#white center seattle

[faggypainting]

Tour dates for all upcoming events and art markets. The very next one will be tomorrow morning when I'll be at La Paloma again! Please plan to come out to any of these if you want to have a good time and find me and my art 😁💖

[constancevigilant]

A year ago, I was recovering from melanoma surgery (successful! I'm good!) and then was almost immediately diagnosed with lymphedema in my right leg (don't recommend! but I'm mostly fine!). One thing I started doing was walking every day, which was a balm for my body and spirit, and helped me mitigate the lymphedema.

But I found I couldn't walk for more than 30 minutes without significant pain in both heels and tendons. I'd never had an issue like this previously and it's been a year of discomfort; sometimes more, sometimes less, but never not present. As the year went on, I slowly backed away from my daily walks, because it distressed me.

I've been seeking answers to this in a lot of varied places, and I'm finally seeing some results. I didn't realize it until recently, but I've been avoiding getting back to my regular walks. I've been afraid that I'd find that my progress was only wishful thinking.

I decided to break the seal on walking today. It was almost entirely discomfort-free! Only toward the end did I feel any pangs, but it was a shadow of what I'd been experiencing. I am thrilled and hopeful!

These are some trees that called to me. 🍁🌲

[twoseparatecoursesmeet]

Seattle, 2024

An image from my Yashica 635

[seattlefactsijustmadeup]

Seattle Fact#17,754,028,555,189:

Did you know White Center got its Rat City nickname because Lou Graham would dance around summoning rodents with a pan flute?

[ilovejoyjessie]

the “Hidden Figures” series

+ Photographed by @skyclad.studio (ig) // website

Back in the before times, in 2019, I took a trip to Minneapolis for a concert on New Year’s Eve. With literally 30 hours in the city, I landed on the 31st at 9am, headed to the concert at around 9pm - had a transcendent time - then back to the hotel afterwards. The next day, I had about 5 hours to kill before having to head at the airport to return home. I asked the front desk for a late checkout - they obliged - and at noon I left my room with 3 hours still until I had to hit the road.

.

When I can squeeze it into a trip to a new place, I try to make a visit to an art museum or botanical attraction in the area. I looked to see what was nearby and fatefully, the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden - home of the Spoonbridge & Cherry and the notable Hahn/Cock - was a short drive from the hotel. I hailed a ride and hopped in, made lively banter with my driver, then soon enough stepped out of the car and down a set of steps onto the snowy park grounds.

.

As I walked among the pieces, several of them spoke to me: the fracturedness of Judith Shea’s “Without Words”, the pensive and mysterious “Walking Man” by George Segal, the playful “Empire” by Eva Rothschild, the eerie holiness of Theaster Gates’ “Black Vessel for a Saint”... Some of them spoke to different feelings I had inside me at the time; others depicted stories I felt I could relate to and wanted to watch unfold before my eyes. I found myself wanting to interact with so many of them - wanting to fit myself into their sculpted moments, entwine my stories and feelings between their crevices and curves. But with only a few hours left in the city, I couldn’t squeeze in the chance to link with a fellow artist to help me capture the visions I had. So I tucked the concept away in my mind and continued moseying through the winding pathways of the park.

.

Back to Seattle, the sculpture garden’s marks on me remained. As I embarked on other projects, processing other emotions through other pieces, I also started scouting places I could take my Midwest vision and execute it in the Pacific Northwest. Sure, there's plenty sculptures and statues in the city of Seattle - but getting to and interacting with them the way I wanted to (see my recent mini-post on nudity as vulnerability and power) would prove to be a little difficult...

.

A fellow artist mentioned the Olympic Sculpture Park and I thought back to what I remembered seeing there. It’d been a minute since I had last walked through so I visited it again and the pieces that I saw touched me differently from the last time I saw them. Then, I was new to the area - everything shined brightly, glowing with a promise of what was to come for me here: “Which pieces would be the ones that I would grow to understand - which ones would I grow to love seeing in the distance?” But walking through it in 2022, the sculptures spoke to me differently than they did the first time; and in turn, they also spoke to a different me...

.

I was seeing the sculptures with more worn eyes. And as I mentally noted which sculptures I could see myself fitting into like I had in Minneapolis, I started to realize that the pieces were reflecting a deeper feeling back at me: The pieces on the Olympic park grounds that spoke to me before were no longer the fascinating landmarks welcoming me to my new home - the pieces that spoke to me were the monuments that emphasized the outsider feelings I had that were settling in.

.

In a place I thought I’d fit into, that I thought I had....I was sticking out. The boxes I thought I’d fit into I was pouring out of. The doors I thought were wide open were really just windows ajar just wide enough for me to stick an arm’s length into. The language of the land I thought I knew and understood were now sounding strange. Though I’d been here for 4 years, I felt like a stranger who didn’t belong - an antigen the host was beginning to respond to and filter out, an intrusive thought in someone else’s dream.

.

I slowly realized that this concept was bigger for me than just speaking to my original thought of art begetting art as I combined my feelings and stories with the ones depicted on the park grounds. The feelings I had looking over the park pieces stirred the idea to speak to and represent the way I felt about being here now, with this iconic Seattle landscape as the backdrop. “Hidden Figures” then became my next cathartic art exercise - a visual representation of the struggle I felt trying to find my place in the city’s spaces I thought were made for me, the dichotomy of how standing out can be a strength and a hinderance here, and the lonesomeness that can come with being a transplant in the city - baring and presenting all those feelings in the heart of the city itself.

[notwiselybuttoowell]

The odds of this reaching who this needs to via tumblr aside, I thought I should share this: if you live in the Skyway or White Center areas of Seattle, there's an opportunity to have a good chunk or even all of the cost of having a heat pump installed at your residence through this program! Very worthwhile as we continue to see an uptick in swealtering days each summer in a city that was never built for it.

Improve your home’s heating and cooling system and save money on your energy bills with a heat pump! King County’s Energize! program is offering heat pump installations in Skyway & White Center with up to 100% cost-coverage for income-qualified households.

The program includes free educational workshops, connection to a local installer, and hands-on consultation in your preferred language. Sign up to learn more at https://www.energizekingcounty.org/

[concertclown]

Large Venues [updated as of 06/09/2024]

While Concert Clown specifically covers smaller to medium sized venues for specific genres, we still wanted to lend a little extra assistance to those attending larger venues in the PNW. So, here’s a post covering frequently asked questions for the larger venues! This includes the publicly available information on onsite parking, bag policies, and prohibited items. (If you have further questions, the official site resources will be linked at the end of each section.) We gather as much publicly available information as possible, but unfortunately, some venues will not list some of what they prohibit and it has led to countless misunderstandings, antagonistic behavior, and clear bias against concert attendees.

We think it is important that we disclose this at the beginning of this post, as we have seen people being actively targeted by staff for larger shows based on the fact they are wearing all black, only to be refused entry when the staff find something (not listed anywhere) to bar them over.

!! Important: Please note that, as of 2020, most if not all of these venues will only accept contactless payment methods, such as debit cards, credit cards, and mobile wallets. This means you likely won’t get use out of physical payments like cash unlike at smaller venues. !!

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Moda Center (previously Rose Quarter) |+|  Veterans Memorial Coliseum 

Address: 1 N Center Ct St, Portland, OR 97227 |+| 300 N Ramsay Wy, Portland, OR 97227 Onsite Parking: YES |NOT FREE| (Prices range from $10 to $35 for events. You can pre-purchase parking through their site.) Bag Policy: Bags larger than 14" x 14" x 6" and backpacks are not permitted with exceptions for medical and childcare needs. Prohibited Items: Aerosol cans  Bags larger than 14” X 14” x 6” and backpacks  Bats and clubs  Beach balls  Car seats or strollers  Drones  Face masks that cover the entire face  Fireworks  Flags, banners, signs, or other items that are connected to a pole or stick made of wood, metal, plastic or other hard materials  Frisbees  Food or beverage  Glass items  Hard-sided bags  Hockey sticks  Helium balloons Illegal substances Knitting needles and other sewing equipment  Laptops, iPads, tablets Laser pointers (and other similar devices)  Mace or pepper spray  “Optical illusions” (Items intended to interfere with the ability of the eye to perceive depth or distance, such as pinwheels or umbrellas.) [tbh, we’re not 100% sure what counts under this]  Poles, selfies-sticks, “missile-like objects” that can be thrown Noisemakers of any kind (whistles, foghorns/air horns, plastic horns, vuvuzelas, didgeridoos, etc.)  Weapons (firearms and knives) 

Moda and VMC “Know Before You Go”/Policies + Parking pages

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Keller Auditorium

Address: 222 SW Clay St, Portland, OR 97201 Onsite Parking: NO | (However, there are nearby paid parking garages: Crown Plaza Parking, KOIN Tower Parking, and Auditorium Garage) Bag Policy: Small clutches up to 4.5” x 6.5” and clear bags will get through security faster. Large bags are not allowed, but opaque handbags/purses are allowed. (All will be searched.) Prohibited Items: 

Professional photo/video/audio equipment (including cameras, detachable lenses, etc) GoPros  Laptops  Selfie Sticks  Wrapped Gifts  Balloons  Signs  Strollers  Weapons (self defense or otherwise all are banned)  Chains or spikes  Fireworks  Laser pointers  Air horns, Vuvuzelas and other noisemakers  Food  Previously purchased souvenir cups  Non-prescription drugs  Animals (except certified service animals)  “Any other item management may deem dangerous to public safety”

Keller Auditorium Rules (policies) + Parking pages

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RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater 

