#we’re in public and there’s a sign by our table with ‘K will you marry me?’ on it

[noirandchocolate]

Guess WHAT!!!!

Your girl KidK just got proposed to by the BEST PERSON EVER, BAST, via a VACATION PICNIC at a SEASIDE PARK that was a SURPRISE and there was a PHOTOGRAPHER and EVERYTHING.

I’m eating a charcuterie board with my FIANCÉE!!

[xxisxxisxxis]

Gateway Drug | Part Sixty-Five

A/N: If you didn't see my post yesterday, I decide to break this chapter into 2 chapters. The preview for this chapter is included in the next chapter.

Words: 3.7k

Warning(s): Explicit language, mentions of drug abuse

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I blink my eyes open to see Izzy standing over me, my brows furrowing at the sight of him, confusion filing into my mind.

“Izzy.” I croak out, closing my eyes again for a moment.

“Viv.” He replies.

"What're you doing here?" I groan, tiredly.

"A girl I hooked up with last night lives in this neighborhood." He tells me. "Karen let me in."

“Of course she did.” I mumble, sitting up with another groan, and he sits on the floor next to me, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket, lighting it.

“So, like, what happened?” He asks me, looking around at the shithole mess I made last night and I lick my cracked lips, feeling the tightness of dried, mascara coated tears that have glued to my face, and let out an exhausted breath.

“You ever walk into your house and wonder ‘exactly how many surfaces did my husband and his mistress possibly have sex on’?”

“Nope.” He replies, blowing out smoke, and I glance at him.

“Well, that’s what happened.” I reply, sighing. “I thought I was doing good, Izzy. I really thought we were getting better. And we weren’t. It was all bullshit.”

“Trust me, Viv, I’ve fucking been there.” He mumbles.

“I gave her a key to my house.” I repeat what I told him earlier and he looks at me for a moment, looking as if he doesn’t quite know what to say. “I might as well have just handed him over to her and said, ‘he’s yours, have at it’.” I add, letting out a chuckle, although it’s not funny. “I’m not like her. I act nothing like her. I haven’t accomplished as much as she has. I’m not established like she is. I look nothing like her--”

“--She’s a ten but the drugs make her a five. And her being batshit crazy knocks her down to a solid two...on a good day. You’re a ten. Your niceness adds two points, your patience adds two more points, and your crazy is hot, which adds five more points. So technically you’re a seventeen. Don’t compare yourself to a fucking crack addict when there’s barely anything left of her to compare to.” He orders sternly, and I push a strand of hair behind my ear. “And the only thing she can say she’s got on you, is screwing your husband, and she brags about it because strung out Nikki Sixx is obviously a prize.” He sarcastically states and I smile a little. “He didn’t cheat because you weren’t enough, Viv. He cheated because he’s fucking stupid and the drugs just add to it. I assure you, if you were ugly or something, none of us would wanna fuck you. But we do.”

“Gee, thanks, Izzy.” I flatly say, furrowing my brows slightly, and he nudges me with his elbow.

“You’re a seventeen.” He reassures me, smiling.

“See, this is what I would’ve appreciated hearing the other night.” I inform him.

“I was an ass the other night.” He admits. “I’m sorry for yelling at you...and there’s nothing wrong with you not picking up on our hints that something was wrong. You just see the best in people sometimes when they’re fucking shitty, is all.”

“Trust me I’ve learned my lesson.” I scoff.

“No, don’t let this bullshit ruin a good thing. You can still see the good in people and try to be positive about them, just use a little discernment from now on.” He shrugs and I wipe my eyes as he takes another drag of his cigarette.

“Did we just have a moment, Izzy?” I ask, and he furrows his brows and looks at me.

“No.”

“I think we did.”

“No, we didn’t.”

“I think we did. I think we just got a little closer in our friendship.”

“Nope, I don’t think so.”

“We did.”

“We didn’t.”

“I love you and I’m glad we’re friends.”

He just looks at me, trying not to smile, before getting a serious look on his face.

“It’ll be okay, Viv.” He assures me, genuinely, and I nod.

“I know it will be, I’m just kinda scared to go through the hell I’m gonna need to go through in order to get to the ‘it’s okay now’ part.”

“I know you are.” He tells me, exhaling more smoke. “I know you are.” 

That’s the thing about Izzy: a raging jackass when he wants to be, and quiet for the most part, but when he gets serious about something, it’s genuine and hard to ever forget.

Once Izzy decides to go home, I’m staring at the letter from Playboy, eyeing the number left at the bottom of the page for their project manager.

“Just call and see what they say.” I tell myself, taking a deep breath, my palms starting to sweat.

I dial the number and it rings a few times before someone picks up.

“Playboy Enterprises, this is Erika.”

I convince myself to calm down and ease the nerves bunching in my stomach before I reply.

“Y-Yes, this is Vivian Sixx. I got a letter from you guys?”

“Yes, they’ve been hoping you would call. Give me a moment and I’ll transfer your call to our PM.” She tells me.

“Okay, thank you.”

I wait for a moment as the line cuts out, before it cuts back in again.

“Mrs. Sixx?” Another woman’s voice greets me.

“Yes?”

“This is Danielle Wyther, I’m the one that sent you the letter.” She explains.

“Oh.”

“I take it you’ve made your decision.” She says next and I let out a little sigh, hesitantly giving an answer.

“I’m not comfortable doing full nudity--I mean, I don’t have an issue being nude but, like, I want the important parts covered.” I’m saying before I can stop myself, and I furrow my brows and mouth “what the fuck” to myself for being so blunt.

“...We didn’t expect anything different from you, Vivian, no worries.” She tells me and I let out a relieved breath. “We’ve already prepared for more tasteful photos.”

She goes on to tell me when I need to meet with her to sign my contract of payment and a temporary NDA ensuring I won’t let it out to the public I’m posing until they decide to announce it themselves, and then we go over when I need to come to Chicago to shoot.

Once a date is set to meet, and for the photoshoot itself, we hang up and I turn around to see Karen holding a cup of coffee, wearing her bedroom shoes due to the glass on the floor that I need to clean up.

“You didn’t hear that.” I tell her.

“I have no clue what you’re talking about.” She replies, obviously knowing what I’m talking about, but clearly not in a hurry to tell Nikki about it.

She just raises her brows and takes a sip of her coffee, minding her own business. 

After breakfast, I try to clean up the best I can, not even necessarily wanting to go to my room to grab a change of clothes and shower once I'm done, but I do. 

I'll just leave our room a shitshow for him since we're coming back for a five day break in like a week anyway. 

I shower and change clothes, grabbing my car keys.

"Where are you going?" Karen asks me.

"To see Sharise and Sky, and then I’m going out with the guys before I get home.” I tell her.

“Alright, be careful.”

“I will.”

I knew Karen wouldn’t say a thing to Nikki about Playboy, and she honestly never said a thing to me about it...but I could tell she didn’t necessarily agree with my decision, because nobody really agreed with it, they tolerated it.

In all honesty they all thought I had lost my mind, finally, because I was Vivian. Goody-goody, Christianly, worst-thing-ever-done-was-marry-someone-my-mother-didn’t-approve-of, Saint Vivian.

“Yes, I’m sure about it, Sharise.” I tell her, Skylar sticking a unicorn sticker to my face, making me smile at her as Sharise raises her brows at me.

“But you’ll be n-a-k-e-d.” She spells out so Skylar won’t catch on. “A-s-s and b-o-o-b-s out. For everyone to see.”

“Not really, everything’s gonna be covered.”

“Barely.”

“But still covered, nonetheless.” I argue.

“Do you want me to go with you?” She asks next.

“I wanna go!” Skylar says, looking at her mom, not even knowing where exactly we’re going, but wanting to tag along.

“No, I’ll probably have Duff or Steven go with me.” She tell her and she raises her brows.

“Oh...Duff...okay…”

“What?” I ask, furrowing my brows a little and she holds back a tight-lipped smile, shaking her head and shrugging.

“Nothing, Viv. Nothing at all. It’s just...you know…”

“...What exactly do I know?” I question.

“You know what you know.” She says back, matter-of-fact, and I think a moment before scoffing out.

“Oh, puh-lease, Sharise.” I hold back a bark of laughter.

“You know where I’m getting that idea, too.” She states and I shake my head.

“You are crazy.”

“Am I? You’ve just recently been hurt, you’re vulnerable, you’re confused, he’s available and attractive, and a complete gentleman--”

“--Which is exactly why nothing is happening because he’s not going to take advantage of me right now.” I tell her.

“Right now?” She widens her eyes and I sigh. “Ah, so you admit something’s cooking, it’s just not being served at the table at the moment.”

“It’s being poured down the drain because he’s got his own thing and I’ve got mine and neither of us are like that with each other.”

“He broke up with his ‘thing’ earlier this year and yours was just caught with a crack pipe in one hand, a needle in the other, and another woman’s mouth on his d-i-c-k, which sounds like a justified divorce to me.” She says to me, picking Sky up, and I let out a breath...because she’s right.

“Look, just think before you jump into the deep end. Just because there’s room for you to land, doesn’t mean there aren’t sharks waiting for you to dive in.” She warns me and I just nod slowly, rubbing my lips together.

I stay at Sharise’s for a couple more hours, before I’m meeting Duff at the Whisky because they’re playing a show tonight.

“Thank you.” I say as a girl in the crowded room moves for me to squeeze by her to get backstage with the guys once the show is over.

I crack open the door, seeing Axl in his assless chaps, his hair going all kinds of directions in it’s teased glory, and he smiles widely at me.

“Hey, Viv.” He greets me, and I step in to see everybody else in the room: Slash, Izzy, Stevie, Duff, and...no, no, that’s impossible.

I furrow my brows, my heart stopping in my chest.

“D-Dad?” I ask.

He’s just as shell shocked as I am, until his face is lighting up, tears coming to his eyes, as he nervously steps to me.

“What’re you doing here?” I ask next, realizing I’m about to cry.

I haven’t seen him in four years. We’ve written to each other every once in a while just to check up, but I haven’t seen him or heard his voice in four years.

“I’ve been coming down this part of town the past few nights when I heard you were back home.” He explains to me.

“Why?”

He doesn’t have to answer this, I know why. He heard his daughter’s husband possibly cheated on with her, and the mistress announced it on national television.

“Well, I couldn't really comfort you through a stupid letter.” He says and a tear rolls down my cheek.

“Aww, Dad." My voice cracks and he gives me a big hug.

"And I'll fly to wherever he is and give him a piece of my mind,  just say 'when' and I'll give him a real reason to go crawling to another woman." He states and I laugh, pulling away to wipe my eyes, getting a good, up close look at my dad. 

His hair is already starting to grey, despite only being forty-one, and his brown eyes haven't lost any of their spark that's been in them even since I could remember. 

He wipes my tears, giving me a reassuring smile. 

"I'm okay, Dad." I tell him, sniffling, looking around at the guys before looking back up at him. "How do you even know them?"

Apparently, several months prior, my dad happened to be in the same convenience store as Steven, who he saw was trying to smuggle a bag of Cheetos up his shirt because he couldn’t afford to buy them so my dad gave him a few hundred bucks and when he told Steven his name Stevie remembered my maiden name was “Kinston” and asked my dad if he knew me. It went from there and resulted in my dad checking in on them from time to time, but none of them ever told me because they weren’t ever really sure how I felt about my dad.

After the guys get changed, we’re heading to get some food  at the Rainbow with my dad tagging along.

“After she watched the Wizard of Oz with her aunt, she’d pretend she was the Good Witch of the South and used to get out of her little bubble baths and run through the house, calling herself the ‘Bubble Fairy’, with her mom chasing after her.” My dad tells the guys and I squeeze my eyes shut, wishing he wouldn’t have told the story of the notorious “Bubble Fairy.”

“Dad, they didn’t need to know that.” I say to him, seeing Duff and Slash trying to hide their laughter.

“Oh, it’s not that bad, Viv, you were a toddler.” My dad insists. “It was precious.”

“Yeah, maybe you should recreate it and let us see if it’s just as precious.” Izzy says to aggravate me.

“Hey, watch it.” My dad scolds him and I smile smugly at Izzy.

“Yeah, watch it." I echo and Izzy narrows his eyes at me.

"Whatever you say, Bubble Fairy." He says to me and I'm kicking at him under the table, before I'm looking at my dad again, taking a sip of Pepsi.

"Change of subject, why didn't you just come by the house?" I ask my dad.

"I didn't know if you would've wanted me to, if you were still trying to handle everything." He adds. "I was going to when I heard you had a health scare, but I didn't want to overstep any boundaries."

"Dad, I wouldn't have minded." I assure him, shaking my head a little. 

"Well, how much longer are you going to be in town?" He asks.

"Um, I'm flying out tomorrow for about a week, but we're supposed to be coming back home for a break." I explain. 

"'We're'? He's coming back home with you…is he staying with you?" He questions and I blink a couple times. 

"Well, y-yeah, we're still married, dad, so we're gonna be staying in the same house." I explain. "Especially since his manager thinks it's best if we play it off to the public and the media that the situation was a misunderstanding." 

"How the hell does one 'misunderstand' being engaged to a married man?" He asks, and the guys raise their brows.

"Well--"

"--I'd rip his manager a new one and tell him to use it to let out all the extra shit he's full of." 

My eyes widen, and I'm shocked, because I've never heard my dad this angry. 

"Dad, it's okay. After the tour if we want to file for divorce, we will."

"When is the tour over?"

"Next spring."

"Vivian, do you have any idea how long divorce takes to be finalized?" He asks and I rub my lips together. "If you genuinely want to get divorced, I suggest filing now so you can almost be done with it by the time the tour ends." 

"We've tried. She won't listen." Axl states, lighting a cigarette and I glare at him. 

"I'm weighing my options, dad." I say.

"And what's he doing?" He asks next. 

"Shooting heroin and screwing groupies." Axl interjects again.

"Axl." I snap. 

"Dude, c'mon." Duff lightly says, not amused with his suggestion. 

"What?" Axl looks at us. "Coming from a dude, infidelity is like cockroaches. For every one you know about, there's a hundred more you don't know about." 

"Dude!" Stevie scolds him, looking at him like he's lost his mind. 

"So we're just gonna pretend there's no chance that Vanity isn't the first chick Nikki's been with in the six years they've been together?" Axl keeps going. 

"I'm going to the bathroom." I mumble, getting out of the booth, trying not to think about the possibility of Nikki cheating with multiple other girls, but knowing it isn't too far-fetched to consider it.

After a couple minutes of wiping tears in the bathroom stall, I hear the door open, and wait to hear the clicking of heels on the tile floor, but instead hear heavy footsteps.

“Viv?” Duff asks and I let out a relieved sigh, sniffling.

“I’m fine.” I say to him, despite it not sounding convincing in the slightest.

“No, you’re not.” He tells me and I roll my eyes, opening the stall, looking up at him.

“I am.”

“There’s no fucking cameras around, you know that right?” He raises his brows and I exhale softly, throwing my wet, snotty tissue in the garbage can, stepping to the mirror to fix my face the best I can.

“I’ve thought of the possibility of him having others.” I admit, wiping the running mascara from my face as he leans against the stall’s fixture and looks at me in the mirror. “I’ve thought about it, and it’s one of my worst fucking fears is hearing this whole time there’s been girls left and right that’s he’s managed to sneak past me. I don’t like it, but I have thought about it. I’m not oblivious to that possibility.”

“I know you aren’t.” He nods.

“But he’s all I’ve known.” I tell him, taking a deep breath. “He’s all I’ve known and he’s all I’ve got and if I look for any more trouble, I’m gonna find it, and I’d rather not repeat this cycle of feeling like the biggest fucking idiot, so if we can just skip the conversation altogether I’d be really appreciative of it.” I state, turning to face him.

“Got it.” He promises. “And Axl doesn’t mean anything by it, Viv, alright? He just misses the mark when it comes to communication.” He shrugs. 

“I suppose.” I sigh out. “I’m sorry, you’re probably tired of me crying.”

“I wish you wouldn’t cry because I don’t like to see it, but I think you have every reason to, right now. I’m just happy you’re not completely losing your shit like I expected you to.” He explains and I raise my brows.

“Define ‘losing your shit’.”

He looks at me with raised brows.

“What did you do?” He asks me, amused.

“It’s not really what I’ve done...more so what I’m going to do.”

“What’re you going to do?”

“...Playboy sent me a letter, offering $40,000 for a cover shoot and interview, and some pictures to go along with it.” I watch as his eyes widen, and he gets an uneasy look on his face.

“Viv, you aren’t, like, the Playboy type, though.” He points out, worriedly.

“Well, no, I’m not, and I know that and they know that, so when I called just decided to do ‘tasteful’ nude shots.”

“‘Tasteful’ by Vivian standards, or ‘tasteful’ by pornographic magazine standards?”

“Vivian standards. Naked, but none of the good stuff is showing.” I state.

“Oh, okay.” He laughs out, nervously. “Are you...sure about it?”

“Well, at first I did it for the money because if Nikki leaves me, I’m not gonna have a penny to my name--”

“--Vivian, if you need money and somewhere to stay if things go to shit, you can just ask me or one of the guys.” He offers, looking like the thought of me posing nude just for money, doesn’t sit right with him because he knows I wouldn’t do it unless I felt I had no other choice.

“You didn’t let me finish.” I tell him, smiling. “But then they said it’d be tasteful and I wouldn’t have to show everything, and now it sounds kinda fun.”

“And what does Nikki think of it?” He asks me an important question and I go to speak, but stop myself, exhaling.

“What Nikki doesn’t know, won’t hurt him.” Is all I can come up with.

“Uh, I think Nikki will know when he sees his wife on the cover of Playboy.” He argues.

“It’s not like I’m gonna be posed on the front with my tits and pussy out, spread eagle for the world to ogle at my anatomy.” I counter and he squeezes his eyes closed, shaking his head a little.

“I didn’t need to picture you like that, Viv.” He says and I feel my cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

“Oops, sorry.” I say, rubbing my lips together. “Hey, there is something I need to ask you, though.”

“Yeah?” He replies, looking at me.

“Tomorrow I’m going to their office here in town to sign the paperwork and stuff, and then I’m going to Chicago for the photoshoot, because conveniently enough, Motley Crue will be in Chicago for a few days, and I was wondering if you’d want to come with me.”

He laughs like it’s absurd.

“You are crazy.” He says, in disbelief.  “You are crazy.”

“Duff--”

“--If he finds out I was there with you, Viv, I just--you are crazy.”

“So, you’re not gonna go with me?” I ask him, scared he’s going to say “no” to avoid pissing Nikki off.

But he completely surprises me when he says:

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

[nicolewrites]

dearly beloved

hi, i’m alive

Rating: G/G+ Genre: Romance and Friendship Characters: [Ash K. and Misty] Words: 5,473

in which Ash and Misty decide to get married and the world collectively loses its mind / poke, ikari, contest, wishful, leafgreen / ua

AO3 | FFN

Paul hardly looked up from his book as he slid aside the latch on the mailbox and reached in to retrieve their mail. As usual, there was the letter from Reggie and Maylene with a hastily added signature from little Preston, a couple of magazines relating to Dawn’s work, some bills, a postcard from Zoey and Candice’s world tour, and a high-quality formal envelope. His brow creased as he pulled out the last item. It reminded him of letters he got for official League events, but there were none of those coming up, so he was left perplexed. The printing that their address was written in was in handwriting that Paul also usually associated with the League, but this time, it was clearly of a personal level.

He slid it back in between a magazine and Zoey’s postcard and tucked all the mail under his arm. He closed the mailbox and headed back towards the house. He shut the door behind him and followed the noise in the house to the kitchen.

Dawn stood in the doorway of the kitchen with her back to him, but she heard him coming and turned to face him. She stepped towards him as he neared, leaning up to peck him on the lips. He returned the simple gesture and passed her the mail. She beamed and spun, her hair flying back and nearly striking him in the face, before walking into the kitchen.

