#I’m revoking his Michael privilege

[michaelsfavgirl]

he takes care of you when you're sick

Pairing: Michael Jackson x fem!reader

Tags: established relationship, fluff, Mike being husband material

Word Count: 500+

Requested: yes/no

Author’s Note: first hcs on this blog lets gooo

Links: navigation | masterlist | taglist

Oh boy, let’s get into it

Michael is very protective of you as it is

But when you’re sick Michael's protective instincts kick into overdrive (affectionately)

Doesn't care whether it's just a common cold or something miniscule

He’s immediately treating you like fragile porcelain

But god forbid If it's a fever or a more serious ailment, he's practically glued to your hip 24/7

Good luck getting any personal space during those times

He fusses over you constantly, asking if you need him to fetch you something, making sure you're comfortable

“Feeling any better, sweet girl?”

“Are you getting cold? Lemme just quickly grab your favorite blanket” 

This man can cook, okay? So expect him to whip up all kinds of soups to make you feel better.

Don't you even dare to disrespect him by opening the fridge and trying to make a meal for yourself

he won't hear of it

“Ah ah, none of that, don’t want my girl strainin herself for no reason” 

“Mike i just want to eat-” 

“shh, i’m here to take care of you, let’s get you back into bed hm? You go take a little nap while I make you something okay baby?” you nod defeatedly and take your ass back to bed 

Is very serious when it comes to taking medicine

Doesn't care if you say it tastes like dookie

You’re taking it, end of conversation

He’ll revoke your kisses and cuddles privileges if you don’t comply

He’s pretty cruel as you can tell 

But he’s so sweet afterwards, showering you with praise and kisses

“That wasn’t so difficult now was it?” He says and kisses your pout away 

Will 100% help you shower if you’re feeling weak 

Even when you're not sick, he enjoys doing domestic things with you; it makes him feel fuzzy and warm inside

Michael refuses to put any distance between you in bed, no matter how much you protest that he'll get sick too

This man looks at you like -_- ‘You think I care bout that?’

He'll wrap you securely in his arms and pull the sheets up to your neck

His huge hands gently caressing your skin and humming a soothing tune

As you start to feel better Michael feels a little guilty and selfish

 Of course he wants his precious angel to be healthy and all, but he really gets used to taking care of you so intimately very quickly and wishes it could go on a little longer

You have to remind him that y’all live together and spend most of your time in each other's presence.

It doesn’t get any closer than that but he’s still pouting like a baby, saying he’ll miss taking care of you

As if he doesn’t already do everything for you and spoil you rotten

This man will be the death of you…and you wouldn’t have it any other way <3

© michaelsfavgirl 2024

Taglist: @theladyinmoscow @yeriminist @yeaiamme2 @helloaugustmoon @cinnamoncunt @theladyofmylife @minekarina @kionaaa @theskinniestjackson-denny @anivkye @graciegizmo3184 @theasexual-jackson @mrsmikaelsxn @fallinlovewithevil @armasbw @b3rk1ey @maybe7tommorow @falllovesomemichealjackson

#kate's writing #michael jackson #michael jackson x reader #michael jackson x fem!reader #king of pop #mj #x reader #headcanon #drabble #fluff #blurb #fanfiction #fanfic #michael jackson imagine #off the wall era #thriller era #bad era #dangerous era #history era #invincible era

[spacechalk]

Minute

Through some contrivances known only to the archangel Aziraphale, the representatives of Heaven and Hell were currently huddled together in a rainy field in outer Sheffield, arguing.

            Crowley had shown up ten minutes into the meeting, nominally as “The First and Only Representative of Earth,” but the only thing he had done the entire meeting was stare unblinkingly at Aziraphale. It was giving him a headache, the kind right between your eyes that you got after you had been crying for too long.

            He checked his pocket watch again. He had been trying to do it surreptitiously, but his anxiety was getting the best of him. One minute to go.

            He met Crowley’s eyes.

            Eyebrows pinched together, he raised a fist and ran it up and down to the left of his heart. “Sorry,” he signed.

            Crowley’s eyes widened and then narrowed in concentration. He shot a quick glance at the others, but they were too engrossed in their argument. Expression stormy, he lifted a finger. “What-”

            “No time,” Aziraphale cut him off, tapping his wrist. “I need your help.”

            Crowley was so still Aziraphale thought time had paused for a moment. Every line and angle of him was tense. His scowl was so deep it looked painful. His eyes were fiery behind his glasses. Aziraphale held his breath.

            Crowley did not lay into him. Crowley did not tell him exactly what he could do with himself. Crowley did not tear him a new one. Instead, Crowley lifted his hands and signed in sharp, jerky movements. “With what?”

            Relief flooded through Aziraphale like he had stepped under a waterfall. He could feel his expression brighten, and he tried not to read too much into it that Crowley twitched slightly and his eyebrows softened somewhat at nearly the same moment.

            “New recruits,” he signed. He felt a smile start to bloom across his face. “I’ve found some more representatives for Earth.” As he inscribed the arc to indicate the world, it felt like he truly was encompassing all of it – the moths and the cracked book covers, the mud and the clogged rain gutters, the Thursday afternoons and the motorcycles - between his hands.

            The minute was up.

            Aziraphale felt a desperate flutter in his chest, like a bird trying to escape a fox, and then it was still. Looking around, it was clear the others had felt it too. Crowley rubbed his breastbone.

            “What…” Michael’s expression was pinched. She tilted her head, as though trying to hear distant music.

            Uriel had her hand over her heart. Her expression was shattered. “I can’t feel Heaven anymore,” she said.

            Hastur’s expression cleared with realization. “Oh yeah, I can’t feel Hell anymore,” he said. Panic crawled across his face. “What does that mean-”

            Aziraphale cleared his throat. All eyes fell on him.

            “I’m afraid your administrative privileges have been revoked,” he said, straightening his cuffs and dusting off his coat. He lifted his chin. “You’ll find you no longer have access to your respective agencies.”

            Silence met this pronouncement.

            “What –” Sandalphon choked out. “Do you mean – we’re stuck here?”

            Aziraphale gifted him with a benevolent smile.

            The collective response to this was panic.

            Michael shrieked and looked around at the grass she had been standing on the entire time like it had suddenly turned to lava. Her feet started an ungainly shuffle.

            Hastur fell to his knees and started tearing up chunks of sod with his bare hands, howling.

            Uriel looked around her desperately, taking in the clouds, the rain, the field. “But – but – ” she stammered. “But – what is there to do on this stupid rock?!”

            Aziraphale raised his eyebrows and looked at Crowley. “Sushi?” he suggested. He had missed it so.

            Crowley was trying not to smile, but one corner of his mouth betrayed him. “That might be a little advanced, angel,” he said. Aziraphale’s heart skipped a beat. “Maybe we could start with a ploughman’s?”

            Aziraphale sighed. “Oh, very well.”

#good omens #fanfic #aziraphale #crowley #aziracrow #ineffable husbands #but soft what light #for some reason I love the idea of them signing to each other #sign language #I do not speak BSL #feel free to rake me over the coals #why do descriptions of anger all sound like euphemisms

[thegeminisage]

the ages of the occupants in the bunker as of 14.13, listed from youngest to oldest

inspired by this; since 14.09 and 14.10 took place during christmas of 2018, i feel like a good guess for the date of 14.13 is sometime in mid-january 2019, before dean’s birthday. in this meta, biological age refers how old they appear, chronological age refers to how many years on the calendar it’s been since they were born, and for characters who went to hell, i’m also using mental age to refer to the number of years they have actually consciously experienced. (heaven time will not be calculated into mental age, because characters frequently seem unable to remember it beyond a few hazy impressions at best.)

jack kline: 18 years biologically, 1.5 years chronologically - born in may 2017, he would be about a year and a half old chronologically. theoretically his biological age is probably about 18 (or at least that’s what they claimed in season 14 - given that he also says he deliberately came into this world as an adult and that cas seems to think his lifespan will greatly outlast a human being’s, we can assume his biological age was 18 in 2017, and that since humans age normally and angels don’t age at all, jack is aging slowly as a compromise). it’s worth noting that the half a season he spent in apocalypse world accounts for an entire THIRD of his total lifespan so far. he only spent a couple of weeks with cas before stuck, and once he returned dean was taken by michael almost immediately, so he’s also only had his entire family together for about a third of his life, too.

mary winchester: 31 years biologically, 64 years chronologically - mary was born in december of 1954, so when she died in november 1983 she was 28 years old, just a month shy of her 29th birthday. this would have her turning 29 in during season 12, turning 30 during season 13 (in apocalypse world!), and 31 in season 14 - her birthdays for 2016, 2017, and 2018 respectively. since she wasn’t brought back on the same day she died, she did repeat part of a year there at the beginning of season 12, but it was only a few months. as a bonus, if eileen (born 1985, died 2017) were somehow brought back a season early, she and mary would be about the same age :(

sam winchester: 35 years biologically/chronologically, 157 mentally - sam’s age is something of a nightmare when you consider 1. mystery spot and 2. that his SOUL was dead and in hell for a year (a year which they later retconned out of existence so that the show’s calendar would match the real-life one) while his body was on earth almost that entire time (depending on how soon cas sprang him after 5.22 - it was probably only days, but it couldn’t have been longer than a couple of weeks). mystery spot is fairly straight-forward; 100 tuesdays + 6 months is about 9 months (or 1 year, if we’re rounding) to his mental age. the separation of sam’s soul and body and how long his year in hell FELT to him is messier and something of a point of debate. since sam experienced the same time dually in both the physical plane and hell (years as both a body and a soul count), we have to add ANOTHER year to his mental age to account for that. as for how long his time in hell was from his perspective - it’s generally accepted that 1 month on earth is like 40 years in hell, which puts it at a minimum of 120 years. but in season 6 he has a flashback which lasts “two or three minutes” that sam says felt like “about a week.” since there are 525,600 minutes in a year, that’s potentially 175,200-262,800 weeks (depending on whether it was 2 minutes or 3), or a staggering 3360-5040 years. the nature of a flashback not matching reality, though, i’m more comfortable going with 120 years than 5040, making his “mental age” 157. (though if you pushed it to the maximum possible limit and added the 5040 years, that’d put him at 5077, or almost 51 CENTURIES, and in that case, dean’s older brother privileges? officially revoked.) either way, as far as years experienced, he IS the oldest human on this list.

CAS THEE TIEL: 35 biologically, 4.5 billion chronologically - jimmy novak has no canon age, but since sam and dean were the same age of their actors, i’m going with misha collins’s age at the time cas possessed jimmy - he was born in 1974, and even though the timeline around jimmy’s possession is confusing, either way misha collins would have had his 2008 birthday but not his 2009 one, so that puts him at 34 (even though misha collins the human aged, cas warns jimmy in 4.20 that he will NOT age). cas was also a fallen angel during the last month or so of season 5, and for about 6 months in season 9. assuming he DID age during that time, and that misha collins was closer to his 35th birthday than his 34th one during the time cas possessed jimmy, i’m comfortable with saying his body looks like and will always look like a 35yo holy tax accountant - assuming he continues to be an angel, of course. as for his chronological age, i’m going with the age of the earth, since they probably would have been created at about the same time. (unless you read named, in which *gunshots*)

dean winchester: 39 years biologically/chronologically, 79 mentally - again, since this is right before dean’s 40th birthday, he’s still 39 for just a couple of weeks. he likely stopped aging when michael possessed him, though (which was about a month - who knows if dean would age while caging michael as he is as of 14.13). add the 40 years dean spent in hell, and he is now MENTALLY almost as old as he was when he got aged up in 5.07 (being ~30 at the time, and adding 50 to that). this means right now he’s biologically older than cas, but he would have been cas’s age during 2013-2014 - interestingly enough, when cas was human (and for about a year after he became an angel again - so, during dean’s time with the mark of cain, including, yes, The Beatdown).

john winchester: 51 years biologically/chronologically, 151 mentally - the john that canonically got pulled from 2003 was 48 years old in every respect, but i’m calculating his age based on if he was ACTUALLY revived and pulled down from heaven permanently, since that’s what i’m doing in my fanfic. there’s some conflicting canon about john’s birth date, but best guesses put him in december of 1954 like mary. there’s also conflicting information about what month he died, but it was in 2006 and before his birthday in december, so that puts him at 51. alastair says he was in hell for “close to a century,” so we’ll round that and call that 100 years. 

apocalypse world michael: n/a biologically, between 4.5 billion and 13.7 billion chronologically - older than cas, but younger than the universe. currently has no physical form due to being stuck inside dean winchester, something i will happily continue to be a freak about >:)

[spn masterpost]

#liz watches spn #liz's spn stuff #liz's meta #broken road #destiel #kind of #dean and cas being the same age when cas is human............................im emo. #br meta

[sharkfish]

a week at the madhouse

you walk in sad. you cry for hours while strangers watch. you cry harder in a strange bed in a strange room. outside are the sounds of football and laughter. you cry and cry and want to die and want to die. that’s how you ended up here in the first place.

time slips. you’re prescribed a new pill and taken off another. they pass out vistaril and trazodone like candy.

what is your anxiety level? how about depression? are you seeing things that aren’t there? are you having any suicidal or homicidal thoughts?

eight. ten. no. yes, suicidal.

help me.

the unit is a madhouse, but that shouldn’t surprise you.

there’s ryan, who rates his anger ten out of ten and loves horror movies. he seems nice enough, until he’s terrifying.

there’s mark, who paces the dayroom talking nonsense, though he’s lucid during the world series. once he calls ryan an old man and they have to shoot up ryan with haldol to keep mark from getting murdered.

there’s kendall, who convinces you to buy him cigarettes before you realize he’ll take an inch of kindness and try to stretch it twenty miles. his joy in life is to push buttons until someone snaps.

there’s shirley, who is usually someone else. sometimes she’s nice but most of the time she’s going into other people’s rooms to shit on their clothes. the first day, someone warns you to keep ahold of your drink or she’ll throw it at you. she has an ear-splitting scream and can hold it longer than you thought possible.

help me.

there’s derrick, who isn’t afraid to go back to prison. there’s a guy who rarely leaves his room and is always carrying a stuffed pokemon named stella. there’s nick, who sometimes lays on the floor and sometimes shuffles muttering, i can’t function. i’m dead. i can’t breathe. i can’t function.

there’s robert, who sometimes says he’s tom hanks or buddy holly or johnny cash, and you’re never sure how serious he is. he’s got a smile that could light up a room and goes through the trash looking for cigarette butts to smoke. eventually he looks for butts to eat and his outdoor privileges are revoked. at night he wails his distress.

there’s beth, who hasn’t seen her son in 78 days. there’s heather, who is medicated into mumbles and hooded eyes. there’s christine, who got a bipolar diagnosis after spending two years manic and hearing voices.

there’s michael, who’s nice at first, until you realize he thinks you’ll be his manic pixie dream girl. he gives you a ring and teaches you a card game and punches a wall when you tell him you don’t feel like talking.

there’s the staff, who can’t be bothered to even acknowledge the patients most of the time. nick has a habit of pissing his bed and his roommate has to be the one to get him in the shower and strip the sheets.

help me.

you tell your roommate that even with all the precautions — electric toothbrushes and sharp objects removed at intake, only plastic spoons and flexible pens available on the inside — desperate people will find ways to hurt themselves. you just didn’t think you’d be one of them until you’re watching blood well up on your thigh behind the shower curtain that takes the place of a bathroom door. you report it to the nurse, but by morning you regret it.

the schedule is full of group sessions that never happen. you see your own therapist at intake and she says she’ll see you again at discharge. the website for the madhouse boasts personalized one-on-one therapy.

help me.

you spend a day and a half sobbing in your bed before you flag down a nurse and, through tears, tell her you want to discharge against medical advice. i can’t be here anymore, you say. it’s making me worse, i’m so afraid. i just can’t be here. you have to let me go home. you have to.

the doctor puts you on a 24 hour hold so he’ll have a chance to involuntarily commit you if he decides you’re a risk to yourself or others after another evaluation.

nine. ten. no. no, but it’s a lie.

help me.

they finally let you go. you walk out traumatized and just as ready to court death as when you went in. i can’t breathe, you think. i can’t function, i can’t function, i’m already dead.

#suicide #self harm

[pixiegrl]

oblivious courting fairytale lashton 👀 a little interspecies miscommunication, you said?

Meghna! Hi! God this took forever to get to BUT here it is! Shout out to my hype people: @bourgeoix and @pushkinalexander

It’s on ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26944633

The first gift comes on a Monday. Luke is standing around the shop, cleaning up the sleeves when Ashton bursts in beaming. The bell rings violently from the force Ashton is using on the door, starling Luke.

“Ashton! You can’t break more of the spell bottles!” Luke scolds, smiling to let him know he’s joking. Ashton adopts his most puppy dog expression, eyes wide as he faces Luke. 

