#senior conversation technology

[samkerrworshipper]

Initiation | Barca Femení x reader

part 1

warnings: insinuations of smut, sexual references, don’t read if you aren’t open to non monogamous relationships lol

you are responsible for your own digital consumption this is not made for anybody below the age of 18!

When it all had been proposed to you, you’d been shocked.

It was no secret amongst the soccer world that certain clubs had certain initiation customs, it was also no secret that inside a lot of clubs, especially the European ones, there was a lot of sexual fluidity across teammates. You weren’t oblivious, you’d heard the many stories from your national teammates, but when you’d signed with Barca and had two of your teammates approach you to talk about the Barca initiation you’d been shocked.

You were having coffee with Keira and Lucy, the afternoon after you’d signed and finished up all the media that had been required of you for Barca to put up on their social media and website.

You were sipping on your iced latte, whilst trying to finish off the pastry that Lucy had bought you, when they’d popped the question.

“Has anybody talked to you about Barca initiation?”

It was Keira who had piped up, her voice anxious from the other side of the table.

This was your first senior professional team that you were a proper member of, being only 22 you’d played the majority of your junior career with Manchester United, and your senior career had been a lot of bouncing between different teams. You’d never signed a contract that had you dedicated to a club for multiple seasons, so Barca was a big change for you.

“Lucy said that she had to sing a song or something.”

You hadn’t really thought about it much, you’d gone through the singing thing at your English call-up when you were 17.

“Right, but there is a little bit more to it than that.”

You looked up from your croissant, one of your eyebrows raised in questioning at your two older mentors.

“Are you going to tell me what you are talking about or continue to look at me like I’m about to explode?”

Lucy laughs, the anxiety on Keira’s face only becomes more prevalent.

“Okay, so a lot of the professional teams have different rituals that happen at the start of every season, initiation nights.”

You nod along, this isn’t new information to you, but the squint in Keira’s eyes at your obliviousness is enough to tell you that you aren’t catching on to whatever she is saying.

“Keira, can you get to the point?”

You're getting sick of Keira beating around the bush like you are a 10 year old.

“Barca has a night every year, a special night, it’s very important to some of the girls, no phones, no technology, it’s a very personal night, where some things that could be deemed unprofessional occur.”

You are still so lost, and you are certain that it’s being portrayed in your facial expression, is she talking about alcohol? Dancing? Pranks? Hazing?

“Keira, just tell me.”

Your statement is a plea, a plea for Keira to end this whole awkward encounter and just get to the point.

Lucy laughs heartily at the terrified look on Keira’s face, when she realises that Keira is stuck at what to say she takes over the conversation, both of her hands thudding down on the table.

“At the start of every season, we all get together, we have fun, no rules. This is different to your substandard initiation, this night is about connecting, on a different level with your teammates, on a sexual level.”

Your jaw slackens almost immediately, your eyes blinking aimlessly as you take in the last piece of Lucy’s statement.

“Now, that’s not to say that you have to do anything, if you want we can forget I just said that and you don’t have to be apart of that part of the night, it’s completely optional, a lot of the girls chose not to participate, but we just wanted to let you know that it is a option.”

An option.

It’s such odd wording, like it’s just an everyday decision.

“Sorry, I just need a few seconds to process.”

You take your time, taking a deep gulp of your coffee and a big bite of your croissant before you look back up at your teammates.

“Can I have a bit more of an explanation? I just want to understand this a little bit better.”

Lucy nods her head eagerly, a big smirk covering her face.

It’s such a taboo conversation to have at a fucking cafe, over breakfast, but neither of the other women seem very bothered by it.

“It’s a free for all, a survey is given out every year beforehand, things you are and aren’t open to engaging in. It’s separate to the other initiation, that happens during pre-season. This is different, It’s all very consensual, and if you choose to participate then you're limited on alcohol consumption, for safety reasons. It’s a lot of fun, a lot of pleasure and exploring. Alexia's been organising it for a few years now, so it’s a very secure process. It’s kind of seen as a final hoorah before pre-season and training starts. Normally they book out a suite at a hotel somewhere, but some years it’s been done at teammates' houses or airbnbs.”

You nod your head, it’s a very interesting concept, one that you are completely shocked by. Sure, you’ve heard about sexual innuendo amongst groups of players in clubs, but this is a completely different level. It’s uncharted territory for you, you definitely aren’t any form of prude or innocent type. You enjoy sex, you’re experienced enough to know that you are good at it. But you’ve never experienced anything near what this is.

“You’ve both been a part of it?”

Lucy nods definitively and Keira nods almost ashamedly.

“You’re okay with your partner being with other people?”

It might be an over step, but you figure this whole conversation is an over step.

“It’s not like that. I speak for both myself and Keira when I say that we both like to see each other having fun, that’s what this is. It’s a night of fun, and it’s with people that we both trust and spend every day with, there isn’t any worries about jealousy. There are a lot of the girls on the team that are in relationships, Ingrid and Mapi are together and they participate, Jenni and Alexia, Caro and Marta, there are also people in relationships outside of the team, it’s all consensual amongst both partners.”

You nod your head, it’s not like it matters to you, your not in a relationship, but it does make you feel a little bit better about the whole interaction.

“Sorry-I’m asking a lot of questions.”

Lucy just smiles and shakes her head.

“Don’t worry about it, I had plenty of questions to ask and I didn’t have a national teammate to ask about it. Ask away, it’s better to ask now then wonder later.”

You nod your head, you are still so shocked by this whole encounter.

“I-What happens at this night?”

It’s a broad question, and you almost palm yourself in the head for asking it.

“I seriously don’t need to give you the birds and bees talk do I?”

Lucy is jesting you, so you roll your eyes, pivoting to Keira with a genuine look of curiosity.

“It differs each year, depending on what people want to do. Toys, kinks, bondage, anything really. If you want to do something, someone is probably likely to want to oblige you. For example, last year, Luce put down that she liked to watch me service other people, and I got the opportunity to do that.”

Keira is stuttering over her words, it’s kind of cute, especially when you catch the glance that Lucy throws at her.

“This is the only time it happens every year.”

Keira cocks her head, looking at Lucy for some kind of permission before shaking her head.

“Not quite, there are agreements between some of the girls, on trips and things often happen but that’s more private, this is common knowledge amongst the team. Although, if you enjoy yourself there is a more than likely chance that more opportunities will come up, if you catch my drift.”

Keira is like your older sister, so sitting down and talking to her about sex has never been something that has ever crossed your mind remotely, but you are kind of glad that it is Kei that you are talking to. Because Keira doesn’t joke around the same as the others do, she wouldn’t make fun of you about something like this, nor would Lucy consider she’s Keira’s codependent.

“So, correct me if I’m wrong, and I'm going to be blunt about this. Every year, before the season starts, the Barca women have a massive sex free for all that’s disguised as an initiation party.”

Keira hesitantly nods, but not before she can correct you a little bit.

“It’s not disguised as an initiation party, there will be other new signings there, Ona, who you would know from United, and a few other girls. I can promise you that the newbies get the most attention, if that’s something you want, of course, there is absolutely no pressure for you to participate, this is about you doing as little or as much as you’d like.”

You take a few minutes of silence, whilst you toss up all of the words that have been spoken in the conversation between you and the couple.

It’s a lot to think about, and the thought is massively daunting.

Especially considering that you are going to be walking into a room full of women that you’ve hardly talked to. You’ve met Alexia, she dropped in to meet you when you were going through the process of your signing, but it had been a fairly rushed interaction and you’d been too busy being in awe of her to even think about anything besides the fact that in a few months time you’d be playing on the field beside her.

“If I said I wanted to?”

Lucy broke out into a fit of giggles, a big smile breaking out across her face.

“I’ll text la capitana, she’ll text you any details, you’ll probably get a visit or a phone call confirming your interest.”

You were still a little bit shocked, this whole conversation felt like it had been a dream, so much so that you’d had to reach down to your thigh and pinch it to confirm that this was in fact your life.

“That’s it?”

Lucy smirked and nodded, reaching over to pat you on the shoulder.

“You aren’t signing yourself off to the devil, Ale will be in contact, if you have any questions you’ll see Kei and I everyday leading up to it, and if you want to pull out at any stage that’s completely fine, no hard feelings, no judgement.”

You nodded your head, unable to do much more than that.

“It’s as easy as that?”

Lucy nods her head.

“Easy as that.”

It’s two days later, when you are properly acquainted with your captain.

You are sitting at your kitchen counter, finalising some university work that you are trying to get ahead of when you are rudely interrupted by the sound of a light knocking at your door.

You close your laptop, and turn down the volume of the playlist you have playing across your speakers, before you jog to the door of your apartment.

The last thing you expect to be faced with, is the face of your newest captain.

“Hola, Capitana.”

You don’t really know what else to say, you’ve had zero warning about this sudden visit, and whilst you are honoured, it’s also a little bit daunting having one of the best players the game has standing right in front of you.

“Lo siento, puedo pasar?” Sorry, may I come in?

You are nowhere near fluent in Spanish, Lucy had been giving you crash courses over the past few months once she’d found out about your signing, you had managed to get a cusp of basic conversational talk, the club had told you that once season commenced you’d be assigned a spanish teacher and a translator, so you hadn’t been super worried about it.

“Please, make yourself comfortable, would you like something to drink? I’ve got water, juice, coffee, tea?”

You list off everything that you can think of, as you open the door fully to Alexia.

“Just water should be fine.”

You are slightly shocked by the Spaniards' flawless pronunciation over her English, and also extremely relieved that you aren’t going to be forced to try and understand Spanish, because it certainly isn’t a skill you’ve even begun to master.

Alexia takes a spot sitting at your island bench, directly beside your uni work that had been the previous centre of your attention, which is now being completely occupied by your Catalan company.

“Here you go.”

You pass the glass over to Alexia, electing to stay positioned on the opposite side of the counter, instead of sitting down beside her. It feels less confrontational, more conversational and less one on one.

“Gracias, I’m sorry for dropping in without any warning, I was in the area and I figured it was best to discuss this all with you in person, I won’t be here long, I don’t want to disturb anything.”

You smiled at Alexia, shaking your head at her.

“It’s no trouble at all, I was just getting ahead of some course work, what can I do for you, Capitana?”

Alexia gives you a wry smile, reaching for her handbag which she’d set down on the floor.

“Please call me Alexia or Ale, none of the formality is necessary.”

You nod at her, Ale, it sounds nice coming off of your tongue, it makes you feel a little bit less terrified of the woman.

“Okay Ale, what can I do for you?”

Alexia smiles at you, a genuine smile that somehow warms your soul, it’s like magic, and you give yourself a mental note to ask Lucy about the effect later on.

“I’m just here to talk to you about our initiation night on Friday, Lucia tells me that you are keen to join in, si?”

You nod your head cautiously, it’s impossible to miss the little dimple in Alexia’s cheek as she licks her lips and smirks at you.

“Perfecta, I can assure you that you will have a lot of fun. Has Lucia talked to you about it, or would you like me to give you a bit of a debrief?”

Technically, Lucy has given you the debrief, but you are curious to learn more and see if Alexia has anything else to add.

“Lucy talked about it, but it was pretty brief and non-specific.”

Alexia nods, and gently pushes a sheet of paper across the table to you, one look at the words across the sheet had your eyes nearly bulging out of your eye sockets.

“On the left, you’ll see a list of girls' names, those are the girls from the team that are choosing to participate. Some just come to watch, others come to please, others come for pleasure. Everything that happens on the night is exclusive to the team, and if talked about outside of the team there are consequences. On the right you’ll see a list of common things that occur. I'll send out a survey to you later, the majority of those things will be on the list, you do not have to engage in anything that makes you uncomfortable, there is absolutely no pressure for you to do anything. Please understand that.”

You nod dutifully at Alexia, your eyes scanning the page and taking in the amount of names as well as different sexual acts and activities.

“We’ve rented out a house, it’s on private land, nice and spacious, lots of privacy. I’m sure Keira and Lucia will take you along with them, you can be as included as you wish, we take care of newbies, anything you want you’ll get, just don’t be shy to ask for it, okay?”

You nod sheepishly at Alexia. This conversation would make you uncomfortable normally, but talking about it with ‘La Reina’ like the two of you are discussing the weather is perplexing.

“Don’t stress about it, cariño, you’ll be well looked after, you are well sought after amongst the group, I’m sure that you’ll be very popular if you desire so. If not, I’m always happy to look after our newest additions.”

Alexia sends you a sardonic smile, sweet and sultry, full of teeth and a chunk of her plump pink lip caught in her teeth.

You think that Alexia can sense that you are stuck on what to say to her, a little bit star struck and still trying to process the words that have just left her mouth.

“Well, unless you have any other questions I'll see myself out, I’ll see you in a couple of days, adios.”

Alexia is up and out of your kitchen in a matter of seconds, barrelling towards the door, your body following hers and managing to speak out just as her hand connects with the brass of your door knob.

“Alexia, thank you for coming around, I really appreciate it, just one last question if you have a second?”

Alexia pivots on her heel, turning around to face you fully.

“Ask away.”

You nod your head, working up the confidence inside of you to ask the question.

“What should I expect?”

You are well aware that it’s a broad question, and you don’t know what kind of answer you are going to receive, but there is a part of your gut that’s just begging for more information, for something.

“You really want a spoiler?”

You nod your head definitively, you aren’t a person who enjoys surprises, you like to know what to expect, what’s happening. You’ve been this way since you were a child, and it’s followed you up until now.

“It’s an atmospheric experience, the feeling, the endorphins. There is nothing that matches being in a room full of people full of desire, nothing like being in a room full of women reaching levels of pleasure they never even imagined. I don’t know what else to say, it’s an out of body experience, there is a reason why it is so sacred amongst our team, as a newbie it’s daunting, I know it’s hard to believe but I was once in your position as well, and the best chunk of advice I can give you is to just let go, let yourself live in the moment whilst you are there, nobody is going to judge you, take a leap of faith, okay? I’ll see you in a couple of days, text me if you have any more questions or if you think I’ve left anything out, even if you just want to chat I’m here, take a read from the list I gave you, it should provide some insight.”