Address: 17200 NE Delfel Rd, Ridgefield, WA 98642 Onsite Parking: YES |FREE| (Parking upgrades available between $50 - $100 + fees) Bag Policy: Small clutches or fanny packs (maximum size 6”x 9”) OR clear plastic bags (maximum size 12” x 6” x 12”) Prohibited Items: Weapons (self defense or otherwise)  Alcohol  Illegal drugs or substances  Lawn chairs  Stadium seats  Glass  Cans  Hard-sided/large coolers  Medium-sized bags/backpacks  Large or oversized bags/backpacks (including luggage and camping backpacks)  Laser pointers  Pets (except service animals) Fireworks  Professional photo/recording equiptment

RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater Rules & Policies + FAQ + Parking Upgrade pages

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White River Amphitheatre 

Address: 40601 Auburn Enumclaw Rd SE, Auburn, WA 98092 Onsite Parking: Yes |FREE| (general admission parking is free with your ticket, but upgrades available upwards of around $75 + any fees) Bag Policy: Only small clutches, wristlets, or fanny packs no bigger than 6”x 9” OR clear plastic bags no bigger than 12"x12"x6” Prohibited Items: Lawn Chairs & Stadium Seats Weapons (including self defense)  Alcohol  Illegal drugs/substances  Glass containers  Cans  Hard-sided/large coolers  Bags outside bag policy dimensions  Large or oversized bags (luggage, duffel bags, backpacks, etc.)  Laser pointers  Animals (except service animals)  Fireworks 

White River Amphitheatre “Know Before You Go” + FAQ + Parking Upgrade pages

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Climate Pledge Arena 

Address: 334 1st Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109 Onsite Parking: Yes |NOT FREE| (You’ll want to pre-purchase your parking spot, but be aware sometimes these fees are up near $75 + any fees) Bag Policy: Only small clutches/purses/wallets no bigger than 4”w x 6”h x 1.5”d OR one clear plastic bag no bigger than 14”w x 14”h x 6”d Prohibited Items:  Professional cameras, detachable lenses or external flash units, or recording equipment for audio, image, or video purposes. (This doesn’t apply to smartphones.) Weapons (firearms, knives, stun guns/taser, bats/poles, martial arts weapons, night sticks, nunchucks, billy clubs, and self-defense items like mace, pepper spray, etc.)  Noise making devices (including, but not limited to; whistles, air horns, vuvuzelas, and cowbells)  Laptops and tablets  Poster tubes  Light devices (laser pointers, flashlights, etc.) Glass water bottles or bottles larger than 32oz (if you bring a bottle following guidelines, it must be empty upon entry of anything, including ice.) Any item that the arena decides is dangerous. *note: This includes studs, spikes, and chains which are not listed on their site, but we have seen them turn people away for this. (Yes, even if the chains literally cannot come off of your clothes, they will still count it as some sort of projectile weapon and refuse you entrance.) They also don’t allow full face masks and may take issue with some forms of makeup due to this. Climate Pledge FAQ + Parking pages

[jockoppressor]

None of them are gonna be physically violent

The Reddit users are going to judge you if you express any religious or “unscientific” sentiment

The Catholics run the gamut from “hardcore pro-lifer” to “Nun who invented communism”

The Protestants have brought lots of food but are going to proselytize the entire time you eat

The crystalists are split 60/40 on whether or not vaccines cause autism, and you don’t know who has the majority until you’ve been there an hour

The Anglophiles have good pastries, but 1/3 of them are in Sherlock cosplay

The girlbosses are all within 10° to the left of the center of the political spectrum and will try very hard to get you to invest in their MLM

The vegans brought food but will turn hostile if you let slip that you’ve used animal products in the last year

The reenactors have booze, but your phone is dead and they’re giving a very pro-America history lecture

The influencers have a pool, a jacuzzi, and lots of drugs, but they have a combined net worth that teaches seven digits and won’t let you forget it

The retirees have great weed but they’re gonna ask you a lot of invasive questions and give you a lot of unsolicited advice.

[saveyourblood]

Pretty Boy - Ch 16 (Buddie x Reader)

Summary: Buck’s hands trail down to your hands. He takes his in yours. “Do you love him?” “Buck.” “I know you love me,” Buck continues, playing with your fingers. “You know I love you. But I’m asking if you love him.” The one where you’re an advanced paramedic, Buck and Eddie are firefighters, and you think you might be in love with both of them.

Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 4 | Ch 5 | Ch 6 | Ch 7 | Ch 8 | Ch 9 | Ch 10 | Ch 11 | Ch 12 | Ch 13 | Ch 14 | Ch 15

Word Count: 3.3k Warnings: *Are spoilers, listed at the bottom*

Finding a last-minute flight to Seattle was hard — finding four tickets on said flight was even harder. When you explained the circumstances to the boys, they insisted on joining you. Once Chris heard about it, he wasn’t about to take no for an answer either. He’s never seen snow, and when Eddie mentioned that Seattle probably has snow on the ground right now, his eyes lit up. You couldn’t take that joy away from him.

So, the four of you are on a plane. Chris is asleep in his window seat, his head on Buck’s shoulder. Buck is resting his head on top of Chris’s. His eyes are closed, but you don’t think he’s fully asleep yet since he isn't snoring.

You and Eddie took the aisle seats. He’s in the middle while you’re seated on the end. The flight won’t be long, so you knew you wouldn’t be able to sleep even if you wanted to.

You bob your knee up and down anxiously as you gnaw on your index finger’s nail. Eddie sets a hand on your knee, making it still.

“What are you thinking about?” He asks softly.

You move your hand from your mouth as you look over, forcing a small smile. “Nothing. Everything. I don’t know.”

“When’s the last time you talked to him?”

You consider this. “Eight years? No, nine. It was a few weeks after I turned eighteen.”

“What did you tell him?”

“That I was moving to LA for paramedic school,” you say. “He hasn’t reached out since before yesterday. Well, technically he didn’t even reach out then; it was a doctor who called me. Whatever.”

Eddie squeezes your knee. “What are you gonna say when you see him?”

You thought about that question for the rest of the flight. You thought about it as you walked through the airport, Buck holding your hand and Eddie keeping his arm around your shoulders. You thought about it for the entire car ride, up until Eddie turned onto South King Street.

As Eddie parks the car, your mind goes quiet — so quiet that you can hear a ringing sound. You wonder where the sound is coming from and if everyone else can hear it, too. You wonder if silence doesn’t actually exist; maybe this is what your head sounds like when it’s empty.

The sound of your door opening replaces the ringing.

Buck leans his head down, resting one hand on the car door and the other on the frame. “You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

You step into the night air, and the sudden chill makes you breathe a little deeper. It’s been almost a decade since you spent the winter in Seattle, and it’s as cold as you remember. It’s nice to know that some things never change.

As you walk up the stairs to your childhood home, you think maybe nothing has changed since you were last here. The handrails are still rotting, and the third step still creaks when anyone uses it. When you look to your left, you still see the Vietnamese Buddhist temple painted such bright yellow that it glows, even at night. You put the key in the lock, and you still have to jiggle it back and forth before the door opens.

Of course your father hasn’t changed the locks.

You open the door, flip on the light, and are almost overwhelmed by the sameness. You step onto familiar white kitchen tiles that have been stained creme by dirt and time. You drop your bag onto the foldable table in the center — it isn’t the one you grew up sitting at, but it’s close enough. There are still only two chairs surrounding it; you never needed any more.

“It’s… nice,” Buck eventually says. “Very homey,” Eddie agrees.

You snort out a laugh. “Yeah, something like that.”

The nice thing about South King Street is that it’s a stone-throw away from the Chinatown-International District, which is home to some of the best Chinese restaurants you’ve ever been to. You send the boys to get some takeout, and you tell them it doesn’t matter which one they pick because any restaurant open this late is bound to be good. They come back half an hour later with enough dim sum to feed a small army.

The three of you eat at the table wordlessly. You and Eddie occupy the two chairs while Buck stands, rocking back and forth a little as he eats.

Someone knocks at the door. The boys’ eyes go from the door, then to you. You shrug.

Buck frowns as he sets his plate down, cautiously approaching the door. He opens the sliding peephole, then the door. “Can I help you?”

“Oh, you aren’t… sorry, I thought I saw someone who… Who are you? You don’t live here, do you?”

You’d know that voice anywhere. Your heart starts to dance at the sound. Still, your brain is hesitant to believe it’s really her.

You push away from the table, approaching Buck. Your heart stops dancing and instead marches in painful succession.

She doesn’t look much older. Her hair is longer but still black in color. Her hips jut out a little more, but her frame is still small. Most of her, like all of your surroundings, stayed the same. Her face is still perfectly smooth, and her monolid eyes are as big and full of life as ever.

“Linh?” you breathe out.

“Oh my god, it is you!”

You pull her into one of the tightest hugs of your life.

“I wasn’t sure it was you,” She laughs wetly into your shoulder. “God, you look so different.”

You squeeze her a little tighter. “Yeah, you too.”

The four of you move to the living room, mostly because it has a more appropriate seating arrangement. You and Linh are on the couch while Eddie sits in the armchair. Buck took one of the chairs from the kitchen and placed it next to Eddie’s.

“You know, Buck, when you opened the door, I really thought you might be the owner,” Linh explains with a chuckle. “I thought we might finally be getting new neighbors.”

“So you never moved out?” you ask.

The Lais were your next-door neighbors growing up. Tho and Chi Lai had two children, Nhat and Linh. Nhat is a few years older than you, and Linh is the same age. You attended Leschi Elementary School, then Washington Middle School, and eventually Garfield High School together, often in the same classes. It’s like everywhere you went, Linh followed, and vice versa.

Looking back, it’s kind of incredible the two of you were friends. On the surface, the two of you have nothing in common. You’re an only child, and she isn’t. She has a pair of loving parents, and you have a singular absent one. Her family always ate dinner together, and you were lucky if your dad remembered to cook.

Tho and Chi picked up on your living situation quickly. When you were five, you once braved the cold in two sweatshirts since you no longer had a winter jacket that fit. They talked to Linh about it in Vietnamese, so you had no idea what they were asking; all you knew was that you started spending a lot more time at the Lai house after that.