“Werewolf strength, what can I say. Besides, I have a gift for you,” Ashton grins, toothy with his sharp canines on display. Ashton is the first werewolf Luke ever met and he’s still shocked that certain pieces of the legends are true. Ashton has very sharp teeth and Luke wonders what it might be like to kiss him with them.

It’s only then that Luke notices the “gift” Ashton has for him. It’s a bowl, medium sized and filled with water. Luke stares at the bowl for a few moments before he processes the fact that there’s a fish in it.

Luke shrieks, taking a horrified step back from the counter. The smile on Ashton’s face drops, replaced by a look of confusion. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Ashton! Why would you give me a fish? Just because I’m a mermaid? That’s incredibly rude. Not to mention that fish are not meant to be trapped inside bowls.”

“No, it’s just that people keep fish as pets here and I thought it might be nice if you had, like a mascot? For the shop? Michael mentioned it.”

“Michael would not have told you to get us a fish!”

“He didn’t say fish! He said I should get you a gift and I know you get lonely here when Michael’s not around,” Ashton mumbles, blushing and looking down at the fish. It’s small and gold, letting out little bubbles as it breathes. Luke feels incredibly bad for the fish, stuck inside the bowl, trapped. He’s not even sure how to help the fish out, just knows that he wants to release it and let it be free. Luke knows that he would hate it, being stuck in a glass jar, on display for everyone to gawk at because of his tail. He knows that humans have moved past that, but he’s still wary of something like that happening to him and this only makes it worse. He thought he would trust Ashton, but now he’s not sure. 

“Where did you even find a fish?” Luke asks, staring down sadly at it. It’s a freshwater fish, so he can’t even release it back into the sea. He’s going to have to keep it until something happens. It makes him even sadder knowing he can’t help it.

“The pet store down the road.”

“Pet store! You mean there’s just fish stuck in a box somewhere? There’s more fish trapped on display for people to just tap at the glass, then buy them, and take them home in too small bowls?”

“It’s not that sad Luke.”

“It’s very sad! Fish should be wild and free, not just stuck in small homes for people’s amusement. It’s rude and insensitive.”

Ashton goes very quiet. He’s staring down at the fish, frowning. He looks like he might cry. Luke can’t be bothered to care, he’s so mad at Ashton for considering even doing something like this.

“I think you should go Ashton,” Luke whispers.

Ashton looks sad and heartbroken but nods, “Okay. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” 

It’s a question not a statement. Luke sees it for whatever it is, a request for Luke to decide what to do. Ashton knows something is wrong but doesn’t know how to fix it. Luke shrugs.

“I’ll text you.”

“Good, that’s...good. I love you, yeah,” Ashton says, reaching out to squeeze Luke’s hand. Luke smiles lightly, tugging his hand back. Ashton looks like a kicked puppy, but nods turning to leave the store. Luke misses him as soon as he’s gone, unsure of what to do. He brings the fish in the back, hiding it so he’s not faced with Ashton’s feelings while he works, and goes back to cleaning up the bottles and making sure Ashton didn’t ruin anything when he slammed in, like he broke Luke’s heart.

***

“So, how did you like your gift from Ashton?” Michael asks later when he strolls back into the store, all fairy glitter and bright lights. His mood dampens when he sees the distress surrounding Luke.

“He brought me a fish, Michael. Like, stuck in a bowl. That’s not a gift, that’s just mean,” Luke mumbles, continuing to polish the necklace on display. Michael lets out a frustrated sigh.

“He’s an idiot. He asked what kind of gift you might like and I said you might like something to keep you company while I’m not here.”

“Well, he got a fish to keep me company. He doesn’t see me as anything more than a simple little fish stuck in a bowl.”

“Luke, that’s not how he sees you at all and you know it,” Michael chides lightly, squeezing his shoulder. Luke deflates a little.

“I just thought he was better than that.”

“I’m sure he got the fish on impulse cause he thought it would be something nice for you to have in the shop. He asked me if you could talk to them. I think he thought it would be a friend.”

Luke snorts. It does feel like something Ashton would do, think he could talk to any old fish. 

“It still didn’t feel nice.”

“I’m sure if you talked to him about it he would understand.”

“Besides, why did he even get me a gift?” Luke asks, going back to polishing.

Michael cocks his head to the side, confused, “You know he likes you right? I’m pretty sure that was a courting gift.”

“Doubt it. Besides that would be a dumb courting gift. You’re supposed to give jewels or useful items, not fish in bowls.”

Michael shrugs, “Don’t know. Maybe werewolves are different.”

Luke snorts, “I’m pretty sure no culture involves fish in bowls as gifts.”

Michael laughs, shaking his head and heading into the back to sort the stock. Luke looks down at the fish. He had ended up bringing him out, feeling bad for leaving him in the back all alone. He’s been passing the time talking to the little goldfish, who had insisted that his name was Reginald and that he should be addressed as such. Luke can’t argue with him, even if he thinks he has a funny accent, different from the sea fish Luke knows.

“What do you think, Reginald? Was I being too mean?”

“It is rude of Ashton to bring a mermaid a fish as a gift. You eat my species!”

“You’d be too little to eat.”

“That’s not comforting.”

“My apologies.”

“Thank you. I think that Ashton was trying to do a nice thing, though. Maybe you should text him and tell me that you appreciate the thought but explain how it felt.”

Luke ponders the idea. It does make sense. Luke decides to put the whole fish thing with Ashton out of his mind for now. It can’t possibly be that important. 

***

The second gift is from Luke. He’s speaking to Ashton again, unable to stay away from the wolf and his joyful mood. Ashton’s been hanging around the store again, teasing Luke about the fact that Reginald has become the store’s mascot. It felt rude to not include the goldfish and it’s not like Luke can release him into the wild. Besides, it’s been nice having someone to talk to that isn’t Michael. Luke keeps insisting that it doesn’t mean anything, but Ashton looks so happy that Luke liked the gift. Calum and Michael have been shooting Luke knowing glances that he’s been ignoring. 

Luke’s come back to the shop after a day spent in the ocean, looking for pearls, seashells, and bits of sea glass that they can sell when he’s struck by the idea. 

“Michael, should I give Ashton a gift too?”

Michael looks up from where he’s been mixing some potion at the counter, pink hair falling in his eyes. 

“I mean, he gave you Reginald. It might be nice to give him something to thank him. And to show him your interest in courting.”

“Ashton’s not courting me. I don’t know why you keep saying he is,” Luke says, dropping the bag on the counter and ruffling his curls. Michael smirks.

“Why else would he ask what you would like?”

“To be nice? Friends get each other gifts all the time. You get me gifts.”

“I give you flowers that I find. Ashton went out of his way to ask what you would like. Plus, you saw how upset he was when he thought you didn’t like Reginald. That is proper ‘being upset at being rejected’ behavior and you know it,” Michael chides. Luke blushes a little, looking down at Reginald.

“What do you think?”

“You should give him some nice seashells. Everyone likes a good shell.”

“You are not going to take advice from a fish,” Michael says in disbelief.

“Well, do you have a better idea? Besides, he’s my friend,” Luke says, pulling a piece of seaglass out of the bag and dropping it into the bowl. 

Michael shakes his head, “I don’t, but it still seems silly that you’ll listen to a fish and not me, your best friend.”

“I’ve revoked best friend privileges. Reginald is my new best friend.”

“I’m wounded, Luke. I really am,” Michael says, hand over his head, mock sadness. Luke sticks his tongue out at him.

“See if I ever help you with Calum again.” 

Michael pouts, flipping Luke the bird, and turns back to his potion. Luke starts combing through the bag, looking for some seashells. It’s customary for mermaids to give each other seashells and other little treasures from the sea to say thank you. They could count as a courting gift, a sign of interest, but Luke still doesn’t think that’s what Ashton was trying to do. If you’re interested in courting, you give them useful things, things they can use to care for themselves. Luke’s been working on the jewel-handled knife that’s a customary courting gift since he was a teen. He has yet to finish making it perfect, but he also has yet to find someone to give it to. He wants the knife to be as wonderful as the person he plans to give it to. The whole point of the knife is to show that you can provide for someone and protect them, but also so that they can do the same for you. It’s why the knife is so important. Luke thinks maybe he could give it to Ashton, but he’s still not sure they’re at that point yet. He wants to get Ashton something else, something that will show his interest. So, seashell it is. Something of the sea to give Ashton so that he’ll think of Luke.

Luke and Reginald spend the next few hours shifting through the shells, Michael shaking his head behind them but still providing commentary on each shell, until Luke has found 3 perfect shells to give Ashton. He texts Ashton to come to the shop, vibrating with excitement waiting for him.

“I still think you should just talk to him. You’re going to get all confused just trying to give him gifts. Look at what happened with Reggie,” Michael says, waving in the direction of the bowl.

“It’s Reginald. And if you’re so sure he is courting me, then I have to give him a gift. It’s customary,” Luke insists. He can’t stop tapping his fingers on the countertop, waiting for Ashton to show up. He’s so focused on the shells, he barely notices when the bell to shop rings, announcing Ashton’s presence.

Ashton looks nice today, curls windswept, grinning as he bounds over to the counter.

“Hi Luke! Hi Reggie.”

“It’s Reginald,” Luke protests, shooting Michael a glare when he snorts. Ashton’s too busy staring at Reginald to notice. Luke clears his throat. Ashton glances over at Luke, perking up when he notices Luke holding his hand with the shells out.

“Ashton, I wanted to say thank you for the gift and to give you something,” Luke says, gesturing for Ashton to give him his hand. Ashton does, cocking his head to the side when Luke places the shells in it.

“What are they?”

“They’re seashells. I got them on my morning swim. I thought you might like them.”

Ashton turns the iridescent shells over in his hand, squinting at them. He looks at them and then at Luke and back again.

“Do I...eat them?” Ashton asks, moving to take a bite from the seashell. Luke grabs his hand.

“No! They’re just meant for you as like, a reminder of the sea. You know, since I’m a mermaid.”

Ashton smiles, confusion on his face, “Thanks Luke they’re really pretty. I’ll have to find a place for them.”

Luke smiles back, feeling as if he’s missed something here. It doesn’t feel as if Ashton’s accepted his courting gift at all. Ashton hangs around for a few more minutes, chatting with Michael before leaving the store to run some errands for his family.

Luke turns to Michael, frowning, “What did I do wrong?”

“Don’t ask me. I told you to just talk to him,” Michael shrugs, heading into the back of the store, probably to text Calum.

Luke turns to Reginald, “It was a good gift right?”

“A very good gift.”

“A good courting gift?”

“Yes.”

“Then why does it feel like he’s rejecting me?” Luke sighs, slumping down onto the counter. Maybe he needs a new approach to courting a werewolf.

***

The third gift comes from Ashton. At least, Luke thinks it’s from Ashton. It has to be, because who else would leave a dead rabbit at the backdoor of the magic shop?

Luke screams. There isn’t really much else that can be done in the face of a dead animal outside your place of work. The initial shock and horror gives way to crying, huge tears spilling from Luke’s eyes as he stares at the little corpse. It’s neatly killed for the most part, no blood or damage evident. It’s been set up like it’s being presented to whoever finds it. Luke thinks it has to be for him because he’s sure Calum wouldn’t do this for Michael. It has to be Ashton but, who just gives someone a rabbit as a gift? It’s horrible. Or maybe it’s threatening. Luke can’t be sure.

Luke’s still sniffling when he goes into the shop, taking the front door so he doesn’t have to move the rabbit out of the way. Michael looks up, confused when he sees Luke come in the shop from the front.

“Why’re you coming in this way? And why does it look like you’ve been crying?”

“There’s a dead rabbit! Outside! What am I meant to do with that?” Luke wails. Michael takes a startled step back, brow furrowed.

“No one’s asking you to?”

“Ashton is!” Luke flings himself onto the counter, sniffling through his tears. Michael makes a concerned noise.

“I’m sure he’s not doing that.”

“He is! Who else would leave a rabbit at the backdoor? Not Calum!” 

Michael pauses, biting at his lip. Reginald blows bubbles in the bowl. Both are equally unhelpful.

“Well, what does he want you to do with the rabbit?”

“I don’t know. I thought you knew!”

“I’m a fairy, not a werewolf! Why would I know what you do with a dead rabbit?” Michael huffs.

“Maybe you should try to clean it and cook it. Must be food,” Reginald says. Both Michael and Luke turn to look at the fish and then at each other.

“That’s not a bad idea.”

“The fish is not more helpful than me, Luke!”

Luke pauses, glancing at Reginald.

“Oh fuck the both of you! Besides Luke, you don’t eat meat! You know that!” Michael says, turning his hands up and storming into the back. There’s a pause before the sound of a door opening and then a shriek. The door slams and Michael comes storming in, holding the rabbit at arms length, nose wrinkled. Luke shrinks back from the rabbit body.

“Why’d you bring it in here?”

“Well we can’t leave it outside. Besides, I think between the two of us we could figure out what to do with a rabbit,” Michael says, flinching when the rabbit swings slightly and gets too close to him.

Figuring out what to do with the rabbit involves trying to find a knife and attempting to clean and skin the rabbit in the back of the shop. Michael keeps gagging every time he touches the rabbit. Luke starts crying when Michael makes the first cut and can’t stop crying. He hates the idea that this poor animal had to die so someone could eat. Luke guesses that his eating fish isn’t that different, but it feels wrong cutting up this rabbit. Luke doesn’t even eat meat, what's he supposed to do with the rabbit once it’s cut?

Michael and Luke are so caught up in attempting to figure out what to do with the rabbit that they don’t hear the bell at the door. They only realize someone’s standing at the counter when they hear a cough. 

“Be right out!” Luke calls, trying to wipe his eyes while avoiding getting blood on himself. Michael is still wrinkling his nose.

“It’s only me,” Ashton calls back, “I just wanted to see if you got the thing I left you.”

Luke frowns, batting lightly at Michael when he tries to shove at Luke to get him to go talk to Ashton.

“Is the thing a rabbit?” Michael calls. 

“Yes?” Ashton answers, hesitant. Luke smacks Michael on the shoulder. Michael sticks out his tongue, shoving Luke until he’s out the back and into the shop. Asthon’s standing at the counter, hands in his pockets and blushing. 

“Luke, have you been crying?” Ashton looks confused and concerned.

“It’s nothing serious,” Luke rushes out, hurrying to wipe his tears up. “I just don’t know what to do about the rabbit. It’s so sad, wasting a life like that.”

Ashton’s face falls. Luke feels like he’s missed a step somewhere, wires getting crossed. 

“Oh, really?”

“It’s just, I don’t eat meat,” Luke rushes out, trying to repair what every damage he’s done in his haste. Ashton looks at him, head tilted to the side.

“You don’t?”

“Not common undersea, you know? We have fish, but where would you find a rabbit?” Luke tries to joke, attempting to lighten the mood. Ashton still looks subdued and a little sad.

Michael pokes his head out, “Maybe you know what we can do with it?”

“Don’t you have rabbits in the fairy community?”

“Yeah, but we don’t like, cook it. It gets roasted and then we eat it that way. What do wolves do?”

“Oh, we uh…we make soup sometimes. Or a roast with like, vegetables and stuff. Something that’s hearty and can feed a whole pack,” Ashton says, glancing at Luke quickly, looking away blushing. Luke still feels like he’s missing something important here.

“Well maybe we can give that a try Luke. Might be different,” Michael says, raising his eyebrows at Luke. Luke tries to shoot Michael a confused what? look, but Michael is grinning at a confused Ashton.

“I have to go,” Ashton says, gesturing towards the door, still a little sad. “Enjoy the rabbit.”

Ashton leaves the store. The door swings closed and Michael whirls on Luke.

“You idiot! It’s a fucking courting gift!”

“What? How is a rabbit a courting gift?”

“Providing! He’s fucking providing for you! He just said you cook the rabbit to feed a pack! He’s giving you the rabbit to show that he can provide for you and your pack!”

There’s a beat. Luke thinks about it. Michael can’t be right but, well-

“Fuck! Fucking hell!” Luke screams, slamming his face into his hands. He’s effectively just rejected Ashton’s courting gift. He said he doesn’t eat meat and that he was crying. Ashton absolutely thought Luke was rejecting him.

“Courting is too hard when you’re different species,” Luke moans.

“At least he’s also magical. You try to convince a human that you like them and not that you’re ‘trying to kill me with your magic’ because you happened to try and give him a crystal with a spell for good energy.”

Luke groans. This is too hard. 

“Well, what do I do now, Michael?”

“The gift was supposed to be about providing, yeah? So how about we turn the rabbit into a soup for Ashton and give him something that means the same thing? And you  have that knife you’ve been working on.”

Luke perks up, looking up at Michael and his encouraging smile. He glances at Reginald, who’s nodding. Luke’s been thinking about the knife more and more recently. He thinks Ashton could be the one, the person who the knife is meant for. He thinks he could give it to Ashton as a sign of his love. If the rabbit means Ashton wants to provide for him, maybe Luke can do the same thing. This could work.

