#people who have only emailed me about an issue and not them. and also the general AccessCos recognize my work specifically too

[wild-at-mind]

When you tell people they should be sending every spare penny to their chosen Gaza fundraiser or they are Bad. But then it all gets a bit too stressful so you have to leave tumblr. :(

[thelilylav]

Crashed out about the Prime Minister calling a snap election in the reblogs and ended up getting blocked LMAOOO

[scientia-rex]

When I was in ninth grade I wanted to challenge what I saw as a very stupid dress code policy (not being allowed to wear spikes regardless of the size or sharpness of the spikes). My dad said to me, “What is your objective?”

He said it over and over. I contemplated that. I wanted to change an unfair dress code. What did I stand to gain? What did I stand to lose? If what I really wanted was to change the dress code, what would be my most effective potential approach? (He also gave me Discourses on the Fall of Rome by Titus Livius, Machiavelli’s magnum opus. Of course he’d already given me The Prince, Five Rings, and The Art of War.)

I ultimately printed out that phrase, coated it in Mod Podge, and clipped it to my bathroom mirror so I would look at it and think about it every day.

What is your objective?

Forget about how you feel. Ask yourself, what do you want to see happen? And then ask, how can you make it happen? Who needs to agree with you? Who has the power to implement this change? What are the points where you have leverage over them? If you use that leverage now, will you impair your ability to use it in the future? Getting what you want is about effectiveness. It is not about being an alpha or a sigma or whatever other bullshit the men’s right whiners are on about now. You won’t find any MRA talking points in Musashi, because they are not relevant.

I had no clear leverage on the dress code issue. My parents were not on the PTA; neither were any of my friend’s parents who liked me. The teachers did not care about this. Ultimately I just wore what I wanted, my patent leather collar from Hot Topic with large but flattened spikes, and I had guessed correctly—the teachers also did not care enough to discipline me.

I often see people on tumblr, mostly the very young, flail around in discourse. They don’t have an objective. They don’t know what they want to achieve, and they have never thought about strategizing and interpersonal effectiveness. No one can get everything they want by being an asshole. You must be able to work with other people, and that includes smiling when you hate them.

Read Machiavelli. Start with The Prince, but then move on to Discourses. Read Musashi’s Five Rings. Read The Art of War. They’re classics for a reason. They can’t cover all situations, but they can do more for how you think about strategizing than anything you’re getting in middle school and high school curricula.

Don’t vote third party unless you can tell me not only what your objective is but also why this action stands a meaningful chance of accomplishing it. Otherwise, back up and approach your strategy from a new angle. I don’t care how angry you are with Biden right now. He knows about it, and he is both trying to do something and not doing enough. I care about what will happen to millions of people if we have another Trump presidency. Look up Ross Perot, and learn from our past. Find your objective. If it is to stop the genocide in Palestine now, call your elected representatives now. They don’t care about emails; they care about phone calls, because they live in the past. I know this because I shadowed a lobbyist, because knowing how power works is critical to using it.

How do you think I have gotten two clinics to start including gender care in their planning?

Start small. Chip away. Keep working. Find your leverage; figure out how and when to effectively use it. Choose your battles, so that you can concentrate on the battle at hand instead of wasting your resources in many directions. Learn from the accumulated wisdom of people who spent their lives learning by doing, by making mistakes, by watching the mistakes of their enemies.

Don’t be a dickhead. Be smarter than I was at 14. Ask yourself: what is your objective?

[nope-body]

.

[thydungeongal]

Anyway this is relatively minor in the greater context of transmisogyny but sort of a demonstration of the fact that having good and inclusive policies only means so much when put up against all the rest of society being nakedly transmisogynistic.

I have been working out at a gym lately because it helps with my physical and mental health both. At this point in my transition I pretty much exclusively boymode in public and thus far the whole dressing room issue has not been an issue for me. But I recognize that at some point it is going to be both a comfort and a safety issue for me, so I've been looking for information about you know. What the policies of various service providers here in the metropolitan region of Finland are.

And the thing is, that information just isn't anywhere to be found. Like, that information does exist, but it simply isn't posted anywhere publicly. I know that the city of Helsinki has extremely inclusive and affirming policies when it comes to the use of gendered spaces in their sports and recreation services. Because I asked them through private channels (thus technically also outing myself to the person who answered my email, which just adds another layer of messed-up-ness to it). But because that information isn't posted anywhere it just doesn't actually do anything, right?

Like, I've been reading lots of literature about how trans folks, especially trans women, often don't feel comfortable in sports and recreation services for various reasons, and like I can't help but think of the fact that so much public discourse circles around how we're seen as invaders in gendered spaces, how other customers will target us with abuse and how service providers will often do very little to help us in the face of that abuse (and will often actively side with the person who finds out existence to be a threat). That is the ambient background noise we constantly live under, so we're inclined to believe that most service providers would, if a conflict should arise, take the side of a cis person who found our presence objectionable. This has actual measurable effects on trans people's health outcomes and we know a lot of the obstacles are not due to direct discrimination but due to structural and cultural obstacles.

So when some place actually does have an extremely inclusive and accommodating policy and their internal policies make it clear that their support for trans people is unequivocal and uncompromising and you know that their actual policy has got your back. It still doesn't help when that policy is nowhere to be seen.

It's always good to be critical of performative allyship. If a gym says that they welcome everyone and puts up pride flags for one month every year and then still asks a trans woman to leave the women's dressing room because a cis woman got scared, that's performative allyship. This is the opposite. These people have a clearly articulated policy that confirms that they will have your back if you're caught Exercising While Trans, but that information is nowhere to be found. I do think part of it is caution: they can't advertise that trannies are not shot on sight at their gyms because that would draw the ire of the right wing hate mob.

Anyway I'm glad the city of Helsinki is Woke and I have also relayed this information to some of the other dolls in the area, and apparently it's found its way to other queer groups here. But I have also told the lovely city employee I was in contact with that they should really have this information available somewhere, because not having it out there does represent an obstacle.

[phoenixyfriend]

MOTHERFUCKERS

Hi, if you're new here, I'm Nixy. I've spent the past five months trying to bully Colourpop, a cosmetics company known for their collaborations, into doing the right thing.

Today, I received the email on the left. I checked instagram to be sure, and lo and behold, they're advertising it there, too. Presumably, they are also doing so on tiktok, but I don't have that app.

Do me a favor, and go to one of the linked socials, or their online email contact form, and let them know you're even more angry and disappointed about this than about the HP thing. This isn't about which franchise has done more harm, but about the stage of the collaborations themselves. The HP Collab is a dying project that's been constantly on sale for half a year and, most likely, was just being advertised in a last-ditch attempt to dump backstock before it expires; it was in bad taste, but not too likely to have a direct impact on the minority group we know it harms. I'm especially sure of this because they only advertised that sale by email, not on the socials.

The Twilight collaboration is alive and well, being restocked, being advertised, and actively banking on the marketing of an indigenous population without any kind of benefit to the tribe. The least that Colourpop could do, since I imagine they can't back out of the contract, is donate a portion of their profits to the fundraiser. That would probably do a lot more to help the tribe than just cancelling the collaboration entirely anyway!

Mention that people have been asking them to make a statement on this issue for a good year and a half now.

Mention that between this and the HP collab and other questionable projects, they are losing goodwill by the day among people who previously trusted that they were trying to act with ethics and transparency.

Mention that the Quileute Move to Higher Ground project has been struggling for years to put together the funds to move their entire community away from the danger of rising sea levels. They've managed to move the school, but they still need to build new housing... especially because companies have been buying up their houses to establish as AirBNBs since it's a tourist area. They've also bought up all the properties in Forks, WA, for the same reason, which means fewer people actually hiring Quileute workers.

Because of Twilight.

These people are being forced to leave their homes in part because of the franchise that Colourpop is collaborating with. They have not seen any money directly from the way SMeyer used their tribe, and any possible benefits of tourism have been far outweighed by the aforementioned airbnb issue.

Colourpop is a big company, but it's not a giant. It's got enough going for it that you can safely assume you're not going to ruin a person's life and livelihood by hassling the contact forms, but it's not so big that it's impossible to budge them.

Let's try to make at least something happen. It might not be much, but please just send an email or leave a comment on their socials. Reblog this post so other people know what's going on.

[thebibliosphere]

Genuine question: why do you get people emailing you about mast cell disease?

Presumably because I talk about my own mast cell disease a lot and try to do so in a way that is approachable so that people who are struggling can hopefully understand it and talk to their doctors and advocate for the help they need.

When I first started talking about my health issues there were very few people out there talking about MCAS. It was very lonely. My hope in being open about my health issues was to not only raise awareness about a poorly understood health condition but to also alleviate some of that loneliness that I felt sure others must be feeling.

I also don’t try to sell people crystals about it which is probably a large element of it.

There’s unfortunately a lot of new age, anti-science predation in mast cell disorder support groups with people promising all kinds of things will cure you. I can understand people’s reluctance to engage with those communities when they feel like people are just trying to sell them cures for a disease that fundamentally has no cure at this time, just symptom management.

There are also some people, who to be completely clear, aren’t doctors, but put their knowledge behind paywalls and charge people money for their time—knowledge that is readily available online but only if you have the time and mental capacity to look for it and understand it.

It’s their prerogative, but it’s never sat right with me.

Tl;dr: I don’t charge money and won’t shut up about it.

[uyuforu]

Your Future Spouse's Appearance & Personality based on Astrology

All pictures were found on Pinterest

Other posts you could like:

જ⁀➴ Derivative Astrology Introduction

જ⁀➴ How to know where your Future Spouse was born with Astrology

જ⁀➴ How to know your Future Spouse's career with Astrology

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╰┈➤ Get your own Derivative Astrology Future Spouse Reading for 35€ ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪

݁ᛪ༙⛧ Why the 7H?