Alexia’s words resonate with you for days to come, the way she talked about the whole situation like it was gospel, her words making it seem like a holy sacrament. You study the sheet she’s given you as if it is the holy bible and you are trying to learn your scriptures.

14 women.

15 including yourself.

That’s a lot of people, and yet as you read over the names it seems nowhere near as magnitudinal as it sounds.

The list of kinks and situations is a source of a lot of your late night self explorations.

You’ve experimented with a lot of things over the years, but some of the things on the list have you weak at the knees just reading them. When your receive the email from Alexia it takes you a whole day to work up the courage to open up the attachments. The first one, as previously discussed is a survey. It has all of the things from the sheet Alexia gave you, plus a surplus of other things, and then some more questions to be personally filled in. It’s near impossible to work through it, it takes far longer than you think it should, but by the end of it you are left with a warm feeling in the bottom of your stomach, anticipation, shock at what you are looking at.

There are four boxes for each topic, yes, no, maybe. And below every maybe box there is a little text box which reads ‘please specify’.

It’s well organised, and you have a feeling that Alexia will have put a lot of time into it, from the very short amount of time that you’ve grown to know her you’re under the impression that she takes her role of captain very seriously.

Fingering? yes. Vaginal pentration? yes. Spanking? yes. Bondage? maybe - no ropes or handcuffs. Oral receiving? yes. Oral giving? yes. Use of toys? yes. Double penetration? yes. Anal? maybe - only experimented but open to trying. Sensory deprivation? maybe - no gags. Humiliation? no. Sex with multiple people? yes. Orgasm denial/control? yes. Sex with a couple? yes. Praise? yes. Degradation? yes. Choking/breath play? no. Dominant? no. Switch? maybe - most likely not. Submissive? yes.

The list goes on, it covers every single thing you’ve ever done and then more, it makes you quiver in the depths of your core, just with anticipation.

Once you’ve finished the yes no part of the survey and answered the questions down the bottom you move onto the other attachment, which from a quick skim over outlines the rules, expectations and details of the night.

The main things that cathc your eyes are the sentences relating to safe words and consent. It seems important so you pay extra attention to it. It talks about the traffic light system, that once you consent to the night it is your responsibility to use your words, there will be regular check ins but unless you use your safe word there is no expectation for anything to stop.

Some other topics that catch your eyes are details about time, place, clothes, etcetera.

The majority of it is just information that Lucy and Keira had already outlined to you, the newbie run down.

Three days later, and you are slowly getting ready for your night to come.

Over the past 72 hours there has been one thing on your mind, tonight. You aren’t spared a minute from your thoughts and when Keira and Lucy walk through your front door, running an hour late you are buzzing. You are well aware of the fact that you look like a 8 year old who has just skulled a bottle of cola, every single extremity connected to your body shaking wildly.

You were lost on what to wear, and it had taken a long chat with Keira yesterday to convince you that apparently it was nowhere near as big of a deal as you were making it in your head.

You settled for a matching sweat combo, just because you figured it would be coming off anyway. It was paired with one of your nicest pairs of lingerie, a red set which was probably leaning towards a size too small. The set accentuated every single part of your body though, it hugged your curves, made your ass pop and your tits look delectable.

It felt almost criminal to cover it up with a tank top and nike tracksuit and sweater, but you also found comfort in the extra layer of clothing, it feels like a layer of armour.

You’ve been sitting in your apartment, contemplating everything for an hour and a half when Lucy and Kei finally show up.

They walk in without any warning, and it’s certainly a sight for sore eyes.

You aren’t sure when was the last time you’ve seen either of them glowing and looking so smiley, but it’s definitely a moment where you take a mental picture for the future.

They’re both dressed similarly to you, and for once you don’t find yourself guilty for being curious about what hides beneath the couple's clothing.

“Hola.”

Even your words are practically dripping with anxiety, your voice shaky and stuttery.

“Hola amor, you ready to go?”

Lucy looks especially delighted.

Her hair is down, something that you don’t see very often. She’s got a light layer of makeup on that compliments her facial figures without making it look like she’s over done it.

Keira looks similar, her hair is down and curled every so slightly, if you didn’t know her so well you probably wouldn’t have realised but the effort is noted inside your brain. She’s also got a very light layer of makeup on, both women look stunning, perfect together, the picture of love.

It makes you hopeful, hopeful that one day you’ll find somebody that looks at you the way Lucy does at Keira, and vice versa.

“Mhm.”

You don’t get up from the couch, all of a sudden you feel unable to move.

Keira recognises it fairly quickly, taking a seat down next to you, her hand falling on top of your knee and squeezing lightly.

“Everything alright, little one?”

Keira’s voice is so soft, it makes you feel safe, like you’re at home.

“Just nervous.”

As far as nerves go, you're fairly certain the euros final doesn’t even match this, it’s weird.

“You know that if you want to back out that’s completely fine, nobody is going to make fun of you.”

You shook your head, backing out was the last thing you wanted to do, but it didn’t make everything else less daunting.

“M’ fine, just need a sec.”

Keira’s hand slowly moves up from your knee, to your thigh, her grip becoming a little bit lighter.

“I can think of a way to calm some of those nerves.”

Keira’s voice is unusually confident, and it surprises you greatly when she reaches down to your chin and pulls it upwards so you’re looking at her.

It’s just then that you realise exactly how close the two of your faces are, so close that you can feel Keira’s breath on your face. It’s warm and it tickles against your skin in a way that you’ve never felt before. She’s smiling at you, but there is a deeper connection through her eyes, the way she's looking at you makes you feel like you are the only person in the world.

“Luce?”

You’re well aware of what this whole night ensues, but it doesn’t settle the slight niggle in your gut that you definitely do not want to be reading this situation wrong.

“Yes, honey?”

Keira’s eyes don’t waiver from your own, even as yours look across the room to look at Lucy, who is giving you a similar look to Keira, somewhat predatory in the best way possible. Her voice is practically dripping with confidence, doused in assertiveness.

You look between the both of them, realising that there is definitely no push back from either of them.

“Please tell me I’m not reading this wrong.”

Keira silences you by pressing her lips to your own, you freeze up for a few seconds, your mouth completely unmoving as you realise this really is happening, that for the last week you haven’t been walking around in some kind of weird dream that’s been created because of some weird delusion in your head.

After a few seconds, you relax into the kiss, moving your own lips against Keira’s and savouring the flavour of strawberry gum and coffee that is fresh on her lips. It tastes how Keira feels, warm and content and it calms down any of the previous nerves that were occupying your stomach, the shaking across your whole body as Keira’s hand on your jaw gently caresses the skin with the pads of her fingertips.

After a few more seconds of Keira sucking and biting at your lips she retracts herself, a big smile on her face as she continues to stare at you.

“Luce you need to try, she tastes divine.”

The compliment makes you blush more than you were already, the redness spreading down to your neck as you feel the couple's eyes on you.

“All in due time Kei, we don’t want to overwhelm her, now I think it’s about time we get a move on, hm?”

You nod subconsciously, your brain still floating on a different planet as you compartmentalise exactly what just happened. All you can think about is how Keira’s lips felt, addictively soft and supple, it’s a feeling that you are certain you won’t forget.

“God you’ve gone and broken her Kei, already?”

The feeling of Keira squeezing your knee once again manages to awaken you from your trance, your eyes darting between the couple cautiously.

“You ready to go, honey?”

Keira’s voice is as soft as her lips, you're so effortlessly enraptured by her that it makes you more than a little bit excited for whatever is to come.

You’ve never seen Keira look this carefree, this cheeky and it makes you feel so much more at peace then you had previously.

You allow Keira to guide you out of your own apartment, your brain still working at a snail's pace so before you even realise you are sitting in the backseat of Lucy’s very nice mercedes. Instead of sitting in the front beside Lucy, Keira has elected to sit in the backseat with you, her body pressed up against your own and her hand resting comfortably on the inside of your knee.

Your knee is bouncing up and down under Keira’s hand, and before you can say anything, her hand is moving up to your chin and rotating it to meet her lips.

This time the kiss is more motivated, more purposeful but sweet all the same.

You give Keira control, your lips practically melting into hers as her hand tangles into the back of your head, tugging at the tresses of hair at the nape of your neck.

It feels so good, so good that you part your lips to moan, instead your sounds are silenced though by Keira’s tongue.

Keira kisses with passion and fervour, it’s quite shocking based off of her personality and all the times you’ve seen her around Lucy, but it makes you giddy on the inside all the same.

“Keira, behave.”

The words come when Keira’s spare hand comes up to your covered breast, you don’t even really notice until you see Lucy looking directly at Keira in the rearview mirror and the look on her face is a mixture of displeasure and humour.

“You're just mad that I got her first.”

Keira’s hand doesn’t move, and it’s fairly clear that Lucy isn’t pleased about it.

“You keep talking like that to me and you won’t like how the night goes for you.”

Keira’s hand quickly moves down from your breast but she doesn’t remove it completely, instead moving it down to your lap again, but her kisses don’t stop, she litters little kisses all over your jaw and neck, all whilst you maintain the eye contact with Lucy in the rearview.

She’s smirking, her eyes don’t leave yours unless they go back to the road, and even when they don’t you keep your eyes on her.

Keira is only egged on by the little sounds and moans that leave your mouth as she finds different spots across your neck and face that make you melt even further into her.

“How does she feel honey? Is she getting you warmed up?”

Lucy’s words are directed towards you, it takes a few seconds for your brain to wrap it’s way around them but once you do you reply quickly.

“Feels good, m’ sorry.”

Lucy’s eyebrows furrow, and when the next red light comes she turns around completely to look at you.

“What do you have to be sorry for?”

Lucy voice is more questioning than accusatory.

“Sorry for getting Kei in trouble and kissing her without your permission.”

Lucy scoffs and Keira snorts from her spot on your neck.

“Oh honey, not your fault that Kei is choosing to be a bit bratty, these nights always get her quite over zealous, as far as kissing her you’ve got my full permission, you don’t need to ask.”

You nod cautiously, moaning as Keira begins to suck a mark right into the pulse point on your neck.

“Kei, behave yourself, you know what Ale said about not getting over excited.”

It’s the mention of Alexia’s name that has your ears perking up.

It seems to get Keira to back off a bit, her lips at least, her hand continues to rub gently at the inside of your knee and thigh and you slowly drive down a dark and windy road.

“Y’know you're all Kei’s been talking about all week, she’s been very excited for tonight.”

You look over at the older English woman, feeling a little bit confident when you notice that Keira is blushing wildly and avoiding your eye contact completely.

“Lucee.”

Keira is clearly embarrassed, which must mean that what Lucy is saying has come truth, which means that Keira has been thinking about you.

“All she’s been talking about, I can say the same about quite a lot of the girls, you are a popular topic.”

It makes you feel all giddy in your stomach with the acknowledgment from Lucy, she’s the last person that would lie to you, so it makes you feel especially good.

Keira groans and hides her head against the window.

“Really?”

Lucy scoffs once again at the shock in your voice.

“Trust me honey, pretty sure there will be girls queuing up for you, us oldies don’t get that kind of attention.”

Keira rolls her eyes, which is enough of an answer for you to realise that Lucy is trying to be humble.

It’s just as you’re about to say something that the car pulls into a driveway, which is already full of cars.

Alexia is right, it’s the only light that you’ve seen for miles, there is nobody for miles, which is a big comfort.

Lucy opens your door for you, helping you out and immediately beginning to assess your neck.

Once she’s certain that there are no marks she moves her vision up to your face, reaching down for a quick kiss.

It’s different to Keira, rougher, her lips more coarse.

It still feels equally as good.

Lucy releases fairly quickly, Keira’s already walking up the stairs to the house, an extra pep in her step as she makes it to the door.

Lucy and you are quick to follow her.

The door has a keypad on it, Keira quickly punches in a four digit code before the door pops open. The entry hallway is completely empty and silent, all three of you toe off your shoes and leave them and your socks by the door.

Lucy leads towards the door at the end of the entry way, you loiter behind, completely terrified of whatever is going to be behind it.

[disillusioneddanny]

If It Makes You Happy (then why the hell are you so sad?)

Tim took a bite of his ravioli and looked around the table at his family. It was Sunday dinner. A monthly tradition where every member of the family adopted or otherwise came to spend a few hours together. It didn’t matter who was arguing with whom, or how estranged from the family you were at the time. You still had to attend the monthly family dinner. However, there were times when Tim wondered if anyone would notice if he stopped attending. If he no longer came to the dinners where he sat mostly unnoticed by the rest of his family. Where he typically sat in silence, having not uttered a single word throughout the entire event. Would they ever realize he was gone? Did they even realize he was there in the first place? 

A part of Tim truly doubted it, if he was being completely honest with himself. Maybe that was why he hadn’t been able to share with the family his upcoming exhibit. 

Tim was in his fourth year of college. Where he was getting a degree in Art, Technology, and Culture. It was a major that allowed Tim to immerse himself in photography, video art, creative coding, and so much more. He had gotten to work in traditional analog and digital photography. Played around with film and art in ways he had never thought of before while also learning about cultural theory, the expression of ideas, and cultural practices which gave him the chance to truly discover himself. It was the first time he had ever chosen something for himself. 

His entire life he had been groomed to run a business. To at first take over Drake Industries one day and then later Wayne Enterprises where he was unfortunately CEO. But then he had learned about the ATC program at Gotham University and he had fallen in love with it.  He had always been obsessed with photography and even film later on as he grew older and spent his days alone in dusty old Drake Manor. And he had always loved to learn about cultures, he ate up the stories from his parents and their trips abroad. Had spent countless nights watching the people of Gotham and how they did things, and had absorbed it all like a sponge to make up for the fact that he was just a lonely boy living in a manor by himself. 