The Lais weren’t rich by any means: Tho worked whatever blue-collar job he could find, and Chi was a teacher at the elementary school. They also took care of Tho’s father, who was a refugee from the Vietnam War. He lived with them in Seattle from 1975 until he died in the early 2010s when you and Linh were in high school. Still, they made you feel welcomed and loved. Eventually, they became your family.

“No, I never moved out,” Linh confirms. “I got my bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education from the UW. I work at Leschi, actually.”

You smile. “You became a teacher. Just like your mom.”

Linh smiles back as she nods.

“How is she doing, by the way? How are both your parents?”

Linh’s smile falters. “My, uh… my dad died two years ago. He had a stroke.”

“Oh, Linh,” you say sadly, taking her hand, “I’m so sorry.”

You almost say something about wishing she had called. You stop yourself when you remember that you could have called, too.

“You said you thought you were getting new neighbors,” Buck interjects softly.

“Yeah,” Linh nods, wiping her eyes. “I haven’t seen Roy in a few months; I thought he was finally selling the house.”

You swallow, pursing your lips together. Linh squeezes your hand, which makes you look at her.

“That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?” Linh asks. “You’re here for him.”

You sigh, pinching the skin between your eyebrows. “He’s been inpatient at Stillwater for the past seven weeks. Last night, they transferred him to the ICU. Liver Failure. I’m visiting tomorrow.”

Linh moves her hand to your back. “I’m sorry.”

You laugh a little. “He’s encephalopathic, but he keeps saying my name, apparently. He asks anyone who enters the room where his daughter is. I’m not even sure how, but they finally got my phone number. He doesn’t have advanced directives, and Washington is a next of kin state, so… here I am.”

“How long?”

Linh doesn’t have to be specific: you know exactly what she’s asking.

“I haven’t talked to the doctors yet, but… months, if that.”

The room goes quiet. You start to hear that ringing sound again. It stops when Linh slaps her hands on her thighs.

“Well, you know what this means,” She says.

You watch Linh walk through the kitchen and out the front door. Buck and Eddie look to you, dumbfounded.

“Will she be back?” Eddie asks, pointing towards the door.

You chuckle. “Oh, she’ll be back.”

Linh returns with four bottles of Sake. They’re the 2 gō size, meaning each one is two servings. She lines up the bottles on the kitchen table.

“I had just enough for everyone to get their own bottle,” Linh says, cracking open the first bottle. “We’re keeping the tradition alive.”

Buck raises his eyebrows. “Tradition?”

You smile, standing up and approaching the island. “When a major life event is about to happen, Linh and I get drunk on Sake. It started when we were 16, and her grandfather took a turn for the worse; we guilted her brother into buying us Sake at the Chinese supermarket. Because we were kids and alcohol naive, we didn’t realize we each drank a two-serving bottle until we were already drunk.”

“We did it again when you were rejected by Tacoma’s paramedic academy,” Linh points out, “and when I got into UW.”

“The last time we did it was before I left for LA,” you tell the boys. You look back at your friend. “I can’t get drunk off Sake tonight.”

“Oh, of course you can,” Linh counters. “Who cares if you show up to the hospital hungover? I mean, it would be a little ironic, considering your father’s condition and all, but…”

“No, I mean I can’t drink anything right now,” you continue.

Linh’s eyes widen. “You’re not…”

“I am.”

“Shut up!”

You laugh.

“Well… Fuck!” She laughs, scooting two bottles towards Eddie and Buck. “I guess we’ll have to pick up the slack tonight, boys.”

It’s weird being the only sober person in this situation.

Everyone is at least a drink and a half in, and it’s definitely showing. The boys can handle their alcohol, so the signs of their intoxication are subtle. Buck always gets super chatty when he’s drunk; he’ll talk about whatever topic springs to his mind. Meanwhile, Eddie gets handsy, so some part of him is touching Buck at all times,.

Buck is sitting on the floor in front of Eddie, who’s still in the chair. He and Linh are in the middle of a lively discussion about Buddhism. Meanwhile, Eddie’s hands aimlessly trace Buck's shoulders up and down.

“So you two are a thing, right?” Linh asks out of nowhere.

That’s how you know Linh is drunk: she has no filter.

Eddie’s hands stop moving, but they don’t retreat. Meanwhile, Buck stares at you.

“Uh, yeah,” Eddie eventually answers after clearing his throat. “We’re together.”

The three of you came up with a deal awhile back — in social settings, if someone asked if any two of you were a couple, the answer would always be ‘yes.’ It didn’t matter if the configuration was you and Buck or you and Eddie or Eddie and Buck. Overall, it’s a good plan. You just never anticipated using it in a setting like this.

“Sweet,” Linh says with a nod. She cocks her head towards you. “Then who’s your baby daddy?”

You choke on your glass of water.

“What?! It’s a fair question!”

Your cough turns into a laugh as you set down your glass of water. “Yeah, it’s fair.”

You look at Buck, then Eddie, then at Linh. It’s not a big deal. It’s not like you’re even friends anymore, not really: she’s a part of your past that’s come to life. The second you leave, she’ll go back to being nothing more than a picture in a frame. It’s sad, but it’s just the way it is. She’s one of the two things keeping you connected to Seattle. The other thing is dying in a hospital bed. You’ve enjoyed seeing her again, but you’ve gone almost a decade without her. When she becomes your only tie to this city, it won’t be enough to pull you back.

So, you should probably just tell her the truth.

“Actually, um, I don’t know,” you say. “It’s one of two people.”

She raises her eyebrows. “How’d you narrow it down?”

You jerk your chin towards the other two people in the room. “It’s one of them.”

Linh looks at them, then at you, her mouth agape. “No shit! LA must’ve rubbed off on you.” She takes another sip of Sake, her face wincing before softening. “Are you happy?”

An involuntary smile crosses your face. “For probably the first time in my life.”

Linh went home around midnight, and the boys passed out somewhere around 2:30 in the morning. The three of you are crammed onto the pull-out sofa; you refused to sleep in your father’s bed, as did both Eddie and Buck. You tried to get some sleep, but between the uncomfortable mattress and your racing thoughts, it was impossible.

You left before everyone woke up. Buck and Eddie were going to come with you, but you thought it would be easier to do this on your own. Well, it won’t be easier , but you thought it would be for the best.

You’re standing outside of the room. The sliding glass door is slightly open, so you can hear some random beeping from inside. You can see your father’s feet at the edge of the bed, covered by a sheet.

You take a deep breath and step inside.

The first thing you notice is the smell. It’s sour and acidic and completely overwhelming. You’re used to offensive smells as a paramedic, but between the change of setting and your pregnancy hormones, it takes everything in you not to gag. Your eyes meet the offender — a fecal containment device hanging on the end of the bed. A literal bag of shit.

How fitting.

Your eyes trail up. He’s tucked under the sheet up until his abdomen, which is so rounded that it almost looks fake. His arms are out, propped up under pillows. You notice how yellow they are; his skin looks like a fucking highlighter.

You finally look at his face. He looks… old. Older than he’s supposed to. His face is the same hue of jaundice as his arms and probably the rest of his body. There’s a massive tube taped into one of his nostrils while a massive nasal cannula sits in both. His eyes are closed, but his chest heaves like he’s struggling to breathe.

“Hey dad,” you say quietly.

He doesn’t respond. He probably doesn’t even realize you’re in the room. Still, you pull up a chair.

“I became a paramedic,” you continue. “I’ve been one for… shit, 5 years now? Oh, and I’m in nursing school. I can take the boards in a year. I’m still not sure what I want to do with it. I always wanted to be a flight nurse, but… my friend was in the ICU last year, and I thought maybe I could do it. Now that I’m back in one, though… I don’t know.”

Your father still doesn’t say anything. He keeps breathing heavily, his head occasionally shaking from side to side. You notice that his hands occasionally flap up and down — asterixis, or ‘liver flap.’ You remember hearing about it in a lecture recently. It’s a sign of liver failure. And, based on his neurological status, you’re guessing it’s pretty advanced.

“You ruined me,” you whisper. “For a long time, you ruined me. I felt like I didn’t know how to be a person. I’m one now, though. I became a person. I became something . I’m someone’s girlfriend, and I’m… going to be someone’s mother. And being a parent scares the shit out of me because I never had a good one. All I know is how to be a daughter. A daughter without parents. I don’t know if I was always a good daughter, but… I’m gonna be one now.”

You hear a knock on the door. A woman in scrubs smiles. “Hi, I’m Amanda, his nurse for the day. I’m guessing you're the daughter?”

You didn’t realize you were crying until you felt a teardrop land on your hand. You reach up, wiping the tracks away. “Yeah, I am.”

Amanda turns around, gesturing for someone. A group of three doctors enters the room. Amanda stands by the glass door.

“Hello, my name is Dr. Baltek,” the oldest of the three extends his hand. I’m the Intensive Care Physician covering your father’s care. These are my residents, Dr. Khan and Dr. Dawson.”

You nod, shaking Dr. Baltek’s hand. You offer a small wave to his residents.

“As I’m sure you’re aware, your father’s condition is worsening,” Dr. Baltek explains. “His medical history makes him ineligible for a liver transplant, and despite the high doses of lactulose he’s receiving daily, his ammonia levels are climbing. Our next option is Liver Dialysis, which involves-”

“We’re not doing that,” you interrupt.

Dr. Baltek blinks. “Ma’am, you understand that if we don’t proceed with this-”

“He’ll die,” you say you bluntly. “Yeah, I know. My father’s been dying ever since my mom did. He just found a slower, more painful way to do it, I guess.”

“...So you are no longer interested in restorative care?”

You can’t help but snort. “There’s no recovering from this. He’s gonna die, and he might as well do it as comfortably as he can. So… no chest compressions, no intubation, no tube feeds… I don’t want any of it, because he wouldn’t want any of it.”