♱ The 7H in astrology represents the Future Spouse. Based on this house, we can see our Future Spouse's life based on our Natal Chart. This technique is called Derivative Astrology.

♱ The technique here is to take our 7H as our Future Spouse's 1H. So this house, since the 1H is about how we look like, will represent our FS' appearance. We can also know about who they are in general.

♱ So today we will focus on our personal 7H, in our Natal Chart. Planet from Sun to Pluto mostly. Asteroids will be additional.

݁ᛪ༙⛧ The Technique

♱ In your 7H, you will need to check the sign it is in. You will also check the degree of the house, but also the ruler, and what planets are in the 4H. We are only going to check planets! Sun to Pluto only!

♱ For the Ruler of your 7H, you will need to check where it is in your chart and under what sign.

♱ For the planets inside, it will tell us what your FS looks like. I'll give all the key words down there on the post. For the planets, we will use the ones that are the closest to your Descendant line AND in the 7H! So if you have any planets that exactly conjuncts your Descendant, it's perfect! Otherwise, just take the closest. The closest planets to take will need to be 10° apart maximum from the line of the Descendant!

Quick example: My 7H is in Aries, so I will look at Aries section. In my 7H I have Jupiter and Saturn, so I will also look in those sections. I also have those planets in Taurus, so I will also look at the Taurus section. Then, I check my degree, 19°, so Libra section too. Now, I look at the Ruler of my 7H (Mars), and check in which house it is in.

╰┈➤ Get your own Derivative Astrology Future Spouse Reading for 35€ ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪

݁ᛪ༙⛧ Keywords & Help

♱ Aries/ 1H/ 1°, 13°, 25°/ Mars

FS can have Aries rising, Aries degree on their rising, or Mars in their 1H. They can also have a Mars ruled Rising. Future Spouse can look athletic, in well shaped, they can have muscles. They can look arrogant, or very masculine. They can look hot to you, they can look build or thick, they can have nice, thick eyebrows, they can have sharp eyes, they can have a strong or loud voice, they can also have an interest in their body, or somehow have a prominent body. When they walk in a room, people often can notice their body. People can also thirst over them. Your FS can be impulsive, they can seem aggressive, or too confident, they can see like they have temperament issues. You can also have a feeling that FS is quite direct in their moves or how they act with you. You can feel like FS is very protective and jealous too. FS can be smart and talk a lot too. They can also often cut people when they speak. The dominant type.

♱ Taurus/ 2H/ 2°, 14°, 26°/ Venus

FS can have Taurus rising, Taurus degree on their rising, or Venus in their 1H. They can also have a Venus ruled Rising. Future Spouse can look very good, beautiful, handsome, you can feel like you are blessing with someone just look stunning. Your person can have a lot of charm, they can look so good they can attract a lot of people. They can be extrovert or be a social butterfly. They can be into art, be creative, they can also like music. They can look like they are wealthy, rich, or just luxurious. They can often dress in a way that make them look so good looking. They can look like they are thick, curvy too, it can often give you a Future Spouse with beautiful and feminine traits as well. They can smell incredibly good and have a very good voice too.

♱ Gemini/ 3H/ 3°, 15°, 27°/ Mercury

FS can have Gemini rising, Gemini degree on their rising, or Mercury in their 1H. They can also have a Mercury ruled Rising. FS can look young, they can be younger than you too. FS can be very smart, they can be witty, funny, humorous, they can be very curious in general too. FS can talk a lot, think a lot, they can often want to learn many languages, or they know many languages. FS can enjoy drama too. FS just like informations and tea, they wanna know for sure. FS can have a normal height, they can also have a prominent laugh, a beautiful smile, they can have a "smiley face", they can have shiny eyes too.

♱ Cancer/ 4H/ 4°, 16°, 28°/ Moon

FS can have Cancer rising, Cancer degree on their rising, or Moon in their 1H. They can also have a Moon ruled Rising. FS can be younger than you or look young compared to their age. FS can look sweet, innocent, FS can have prominent eyes, they can look good, they can have a very soft skin, smooth too. They can look childish, or act childish. Their chest area can be prominent too, if they are a woman, they can also be blessed with beautiful curves. Can be thick as well. Can have a normal height to small, their face can be round, they can also have high peach voice, a smooth one too. Soft spoken. They can also be pretty chill, calm, sweet. They can be known for being the sweetest. They can have round, big shiny eyes.

♱ Leo/ 5H/ 5°, 17°, 29°/ Sun

FS can have Leo rising, Leo degree on their rising, or Sun in their 1H. They can also have a Sun ruled Rising. FS can look very charming, they can look very bright, someone with beautiful smile, smiley face, they can look like a main character, very unique. They can often look good, know how to dress well even casually. They can have a very good voice, they can also have a good laugh, one that is loud too. They can have prominent hair as well, often thick. They can often work out, be toned or athletic. They can be friendly, nice, sweet, they can seem like they are confident, they can have a good personality, popular, people can often like them. They can be wealthy, come from a wealthy family, they can be wise too.

♱ Virgo/ 6H/ 6°, 18°/ Mercury

FS can have Virgo rising, Virgo degree on their rising, or Mercury in their 1H. They can also have a Mercury ruled Rising. FS can look young, they can be younger than you too. FS can be very smart, they can be witty, funny. FS can love to study, FS can also be a perfectionist, they can also be into control, cleaning, arranging, etc. They can seem cold at first, or very serious. FS is calm, chill, but often can also be anxious or stressed. They can look tired as well. FS can have a normal height, they can look tired, they can have a beautiful smile, they can have a beautiful voice, they can also look very neat, clean. They can smell good. Can have darker eyes too, not only the color but more about the aura.

♱ Libra/ 7H/ 7°, 19°/ Venus

FS can have Libra rising, Libra degree on their rising, or Venus in their 1H. They can also have a Venus ruled Rising. Future Spouse can look very good, beautiful, handsome, you can feel like you are blessing with someone just look stunning. Your person can have a lot of charm, they can look so good they can attract a lot of people. They can be extrovert or be a social butterfly. They can be into art, be creative, they can also like music. They can often dress in a way that make them look so good looking. They can often have a very good body, they can be blessed with a beautiful bottom too. They can have a nice skin as well. They can just have the gift of always looking nice, whatever they were and wherever they are. Can also attract a lot of suitors.

♱ Scorpio/ 8H/ 8°, 20°/ Pluto

FS can have Scorpio rising, Scorpio degree on their rising, or Mars/ Pluto in their 1H. They can also have a Mars or Pluto ruled Rising. FS can look quite mysterious, they can also have a dark aura, can be cold and distant. They can also look scary and intimidating. They can often change their appearance, they can have dark eyes, dark hair, thick hair, thick eyebrows, they can be slim, they can also have beautiful and deep eyes, you could stare in those for hours. Though, their eyes can also cut if they could, their emotions often go through their stare. FS is independent, FS is intense, mysterious, deep, FS can be controlling, possessive and jealous. FS can also have a strong will, they can also be powerful somehow. FS holds deep secrets and are secretive in general.

♱ Sagittarius/ 9H/ 9°, 21°/ Jupiter

FS can have Sagittarius rising, Sagittarius degree on their rising, or Jupiter in their 1H. They can also have a Jupiter ruled Rising. FS can be older than you, they can look quite charming, can look optimistic, they can also look very good. FS can be tall to normal height, they can also be thick or curvy. FS have a good proportions on their body. FS can have a main character vibe, they can be sweet, nice, smart, funny, they can also be witty. FS can love to learn, and be curious. FS can be wise and mature, they can be thirsty for knowledge. FS can be popular, people love them. FS can be religious or spiritual, FS can also be independent, likes to be free. FS will be honest too.

♱ Capricorn/ 10H/ 10°, 22°/ Saturn

FS can have Capricorn rising, Capricorn degree on their rising, or Saturn in their 1H. They can also have a Saturn ruled Rising. FS can be older than you, they can also look more mature, wise, older too. FS can indeed be mature mentally, they can be stable as well, they can have money, be wealthy, comes from a wealthy family, money can come from their father. They can be someone who is wise, calm, but they can be anxious, stressed or depressed, burn out. They can look tired often. FS can still be charming, they can also seem cold or too serious when you meet them. Can actually not smile often in general. They can be quite slim, or skinny, they can also have prominent teeth.

♱ Aquarius/ 11H/ 11°, 23°/ Uranus

FS can have Aquarius rising, Aquarius degree on their rising, or Saturn/ Uranus in their 1H. They can also have a Saturn or Uranus ruled Rising. FS can look tall, slim, they can also have a very unique style, or dress in an eccentric way. They can often want to stand out physically. FS can have messy hair lol. Sharp eyes too. FS can seem chill and calm. FS is smart, intelligent, eccentric, original, can be considered weird by some, passionate. FS can also take interest in the most uncommon hobbies, or have hobbies that are avant-garde. FS can often be popular and not get it or do not care. FS wants to be seen as different it's their pride lol.

♱ Pisces/ 12H/ 12°, 24°/ Neptune

FS can have Pisces rising, Pisces degree on their rising, or Jupiter/ Neptune in their 1H. They can also have a Jupiter or Neptune ruled Rising. FS can look young, can look younger than their real age. FS can look thick, curvy. FS can have shiny eyes, they can often seem like they are about to cry. FS can look innocent, sweet, nice. FS can be short, they can also have fair skin, or smooth one too. FS can look like they often daydream, in their world, they can be shy and not talk much at first. FS can be very nice, sweet, FS can be selfless, but can have hard time to put boundaries with people. Too nice. Can be naive too. FS loves art, music, etc. FS can easily be addicted to things. Can smoke or drink. FS can also look sleepy!

