#latest remote work news

[tanzinur9989]

StartACareerToday - Amazon Flex - Spanish - CPL . Sign up and find Amazon flex! Conversion will be happen after email submit >> https://amz-sp.jobseweb.com/?pub=8812

[jobusa]

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[sparklingchim]

game on | jjk

pairing: jungkook x reader

word count: 2.2k

tropes: footballer!jungkook, fake dating, f2l

rating: pg

warnings: koo gets scolded for sleeping around 🥺, playboy jk <3, hints of a threesome 🫢, oc fights w a laundry machine

summary: jungkook is in desperate need to polish up his playboy image, and naturally, he turns to you for help.

a/n: hii my pretty besties!!!! it's my bday😋 so i wanted to share this silly piece i've been having so much fun writing!!! love uuu n treat urself to smth nice for me today <3 mwah😙

⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒

Jeon Jungkook is a charming man – and he is well aware of the fact. He plays that card effortlessly.

Most of the time, it works in his favour. Gets him what he wants, opens doors, soften blows.

But sometimes, it backfires. Spectacularly.

Which is why, right now, he’s standing in front of his fuming manager, who is radiating enough anger to fill the entire office.

The sight isn’t foreign to Jungkook. He wouldn’t say he is used to it, but he has found himself often enough in this situation to recognise the signs of deep trouble.

It’s not just Jungkook’s charm that’s making things complicated. It’s also the fact that he is famous.

He doesn’t flaunt it – never brags, never name-drops. That’s not his thing. But he’s not stupid either. His name (dare he say it) carries a bit of weight, and he’s learned how to use it. Quietly. Casually. Just enough to make things go his way.

Bending the world to his will... until the world pushes back.

And right now, it’s pushing back hard.

One thing Jeon Jungkook does enjoy about being a pro footballer, though, is the way women obsess over him.

He knows they love him – sees it in the comments they leave on his ig posts, sees it in the DMs flooding his inbox daily, and experiences it firsthand at public events, where hordes of fans scream his name. Jungkook thrives on that attention.

However, something he doesn’t love, and what he was never prepared for, is the media. The way they scrutinise his every move, how his face ends up on every headline anytime he does something remotely noteworthy.

And now, thanks to his latest shenanigan getting caught by the press, here he is. Getting chewed out by Taesung, his manager, while Jiwoo from PR watches with that tight-lipped expression that always means bad news.

Jungkook’s eyes are downcast, bracing himself for the scolding that’s already begun.

“You’ve gone too far this time, Jungkook.”

His manager speaks in a flat, monotonous voice, void of even the slightest hint of disappointment, as if he’d long since given up expecting anything different.

“Do you have any idea how hard it is to clean up the mess you leave behind?”

A sense of guilt creeping up on Jungkook, even though he knows if he were just a regular guy, none of this would matter at all. And he finds it a bit unfair.

But to survive in this business, you can’t complain about unfairness.

“Have you completely lost your mind?” Taesung barks.

Jungkook remains silent. He forces himself to.

“If there was more involved than just alcohol-”

“No! Nothing like that,” he denies, his response firm and immediate. “It was just alcohol – and, well, just good vibes because we won the last match, and with the World Cup being next, everyone was just really excited.”

If he had known what kind of trouble a simple, innocent celebration of his team’s win at a club would bring, he would’ve gone straight home yesterday. He would’ve skipped the rounds of drinks, the flashing lights, the loud music, and definitely the attention. But hindsight was useless now.

“Good,” his manager says. “I’m glad you were happy.” Mock sympathy drips from his voice. “Perhaps the last time you are going to be happy this year.”

Jungkook nods, accepting the gravity of the situation. No more clubs, no more parties, no more girls.

At least, not for a while. His reputation had taken a few hits recently, and this latest mess wasn’t helping. He could almost hear the whispers: reckless, irresponsible, unprofessional. The kind of things that could ruin him if he didn’t get a handle on it.

He clenched his jaw. No more distractions. From now on, it was all about the game. He needed to remind everyone why he was Jeon Jungkook — the best on the field, not just the headlines.

“You’re no longer in for the World Cup. You’re out.”

His head snaps up at that. Did he hear that right?

“What?! What do you mean?”

“Myungbo doesn’t want you on the team anymore.” Taesung’s words sound heavy and final.

Jungkook’s heart pounds in his ears.

His world tilts. The room seems to spin, the edges of his vision darkening. This wasn’t just a setback — it was a disaster. The World Cup was everything to him, and now it felt like it was slipping through his fingers. The crushing weight of the news settles on his chest, making it hard to breathe. One silly night is all that happened.

He can’t believe that a single photo of him leaving the club with two girls clinging to each arm has cost him his spot on the national football team. He went home with two girls – so what?

But he doesn’t voice his frustration. He knows better than to add fuel to the fire. Speaking his mind now would only escalate the situation and make things worse. Jungkook knows from experience.

He swallows hard, forcing himself to stay calm. His pulse is still racing, but he takes a deep breath, focusing on controlling his emotions. He has to keep a level head if he’s going to find a way to fix this.

“There has to be a way to fix this.” His eyes move to Jiwoo, his PR agent. “Right?”

His manager fixes him with a stern glare. “Jungkook, remember the promise you gave everyone a few months ago?” Taesung reminds him.

Jungkook cringes. When he made a promise to avoid actions that might damage his reputation, he didn’t think it’d be that serious. He cut back on going out, made the effort to play the role of the “good boy” but really – come on. He can’t maintain that facade for an eternity. Especially after a triumphant victory like yesterday’s.

Taking away his spot on the national football team? He didn’t think that was possible.

“How many more times do we have to fix your problems, because you don’t care enough? How many times do we have to repeat this scenario?”

“I promise I’ll better myself,” Jungkook pleads desperately, looking back and forth between the two of them. Someone has to believe him, help him.

“Do you genuinely believe this country wants to be represented by a 20-year-old boy, who can’t keep his personal life under control?” Taesung asks, eyebrows deeply pinched together. “This isn’t just about you, Jungkook. It’s about the team, the fans, and the nation. They need a role model, not a scandal waiting to happen.”

“I know. I know.” Jungkook scrambles for something convincing to say, desperate to sway their decision. This can’t be it. He won’t let his career take a hit because of something like this. “But – but this isn’t too bad. This is fixable. I can fix this.” His voice quivers with a desperation he barely recognises as his own. “Jiwoo.” Jungkook turns to her with pleading eyes. “You always know what to do. Please, help me?”

“I did propose an idea but-”

“We’re not doing that,” Taesung cuts in. “It’s off the table.”

“What is it?” Jungkook’s eyes bounce back and forth between them. “I’ll do anything. This is – this is everything to me. You have to give me a chance.”

Taesung scoffs. “A chance? As far as I know, you have been given countless chances.”

Sweat coats the back of Jungkook’s neck.

Taesung understands just how much Jungkook has fought to secure his place on the national team. He’s well aware that it’s one of Jungkook’s greatest dreams, a pinnacle of his career that he’s poured countless hours of hard work and sacrifice into. That’s why, each morning, when he wakes up to the latest news of Jungkook’s escapades, he feels a deep sense of disappointment, texting Jungkook with a dejected shake of his head to visit his office first thing in the morning.

When it’s all he wants, like Jungkook claims, why doesn’t he act like it?

“If the head coach won’t give me a chance now, he’ll never do. This is my last opportunity to change his mind, make him rethink. I need to at least try.”

Jiwoo looks at Taesung, waiting for his approval. He nods.

“Very simply put: you need a girlfriend,” she says.

For a second, Jungkook is at loss for words.

“A girlfriend? How’s that going to help?” Jungkook tilts his head in confusion. This is not how he thought Jiwoo was going to save him.

“You need a girlfriend to help polish up your image as a player. It’ll make you appear more like a gentleman, softer and nicer. We need to completely shift public perception and counter the negative image they’ve formed about you. It’s all about changing the narrative,” she explains.

“And that is not something we can easily achieve,” Taesung interjects. “Rebranding your entire persona is not feasible at this stage. You’ve been projecting what kind of boy you are to the media for the past two years. It’s going to be incredibly difficult to make a sudden shift look genuine.”

“No! We — I can make it seem real. This is my only chance,” Jungkook insists, his voice gaining a hint of determination. For a moment, breathing feels a bit easier again. “The World Cup is just two months away. That’s enough time to shift public opinion and prove I’m worthy of representing the country on the team.” There’s a hopeful lilt in his voice as he speaks, clinging to the belief that he might not have to bid farewell to his biggest dream after all.

But Taesung doesn’t look as hopeful as Jungkook feels.

“How are we going to find a girl who will agree to this? Someone who isn’t an obsessive fan, understands this is purely professional, and can keep quiet? You won’t be able to pull this off.”

“I was actually thinking-” Jiwoo starts, but she’s cut off.

Jungkook hesitates, glancing between them before speaking. “Actually... I think I already have someone in mind.” His voice is more measured now. “That’s not the issue.” Jungkook doesn’t need to think twice.

Taesung sighs while Jiwoo looks at Jungkook apologetically.

“You can’t rebrand your entire persona from a playboy to a lover boy within a month, Jungkook. This is over.” His manager shakes his head, a sense of finality glimmering in his eyes.

One thing that Jungkook forgot to mention is that he is an extremely competitive man, too.

~

“This is ridiculous.”

You kick the laundry machine in frustration, but all you end up doing is yelping and clutching your aching foot.

“That’s the third time this month,” you mutter under your breath. “What did I even spend all that money on if it’s just going to break down whenever it feels like it?”

You shoot a death glare at the machine, teetering on the edge of losing your mind.

“Guess I’ll have to use the public laundromat again,” you sigh, grabbing the overflowing laundry basket filled with your and your roommate's clothes, and heading out of the bathroom with a huff.

On your way to the front door, the doorbell rings.

Please, you think. You were hoping for some quiet, uninterrupted time to deep-clean your dorm on this peaceful Sunday with no one around.

But when you peek through the peephole and see Jungkook standing there, your frustration melts away. You swing the door open, the laundry basket tumbling to the floor beside you in your haste.

“Jungkook!” you exclaim. “You’re timing is perfect! Can you please fix my laundry machine again? It’s been acting up, and I’m getting frustrated.” You groan annoyed.

Jungkook doesn’t share the same excitement upon seeing you.

You grow smaller and take an indecisive step back.

“What’s wrong?” you ask, noticing the tension in his features. “Did you lose the match yesterday? I couldn’t keep up because I had too much cramming to do last night.”

While studying medicine had always been your dream, the reality is less exciting. Right now, it means sleepless nights and relentless pressure. You know that pursuing this path will offer you many privileges later in life, but you have to suffer first.

“I need your help.”

His dark eyes, usually bright and full of energy, seem clouded with worry, and his hair falls messily over his forehead, like he’s run his hands through it a hundred times in frustration.

“Are you okay?” You study him closely, scanning his face for any signs of injury. Physically, he seems fine — still tall, muscular, and as fit as ever. But something is clearly off.

“You need to do something for me.”

“I can help,” you reply, your voice soft with concern. ‘But what is it…?”