You sign the DNR/DNI paperwork. In a way, it feels like you’re signing your father’s death warrant. That should probably unsettle you more than it does.

The social worker gives you a sad look before leaving the room. You look back at your father, who has yet to acknowledge your presence. Mentally, he’s so far gone he probably doesn’t even know who he is.

You take his hand. Until now, you can’t remember the last time you touched him. You didn’t hug him goodbye when you left for LA; you just packed your bags and disappeared.

“Goodbye, dad.”

You get back to the house a little after 10 AM. Eddie and Buck are in the kitchen. Eddie’s leaning against the counter, and Buck, pacing, stalls the second he lays eyes on you.

You smile softly as your eyes water. “Let’s go home.”

~~~

Trigger warnings: implied alcoholism, semi-graphic description of liver failure, talks of death/withdrawing care

[metallicames]

Hi there! here is the second part. Hope you like it.

Translated by @nausicaamusiclover20 ❣️

Wild Things

Description: you and the guys from Metallica went to an afterparty in a pub in Seattle and James needs you, again...

WARNINGS: smut, explicit content, rough sex, dirty talking.

⸻⭒⸱ 🖤 ���⭒⸻

The energy inside the arena had been electric, but here at the Rocket, it was absolute chaos. Not a single person was sober—people were stumbling, dancing, shouting, and even vomiting. I spot my friend Matt making out with a girl against the bathroom wall, while some of his friends slump around a nearby table, two of them with their heads down, completely out from all the drinking.

In a quieter corner, the guys from the band look worn but happy, celebrating with yet another round of beer. I notice faint lines of white powder scattered on their table, but before I can think too much about it, Kirk is beside me, shouting to be heard over the noise, “Which song pumped you up the most?”

We start talking about the show, laughing over his solos and the way Lars seemed like he’d tear his arms off playing Battery. The memories pour out, reliving every song, every moment. Time blurs in the chaos, and everyone’s laughing, with James goofing around, throwing playful jabs at Lars and the others.

At some point, I slip away to the bathroom, and as I’m stepping back out, a hand grabs my wrist and pulls me into a dim room, lit only by a few soft blue lights. The walls are made of dark plexiglass, and a lone, abandoned pool table sits at the center.

It’s James. His eyes are dark, intense, and he pulls me close, kissing me with a sudden, fierce urgency. I feel a rush of surprise and thrill, a smirk on my lips as I kiss him back, slipping my hands around the collar of his leather jacket, pulling him even closer.

It doesn’t take long before he turns me around, pressing me forcibly forward so that my chest meets the cool, worn felt of the pool table. I feel his body close behind me, his hands guiding me as his breathing quickens. He leans down to murmur close to my ear, “I can’t stop fucking you!” and then slaps my buttock. A thrill runs down my spine, and I find myself whispering, almost pleading, “Please...fuck me, James. I need you to fill me...again!”

He exhales a low, almost primal sound, his hands tightening around my waist as he draws me close. His touch is both rough and tender, his fingers brushing along my hips. He lifts my skirt and moves my panties on the side. The sensation immediately makes me shiver. With a smirk on his face he spits on his hand and starts rubbing my clit and my already wet cunt . Then he entered me fully making me moan loudly. The sensations are overwhelming, and every nerve feels alive and the position increases friction which makes me feel even more pleasure. “Please Jamie... faster!” I sayed sighing “Yeah? As you wish, baby” and he started thrusting even faster, resting his hands on my hips. The thrill of being in this moment, hidden away, the exhilaration of the music and chaos outside, that everyone can enter but I couldn’t care less because even if someone entered, I would never notice. Every breath, every heartbeat, feels like it belongs only to us.

I can’t see his face, but I feel his urgency in the way he holds me, the rhythm of his breaths, and the tension in his grip. It’s a shared, silent connection—an electric, irresistible pull that feels like it could last forever. “Fffuck James, you’re so deep...” I cried while I’m trying to claw my way onto the surface of the pool table. “Am I hurting you?” - “No, just fuck me, don’t stop please!” I encourage him, he takes my free wrist and brings it behind my back, squeezing it with his strong fingers, using it as further leverage to stabilize the movements and make them even deeper.

I feel completely lost in the moment, my eyes rolling back as pleasure overwhelms me. Soft moans escape my lips, intertwining with James's deep, breathy responses. I can feel the makeup I carefully applied earlier begin to run down my cheeks, a reminder of how intense this experience has become. 

A powerful wave of sensation builds inside me, threatening to sweep me away. “You’re so wet... I can feel you’re close" he whispers, his voice barely above a breath, sending shivers down my spine.

My body responds instinctively, tightening around him, as if trying to draw him in even deeper. Every movement sends ripples of electricity through me. “Fuck, you’re making me cum!” he exclaims, each word punctuated by gasps that only heighten my own desire.

Suddenly, I’m overwhelmed by a wave of pleasure, crashing over me like a tidal wave. I let out a desperate, “Oh my goddd” as I reach my peak, trembling uncontrollably and squeezing my legs instinctively as I ride the waves of ecstasy that leave me breathless.

I turn my head slightly, catching a glimpse of James out of the corner of my eye. He looks dazed and filled with desire, his tousled hair falling across his face. When our eyes meet, he pauses for a heartbeat, breathless and intense. Then, with a deliberate movement, he wraps his hands around my neck, just enough to make me arch my back slightly, and resumes his frantic rhythm.

“I’m going to wreck you!! I want to fill you completely.." he gasps between breaths, his voice low and urgent, makes me lose my mind.

At this point, I feel utterly lost in the moment, my body overwhelmed by pleasure and the intensity of our connection. The way he drives into me, pressing me against the pool table, is exhilarating and surreal. I can hardly believe he still has this kind of energy after the wild night we’ve shared.

“Fill me up, James, I’m all yours” I manage to breathe out, surrendering to the powerful wave of sensation that washes over me.

With a deep, primal groan, he reaches his climax, and I can feel him pulsing inside me. It’s a rush of warmth that envelops me, and I instinctively tighten around him, savoring every last moment of our connection. He empties himself completely, and as he collapses against me, his head resting on my back, I can hear his heavy breaths, a testament to how spent he is.

In that moment, everything else fades away, leaving just the two of us, entwined and breathless, lost in the aftermath of what we’ve shared.

As I try to gather myself, I hear a tapping sound on the plexiglass behind us. I turn my head slightly and catch a glimpse of Lars, who initially pretends to make out with the wall before shifting to simulate being intimate with an imaginary girl. I don’t worry too much; I’m still covered by James's body, and I know that Lars, being James's best friend, has probably seen it all. James bursts into laughter and calls out, “You idiot!” Lars walks away, still chuckling, leaving a light atmosphere in the room.

James slowly pulls away from me, letting out a soft sigh. “Damn, I’m exhausted,” he says as he starts to get dressed.

I glance at the clock on the wall: it’s 5:30 am. I get dressed too, still a bit dazed by everything that has just happened.

“Are you going to sleep with me tonight?!” His question feels more like an affirmation, and there’s sincerity in his eyes.

“yes, sure. but I need to check where Matt went. He was pretty messed up when I last saw him,” I reply, trying to keep my tone light.

“Okay, don’t worry. We’ll call him a taxi later,” he reassures me with a casual wave of his hand.

As we step outside, I start looking for Matt and finally find him slumped on a bench in the pub, mumbling something incoherently. He’s completely drunk. We head out together and call a taxi. Before we let him go, I slip a note into Matt's jacket pocket: “I’m staying at James’s, don’t worry. What a crazy night!!! Kisses.”

We watch him stagger away, then climb into the band’s van. I sit across from Kirk, who looks at us with a mischievous, high grin. I’m sure James and I look like we’ve just had the best night of our lives. I can feel my cheeks flush as I turn to look at James. His hair is tousled, his cheeks are flushed, and there’s a light sheen of sweat on his skin. Next to Kirk, Jason is eagerly kissing a girl I’ve never seen before, while in the back, Lars is sprawled between two girls, resting his head on one of their shoulders.

James leans his head back, clearly spent, and at one point, he reaches for my hand. When he finds it, he gently squeezes it, running his thumb lightly across my knuckles. The ride lasts about ten minutes, and I thank the creator of elevators because if I had to climb four flights of stairs, I would probably be dead.

We enter James’s hotel room, which he usually shares with at least one other bandmate, often Lars, but tonight he has it all to himself. The place is a mess: beer bottles and various alcohol containers scattered everywhere, T-shirts strewn about, and the bed is in disarray. “So typical of James,” I think with an amused smile.

He quickly sheds his clothes, leaving only his boxers, and collapses onto the bed, utterly exhausted.

“Can I borrow one of your shirts to sleep in? I don’t have anything with me,” I ask, poking my head out of the bathroom.

“Sure, grab the one on the chair. It should be clean,” he replies, his voice drowsy.

I slip on the shirt I find, soft and smelling like him, then lie down beside him. He turns to face me, his eyes already half-closed. God, he’s so handsome. Unable to resist, I lean in and give him a soft kiss on the lips.

He responds immediately, sliding his hand between my thighs, creating a warm, enveloping sensation. I sink into a heavy sleep, feeling his body close to mine, a perfect refuge as the outside world fades away, leaving just the two of us, wrapped in a comforting haze of sensation and the promise of tomorrow.

Third part

[gamergirl929]

Going Under the Knife (Emily Sonnett x Kelley O'Hara x Reader)

You knew surgery was a big deal, which is why you'd did your best to hide it from your teammates, particularly Emily Sonnett and Kelley O'Hara, two women who were currently dating and two women you were desperately in love with. However, a single phone call draws them to the hospital, and to your bedside, where everything changes.

Your heart clenched roughly in your chest, your anxiety spiking as the IV punctured your skin, resting within a vein that would be used to lull you to sleep so the surgery could begin.  

You knew your teammates would be livid when they realized you’d hidden your injury from them, but if there was one thing you didn’t like, it was to be fussed over.  

You’d assured them time and time again that the slight limp you developed after a rough tackle during the World Cup was nothing to worry about, that the grimace on your face when you walked was nothing, and that the groan when you pulled your cleat off was in relief and not excruciating pain.  