Thank you for reading!

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[historicity-was-already-taken]

Interesting thread just popped up on r/AITAH

It reads:

AITA for causing a scene after a class discussion about Holocaust ended up with my son being bullied?

My son (11M) has always been proud of his Polish heritage. Were Polish-American, and weve taught him a lot about our familys history. His great grandfather fought in the Armia Krajowa (the Polish Home army), which was one of the largest underground resistance movements in Nazi occupied Europe. He was wounded during the Warsaw Uprising, an effort where thousands of Polish civilians and soldiers rose up against the Nazis. Unfortunately, he was eventually captured by the Nazis and sent to KZ Stutthof, a concentration camp. Despite the unimaginable horrors there, he survived and later came to USA to rebuild his life, though he never forgot what he fought for. Recently, my sons class had a lesson about World War II and the Holocaust. After school, he came home unusually quiet. When I asked what was wrong, he told me the teacher said Poland helped the Nazis carry out the Holocaust. Apparently, the teacher claimed that Polish people were active collaborators and shared blame for the genocide. My son was horrified and so was I. He told me that after the lesson, one boy turned to him and said I guess that makes you a Nazi sympathizer. Other kids laughed. My son was devastated and just broke down crying. How could anyone say that? Poland was one of the first countries invaded by Nazi Germany, and over 6 million Polish citizens were killed, half of them were Jewish. The Nazis considered Poles to be subhuman and executed entire villages in retaliation for resistance efforts. And yet, even under the threat of death, many Poles risked their lives to save Jewish families. The egota Council was established solely to aid Jews, and people like Irena Sendler smuggled over 2,000 of Jewish children to safety. I emailed the teacher, assuming there was some misunderstanding. But instead of acknowledging the issue, he doubled down saying it was important to explore all perspectives and that Poland wasnt completely innocent. I was furious. Spreading falsehoods like that not only distorts history but also fuels antisemitism and hatred. It also completely disrespects people like my great grandfather, who put their lives on the line to fight the Nazis and endured unimaginable suffering in KZ Stutthof. The next day, I went to the school office and demanded a meeting with the principal. Ill admit, I wasnt calm and could've handled it much better and that's probably where I was the asshole for yelling and swearing at the staff who had nothing to do with it. But I told them how offensive it was to teach blatant misinformation, especially when it led to my son being bullied. I brought up historical facts, ncluding how the Armia Krajowa fought against both the Nazis and the Soviets, and how Polish resistance fighters were often tortured and executed. The teacher was there too, and instead of apologizing, he accused me of overreacting and claimed I was pushing nationalist propaganda. I reminded him that Yad Vashem honors over 7,000 Polish citizens as Righteous Among the Nations for risking their lives to save Jews, more than any other country. Now my wife (who doesn't have Polish ancestry) is saying I've made a scene and embarrassed the teacher, myself and my son and overall disagrees with me doing what I did. My sons still being called names, though the school promised to look into it. My wife thinks I should've handled it differently and not cause a scene or make a big deal about it, but my sister says supports me in my actions. While I agree I could've been calmer and handled it maybe privately, am I really the asshole for standing up for my history and most importantly my son? Am I also wrong to think that it's not acceptable that my wife is okay with my son being bullied in school?

I replied:

ESH, with the asshole scale pointing towards you. The Armja Krajowa was actively anti-Semitic and spent a lot of the time and effort they could have spent fighting the Nazis harassing Jewish partisans instead. They refused to share any intelligence with the Jewish underground and were adamantly opposed to the ghetto uprisings. During the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, the AK continued to harass Jews, accuse them of being Soviet spies, forced them to do the hardest most humiliating tasks, beat, and murdered them. The Armja Ludowa was better to the Jews, but there was still great anti-Semitism within its ranks. Though subject to genocidal conditions themselves, many Poles were complicit in the Holocaust, and felt strongly that if Hitler had to be there, at least he was getting rid of the Jews. The Polish undergrounds were heroic and exposed to genocidal conditions, but that doesn’t erase their complicity, and that complicity is 800% relevant in the context of Holocaust history. You behaved like a nationalist, revisionist, dick and you owe your child’s school an apology. THAT SAID. Your child’s teacher was also wrong. There were ordinary Poles across all levels of Polish society (the righteous gentiles) who risked their lives to aid the Jews. The righteous gentiles are important, and require a presence in these types of lessons. Source: am a Holocaust historian. My first book, a history of the Jewish resistance in Warsaw, will be released in October. ETA: Your kid's teacher also sucks for not intervening in the situation which led him to tears. Downvotes can't change the past, y'all.

The way Poles and Jews of Polish ancestry choose to remember these events is....fascinating, from a memory standpoint. But NUANCE, always.

[kenziiie]

spencer reid x single mom!reader

you were a new consultant—specializing in child psychology—brought in on a case involving a young victim who’d been through something no child should. and because you were also a mom to a sharp, energetic seven-year-old, you brought a kind of compassion the team wasn’t used to. especially not dr. spencer reid.

you met him in the briefing room. tall, awkward, brilliant—he barely spoke at first. mostly fidgeted with a pen, eyes flicking toward you like he didn’t mean for them to. he was curious. cautious.

you noticed.

“dr. reid, right?” you asked during a break, standing next to him at the coffee table.

he straightened immediately, blinking like he’d been caught off guard. “yes. that’s—i’m dr. spencer reid. i have phds in—sorry. that’s probably not relevant.”

you smiled. “it’s cool. i’m y/n. child trauma specialist. and single mom to a seven-year-old who’s currently obsessed with spiderman. like—towels, shoes, bedspread. all of it.”

his mouth curled into a soft smile. “excellent choice. peter parker’s one of the only superheroes who relies almost entirely on his intelligence. did you know in the comics, he created his own web fluid at fifteen?”

you raised a brow. “you just won my son’s heart and you don’t even know it.”

from there, something shifted. he started seeking you out. asked about your son, about your balance between work and motherhood, about how you stayed so calm in the field.

he didn’t hide his admiration. not very well, anyway.

a few days later, after the case wrapped, you found yourself in the hotel lounge, restless. he showed up with two mugs of tea and a shy look.

“i thought you might not be asleep yet,” he said quietly, setting a mug in front of you. “chamomile. statistically calming.”

you smiled as you accepted it. “you remembered.”

you talked for hours. about your son. about his childhood. he told you about his mom, about growing up too fast, about how he’d always felt… different. like his brain ran on another track.

you listened. and when you reached across the table and laid your hand over his, he stilled—then softened under your touch.

“you’re really easy to talk to,” he murmured, voice barely above the hum of the hotel’s A/C.

“so are you,” you whispered.

when you got back to quantico, he emailed you a list of early-2000s spiderman comic issues your son might love, complete with commentary.

if he hasn’t read “ultimate spiderman” yet, i’d recommend starting there.

also, if it’s not too forward, i’d like to meet him someday. no pressure.

– spencer

you read the message twice, hand over your mouth, heart doing that stupid fluttery thing it hadn’t done in years.

maybe you weren’t expecting something like this.

but maybe… you deserved it.

———

working at the bau wasn’t exactly easy, but being around spencer reid made it feel… less heavy. you weren’t sure when it started—maybe the second case, or the third—but somehow, he kept gravitating toward you.

he started saving you a seat at the table.

little things.

“hey,” he’d whisper before briefings, sliding a granola bar across the table. “you skipped breakfast again.”

“spence,” you’d whisper back, smirking. “you watchin’ me now?”

“statistically, people under prolonged stress forget to eat,” he muttered, eyes darting away like that explained everything.

he brought you tea during long nights, pulled research files you hadn’t even asked for, and started explaining complex case patterns like it was just the two of you in the room. the rest of the team noticed. derek teased. jj gave you little knowing looks. hotch said nothing, but raised an eyebrow more than once when you and spencer sat a little too close during flights.

one night, you were going over notes late in the bullpen when spencer stopped by your desk. his tie was loosened, hair a little messy from running his fingers through it all day. he held out a folder.

“i found this transcript. might help with the witness interview tomorrow. thought you could use it.”

you smiled up at him, eyes soft. “you always think about me like this?”

he blinked. “i—uh—I mean—”

you stood and reached for the file, brushing his hand. “i’m just teasing, spence.”

he swallowed hard, eyes fixed on the spot where your fingers touched. “i think about you more than i probably should.”

you paused. heart beating loud in your chest.

you stepped a little closer, voice low. “good. ‘cause i think about you too.”

before he could answer, hotch’s voice rang out across the room. “reid, y/n—conference room. now.”

the spell broke, and you both jumped apart. but not before your fingers lingered just a second longer.

⸻

the next day, during the jet ride back from another case, you sat next to him instead of across like usual. halfway through the flight, you dozed off against his shoulder.

he didn’t move.

didn’t even breathe too loud.

he just closed his eyes and leaned his head gently against yours.

when you landed, he helped you with your bag, fingers brushing yours again. “hey,” he said, almost nervously. “can i ask you something?”

“of course.”

he looked away, then back at you. “i was thinking… maybe… i could meet your son sometime? not in a weird way. just—I’ve never really been around kids, but I’d like to. with you.”

your lips twitched. “you asking to meet my baby like it’s a first date?”

he blushed hard. “is that—bad?”

you shook your head, heart doing that thing again. “no, spence. it’s perfect.”

