#so if you message me privately then we can talk through this in a civilized manner

[coleskingdom]

Mine Pt 4

This will be a six part story. This chapter has no smut.

The Forbidden Door meeting

I wake up before Jay, my mind refusing to shut off. I lay there in the early morning light watching him sleep. I’m overwhelmed by how much I’m falling in love with him my chest gets tight at the thought that he might get hurt because of me. A tear falls down my face. Jays eyes open “ Hey, what’s wrong?” Still half asleep, “Nothing”I say and try to smile. Now fully awake “We don’t do that remember” He’s rolls on his side facing me. “So I’m going to ask you again, what’s wrong?” I can tell he’s bracing himself. “ I’m worried you’re going to get hurt because of me.” His hand strokes my face moving a strand of hair, “It won’t be because of you, it’s real but we will all be professionals. Besides I’d bet you’d be cute in a nurses outfit.” I laugh and the tension is broken.

Jays phone rings, “Hey Will, she’s fine why? I don’t think she’s looked at her phone in the past two days. No that’s exactly what happened, yeah I haven’t talked to anyone over there yet. I appreciate it man, I’ll repay you the favor. You’re right an excuse to get Finlay out is a good enough reason. I’ll let her know.” he hangs up. “ Apparently you need to look at your phone, you’ve got a good portion of people worried about you.”

I sigh heavily and pick up my phone, and hand it to Jay. “Please, I can’t right now.” He scrolls through my messages and I can tell he’s deleting the ones that he knew I wouldn’t want to read. “Your dad texts like a psycho.” Handing me back the phone.

I start to read the text out loud

The Bang Bang Brats

“Are you our new mom?”

ELP <3

Tell Jay GOD is ready to join Gold.

Ospreay

Whatever you need it’s yours? I had no clue about your dad and Finlay, next time you decide to get married let a guy know okay. I’m sorry love I wasn’t there for you.

ZSJ

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me Finlay really? Why didn’t you say something, I could’ve done something. You really got a thing for those Bullet Club boys, I warned you about them years ago. I have to say of the lot Jay is the best of them. Be happy love, it’ll all be fine, if you need anything let me know.

“I’m glad I read them”I sighed and smiled. I leaned my head over on Jays shoulder, he put his hand in mine brushing my knuckles. “ I’m glad you did to, it seems you have quite the fan club. Love” in the absolute worst British accent I’ve ever heard, his eyes showing his amusement when I turned to look at him. He kissed me softly, resting his forehead on mine. “We better get ready before, I cancel the meetings and we just stay here. “

We got ready and were downstairs when the first knock came. Matt,Nick, Page, Cole, Kenny Tony and Rocky were all there. Followed by a catering team , who asked where to set up . “ Just put it on the island “ Jay said casually winking at me, as he predicted my face turned pink.

I sat beside him at the table. Everyone else gathered with Tony at the head of one end with Kenny at the other. Jays body tensed as he stares down the table at Kenny. I put my hand on his thigh trying to give him support, he could never let being Kenny’s young boy go, mainly because Kenny insisted on reminding him of it at any chance he had.

Tony started “ Good Morning, I trust everyone had a good evening last night. Thank you all for being here. I was told the result of the private vote was to move forward with a forbidden door program. I’ve spoken with President Tannashi and he agrees that it’s time for the Bullet Club Civil War. The only stipulation is that it can be any member of the club that was current or retired prior to Saturdays incident. We will need rosters from each group and we will be preparing the matches out of interest and fairness. However the main event will be David vs Jay. Loser loses his club, the winner has the right to include or exclude the others current members, but only one club will be recognized after the match. “

A low rumbling went around the table as the words sank in.

Tony slides a contract towards me, “ I’m presenting you both with a talent and employment contract. You will see that the terms of talent are through forbidden door but that the employment offer for you to be in talent relations is a five year deal.You’ve worked hard and you deserve this. However, you will need to be on screen with Jay, I will leave that to the two of you to discuss how and what the presentation is going to be. “ My eyes were as big as saucers, I never wanted to be on screen talent. Jay took my hand under the table and gave it a squeeze.

“Thank you, I don’t know what to say other than thank you.” I said.

Kenny spoke next “ Jay, you really couldn’t let Japan go could you. I left the keys in your hands you had it all but you had to come here you had to bring Bullet Club with you. You’ve had to make your mess my mess. Now you’re trying to be the savior of bullet club because it’s all you have. I don’t even understand why I’m here or what I have to do with any of this. I’m part of the Elite and was part of the version of Bullet Club that brought this whole thing to prominence. The fact that this all over some girl who was making shitty choices because she has Daddy issues. “

With that Jay slid back from the table and yanked Kenny up by his collar. “Say what you want about me, but you keep her out of your mouth. You don’t even realize that your best days are behind you, Ospreay and I both made sure of that, and if I need to I’ll finish it myself. If you want to align with Finlay go ahead, I’ll take on the both of ya. As for now though get the fuck out of my house.”

Matt and Nick got in between both of them. Jay let Kenny go, but dared him to say anything further. “Matt Nick let’s go” Kenny said. “Not this time Kenny. You’ve gone too far.”Matt said regretfully . Kenny looked around the table for support , none of the other men will meet his eyes. I however refused to look away from him my jaw set firm, and hard. Kenny stormed out the front door slamming it behind him.

“He’ll calm down, he’s out injured anyway. He insisted on being here because he’s an EVP. I’m sorry I didn’t expect him to disrespect your home. The fact that you’re prioritizing someone you care about, is a regret he still has and has never gotten over“ Matt said .

“Who have you heard from?” Tony asked changing the subject .

“As for Japan, you really don’t have much support Jay. The War Dogs, Kenta, Owens , House of Torture are all together. GOD said they texted you to let you know that they will be aligning with Gold. You have a lot of support from United Empire and TMDK that have offered to do matches on the road to forbidden door in hopes that they can keep them fatigued. That’s about all you’ve got. “ Rocky said

“ So I need what 10 -12 guys? “ Jay said “Closer to 15 guys I’m afraid.” Rocky said.

“Matt, Have you heard from AJ , Deviit or Cody?”

“ they’re all sitting this out, which numbers wise works better for us. “ Matt confirmed.

“ What about Austin and Bey?” I asked trying to do the math in my head.

Jay picked up his phone “ Hey Chris, I need to know where you are on this whole thing. We’d love to have y’all. Thanks man talk soon.” They’re in . I think we have our numbers..”

“I want Gabe “ Page said abruptly, “he’s been running his mouth too fucking long about me. It needs to be a death match.”

“We want Connor’s and Maloney they keep shitting on our legacy. I’m sick of it. “ Nick added

“ I think Japan would be agreeable to this.” Tony said and Rocky nodding his head.

“ Cole do you have anyone you’d like to take out personally? “ Jay asked

“Coughlin, and if I’ve got to team with page to get to him then that’s what we need to do death match and all. “ Cole not loving the idea of a death match but wanting Coughlin more.

“What about you sweetheart, what do you want out of this?” Jay asked

“ I just want to y’all to come out safe.” I said.

“That’s no fun sweetheart, I mean who do you want to slap, or kick in the balls, something that you get to do on the talent side. “

“My father, and Finlay.” Laughing at the idea.

“Tony you’ve created a monster, I’m afraid . She’s been thinking about this a while. Britt can help her get ring ready..” Cole offered

“I think that’s it for a while guys I’ll get the paperwork to you for signature and review.” Which was the dismissal from Tony.

Everyone stayed a little longer. They wanted to talk about my on screen presentation. “ I never thought I’d be on screen, I was content in the background.” I said. “ Well you’ve been given two contracts from Tony so you’re in. Now it’s about your presentation, you’ll need one move that you can execute well. .” Matt said. “ What’s your favorite move of all time. “ Jay asked“ The Superkick” the other four men answered in unison. Jay looked at me “Seriously?” I shrugged my shoulders "I was an hbk fan what can I say. “

“She actually has a fairly decent one, we’ve worked with her on it before. She wanted Shawn’s so I worked on it with her it’s been a while though.” Cole shrugged “ What style is she going for asked Page, the bullet club bunnies aren’t going to work….” I’m not doing that hell no.” I cut him off abruptly. “ I think I just want a slightly sexy black and gold look. Jeans, heels a tank or bustier. “ I was actually feeling pretty pleased with the idea.

“ You’ll wear my jacket though, we can modify one, you can have either the switchblade or bullet club logo. If you go with the logo I’d like you to wear a golden switch blade necklace. Just on camera.” Jay said. "Now wait a minute, you don’t need for it to look like you own her.” Page said “ I’m okay with it, it’s pretty rock n roll actually. I’d rather look rock n roll than a ring rat, besides bullet club has always been cool. And it’s something we are all doing together. I’m going to go with the gold logo and the necklace. When I’m with everyone and if it’s just Jay and I I’ll have the switchblade logo. I need not to be damsel in distress.” The guys seem to be in agreement and they started working on story lines. I needed a break, so I excused myself.

I found myself a little place on the back porch in a rocking chair that overlooked the property. “ How are you doing Darlin?” Page asked handing me a glass of whiskey

“It’s been a lot, but I’m happy.” I smiled

“So you and Jay huh? “ he questioned

“He and I spent a lot of time together when y’all left for AEW. It was he and I and the new bullet club for a while. we hung out a ton he and I shared an apartment as room mates. It feels right, and honestly I was a little surprised how comfortable this all is. He gets me Adam, when I ran out of the wedding and I was in the car and started having a panic attack, he got me through it like it was the most normal thing in the world. He didn’t bring it up or make me feel shitty about it. I think I’m in love with him.”

Jay was stepping out on the porch, with a blanket.