Paul followed her in and placed his book on the counter before moving towards the kitchen table. Dawn was hovering between the fridge and the table, skimming through the mail while also glancing at the third person in the room every so often. Little Noah, the product of a happy accident when Paul was 21 and Dawn just 20, was happily eating the porridge that his mother had prepared. Noah paused to grin widely as Paul sat down at the table. Paul’s lip twitched up as he admired his son for a moment. Noah looked strikingly like Dawn besides the flint grey eyes that were definitely his.

Dawn had apparently found the letter as she placed the rest of the mail down on the counter next to Paul’s book. She held it up and looked at him in confusion. “Do you know what this is for?” “No,” he replied.

Dawn walked towards his chair and Paul leaned forwards slightly. She perched herself sideways across his lap, leaning into him slightly as she tore along the top of the envelope. “It’s addressed to both of us,” she mused.

Paul’s hand rested on the outside of her hip to hold her in place as he watched over her shoulder as she pulled out an invitation of a sort that was thankfully not adorned with the terrible handwriting of the Indigo Champion. Dawn let out an excited gasp as she realized what the card was. Paul raised an eyebrow.

“Were they even dating?” he asked.

Dawn laughed. “Not exactly no, but I mean, it is Ash. I imagine Misty could only put up with him for so long.”

Paul gave Dawn a weird look. “She’s signing herself up for dealing with Ash for life this way,” he reminded.

“Yes, but he’ll have to deal with her too, and I think commitment is something in itself.”

Dawn placed the invite on the table and glanced at Noah. The toddler was contently eating his breakfast. He seemed quite happy to ignore both of his parents despite his mother’s curious stare.

“Besides,” she teased coyly, brushing her fingertips along the hand he’d placed on her, “I don’t think we’re allowed to judge how other people get married.” Paul glanced at Noah before pressing a soft kiss to Dawn’s hair in a rare display of affection. “At least we were together before he came along,” he pointed out.

Dawn hummed her agreement. She picked up the card again and flipped to the inside where the date was written. “September 7? That’s so soon!”

“They both have League obligations the further into the season it gets,” Paul reminded and Dawn made a small sound of acknowledgement.

“Still,” she argued, “even we were engaged for more than a month and we deal with the same kind of issues as Ash does with you and arguably more so with Noah.”

Paul shrugged. He definitely didn’t have an answer for Ash and Misty’s decision. Ash was already hard enough to manage when they were dealing with Interregional politics that required communication between the two champions, Paul didn’t have time to analyze Ash’s personal life too.

Dawn perked up suddenly. “Oh! I guess we’ll have to get Noah a little suit then!”

Paul tensed. “Why does our two-year-old need a suit?”

“Because it’s a wedding! Everyone has to dress up!”

Paul sighed. Even though she worked as a Poké Stylist, he wondered sometimes why Dawn didn’t just switch into a career in fashion. She’d made her own wedding dress when they were married and had been the designer for May’s. He supposed it was because PokéStyling was more similar to coordinating.

“Just don’t wear yourself out,” he said. “I know you’re going to insist on making Noah’s outfit and you’ve probably already started mentally designing your own, but don’t burn out.” Dawn twisted to look at him and she beamed. “I love you too,” she teased and leaned in so she could kiss him again.

Noah whined across the table and the two adults pulled apart and turned to face the child who had upset his bowl and was hovering on the verge of tears. Dawn shook her head and stood from Paul’s lap, heading to give their son the comfort he wanted.

Iris was tired. She was dead tired and she just wanted to go back to sleep. Cilan kept shooting her concerned looks, but Iris ignored him. They had been planning for this lunch for a while–they couldn’t just cancel. Besides, across from her, Trip looked nearly as exhausted. “How was your trip to Hoenn?” Cilan asked politely as he brought over the last dish he had prepared. Though it was a little past lunchtime, Iris and Cilan had agreed to host Trip for lunch while he was in Opelucid after arriving back in Unova from a vacation.

“It was good,” Trip replied almost noncommittally. He yawned and Cilan let out a sympathetic chuckle.

“You’ve not yet adjusted back from the time change, have you?”

Trip laughed shortly. “No, I haven’t, but that’s my excuse, what’s yours?” He directed the last bit of the question towards Iris who just shook her head.

“I’ve been up late these last few nights,” Iris defended. Trip raised an eyebrow and she knew he needed more justification. “The Unova League is apparently seeing a competitor who gave Paul trouble last year. I want to be ready.” “Mm,” Trip consented finally, “the guy that got the Sinnoh Champ down to just his starter right?”

“Yes,” Cilan said as he finally took his seat at the table. He brushed his hand over Iris’s comfortingly. “The way you’ve been training lately, he will be very hard pressed to beat you.”

Iris smiled into her drink as she took a sip from her glass of water. “That’s the plan.”

There was silence that fell over the three of them for several minutes as they all ate: enjoying Cilan’s excellent cooking. Even though it was just for lunch, Cilan had prepared two vegetable dishes, an egg dish that remained one of Iris’s favourites, and had baked a loaf of bread fresh. She smiled at Cilan and thanked Arceus for giving her husband the gift of good cooking.

While she herself was normally content with some fresh fruit and the traditional foods from her village, Iris could not deny that Cilan’s cooking was delicious. He had lived in a restaurant his whole life as the Striaton City Gym Leader and it had clearly turned him, and all of his siblings, into wonderful cooks. By the way Trip was digging into the meal as well, Iris knew he had no complaints.

“How was the event?” she finally asked, curiosity winning out.

Trip glanced at her and raised an eyebrow. “About what was expected. Wallace is a brilliant orator and Max certainly appeared to be a strong pick for the Elite Four.”

Trip had been in Hoenn covering the ascension of Max Maple, a close friend of Ash’s, to a member of Hoenn Elite Four. Iris had been hesitant to send Trip, a League photographer for the Unova region to cover the event, but Wallace had requested the best in all of Napaj so that he might give Max the best publicity possible. Still, it was almost a vacation for Trip, something she wished he would take more often, so she had conceded and sent him over.

Their conversation was interrupted as the trio heard the front door bang open. Cilan and Trip both rose from the table and Iris gripped a Pokéball out of reflex. It wasn’t an unwelcome intruder after all, as Georgia strode into the kitchen, looking relaxed and bored. She took in the scene and rolled her eyes.

“If you don’t want me to walk in, don’t schedule a meeting with me and leave the front door unlocked,” she drawled sarcastically.

Cilan sank back into his seat and Iris slid Haxorus’s Pokéball away. Trip remained slightly more on edge, and Iris recalled the last time Trip and Georgia had interacted and had to force herself not to laugh at the memory.

“Anyways,” Georgia said, striding across the kitchen and sitting in the fourth chair at the table. “This was on your doorstep.” She handed the offending item to Iris and Iris’s eyebrows rose.

It was an envelope that resembled the official Pokémon League ones used to send out notifications of official business. Iris blinked in surprise and turned it over so that she could see the address. It was clearly for her and Cilan and by the handwriting alone, Iris knew it was from Ash. Indigo Champion he may have been, good handwriting he did not have.

“It’s from Ash,” she elaborated for Cilan and Trip who could not see the envelope.

She broke the seal and slid the letter out. The front of the card had curving, elegant handwriting that was clearly not Ash’s, and Iris stared at it. Cilan, who had leaned over to watch her open it, recoiled similarly. She opened it and saw more writing and information inside the card which was thankfully printed by who Iris assumed to be Misty, not Ash.

Trip coughed politely and the Unovan couple exchanged a look and Iris folded the card again. “It’s from Ash and Misty,” she amended.

“That’s one of his Elite Four members right?” Trip asked, confirming.

“Yes,” Georgia filled in. As a member of the Unova Elite Four, she was familiar with the elites across the other regions of Napaj.

“They’re getting married,” Cilan said finally. Trip and Georgia both appear stunned. Cilan laughed, brushing his hand against Iris’s. “Honestly I don’t even know if they were really dating. They were together in a lot of ways I suppose, and now I guess they’re just solidifying that fact.”

Iris touched the envelope, frowning slightly. “I know Misty, and I know Ash. They’re both spontaneous people, but it is Ash, and I would think he would want a bigger wedding with all the connections that he has.” Trip leaned back in his chair. “Well, if he’s the Indigo Champion marrying a member of the Indigo Elite Four. He’s invited the Unova Champion and her husband,” he looked at them both pointedly before continuing, “and I imagine he’s invited the Sinnoh Champion and his wife as well. Plus, we all know Ash has tons of other famous friends. Just because it’s sudden, doesn’t mean it will be low profile.” Georgia gave a low whistle. “Something this big, a Champion getting engaged, should have already burst into the media. I wonder why it hasn’t.” Cilan took Iris’s hand and squeezed it. “I imagine they’ve already informed the major news sources and are putting a hold on the information until they’ve received personal congratulations from their friends. That’s what Iris and I did.”

“And you think Ash is smart enough to think of that?” Trip asked, sounding amused.

“No,” Iris agreed. “Ash isn’t, but Misty is. And she hates the paparazzi, so I would expect something exactly like this from her.”

May’s phone rang suddenly, rattling the table and drawing the gaze of her, Drew, and Solidad. Drew raised an eyebrow at May.

“Are you going to answer it?”

His words seemed to restart her system and he watched, amused, as she jolted and scooped up her phone, answering the call. He made eye contact with Solidad who took a sip of her coffee to hide her amusement.

“Hello?” May greeted into the phone. “Max?” she said after a brief second.

Drew was surprised. Max was currently drowning in paperwork and the press after being officially elevated to the Hoenn Elite Four. May and her brother had been in brief contact lately, but not much since he was so busy. The last time they’d seen Max in person, he had been hiding out in their house after his own apartment in Ever Grande had been mobbed with the press following his announcement as the new Elite Four member.

Drew studied May’s face. Her brows knit together as she listened to her brother talk, but she suddenly burst into a wide happy grin that lit up her whole face. “That’s fantastic news!” she cheered happily.

Drew exchanged another look at Solidad, but the older coordinator was just as clueless as he was. He resolved to simply wait for May to finish the phone call.  Thankfully, it appeared that whatever news Max had to share was limited to whatever made May so excited because she ended her call shortly after, still grinning.

“So?” Drew prompted as May slipped her phone back into her purse.

“Apparently Max received a very interesting piece of mail from a good friend of ours today. I’m sure we’ll have a similar card waiting for us at home,” May explained.

Drew pondered her words. “May, literally all of our friends are already married. Who else is getting married?” He had automatically assumed marriage because the last time she had been this excited was when Leaf and Gary, friends through Ash, had finally gotten married almost two months ago.

May’s smile widened. “Not all of our friends,” she teased.

Drew raised an eyebrow. “There’s no way that Ash actually figured out his life enough to propose. He might be the Indigo Champion, but there is no way that he has got his head screwed on straight enough for this to be happening.”

“Maybe she proposed to him,” Solidad joked, but she appeared just as interested as Drew was.

May shrugged. “All Max said was that they sent out the invites and that the date is set for September 7.” She took a sip of the hot chocolate on the table in front of her, still smiling.

“And you’ll still be okay to travel then?” Solidad asked, raising an eyebrow briefly at May.

May waved off her concern. “I’m not due until November, so it’s fine. I can’t miss Ash’s wedding. This has been a long time coming.” Solidad shrugged. “If you’re sure.”

Drew gave May a careful glance. “This might even work in our favour. The Indigo Champion getting engaged to his own Elite Four member might steal the media attention away from us for a while.” May perked up at the mention. “Arceus, that would be amazing!” Solidad laughed at the couple. “You hid it for four months, so as far as they’re concerned, they have four months of Hoenn Coordinating Royalty content to make up.” Drew sighed. The media had hounded him and May relentlessly since they were teenagers. At first, it was all speculation and it had been really quite annoying. After they started dating for real, it had become intrusive and irritating on a larger scale. That only multiplied once they were engaged and had climaxed at their wedding when a photographer for Coordinator’s Weekly was discovered lurking around by security and removed from the premises.

When he and May had announced that they were expecting, four months into the pregnancy, the media had gone insane and even two months after that fact still did not leave them alone wherever they went. In fact, there was a woman a couple tables away that kept trying to be discrete in her photographing of the trio of coordinators. She was not subtle, but neither Solidad or Drew could be bothered to tell her off and May simply hadn’t noticed.

“I’m just happy for them,” May reiterated.

Solidad smiled. “How long have they been together?” May laughed. “Honestly none of us can say if they were ever really dating. They’ve always cared for each other, and that turned to love at some point, but Ash was always Ash. He was completely oblivious to her feelings for quite some time. It’s a wonder he ever figured it out.”

“Hey, May,” Drew called, teasing his wife. “You haven’t got much room to laugh at Ash there considering I gave you roses for almost 4 years before you finally figured it out.” May pouted. “You said they were for Beautifly.”

Solidad burst out laughing and Drew smirked. He leaned over and kissed May on the cheek which lessened her pout, but she still clung to it stubbornly.

“I love you,” he reminded her. His admission cracked her and she smiled again. “I love you too,” she relented.

Solidad shook her head. “And you two wonder why the press doesn’t leave you alone anymore.”

May shrugged. “We’re kind of used to it at this point. As long as it never hits the point it did at our wedding again I think we’ll be okay.” “Besides,” Drew said, “with Max as an Elite Four member now, there’s no telling if May will still be the most popular member of the Maple Family anymore.” May looked mildly offended and Drew chuckled. “He’s single, May,” he reminded. “And a trainer of elevated status. He’ll have a fanbase soon enough.” May’s smile turned a little mischevious. “You would know about fanbases wouldn’t you, Mr. Fangirl.” Drew groaned. “Please, let’s not go there.” “Oh how they used to follow you everywhere! So condescending to competition when you won, and depressed and mopey when you lost,” Solidad teased.

Drew glared at her. “You are both the worst.” This time May leaned over and pecked him on the lips. “You married me and we like Solidad.”

Delia Ketchum was humming to herself as she spun the sponge against the dishes before handing them off to Mr. Mime so that he could rinse them and place them in the drying rack. With just the two of them, there weren’t many dishes, but they still tackled them together like they always had. Whenever she had guests over, they always tried to help clean up since Delia insisted on cooking, but she let Mr. Mime deal out the rejections in that field. The cooking and the cleaning was always done by the two of them and no matter how many pleading looks Leaf or Misty gave, no one else was taking over.

Just as she was handing off the last of the plates, the doorbell rang. Mr. Mime glanced at Delia and visibly shrugged. Delia just smiled and shook her head. It was probably just one of the neighbourhood kids again, but she ought to check. She removed her yellow gloves and placed them next to the sink. She crossed the kitchen and living room and headed to the main entrance of her house.

A series of knocks sounded from the door and Delia was surprised: maybe it was something urgent. She opened the door and was mildly surprised to see a very concerned looking Leaf Oak on her doorstep with her husband hovering just behind her. Thankfully, Gary looked more amused than concerned and Delia knew it was not super serious.

“Delia,” Leaf began suddenly, raising a very familiar envelope up to eye level, “what is this?”

Everything clicked in her mind and Delia laughed. “I believe it is exactly what it says it is.”

Leaf glanced at the envelope, observing the thick, high-quality paper and the less than neat writing that topped it. “But, how?” Gary laughed, stepping forwards and tucking an arm around Leaf’s waist. “I believe, darling wife, that it happened the very same way that it happened with us: me, on one knee, and you, wearing the ring.”

Leaf smacked Gary with the envelope. “Not what I meant, stupid.”

Delia smiled at the couple. “Would you like some tea? I’ll have Mimey put on the kettle and perhaps I can answer a few more of your questions.” Leaf sighed and removed Gary’s arm from her waist. “I would love to sit down, and I have so many questions.”

Delia opened the door wider and led the young couple into her home. Neither Leaf nor Gary was biologically related to her, but she felt as if they were part of her family. When Gary’s parents and Leaf’s mother had passed in a tragic accident when they were young, Professor Oak, Leaf’s father, and Delia had tag-teamed in raising Leaf, Gary, and Ash. Subsequently, Leaf and Gary had spent a lot of their childhoods eating at Delia’s kitchen table or playing in her backyard.

Like a proud mother, she had cried when Leaf and Gary had announced their engagement and again at their wedding. They’d only been married close to a month and a half, but they had been engaged for two years before that, having started dating at 17. Due to work restraints for both of them, they’d only recently gone on and arrived back from their honeymoon and Delia hadn’t seen them since they got home. The remnants of a healthy tan clung to Gary while Leaf had an extra spattering of freckles across her nose.

The pair followed her into the kitchen and sat down as Delia politely asked Mr. Mime to turn on the kettle. Leaf was still turning over the envelope in her hands, staring at it in confusion. Delia sat next to her and placed a hand over the young woman’s.

“You have read it, haven’t you?” “Of course,” Leaf replied. “They were clear enough about the date and the location and I’ve been in contact with Misty about bridesmaids already, but I’m still so confused.”

Delia laughed. “Well, let me help with that. What about it is confusing?” Gary stretched in the chair and asked a question before Leaf could: “Were they dating at all or did Misty just snap and tell him they were going to get married?” Delia, recalling Ash’s embarrassed story, pressed a knuckle to her lip to halt a short laugh. “Well, they were kind of dating in their own way, as much as Ash could manage anyways, but I’m not sure it was ever established in the way most relationships are, because, well,” she paused, not quite sure how to put her son’s eccentricity into words.

“Because he’s Ash,” Gary suggested, filling in the blanks.

Delia shrugged. While a basic definition, it certainly wasn't wrong. There just wasn’t anyone quite like Ash.

“Can they do this? I mean, Misty’s in the Elite Four and Ash is the Champion. Are they allowed to do this?” Leaf asked.

Delia shrugged. “I’m not concerned about it because I know they’ve been through enough together that they wouldn’t be concerned about League rules. Besides, everyone knew they were best friends when Ash was attempting his League challenge three years ago and they knew that it wasn’t a conflict of interest then, so I don’t suppose it should be now.”

“But why just decide to get married like that?” Leaf pressed, obviously still confused.

“I suppose for them it was a combination of seeing all their other friends married and engaged and realizing they loved each other enough that they didn’t need four years of dating and two years of engagement first when they had thirteen years of friendship,” Delia explained.

Leaf blinked as Delia addressed her and Gary’s long engagement. It had been the result of both of them pursuing PhDs during that period, but they had been together for a long time. “I guess that makes sense,” she murmured. Leaf slid the card out of the envelope and looked at the date. “Why September?”

Delia smiled. “The date Misty fished him out of the river when they met.” Gary and Leaf both laughed.

“Well,” Gary drawled, “maybe he’s not completely hopeless after all. She did say yes.”

“I win!” Misty cheered as she slapped down her last card victoriously. She smirked at Ash.

Ash groaned and placed his last three cards on the table so that they could count up his penalties. Misty’s smirk widened as she tallied the points and Pikachu let out a tittering laugh from his perch atop one of the counters where he was enjoying a treat. Ash stared at his partner, feeling betrayed.

“Don’t you side with her too,” he complained. Pikachu just rolled over, content to ignore his trainer.

Misty leaned over the table and pinched Ash’s cheek. “I won, Mr. Pokémon Master. Pikachu’s just agreeing that I’m the better one of the two of us.” Ash gently swatted Misty’s hand away. She leaned back, still smirking. Ash leaned forwards instead and just straight up kissed her. Misty stiffened in surprise briefly before she let her hand cup his jaw and she reciprocated the action. Ash drew back after a moment, slightly breathless, but smiling.

“Right, but who’s the Champion again?” he asked teasingly.

Misty rolled her eyes and scoffed. “You beat me once. It won’t happen again, I promise. Still,” she mused, “I think I can find enough sympathy in myself to play another round if you’re desperate for pity points.”

Warmth curled in Ash’s stomach. He loved moments like these when no one was watching and they were able to let loose. It was rare for them since Misty was a member of the Indigo Elite Four and Ash was the Champion. There were hardly ever moments of peace for them like this and they deserved to be treasured when they could.