——

you weren’t sure who was more nervous—spencer, or you.

he stood beside you in your apartment entryway, looking down at the welcome mat like it held the answers to the universe. he smoothed the front of his sweater vest for the third time, shifting from foot to foot.

“you don’t have to be nervous,” you whispered, watching your son’s shadow move down the hall. “he’s gonna love you.”

spencer looked at you, wide-eyed. “statistically, children can be unpredictable. what if he—what if he thinks i’m weird?”

you tilted your head. “you are weird. but it’s the good kind.”

before he could respond, your son came barreling around the corner in socks and a too-big spider-man t-shirt, stopping short when he saw the tall man beside you.

“hey, baby,” you said, smiling softly. “this is dr. reid. remember i told you about him?”

your son narrowed his eyes like a tiny detective. “the one who likes books and knows everything?”

spencer cleared his throat. “uh. not everything. just a lot of things. mostly about science. and… magic tricks.”

that caught the boy’s attention. “magic?”

spencer crouched carefully, reaching into his coat pocket. he pulled out a deck of cards, fanned it with one hand, then snapped his fingers—and made one card float out from the center. your son’s mouth dropped open.

“yo!” he shouted. “do it again!”

you leaned against the wall, arms crossed and smiling as the two of them launched into a full-blown conversation about card tricks and how peter parker probably could’ve invented his own if he wasn’t so busy fighting crime.

spencer let your son lead the conversation, asking thoughtful questions and listening like everything the kid said was the most important thing in the world. like he mattered. like he belonged.

and when your son grabbed his hand without thinking to show him something in his room, you felt your chest tighten in the best way.

⸻

later that night, the three of you were curled up on the couch watching the sam raimi spider-man movie. your son was between you, head on your shoulder, legs across spencer’s lap. he was slowly falling asleep, and you caught spencer glancing down at him every few seconds like he couldn’t believe he was real.

“you’re really good with him,” you whispered, reaching over to touch his arm.

spencer’s voice was soft. “i didn’t think i would be. i’ve never—i mean, i didn’t really grow up around a lot of warmth. but this… he makes it feel easy.”

you looked at him. “you do too.”

he turned toward you, eyes gentle. “i think… i could really love him. and you. if you’d let me.”

your breath caught.

you leaned in slowly, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek.

“i already do,” you whispered.

your son shifted in his sleep then, mumbling half-dreamed words: “…mommy… i like him… he’s cool.”

spencer smiled. not that wide, excited grin—but the small, vulnerable one. the one that meant he was letting himself believe it could be real.

that you could be real.

[reptilian-rapscallian]

Right I usually only talk about the marauders but I need to talk about Dan and Phil for a second because the fan response to the livestream ticketing is ridiculous.

I'm going to quickly preface this by saying that yes, the hidden service charges were INSANE and unfair, but they've since stated that starting today they're going to do partial refunds and lower the prices so that they're balanced better. It's very clear that they didn't know about the service charges, and people suddenly trying to imply that it was a malicious decision are driving me up the wall.

Since that initial issue, people have taken it as an opportunity to not only be overly critical, but to just insult them???

Firstly, £12 as a starter price for a livestream ticket is reasonable. Literally every theatre livestream ticket I've ever seen has started at £16-£18 and gone up from there, so realistically this is a reasonable price!! Chances are they did their best to get it as low as they possibly could without losing money. Tours are fucking expensive, with most people who tour either making minimal money or breaking even (something not even that), and running under the assumption that they're absolutely LOADED when they've been very open about the fact that they've got a mortgage to pay is WILD. They need to make money to be able to make content!!

Also, the vast majority of their content is free. They have far more free and readily available content than most other influencers out there. People are acting like it's insane to briefly put the tour behind a paywall, like wad didn't get ads blocked STRAIGHT after it became free and readily available. Also, it's not just access to the tour that you're paying for? There's a preshow/'red carpet', and then an after-party q&a if you've opted for the £16 or any of the merch bundles. If you don't want to pay, the tour will STILL be available to you at some point, and I think it's wild to act like it's unfair that they need to make money? I'm sorry, but they need to be able to pay their bills.

One thing I feel like it's most important to acknowledge is that you're not being forced to buy it. People are acting like they were held at gunpoint and forced to check out with the service fees. If PayPal checked you out without showing you the service fees (which is a PayPal glitch, not an issue from Dan and Phil), then you can get a refund pretty easily. If not, you can email and chances are you'll get a refund (if you want the whole cost back and not just the service fees because those are getting automatically refunded). However, acting like you saw the service fees, had the money and checked out anyway, means that Dan and Phil forced you to do it is WILD. Dan making a joke with a fan about skipping work (in which they called their job one of the most important in the world) is NOT Dan forcing everybody to miss life events for the livestream and I'm so confused about why people are seeing it that way. You're not obligated to do anything, and being mad at Dan and Phil for releasing merch bundles at all after buying one is genuinely unfathomable to me as a thought process.

Also, acting like they're not taking it seriously enough when they're actively doing what people asked and resolving the issue is wild??? If they had released an overly professional "statement" you guys would have jumped to call them cold and uncaring. This was easily the best way they could have resolved the issue, and I'm genuinely so confused by everybody being so willing to insult Phil's response as if he didn't do EXACTLY what people wanted them to do??? Also being mad at them specifically for the merch not being available internationally (which is definitely an issue) is insane because they don't actually control the merch shipments??? Like why are they suddenly expected to change something that chances are they don't know how to change???

Suddenly jumping to insult them personally, or going out of your way to accuse them of being hyper-capitalists is uncalled for and just plain rude. It was this shit that kept me from taking part in the online communities pre-hiatus, and I'm genuinely really frustrated to see it coming back. Acting like they're the biggest depiction of capitalism is insane. Have you ever shopped at Amazon? Literally any major supermarket? Any name brand ever? They're bigger examples of submitting to a capitalist regime than Dan and Phil!! As much as we can all (rightfully) criticise our capitalist society, we all have to feed into it to survive because it's so deeply ingrained into our lives. They need to eat, they need to pay their bills, and they're doing their best to make it fun for their audience.

Yes, the hidden service fees were insane. Yes, the merch bundles not being available internationally is upsetting. However, they're literally doing everything in their power to fix it, and were clearly unaware of these things before the tickets went on sale.

There's a difference between rightfully pointing out issues and just insulting them personally and being really shit about them??? They haven't forced you to buy anything and they're resolving the issue. Calm tf down.

[sinofwriting]

Wait - Ollie Bearman

Words: 4,936 Summary: Ollie Bearman doesn’t wear necklaces, it’s just not his thing. So why during the 2023 Mexico GP is he spotted wearing a necklace with a familiar ring hanging from the chain Note(s)/Warning(s): This is in fact the purity ring fic. It’s a bit NSFW. Reader is Max Verstappen’s little sister. I nearly included lestappen because the idea of both Verstappen siblings dating a Ferrari (or Ferrari adjacent) driver was funny to me, but I didn’t. Also, thank you to all the people who told me to write this. I’m going to go somewhere, but I’m glad I did!

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A ring sits on her finger. The same finger that will one day have an engagement ring then a wedding band to join. The band is thin with two knots and between both knots are four tiny pearls, barely the size of a grain of rice and in the middle of those four pearls is a mix of her birthstone and Max’s. She had gotten it when she was eleven shortly after she had heard Max joking with some of his friends about sex and she went to their mom asking what exactly they meant and for the past six years it had sat there.

It was the first big purchase Max had made with his F1 paycheck. The seventeen year old had felt ashamed and horrified at his baby sister overhearing the things him and friends were joking about. And even worse when their mom had to give her the talk. It had been nothing however compared to what their father had thought when learning of it. Max had swore his ears were ringing as Jos had yelled at him for first having his friends around her and second talking about sex when he knew that she was in the house and liked to randomly join them.

The ring had been a nice way to ease the tension and though he had been a bit red as he explained what it was to her, she had nodded along with his explanation, looking serious before putting it on and then smiling at him and hugging him.

At eleven it hadn’t really been an issue, wearing a purity ring, promising that she’d wait to be married before having sex. It hadn’t been a problem when she was fifteen and her first spike of hormones hit and suddenly sex wasn’t something that felt so far away or like a weird foreign concept. It hadn’t been a problem at sixteen either when she got her first boyfriend, who Max had quickly run off.

It had started to be a problem after she turned seventeen and got together with Ollie.

Ollie who she was never supposed to meet. Was only supposed to know of because she followed F2 and F3. But then she joined Max for the remainder of the 2022 season in July. Done with school and unsure if she wanted to go to Uni, unsure really of what she wanted to do.

She had planned to stay home with her mom, putter about the house, maybe do some small writing for Redline and Verstappen.com that she’d email to Kris, who would send her the money that they got paid for them instead of submitting them herself where Max would be sure to give her a stupid amount of money for something that took maybe thirty minutes to write.

But then Max had heard about her plans and she was officially employed by her brother. Managing his website, instagram, and Redline’s social media, going with him to every race, which meant that she had far too much free time and meant that she found herself following around Jack Crawford as he finished up his F3 season which meant running into Ollie Bearman.

Ollie, who was so unexpectedly sweet and cute, who made all the blood rush to her face as her heart worked overtime, made butterflies appear in her stomach.

It had been the second time that they saw each other that he had asked her on a date and now a year later, the two are now both eighteen and head over heels in love, and the ring that rests on her left ring finger feels more like a nuisance.

She had never had sex, hadn’t even really touched or been touched until Ollie but as the F2 season had grown to a close it felt like that was all that was on her mind and Ollie’s.