Even when he had joined the Bats and had made his tiny little place with them, he still fell back on his love for learning about others and his desire to tell their stories. It had just become an intrinsic part of Timothy Drake. 

And now here he was, slowly creeping to the finish line. He had his senior showcase coming up. A requirement for all students who were receiving a bachelor of fine arts. He was to show off all of his best work from the last four years. It was a chance for him to show everything he had learned, and to display his work with pride. 

He had toyed with the idea of inviting everyone to it. To let them see the love that Tim had cultivated over the last four years. He was set to graduate in just a few months and the pride he felt for himself was tremendous. And if Tim invited the Wayne family to his senior showcase, then maybe they could come to his college graduation and share the achievement with them then too. 

It was a big time in Tim’s life and he wanted to share it with them. 

He listened as a lull came in the conversation and carefully cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the others. 

“I have a senior showcase this weekend for my BFA. It’s at six in the evening in the Wayne Arts Center on Gotham Campus. I would be happy to see you all there,” he said hesitantly, eyes firmly trained on his plate of food. 

“That sounds nice, Tim. I’ll try to be there,” Bruce said politely before going back to his conversation with Jason and Dick. Tim felt eyes on him, though, and slowly looked up to find his little brother giving him a curious look. 

“What?” He asked, still trying to calm his heart just a bit. He still wasn’t sure why he came to these things, why he was even here. Just talking to the Waynes gave him anxiety. Just being here reminded him how much he didn’t belong. How other he was compared to the rest of the kids that Bruce had adopted? 

Damian tilted his head to the side. “I was not aware that you were getting your Bachelor's in Fine Arts. Will you tell me about your degree program? I have been thinking about getting an Art History degree but have been torn between that and a business degree.”

Tim gave him a small smile and rested his chin on his hand as he started to tell Damian all about his degree and how he was enjoying the program at Gotham University. The rest of the family went on to their own conversations while Damian listened with rapt attention to Tim describing the ATC program at Gotham U. 

The rest of the week was a whirlwind as he prepared for his senior showcase, he had sent out invitations to everyone he wanted to come see his work. The Team had already made a reservation to take Tim to lunch before the showcase before helping him get everything ready. And as the day came to be, they had made good on their word, taking him to his favorite Vietnamese restaurant in Gotham before taking him to the gallery. He blushed as he listened to his three best friend gush over his artwork, as they listened to him explain each piece. They asked questions and made remarks about what their favorite pieces were and even tried to buy a few pieces only for Tim to promise to give each of them prints of his photos. 

The three had left with quick goodbyes, each one giving Tim a hug and congratulating him before they made their way from the gallery. The rest of the evening dragged on as people came by and asked Tim about his photos and the small films that played on the movie screen on one wall. He smiled and explained each photo to anyone who asked. He had wanted to showcase his vigilante photos of the bats and birds but it had been too much of a risk to do so. 

Instead he had shown off his photos that showcased all of his favorite parts of Gotham. From the beautiful gothic architecture, the gargoyles that looked out over the city. He showed the photos from the last time Ivy had thrown a fit in Robinson Park and covered the entirety of the grounds with flowers. He showed the pictures of community from Crime Alley and the beauty of the strength of Gothamites who had managed to survive the worst of the worst. 

He also featured pictures of his family, of Dick hanging from a chandelier, of Damian training Titus to do a trick. He had a picture of Bruce, Alfred, and Jason sitting side by side as they each read a different book. One showed Cass as she posed for the camera in her favorite ballet form. They were some of his most treasured memories, there for everyone to see and enjoy. Tucker between the one of Damian and the one of Dick was a photo of Tim. He had taken forever to set up the camera and get the timer right. Alfred had simply chuckled the entire time as he continued to offer to take the picture for Tim but no one was meant to be behind the camera for that picture. It was the only family portrait of his entire family. Cass, Damian, Tim, Dick, Jason, Bruce, Alfred, they all sat smushed into a single couch together, wide smiles and laughs on each of their faces as Tim beamed from the far side, leaning into Alfred’s side. 

The gallery was meant to showcase culture that was important to Tim. To showcase the life that he loved and treasured. And even if he never felt like he quite fit in the Wayne Family, even though he knew that he was the expendable one, the replacement, he still treasured his family. It was why he had invited them, he had wanted them to see just how important they were to Tim. And maybe they would realize he was important to them too.

Only, the rest of the evening seemed to drag on, and not a single person from his family ever stepped through the door. He waited, shoulders tensed and smile polite. Every bit the gentleman that Janet Drake had trained him to be as he stood with his hands clasped in front of him. He kept glancing at the clock, waiting for Bruce or Dick or someone to walk through the doors, to say hello and look at all the work that Tim had put in the last four years in college. The hours ticked by until it was nearing ten pm and the gallery started to clear out, custodians came in and started to clean up around him. 

Tim cast one final look at the doors before he turned to his photos and started to take one off of the wall. 

“Master Timothy! I am so sorry that we are late,” a voice said and Tim quickly to find Alfred and Damian walking through the doors of the gallery. A small smile spread on Tim’s face as Damian bound forward. 

“I apologize,” Damian said softly, staring up at Tim with disgruntled eyes. “I got into an argument with Father and then Titus scared Alfred the Cat and we spent the last three hours searching for that blasted cat and when we realized the time we came straight here,” he said. “What did the others think of your exhibit?”

Tim’s smile fell and he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “They uh, they didn’t show up,” he said quietly. “But if you’d like, you guys are the last ones to show up. I’d love to show you everything.”

Alfred’s face fell at that as he stepped forward and clasped a hand on Tim’s shoulder. “That is their loss, my dear boy. I would love to see your work,” he said. Before he could stop himself, Tim pulled Alfred in for a tight hug, burying his face in the old butler’s chest as he held him close. 

“Thank you,” he whispered before pulling away. He glanced down at Damian and smiled. “How about I show you my work and then if my advisor is still here you can meet her and talk to her about the ATC program.”

The fourteen-year-old nodded his head once. “I would appreciate that,” he said before grabbing Tim’s hand hesitantly. He followed quietly as Tim showed them his pictures of Gotham, explaining the stories behind each one before he showed them his favorite pictures. His pictures of home and both men let out soft gasps as they looked at them. 

“Master Timothy, these are beautiful,” Alfred said, stepping forward to take in the picture of him, Bruce, and Jason. 

“The lighting for this is amazing, I did not know that I even smiled like that,” Damian said softly as he took in the picture of him smiling at Titus. 

“Oh Tim,” Alfred said quietly, losing all strict politeness that Alfred held so dear to his heart as he took in the family portrait. “This is amazing, Timothy. So absolutely perfect. I remember when you took this photograph. It was right after Thanksgiving dinner last year.”

“I was so irritated, Todd had gotten mashed potatoes in my hair,” Damian said with a huff, a small smile tugged on his face. 

“I did not even realize that Master Richard and Master Jason were hugging in this picture,” Alfred said, a soft smile sti on his face as he took in the way Dick had his arms wrapped around Jason’s shoulders, a wide smile on his face as he laughed at something Jason had said. A small smile sat on Jason’s face, his eyes brighter than Tim had seen since the older man had come back from the dead. 

Alfred tore his eyes from the picture. “How much?” he asked. 

Tim blinked. “What?”

“How much for the picture?” Alfred asked him, turning back to the family portrait. 

“For you?” Tim asked, blinking again in surprise. “Free of charge, considering it a thank you for coming to my senior showcase.”

“I would like this one of Titus and me,” Damian piped up. “It would be lovely on my desk in my bedroom.”

Tim sniffed, his chest tightening slightly. “I would be more than happy to give you both the original copies.”

“Timothy,” Alfred said, turning back to Tim, that soft, kind, smile on his face once again. “I am so incredibly proud of you.”

The vigilante’s eyes burned furiously. “I-I thank you,” he said, a soft sob slipped out of his mouth before small arms wrapped around him. Damian hugged him tight, his face pressed against Tim’s chest. 

“I am so sorry that our family forgot to come to your showcase, Timothy,” he said stiffly. “You are incredibly talented and it is their loss for missing out on this.”

Tim pressed a hand to Damian’s back, feeling tears building behind his eyes that threatened to spill over. “Thank you,” he whispered. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before he looked around and spotted his advisor. “There’s Professor Maheshawen. She’s my advisor. We can go talk to her and you can ask your questions, okay?”

Damian nodded and pulled away carefully, smoothing down the front of his sweater before he followed after Tim to meet his professor. Leaving Alfred to continue staring at the pictures with a kind smile on his face.

Alfred Pennyworth looked at the smiles on his charges faces and let out a breath. One of these days, Bruce and the others would realize just how important Timothy was to their family, how he was the one who held them all together. He only hoped that they would not realize that lesson too late in life. At the very least, Damian was now starting to understand just how wonderful Timothy Drake was. 

[girlactionfigure]

A very powerful message from Hillel Fuld:  I really don’t think you understand the absolute miracles that we witnessed last night here in Israel. In fact, I am sure you don’t. Let’s break this down. Israel has three air defense systems, each one of them a technological wonder and that’s not me saying it. That’s Dr. Gold who basically invented the Iron Dome who told me that. The level and sophistication of the Iron Dome is simply unparalleled. But the Iron Dome only knows how to detonate short range rockets or missiles within a 70 km range, give or take.  Then Israel has the David’s Sling system. That knows how to deal with mid range missiles up to approximately 300 km.  Then we have the Arrow system that literally detonates missiles that can fly outside of the earth’s atmosphere. That has a range of about 2,400 km!! 🤯 Last night, as Iran rained down ballistic missiles on Israel, all three defense systems were activated and implemented to perfection. The chances of all of these incredibly complex systems working in unison as flawlessly as they did last night, are basically non existent. If one thing went wrong, if one of those ballistic missiles hit an apartment building, a shopping center, or an army base, we would now be burying hundreds of Israelis.  And all of that is not even the biggest miracle.  A few hours ago, I got a WhatsApp message from a good friend who is a senior executive at Microsoft and who wasn’t exactly a God fearing Jew. Until yesterday.  Here is what he wrote me.  “If you’re looking for miracles man - last night I started believing. Missiles hit all around me but none of them hit my house or any house, for that matter.” He elaborated some more and shared info about the missiles that he watched land just meters away from very strategic places in Israel, to say the least.  Each one of those defense systems is, in and of itself, pretty miraculous, but what is even more insane is the low casualty numbers from the rockets and missiles that we’re NOT intercepted.  Where did those missiles go? I’ll tell you where. They landed in sand, in water, and in “Empty spaces”.  Have you been to Israel? It’s a microscopic country. What empty spaces? Where are these empty spaces? 🤷‍♂️ How have hundreds of Iranian ballistic missiles all either get detonated by miraculous systems or totally miss their mark and land in empty spaces causing zero casualties and minimal damage?!   How?? Listen, I get it. This thought process begs the question, where was God during the horrible terrorist attack yesterday? Where was He on October 7th? Where was He during the holocaust?  All valid questions that require a very serious nuanced conversation.  But if you know anything about what had to happen last night and throughout this war in general, for such a low number of casualties, you’ll know that what we witnessed last night was the equivalent of God splitting the sea right before our eyes.  Guess what. When God split the sea, there were those who didn’t believe it was a miracle and didn’t jump in. And there are also those who feel the need to explain it naturally. Ok, that’s fine.  You don’t want to call yesterday an act of God? That’s your choice, but like my Microsoft friend, if you look at these events objectively, you’d have a really hard time seeing those hundreds of deadly missiles land in empty spaces and not see the hand of God.  Last night was an incredible display of the collaboration between two of the powers that protect the Jewish people: The IDF and Hashem.  Last night will go down in history right alongside many of Israel’s accomplishments in this war including the beepers and the unprecedented low ratio between combatant and civilian, as a military operation the likes of which the world has never seen. Ever! Last night will be analyzed by military strategists and experts for generations.  Last night, we witnessed history.  Last night we witnessed open miracles.  Last night, we witnessed God in all His glory watching over His children.

[dr-futbol-blog]

Irresistible, Pt. 8

While Sheppard and McKay had been "scouting for gates" somewhere alone together for hours during which they had a) sure not talked about the gates and b) managed to find "one lousy gate," Beckett had been on the planet of the pod people being entertained by Lucius. He too had started skeptical of him but as the night wore on, Beckett seems to have fallen under the influence of his herbal remedy. Because he now wants to do anything for Lucius, he decides to bring him back to Atlantis with him, which is interesting because it had not been anything that Lucius had even asked for, he had not known to ask for it. Beckett took the initiative because his need was to please Lucius, not just to fulfill what ever verbal suggestions he is given by the man, and he believed that showing him the wonders of Atlantis would please him. And so, we find Sheppard standing in the observation room again with Weir and Beckett just like they had in Michael (S02E18) and Allies (S02E20). Only this time McKay is there with them.

Weir: I can't believe you brought him here without permission. Beckett: I didn't think you'd mind. Weir: You didn't think I'd mind? You know the protocols. You even helped come up with them. Beckett: There's so much he can offer us! Sheppard: Is this the same guy who said he could cure my cold in a week? Beckett: I know my business, Colonel Sheppard!

This is the second reference to the "protocols" in the episode, and we now learn that Beckett had been involved in coming up with them. It is likely Sheppard had been involved as well, probably the entire senior staff had devised the protocols together. It is also possible that they had decided to do this following Conversion (S02E08), wherein Caldwell had made some changes during his tenure as base commander and had asked Sheppard to consider some of them. While he was never going to take McKay off his team, which seems to have been among the suggestions, he may have considered some other improvements to the way they operate. The fact that Beckett is the one who had been involved with the protocols also suggests that a medical examination following gate travel probably was customary, even though we do not see them undergo any, and in fact see them decidedly not undergo any in this episode.