“I’m gonna head back in, I just wanted to check on you.” as page started to excuse himself. “ Hey Adam, don’t feel like you’ve got to go on my account. I need everyone to understand nothings changed she still needs you guys. Honestly I was bringing her a blanket the wind from the north kicks up and it can get cool quick. “ Jay handed me a blanket and a kiss on the top of the head and disappeared back inside.

“Who the fuck was that guy and what did you do with Jay ?” I just laughed , page took a seat on the wooden steps and looked out. The easy quiet. It’s always been easy to be quiet with him. He broke the silence as the sun started going down, “I’m happy for you. Kenny was out of line and you deserve what all the rest of us have a safe place that feels like home. Matt said he took care of you on the contracts, none of us want you to be obligated to be in a position that you need anyone but yourself.”“Thanks Adam”, he bent down as hugged me.

I followed him back inside realizing he was the last one leaving. As I walked him out Jay came out of the kitchen. “Everything okay? “ he said . “ Yeah, it’s what we do, we sit in silence, sometimes it’s a big conversation, sometimes it’s nothing.Its nice knowing someone is there.” I walked towards him his arms opened and pulled me in.

“So you’re in love me” he said softly, “ I am” I answered back.

I pull back and I’m trying to read his face, “”Are you okay ? I didn’t mean for you to hear that, I’m not trying to…”

“ Sweetheart , that was the best part of my day, I need you to know that. In answer to your question no I’m not okay, Kenny got under my skin again. He’s just a smug son of a bitch. “

I took his hand and led him to the couch I sat down, “ Sit down in front of me. I’m going to take care of you but go ahead and keep talking.” He sat down between my legs and faced the fire in the hearth. I began running my fingers through his hair massaging his scalp. “ He’s always been a dick, he was so mad when I wouldn’t join his club , he couldn’t stand that I wouldn’t bow to the great Kenny Omega. That I could do more outside of his shadow that I didn’t need his approval, I had Okadas. That’s when my game began to take what was his. Today when he started in on you that was it. “ I pull his hair a little bit just enough to break his tension, “That feels good. it’s been along time since someone took care of me. Sure there were women but they all wanted the character, not me. I got to the point I looked forward to the dinners you’d make in that tiny apartment, the way you’d stream terrible television, the way you’d watch AEW studying it, but also buying completely in. “ I move my hand to the back of his neck rubbing the knots out of his neck, he groaned, then continued “ I’ve been in love with you for years. Your selfless nature, your kind heart, the way you’d support and comfort all of us. I loved the way you put the jacket on me before I went out to the ring, the way you’d take care of me when I was injured . You’d listen to me rant, scream and breakdown.” He reached back and took my hands off his neck and turned around kneeling in front of me. “Marry Me, I mean will you marry me?”

I gasped at his words, my brain processing everything he said tears came down my face, “ Yes Jay I will.”

#aew fanfiction #switchblade jay white #jay white imagine #jay white x reader #jay white smut #jay white x you

[mentalmeles]

You’re a bully with a fragile ego. Nobody “deserves” harassment. That’s not justice. Take them to court or let the actual person being slandered by them stand up. Stupid mob bullying the mentally ill. You’re all sick for this. Nobody gave a hoot about this Horse person until you bullies said anything.

Tell me you haven't read the document without actually telling me you haven't read the document. Or the post for that matter.

In all seriousness, I didn't realize asking for substantial pieces of evidence for claims that could ruin someone else's career could be qualified as 'harassment.' If you took the time to read the document, you'd find that it's not a call to harass Horse/Griff, but a timeline of all the times they have gone out of their way to ruin Magpie's reputation for over a year now--whether it be in their friend circle, strangers in the fandom, or to Magpie's actual customers. All the while they provide nothing to back any of their claims, even saying that they'll take 'anything' so long as it aids them in their goal of ruining Magpie's career. That's literally something Horse said, by the way. There's a screenshot of it in the document.

But, in some way, I understand you. If you yourself aren't Horse, then you're a friend of theirs. And it can be so hard to admit to yourself that your friend isn't who they said they were. I'm kind of going through that at the moment myself... Which is why I implore you--read the document. If not to help clear Magpie's name in your mind, then read it for yourself. You and everyone else that is affiliated with Horse deserves to know the truth.

I'm going to turn off anon now, but if you'd like to have a civil conversation with me, please feel free to send me another message and we can talk privately.

#and as a side note: i myself am mentally ill anon #being mentally ill does not exempt you from owning up to the damage and pain you have inflicted upon someone else for so long #and the point of this callout is for others to be aware of horse and their actions #we kinda WANT people to 'give a hoot' about them #the owl house fandom #toh fandom critical #anonymous #ask

[beatroot-pie]

In relationship head cannons

Lloyd -

His favourite type of date you go on is picnics. He loves getting to cook for you and spend the day at a park or beach just talking.

He loves it when you begin to talk about something and ramble. He loves to watch you just talk about something so passionately.

After every date, Lloyd will bring you home to make sure you get there safely totally not because he wants to scope out the best ways to spy into the house.

He will never initiate a kiss, but if you don't kiss him on the date or when he's dropping you off he will assume he did something wrong and text you that night asking if you're mad at him.

When he meets your parents he is so nervous he doesn't know what to say. He stutters and avoids eye contact the entire dinner. They found it cute but he was furious with himself.

When you meet his parents and sister he threatens them several times to be nice.

If you travel much for work then he will make you text him and call him as much as possible, he needs to know where, with who, and for long you will be.

After a while he begs you to work from home like him.

After a month of dating, he will get you a ring, but won't propose for another year.

He would purpose a private tour of a butterfly garden.

"Please don't be mad at me, I promise I will be perfect for you"

Allan -

He loves taking you to dinner at his favourite restaurants and then to the movies. He really likes seeing you dress up fancy.

He hates admitting it but loves it when you ask about him. Every small question gives him butterflies.

Everynight he texts you asking how you liked the food or your opinion on the movie. If you don't respond with in five minutes he deletes the message. He does'nt want you to think hes desperate oh but he is.

Allan is very physical in showing his love. He loves giving hugs, kisses, and holding your hand. (Unless youre uncomfortable with it).

When you meet his parents they instantly love you. Mrs. White has always wanted a daughter and she sees you as the perfect filler. Mr. White is over the moon that Allan has a girlfriend.

He is so nervous to meet your parents but pretends to be confident. They will be a little awkward around him but then start to love him.

When you started dating he offers to pay and buy everything. He comes from money and would beg you to stop working or persuing school.

After awhile you get fired from your job then the school lets you go. Luckily Allan is there to get you through it too bad he paid off the school and employers .

After three months of dating he begins to plan your wedding, family, and retirement.

He would purpose while on your two year anniversiary in either Paris or Rome.

"If you promise to be mine, I promise to be youre everything"

Kylie -

She would take you out every night to either dinner or out for long drives that would mostly be her belting out songs on the radio.

She loves getting to show off her singing or playing abilities. She practically melts at your compliments and approval.

She loves talking on the phone, she would want to hear you fall asleep on the phone, wake up, and talk.

Kylie adores getting to hug you and kiss you. She understands boundaries but she loves getting to touch you.

When you meet her dad he immediately dislikes you. He is civil but never shows any kindness, Kylie picks up on it and gets mad at him.

Kylie can be a bit much, your parents will be a bit thrown off at first but they learn to tolerate her.

Kylie prefers dates where she can pay for you, but occasionally will let you pay, it makes her feel like you're in control.

After Kylie gets discovered by a producer and begs you to quit your job and tour with her she needs you to be with her always.

After four months of dating, she will get a ring.

After another four months, she proposes to you on stage after a show.

"We don't need anyone else, you and I forever baby"

#yandere #x reader #oc #fanfic #jock #singer #yandere x reader #head canon #stalker

[ihatepeoplesomuchuwu]

I have no idea if the anon who posted supporting Gays Against Groomers can see this, but-- the fact that you were medically transitioned as a child, presumably including surgeries and hormones, is not okay and I hope the person who did that can be sued for malpractice.

However, this doesn't change the SEVERE harm that GaG does. Allies of GaG have posted topless/unclothed images of minors on multiple occasions, without consent of those individuals. GaG has deliberately placed itself in a position where they can essentially say and claim whatever they want to, and if you protest it, you're declared a Groomer, even as GaG claims drag queens are all inherently groomers.

As someone who was groomed by a gay person, its very important to me that I make this clear. GaG is not about the victims of crimes. It is about power. It is about appealing to people who would turn against us at a moments notice. GaG is a group of "the good gays" who forget that they're, well, targets too.

What frustrates me, too, is calling the statement "minors don't transition medically" disingenuous.

It isn't.

MOST minors don't transition medically. The ones that do should not have been--and, again, hormone blockers are not medical transitioning and are given to cis kids with little issues. It isn't disingenuous at all to say that minors don't transition medically because its the general rule. I tried to do so myself when I was a minor so. Yknow. That would be how I know that.

Its pretty wild to just call GaG "brash". They actively harrass gay people and ESPECIALLY trans people. They make a big scene with their presence at pride events,implicitly calling everyone else a groomer. They quite literally lie.

I'm sorry about your experience, I'm sorry about my experience, but they're still shit people who don't understand that to people like Matt Walsh and Ben Shapiro and Ron Desantis, we are all degenerates who deserve to be made illegal.

I wish I could add to this, but you put a lot into this, and it is written so damn well. ^^

I need to personally look more into GaG because this is the first I have heard about them showing pictures of minors... That's disgusting, and I hope that isn't true.(It makes me think of peta, how they show these horrible things that happened to animals, and the claim they are "doing a good thing.") I have heard both good and bad things from GaG, so I need to take the time to do some serious digging on them to know what else is going on.