“Don’t call me crazy for it.”

“Just tell me.”

“Can you be my girlfriend?”

You blink, repeatedly.

“Huh?”

You start giggling when he doesn’t add more. You expect him to clarify or laugh along, but Jungkook stays serious, stepping closer and gently taking your hands in his. You look down at them, then back up at his face, utterly bewildered.

“You’re silly, Jungkook. If someone on the team made you do this, tell them you did the punishment and quit acting so weird.”

It’s too early in the morning for Jungkook’s nonsense.

“No, ___, you don’t understand.” He squeezes your hands when he feels you trying to pull them back. “I actually need you to do it.”

“Do what?”

“Fake date me.”

[tokeposts]

⁀➷ TALK TOO MUCH | I. MIDORIYA

warnings. none. it's just pure fluff!

pairings. izuku midoriya x flirty!gn!reader

767 | Izuku Midoriya talks way too much but you shut him up in the best way you know how.

next | masterlist | back

The common room buzzed with the sound of your classmates unwinding after another grueling day of training. Izuku was in his own world, pacing animatedly in front of the couch, hands flying in every direction as he analyzed the latest hero battle footage on the TV. A clip of endeavor's most recent battle replies on the screen, the reporter adding their own analysis, and Izuku visibly brightens.

"Here! Right there! Endeavor uses his Jet Burn to counter that villain's quirk, but you can see here. He's already calculated its trajectory based on—"

You sat slouched on the couch, one hand propping up your chin while the other clutched a glass of water. Ice cubes already melted, condensation cool against your hand. For the first few minutes, you'd been nodding, offering a few hums and quick "wows" to keep Izuku going, but at this point, your brain was mush.

You love Izuku, there's no doubt in your mind about it, but sometimes after none stop lectures and rigorous training, you just want a bit of peace. You'd think he'd be the same. You sneak a glance at the boy again and he smiles impossibly brighter at you (much to your dismay).

Despite your short-lived responses, Izuku wasn't slowing down. No, infact, he was ramping up, spiraling into a second analysis of yet another fight as the news anchor praises the number two hero, Hawks, this time.

Izuku waves the TV remote animatedly in the air using it as a makeshift pointer as he rambles on.

"Midoriya," you said, your tone calm but firm. He didn't hear you or maybe he did but assumed it wasn't important enough to stop just yet. "And if you think about how his quirk output works in tune with Hawks', it just makes—"

"Izuku." This time, louder with a bit more demand.

He glances your way for a split second, green eyes wide with remorse and a faint red tinting his freckled cheeks, but his train of thought was unstoppable, barreling ahead without a second to spare.

"—you can see how they predicted each other's moves! It's just incredible how—"

That was it. You didn't think; you acted. With one smooth motion, you stood up and grabbed the front of his shirt yanking him down to you. His big green eyes went impossibly wider, his words freezing mid-sentence as your lips pressed firmly against his.

The world seemed to stop. The remote to the TV slipped from his hands, clattering to the floor with a loud thud, but neither of you noticed. To absorbed in the way his lips molded perfectly to yours. How his hands trembled before cautiously resting them on your waist. His breath hitched against your mouth, and for once, Izuku Midoriya was left utterly and completely speechless.

You pulled back slightly, lips brushing his as you smile,

"There. Much better."

Izuku's face was on fire, his freckles practically glowing against the deep red flush spreading across his cheeks and the tips of his ears. He looks around first, wondering if there were any other witnesses. When none of your classmates meets his eyes, he loudly coughs hiding his face behind his hands.

You smirked, leaning back into the couch as if nothing had happened. "Finally some peace," you sigh.

He stood there, stunned, mouth gapping open and close like a fish out of water. After a beat of silence, finally, he manages to stammer, "was I talking that much?"

"You were," you teased, taking a sip of your water. "But don't worry. Now I gotta foolproof plan for whenever you start up again."

He blinked, still rooted to the spot you left him, his fingers brushing over his lips as if trying to process what had just happened. Then suddenly, the dots start connecting.

"You can't just kiss someone to make them stop talking!"

"I didn't just kiss someone. I kissed you." You raised a brow, smiling at the way Izuku stammers. "And I felt you kiss me back, so are you really gonna act like you didn't like it?"

Izuku sputtered as he tried to form a coherent response. His face still glowing a deep red as he waved his hands animatedly in the air. He needed to say something, anything. You had just kissed him for god's sake, the one person he's had feelings for since his first year. Oh god, he might just throw up. Meanwhile, you leaned back with a satisfied grin, a small laugh leaving you as you watched him you short circuit, already looking forward to the next time he talked too much.

notes. based off the song talk to much by coin + dedicated to @sunnymain bc we both listen to coin hehehe

[dcxdpdabbles]

Hoii, absolutely love all the stories u written lol, have not left the master post for a few days now, I'm just wondering if you'll be continuing 'its all fun and games kids'? I rlly think Danny hitting on batman is hilarious and kinda feel bad for batman for having a twink of a man who looks as young as one of his kids hitting on him lmao

Danny had an afternoon off. He was bored out of his mind since he was trying to save money, and going somewhere free was only fun if he had someone with him. Sadly, every other adult he knows worked until five or later

He caught up with all his remote work. He watched every episode of his latest show. No chores needed doing. No errands to run. It's been a long time since he had some time off, and he had nothing to do.

He had put on an old movie that wasn't grabbing his attention, and now he lay on the couch staring mindlessly at the screen. If only something was entertaining to do.

His movie flickers from a scene of a child chasing some goats to a news anchor sitting behind a red line that reads Breaking News. Danny sits up a little when a box appears in the right-hand corner.

That box shows one of his favorite pastimes. Batman. He feels his lips curving into a mischievous smirk.

"Breaking news: Joker has launched an attack at city hall resulting in fifty hostages and one person harm. Their condition is unknown. Joker has released the statement that he will kill a hostage every thirty minutes. He made no demands, but Batman has arrived and is working on saving-"

Danny shifted into Phantom, flying out of his house towards city hall before the woman could finish explaining what was happening. He became invisible, feeling oddly giggly as he neared the scene. Piles of police cars were outside, various police officers in uniforms running around between tents, and a news crew was set about.

He flew right over them into the building. It wasn't hard to find the hostages. He followed the loud laughter to the last floor in the latest conference room.

They were all tied to chairs, laughing with crazed smiles cut onto their faces. Danny was momentarily thrown from the horrific sight until he remembered the rule.

He could cure them if they were injected with a poison within the last thirty minutes. Joker venom usually only gives victims about ten minutes before death or permanent damage.

Danny wasted only five seconds on each guard. He flew at them as fast as he could and landed in a tackle, knocking out most of them. The rest of the guards only saw everyone falling to the ground aggressively, so they couldn't call it in.

Then it just left Danny with crazed, laughing civilians. He became visible long enough to gather healing ice and smiled at the staring hostages, laughing but crying.

____________________________________________________________

Batman burst into the room an hour later. He was worse for wear, with fresh bruises along his jar and some cuts in his costume.

He just finished taking down the Joker, and whatever dumb goons thought they could put up a good fight against him. Despite the mask, Danny could tell he was preparing himself

He obviously wasn't expecting to find fifty people passed out with clear signs of having someone treated them. A side effect of this particular joker venom had them clawing at their arms until they drew blood. Danny had snuck away some first-aid boxes to grab their bandages.

"Batman! You've come to rescue me!" Danny swoons from the rolling chair he tied himself into. He wiggles his feet against the floor and approaches the still form in the doorway. "I knew you would save me!"

"Oh," Batman sighs. "You again."

This was better than daytime TV.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

EFF’s lawsuit against DOGE will go forward

I'm on a 20+ city book tour for my new novel PICKS AND SHOVELS. Catch me in PITTSBURGH on May 15 at WHITE WHALE BOOKS, and in PDX on Jun 20 at BARNES AND NOBLE. More tour dates here.

In my 23 years at EFF, I've been privileged to get a front-row seat for some of the most important legal battles over tech and human rights in history. There've been tremendous victories and heartbreaking losses, but win or lose, I am forever reminded that I'm privileged to work with some of the smartest, most committed, savviest cyberlawyers in the world.

These days, it's more of a second-row seat – I work remotely, mostly on my own projects, and I rely on our Deeplinks blog as much as our internal message-boards to keep up with our cases. Yesterday, I happened on this fantastic explainer breaking down our most recent court victory, in our case against DOGE on behalf of federal workers whose privacy rights have been violated during DOGE's raid on the Office of Personnel Management's databases:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/04/our-privacy-act-lawsuit-against-doge-and-opm-why-judge-let-it-move-forward

The post is by Adam Schwartz, EFF's Privacy Litigation Director. I've been campaigning on privacy for my entire adult life, but I still learn something – something big and important – every time I talk about the subject with Adam. His breakdown on EFF's latest court victory is no exception.

EFF was the first firm to bring a suit directly against DOGE, representing two federal workers' unions: the AFGE and the AALJ, and our co-counsel are from Lex Lumina LLP, State Democracy Defenders Fund, and The Chandra Law Firm. At the heart of our case are the millions of personnel records that DOGE agents were given access to by OPM Acting Director Charles Ezell.

The OPM is like the US government's HR department. It holds files on every federal employee and retiree, filled with sensitive, private data about that worker's finances, health, and personal life. The OPM also holds background check data on federal workers, including the deep background checks that federal workers must undergo to attain security clearances. Many of us – including me – first became familiar with the OPM in 2015, after its records were breached by hackers believed to be working for the Chinese military:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Personnel_Management_data_breach

That breach was catastrophic. Chinese spies stole the sensitive data of tens of millions of Americans. The DOGE breach implicates even more Americans' private data, though, and while DOGE isn't a foreign intelligence agency, that cuts both ways. It's a good bet that a Chinese spy agency will not leak the records it stole, but with DOGE, it's another matter entirely. I wouldn't be surprised to find the OPM data sitting on a darknet server in a month or a year.

In his breakdown, Adam explains the ruling and what was at stake. We brought the case on behalf of all those federal workers under the 1974 Privacy Act, which was passed in the wake of Watergate and the revelations about COINTELPRO, scandals that rocked the nation's faith in federal institutions. The Privacy Act was supposed to restore trust in government, and to guard against future Nixonian enemies lists:

https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/llmlp/LH_privacy_act-1974/LH_privacy_act-1974.pdf

The Privacy Act's preamble asserts that the US government's creation of databases on Americans – including federal workers – "greatly magnified the harm to individual privacy." This is the basis for the Act's tight regulation on how government agencies use and handle databases containing dossiers on the lives of everyday Americans.

The US government tried to get the case tossed out by challenging our clients' "standing" to sue. Only people who have been harmed by someone else has the right ("standing") to sue over it. Does having your data leaked to DOGE constitute a real injury? Two recent Supreme Court cases say it does: Spokeo vs Robins and Transunion vs Ramirez both establish that "intangible" injuries (like a privacy breach) can be the basis for standing.

