little rabbit, what your fear does to me? That I want you to be frightened. I want to watch you struggle and suffer, but only under my hands. I want to hurt you and make you scream.. But if anyone else did that or even so much as tried to, then they, too, would feel the edge of my blade.” You were stunned silent at his words, at what he had just admitted to you. How were you supposed to feel about this? It’s true that you were scared of him, but you were also (and evidently so) turned on by.. This. 

“That doesn’t make you any less of a monster,” you said to him, “But maybe that means I am just as messed up in the head if I actually believe what you’re saying.”

“Then tell me, my dear, shall I take you home then where I can fuck you senseless?” he asked as he put his hand on your cheek, “Or..” he continued, moving his hand back down to your bloodied throat and lightly squeezing, “Shall I fuck you right here? Does the thought of being forced to take my cock in the middle of nowhere where nobody can hear your screams turn you on, dearest?” You went silent and stilled, not knowing how to respond to his.. Question. 

“Then, shall I choose for you?” his grin lit up as he squeezed your throat harder, “I’ll make you wish you had used your words, my little rabbit.”

[wszczebrzyszynie]

What are Przemek, Mika, Ryba, Tamara's favorite foods and drinks (also maybe least favorite foods and drinks). do they have any favorite food groups, flavors? are the foods common, cheap, easy to acquire or expensive

Oh this is fun. Foods they like in the original story. Alright! I like talking about food this took a bit to prepare

Przemek: rosół (polish chicken broth) and bigos. Its the kind of thing hes more likely to eat at the palace than in his house (where kasha, cabbage and potatoes rule; eggs and meat are used more sparingly, as they are meant for sale, so theyre reserved for special days and for when guests arrive). Least favourite... nothing. He prefers the sour/salty/umami flavours; things with more fat and meat, generally more filling but simple meals. At home he will eat anything his mother and sister make but he likes pickled foods (very common, a winter must have) and baked potatoes (considered a tastier form of the usual potatoes, but theyre still potatoes, so its cheap...). Also he likes alcohol

Mikita: żur (its a fasting soup and he doesnt fast but he would like it), placki ziemniaczane/latkes (not a Ryba influence but something Ryba does use to make him like him more by cooking it for him), eggs stuffed with vegetable paste. Least favourite anything meat heavy and generally heavy on the stomach, too spicy, and too sweet. some vegetables are out of the question (like beans). Hes much more od a picky eater but if thats all hes offered he will suffer through it instead of saying anything. The żur picture is with eggs but at that time fasting żur would he without them (unless he asked for it he likes eggs. And potatoes). Prefers sour and salty flavours. To drink... milk and plain water

Ryba: any sour vegetable based soup (pickle soup, szczawiowa sorrel soup); id like to say cebularz because its nowdays a very popular jewish food from the exact region hes from, but his favourite baking product is more likely to be chałka just because od the braiding process (Ryba likes to bake). Least favourite... he doesnt like eating fish... and to drink his favourite would be kompot and alcohol too

Tamara: she likes the dziczyzna meals (meat acquired from wild animals) but not as much out of taste as because of her hunter wolf persona. She doesnt hunt but her father probably can; dont know the legality of it in their region and time (possibly illegal because they dont own the forests nearby but im not sure how it looked like) but i doubt they care. Preferably with kasha instead of potatoes. Just plain bread too. Least favourite carrots and many other vegetables. Too drink kompot as well (nothing expensive all common)

[the-trans-folk-witch]

The Green Devil of the Ozarks: The little green fairy of... moonshine?

It was 2005. I was with my grandfather in an old shop similar to "dick's 5 and 10" outside of Branson, Missouri. This is where The Green Devil caught my eye.

My grandfather frequented little old fashioned stores like this. He loved collecting all kinds of gadgets. Old movie posters, salt water taffy, and soda parlor paraphenalia. It was heaven on earth to him in this little corner of the world that was stuck in an older Ozark time. His house wasn't too dissimilar to a crackerbarrel gift shop. All kinds of wooden toys and dolls. He loved his little knickknacks. But on that day he found it. A copy of an old French absynthe poster with "the little green fairy" smirking at the viewer. He had to have it. It was being sold for $8! frame included! If only the seller knew the true value of it. Or how it's mere existence was breaking so many copyright laws.

Maurin Quina, as it's named, is a French apéritif advertisement painted by Leonetto Cappiello in 1906. The drink was made illegal soon after its creation. But this poster is now being reused today. It was not well known in the US at all back then. Not even in the 2000's. but my grandfather being a moonshiner, absynthe fan, and art history drop out, knew all about it.