I wish I could truly add more, but just like the other anon, I feel it might be best if I don't add anything/influence people's take on this, you know? You both wrote such beautiful posts and I don't want to ruin/stir the pot with my pov(which I shouldn't even comment on them since I know barely anything about them and haven't gone through what all of you guys did) It makes me happy that we're all talking like this as civil people instead of being "NUH UH" type deal. I have huge respect for all of you! Please have a wonderful day/night and hydrate, please. UwU

(P.s. If you want to add more or private message me to add more, let me know! I'm here for you guys, in my ask box and messages. ^^ Here you go, Anon ✨️👑✨️

#carnivorekitty #niwinoodle #royalty 👑 #anonymous #I'm glad to have more people in my ask box talk to me about them #especially with no hate towards eachother #Just civil talking and no hate... I love you guys <3

[danicac07]

Title: A flower we saw that day

15. B U S T E D

"Oppa, what are you doing here?" You're in shock that you saw your brother in your own apartment waiting for you to come home.

"Exactly. Where are you? I keep calling you." He shrugs and added "Is there anything you need to explain why you're not answering your phone?"

"I was busy, at that moment." You said while not keeping an eye contact to your brother.

"Busy? Then look at me straight in the eye and tell me then?" He said while raising his left brow with sudden suspicion of your whereabouts.

"It's nothing. Really..." You can't keep your eye contact and your brother's suspicions turn into interrogation.

"So, if it was nothing then, you have to tell me your whereabouts." He crossed his arms, make a face into giving you IDGAF on what you're going to lie next.

"Fine! I met Wonwoo on my way out today, happy?" You gave up and said the truth.

"You what?" He yelled at you as if he was against it already. Then he added "We're going to debut soon and you need to distance yourself to them."

"You never said that I need to distant myself with them. And I know you're going to debut soon. I'll promise that I'm not going to see him again. It's just this once, because I met his mom and I didn't know that his mom was the owner of the Seafood restaurant near in our apartment." You reason out.

"You met auntie?"

"Auntie?"

"Yeah, mother of Wonwoo."

"So, you do know that his mother is the owner of that restaurant?"

"No. Not until you said it to me already. Now I know." You two were in shock on how private is Wonwoo with his life.

"Bro, you know him for how many years, right? How come you didn't know?"

"I think I never ask his personal matters. Maybe that is why he never told me before." He pondered.

"Then you're the problem." You said as if changing the subject into him.

"So, I'm the problem when in fact, you're trying to change the subject in to me. Nice try, sis." He said to his sister as if he knows exactly what she's thinking.

"Ugh. Can we stop talking about this? I'm a grown up. But I will promise to you one thing, there's nothing going on between us. (I hope so)." You assured your brother that everything will be civil between you and Wonwoo.

"I hope so." Said your brother as if again thinking your mind and you were so shock about it but remained composed.

As soon as Wonwoo let you go and went to apartment he started browsing the videos and photos that you did together at the park. He can't stop staring at your photo- the one stolen picture he did while you were oblivious of what he is doing at the moment. It was the time when he is waiting for you at the cafeteria while walking through the door. He took a glimpse of you as if he was seeing an angel fallen from the sky. He subconsciously didn't know that he was already smiling as he was thinking of you while looking at your pictures.

"I am going to treasure this." Blabbering to himself.

Before you went into your bed, you took a bath and make any ritual in there as you want to smell good after laying down in your bed. As you finish everything you are in your bed and can't stop thinking about Wonwoo and at the same time you're being reflective of what your brother said to you. It devours you cause you know that this happiness you are feeling right now is temporary and it will be disaster afterwards once you don't stop sooner or later of what is going to happen that will makes you euphoric. You have a curse that when you're happy today, it will be disastrous tomorrow and that is why you are taking cautious now and being calculative and consider your brother's advice to you.

"I just want to last this day. I was so happy that I get to know you... Wonwoo." You said to yourself looking at the screen of your phone with Wonwoo's messages to you.

As you were about to sleep a text message came from Wonwoo suddenly appears into your cell and it said.

"I had a great time. I am going to give you the copy once I am done with it. Goodnight."

Those words melted you and as if you are in cloud nine but suddenly feel rush of sadness and cried because you hate this feeling.

And it is not good.

#jeon wonwoo #wonwoo #seventeen scenarios #svt wonwoo #jeonwonuxreader #wonwoo scenarios #svt wonu #wonu #reader x wonu #wonu x reader #wonwoo gifs #wonwoo x reader #reader x wonwoo

[delvalentine]

um… you support Johnny Depp???

My opinions of celebrities shouldn’t mean much to others.

I will briefly share my thoughts on the recent case as not to have to explain myself again. I don’t believe it being so hugely publicized and transformed into entertainment for the world was ideal and so I don’t participate in conversations or jokes about it. It’s not my place. The verdicts were finalized and handed down in a court of law so I believe it’s time for them to both be left alone for privacy.

The benefit of this case having such presence online gave the public an awareness to the reality that men can be abused by women and may not be taken seriously due to their gender. This doesn’t change the fact that there are still female victims who were abused by men and feel unsafe coming forward. Instead of continuing to talk about this case and its individuals, I strongly urge people to better spend their energy taking action in order to prevent any other incidences of intimate partner violence on a broader scale.

If this is about my tag commenting on how Amber Heard has ruined the name ‘Amber’ for me, that doesn’t reflect upon how I view her ex husband. I simply don’t like the name anymore because of a negative association I formed, which I’m sure is true of many names for people for much less significant reasons. Also, things change.

I thought about how to answer this for a while. It’s really not that deep, but I hope I’ve articulated my rationale well enough. To be honest, it’s frustrating to get this kind of anonymous ask with little context and an accusatory tone. This blog is a space for me to engage in fandom media I enjoy in peace; it shouldn’t be anything more.

If I misunderstood, you can message me with further details. In the future for those reading: if you have an issue with something I’ve posted, I’d rather have a civil conversation to discuss it in messaging where we can be “face to face” in private rather than through anonymous asks.

#chye chats

[xtruss]

Signal’s New Usernames Help Keep The Cops Out Of Your Data

Ephemeral usernames instead of phone numbers safeguard privacy — and makes Signal even harder to subpoena.

— Micah Lee | March 4, 2024

Photo Illustration: Fei Liu for The Intercept/Getty Images

In October 2021, an assistant U.S. attorney issued a subpoena to Signal demanding that the messaging app hand over information about one of its users. Based on a phone number, the federal prosecutors were asking for the user’s name, address, correspondence, contacts, groups, and call records to assist with an FBI investigation. Two weeks later, the American Civil Liberties Union responded on behalf of Signal with just two pieces of data: the date the target Signal account was created, and the date that it last connected to the service.

That’s it. That’s all Signal turned over because that’s all Signal itself had access to. As Signal’s website puts it, “It’s impossible to turn over data that we never had access to in the first place.” It wasn’t the first time Signal has received data requests from the government, nor was it the last. In all cases, Signal handed over just those two pieces of data about accounts, or nothing at all.

Signal is the gold standard for secure messaging apps because not only are messages encrypted, but so is pretty much everything else. Signal doesn’t know your name or profile photo, who any of your contacts are, which Signal groups you’re in, or who you talk to and when. (This isn’t true for WhatsApp, Telegram, iMessage, and nearly every other messaging app.)

Still, one of the main issues with Signal is its reliance on phone numbers. When activists join Signal groups for organizing, they’ve been forced to share their phone number with people they don’t yet know and trust. Journalists have had to choose between soliciting tips by publishing their private numbers to their readers — and therefore inviting harassment and cyberattacks — or setting up a second Signal number, a challenging and time-consuming prospect. Most journalists simply don’t publish a Signal number at all. That’s all about to change.

With the long-awaited announcement that usernames are coming to Signal — over four years in the making — Signal employed the same careful cryptography engineering it’s famous for, ensuring that the service continues to learn as little information about its users as possible.

“Doing It Encrypted Is The Boss Level. We Had To Change Fundamental Pieces of Our Architecture.”

“Doing it encrypted is the boss level,” said Meredith Whittaker, president of the nonprofit Signal Foundation, which makes the app. “We had to change fundamental pieces of our architecture.”

If Signal receives a government request for information about an account based on an active username, Signal will be able to hand over that account’s phone number along with its creation date and last connection date. So being able to use Signal through usernames doesn’t mean your phone number becomes subpoena-proof — at least not without using the new ability to change your username at will.

That’s because the new Signal usernames are designed to be ephemeral. You can set one, delete it, and change it to something else, as often as you want.

Signal usernames are supported in the latest versions of the Signal desktop and mobile apps— make sure to update your app, in case you’re using an older version. My username is micah.01, if you want to drop me a message.

Signal’s New Phone Number Privacy

With the new version of Signal, you will no longer broadcast your phone number to everyone you send messages to by default, though you can choose to if you want. Your phone number will still be displayed to contacts who already have it stored in their phones. Going forward, however, when you start a new conversation on Signal, your number won’t be shared at all: Contacts will just see the name you use when you set up your Signal profile. So even if your contact is using a custom Signal client, for example, they still won’t be able to discover your phone number since the service will never tell it to them.

You also now have the option to set a username, which Signal lets you change whenever you want and delete when you don’t want it anymore. Rather than directly storing your username as part of your account details, Signal stores a cryptographic hash of your username instead; Signal uses the Ristretto 25519 hashing algorithm, essentially storing a random block of data instead of usernames themselves. This is like how online services can confirm a user’s password is valid without storing a copy of the actual password itself.