The court agreed that our clients had standing because the harms we alleged – DOGE's privacy breaches – are "concrete harms analogous to intrusion upon seclusion" ("intrusion upon seclusion" is one of the canonical privacy violations, set out in the Restatement of Torts, the American Law Institute's comprehensive guide to common law).

But the court went further, noting that DOGE's operation is accused of being "rushed and insecure," rejecting DOGE's argument that it only accessed OPM's "system" but not the data stored in that system. The court also said that it wouldn't matter if DOGE access the system, but not the data – that merely gaining access to the data violated our clients' privacy. Here, the judge is part of an emerging consensus, joining with four other federal judges who've ruled that when DOGE gains access to a system containing private data, that alone constitutes a privacy violation, even if DOGE doesn't look at or process the records in the system.

So in ruling for our clients, the judge found that the mere fact that DOGE could access their records was an injury that gave us standing to proceed – and also found that there were other injuries that would separately give us standing, including the possibility that DOGE's breach could expose our clients to "hacking, identity theft, and other activities that are substantially harmful."

The US government repeatedly argued that we weren't accusing them of disclosing our clients' records, every time they did this, the judge pointed to our actual filings, which plainly assert that DOGE agents were "viewing, possessing and using" our clients' records, and that this constitutes "disclosure" under the law, and according to OPM's own procedures.

The judge found that we were entitled to seek relief under the Administrative Procedures Act (APA), which proscribes the conduct of federal agencies – and that our relief could be both "declaratory" (meaning a court could rule that DOGE was breaking the law) and "injunctive" (meaning the court could order DOGE to knock it off).

Normally, a plaintiff can't ask for a judgment under the APA until an agency has taken a "final" action. The court found that because DOGE's actions were accused of being "illegal, rushed, and dangerous," and that this meant that we could seek relief under the APA. Further, that we could invoke the APA here because the remedies set out in the Privacy Act itself wouldn't be sufficient to help our clients in the face of DOGE's mass data-plundering.

Finally, the court ruled that our claims will allow us to pursue APA cases because OPM and DOGE were behaving in an "arbitrary and capricious" manner, and exceeding its legal authority.

All of this is still preliminary – we're not at the point yet where we're actually arguing the case. But standing is a huge deal. Ironically, it's when governments violate our rights on a mass scale that standing is hardest to prove. Our Jewel case, over NSA spying, foundered because the US government argued that we couldn't prove our clients had been swept up by NSA surveillance because the details of that surveillance were officially still secret, even though Snowden had disclosed their working a decade earlier, and our client Mark Klein (RIP) had come forward with documents on illegal mass NSA spying in 2006!:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/06/effs-flagship-jewel-v-nsa-dragnet-spying-case-rejected-supreme-court

So this is a big deal. It means we're going to get to go to court and argue the actual merits of the case. Things are pretty terrible right now, but this is a bright light. It makes me proud to have spent most of my adult life working with EFF. If you want to get involved with EFF, check and see if there's an Electronic Frontier Alliance affinity group in your town:

https://efa.eff.org/allies

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/04/09/cases-and-controversy/#brocolli-haired-brownshirts

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecomms.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

--

EFF (modified) https://www.eff.org/files/banner_library/opm-eye-3b.jpg

CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en

[weaponizedmoth]

This kind of disappeared for me when I started making as much art as possible. Like writing, the old adage is unfortunately right: The more you do it, the more you get used to it. For me it was that at least, because my panic was completely tied to how good I was at it (in my own perception). I still have this feeling with YouTube, because I haven't done enough videos, which is bad, but I also struggled A LOT with writing until I started writing fanfic more often, which was less pressure for me. I made a rule that I can't put as much effort into it as I do original fiction---and then this made me wanna write more original stuff because I was less afraid of mistakes.

Again, this is totally a me thing and might not be the problem in general, you might do a lot of art, but it worked for me.

Genuine Question For Artists:

Does anyone else experience elevated heart rate/irrational fear and panic when trying to draw? This is something I struggle greatly with, and no chemical or therapy treatment has yet helped me.

[blackwidownat2814]

Pairing: Tyler Owens x female reader, Tyler Owens x shy!reader, Tyler Owens x insecure!reader

Word Count: 1408

Summary: You begin your new job as a Tornado Wrangler (remotely), and meet most of the team. It isn't until you suffer a little mishap that you meet the man himself.

A/N: Thank you all so much for the wonderful response to the Prologue!!! I didn't think it'd be that much of a hit, so I was surprised with all the love. After finishing this chapter, I feel like it could've been part of the Prologue, but oh well. It's been a while since I've written as well, so bear with me. As always, thanks to my awesome beta, @buckysdollforlife, for their help with this and for creating the header for this story (I LOVE IT!!!!) and bestie, @13braincellsonly, for allowing me the use of their son's name and personality when I needed to come up with a horse. **All descriptions of Ziggy the horse were approved by his momma.** And as always, I will be cross-posting this to AO3. If you see this story anywhere besides AO3 or Tumblr, it's stolen.

City Girl Knows Her Stuff

You became a Wrangler near the end of the season that first year.  Kate picked you up at the airport with two members of the team: Lily and Dani.  Lily immediately pulled you into a hug, chatting a mile a minute about how excited she was to have you on the team.  Dani (perhaps picking up on your shyness) offered a handshake and big smile, welcoming you to Oklahoma.  Kate was more than happy to let Dani and Lily talk your ear off on the drive to Sapulpa, where you’d be staying with Cathy until you found a place.  She knew it was somewhat difficult for you to make friends, so she was happy to see you enjoying a conversation with two new friends.

You got to meet Dexter when he came by in the van to pick up Lily and Dani.  You thought he was funny and enjoyed some very science-centric conversations with him.  Before they all left, Lily let you take her drone for a spin.  You enjoyed it so much that for your birthday later that year, she gifted you a smaller drone that wasn’t quite like hers, but it had a small camera and small, tinny sounding speaker.  She even had it painted in your favorite color.  That would become one of your absolute favorite gifts.  It made you cry.

Like most storm chasers, you had to have a job in the off season, so you got a remote data analyst job with the NOAA offices in Norman and moved out to a place just out of Sapulpa.  This would allow you to visit Cathy at the farm and work on data in the barn workshop the Wranglers had set up.  You even got yourself a cat.  Abandoned due to his looks and runt status (according to the shelter), you snatched him up the first time you saw him.  Black cats didn’t scare you.  Life with Roach (you’d spent quite a bit of time watching The Witcher) was idyllic and you were happy.

By the time you met Boone, the Wranglers felt like family…and Boone felt like the brother you never had.  Like Boone, you were an only child and didn’t have much of an extended family and it was a bit lonely in the beginning.  The difference, however, was that Boone was an outgoing guy and it was easy for him to make friends and talk to people he didn’t know, whereas that scared you half to death most of the time.  You loved his boisterous way of being, but you also appreciated that he (like Dani) could tell when your social battery had run down and turned it down and would sometimes sit with you in a quiet environment.  Sometimes he’d sit and nap while you read or he’d pick up the latest meteorological article (or sometimes the latest comic he picked up at the shop).  He didn’t even make fun of your nickname like others had before, so you trusted him.

The day of Cathy’s pre-tornado season bbq, while cleaning some dishes, you confessed to Boone that you were nervous about meeting the head tornado wrangler himself, Tyler Owens.

“T’s a sweetheart B, you got nothin’ to worry about.  Why are ya nervous?”

“Boone!  He doesn’t know me, what if he doesn’t think I’m a right fit for the team?  What if he doesn’t like how I do work?  Y’all are famous ‘round here, what if he gets irked by the fact that big crowds make me nervous and it takes me forever to become comfortable with people?  You know it’s not easy for me to talk to people I’ve never talked to before”, you cried in exasperation.

“B, imma need you to take a breath, okay?” Boone reassured you as he placed his hands on your shoulders.  “If Ty thought any of those things, I would definitely not be workin’ with ‘em.”

You were so busy trying to get yourself to relax that you missed Kate wandering into the kitchen.

“B, are you freakin’ out about meetin’ Tyler again?” she asked.  You and Boone nodded.  “Well, you don’t have to worry.  He won’t be able to come today, said he had to drive down to Texas to see his parents.”

You breathed out a sigh of relief, sending some of your hair floating up.  “Good, I have time to relax about it.  Thanks Kate.”

“Thank Tyler’s parents.”

“Thank you, Mr. & Mrs. Owens!” you said to no one in particular and dried your hands, as you looked over at your friends.  “See you two out there!”

Kate and Boone followed, but stayed on the porch, both taking twin sips from their beers.

“You think either of them has any idea what’s about to happen to ‘em?” Boone asked.

“Meaning that Tyler is going to become enamored the second she opens her mouth?”

“Yup.”

“And that she’s going to have the same thing happen to her the second she comes into contact with that cocky cowboy swagger that he exudes when you meet him the first time?”

“Yup.”

“No, I don’t think either of ‘em knows what’s coming.”

A few days before the chasing season began, you brought Roach down to Cathy’s, where he would be staying while you were out with the Wranglers for your first season on the road.  

While there, you asked Cathy if you could saddle up your favorite of her horses, Zig, nicknamed Ziggy.  He wasn’t the brightest of the bunch; he was the type of horse you’d see in a video because someone thought he was dead but in actuality, he was just sleeping.  You swore that his mother, a horse named KJ, rolled her horse eyes every time someone caught him playing dead.

Ziggy may not have been the sharpest pitchfork in the barn, and may not have enjoyed doing much of anything besides looking dead when he slept, but he enjoyed riding through fields with you.  He knew whenever he saw you approaching with a bowl that he was about to get one of his favorite snacks: ice cubes with apple bits in them.  You put Ziggy’s snack bucket down so he could munch while you brushed him and got him saddled and ready to go for a ride.

When Ziggy let you know that he was done with his snack, you popped in your earbuds and shuffled your favorite classical music playlist on Spotify.  You found it was one of your favorite ways to relax.  After you climbed on Ziggy’s back, and kicked him into gear, you took off for the open fields near the road leading up to the farm.

You’d been out there for a while when you started hearing the faint rumble of an engine, but ignored it because trucks passed near this area all the time.  You probably shouldn’t have ignored it though, because when that modified-to-withstand-tornadoes red Dodge Ram 3500 turned on to the road and took off towards the main house, Ziggy took off after it.  By now, you shouldn’t have been surprised that he recognized the truck or the person in it, but you were…and because you were so thrown off by it, your hands (stupidly) had not been holding the reins.  And because you had not held on, you went flying off Ziggy’s back while he just followed the familiar truck.  Lucky for you, the fall didn’t cause you to go unconscious, but it did knock the wind out of you after you landed hard on your back.

As you attempted to take deep breaths, you heard someone yelling and running towards you, so you tried to sit up.  The voice yelled for you to not move, so you listened and stayed on the ground, with your eyes shut.  You just lay there, waiting.

All of a sudden:

“Are you okay?” the voice asked.  You knew that you knew who the voice belonged to but you were so thrown by being thrown that your brain wasn’t focusing.  You blinked your eyes open, and your vision swam before focusing on the most beautiful face.

“Wha-”

“Are you okay, darlin’?” he asked as he helped you sit up.