My grandfather was not as religious as the rest of my family. But he sure prayed to God when he was trying to avoid the law. He was selling homemade moonshine without any sort of license or proper knowledge of sanitary practices. It was an arte form he learned from his father that I never had the pleasure of learning.

He decided to hang this new poster up in his storm cellar where he kept his aging bottles of various liquors. Over time it developed A life of its own. My grandfather would kiss his hand and place it on the poster of the little green fairy after every jar was sealed or sales were made. I Don't think he saw this as devil worship so much as just a simple good luck ritual. Not too disimilar to his high school basketball team kissing the image of their mascot before a game. He always practiced these superstitions even though he didn't seem to really believe in them.

Fast forward to today. I'm an Ozark trad witch. So of course I now work with this image as if it is the devil himself. He is a devil that rules spring and summer. Drunkenness, poison, lunacy, fairies, and nature. He is associated with law breaking, alcohol, healing, harming, and fertility. With Easter coming up He is on my mind heavily. A time I feed him red dyed eggs symbolizing the blood of christ and the blood of good Christians. I feed him this with intentions of causing those which share the eucharist to lust. Poisoning the church so to speak. I attend mass in spirit form and dip my blessed turkey wish bone down in the communion wine. The turkey is symbolic of love in the Ozarks. And the wishbone is horned like the stang, and my devil. Midnight mass on Easter is filled with drunkenness and sex. Those consuming this spiritually poisoned wine are consumed with lust for others in the church. An orgy ensues in the great house of God. Only for all members to awaken Easter morning with no memory of the incestuous rituals performed with their brothers and sisters in christ. To do such things in the house of God and not confess them (due to not remembering) is damanble. This is my goal as a witch. To bring the witches Sabbath to the church and to pervert the souls of good men.

By turkey wand and lustful stang I complete my work in the devils name.

A call to the Green Devil:

"Envy is his name. Drunkeness and poisoning are his arte. He is Lord of the little people and plants alike; come little green fairy and bring your lust and your lunacy. Green devil rise from the roots below like a serpent. Green devil come down from the tree tops like a booger in the night who takes its flight. Join me in this witching hour oh beast of the green and hear my call to the wild. By my witches flame may it be so."

Look out for a post on the black and red devils later this year. Our horned one changes with the seasons

[dwellordream]

“The Great Depression reached into every corner of the country, but it did not affect all people equally. For many middle-class women of all races, the depression required certain changes in spending patterns: buying cheaper cuts of meat, feeding the homeless men who stopped at the back door, and doing without new clothes. Some of these women continued to do community volunteer work, raising money for the unemployed. They saw the food lines, but they did not have to join them.

Among women workers, race played an important role. The fierce competition for jobs fueled racial resentments. Mexican-American and African-American women were the first to lose their jobs and the last to get relief from welfare agencies. Often, they were already living on the margin of survival. Before 1933, when the Prohibition amendment making the manufacture or sale of alcoholic beverages illegal was repealed, many of these women turned to bootlegging, making their own beer or liquor and selling it.

…Even relatively prosperous farm women--owners, not tenants--in general produced as much as 70 percent of what their families consumed in clothing, toys, and food. They not only gardened but raised poultry. During the depression, women increased the size of their gardens and the number of their hens. They made more butter from their dairy cows and sold it. They cut up the sacks that held large amounts of flour and sewed them into underwear. In the previous decade, they had proudly begun to participate in a culture of store-bought goods. Now they began to can food again. Government agents dragged huge canning kettles across the mountains of northern New Mexico and eastern Tennessee so that women in remote farming villages could preserve their food.

Even with all this work, rural children suffered from malnutrition, and rural women faced childbirth without a doctor or midwife because they could afford neither the medical fees nor the gasoline for transportation. The women resented their declining standards of living, particularly those from better-off farm families who owned their own farms and had, during the 1920s, aspired to participate in the new domestic technology of indoor bath-rooms, modern stoves and heating, and super cleanliness.

…In 1936, a federal appeals court overruled an earlier law that had classified birth control information as obscene and thus illegal to dispense. That decision still left state laws intact, however. The number of birth control clinics nationwide rose from 55 in 1930 to 300 by 1938, but in some states and in many rural areas women still had no access to birth control. In 1937, North Carolina became the first state to provide contraceptives with tax dollar, and six others soon followed. Ironically, North Carolina’s reasoning was not that birth control was a human right but that birth control would reduce the black population.