***

The fourth gift is, obviously, the knife. Luke spent ages perfecting the knife to what it is. Sure, he’s had it since he was a teenager, the basic structure with the handle and the blade already decided. However, it’s always been up to Luke to design the knife itself. He’s been designing and redesigning it since he was old enough to understand how important the knife was. He’s adjusted the design over the years, changed it with each person he thought could be the one, but it’s never felt quite right until Ashton.

He’s settled on putting moonstones into the handle, placing each one delicately into the handle, holding them in place with bits of wire he’s curved and designed into swirls. He’s been carving little waves into the handle, trying to put a little bit of him into the knife as a reminder for Ashton. It’s the perfect blend of him and Ashton, a perfect symbol of their love; the idea that Luke can provide for him, but that Ashton can also provide for them both, that the relationship is equal parts of give and take. They’re both important to this relationship and while Luke understands that Ashton is saying that he can provide for Luke, Luke wants to show Ashton that their relationship is a partnership. He’s not quite sure how packs work, but at least for mermaids, the point of any courtship is partnership.

Luke’s perfected the knife, in his opinion. Michael thinks it looks beautiful: ornate, yet simple enough for Ashton. Luke is proud of it, too, beaming with excitement over his gift. He’s so sure that Ashton will love it. He’s finally worked up enough courage to text Ashton, to have him come to the shop so Luke can finally give him the knife and some of the rabbit stew they made as a formal confirmation of his acceptance of Ashton’s courtship.

He’s dressed up and everything, put on a nice button down shirt that’s almost seafoam green and matches his eyes perfectly (or so Michael tells him). He’s made sure his curls look perfect and he’s wrapped the knife in tissue paper. He’s even gone out and bought tupperware specifically for the stew, since he and Michael appear to own none that can be used.

Luke has just started to pace when the door to the shop swings open and Ashton enters. He’s dressed surprisingly casual, jeans and a plain tshirt, and it throws Luke because shouldn’t he look nicer? Luke thought that he made his point clear in the text message that he wanted to give Ashton something and yet here he is.

“Asthon!” Luke calls, beaming and waving at him. Ashton approaches, head tilted and confused when he sees what Luke has out on the counter.

“What’s all this?”

“I turned the rabbit into a stew. Well, Michael and I turned the rabbit into a stew. We think it’s decent but we also only had Calum try it and he’s too worried about Michael not liking him to tell us the truth.”

Ashton makes a little noise at the back of his throat as he opens the lid and smells the stew inside. Luke feels a surge of pride knowing that Ashton seems to like the stew that he’s made. Ashton’s probably had lots of rabbit stew before since he’s a werewolf and all, so Luke’s very proud of himself.

It’s the knife that Luke is most worried about. Ashton has noticed the tissue-paper-wrapped object on the counter, and is looking at it with interest. Luke is vibrating with excitement as Ashton picks it up and turns it over.

“Can I open it?”

“Yes!” Luke rushes out, tripping over his words in his haste. Ashton startles a bit, at Luke’s voice. Luke blushes, glancing down as Ashton opens the tissue paper.

“Oh. It’s a knife?” Ashton says, confusion obvious as he turns the knife over, examining it. Luke is confused. Ashton’s a werewolf, shouldn’t he understand the intent of it? Don’t wolves have a similar culture? 

“Yes, I wanted to give you something that you can use when you go hunting. You brought me the rabbit and I thought it might be good for you to use.”

“Oh! I mean we hunt, but as wolves we just use our teeth. It’s very beautiful,” Ashton rushes out, when he looks at Luke and must see the crushed expression on his face. 

“So, do you not want it?”

“I couldn’t possibly take it Luke. I wouldn’t be able to use it and you put so much hard work and effort into it. You should keep it and use it,” Ashton says, handing the knife back to Luke. Luke is crushed, hands shaking as he takes the knife. He can feel the prickle of tears at the back of his eyes and he’s willing himself to not start crying. He takes the handle of the knife and puts it down gently on the counter, trying to resist the urge to throw it.

“Luke, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I just have alot of things I have to do for the shop. You should go.”

Ashton looks confused at Luke’s shift in attitude, but nods, picking up the stew and heading towards the door. He waves at Luke before he opens the door and leaves.

Reginald makes a sad sound from his bowl. Luke rushes into the back of the shop, flinging himself onto the couch they keep back there and crying quietly into the pillow. He’s such an idiot. Michael was wrong, Ashton wasn’t courting him. His rejection of Luke couldn’t be any clearer. Why would he want to date a dumb mermaid anyway? It’s not like Luke can do anything useful.

Michael finds him on the couch later, still sniffling into the pillow.

“How did it go?”

“He said he didn’t want the knife and he handed it back to me. He as good as rejected my proposal Michael.”

Michael lets out a sad little noise, sitting down on the edge of the couch and rubbing Luke’s back.

“Maybe the problem isn’t that you guys don’t like each other, it’s that you can’t figure out how to tell the other.”

“What do you mean?” Luke asks, tilting his head to look at Michael, who’s chewing on his lip.

“Well, I was talking to Cal and he mentioned that Ashton’s been trying to show that he likes you, but nothing seems to be working. You didn’t like the rabbit and apparently that’s a big gesture of love for werewolves. Maybe he didn’t understand what the knife meant for you.”

“So what do I do?”

“I think that we should do some research into werewolf courting rituals and see what we can find. Maybe you need to stop thinking about courting like a mermaid and think about it like a wolf.”

Luke sniffles, thinking about it. Michael could be right. After all, Ashton had looked upset after the rabbit incident but was overjoyed at the soup. Maybe Luke needs to try it from that angle. Besides, it’s not like he can get rejected further.

***

The last gift takes more time. Luke and Michael spend more time than is strictly necessary combing through any book about werewolves they can get their hands on and consulting the internet. Michael tries soliciting help from Calum, who insists that just because he knows Ashton doesn’t mean he knows anything about werewolves. He’s even joined in their hunt for answers, but so far they haven’t found anything good. Luke is at his wits end.

“This is a disaster,” Luke moans, closing the books he’s been looking at and thumping his head onto the counter. Reginald makes a sympathetic noise from his bowl. 

“Okay, there has to be somewhere that we haven’t looked yet,” Michael insists, flipping through the magical creature book in front of him. He’s looked at the book at least 6 times already, but he keeps going back to it in the hopes that there’s something he missed the first time. There isn’t.

“I know you guys are trying to make sure you’re looking for werewolf courting rituals, but maybe we need to think out of the box here. What’s something Ashton would need?” Calum says. He blushes when Michael looks directly at him, glancing away quickly. 

“What’s something werewolves use?”

“He always complains about how sore he is after a transformation. You guys make potions and shit. Can you make him something to help?” Calum asks.

Luke perks up. That’s something he can do. He can cure ailments. Why didn’t he think of that sooner?

“Calum, you’re a genius I could kiss you!” Luke exclaims. Michael chokes next to him, glaring slightly at Luke.

“Please don’t, I would like to not have Ashton accuse me of stealing his crush.” Calum says, nervously looking at Michael. Luke rolls his eyes. 

They spend the next few hours combing through different potion books until they find one that will help with muscle aches. They have most of the ingredients in the shop and even though the potion will take a few days to finish, Luke’s confident that this will show Ashton that he’s serious and interested.  If the whole point of werewolf courting is to show that you can provide for each other, this will show Ashton that Luke can provide for him. He can give Ashton something that will help him, even if Luke does not hunt rabbits and refuses to start doing that.

Luke finds that Ashton hasn’t been texting him as much over the last few days. He hasn’t stopped by the store at all and he’s been responding to Luke’s texts infrequently. Luke keeps trying to tell himself it’s not personally and that it doesn’t mean that Ashton has lost interest, but it’s very hard to do that. He’s worried that he messed up with the knife incident, even if Michael keeps telling him that he didn’t. 

When the potion is finally done, Luke puts it in the prettiest blue-green glass bottle he can find that reminds him of Ashton’s eyes. He puts a pretty little bow on it and fixes it up to look perfect. Then he texts Ashton to come by the shop and he waits.

Ashton shows up a few hours, hands shoved into his pockets nervously. 

“Hi,” He says quietly as he approaches the counter. He stops, head cocked to the side when he sees the bottle.

“So, it’s come to my attention that I wasn’t being clear about my intentions,” Luke starts, nervously tapping his fingers onto the counter top. “Or rather, I wasn’t understanding what you were trying to do. I like you and just because it’s hard for us to communicate about what we want doesn’t mean that it isn’t worth it. Maybe it means it’s more worth it because we keep trying even though we’re having trouble. Maybe that’s all love is, that you just have to keep trying and trying until you get it right. So, I made this for you. It’s to help ease the pains from your transformations because I want to show you that I love you and I can provide for you. I don’t hunt like you do and I suck at cooking, I mean that rabbit stew took us ages to figure out what we were doing. and I’m sure you were just being nice about it. But I can still provide for you, I can still help you. I want to accept your courting intention.”

Luke holds the bottle out to Ashton. Ashton looks at the bottle and back up to Luke. Slowly, he pulls his hand out of his pocket, producing a jewelry box. Luke sucks in a breath, looking at the box and then at Ashton.

“I think maybe I wasn’t clear either. I keep trying to give you gifts that I would give another wolf and not what would fit a mermaid. Because I was so stuck on proving myself to you, I forgot about what you need. I had a long talk with Michael and I want to formally extend my intention of courting,” Ashton places the box on the counter. Luke sets the bottle down and takes the box, opening it. Inside it is a pearl, pinkish in the light and perfect, hanging from a thin silver chain. It’s beautiful. Luke’s speechless. The knife is important in mermaid courting, but the pearl. The pearl is practically a marriage proposal Ashton has to know that.

“Do you understand that you’re saying?”

“I do. Have a little faith in the research that I did,” Ashton jokes, nervous laughter coming out, “I know it’s been tough getting here, but I love you. I don’t know about mermaid customs, but wolf courting is kind of a forever thing. We only really do it when we’re serious about being with someone forever. I know I could love you for a long time if you let me.”

Luke reaches over the counter, tugging on the front of Ashton’s shirt and pulling him into a kiss. It’s soft and warm. Ashton is soft and warm. It feels like coming home, easy and perfect. Luke pulls back, bumping noses with Ashton.

“I think I could love you forever too,” Luke whispers. Ashton lets out a bark of excitement, tugging Luke back in for another kiss, before nuzzling at his neck. Luke laughs, bubbly and happy.

Luke holds the box out, “Put it on me?” 

Ashton grins, taking the necklace delicately out of the box and clasping it around Luke’s neck. Luke smiles, fingering the pearl gently.

“Does this mean I get to meet your family?”

“Only if you like smelling like a wet dog.”

“For you, I think I could handle it. But only if you can handle Lauren and Harry terrorizing you with rabbits from now on,” Ashton says, grinning. 

Luke feels warm and happy. For Ashton, for his boyfriend, he thinks he would do anything.

#reveriesofawriter #my writing #5 seconds of summer #lashton #luke hemmings #ashton irwin #this took forever but i finally wrote something in the fairytale AU that lives in my head SO

[tirednotflirting]

but we were something, don't you think so?

vaguely based on ‘the one’ by taylor swift and also my walk home on an afternoon in july last year

also i asked helen if my writing lashton card gets revoked if i write something sad. will report back on what she decides.

(i apologize now for the tense issues in this i am still Learning how to not do that but i think it’s pretty obvious what takes place in the present and what does not)

oh and here is the ao3 link !

It’s a blazing hot early afternoon in July when Luke sees Ashton for the first time in over a year. 

(It’s been 13 months and 12 days since he last saw Ashton. It was on a cooler day in early May and he had been wearing the blue sweater. The one that made the green in his eyes stand out more than normal. But Luke likes to pretend he doesn’t keep track of that so consistently.)

It had been a good morning. Luke opened at the office that day so he had the privilege of making the first pot of coffee, getting to experience the rich smell filling the space while he responded to emails and voicemails. He had a brief chat with his favorite mail delivery person about their plans for the weekend and the renovations happening in the bathroom down the hall. His boss assigned him a list of names to call to discuss their fall registration complications. The time passed quickly with the phone chatter and two cups of coffee out of his favorite mug.

His replacement for the afternoon shift showed up on time for once and he shouted his goodbyes out as he left the office. He was eager to get back to the apartment he shared with Calum so they could head to the store and grab drinks and snacks for the concert in the park they had decided to attend that night. Last time they had gone to the event just the three of them, he had let Michael and Calum do the drink run and they ended up deciding that Jello shots were to be the drink of choice and all of the families attending gave them disappointed looks the whole night.

Luke walks through campus, his t shirt sticking to him a bit in the heat, and catches up on the texts he had missed from his mom and brothers. He takes a moment to appreciate the serenity of his university campus when it’s all empty in the summer, the only other people around being the occasional professor or a local family taking a walk with sunhats and a stroller. 

He’s just gotten a text from Calum asking when he’ll be back at their apartment and Luke is responding with an estimated time of arrival, factoring in the time it should take for him to grab an iced coffee on the way, when he looks up once he reaches the street corner. He’s only meaning to check for cars and to see how many seconds are left before he can cross when he sees him. 

Luke didn’t expect the way his heart would drop straight into his stomach when he saw Ashton again. Didn’t expect the way the message on his phone (one important to respond to unless he wants to get plastered off of vodka and Jello in public again) would be completely dismissed when he saw the black curls of the man who had made him feel like everything. The way his fingers felt like they were on fire. 

He also never expected Ashton to lock eyes with him the first time they saw each other again. 

But oddly enough, he is.

Two things flood into Luke’s mind then. The first is that Ashton doesn’t look bad. He’s got his hands shoved into black jeans that aren’t at all appropriate for the current weather. His hair is longer than he had kept it in quite some time, tied back into a tiny bun that rests just above the tattoo at his neck that he had gotten junior year (Luke still remembers his hand being sore for a couple of days because of how tightly Ashton had gripped it while the gun buzzed along his tanned skin). And his calm gaze holds Luke’s in a way that he had only just recently stopped craving four times a day at least.

The second thing that comes to mind is a day from two years earlier, probably almost exactly two years (if it wouldn’t nearly physically pain him to see their happy, drunken smiles from that day, Luke would have thought later to look through his camera roll to check if he was right). 

*

Ashton had only officially asked Luke to be his boyfriend about a month prior, just after finals ended. It was the summer after Luke’s freshman year, the summer he started working his campus office job that allowed him a reason to stay in the city with his friends and his boyfriend. One of Calum’s older sister’s friends needed to rent out her room for the summer and Luke’s advisor had offered him the job. It was a perfect storm. 

After work one day in June, Luke headed back toward the student apartments to Ashton’s building, his smile lazy but bright as he headed into a weekend and his boyfriend’s home. It was still very new, his relationship with Ashton, but it felt very big, very important. If he wasn’t so high on his love for the curly haired philosophy major and the feeling of being in the city in the summer, he might have taken the time to think a bit more critically about what it meant to dive in so deep with someone so fast. But then he felt a breeze in the air and the sun shining on his face, and he figured that was something to worry about on another day. Things were really good.

He punches the door code at the front of the building and climbs the stairs two at a time up two floors. When he turns out of the stairwell, he grasps the handle to the first door on the right, left unlocked since he was expected that afternoon. 

“Honey, I’m home?” he calls out as he pulls at the laces on his Converse so he can leave them at the shoe rack before continuing into the cozy space. The coziness of the place felt a little odd for June, a candle that smelled like Christmas burning somewhere based on the mix of the smell of sugar cookies and pine that meets Luke’s nose as he hangs his backpack on his designated hook. But that was Ashton, always curating his spaces to feel what he wanted. During one of the first few times they had hung out the previous January, Ashton had insisted on popsicles. It was one of the things Luke felt himself already loving about him.

Luke frowns at the lack of response to his greeting and makes his way down the hall to the kitchen, his sock-covered feet sliding a bit on the wood floor. He turns into the kitchen and finds that the cookie smell had been due not to a candle but real life cookies that were cooling on a rack on the counter behind a headphone-clad Ashton. Luke laughs quietly to himself, wondering what the occasion was as he continues through the space and checks to make sure there’s nothing hot or sharp in his boyfriend’s hands before wrapping his arms around his waist. He lets his hands clasp together at his stomach and huffs out a giggle when he feels him jump with surprise.

Ashton uses his free hand not holding a spatula to pull his headphones off his head, hanging them from one of the cabinet handles. He leaves the utensil in the bowl and turns in Luke’s arms to face him, his arms wrapping around the blonde’s neck. “Hey you,” he beams, his arms tightening some to pull Luke closer to brush their lips together in greeting. Luke notes to himself that he must have been sampling his cookie dough from the sugar against his own lips now. “Didn’t hear you come in.”

“Seems like you were busy,” Luke smiles, moving one of his hands from Ashton’s back to gesture to the kitchen. 

Ashton lights up, his dimples deepening as he smiles. “Oh, yeah! Wanted snacks for the show tonight.”

A confused look drops to Luke’s face. “Didn’t remember that we bought tickets for something tonight? Where is it at?”