“Uh…”

“Did you black out?”

“No.”

“Do you know where you are?”

“Cathy’s farm, in Sapulpa.”

“Do you know your name?”  He smiled when you told him.  “Where’d you come in from?”

“New York City.”

“Why are you here?”

“I’m the new data analyst for the Wranglers.”

“Well…looks like we got another city girl that knows her stuff.”

Tagging: @ladybirdbeetle7 @omgbrianab @itsdesiree86 @avengersfan25 @keyrani @thedonswife13 @lonelyghosts-stuff

DON'T FORGET TO LIKE AND REBLOG!!!!

Main Masterlist

[reasonsforhope]

"Millions of Australians just got official permission to ignore their bosses outside of working hours, thanks to a new law enshrining their "right to disconnect."

The law doesn't strictly prohibit employers from calling or messaging their workers after hours. But it does protect employees who "refuse to monitor, read or respond to contact or attempted contact outside their working hours, unless their refusal is unreasonable," according to the Fair Work Commission, Australia's workplace relations tribunal.

That includes outreach from their employer, as well as other people "if the contact or attempted contact is work-related."

The law, which passed in February, took effect on Monday [August 26, 2024] for most workers and will apply to small businesses of fewer than 15 people starting in August 2025. It adds Australia to a growing list of countries aiming to protect workers' free time.

"It's really about trying to bring back some work-life balance and make sure that people aren't racking up hours of unpaid overtime for checking emails and responding to things at a time when they're not being paid," said Sen. Murray Watt, Australia's minister for employment and workplace relations.

The law doesn't give employees a complete pass, however...

"If it was an emergency situation, of course people would expect an employee to respond to something like that," Watt said. "But if it's a run-of-the-mill thing … then they should wait till the next work day, so that people can actually enjoy their private lives, enjoy time with their family and their friends, play sport or whatever they want to do after hours, without feeling like they're chained to the desk at a time when they're not actually being paid, because that's just not fair."

Protections aim to address erosion of work-life balance

The law's supporters hope it will help solidify the boundary between the personal and the professional, which has become increasingly blurry with the rise of remote work since the COVID-19 pandemic.

A 2022 survey by the Centre for Future Work at the Australia Institute, a public policy think tank, found that seven out of 10 Australians performed work outside of scheduled working hours, with many reporting experiencing physical tiredness, stress and anxiety as a result.

The following year, the institute reported that Australians clocked an average of 281 hours of unpaid overtime in 2023. Valuing that labor at average wage rates, it estimated the average worker is losing the equivalent of nearly $7,500 U.S. dollars each year.

"This is particularly concerning when worker's share of national income remains at a historically low level, wage growth is not keeping up with inflation, and the cost of living is rising," it added.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions hailed the new law as a "cost-of-living win for working people," especially those in industries like teaching, community services and administrative work.

The right to disconnect, it said, will not only cut down on Australians' unpaid work hours but also address the "growing crisis of increasing mental health illness and injuries in modern workplaces."

"More money in your pocket, more time with your loved ones and more freedom to live your life — that's what the right to disconnect is all about," ACTU President Michele O’Neil said in a statement.

The 2022 Australia Institute survey... found broad support for a right to disconnect.

Only 9% of respondents said such a policy would not positively affect their lives. And the rest cited a slew of positive effects, from having more social and family time to improved mental health and job satisfaction. Thirty percent of respondents said it would enable them to be more productive during work hours.

Eurofound, the European Union agency for the improvement of living and working conditions, said in a 2023 study that workers at companies with a right to disconnect policy reported better work-life balance than those without — 92% versus 80%."

-via GoodGoodGood, August 26, 2024

[optiblog]

OPTİVİSER - GOLD

Welcome to Optiviser.com, your ultimate guide to navigating the complex world of electronics in 2024. As technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, finding the right devices that suit your needs can be overwhelming. In this blog post, we’ll harness the power of AI to help you make informed choices with our comprehensive electronics comparison. We’ll take a closer look at the top smart home devices that are revolutionizing how we live and work, providing convenience and efficiency like never before. Additionally, we’ll offer expert laptop recommendations tailored to various lifestyles and budgets, ensuring you find the perfect match for your daily tasks. 

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As we delve into the world of consumer technology, it's important to highlight the Top Smart Home Devices 2024. From smart thermostats to security cameras, these devices are becoming essential for modern households. They not only enhance convenience but also significantly improve energy efficiency and home safety.

For those looking for a new computer to enhance productivity or gaming experiences, consider checking out the latest Laptop Recommendations. Many platforms, including Optiviser.com, provide comprehensive comparisons and insights that can help consumers choose the best laptop suited to their needs, whether it’s for work, study, or leisure.

Top Smart Home Devices 2024

As we move into 2024, the landscape of home automation is evolving rapidly, showcasing an array of innovative gadgets designed to enhance comfort and convenience. In this era of AI-powered Electronics Comparison, selecting the right devices can be overwhelming, but we've highlighted some of the best Top Smart Home Devices 2024 that stand out for their functionality and user experience.

One of the most impressive innovations for this year is the latest AI-powered home assistant. These devices not only respond to voice commands but also learn your preferences over time, allowing them to offer personalized suggestions and perform tasks proactively. Imagine a device that can monitor your schedule and automatically adjust your home's temperature and lighting accordingly!

Moreover, security remains a top priority in smart homes. The Top Smart Home Devices 2024 include state-of-the-art security cameras and smart locks that provide robust protection while ensuring ease of access. With features like remote monitoring through your smartphone or integration with smart doorbells, keeping your home safe has never been easier. For more details on the comparisons and recommendations of these devices, you can check out Optiviser.com.

Laptop Recommendation

In today's fast-paced world, choosing the right laptop can be a daunting task. With numerous options available in the market, it's essential to consider various factors such as performance, portability, and price. At Optiviser.com, we provide an insightful guide to help you navigate through the vast array of choices. To streamline your decision-making process, we have developed an AI-powered Electronics Comparison tool that allows you to compare specifications and features of different laptops side by side.

This year, we have seen a surge in innovative laptops that cater to diverse needs. Whether for gaming, business, or everyday use, our top recommendations include models that excel in battery life, processing power, and display quality. For instance, consider the latest models from top brands, which have integrated the best features of Top Smart Home Devices 2024 trends, ensuring seamless connectivity and advanced functionalities.

Additionally, if you're looking for a laptop that can handle multitasking effortlessly, we suggest models equipped with the latest processors and ample RAM. Our detailed Laptop Recommendation section on Optiviser.com includes expert reviews and user feedback to help you choose a laptop that not only fits your budget but also meets your specific requirements.

[bloatedandalone04]

To The One I Love - Part 7

Series Masterlist

➪in which you and tyler try to get back into a normal routine, and he shows you just how much fun you and he had together before your accident - in the form of past streams.

PSA: strongly suggested to read the warnings before proceeding.

WC; 3.6k | Do not repost this anywhere, reblogs are fine ♡

Tyler was right, he got maybe four hours of sleep and spent most of his night tossing and turning.

When it was seven in the morning, Tyler gave up entirely and retreated to the living room to wait until you woke up. He flipped through channel after channel, nothing really catching his interest long enough to commit to it, and he did that for two hours straight. He dozed off a couple times, but he was still nowhere near well rested by the time you opened the bedroom door and stepped out into the hall at nine in the morning. “Hey,” he said as soon as he saw you, and he sat up as you slowly made your way over to the couch with the throw blanket from the bed wrapped around you. 

“Hi,” you said back as you climbed over the armrest instead of walking around the back of the couch. 

Tyler held back a grin, because you did that every single time you sat down on the couch, and he was happy that at least a few things hadn’t changed. “How did you sleep?”

“Okay,” you answered and rubbed at your eyes with your hands. “That bed is pretty comfortable. Way better than the one at the hospital.” 

“I told you,” he laughed, glancing back at the TV screen as some ad for RAM began playing. When your eyes became fixated on the TV as well, Tyler looked back over at you. “How’s your head?”

You tear your eyes away from the screen and drop your hands onto your lap. “It’s okay,” you said quietly. “I looked at the stitches in the mirror and I nearly fainted. I should probably not do that again.”

Tyler’s heart fell at that and he shifted a bit. “Yeah, definitely don’t do that anymore,” he agreed, not knowing what he would do if you did faint and injure yourself even more. “You didn’t take your pill yet, did you?”

You shook your head and leaned back on the couch. “No, not yet. I figured I should probably eat something with it,” 

“Good idea,” Tyler hummed, handing you the remote as he pushed himself off the couch and made his way to the kitchen. The open concept allowed him to keep an eye on you as he worked on making breakfast, and he often found himself checking on you more than he should. 

If he really tried, he could almost let himself believe that this was just another Saturday morning, with you catching up on the latest news while he made french toast and bacon. 

He had no idea how much he would end up longing for days like those again. 

“You’re still gonna show me some of your streams later, right?” You called out as you put on some home decorating show. “You said you would.”

Tyler laughed under his breath as he walked back into the living room. “And I will,” he said as he handed you a glass of orange juice before making his way back to the kitchen. “But they’re our streams, babe.”

You lifted yourself up and looked at him from over the back of the couch. “I’m in them, too?”

“Yeah,” he answered as he got a plate down from the cupboard. “What, you thought you weren’t my partner anymore?” He teased as he put the food onto the plate. 

“No, I…” you trailed off and didn’t continue when he handed you the plate and turned to walk down the hallway. “You’re not eating with me?”

Tyler paused and grinned at the hint of a whine in your voice. “I’m gettin’ your meds,” he clarified and you visibly relaxed. 

“Oh,” you mumbled, sitting back down in a more comfortable position. “Right, I knew that.” 

“Uh huh,” 

He left you on the couch while he went into your bedroom, and his heart swelled a bit when he noticed that you had made the bed up before you left the room. You were supposed to be resting and letting him do all the work, yet he wasn’t annoyed or frustrated with you for not doing that. He was just hopelessly in love with you. 

“You didn’t need to make the bed,” he said when he entered the living room again. “You’re supposed to be takin’ it easy.”

You gave him a look as you bit into a piece of bacon. “I think I can handle pulling a sheet up,” you said back, your voice a bit muffled as you chewed. 

Tyler shook his head again and set a pill onto the coffee table before making a second plate and sitting next to you. “Will you ever just let me handle things and not be a smartass about it?” He teased and you shrugged as you set your plate aside and took the pill.

“No, because I feel useless enough as it is,” you answer as you lean back against the armrest and drape your legs over his thighs. “And I wanted to do something productive while I still had the energy to do so before I took my meds and became tired all over again.”

Tyler smiled over at you, his skin heating up at having at least a part of you touching him. “You’re not useless,” he said, using your calves as a makeshift table for his plate. “You’re hurt, and that’s a damn good excuse for you to not strain yourself. And when you get tired, I’ll show you some of the streams. How does that sound?”

“Good,” you grin over at him and cross your arms over your chest. “That sounds really good.”

About a half hour later, your meds kicked in and you were left feeling groggy and a bit grumpy as you propped your legs up on the coffee table and waited for Tyler to come back with his IPad. 