Down in the observation theatre, Lucius seems to be entertaining himself with the screens and the cameras, clearly never having seen this kind of technology before. We see that McKay seems to be doing something similar, and the fact that McKay is with them here now when he was not the previous times is significant. For one, it confirms that previously Sheppard was keeping McKay away from Michael and the wraith to the best of his ability. He did not want McKay to be anywhere near Project Michael, not even in the relative safety of the observation room. The second thing is that both Sheppard and McKay seem to have a real need to stay near each other at this time, they are thick as thieves, they are inseparable -- they do not want to be apart from each other, which we will be demonstrated later. McKay is not needed here, the fact that he is entertaining himself the same way as Lucius down in the theatre just underscores this fact. No science whatsoever is needed here, this is purely a matter of security. McKay had merely wanted to accompany Sheppard here, Sheppard had wanted McKay to accompany him here, and they may not even have needed to talk about it to decide to do this. McKay had just followed Sheppard because they are, in this moment in their relationship, attached at the hip. Sheppard is here doing a work thing and his boyfriend had tagged along with him.

Notice also how McKay had his back turned to the others as he was trying to entertain himself while the others are talking shop and it is when Sheppard speaks that he decides to turn around and pay attention. When it had been Weir and Beckett going back and forth, he had not been paying attention but just as soon as he hears Sheppard's voice, he turns to observe the people in the room instead. We see the corner of his mouth curve slightly as he seems to settle in to listening to Sheppard, and he folds his arms at the mention of Sheppard's cold like it has done something personal to offend him. He wishes the man could cure Sheppard's cold, that his cold was over already. Sheppard having his body half-turned also has nothing to do with Weir, he seems to be already halfway turning toward McKay and in fact we can tell that McKay is in the room before we can even see him by the way Sheppard has positioned himself.

Beckett: He happens to have created several medicines that are quite remarkable. Weir: Really? That guy? Beckett: Aye. He also possesses many valuable herbs and spices... and gourds. McKay: Did you just say gourds? Beckett: Yes, Rodney. Gourds. We don't know everything, despite what you may think.

Beckett mentions Lucius having gourds, which sounds so strange that McKay is compelled to comment on it even though technically he is probably not even supposed to be in this meeting. It is interesting with regards to what Teyla had said about no one else speaking for her earlier, and what Sheppard says momentarily with regards to Weir. Beckett and McKay are supposed to be best friends but even they do not have the kind of rapport that McKay and Sheppard have. McKay had immediately been able to come up with words that Sheppard accepted whereas Beckett had said a word that immediately weirded McKay out, seemed strange and out of place to him. And he probably also found it amusing, the word "gourd" sounds funny and it is meant to disguise the monstrosity of the man downstairs, to make him seem like a comic relief when he is anything but amusing. McKay is struck speechless by what he is observing from the sidelines, and given that he and Sheppard were supposed to be leaving on another "mission" right after whatever this was, he probably was also mentally urging them to get this over with. The two of them had places to be.

Beckett: He could prove to be a very powerful ally. He's a very wise and kind man. Weir: Are you feeling alright? Beckett: What do you mean? Sheppard: It's just you're acting a little... Weir: ...smitten? Sheppard: I had another word in mind.

Sheppard shakes his head with an uneasy expression on his face as Beckett describes Lucius as a "wise and kind man," seeming very much to disagree with their assessment of "this guy." What is interesting is that Lucius had explicitly said to Beckett earlier "Nothing pleases me more than when someone comes up to me and says 'Lucius, you are a wise and kind man'," meaning that Beckett had obviously adopted this attitude directly from Lucius as we had also seen one of his wives use these exact words to describe him, and he is trying to please him by saying the thing that he thinks would please him most. This is relevant in the sense that later on we learn of a thing that pleases McKay and then see Sheppard try to do the thing for him. But this is also an example of someone having those "rose-coloured" glasses on, of how when someone is in love they may see the object of their affection through a filter that ignores all of their flaws and enhances all of their good qualities -- and this is definitely something that Sheppard himself suffers from when it comes to McKay, and vice versa for McKay with regards to Sheppard. They both see each other as wise and kind when both of them definitely have their flaws and both of their actions are upon occasion more than a little dubious.

This is an important exchange in a couple of regards. First of all, as already discussed, this is meant to establish the fact that Weir does not speak for Sheppard. Weir is unable to find a word that would satisfy Sheppard's need, she does not land on the word that he is looking for. Teyla was not taken and no one speaks for her but McKay does speak for Sheppard and Sheppard is taken. And this obviously also refers back to their exchange in Weir's office in Inferno (S02E19) where Weir had used the same catch-word "smitten," suggesting that it might have described the way Sheppard thought McKay was acting at the time when he was being pursued by the blonde bombshell of "what passes as scientist on their planet." Sheppard did not think that McKay was acting smitten, he had opted for "pathetic" instead, and this had been projection on his part -- it was Sheppard himself who had been acting pathetic as his jealousy was eating him up inside. Now, Weir is clearly attempting to speak for Sheppard here. She is trying to finish his sentence, only she fails in this, Sheppard rejects her proffered word. It is easy to see Weir and Sheppard tag-teaming here when we are shown the exact opposite. They do not finish each other's sentences, they do not speak for each other. Sheppard and McKay do.

Now, because the scenes are clearly in conversation with Inferno, it would be easy to assume that "pathetic" was also the word Sheppard was going for here, that "pathetic" was the word he had in mind. That is clearly the inference we are meant to make if we compare the two scenes. If "smitten", then "pathetic." But that does not mean that "pathetic" actually was the word Sheppard had in mind here. Yes, Beckett's behaviour might be interpreted as pathetic but it is also strange, odd, weird and even queer. If we are honest, his behaviour is kind of gay for this guy. Beckett's behaviour here is not the same as what McKay's behaviour had been with regards to Norina -- where he had, in fact, been mostly neutral toward her -- and when Sheppard had chosen the word "pathetic" to describe McKay's behaviour then, the word had actually more aptly described himself where he has no reason to project on Beckett here, he is merely wanting to describe what he is seeing.

Now, the word Sheppard might have had in mind here that he thinks better than to speak may be some variation of "gay." Beckett is acting kind of gay in his clear infatuation with this man. And lampshading this, Beckett and Lucius had the following exchange back in his planet:

Lucius: The young, old, women... Do you like women, Doctor Beckett? Beckett: What? Yes, of course. Lucius: Yeah, I have a potion that will have them lined up around the square just waiting to be with you. You know what I mean when I say “be with you,” right? Beckett: I think so, yes.

This was meant to establish Lucius as heterosexual, that although he gets men to very obviously fall in love with him and to want to fulfill all of his desires, sex is not what he is looking for from a man. And while we have seen Beckett infatuated with women before -- particularly with Perna in Poisoning the Well (S01E07) but also Teyla in Rising (S01E02) and Cadman following her pursuit of him in Duet (S02E04) -- their exchange in the planet may also be taken by some as confirmation of Beckett's heterosexuality, which is does not strictly speaking do. While we are to understand that under the influence of the herb Beckett is in love with Lucius, this means to give the heteronormative audience an out -- what Beckett experiences is nonsexual if they choose to interpret it that way. Perfectly innocuous. But it is also interesting that they have Lucius ask the question out of Beckett because this also implies that not everyone likes women like Beckett, that it is a question that needs to be asked. We may get an answer of "Of course!" from Beckett but we sure do not get one from Sheppard or McKay, the latter of whom falls under the thrall of the herb later.

And although Beckett probably has a strong preference for women, I have discussed previously how the Ancients, Beckett's ancestors, seem to have all been bisexual due to the assortative mating strategy with which they had tried to combat the wraith out-reproducing them, all the Ancients feeling attracted to one another. While they have their preferences, it seems like most of the people with the Ancient gene are at the very least bicurious, and they feel this pull toward other people with the gene. I will discuss later what activating the gene artificially seems to have meant for McKay down the line, but while we do not see Beckett pursue a man (even though he is the only man we have actually seen kissed by another man on screen -- possessed by a woman though he had been at the time), Beckett may well be at least somewhat attracted to men even organically even if he is not interested in pursuing it, and as a doctor who seems to have an augmented capacity to feel what other people are feeling, he may not mind same-sex attraction overly much. His best friend is gay, after all. So, interpreting Sheppard as having some kind of a homophobic slur in mind here that he decides not to speak in polite company would not be an out of place interpretation for the line. If he was the heteronormative straight military type, it is easily what he might have thought.

Later on, when he is discussing Beckett's behaviour with McKay, Sheppard scornfully says "He's off picking daffodils for his new friend," and McKay gives him a look at this, like he is not quite sure how to feel about Sheppard saying this. It would be easy to interpret the line as homophobic, as Sheppard calling Beckett gay -- but of course that is not what he is doing. He and McKay had just been out together probably being intimate. Just before he says that, both of them had been lost in each other's eyes, and McKay had been filling Sheppard in on his turn-ons. Sheppard is clearly not meaning to call Beckett a homophobic slur because we had started the episode off with him almost chocking on his tacit confession of loving a big fat cock, that is not what he was implying. He was implying that Beckett was being a great big girl, however, the onus on Beckett's behaviour being effeminate and straight out of a teen romance novel, not on him having a crush on a guy. Sheppard has no room to talk about having crushes on a guy since he is very much in the same boat with him there, but Sheppard is not a girl about it. He is not out picking daffodils for McKay, he is out picking rings for him instead, however reluctantly.

And so, the word Sheppard might have had in mind here could have been some iteration of "a great big 'mo," but as a reclaimed slur, not a homophobic one. He knows that Beckett is not gay, and he is personally afflicted with enough "it takes one to know one" here to warrant him having entertained the thought. Beckett is being uncharacteristically gay for this guy, and taking it from someone who either has or is about to have a ...gift in some part of his own body within the hour -- McKay's ...gift in particular -- that is saying something. There is an argument to be made for him to have had the word queer in mind, at the very least, but he chooses not to voice it because what ever is going on with Beckett, he does not think that same-sex attraction is the issue here. He thinks that it is strange for Beckett to be acting in a way he recognizes as attraction toward another man when he knows that Beckett does not ordinarily swing that way -- unlike the two of them.

In this conversation with Beckett, Lucius had also a euphemism to refer to sex, calling it "being with" someone. This is also interesting, with regards to the importance of finding the correct word in this episode. We see Sheppard and McKay be together a lot in this episode, and in fact they are being together right here, in this scene. And what is more, they are being together alone together a lot too, seeming to spend more time with each other in this episode than they have in a long time, not wanting to leave each other's sides. Beckett is also directly asked whether he likes women and his response is "Yes, of course" but just like neither Sheppard nor McKay were asked if they are taken in this episode, they are not asked if they like women; they do not tell anyone "Yes, of course" about it. Also, while I will argue that McKay does not, in fact, give any of the potion to Sheppard at the end of the episode because why would he (and also, Beckett had most definitely inoculated Sheppard against the potion as the first thing he did), everyone seems to think that Sheppard is under the influence at the end -- meaning that he sure seemed like he was hankering to be with McKay. And he does, he just does not need any potion to want to do that.

Beckett: This is not something to treat lightly. Weir: No, it isn't. You've brought a stranger to Atlantis without prior approval. Now he knows about the city, as well as our gate address. Beckett: Lucius would do nothing to harm us. He comes in peace, as our friend. You have his word and mine on that.

In an attempt at defending his decision to bring a stranger into the city that places everyone in jeopardy, Beckett explicitly mentions words, specifically his word and Lucius' word. Beckett gives them their words because Beckett is speaking for Lucius here, and the reason he feels like he is compelled to speak for Lucius is because he is (experiencing the effects of being) in love with him. In contrast to this, we had just seen that Weir does not have Sheppard's word, what ever it was, and Sheppard had two of McKay's words, if we are keeping tally of who has whose words here.

One thing to note about this whole scene is that the conversation is mostly between Weir and Beckett. As the person responsible for base security Sheppard has every reason to be there but both Sheppard and McKay are mostly keeping quiet, only interjecting here and there. It seems like Weir has Sheppard's support but she does not yet have his concern, and it is probably the way Lucius had greeted her upon entry into the city that made her defensive. They all agree that Beckett is acting mighty strangely but they do not yet know to be truly concerned because Lucius has done nothing violent or aggressive. Also, Beckett describes Lucius as a friend here despite clearly exhibiting the symptoms of a man who has fallen in love, friend being yet another term that is not applied to Sheppard and McKay in this episode. There are many things that apply to other people that do not seem to apply to them.

The scene ends with Weir looking at Sheppard as though seeking to exchange a glance with him, and Sheppard returns her gaze. Again this is an exchange that might be seen as a moment between them if it was not meant to contrast something that we see happen between Sheppard and McKay later. We have seen before, most notably in Trinity (S02E06), when McKay was behind Sheppard's door, that the two of them are capable of communicating without words and that especially McKay is able to read Sheppard's thoughts. Sheppard does not have to say words for McKay to be able to read him. And you can see here that even though Sheppard returns Weir's look, he does not communicate anything to her. This is not an exchange between them, this is Weir trying to communicate something to Sheppard and Sheppard looking at her with slight puzzlement.

Sheppard's expression does not change from the way he was looking at Beckett, and if Weir was communicating something to him, it does not seem like he either got it or that it was particularly difficult to get what that look was about. We do not see the way Weir does look at him, but most likely she was communicating something to the effect of "Can you believe this?" or "What are we going to about this?" But this is not a conversation between the two of them, this is Weir needing the support of the man responsible for base security, wanting Sheppard to do his job about this. There is a lot of contrasting going on in this episode and it all seems geared to show us that what is between Sheppard and McKay is something special, it is something more than they have with other people, even the ones they are close with.

Continued in Pt.9

[arabela25]

Full letter under the cut

Dear trusted and treasured Eurovision Song Contest community,

The EBU has listened to and engaged closely in the conversations among Members, our fans and in the media following this year’s Eurovision Song Contest (ESC).

I want to again congratulate the winner JJ and the team from ORF. His performance and song rightly, clearly and validly won the Contest and we want to make sure any ancillary conversations do not overshadow this epic achievement.