“We don’t have tickets for anything. There’s this free concert series at the park that I thought would make a wonderful Friday night date night and I am determined to continue wooing you. So I bought pink wine and I’m making cookies.”

Luke releases his arms from his waist then, moving to the side to dip his finger into the cookie dough to taste it. “Consider me wooed. That sounds lovely.”

He’s ushered out of the space to sit at the counter then so Ashton can continue working. He’s given a glass of lemonade and tells Ashton all about his day, about the students who came into the office for help with registration things and the dogs that he saw on his walk to campus. Luke gets Ashton to talk some about what they’re going to and it’s apparently Ashton’s favorite part of the summer. He goes into a story about a sweet dog and baby he got to meet when sharing a beer with some dad at one of the shows the previous summer.

“It’s funny because last summer it was my favorite thing to do with just me,” Ashton starts as he packs the cookies into plastic bags to put in a tote with the wine that he’s already poured into plastic bottles (glass wasn’t allowed at the park). “But I got the email about the set for tonight and I don’t know, I think it could be nice if this becomes our thing in the summer, you know?”

He turns up to look for a response from Luke and is met with the likely hilariously bright blush that Luke feels creeping up to paint across his cheeks and nose. He giggles to himself and raises his brows at the blonde as he packs some strawberries and cherries away to take with them as well. “I’ll take that as a good response to the idea then?”

Luke bites at his lip as he smiles. “That sounds incredible.”

They take the bus to the park. The sky is just dipping into golden hour as they dance their way to where the other attendees have their blankets set up for the evening. Luke makes Ashton stop his skipping for just a moment, claiming he needs him to stand still and smile for a lock screen picture, please. They find a good spot next to a group of women who brought their dogs and boxed wine and immediately start telling them how cute of a couple they are. Luke blushes fiercely as Ashton kisses his cheek, resulting in a chorus of squeals from their neighbors. They introduce themselves and the dogs and it’s really all something out of a film, Luke thinks.

They chat about work and summer courses some more and exchange stories from their younger years they have yet to share while sipping wine from plastic cups. Ashton lets Luke feed him cookies and they listen to the women tell stories from their many years of coming to the shows there. Luke sits between Ashton’s legs as they listen, gentle and thankful smiles on their faces, and Ashton reaches for one Luke’s hands, weaving their fingers together and resting them against Luke’s lap. 

The sun sets further and the music starts. They thank their new friends for the stories and smile respectfully, blushes on both of their faces hidden in the twilight when the women request invitations to their wedding. Ashton is stunned silent (a rare occurrence, really) so Luke makes sure to tell them he’ll add them to the guest list. 

It’s during the main set that Luke realizes he wants to live in this night for the rest of his life maybe. His back is against the chest of the first boy he’s ever loved, his body rising and falling just slightly with Ashton’s breathing and singing and laughter. The hazel eyed boy has one arm wrapped securely around Luke’s waist while the other lifts the water bottle of rose to his lips every so often. Luke finds that he feels so safe in that moment, like because of this night, nothing in the world could ever hurt him because he feels so high up in the air. He feels Ashton tilt his head some to place his lips against Luke’s neck, and he just never wants this to end.

Eventually it does though, of course. They fold up their blanket, smiles on their faces after the band closed with a cover of one of their favorite songs. Goodbyes and promises to meet up at the next show are made as their new friends wander off. Luke jokes that he’ll have to tell his mom about how easily the pair of them are able to make company with women like her friends. On the bus back to the apartment complex, Ashton sleepily leans against Luke and the blonde cards his fingers through his hair, smiling at the bright, fruity scent of Ashton’s cologne he keeps catching a whiff of. 

They stumble into the apartment, slightly tipsy off the wine and each other, only pausing to brush their teeth and change into something more comfortable to sleep in before falling into Ashton’s bed. They face each other and Luke kisses at Ashton’s laughter lines as their legs tangle together. 

“God,” Ashton bites his lip against a smile as he lifts a hand to cup Luke’s cheek, his thumb stroking across his cheekbone. “I have no idea what good I did to deserve you.”

“Glad we’re on the same page,” Luke sighs as he leans into the warm hand on his cheek. “I think I might love you. Is that okay?”

Before responding, Ashton lifts his chin slightly to press his lips to Luke’s forehead. They breathe in unison for a moment before he moves to look Luke in the eye. “Only if it’s okay that I might love you.”

Sleep finds them quickly after their (almost, maybe) confessions.

*

The memory fades out like a fog when Ashton’s eyes pull away from Luke’s when the signal changes for Ashton to cross the street taking him in the opposite direction. Luke finds himself unable to tell if he wants the black-haired boy to turn back to face him or not. He’s not sure which action would break his heart apart more. As he watches him walk into the crosswalk, he feels another memory, this one quite the opposite feeling to the first, start to creep into the edges of his brain but he finds himself able to push that one down (thankfully).

He takes a deep breath as he watches Ashton continue down the street, not once looking back to see if Luke is still looking at him. And when his own walk sign lights up, it takes Luke just a moment to get his feet to start moving again as one single thought fills his mind so many times it feels like it’s blocking his vision.

If one thing happened different, would everything be different today?

He crosses the street then and continues down in that direction, deciding to take just a slightly longer route so his feet don’t have to take any of the same path as his ex-lover. He sighs then but as he feels a somewhat nostalgic summer breeze cool his face, Luke pulls his phone out to text the group message to ask if they want to help him make sugar cookies to take along with them to the park.

(That night, for just a moment, he swears he sees Ashton again a few picnic blankets away, his head tucked into the neck of another boy with curly hair. But then the boy sits up to laugh at something the other has said and Luke realizes it isn’t his past love. But the odd sense of hopefulness he had felt for the couple when he thought it was Ashton tells him that maybe one day he’ll really feel okay.)

*

#lashton #lashton fic #this really just kinda poured out to the doc and it was kinda cathartic i am not going to lie #summer concert thing is another thing i am missing bc of coronavirus #seeing your past someone on the street corner and having them lock eyes with you and then walk away is not something i am missing #this is barely edited i am sorry if there are Mistakes

[lovelyirony]

maria hill figuring out that she's gay. i need it.

She was fourteen and Laura Sanders was talking about how cute Josh Theodore was. How his eyelashes were super long, how well his shirt fit, and how excited she was to be in sophomore year of high school, because her mom said she could date in sophomore year. 

“What about you, Ria?” Laura asks. “What guy do you like?” 

And then Maria thought about all the celebrities that she thought were interesting and said that she liked Tom Cruise even though secretly, Drew Barrymore looked a million times better. 

She doesn’t really think about it when she comes home. She doesn’t think when her mom starts talking about how soon Maria will have a husband and “then you’ll understand everything.” She doesn’t really register that her thought process goes “no husband. No guy. Nothing.” 

She realizes she’s gay when she’s in her school library, an all-around terrible place to realize this, actually, because she panicked and knocked over a book and the librarian shushed her but one cannot exactly shush anxiety over being a lesbian, now can they? 

Maria Hill is Gay. She is gay in freshman year of high school and it is a Big Deal. 

But she never talks about it. Ever. She can’t, not when her dad rolls his eyes at parades and people being who they are and talks about why can’t people just stay in the closet about this shit and–

She breathes. In and out. It’s fine, it’s always going to be fine, three more years–

Maria doesn’t even think about it. She pushes it to the back of her mind, says that Michael Carmant is cute, and wears a dress to homecoming and pretends like everything is Fine. 

Everything is Fine for approximately the entire rest of the school year up until July 4th. 

She goes to a party where there are loud fireworks, people she doesn’t know, and a girl. 

The girl’s name is Jean, she wears too-big glasses, and she hangs out by the appetizers. Just like Maria. 

Maria and Jean. 

Jean and Maria. 

They become friends. 

And Maria develops her first crush. 

The bad thing about getting on a crush on someone that you know doesn’t like you back is the fact that they don’t really know. Ever. Because they can’t know because they will look at you and say “I’m flattered/I’m honored/That’s sweet, but…” and then you are stuck looking like a fucking idiot. 

So Jean only finds out when she tearfully tells Maria that she’s moving in a week to Australia for her mom’s job, and Maria blurts out “I think I have a crush on you” and stays in her basement for the remainder of the week and cries for at least two days straight. 

Her mom finds her dehydrated, says that she knows “that it’s hard to lose your best girlfriend, honey,” and Maria ends up crying a lot more. 

She comes out to the first person ever when she’s in a battlefield, there’s a knife that’s in her leg, and all she can think of is the fact that 

“Holy shit I am way too fucking gay for this,” Maria says with a groan. 

“Jesus Christ, you’re gay?” Agent Todd asks. “You’re telling me now, when you have a knife in a leg, and just now? Oh my god, Hill, get your shit together.” 

And she laughs, and it’s fine and Everything For Once, is fine. No capital Fine. Because it’s not pretend. 

And maybe her team looks out for her, asks her how the ladies are. They try to get her dates, which always fail horribly. 

“My cousin’s friend’s cousin is a lesbian, maybe….?” 

“We don’t all know each other, Gina. Not all gays know each other.” 

(Okay so it turns out they did know each other because Maria’s been going out of her way to drink coffee at a local place because it “tastes” better but really the barista, Margie–the cousin’s friend’s cousin–is really cute and kind of badass because she has a full sleeve of tattoos and a really funny sense of humor.) 

When she becomes Deputy Director Hill, there are a couple of insinuations. A lot of men don’t like a woman usurping a position that they think they should have. Frankly, Maria doesn’t give a damn. She has more pressing things to worry about, like whether or not her avocados are ripe or if Clint Barton is actually going to go get his paperwork done on time or if she’s revoking donut privileges. 

But people spread rumors, and they say her knees are sore from being in Fury’s office. She rolls her eyes, but people still think it happens. 

The comment happens from the dumbass Alpha team. Rumlow heads it, he’s a sack of shit, and Maria does something stupid. 

“How’s Fury treating you?” He asks. “I bet it’s real good, ain’t it Hill?” Now. Maria doesn’t get easily riled up, except if you come between her and Jeopardy! but Alex Trebek isn’t being interrupted. 

“Hmm? You can’t answer?” Rumlow asks again. “You gotta answer for it sometime, Hill. Can’t hide away and moan all the time.” 

“Seeing as how I’d rather fuck your girlfriend than Fury any day, I don’t see how the fuck you have this logic,” Maria snaps. “God Rumlow, I knew you were of utter shit intelligence, but really? Me with Fury? Good god, I thought you would be a better agent and realize that my interests have never swung that way. But hey, maybe I’ll tell Fury to give you another observation course. I mean, the rookies could help you identify how to tell someone is interested in a person, right?” 

(Clint maintains that it’s the fucking funniest thing he’s ever seen. Ever. 

Sharon pumps her fists in celebration in her apartment because she finally knows that Maria Hill isn’t Straight, Very Gay, and Probably Single. So this is awesome.) 

#this was.....not supposed to be long #homophobia tw #maria is gay ladies and gents #get used to it #lesbians!!!!!!! #maria hill #clint barton #sharon carter #mariasharon #harter i think is the ship name #harter #lovelyirony writes #agent 13 #anyway i fucking hate rumlow can you tell lmao #the actor behind him is just....the worst #of all #maria????? highly gay

[whimsicalworldofme]

More NaNoWriMo

This one is 2592 words. I’m not posting all of the story, just snippets of consecutive chapters. Hope you enjoy!

_______________________________________

I woke up to the sound of a door shutting heavily and knew instantly that I’d fucked up. A warm body was pressed against mine and it was way too big to be my cat. Not only that but when I opened my eyes, I realized I was still in Michael’s room. In his bed. With his arm around me. I sat up and he groaned at being stirred.

           “What time is it?” I leaned over the edge of the bed for my purse, fishing out my phone to check the time. It was six-thirty in the morning. “Ah shit.”

           “Did we fall asleep?”

           Michael asked the obvious, still laying in bed as I popped out of it and hurried to put my shoes on. We’d been up talking last I’d remembered, and it was about four in the morning.

           “Yeah,” I plopped back down on the edge of the bed, pulling on my heels. “I have to get home. If I’m lucky my parents won’t be up for another hour and a half and they won’t have noticed I was out all night.”

           “We didn’t do anything wrong,” Michael frowned.

           “I know,” I smiled at him. “But they don’t believe anything I say. You know how they are.”

           “Are you going to be at the show tonight?”

           He sat up and scootched to sit on the edge of the bed beside me, ruffling his hair as he scratched at his scalp. I grinned, enjoying seeing his half-asleep face and his bedhead.

           “Yeah, I promised Hester I’d come with her tonight. Providing I get out of here right now and my parents don’t find out I spent the night and revoke my car privileges.” I got to my feet and slung my purse over my shoulder.

           “Call me if they do,” he insisted, getting to his feet. “I’ll find some way to come and get you. Either way, we should do something again after the show tonight.”

           “Ok,” I smiled. “Though I’m pretty sure if Ashley sees me again tonight, she’ll try to kill me. She’s not going to be happy.”

           “If she says anything hurtful to you or is dumb enough to lay a hand on you, she’ll answer to me.” There was a burning rage that I’d never seen before in those gentle blue eyes of his. “No one hurts my Evie.”

           I bit my tongue against the desire to bring up yet again that he really needed to break up with Ashley. He had said he would, and I trusted he would figure it out. That’s all I could do.

           “I’ll see you tonight,” I gave him a tight hug.

           Michael walked me out to my car and I gunned it home, glad for a complete lack of any other traffic, especially Amish buggies, which you could easily get trapped behind for miles. Despite our family dog Brunhilde barking her fool head off when I unlocked the door, my parents remained asleep, prompting me to send up a silent prayer of thanks to any and every god who was looking out for me. Worn out but giddy with the thoughts of my conversation with Michael the night before, I changed into my pajamas, climbed into bed and promptly fell asleep.

           “When did you get in last night?” My mom asked when I finally staggered into the kitchen after sleeping well past noon.

           “I don’t remember,” I lied.

           Going to the cabinets I pulled down a bowl and a box of Cheerios. I poured myself a bowl, added a splash of milk, and took my usual place at the kitchen table. If my mother found out that I’d spent the entire night at Michael’s she’d probably permanently revoke my car privileges.

           “Well we went to sleep at two AM and you weren’t home yet,” my mother said in an accusatory tone that made me cringe.

           “Michael and I got to talking and we stayed up too late. I just lost track of time is all.”

           “Are you going to see him again tonight?” My mother sipped on her tea and sat down next to me.

           “I promised Hester I’d go with her to see Dracula tonight and Michael wants to hang out with me after, if that’s ok with you?”

           I didn’t really think I needed her permission to hang out with Michael but I did need it to use her car, so I toed the line.

           “You’re an adult, you can do whatever you want,” my mother insisted. “Just be careful and don’t do anything you’ll regret. Some mistakes last eighteen years to life.”

           “Got it,” I winced.

           I hadn’t told my mother about my asexuality and the fact that even when I was with Michael, all I wanted was to just be with him, nothing more. She wouldn’t believe me if I tried. She’d think I was broken. Or lying to cover my tracks. I didn’t really want to have that discussion with her regardless of which path she took.

           When I showed up at Hester’s house she insisted on doing my hair and makeup, something I never did. She was one of the few people in whom I’d confided my true feelings for Michael and she like to encourage me, usually like the little devil on my shoulder if we were in a cartoon. Apparently, makeup and nice hair were essential to the evening. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her what Michael and I had discussed the night before.  It seemed something I should keep to myself, a little precious thing for just me and Michael to share. I did however, tell her about Ashley and her antics.

           “What. A. Bitch.” Hester huffed. “Let me know if you need me to rough her up a little tonight,” she added.

           “I don’t think that will be necessary,” I laughed as we got out of the car and headed into the theatre. “Thanks for the offer though.”

           Hester linked her arm in mine and simply smirked as we walked in and took our seats. It was the last night of the show’s run but Michael still gave it his all and anyone watching could see how much he loved being on stage. After the final curtain call, when the red velvet curtain came down, and the house lights went up, Hester and I took out time getting out front to mingle. This time wasn’t as special since I didn’t have the excitement of my surprise fueling me. Hester and I chatted and mingled. I talked with Cory and Natalie who had gotten outside ahead of the cast.

           “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Hester mumbled, her gaze shifting behind me, the direction from which all the actors would be coming.

           I turned around and saw Ashley clinging to Michael’s arm, her grip like a vice, a gloating smile plastered on her face as she paraded him around like a prize, going to talk to all her friends and family. I could tell Michael’s smile was forced, his posture rigid.

           “She must be punishing him for last night,” Cory speculated, clicking her tongue and shaking her head. “Poor bastard.”

           Every so often, Ashley would look my way to make sure I saw them, and once she was sure I had, she smirked and put her nose in the air with triumph. Had she known what Michael had confessed to me the night before, she wouldn’t be so haughty now. And had she known that we’d fallen asleep in each other’s arms, she’d probably try to kill us both. But I was determined to be the bigger person, despite the evil bitch in me screaming to grab her by the fake blonde hair and rip her right off his arm. Michael and I were long term. She wouldn’t matter much in a year’s time.