You stare at the white ceiling above you, glancing at the empty seat resting at your bedside.  

You knew you should’ve told someone, anyone, that you were about to face a four-hour surgery, but again, you didn’t want to be fretted over.  

Despite that, you knew you should’ve told THEM specifically, knowing that once they found out you were in the hospital and hadn’t told them, they would be far from happy.  

Kelley O’Hara and Emily Sonnett had been dating for well over a year and considering this had been the first actual holiday they had together, you didn’t want to intrude on that.  

Your heart again clenches in your chest, the surgery the furthest thing from your mind when you think about the couple.  

It didn’t take long for feelings to develop between you and the couple, the light caresses, and the flirty retorts making you fall harder and harder for the pair.  

No matter how hard you fell, you knew that they would never be interested in you, how could they when they already had each other? 

You’re pulled out of your thoughts by the sound of a clearing throat, your eyes widening when you see your doctor standing before you, the man wearing blue scrubs. 

“Are you ready Ms. Y/L/N?” He asks and you inhale deeply, your eyes fluttering shut as you nod reluctantly. 

“I’m ready.”  

************************************************************************

Alex Morgan rolled her eyes playfully as Servando chased her daughter around the living room, Charlie giggling wildly as he caught her, swinging her up into the air and kissing her face over and over again.  

Alex’s brows furrow when her phone, which was resting on the counter begins to ring, the woman making her way across the room to pick it up. 

She hums at the sight of the unknown number stretched across the screen, a number starting with, what she knew, was the area code for Seattle, Washington.  

She clears her throat before answering, ducking into the kitchen to escape the noisy living room.  

“Hello?” She asks.  

“Is this Alex Morgan?” The woman on the other end of the phone clearing her throat.  

“Ye-Yes, this is her.”  

“Hello Ms. Morgan, this is UV Medical Center, calling in regards to a patient of ours, Y/N...”  

***********************************************************************

Considering you spent your early years on the Orlando Pride alongside Alex Morgan, she almost immediately took you under her wing, the woman becoming not only a mentor to you, but something akin to an older sister.

It was soon after that, that she became your emergency contact, the woman the only one you trusted to handle an emergency.  

Thankfully for her, she had yet to receive a call concerning your health, unfortunately, this was the day everything changed.  

The second she’d hung up with the receptionist she immediately called the first woman who came to mind, her longtime friend and teammate Kelley O’Hara, who she knew was in Seattle with Emily Sonnett.  

“Hey Al, what’s--”  

“Did you know Y/N was in the hospital?” Alex cuts her off, noting the hitch in Kelley’s breath.  

“N-N-no, what happened?!” She asks anxiously, her voice quivering, her distress alerting the blonde who’d just made her way back from the bedroom and into the living room.  

“What’s wrong?” She asks, Kelley waving a dismissive hand in her direction, the defender listening intently to the woman on the other end of the phone.  

Without warning, Kelley leaps to her feet before rushing towards the door, stuffing her feet in her shoes before grabbing her jacket, the anchor holding her into place being Emily Sonnett, the woman’s hands resting on her back.  

“Kel, what’s wrong?” She asks nervously, the woman turning towards her, her brown orbs wide.  

“Y/N’s in the hospital, we have to go.”  

And with that Emily too begins rushing to grab her things, the pair slamming the apartment door shut behind them as they rush to UV Medical Center, and to your side. 

************************************************************************

Despite the fact that UV Medical Center was MASSIVE it didn’t take them long at all to find where you were, Kelley rattling off what Alex had relayed to her on the car ride to the hospital.  

You’d gone under the knife for ankle surgery over 5 hours ago, the extent of the injury you’d entered surgery for becoming much more prominent the deeper the doctor’s dug beneath your skin, which eventually resulted in a call to your emergency contact, that being, Alex Morgan.  

“While we’re here, we’re getting added to the Emergency Contact list.” Kelley had mumbled as they rushed through the hospital towards the waiting area outside of the surgery suite you were currently located in.  

Seemingly, the receptionist knew who they were, considering the second they spoke their names, she’d waved someone over, that someone leading them out of the waiting room towards a nearby elevator.  

“The surgery went on longer than we expected, there was more damage to the ankle than we anticipated.” He explains as the elevator doors slide shut.  

“Is she awake?” Emily asks, the man shaking his head.  

“We had to increase the amount of anesthesia we used, so we’re having a hard time getting her to wake up.”  

Kelley turns to Emily nervously; the nervousness Kelley is feeling conveyed right back at her from Emily’s hazel orbs.  

“Do you know how long it’ll take for her to wake up?” Kelley asks, her fingers tangling with Emily’s, the blonde giving her hand a squeeze.  

“We don’t know.”  

The second the elevator door opens the man is leading them down the hall and into a nearby room, that turns out to be a secluded waiting room, offering the pair privacy.  

“We’ll inform you immediately when she wakes up and leaves the recovery room.” He smiles softly, leaving the pair in the empty room, a TV hanging in the corner playing softly as the pair sit side by side on a small couch.  

"Do you think she’ll be okay?” Emily whispers, resting her head on Kelley’s shoulder, the woman taking her hand, giving it a squeeze.  

“She will be.” She whispers, unwilling to put her anxiety and worriedness into words, choosing to remain hopeful for the sake of the blonde beside her.  

************************************************************************

As the time ticked away, the anxiety and fear within both women began to grow, and after an hour had passed, that anxiety was near teeming over, that was until the door clicked open softly, the man from earlier giving them a small smile.  

“Ms. Y/L/N is in her room; I’ll take you to her.” He smiles, the pair jumping to their feet and rushing down the hall behind him.  

“She may be in and out, she’ll DEFINITELY be groggy thanks to her pain medication, but she’ll be back to herself in no time.”  

It doesn’t take long for the pair to be ushered into a room, the two immediately zeroing in on your ankle, which hangs well above you, your ankle wrapped tightly in bandages.  

Kelley glances at Emily, seeing her own concern written on her face, the two slowly making their way hand in hand to your bedside.  

A soft whine draws their attention to your face, your face which is currently scrunched up as you tiredly survey your surroundings before your eyes again flutter shut.  

Silently, the doctor makes his way out of the room, the door clicking shut softly behind him, the three of you now left in complete silence.  

You hum, turning towards the two, your eyes remaining shut before you peek between your eyelids. 

“They must’ve really given me the good shit if I’m hallucinating.” Your tired eyes darting from Kelley to Emily and back.  

“I’ll call and tell you guys later.” You whisper tiredly, your eyes fluttering back shut.  

“You don’t have to tell us anything Y/N, we’re right here.” Emily says, giving your hand a squeeze.  

“Alex called us.” Kelley says, shaking her head when you start to sit up.  

“Well, I better call her back then.” You grumble, glancing around the room, your eyes still shut as you search for your phone.  

“Sit still Y/N.” Kelley whispers, placing her hand on your shoulder to hold you in place.  

“But I have to call Alex, she called me.” You mumble, completely unaware that the woman had indeed NOT called you.  

“No Y/N, she called us.” Emily says, unable to bite back a smile when you turn to her in confusion.  

“She called me, she didn’t call you, you’re not real.” You slur, the older defender on the opposite side of the bed cupping your cheek.  

“But we are real.”  

You shake your head.  

“No, Kelley and Emily are on holiday together, because they love each other, not me, they wouldn’t come visit me.”  

Kelley and Emily share a glance, Emily tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.  

“What do you mean Y/N?” She asks softly and you growl.  

“Just what I said, they don’t love me, not like I love them.”  

The pair stiffen, hearts stalling in their chests as the stare at one another in not only shock, but elation.

“What do-- 

Kelley’s cut off by a loud snore, the pair turning their attention back to you, realizing you’re again fast asleep.  

Kelley gently caresses your cheek as Emily runs her fingers through your hair.  

“Looks like we have a lot to talk about when you wake up, huh?” She whispers, ducking down to kiss your temple, Emily following suit moments later.

The blonde reaches across the bed, covering Kelley’s hand with her own, the pair sharing soft smiles before turning back to your sleeping form.  

It didn’t take a genius to see that Kelley O’Hara and Emily Sonnett were absolutely smitten with Y/N Y/L/N, the moment they met.  

The pair had been fearful when it came to their feelings for you, fearful it may end their relationship, but when they came to the realization that they both felt the same way about you, both had attempted to pursue you, something you were unfortunately not aware of.  

However, with the sudden realization that you too felt the same, they knew everything was about to change.  

“Do you think she meant it?” Emily whispers and Kelley smiles, glancing across the room at your sleeping form.  

“I think she did, high mouths speak sober thoughts. I guess we’ll just have to ask her when she wakes up.” Kelley smiles, turning abruptly towards Emily when she sniffles.  

“What if she didn’t mean it?” She asks, voice barely above a whisper.  

Kelley cups her cheeks, resting for forehead against the younger woman’s before she presses a kiss to her lips.  

“We’ll just cross that bridge if we come to it, okay?” She whispers, and Emily nods, the blonde unable to bite back a smile when Kelley kisses the tip of her nose.  

“Okay.”  

************************************************************************

It’s well into the afternoon that you begin to stir, pulling Kelley and Emily’s attention away from one another and onto you, the two leaning forwards in their seats, which they’d taken residence in beside your bed.  

Your eyes crack open, your teeth clenching in pain, the overhead lights making your head throb.  

Despite that, you keep them open, Y/E/C orbs darting from Kelley, to Emily and back.  

“Wh-What are you guys doing here?” You ask, your voice rough and raw.  

Kelley grabs a nearby cup and holds in to your lips, letting you take a greedy sip before she speaks.  

“Alex called us.”  

Your brows furrow.  

“Alex?”  

Kelley nods.  

“The hospital called her, they found more damage to your ankle then they first thought, they wanted permission to continue the surgery.”  

You hum, glancing sadly at your ankle, which is still hanging high off the bed.  