The ESC voting system includes multiple security layers and a comprehensive set of rules to ensure that a valid result is generated. Our voting partner - Once Germany GmbH - uses redundant systems and multiple platforms to ensure the correct delivery of votes to the central system.

For the Eurovision Song Contest, specially designed systems are used to monitor and prevent fraud. Additionally, more than 60 individuals in Cologne and several others in Vienna and Amsterdam monitor the voting process in each country and maintain direct contact with telecommunication and broadcasting partners globally. All results are verified through an 8-eye principle by the CEO and senior employees of Once, who collectively have over 40 years of voting experience.

Independent compliance monitor EY oversees and authenticates the results. Every decision related to the outcomes is documented and assessed. The entire process, including the result calculation of the platform and the voting results is thoroughly reviewed and verified by EY.

All audience voting, be it SMS, call or online shows evidence of the motivation of communities or diasporas around certain contestants. This can be for many reasons including personal attributes, back stories, geographic affiliations and current affairs. Historically the ESC has been as open to this as other singing and music competitions and reality television.

Every year the Reference Group for the Contest, which contains representatives from and acts on behalf of our Members, studies the data provided by our voting partner Once to make recommendations of any actions available to us to ensure our rules and systems remain fail safe and take into account contemporary external factors such as advances in technology and external influences. This process will happen as it always does in June this year.

Alongside the discussions of the Reference Group, one aspect the EBU will be looking at is the promotion of our acts by their delegations and associated parties. Such promotion is allowed under our rules and acts to celebrate the artists, increase their profile and launch future careers – it’s very much part of the music industry - but we want to ensure that such promotion is not disproportionally affecting the natural mobilization of communities and diasporas we see in all entertainment audience voting.

Another example is the number of votes we allow per person – 20 per payment method. This is designed to ensure that audiences of all ages can vote for more than one of their favourite songs and there is no current evidence that it disproportionally effects the final result – but the question has been asked and so we will look at it.

The EBU and I will be, as we always do, engaging our Members for their views on this and other matters.

I’ll end as I began, by congratulating JJ and ORF who won the Eurovision Song Contest 2025.

Best wishes,

Martin Green CBE, Director of the Eurovision Song Contest, European Broadcasting Union

[st0rmyskies]

dude you’re literally the only person who I can ramble to about this so please hear me out.

So i’m a (super senior) marine biology major and i’m at a field station for class/research. During my free time i’ve been going out fishing with my two friends on the daily. It’s worth noting too that we all are very, very outwardly queer in a seaside town that is filled to the brim with trump flags on boats. We also barely know how to fish, as in we know how to cast it. But also we couldn’t even get the one pole to cast yesterday so that statement is even on thin ice. But in our fishing endeavors, there have been a handful of time where straight up dads have watched us get our asses handed to us and they will offer their advice/help. And when I say ‘dad’ I deadass mean 9/10 there son is awkwardly standing behind him and begging them to stop talking to us after it’s been 15 minutes. Once again, we’re queer and we have daddy issues, so we absolutely are eating up these conversations. It’s honestly the most heartwarming, fucking funniest interactions to me. Especially when you get the visual imagery of us getting tangled in fishing line because we can’t get the one reel to cooperate; one of us has a youtube video pulled up while the other is reading the manual. BOOM- a dad appears.

With that, I cannot stop thinking about Time approaching the most queer ass group of college students (who are visibly struggling to even cast out the fucking line) to offer the most dad advice on fishing. Bonus if one of the boys are there begging for him to leave them alone. Extra bonus if it’s Twilight or Wind. Or even Time taking the boys fishing and all of them, but Twilight, is going through it. Someone’s managed to wrap the line around their neck, another got too excited and yanked their hook out of the water and now it’s free flying (with no fish), Four is attaching weed whacker motor onto the pole because “it’ll reel the fish in quicker”, someone wasn’t paying attention and almost stepped backwards off the dock, and another boy discovered that the spiny rays are sharp motherfuckers. If this continues to live in my head rent free, I even might write this.

That it. Just Time being a dad in public is absolutely sending me.

Also we only caught an atlantic croaker after being at the dock for 5 hours.

Time isn't the most social of butterflies, but he's also ABSOLUTELY the guy who can't ignore fellow fishermen having A Struggle. Especially when said struggle is so... blatant. If strangers, yes Twi would give it 15-20 minutes before he's awkwardly trying the polite interventions of "Okay, well, you guys have a great day.... Okay, well, we should get on our way..." and either just gives up or goes back to doing his own thing until Time is finished. If Wind, the interventions are likely more physical, moving their belongings farther and farther away until Time has no choice but to retreat if he wants more bait.

If Time ever deigned to take the boys on a fishing trip, he'd regret it within 30 minutes.

Most likely to get stabbed by a fish and need more than a few bandaids: Sky.

Most likely to get tangled up and string together a novel expletive phrase that enters the household vernacular permanently: Legend.

Most likely to take a tumble off the dock: Hyrule.

Most likely to injure an innocent bystander with that weed whacker motor: Four.

Most likely to get a fish hook in his arm while he's sitting on the shore sunning himself because he will not partake in this barbaric pastime: Warriors.

Most likely to be pretty successful at fishing but still drops his phone off the dock: Wind.

Most likely to resort to throwing These Hands at the fish instead of using the ancient technology of fishing poles: Champion.

Most likely to space out talking the entire time and be the one to actually hook The Big One but fail to reel it in: Wild.

Most likely to not catch a damn thing because he's busy running interference: Twilight.

Maybe next time, Time will just take them to the pet store to buy goldfish.

I am endlessly amused by the fact that as a marine bio majors you have such a time fishing. I'm sure you've made at least one surrogate dad proud. Also, for the uninitiated:

Anon's Moby Dick.

[mullermilkshake]

The Yakuza files - Part two

Part one

MINORS DNI - Tags: Yakuza AU, references to - Illness, fighting, hacking, family issues, interrogations.

Masamichi Yaga

The man with the Turtle tattoo.

Yaga is the type of Yakuza who would be the Captain, he works directly under The Chairman Ryomen Sukuna.

He was made clan Captain before Sukuna was sworn in. He is capable and strengthens the clan with his advice and wisdom.

Currently, Yaga is taken Ill and is unable to direct the lieutenants currently so it leaves the three in charge. Yaga's relationship with the lieutenants differs from one family to another.

Satoru Gojo is a strained relationship at best, Yaga appreciates and understands Gojo's lust for total freedom, but has him under a tight leash because he'll go feral otherwise. Gojo is a whole different type of Yakuza.

Suguru Geto is far more laid back and the relationship is more traditional. Yaga finds that Suguru needs little direction and has had a strong head on his shoulders since he was sworn in, in honesty Suguru cancels Satoru out most of the time. He was shocked when they decided to form their own families when they did.

Kento Nanami is the strongest relationship of the three, being the most capable of the three entirely. Yaga found out very early that Nanami utilised his intelligence to gain more power within the district than either Gojo or Geto ever could.

That being said, Yaga directs them all individually and plays to their strengths and guides their weaknesses. Gojo likes to think he has no weaknesses, but Yaga knows it's just because he's a wild animal at heart.

Yaga looks at all three like his sons.

Megumi Fushiguro

Megumi is the type to become Gojo's 'apprentice' of sorts. Satoru Gojo is good to him, even if he is just his benefactor he kind of looks to him as a father type figure.

His real father is nowhere to be seen but he never bothers to ask about him. He didn't ask to be brought into the world of the Yakuza at first, but takes to it like a fish to water anyway.

Nanami seems to be more Megumi's speed, he takes interest in electronic systems and ofter converses with Ino to gain experience. He thinks that technology is the way forward to the future.

Yet Gojo still prefers using pagers even though he can afford a portable phone. It's probably due to the fact he sends funny codes to Geto though he thinks Megumi can't read pager codes.

He can.

Megumi is often found around Yuji walking the streets and in the arcades playing street fighter. He's getting pretty good at it now.

Takuma Ino

The man with the Koi tattoo.

Ino is the type to follow Nanami blindly because he looks up to him. He is his senior and respects the shit out of him.

He's obsessed with computers and video games, often collecting scrap parts and cartridges from arcades and second hand stores. He adores arcades and he can often be found there.

Ino is continually adding pieces and extensions to Nanami's network and calls it his 'baby'. The entire framework is his own design and he's often told by Nanami to attend Tokyo Tech but Ino refuses.

He's determined to follow in Nanami's footsteps and constantly looks to him as though he is his own father. Ino doesn't see his parents much after moving from Osaka at seventeen to work for Nanami.

It's pretty obvious too that if his father back home found out he was getting involved with the Yakuza, he'd kick his ass. It's safe if he keeps his visits to a minimum, so Ino usually calls them weekly.

Naoya Zenin

The man with the Tiger tattoo.

Naoya is the type of Yakuza with no real direction. Compared to Ino and being the same age, his interests far differ to the computer genius. Naoya has many qualities Gojo has, he became interested in organised crime through his father and was basically pushed from pillar to post between the Ryomen clan until Nanami claimed him.

Sukuna thinks Naoya is better suited working under one of the most powerful men in the clan that isn't himself, the problem being that Naoya enjoys the grittier side of the Yakuza.

He constantly gets into fights and takes pride in the more unsavoury traits of the organised crime world and battles constantly to branch off on his own. In reality, he just looks up to Toji Fushiguro like Ino does Nanami.

Naoya wants to do what Toji does, even hoping to surpass him in the future and take over as a contracted man when Toji either retires or kicks the bucket.

Yuji Itadori

Yuji is the type of Yakuza that Sukuna begrudgingly allows to be sworn into the Ryomen clan purely because his wife told him to. Yuji and Sukuna never have and probably never will have an understanding but being blood related comes with its perks.

Yuji pretty much has run of his own path and much like Choso, his pathway connected with the Yakuza. That doesn’t go to say that Yuji is a bad guy, in fact he’s quite the opposite when it comes to organised crime.

It isn’t right and that’s why he and Sukuna go to blows all the time. Crime doesn’t pay and eventually, he believes that it will catch up to Sukuna just like Naobito Zenin. (He’s only heard stories)

To counter the issue, Yuji started up his own little group as such and had Megumi join him, walking the streets of Shinjuku like little Yakuza vigilantes. It was how he found Choso. Yuji doesn’t resent Sukuna, but dislikes him from keeping the knowledge of Choso’s existence away from him.

Still, he loves his brother and tries to involve him in everything that he does to show what good Shinjuku can bring.

On occasion Yuji does disappear down to the sewers with Choso to chase cats. Quoting, “because it’s fun.”

One day, Yjuji will stop the pain and wipe the bad mark his uncle has placed on the district.

He promises.

Miguel Oduol

Miguel is the type of loyal Yakuza. He is Suguru Geto’s right hand man and will take on any task that is appointed to him.

He moved to Japan as a child and soon became aquatinted with Suguru around the same time as Satoru Gojo. Though Miguel doesn’t like Gojo, he tolerates him for Geto’s sake.

He often has to bite his tongue when Gojo’s around as he purposely tries to aggravate him into a confrontation though he never bites. Miguel thinks Gojo is an asshole.

His bond with Geto on the other hand is water tight and he trusts the man with his life just as he hopes Geto does too. (like how he does with Gojo)

Miguel often can be found with Geto when out and about, often driving him places. Miguel is also adept in interrogations and gathering information which makes him an irreplaceable asset to the Nanami family.

One day, Miguel hopes to open up his own little street food stall so he can cook all of the food he loves the most, reminding him of home.

With the money he saves, he'll be able to open more than just one and bring happiness in wrapped up little parcels to the streets of Shinjuku.

Who do you think I should add now? Let me know!

[absolxguardian]

I meant to post this when Into The Light first released, but Andor Day is good enough. The High Republic book Into The Light features Kenari in one chapter (and some very interesting nuance to the Republic's expansion and general policies). In the story, its purpose is to establish that the Drengir are back at it again for the reader. I've decided to just include the section that establishes worldbuilding for Kenari here. This is approximately two centuries before Andor. (Also for context, while Czerka seems to be a non-entity by the time of the Clone Wars, they're an ancient mega-corporation that predates the Republic, and thus are allowed to keep literal slaves. In Legends, they were the cause of Tatioone's original settler colonialism.)

Someday, all the humans and near-humans of the galaxy would speak Basic, thought Romila Kaveh, acquisition negotiator for Czerka Corporation—soon to be senior acquisition negotiator, if she could lock this deal down. Also someday, protocol droids would be programmed to handle even more languages than they already did, including the most obscure. Until that blessed day came, certain backward planets would require people to work as translators.

Sometimes maddeningly irritating people such as Tolor Patewick. “Of course we appreciate the exquisite biome you have here on Kenari,” Romila said as she made her way through the lush undergrowth, trying not to grimace as her designer shoes encountered vines and snails. From far overhead, through the clouds, a shaft of light bathed the nearby meadows; the scene would have appeared idyllic to anyone attuned to nature and its beauty. It was of no interest to a Czerka negotiator. “Rest assured that any gas mines established by Czerka will be built to the highest environmental safety standards.”

Tolor spoke to their guides, a small party of local leaders, all of them with wary dark eyes. He then turned to Romila and translated—or, rather, did his version of translation: “They very politely indicate that they know you’re full of mudhorn poodoo, just like the corporation that sent you, and they’re almost positive that you’re going to make a mess of it like you have on countless other planets.”

Romila held on to her temper. “How much of that was the Kenari, and how much of it was you?”

The reply came with a shrug. “Language doesn’t break down into mathematical percentages.”

That meant almost all of it had come from Tolor, who seemed to think he could make a principled environmental stand while still getting work as a translator for major corporations. This was a misapprehension Romila couldn’t wait to cure.

“Tell them, via a faithful translation, that our technology is constantly evolving, and the gas mines built here would represent the very highest state of the art. Past incidents have sometimes been…”

“Fatal?” Tolor said. “Devastating? The Kenari have a word that can encompass both—”

“Have sometimes been unfortunate,” Romila cut in, “but they have also provided opportunities to learn, and Kenari will benefit from that education.”