Despite statistics showing that black women had fewer babies than white women with similar incomes and living situations, many white southern officials in states with large black populations feared a black population explosion. In 1939, the Birth Control Federation of American responded to eager southern state governments by developing “The Negro Project,” a program to disseminate birth control information, which they carefully staffed with local black community leaders. Whatever the logic, one quarter of all women in the United States in their 20s during the depression never bore children. This was the highest rate of childlessness for any decade. Many people simply decided not to get married, and marriage rates fell.

…In the mass media women seemed to be receiving mixed messages. On the one hand, in 1930, the Ladies’ Home Journal featured a former career woman confessing, “I know now without any hesitation… that [my husband’s job] must come first.” In 1931, the popular magazine Outlook and Independent quoted the dean of Barnard College, a women’s college in New York City, telling her students that “perhaps the greatest service that you can render to the community… is to have the courage to refuse to work for gain.” And on its front page in 1935, the New York Times reported that women “suffering from masculine psychological states” and an “aversion to marriage” were being “cured” by the removal of their adrenal gland. In this atmosphere, not only were women workers under fire, but women who centered their lives on women rather than on men came under attack. Lesbianism was no longer chic. Lesbian bars almost disappeared. Homosexuality was now seen by many people as just one more threat to the family.

On the other hand, movie houses showed zany screwball comedies with more complicated lessons. Often deliciously ditsy, incompetent women were rescued by sensible, capable men. Yet, the men in these movies were frequently portrayed as bumbling or slower-witted than the women. Sometimes the men were people who needed joy and whimsy restored to their lives, not an unexpected theme for a nation in the throes of an economic depression. In other movies, however, women were by no means incompetent. The women portrayed by Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, and Joan Crawford in the 1930s were often intelligent but needed men alternately to tame and to soften them.”

- Sarah Jane Deutsch, “Making Do with Disaster.” in From Ballots to Breadlines: American Women, 1920-1940

[femmetransman]

My dress and nails from the Pride events that I worked last weekend.

The dress is made out of fabric from Twisted Needle Textiles (currently changing management and will have a new name soon, but can still be found on facebook), and the nails are done with holotaco and stamps from Maniology.

I worked booths for my job, the Colorado State Public Defender. We educated people about their basic civil rights, and some queer legal history. For example, did you know that on the night of Stonewall, the police had a warrant for the illegal sale of alcohol, which allowed them to enter the Stonewall Inn and arrest people for crossdressing.

Happy Pride!

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“TWO JAILED FOR ONE MONTH ON LIQUOR COUNT,” Winnipeg Tribune. October 29, 1930. Page 3. ---- John D. Riordan and Florence Gross Are Also Fined $300 and Costs ---- John D. Riordan and Florence Gross, both of 61 Harriet st., were sent to jail for one month and fined $300 with another two month added if the fine is not paid when they were convicted by Magistrate Graham this morning of keeping liquor for sale, Morality men found a bottle of whisky and six bottles of beer in possession of the accused. 

Nick Kowal was fined $200 and costs when convicted of having liquor not bought from the commission. Police saw Kowal drive up in front of the Cohen block, get out with a bundle under his arm. They followed him, found a gallon can of alcohol had been left at Suite 7. occupied by Myer Galsky. Galsky who is serving a year in jail for bootlegging. said the liquor was brought by Kowal.

[eaglesnick]

“No government that is for the profiteers can also be for the people, and I am for the people, while the government is for the profiteers.”— Rose Pastor Stokes

There is a cost of living crisis and it is not about to end anytime soon.

Food and non-alcoholic drink inflation reached a peak of 19.2% in October 2022. Although food and drink inflation is now much lower, it is never the less still rising, being 1.8% higher than a year ago. Today, the Uk  has the highest core inflation rate among the G7 countries as well as the highest level of food price inflation. A study by BravoVoucher predicts the cost of everyday food items will increase rapidly by 2030.

“This research provides a scary look into the future of food prices if current inflation trends continue. The dramatic increase we’ve seen in prices for everyday essentials like olive oil and baked beans is particularly concerning. It highlights the urgent need for effective economic policies to stabilize inflation and protect consumers.” (Social Equality: 22/07/24)

While food inflation is set to rage, super markets continue to make record profits. 