“As Far As We’re Aware, We’re The Only Messaging Platform That Now Has Support For Usernames That Doesn’t Know Everyone’s Usernames By Default.”

“As far as we’re aware, we’re the only messaging platform that now has support for usernames that doesn’t know everyone’s usernames by default,” said Josh Lund, a senior technologist at Signal.

The move is yet another piece of the Signal ethos to keep as little data on hand as it can, lest the authorities try to intrude on the company. Whittaker explained, “We don’t want to be forced to enumerate a directory of usernames.”

To prevent people from squatting on high value usernames — like taylorswift, for example — all usernames are required to have a number at the end of them, like taylorswift.89. Once you’ve set a username, other Signal users can start a conversation with you by searching for your username, all without learning your phone number.

Since usernames are designed to be ephemeral, you can set a new username specifically for a conference you’re attending, or for a party. People can connect with you using it, and then you delete it when you’re done and set it to something else later.

There are some cases you might want your username to be permanent. For example, it makes sense for journalists to create a username that they never change and publish it widely so sources can reach out to them. Journalists can now do that without having to share their private phone number. It makes sense for sources, on the other hand, to only set a username when they specifically want to connect with someone, then delete it afterward.

You can also create a link or QR code that people can scan to add you as a contact. These, too, are ephemeral. You can send someone your Signal link in an insecure channel, and, as soon as they contact you, you can reset your link and get a new one, without needing to change your username.

Finally, while you’ll still need a phone number to create a Signal account, you’ll have the option to prevent anyone from finding you on Signal using your phone number.

Can Signal Hand Over Your Phone Number Based on a Username?

Whenever Signal receives a properly served subpoena, they work closely with the American Civil Liberties Union to challenge and respond to it, handing over as little user data as possible. Signal publishes a post to the “Government Requests” section of their website (signal.org/bigbrother) whenever they’re legally forced to provide user data to governments, so long as they’re allowed to. Some of the examples include challenges to gag orders, allowing Signal to publish the previously sealed court orders.

If Signal receives a subpoena demanding that they hand over all account data related to a user with a specific username that is currently active at the time that Signal looks it up, they would be able to link it to an account. That means Signal would turn over that user’s phone number, along with the account creation date and the last connection date. Whittaker stressed that this is “a pretty narrow pipeline that is guarded viciously by ACLU lawyers,” just to obtain a phone number based on a username.

Signal, though, can’t confirm how long a given username has been in use, how many other accounts have used it in the past, or anything else about it. If the Signal user briefly used a username and then deleted it, Signal wouldn’t even be able to confirm that it was ever in use to begin with, much less which accounts had used it before.

If The Signal User Briefly Used A Username And Then Deleted It, Signal Wouldn’t Even Be Able To Confirm That It Was Ever In Use To Begin With.

In short, if you’re worried about Signal handing over your phone number to law enforcement based on your username, you should only set a username when you want someone to contact you, and then delete it afterward. And each time, always set a different username.

Likewise, if you want someone to contact you securely, you can send them your Signal link, and, as soon as they make contact, you can reset the link. If Signal receives a subpoena based on a link that was already reset, it will be impossible for them to look up which account it was associated with.

If the subpoena demands that Signal turn over account information based on a phone number, rather than a username, Signal could be forced to hand over the cryptographic hash of the account’s username, if a username is set. It would be difficult, however, for law enforcement to learn the actual username itself based on its hash. If they already suspect a username, they could use the hash to confirm that it’s real. Otherwise, they would have to guess the username using password cracking techniques like dictionary attacks or rainbow tables.

Why Does Signal Require Phone Numbers at All?

Signal’s leadership is aware that its critics’ most persistent complaint is the phone number requirement, and they’ll readily admit that optional usernames are only a partial fix. But because phone numbers make it simpler for most people to use Signal, and harder for spammers to make fake accounts, the phone number requirement is here to stay for the foreseeable future.

Signal doesn’t publish how many users it has, but the Android app boasts over 100 million downloads. It has achieved this scale largely because all you need to do is install the Signal app and you can immediately send encrypted messages to the other Signal users in your phone’s contacts — based on phone numbers.

“You Reach A Threshold Where You’re Actually Teducing Privacy.”

This ease of use also makes Signal more secure. If Signal removed phone numbers, making it more difficult for Signal users to find each other compared to using alternative messaging apps, there could be a price to pay. “You reach a threshold where you’re actually reducing privacy,” Whittaker said. She gave an example of a person who faces severe threats and normally maintains vigilance but whose mother is only on WhatsApp because she can’t figure out the numberless Signal. The high-threat person would be stuck using the less secure option more often.

Requiring phone numbers also makes it considerably harder for spammers to abuse Signal. “The existence of a handful of small apps that don’t really have a large scale of users, that don’t require phone numbers, I don’t think is proof that it’s actually workable for a large-scale app,” Whittaker said.

It’s entirely possible to build a version of Signal that doesn’t require phone numbers, but Whittaker is concerned that without the friction of obtaining fresh phone numbers, spammers would immediately overwhelm the network. Signal engineers have discussed possible alternatives to phone numbers that would maintain that friction, including paid options, but nothing is currently on their road map.

“That’s actually the nexus of a very gnarly problem space that I haven’t seen a real solution for from any alternatives, and we would want to tread very, very cautiously,” Whittaker said. “There’s one Signal. We’re the gold standard for private messaging, and we have achieved critical mass at a pretty large scale. Those things couldn’t easily be recreated if we fuck this up by making a rash decision that then makes it a spammy ghost town. That’s the concern we’re wrestling with here.”

[hoghtastic]

How would you know if someone has the same email address? you can only know that by hacking someone, if that is what you did or you so called friend (is he or she in the room with us?) then u hope you die from aids ❤️

wtf is wrong with you? leave that woman alone for fuckings sake.

and yes she had made her profile private for a long while, then deleted it and created a new one, which was on and off private for a while and you still feel the need to discredit her. are you so insecure about yourself that you cannot leave that girl alone while she did NOTHING to get any attention, just being stalked by a couple of people who either may have found out things OR interpreted things in a way that now is being interpreted in a very unfortunate way to discredit a person who hardly anyone knows anything about.

Also I DO have a couple of people I have talked to who had sent you stuff regarding this and your so called info about the allegedly same email address, and you had decided to post only half of it, by only screenshotting some of it and cutting out the things you didn't like.

me and a friend messaged that woman a couple of times and informed her about the things that were going on in case someone had or is really trying to hack her, sent her screens from the old blog and this one and she replied only one single thing. no text nothing. but a screenshot that showed that her ig is not even connected to any email address but ONLY her phone number and nothing else. so your "Source" is either yourself lying or someone lying and manipulating things. leave that woman alone, if you feel the need to do so, give your attention to someone who obviously enjoys it and not to someone who obviously is a private person (and either way past whatever there was or was not.)

excited to see if you once again will be so cowardly not post it or cut out the things you dislike.

First of all, why do you feel so personally offended about this? Someone brought it up and I simply replied to the best of my ability, with the info I had, and if you have some kind of reading comprehension, you’d know that I even stated I couldn’t confirm it was the absolute truth. So at the end of the day, it’s up to people to make their own judgement.

And if you’re within your right to doubt my “sources”, so am I to doubt yours. No one sent anything regarding this, other than the screenshots I mentioned. Plus, there is no way I can edit asks. They’re posted the way they’re sent, so no, I’m not manipulating anything or posting only the things I like. Why would I, anyway? It was never that serious and I have no personal interest in this matter. I’ve always been the first to say to just let it die, as real or not, it’s in the past and doesn’t matter anymore. Besides, I never “trash talked” artist girl (or anyone, for that matter), and I challenge you to search through all the blog’s posts and try to find one where I did.

That said, and since you’ve had your spotlight, I really hope we can put this matter to rest now, or if you wish to continue this discussion, I ask you to keep a civil tone, otherwise I won’t post anymore asks about this. (And yes, I’m warning you beforehand, so you won’t feel too offended about it.)

Have a nice day!

#anon asks

[sourav48899]

How to Chat With Girls Online: A Guide for the Shy Guy

Online dating can be challenging for a shy guy like yourself. It’s easy to get nervous during a first date and hope she feels the same way. It’s even easier not to talk to her after that first date. But using online dating services is one of the most effective ways you can meet more people in less time without socializing face-to-face. You don’t have to go out with your friends or risk embarrassment over drinks at the local bar. All you have to do is sign up for online dating and start connecting with potential matches. A lot has changed since we started using online dating services back in 2005. For example, these days, you won’t be rejected because you don’t know anything about the person you are messaging on the app or message right before meeting them for the first time. These days, it doesn’t matter how much you may fear talking to strangers on the internet — doing so makes sense for both parties involved. If this article helped you out and you want more help on chatting with girls online, check out our Chatting With Girls Online resource page for all kinds of information on how to meet women, chat with them privately, and seduce them!

What to expect when you start chatting with girls online?

Online dating can be a great option for those who aren’t interested in hanging out in person. You can meet a ton of great people through online dating and save a lot of time and money compared to going out on dates. But it’s important not to just start talking to girls online because you’re lonely and want company. While you can meet a ton of great people through online dating, you also need to be selective about who you talk to and how you talk to them. You don’t want to waste your time messaging girls who aren’t interested in chatting with you because they don’t respond to your messages or are busy.

How to talk to girls on the internet: A step-by-step guide

If you’re new to message online dating, we recommend starting off on a low-key, civilized note. Start off by asking her how her day is going and if she has anything planned for the future. These questions will help you gauge her level of interest and make your conversation a lot more laid-back and approachable. This is the backbone of any online dating relationship — making the first move.

How are you?

What are you doing now?

Where are you going?

When will you be back?