“Looks like you’re going to have a lot of down time.” Emily smiles sadly, caressing the back of your hand, causing your cheeks to flush.  

“Yeahhhh...” You sigh, leaning back, your eyes fluttering shut as your head rests against the pillow behind you.  

“Why didn’t you tell us Y/N?” Kelley asks and you sigh.  

“I didn’t want you guys to worry, I knew you planned on spending the holidays together, and I didn’t want to ruin it.”  

Emily scoffs.  

“You could NEVER ruin our holiday, honestly, we were going to come see you anyway.”  

Kelley’s hand rests on top of yours and Emily’s.  

“We really wanted you to be a part of it.”  

Your eyes double in size, your heart skipping a beat in your chest as you glance down at your joined hands, your cheeks flushing.  

“You had some things to say when we got here...” Kelley starts, and your brows furrow.  

“I-I did?” You stammer and she nods.  

“You did.”  

You swallow roughly, your heart racing wildly in your chest, the thought you may have confessed your feelings making your palms go clammy.  

“Wh-Wh-What did I say?” You stutter, eyeing your blankets nervously.  

“Well, you didn’t think we were real.” Emily smiles and you chuckle, shaking your head.  

“What else did I do?” You ask Emily and Kelley sharing a glance, which goes unnoticed by you.  

Kelley clears her throat.  

“You said we didn’t love you.” She whispers, your head snapping upwards, your eyes locking with her dark brown orbs.  

“Wh-What...?” You stutter, sliding your hand out from beneath there’s only for Kelley to catch your hand before you can rest it in your lap.  

“You said we didn’t love you, like you loved us.”  

You mouth falls open, your eyes darting between the two women as your cheeks redden, the tips of your ears beginning to burn as your gaze falls to your lap, tears prickling at the corners of your eyes.  

“I-I-I'm so sorry... Y-You weren’t supposed to find out... I-I-I... I mean...” You mumble, unable to look at the two women.  

Unbeknownst to you, Kelley glances at Emily, who nods, the woman cupping your cheek before turning you towards her, your eyes glassy as they meet her brown orbs.  

“I don’t know where you got that idea.” She whispers, your eyes widening dramatically when Emily glances at Kelley.  

“What idea?” You ask, your voice quivering, Kelley tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear.  

“The idea that we don’t love you like we love each other.” 

Your heart stalls in your chest, your eyes darting from brown orbs, to hazel orbs and back, your breath hitching when Kelley’s brown orbs drop to your lips, her tongue running along her lips before she begins leaning in.  

Your breath catches in your throat, the thought that this may still be a hallucination still prominent in your mind, that is until Kelley’s lips meet yours for the first time, her hands gently cupping your cheeks.  

All thoughts of this being a hallucination leave your mind as the woman kisses you softly, your bottom lip trapped between hers as the two of you kiss, parting with much reluctance.  

Kelley’s forehead rests against yours the woman smiling softly.  

Moments later she’s pulling away, her forehead being replaced by Emily’s her hazel orbs locking with yours as she leans in, her eyes fluttering shut as her lips too, meet yours.  

You cup her cheek boldly, your fingers tangling in her hair as you kiss, the woman sighing against your lips.  

Again, you part, the blonde pulling back, only to turn your head, kissing your temple softly, the older of the pair resting her head against your own as well.  

“So, what do you think now?” Kelley whispers and you chuckle.  

“I’m thinking I REALLY hope I’m not still hallucinating.”  

Kelley chuckles as Emily giggles, their laughter contagious despite the pain you’re currently feeling.  

"How can we convince you that this is real?” Kelley asks and you grin.  

“I mean, a few more kisses might help.” You shrug, unable to bite back a grin.  

Kelley and Emily share a glance, the two grinning before Kelley leans back in.  

“I think that can be arranged.”  

[exhuastedpigeon]

It's 2050, they've just announced the tenth 9-1-1 spinoff— 9-1-1 Seattle. White Actor Who Was Popular 10-15 Years Ago™ has been cast as the lead. The show will center around that character grappling with his son starting as a probationary firefighter at his station. They claim it will be like no other version of 9-1-1 that we've ever seen.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive

This is directly tied to covid for a number of reasons including weakened immune systems from frequent infection and vaccine hesitancy strengthened during the pandemic.

By Eilis O'Neill

Whooping cough is spreading nationwide at the highest levels since 2014. There have been more than 16,000 cases this year — more than four times as many compared to the same time last year — and two confirmed deaths. And experts are concerned that the outbreak could worsen in the fall and winter months.

“More children are going back to school now, [which leads to] greater exposure,” said Dr. Eric Chow, the chief of epidemiology and immunization at the Seattle and King County public health agency. “We’re coming up on the kind of winter season when people are spending more time indoors with other people.”

The disease is most dangerous to babies: 1 in 3 who get it require hospitalization.

Whooping cough cases are especially high right now on the West Coast.

King County, where Seattle is, has seen more this year than any year since 2015 — “and the year isn’t even over yet,” Chow said. He said the county is still seeing new cases of whooping cough every week.

Why the big outbreak now? Experts say there are a number of possible explanations for the size of the current outbreak.

Doctors are testing for whooping cough more, so they’re identifying more cases.

It’s possible that the bacterium that causes the disease has mutated.

Also, people got behind on their vaccines during the pandemic, and they haven’t caught up.

“One of the challenges that we have with [the vaccine that protects against whooping cough] is that it is a five-dose series over the course of the first six years of a child’s life, so it does require regular visits to the primary care,” Chow said.

And, Chow said, not everyone can get to the doctor regularly.

But access isn’t the only problem.

“There still is a lot of vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaxers out there that will not vaccinate their kids,” said Dr. Tina Tan, a pediatric infectious disease physician at Northwestern University and the president-elect of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

For the first couple of weeks, whooping cough looks like a mild cold, but then the coughing fits start.

Babies who get it “are going to be whooping when they cough,” Tan said. “And they may cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, and then look like they're not breathing at all.”

Tan said those pauses in breathing are life-threatening, and a sign that it’s time to go to the hospital.

Whooping cough can also lead to pneumonia and other complications.

But babies can’t get their first dose of the vaccine that protects against whooping cough, also called pertussis, till they’re 2 months old.

“That’s why it’s important for pregnant women to get the pertussis vaccine when they’re pregnant,” Tan said, “so that you can protect your baby for the first two months of life until they’re old enough to be vaccinated themselves.”

Even before the pandemic, only about half of pregnant women got the pertussis vaccine. Now, that number is even lower.

In King County, of the 12 babies who have been seen with whooping cough this year, none of their mothers got the shot during pregnancy.

Vaccine fears, and confidence Dr. Chow, with Public Health-Seattle & King County, said that’s a missed opportunity.

“Sometimes you require a kind of sit-down conversation with the patient who may be a little bit more hesitant or may have encountered misinformation,” he said, “so it just requires a longer time to build trust and rapport.”

Also, not all obstetrician/gynecologists offer the vaccine in their offices, and some people don’t have the bandwidth to go to a pharmacy for a shot.

At a playground in Seattle’s White Center neighborhood, Kay said she has two kids, ages 12 and 4, and she’s always been hesitant about vaccines.

Kay declined to give her last name because she’s concerned about revealing private medical information.

“With COVID, it even made it even more scary, because everybody started coming out saying, ‘The COVID shot’s not actually good for you,’” Kay said. “So I was like, ‘Maybe the other vaccines are bad too.’ And then I went down the rabbit hole of looking up kids who have supposedly gotten vaccinations and passed away.”

Experts say vaccines are very safe and can prevent diseases that once killed or harmed many babies, children, and adults.

Kay eventually got her 4-year-old daughter the shots required for daycare but nothing else.

“It's hard for me to get childcare, and it's just easier for me to say, ‘OK, just give me whatever she needs, just to get her into school,’” Kay said.

So her daughter did get the required whooping cough vaccines — but not any COVID shots, which are not mandated.

Aaron Sittinghorse was at the same playground with his 3-year-old daughter. He said the pandemic had the opposite effect on his thoughts about vaccines.

“It opened up my eyes to how important they are,” he said, “and so now, I'm a believer in vaccines. It's important, even if it's not for yourself, but for everybody around you.”

Sittinghorse said he saw on the news that there’s a whooping-cough outbreak right now, and it worries him a little — but not too much, because he and his family are up to date on their vaccines.

[cepheusgalaxy]

Types of book titles:

Bought to you by: me trying to figure out a title for my wips and analysing a few existing ones to give me ideas

1. The character name

Easy and efficient. Percy Jackson. Dracula. Septimus Heap. Coraline. Naruto. You get it. Titles like "Name + and + something"/"Name + name" also apply, like Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard or Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

2. Important element to the story

Pretty practical too, gives an idea of what you are talking about. The Locked Tomb (i think? I haven't read it). Star Wars. Etc.

3. Cool title for your character

This one is rlly cool I think. Similar to #1 but here we are giving our main character a sick title that may or may not be included in the story itself. The Death's Heir. The Lord of the Rings (i think. I haven't read lord of the rings). The Red Queen. And so on. Also alludes to your premise and is pretty catchy.

4. Euphemism or metaphor

Similar to #2 but if telling what your story is all about doesn't sound very good directly so we make an euphemism. Let's say your premise is "we killing the evil queen". That doesn't sound very good as a title perhaps so let's euphemism it. "Fall of the Crown" sounds better, BUT if we want we can push it a little more. "The Last Jewel" may be a bit exagerated but if you can title drop that somewhere in your story its good. Making your euphemism reference something that is already in the book also works better for your euphemism.

Examples are like, Red White and Royal Blue (euphemism for the US and the UK and a prince—by referencing the royal and the flag colors—which about sums it up) and Court of Thorns and Roses (metaphor for the whole fae thing and all the conflicts + references the whole nature and spring thing which are reocurring elements)