The kisses they shared when alone quickly grew into heated make out sessions and when they had time, they found themselves in his hotel room under the covers, underwear still on but hands exploring each other's bodies.

She falls in love with the pattern of freckles on his back and the way he shivers when she traces them with her fingers. The spot above his heart that always makes his breath hitch when she kisses it. His strong calves that always tense right after his thighs when she settles on his lap. His hands and how much bigger than hers they are. And his fingers that he lets her play with, kiss and nibble at just to see and hear the stuttered breath he gives as his cheeks turn red.

He falls in love with the small tattoo that still only he knows she has, it’s small enough to just barely be hidden by even her more risqué bikinis. The scar she has on her knee that makes her shiver when his fingers or lips touch it. The soft skin of the underside of her breasts, because it feels nice to stroke when he gets the chance to dip his hands underneath her bra. The moan she gives when he settles in between her thighs and rests his weight on top of her as they kiss.

Ollie knows what the ring is, what it means, what she promised Max. It’s the one thing that always reminds him to stop, that pulls him back when he’s about to dip his fingers beneath her underwear to feel her wetness against his fingers or about to ask her to take her bra off, to let him see more of her. The feeling of her ring always draws him back. Makes him refocus on just kissing her and not getting ahead of himself before he makes another mess of himself.

He sees it every time he sees her, he kisses it every time he lifts her hand to his lips, first kissing the ring, a silent promise to himself that one day he’ll replace it with a ring of his own, before kissing her hand.

So Ollie doesn’t think anything when he comes home from simulator work to his flat in Maranello smelling like brownies. It had taken a bit to convince Max that she didn’t want to go home but rather wanted to go on a little trip with her friends. She just neglected to mention that there was no trip, and by friends she meant boyfriend, and really she meant during the week break they’d have she’d be going to Italy to stay with Ollie.

“That smells so good.” Ollie groans, kicking his shoes off before moving further into the flat. She beams at him, accepting the kiss he presses to her cheek. “I know you had dinner there so I made brownies. And not a whole pan.” She adds. “I know you can’t indulge too much.” “Thank you.” He murmurs, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back into him.

He starts to sway them both as he stares at the small pan of brownies, the smell of them mouthwatering.

“Can I have one?” “They like just got out of the oven.” He pouts, bending his neck and pressing his face into her neck. “Please?” “You're going to burn your fingers and mouth.” She laughs. “Pretty please?” He tries. She makes a humming noise, one he feels more than hears. “Only if you give me a kiss first.” “Deal.”

She giggles as he quickly turns her in his arms. “Hi.” She greets as she wraps her arms around his neck. “Hi.” He parrots back and the thought of the brownies are gone from his mind as he looks at her.

She’s got a piece of his merch on, one of the sample sweatshirts, but also a pair of his boxer briefs. It’s like she’s drowning in him and he just wants to add to it.

Pressing their lips together, he grunts when her nails dig lightly into the back of his neck.

“Sorry.” She murmurs against his lips. He shakes his head, “it’s fine.”

They stand there for a while just kissing, but then his hands are moving underneath the top she’s wearing, grasping at her hips before fingers trail up her sides before back down and she’s pulling him to his bedroom.

They’ve done this so much that it takes barely any time for him to take his FDA polo off and then his jeans before joining her in bed, settling between her thighs. It doesn’t however stop him from rocking his hips into hers a couple of times before he can stop himself, hunger only growing when her hips hitch upwards and she’s wrapping a leg around him, pulling him closer.

“Fuck, darling.” He gasps, pressing kisses to her exposed throat. She moans, her hands resting on his bare back and it’s the feeling of her ring that makes him stop. Hips nearly thrusting again when she whines, but he tenses his whole body, not letting it loosen even when he kisses her again, swallowing the next whine she lets out.

His right hand makes his way underneath her top as they continue to kiss, his body relaxing into hers as he gets control of himself again.

As his fingers creep up her side, he wonders what they’ll feel. The spandex of her sports bra? The cotton or whatever it is of the one bra she likes to wear to media days? Maybe lace? His mind spins at the last option and he gulps.

She’s only worn lace once and it was on their year anniversary, their first approved sleepover. Though Max had made sure to get her from his hotel room at 11 am. But he considers they have the rest of the week just them together and he doesn’t have to go into the factory anymore. And she made him brownies, homemade. He knows because of the way she had been standing at the kitchen counter, carefully looking at them. So, maybe another treat for him was her wearing lace.

But as fingers reach where he’d normally feel the edge of something there is nothing. He goes to frown but before he can, her chest rises, his fingers graze the underside of her left breast and his hips are snapping into her again.

“Oh my god.” She moans at the feeling. “Fuck.” He curses and he feels out of breath as he feels more of her. “You’re not,” he mutters. “You’re not wearing anything.” She shakes her head, bucking her hips wanting more friction. “Please, Ollie. Want more, want it off.” He should be saying no, he can already feel his control hanging by thread at the knowledge that she’s not wearing a bra, he doesn’t know what he’ll do if he sees her boobs for the first time, but he’s backing away, letting her sit up, and she’s flinging his sweatshirt off.

His jaw drops at the sight, eyes wide and his dick twitches. He sees the way she bites at her lips, arms starting to come up and he’s quick to react. Fingers touching the soft skin, thumbs rubbing at her nipples as he sort of holds them.

“Pretty.” He manages to get out and feels himself blush. “Can we kiss again?” Ollie nods, eager.

He carefully lays next to her, drawing her on top of him, the two both gasping at the feeling of her bare breasts resting on his bare chest.

His hands dance up and down her back, sometimes his pinky fingers dipping below the waistband of his boxer briefs that she’s wearing before moving back up again as they kiss, hips still moving together.

When she shifts a little on top of him, moaning, he grasps at her hips, stopping her from moving as he feels himself twitch and he just knows that he has to be leaking, creating a wet spot in his underwear.

“We have to stop.” “I’m close though.” His head falls back and he groans. “I am too.” “I,” She stops, thinking of the lingerie she had brought with her, the dinner reservation she had made for herself and Ollie tomorrow night, the necklace chain also in her suitcase. “I want more.” She says, before taking a deep breath and meeting his eyes. “I want to have sex with you.” He’s looking at her wide eyes and she’d think that he didn’t want her back if she couldn’t feel how hard he was underneath her. “But,” his eyes dart to her left hand. “I thought we were waiting.” She feels blood rush to her cheeks at his whisper, at the promise he made for and to her.

She had been nervous when telling Ollie about her purity ring and about she would like to wait awhile, maybe even till marriage to have sex, especially after he shared that he had already had sex before. But he had been surprisingly okay with it after he had a few days to think and wrap his head around it, and not that she knew but to talk to his dad about it, before he came back said that he’d wait as long as she wanted.

“I mean, we did.” She whispers back. “I just, I think you’re the one, ya’know. And even if you aren’t, I can’t see myself ever regretting you.” There’s a stinging in his eyes and he clears his throat. “Okay.” He shifts her down a bit so he can sit up, pressing their lips together. “Okay.”

Her hands cup his cheeks as they kiss while his hands stay on her hips. Not moving or doing anything despite the fact that she’s given the all clear. It’s one of her hands dropping from his face to trail down his body, that makes his hands move, grabbing her ass, pressing her down and closer. It makes her gasp.

“Ollie.” He groans at the sound of her moaning his name. His eyes dart to his nightstand, where there should be some condoms in the drawer with lube as well and then he’s cursing, hands falling away from her. “We have to stop, darling. I’m sorry.” “But,” She shifts on top of him and he swears again when he looks down and sees a wet patch peeking out from where she’s sitting on top of him. “I know, but I don’t have any condoms.” He feels himself flush, “I threw them away after we got serious since I figured it wouldn’t happen for a few years.” “No.” She whines, heading dropping onto his shoulder as her whole body sags.

She hadn’t thought about buying condoms, mainly because despite the lingerie she packed and the dinner reservation, she hadn’t actually planned on them having sex. She just wanted more, even some dry humping or at the very least to feel fingers against her that weren’t her own.

“I could pull out.” The words are weak to his own ears. She lifts her head slightly to look at him. “Do you really think you could?” “I could run and get some condoms.” He really doesn’t feel like getting back in the car, doesn’t feel like leaving her, but he’d do it. "No,” she shakes her head. She didn’t like the idea of being alone, waiting for him to come back with condoms. Or him putting clothes back on, the idea makes her nose wrinkle. She then pauses as something comes to mind. “How’s your Italian?” His brows furrow at the question. “It’s decent. Basic and more strategy and car related. But I get by, why?” “I was thinking of Plan B.” “Plan B?” His brows furrow more before it clicks and his eyes widen, “oh, Plan B.” “Yeah, I’d still want it even if you do end up pulling out, but I don’t think that will happen.” He wants to protest, deny, argue that he absolutely could pull out, but it’d be a lie.

“Ollie.” She whines nearly an hour later as he tries to get her to separate her thighs. “You’re all sticky.” He tells her. “I need to clean you up before it dries.” And god was it a bitch to clean up dried cum. “I’ll be quick.” He promises. She pouts, but lets her thighs fall apart, wincing at the burning muscles. He swallows at the sight of their mixed release. He hadn’t managed to pull out the first time, but the second he had managed to, only to finish practically in her anyways. And it was worse because of her own two orgasms that added to the mess. Taking the damp cloth, he carefully cleans her up, apologizing when she whines when he presses a bit too much on her clit.

“Much better.” He grins, when he’s done. Throwing the cloth in the direction of his laundry hamper. “Cuddle?” She asks, making grabby hands at him and eagerly joins her again in bed, slipping the covers over both of them. “That’s better.” She mumbles, when they settle together and he laughs, pressing a kiss to her head.