           After they’d made the rounds to everyone except me, I noticed them arguing. Michael pulled his arm carefully out of Ashley’s grasp and left her pouting where she stood. I smiled for him, trying to pretend that I hadn’t just witnessed that.

           “So I’ve got to help tear down the set,” Michael told me. I noticed Ashley inching closer behind him but not wanting to get anywhere near me. “Can you stick around? And then we’ll do something, I promise.”

           “Hester can you stick around?” I asked since I’d been the one to drive her there.

           “I don’t have a curfew,” she shrugged. “I’ll help tear down.”

           I turned back to Michael, studying his face for some clue to his mental state. Ashley had clearly been unkind to him and I really didn’t want to make it worse.

           “Are you sure it’s a good idea for me to stay?” I threw a glance in Ashley’s direction and Michael took my meaning. “I can just meet you at your place in a little while. It’s fine.”

           “No, I want you to stay,” Michael insisted. “Please stay.”

           “She’s not happy. And I don’t want her taking it out on you.”

           I really wanted to hug him, wanted to put a hand on his arm, hold his hand. Anything. But I couldn’t there. Not with Ashley lurking right behind us.  

           “I will deal with Ashley,” he said, his face going stern then softening again. “Please stay?”

           “All right,” I gave in with some reluctance still. “But can we get something to eat after? I’m starving?”

           “We can do whatever you want,” Michael lit up with a genuine smile, the first I’d seen from him that evening. “I have to change out of my costume. I’ll meet you inside?”

           “Yeah, I’ll see you in there,” I nodded and watched forlornly as he went back around to the stage door.

           “That can’t feel good,” Hester pulled me into a side hug.

           “It’s complicated,” I sighed. “I feel like I’ve been thrown into some kind of melodramatic, nineties era, afterschool special.”

           We made our way back into the theatre, away from prying eyes and ears. All the other audience members had headed for their cars and the cast had all ducked back into the dressing rooms to change out of costume and get ready for set demolition.

           “You love him, don’t you?” Hester prodded.

           “Yeah,” I couldn’t help but smile when I said it.

           “Then it’s not that complicated,” she grinned. “And he clearly loves you. So don’t get too twitchy about bitch-face.”

           “Don’t call her names,” I shook my head. “It’s not her fault she’s a teenager dating someone who doesn’t actually like her.”

           “No, but it’s her fault how she reacts,” Hester pointed out.

           “Fair enough,” I didn’t have an argument so I let it go.

           We got onto the stage and not many people were out of the dressing rooms yet. I had a feeling they were all hanging and inventorying their costumes and straightening up the dressing rooms before coming to tackle the set. Stage hands were pulling dressing items from their spots and setting them off to the sides while runners took them back up to the props room.

           “Natalie how can we help?” I asked the stage manager as Hester and I walked up the stage steps. “Put us to work.”

           “You can sweep,” she suggested. “Brooms are against the wall over there,” she pointed on the opposite side of the stage.

           “On it,” Hester broke away from me to fetch the brooms, bringing one back for each of us.

           We swept and swept. A thick layer of dust and detritus had accumulated. Some of it from every day factors, other parts from the powdered dye the used in the actors hair and beards and the mild pyrotechnics from the show. One by one the other actors came out to help with tear down but Michael and Ashley weren’t among them.

           I hope she’s not giving him hell back there.

           A bout of sudden dizziness hit me and I wobbled so badly I had to put out an arm to steady myself. I knew instantly that my blood sugar had dropped too low since it was around ten at night and I hadn’t eaten anything since my bowl of cereal at noon.

           “Hey are you all right?” Hester came over and put a hand on my shoulder to steady me.

           “I just got dizzy all of a sudden,” I explained. “I haven’t eaten in too long. I think I need to just sit down for a little while.”

           “Ok,” Hester nodded.

           She helped me down the steps and made sure I didn’t completely faint before she went back to the task of sweeping. Soon, Adrian, who had worked as a stage hand for the show, joined her and they were chatting happily together. I couldn’t help but wonder though where Michael was and what was taking him so long. It had been about forty minutes already. I pulled my phone out of my purse and was about to text him when he came onto the stage from the back, dressed in his street clothes. He looked around and I figured since the lights were all on onstage and the house lights were on too, he probably couldn’t see me very well. Hurrying up to Hester he asked her something, seeming to be in a mild state of panic. With a concerned look, she pointed me out, resulting in Michael looking relieved and rushing down the steps to come sit next to me.

           “Hey, are you ok?” He asked. “Hester seems worried.”  

           “Yeah, I’m just an idiot,” I chuckled and Michael’s face scrunched up in confusion and disapproval over me calling myself names. “I haven’t eaten since noon,” I explained. “I’ll be fine once I get some food in me.”

           “Are you sure you’ll be all right? I can run to Walmart and get you something right now,” he started but I shook my head.

           “I’m fine,” I insisted with a smile. “I just feel bad that I can’t really help. If I sit still, I’m totally fine.”

           “It’s not your responsibility to help anyway,” he assured me. “It shouldn’t be too much longer. I’ll help tear down what’s left, pry up the nails from the floor and then we’ll go.”

           He popped up from his seat but before he could go back up on stage, I grabbed him by the hand. Pausing, he looked at me, giving my hand a squeeze.

           “Hey are you ok?” I asked. “Did Ashley get mad at you?”

           “Yeah,” he huffed. “She started a big fight back stage. Something about not wanting me to spend time with you.”

           “I figured that would be the case,” I frowned.

           “I told her she can get the fuck over it,” he scowled. “She’s seriously getting on my nerves with her jealousy.”

           “Yeah well, you know what the solution is to that. I won’t say anything more on the matter. We discussed it enough last night, I think.”

           “I know, I know,” Michael laughed. “I’ll try to be quick with this, ok?” He released my hand. “Then we’ll get some dinner and talk.”

           As I watched Michael and a bunch of other guys pull down the remaining set walls and pry up nails from the floor, I couldn’t help but mull over what must have happened backstage between Michael and Ashley. She had clearly given him an ultimatum.

           And he chose me, I blinked. No one ever chooses me. Of course, they haven’t broken up yet. But he refused to let Ashley try to keep us apart. So maybe that’s a step in a good direction?

#writer #writing #nanowrimo #my writing

[peterschlehmil]

animated One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) directed by Milos Forman based on the novel by Ken Kesey the mental institution is run by the steely, strict nurse Ratched  (actress Louise Fletcher)

Nurse Mildred Ratched is the primary antagonist of the book and movie, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. She is the head nurse at the mental institution that she works.

She is often considered one as of the greatest female villains in movie history, rivalling others popular characters such asWicked Witch of the West, Alex Forrest, Phyllis Dietrichsonand Mrs Danvers.

She was named the fifth greatest villain in movie history by The American Film Institute.

Ratched is often considered among the most hated characters in movie history

Being head nurse, Ratched has control over medication, therapy, hygiene, recreation, among others. Her superiors esteem her for being one of the best nurses in the facility. Ratched is a firm believer in keeping people orderly, and will revoke any privileges they might have if they act out of line in any way. She keeps the patients in line by using their mental weaknesses, and encourages other patient to act is informants for her so that she can use sensitive information against a patient as she sees fit.

When a criminal named R.P. McMurphy arrives to the ward, he begins to disobey Ratched's schedule and tries his best to annoy and meddle her. As McMurphy's disorder persists, she uses treatment almost as punishments for acting out.

McMurphy arranges a party with alcohol and prostitutes as a way of saying goodbye since he plans on escaping the facility. The next morning, Nurse Ratched eject these intruders and finds one patient, Billy Bibbit, sleeping with a prostitute. The depressed and cowardly Billy is now confident and stands up to Nurse Ratched who tries to sham him for having sex with a prostitute. She uses Billy Bibbit's intense fear of his mother as a tactic for returning him to submission and also as punishment.

Distraught that Ratched will tell his mother about this encounter, Billy commits suicide. Nurse Pilbow informs Ratched of this, and she immediately tells the patients to return to their schedule, since that's the best thing to do. McMurphy becomes enraged and straggles Ratched, breaking her neck, (in the book, McMurphy rips her shirt to expose her breasts). Ratched survives and has to wear a neck brace, while McMurphy is beaten and lobotomized.

Nurse Ratched's influence over her patients is reduced and their no longer fear her. In the book, she has to write on a piece of paper to communicate, and in the film her voice becomes much softer. In the film, the last thing we see of her is her kindly congratulating a patient on a successful procedure.

                                             (from wikia.com).

In her review of Cuckoo's Nest, the revered New Yorker critic Pauline Kael described Fletcher's performance as "masterly", writing: "Changes in her flesh tone tell us what Nurse Ratched feels. We can see the virginal expectancy – the purity – that has turned into puffy-eyed self-righteousness. She thinks she's doing good for people, and she's hurt – she feels abused – if her authority is questioned."

Louise Fletcher in 2012:

"Well, it looks like you all hated me so much that you've given me this award for it, and I'm loving every minute of it. And all I can say is I've loved being hated by you. I'd like to thank Fred Roos for remembering me, Milos Forman for choosing me, Michael Douglas and Saul Zaentz for taking a chance and giving me a chance, and Jack Nicholson and a cast of actors whose professionalism, humour and capacity for getting into their roles made being in a mental institution like being in a mental institution..."

#animation #One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest #nurse Ratched #villain #Louise Fletcher #video #acceptance speech #Oscar #power #control #tyranny

[thewebofslime]

Settle down class, please hold all your questions until the end of the presentation. An official statement from The Satanic Temple is forthcoming but Lucien Greaves has informed me that I get to spill the beans. Image Credit: Magnolia Pictures Lucien Greaves Says The Satanic Temple is Now a Tax-Exempt Church “In light of theocratic assaults upon the Separation of Church and State in the legislative effort to establish a codified place of privilege for one religious viewpoint, we feel that accepting religious tax exemption — rather than renouncing in protest — can help us to better assert our claims to equal access and exemption while laying to rest any suspicion that we don’t meet the qualifications of a true religious organization. Satanism is here to stay.” –Lucien Greaves, co-founder The Satanic Temple I Thought We Want Churches to be Taxed? I said hold your questions! Ok, look here’s the deal. This is a move that The Satanic Temple’s (TST’s) co-founder Lucien Greaves has been floating for a while now. Way back in May of 2017 after President Trump signed his “Religious Liberty” executive order. Greaves discussed how TST would be re-evaluating its position on tax-exemption in a newsletter to TST’s mailing list: “Another byproduct of this turn of events, of course, is that The Satanic Temple must re-evaluate its prior principled refusal to accept religious tax-exemption. This position now confers a total advantage of “none”, while our theocratic counterparts trample over the Constitution and all it previously stood for. It appears that now is a time in which a more principled stand is to meet our opponent on equal footing, so to as balance, as best we can, what has been a frighteningly asymmetrical battle. As “the religious” are increasingly gaining ground as a privileged class, we must ensure that this privilege is available to all, and that superstition doesn’t gain exclusive rights over non-theistic religions or non-belief. With the religio-political landscape suddenly so grotesquely deformed from what we previously recognized, it seems reasonable that non-believers should adjust their language accordingly, and insist that atheistic and secular non-profits, advancing a distinct religious opinion and/or opinion upon religion, are themselves rightful beneficiaries of religious tax exemption as well.” – Lucien Greaves, May 2017 That was two years ago. Greaves also signaled this move on twitter last July when the then still Republican controlled house passed legislation to prevent the IRS from revoking tax-exempt status from churches as part of an IRS Funding bill. Clearly this move has been a long time coming. Seeking Inclusion in Theist Dominated Spaces is The Satanic Temple’s Whole Deal “Religious Liberty”, Philadelphia, dedicated in 1876 to “the people of the United States”. Image Credit:User “Smallbones” via Wikimedia Commons. (CC BY-SA 3.0) Now, I know many in the atheist community are going to balk at a move like this since ‘tax the churches’ is something of a rallying cry and pointing out how much money churches avoid paying into government coffers has always been a big talking point. But think about it for a minute. This has always been TST’s modus operandi: When churches handed out bibles in Florida, TST asked to hand out their coloring books and the school stopped letting churches hand out bibles. When Christians dominate the bully pulpit of invocations at government meetings TST asks to be afforded the same privilege, seeks legal action when they are denied, or compels local governments to change their laws. When theocratic legislators put Christian lawn ornaments at their state capitols TST asks to have their monuments like the Baphomet and Snaketivity placed right next to them. The brief but well-documented history of TST (see “Hail Satan?” Now in theaters!) is one of finding spaces where theocrats have carved out exemptions from Church/State separation for their churches and then TST asserts the right be treated as an equal religion with equal protections. Sometimes that motivates law-makers to rethink their strategy. But other times they’ve simply accepted that TST is entitled to be treated like every other church. I am fairly certain it ties the people who have to try and defend religious privileges in knots when TST has the unmitigated gall to assert their right to claim the exemptions they carved out with the intention of only benefiting theocrats. There’s also an issue of perceived legitimacy at play here. Brace yourself for this atheists because I’m going to rip off a bandaid. Many Atheists Have Refused to Take Satanism Seriously To the extent there’s any qualifications for being a ‘recognized religion’ in the United States, tax-exemption is really the only game in town. Separation of church and state demands that the government can’t go around telling people which religions are and are not legitimate. Whether or not a religion is ‘legitimate’ occupies a murky legal definition on whether or not a religious belief is “deeply-held”. For example, Pastafarians don’t actually believe that a lack of pirates caused global warming. There really isn’t more of a definition than that. Now when it comes to TST people have tried to employ all manner of dismissive arguments to try and claim that it’s not a ‘real religion’. Just yesterday Seth Andrews did an entire Thinking Atheist episode about TST and within an hour of the episode coming out there were fans of the show calling TST “atheist satirists who troll Christians”, “an inside joke”, “stupid”, and “goofball stage play Bulls**t”. That’s just the Atheists. Theists just tell Satanists we’re going to hell, that they’ll pray for us, and make all the same canned arguments they always make to all atheists. Both atheist and theists also try to say that religions require a belief in the supernatural, which it doesn’t (we’ll discuss that some other time in a future article). I’ve been having these conversations for a few years now and it’s amazing that the one thing many atheists have in common with fundamentalist Christians is a deep desire to try and deny TST’s legitimacy as a religious organization. So, now The Satanic Temple is now officially recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt church. It is as legitimate as a religion can get in the United States. Listen, I get it. There’s a lot of cognitive dissonance to take in here. On one hand atheists want to support TST because of the work that they do, and on the other hand you once read Christopher Hitchens one weekend in college and decided that all religion is poison and it should be wiped out at all costs. So you really don’t want TST to be a religion because you really want to like them. It’s like that person you had a crush on who you weren’t really in love with because you were in love with your idea of who you thought they were instead. That’s a tough realization to come to, but here we are. At any rate, that brings us to what is sure to be another contentious issue with this announcement, the inevitable outcry from the Church of Satan (CoS) in which they’re going to say that it is unSatanic to be tax-exempt because that’s what uncle Anton said. I Thought Satanists Believed Churches Should Pay Taxes? Well, for a long time that was the prevailing ideology of most Satanists because it has been the Church of Satan’s position for so long. Their assertion is sort of a ‘lead by example’ kind of narrative which asserts that you believe churches should be taxed, then it would be hypocritical to take advantage of that privilege. Unfortunately, the whole story isn’t nearly that clear cut. In his history of the Church of Satan Michael Aquino noted that CoS was originally was founded as a non-profit organization and by Aquino’s account CoS failed to qualify for federal tax-exempt status, but did enjoy exemption for several early years at the state level in California during the 70’s. “Although Anton later made a habit of stating that the Church deliberately refused tax-exempt status as a gesture of protest against religious tax-exemption, this was simply an excuse for the Church of Satan’s failure to qualify for exemption. On September 16, 1971 a California tax-exemption was issued for the Church, conditional upon a federal exemption. When this was not granted, the California exemption was revoked in 1973. It was reapplied for in 1975, then revoked again in 1985. AS of 1992 – the last time I checked – neither the California Attorney General nor the Federal Internal Revenue Service listed the Church of Satan as an exempt organization.” (Aquino, p 427) Aquino’s account is not without its problems. Aquino rather notoriously left the CoS in 1975. CoS, of course, maintains that they choose to forgo tax-exemption as a matter of conscience. Since both accounts are presented by biased interests as to which narrative is considered the truth, and since Anton Lavey is dead so it’s not like anyone can ask him, everyone just kind of has to make up their mind about what they believe on their own. Though it should be said that Aquino rather thoroughly documents his work. Ultimately though, I don’t think it matters. The Satanic Temple has already made quite clear they have no interest in what the Church of Satan has to say on many topics. Both groups waste a lot of ink reminding people they have nothing to do with each other anyway. That the two sects differ on the issue of tax-exemption is only one of many differences. The Takeaway is that Donations to The Satanic Temple are Now Tax-Deductible Today’s announcement means donations to The Satanic Temple will be tax-deductible just like they are for American Atheists, Atheist Community of Austin, The Salvation Army, Lakewood Church, or Holy Ghost Ministries. So if your accountant tells you to find a charity to throw some money at, or you just want to contribute, you can now get a tidy little write-off for your trouble. — I have a Patreon! Please support my work and get cool extra content. Have a look and check out my two new podcasts Ex Libris Obscura and Live! From the Public Domain in addition to my long running Naked Diner Podcast with co-host Andy Hall.