5. Literally the plot

Around the world in 80 days. Journey to the center of earth. You know the kind. Flourish a bit if you need to, these also work pretty well if you can pull them off.

6. "The song/chronicles/requiem/adventures/tale of (whatever)"

These are generally reserved for fantasy, I think? Either way they are pretty cool. The Song of Achilles. The Kane Chronicles. The Chronicles of Narnia. A Song of Ice and Fire. They aren't very illustrative but they just sound cool.

Examples from here on Tumblr stories:

#1: Kai and Kyriel (the protagonist and the antagonist) or Alex & Friends (you get it)

#2: Starcross (the spaceship the main characters are the crew of) or The Safehouse (the shelter the story takes place in!)

#3: The Ghost of Seattle (the guy is called "the ghost" coz he is sneaky and misterious and the story is in seattle so)

#4: (ok idk any)

#5: Aros Against Fate (the main characters are aromantic and the themes of the story revolve around carving your own path despiste what has been decided for you, be it by the gods or by your parents)

#6: The Paladin Series (the main villain is called Paladin and yea you get it)

Examples from anime too since we're at it:

#1: Naruto (you know him)

#2: Magi (a very rare type of magician with a bit of mistery ab their origin that surrounds the shows)

#3: Tokyo Revengers

#4: Pandora Hearts (i guess?)

#5: I reincarnated as a slime/with a smartphone/as the seventh prince (all those isekai tbh)

#6: The Adventures of Sinbad

#???: DanDaDan

(anime in general goes by a few different rules actually nevermind)

And that's. That's it I guess?

[camisoledadparis]

THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … December 24

1305 – France: Grand Master Jacques de Molay and over 500 Knights Templar recant their confessions of homosexual activities to which they had admitted under torture. King Phillip IV burned 54 of them soon after the false confessions. Philip had de Molay burned upon a scaffold on an island in the River Seine in front of Notre Dame de Paris in March, 1314. The sudden end of both the centuries-old order of Templars and the dramatic execution of its last leader turned Molay into a legendary figure.

1573 – French diplomat and law professor Hubert Languet wrote to Sir Philip Sidney, "My affection for you has entered my heart far more deeply than I have ever felt for anyone else, and it has so wholly taken possession there that it tries to rule alone."

Sir Philip Sidney

1905 – Howard Hughes Jr. (d.1976) was a USA business magnate, investor, record-setting pilot, engineer, film director, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and financially successful individuals in the world. He first became prominent as a film producer, and then as an important figure in the aviation industry.

Later in life, he became known for his eccentric behavior and reclusive lifestyle—oddities that were caused in part by his worsening obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), chronic pain from a near-fatal plane crash, and increasing deafness.

Hughes dated many famous women, including Joan Crawford, Billie Dove, Faith Domergue, Bette Davis, Yvonne De Carlo, Ava Gardner, Olivia de Havilland, Katharine Hepburn, Hedy Lamarr, Ginger Rogers, Janet Leigh, Pat Sheehan, Mamie Van Doren and Gene Tierney. He also proposed to Joan Fontaine several times.However, a rumour persists that Hughes and another notorious womanizer Errol Flynn had a sexual relationship, with Flynn at the top man!

1912 – A report issued by Utah's State Board of Insanity recommends sterilization of persons convicted of sexual crimes.

Robert Joffrey (rear) with Gerald Arpino

1930 – Robert Joffrey, born Abdullah Jaffa Bey Khan, (d.1988) was an American dancer, teacher, producer, choreographer, and co-founder of the Joffrey Ballet, known for his highly imaginative modern ballets. He was born Abdullah Jaffa Bey Khan in Seattle, Washington to an Afghan father and Italian mother.

As a teenager, Joffrey met 22-year-old Gerald Arpino, then serving in the Coast Guard. Arpino moved into the Joffrey home. From then on, the two were inseparable. They became best friends, artistic collaborators, and lovers.

Joffrey studied ballet and modern dance in New York City and made his debut in 1949 with the French choreographer Roland Petit and his Ballet de l'Opéra National de Paris. From 1950 to 1955, he taught at the New York High School for the Performing Arts, where he staged his earliest ballets. He founded the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City in 1954.

In 1954 he formed his own company, which premiered Le bal masqué (The Masked Ball, 1954; music by French composer Francis Poulenc) and Pierrot Lunaire (1955; music by Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg). Joffrey's other works include Gamelan (1962) and Astarte (1967), which was set to rock music with special lighting and motion-picture effects.

The Robert Joffrey Ballet took up residence at New York City Center in 1966. In 1982 it moved its principal activities to Los Angeles, California and in 1995 to Chicago, Illinois. Noted for its experimental repertoire, the company was called the "Joffrey Ballet of Chicago" after its move but has since returned to being called simply the Joffrey Ballet. Besides Joffrey's works its repertoire includes many works by Gerald Arpino, Joffrey's long-time lover, co-director, and eventually artistic director emeritus until his 2008 death, and ballets commissioned by Joffrey from new choreographers as well as works by such established choreographers as George Balanchine, Alvin Ailey and Twyla Tharp.

Joffrey was sexually promiscuous but discreet. His pattern was to have Arpino at home for domestic stability, one principal romantic attachment, and numerous one-night stands.

In 1973, Joffrey fell in love with A. Aladar Marberger, a 26-year-old gay activist and manager of the Fischbach Gallery in New York. In the 1980s, both men contracted AIDS. While Marberger was outspoken about his illness, Joffrey remained silent. He was ashamed and wanted his obituary to say that he died of liver disease and asthma. Arpino agreed to his pleas, but the secret could not be maintained, as AIDS took a staggering toll on the dance world in general and on Joffrey's company in particular.

Robert Joffrey died of AIDS on March 25, 1988 in New York City. Aladar Marberger died eight months later.

1952 – Kevin Killian is an American poet, author, editor, and playwright of primarily LGBT literature. My Vocabulary Did This to Me: The Collected Poetry of Jack Spicer, which he co-edited with Peter Gizzi, won the American Book Award for poetry in 2009. His novel, Impossible Princess, won the 2010 Lambda Literary Award as the best gay erotic fiction work of 2009.

Killian is also co-founder of the Poets Theater, an influential poetry, stage, and performance group based in San Francisco.

Kevin Killian was raised Roman Catholic and attended a Roman Catholic parochial school run by Franciscan monks where he suffered what he has described as "routine abuse". He discussed these experiences in an essay in the edited work Wrestling With the Angel, which describes the experiences of 21 gay men with religion. He was also the New York City spelling bee champion.

Kevin attended graduate school at the State University of New York at Stony Brook (SUNY-Stony Brook) in the 1970s, and moved to San Francisco in 1980. Although he is gay and Dodie Bellamy is a lesbian, the couple married and have an active heterosexual sex life.

Killian is also active in bringing attention to important LGBTQ artists and writers of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. He has held poetry readings of a wide number of influential poets and writers, and participated in a number of panels, art installations, retrospectives, and memorials.

1958 – Bob Smith (d.2018) was an American comedian and author. Smith, born in Buffalo, New York, was the first openly gay comedian to appear on The Tonight Show and the first openly gay comedian to have his own HBO half-hour comedy special. Smith, along with fellow comedians Jaffe Cohen and Danny McWilliams, formed the comedy troupe Funny Gay Males in 1988.

With Funny Gay Males, Smith is the co-author of Growing Up Gay: From Left Out to Coming Out (1995). Smith is also the author of two books of biographical essays. Openly Bob (1997) received a Lambda Literary Award for best humor book. Way to Go, Smith! (1999) was nominated for a 2000 Lambda Literary Award in the same category. Smith published his first novel, Selfish and Perverse, in 2007, and Remembrance of Things I Forgot in 2011. He published a new collection of essays, Treehab: Tales from My Natural Wild Life, in 2016. The essays cover a wide range of subjects including his career in stand-up, his love of nature, and his experience with ALS. He performed at the inaugural We're Funny That Way! comedy festival in 1997, and appeared in the festival's documentary film in 1998.

While taping a 2007 comedy special for Logo, Smith disclosed that he was suffering from a neurological disorder. He described his symptoms at that time as slurred speech, making him sound inebriated. In response to an August 2012 New York Times article on openly gay male stand-up comedians, Smith posted a comment stating he had ALS.

On February 2013, Smith gave a candid interview to Canada's Global News, where he elaborated about his condition. The article also revealed that Smith assisted with the conceiving of fellow LGBTQ comedian Elvira Kurt's children, who with Kurt reside in Canada, and that he was a direct descendant of Henry Smith, an early settler of Canada's Niagara Region for whom the Henry of Pelham Winery is named.

Bob Smith died on January 20, 2018 from Lou Gehrig’s Disease in his Manhattan, New York home at 59 years of age.

1971 – On this date the international singer and actor Ricky Martin was born. Born Enrique Martín Morales in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he is known to millions of fans by his stage name Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican pop singer and actor who achieved prominence, first as a member of the Latin boy band Menudo, then as a solo artist after 1991. During his career he has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide. He is the founder of Ricky Martín Foundation (in Spanish Fundación Ricky Martin) a non-profit charity organization.

Martin rose to fame as a member of the Latin American boy band Menudo, after which he became a solo artist in 1990. During forays into acting on Broadway ("Les Miserables") and soap operas (General Hospital) he released numerous albums of Spanish music, which sold millions of copies throughout Latin America and Europe. In 1995, Martin refocused on his music career through his third album, A Medio Vivir. With this album, Martin made a shift from formulaic hit ballads to a more risky fusion of music centered around traditional Latin sounds, with the hit "Maria", which epitomizes this new sound. "Maria" broke Martin into Europe through Spain. With the ballad "Te Extraño, Te Olvido, Te Amo", Martin began his expansion from Latin American and Spanish-speaking audiences to the European and Asian markets. He was chosen to sing the anthem of the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the famous hit "The Cup of Life"/"La Copa de la Vida", that reached number one on the charts in 60 countries.