Oh, yeah. You were also feeling clingy, because as soon as he sat down next to you again, you shifted closer to him and cuddled against his side. And Tyler loved every second of it. 

You pressed your cheek against his bicep as he pulled up one of the earlier streams you and he ever did, where it was literally just you, Tyler, Boone and two cameras; one on his dashboard, and the other attached to the roof of his truck. 

The first few videos you and he made were honestly pretty painful to watch since neither of you were really experienced with everything at that time, and luckily he had known Boone for a few years at that point, and he helped Tyler form a small group of storm chasers, and helped him upgrade all his equipment. 

“Oh, God,” you moaned as you moved closer to him. “That’s me? What the hell am I wearing?”

Tyler looked down at the screen and felt his lips curve upwards as he took in the shirt you were wearing in the video. “That’s your DIY Tornado Wrangler shirt,” he answered. “You went out and bought a fabric marker, then went into my drawer and took one of my white shirts and wrote on it. I still don’t know why you didn’t just buy a shirt, but it was so long ago, I don’t even care anymore.”

You groaned and buried your face against his side. “Why did I even do that? That’s so lame,”

Tyler scoffed and looked down at you. “Lame? Baby, you’re the whole reason we have actual shirts now. Someone saw it and asked for us to start sellin’ ‘em, and nearly every adrenaline junkie in Oklahoma has one now,” 

You don’t say anything as you lift your head and give him a wide eyed look before glancing back at the screen. “There’s no way I’m that important,”

“You’re the most important person in my life,” Tyler instantly answered, and you shut up after that for the most part as he showed you any video you wanted to see. 

The last one you watched was a more recent one, and the stream ended with you and Tyler sharing a deep but chaste kiss. You were blushing by the time Tyler set the IPad down and turned to look at you, and he smirked at the pink tint on your face. “Wow, we have no shame,” you mumbled as you looked away.

Tyler laughed, moving to stand up. “Yeah, you somehow managed to only pick one out of the many streams we have that end like that, babe,” he said and you blushed even more before sitting up quickly. 

“Where are you going?” You asked as if you believed he was planning on leaving you alone for more than a minute. 

“I’m just putting this on charge in case you want to watch more later,” he said and smiled at the way you visibly relaxed. He walked around the couch and pressed a soft kiss to the top of your head, his eyes instinctively flickering towards your stitches before he made his way to the guest room and plugged his IPad in. 

He was only away from you for about thirty seconds, but it might as well have been thirty minutes, because the second he walked back into the living room, you were reaching for him. 

Tyler sat back down next to you, draping his arm around your shoulders as you pressed yourself against his side. “Tell me another memory of us,” you murmured, reaching for his hand. “Any one you want.”

He hummed and leaned back on the couch, tilting his head back as he thought of what to tell you about. “How about the time you planned a surprise party for my twenty second birthday, then accidentally told me about it?”

A hint of pink flashed across your face again as you laughed. “Um…yeah, that sounds like me,” you mumbled, “Wow, that’s embarrassing.” 

Tyler grinned as he nodded. “Yeah, you were pretty embarrassed about it back then too, but it was cute. You spent weeks planning this big surprise, and then you accidentally told me about it the day before. I wanted to laugh, but you ended up cryin’, so I had to hold back,” he added as you played with his fingers. “You looked so sad, I spent the next hour holdin’ you, and I ended up testin’ out my actin’ skills the next day at the party so I didn’t give away the fact that I already knew about the surprise.”

You smiled and looked up at him. “I’m such a baby,”

“You’re not a baby,” he said, bringing your hand up to his lips and pressing a few kisses to your knuckles. “You’re just emotional, you always have been, and it’s one of the reasons I’m head over heels for you. You wear your heart on your sleeve, babe.”

You nodded and shuffled closer to him. You were clearly in a mood for physical touch right now, and Tyler would be a fool to deny you of that. “You’re sweet, Ty. And I know, I know, you’re only like this with me, but I know you’ve always been sweet. That’s one thing I didn’t forget,”

Tyler’s grin softens as he pulls you closer to his side. “Maybe,” he murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to the side of your head, then you were falling asleep against him, and his couple hours of sleep finally caught up to him as he tilted his head back and tightened his hold on you as his own eyes drifted close. 

-

That’s how the next few days went.

Tyler would toss and turn in the guest bed while you slept down the hall from him, then he’d wake up and make you breakfast, make sure you took your pill, then spend a good couple hours on the couch with you as he showed you more streams or told you another story about your relationship. 

While your memory was still a mess, you were beginning to look more and more comfortable at home, and he had a sneaking suspicion that you rather liked being around him as you couldn’t seem to stay away from him, and he loved it. It was like nothing happened, and the feeling of normalcy was definitely needed as Tyler felt like his heart was whole again, even if he was barely holding on at times. 

You were laying on the couch, your head on his lap as Tyler ran his fingers through your hair. Your stitches were looking better now that they’ve had time to breathe, and the wound itself was less red and puffy. 

“Tell me about…” you trail off as you shift on the couch. “Oh, tell me about our first night in this house. Like, what did we do the night we moved in?”

A small smirk formed on Tyler’s lips as he brushed your hair out of your face. “How ‘bout I tell you about the second night instead?”

Your brows furrowed and you propped your legs up on the armrest of the couch. “Why? What’s wrong with the first night?”

“Oh, nothin’...but it also left nothin’ to the imagination, babe,” he answered and you blushed before nodding. 

“Okay, yeah. Tell me about the second night instead,” 

Tyler laughed as he paused the movement of his fingers. “Alright,” he agreed. “Our second day here was spent mostly unpackin’, but towards the evenin’, you and I decided to have a break, so we went out onto the back deck, and we didn’t have any furniture out there yet, so you and I sat down on the steps and we watched the sun go down behind the trees. We talked just like this the whole time, like we were still gettin’ to know each other, even though we know everythin’ about one another.” 

You smiled and let out a quiet hum. “Every minute with you seems perfect, Ty,” you mumbled, “I almost want to think you’re lying to me and trying to make it sound like we had the perfect relationship.” 

Tyler ran his knuckles along your jaw, grinning at the way you leaned into his touch. “We did,” he murmured, then added, “We still do.”

Nodding slowly, you sat up on the couch and turned to face him. “I hope so,” you said so quietly, Tyler almost didn’t hear you. 

Almost. 

“You and I are fine, babe,” he assured you, reaching over to tuck your hair behind your ear. “Even though there’s not much in this pretty head of yours right now, I know we’re gonna be just fine. I promise.”

The grateful smile you gave him made his heart swoon, and he knew that no matter how many years have passed and will pass, you’ll always be able to make him feel this way. Like how he did when he first fell in love with you. 

“Okay,” you mumbled, leaning into his touch. “I guess I have no choice but to believe you.” Your voice was teasing, and he was helpless to stop the faint blush that formed on his face. 

-

It had been a week since Tyler brought you home from the hospital, and your memory still wasn’t back. It wasn’t really showing much of a hint that it was on its way back, but Tyler was still hopeful. 

In the meantime, he’s more than fine with creating more memories with you while you carefully try to coax the old ones to return. 

You were officially off your pain meds as of last night, and your head was looking a lot better than it did a week ago, and in about another week or so, you’d be able to get the stitches removed. 

After a bit of pestering from you, Tyler finally caved and let you come with him to get groceries. It didn’t take much, because the house was running low on food before your injury, and he hadn’t left your side since, so he was definitely working with scraps at this point and needed to go get actual food. 

It was good for you to get out of the house, too. You already seemed like you were completely comfortable in it again, and that made Tyler beyond happy.

He let you push the cart since you were still a bit shaky, and he was a close step behind you as he let you go down any aisle you wanted. A few kids stared at your stitched up cut and cringed as you walked by them, but you just smiled at them while Tyler reminded himself that they were kids and that they didn’t know any better.

He nearly bumped into you when you stopped and reached for something on the shelf. “What about these?” You asked with a sweet smile as you turned to face him, your hand gripping a box of Oreo cookies. “Sugar might help my head, right? That’s what everyone says, right?”

Tyler laughed quietly and shook his head, knowing how much of a sweet tooth you are. It was pretty much a miracle that you’ve gone a week and a half without so much as a bite of anything sugary. That doesn’t mean you haven’t been dropping subtle hints throughout the week, this one was just flat out obvious though. “Baby, the only thing these are gonna do is give you a sugar rush. Nice try though,” he said as he took the box from you. 

You stuck out your lip and pouted at him, and he wanted to kiss you so badly. It had been over a week since he gave you anything more than a hug and a kiss on your forehead, but he was letting you control the pace of things. Even if it was slowly making him touch-starved. “But my head is fine,” you say and he gives you a look. “Okay, my head will be fine, the doctor said so. And what if I promise to save them until after I get my stitches out?”

Tyler raises an eyebrow and gives you a skeptical look. “Uh huh, I know your tricks. You’ll pull that box out of the bag as soon as we get home and eat every single one,” he teased and you blushed a bit before laughing. 

“You have no faith in me,” you scoff, draping your arms over the handle of the cart as you look between his eyes and the box in his hands. 

Tyler grinned, shaking his head. “Of course I don’t. You have zero control when it comes to cookies. These won’t last five minutes,” 

You smile at him and open your mouth to respond, but then you go quiet. At your sudden silence, Tyler looked up from the cookies and focused his attention back on you. 

“Baby? You still with me?” He asked with a soft laugh, but you suddenly seemed distant as you looked over his shoulder. “Hey, you okay? I was just kiddin’, babe.”

You nodded slowly, and then Tyler noticed that your gaze was fixated on something behind him. “Yeah,” you mumbled, leaning back on the cart. “Sorry…sorry.”

Tyler shook his head, tossing the box into the cart before moving closer to you. “Don’t be sorry, baby, just tell me what’s wrong,” he murmured, reaching up to take your chin in between his index finger and thumb. Once he knew that you were alright, he glanced over his shoulder to try and see what you were looking at. 

You hold onto his arm as he takes note of the couple a few feet down the aisle, big grins on their faces as they look down at their matching wedding bands that look brand new. “That could’ve been us,” you mumbled, “You want to marry me, Ty, and you’ve asked me, but I said no. And I don’t know why, because you’re perfect and we’re perfect, and I said no. Why did I say no?”

Tyler looks back at you with furrowed brows. The conversation of marriage hadn’t been brought back up since you first asked about it the day he brought you home, but the couple down the aisle clearly triggered something in you. And now you looked like you were on the verge of tears. 

Okay, maybe he could’ve held off on groceries for a few more days, because you were beginning to look overwhelmed, and that was the last thing Tyler wanted. 

“Hey, it’s okay,” he said, turning you around so you weren’t looking at the newlyweds anymore. “It’s alright. I don’t want you beatin’ yourself up about it, okay? That’s not why I’ve been tellin’ you these things. I don’t want you to feel bad about any of it.” 