Tolor spoke to her next, rather than the Kenari: “Do you ever get tired of lying for Czerka?”

She shot back, “Do you ever get tired of working as a translator? Because you’re steering yourself towards another career.”

“The answer is that sometimes I do tire of it,” Tolor said, “when I’m obligated to have conversations like this one.” He looked so weary then, so sad, that Romila felt a small, rare quiver of remorse. Accidents did happen, too often—but Czerka didn’t profit from accidents, either! Their profit and local safety ideally went hand in hand. If Czerka focused more on profit, well, didn’t the locals focus more on safety? That meant they had people looking out for both interests!

Before she could say any of this, though, Tolor had launched into his latest translation for the Kenari. He raised an eyebrow. Then he smiled. Romila didn’t like the look of that smile.

“What?” she asked as a breeze softly rustled the leaves surrounding them. “What are they telling you?”

Tolor turned to her with his arms crossed over his chest and a huge grin. “They’ve just informed me that they’d feel better signing over the gas rights to the Republic, who actually happen to have sent a team here last week.”

Damn them! Czerka did its best to beat the government to the punch, but they didn’t always succeed. Romila knew the Republic offered better terms and higher safety standards; still, there were other negotiating tricks to try. “Tell them that governments change. Regulations change. What if the Republic loses this system to the Nihil? Do you think Marchion Ro will give you as much consideration? Or what if the Republic chose a much more profit-minded chancellor than Lina Soh someday? Those regulations they’re tempting you with—they can be repealed and replaced at any time.” Romila raised her voice slightly as the rustling of the leaves became louder. “Whereas with Czerka, you’ll have the benefit of contract terms, in writing, that—”

[mariacallous]

The winner of the 2024 US presidential election will confront complicated questions about whether the government is doing enough to protect the country from cyber threats. But one leading conservative group is sidestepping those questions and pushing to shrink the government’s main cyber agency, calling it a bastion of far-left tyranny.

Project 2025, a widely circulated playbook from the influential right-leaning Heritage Foundation, takes aim at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on several fronts, especially its efforts to reduce dangerous online misinformation. If former president Donald Trump wins the election and appoints officials who follow the playbook’s recommendations for CISA, the five-year-old agency could face an unprecedented crisis.

Trump has disavowed Project 2025—a 900-page document full of controversial proposals—but its authors have close ties to his former administration and his campaign, and many of its recommendations align with Trump’s agenda. If he wins a second term, Trump is likely to embrace Project 2025’s combative approach to CISA, whose director he fired for debunking his lies about the 2020 election. That makes the 2024 election an existential moment for CISA.

“If every recommendation in this proposal were accepted, this would significantly weaken CISA as an agency,” says Steve Kelly, a former special assistant to the president and senior director for cybersecurity and emerging technology at the National Security Council.

“It would essentially see CISA cease functioning as a principal element of cybersecurity,” says John Costello, a former chief of staff to the national cyber director at the White House. “It really takes out many of its central functions.”

Missing the Mark on Misinformation

No aspect of CISA’s work has sparked as much GOP ire as its efforts to combat online falsehoods destabilizing American society, and Project 2025’s most substantial recommendation for CISA concerns this work.

“Of the utmost urgency,” the plan says, “is immediately ending CISA’s counter-mis/disinformation efforts.”

During the 2020 election, amid conspiracy theories and hoaxes about Covid-19 and the presidential election, CISA flagged state and local officials’ concerns about online falsehoods to social media companies. This practice, dubbed “switchboarding,” outraged conservatives, who accused CISA of suppressing their speech. House Republicans produced a report on what they called “the weaponization” of the agency, two GOP-led states sued the government (the US Supreme Court dismissed the case), and CISA and its federal partners all but froze their conversations with social media firms.

“CISA has devolved into an unconstitutional censoring and election engineering apparatus of the political Left,” Project 2025 declares. After dismissing Russian interference in the 2016 election as a “dirty trick” by Hillary Clinton’s campaign (despite it being extensively documented, including in a lengthy bipartisan Senate report), Heritage’s policy proposal recommends that the military and the intelligence community take over the responsibility of combating foreign propaganda.

CISA and its defenders maintain that the agency never pressured tech companies to delete posts, but regardless, the agency’s current counterpropaganda operation is a shell of its former self. Talks with tech firms have resumed, but in the election space, the agency is now relying solely on its “Rumor vs. Reality” fact-checking page.

Cybersecurity experts say the government needs to be debunking harmful lies, especially those spread by foreign adversaries.

“There's a role for CISA in mis- and disinformation, but they'd be wise to keep it cabined and narrow,” says Kelly, who is now the chief strategy officer at the nonprofit Institute for Security and Technology.

Costello calls Project 2025’s proposal “deeply problematic.”

The report fails to acknowledge the seriousness of adversaries’ efforts to sow chaos in the US, according to Mark Montgomery, senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a conservative-leaning think tank.

The document “appears blind to the fact that Russia, China, and Iran are weaponizing social media networks to create a false narrative that weakens US national security,” Montgomery says.

Project 2025’s leaders did not respond to inquiries for this story. Ken Cuccinelli, a top Department of Homeland Security official in the Trump administration and the author of the report’s DHS chapter, declined an interview request.

Vague and Contradictory

Most of Project 2025’s proposals for CISA are difficult to decipher and reflect what experts say is a misunderstanding of the agency’s activities.

The plan envisions CISA helping local election officials “assess whether they have good cyber hygiene,” but it warns that “CISA should not be significantly involved closer to an election” and should not engage in any “messaging” work.

“It's unclear to me what a statement like that would mean,” says Kiersten Todt, a former chief of staff to CISA’s director, “because as the elections approach, the need to ensure the safety and security of those elections is even more urgent.”

Indeed, Costello says, the run-up to Election Day is “when misinformation [and] disinformation upticks the highest” and when it’s most important to debunk lies about things like polling places and voting times. “That's when [we’re] most vulnerable. And we saw that in 2016.”

Muzzling CISA during this crucial period, Costello says, “runs the risk of creating a bubble where Russia or China or any other nation-state threat actor could have a safe space for a massive disinformation campaign.”

If Trump wins and adopts this approach, Todt worries that CISA’s locally deployed election security advisers will be pressured not to offer help in a campaign’s closing stage. CISA’s empowerment of its field force is “one of the great achievements and successes of the past few years,” she says.

Project 2025 also vaguely decries what it characterizes as CISA’s overlap with other agencies. The report says CISA “should refrain from duplicating cybersecurity functions done elsewhere at the Department of Defense, FBI, National Security Agency, and US Secret Service,” but no cyber experts consulted by WIRED could figure out what that means.

If the idea is that the military, not CISA, should be defending critical infrastructure operators from hackers, that’s “a fundamental misreading of US law … about who's allowed to do what,” Costello says. “CISA helps facilitate things domestically that DoD can't touch and NSA can't touch.” That includes direct monitoring of intrusion-detection sensors on critical infrastructure networks.

If anything, the military has impinged on CISA’s territory—not the other way around—out of exasperation with the civilian agency’s constrained resources, says Montgomery, a retired Navy rear admiral.

“The Department of Defense would say, ‘We're having to do things that we think CISA should be doing,’” Montgomery says, which has meant “slowly creeping outside the base fence to make sure that electrical power grids, water systems, [and] telecom systems [near bases] are properly protected in case of a crisis.”

Department of Dubious Moves

Of all the CISA proposals in Project 2025’s plan, the most ambitious one is highly unlikely to succeed: moving the agency into the Department of Transportation as part of a broader initiative to dismantle DHS.

The recommendation reflects conservatives’ desire to shrink the overall size of government, but it may also suggest a belief that moving CISA would curtail its scope and make it “a little more manageable,” says Brandon Pugh, director of the cybersecurity and emerging threats team at the center-right think tank R Street Institute. Pugh says some Republicans believe the agency “went beyond its original mandate and [has] become too bloated.”

But this idea is a virtual nonstarter because the congressional committees with oversight of CISA won’t give up their power in a rapidly growing domain. “There's no way that would ever work,” Costello says.

Apart from being infeasible, the proposal would undermine CISA’s effectiveness.

Cybersecurity fits squarely into DHS’s homeland-security portfolio, so moving CISA into a department with a different mission “doesn't make a lot of sense” and “would undermine some of the organizational logic,” Kelly says. “I don't actually understand the rationale of that.”

DHS is also better-suited to facilitate the kind of cross-government collaboration that CISA relies on for its twin missions of protecting federal computer systems and helping companies and local governments defend themselves.

“Giving CISA to Department of Transportation would reduce the cybersecurity of our national critical infrastructure for some period of time,” Montgomery says, adding that Transportation is “one of the last places” he’d put CISA and calling the proposal “nonsensical.”

Still, observers say it might be worth reviewing the structure of DHS, which has steadily accumulated functions since its post-9/11 creation and is now considered something of a Frankenstein department. But that review has to be “well thought out,” Todt says. “Reorganization of government should never be taken lightly.”

Squandering a Moment

Even as Project 2025 appears to misunderstand some aspects of CISA’s mission and focus disproportionately on others, the document also misses opportunities to recommend meaningful reforms.

Congress has spent years waiting for CISA to complete a “force structure assessment” that would better define its mission and the resources and organization needed to accomplish it. But even beyond CISA, there are serious concerns that the government as a whole isn’t coordinating well on cyber issues.

Pugh says it’s worth examining whether the system is working well. “Do we need to take a harder look at who's responsible for different leadership aspects of cyber?”

For now, though, experts agree that Project 2025 misses the mark. The document, Montgomery says, is “full of little tantrums” and “shows a lack of understanding of how federal government works.”

Costello says it’s “embarrassing” to see Project 2025 “call for essentially the hollowing out of CISA,” and he worries that its implementation could create a perilous feedback loop for the agency.

“If you were to reduce the mission scope and importance of CISA,” he says, “morale is going to drop, people are going to want to leave, and Congress is going to be less willing to fund [it].”

[realinspirations]

Harnessing the Power of Networking: Unlock Career and Business Success

 In the ever-evolving global of commercial enterprise, career improvement, and private growth, one concept stays timeless and beneficial — networking. Harnessing the power of networking is not just about exchanging business cards or including new connections on LinkedIn; it’s approximately constructing real, long-time period relationships that open doors to new opportunities, ideas, and collaborations. Whether you're an entrepreneur, a professional mountaineering the corporate ladder, a student, or someone exploring new ventures, networking may be the catalyst that propels you forward.

building business relationships through effective networking

Understanding Networking

Networking is the artwork and technological know-how of creating and nurturing expert relationships. It includes establishing an internet of contacts — peers, mentors, enterprise leaders, clients, colleagues — who can provide assist, share know-how, provide steerage, and introduce you to new opportunities. Effective networking is collectively useful; it’s not about taking, but about giving and exchanging cost.

Networking takes place in many paperwork: formal networking activities, seminars, conferences, alumni meets, enterprise boards, social media structures, or even casual meet-ups. The key's to be proactive and intentional in connecting with people who can assist your goals — and whom you can support in go back.

The Benefits of Networking

1. Access to Opportunities

One of the most substantial blessings of networking is get entry to to new possibilities — process offers, partnerships, commercial enterprise leads, venture collaborations, and investments. Many process openings, especially excessive-stage roles, are never advertised publicly. Instead, they’re stuffed via referrals and pointers within a network. A strong network will increase your visibility and places you on the radar for such possibilities.

2. Learning and Knowledge Sharing

Networking exposes you to new ideas, tendencies, and enterprise insights. Engaging with specialists from numerous backgrounds allows expand your attitude. It maintains you up to date on what’s occurring in your area, what skills are in call for, what technology are rising, and the way to stay ahead. Often, casual conversations can provide extra applicable and actionable information than textbooks or training modules.

Three. Boosting Confidence and Communication Skills

Regular networking builds self assurance, especially when interacting with senior experts or professionals. It enhances your communication, persuasion, and presentation abilities. When you pitch ideas, introduce your self, or take part in discussions, you evidently improve your readability, tone, and self belief.

Four. Personal and Professional Growth

The steering of a mentor or skilled colleague could make a large distinction in your career journey. Networking allows you to locate such folks that can guide you, assignment you, and maintain you accountable. These relationships offer encouragement, honest comments, and strategic advice — frequently at important turning factors to your lifestyles or business.

Five. Enhanced Visibility and Reputation

Becoming an lively a part of your expert network builds your non-public logo. When humans know who you are, what you do, and what price you convey, they are much more likely to suggest you or refer you to others. This form of visibility is critical for career development, business improvement, and enterprise recognition.

Strategies to Harness the Power of Networking

1. Be Genuine and Authentic

People can feel whilst you’re being insincere or simplest attaining out for non-public benefit. Authenticity is crucial. Approach relationships with the mind-set of constructing long-term connections, not extracting brief-term benefits. Show actual interest in others — their paintings, achievements, demanding situations, and dreams.

2. Offer Value Before You Ask

One of the most effective approaches to build trust and rapport is through providing assist first. Share beneficial statistics, connect people, sell their paintings, or offer feedback. When you continuously add value, human beings are extra willing to help you in return.

Three. Follow Up and Stay in Touch

 After meeting a person, follow up with a message or e mail. Reconnect periodically, percentage updates, and keep the connection heat. People take into account folks who maintain touch and maintain to have interaction meaningfully.

Four. Leverage Online Platforms

In today’s virtual age, networking extends past physical interactions. Platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Slack communities, and industry-unique forums offer extremely good opportunities to connect with professionals global. Participate in discussions, touch upon posts, submit articles, and build a web presence.

Five. Attend Events and Be Visible

Conferences, workshops, webinars, and networking mixers are goldmines for significant connections.  Don’t be afraid to technique strangers or enterprise leaders — everyone appreciates a confident and respectful approach.

6. Be a Good Listener

Effective networking isn’t about talking ad infinitum about yourself. It’s about listening. Listening deeply builds empathy and creates a more potent bond.