Misty’s palm cupped her chin as she leaned her elbow on the table and smirked at Ash again. The ring on her finger, the one Delia had painstakingly picked out after hours of searching, glinted on her finger and Ash was happy to see it. It looked like it belonged and it certainly felt like it did.

Ash’s decision, a stupidly impulsive one, had been, in retrospect, completely out of the blue for most people. Ash and Misty had never officially labelled their relationship before that moment, but it wasn’t like there was nothing there. When he turned 19, Ash had finally started reading into Misty’s actions a little differently. They had basically dated without the labels for years, but Ash had been unable to recognize it until other people, like May and Dawn and Misty’s sisters, spelt it out for him.

Ash himself was 23 and Misty was almost 24. He had figured he didn’t have much to lose, so he had gone to his mother for advice. Delia had been overjoyed and amused and a bunch of other emotions, but she had promised her few tears were happy ones. Ash knew he loved Misty and he loved her differently from the way he loved May and Dawn and Brock. Delia had been the one to pick out the ring in the end, and Ash had done the rest by proposing over a casual dinner at Misty’s apartment.

He had stumbled over the words and made a complete fool out of himself. Misty was always better with her emotions, however, and she bailed him out by kissing him to get him to shut up and answering the question he had been unable to articulate with a resounding ‘yes’.

“Hello? Earth to Ash?” She waved a hand in front of his face. “Still with me?”

Ash grinned. “Always.”

Following their very sudden engagement, they had had a very candid discussion about a wedding and had decided together that they wanted it to be as small as possible. It wasn’t super realistic considering both of their positions, but it was a hope. They also wanted as little media there as possible. The nightmarish results of the photographer that had snuck into May and Drew’s wedding reminded them that no press was indeed good press.

Following an example set by Iris and Cilan when they were engaged, Misty had written a short statement to the Pokémon News Network and asked them to hold it until they were ready. Ash and Misty had written the invitations by hand quickly and Misty didn’t wear her ring in public until they were sent out. She actually even held off wearing it until they had received most of the personal congratulatory messages and RSVPs for the wedding. At that point, they had allowed PNN to release the statement and Misty had worn the ring out in public.

Neither Misty nor Ash wanted a big wedding anyway. It was more for their friends and family.

Still, nights like these, where they’d put away all the wedding stuff so they didn’t stress, were nice.

Ash reached across the table and flicked Misty’s hair. He also snagged the deck of cards and retreated back to his seat. He shuffled it as she’d taught him. Misty laughed and tried to grab the cards back, but Ash grabbed her outstretched hand instead and pressed a kiss to the top of it.

She smiled softly at him and then Ash got a wicked idea. He held her hand loosely and turned it over so he was looking at her palm. He lifted it up again, but instead of kissing it, he dragged his tongue across it, licking it childishly.

“Ew!” Misty squealed. She recoiled, snatching her hand away and rubbing her palm against her jeans. “That was so immature, Ash Ketchum!”

Ash grinned. “What are you going to do about it?”

Misty pushed her chair back and stood up. “You’re going to eat those words,” she promised.

Ash laughed and sprung up from the table. He took off running for the living room and made it almost across the room before Misty’s arms wrapped around his waist and they tumbled to the couch together. Misty landed on top of him and Ash squirmed so that he was holding her in his arms.

They were both laughing and Ash felt happy. This was how he wanted to spend the rest of his life and he suddenly just wanted it to be official.

“Let’s get married!” he blurted. His outburst clearly surprised Misty because she stiffened. She blinked at him. “You already asked me to marry you once. We still have three weeks, Ash.”

“No, like, right now!” he insisted. “I know it’s a thing that people do when they just go to a courthouse and get married. I don’t need some fancy ceremony or expensive cake. I just want to be with you.”

Misty looked slightly taken aback, but she smiled at him broadly after a moment. “Ash not needing a cake? That’s a first.” They both laughed, but Misty leaned forwards and pecked him on the lips. “Honestly, I’ve never wanted a big wedding and if you wanted, I’d marry you in a PokéCentre.”

“So,” Ash said, “screw the wedding?”

Misty laughed and rested her head against his chest. “Only we would get engaged without technically dating and then plan a wedding only to give up and get married three weeks earlier in a courthouse, but you know what? I’d love to marry you, Ash Ketchum, so let’s get married!”

Ash grinned. “I love you.”

Misty kissed him again and it was a little deeper and for a little longer. “I love you too,” she confessed when she pulled back. “But, unfortunately, we are probably going to have to wait until tomorrow since it’s kind of late tonight.” Ash shrugged. “Fine by me. I can beat you in Kart Racers in the meantime!”

Misty raised an eyebrow. “Oh, you are so on!” She rolled off of him so they were lying next to each other before they both lunged for the gaming controllers to turn the console on.

The press–and all of their friends–were going to have a field day, but honestly? Ash and Misty couldn’t have cared less.

[untaemedqueen]

Please Take Care of Us > k.th

Chapter 35. (Ending)

I wake up with a groan as the morning sun shines into my eyes. "Yuna." I mutter opening my eyes. I grab my phone and look at the clock. 4:30 I should let her sleep a little bit more. I stand up and stretch my body before opening up the windows hearing the countryside sounds making me smile. I look over at Yuna before tilting my head. I wonder if she really will get pregnant after last night. I sit down on the windowsill looking over the green pastures waiting to be filled with cattle. I'm so happy I could take my future wife here. I hear a whimper as a breeze cuts through the window. I'm surprised Yuna feels cold at the breeze, it's so hot in here. I get up and push the comforter up her skin. My fingers grazing her bare arm. Yuna's skin felt like it was burning. She groans at the skinship and pulls away. I put my hand to her forehead. "Baby, you're burning up." I mutter sitting on the bed making her dip closer to me. "I don't feel so good." She whines opening bloodshot eyes. "Holy shit." I mutter before pressing my lips to her forehead. "You have a fever, babe." I mutter as she rolls on to her back. "I'll be okay." She mutters leaning over the bed and grabbing her water bottle. She drinks some water as she holds her head. "I have a headache." She whispers ripping the sheets off her body. "Maybe we should stay in today." I mutter as she puts her head back against the wall. "No way! I want to farm!" She whines loudly. "Babe...You don't look too good. I don't know what's wrong. You shouldn't go outside." I say rubbing my hands down her arm. "I'm dying to farm." She whispers with a pout. "I know." I say feeling bad. "I'll get better." She says full of gumption.

As we walk down the road with a few of the guys behind us, I keep looking over at Yuna as she walks down the road clutching my hand. "Baby. We don't have to do this. We can go back." I whisper as she tilts her head towards me. "I feel a bit better." She says looking up at me, her face almost covered by her brand name sunglasses. I kiss the top of her head before sighing. "You still have a slight fever." I mutter, "She might have POIS." Namjoon says behind me and I turn around. "PO- what?" I ask letting go of her hand. "I hooked up with a girl once that had it. It's called post-orgasmic illness syndrome." He says fixing his bucket hat. Could she really have that? That's not good. "This never happens to me." She whines fanning her face. "It sounded pretty rough, it could happen." He says making Yuna blush pink. "Okay. Okay." I say wrapping my arm around Yuna's shoulder. She puts her hand on her stomach and mutters to herself. "What's wrong?" I whisper as we slow down walking. "My cervix hurts." She whispers making me smile. "Yeah, I fucked you too good." I say biting the inside of my cheek. She giggles as my grandfathers house comes into view.

We step inside the house, greeted by my family apart from Eon Jin. They're always up early to go out to farm. "Good morning!" My mom says happily sipping on her morning coffee. "Good morning!" Yuna says before walking straight into the kitchen. "Noona, I got up so early because I'm excited to eat your food!" Jeong Guk says making Yuna giggle. "I'll help you." Jin says walking into the kitchen with her. I sit down at the table and rub my fingers over my thumb nervously as she downs a bottle of water. "What's wrong?" My dad asks fixing his baseball cap. "Yuna isn't feeling good today. She won't listen to me, she wants to farm so badly." He looks at the open kitchen as she leans herself against the counter instructing Jin to do a few things for her. "She can do something simple like getting eggs or feed the cows. You're right. She looks out of it." He says worried. I put my hand over my mouth and whisper to myself as she leans over the counter, a sheen layer of sweat developing on her skin.

"You're going to get sunburnt." I whisper walking after Yuna with a bottle of SPF Lotion. She picks up the eggs happily as the hens run away. "I'll be fine!" She says happily. "Kim Yuna. Get over here." I say loudly holding up the bottle. She looks over at me and pouts before walking over to me. "Mrs. Kim, you have to take care of yourself." I say adamantly squeezing out some lotion and rubbing it on her face. "Relax." She says with a giggle. I murmur at how hot her face is. "You always worry me. Why must you always worry me?" I ask rubbing her nose. "You don't have too." She mutters weakly and I pull back, "I'm taking care of you for the rest of my life, of course I'm worried about you. Pabo." I say rubbing her soft cheeks. She smiles up at me and my heart softens a little. "When we get back to Seoul, Byungchan got the papers from the court house for us to sign." I say hoping it brightens her mood. "Huh? What papers?" She asks confused as I rub my hand over her neck. "You need to sign papers to become my wife. Once you sign those and we turn them into the court house then you'll officially be Mrs. Kim." I say kissing the top of her head. "Ahhh. Okay." She says thinking. "We're going to have to hide. It's going to suck." She mutters, I sigh and sit down on a wooden box wiping the rest of the lotion on to my face. "Yeah. I know. I'm sorry." I whisper pulling her to me. I wrap my arms around her waist and she looks down at me with a smile. "It's nothing we haven't been doing." I cock my head and sigh. "Yeah but this is different baby. You're my wife. You'll have my children. I don't want to have to hide my whole life from everyone. It's not fair to us or our future children." She bites her lip and nods quietly. "I am not going to be like Eli from U-KISS. He held his relationship a secret for so long, he couldn't even go to the hospital to see the sonograms of his kid because he was so afraid of fans." "But we HAVE to keep it a secret. You're V. Not just some guy, ARMY will freak out if they hear this news." Yuna says sitting down next to me placing the egg basket on the ground. I put my hands on my face and rub harshly. "Kim Taehyung, V, get married to former personal chef and now manager. I can see it now. And then, ARMY will murder me. They entrusted me with you, caring for me in the end and I ruin their trust like this? Taking one of the most beautiful men in all of K-Pop? No, that's crazy." Yuna says playing with her long white t-shirt. "What happens when you get pregnant? Hmm?" I ask rubbing my hand over the small of her back. "I don't know, all I know is that this is totally not a good idea to release to the public. Maybe later down the line but definitely not now. I side with Bang PD." She says seriously. "Yuna!" I whine loudly looking at my sneakers. "I have respect for ARMY, if I didn't I wouldn't even be saying this, I'd say yeah fuck 'em we can do what we want. They give their time and energy to you selflessly, without wanting a thing in return and I have to respect that." Wow, this is why I love this woman. How could she be so understanding like this? "My fans want me to be happy." "Right. They want you to be happy and they do everything for you guys. More than I could do. How would they feel if V, 24 almost 25 years, just suddenly up and got married without even a second glance or thought to them? They would die of heartbreak. I'm not doing that to them." She says intertwining our fingers. I kiss her shoulder and sigh. "I'm a person too. Don't my feelings matter?" I ask squeezing her hand. "Of course it does baby. It matters to me and to all the guys, to your family. But it doesn't matter to sasaengs and evil fans." She says, I know she's right but I can't be feel helpless. I put our hands to my forehead and I sigh defeated. "I feel so disrespected." I mutter looking up at the graying sky. "You have me forever. Do people really need to know?" Yuna asks, "I want to tell everyone how happy I am and how much I love you." I say looking into her hazel eyes. "It's just not possible right now. We can only think about how happy we are going to be together." She says patting my hand happily. "What if you get pregnant? You'll be showing in front of all ARMY. What are you going to do then?" I ask looking down at her engagement ring. "I'm not sure. We can figure that out." She whispers. I nod and bite my lip. "Tomorrow we have to go to the court house. Do you want to have a ceremony?" I ask trying to change the subject from this horrible conversation. I stand up and offer her a hand to get up.

We start picking up eggs relishing the shade of a gigantic tree near the hen house. "How could we have a ceremony? That's crazy. There's no doubt someone will find out, we can't do it in public." She says sadly. "You deserve to have a beautiful wedding." I say feeling guilty. "Hey. Hey. I didn't even think I would get married in this life time. I don't mind." She says bending down to pick up an egg. "I want to see you in a wedding dress." I say adamantly folding my arms standing up. "Yeah, just so you can take me out of it." Yuna says with a laugh. I tilt my head with a smile. "That'd be a perk." "GET AWAY FROM ME!" Jin yells running past the hen house with Jungkook right behind him holding a bug. Yuna laughs and puts her hand on her neck watching them run. "BE CAREFUL! DON'T HURT YOURSELVES!" Yuna screams and I rub her arm chuckling. "Why don't we have a ceremony at the house?" I ask her, she ponders on it for a second. "Yeah. Right. How many people can we fit in one apartment? Not even 70 people could fit in it during the party." I sigh and bite my lip, "Fuck, Yuna I really want to have a ceremony." I say putting my head back distraught. I feel a drop of water hit my cheek and I look up at the deep grey sky. "It's raining. Let's get going." I say as rain drops land on my skin quicker.As we start to run, Yuna holds her basket close to her. The rain hits the ground harder and she laughs as we fly down the dirt road, dirt kicking up underneath us flying through the breeze. As we reach my grandfathers house Yuna stands underneath the rain as it patters against her skin. "Baby, you are sick. Let's go inside." I say standing underneath the patio awning. "Haven't you ever wanted to kiss your almost wife in the rain?" She asks looking over at me as her cheeks collect more of the falling rain. I laugh and step off the patio before wrapping my arms around her waist. "It is a nice idea." I whisper picking her up and spinning her around making her squeal happily as she grabs on to my arms. I look up at her in my arms and move my arm to her neck pulling her down for a sweet, chaste kiss. She giggles into my kiss as the rain slaps against our skin harder. I smile and look up at her as she pulls away. "I love you." I whisper nuzzling her collarbone. I set her down gently as the rain starts to slap harder. "Come on baby." I say pulling her underneath the awning. "I love you too." She says looking out over the now rainy farm. As we stand there my arms over her shoulder, my head over hers I hear a small gasp. "What? Are you okay?" I ask putting my head next to hers. "Tell me I'm brilliant and amazing." She says turning to me. I raise an eyebrow. "You're brilliant and amazing. Now, why?" I ask moving her wet hair off her neck. "Oh, we'll have a ceremony." She says and I furr my eyebrows. "Where? At the house?" I ask looking down at her. "No. Not at the house." She said puckering her lips. "Then where?" I ask tilting my head. "Here." She says extending her arm, her hand grazes over the far landscape and she smiles widely. I look up at the farm and smile widely matching hers. "You're brilliant and amazing!" I say peppering kisses over her lips and cheeks. She laughs and I pet her head. "That's a great idea baby." I whisper resting my head on top of hers again.

"Hey grandpa?" I ask as all of my family and the boys sit in the living room. I look over as Jungkook, Jeong Guk, Jin and Hoseok teach Yuna, Go Stop. "Wow. You're so much like Tae. How could you possibly not understand game rules?!" Jin says pointing at Yuna with a laugh. "They're complicated rules!" She whines putting her hand under her chin and I smile warmly at the scene. "Yes, Taehyung?" My grandpa asks sitting down next to my dad on the brown leather couch. "Can Yuna and I have our ceremony here?" I ask. My mom claps happily with a squeal. "What? Of course you can!" "Why'd you pick here?" Eon Jin says dissatisfied. "Because Yuna and I have to hide our marriage. This is away from civilization and prying eyes." I say looking around at the reactions. "That's a great idea!" Jimin says shaking my shoulder. "I would rather have the ceremony here then not have one at all." Yuna comments throwing down a card. "Yuna." Hoseok mutters picking up the card and putting it back into her pile. She looks over at him confused. "You don't know how to play." He whispers with a laugh and a shake of his head. "I think it's a great idea! We have so much room here!" "So many idols will be in the same place..." Eon Jin says excited. "Now you're happy." I say with a laugh folding my arms. "How many people?" My dad asks, "Probably around 200." I mutter running through names of friends through my head. "200?!" Yuna yells shocked. "We have a lot of friends babe." "You can't expect to invite 200 people, most of them idols and expect them to show up." She says setting down the pile of cards in her hand. "It's good to invite them anyway. It's our day. Our friends should be invited. All of them." I say as she nods tilting her head. "True." She mutters throwing down another card. "It's not your turn, noona." Jeong Guk says handing back the card and I can only smile.

I sit next from Yuna at the breakfast nook with our wedding papers in front of us. "Sign here and here." I say helping her with the Hangul. She signs it and then looks up at me. Her stare is helpless and it makes me laugh. "I'll teach you more Hangul, don't worry." "Do I sign here too?" She asks pointing at a box. "No thats for our witnesses." I say looking down at the box. "Who are we going to take as witnesses." I bite my lip thinking. We can't take all 7 guys. We'd get noticed. I feel my heart ache thinking of all the guys. "Jimin and Byungchan." I say as the two names come to the front of my brain. "Don't you think it should be Bang PD?" She asks and I groan loudly. "This is so hard." I whine before signing my signature. Yuna nods next to me before putting her forehead to the table. "Why can't we bring them all?" Yuna mutters into the glass. "Because we'll definitely be noticed. No?" I ask grabbing my phone. I look up the closest local district office. "The closest one is 15 minutes away from our house." "Do they have a parking garage, that's the question?" Yuna asks looking up. I look at the street view and look around. "They do." I say zooming in, my fingers rapidly spreading part enlarging the picture. "Then we all go." She says standing up. I smile widely at her, "I won't let our best friends miss the best day of our lives." I wrap my hands around her waist and press my head into her rib cage.

"Let's go!" I say excitedly as the guys pile into the living room. They were all wearing average clothes, nothing too stylish or noticeable with face masks, sunglasses and baseball caps. I fix my face mask and clap happily. "I'm so happy we can all go!" Hoseok hyung yells walking over to the elevators quickly. I laugh and watch as the stairwell door opens, revealing my soon to be wife. She stands before me in a white collared jersey dress, her hair pulled in a long ponytail with sharp black winged eyes and I pull off my face mask. "You look stunning." I whisper before kissing her. "COME ON!" Jimin yells with a laugh pulling us into the elevator.I jump out of the van and look around the dead parking garage. Good, no one is here. Yuna steps out of the van with Byungchan in tow. "Come on." I say to the guys and they pile out. "Oh man! I'm getting emotional already." Jin whines taking off his sunglasses. Jungkook puts his arm around my shoulder and I smile. Byungchan grabs the documents and starts walking in with a big smile. Yuna looks back at me and gives me a wink. In just a few minutes she'll actually be my wife...