He pressed his front against your back and hugged you from behind as you looked down at the tiled floor. “But I want to marry you, Ty,” you whispered and Tyler’s heart skipped multiple beats at that, because that was the first time you had ever said that. During his proposals, you just gave different reasons as to why you couldn’t get married yet, but here you are now, telling him after spending a week and a half by his side that you want to marry him. 

His words get caught in his throat as he leans down to gently rest his chin on your shoulder. “It’s okay,” he said again, pressing a soft kiss to your cheek. “We’re gonna get married one day, I promise. We just need some more time, that’s all. But I swear, baby, I’m gonna marry you one day. And I don’t care how long I need to wait, okay? Please, please, babe, don’t think about that right now or force it. Let it come to you.”

You sniffle and nod, leaning back against him as you grip his forearm that’s wrapped around your chest. “Okay,” you whispered, and he held you like that in the snack aisle for as long as you needed him to. Once you had calmed down, you tilted your head and looked up at him, and the request you had made his heart skip another few beats. “Tonight…will you sleep with me? In our bed?”

[afeelgoodblog]

The Best News of Last Week

🌍🌡️ - Climate Prophecy: The Forecast Is 100% Chance of 'Cool'

1. No cases of cancer caused by HPV in Norwegian 25-year olds, the first cohort to be mass vaccinated for HPV

Last year there were zero cases of cervical cancer in the population that was vaccinated in 2009 against the HPV virus, which can cause the cancer in women. The HPV virus is extremely common, basically everyone comes into contact with one version or another of the virus in their lifetime.

The vaccine was given to girls only out of an abundance of caution, they were the most likely to contract cancer from the viruses, and because there was limited supply.

2. ‘Every square inch is covered in life’: the ageing oil rigs that became marine oases

Built decades ago, California’s offshore oil platforms are home to a huge diversity of marine life. According to a 2014 study, the rigs were some of the most “productive” ocean habitats in the world, a term that refers to biomass – or number of fish and other creatures and how much space they take up – per unit area.

3. Vaccinations may have prevented almost 20 million COVID-19 deaths worldwide

Vaccinations estimated to have averted 19.8 million COVID-19 deaths worldwide in their first year, according to the latest Imperial modelling study.

In the first year of the vaccination programme, 19.8 million out of a potential 31.4 million COVID-19 deaths were prevented worldwide according to estimates based on excess deaths from 185 countries and territories.

4. Global climate policy forecast predicts ‘well below 2°C’ Paris Agreement climate goals will be met

They report only a 10% probability we exceed 2°C by 2050. Temperatures are expected to peak between 1.7°C and 1.8°C, which is consistent with the “well below 2°C” objective of the Paris Agreement in Art. 2.1c.

5. Young driver fatality rates have fallen sharply in the US, helped by education, technology

Crash and fatality rates among drivers under 21 have fallen dramatically in the U.S. during the past 20 years.

Using data from 2002-2021, the report says that fatal crashes involving a young driver fell by 38%, while deaths of young drivers dropped even more, by about 45%.

6. A Virginia woman was feeling sad. Her doctor prescribed her a cat.

7. Remote workers report saving $5,000 to $10,000 a year

What value would American workers place on the privilege to work from home?

In a 2022 survey by FlexJobs, 45% of remote workers reported saving at least $5,000 a year. One in 5 reported saving $10,000 a year. The savings average out to about $6,000 a year. The poll reached 4,000 workers in July and August of last year.

Three years into the remote-work revolution, research increasingly suggests that telework is a commodity, a job descriptor worth thousands of dollars in potential savings and improved quality of life.

---

That's it for this week :)

This newsletter will always be free. If you liked this post you can support me with a small kofi donation here:

Buy me a coffee ❤️

Also don’t forget to reblog this post with your friends.

[gremlingottoosilly]

Omg please more Bimbo!reader x Mafia!Konig!!! I AM FERAL FOR IT! Your writing is so good! Can you maybe do some fluff with them! If not it’s totally fine! Thank you so so so much!<3

Konig smiles tiredly as you dance around in your bikini, showing it off to him. He doesn't understand how two tiny pieces of fabric and some jewels joining them could cost this much, but he will buy anything for his princess - as long as it means she will be happy and content with him. Throwing money at the problem is the only way he knows - either this or shooting the problem, which is clearly not an option here. He just tilts his head to the side as you laugh and ask for more pina coladas - it's a good thing he hired a new bartender for this property. The last one made the mistake of trying to get the lady of the house something cheap and artificial - you were still drinking it like a part girl you are, but Konig prefers you spend his money on something good. Something shiny and expensive - like a golden necklace with little diamonds incrusted into some magic ornament. He had a rough week - a rough month, most likely, with the new, almost uncorrupted politician rising in Vienna and promising to get the criminals away from the city. It was a problem he was solving currently - getting the secretaries, getting the bodyguards, surrounding the new guy with old ones, trying to get back into the warm underbelly. Konig just needs a bit of a pick-him-up, someone who won't be questioning his every move. Someone who has no idea how hard his work is. He slaps your butt as you stroll around, and you giggle. A godlike image - you lean down to him and ask if it would be too weird if you get on his lap and make out with him. You're a bit shy in the open air, a bit self-conscious about the servants he has running around - but he grabs you by your hip and pulls you down. You smell like expensive perfume and a bit of a water-cleaning chemical from the pool, and you laugh when he kisses you. You don't ask him about the gang wars, about drugs - you don't even take those unless he gives you something fun and non-dangerous, and your latest concerns include a new dress and a massage that you wanted to try on him because you saw it on insta. Konig loves you because he can finger you on the little pool seat while you squirm and moan while his other hand is busy texting his crooks on what to do with the most recent secretary the new politician got. Poor guy is going to get tortured for information and killed in the best-case scenario, but Konig doesn't feel remotely bad. He has his pretty wife meowing and moaning on his lap as he buries two of his large fingers into her cunt, and he has the informant on his phone. Life is good.

[makos-ribcage]

Why did Ultraman had to be so cute? ㅡ ༝ ˚ ｡⋆ 𓇼 ⋆｡ ˚ ༝

[] - Reader x Kenji Sato. Kenji needs your help.

𓇼she/her

warning ! mentions of blood.

word count- 2k

so ultraman has been my latest hyperfixation so i really enjoyed writting this and even rewatched to make sure everything made sense, it ended up being less romantic as i intended so its mostly a piece of life sort of? i rlly like it anyways and will probably write a continuation.

Being friends with a celebrity was hard. You knew him from when he was little, so he trusted you a lot, to the point you knew stuff about him that made him less flattering than the media would make him look.

You were there for him when his mom disappeared and you were as heartbroken as he was, you had such admiration for her that the moment you got the devastating news you decided it right there, you were going to follow her steps and become a KDF scientist, study Kaijus and make the cities at least a bit safer.

It’s not like it was a surprising decision for anyone, since always you’ve showed interest for kaijus. You liked to study with Professor Sato when you visited Ken, you liked to ask him stuff and getting explanations probably no one else could. When you told Ken your decision though, he looked troubled for a few seconds, you were confused but he quickly changed his expression, smiling to you and letting out a “Good luck with that”.

After that, the following years just made you more inseparable, until he left. You tried to keep in touch, but it was hard. Not because y’all hated each other or lost interest but work and studies just kept getting harder for you, and playing and growing as a baseball player in a foreign country was getting harder for him. In despite of that, you kept touch with Professor Sato, him guiding you through your career is something you’ll be forever grateful for.

So, when Kenji came back to the country and didn’t told you anything definitely made you slightly mad, but you had hopes to hear an explanation coming from him soon.

What you didn’t expect was a call from him at 2am after weeks of knowing he was here yet not contacting with you.

“Look, I know It’s sudden.” The distortion in his voice quickly threw you off. “I know its 2am in the morning, but I need you here.” You remained silent for a few seconds, thinking what could possibly be going through his mind. “Please, I need you.” Before you could say anything, he hung up. You were worried. You saw in the news how Ken Sato didn’t show up to two games now, and apparently has been missing for months, just because of that, you were actually going to drive to the other side of the city.

The location to his home wasn’t unknown, but it was remote and hard to get in, but you managed to get in time. The sky was cloudy, the night was dark and cold, and you were glad you were driving a car and not that damned motorcycle of him, on top of that, the disappearing bridge connecting his home with the city made you a bit scared.

A smart gate let you in, somehow knowing you were you. You knew a lot about technology thanks to your job, but Sato’s residence always were a few steps ahead, given the fact that both parents used to be scientifics.

You parked near the door, stepping out of the car and walking to the house. It was quiet and it spooked you a little bit.

You were unsure as if you should knock the door, they knew you were there from the gate, but you still did.

“Come on in!” Hearing it in person the voice sounded more distorted, you knew it was him, but it sounded distant, loud and robotic.

You opened the door, stepping inside and closing it behind you, a big empty living room welcomed you.

“Uh… I know it’s… Hard to understand, and I know you hate him, and…” You heard his voice again, this time coming from what seemed speakers around the house.

“Hate him? Who?” You questioned, even though you weren’t sure he could hear you.

“Just Imma need you to keep it as a secret, and don’t freak out!” He seemed to be stumbling on his own words. You saw an elevator come out of the floor, you didn’t question it much and just stepped in, feeling a bit dizzy as it went down.

“You’re the only smart person I know… And I’ll be in a lot of trouble if you decide to speak ‘bout it, but I trust you.” You weren’t hearing him through the speakers anymore, yet he sounded loud. “I need you to not yell me, judge me, or be mad at me, just help me.” Every time he said anything, it made you more confused, what could be so bad?

One of the walls of the elevator raised, letting you get out of it.

And you saw him. Ultraman.

“Surprise…” You heard Sato’s voice coming out of him.

He was crouching because of the tall walls, not tall enough for him though.

“Ah… You’ve got to be kidding me.” You whispered, feeling surprised and annoyed at the same time.

The little big asshole who was ruining any time the KDF tried to capture kaijus was your childhood best friend.

The arrogant giant who would destroy apartments instead of safely getting kaijus out of the city was a famous baseball player.

And you knew him too well, enough for him to tell you who he was, and now you had to help him and keep his identity a secret.

“I wish I was…” You heard him whisper, though whispering at that size didn’t count as a whisper. “I can’t turn back. I’m stuck.” He explained, you walked closer to him, and he sat down crossed leg, not needing to crouch anymore.

“That’s why you didn’t went to your games?” You asked, he drew a hand near you, palms up, he wanted you to step on it.

You hesitated, a bit scared of heights, but did it anyways. You sat on his palm, legs crossed as well, and he held you with both hands.

“And what do you want me to do?” You questioned, having mixed feelings about if you were helping your best friend or the reason of your headaches at work.

“I don’t know… You know a lot about kaijus, I’m basically the same.” He was not, both of you knew that, but whatever. “Please…” He gave you what seemed to be puppy eyes, even though you could only see white pupils.

“I’ll see what I can do… You still got your dad’s stuff?” You asked, he nodded. “Mina?”  He called, and the little ball assistant appeared, with said stuff literally coming from the floor.

Complicated machines, complicated tools, some similar to the ones you’ll see at work, some you’ve never seen before but you guessed you’ll have to figure out.