He broke into the English-language market with his mega-selling hit single "Livin' la Vida Loca," which reached number one in many countries around the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, France, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Guatemala, Mexico, Russia, Turkey, and South Africa. He followed up with the hit "She's All I Ever Had" which peaked at #2 on The Billboard Hot 100. This album became one of the top-selling albums of 1999, and was certified 7 times platinum, selling over 22 million copies worldwide to date.

During the Livin' la Vida Loca era, Martin's personal life went under the microscope due to his large Gay following, and he was questioned about his sexual orientation. In December, 2000 during an interview in The Mirror, Martin was asked, '"So what about all these rumors?" "There's not a lot I can do about that," he said. "I guess these rumors were started by people who don't have a life, or perhaps it's because they want me to be like them and I'm not. I try not to pay attention to any of these allegations. I could have been married with kids for years or have 27 girlfriends, and if people still want to go around saying that I'm gay, they will."'

In August 2008, Martin became the father of twin boys, named Matteo and Valentino. The babies were delivered via gestational surrogacy.

On March of 2010, Martin publicly came out as Gay in a post on his official web site by stating, "Today is my day, this is my time, and this is my moment. These years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from within and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn't even know existed ... I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am."

"What will happen from now on? It doesn't matter. I can only focus on what's happening to me in this moment. The word 'happiness' takes on a new meaning for me as of today. It has been a very intense process. Every word that I write in this letter is born out of love, acceptance, detachment and real contentment. Writing this is a solid step towards my inner peace and vital part of my evolution."

In January 2018, Ricky Martin married his long-time partner artist Jwan Yosef.

Ricky and Jwan

1973 – Paul Foot is an English comedian. He commands a significant cult following called The Guild of Connoisseurs. Foot is known for his musings, rants, 'disturbances' and apparent aversion to pop culture. The Daily Express likened Foot to "a rare exotic bird", whilst six national newspapers including the The Independent and The Age have declared Paul to be "a comedy genius".

Foot was born and raised in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, he studied mathematics at Merton College, Oxford.It was during his studies he first started performing stand-up. As of 2011 Foot has refused to discuss his years at Oxford or former pursuits as a mathematics student.

Graduating from Oxford in 1995, Foot was head-hunted by a computer software company in the run-up to the dot-com bubble, however he loathed the industry: "I had to read manuals on HTML and just write websites from scratch. None of us really knew what we were doing".

He started to pursue a career in comedy, doing open mic slots at various venues, in the hope that show business would allow him to meet his idol Ella Fitzgerald. Tragically Ella Fitzgerald died a few days after this decision was made, but Foot decided to stick with comedy as a career anyhow.

He is openly gay. Foot also has a much admired collection of pre-war Toby jugs, which he parades on a custom made milk float on his yearly trip to the Edinburgh Comedy Festival.

1981 – Chris Kluwe is a former American football punter and writer. Kluwe played at Los Alamitos High School in Los Alamitos, California, where he was a 1999 USA Today High School All-American, and then attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he played college football for the UCLA Bruins. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2005 and played professionally in the National Football League for the Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings, and Oakland Raiders.

Kluwe is widely known for his eight seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, where he set eight individual team records. During this period, Kluwe became an outspoken advocate on social issues, including same sex marriage and gay rights, which ultimately led to tension between Kluwe and coaching staff.

Kluwe is widely known for his eight seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, where he set eight individual team records. During this period, Kluwe became an outspoken advocate on social issues, including same sex marriage and gay rights, which ultimately led to tension between Kluwe and coaching staff.

Kluwe publicly released a letter on September 7, 2012, via sports website Deadspin he had sent to Maryland state assembly delegate Emmett Burns, defending the opinions of Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo and condemning Burns on his attempt to stifle Ayanbadejo's free speech. Ayanbadejo has been a vocal supporter of same-sex marriage and Burns had sent a letter requesting that the Ravens ownership "inhibit such expressions" by their employee. On October 1, 2012, Kluwe published a letter to the editor that responded to a video statement released by former Viking Matt Birk in supporting a ban on same-sex marriage. In the letter, Kluwe outlined six primary reasons why he disagreed with Birk's statement. Kluwe was also featured in a documentary called The Last Barrier which aired on NBC Bay Area on December 8, 2012. During this interview he spoke about his feelings towards equality.

Kluwe and Ayanbadejo filed an amicus brief to the United States Supreme Court on February 28, 2013, regarding Hollingsworth v. Perry, in which they expressed their support of the challenge to California Proposition 8. Kluwe appeared on the January 18, 2013, episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, to discuss his support of same-sex marriage. Ellen DeGeneres inducted Kluwe as the first inductee in her Hall of Fame, since NFL punters are unlikely to be voted into the league's hall of fame. On April 16, 2013, in recognition of his steadfast support of same-sex marriage and for starting a conversation about LGBT issues in athletics, Kluwe was named the Grand Marshal of the 41st annual Twin Cities Pride festival in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

On January 2, 2014, Kluwe alleged that he was released from the Vikings due to his support of same-sex marriage. He stated that the Vikings requested that he "deliberately sacrifice my own numbers to help the team, a request with which I always complied." The team stated it was not previously made aware of Kluwe's allegations, and countered that he "was released strictly based on his football performance." Kluwe said that special teams coach Mike Priefer in 2012 made homophobic remarks and criticized the player for his views on same-sex marriage. Priefer responded with a statement saying that "I do not tolerate discrimination of any type and am respectful of all individuals. I personally have gay family members who I love and support just as I do any family member.” Kluwe called the coach's acts "inexcusable", and hoped he prevented Priefer from ever coaching again. He also alleged that head coach Leslie Frazier told him to stop speaking out on same-sex marriage. Kluwe later said his comments on Priefer were "a little too harsh originally", and stated that he preferred that the coach get therapy and counseling and return to the league as a role model.

Kluwe was released by the Vikings after the 2012 season, signed with the Oakland Raiders prior to the 2013 season, and was subsequently released. Kluwe was unable to find another NFL team with which to sign and retired from professional football in 2013. Following his departure from football, he has pursued a writing career and is a humor columnist for the sports website Deadspin.

2012 – The Serbian Parliament approves changes to the Penal Code to include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes when it comes to hate crimes.

2013 – Alan Turing considered the father of computer science, was a code-breaker who helped shorten WWII. Since he was gay, the British government offered him the choice of prison or chemical castration after he was convicted of gross indecency. He selected hormonal castration via estrogen. He died in 1954 of cyanide poisoning. In 2009, Prime Minister Gordon Brown made an official apology, and Queen Elizabeth II issued Turing a royal pardon on this day in 2013.

[gender-trash]

THE VANCOUVER TRIP BOOK HAUL POST (in approximate order of acquisition)

from elliott bay book company in seattle:

google reviews lied to me there weren't any used books here. still, this bookstore was open fairly late and for this we must credit them. for some reason there's a thin line between "queer friendly bookstore" and "unsalvageably astrology-pilled woo dispensary" and elliott bay book co is kiiiinda straddling it. on the other hand they stocked swindles 2 AND the hands of the emperor so clearly SOMEONE working there has taste.

massy books:

the problem with becoming bookbindingpilled is i sometimes find myself picking books up from used bookstores purely because the binding is really nice, which is how i wound up with that book in the center of the top row. in my defense it's a folio society edition for cheap how was i meant to resist??

cross & crows:

the proprietress of this bookstore was really nice & chatted with me fairly extensively about the vorkosigan saga books :) for some reason i am under a wizard's curse to own extremely mangled mass market paperback editions of same; e.g. my copy of barrayar has had about a half inch eaten away from the fore edge on both front and back covers by some sort of bug. true to form, this copy of ethan of athos has a hole burned in the front cover.

white dwarf:

i walked in here hoping to buy some dumbfuck vintage pulp scifi with extremely inaccurate robotics content and i was NOT disappointed.

pulpfiction books:

tor books is periodically like "hey what if we do ANOTHER collection of chinese science fiction and fantasy short stories in translation" and every fucking time i open my mouth like a baby bird. product/market fit babey

macleod's:

google reviews described this as a cave of used books and they were NOT WRONG. this store was barely navigable with all the stacks of books on the floor and had a deranged bordering on nonexistent organizational scheme. lots of rare books with awesome binding. grading on sheer Used Bookstore Ambiance this was by far my favorite. i think that book on dutch golden age paintings weighs like ten pounds by itself.

the paper hound:

i didnt take any pictures of the shelf labels bc i was definitely flagging at this point but they were Deeply idiosyncratic <3 cute little store with quite a lot (especially for its size) of weird obscure shit pertinent to my interests.

(at this point i got on a bus, missed my stop bc i had no cell service and no way to check directions, got on a different bus, took the subway back to where i'd parked the rental car, took every possible wrong turn until i stumbled upon the hotel again, dropped off my books, and took the car to...)

carson books & records:

the checkout clerk commented on my eclectic taste and it was almost 10pm and i'd walked like eight miles while hauling around a suitcase increasingly full of books so i just said 'yeah'.

and now we play the fun game of "which of these are for fic research, which ones are for various hyperfixations, which ones are 'sequels' to nonfiction i really enjoyed, which ones i just thought Looked Interesting, and which ones are things i've seen recommended and hadn't managed to acquire yet"