7. Join Professional Associations or Groups

Industry associations, chambers of commerce, entrepreneur clubs, or alumni corporations are designed to foster connections. Join and actively take part in those groups. They provide a dependent and targeted surroundings for constructing valuable relationships.

Common Networking Mistakes to Avoid

Being Transactional – If your conversations are continually about what others can do for you, your community will dry up rapid. Build actual relationships as a substitute.

Neglecting Your Existing Network – It’s less complicated to keep a relationship than to construct a brand new one. Don’t forget people you’ve already connected with.

Lack of Preparation – When attending events, not getting to know attendees or making ready an elevator pitch can cause awkward or unproductive interactions.

Ignoring Online Presence – Inconsistent or unprofessional online profiles can hurt your credibility. Keep them updated and aligned together with your goals.

Not Following Up – Meeting a person is just step one. Without comply with-up, the relationship weakens or fades.

Networking for Introverts

For introverts, networking may seem intimidating or exhausting. The appropriate information is that networking isn’t approximately being the loudest character in the room; it’s about developing significant one-on-one connections. Start small. Set practical desires, like speakme to 2 humans at an event. Focus on nice, no longer amount. Use on line platforms in which written conversation feels greater comfortable. With time, even the maximum reserved people can emerge as extraordinary networkers.

Meaning Of Leaving A Lasting Legacy

Exam anxiety in students

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive

By Hannah Langenfeld

Some American University students say they will get vaccinated against the coronavirus and the flu this winter, but have varying reasons for doing so.

Over four years since the COVID-19 pandemic hit cities and college campuses across the world, false rhetoric continues to spread about COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated information on its webpage this October to encourage children and adults to get a COVID-19 booster as new strains of the virus emerge. However, some students fear President-elect Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services as secretary could harm vaccination efforts.

Maya Kaufman, a sophomore at the School of International Service, said that she was raised in a “non-religious household” and that scientific information holds a lot of value in her family, shaping her opinions toward vaccinations.

“I'm totally knocked out by COVID booster shots but I still do it because I think it is important,” Kaufman said. “It has taken decades upon decades for a lot of vaccines to be developed and we got a vaccine for COVID very quickly so I think that people need to take advantage of that to help continue to contain it.”

Similarly, Melissa Patten, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, is a public health major and her mother is a nurse. Patten said that both have influenced why she is a “firm believer” in getting vaccinated this season.

“I think everybody should get vaccinated against COVID since it’s as simple as getting the flu shot — which I think everybody should also get,” Patten said. “Do your research and understand that COVID is a bigger issue and the only reason why we were able to end the pandemic quickly is because of vaccinations.”

COVID-19 has become a “deeply politicized” issue, said Lexington Allen, a junior in SIS, sharing his issue with Kennedy being picked to lead HHS.

Kennedy, a known skeptic of vaccines, founded the anti-vaccine nonprofit group Children’s Health Defense. Many public health experts have raised alarm bells over this potential appointment.

“The fact that RFK Jr. has such extreme opinions against vaccines really concerns me because [HHS] is now going to have less support for COVID care and prevention than before,” Allen said. “It really scares me that a Trump-led administration has consistently denied the existence of the pandemic and prevention toward another.”

Kennedy is “not interested in following the science,” said CM Heinrich, a senior and double major in public health and health promotion. Heinrich said one of their primary concerns is that, despite comments from Kennedy that he would not take away vaccines, he won’t “stick” to his words. Heinrich said with other respiratory viruses and monkeypox spreading now and in the future, in addition to COVID-19, they believe there could have been “more qualified individuals” nominated for the HHS Secretary position.

Heinrich added that conversations within their public health classes and the field writ large revolve around a lack of pandemic preparedness under a second Trump Administration and a Kennedy-led HHS.

“We're not set up to handle another virus of that magnitude, regardless of how it spreads,” Heinrich said. “The biggest thing that worked out for COVID is that we were able to very quickly get a new vaccine made and it was revolutionary.”

Heinrich explained that during the creation of the COVID-19 vaccine, there was a use of high-end, new technology and the ability to work through a “very effective and safe” vaccine approval process. As a result, vaccines were distributed in the U.S. quickly to meet the emergency demand. Their concern is what could happen with future vaccine creation.

“I’ve seen that RFK has been adamant about trying to lengthen the process and do more testing,” Heinrich said. “And in theory, that's a good idea, but we already have very good standards for vaccine safety and I think we’re kind of going to see progress being slowed in that regard.”

“Getting vaccinated against even something like the flu is important and it provides herd immunity” Heinrich added. “Getting vaccinated helps society because it means that we are not able to get infected as easily or not going to infect [immunocompromised] people easily.”

Allen said that if his doctor approves it, he will receive the COVID-19 vaccine this year because vaccinating against it is a necessity for him. Allen said that he continues to wear a mask while in classes because he understands how complex COVID-19 has become.

“I am disabled and immunocompromised, so for me, vaccines are a very important way to make sure I don't go to the hospital,” Allen said. “It's complicated because, on one hand, COVID is becoming less deadly, but it’s also becoming more transmissible. I think COVID is still a very disabling illness and can cause long COVID side effects.”

Kennedy made a speech at a ‘Latino Town Hall’ event this past June where he said people who take stimulant drugs or antidepressants could choose to go to “wellness farms” if they want.

Lily Tierney, a senior in the School of Communication, said that she has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and takes medication to help manage it. ADHD medications such as Adderall are classified as stimulant drugs. Tierney said that Kennedy’s rhetoric “scares” her because it reflects how he may run HHS if he is confirmed as the next secretary.

“I am extraordinarily fearful, but one of the main things that scares me is the fact that he wants to put people who take stimulants in camps,” Tierney said. “RFK Jr. is someone who’s such a denier of real scientific things like vaccines and he terrifies me all around.”

Students interested in receiving the flu or COVID-19 vaccines can do so at the Student Health Center, and at locations near campus such as the CVS Minute Clinic in Tenleytown and the Walgreens on New Mexico Avenue.

This article was edited by Samantha Skolnick, Tyler Davis and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Ella Rousseau, Ariana Kavoossi and Sabine Kanter-Huchting. Fact checking done by Luna Jinks and Hannah Paisley Zoulek.

[bangkoklawyr]

Thailand SMART Visa

Thailand’s Smart Visa is a specialized visa program designed to attract high-skilled professionals, investors, entrepreneurs, and startup founders to contribute to the country’s growing technology, innovation, and digital economy sectors. Unlike standard work visas, the Smart Visa offers extended stay privileges, streamlined processes, and exemptions from certain bureaucratic hurdles.

This article provides an in-depth analysis of the Thailand Smart Visa, covering its eligibility criteria, benefits, application process, and strategic advantages for foreign talent and businesses.

1. Overview of the Thailand Smart Visa

Launched in 2018 by the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) and the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA), the Smart Visa targets individuals in high-value industries, including:

Advanced technology (AI, IoT, robotics, automation)

Digital and tech startups

Research and development (R&D)

Corporate investment in targeted sectors

The visa is structured into four categories:

Smart-T (Talent) – For highly skilled professionals in tech and innovation.

Smart-I (Investor) – For investors in BOI-promoted industries.

Smart-E (Executive) – For senior executives in tech-driven companies.

Smart-S (Startup) – For founders of high-potential startups.

2. Key Benefits of the Smart Visa

The Smart Visa provides significant advantages over traditional Thai work visas:

A. Extended Stay and Multiple Entry

Initial validity of up to 4 years (renewable)

No 90-day reporting requirement (unlike standard visas)

Multiple re-entry permits without additional paperwork

B. Work and Business Flexibility

No work permit required (unlike standard employment visas)

Permission to work for multiple entities (with approval)

Fast-tracked approvals for BOI-backed companies

C. Family and Dependent Privileges

Spouse and children eligible for dependent visas

Spouse permitted to work (subject to approval)

Children allowed to study in Thailand

D. Tax and Investment Incentives

Potential corporate tax exemptions for BOI-approved companies

Personal income tax benefits for qualifying expatriates

3. Eligibility Requirements

Each Smart Visa category has specific qualifications:

A. Smart-T (Talent Visa)

✔ Highly skilled professionals in AI, robotics, biotech, fintech, or digital industries ✔ Minimum salary of 200,000 THB/month (or lower in some cases with BOI approval) ✔ Employed by a Thai company in a BOI-promoted sector

B. Smart-I (Investor Visa)

✔ Minimum investment of 20 million THB in a Thai tech or innovation company ✔ Investment must align with BOI priority sectors

C. Smart-E (Executive Visa)

✔ Senior executives or experts in BOI-promoted companies ✔ Minimum salary of 200,000 THB/month

D. Smart-S (Startup Visa)

✔ Founders of tech startups with funding or accelerator backing ✔ Startup must be registered in Thailand and endorsed by DEPA or BOI

4. Application Process

The Smart Visa application involves multiple steps:

Company or Individual Qualification Check

The employer or investor must ensure eligibility under BOI/DEPA criteria.

Submission to the Smart Visa Unit

Documents include:

Passport copy

Employment contract (for Smart-T/E)

Investment proof (for Smart-I)

Startup business plan (for Smart-S)

Approval and Visa Issuance

Processing time: ~3-4 weeks

Visa issued at a Thai embassy or through an in-country conversion.

5. Strategic Advantages for Foreign Professionals & Businesses

A. Access to Thailand’s Booming Tech Ecosystem

Thailand is rapidly expanding in AI, blockchain, and smart manufacturing, making it a hub for tech talent.

Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) offers infrastructure and tax incentives for tech firms.

B. Easier Compliance Than Standard Work Visas

No work permit renewals or cumbersome paperwork.

Greater mobility for regional business operations.

C. Pathway to Long-Term Residency

Smart Visa holders may qualify for Thailand’s Elite Visa or PR after meeting residency requirements.

6. Challenges and Considerations

Despite its benefits, the Smart Visa has some limitations:

Stringent salary and investment thresholds may exclude mid-level professionals.

BOI/DEPA endorsement required, adding complexity for startups without government backing.

Limited to specific industries, excluding non-tech sectors.

7. Conclusion

The Thailand Smart Visa is a game-changer for high-value expatriates, investors, and entrepreneurs looking to engage with Thailand’s innovation-driven economy. With long-term stay benefits, work flexibility, and tax incentives, it stands out as one of the most attractive visa programs in Southeast Asia.

However, its strict eligibility criteria mean it is best suited for top-tier professionals and well-funded startups. For those who qualify, it provides an unparalleled advantage in Thailand’s competitive tech and business landscape.

For further details, applicants should consult the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) or the Smart Visa official website.

Final Thoughts

Thailand’s Smart Visa reflects the country’s strategic push toward digital transformation and foreign talent acquisition. As the program evolves, we may see expanded categories and relaxed requirements to attract a broader range of skilled professionals.

[rjzimmerman]

As a native of Gary, Indiana, and a former "summer employee" at U.S. Steel (to pay for my college education), I'm obviously invested in what happens to the Gary Works of U.S. Steel. This story answers several of my questions, and puts me on the "no" side of this proposal. Excerpt from this story from Grist:

U.S. Steel, once the world’s largest company of any kind, can take substantial credit for the growth of American industrial power in the 20th century. But in recent decades, it’s been shuttering mills and shedding workers. Now, the iconic Pittsburgh-based manufacturer is set to be acquired by a Japanese steelmaker, Nippon Steel — if the federal government allows the deal to proceed.

Earlier this month, reports emerged that the Biden administration is preparing to block the nearly $15 billion merger on the grounds that it presents a threat to America’s national security interests. The United Steelworkers union opposes it, fearing future layoffs and weaker labor protections under new ownership. So do both major candidates for president, who are vying for votes in the Rust Belt. Supporters of the deal, like the Washington Post editorial board and the nonpartisan think tank The Atlantic Council, have cast the politicians’ opposition as election-season pandering, and argued that the national security rationale on which Biden may block it is flimsy. But one area, in which the question of whether the merger goes through could be particularly consequential, has gone largely unremarked upon in the conversation: what it means for the climate.

Some environmentalists say the deal could slow the crucial progress that the steel industry must make in order to decarbonize. Their argument stems from the fact that both U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel have been slow, compared to industry peers, to adopt the most impactful decarbonization technologies, even with federal funding available in the U.S. to do so.

The most common process by which primary steel is produced is massively carbon-intensive. The reasons for this lie in chemistry. Steel is made from iron, but the form in which iron ore occurs in the Earth’s crust is mostly iron oxide (similar to rust). In order to get usable iron from it, one needs to remove the oxygen. For centuries, iron-makers have accomplished this by using coke, a fuel made from coal, which is heated alongside iron ore in a blast furnace at such high temperatures that the iron melts into a liquid while the oxygen bonds with the carbon in the coke and produces carbon dioxide.

Blast furnaces are responsible for the lion’s share of carbon emissions from steelmaking, and the inextricability of carbon emissions from the ironmaking process is a large part of the reason why, overall, steelmaking is responsible for 7 percent of global carbon emissions, and a quarter of industrial carbon emissions. These percentages will likely grow as other sectors of the economy are decarbonized. In the U.S., demand for steel is also expected to grow dramatically over the next decade to provide the raw material of the industrial growth sparked by the Inflation Reduction Act and the planned buildout of clean energy infrastructure and transmission lines. For these reasons, the task of decarbonizing steel is as urgent as it is difficult and expensive.

Fortunately, there is a solution on offer that has recently become viable due to new technological advances — and one that the Biden administration has sought to heavily subsidize: replacing blast furnaces with a process called direct reduction, and using hydrogen as a reducing agent in place of carbon, ultimately discharging water rather than carbon dioxide. “The chemistry is sound, it’s being built, it’s been piloted and demonstrated,” said Yong Kwon, a senior advisor with the Sierra Club’s Industrial Transformation Campaign. “The question is now: Will industries adopt it?”