It’s hard for him to leave when he wakes up in the morning. They’re still both naked and she’s sleeping peacefully beside him. But he’d rather go and get her the Plan B now, then put it off until later when she’ll be fully awake.

Rolling to his side, he presses a series of light kisses to her face. She mumbles a bit and he chuckles. “I’ve got to go, darling.” She mumbles again, turning to lay on her side as well. “I’ve got to go. I’ll be right back.” “Where are you going?” Her voice is low, thick with sleep. “I need to get some things real quickly. I’ll be back in thirty minutes, okay?” “Do you have to?” She pouts. “I’ll be quick.” He promises, bending to kiss her.

It takes him barely any time to get the Plan B and condoms, though he had stumbled his way through Italian to get the Plan B before just pulling up a picture of it.

“Darling?” He calls when he gets back. “Kitchen.” She calls back, a hint of sleep still in her voice. With the bag hanging from his finger, he walks to the kitchen. “I got you plan b and condoms for me, just in case.” “No, just in case. I’d like a repeat.” He grins at her, setting the bag on the counter. “Yeah?” She nods, bottom lip between her teeth. “Yeah.” Bending, he captures her lips in a quick kiss, humming.

“Want to do brownies for breakfast?” His eyes widen and they dart to the counter. “I completely forgot you even made those!” “I’ll take that a yes?” “Please!”

Cutting him a piece and then one of herself, she puts them on a plate as Ollie gets them both something to drink before they both go to the living room and sit on the couch.

“These are so good.” He mumbles, catching a crumb before it can fall. “You say that everytime.” “Because it’s true! These are really good.” Her brownie was a good bit smaller than his so as soon as she finishes her, she’s standing up and retrieving something from her suitcase, ignoring him asking where she’s going.

Sitting back down, she places a box in his lap.

“What is this?” He asks, setting the plate on the coffee table, only a few crumbs on it. “I bought it for you a while ago and have been carrying it around since, just wasn’t sure when exactly I’d give it to you.” He looks at her intrigued, before looking back at the box and carefully opening it.

Ollie’s brows furrow at the thin chain that rests inside. It was nice, very nice, though not by a brand that he recognized. It was also a weird gift considering he didn’t wear necklaces, though if he was going to wear one, it would be this one.

“What’s it for?” He asks. “I, uh,” she stutters a bit over her words, playing her ring before carefully pulling it off, flexing her fingers at the odd sensation of it not being there. “It’s for this.” And she drops the ring she’s worn since she was eleven into his palm. “But this is yours.” “And I can’t wear it anymore.” She tells him. “I intended to wait longer to have sex, but I don’t regret last night and I won’t regret anything we do in the future. It’s yours now and I kind of liked the idea of you carrying it with you wherever you go.” He stares at the ring, tries to ignore the pulse of want and smugness, because he got to have her first and he was fairly certain he’d be her only and last.

Lifting the chain out of the box, he carefully unclasps it, threading the ring on, before clasping it around his neck, the ring resting just below the hollow of his neck, easily hidden behind any shirt he wears if he has it tucked in.

Turning his neck, the sensation of something there is odd and he says that. “It’ll take some getting used to, but I like it.” “Yeah?” “Yeah.”

It doesn’t take him long to get used to the necklace and he practically never takes it off, only in the shower or when doing certain training sessions and it hasn't happened yet but when he has to get into the F1 car and then his F2 car, he’ll be taking it off then as well.

No one really notices his new accessory, he’s not doing much on social media, his mum and dad had asked him about it and he had flushed but just said that it was something she had gotten for him and lucky they didn’t press for more. It gives a false sense of security that comes crashing down in Mexico.

He’s on a bit of a high for doing his first free practice and not placing dead last even though it’s only free practice and placing doesn’t really matter. He’s out of his race suit, having been able to not shower but wipe himself down with a damp towel before getting back into the Haas polo and jumping in to do more media. And as he does some interviews he doesn’t notice the way her ring that’s kept underneath his shirt is on full display.

But it does come to his attention when he finally gets his phone and sees so many mentions and a strange text full of exclamation marks that has him quickly hitting the call button.

“Is everything okay? I got a weird text from you.” “Ollie.” “What’s wrong?” He’s about to exit the Haas hospitality, he could be at Red Bull’s in about a minute at the strained sound of her voice. “My ring, everyone saw my ring.” His eyes widen and he’s cursing. “Oh no.” “Yeah.” “And they all know.” “Yeah.” She confirms again. “Because Max had to make it clear what the ring was.” She laughs, but it’s clear that she’s on the verge of tears, her voice tight. The sound has him wanting to wrap in his arms, shield her away, but it also has him confused. She never cared about what fans thought of her. She was very much like her brother in that matter. It was all water off a duck’s back. “What’s wrong, darling?” He asks, dropping his voice as someone looks at him weirdly. “I just, Max hadn’t noticed, no one has really. And I don’t regret it Ollie, but that was a promise I made to Max, to save myself.” The last three words come out as a whisper. “And now he’s going to find out because the whole of F1 twitter is talking about it. I should’ve told him.” “It’ll be okay.” He reassures her, but now the realization has hit that he’s going to have deal with Max and not just Max, but Daniel and Charles and fucking Arthur, which is a bit insulting because it’s Arthur of all people, but the Leclerc’s liked her a lot, Charles liked to argue with Max that she was actually their younger sister and not Max’s, which lead to a headache of bickering between the two drivers.

“Can I come to you?” He looks down at his watch even though he knows that he doesn’t have any more interviews, just needs to stay to watch the last session play out since he already did his debriefing as well. “Yeah, do you want me to walk you over?” “No, I’ll be there in a second.”

Meeting her at the doors of the hospitality, he quickly ushers her in before leading her to a back corner, the both of them sinking to the floor, somewhat hidden from view by a couch.

“You alright?” “Yeah.” She breathes, pressing close to him. “I just should’ve said something to Max. I just didn’t want to say anything y’know?” And he can feel her nose wrinkle at the idea and his does the same. Because yeah it was a bit gross to think about telling your sibling that you’ve had sex just so they won’t be blindsided by the media. “He’s gonna hate me again.” She doesn’t say anything and he groans, throwing his head back against the wall. “I just made some progress with him.” “I know, bear.” She murmurs, kissing his cheek. “I could put it back on? Say that I gave it to you as a good luck charm.”

It’s a good idea, a perfect solution for their problem, but it’s clear that she doesn’t like the idea and he doesn’t like the idea either. He’s grown used to the small weight of the ring resting below the hollow of his throat and he’s not fond of the idea of seeing a ring that’s not his on her ring finger again.

“Maybe I should propose.” She jerks away from him like she’s been burned. “Fuck, that’s not what I meant.” He quickly says. “I just I don’t want to give it back. I don't want to see you wearing it again and I just,” he waves his hands around. “My brain was running. I’m sorry.” Her eyes are focused on his and she slowly presses back into him, though she keeps her head pulled back so they can look at each other. “Is that something you really want in the future? To be married to me?” “One hundred percent.” She blinks at the quick response, a smile starting to bloom on her face. “Not now, just because I don’t want to rely on nothing but sponsors and my dad for money, but maybe once I got an F1 seat and then got a contract extension or new seat. I’d have money to help support us, to buy you a nice ring, house.” He hopes that she can’t tell how much he’s thought about this, how much he’s rambled to both Jak and Fred about this even though if either of them got the chance they’d happily rat him out for being such a preteen girl, and he just knows that Jak told Fred what that means. “I want that too.”

Ollie wonders if him intending on marrying her, on putting a ring on her finger will lessen the brunt of anger he’s sure to receive and it doesn’t.

“You defiled my sister!” The eighteen years old both make a face at the Dutch man’s words. “No one defiled anyone.” Max ignores her, glaring at the British driver. “You touched her.” Ollie nearly reaches out for her hand, but keeps his hands to himself, as he gives a tiny nod. “Max, it’s alright. I wanted it.” Max and Daniel both make a face at her words. “Ew. You shouldn’t even know what it is.” “Well, Max kind of ruined that for me when I was eleven.” She snarks and her brother flushes. “Which is why I gave you the ring! You were supposed to save yourself for marriage! Keep yourself away from boys like Ollie!” “What’s wrong with me?” He asks, offended. “You’re a teenager.” Daniel tells him with a shrug. “And you’ve got a dick. That’s all it really takes.”

“What happened to waiting?” Max asks, voice a little quieter as he looks at her. “Max,” she starts and then includes the Alpha Tauri driver who’s inched closer. “Daniel. I thought I was going to wait for marriage, or at least a few more years, but Ollie,” she pauses, feeling blood rush to her cheeks. “Ollie feels like the one.” She reaches out for his hand, intertwining their fingers. “And even if he isn’t, I won’t regret what we did.”

The two older men stare at her, at them. One who can remember holding her just hours after she was born, and the other who got to know her shortly after Max’s fuck up when she was eleven. Both her brothers, one just a bit longer than the other.

Max swallows harshly, the full realization hitting him that his baby sister isn’t a baby anymore. She’s an adult and he’s never really had the right to get mad at her for things she does but he really doesn’t now. He can feel Daniel standing behind him, and knows that the older man will go with him whatever way he chooses.

Stepping forward, he pulls her into a hug and wonders where the time has gone. “As long as you don’t regret it, yeah?” She hugs him back tighter, tension in her shoulders loosening at his acceptance. “Yeah. Love you, Maxy.” He laughs, a quiet thing. “Love you too.”