#TheWebOfSlime

[investmart007]

WASHINGTON | White House: Trump's tweet about Russia probe was an opinion

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/EFZxZV

WASHINGTON | White House: Trump's tweet about Russia probe was an opinion

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump bluntly declared his attorney general should terminate “right now” the federal probe into the campaign that took him to the White House, a newly fervent attack on the special counsel investigation that could imperil his presidency. Trump also assailed the trial, just underway, of his former campaign chairman by the special counsel’s team White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders scrambled to explain that Trump’s tweet Wednesday was “not an order” and the president was not directing his attorney general to do anything.

“It’s the president’s opinion,” she said.

But Trump’s early morning tweetstorm again raised the specter that he could try to more directly bring special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia-Trump election-collusion probe to a premature end. And it revived the idea that the president’s tweets themselves might be used as evidence that he is attempting to obstruct justice.

Meanwhile, Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani said negotiations are continuing to have Trump sit down for questions from Mueller, though the lawyer said, “I’m not going to give you a lot of hope that it’s going to happen.” He said both sides had exchanged proposals for conditions for such an interview, “and yesterday we got a letter back from them and now we’re in the process of responding.”

Trump has raged privately in recent days that both the forces of government and the media are trying to undermine him. That includes trumped-up charges against his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and distorting the outcome of the Helsinki summit to make it appear he was beholden to Russia, according to two Republicans close to the White House not authorized to speak about private conversations.

Trump was closely monitoring news coverage of the Manafort proceedings, which provoked the spate of incendiary tweets, according to the two Republicans and two White House officials. “The president’s not obstructing, he’s fighting back,” said Sanders, dismissing the idea Trump’s tweets could be tantamount to obstruction of justice.

The most inflammatory of Trump’s tweets said, “This is a terrible situation and Attorney General Jeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now, before it continues to stain our country any further. Bob Mueller is totally conflicted, and his 17 Angry Democrats that are doing his dirty work are a disgrace to USA!” The president’s anger came the day after the start of the trial of Manafort, who is facing federal charges of bank fraud and tax evasion. And while Mueller did not bring any election-related charges against Manafort, the specter of the Russian investigation is hanging over the Alexandria, Virginia, courthouse. And Trump’s White House.

“Paul Manafort worked for Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole and many other highly prominent and respected political leaders,” Trump tweeted. “He worked for me for a very short time. Why didn’t government tell me that he was under investigation. These old charges have nothing to do with Collusion – a Hoax!”

Later the president invoked one of the nation’s most notorious criminals, 1920s gangster Al Capone, and posed the question “who was treated worse” while airing his grievance about Manafort being held in solitary confinement ahead of a conviction. Manafort is in detention after having his bail revoked because of allegations that he was attempting to tamper with witnesses in his case. Federal prosecutors revealed last month that he was afforded unusual privileges while in detention.

Trump has spent more than a year trying to distance himself from his one-time top political aide, and to minimize the role Manafort played in his campaign. Trump’s protestations aside, Manafort worked on the campaign during a critical six-month period in 2016, during which he led the effort to ensure Trump won the Republican nomination. He oversaw the early days of the general election effort.

Sanders said Trump wants Mueller’s investigation concluded swiftly without intervention, though Trump has publicly mused as recently as May about interfering in the Department of Justice’s oversight of the probe. “At some point I will have no choice but to use the powers granted to the Presidency and get involved!” he tweeted then.

Trump has repeatedly belittled the probe as “a hoax,” as those close to him suggest he feels that any talk of Russian interference tarnishes his electoral victory and delegitimizes his presidency.

One of the president’s confidants deemed Trump in “a dark place,” seething about the longlasting probe and the media’s depiction of his White House under siege. Though long antagonistic toward the press, Trump’s anger toward the media has only grown over the past month, as he has berated coverage of his Singapore and Helsinki summits, the possible prosecutorial cooperation of his former legal “fixer” Michael Cohen and the Mueller probe.

After complaining about the tough questions he received from American reporters in Finland, Trump has largely steered clear of the mainstream media, instead opting for safer spaces like an interview with ally Rush Limbaugh this week. From the White House briefing room podium on Wednesday, Sanders declined to denounce the harassment of a CNN reporter during a Trump rally in Florida on Tuesday.

The president’s social media outburst renewed discussion of the significance of his tweets.

Rudy Giuliani, the president’s lawyer, stressed that Trump was just issuing an opinion, though he also said the White House believes “the investigation should be brought to a close.”

“I guess, if we were playing poker — we’re not — put up or shut up, what do you got?” Giuliani said. “We have every reason to believe they don’t have anything.”

When pressed by reporters on how she tells the difference between a presidential order or an opinion, Sanders said Trump makes his intentions “pretty clear.”

But the line between registering an opinion or governing by tweet has bedeviled the White House from the start, even when former press secretary Sean Spicer declared tweets could be official White House statements. Earlier this year, Trump blindsided the Defense Department when he tweeted out a transgender ban for the military, prompting the Pentagon to slow walk the program.

Mueller already is interested in some of Trump’s tweets to the extent they raise obstruction of justice concerns. Though experts believe obstruction by tweet is possible, prosecutors have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a particular act got in the way of an investigation and that the person who did it intended to obstruct.

The president’s tweets on Wednesday were greeted warily on Capitol Hill, with most lawmakers, regardless of party, urging Trump to let the probe run its course.

No. 3 Senate GOP leader John Thune of South Dakota said, “The idea that they should truncate it doesn’t make sense to me.”

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut went much further, declaring. There is now highly credible evidence that the president of the United States is committing obstruction of justice in real time, right before our eyes.”

By JONATHAN LEMIRE and ZEKE MILLER , Associated Press

#Attorney General #campaign chairman #counsel investigation #Helsinki summit #Politics News #President Donald #Russia Probe #TodayNews #Trump tweet #tweetstorm #Washington #white house

[superblyjovialtheorist-blog]

Does my landlord’s home owners insurance cover me if i get hurt at a house im renting?

"Does my landlord's home owners insurance cover me if i get hurt at a house im renting?

http://pilih.cn/health-insurance.html   http://pilih.cn/health-insurance.html   http://pilih.cn/health-insurance.html

BEST ANSWER:  Try this site where you can compare quotes: : http://averageinsurancecosts.xyz/index.html?src=tumblr 

RELATED QUESTIONS: 

Will his insurance cover my vehicle ?

I was involved in a car accident recently. The individual who hit me has insurance coverage. The crash report states his license is suspender or revoked. Will his liability insurance still cover the damage to my vehicle?

What is an annuity insurance?

What is an annuity insurance?

Is it shameful to let your son/daughter go without health insurance?

When I turned 21, I got taken off my parents' health insurance. I did not have a job at the time, and could not afford to buy insurance on my own, so I was forced to go without it. Well, I became very sick and was hospitalized for 4 days with food poisoning. The hospital bills total around $50,000, and I was denied Medicaid because I was paying $1400 a month in rent (money I accumulated through prostitution, if you want the truth), and the hospital's social worker felt if I could afford $1400/month in rent, I could afford the hospital bills. Friends of mine at the time were really hard on my parents, especially my mom, saying what kind of a lousy mother would let her son go without health insurance? No editorial comment from me. I'm just curious what other people think. Do I have lousy parents because they let me go without health insurance?""

Cost to Insure Skyline.?

got a R34 GT-r. maybe thinking about downgrading to a GT-s R33 cuz i the insurance is a little ridiculous. $640 Thats full coverage and im only 19 :P turnng 20 soon. Which would be more to insure and what you think it would cost to insure the R33? I do have 1 speeding ticket and one wreckless driving back when i was 16.

""Insurance Claim estimate lower than expected, what do I do?""

An elderly lady backed up into my car a few days ago and we decided it'd be best to file an insurance claim. After the claim was ruled in my favor I was sent to a body shop for an estimate of the repair. The damage was to the rear quarter panel of my car which consisted of a scrape across the panel and a quarter sized dent in the panel. The insurance adjuster gave me an estimate and check for 855$. My question is in regards to the repairs, I feel that since this is 100% the other party's fault and since I am the person who has to drive the car that I am entitled to the maximum premium in repairs. I have been reading on Paintless Dent Removal (PDR) and most will say that its the cheap way of making a repair. Does anyone know if it would be possible to go back and get a new estimate/settlement for a new rear quarter panel? Basically my logic is this, if you damage any of my property it should be 100% my call if I want to settle for a compromise or not.""

HELP PLEASE?What is the minimum amount of liability insurance coverage required?

A. 15/30/5 B. 20/35/10 C. 20/20 D. $100,000""

""Roughly, how much is the insurance on a Peugeot 106?""

Im a girl, Provisonal Lincense Holder (learner driver) 18 years old, looking for no more than a 1.5 engine. Also how much to they cost to tax. Thanks in advance for everyones help, it is much appriceated x.x.x.x.x""

""What is the best cheap, reliable car insurance and why?""

So I'm buying car insurance by myself for the first time and need to know what you feel is the best cheap car insurance and why? And in case anyone feels like being a smart butt, yes I do mean in America lol.""

How much is car insurance for a 17 year old?

How can I find out the cheapest rate?

Do you pay for car insurance before you use it?

i want to switch car insurance but i just paid it for the month. do i get that back?

Where can i get the cheapest car insurance in marion ohio?

Where can i get the cheapest car insurance in marion ohio?

What is an average g2 driver's insurance worth?

I Have: -G2 Lisence -2012 camaro ss -primary (only) driver of vehicle -driver's ed training. looking for average monthly insurance. im in ontario, canada.""

How much will my car insurance renewal be?

I am currently insured with Admiral for my car. My insurance is up for renewal next month and I am just wondering if anybody with prior experience of them knows how much of a discount i may expect, if anything at all. My insurance last year was around 1,100 I am 22, I have had my licence for 4 years, And I will now have 1 years no claims. Thanks in advance :) Rob""

I need auto insurance in massachusetts with a low down payment. does anyone know of any?

I need auto insurance in massachusetts with a low down payment. does anyone know of any?

Can anyone tell me how much insurance companys pays out for vauxhall vectras 2 litre v reg with 55.00 miles?

ive just had my car written off i had a vauxhall vecrta 2 litre sri 1999 v reg with alloys in emmaculate condition.my insurance company is direct line insurance.has any body out there help me in estimating the value of the car that the insurance company will pay me for my car as being a total loss thanks the milage on the car was 55.000 on the clock

How much is a used car and how much is car insurances ?

i am going to be 16 soon and i want to buy a used car and car insurances so how much is it i live in canada if that helps nova scotia to so umm yeah and btw i can't go on my ...show more

Why is fully comprehensive much cheaper then 3rd party for a 17 year old?

Hello I am getting close to passing my test and i have been looking at the types of cars that i can get that will give me the cheapest insurance quote. I am planning to go on my parents insurance as an Additional driver an they would own the car. I was looking quotes and was surprised to discovered to fully comprehensive was much much cheaper then 3rd. about 1400 compared to 3200 what is going on, also a renault 1.2 Clio is more expensive then a 1.6 renault Megane. Any advice on getting low insurance and why is fully comp cheaper? thanks for any help""

""I lower my car insurance deductible a week ago, would the insurance company accept my claim today?""

Because of the bad snowy weather we been having, I recently lower my car deductible from $1000 to $250 . My car just sliped today and hit a curve. I took it to have it checked, and the shop told me it would be around $3000 to get the car fix. Would my insurance company think that i lower my deductible after the incident happened? Would they cover the damage? Should i wait before trying to file the claim?""

Car insurance?

i am looking for a decent quote for car insurance, my daughter passed her test in march and we would love to have her on our insurance but theyare asking for so much , i cannot afford it, i have a peugeot 307 o3 , my quote is 1214.85. she is going to UNI in October and really wont be using tthe car any way. any sugggestions would be really appreciated, now and again she would be using the car and she is so good , cannot afford to buy her a car of her own and the insurance would be too much anyway??""

Question on insurance for a new driver!! (california)?

im sixteen and i just got my license, one of my friends parents told me that i could drive thirty days without insurance, untill they get it fixed. I just wanted to know if thats true or not! i need a quick answer please!!!! ohh and i live in california""

""If i own a car, can someone else be the named driver on insurance?""

I own a car under finance, but i cannot drive the car anymore. is it possible for another person to insure themselves on the car and be the main user of it?""

Do you need car insurance for a primary car in the state of NJ even if you plan on using someone else's?

Hi, I am a probationary licensed driver in the state of NJ, and since I live with my mom, I was told by an insurance company that I need to have insurance on my mom's (primary) ...show more""

Car insurance?

Ok so i just passed my driving test so now im gonna get a car soon, what car insurance is the best for someone whos my age (21)?""

""Why is Unitrin car insurance so cheap? Are they really a good, reliable insurance company?

I got a quote for about half of what I'm paying with another company with the same coverage.

""Why do libs think health care is a right? What next, car insurance? How about free food for everyone?""

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of 'Free' Health Care Every new 'right' the U.S. government has promised has turned into a massively expensive failure, yet the media continue to cheer supporters of tax-funded programs. Americans are obsessed with rights. We always have been. But the concept of rights our forefathers laid out in the Declaration of Independence has changed dramatically. Those rights  life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness  were acknowledged to come from the Almighty, given equally to all people. Todays rights come from Almighty Government. Health care is the newest right. From presidential candidates universal plans to the return of HillaryCare to Michael Moores movie Sicko, its all over the media. Calling it a right is an emotional argument advanced by those who want others to pay for their health care. They bring out the children and ask whether anyone can deny them the basic human right of health care  but dont bother with the evidence showing how health care in this country would be harmed by government control. A look at other modern rights might give us a clue about how well a new system would work. These rights started out as privileges, among them education and a paid retirement. Now education is not only considered a right, its a mandate. How well has it worked? American students attend school at least until their teen years, but 15-year-olds ranked 24th out of 29 countries in aptitude for real-life math problems, according to The Washington Post. Literacy surveys suggest one in five American adults is functionally illiterate. And taxpayers keep shelling out money to fund the system. Americans also cherish the right to retire  but we expect to be supported in our old age. Younger workers and employers are forced to support retirees, funding another right. And how well has that worked? The poorly designed, outdated Social Security system is disintegrating rapidly as the number of retirees balloons. But once youve established a right, its difficult to take it away. The government, which promises such rights, must go to its sugar daddy  taxpayers  to keep the rights coming. Were already well on our way toward the health care right/mandate. Want to be more like Canada? Its not that far off. Catos Michael Cannon has pointed out that third parties in America pay 86 cents of every dollar of our health care  about the same as Canadas socialized system. What we  or rather, those third parties  pay for health care is already determined by the government as well. Emory University medical professor Robert Swerlick has noted that the pricing of medical care in this country is either directly or indirectly dictated by Medicare. This market meddling even causes doctor shortages, he says, in needed areas of specialty. Prescription drugs are already considered a right, thanks to political moves like the Medicare drug benefit and massive media support. A Business & Media Institute study found broadcast journalists treating prescription drugs as though they grew on trees. Overall, the coverage supported the idea that medications should magically be available to everyone at far lower costs. Of course, the magic behind new rights is your money. Cannon and fellow Cato expert Michael Tanner explained problems with tax-funded care in their book Healthy Competition: Whats Holding Back Health Care and How to Free It. If health care is guaranteed to everyone, how much does everyone get? Who decides who receives what, and how would the care be administered? What happens if everyone wants the most expensive treatment available? With the wide variety of medical tests and treatments that consumers may claim as their right, someone at some point must decide where the right to health care ends, lest the nation be bankrupted, they wrote. Were well on our way toward that as well. Our rights to Social Security and Medicare devour about 40 percent of the federal budget. State and local property tax revenue, which normally funds education, mushroomed about 35 percent between 2000 and 2005, according to the Tax Foundation. We cant afford any more rights like that. But the left says tax-funded care is right for the children. Meanwhile, what becomes of them? Theyre growing up in an America where the rights mentality is deeply ingrained, and the media continue to feed them with it. When the children come of age, perhaps theyll want the right to a job. They wont remember that France already tested that idea for us, and it led to high unemployment and rioting. Perhaps theyll guarantee Disney vacations for all families and force childless Americans to pay for it. The pursuit of will conveniently fade away as they look to government to guarantee happiness. They will know less and less of a true right  liberty  and have no idea where it comes from.""