“Alright… Put me down, I guess.”

You made him a simple blood test. Finding veins on such body was hard, trying to identify anything on the blood sample was harder.

“So… What are you? A machine? A monster?” You asked, both out of curiosity and because it could help you figure out what happened to him.

“I’m not sure… My dad told me we are like… Aliens, or used to be, at least.” He explained.

“Well, some kaijus come from the space.” You started. “Maybe you are closer to kaijus than you think.” He seemed to think about it for a while, you knew how he struggled to see kaijus as anything else than soulless monsters.

“Mina, can you check this, please?” You told her, giving her the blood sample. She took it and left.

You stared at him, with a mix of confusion and aweness.

“See something you like? Hm?” He said with a flirty voice. You laughed.

“Not yet, ask me again when you’re Kenji and not Ultraman” You flirted back, making him slightly surprised.

Mina came back, with a piece of paper that noted anything found. A bunch of cells you didn’t knew, probably part of his alien side, but you recognized something.

A common virus found on some kaijus that made them incapable of controlling their powers, which seemed to be what was happening to him.

“Alright… How do I get rid of it?” He asked once you explained the situation, you could see the desperation in his eyes.

“Well… We don’t really cure kaijus when they’re sick, and we can’t treat it like a normal virus since you’re humongous and can’t drink or eat…” You thought, sitting on the floor, feeling his puppy eyes back on you. “Kaijus can usually get rid of the viruses by themselves, so if we can mimic kaijus antibodies, you might be able to do the same.” You explained, and he agreed, just wanting to get out of the situation.

You were a bit worried his body couldn’t handle it, but you trusted that his alien-self would do the work.

You gave the indications to Mina; you were lucky she had Professor Sato knowledge on her.

You modified Kenji’s blood so it would produce the antibodies that were needed.

“So… I reprogrammed your cells to produce what we need, kind of like a cancer.” The word spooked him, but he trusted you.

Mina set everything up for the blood transfusion.

“Alright… I hope you understand this is risky” You muttered to him, trying to prepare his arm. “Gosh, you’re huge…”

“I know, just hurry up.” You heard him say, hints of normal Kenji voice behind the <<robotic>> filter that it gave his voice. You stared up to him a bit annoyed by his rushing. “And… You’re the best scientist I know, so please help me.” You blushed slightly, shaking your head.

“Thank you, I guess.” You whispered, feeling those uncanny white pupils on you. “Alright… Here I go…” With the help of Mina once again, you started the process. “Let me know If you feel something…” You told him, staring at him worried it might go all wrong.

You sat down with him, on one of his thighs, waiting for it to have any effect.

“So… You’re Ultraman” You stared at him. He simply shrugged, not seeming to be too happy about it. “I’m guessing that’s why you came back from America.” He nodded, not elaborating any further.

“I’m sorry… I know I’ve been causing trouble to… Ya’ll” You knew what he was referring to, the KDF.

"It's okay... You should start doing better, though. It's difficult relocating people and fixing buildings and...” You scolded him, both because you were right and because you enjoyed annoying him, and you knew you succeeded when he sighed audibly.

“I know, I know! I'm trying, alright?" You laughed slightly, him laughing back when he noticed you were just playing with him, even if there was a piece of truth behind your words.

“You know?... I missed you, I was sad you didn’t call me” You whispered, probably feeling less exposed since he didn’t looked like Kenji, you were sure you were going to regret it, but it was late at night and you were tired. You let yourself lay down, still on top of his thigh. “Oh, you did?” You heard him, somehow, hearing his smile. “I’m sorry, I thought you were mad.” He whispered, realizing you were falling asleep.

“And I was… You could still have called me, though.” You whispered back.

You woke up hours later, feeling the harsh floor under you, with the warmth of arms around you. Blinking slowly trying to adjust to the light, looking up to see Kenji in a deep sleep, hugging you tightly.

You blushed, freezing in your place unsure of what to do. “K-Ken…” You called up to him, trying to squeeze yourself free.

“Ngh… Five mins’ more…” He whispered, raspy morning voice getting to your ears as he hugged you tighter. Suddenly he opened his eyes. “You’re not small anymore!” He exclaimed, happily. “I’m not huge!” He stood up, taking you with him. “You saved me!” He hugged you tightly. “Thank you!” He grabbed you by the shoulders, staring into your eyes with a huge smile on his face. You blushed. Why did Ultraman had to be so cute? “Coach is going to kill me.” He said suddenly, running towards the elevator you came from.

“Kenji…” You called, annoyed that he was leaving you just like that.

“A-Ah… I’ll take you to dinner, yes? Tonkatsu Toki. 7pm. I’ll pick you up.” He didn’t let you answer and just left.

-----

-tags

@luneariaa @aise-30 @kalsplace

[thieves-never-say-die]

Weekend in Paris Watch-Along

A summary of everything talked about in the Weekend in Paris watch-along, video here, with Dean Devlin, John Rogers, Aldis Hodge, Christian Kane, and interviewer Brittany Catallo.

Under the cut because it is long.

First question: how do you feel the latest season of Leverage: Redemption is relevant to audiences?

John: [sarcastic outrage] How is a show about evil oligarchs relevant!? I can’t-!

Everyone laughed, and Dean said Leverage was always a show that predicts the future, like The Simpsons, and he specifically mentioned The Mile High Job when Hardison hacks the plane remotely, and The Jailhouse Job which was about the prison industrial complex. At the time of writing those episodes, neither of those things had been done/talked about yet, but soon after the episodes aired both of those things became major news stories. 

Dean said the difference this season was that Leverage was actually meeting the current moment, but in the show the good guys win.

John interjected that the good guys can still win! The only time anything is guaranteed is if you give up and accept it will just happen, otherwise the future is always unwritten.

Aldis: So basically Leverage is laying out the blueprint? We just need someone out there to follow it?

John: No! Do not send John Rogers to a foreign prison because you were inspired by something on Leverage!

Q: What can viewers expect this season coming off of last season?

Dean talked about how this season they got to see a whole new side of some of the characters, and get to explore some interesting arcs. He noted that we will be going deep into Parker’s character this season.

John said it’s an advantage of having a show that’s gone on this long, we’ve gone on a journey with them, and the actors give some really nice character work.

John then explained that they chose Paris because they were shooting most of their exterior shots in Belgrade, which is where The Librarians: The Next Chapter is shot. 

The intro shot of the team moving throughout the hallway was all one shot that didn't cut, and the cast managed to get it in two takes because they practiced a lot. Everyone had a great time filming it, even if it was stressful knowing one small mess-up would make everybody start over.

When they wrote the scene they didn't have the set yet, and after John turned in the script to director Marc Roskin, Marc called John and said "this is impossible", to which John responded "yes! And that’s what makes it cool!”

It was a lot of exposition dump, but John knows Aldis is the best at it and could do it, which allowed them to use Hardison as the anchor character for that scene.

They talked about how everyone had to race around the set, specifically mentioning Beth scrambling to the top to hang through the vent. 

The set itself wasn't as big as it looks, it was a big T that they digitally extended and shot well.

John: The room was like “so it’s Scooby Doo” and I was very hurt, I was like “No, it’s a challenging heist sequence built around an impossible bit of geometry!” And the writer’s room was like “No, it's the Scooby Doo door bit, we all know what you’re doing.”

John pointed out how these characters are now all peers, in comparison to the original show, which means Hardison can give Sophie crap about her relationships in a loving way.

He also pointed out how everyone else is distracted by personal stuff, but Eliot is the only one who stays on mission.

The shot of the team running out of the auction house and into the van was a reference to The Long Goodbye Job.

John: You know, I don’t think many fans will catch it, but we’re basically giving them a horrible flashback to the most traumatic moment of their life.

Aldis: You got the wrong audience for that on this show, because they watch everything.

Dean loved that they went from this long, beautiful one-er to the best action scene they've ever shot.

They were able to film the whole car chase downtown in the center of Belgrade.

The idea of the episode opening in the middle of a busted con was something John wanted to do since the original run of the show but never got to do.

Christian came up with the bit of Eliot recognizing and lamenting the waste of expensive flour.

Christian and John talked for a bit about shooting the fight scenes, and Christian said fight scenes are like a dance, it's less about the violence as it is about working with your scene partners.

John learned from Jackie Chan to shoot fights along a fight line, which helps avoid having the fights all be close up shots of punches. He also makes sure to write Eliot fight scenes with fluidity in mind, because Eliot fights to control the space, not to win.

Aldis shot his line in the van ("how was your first day at school?") in New Orleans six months after Christian shot his reaction outside the van in Belgrade. 

When coming up with the bad guys for the episode, one of the Amazon execs said "you may have made them too evil," to which John replied "there's no such thing."

Q: What is the significance of Eliot getting seriously injured in this? What was the motivation behind that?

John wanted to make sure there was adequate build to Hardison's speech later, and talked about how Eliot can take a beating and keep working, and has taken a beating for ten years, but sometimes it's taken for granted. Eliot can handle business while injured, but it's a reminder that he's not bulletproof, and it gives the audience a visual and physical reminder of it for the end of the episode.

Hardison and Parker's waiter uniforms reminded Dean of the Season 1 finale of getting the Davids.

Aldis mentioned he gets nostalgia when thinking about where they started, how far they've all come since then, they had a good time and he misses that time.

John said that the bad guy of the week (Arizona Mike) was an example of the banality of evil. He's a generally likeable, smiley guy who has no idea he's a monster.

Sophie's alias Violet Cesario is a character from 12th Night, which is a clue that Sophie made the alias because she takes names from Shakespeare.

They needed the team to make fun of Harry's beard to explain why it was shaved by the end of the episode. John enjoyed writing Sophie giving him crap for it without even seeing it.

Q: Where did the evil water stealing hot sauce salesman come from?

John said that people always focus on Big Crime when writing, but there's a million mid-level evil dudes out there. The bad guy was based on a certain type of farming in California (which John won't name so he doesn't get sued), but no one ever goes directly into water, they get into it through other means. People have an idea in their head of secret office buildings in Vienna and backroom deals, but there's a lot of mid-level millionaires making people miserable for their own money.

Q: How much of yourself is in these characters, and how much have the characters influenced you?

Aldis said that he's part of Hardison more than Hardison is part of him. Since they've been filming Leverage for so long it allowed them to influence their characters more, especially when Redemption started they got to help plan the maturation of their characters and where they would be ten years later. His performance of his characters is made more natural when he puts some of himself in it, and being able to help build the characters helps with that as well.

Dean pointed out that Aldis filmed several TV shows and movies at the same time as Redemption, and mentioned how he would fly out on his days off just to be in a few scenes. Aldis' other commitments were much darker and more tense. Dean asked Aldis what it was like to come and be this happy character for a week?

Aldis: It was like a vacation.

Aldis continued and said that he enjoys his other work, but being able to come back and work on Leverage is a gift. Leverage is just fun, and gives him nostalgia for where they started, and it gives a strange sense of "we're really doing this?" Because he rarely gets to play a character with so much history, and it's a very different experience at this point in his career, but it's a joy to do.