How do you feel?

Have you thought about asking me out yet?

Do you like sports?

Do you like to spend time with your friends?

Do you like to travel?

Do you like to cook?

Do you like to play video games?

What are your favorite bands?

What are your favorite foods?

Do you hate (anybody)?

What’s your favorite sport?

Do you like to gamble?

Do you like to eat

What if she wants to meet up in person?

If a girl on messaging apps wants to meet up in person, this is a huge step forward from just talking on the phone. In this case, you will have to figure out a way to get her to follow you to your place so that you can actually meet. This could be at a bar or restaurant where you both decide to head to, or it could be to your place so that you can walk around and take it all in.

If she is interested in meeting up in person, the next step is to figure out a way to make it happen. You might have to ask her if she wants to go out with you, suggest a date, or text her to ask her where she’s going to be.

How can you know if a girl is into guys who chat online or not?

It’s a good idea to ask her friends first, just to get a feel for where she’s at. You can also take a poll on your profile if you’re not sure whether or not she wants to be friends with you. While you’re on the app, see if she mentioned having friends that you should message. If she doesn’t, assume she’s not interested in meeting up in person.

What are some ways you can tell if a girl is interested in meeting up in person?

Have you ever been to a concert, a show, or an event where a lot of girls were there with their friends?

Do you think you’d be able to pick up some girls if you went to a concert with your friends?

How about a show?

When are you free?

Where are you free?

How do you know if they’re free?

Do you like to go to concerts?

Do you like to go to shows?

How about a concert where you can actually talk to the girls?

What is the cost of concert and show tickets?

What are the chances of meeting up with a girl there?

Conclusion

Now that you know what to expect when you start chatting with girls online, you can better prepare for the conversation. A lot has changed since we first started using online dating services in 2005. These days, you won’t be rejected because you don’t know anything about the person you are messaging on the app or message right before meeting them for the first time. These days, it doesn’t matter how much you may fear talking to strangers on the internet — doing so makes sense for both parties involved. If this article helped you out and you want more help on chatting with girls online, check out our Chatting With Girls Online resource page for all kinds of information on how to meet women, chat with them privately, and seduce them! You can visit this (HotLive) site if you want to make new friend, chat with new people or play game online. Or you can download hotlive app.

[crimenightarchive]

i don’t think there’s a need to make this a big deal, but chelsea/@ailghul & whoever @soralium is: i was not attacking you. i know you’ll check my blog, but like i said, i had full intentions of following you after you resolved this issue so we could write. i didn’t expect a public apology, it’s not even my place to accept one. i didn’t expect anything but you realizing your mistake and changing. please come back so we may talk or message me using a burner account, i don’t mind.

#though whoever soralium is.. me trying to correct someone nicely and privately for using shanina shaik for talia.. #how is my 'idea of inclusivity' wrong? #talia is 1/2 moroccan 1/4 arab 1/4 chinese and is dark-skinned #chelsea/ailghul proved that she KNEW that through her comic icons #(proved she knew talia was dark-skinned i mean) #so then why did i have to see shanina's skin be darkened just to fit comic talia? #shanina is light-skinned. she is pale. #she is also half-white and half-pakistani. #(correction here.. she is not half-white i believe? it would be 1/4 white??) #you got one thing right though.. she is technically part arab because her father is half-saudi #(please feel free to correct me if im wrong) #im not gonna sit around while you erase parts of talia's ethnicity #but i also wasn't going to drag you across the dash without talking to you. i was civil and nice.. #i have screenshots.. we have the same convo on hand.. tell me where i was mean #you ran YOURSELF out of this community and i understand and sincerely apologize if ANYTHING i said really did #make you feel like i was aggressive or anything negative #it was not my intent. i genuinely was excited to see a talia blog. but your response.. deactivating and that message.. lmfao #you can see where i'm a little flabbergasted at this outcome #PLEASE talk to me. it's not a 'preference' for someone to be erasing someone's ethnicity #a preference is someone using icons or not. using fancy formatting versus simple. it's not using an improper fc #that's all i will say publicly. #i consider this petty drama except for the erasure of talia's ethnicity omfg everything else is stupid as hell #but i want to give you a chance to enjoy the community #drama /

[anachrosims]

the sims community communications psa:

This post has been stewing for about a year now, so if anyone thinks this is directed at them... It’s not. 

These are a collection of communication issues I’ve seen rampant in the Sims community (and, let’s face it, the internet as a whole) especially in the last five or so years.

Communication is a skill, and it’s one that we are all hopefully continuously working on. Like any other skill, some people have a natural knack for it, but it is something every person could stand to take more lessons in no matter how well spoken they may be.

Each of these are things that I know I need to work on keeping up with. They are in no way intended to say that I don’t ever do any of these. In fact, these are all advice based on my own learning experiences and I hope they can help 

- - -

- If someone has done something to wrong you-- whether they have been overly aggressive in private/public and said something you disagree with, if they have been rude to your friends... --SEND THEM A CALM, CIVIL DM. Do NOT go off making a massive callout post or sending them aggressive DMs. 9 times out of 10, stepping away to breathe, and coming back to send a person a private, CALM and CIVIL private message, will yield WAY BETTER RESULTS.

- Don’t air your laundry in front of everyone at the drop of a hat. I know Twitter/Insta/Tumblr etc would suggest otherwise, but the whole world does not need to know about your beef with someone else. Callout posts should be a LAST RESORT. Even if the other person has been rude in their own posts and public communications, their childishness does not excuse YOU from acting like just as much of a twat.

- Don’t let other people’s behavior dictate the kind of person you are. I know this is way, way easier said than done. Coming from a person with severe social anxiety (and panic attacks), trust me, I GET IT. This is why learning when to NOT SAY SOMETHING, even if you are 100% justified in doing so, is a vital skill. Learn. To. Pick. Your. Battles.

- Do not harass/send hate/flames/slurs/etc. I don’t care if that ho over there just ate a damn baby, don’t go using racist/homophobic/whateverthefuck slurs and threatening insults, actual threats, etc. If you do that to people, you are PART OF THE PROBLEM.

- Learn. To. Respect. Boundaries. If you want to talk to someone about something very important, be methodical and respectful. I know it can be very frustrating, especially if you feel hurt/wronged. If someone says, “hey, I had a bad day at work, can we talk about this another time?” DON’T BE A DICK ABOUT IT. If someone does not respond to your DM within a few hours, DON’T BE A DICK ABOUT IT by posting little passive aggressive “hints” to ping their notifications. Fucking wait your damn turn. If you want to be respected by someone, being demanding like that is one of the worst ways to go about it. Is that how you want to be treated? No? Then don’t fucking do it.

- If someone takes advantage of your patience, and keeps saying they don’t want to talk about something, just block them. Chances are good that they are either going through something that’s really keeping them from having the spoons to hash something out with you, or they’re stringing you along. Either way, you may not get the closure you feel you need from them, but they are still not worth mental/emotional anguish. It’s okay to let them go. Don’t let them live rent-free in your head.

- Don’t fill your blog/chats/servers/whatever with constant negativity and drama. I see people do this, living catty lives and being constantly negative, and then they wonder why they’re always miserable and why everything always sucks. Take it from someone who is disabled several ways to Sunday and has severe major depression: Life sucks, and the only way you are going to find happiness is by fighting for it. Be more positive in your day to day chatting, post “thank yous” at random, if you see something you don’t like, guess what? You don’t have to complain about it. People will get tired of nonstop shitstirring and that includes YOU. Spare yourself and your friends the mental exhaustion and instead of posting about how you think all male sims are ugly or how you think TS2 or TS3 are for losers, just.... don’t. And if you can’t think of something else to talk about, maybe that’s a sign you really should start trying to change up your conversations.

- Block all TERFs. I mean, this is just good advice in general.

- You are allowed to step away from the keyboard. You are allowed to (POLITELY) tell someone, “I really need to step away from this right now.” It does help to communicate to others that you DO still want to discuss things, but you have every right to take some time to yourself. If they can’t respect that, even if YOU have hurt them, that is on THEIR shoulders, not yours.

[joyfulholland]

The Peace Treaty - Mob!Tom

....when your father orders you to make peace with Tom Holland, heir to the other crime family, you find working together is not as horrendous as you once thought.....

a/n: enemies to lovers with mob!Tom...this was a labour of love but I really like how this turned out and I hope you do too! i was largely inspired by all of my insanely talented friend Hannah’s (@duskholland​) mob!Tom writing, which is an absolute must read for anyone and everyone! please let me know what you think! this was nearly a smut but I changed my mind so if anyone would be interested in a part 2 please send me a message!

warnings: swearing, lots of mentions of violence, some mentions of blood/injuries

word count: 6.1k

All weddings have a little drama somewhere, but you thought having to throw a knife to stop the unwanted guest escaping was a tad excessive.

Luckily, the majority of the wedding party and guests were out in the gardens, so it was only a select few who had seen you interrupt the man’s swift exit. You smirked in triumph as he turned back to face you, his posture having slumped realising that not only was he cornered, but severely outnumbered. Smoothing out the cobalt silk that was your bridesmaid dress, you took one step forward, before pausing at the cough from the man beside you.

Tom wordlessly flipped the pistol he was holding so that you could easily take it from him. His actions caused you to raise an eyebrow, and he smirked as he revealed the second handgun tucked into his waistband.

“Knew you wouldn’t be able to carry in that dress.” He grinned, eyes scanning your figure as you took the weapon from him. “Figured I better bring a spare so you wouldn’t have to miss out on the action.”

“Thank you.” You didn’t hide the surprise in your tone, still not used to his friendly attitude. Gesturing at the man still in the doorway, whose eyes were darting between you both, and the four other men behind you, you returned to the task at hand. “Shall we?”