We stand in front of the desk, all the guys standing behind us already crying. I look over at Yuna as the man behind the counter stares at me. I put the wedding documents on the counter and take my sunglasses off. "We're here to file for marriage." I say as he nods and looks at the documents. He looks up at me quickly after reading my name off the paper. Byungchan steps up behind me and puts a hand on my back. "We'd appreciate it if this isn't a publicly known document." Byungchan says and the man nods at him before looking at my members behind me. "We should do this quickly, there are a lot of people coming." He says smiling at Yuna. I smile widely and take off my face mask. I hear shuddering clips behind me and look at Jungkook taking phones of this special occasion. The only occasion that will the mean the most to me for the rest of my life. "If your two witnesses would sign." The man says looking around. "Chim." I say making him smile. He jumps over to us and takes off his sunglasses. "I'm so happy!" He says loudly as he signs the document. I chuckle grabbing Yuna's hand and intertwining out fingers. I look over at Yuna who is all smiles and giggles. She makes me soar. "And just one more." The man says leaning on the counter. "Byungchan oppa." Yuna speaks up and he looks over shocked. "Really? Me? I think Namjoon should." The man looks at the clock and bites his lip. He feels pressured for time, so we are not seen and I'm grateful. "Namjoon, sign!" Byungchan says happily giving a face splitting smile. "Is thay okay?" Namjoon asks smiling. Yuna nods happily and he approaches the counter. He pets Yuna's head as he dries his eyes with his hoodie sleeve. "I really love you guys and I'm so happy for you both." Namjoon says signing the document. "If I could have your ID's please." The man says with a smile. I hand mine over and Yuna does the same. "Be right back. Congratulations on your marriage." He says walking away. "We're married." I whisper looking at Yuna. Her eyes glaze over with tears and I kiss her forehead. "Kiss her!" Hoseok says crying loudly. I grab both her hands and look into her hazel pools of glory. "I love you." I whisper squeezing her hands. "I love you too, Tae." She says happily as a tear glides down her cheek. I bend down and press my lips to hers, relishing in the feeling. I raise my hand and cup her cheek. My road was over. The road that I walked down in the darkest of nights was at an end. The most bitter of nights turning into the sweetest of days. The sun was rising, the secret journey beginning. Our secret journey.

I might do a second book. Let me know in my asks if the people that read it want a sequel! 

[nananikki-hey]

ALL THOSE BOOTIFUL QUESTIONS FOR DA SNAS

I did all my boys cause I got hit with all the inspiration.

How old were you when you & your F/O(s) first met?Sans: I was 18. He was (122) 24 in human terms.

Red: I was 19. He was (135) 26 in human terms.

Jaws: I was 16. He was (150) 29 in human terms. He was reaaaal hesitant about dating someone so young.

Did you & your F/O(s) get along at first or did it take time?Sans: We got a long like a house on fire almost immediately, though romantically speaking I was gone with a crush on him immediately. Took him a few months after.

Red: Red and I had a really rough start, he wasn’t too keen on humans or the idea of being friends with any since he came up to the surface and was met with racism. Though I’m a persistent jackass and didn’t leave him alone until I got him to crack and laugh at one of my jokes. By then he was the one that couldn’t leave me alone. Took almost a solid 2 months. Romantically, it didn’t even take close to as long, about a month after and we’d both fell for each other.

Jaws: OH THIS GUY- lemme tell you; he did not like me at ALL. I was a nervous wreck whole time I met him, being new to monsters in general, but he was a hulking mass of scaring that purposely intimidated me into the ground. Growling at me and not smiling at all, giving me the dark eyed stare. It wasn’t until I awkwardly stumbled over a pun that he kind of cracked a smile and I knew he wasn’t all bad. Took me meeting Crooks for him to really relax around me. Anyone who immediately liked his bro was good in his books. Romantically, he didn’t even touch the idea with a ten foot pole until I was 18, he didn’t want to come off as a creep who liked kids. Even then he’d complained about being too old for me. Though I’d already been gone with a crush on him for a solid year.

Who asked who out first?Sans: I asked him, though at the time it’d been more of a friend date.

Red: As soon as Red knew he wanted me, he very bluntly told me so and took me out.

Jaws: I did. Though I was flat out rejected at first, since he strongly disliked how young I was in comparison to him, in monster and human terms. I’d down right given up after, but after Tori explained to him a humans full life span and that I WAS indeed considered an adult, he’d given me a shot and asked me out.

Where did you go on a first date?Sans: Stargazing in the backyard using his old telescope, simple but magical.

Red: Out to Grillby’s, as he’d said; “Only the best for my Doll.”

Jaws: We’d stayed in and watched a movie. He was too shy to take me out on our first few dates, he hadn’t wanted anyone to see me out with him. He was really self conscious of his looks, and didn’t want anyone to give me shit for being with a monster.

Does your F/O have any silly nicknames for you?Sans: We call each other Squish and Squash occasionally. Cause I’m squishy, and he likes to squash me.

Red: He’ll call me Ripper cause I TORE MY PANTS THAT ONE TIME-

Jaws: Slip ‘n’ Slide. Cause I’ve a bad tendency to forget to take my socks off and end up slipping on tiles and polished wood a lot. Like, way too often.

What is your favourite thing about your F/O(s)?Sans: I love his eyes, and how they really convey his emotions. Heart eyes are a rare occurrence but I’ve only ever seen them happen for Pap and I so they’re special.

Red: His gold tooth. His ashamed of it, cause it’s a reminder of the first fight he’d ever lost, but that just makes me kiss it a lot more. He’s slowly starting to pout about it less.

Jaws: Just…him. His presence. Anytime he enters a room I just immediately feel safe and happy.

Do you like to cuddle with your F/O(s)?Sans: He’ll randomly just fall on me, wrap his arms around me and not get up. So even if I didn’t like it I’d have no choice.

Red: He likes to tickle me if I cuddle him, so I love it but at the same time he makes me want to kick him.

Jaws: he’s down for cuddles anytime, I just gotta sit in his lap and it’s cuddle city!

Tell a funny story about your F/O(s)Sans: During a game of Beer Pong at Grillby’s I accidentally threw a ping pong ball in his eye, it was rattling around in there for weeks until he just…sneezed it out.

Red: He’s a sleep talker. He’ll have full, nonsense conversations in his sleep. Once he’d confessed his love for his hot dog stand and I think they got married? I have it on tape and stored away for Anime Night so I can show Alphys and Undyne.

Jaws: He purrs sometime, but unintentionally, and when we’re cuddling. He vehemently denies it though.

When was your first kiss with your F/O(s)?Sans: On our third date, I initiated it cause he was too much of a flustered mess when I asked.

Red: First date, surprisingly chaste kiss on the cheek as a goodnight.

Jaws: A month after we started dating he finally gave into my prodding and we kissed. It was just a peck, he’d been too scared of accidentally nicking me with his teeth.

Who’s the big spoon?Sans: We switch, it just depends on if I’m prepared to get bruised by bones or not.

Red: He is, he will never ever ever be the little spoon….okay maybe here was that one time, but don’t tell anybody!

Jaws: It’s mostly him, cause he’s massive. But if he’s in need of comfort or extra assurance about himself, I’ll manage.

Do you & your F/O(s) go out a lot or tend to stay in more?Sans: We go out the most, stargazing is our thing. He’s also a fan of camping out in the forest.

Red: Will never say no to a lazy date in the house, but if he’s feeling good he’ll take me out to a fancy restaurant. He spoils me too much.

Jaws: We rarely go out for a date, he’s still too ashamed of himself, he’s getting better about it but we’ll still end up going somewhere secluded. Most public thing we’ve done is go to the movies.

How do you comfort your F/O(s) when they are upset?Sans: I can’t touch him when he’s initially upset, or in a majorly bad mood. But if he’s not too bad I’ll just silently hug him. He doesn’t like talking about things that upset him.

Red: I actually cant touch him at all until he’s completely cooled down. If he’s mad I leave him alone or he’ll lash out at me, if he’s sad I’ll sit and talk with him. He opens up occasionally when that’s the case, he cries a lot.

Jaws: First sign he’s upset is he’ll come pick me up, take me to his room, and just cuddle me. He doesn’t like talking things out, he just wants to hold me. I don’t push it and ask, the first time I did…well, I don’t want to give him another panic attack.

What’s your favourite activity you & your F/O(s) do togetherDoes sex count-//SLAP

Sans: Stargazing.

Red: If you ask him, it’s sex. He just won’t admit he likes to just sit and watch me do things. Just being around each other is nice.

Jaws: Taking naps together. We both end up getting really good sleep.

What was your first argument with your F/O(s) about?Sans: About moving in together, he didn’t want to put me at risk, since they’d been having vandalism problems.

Red: About our relationship. He was still nervous about the whole Monster/Human thing.

Jaws: He’d been a bit controlling and tried to put me on a curfew, not allowed to be out past 7pm. I argued back cause I would have lost my job. Turns out he’d just been worried cause of the amount of stabbing sin my country. So we’d comprised and on nights I worked he’d pick me up, and if I went out without him I’d text him every hour. It does get tiresome but I know he’s just anxious.

Who cooks for who most often?Sans: Ha, Papyrus spoils us both. But Sans will occasionally bake me something for special occasions. Or if he thinks he fucked up and wants to get on my good side.

Red: Boss handles the cooking and we are both banned from the kitchen cause neither of us can cook to his standards. Red will take me out for fancy food though.

Jaws: He’s taken over cooking since we’ve started dating. Food was a big thing Underground, and Sans considers it a major show of affection to cook me food. I’m not complaining, he’s food’s fucking amazing.

Where is their favorite place to be kissed?Sans: The neck vertebrae, makes him hot and bothered.

Red: he’s a horn dog, loves a kiss on the pelvis.

Jaws: He says he likes it when I kiss the cracks in his skull, I don’t do it often though, it makes him happy cry. And he hates crying.

Is your f/o ticklish?Sans: this fucker- t h i s f u c k e r- is ticklish on his funny bone, and his funny bone ONLY.

Red: touch the back of his skull just were the vertebrae connect and his first knee jerk reaction will be to punch whoever did it in the face. His incredibly ticklish there, and his spine.

Jaws: he ain’t ticklish anywhere, his magic is stretched too thin to be particularly sensitive anywhere.

How would you describe your f/o’s laugh?Sans: High pitched wheezing, the exact opposite of his voice. It’s almost like giggles.

Red: It’ll start with a snort then desolve into loud bellows of deep laughter. He’ll slap his knee or a table to accompany it.

Jaws: Raspy chuckles. Though occasionally he’ll let out a wheezy bellow Laughter right from the gut.

What’s their favorite kind if date?Sans: Stargazing, particularly when it’s clear out. He’s started to study astrology so it never gets old for him.

Red: He likes the type of dates that start out wholesome and warm, that slowly devolve into teasing and end with a passionate fuck in bed.

Jaws: He likes snuggle dates on the couch, with a nice comedy movie or when we read together.

Do you propose to them or do they propose to you?Sans: he’ll propose to me in the showiest way possible. A mariachi band will 100% be involved.

Red: he’s gonna do it quietly, in private. So he can be tender about it without worrying about prying eyes.

Jaws: he’d 100% reject me if I proposed. So he’d have to be the one proposing, much like Red he’d do it privately, so any rejection he’d potentially receive wouldn’t be public. He has too much anxiety already.

Does your f/o want kids?Sans: He wants a girl. Says he’s had enough of raising boisterous boys from when he had to raise Paps.

Red: Just wants a kid. He’d love to be a dad, though he doesn’t admit that a lot.

Jaws: He doesn’t want children. He’s too ashamed of himself and what he’d had to do Underground. The memories of some of the ways the kids died Underground still get to him.

What does your f/o smell like?Sans: Bones, ketchup, way to much perfume and pine trees.

Red: He’s got a metallic smell to him, kinda like rusted metal. Also mustard.

Jaws: no matter how hard he tries to wash it out, there’s always the lingering smell of blood left on his bones. He also smells like stake and coffee.

How does your f/o sleep? (some examples: Do they toss and turn or are they still? Do they snore? Do they talk in their sleep? Are they sleepwalkers?)Sans: Twitches like a dog and snores in his sleep, occasionally he’ll mutter nonsense. He a surprisingly heavy sleeper.

Red: Sleeps like the dead, completely still. Snores quietly but is a major sleep talker.

Jaws: He doesn’t sleep often, about 4 times a week but when he does he rarely stays asleep. He’s a very light sleeper and occasionally sleep walks around the house.

Does your f/o like video games, or do they prefer books?Sans: he loves both, don’t make him chose.

Red: Give him Bloodbourne, Dark Souls or Skyrim and he’ll be gone for weeks. He also has a weirdly morbid fixation with Pokemon. “so ther’ monsters right? an’ I get ta fight ‘em to tha death? sweet.”

Jaws: he prefers a nice quiet book over video games, especially violent ones. But he likes the Harvest Moon games.

Does your f/o like movies? If yes, what kinds?Sans: give this man a sci-fi movie and he’ll be completely enthralled, his eyes will get real wide and he’ll be super focused. Also classic comedy movies are his jam.

Red: Horror movies and comedies. If it’s both he’ll watch it like 10 fucking times in a row and laugh just as loudly at the jokes.

Jaw: Please make sure the movie doesn’t contain blood, it could trigger him into a panic attack. He likes wholesome or dirty comedies, and a few fantasy films; like Harry Potter!

Does your f/o have any habits?Sans: Sans…baby…PICK UP YOUR SHIT.

Red: ALSO PICK UP YOUR SHIT. And stop putting the empty milk back in the fridge!

Jaws: He picks at his crack when he’s anxious, or will drum his fingers loudly and fast. He also forgets to take care of himself a lot, I have to gently remind him to eat or shower.

When they smile how does it make you feel?Sans: When its genuine I can never stop myself from grinning like a dork back. Makes me happy to see him happy.

Red: He smirks more than smiles, and it has got me really horny on more than one occasion. But genuine, gentle smiles have got me giggling. Which immediately makes him a flustered mess.

Jaws: whenever he genuinely smiles I actually have to fight back tears. He’s getting better, but he doesn’t get genuinely happy enough to smile often.

What your favorite word to hear your f/o say?Sans: “Nekaya.” My name, cause whenever he says it, it’s usually followed by a lovely surprise or genuine compliment.

Red: “Sweetheart.” Depending on the tone this word does all sorts of things to me.

Jaws: “Love.” He isn’t open with his feelings enough, but when he is it’s always a special moment.

Can your describe your f/o’s voice?Sans: Deep and lulling. Like what a male siren might sound like.

Red: Deep and growly, the slightest shift in tone can make or break your day.

Jaws: deep, quiet and raspy. He doesn’t talk for too long.

Can you describe how your f/o kisses?Sans: Slow and lazy, true to his nature. He falls asleep kissing me a lot.

Red: Just…rough. Even when his gentle there’s an edge to it.

Jaws: hesitant but sincere, like he’s giving it his all but he’s expecting you to pull away.

[rxbxlcaptain]

#26? :) xxx {roguewrath}

26: “I think I’ve been holding myself from falling in love with you all over again.”

Wow, I am so sorry about how long it took me to write this. I just went down a fairly sentimental path for this one, and it turns out that’s how I get really stuck on a piece of writing. I’m still not sure this is exactly how I want it to be, but it needed to be published.

I’ve decided to do a throwback for this prompt! A long, long time ago (like, April) I wrote Logos and Pathos, based off the prompt “Temptation”, where Draven just shy of orders Cassian to make his relationship with Jyn official and stop creating drama around the Rebellion because of it. I had several people ask me for a continuation from Jyn’s POV and I swore I was going to do it, but I just… never got around to it, I suppose? My writing brain is weird sometimes my apologies really.

But, now, I DID IT. Have Jyn’s perspective on a proposal that, well, may or mat not go the direction Cassian was hoping. 

Warning: You’ll likely want to read Logos and Pathos first!

AO3

“What did you want to talk about?” Jyn asked as sheand Cassian slid into seats in the mess hall. Cassian had met her as her shippulled into Echo base’s hanger – nothing unusual there – with his face lit up byan overeager smile – again, nothing unusual. What had been unusual was hisreason why. Cassian wasn’t one for overly sappy sentiments, or at least inpublic places, but she’d expected the reason for his smile to be different than“something Draven said a few weeks ago.”

And now, with Cassian recoiling (not physically,perhaps, but Jyn watched him retreat within his mental shell, hiding his openemotion from the hanger behind the practiced “spy face”) she had absolutely noguess what that statement meant. It’s not like she and Draven were famousaround base for getting along. In fact, most of the rebels would be lesssurprised by Jyn and Draven falling into an all-out snowball fight than by her willinglyfollowing his advice.

Cassian looked as if he were going to begin but,after opening and closing his mouth twice, averted his eyes to the table.Rather than answering her question, he instead asked, “How was your flight?”

“Uneventful,” she responded, “But now you’re makingme nervous.”

“You shouldn’t be,” Cassian assured her. “Nothing’swrong.”

“In the hanger—” Jyn pointed a finger back in thedirection they’d came “—I believed that. Now you’re acting weird.”

Silence overcame the table for a few moments beforeCassian peeked up at her from under the fringes of his hair. He cleared histhroat lightly before beginning. “Draven’s a bit concerned about ourrelationship.”

Jyn’s eyebrows rose high on her forehead inresponse, though Cassian missed the expression by dropping his eyes back to thetable. “Did you tell him to go to hell?”

“No,” Cassian said with a slight smile (Jyn couldn’tdecide if that calmed the livid thumping of her heart or if it angered her more),“That would be your job. And it’s not what you think.”

“Draven didn’t give you an ultimatum about howbeing romantically involved with a known rogue and ex-Partisan was going tomake you more vulnerable and if you knew what was good for you you’d neverspeak to me again?” Jyn didn’t bother to disguise the sarcastic anger drippingfrom her voice.

“No.” Cassian shook his head, entirely too calm forJyn’s liking. His fingers traced aimless patterns along the tabletop, nervousin a way that Jyn never saw him. Part of her wanted to grab his fidgetingfingers. She stayed still instead. “He didn’t say anything like that at all.”

“Then what could General Davits Draven have to sayabout our relationship, if it’s not ‘Get one of my best agents away from JynErso’?”

Cassian finally dared looking up at her again. “He …suggested that we make it official.”

Jyn stared at him. “Marriage?” Her voice taintedthe word with disdain. Cassian hid it well, but, for a moment, Jyn was certainshe saw him flinch at the tone of her voice. “Draven suggested we get married?”

“He made some logical points, Jyn, and…”

Jyn didn’t let Cassian finish. Too many emotions –nothing like the cool logical Cassian was speaking of – coiled in her gut; finishingthis discussion with him right now would be disastrous for both of them. With ashake of her head, Jyn pushed back from the table, despite Cassian’s protestsand attempt to grab her arm.

She stormed out of the mess hall with no cleardestination in mind, shoulder checking several pilots in her path on the wayout.

Cassian didn’t attempt to call her back.

Jyn found her way to the training room. Since she’djust returned from a mission, no other members of her squadron were in theroom. They, likely, were taking the rest of the day to sleep and eat and shower– all the things she should be doing right now, if only her heartbeat weren’trunning so high and her hands itching to punch something. 

Hemade some logical points, Jyn…

General Draven could keep his logical points, Jynthought as she jabbed at a punching bag. If Jyn had been looking for logic,Cassian wouldn’t be in her life. Hell, the Alliance itself – her rank, herposition within it, the missions she ran at the risk of her own life – wouldn’tbe in her life at all if logic dictated her actions. She would have boltedbefore the Scarif mission, the second her obligation to the Alliance for savingher from Wobani was fulfilled.

Instead, she’d led a suicide mission to Scarif. She’djoined its ranks once she escaped the bacta tanks, and she’d allowed herself togrow close to the members of her team. More than the magnetic pull Cassian hadon her – and she on him – Jyn found herself relying on Bodhi’s easy company andthe optimistic presence of Chirrut. Baze’s sure aim and K-2SO’s statisticalsupport (or was annoyance the right word?) kept her back safe, and, forthe first time in years, Jyn didn’t need to check over her shoulder constantly.

She’d followed her heart for the first time inyears and life gave her the satisfaction of the destruction of her father’sweapon, the rank of sergeant, and a man who waited on the tarmac of whereverthe Alliance called home with a smile and a “Welcome home.”

The last thing she wanted now was logicalreclaiming that relationship, not when she’d needed to work past that in thebeginning.

Marriage. Jyn hadn’t considered marriage since she’d seenher parents’ marriage end with a blaster bolt to her mother’s chest. But whenshe considered it – considered the smile her father saved exclusively for hermother or the way her mother laughed as her father told a joke that really wasn’tfunny at all – it seemed more like a fairy tale told to children. Somethingdoomed to fail from the start.