@arshiyuh @mangotaitai @gemofthenight @peachiicherries @lpab @copper-boom @topguncultleader @iloveyou3000morgan @benstormy

[respectthepetty]

I wanna talk about the toe

You know, the scene where Fujisawa squeezed Sei's injured toe!

In the first episode, Kaori stated that a broken nail was actually a simple fracture and really just needed a little care to strengthen it.

Which is exactly what she did for Sei

But just like everything else in this show, this discussion isn't about a toe. The toe could be about the embarrassment we feel, so we continue to suffer even when an easy fix exists.

And it could also be about the true source of pain.

Kaori and Fujisawa are not bad people, and the show hasn't presented them as such, but Sei questioned if Kaori was aware of how upset Hagiwara was about the growing distance in their relationship.

Then the show immediately answered that question through Ayako's testimony. Kaori isn't just aware; she's happy about their situation.

Sei also asked what Kaori didn't like about Hagiwara.

And the show answered that as well. Kaori doesn't like that he is a man.

They aren't broken. It could just be a fracture. And there is an easy fix. But instead, they continue to suffer.

Then there is the actual toe, which is Sei's toe. He hit his foot on the table, in the house of a man who designs furniture.

Yet Fujisawa is rarely home.

Sei hurt his foot after Fujisawa avoided their conversation, and Fujisawa hadn't been home or spoken to Sei since, which is why he barely found out that Sei had hurt his foot after dinner. Then, he immediately squeezed the toe.

Regardless if Fujisawa designed the table that Sei accidentally walked into, he was part of the reason Sei was in pain. And at first, I felt he wasn't to blame and thought he didn't even notice. But just like with Kairo, he is aware. And he keeps doing it. He squeezed Sei's toe. He just heard the story about how it was hurt. He was looking directly at the toe. And. He. Squeezed. It. He wasn't even gentle when taking off Sei's sock.

Sei excuses the behavior and tells him it doesn't even hurt anymore, but this is the basis of their entire relationship it seems. Fujisawa does something that hurts Sei, and Sei lets it go. It's a vicious little cycle.

Once again, the show hasn't painted anyone as the villain, yet Sei has specifically stated multiple times who he thinks is a "good man," and it isn't Fujisawa.

During this scene, Hagiwara questions Sei about what Fujisawa does for him that makes Sei want to be nice back to him, and the only thing of substance Sei offers is that Fujisawa agreed to live with him.

He states Fujisawa is patient with him, but Fujisawa also demands he never meet up with his pen pal. Sei also states that Fujisawa concedes often, yet the friend they just encountered stated that if anyone wanted to speak to Sei, they had to go through Fujisawa.

It's all very normal behavior due to the circumstances. None of it seems malevolent. And yet Fujisawa wasn't interested in Sei's foot until Sei mentioned that he spoke to his co-worker who asked his girlfriend to look at his foot. Then, he squeezed the toe, which is an odd reaction. Or is it all very normal behavior due to the circumstances?

Sei doesn't have friends. He never attended the work dinners before. Yet now he is going out for dinners, has a co-worker whose girlfriend helped him, has another co-worker who is a bit afraid of him and he finds it funny, and a pen pal who has a girlfriend who he chats with through an email account that just happens to be Fujisawa's name and birthday.

Which reminds me of this co-worker and her wild story.

The woman is in a bad relationship. She is aware that she is in a bad relationship. There is an easy fix. But she doesn't leave.

Everyone, including Kairo and Fujisawa, are very aware of the situation that is unraveling in their relationships, but nobody wants to apply the easy fix. They are avoiding the issues and causing more suffering. Which is strange because Sei and Hagiwara have been shown to take responsibility and fix problems.

So why doesn't Kairo tell Hagiwara that she isn't sexually attracted to him anymore when he tries to initiate sex? Why doesn't Fujisawa tell Sei about his feelings (of jealously) instead of squeezing his toe? Because the easy fixes require communication, and they refuse to communicate, which is why this entire relationship between Hagiwara and Sei extended beyond one email.

Because it was never about the toe.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for not having time to read my mutual's writing?

Met a mutual on here, bonded through fanfic, have been tight with them for a few years with pretty much no bumps in the relationship, just overall had a really good time hanging around them when I could. We both write a lot and share our writing, and occasionally we talk about that writing/workshop it in passing.

In the past few years I've gone through a ton of life changes. Most notably I went from a multi-person household to a single-person one, and I've been living alone in a prohibitively costly city for a while now working 40 hour weeks and barely scraping by. As soon as the transition started I spent the last of my free income on a shitty little laptop so I could still write, putting down words on my bus/train commutes in the morning and quite literally writing on my breaks at work because I feel insane when I can't create. I bring this up to really stress that I don't have the time for the hobby, I force myself to make the time and even then it never feels like enough.

The only thing I can really stand to do with my 3 hours of free time at night is hang out with my moots online. I'm an extrovert so being around people recharges me. If I don't have designated social time I get super depressed and can pretty much feel my soul withering away. I also feel like I should probably mention that I kinda have a slew of mental issues, personality disorders and PTSD and AuDHD and the works. Point being, shit is rough my dude, but I am a person who likes to work hard and face challenges head on and even though we strugglin, we doing it with a positive outlook.

But! I am an incredibly solution-oriented person and I have found what I personally believe to be a good balance. No one should have to live like this, but I do, and I have found a way to be happy. My writing and my social time is all load-bearing. It is not something I just choose to do on a whim, it's all planned and scheduled and I adhere to those routines very strictly because, I cannot stress this enough, I will go fucking bonkers if I don't.

I'm mutuals with a lot of writers obv, and I sadly don't have time to read their work anymore, unless I get some extra time on my days off or something gets cancelled or like, I end up taking a vacation. I carry a great amount of guilt for this, though, even though I logically know it's reasonable. I try to support them where I can, cheer them on when I see them writing and tell them how cool their ideas sound, hype them up even when I can't actually read & review.

One of the things I do is sometimes I leave a kudos on fic I haven't read. I'm not trying to be ingenuine, and if they asked me I'd tell them like 'Oh I didn't read it yet, just wanted to show support!' but to me it's kinda like ripping a paper tab off a poster so that other's feel inclined to do the same. Plus my pals get a little email and a hit of serotonin.

Except one of my acquaintances, the one I mentioned at the start here, saw that I left kudos on a couple pieces another mutual of mine wrote this year. They more or less blew up my DMs with a ton of accusatory (like, literally presented like a 'GOTCHA!') stuff about how I was selective in who's fic I read, more or less implying that I secretly held some sort of grudge or negative feeling toward them and was making the conscious decision not to read or interact with their writing because of. Something, I don't actually know what they were trying to say. They also told me they vented to their friends about this MULTIPLE times, but they never once approached me to let me know they were feeling paranoid or neglected, they literally just took the most bad faith reading of it possible and then presented that to me like it was something I intentionally did, while the whole time I was unaware.

I tried to explain to them the kudos thing, that I didn't do it to every story, just ones I caught/noticed in my busy schedule. And I laid all this out and asked, multiple times, what free time am I supposed to read with? They didn't answer, and doubled down, kept trying to show me 'proof' that I was shorting them and no one else. Once they started to realize how wrong they were they backed down, but they didn't really apologize, or admit they were wrong, and they tried to end our relationship and left every single server we were in together. Because of some other unrelated stuff going on in my life, I didn't really consider them to be a close friend, but they were someone I really held dear and would've walked through hell for if they'd asked.

I still feel like there is something I'm missing here, and that's why I wanted to ask if I'm TA. I'm a pretty good communicator but one of the things I told myself when talking down my disordered thoughts (guilt about this prior) was "no one in their right mind would use reading fanfic as a metric for friendship." Now that I've had that exact thing happen, I'm starting to think maybe those thoughts weren't so disordered. Maybe this IS a big deal, and I should think about it more, but I don't even know what the solution to that would be. I just. Don't have time to read something lovingly crafted and appreciate it for what it is. All the hours in my week are used up, I'd have to lose sleep for this and with my mental health the way it is that is not an option.

Feel free to be a brutal, my skin is thick. Thanks!

What are these acronyms?

[soliloquent-stark]

i just watched thunderbolts and here are some rambly thoughts (don't read if you expect incredibly nuanced takes. also, obviously, spoilers coming up):

i am saddened that for the first time in a while, i left the cinema feeling pretty negative after watching a mcu movie. i was so hyped to see this; people made it seem like it'll be so amazing, the promo was so over the top, the trailers were great, some people even said it was their favourite mcu movie in a long time (or ever) and that it rivaled catws (spoiler: it doesn't). and it's wild to me that captain america brave new world had way worse ratings, less hype, less promo (doesn't surprise me...) when to me it was a way more enjoyable movie. i am kinda baffled and confused.

yes, thunderbolts has good moments. yelena was quite wonderful, as expected, and there was a few funny moments, some emotional beats, a pretty decent attempt at exploring loneliness and mental health issues (not perfectly so, but what can we expect). the visual effects were cool, and i really liked the eeriness of the void (both the black shadows, and the void itself, the way going from room to room was depicted and going back into their memories, and especially seeing more of the red room. that was nice). that's... about it, i think?