“After you darling.”

~one week earlier~

“You can’t be serious Dad.”

Your father rolled his eyes from where he was seated across from you in front of the fire, the sound of laughter and music drifting under the door to his study from the party going on outside. Taking another sip of his whisky, he sighed at the incredulous look still plastered on your face.

“It’s time you made peace with him. I’m getting old, it’ll be your turn to run things soon, and we’d like to retire knowing the two of you aren’t at each other’s throats and throwing everything we built away. Besides, your sister’s wedding is almost here, and I want it to run smoothly.”

Sinking back into your chair, you let out a frustrated sigh before raising your own drink to your lips. Growing up as the eldest daughter of one of the two biggest crime families in London, you’d been raised preparing for the day it would be your turn to take on the “family business”, and you had relished in the prospect. The only issue you had taken to the entire affair, one which it seemed your father was now determined to resolve, was the heir to the other notorious family with whom you shared your work: Tom Holland.

One year older than you, the rivalry between you had started young. Both determined to prove you would one day be capable heads of your respective families, you’d attempted to one up each other at every opportunity available. Where he had excelled in marksmanship, your skill with a knife was incomparable to anyone else. When he began working for his father full time, you had begged your own to let you do the same, pleading that the fact he was older irrelevant. His specialty was smuggling, so you made disposal yours. The two of you even had a private scoreboard of times your activities had namelessly been displayed on the news, bragging that you were more successful at getting away with it than the other.

“Just shag him already.” Your younger sister, Isabelle, had groaned not a month before, as you’d finished regaling her with your recent triumph over him. “You’ve both been madly in love since you were about two years old.”

You’d almost spat your wine at her, the statement causing you off guard. Whilst it was no secret that Tom had suddenly become incredibly attractive over the course of a summer away when he was seventeen, you had made that fact irrelevant as your feelings towards him held nothing but contempt.

“I’m not in love with him.” Your words had come out as defiant, but it had only caused her to snort into her own drink. “Belle, he’s an arrogant, selfish arsehole who has done nothing but show as much hate towards me as I have to him since we were old enough to throw building blocks at each other.”

“I think you meant passion, not hate, but whatever.” She rolled her eyes, knowing when to drop a subject. “But it would be better for us all if you got along at least, and so help me God if the sexual tension between the two of you ruins my wedding I’ll murder you, heir to the firm or not.”

Which led you back to sitting across from your father, who had just informed you that he’d agreed with Tom’s father Dominic that the two of them were to hold ‘peace treaty’ talks between you.

“Did Belle put you up to this?” You asked suspiciously, eyes flashing to the door where you knew she would be holding court as the host of the wedding shower.

“She and your mother may have suggested it.”

“So she snitched to the both of you.”

“Actually, I think it was your mother’s idea first, she’s been speaking about it for a while.”

The smile on his face let you know you were defeated. It seemed they had all colluded together to force you into the ceasefire of your battle with Tom, and there was no way to escape it. Letting out another disgruntled sigh, you finished the remainder of your drink before rising from the chair.

“I assume he’s here.” The tone of your voice made your father let out a bark of laughter, and you knew you sounded like a child who had just been reprimanded. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Not waiting for an answer, you crossed the room and re-joined the party that your father had pulled you from, rearranging your face into a fake smile as you passed guests in various states of enjoyment on your way to the main reception area in your family estate. You’d barely stepped over the threshold of the doorway when his voice rang clearly above the music.

“Well, if it isn’t my new best friend.”

Turning to face him, you saw Tom push up from where he was leaning against the wall. Your eyes quickly scanned his body, noting the near-empty glass held loosely between two ring-clad fingers. His black suit jacket fitted him perfectly over a crisp white shirt, which had the top three buttons undone to reveal a thin gold chain around his neck. He was flanked on either side by his two most loyal friends, Harrison and Tuwaine, both of whom offered you a smile. Whilst the rivalry between yourself and Tom was strong, neither of you had ever taken any issue to those in both of your inner circles.

“Looks like I’m not the only one who’s had the play nice speech.” Skipping any greetings, you return the other men’s smiles before focusing on Tom. He gives a short chuckle at your words before raising his glass to his lips and finishing the remainder of his drink. “For the record, I have no intentions of becoming friends.”

“I’m wounded darling.” Tom’s still wearing an obnoxious smirk as a server comes to offer you a glass of champagne, taking away his empty glass in the process. “I thought we could make a a good team, make everyone even happier.”

“In your dreams, Holland.” You know he’s just baiting you, but with the prospect of at least a couple more hours of party ahead of you, your patience for him was limited. “We can be civil at events and make an effort in any deals. But that’s it. We are not, and never will be a team.”

Not giving him time to answer, you swiftly turned on your heels and entered further into the crowd of people celebrating your sister’s upcoming nuptials, determined not to let him ruin this night for you anymore, and not to think about him until the next time you saw him.

Which, it turned out, would be sooner than you had hoped.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The following morning, you had retreated back to your own apartment.

Having cited ‘business’ as your reason, you knew that your family had seen into your lie, and that you wanted to be able to sulk in peace. You’d promised, under threats of bodily harm, to return two days before the wedding, giving you a good four days to get your bad mood out of the way.

The alone time only lasted fifteen hours.

It was drawing close to two a.m. when the banging on your door disturbed you. You hadn’t fallen asleep yet, having been going over some files at your desk, but the loud beating had startled you, and was unexpected enough for you to grab your gun from your bottom draw before approaching the source. Checking the spy hole, a string of curses left your mouth as you unchained and unlocked the door.

Tom fell through the threshold, his brown curls dishevelled, and his knuckles bruised. A thin trail of blood trickled down the side of his face from a slash above his left eyebrow, and a dark patch pooling on his shoulder alluded to there being another injury beneath his shirt. Quickly shutting the door behind him and relocking it, you spun to glare at the man who was now propping himself up against the wall of your hall.

“What the hell are you doing here?” You asked him, taking another survey of his injuries, and noting the yellowing skin under his eye that had a blue tinge. He had never been to your apartment before, but it didn’t shock you that he knew the address, especially as you knew his. Instead, you chose to ask the next most prominent question. “Have you been stabbed or shot?”

“I was close by, needed to tell you something.” He ignores your question, so you move past him to get to your bathroom, noting the wince he tried to hide as he moved to follow. Gingerly sitting on the edge of your bathtub, he watches as you grab a first aid kit from the cabinet under your sink. “You don’t need to do that.”

“I’m not going to stand here and watch you bleed.” You roll your eyes at him as you turn to face him, gesturing towards his shirt as a hint for him to remove it. He does so slowly, grimacing as he tries not to move his shoulder. You can’t help but take a sharp gasp when you see the gash running over the top of his skin, clear that a bullet had skimmed past him and not quite missed. Tom sends you a weak smile as you turn back to grab something to clean the wound. “What were you so desperate to tell me anyway? You could have just called.”

“Like you’d have answered.” Tom jokes as you step forward to begin patching him up, a hiss falling through his lips as you make contact with his injury. “You’ve made it clear that you only want to speak to me on a need-to-know basis, and this was urgent. That’s going to need stitches isn’t it? Just try and stem the bleeding until I get home, Haz is pretty decent at sewing me up.”

Your eyes flashed to meet his for a brief second before returning to his shoulder, nodding at his question. You couldn’t deny that you probably would have rejected his call and had nothing else to say to him in response. Grabbing some gauze, you start to tightly pad over the wound, waiting for him to continue.

“I ran into Jason.” His words promptly stop your actions, and your eyes connect again. Jason Boule was the son of another crime family, one whom which neither your father or Tom’s had gotten ever along with, and one who had been attempting to sabotage both of your businesses for years. “I think they’re trying to get someone into the wedding.”

“What did he say?” You ask, finishing with his shoulder before grabbing something to start cleaning up his face. “And what did you say to make him shoot at you?”

“Asked me to pass on congratulations to the happy couple, claimed he was disappointed he hadn’t received an invite, that he was sure it was going to be a day to remember.” Tom spoke the last few words with gritted teeth as you wiped over the cut along his face. “Then he…I may have said something about how vermin weren’t usually invited to weddings, which is about when he shot at me.”

“You missed something out in the middle.” You smirked as it was Tom’s turn to roll his eyes, having not missed the way he’d changed his mind mid-sentence, passing him an instant-cool pack from your kit. “Hold that on your eye.”

“Thanks.” He muttered, doing as you told him. You waited expectantly, and he groaned before carrying on. “He may have said some shit about you in the middle, which I may have punched him for, but that wasn’t important to the alluding to sending someone to the wedding point.”

“You punched him for bad-mouthing me?”

“Well, yeah. Just because I give you shit for not being as good as me, doesn’t give him any right to. Especially not what he said, which I won’t repeat for the fact it was disgusting.”

Eyes once again locked on his, you found yourself lost for words. Tom had tried to joke it off, but the idea of him defending you, in any situation, felt like a foreign concept. Dropping your gaze down, you sucked in a breath at the realisation of the intimate situation the two of you were in: you, standing between his legs as he sat, shirtless, with only centimetres separating the two of you. As you raised your eyes slowly back to his, you found Tom’s gaze still fixed firmly on your face. A moment passed, and for a brief second you found yourself leaning closer, until a loud buzzing signalled Tom’s phone ringing in his pocket. Snapping yourself out of it, you took a step back, eyes returning to his and forcing your face to remain neutral as he glanced at his screen and sighed.

“You should get home, get your shoulder looked at properly.” Your words shattered the tension that had surrounded you both momentarily, and Tom coughed before nodding and reaching for his discarded shirt. “Thank you, Tom, for coming to tell me.”