Minutes faded into an hour and the limited crowd inthe room thinned until Jyn was one of the last remaining in the training room. Hermuscles ached and her knuckles showed early signs of bruising, but Jyn wasstill reluctant to leave. Leaving meant returning to the room she and Cassianshared and it meant they’d need to finish their conversation.

With a sigh, Jyn straightened her shoulders andtook a deep breath. She battled Stormtroopers and the entire force of theEmpire on a regular basis; handling a terrifying conversation with Cassianshould she tame in comparison.

“Jyn,” Cassian said as the door to their quartersslid open. He sat up quickly from where he’d been lounging on the bed, hisvoice caught between relief and surprise. “I … wasn’t sure you’d come backtonight.” 

“I always come back,” Jyn replied with a shrug,heading to the wardrobe to get a change of clothes, refusing to meet his eyes. “I’llalways come back home.”

You’remy home, she hoped heunderstood. Even if we fight, even if we’re both idiots, even if I’m stillangry. This is where I belong.

Her words must have given him hope, because Cassianapproached her as she grabbed a set of sleep clothes. When he grabbed her armthis time, Jyn didn’t pull away, only gave him an intense look, trusting hewould understand the implied You have five seconds to speak before you losethis hand. His voice was pleading as he spoke. “Just… hear me out.”

“I’m listening,” she informed him coolly, her armscrossed in front of her chest. “But if you’re going to start talking aboutlogic again…”

“I’m not,” Cassian assured her, shaking his head. “Iwouldn’t.” His hands ran through his hair anxiously, tossing it this way andthat. Combined with his nervous ticks this afternoon, Jyn had never seen Cassiangive so many obvious tells about his emotions.

“I don’t know what I’m doing.” He smiled, shy with ahint of self-depreciation, and shook his head. “Earlier proves that. But I’dlike to figure it out, with you by my side, if you’re willing.

“I opened this wrong,” he continued. “Because itisn’t about logic for me. If it was about logic, I would have told you thisplan when Draven first mentioned it a month ago. But you and me, this feelingbetween us—” Cassian reached up to cradle her face in his hands and she didn’tpull away, couldn’t pull away, not with how intently his eyes were boring intohers “—nothing about it is logical. And, for once in my life, I want to followmy heart instead of my head.”

Cassian took a deep breath as if to settle himself,“When I first met you, you were nothing more than a tool in the mission. But bythe time we left for Scarif…” Cassian trailed off with a laugh. “By the time weleft for Scarif, I was content to die by your side.”

His thumb stroked her cheekbone tenderly, his eyesnever leaving hers. “I worried that you wouldn’t feel the same, or I couldn’thandle a relationship like this but with each day I’ve served alongside you, I think I’ve been holding myself fromfalling in love with you all over again.

“I recoiled from the idea of marrying you whenDraven first mentioned it, but it had nothing to do with you. I’ve lived mylife through orders, but this… this is different. I don’t want it to be anorder, and I don’t want it to be logical.” He swallowed again and a nervouslook creeped back into his eyes. His next words were rushed, as if he had spentall afternoon practicing them and needed to get them out before he forgot them.“And if you don’t want to involve legal documentation, that’s fine, but, Jyn, Ineed you to know that I’m going to be right by your side for as long as youwant me.”

Cassian had never declared anything so sentimentalbefore, not even hidden within the walls of their quarters and under the coverof darkness. She’d known – how could she not, when she felt the same way? – butshe’d never heard it expressed in so many words. She wanted to surge up andkiss him, to silence him in the best way, but her knees wobbled, her mind spun,her throat dried up. She should be speaking, should be reassuring him, but shewasn’t sure she could speak if she wanted to.

“I don’t want anything dramatic,” she finallymanaged, her voice sounding as hoarse as her throat felt. “But I’ve learned tolike the official path over the last few years.”

Cassian’s eyes lit up and Jyn’s suspicions that, nomatter how he assured her he was fine either way, he wanted this to be official.

“We can be as quiet as you want,” he assured her. “Noone outside of the crew would have to know.”

Considering how gossip spread around the Rebellion,Jyn doubted that would be true, but, as she pulled Cassian down for a kiss, shedecided it wouldn’t matter.

[nitaescence]

The Return of Superman - YG

BTS members as fathers in The Return of Superman show

Suga x Reader Genre : Fluff Word Count : 2667

Author’s Note -

It includes interviews and shootings.

*…* : sentences edited on the final images.

Bold : cameras’ position in the house or outside.

Italics : dialogues.

/…/ : Time.

(…) : Sound effects.

[…] : camera movements

Digital Memories

Building

*Let’s visit the new Superman family’s house.

Inside the apartment

[Tilt - an upright piano/CDs on shelves]. *This family must be composed of musician* [Pan - family’s pictures] *The baby has grown up into a beautiful little boy* [zoom - on parents’ pictures] *Min Yoon Gi is the new father!* 

Yoon Gi : Hello, my name is Min Yoon Gi and I’m the father of 48-month-old Min Dae Won. Nice to meet you.

*Min Yoon Gi is a very famous rapper and singer-songwriter. He is a member from the K-Pop group BTS and also known as Suga. He married Y/N in 2025 when she was 2-month-old pregnant. Among the blessings they received, a very healthy little boy came to the world.*(Aww) [cutting - pictures of the couple and videos of the boy as a baby] *They form a very happy family.* 

*Let’s see what kind of father is Yoon Gi?*

Living room/ Kitchen

A peaceful silence resides this morning. 

/8:00 AM/

Hallway

[zoom] A room’s door is opened. *Someone is awake* Y/N goes straight to the bathroom to take a shower. After a while, she comes out, dressed and goes in the kitchen to prepare breakfast. *Mom is up first.*

Y/N: Hello! We’re the new family on The Return of Superman. My name is Y/N and I’m the mother of 48-month-old Min Dae Won. Nice to meet you. *She seems lovely*

Living room

*Morning begins in the Min household.*

Kitchen   

Y/N decides on cooking some eggs, radish kimchi and rice with red and black bean. (amazement) She also prepares tofu with seasoned soy sauce and heats up some bean paste stew. *Delicious*

Child’s bedroom

A little body gets up from his bed. *The pleasant scent invades the apartment.* *His stomach must have woken him up.* The child shuffles to the kitchen.

Kitchen

“Mom...” He says in a groggy voice.

“Good morning, baby!”  replies Y/N, squatting to kiss and hug her son, without touching him with her hands because of the food on them. Go wash your face before eating.

Her son obeys and leaves the kitchen.

Bathroom

He pushes the door open and takes his little step to be able to reach the sink. (Aww) *Dae Won is a big boy and doesn’t need help.* [zoom] He looks at himself in the mirror after whasing his little face. *So handsome* Then, he goes back to his mother.

Kitchen

The dishes are all set on the table. *This looks yummy.* Dae Won pulls the chair to sit on it. Y/N gives him his own chopsticks and his plate full of fresh food. She watches him without uttering a word, pleased with a smile curving her lips. Her smile grows when her son notices her staring at him and he grins.

“Mommy, you don’t eat?” He asks her, his mouth full.

“No... Not now.” She answers, leaning back rubbing her belly.

A silence took place. Y/N puts more food in his plate.

“The baby is not hungry?”

*A baby?* (surprise)

Y/N laughs and shakes her head. 

Y/N: Whenever me and my husband brought up the topic of children, he would repeat that one child is fair enough and that he wouldn’t want more. 

Y/N: He really is affectionate towards our son which may contrast with his public behavior. At home, he is the total opposite. He’s really considerate and... has the basic skills.(laughs) That’s probably one of the reasons that led us to have our second child. I managed to convince him and I also think that it’d be great for Dae Won to have a sibling to play with.

Y/N stands up to bring water and fruit juice on the table. [ Freeze frame and zoom on Y/N’s baby bump] *Currently, Y/N is 3 month-old pregnant.*(amazement)

Dae Won keeps on eating as he looks around him. He points at something, questioning his mother with his eyes.

“The cameras?”

He nods and stares a few seconds before resuming eating.

“Dad is still asleep?”

“Hm... Even though he fell asleep early last night.”

Parents’ room

Yoon Gi is curled up in the blankets, motionless. *Still sound asleep* (laughs)

/9:52 AM/

Living room

Dae Won is playing with his toys. While Y/N hangs out the laundry.

Parents’ room

*A dark figure goes out of the room.* 

Living room

Dae Won raises his head and smiles. *Who makes Dae Won smile so big.* [Pan / zoom] *It’s his dad.*

Dae Won stops in his tracks and goes to his father who is also walking to him. *The father and his son squeezing each other tenderly.*(cooing)

“The beauty has finally woken up.” Y/N snorts, watching lovingly the two boys.(laughs)

Yoon Gi lies down, still hugging his son and stays still. *He woke up ... to sleep again*(laughs)

“Dad.” says the little boy, laughing at his father’s sluggish attitude.

“Hmm.” Yoon Gi keeps his head nuzzled in his son’s soft hair.

“You have to eat.”

“Did you eat?”

“Yes with mom but she didn’t eat.”

“The baby?” wonders Yoon Gi, raising his head. to look at his wife

“Yeah, just morning sickness. Nothing to worry about.”

“But last time, the doctor said that they would ease up and go away this week.”

“Yeah, It’s been almost five days since last time I threw up. It’s getting better.”

Yoon Gi keeps looking at Y/N as she hangs the last clothes. *Yoon Gi feel powerless towards his wife’s aches.*(Aww) He gets up and hugs her before sitting at the table to eat his breakfast.

/11:45 AM/

Living room

Yoon Gi and Dae Won watch cartoons on TV. *They have the same position* (laughs)

Hallway

Y/N goes back and forth between her room and the bathroom as she gets ready to leave. 

Living room

The two boys can also see her as the hallway connects with the living room. Dae Won’s eyes are glued to the screen while Yoon Gi’s look shifts between the TV and his wife, amused by her talking to herself. After a while, Y/N appears, wearing a leopard scarf pattern, still busy packing. 

“Dae Won, I just saw a cheetah!” (laughs)

Dae Won turns his head towards his father who’s laughing silently, but doesn’t get the joke. *Too bad, he didn’t get it* (laughs)

Few minutes later, Y/N shows up with her suitcase. 

“I’m ready to leave.”

“You’re not eating lunch here?”

“No, but this morning I prepared all the food you’ll need for these two days so don’t panic. You’ll only have to heat it up.” *Mom thought of everything*

“I’m not panicking.” shrugs Yoon Gi.

“Dae Won, sweetheart, come say good-bye.” cooes Y/N.

He stands up and walks towards his mother.

“You’ll stay alone with Dad while I’ll be away at your grandmother’s okay? It won’t be long and you’ll enjoy your time together.”

“Yes! Don’t worry mom!”

They kiss and hug each other one last time before Y/N stands up to join Yoon Gi already at the door.

Hallway Entrance

“You call me if anything’s wrong or if you ne--”

“Y/N, we’ll survive without you!”

Y/N stays silent, an amused smile on her lips as she stares at him.

“Okay. Then it’s all good, right?”

They kiss and say good bye.

/13:17 PM/

 “Dae Wonaah!! You ready?”

“Yeeeeesss!”

Dae Won goes out of his room, dressed in clean clothes, and goes to the entrance door where his shoes are. 

“You’re taking the camera with you?” asks Dae Won looking at the object hanging around Yoon Gi’s neck as he puts on his shoes for him.

“Yes. We’ll take pictures and show mommy how much fun you’re having with me. Done! Wear your jacket.”

They leave.

At the park

The boys stop once they arrive at the park. Dae Won, walking ahead of his father, doesn’t wait for him and runs towards the playground. Yoon Gi follows him steadily, his camera in his hand and his backpack on one shoulder.

“Be careful!” He shouts and sits on a bench from which he will have a good view of his son. He sees him making friends with some children and smiles looking at him having fun. 

After getting his camera ready, Yoon Gi stands up and goes towards the slide his son is on to take pictures of him. He shifts from standing to squatting positions, looking at each pictures before resuming taking others. 

Yoon Gi: Photography is actually one of my strongest passion. Since a long time ago, I’ve always liked taking pictures of my surroundings, friends or family. Nowadays, my wife and my son are my main models. (laughs) 

Yoon Gi: Dae Won is very sociable and wants everyone around him to have fun. Seeing him all so happy always warms my heart and I like to freeze those moments. (cooing)

“Dad, look at me!” He shouts sliding down.

Yoon Gi interrupts himself to cheer him up. When he got enough, he goes back to sit down, keeping a eye on his son. 

“Dad!” Dae Won comes back running a few minutes later.

“Are you thirsty?” asks Yoon Gi as he dives his hand in his backpack and hands him over a bottle of water. “You made new friends?”

He son smiles at him and turns his head towards the little figures waiting for him to come back, drinking two thirds of the bottle. 

“We’ll leave in ten minutes, okay.”

“Why? It’s too early to leave!” whines Dae Won.

“You don’t want to go to the Kids’ Café anymore?”

Dae Won’s eyes light up, a beaming smile on his face and he runs back to the playground. (laughs) When it’s time to leave, Dae Won says good bye to his friends and joins his father. They walk across the park to go to their next location. The boy walks ahead of his father, enjoying the landscape as he stops from time to time to look at flowers or bugs he finds on the ground. *Dae won seems to love nature* Yoon Gi takes out his camera again to take pictures of him. They eventually go out of the park and walk on the streets full of people. Yoon Gi takes his son’s hand not to lose him. The presence of cameras pulls the public attention. Dae Won jumps happily when he can see the Kids’ cafe’s sign. 

*However!*

“What’s this?” asks Yoon Gi as he comes closer to read the little paper tapped on the glass door. 

[zoom on the sheet of paper] *Oh no!*

“Why don’t we enter Dad?” 

Yoon Gi sighs, smiling embarrassingly as he looks around him.

*The Kids’ Cafe is closed due to construction work.* (disappointment) *What will they do?*

“Why is this happening today?” cries Yoon Gi, throwing his head backward.

“Is it closed?” asks Dae Won, looking though the glass and then to his father.

“Wait a second.”

*Dad is trying to find a solution*

Yoon Gi doesn’t want his son to feel sad and quickly looks on his phone for something. Dae Won keeps holding his father’s hand as he looks around confused, waiting for his father to explain the situation to him. Suddenly, Yoon Gi squats down at his son’s height.

“Dae Won the Kids’ cafe is closed today but there is a cat cafe not very far from here, do you want to go there?”

“A cat cafe?”

“Yes, there are lots of cats in that cafe. You like animals don’t you?”

Dae Won seems to reflect on the idea before slowly nodding his head. Yoon Gi stands up smiling, relieved to have quickly been able to find a solution. 

Cat Cafe

*The father and the son enter.*

“Hello.” Yoon Gi and Dae Won greet the waiters.

Three cats immediately gather around them causing Dae Won to move back abruptly, clinging on his father pants. *He is surprised.*(laughs) He disappears behind Yoon Gi when a cat attempts to climb on his father’s leg.

“Don’t be afraid, Dae Won. Look! Stroke them like this. See, it’s soft.” says Yoon Gi, kneeling down to pet the animal. Dae Won comes next to him, grasping his father’s shirt. His father stretches his hand to show him that there is nothing to fear. Dae Won mimics him after a few seconds he’s watched him. *He gets over his fear and lets the cats touch him.* “Good. Like this.”

Dae Won smiles at his dad when one the cats licks his hand which Yoon Gi answers back with an approving nod. Yoon Gi stands up and walks towards the counter to order snacks as Dae Won walks away to the seats, followed by cats. Yoon Gi waits for his order as he watches his son beginning familiarizing himself with the place.

“Dae Won, you shouldn’t bother those cats. Let them sleep in piece.” He tells him as the boy pats the sleepy cats’ head. 

*They remind us of someone.* (laughs)

Yoon Gi comes back with a tray. Dae Won eats but his attention is continuously focused on the cats gathering one by one around his chair, waiting for a treat. 

“Please, don’t feed the cats with your food. We can give you theirs if you want.” says one of the waiters from the counter as Dae Won stretches his hand with some of his donut’s crumbs in it.

“Dae Won, you heard the woman. Finish your food and you’ll be able to feed them after.” warns Yoon Gi, eyes glued to his phone.

Once he’s done eating, he goes straight to the counter to ask for cats’ food. They give him some with toys cats can play with. Yoon Gi takes again his camera out. He also looks at the pictures taken earlier at the park and takes others in the cafe. Dae Won has fun as he feeds the animals, squealing with delight whenever one of the furry animals manages to catch the food in his hand, and plays with them. *As expected, they quickly became friends* (Aww) When Yoon Gi stretches, twisting his body left and right, one of the cats previously settled on the edge of the glass next to their table but out of his view, hops down next to him all of a sudden.

“Oh gosh... he surprised me.” He says smiling at it as it joins the other cats around Dae Won. (laughs)

*Dae Won found a new toy.* The boy goes towards a wheel for cats and spins it making the cat peacefully lying down on it, go away. * You disturbed my nap* (laughs) He watches it before stopping the wheel from spinning to sit down on it.

“Dae Won, you shouldn’t do that, you’re too heavy. Look, the cats will get angry if they see you playing with their toys.” (laughs)

Dae Won stops in his tracks to look at the few animals who freeze in front of him. He stands up immediately watching as two of them take his previous seat and spins the wheel for them.

Yoon Gi: At first, I said I wouldn’t be on the show. I wasn’t really keen on exposing our privacy. My wife didn’t really objected to it and said to me that it would be easy to take care of our son since he is grown up. Then I also thought about my in-laws. They live quite far from us and cannot see Dae Won as much as they wish. This show will allow them to see their grandson more often. If they can be happy to see him through these images then I’ll be too.  

“Alright, Dae Won. It’s time to leave, say good bye to your friends”.

“Good bye cats!” he waves at them and they both leave.

*How was your time at the cat cafe?*

Yoon Gi: I liked it. We had a great time and I’m happy he had the opportunity to play with animals. For some reasons, I was really glad the Kids’ cafe was closed, [zoom] children are louder than animals. (laughs) So we both enjoyed our time there.

                                                                                                          End of Day 1.

[rwwealth-blog]

Goooooooooal: Planning your way to financial victory

Goooooooooal: Planning your way to financial victory

Have you ever been to the gym the first week in January? It’s usually packed with folks looking to improve their health. Many of these newcomers are there as part of their New Year’s resolution, while others may be trying to rebound after a particularly indulgent holiday season. And that’s a noble pursuit. However, very few of them are likely to still be going to the gym a few months later. I’m not a psychologist, but it seems to me that human nature responds to a setback or feeling of being stuck in a rut with a flurry of positive changes. Unfortunately, once our memory of what caused us to want to make those changes fades, we tend to slip back into our old ways.

I sat down with Neal Stern of the AICPA’s National CPA Financial Literacy Commission to talk about how Americans can make some positive changes to their financial plans – and stick with them for the long term.

James Schiavone: First, let’s start with the good news. As the economy has continued to recover, we’re seeing more Americans feeling comfortable enough financially to achieve some major life accomplishments, including getting married, having children and buying homes. What advice would you give for someone trying to determine if their finances are secure enough to make these big decisions?

Neal Stern:  It’s important to give thought to how you will stay above water when the economic roller coaster is on the next downswing. If you’re not already using a budget, there’s no better time to start than when you’re on solid footing. Next, you should work to build up your savings so that you have at least six months of your income in an emergency fund. When thinking longer term about home ownership and having children, make sure your current income can comfortably cover your costs of living, including a realistic estimate of what the new commitment will add. 

JS: A lot of people have trouble developing a month budget – can you explain how this is the first step towards reaching financial goals?

NS: A budget gives you a view of how much of your income is left over after recurring expenses, like rent or mortgage and car payments, and provides a roadmap to help you make better spending decisions. When you know what’s available after paying everything that’s already on your plate – including paydowns of student loans, credit cards, and other debt – you can set a realistic target for savings each month. There are many free online tools to help you get started on your budget on the AICPA’s 360finlit.org website.