Asda reported  £1.1bn in profit for year ending 31st December 2023, a 24% increase on the previous year. Tesco reported raking in a massive £2.83bn in profit, a 12.7% increase on the year before. Simsbury’s is predicting profits of £1bn in 2024, and Waitrose has reported a 17% increase  in profits.

The lower end supermarkets are making even bigger profits. Lidl reported a quadrupling of profits for the year ending February 2022, and Aldi tripled their profits over the same period.

The point I am making is that while the cost of living crisis continues unabated the major supermarkets are busy increasing profits for their shareholders. There are many reasons the cost of food has increased, from global supply chain disruption, a rise in energy costs, to increased food production costs, but one that is never mentioned is the massive spike in supermarket profits.

Yesterday I talked about dynamic pricing – the practice of changing prices to match demand and supply – the most ridiculous example of this new form of greed being walking into a Stonegate pub at 8pm and being charged 20p more for a pint than if you had ordered the exact same drink a few hours earlier.

Tesco already use dynamic pricing for their online shopping platform, to allow:

“the company to optimise its pricing for maximum profitability” (The Strategy: Tesco Marketing Mix)

OK, so dynamic pricing is employed for Internet food sales. Most of us still prefer to go to the supermarket in person and “feel the goods” as it were. So we are safe from dynamic pricing. NOT SO!

More and more of British supermarkets are introducing dynamic pricing to the “in-store” experience in the form of electronic shelf-edge labels. (ESL’s)  Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Asda and M&S are all reported to be experimenting with ESL’s using Artificial Intelligence to generate algorithms to determine price minute by minute. Electronically displayed prices on the edge of shelving means prices can be changed minute by minute depending upon demand and supply.

Gone is the notion of value for money. The only thing that will matter  will be how much the customer is willing to pay for any particular item at any given particular moment in time, regardless of what it cost to produce.

If price is going to be determined by how much people are willing to pay, how long before we have the scenario of the  sole remaining can of baked beans on a Tesco shelf being sold not at its current price of  £1.40 per can but at £2.50 simply because one shopper has more money than another?

Profiteering has been described as:

“The practice of making or seeking to make excessive or unfair profit, especially illegally or in a black market”

Profiteering now has another definition: dynamic pricing.

[im-suchanicegirl]

Reminder that not everywhere in the world celebrates pride month in June!

Quebec for example celebrates in August, to match the march in Ottawa in August 1971 in support of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

Other place also have their ‘own Stonewall’, like Montréal, who’s inclusive bar Sex Garage was raided in July 1990 under false pretenses of illegal sales of alcohol. Patrons were antagonized and beaten up by police officers who were steering the patrons toward Beaver Hall Hill, where more officers were waiting for them.

(All this to say, Pride is not just America centric and not seeing certain cities celebrate in June does not mean theyre anti 2SLGBTQIA+)

[willtheweaver]

WIP drinking game

Thanks for the tag @winterandwords always fun to do these,

For The Nighttime Book Sale take a shot (just don’t do alcohol or things will get messy ) when:

- There is a new POV

- Illegal activities are going on (double if it includes books)

- Government regulations, red tape, and draconian laws come up

- People doing anything to get their hands on books

- Known works and authors are referenced (double if it’s anything from the IRL ‘banned list’)

Tagging @tragedycoded @mk-writes-stuff @drchenquill @bunnymermaidwrites @cherrybombfangirlwrites and open tag

[jiskblr]

A Non-Locavore's Guide to Proper Apple Cider

Apple cider is a bizarre thing, in that it is only legal to buy it from the people who grew the apples and pressed them themselves.

You may say "Jisk, I see apple cider in the supermarket right here!", and I am here to tell you that the supermarket is full of profane lies.

I am not talking about hard cider (alcoholic), which does not taste like apples and thus is sorta lies, but a perfectly respectable beverage for those who like their alcohol beer-like but non-beer, which I do not. And that's all I'm going to say about hard cider.

No, I'm talking about this.

This substance is made by the archdevil Geryon, lord of deceits and heresies, in his orchard of snakes and lies, in order to convince people that apple cider is just pretentious apple juice.

And it works, because supermarket apple cider is just pretentious apple juice. It is cider that has taken behind the woodshed and shot, and its corpse carried around in the style of Weekend At Bernie's, paraded as the real thing. It is not the real thing.

This is the real thing:

This is Smit Farms cider, made from apples grown in Smit Farms orchards and pressed in mechanical presses owned by Smit Farms, hosted on the premises owned by Smit Farms and probably on the orchard grounds itself, then bottled by Smit Farms, also on the premises of Smit Farms. This cider is then sold either at their shop next to the Smit Farms orchard (fairly inaccessible) or at a Smit Farms booth in a range of farmstands within driving distance (in this case, mostly or totally in California), one of which is where I buy it. This is the good stuff.