“All part of the peace treaty.” His smile looked forced as he pulled his shirt back on and stood, passing you back the ice pack and making his way to leave your apartment. “You wanna tell your Dad-“

“No.” You cut him off quickly, running a hand through your hair as you think through the situation. “I… this wedding is important, and I don’t want him worrying. We can sort it right?”

“OK.” He nods, his usual smirk returning. “You’ll actually have to answer my calls though.”

“It’s a sacrifice I’m sure I can manage.” You roll your eyes at him, and Tom chuckles with a nod before going to unlock your door. “I’ll speak to some of my guys in the morning.”

“And you said we couldn’t be a team.”

“Go home Holland.” You sigh, gently pushing him out of your apartment. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Counting down the hours darling.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

The next few days were filled with flurries of phone calls between yourself and Tom, some more pleasant than others. Almost all of the calls were logistical; how many people the two of you planned on telling, whether or not to station someone at the exits. In an attempt to remain focused, you tried to keep your tone formal and business like, not deviating from the matter at hand.

The problem was Tom had other plans.

You’d be halfway through discussing exit routes when he’d suddenly ask your opinion on his suit for the wedding, or you’d be texting him floor plans and he would send back a picture of options for his shoes. And then of course, once or twice, the two of you would disagree about something and end up fighting, with one of you hanging up on the other before calling back almost immediately because it really wasn’t an issue you had time to ignore. Trying to balance getting along after so many years of competition, in addition to doing everything you could to ignore the moment that had transpired between you the night in your bathroom, as well as calls from your sister about last minute wedding worries was giving you a permanent migraine.

The day before the wedding, he called you just as you were finishing dinner with your family.

“Now’s really not the time.” You murmured, skipping any formal greeting as you stepped into the empty hallway. “I’ve just-“

“Come outside.” He cut you off, tone matching yours. “Got something you’ll wanna see.”

Not giving you a chance to respond, the line cut off, leaving you no choice but to follow his orders. Stepping into the snug, where everyone had retired to after finishing, you flashed an apologetic smile.

“I’ve just got to step out for a bit.” You told them, earning an eye roll from your mother and a curious look from your father. You shook your head slightly, reassuring him not to worry. “Won’t be too long.”

“If you’re not back when I go to bed I will kill you.” Isabelle sighed, head tilting back over the sofa from where she was seated in front of you. “Promise me you’ll stop and say good night.”

“Promise.” You mutter, dipping forward to kiss her forehead before retreating from the room. Hurrying down the hallway, you slipped out of the large front doors to see the outline of Tom leaning against his car, parked close to the doors of your garage. Crossing the gravel, the cool evening breeze made you shiver as you walked the dark to meet him, the hem of your dress grazing against your thighs. Getting close enough to make out his features, you called out to him. “Roddy let you in the gate?”

“Told him I had a meeting with you, he let me in no questions asked.” He hummed; body still angled from where he was leaning on the hood of his jaguar. “Figured you must have told him something.”

“Warned him we could have an unexpected visitor tomorrow so to not question you if you turned up.” You affirmed, crossing your arms around you in an attempt to keep warm. “What is it you wanted to show me?”

Tom’s eyes dropped to your arms and smirked, before pushing off his car and opening the door, tilting his head at it as a signal to get in. You did so wordlessly, sighing in content as he shut the door behind you and the heat of his car engulfed you. The car smelled more like Tom’s aftershave than any air freshener, which only strengthened when Tom had slipped into the driver’s seat moments later. As he reached across you to open the glove box, you held your breath as his arm, exposed from where he’d rolled up his sleeves, grazed your body, mind still determined to rid yourself of any minor attraction to him. Tom pulled out a large envelope, fingers brushing yours as he gave it to you before settling back into his own seat. Sliding out the contents, you found printed emails containing directions to your father’s study, as well as photographs of your family estate, and the name of a company which you were in the middle of a business deal with.

“May or may not have hacked into Boule’s emails.” Tom explained before you could ask, your eyes lifting from the papers in front of you to meet his. “I know we didn’t agree on that, but Paddy is becoming one hell of a whiz kid at it, so asked him to see if he could find anything.”

Smiling at the mention of Tom’s youngest brother, you returned your attention to the documents, speed reading through them as Tom waited for you to reply. Noticing the names on the email addresses, your eyebrows raised in surprise.

“You aren’t kidding about Paddy.” The surprise in your tone made Tom chuckle, and you lifted your gaze back to him. “These were coded, weren’t they?”

“Told you, kids got skills. Think we’re pretty lucky he’s already one of the family, or we’d all be fighting over him.”

“Well at least now we know what Jason’s coming after.”

“And that he’s only sending one guy. We’ll barely have anything to do.”

You chuckled softly at his words, leaning back against the chair and letting your gaze wander over the darkened landscape of your estate. You could only just make out the large marquee that had been erected for the wedding, most of it obscured by the dark as well as part of the house.

“Think we could have always worked together like this?” Tom’s words startle you, and you tilt your head to the side to find him mirroring your position. “You know, if you could have just admitted I was better when we were kids, then it would have been fine.”

You let out a short laugh, watching his lips pull into a grin at the sound. Seeing how smug he was, an idea flashed into your head. Before Tom could realise what was happening, you pushed yourself off your chair and swung your legs to straddle over his, pulling the small knife you had tucked into your belt free to press loosely against his neck.

“What was that about being better than me?” You asked, grinning as his expression changed from one of shock to frustration, his eyes rolling as he raised one hand to push gently at your hip. “You’re getting slow, Holland.”

“Doesn’t count.” He protested, eyes following your hand as you flipped the small blade back into the safety of its holder. “You’ve pulled bigger knives on me than that. Anyway, that wasn’t fair, I’m unarmed.”

“So I wouldn’t find your gun in the armrest box beside us?” You tease, settling back on Tom’s thighs and opening up the compartment to prove your point. “Oh, look, I was right.”

“You’re acting like you know more about me than I do you, but I’m well aware that you have another knife strapped on you, so this works both ways.”

“How do you know I have two?”

“Because you’ve been carrying two knives since you were seventeen after that job we had to do together that almost went wrong, and you only had one.”

“You remember that?”

“Course I do, you stole my car keys and refused to let me drive myself home.”

“Because you’d been shot.”

“I was barely bleeding.”

“That’s because the bullet was still stuck in your ribcage. Just because I hated you didn’t mean I wanted you to die. Besides, I was right. You passed out barely five minutes later.”

“You hated me?”

“Back then? Immensely.”

“And now?”

You hadn’t realised that you’d been getting closer to him, but as Tom asked his question, you felt his breath fan across your face. He’d sat up straighter, his hands sliding up to sit on your waist, whilst yours sat at the base of his chest, your eyes level and lips centimetres apart. Up close, you could see the mark left behind above his eyebrow from the fight a few nights prior, and the yellow tint below his eye where his bruising hadn’t fully healed. Tom’s eyes didn’t leave yours as he waited for you to answer, his thumbs dragging slow circles against your sides.

“Maybe a little less.”

You were sure your words had been inaudible, but Tom somehow seemed to hear them, and he smiled before lifting one of his hands to cup your neck and bring your head forward to close the gap between you. His lips brushed over yours tentatively as your eyes fluttered closed, both of you still hesitant in this unchartered territory. As his tongue swiped across your bottom lip, you emitted a soft sigh, hands tightening around the fabric of his shirt to pull him closer.

Doing so changed the mood from hesitation to excitement, and Tom tightened the grip on your neck as the kiss deepened. His other hand, which had still been sitting on your waist, slowly moved down and dipped below your dress until it was holding the back of your thigh. Breaking the kiss to catch your breath, Tom used his hold on your head to angle it, his lips trailing steadily along your jaw.

“If you leave any marks I’ll stab you.” Your threat was undermined by the moan that immediately followed it, as Tom found the spot by your ear, and you felt him grin against your skin before he pressed a final kiss to you and pulled back to meet your gaze. “I mean it, I’m not walking down the aisle behind my sister covered in hickies. It’ll be your funeral instead.”

“I love it when you threaten to kill me.” He smirks, darting forward to capture your lips once more. Pushing him lightly, he groaned as he fell back against his chair, the hand on your neck falling to his side. “Alright, alright. You don’t need to worry darling, because as much as I want to, the first time I fuck you isn’t going to be in my car.”

“The first time?” You push back from him, raising an eyebrow as he smirked. Tom simply hummed at your question, the hand on your neck dropping to grab both of yours. You waited for him to respond, only growing annoyed as he did nothing but smirk at you. Losing your patience with him, you wrench your hands free to lean across and open the car door. “You’re so infuriating, that’s why we never worked as a team. Your ego.”

“Definitely nothing to do with your temper either.” You weren’t looking at his face as you climbed out of the car, but you could practically hear him roll his eyes. Smoothing out your dress as the cool, evening breeze engulfed you once more, you turned to head back to the house, before he called out behind you. “You’re welcome, by the way. For the information.”

“Thanks!” You shout back, not turning your head as you continue back to the house. Tom’s laugh carries across the driveway, followed by the sound of his car door closing. Reaching the front door, you look back as you step back inside, watching as his engine purred to life before gliding back towards the gates. Quietly closing the door, you begin making your way to your room, noticing that most of your family had already made their way to bed. Stopping at the door before yours, you knock softly before hearing a muffled come in, cracking open the door to smile at your sister. “Just wanted to know if I’m being killed or not?”

“I’ll let you off.” Isabelle rolled her eyes from where she was laying in her bed but grinned back as you leant against the door frame. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, all good.”

“You’d tell me if there was something, right?”