JS: In our recent Harris Poll, it was troubling for me to see that fewer Americans reported putting less money on their credit cards. What are some strategies to make sure you’re not carrying a balance and why is that important?

NS: If you can’t pay off your credit card bills in full each month, that’s a warning sign that you’re outspending your income. Once you have a balance, it can grow rapidly, fueled by interest charges. If you carry a substantial credit card balance and are faced with a job loss, you may struggle to make the minimum payments while also trying to cover your costs of living. Mapping out and sticking to a realistic budget can help you keep your spending from going into the red zone, and a solid emergency fund can prevent unexpected expenses from turning into credit card balances that you can’t pay off. 

JS: Once someone has their finances on track and feels like they’re in a good place – paying down debt, putting aside some savings – how can they stay the course without feeling like they’re denying themselves?

NS: A budget that leaves nothing for the things you enjoy is as unrealistic as a starvation diet – it won’t work for very long and may lead to the financial equivalent of a pizza and ice cream binge when you ditch it out of frustration. If your budget doesn’t allow for some fun, take a hard look at your recurring costs. For example, if your rent is soaking up too much of your income, it may be time to consider downsizing. 

JS: It can sometimes feel like our financial goals are competing with one another. How would you advise someone prioritize paying off student loans, saving for a down payment on a home and putting away money for retirement?

NS: First, don’t be overwhelmed. It’s important to strike a balance that fits your personal situation and allows some progress on each front. If buying a home is your goal, keep in mind that it may be difficult to handle student loan payments at the same time as a mortgage and the other costs of home ownership. Plus, mortgage lenders typically consider your existing debt payment obligations, which includes student loans. It’s important to remember that having the down payment in hand doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re ready to buy. And while retirement may seem a long way off, if your employer offers a 401(k) or similar plan with a contribution match and you’re not contributing at least enough to take full advantage of it, you’re leaving “free money” on the table. 

For more tips and tools on how you can develop a financial plan that will stick long term, visit www.360finlit.org.

James Schiavone, Senior Manager, Public Relations, Association of International Certified Professional Accountants 

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EXCLUSIVE: The Spectacular Reinvention of Mandy Moore

“I’m in a completely different chapter of my life, and I don’t begrudge anything.”

On a balmy Sunday afternoon in April, Mandy Moore lounges on a white leather couch in a corner of a bare four-star West Hollywood, California, hotel room, counting down the final minutes of a rare day of work during a picturesque spring weekend. Glam in a chic designer black dress and barely there makeup from a prior event, gone in that moment is any sign of the bubbly teenage blonde pop star singing about puppy love in “Candy.” In her place is a mature, fulfilled 33-year-old who has since demanded the world’s attention on This Is Us.

In NBC’s undisputed breakout family drama, Moore slips into the complicated world of Rebecca Pearson, wife and mother of three (twins and an adopted son), with a signature performance that’s deft and understated in its time-jumping complexities. Getting to this point in her career, though, didn’t come immediately to Moore, who at one point was best known for her pop music and teen roles in films like A Walk to Remember, The Princess Diaries and Saved!.

“It’s all led me to where I am now. I’m happy to acknowledge [the past], but also stay focused on the present,” she says honestly, referencing past credits in a candid conversation with ET. “I think it’s cool to have different chapters of your life and career and for there to be a portion of an audience out there that just knows me from [This Is Us]. I’m totally fine with it because there’s plenty of stuff in the past I’d like to forget.”

EMMYS 2017: The Standout Performances on TV

In many respects, This Is Us represents a pivot point in Moore’s life. Before the acclaimed series came along, she was at a crossroads “in every sense” of the word -- both in her personal and professional life. (Moore’s divorce from musician Ryan Adams, her husband for seven years, was finalized in June 2016.)

“I’ve gone through my share of career lulls and rejections and disappointment,” she acknowledges. “I sort of feel like my life has hit on so many different notes that that collective experience [is something I can] bring to the table with a role like this and sprinkle a little bit of that into this woman.”

Moore credits This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman, with whom she fostered a close relationship during 2010’s Tangled, for taking a chance on her once it came time to fill the coveted part of Rebecca. The gig wasn’t going to be the typical TV experience (“I was terrified of the prospect of working in TV,” she confesses at one point), with the premise calling for her to play the character from her early 20s to age 66. She embraced -- and aced -- the test.

“I tell Dan Fogelman every chance that I get that he’s changed my life. I was waiting for the opportunity for [something like this], where someone would allow me to challenge myself and stretch in a way I didn’t know I was capable of,” Moore says with a deep sincerity in her voice. “Dan did me the greatest favor in the world and really allowed me to do something that no one else has allowed me to do before.”

NBC

Moore points to several key scenes that have stuck with her the most, though having her pick is like asking her to name a favorite child. She lands on a handful of moments after taking a second to file through her memories: Rebecca’s speech imploring her husband, Jack (Milo Ventimiglia), to be a “9” for their kids; Rebecca tearfully admitting to her unborn babies that she’s unfit to be a mother; and the devastating marriage-ending fight between husband and wife in the season finale. 

Of the latter, Moore freely admits she and Ventimiglia were deeply affected by Rebecca and Jack’s decision not to compromise, often having their own private discussions over the benchmark scene: “I expected them in any part of their marriage for one to go, ‘This is dumb. Why are we doing this? I love you. You love me. I can’t walk out that door. I packed a bag, but I’m not going anywhere. We’re going to fix this.’ They’re not going to let this happen. I was the most surprised by that.”

“The material that all of us have had is beyond our wildest comprehension,” she says, speaking more broadly of the embarrassment of riches she and her cast mates, who include Sterling K. Brown, Justin Hartley and Chrissy Metz as her three grown children, are afforded. “We would get the scripts week to week and go, ‘How are people, first of all, going to emotionally have the constitution to handle what’s happening?’ God, you wait a whole lifetime, a whole career to be a part of something like that. It’s not lost on any of us.”

What also isn’t lost is the stratospheric rise Moore’s life has taken since This Is Us broke through last September -- and with experience comes a newfound appreciation for such a rare lightning-in-a-bottle treasure.

“Life has changed for all of us exponentially on every level. It’s indescribable,” she marvels about starring on a hit show, an experience she’s just learning to grasp. “I’d never been part of something that has resonated this deeply with people out there in the world, [or got] that sort of feedback in every corner of your day-to-day life, with people coming up talking to you.” And not just to say “I love the show,” the actress explains; they want to come up to her and talk about their life and how they relate to the characters on the show. Though not a mother or currently married herself, people treat Moore like she’s Rebecca and share with her their deepest insecurities or unexpected tribulations. “It’s really heavy stuff you wouldn’t expect a perfect stranger to come up and unload on you.”

The public’s immediate embrace of the Pearson family and, in turn, the actors who portray them, wasn’t something Moore initially expected. In hindsight, maybe she should have. “It’s very humbling,” Moore says of being that emotional safe haven for perfect strangers. “It’s like, ‘Wow, we’re a part of something that feels important.’ It means something to people in this day and age and this crazy world we live in where everything is forcing us to divide. We’re a part of something that’s uniting people.”

That resonance with fans is, in large part, why it’s become so wildly popular so quickly. “I am beside myself being a part of a show that’s garnering the recognition that it has. That’s my priority and that's what’s most important to me,” she says. “But you know what the most mind-boggling fact of all of this? Milo and I were sitting waiting with bated breath to see if the show was getting picked up this time last year. To be in this position now is beyond.”

And she’s taken advantage of the added attention during her hiatus, returning to her Tangled roots for a Disney Channel series and leading two films, I’m Not Here, opposite J.K. Simmons, and The Darkest Minds, alongside Amandla Stenberg and Gwendoline Christie.

“I’ve gotten better at saying no,” Moore says of what she’s learned as she gets older. “I was afraid to own my power. I felt I had to please everybody and to be genial and polite, and all of that is still possible while saying no, but I think that comes with time and the clarity and wisdom that come with age.”

[newstwitter-blog]

New Post has been published on News Twitter

New Post has been published on http://www.news-twitter.com/2017/01/30/ny-times-silicon-valleys-ambivalence-toward-trump-turns-to-anger-16/

NY Times: Silicon Valley’s Ambivalence Toward Trump Turns to Anger

“I’m here because I’m a refugee,” Mr. Brin said, according to a Twitter post by the Forbes writer Ryan Mac.

Google cofounder Sergey Brin at SFO protest: “I’m here because I’m a refugee.” (Photo from Matt Kang/Forbes) pic.twitter.com/GwhsSwDPLT

— Ryan Mac (@RMac18) Jan. 29, 2017

@karaswisher look who joined the protest at SFO pic.twitter.com/tCfm6CS0n7

— Sina Vaziri (@SinaVaziri) Jan. 29, 2017

The tech companies’ reaction was more forceful than that of other industries. Just about everyone in Silicon Valley came from somewhere else or is a son or daughter of someone who did or is married to someone who did.

That list starts with the most famous Silicon Valley citizen of all: Steve Jobs, the Apple co-founder, whose biological father immigrated from Syria in 1954. Mr. Trump’s order proclaimed that “the entry of nationals of Syria as refugees is detrimental to the interests of the United States” and would be suspended indefinitely.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, said that his great-grandparents had come from Germany, Austria and Poland and that the parents of his wife, Priscilla Chan, were refugees from China and Vietnam.

“Like many of you, I’m concerned about the impact of the recent executive orders signed by President Trump,” Mr. Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook on Friday.

Even some of those working closely with the Trump administration were critical. Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, who sits on two of Mr. Trump’s advisory committees, wrote on Twitter that the ban was “not the best way to address the country’s challenges.” Mr. Musk was born in South Africa.

The blanket entry ban on citizens from certain primarily Muslim countries is not the best way to address the country’s challenges

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) Jan. 29, 2017

Aaron Levie, chief executive of the data storage company Box, wrote on Twitter that “on every level — moral, humanitarian, economic, logical, etc. — this ban is wrong and is completely antithetical to the principles of America.”

Continue reading the main story

Over all, Mr. Levie said in an interview, “there was a pretty resounding response from the tech industry showing how unacceptable this is.”

Beyond family heritage and employment, he noted, Silicon Valley cares about immigration because its companies strive to operate everywhere in the world.

“Almost every company’s products — Google, Apple, Airbnb — has a global customer base,” Mr. Levie said. “These policy decisions have real implications to our partners, our customers, our competitors.”

The Trump administration is little more than a week old, but its relationship with Silicon Valley is already complicated. The tech industry did not like Mr. Trump the presidential candidate, despite his embrace of Twitter, and he returned the sentiment with caustic posts on the platform. Stephen K. Bannon, his chief strategist, said in 2015 that “two-thirds or three-quarters of the C.E.O.s in Silicon Valley are from South Asia or from Asia,” an incorrect statement that many in Silicon Valley perceived as racist.

Yet a much-promoted December meeting between the incoming administration and numerous tech chieftains was decidedly upbeat. “We’re going to be there for you,” Mr. Trump promised to a room that included the leaders of Apple, Microsoft and Amazon.

By early last week, the companies sensed trouble.

Murtadha al-Tameemi, 24, an Iraqi-born software engineer at Facebook, was told by a company lawyer on Tuesday that he needed to cut short a visit to Canada and return to the United States. The company feared that he would not be readmitted to the country because the president was expected to sign an executive order that would keep him out.

“It may be my naïveté about how politics and industries interact, but I don’t interpret the tech community’s opposition to the president as a political stance,” Mr. Tameemi said. “It seemed more like a matter of values and a matter that impacts them.”

The larger tech companies tended to be less forceful in their reactions to the executive order than the smaller ones. Google said it was “concerned.” Apple said, “It is not a policy we support.” Amazon said only that it was committed to diversity. Oracle did not respond to requests for comment.

On the other hand, Microsoft became more forceful as the weekend went on. On Saturday, its executives talked mostly about the virtues of immigration. On Sunday night, the company issued a statement calling the executive order “misguided and a fundamental step backwards” and said it would create “collateral damage to the country’s reputation and values.”

Continue reading the main story

Microsoft was not the only company to become bolder in a few hours. Around 10 a.m. on Saturday, Mr. Chesky of Airbnb posted a vague message on Twitter saying “open doors bring all of US together.” By 6 p.m., he was advocating open protest. Early Sunday morning, he wrote a memo to employees warning that Mr. Trump’s new policy was “a direct obstacle to our mission.”

Airbnb is providing free housing to refugees and anyone not allowed in the US. Stayed tuned for more, contact me if urgent need for housing

— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) Jan. 29, 2017

It was a long, dizzying day for an industry that is struggling to find its footing under the new president. “It feels like the air itself has changed, like when a storm comes,” said Shervin Pishevar, a founder of Sherpa Capital and Hyperloop One.

Even before the executive order, pressure had been building on companies to speak out against measures being endorsed by Mr. Trump. Some of that impetus came from employees, and some from activists.

Engineers and product managers at several tech companies spoke to The New York Times on the condition of anonymity. They have signed nondisclosure agreements at their companies and are generally not authorized to speak to the news media.

At Twitter, a number of workers felt frustrated with the disconnect between their company’s product — a platform for free speech — and the extent to which Mr. Trump has used it to attack those who question him and proclaim outright falsehoods to the American public. On Saturday, Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s chief executive, posted and reposted numerous messages denouncing the travel ban.

At Facebook, employees felt a similar sense of discord. Some complained about how long it took Mr. Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer, to speak out. Others were upset at the continued presence of Peter Thiel, a venture capitalist and a longtime confidant of Mr. Zuckerberg’s, as a director on Facebook’s board. Mr. Thiel was a donor to Mr. Trump’s campaign and has since become an adviser, and he issued a statement on Saturday evening that reaffirmed his support for the president.

Uber is under one of the brightest spotlights. Travis Kalanick, its chief executive, is part of Mr. Trump’s economic advisory team.

That has made Uber a target of protesters, some of whom shut down access to its headquarters on Inauguration Day.

Continue reading the main story

In an email to employees on Saturday titled “Standing up for what’s right,” Mr. Kalanick stressed the importance of pushing for change by working to have a seat at the table and discussing any differences. He said he would be seeing Mr. Trump on Friday.

As protesters at Kennedy International Airport in New York multiplied on Saturday night, cabdrivers — largely immigrants — began a one-hour work stoppage at the airport as a form of protest against the executive order.

Uber did not follow suit. Instead, it posted on Twitter that it was suspending surge pricing at Kennedy Airport. That prompted accusations that it was trying to break the strike, which the company awkwardly denied in another Twitter post.

On Sunday morning, its competitor Lyft said it was donating $1 million to the American Civil Liberties Union over the next four years “to defend our Constitution.” On Sunday afternoon, Uber sharpened its criticism of the ban, calling it “wrong and unjust.”

Sam Altman, who runs Y Combinator, Silicon Valley’s most prominent start-up incubator, said things were changing so fast that it was hard to predict what was going to happen.

“After the election, a lot of people here said give Trump a chance in good faith, and after he started, a lot of people said give him a chance in good faith,” Mr. Altman said. “Now they are looking at his policies and saying he is a risk to the republic. Saturday was a good beginning, and I think there is more to come.”

Mr. Altman spoke as he was arriving at the airport in San Francisco on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. The protest was continuing, and he intended to join.

Continue reading the main story

This post has been harvested from the source link, and News-Twitter has no responsibility on its content. Source link

[newstwitter-blog]

New Post has been published on News Twitter

New Post has been published on http://www.news-twitter.com/2017/01/30/ny-times-silicon-valleys-ambivalence-toward-trump-turns-to-anger-15/

NY Times: Silicon Valley’s Ambivalence Toward Trump Turns to Anger

“I’m here because I’m a refugee,” Mr. Brin said, according to a Twitter post by the Forbes writer Ryan Mac.

Google cofounder Sergey Brin at SFO protest: “I’m here because I’m a refugee.” (Photo from Matt Kang/Forbes) pic.twitter.com/GwhsSwDPLT

— Ryan Mac (@RMac18) Jan. 29, 2017

@karaswisher look who joined the protest at SFO pic.twitter.com/tCfm6CS0n7

— Sina Vaziri (@SinaVaziri) Jan. 29, 2017

The tech companies’ reaction was more forceful than that of other industries. Just about everyone in Silicon Valley came from somewhere else or is a son or daughter of someone who did or is married to someone who did.

That list starts with the most famous Silicon Valley citizen of all: Steve Jobs, the Apple co-founder, whose biological father immigrated from Syria in 1954. Mr. Trump’s order proclaimed that “the entry of nationals of Syria as refugees is detrimental to the interests of the United States” and would be suspended indefinitely.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, said that his great-grandparents had come from Germany, Austria and Poland and that the parents of his wife, Priscilla Chan, were refugees from China and Vietnam.

“Like many of you, I’m concerned about the impact of the recent executive orders signed by President Trump,” Mr. Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook on Friday.

Even some of those working closely with the Trump administration were critical. Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, who sits on two of Mr. Trump’s advisory committees, wrote on Twitter that the ban was “not the best way to address the country’s challenges.” Mr. Musk was born in South Africa.

The blanket entry ban on citizens from certain primarily Muslim countries is not the best way to address the country’s challenges

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) Jan. 29, 2017

Aaron Levie, chief executive of the data storage company Box, wrote on Twitter that “on every level — moral, humanitarian, economic, logical, etc. — this ban is wrong and is completely antithetical to the principles of America.”

Continue reading the main story

Over all, Mr. Levie said in an interview, “there was a pretty resounding response from the tech industry showing how unacceptable this is.”

Beyond family heritage and employment, he noted, Silicon Valley cares about immigration because its companies strive to operate everywhere in the world.

“Almost every company’s products — Google, Apple, Airbnb — has a global customer base,” Mr. Levie said. “These policy decisions have real implications to our partners, our customers, our competitors.”

The Trump administration is little more than a week old, but its relationship with Silicon Valley is already complicated. The tech industry did not like Mr. Trump the presidential candidate, despite his embrace of Twitter, and he returned the sentiment with caustic posts on the platform. Stephen K. Bannon, his chief strategist, said in 2015 that “two-thirds or three-quarters of the C.E.O.s in Silicon Valley are from South Asia or from Asia,” an incorrect statement that many in Silicon Valley perceived as racist.

Yet a much-promoted December meeting between the incoming administration and numerous tech chieftains was decidedly upbeat. “We’re going to be there for you,” Mr. Trump promised to a room that included the leaders of Apple, Microsoft and Amazon.

By early last week, the companies sensed trouble.

Murtadha al-Tameemi, 24, an Iraqi-born software engineer at Facebook, was told by a company lawyer on Tuesday that he needed to cut short a visit to Canada and return to the United States. The company feared that he would not be readmitted to the country because the president was expected to sign an executive order that would keep him out.

“It may be my naïveté about how politics and industries interact, but I don’t interpret the tech community’s opposition to the president as a political stance,” Mr. Tameemi said. “It seemed more like a matter of values and a matter that impacts them.”

The larger tech companies tended to be less forceful in their reactions to the executive order than the smaller ones. Google said it was “concerned.” Apple said, “It is not a policy we support.” Amazon said only that it was committed to diversity. Oracle did not respond to requests for comment.

On the other hand, Microsoft became more forceful as the weekend went on. On Saturday, its executives talked mostly about the virtues of immigration. On Sunday night, the company issued a statement calling the executive order “misguided and a fundamental step backwards” and said it would create “collateral damage to the country’s reputation and values.”

Continue reading the main story

Microsoft was not the only company to become bolder in a few hours. Around 10 a.m. on Saturday, Mr. Chesky of Airbnb posted a vague message on Twitter saying “open doors bring all of US together.” By 6 p.m., he was advocating open protest. Early Sunday morning, he wrote a memo to employees warning that Mr. Trump’s new policy was “a direct obstacle to our mission.”