The fact that it is from Smit Farms specifically is irrelevant, but other than replacing the name 'Smit Farms' with something else like 'Derby Orchards' or 'Oxford University Gardens', the good stuff all fits that precise description. To do otherwise is illegal. (At least in the US of A. It seems to be rare in other countries too, and I don't know for sure.)

The core problem is pasteurization. Pasteurization turns cider into apple juice. If you're careful about it and do the lowest temperature allowed for a brief burst of heat (flash pasteurization), you'll keep the ghost of the flavor of proper cider. But only a ghost of it.

And you are legally required to pasteurize cider before sale, unless you are a farm doing farm things to your farm products on your farm premises, which gets you an exemption from a great many United States laws, this being one of them. And so, if you wish to drink good cider, you must be a locavore for the day you do the shopping.

And it's so fucking worth it. I promise you. You know how they say that compared to real beer, Budweiser is 'fucking close to water'? Apple juice is the Bud Lite of cider. Real cider has the same relationship to it that Guinness has to Bud. Everyone should try it.

Now, I will admit it has drawbacks.

The first one is that it's usually unfiltered, and filtering it does actually make it worse. So you need to shake the bottle around a bit before pouring. It's much less intrusive than citrus pulp, though.

The second is that if you leave it in the fridge for a month it will have gone very slightly alcoholic. (I don't know what ABV.) This does have a solution - cider freezes well. Leave it in the freezer for a year if need be, then melt it over a day on the counter and stick it back in the fridge.

QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE FOR THE CIDER SNOB

"Jisk, how can I tell if the cider is the good stuff?"

Unfortunately, you will usually have to ask, and the answer will often be 'it isn't' even if you're at an orchard. Check if the label says 'pasteurized' in any form - if so it is the knockoff type. If you don't see that, the question you want to ask is "Do you press and bottle it yourself?"; if the answer is yes, they will almost certainly know, and only if the answer is yes is it the good stuff. You can also ask "Is it pasteurized?", and this may appear on the label, but there are weaselly ways to say it's not when it is and well-intentioned people can be honestly wrong about this being good enough.

"Should I get the good stuff for cooking with?"

It is almost certainly not worth it. You'll mostly denature it in cooking and that will remove most of the flavor benefits. For this I would go with supermarket cider or somewhat boiled-down boring apple juice. Some recipes may benefit but that's beyond my cooking skill to predict.

"Should I get the good stuff for mulling?"

Personally I cannot tell the difference once it is mulled. If the effort and money to get the good stuff are cheap for you, go ahead, it's probably slightly better, but it will not be a groundshaking improvement. Same goes for anything you're spicing heavily even without heat.

"Okay, I see where you're going, here. Is it a waste to heat up the good stuff?"

Absolutely not. Go for it! A simple mug of cider, heated up in the microwave, is a wonderful thing in a way apple juice is not.

"How about cocktails?"

I have limited experience here but I think it is usually a noticeable, significant improvement, but not always. My family favors the Suicider, which has some nutmeg, a large spike of dark rum, and the heart of a bad pun. On the other hand, something like a mule where you are mixing several strong flavors may overwhelm the difference. Use your best judgment, and if you do a taste test please tag me or send me an ask, because I'm curious.

"Why is the good stuff so rare, if it's so much better?"

The process is time-consuming and effortful, it's either hard to scale on an orchard's budget or hard to scale without incurring the wrath of the regulators, and the margins aren't great. I pay $20 for a gallon and a half and I'd probably pay twice that, but I am a snob; most people aren't and wouldn't.

In my hometown, there were six pick-your-own apple orchards, all of which sold cider in their attached store. Of these, only one, the aforementioned Derby Farms, sold the good stuff - this was a local secret, not available to the tourists who came out from Boston. The others had mechanical presses available, but pressing cider is slow, exhausting work and the margins aren't great, so they paid someone else to press it and bottle it, which meant that the pasteurization requirement came in. Even Derby's has ceased to make the good stuff, as they are getting old and didn't have the manpower in the proper season anymore. This is a tragedy but kind of inevitable.

"Why are you writing this?"

Because I think a lot of people would be snobs if they experienced the difference, and the only way to fix aforesaid tragedy is to make the margins better by increasing demand.