i am a big bucky fan, that's true. so maybe i am biased in feeling disappointed with how he was written, but i am. i am not saying he should've been the main character, but i expected way more. really hot take here: his role could've been played by another character and the results would've been pretty much the same. ava brought specific skills to the table, so did yelena (and she brought her dad along), even john with his stupid military knowledge and the shield etc saved their ass in a way maybe someone else wouldn't have. at the very least, scenes were written with that in mind, to highlight their skills. it felt like they really had to work together to get out of that bunker, and they were pretty well defined. but after that? unless i am mistaken and don't remember, bucky hasn't done anything that only his specific set of skills or knowledge could've done. i am not saying that to shade him, i am saying it because they had bucky, sebastian stan at their disposal, and he was kinda bland and completely overshadowed by everyone else. i mean yeah the motorcycle scene was cool... but?? i am glad they at least didn't include him in the whole speech about people who need to redeem themselves, they probably anticipated the backlash on that, but otherwise it felt like they really disrespected his character and journey once more. and goofy bits aside (for example, them all, one by one, saving people, then together holding a rock up... like okay, sweet idea i guess, and clearly showing why the marketing was effective afterwards, but like... c'mon now. the same way they kept having val say her plans to her assistant as a way for us to understand what's going on. such lazy writing omg) all that aside, the plot was kinda flat and predictable, one hour in and all the events had already been showed in the trailer, and at no point did we really feel any mystery or had to wonder what the bad guy is up to or where the movie is headed. it's just wild to me that this movie has better ratings than brave new world like whattt (and i will get to sam in a second). also another bit of lazy writing was how quickly mel turned on val (just to then, of course, unturn when it was convenient for the plot) and just called bucky up to spill everything like c'monnn ok yeah he's charming but?? yet another moment where there wasn't any cool old school spying or hacking happening, they were just... fed information and they just showed up. this movie could've been an email ngl, with the way they fucked the pacing and spent so long on some bits and then completely rushed the ending. but yeah you have ava and bucky there and you give us nothingggg about their lives, just one dimensional all around; we found out more about what's happening in walker's life and his emotional state than bucky's — but of course they were gonna glaze over the woman of colour but also somehow the fan favourite popular character who's been in the franchise for over a decade and somehow keeps getting disrespected every project. ugh. and sebastian was kinda acting like he didn't wanna be there, maybe that's what happens when you're not acting alongside anthony, but he seemed bored and flat and i know he's an amazing actor and a great bucky but i don't know, it truly felt off. maybe it's the divorce, maybe in the half a year or whatever how long it's been since cabnw there's been an actual breakup between them because what the hell was with that energy...

i am sure there's more i am forgetting but now regarding the ending: what the fuck. okay yeah i expected them to form a team under a different name because of the stupid asterisk, but more in the direction of like, dark avengers or something. 'new avengers' is just a slap in the face to sam and the avengers' legacy (especially after bucky made a whole deal about how that shield is steve's legacy and how sam threw it away and all that stuff i don't wanna rehash but sam was in the right and now look who's not worried about messing up the legacy?) and THEY WENT WITH IT? WHY DID THEY GO WITH IT? why would a team of badass people who hate taking orders just... go with it. to have leverage over her? ok cool you're professional assassins you could make her disappear in a second. you could put her in jail in no time. how was she legally able to stand there and tell everyone she brought a way to protect america and suddenly it's all okay? they could've easily told everyone the danger was due to bob which was hear creation and that she really needs to be locked up?? yes i understand they're protecting him but like what the fuck how is she not at the very least impeached. or maybe she was but then WHY are they still a team fourteen months later? AND GOING AGAINST SAM. that is the biggest disrespect i could've imagined and i was shocked by that last scene. i love bucky so much. i love sam so much. i love sambucky so much. so my brain melted at the idea that they're still doing it without sam, calling themselves the new avengers, and then actually saying his name out loud and disrespecting him so badly. the ONLY TIME they acknowledge that there is a captain america, a non enhanced captain america who just protected everyone from the red hulk, in a movie full of supersoldiers, is when they complain about him. and bucky lets it happen?? and moreover, they make it seem like they fought (which i understand, i would also fight with him over this if i were sam??) and it just makes no sense. why would you do that? after tfatws, after framed photo in the office, after i love you buddy, we get no mention of him in the movie, no respect showed to him, and then bucky not defending him?? this is HELL this is the bad timeline and i know i should expect this from marvel but with the other movie being only from a few months ago i thought we established they're on good terms so i am just confused and betrayed and SAM DESERVES BETTER. (and surely deserves better than having people now call him names and completely dragging him for taking legal action against this bs. not to mention his legal action was merely a trademark... get tf out of here) bucky deserves better too in the way that what the fuck is he doing why is not retired or fighting by sam's side WHY IS HE IN CONGRESS that was still not fully discussed like?? what, to bring val down because she was experimenting on humans and he is against that? well um now you work for her like what?? also who voted him in how did any of that make sense and also the way pretty much none of his plot had anything to do with him being in congress. he could've been watching the hearing on tv. he could've snuck into the gala and talked to the assistant as a civilian. what was the purpose of him being in congress? or you're telling me he will continue to be, after all this mess, and there will be a point later on?? why is he putting up with any of it. besides the fact his hair looked amazing in that last scene and he looked like prince charming i have zero good things to say about that and i wish it never happened. god the more i think about it the more angry i get. also where are all the other avengers guysssss stand UP. sam pick up the phone network around and you'll have them rounded up within the week how are y'all letting this happen !!! ok rant over

edit to add: civil war and all THAT didn't happen just for the 'avengers' to led by a member of the government. not even the UN, or an ethical body of sorts, no, just ONE corrupted and awful CIA director. how the FUCK would bucky stand for that and how is that not a slap in the face to steve, sam, nat, and everyone else affected by the accords (and this is coming from a tony stan)

[ms-demeanor]

More workmusing incoming.

(updated with more info)

I'm trying to figure out whether a problem that I'm stumbling across is incompetence or embezzling.

I don't *think* it's embezzling, and there's enough general incompetence floating around that it's totally possible that people just straight-up don't know about this problem.

The issue that I'm having here is with the escalation chain. My direct manager is the previous person who oversaw the current pile of dogshit that I'm poking at, and I have no idea what's going to happen if I present my findings to him alone.

I'm wondering if it's worthwhile to ambush him and his manager in a meeting we're all in together instead of just sending the info to only my manager.

I'm wondering how exceptionally shitty it would be for me to BCC my grandboss if I send this as an email.

I've already asked my direct manger for permission to throw a ton of time into investigating this because I think this is probably something that the exec team would want to have as priority 1, but if he says "no, that's not a big deal" do I just trust him that there's a solution in the works or do I go around him?

I am also not poking at this dogshit under anyone's orders, it is dogshit that is peripheral to a recurring process that I'm now overseeing.

But long story short, on a monthly basis we're charging clients $600 for something that costs us $800. Not total; per client. It's costing us thousands of dollars each month.

It is very weird to me that I have found something that seems that egregious and I'm waffling about telling my manager and am worried about being reprimanded if I tell somebody else.

There is another manager who is not actually my manager, and I know this, but it would be nice to get advice from someone who is not in the direct chain of command so in a private conversation I basically asked him what he would do in this situation and his comment was "I'm not your manager so that's not my problem" and. Yeah. I know that. I get that, my guy. I'm asking for advice or some guidance or some shit; you've been here longer than I have, you get paid more than I do, and you've known my manager for twelve years.

The second guy is very raw that he wasn't picked to be a manager and he got put on the management team only after someone quit very suddenly and we needed to fill a gap. He says he wants to be a manager, he wants responsibility, but if anybody asks him for help or advice he's just like "not my problem, figure it out" or (literally his favorite answer) "I don't care." He's salty that people aren't describing him as part of the leadership team and that the execs aren't putting any faith in him as a manager but. MY GUY. MY DUDE. BUD.

Like, I get that if I drop these problems and just let whatever happens happen that's kind of shitty, but it literally isn't my job. I'm very much a cog in the machine and I can get away with "well nobody told me to do that/it wasn't assigned to me/that's not my department" if I want to. But I didn't ask to be made a manager, and I certainly didn't get that pay bump. I am so deeply annoyed at this guy whining that he's not being respected as a manager while I'm watching him refuse to do anything outside of what he's been explicitly instructed to do.

___________________________

Basically we know what we're charging customers, but we don't know what we're paying for the services we're charging them for.

Let's say that someone has the Teapot Polishing Bundle, which includes teapot polish, paint touchups, ceramic wax, stain remover, and we've recently added a handle shine and spout grouting.

An example client has signed up for 100 of the polishing bundles each month, and I'm looking at what services they're actually getting.

They've got 100 bundles, but they're using 130 pot polishes, 70 paint touchups, 60 bottles of ceramic wax, and 100 stain removers. They're also using 115 handle shines and 200 cases of spout grout, but we never added the cost of the latter two services to the package.

There are two massive problems with this bundle:

I can't adjust the individual service counts to get an accurate picture of how much the client is actually using (and therefore how much they are actually costing us) (basically I have to do license counts every month and the only accurate count of all services is in my excel document from month to month and TODAY I realized we're not billing for two of these services)

We need to be charging for the two added services.

So the assumed cost of the bundle is $8 per teapot, but the services they're actually using when broken down are costing us $12 per teapot, and the client has a big discount for the bundle overall (60% off the normal price, which is true for a couple dozen of our clients) so we're only charging them $10 per teapot for the bundle.

for THIS customer, and customers with the same discount, we're losing money. It's totally possible that we have a different subset of customers who are being overcharged for services that are no longer included in their bundles.

________________________________

Also the first time I did this count was February, I did it with supervision in March, and this is my first time doing it all alone, and both the previous months I got told "we'll worry about the miscounts later" by my boss and the exec who used to do the count. There is a vague awareness that the counts are wrong, but this is the first time I've done math on it and I'm not sure if I'm going to have clearance/approval to do the same level of detailed analysis for the bundles for people outside the group of 15 clients (we have about 300 clients)