In response to the earlier question, Christian said that a lot of himself has bled into Eliot, and a lot of Eliot has bled into him. Christian helped create Eliot, and Eliot lives inside Christian's body in a way no other character does. Christian didn't know it when he started, but Eliot is the character he came to Hollywood to play. He wanted a role that had action and heart, and said that the bad guy is usually more fun to play, which makes Eliot great because he is both the good and the bad guy. He doesn't feel like he goes to work, it feels like he's showing up to have fun.

John talked about how on a lot of shows, actors just show up to read the lines given to them and that's it, but on Leverage it's more like a jazz band, and the actors know how to play an instrument that the writers don't know. They give the actors the score but encourage them to make it their own. Over the years the writers have learned how to write to the actor's rhythms as well, and all of that helps sell the characters. This has also kept the characters from getting stagnant after 15 years because they're not just characters that live in the writer's heads, they come from the actors as well which lets them grow and breathe.

Christian can’t imagine what it was like to read the Leverage pilot for the first time, because when he thinks about it now he pictures the actors as their characters. They've worked together so long that at this point he knows how Aldis will improv a line.

The line "the law just sucks, now get in the hole" might be one of the darkest lines on the show, according to John.

Q: What was it like to work in New Orleans? How does that setting affect how the show is now?

Dean said they went to New Orleans because he'd had a great experience filming one of the Librarian movies there, and it made sense for them. The only original art form ever made in the US is jazz music, and it came from New Orleans. It was important to put the show in a place that is culturally so important to America, but is also such a huge place for art and corruption and bad guys and people who fight for good guys.

John knew Aldis and Beth would be able to sell the Eyes Wide Shut bit, and could make it creepy and weird, so he just wrote the bare bones script and let them have fun with it. Beth specifically did it as "this is Parker's idea of sexy", and he loved that because he never could've come up with it.

Dean asked Aldis what it was like to film the conversation between Parker and Hardison about wanting to do something different.

Aldis said it was a really important scene, because they've had so many years together and understand each other so well, they're very aware of the weight of what they'll miss together. It juxtaposes well with the previous scene where they worked together really well. They know they make each other better, but what does it mean for Hardison if his heart isn't in it anymore?

John mentioned that the technique of backtracking money laundering accounts is real.

John then talked about how they wanted to write Parker and Hardison, because they didn't want to do the typical shocked significant other plot line. When you love characters and love people you don't want anything to change, but life is change and the world changes all the time. Change is natural and it isn't bad, but it's okay to recognize that some people need to get off the train at different stops, but you still love them and are still with them. It was the same conversation they were having with the fans through the show. You don't have to abandon each other or stop loving each other just because people are doing different things.

Dean interjected to mention how much he likes how Christian played Eliot not wanting to be in this house, with these people, doing this con, all while injured.

John's favorite version of Eliot is when he's annoyed. They missed it earlier but the exchange between Sophie and Eliot ("Oh, sorry, I was focused on the terrorists!") was one of his favorites.

John: Eliot tough and scary is fine, but my favorite thing is when Eliot is annoyed with everybody.

Aldis: Everybody tunes in to watch him get annoyed.

Christian added that he loves acting annoyed, and Aldis is his favorite scene partner for that.

For Harry's scene at the fence with the tanker, everything past the fence was CGI, it was really just an abandoned golf course behind the building.

Q: How do you see comedy and its role in Leverage?

John said a big part of it was because he and Chris Downey started in sitcoms, and they didn't know any rules about "don't mix comedy with drama", so they decided why not have the corny flashbacks and the cool drama. Back when the show started it was hard to get the execs on board, they didn't really understand the tone, but they got it eventually. All the actors can hit jokes, and if you have actors that can hit jokes, give your actors jokes!

Dean said when they filmed the pilot he didn't know how funny Christian could be until the IT guy, and didn't know how good at improv Aldis was until they filmed.

John loved Harry's side-con here. It's not important, it's just a B-plot, he's having fun, we don't have time or that, it’s whatever you want it to be!

Christian's favorite scenario on set was when Eliot and Hardison were dressed up as cops (The Morning After Job), everything in the car and with the call they responded to was so much fun.

John said that episode was a Chris Downey episode, he wanted the comedy of them working together and told John to make the plot work.

John gave credit to Gina, how she masterminded the hell out of the episode, we get to see how terrifying Sophie can be. 

The fight with Eliot, Hardison, and the giant security guard was John's vision. He wanted the Cap/Bucky/Iron Man fight from Civil War, and finally got to write that sequence. Two guys fighting in sync, as a pair, who have known each other for 15 years, and know their rhythms. 

Christian said it's hard to coordinate a fight like that, but he and Aldis have worked together so long that they figured it out.

Dean loved that Hardison really went all in on the Vulcan neck pinch thing.

John: Hardison believes the Vulcan neck thing is gonna work, and Parker believes it's gonna work, and that’s what love is.

The interviewer asked a question about how Christian does his stunts, and he confirmed he does all his own fights, and as many stunts as John and Dean allow him to.

Brittany: Legally?

John: No! No, no, past that!

Dean hates that Christian does his own stunt. He'll tell Christian not to do something, and then get dailies of Christian doing that thing.

John: And then I get footage of Aldis and Beth running on top of trains! (The Big Bang Job)

Christian told a story of when they worked on The Office Job and were filming the scene on the roof. They had crash pads down, and after they were done filming Christian just jumped onto it without telling anybody. A few seconds later, Aldis followed.

John facepalmed at that story.

Q: Did you work with a lot of the same crew for this season as past Leverage Redemption season?

Dean said they have a lot of the same crew and appreciate it because it’s a great crew.

John said the key to making a good show is hiring smart people who are good at their job, and then getting the hell out of their way. Dean very rarely harshes anyone's insane idea and lets everyone work collaboratively.

John also noted that Breanna and Becky (Harry's daughter) are now best friends. If they had more episodes the two would've had a whole adventure together.

It was also fun to write Hardison giving Breanna the big brother talk, while Parker's in the background like "tell her about the bomb!" and Hardison shushes her because he knows if Nana finds out he told Breanna about a bomb he'd be in trouble.

They shot the end of episode 1, the end of episode 3, and the last scene of the season finale all within a day and a half of each other because they wanted Aldis to be there.

Dean said he loves the pretzels bit, and John talked about how it started as a one-off thing that was just there, but then it became a thing in the show and in the fandom and now it's a whole callback and shorthand for their relationship.

John talked about the ending scene, and how he didn't want Hardison to just bail, he needed to have an honest conversation with Parker. 

It was Gina's idea for Sophie to be dating again, and it comes up several times throughout the season.

John liked the way Christian and Aldis played their conversation, of two guys who care about each other and aren't very good at emotions but still have to talk about emotional things.

John repeated that Eliot isn't looking for redemption, he knows he's damned and he's accepted it. It's hard for Eliot to accept or process that other people see him differently.

Christian chimed in that Eliot's redemption is getting other people to a place where they can be redeemed. They can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and even if he's stuck in the tunnel forever as long as everyone else gets out then he doesn't need to.

Q: Is that something we’re going to see more of this season? Exploring everyone finding their own version of redemption?

Christian said his role is more in the background, he's talking people off the ledge, he's giving Hardison advice, he's talking to Sophie, making sure Harry doesn't screw up. Eliot is especially protective of Harry because he's not as far along as the others, and is really trying to give him a leg up out of the darkness.

Dean talked about how it was very important to them that they never betrayed the truth of Parker and Hardison's relationship.

John mentioned that the actors found that relationship. He hates writing backstory and tends to slow-play relationships, because once you get into a relationship it becomes a soap opera and you start screwing with the relationship in order to get stories, so that's why they waited until season 5 of the first run to get Parker and Hardison together. They don't want to mess with their relationship now to get stories, and it was interesting to write about a mature relationship because everyone knows they're not going to break up. He knows you can't screw with such a central relationship for cheap drama.

John: They're in this complicated, emotional relationship, with them and Eliot—however you want to define it—and they are going to die together.

That was the end of the episode! Dean reminded everyone that a new episode will drop every Thursday for the next 7 weeks, and thanked the fandom for supporting it, as the fans are the only reason they got to come back.

Q: Any hint for what we can expect this season?

Christian said there are some great character arcs coming up. He especially loved the second episode.

Dean pointed out how they've made over 100 episodes of Leverage now, and the thing that most surprised him this season is that they're still doing things they've never done before, he's shocked they can still find new places to go, and says that some episodes this season are completely wild.

John said all the writers loved being back with these characters, and we're going to see some unexpected but not unbelievable turns from the characters as they expose their vulnerable side. We'll explore a bit more for the newer characters, and Breanna especially is going to be great.

[betterthanapokeintheeye]

[Documentary News]Terry Pratchett’s Jungle Quest

This long lost 26 minute documentary, originally shown on channel 4, has been lovingly restored by its creators and is now available on Amazon Prime Video for all to see.

Made in 1995, a full 18 years before the much acclaimed Facing Extinction, Terry embarked on a journey of discovery into the jungles of Borneo with Ian Redmond and Dr Birute Galdikas to find these secretive creatures for himself.

"When Terry Pratchett, best-selling author of the 'Discworld' series of Science Fantasy novels, invented the much loved character of 'The Librarian', he could not have imagined that it would be the beginning of a personal quest that would take him into the jungles of Borneo.

The books began Terry's interest in and concern for orangutans; he even became a trustee of the Orangutan Foundation.  Terry realised that he knew very little about these close cousins of humans and planned a boat trip, up the Sekonyer River from Kumi in Borneo to meet orangutans in the wild.  His travelling companion was Ian Redmond, a primatologist who worked with Diane Fossey and the gorillas of Rwanda, and who now wanted to photograph orangutans for his latest book.  Ian too was visiting Borneo for the first time.

Almost on his arrival, Terry encountered his first orangutan - in a cage!  It was an ex-captive, baby orang, victim of the trade in orangutans as pets, waiting to be returned to the jungle.  Keeping orangs as pets used to be an Indonesian tradition.  Now, with just 300,000 left in the wild, it is illegal - catching the babies often involves killing the mothers.

Terry’s mission had an aim beyond encountering orangutans in their natural habitat.  He also hoped to make contact with the legendary Birute Galdikas, a contemporary of Fossey's who has been working with and studying orangutans in Borneo for over twenty years.  When he tracked her down at her remote base at Camp Leakey he learned that Birute regards orangutans as ‘another kind of us’ - they share 98% of their genetic make-up with human beings, as well as an intense curiosity, a sense of fun, and a liking for human company in small doses.  He also learned that despite her efforts to protect the rainforest from the loggers, Birute fears for the future of the red apes as even the National Park is steadily reduced.

At Camp Leakey Terry discovered for himself the importance of a place where people and apes can share the world with no bars between them. And he achieved his aim of getting ‘close’ to orangutans when a huge male known as Kusasi emerged from the jungle, sat for a few minutes just feet away from Terry and Ian, and then quietly returned to the forest.”

To Rent £3.99 - To Buy £4.99

Amazon Prime Video UK (associate Link)