Airbnb is providing free housing to refugees and anyone not allowed in the US. Stayed tuned for more, contact me if urgent need for housing

— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) Jan. 29, 2017

It was a long, dizzying day for an industry that is struggling to find its footing under the new president. “It feels like the air itself has changed, like when a storm comes,” said Shervin Pishevar, a founder of Sherpa Capital and Hyperloop One.

Even before the executive order, pressure had been building on companies to speak out against measures being endorsed by Mr. Trump. Some of that impetus came from employees, and some from activists.

Engineers and product managers at several tech companies spoke to The New York Times on the condition of anonymity. They have signed nondisclosure agreements at their companies and are generally not authorized to speak to the news media.

At Twitter, a number of workers felt frustrated with the disconnect between their company’s product — a platform for free speech — and the extent to which Mr. Trump has used it to attack those who question him and proclaim outright falsehoods to the American public. On Saturday, Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s chief executive, posted and reposted numerous messages denouncing the travel ban.

At Facebook, employees felt a similar sense of discord. Some complained about how long it took Mr. Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer, to speak out. Others were upset at the continued presence of Peter Thiel, a venture capitalist and a longtime confidant of Mr. Zuckerberg’s, as a director on Facebook’s board. Mr. Thiel was a donor to Mr. Trump’s campaign and has since become an adviser, and he issued a statement on Saturday evening that reaffirmed his support for the president.

Uber is under one of the brightest spotlights. Travis Kalanick, its chief executive, is part of Mr. Trump’s economic advisory team.

That has made Uber a target of protesters, some of whom shut down access to its headquarters on Inauguration Day.

Continue reading the main story

In an email to employees on Saturday titled “Standing up for what’s right,” Mr. Kalanick stressed the importance of pushing for change by working to have a seat at the table and discussing any differences. He said he would be seeing Mr. Trump on Friday.

As protesters at Kennedy International Airport in New York multiplied on Saturday night, cabdrivers — largely immigrants — began a one-hour work stoppage at the airport as a form of protest against the executive order.

Uber did not follow suit. Instead, it posted on Twitter that it was suspending surge pricing at Kennedy Airport. That prompted accusations that it was trying to break the strike, which the company awkwardly denied in another Twitter post.

On Sunday morning, its competitor Lyft said it was donating $1 million to the American Civil Liberties Union over the next four years “to defend our Constitution.” On Sunday afternoon, Uber sharpened its criticism of the ban, calling it “wrong and unjust.”

Sam Altman, who runs Y Combinator, Silicon Valley’s most prominent start-up incubator, said things were changing so fast that it was hard to predict what was going to happen.

“After the election, a lot of people here said give Trump a chance in good faith, and after he started, a lot of people said give him a chance in good faith,” Mr. Altman said. “Now they are looking at his policies and saying he is a risk to the republic. Saturday was a good beginning, and I think there is more to come.”

Mr. Altman spoke as he was arriving at the airport in San Francisco on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. The protest was continuing, and he intended to join.

Continue reading the main story

This post has been harvested from the source link, and News-Twitter has no responsibility on its content. Source link

[newstwitter-blog]

New Post has been published on News Twitter

New Post has been published on http://www.news-twitter.com/2017/01/30/ny-times-silicon-valleys-ambivalence-toward-trump-turns-to-anger-14/

NY Times: Silicon Valley’s Ambivalence Toward Trump Turns to Anger

“I’m here because I’m a refugee,” Mr. Brin said, according to a Twitter post by the Forbes writer Ryan Mac.

Google cofounder Sergey Brin at SFO protest: “I’m here because I’m a refugee.” (Photo from Matt Kang/Forbes) pic.twitter.com/GwhsSwDPLT

— Ryan Mac (@RMac18) Jan. 29, 2017

@karaswisher look who joined the protest at SFO pic.twitter.com/tCfm6CS0n7

— Sina Vaziri (@SinaVaziri) Jan. 29, 2017

The tech companies’ reaction was more forceful than that of other industries. Just about everyone in Silicon Valley came from somewhere else or is a son or daughter of someone who did or is married to someone who did.

That list starts with the most famous Silicon Valley citizen of all: Steve Jobs, the Apple co-founder, whose biological father immigrated from Syria in 1954. Mr. Trump’s order proclaimed that “the entry of nationals of Syria as refugees is detrimental to the interests of the United States” and would be suspended indefinitely.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, said that his great-grandparents had come from Germany, Austria and Poland and that the parents of his wife, Priscilla Chan, were refugees from China and Vietnam.

“Like many of you, I’m concerned about the impact of the recent executive orders signed by President Trump,” Mr. Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook on Friday.

Even some of those working closely with the Trump administration were critical. Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, who sits on two of Mr. Trump’s advisory committees, wrote on Twitter that the ban was “not the best way to address the country’s challenges.” Mr. Musk was born in South Africa.

The blanket entry ban on citizens from certain primarily Muslim countries is not the best way to address the country’s challenges

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) Jan. 29, 2017

Aaron Levie, chief executive of the data storage company Box, wrote on Twitter that “on every level — moral, humanitarian, economic, logical, etc. — this ban is wrong and is completely antithetical to the principles of America.”

Continue reading the main story

Over all, Mr. Levie said in an interview, “there was a pretty resounding response from the tech industry showing how unacceptable this is.”

Beyond family heritage and employment, he noted, Silicon Valley cares about immigration because its companies strive to operate everywhere in the world.

“Almost every company’s products — Google, Apple, Airbnb — has a global customer base,” Mr. Levie said. “These policy decisions have real implications to our partners, our customers, our competitors.”

The Trump administration is little more than a week old, but its relationship with Silicon Valley is already complicated. The tech industry did not like Mr. Trump the presidential candidate, despite his embrace of Twitter, and he returned the sentiment with caustic posts on the platform. Stephen K. Bannon, his chief strategist, said in 2015 that “two-thirds or three-quarters of the C.E.O.s in Silicon Valley are from South Asia or from Asia,” an incorrect statement that many in Silicon Valley perceived as racist.

Yet a much-promoted December meeting between the incoming administration and numerous tech chieftains was decidedly upbeat. “We’re going to be there for you,” Mr. Trump promised to a room that included the leaders of Apple, Microsoft and Amazon.

By early last week, the companies sensed trouble.

Murtadha al-Tameemi, 24, an Iraqi-born software engineer at Facebook, was told by a company lawyer on Tuesday that he needed to cut short a visit to Canada and return to the United States. The company feared that he would not be readmitted to the country because the president was expected to sign an executive order that would keep him out.

“It may be my naïveté about how politics and industries interact, but I don’t interpret the tech community’s opposition to the president as a political stance,” Mr. Tameemi said. “It seemed more like a matter of values and a matter that impacts them.”

The larger tech companies tended to be less forceful in their reactions to the executive order than the smaller ones. Google said it was “concerned.” Apple said, “It is not a policy we support.” Amazon said only that it was committed to diversity. Oracle did not respond to requests for comment.

On the other hand, Microsoft became more forceful as the weekend went on. On Saturday, its executives talked mostly about the virtues of immigration. On Sunday night, the company issued a statement calling the executive order “misguided and a fundamental step backwards” and said it would create “collateral damage to the country’s reputation and values.”

Continue reading the main story

Microsoft was not the only company to become bolder in a few hours. Around 10 a.m. on Saturday, Mr. Chesky of Airbnb posted a vague message on Twitter saying “open doors bring all of US together.” By 6 p.m., he was advocating open protest. Early Sunday morning, he wrote a memo to employees warning that Mr. Trump’s new policy was “a direct obstacle to our mission.”

Airbnb is providing free housing to refugees and anyone not allowed in the US. Stayed tuned for more, contact me if urgent need for housing

— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) Jan. 29, 2017

It was a long, dizzying day for an industry that is struggling to find its footing under the new president. “It feels like the air itself has changed, like when a storm comes,” said Shervin Pishevar, a founder of Sherpa Capital and Hyperloop One.

Even before the executive order, pressure had been building on companies to speak out against measures being endorsed by Mr. Trump. Some of that impetus came from employees, and some from activists.

Engineers and product managers at several tech companies spoke to The New York Times on the condition of anonymity. They have signed nondisclosure agreements at their companies and are generally not authorized to speak to the news media.

At Twitter, a number of workers felt frustrated with the disconnect between their company’s product — a platform for free speech — and the extent to which Mr. Trump has used it to attack those who question him and proclaim outright falsehoods to the American public. On Saturday, Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s chief executive, posted and reposted numerous messages denouncing the travel ban.

At Facebook, employees felt a similar sense of discord. Some complained about how long it took Mr. Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer, to speak out. Others were upset at the continued presence of Peter Thiel, a venture capitalist and a longtime confidant of Mr. Zuckerberg’s, as a director on Facebook’s board. Mr. Thiel was a donor to Mr. Trump’s campaign and has since become an adviser, and he issued a statement on Saturday evening that reaffirmed his support for the president.

Uber is under one of the brightest spotlights. Travis Kalanick, its chief executive, is part of Mr. Trump’s economic advisory team.

That has made Uber a target of protesters, some of whom shut down access to its headquarters on Inauguration Day.

Continue reading the main story

In an email to employees on Saturday titled “Standing up for what’s right,” Mr. Kalanick stressed the importance of pushing for change by working to have a seat at the table and discussing any differences. He said he would be seeing Mr. Trump on Friday.

As protesters at Kennedy International Airport in New York multiplied on Saturday night, cabdrivers — largely immigrants — began a one-hour work stoppage at the airport as a form of protest against the executive order.

Uber did not follow suit. Instead, it posted on Twitter that it was suspending surge pricing at Kennedy Airport. That prompted accusations that it was trying to break the strike, which the company awkwardly denied in another Twitter post.

On Sunday morning, its competitor Lyft said it was donating $1 million to the American Civil Liberties Union over the next four years “to defend our Constitution.” On Sunday afternoon, Uber sharpened its criticism of the ban, calling it “wrong and unjust.”

Sam Altman, who runs Y Combinator, Silicon Valley’s most prominent start-up incubator, said things were changing so fast that it was hard to predict what was going to happen.

“After the election, a lot of people here said give Trump a chance in good faith, and after he started, a lot of people said give him a chance in good faith,” Mr. Altman said. “Now they are looking at his policies and saying he is a risk to the republic. Saturday was a good beginning, and I think there is more to come.”

Mr. Altman spoke as he was arriving at the airport in San Francisco on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. The protest was continuing, and he intended to join.

Continue reading the main story

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NY Times: Silicon Valley’s Ambivalence Toward Trump Turns to Anger

“I’m here because I’m a refugee,” Mr. Brin said, according to a Twitter post by the Forbes writer Ryan Mac.

Google cofounder Sergey Brin at SFO protest: “I’m here because I’m a refugee.” (Photo from Matt Kang/Forbes) pic.twitter.com/GwhsSwDPLT

— Ryan Mac (@RMac18) Jan. 29, 2017

@karaswisher look who joined the protest at SFO pic.twitter.com/tCfm6CS0n7

— Sina Vaziri (@SinaVaziri) Jan. 29, 2017

The tech companies’ reaction was more forceful than that of other industries. Just about everyone in Silicon Valley came from somewhere else or is a son or daughter of someone who did or is married to someone who did.

That list starts with the most famous Silicon Valley citizen of all: Steve Jobs, the Apple co-founder, whose biological father immigrated from Syria in 1954. Mr. Trump’s order proclaimed that “the entry of nationals of Syria as refugees is detrimental to the interests of the United States” and would be suspended indefinitely.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, said that his great-grandparents had come from Germany, Austria and Poland and that the parents of his wife, Priscilla Chan, were refugees from China and Vietnam.

“Like many of you, I’m concerned about the impact of the recent executive orders signed by President Trump,” Mr. Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook on Friday.

Even some of those working closely with the Trump administration were critical. Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, who sits on two of Mr. Trump’s advisory committees, wrote on Twitter that the ban was “not the best way to address the country’s challenges.” Mr. Musk was born in South Africa.

The blanket entry ban on citizens from certain primarily Muslim countries is not the best way to address the country’s challenges

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) Jan. 29, 2017

Aaron Levie, chief executive of the data storage company Box, wrote on Twitter that “on every level — moral, humanitarian, economic, logical, etc. — this ban is wrong and is completely antithetical to the principles of America.”

Continue reading the main story

Over all, Mr. Levie said in an interview, “there was a pretty resounding response from the tech industry showing how unacceptable this is.”

Beyond family heritage and employment, he noted, Silicon Valley cares about immigration because its companies strive to operate everywhere in the world.

“Almost every company’s products — Google, Apple, Airbnb — has a global customer base,” Mr. Levie said. “These policy decisions have real implications to our partners, our customers, our competitors.”

The Trump administration is little more than a week old, but its relationship with Silicon Valley is already complicated. The tech industry did not like Mr. Trump the presidential candidate, despite his embrace of Twitter, and he returned the sentiment with caustic posts on the platform. Stephen K. Bannon, his chief strategist, said in 2015 that “two-thirds or three-quarters of the C.E.O.s in Silicon Valley are from South Asia or from Asia,” an incorrect statement that many in Silicon Valley perceived as racist.

Yet a much-promoted December meeting between the incoming administration and numerous tech chieftains was decidedly upbeat. “We’re going to be there for you,” Mr. Trump promised to a room that included the leaders of Apple, Microsoft and Amazon.

By early last week, the companies sensed trouble.

Murtadha al-Tameemi, 24, an Iraqi-born software engineer at Facebook, was told by a company lawyer on Tuesday that he needed to cut short a visit to Canada and return to the United States. The company feared that he would not be readmitted to the country because the president was expected to sign an executive order that would keep him out.

“It may be my naïveté about how politics and industries interact, but I don’t interpret the tech community’s opposition to the president as a political stance,” Mr. Tameemi said. “It seemed more like a matter of values and a matter that impacts them.”

The larger tech companies tended to be less forceful in their reactions to the executive order than the smaller ones. Google said it was “concerned.” Apple said, “It is not a policy we support.” Amazon said only that it was committed to diversity. Oracle did not respond to requests for comment.

On the other hand, Microsoft became more forceful as the weekend went on. On Saturday, its executives talked mostly about the virtues of immigration. On Sunday night, the company issued a statement calling the executive order “misguided and a fundamental step backwards” and said it would create “collateral damage to the country’s reputation and values.”

Continue reading the main story

Microsoft was not the only company to become bolder in a few hours. Around 10 a.m. on Saturday, Mr. Chesky of Airbnb posted a vague message on Twitter saying “open doors bring all of US together.” By 6 p.m., he was advocating open protest. Early Sunday morning, he wrote a memo to employees warning that Mr. Trump’s new policy was “a direct obstacle to our mission.”

Airbnb is providing free housing to refugees and anyone not allowed in the US. Stayed tuned for more, contact me if urgent need for housing

— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) Jan. 29, 2017

It was a long, dizzying day for an industry that is struggling to find its footing under the new president. “It feels like the air itself has changed, like when a storm comes,” said Shervin Pishevar, a founder of Sherpa Capital and Hyperloop One.

Even before the executive order, pressure had been building on companies to speak out against measures being endorsed by Mr. Trump. Some of that impetus came from employees, and some from activists.

Engineers and product managers at several tech companies spoke to The New York Times on the condition of anonymity. They have signed nondisclosure agreements at their companies and are generally not authorized to speak to the news media.

At Twitter, a number of workers felt frustrated with the disconnect between their company’s product — a platform for free speech — and the extent to which Mr. Trump has used it to attack those who question him and proclaim outright falsehoods to the American public. On Saturday, Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s chief executive, posted and reposted numerous messages denouncing the travel ban.

At Facebook, employees felt a similar sense of discord. Some complained about how long it took Mr. Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer, to speak out. Others were upset at the continued presence of Peter Thiel, a venture capitalist and a longtime confidant of Mr. Zuckerberg’s, as a director on Facebook’s board. Mr. Thiel was a donor to Mr. Trump’s campaign and has since become an adviser, and he issued a statement on Saturday evening that reaffirmed his support for the president.

Uber is under one of the brightest spotlights. Travis Kalanick, its chief executive, is part of Mr. Trump’s economic advisory team.

That has made Uber a target of protesters, some of whom shut down access to its headquarters on Inauguration Day.

Continue reading the main story

In an email to employees on Saturday titled “Standing up for what’s right,” Mr. Kalanick stressed the importance of pushing for change by working to have a seat at the table and discussing any differences. He said he would be seeing Mr. Trump on Friday.

As protesters at Kennedy International Airport in New York multiplied on Saturday night, cabdrivers — largely immigrants — began a one-hour work stoppage at the airport as a form of protest against the executive order.

Uber did not follow suit. Instead, it posted on Twitter that it was suspending surge pricing at Kennedy Airport. That prompted accusations that it was trying to break the strike, which the company awkwardly denied in another Twitter post.

On Sunday morning, its competitor Lyft said it was donating $1 million to the American Civil Liberties Union over the next four years “to defend our Constitution.” On Sunday afternoon, Uber sharpened its criticism of the ban, calling it “wrong and unjust.”

Sam Altman, who runs Y Combinator, Silicon Valley’s most prominent start-up incubator, said things were changing so fast that it was hard to predict what was going to happen.

“After the election, a lot of people here said give Trump a chance in good faith, and after he started, a lot of people said give him a chance in good faith,” Mr. Altman said. “Now they are looking at his policies and saying he is a risk to the republic. Saturday was a good beginning, and I think there is more to come.”

Mr. Altman spoke as he was arriving at the airport in San Francisco on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. The protest was continuing, and he intended to join.

Continue reading the main story

This post has been harvested from the source link, and News-Twitter has no responsibility on its content. Source link

[newstwitter-blog]

New Post has been published on News Twitter

New Post has been published on http://www.news-twitter.com/2017/01/30/ny-times-silicon-valleys-ambivalence-toward-trump-turns-to-anger-12/

NY Times: Silicon Valley’s Ambivalence Toward Trump Turns to Anger

“I’m here because I’m a refugee,” Mr. Brin said, according to a Twitter post by the Forbes writer Ryan Mac.

Google cofounder Sergey Brin at SFO protest: “I’m here because I’m a refugee.” (Photo from Matt Kang/Forbes) pic.twitter.com/GwhsSwDPLT

— Ryan Mac (@RMac18) Jan. 29, 2017

@karaswisher look who joined the protest at SFO pic.twitter.com/tCfm6CS0n7

— Sina Vaziri (@SinaVaziri) Jan. 29, 2017

The tech companies’ reaction was more forceful than that of other industries. Just about everyone in Silicon Valley came from somewhere else or is a son or daughter of someone who did or is married to someone who did.

That list starts with the most famous Silicon Valley citizen of all: Steve Jobs, the Apple co-founder, whose biological father immigrated from Syria in 1954. Mr. Trump’s order proclaimed that “the entry of nationals of Syria as refugees is detrimental to the interests of the United States” and would be suspended indefinitely.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, said that his great-grandparents had come from Germany, Austria and Poland and that the parents of his wife, Priscilla Chan, were refugees from China and Vietnam.

“Like many of you, I’m concerned about the impact of the recent executive orders signed by President Trump,” Mr. Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook on Friday.

Even some of those working closely with the Trump administration were critical. Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, who sits on two of Mr. Trump’s advisory committees, wrote on Twitter that the ban was “not the best way to address the country’s challenges.” Mr. Musk was born in South Africa.

The blanket entry ban on citizens from certain primarily Muslim countries is not the best way to address the country’s challenges

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) Jan. 29, 2017

Aaron Levie, chief executive of the data storage company Box, wrote on Twitter that “on every level — moral, humanitarian, economic, logical, etc. — this ban is wrong and is completely antithetical to the principles of America.”

Continue reading the main story

Over all, Mr. Levie said in an interview, “there was a pretty resounding response from the tech industry showing how unacceptable this is.”

Beyond family heritage and employment, he noted, Silicon Valley cares about immigration because its companies strive to operate everywhere in the world.