Does my landlord's home owners insurance cover me if i get hurt at a house im renting?

http://pilih.cn/health-insurance.html   http://pilih.cn/health-insurance.html   http://pilih.cn/health-insurance.html

""If I ride my friends motorcycle, do I need insurance?""

I have my license, and will be getting my own bike at some point, but for now, if I drive my friends motorcycle around, do I need insurance for it? Or does his cover me?""

Cheap place to buy CMS Health Insurance Form 1500 Claim?

Where can I find a great deal online for CMS Health Insurance Form 1500 Claim

Quote for a day car insurance????????????

how much does a 1 day car insurance cost? It is the first time I need to do it, so I don't have any idea. When I try to get a quote, I'm always ask to register to the website... I don't really want to do it before having a quote :P Anyway would you please recommend me an agency? thanks""

Haggling Car insurance?

I am 20 years old Guy, and my car insurance is up for renewal, i have a Peugeot 306 hdi 2.0 turbo diesel. I have 2 years driving experience, however only have had a car for 1 year. I have had no claims, no tickets, no points on my lisence. Im Fully Comprehensive, live in a good area, have no criminal record, and park my car on the drive. I have my father, a Police Officer with 30 years no claims and 30 years experience as a named driver on my insurance. My Insurance last year was 1400 (steep yeah) and now its up for renewal i have had a quote of 1100. To me, this seems really steep seeing as surely by now i have proved that i am not some boy racer with a deathwish. My question is, do you guys think ill be able to get this price down with alittle haggling, what would you expect to pay for insurance if you where in my situation?""

Where can I get affordable health insurance?

I'm a student and I work, but work does not offer it.""

Do you have to get insurance as soon as you get your license?

I plan on going to get my drivers license in a few weeks (hopefully I pass!) and I've been told you have to have insurance right away. I'm currently on my parents plan with my permit but it's not costing them anything. Their agent said to immediately notify her once I get my license. Could she have said this just because she thought I would be getting a car? I don't plan on getting a car anytime soon but drive my parents cars occasionally. So will the insurance go up any if I don't have my own car that needs to be insured? If so will it be a lot? All answers will be greatly appreciated, because my parents are trying to make me put off getting my license because their car insurance is sky high already because of all the tickets & wrecks my brother has gotten in & I really want my license! Thanks in advance!""

What is the cheapest auto insurance for michigan?

for the most basic insurance

Nissan GTR Lease & Insurance Cost?

Approximately, how much is Nissan GTR lease and insurance cost? Thanks.""

I'm looking for affordable health insurance.?

I'm 31 and I have a pre-existing condition (open heart surgery 2004). I take coumadin daily and get my blood checked every month at Jacksonville Heart Center. I'm looking to take another job with much better pay. The only problem is they don't offer health insurance yet. I've been quoted at $180-$190 a month that do accept pre-existing conditions. Is there anyone cheaper that is not just some fly by night company?

Are you required to have proof of insurance in a brand new car?

I juss bought a new car, and the cop pulled me over because he thought my tabs were expired and he asked for my insurance but i told him that i have insurance i just haven't listed this car yet because it's brand new, so he wrote me a ticket..is that legal?""

Looking for good medical insurance?

I know blue cross/blue shield is good, but, what other insurance is out there? I need to insure myself, my son, and my fiance. I need to find some fairly cheap insurance as well. Know of any? And also, dental.""

Performance car insurance?

is there an insurance company which can provide me with a quote for a performance car? (at a reasonable price) im 19 got a pass plus and had my license for 1 and a half years... ive been driving as a named driver for that time with no claims etc etc ..... i know theres not alot of company's out there which probably wont insure me but its worth a try ey?.

Who really has the cheapest car insurance?

its gotta be cheap

Whats the best auto insurance for me?

i want a insurance company that gives gives checks to me for claims and lets me fix my car not shops. geico? AAA?

""California learners permit, do you need insurance?""

California. Do you need insurance while u have your permits or do you use your parents? If no, I get insurance after I take my driving test? And can you have a passenger with you when you have a permit? Like an adult right next to you and your sister sits in the backseat.""

Insurance for a camaro...engine types?

Well I've been looking into getting a camaro but insurance may be too much. I just have a few simple questions for anyone who knows. Does the insurance company charge more for an Iroc / Z28? Would they know if you bought a camaro with a (for ex.) 377 stroker and charge more? I was looking at a camaro with an LG4 hoping the insurance would be lower but how would they know what motor it has? Also...for the winter can you temporarily take the camaro off, to put a winter car on? I don't want to be paying for insurance when its being stored. Thanks!""

Can I use my parent's car insurance to buy a car?

I have been covered under my parent's car insurance since I was 19 years old and still am. I did buy auto insurance for the new car that I am picking up today from the dealership. However, that insurance does not start until 12:01 am tomorrow morning. As I am still under my parent's insurance, can I use that insurance as proof of insurance when I go to pick up the car this afternoon?""

How can I get car insurance for a classic car? And how much would it cost (roughly)?

I grew up loving classic mustangs, corvettes and camaros (had all the hotwheels!) and I'm interested in purchasing an older car. The few cars I'm interested in were typically ...show more""

Does car insurance cover this..?

my freind borrowed my car and he and his father went to the mall,his father got into a car accident which was his fault.now the car is totaled.i only have basic insurance does that cover my car or am i out of a car?""

My car was registered to an insurance company?

I bought a car about 2 years ago from a private owner. I just stumbled onto a free VIN report and it says the car was leased then titled to insurance co. No accidents though. Does this merely mean repossession or possible accident?

Looking for affordable health care plans meeting obamacare?

I've been looking for a couple of days now, and the prices I've found are so much more expensive than before, even Blue Cross Blue Shield.""

I scraped the bumper of a parked car. Is it cheaper to pay it off or send it to my insurance?

I have a clean driving record, but i accidentally scraped a car parked next to me. There was a dinnerplate sized scrape, and the guy sent me a estimate for $400. Will it be cheaper for me to send it to my insurance, or pay it out of pocket?""

Need help with car insurance?

My car insurance was cancelled because of no payments on January. I got laid off and couldn't make the payments. However, I didn't return the plates to rmv and was driving uninsured cuz I had make it to school. I just recently got a job and want to get insured again. However, I don't know how to begin the process again. What happens when I return the plates..where should return it..how much fee will I pay ..where do i pay it and when can I get a new plate and when will I be able to get insured again. I live in Massachusetts . Gladly appreciate an answer thanks""

Anyone have Landa Insurance?

I was wondering is Landa auto insurance was good. I got a ticket a few days ago and their company is backing me up before that date.

Does getting a motorcycle license increase life insurance costs?

I plan on finally (waiting for years) obtaining a motorcycle license this coming summer. I have little experience on the bike but plan to take the msf basic riding course and will be fully geared / have motorcycle license. My question is: will having a motorcycle license increase the monthly costs of life insurance? I have yet to get a policy, and I was wondering whether getting life insurance before my license would make a difference or not. Thank you""

Does my landlord's home owners insurance cover me if i get hurt at a house im renting?

http://pilih.cn/health-insurance.html   http://pilih.cn/health-insurance.html   http://pilih.cn/health-insurance.html

Which auto insurance companies use Equifax?

My credit score is highest on Equifax. Does anyone know which auto insurance companies use Equifax to provide quotes?

How does a wrecked car loan payoff (by insurance company) affect credit score?

I have a car that I have a loan on that has been wrecked. Since the bank owns the car, I have full coverage & insurance is writing it off. They are going to cut a check to the bank for the balance due on the car. I have so far paid this loan on time; it has been rebuilding my credit. When the loan is paid off by insurance, will I get more points to my score since the loan was technically paid off early? Or will I only gain based on my status as paid ontime at this point?""

What happens if u get caught driving alone on a permit in California?

So last night, I was stupid enough to go out and get food on my permit around 8pm alone. I also forgot to turn on my headlights, I thought I turned them on but apparently I only turned on my parking lights. And I got pulled over, he gave me a ticket for 12500(a) cvc for unlicensed driver, and 24250 cvc for driving with no headlights at night. I wasn't driving bad, I just didn't have my headlights on. I have to show up to court next month, what is going to happen?... I live in California. Thanks. AND JUST WONDERING, WILL IT SHOW UP AS A POINT ON MY RECORD? AND HOW MUCH WILL THE INSURANCE RISE?""

Will damages to my rental car go to my car insurance if I was not the one driving?

I have terrible luck lately. Two weeks ago I totaled my car (my fault) and I have a rental until tomorrow. Rental is from enterprise and paid for thru my car insurance. On my rental agreement I did not list any other drivers, and since it was paid for by my car insurance the guy crossed out the extra insurance and just asked me how much my car insurance deductible is and wrote that down($250). Today, I looked at the agreement and I actually hadn't signed it when I rented the car (even though there is a place for me to sign)...hmm...(?) SO, last night I was drinking and my boyfriend was not so he drove us home- in my rental. A car hit the rear driver side of us and it caused a dent and some paint damage. Called the cops, the other driver lied and nobody cited. I DO NOT want my insurance to know, since I just totaled my car. Boyfriend has full coverage, can it go on his? or will it go on mine? Can we just pay for it in cash & not use insurance? Its minor, fix before I turn it back in ?""

Whats the cheapest insurance company?

I need to know the cheapest car insurance to use? I'm an 18 y/o female single living in Portland,OR I graduated Ive never been in a car accident I took drivers Ed The car ...show more""

Car insurance!!!!?

i need to know what the average car insurance for an 18 year old girl working in a hospital's peugeot 106 1.1 litre would be.

Cheapest option I want to transfer my insurance from my old car which I prt exchanged for a newer car I just?

I want to transfer my insurance from my old car which I part exchanged for a newer car I just bought,but my Insurance company are asking me to pay about 40% more and requesting 40% ...show more""

Why was my car insurance quote so cheap?

im a 17 yr old male and i have recently bought a 1.2 Peugeot 206 look for 700, i know car insurance for boys my age are stupidly expensive so when i was looking at quotes it came as no shock until i got a quote for 750 for third party fire and theft, i have no idea why its so cheap, i checked the quote through about 5 times to make sure i didn't make any mistakes but i hadn't . can anyone explain why its so low ? i don't want to buy the insurance just in case it turns out to be an expensive mistake.""

Insurance for scooter?

I am thinking of getting a 125cc scooter to save gas this summer. Do I need insurance for the scooter? Then it would defeat the purpose for me

Is this typical for insurance for a 17 year old?!?

I just bought my first car Saturday. My dad went to the DMV to get it registered and insured. Then, he called our insurance company to get a quote for how much driver's insurance is for a 16 year old female. If you take driver's ed, watch a state farm video, and have a G.P.A above 3.0, comes to.... $88 A MONTH!!!! That's with driver's ed, and a G.P.A above 3.0! Now my parents are really upset, 'cuz that's thousands of extra dollars a year--not on gas, not on the vehicle itself...Just insurance! They're not sure I can get my license now b/c of it. This really frustrates me. I will be 17 in a couple months, and I really, really, really want to get my driver's license. I have a car, I'll buy the gas, but the insurance is astounding! So my question is, is $88 A MONTH typical for other companies/ or in other states (We're in AZ).""

Whats the best dental insurance to cover for braces? AmeriPlan?

braces for adults in general...? and what exactly is AmeriPlan... if they are not insurance...what are they? and are they dependable?

Is there a law in California stating that the newest driver(under18) has to get insured under the newest car?

Is there a law in California stating that the newest driver(under18) has to get insured under the newest car?

Low cost car insurance in California?

I'm a young driver with no previous driving experience who needs low cost auto insurance coverage in California, where can I get it?""

Cheap auto insurance?

Where is a good place to get cheap auto insurance? Im a 22 y/o female that lives in CA. I need full coverage (liability, collission and comprehensive) on my 2003 Honda Civic. My driving record isnt too bad. Thanks in advance.""

How much do you think my car insurance will go up???

I got caught speeding in a school zone. The speed limit was 20mph and i was going 37 mph. that is 17mph over the speed limit. i already have one speeding ticket on my record and have doubled one to get it taken off. i talked to a lawyer and to get it dropped down the prosecuter wants me to tripple the fine, take a driving class, and go on diversion for a year. That would cost me at least $800. so i am thinking about risking just paying it and seeing how mush my car insurance will actually go up. the fine on the ticket is $165 and i am a 18 year old male. SHOULD I RISK IT or not???""

Are automatic cars cheaper to insure for young drivers (UK)?

Are automatic cars cheaper to insure for young drivers (UK)?

Insurance change help?

i am with geico and i want to go to allstate do i surrender my plates to switch insurance or do i keep the plates and call they and they will transfer me

Do I qualify for federal health insurance?

My parents don't get insurance through their jobs, and they can't afford private insurance. My parents and I are currently enrolled in an assistance program through our local hospital. I go to a private university that requires for students to have some type of health insurance. If the student doesn't have health insurance, the school charges the student $1,000 for the school insurance. Since I am 19 years old, I no longer qualify for CHIPS, which I've had all my life. I am a full time student, I am a U.S. citizen, I am in Texas, my parents are low income, I don't have proof of a job (I'm a nanny and get paid in cash). Online resources are confusing. But is there any federal insurance program that I may be eligible for?""

Insurance Rates?

I'm a 17 year old male and I just got my 1st speeding ticket today and it was a 6 point ticket how much do you think my insurance rate will go up by

Proof of insurance.?

I feel like an idiot asking this question but what do i bring to prove proof of insurance? is it possible to send the latest copy of my health insurance bill? or is there a specific piece of paper?

What kind of car insurance do u have and how much a month do u pay and what kind of car do u drive?

im trien to find a cheap full coverage insurance i have an accident last year the cheapest i found in esurance its about $140 a month

Haotian vixen 125-8 motorcycle insurance?

I have recently purchased a haotian vixen 125-8 motorbike to learn on. i will soon be doing my CBT. I understand that it is an imported bike but i cannot seem to find any insurance companies that know of the make, what can i do ?""

Life insurance with gerber life?

hey everybody...im thinking of taking life insurance with gerber life..im getting a lot of pish posh from the company, they seem to be circumventing my questions....im curious has anybody ever filed a claim with them regarding the passing of a loved one, or tried to make a claim with them? my dad...god rest his soul tried to get a life insurance policy claimed when his sister passed on, he was beneficary,,and i remember they gave him a hard time about the policy...if you can suggest a life insurance co you have id be intrested....serious answears only please""

Does U.S. car insurance (Allstate) cover you in Puerto Rico?

I'm going to be renting a vehicle from Thrifty car rental in Puerto Rico next week and I would like to just use my own insurance for the car. Does anyone know if Allstate covers driving in Puerto Rico? Thanks.

Car Insurance question: Hitting a deer is 'collision' .. hitting a tree is 'other than collision'?

So, on a Personal Auto Policy (PAP) if you hit a tree it's considered a 'Collision.' .. but if you hit a deer, it's considered 'Other Than Collision.' ... WHY? Is it because trees don't move and deers do?""

Does my landlord's home owners insurance cover me if i get hurt at a house im renting?

http://pilih.cn/health-insurance.html   http://pilih.cn/health-insurance.html   http://pilih.cn/health-insurance.html

""How to lower my car insurance, young driver.?""

I am 18 going 19 this year, and i want to know how i can possibly make my insurance cheaper, legally. I took my pass plus which is meant to cut the price down by a bit, but I've found most internet comparison websites don't ask if you have achieved pass plus, so would it be ideal to get a quote online THEN ring up and try knock the price down? Also what else can i do to cut the cost down, legally?""

How much is home insurance for a log cabin in North Georgia?

I'm interested in purchashing a log cabin in the North Georgia mountains. How much would home insurance cost if the home is approximately $160,000?""

What is the price of insurance on a 1990 pontiac firebird?

I am 16 years old and just got my license. I am looking to buy a 1990 pontiac firebird. I was just wondering how much insurance would cost for a new driver.

Will my car insurance rate be based on how long ive been insured or licensed?

I have been insured on several cars regularly since getting each permit (the law in my state, even though I only had a permit, and went through about five permits) and I just got my full license (finally). My license number is the same as it was before when it was on my permit. Which one will my future insurance rates be based on? Length of time insured or length with a full license? Thanks""

""How much, on average, is contents insurance?""

I'm attending university soon and I will be flatting. I want to get contents insurance for my belongings. I will be taking $10,000 worth of things with me (Clothing, Shoes, Accessories, Laptop, iPod, Bedding, Books, small shelves, clothing rack etc) What is the average cost for insurance per week? Any answer will help. I'm working out my budget! Thanks in advance.""

Need help with insurance?

ok im getting my first car and im 17...i live with my mom and step dad. my mom cant get a licence because she has seizures and my step dad cant get his back until next year. since im under eighteen can i get my own insurance or do i have to be put on someone elses and if not will it cost a lot since im a new driver and a teenager? please help!

Does a wet reckless charge always increase insurance rates?