There are eight operating steel mills in the United States that make “primary” steel (newly created steel, rather than the generally lower-quality “secondary” steel produced from scrap metal). Three are owned by U.S. Steel. Cleveland-Cliffs, the owner of the other five, has also made an offer to buy U.S. Steel and has been much more proactive in making the shift to greener production. “The Department of Energy has made available a great deal of money to do partnerships with industry to demonstrate the value of decarbonized projects,” said Todd Tucker, director of the industrial policy and trade program at the Roosevelt Institute. Both Cleveland-Cliffs and U.S. Steel have availed themselves of such funding to embark on decarbonization programs. U.S. Steel has partnered with the Department of Energy on carbon capture projects at several of their steel mills, and funded research and development of hydrogen-based ironmaking technology. The company also plans to install a carbon capture program at a blast furnace at its steel mill in Gary, Indiana, which it says will turn up to 50,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually into limestone — a tiny fraction of that facility’s overall emissions. But critics note that U.S. Steel has yet to take a step as ambitious as its rival by actually replacing one of its blast furnaces with direct reduction of iron.

The stakes of the potential U.S. Steel-Nippon Steel merger are perhaps best illustrated in the city of Gary, Indiana, which was built in 1906 by U.S. Steel to house workers at its Gary Works steel mill. That mill is home to the country’s largest and most carbon-emitting blast furnace — and it’s nearing the end of its lifespan. This situation hypothetically presents the furnace’s owner with an ideal opportunity to switch to a cleaner technology, with federal funding on the table to do so. But in August, Nippon Steel announced its prospective plans for Gary Works, which include a $300 million investment in relining the furnace to extend its lifespan for another 20 years. With this announcement, Kwon said, “Not only have they back in Japan not pursued solutions that we feel are responsible; they’ve now explicitly come out and said that they’re not going to pursue the solution that is on the table for reducing the climate change and public health harms that are currently produced by the iron-making process.”

[world-of-wales]

─ •✧ WILLIAM'S YEAR IN REVIEW : DECEMBER ✧• ─

4 DECEMBER - William wrote the Foreword for 'Two Million Shout conversations: Saving lives at scale through the power of technology'. 5 DECEMBER - The Prince of Wales joined Dave Martin in selling the Big Issue Magazine at Tesco in Hammersmith. Afterwards, he joined Catherine at the annual Diplomatic Corps Reception. 6 DECEMBER - The Waleses were spotted Christmas Tree Shopping at Windsor Great Park. 7 DECEMBER - The Prince of Wales attended a Royal Foundation Meeting at the offices in London. Afterwards, William visited Emma Webb on Day-13 of 'Leg on to London’ Mental Health fundraising and awareness campaign in memory of her daughter - Brodie. He also appeared in a video message to ICAP for ICAP Charity Day. 8 DECEMBER - William along with Catherine and their children attended the Christmas Carol Service in Westminster Abbey. 9 DECEMBER - The Wales Family's Christmas Card was released. 11 DECEMBER - William chaired a Meeting of The Prince's Council at Buckingham Palace. Afterwards he visited The Passage Charity's St. Vincent's Centre for a Pre-Christmas Lunch. 12 DECEMBER - William visited the Warrant Officers' and Senior Non-Commissioned Officers' Mess at Combermere Barracks. 14 DECEMBER - The Prince of Wales was received by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of Devon (Mr. David Fursdon) as he attended the Lord High Admiral's Divisions at Britannia Royal Naval College. 18 DECEMBER - William presented condolences to The Emir of the State of Kuwait in Kuwait, following the death of The Emir Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. 24 DECEMBER - 'Together At Christmas' Carol Service aired on ITV with a special reading by William. 25 DECEMBER - A personal tweet from Will & Cat was released wishing everyone a merry christmas. Later, they along with their children joined other members of the Royal Family for the Divine Service at Sandringham Parish Church. The Waleses appeared in a video during the King's Christmas Address. 26 DECEMBER - William appeared in 'Charles III : A Coronation Year'. 29 DECEMBER - An 'Year In Review' video was released by Kensington Palace. 30 DECEMBER - Matt Porteus released a new photograph of the Waleses attending the Coronation Concert in May.

[the-blind-assassin-12]

It’s Always the Same

1200 words for 1200 followers #4 

A/N: Hi friends! Welcome to the 12-A-Palooza! This event is my way of saying thank you for sticking with me. Your support and kindness toward me and my writing is out of this world and I’m grateful for every last one of you! This is one of two requests that I got for Jack, and they will be related... and I already have plans to continue it after all the 12-A-Palooza requests are done. So in addition to the Spectrum Soulmate Marcus Pike AU, the Jack Daniels Time Travel AU is now a thing. (And I’m not mad about it at all.) 💚

Warnings: mention of character death, mention of violence, this one is angsty and I am SORRY. 

Requested by: @azure-waves Song: Back in Town Character Choice: Jack Daniels - Thank you for sending this in! I hope you enjoy this, darling! I know it’s a little angsty, but I have a plan so don’t worry too much!!

Jack Daniels was the best Agent within the Statesman organization. 

Skilled, suave, brave, reliable, dedicated. Jack was everything the agency stood for, everything they valued. Because of that, he’d risen quickly in the ranks, becoming a Senior Agent after only eight years of service. 

But there was one thing that set him apart from the rest of the Agents even more than those attributes - his willingness to partake in tests of new, experimental technology that could help the agency gain advantages. He had been the first to step forward when researchers brought Alpha-Gel to trial, fully aware and accepting of the risks involved. 

Nothin’ much to lose if it goes sideways. 

So when Champ and Ginger came to him with the proposition of a new trial, Jack had all but signed on before knowing a single detail. 

“It’s not as dangerous as the Alpha-Gel testing was,” Ginger explained. “But it’s … delicate.” 

“Well, darlin’, I can be as delicate as a daisy when the occasion calls for it. What’s the mission?” 

He didn’t expect time travel.

They called it The Rewind, since for now Statesman only had the ability to move in one direction along the continuum - backwards, and only up to three years - and Ginger had been right to deem it delicate. Time was a fragile thing, and handling it too harshly left fingerprints where they didn’t belong. Those fingerprints could cause the present to cave in on itself and the future cease to exist. 

Jack silently hoped that they never gained the ability to travel beyond the three year mark. He knew that if it became possible to go back to the moment that his wife was killed, no amount of moral obligation would keep him from trying to save her. 

Future be fuckin’ damned. 

The Rewind hadn’t been engineered so Agents could change things that had already happened, though. It was created strictly so the agency could gather intelligence. It allowed a person to go back to a specific time and place, to witness that moment again and again from different perspectives, drop eaves on a conversation until it had been memorized, hunt for clues in the near past that might give them an edge in the present so they could put a stop to things before they happened. 

But it was still in the early stages. There was still a battery of experiments to run. That was where Jack came in. 

“We’ll be sending you back three years, to the night of July 19th. There’s a place on the outskirts of town called the Junction. Or -” Ginger arched one eyebrow. “There was. It closed down six months ago. But before it did? A lot of shady characters used to meet there. We think it’s where Dark Shadow did most of its recruiting.” 

Jack’s top lip curled at the mention of the crime organization. Dark Shadow had been a weapon smuggling ring that operated by overwhelming local law enforcement with a slew of small crimes so that they could pull off their larger ones while the authorities were distracted. They sold guns to drug dealers, who in turn put pistols in the hands of every sales soldier on the streets. They were the reason that countless hearts had been broken by the words “wrong place, wrong time” just as Jack’s had. 

Taking them down had undoubtedly been his proudest moment as a Statesman. 

Ginger explained that since they already knew how things shook out for Dark Shadow, testing the Rewind on their hideout meant that the stakes were low. “For now we just want you to go, spend a few hours there, act as though you’re just a patron getting a drink. You can talk to people as long as you don’t tell them anything that hasn’t happened for them yet. We’ll pull you back remotely when it's time, and then you’ll report on anything you can remember.” 

Jack nodded. “Seems simple enough.” 

“We’ll repeat this process until we’re confident that you’ve absorbed every detail of that night - what people were wearing, the texture of the bar top, all of it. That gives us an idea of how big a window we’ll have when we send Agents in for live missions. How long they’ll need in a space that size with the same number of variables and-” 

“Ginger.” Champ cleared his throat as a gentle interruption. “Think he gets the idea. Don’t ya, Whiskey?” 

“Sure. Like any old night on the town. ‘Cept it’s the same night every night until I can paint it pretty as a picture for you. That about it?” 

Ginger gave a sheepish nod, aware that she was prone to over explanation at times. “Yup. That’s about it. For now.” 

– – – 

Jack stopped outside the Junction, staring at the flickering neon letters on the sign that hung in the window. Like always, the C was dead. This time, though, he noticed that it was due to a crack in the lightbox that looked distinctly like a bullet hole. 

Well look at that. A new piece of the picture already. 

With that he went inside. He wasted no time lingering near the dart boards or sauntering through the billiards tables as he’d done his first few July 19ths. He’d already gained what he could from the people gathered around them on previous trips. This time his focus was directly on the bar. Or more directly on the woman behind it. 

You.

It was his twelfth time pulling up a stool and ordering a drink from you. Nine of those times he’d asked you your name and he’d given you his. You’d spent nearly half your shift ignoring other customers to talk with him on at least seven occasions. Five times he’d caught you looking at him in the bar mirror, a guilty - but not ashamed - grin curving your cheeks. There were four times when you had asked him if he wanted to get coffee at the diner on ninth street, three when he had said yes, and two when you’d invited him back to your place after that. The last time he walked into the Junction he ended up in your bed, with you panting his name into his ear. 

He remembered every detail of every interaction with you.

But for you it was the first time you’d seen him. You didn’t know his name or his drink. Didn’t know that he made you laugh or that his hands had already mapped your body. “What’ll you have, Cowboy?” 

He gave you the same smile he had the last few times - which meant that you couldn’t tell it was just a little sad. “Whiskey’n water, darlin’.” 

Always the same. 

He couldn’t help the twinge in his chest as you turned to make his drink. Jack wasn’t expecting the mission to be time travel. And he sure as shit wasn’t expecting to fall for a woman from a different timeline. But here he was. And there you were. 

The Alpha-Gel trials had been painful. Knowing that you would forget him every time was torture.

Still, when you asked him out for coffee, he grinned, standing from his stool. “You ever been to the 9th Street Diner, darlin’?” 

.

.

Thank you for reading! If you’d like to be added to or removed from the tag list, please feel free to let me know. You can also fill out the form on my Masterlist! :)

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[moonsquaremars]

Oh, the 12th House.

Sometime between middle and high school, I had a dream. I was using Tumblr, logging on, and seeing what other people were saying. There had been some catastrophe, and not everyone had the internet. It wasn't guaranteed. But I somehow had access to the internet, and I logged onto Tumblr through my TV. People hadn't posted in weeks, months.

I thought it was weird that I was scrolling through Tumblr on my TV. This was 2010. It wasn't a flat screen. It was big and chunky and a box. These days, you can check Tumblr on a TV. Technology has come a long way. Airplay. Screensharing. Smartphones.

Could that dream have been a premonition? Of the decline in use of Tumblr over the years. I had just discovered Tumblr in the 8th grade. I was one of the first users, back when hipsters and mustache and converse pictures were just about to become the rage. Myspace was still around, though becoming a graveyard more and more by the month. Scene kids never die though. Rawr :]

~

What could the dream have meant? Perhaps that TV would be my own demise? My armageddon?

When I first read about the 12th house, I was a first-year at Centre College. The 'best' college in Kentucky. Private, small, liberal arts college with a hefty endowment. Most people have never heard of it. So much for the prestige and recognition.

I read Liz Green's article about the 12th house. I had just started getting into astrology. I'm smart. Was an IB / International Baccalaureate student at one of the best high school's in the city. But astrology gave my little 18 year old mind & heart some peace of mind. Homework and ambition can only do so much.

Harvard. Thanks to Gossip Girl, Brown University became my dream school. I applied Early Admission, seeing as the acceptance rate was slightly higher, and I thought my desire and longing to be upper class would carry the weight for my acceptance. AAAANNNHHHH!!!! Nope. Try again. You were just an above average student, thought not straight As or rich and well connected. Of course, this got my admittance to other good schools. Just not an Ivy. You probably would have hated it anyway, seeing as you had a nervous breakdown your second semester into college. And that was only two hours away from home! :) Rhode Island? not a chance.

My intuition told me not to go to Centre. But my ego persisted. I wanted to go to the best school in Kentucky, and I wouldn't settle for less.

I got so drunk the weekend I visited campus my senior year. The guy blamed himself for letting me get carried away. But I knew what I was doing. Granted I didn't mean to get that fucked up. But I wanted to get drunk. My bad homes.

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So, I wanted the conventionally successful life. I did. Graduate college in four years, maybe be a banker or something. Make money. It really seemed so simple to me. Then my life became a living hell. Torture. I became so reclusive. Would walk around in the night, and miss my classes in the morning. I had no money. No car. Surrounded by strangers, rich strangers, in a small town two hours from home.

I fell apart.

I ended up in the Psych ward for a week. Took the rest of the semester off to join a new religion, the Mormons. Came back the next Fall only to be completely miserable again in a couple weeks time.

I guess I just thought I could handle it. I wasn't disciplined enough to stick it out. I was crazy enough that it became too difficult.

I was in fact crazy. I didn't realize it at the time. I do now. It's why I blacked out all those years.

Thanks, 12th house.

The 12th house in Astrology. The house of Psych wards, Prisons, Monestaries, Rehabs. A single drop of water in the vast vast ocean.

The unconscious. Spirituality. Bipolar disorder. Photography. Drugs. Weird religion. Gay.

Boy, I had it in for me. All things considered.

I realized though, my dad's Sun was also in the 12th house. Mine and his. So I guess we asked for this. We're in this together. Two wackos.

Great.... :(

I guess what they say is true.

The 12th house makes you crazy. I'm living proof. But it also gave me psychic powers. Gifts. The days you feel like you are completely drowning, though, are the worst.