“Almost every company’s products — Google, Apple, Airbnb — has a global customer base,” Mr. Levie said. “These policy decisions have real implications to our partners, our customers, our competitors.”

The Trump administration is little more than a week old, but its relationship with Silicon Valley is already complicated. The tech industry did not like Mr. Trump the presidential candidate, despite his embrace of Twitter, and he returned the sentiment with caustic posts on the platform. Stephen K. Bannon, his chief strategist, said in 2015 that “two-thirds or three-quarters of the C.E.O.s in Silicon Valley are from South Asia or from Asia,” an incorrect statement that many in Silicon Valley perceived as racist.

Yet a much-promoted December meeting between the incoming administration and numerous tech chieftains was decidedly upbeat. “We’re going to be there for you,” Mr. Trump promised to a room that included the leaders of Apple, Microsoft and Amazon.

By early last week, the companies sensed trouble.

Murtadha al-Tameemi, 24, an Iraqi-born software engineer at Facebook, was told by a company lawyer on Tuesday that he needed to cut short a visit to Canada and return to the United States. The company feared that he would not be readmitted to the country because the president was expected to sign an executive order that would keep him out.

“It may be my naïveté about how politics and industries interact, but I don’t interpret the tech community’s opposition to the president as a political stance,” Mr. Tameemi said. “It seemed more like a matter of values and a matter that impacts them.”

The larger tech companies tended to be less forceful in their reactions to the executive order than the smaller ones. Google said it was “concerned.” Apple said, “It is not a policy we support.” Amazon said only that it was committed to diversity. Oracle did not respond to requests for comment.

On the other hand, Microsoft became more forceful as the weekend went on. On Saturday, its executives talked mostly about the virtues of immigration. On Sunday night, the company issued a statement calling the executive order “misguided and a fundamental step backwards” and said it would create “collateral damage to the country’s reputation and values.”

Continue reading the main story

Microsoft was not the only company to become bolder in a few hours. Around 10 a.m. on Saturday, Mr. Chesky of Airbnb posted a vague message on Twitter saying “open doors bring all of US together.” By 6 p.m., he was advocating open protest. Early Sunday morning, he wrote a memo to employees warning that Mr. Trump’s new policy was “a direct obstacle to our mission.”

Airbnb is providing free housing to refugees and anyone not allowed in the US. Stayed tuned for more, contact me if urgent need for housing

— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) Jan. 29, 2017

It was a long, dizzying day for an industry that is struggling to find its footing under the new president. “It feels like the air itself has changed, like when a storm comes,” said Shervin Pishevar, a founder of Sherpa Capital and Hyperloop One.

Even before the executive order, pressure had been building on companies to speak out against measures being endorsed by Mr. Trump. Some of that impetus came from employees, and some from activists.

Engineers and product managers at several tech companies spoke to The New York Times on the condition of anonymity. They have signed nondisclosure agreements at their companies and are generally not authorized to speak to the news media.

At Twitter, a number of workers felt frustrated with the disconnect between their company’s product — a platform for free speech — and the extent to which Mr. Trump has used it to attack those who question him and proclaim outright falsehoods to the American public. On Saturday, Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s chief executive, posted and reposted numerous messages denouncing the travel ban.

At Facebook, employees felt a similar sense of discord. Some complained about how long it took Mr. Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer, to speak out. Others were upset at the continued presence of Peter Thiel, a venture capitalist and a longtime confidant of Mr. Zuckerberg’s, as a director on Facebook’s board. Mr. Thiel was a donor to Mr. Trump’s campaign and has since become an adviser, and he issued a statement on Saturday evening that reaffirmed his support for the president.

Uber is under one of the brightest spotlights. Travis Kalanick, its chief executive, is part of Mr. Trump’s economic advisory team.

That has made Uber a target of protesters, some of whom shut down access to its headquarters on Inauguration Day.

Continue reading the main story

In an email to employees on Saturday titled “Standing up for what’s right,” Mr. Kalanick stressed the importance of pushing for change by working to have a seat at the table and discussing any differences. He said he would be seeing Mr. Trump on Friday.

As protesters at Kennedy International Airport in New York multiplied on Saturday night, cabdrivers — largely immigrants — began a one-hour work stoppage at the airport as a form of protest against the executive order.

Uber did not follow suit. Instead, it posted on Twitter that it was suspending surge pricing at Kennedy Airport. That prompted accusations that it was trying to break the strike, which the company awkwardly denied in another Twitter post.

On Sunday morning, its competitor Lyft said it was donating $1 million to the American Civil Liberties Union over the next four years “to defend our Constitution.” On Sunday afternoon, Uber sharpened its criticism of the ban, calling it “wrong and unjust.”

Sam Altman, who runs Y Combinator, Silicon Valley’s most prominent start-up incubator, said things were changing so fast that it was hard to predict what was going to happen.

“After the election, a lot of people here said give Trump a chance in good faith, and after he started, a lot of people said give him a chance in good faith,” Mr. Altman said. “Now they are looking at his policies and saying he is a risk to the republic. Saturday was a good beginning, and I think there is more to come.”

Mr. Altman spoke as he was arriving at the airport in San Francisco on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. The protest was continuing, and he intended to join.

Continue reading the main story

This post has been harvested from the source link, and News-Twitter has no responsibility on its content. Source link

[newstwitter-blog]

New Post has been published on News Twitter

New Post has been published on http://www.news-twitter.com/2017/01/30/ny-times-silicon-valleys-ambivalence-toward-trump-turns-to-anger-11/

NY Times: Silicon Valley’s Ambivalence Toward Trump Turns to Anger

“I’m here because I’m a refugee,” Mr. Brin said, according to a Twitter post by the Forbes writer Ryan Mac.

Google cofounder Sergey Brin at SFO protest: “I’m here because I’m a refugee.” (Photo from Matt Kang/Forbes) pic.twitter.com/GwhsSwDPLT

— Ryan Mac (@RMac18) Jan. 29, 2017

@karaswisher look who joined the protest at SFO pic.twitter.com/tCfm6CS0n7

— Sina Vaziri (@SinaVaziri) Jan. 29, 2017

The tech companies’ reaction was more forceful than that of other industries. Just about everyone in Silicon Valley came from somewhere else or is a son or daughter of someone who did or is married to someone who did.

That list starts with the most famous Silicon Valley citizen of all: Steve Jobs, the Apple co-founder, whose biological father immigrated from Syria in 1954. Mr. Trump’s order proclaimed that “the entry of nationals of Syria as refugees is detrimental to the interests of the United States” and would be suspended indefinitely.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, said that his great-grandparents had come from Germany, Austria and Poland and that the parents of his wife, Priscilla Chan, were refugees from China and Vietnam.

“Like many of you, I’m concerned about the impact of the recent executive orders signed by President Trump,” Mr. Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook on Friday.

Even some of those working closely with the Trump administration were critical. Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, who sits on two of Mr. Trump’s advisory committees, wrote on Twitter that the ban was “not the best way to address the country’s challenges.” Mr. Musk was born in South Africa.

The blanket entry ban on citizens from certain primarily Muslim countries is not the best way to address the country’s challenges

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) Jan. 29, 2017

Aaron Levie, chief executive of the data storage company Box, wrote on Twitter that “on every level — moral, humanitarian, economic, logical, etc. — this ban is wrong and is completely antithetical to the principles of America.”

Continue reading the main story

Over all, Mr. Levie said in an interview, “there was a pretty resounding response from the tech industry showing how unacceptable this is.”

Beyond family heritage and employment, he noted, Silicon Valley cares about immigration because its companies strive to operate everywhere in the world.

“Almost every company’s products — Google, Apple, Airbnb — has a global customer base,” Mr. Levie said. “These policy decisions have real implications to our partners, our customers, our competitors.”

The Trump administration is little more than a week old, but its relationship with Silicon Valley is already complicated. The tech industry did not like Mr. Trump the presidential candidate, despite his embrace of Twitter, and he returned the sentiment with caustic posts on the platform. Stephen K. Bannon, his chief strategist, said in 2015 that “two-thirds or three-quarters of the C.E.O.s in Silicon Valley are from South Asia or from Asia,” an incorrect statement that many in Silicon Valley perceived as racist.

Yet a much-promoted December meeting between the incoming administration and numerous tech chieftains was decidedly upbeat. “We’re going to be there for you,” Mr. Trump promised to a room that included the leaders of Apple, Microsoft and Amazon.

By early last week, the companies sensed trouble.

Murtadha al-Tameemi, 24, an Iraqi-born software engineer at Facebook, was told by a company lawyer on Tuesday that he needed to cut short a visit to Canada and return to the United States. The company feared that he would not be readmitted to the country because the president was expected to sign an executive order that would keep him out.

“It may be my naïveté about how politics and industries interact, but I don’t interpret the tech community’s opposition to the president as a political stance,” Mr. Tameemi said. “It seemed more like a matter of values and a matter that impacts them.”

The larger tech companies tended to be less forceful in their reactions to the executive order than the smaller ones. Google said it was “concerned.” Apple said, “It is not a policy we support.” Amazon said only that it was committed to diversity. Oracle did not respond to requests for comment.

On the other hand, Microsoft became more forceful as the weekend went on. On Saturday, its executives talked mostly about the virtues of immigration. On Sunday night, the company issued a statement calling the executive order “misguided and a fundamental step backwards” and said it would create “collateral damage to the country’s reputation and values.”

Continue reading the main story

Microsoft was not the only company to become bolder in a few hours. Around 10 a.m. on Saturday, Mr. Chesky of Airbnb posted a vague message on Twitter saying “open doors bring all of US together.” By 6 p.m., he was advocating open protest. Early Sunday morning, he wrote a memo to employees warning that Mr. Trump’s new policy was “a direct obstacle to our mission.”

Airbnb is providing free housing to refugees and anyone not allowed in the US. Stayed tuned for more, contact me if urgent need for housing

— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) Jan. 29, 2017

It was a long, dizzying day for an industry that is struggling to find its footing under the new president. “It feels like the air itself has changed, like when a storm comes,” said Shervin Pishevar, a founder of Sherpa Capital and Hyperloop One.

Even before the executive order, pressure had been building on companies to speak out against measures being endorsed by Mr. Trump. Some of that impetus came from employees, and some from activists.

Engineers and product managers at several tech companies spoke to The New York Times on the condition of anonymity. They have signed nondisclosure agreements at their companies and are generally not authorized to speak to the news media.

At Twitter, a number of workers felt frustrated with the disconnect between their company’s product — a platform for free speech — and the extent to which Mr. Trump has used it to attack those who question him and proclaim outright falsehoods to the American public. On Saturday, Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s chief executive, posted and reposted numerous messages denouncing the travel ban.

At Facebook, employees felt a similar sense of discord. Some complained about how long it took Mr. Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer, to speak out. Others were upset at the continued presence of Peter Thiel, a venture capitalist and a longtime confidant of Mr. Zuckerberg’s, as a director on Facebook’s board. Mr. Thiel was a donor to Mr. Trump’s campaign and has since become an adviser, and he issued a statement on Saturday evening that reaffirmed his support for the president.

Uber is under one of the brightest spotlights. Travis Kalanick, its chief executive, is part of Mr. Trump’s economic advisory team.

That has made Uber a target of protesters, some of whom shut down access to its headquarters on Inauguration Day.

Continue reading the main story

In an email to employees on Saturday titled “Standing up for what’s right,” Mr. Kalanick stressed the importance of pushing for change by working to have a seat at the table and discussing any differences. He said he would be seeing Mr. Trump on Friday.

As protesters at Kennedy International Airport in New York multiplied on Saturday night, cabdrivers — largely immigrants — began a one-hour work stoppage at the airport as a form of protest against the executive order.

Uber did not follow suit. Instead, it posted on Twitter that it was suspending surge pricing at Kennedy Airport. That prompted accusations that it was trying to break the strike, which the company awkwardly denied in another Twitter post.

On Sunday morning, its competitor Lyft said it was donating $1 million to the American Civil Liberties Union over the next four years “to defend our Constitution.” On Sunday afternoon, Uber sharpened its criticism of the ban, calling it “wrong and unjust.”

Sam Altman, who runs Y Combinator, Silicon Valley’s most prominent start-up incubator, said things were changing so fast that it was hard to predict what was going to happen.

“After the election, a lot of people here said give Trump a chance in good faith, and after he started, a lot of people said give him a chance in good faith,” Mr. Altman said. “Now they are looking at his policies and saying he is a risk to the republic. Saturday was a good beginning, and I think there is more to come.”

Mr. Altman spoke as he was arriving at the airport in San Francisco on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. The protest was continuing, and he intended to join.

Continue reading the main story

This post has been harvested from the source link, and News-Twitter has no responsibility on its content. Source link

[newstwitter-blog]

New Post has been published on News Twitter

New Post has been published on http://www.news-twitter.com/2017/01/30/ny-times-silicon-valleys-ambivalence-toward-trump-turns-to-anger-10/

NY Times: Silicon Valley’s Ambivalence Toward Trump Turns to Anger

“I’m here because I’m a refugee,” Mr. Brin said, according to a Twitter post by the Forbes writer Ryan Mac.

Google cofounder Sergey Brin at SFO protest: “I’m here because I’m a refugee.” (Photo from Matt Kang/Forbes) pic.twitter.com/GwhsSwDPLT

— Ryan Mac (@RMac18) Jan. 29, 2017

@karaswisher look who joined the protest at SFO pic.twitter.com/tCfm6CS0n7

— Sina Vaziri (@SinaVaziri) Jan. 29, 2017

The tech companies’ reaction was more forceful than that of other industries. Just about everyone in Silicon Valley came from somewhere else or is a son or daughter of someone who did or is married to someone who did.

That list starts with the most famous Silicon Valley citizen of all: Steve Jobs, the Apple co-founder, whose biological father immigrated from Syria in 1954. Mr. Trump’s order proclaimed that “the entry of nationals of Syria as refugees is detrimental to the interests of the United States” and would be suspended indefinitely.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, said that his great-grandparents had come from Germany, Austria and Poland and that the parents of his wife, Priscilla Chan, were refugees from China and Vietnam.

“Like many of you, I’m concerned about the impact of the recent executive orders signed by President Trump,” Mr. Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook on Friday.

Even some of those working closely with the Trump administration were critical. Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, who sits on two of Mr. Trump’s advisory committees, wrote on Twitter that the ban was “not the best way to address the country’s challenges.” Mr. Musk was born in South Africa.

The blanket entry ban on citizens from certain primarily Muslim countries is not the best way to address the country’s challenges

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) Jan. 29, 2017

Aaron Levie, chief executive of the data storage company Box, wrote on Twitter that “on every level — moral, humanitarian, economic, logical, etc. — this ban is wrong and is completely antithetical to the principles of America.”

Continue reading the main story

Over all, Mr. Levie said in an interview, “there was a pretty resounding response from the tech industry showing how unacceptable this is.”

Beyond family heritage and employment, he noted, Silicon Valley cares about immigration because its companies strive to operate everywhere in the world.

“Almost every company’s products — Google, Apple, Airbnb — has a global customer base,” Mr. Levie said. “These policy decisions have real implications to our partners, our customers, our competitors.”

The Trump administration is little more than a week old, but its relationship with Silicon Valley is already complicated. The tech industry did not like Mr. Trump the presidential candidate, despite his embrace of Twitter, and he returned the sentiment with caustic posts on the platform. Stephen K. Bannon, his chief strategist, said in 2015 that “two-thirds or three-quarters of the C.E.O.s in Silicon Valley are from South Asia or from Asia,” an incorrect statement that many in Silicon Valley perceived as racist.

Yet a much-promoted December meeting between the incoming administration and numerous tech chieftains was decidedly upbeat. “We’re going to be there for you,” Mr. Trump promised to a room that included the leaders of Apple, Microsoft and Amazon.

By early last week, the companies sensed trouble.

Murtadha al-Tameemi, 24, an Iraqi-born software engineer at Facebook, was told by a company lawyer on Tuesday that he needed to cut short a visit to Canada and return to the United States. The company feared that he would not be readmitted to the country because the president was expected to sign an executive order that would keep him out.

“It may be my naïveté about how politics and industries interact, but I don’t interpret the tech community’s opposition to the president as a political stance,” Mr. Tameemi said. “It seemed more like a matter of values and a matter that impacts them.”

The larger tech companies tended to be less forceful in their reactions to the executive order than the smaller ones. Google said it was “concerned.” Apple said, “It is not a policy we support.” Amazon said only that it was committed to diversity. Oracle did not respond to requests for comment.

On the other hand, Microsoft became more forceful as the weekend went on. On Saturday, its executives talked mostly about the virtues of immigration. On Sunday night, the company issued a statement calling the executive order “misguided and a fundamental step backwards” and said it would create “collateral damage to the country’s reputation and values.”

Continue reading the main story

Microsoft was not the only company to become bolder in a few hours. Around 10 a.m. on Saturday, Mr. Chesky of Airbnb posted a vague message on Twitter saying “open doors bring all of US together.” By 6 p.m., he was advocating open protest. Early Sunday morning, he wrote a memo to employees warning that Mr. Trump’s new policy was “a direct obstacle to our mission.”

Airbnb is providing free housing to refugees and anyone not allowed in the US. Stayed tuned for more, contact me if urgent need for housing

— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) Jan. 29, 2017

It was a long, dizzying day for an industry that is struggling to find its footing under the new president. “It feels like the air itself has changed, like when a storm comes,” said Shervin Pishevar, a founder of Sherpa Capital and Hyperloop One.

Even before the executive order, pressure had been building on companies to speak out against measures being endorsed by Mr. Trump. Some of that impetus came from employees, and some from activists.

Engineers and product managers at several tech companies spoke to The New York Times on the condition of anonymity. They have signed nondisclosure agreements at their companies and are generally not authorized to speak to the news media.

At Twitter, a number of workers felt frustrated with the disconnect between their company’s product — a platform for free speech — and the extent to which Mr. Trump has used it to attack those who question him and proclaim outright falsehoods to the American public. On Saturday, Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s chief executive, posted and reposted numerous messages denouncing the travel ban.

At Facebook, employees felt a similar sense of discord. Some complained about how long it took Mr. Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer, to speak out. Others were upset at the continued presence of Peter Thiel, a venture capitalist and a longtime confidant of Mr. Zuckerberg’s, as a director on Facebook’s board. Mr. Thiel was a donor to Mr. Trump’s campaign and has since become an adviser, and he issued a statement on Saturday evening that reaffirmed his support for the president.

Uber is under one of the brightest spotlights. Travis Kalanick, its chief executive, is part of Mr. Trump’s economic advisory team.

That has made Uber a target of protesters, some of whom shut down access to its headquarters on Inauguration Day.

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In an email to employees on Saturday titled “Standing up for what’s right,” Mr. Kalanick stressed the importance of pushing for change by working to have a seat at the table and discussing any differences. He said he would be seeing Mr. Trump on Friday.

As protesters at Kennedy International Airport in New York multiplied on Saturday night, cabdrivers — largely immigrants — began a one-hour work stoppage at the airport as a form of protest against the executive order.

Uber did not follow suit. Instead, it posted on Twitter that it was suspending surge pricing at Kennedy Airport. That prompted accusations that it was trying to break the strike, which the company awkwardly denied in another Twitter post.

On Sunday morning, its competitor Lyft said it was donating $1 million to the American Civil Liberties Union over the next four years “to defend our Constitution.” On Sunday afternoon, Uber sharpened its criticism of the ban, calling it “wrong and unjust.”

Sam Altman, who runs Y Combinator, Silicon Valley’s most prominent start-up incubator, said things were changing so fast that it was hard to predict what was going to happen.

“After the election, a lot of people here said give Trump a chance in good faith, and after he started, a lot of people said give him a chance in good faith,” Mr. Altman said. “Now they are looking at his policies and saying he is a risk to the republic. Saturday was a good beginning, and I think there is more to come.”

Mr. Altman spoke as he was arriving at the airport in San Francisco on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. The protest was continuing, and he intended to join.

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