I plead a DUI down to a wet and reckless for a reduced charge. This was over a year ago, and my insurance premium hasn't changed a bit. Does it have anything to do with the fact that i have minimum legal coverage, or do they simply not acknowledge this charge? Im asking because I want to switch to comprehensive coverage but im afraid that will trigger something in their system. I would call and ask but I don't want them to raise my rate in case they overlooked something. I'm with Mercury insurance. Thanks""

Cheap car insurance for young people?

i just turned 15. ive gotten a few quotes and all of them are around 300 dollars a month. who should i get my insurance with and what type of car will make it the cheapest.? Please help.

Insurance for first car?

Im thinking about buying a 00-04 S2000 or and 99-04 Mustang GT. I live in georgia..17 almost 18 with a flawless driving record. My parents and i use geico insurance. I am a car enthusiast and i love performance.

How much a month for car insurance for a beginning 16 year old driver?

How much a month for car insurance for a beginning 16 year old driver?

""What are my options for car insurance, being a US resident who is taking classes in British Columbia?""

I am a student at Trinity Western University in BC, Canada. My current car insurance company will only cover me through March since I am in Canada and I am finding it hard to find an insurance company that will cover me. I am trying to avoid at all cost having to get the government-issued BC car insurance because I probably wouldn't be able to afford school (it is ridiculously expensive). Anyone have any ideas?""

General concepts of health insurance?

What are the general concepts of health insurance? What arevarious types of private health insurance options? Difference between them?

How to handle a partial month of health insurance?

I currently am paying for a family health insurance plan with Oxford. The premium is $800 a month, due on the first of the month for that month's coverage, with a grace period of about 30 days. I am switching from a contracting position (where I pay my own insurance) to an employment position (with a very nice health plan) on 9/7/10. What I want to avoid is paying $800 to my current insurance company when I only need 7 days worth of coverage. I also want to avoid a lapse in coverage. Do I not pay anything until the 7th, when my new insurance plan kicks in, and them call them and tell them I am cancelling and only want to pay from the 1st through 7th? Or do I pay the full $800 and hope I will get a pro-rated refund? Thanks in advance!""

What exactly does car insurance cover?

If I left my car out in the rain with the sunroof and stuff open and my car suffered water damage because of it, would I be screwed? Or would the insurance help pay for the damages or just compensate me for a new car?""

""I'm 27 and I want to get life insurance, what kind is best?""

I don't really understand what 10;15;20 year term life insurance means, or whole life insurance and what company is best but I think I want to get it while I'm young and ...show more""

17 soon. just wondering about car insurance?

whether when i pass n get a car if il be able to pay insurance monthly? and does it cost more tht way (uk)

What's the cheapest liability insurance?

What's the cheapest liability insurance?

How much is health insurance for a 55 yr old women??

i live in southern ca and we are looking on getting a affordable health insurance for my mother she is 55 yrs... around how much will we be expecting on paying mothly... and what good health insurances are recomended??

Where can I get the best car insurance rates?

I have been on the same plan for 10 years now and they charge $165 each month which is ridiculous. Any idea what is the best company to get a better insurance rate?

Child support insurance in AZ.?

Can anyone tell me the laws in relationship t mu son turning 18? He'll still be in school, so law mandates I still pay child support til he's 19. But does that also mean I have to pay insurance until then also? His mother is the full-custody parent.""

""What is the cheapest auto insurance company in the province of New Brunswick, Canada? HELP!?

I have a new car - 2007 Nissan Versa

Life insurance or burial insurance?

Right now I have a life insurance policy that will pay $20,000 when I die. I'm paying $50.00 a month for that and in my opinion is too much. Should I just by burial insurance instead since that is basically all my Life insurance policy cover is my burial?""

""If im already on my parents insurance for two cars, how much more will it cost if they add a new small 03 car?""

The new car is an 03 mitsubishi lancer, the two cars i was insured on before were an elantra gt and a nissan titan (05) I wanted to know if insurance will shoot up a lot more with another car or if it will just be like another 40 or so dollars a month?""

Quote for Car Insurance!?

Hello, I need some help in with Car Insurance...............So, I want to purchase a Honda Accord coupe iES 1997-1999, I went on those car insurance compare sites and was quoted over 4000pounds!!! Here is the information I gave there, i was born in 1990, have license for 5 years, I have an international drivers license, I started living in the UK in April 2013, unemployed......Can someone please tell me why i was quoted so much money!! I even tried putting my partner who has been driving for 14 years and no luck! Is there any way for me to get cheaper car insurance? And is comprehensive or third party cheaper for me? Thankxx""

What happens if you lie to a new car insurance provider?

I was cancelled for reasons out of my hands, apparently the insurance person didn't record I had spoken to them during a conversation. So my broker cancelled my insurance. Now everywhere I go they want to charge me a lot more for thsi cancellation and I can't get through to my company to try to have the cancellation revoked. What happens if I apply to another car insurance company and say i wasn't cancelled. I pay ontime there's nothing wrong, are they going to find out about the previous company somehow?""

Does my landlord's home owners insurance cover me if i get hurt at a house im renting?

http://pilih.cn/health-insurance.html   http://pilih.cn/health-insurance.html   http://pilih.cn/health-insurance.html

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/capon-springs-west-virginia-cheap-car-insurance-quotes-linda-chipman/"

[victoriazoey26]

Tips for Effectively Using Your Business Lawyer

Savvy business people understand that lawyers play an indispensable role in the successful execution of a business plan. Here are seven keys to get the most from lawyers for your business.

Call sooner rather than later. Problems are more expensive to solve than avoid. Call your lawyers before you get served with a lawsuit. Call them before you sign a lease or a loan or any other contract vitally important to your business. An hour or two of your lawyer’s time to review a document could save multiple hours down the road trying to unwind or modify a bad deal.

Understand the fees upfront. When hiring a lawyer, you should ask for a document (sometimes called an engagement letter or retainer agreement) to describe how your lawyer will charge for their work. Not all projects need be billed by the hour. If you are looking for more certainty as to cost, ask for an alternative, such as a cap on fees or a hard quote on the total cost. Alternative fee structures don’t automatically lower total legal fees. Getting certainty in your fees may come at a cost.

Be prepared and do your homework. Prior to meeting with your lawyer in person or on the phone, spend time getting prepared. Read in advance any documents or contracts you would like the lawyer to review and have specific questions. Spend time to get a clear understanding of the deal you want to do and the goals you hope to accomplish. In short, use your lawyer’s time as efficiently as possible.

Keep your lawyer in the loop. As your business plan unfolds and new developments arise, touch base with your lawyer through a quick email or phone call to apprise them of what’s going on. They may see issues that you haven’t thought about, and it could end up saving you thousands of dollars in legal fees down the road.

Don’t hide the ball. Be totally honest with your lawyer. Your discussions will be protected by the attorney-client privilege and kept in strict confidence (assuming you don’t plan to commit a crime). Legal issues are driven by facts, and the more detail you provide your lawyer, the better they will be able to serve you.

Get the right lawyer. Don’t ask a patent lawyer to review a loan agreement. The legal system is complicated. Like most professions, law has become incredibly specialized in the last few decades. Before your hire a lawyer, make sure they have experience handling your type of project. The lawyers at Ascent Law have deep expertise in business litigation and all aspects of business transactions.

Treat your lawyer like a business partner. Unlike the caricatures in lawyer jokes, most lawyers are dedicated professionals with the knowledge and experience to safely guide you through the legal risks of running a business. Treat them as you would a business partner. You’ll find the value they add to your business far exceeds the cost.

  Free Consultation with a Utah Business Lawyer

If you are here, you probably have a business law issue you need help with, call Ascent Law for your free business law consultation [phone]. We want to help you.

Ascent Law LLC8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite CWest Jordan, Utah 84088 United StatesTelephone: [phone]

Ascent Law LLC

4.9 stars – based on 67 reviews

Recent Posts

How to Legally Collect on a Bad Check

Divorcio

Allowable 3rd Party Disclosure Under the FDCPA

Preparation and Negotiation of REPC

Moves and Relocation in Divorce

Are out of state court decisions good in Utah divorce cases?

Source: http://www.ascentlawfirm.com/tips-for-effectively-using-your-business-lawyer/

from Securities Lawyer In Utah https://securitieslawyerinutah.wordpress.com/2018/03/14/tips-for-effectively-using-your-business-lawyer/

[jenniferramona1]

Tips for Effectively Using Your Business Lawyer

Savvy business people understand that lawyers play an indispensable role in the successful execution of a business plan. Here are seven keys to get the most from lawyers for your business.

Call sooner rather than later. Problems are more expensive to solve than avoid. Call your lawyers before you get served with a lawsuit. Call them before you sign a lease or a loan or any other contract vitally important to your business. An hour or two of your lawyer’s time to review a document could save multiple hours down the road trying to unwind or modify a bad deal.

Understand the fees upfront. When hiring a lawyer, you should ask for a document (sometimes called an engagement letter or retainer agreement) to describe how your lawyer will charge for their work. Not all projects need be billed by the hour. If you are looking for more certainty as to cost, ask for an alternative, such as a cap on fees or a hard quote on the total cost. Alternative fee structures don’t automatically lower total legal fees. Getting certainty in your fees may come at a cost.

Be prepared and do your homework. Prior to meeting with your lawyer in person or on the phone, spend time getting prepared. Read in advance any documents or contracts you would like the lawyer to review and have specific questions. Spend time to get a clear understanding of the deal you want to do and the goals you hope to accomplish. In short, use your lawyer’s time as efficiently as possible.

Keep your lawyer in the loop. As your business plan unfolds and new developments arise, touch base with your lawyer through a quick email or phone call to apprise them of what’s going on. They may see issues that you haven’t thought about, and it could end up saving you thousands of dollars in legal fees down the road.

Don’t hide the ball. Be totally honest with your lawyer. Your discussions will be protected by the attorney-client privilege and kept in strict confidence (assuming you don’t plan to commit a crime). Legal issues are driven by facts, and the more detail you provide your lawyer, the better they will be able to serve you.

Get the right lawyer. Don’t ask a patent lawyer to review a loan agreement. The legal system is complicated. Like most professions, law has become incredibly specialized in the last few decades. Before your hire a lawyer, make sure they have experience handling your type of project. The lawyers at Ascent Law have deep expertise in business litigation and all aspects of business transactions.

Treat your lawyer like a business partner. Unlike the caricatures in lawyer jokes, most lawyers are dedicated professionals with the knowledge and experience to safely guide you through the legal risks of running a business. Treat them as you would a business partner. You’ll find the value they add to your business far exceeds the cost.

  Free Consultation with a Utah Business Lawyer

If you are here, you probably have a business law issue you need help with, call Ascent Law for your free business law consultation [phone]. We want to help you.

Ascent Law LLC8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite CWest Jordan, Utah 84088 United StatesTelephone: [phone]

Ascent Law LLC

4.9 stars – based on 67 reviews

Recent Posts

How to Legally Collect on a Bad Check

Divorcio

Allowable 3rd Party Disclosure Under the FDCPA

Preparation and Negotiation of REPC

Moves and Relocation in Divorce

Are out of state court decisions good in Utah divorce cases?

from Michael Anderson http://www.ascentlawfirm.com/tips-for-effectively-using-your-business-lawyer/

from Utah Bankruptcy Law https://utahbankruptcylaw.wordpress.com/2018/03/14/tips-for-effectively-using-your-business-lawyer/

[investmart007]

WASHINGTON | Trump urges end to probe 'right now,' setting off new storm

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/hNMfUW

WASHINGTON | Trump urges end to probe 'right now,' setting off new storm

WASHINGTON  — In a fervent outburst, President Donald Trump declared Wednesday that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions should terminate the special counsel’s election probe “right now,” a newly blunt attack on the investigation that could imperil his presidency. Trump also assailed the federal trial, just undeway, of his former campaign chairman by the special counsel’s team White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders scrambled to explain that Trump’s tweet was “not an order” and the president was not directing his attorney general to do anything.

“It’s the president’s opinion,” she said.

But Trump’s early morning tweetstorm again raised the specter that he could try to more directly bring special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia-Trump election-collusion probe to a premature end. And it revived the idea that the president’s tweets themselves might be used as evidence that he is attempting to obstruct justice.

Meanwhile, Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani said negotiations are continuing to have Trump sit down for questions from Mueller, though the lawyer said “I’m not going to give you a lot of hope that it’s going to happen.” He said both sides had exchanged proposals for conditions for such an interview, “and yesterday we got a letter back from them and now we’re in the process of responding.”

Trump has raged privately in recent days that both the forces of government and the media are trying to undermine him. That includes trumped-up charges against his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and distorting the outcome of the Helsinki summit to make it appear he was beholden to Russia, according to two Republicans close to the White House not authorized to speak about private conversations.

Trump was closely monitoring news coverage of the Manafort proceedings, which provoked the spate of incendiary tweets, according to the two Republicans and two White House officials. “The president’s not obstructing, he’s fighting back,” said Sanders, dismissing the idea Trump’s tweets could be tantamount to obstruction of justice.

The most inflammatory of Trump’s tweets said, “This is a terrible situation and Attorney General Jeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now, before it continues to stain our country any further. Bob Mueller is totally conflicted, and his 17 Angry Democrats that are doing his dirty work are a disgrace to USA!”

The president’s anger came the day after the start of the trial of Manafort, who is facing federal charges of bank fraud and tax evasion. And while Mueller did not bring any election-related charges against Manafort, the specter of the Russian investigation is hanging over the Alexandria, Virginia, courthouse. And Trump’s White House.

“Paul Manafort worked for Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole and many other highly prominent and respected political leaders,” Trump tweeted. “He worked for me for a very short time. Why didn’t government tell me that he was under investigation. These old charges have nothing to do with Collusion – a Hoax!”

Later the president invoked one of the nation’s most notorious criminals, 1920s gangster Al Capone, and posed the question “who was treated worse” while airing his grievance about Manafort being held in solitary confinement ahead of a conviction. Manafort is in detention after having his bail revoked because of allegations that he was attempting to tamper with witnesses in his case. Federal prosecutors revealed last month that he was afforded unusual privileges while in detention.

Trump has spent more than a year trying to distance himself from his one-time top political aide, and to minimize the role Manafort played in his campaign. Trump’s protestations aside, Manafort worked on the campaign during a critical six-month period in 2016, during which he led the effort to ensure Trump won the Republican nomination. He oversaw the early days of the general election effort.

Sanders said Trump wants Mueller’s investigation concluded swiftly without intervention, though Trump has publicly mused as recently as May about interfering in the Department of Justice’s oversight of the probe. “At some point I will have no choice but to use the powers granted to the Presidency and get involved!” he tweeted then.

Trump has repeatedly belittled the probe as “a hoax,” as those close to him suggest he feels that any talk of Russian interference tarnishes his electoral victory and delegitimizes his presidency.

One of the president’s confidants deemed Trump in “a dark place,” seething about the longlasting probe and the media’s depiction of his White House under siege. Though long antagonistic toward the press, Trump’s anger toward the media has only grown over the past month, as he has berated coverage of his Singapore and Helsinki summits, the possible prosecutorial cooperation of his former legal “fixer” Michael Cohen and the Mueller probe.

After complaining about the tough questions he received from American reporters in Finland, Trump has largely steered clear of the mainstream media, instead opting for safer spaces like an interview with ally Rush Limbaugh this week. From the White House briefing room podium on Wednesday, Sanders declined to denounce the harassment of a CNN reporter during a Trump rally in Florida on Tuesday.

The president’s social media outburst renewed discussion of the significance of his tweets.

Rudy Giuliani, the president’s lawyer, stressed that Trump was just issuing an opinion, though he also said the White House believes “the investigation should be brought to a close.”

“I guess, if we were playing poker — we’re not — put up or shut up, what do you got?” Giuliani said. “We have every reason to believe they don’t have anything.”

When pressed by reporters on how she tells the difference between a presidential order or an opinion, Sanders said Trump makes his intentions “pretty clear.”

But the line between registering an opinion or governing by tweet has bedeviled the White House from the start, even when former press secretary Sean Spicer declared tweets could be official White House statements. Earlier this year, Trump blindsided the Defense Department when he tweeted out a transgender ban for the military, prompting the Pentagon to slow walk the program.

Mueller already is interested in some of Trump’s tweets to the extent they raise obstruction of justice concerns. Though experts believe obstruction by tweet is possible, prosecutors have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a particular act got in the way of an investigation and that the person who did it intended to obstruct.

The president’s tweets on Wednesday were greeted warily on Capitol Hill, with most lawmakers, regardless of party, urging Trump to let the probe run its course.

No. 3 Senate GOP leader John Thune of South Dakota said, “The idea that they should truncate it doesn’t make sense to me.”

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut went much further, declaring. There is now highly credible evidence that the president of the United States is committing obstruction of justice in real time, right before our eyes.

By Associated Press

#CNN reporter during a Trump rally #Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal #President Donald Trump #setting off new storm #TodayNews #Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani #Trump urges #U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions #United States is committing obstruction #Washington