“Absolutely.” You lied, pushing off the wall to cross the room and press a kiss to her cheek. “Now get some beauty sleep, or Adam won’t want to marry you.”

“Like you’d let him back out.” Belle joked, referring to how her husband-to-be worked for the family business. “Love you.”

“Love you.” You hummed back, before leaving the room and entering your own. Flipping on the light, you sighed before preparing for bed, thinking of what was to come in the next twenty-four hours.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“After you darling.”

Your eyes returned to the intruder cornered by the door, thinking over how you’d ended up here. The wedding itself had gone without a hitch; your sister and her now husband had exchanged rings and vows in front of everyone without any noticeable hiccups. You’d spotted Tom as you’d led the bridesmaids down the aisle and had determinedly kept your gaze away from him throughout the ceremony, only exchanging a curt nod as you’d left to take part in the official photo’s, trusting him to keep an eye. It was the only contact you’d had with him until you spotted what you’d been waiting all day to see, Freddie, one of your men, signalling you from across the reception party. Politely excusing yourself from the conversation you were in, you had wordlessly tapped Tom’s arm on your way back to your family house, hearing him do the same before following with Harrison and Tuwaine behind him. With the advanced knowledge you had gained from Paddy’s hacking abilities, the two of you, each flanked by two of your men, had found and cornered the intruder before he’d made it farther than the entry hall.

“I know Boule sent you, and why he sent you, and given the occasion, I don’t have time or patience to waste on your excuses.” You sighed, stopping in front as Freddie and Ralph moved to stand either side of him. Toying with the gun you now held, you watched as his eyes darted between the weapon and your face. “So you’re going to swiftly leave, and run and tell him nice try, but maybe next time. Because if you try anything else, the next knife I throw won’t miss.”

He hadn’t got a chance to respond before Freddie and Ralph had taken him by both arms, nodding at you before escorting him out of the building. You watched them go, as Tom followed suit. For a second, you thought he was leaving too, before he stopped to retrieve the knife you had thrown earlier, still lodged in the door. Wordlessly returning to you, he held the blade out for you to take, and you offered him a tight smile as you swapped it for the gun he had offered you earlier.

“Not that you need it,” Tom joked as you returned the knife to the strap on your inner thigh. Your eyes found his in surprise, watching as he replaced both of the guns he now held in his waistband. “What with you having two and all.”

“Thanks.” You muttered, before spinning on your heel to face his two friends. “We should get back.”

“She can’t possibly have two knives on her?” Harrison hissed to Tom, the three men a few paces behind you as you made your way back to the garden.

“Oh, trust me, she can.”

“Where?”

Smiling to yourself as the fresh air engulfed you once more, you re-entered the marquee to see no change to the scene from when you had left it: some people dancing, some milling around speaking and laughing, others still finishing their food at various tables. Eyes scanning the guests around you, they landed on the bride herself striding across the room determinedly in your direction.

“You lied to me.” She accused, grabbing you by the arm and pulling you to the dancefloor. Isabelle released her grip on you as the music changed to a slower song, wrapping instead wrapping them around you to sway slowly to the music. “You said that everything was fine, and then you sneak off to stop one of Boule’s men breaking into Dad’s study.”

“How the hell did you find out?” The smile was still on your face as the two of you spun in a small circle, mainly because despite her tone, she was still beaming herself. “I didn’t even tell Dad.”

“Roddy told me.” Her tone was smug as her eyes wandered from your face to look around the tent. “After I watched you leave that is. You didn’t really think I wouldn’t notice my own sister leave my wedding?”

“Well, I hoped the wedding thing might cause some distraction.”

“Fat chance.” She snorted, eyes returning to yours. “I’ve got a particular skill set that comes in handy. Don’t think I didn’t see Tom follow.”

“He was the one who found out about it originally.” Your tone changed as you thought over what had transpired between you. “You know he brought an extra gun because he knew I wouldn’t be able to have on today?”

“The fact that it surprises you is hilarious.” She laughs, stepping back from you and unwrapping her arms, only to link her fingers through yours instead. “You know that he’s-“

“Don’t say it.”

“Fine. I’ll let him tell you.”

“What-“

“Mind if I cut in?” You whipped your head to find Tom behind you, watching as he sent a winning smile to your sister. “Congratulations by the way.”

“Thanks Tom, she’s all yours.” Belle grinned back, pulling you in to kiss your cheek, before muttering in your ear, “You’ll thank me eventually.”

Releasing you completely, you watched as she passed Tom with another smile, walking straight into her new husband’s outstretched arms. Your gaze returned to the man in front of you, watching cautiously as he held out his hand.

“Oh, come on.” He laughed, seeing your hesitation. “Think about how happy our father’s will be to see their peace treaty working.”

Rolling your eyes, you placed your hand in his and allow him to pull you closer, your other hand rising up to rest on his shoulder.

“You stormed away last night before I could explain myself.” His voice was low in your ear as he began to move the two of you in time with the music. “Never have been a fan of letting me have the last word.”

“If this is an apology it sucks so far.” You reply, your tone light as you try not to focus on the warmth of his hand on your waist.

“I’m not going to apologise, it wasn’t the right moment.”

“You said that like you’ve been planning it.”

“Only every day since you stole my car keys.”

“Now I know you’re taking the piss.”

Pulling back to meet his gaze, you found nothing but sincerity as he took a breath to explain.

“You got the money we went there for whilst simultaneously holding three men twice your size at gunpoint, and then got us both out of there despite the fact I’d been shot. Then you took my keys and yelled at me whilst taking me home until I passed out.” The look on his face now was nothing like you had ever seen, his eyes searching yours as he continued. “Darling, as much as I really do enjoy the way you look when you’re mad at me, the main reason I’ve been antagonising you more and more the past few years was so I actually have a chance to spend time with you. Now if I’m making a complete twat of myself, say the word and we can continue the way we are and forget I ever said a word of this.”

“Tom-“

“You know you only ever call me that when I’ve been shot.” He mutters, a hint of his usual smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “Should I be worried?”

“You know I was already reluctant to admit that I might feel the same way, and now I’m going to take it back...”

Your words died on your lips as he silenced you with his own, dropping your hand to cradle your face as he kissed you softly. You could feel him grinning against you before he pulled back, thumb dragging softly against the skin of your cheek.

“This doesn’t mean I’m going easy on you now, you know.” You mutter, unable to stop your own smile taking over. “I mean, if you think that just because we’re together I’d start letting you-”

“Letting me?” Tom’s bark of laughter inspired your smile to grow even more, the incredulous look in his eyes quickly morphing into his trademark smirk. “I’m sorry, who was it who discovered Boule’s plans for today?”

“Only because you got into a fight over me. Admit it Holland, I’m your weakness. It’s not my fault you’re so in awe of my talents.”

“If I kiss you again, will you stop being so competitive?”

“Depends, maybe you should it try and find out.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

did you like it? did you hate it? let me know either way as well as anything else you want to see me write!

tagging some lovely people: @gonzalezyon @nowayhomeparker @sinisterspidey​ 

#tom holland oneshot #mob!tom holland #tom holland x reader #tom holland x y/n #mob!tomfic #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland writing #tom holland one shot #tom holland fic #tom holland fluff #tom holland blog

[azucanela]

chapter i

pairing: bakugou katsuki x fem!reader

warnings: cursing.

word count: 3k

summary: the internet is enamored with the idea of y/n l/n and bakugou katsuki, two renowned pro heroes, dating. the first issue? the pair rarely interacts. the second issue? apparently, they hate each other, not that anyone knows about that bit. of course, after one night of many mistakes, the whole world knows.

series masterlist

Y/N’S HEAD IS POUNDING when she wakes up the following day. Her hand coming to rub her temple as she attempts to soothe the throbbing of her own head, the light just barely seeping through her blinds already feels like too much as she rises up in her bed. Blinking a few times, Y/N’s eyes adjust to the light and she sighs, stretching her arms upwards and almost wincing at the sound of her bones cracking.

You’d think that a Pro Hero wouldn’t have such issues, and yet.

Coming to a stand, Y/N hisses at the feeling of her cold floor, frowning before she makes her way towards the hallway and rubbing a hand against her eye. She catches a look of herself in the mirror, hair amiss, makeup that she’d applied from the night before still on— and yet her eye bags seem to have grown. If Y/N is honest, she looks and feels like a mess.

That should be a given though, seeing as she couldn’t even remember how she’d gotten home last night. Though Y/N was sure the news would detail any screw ups she’d made. Sighing as she grabs the TV remote from the coffee table by her couch and clicks the TV on. 

“You’re fucking kidding me.” She mumbles out when the TV turns on to reveal that she is in fact the headline, alongside Bakugou Katsuki. 

Almost on cue, a set of rapid knocks sound against her door and Y/N already knows who it is, again.

It was an accident, Y/N hadn’t meant to get blackout drunk at a literal Gala filled with several respectable and admirable peers from the Pro Hero world. And she certainly hadn’t meant to speak poorly about one of those peers— well, if she could really call Bakugou that at this point. After all there was a reason she spoke poorly of him.

“He’s an— an ill-mannered, rude, insufferable—” Y/N inhaled deeply as she looked to Lorelai, gesturing her hands vividly as she finally said, “bastard!”

Lorelai stands with a hand pressed against her temple, rubbing it gently as though that would end the headache that Y/N had probably caused with her shenanigans. “I warned you.”  She mumbles out before reaching into her pocket and pulling out her phone as Y/N continues to drone on about the young man.

“I ran into him and I was filled with complete and utter rage. Did I do a few questionable things? Yes. Do I regret them—” Y/N sighs, bringing her hands to her face as the news plays in the background before saying, “I do.” 

If Y/N was honest, she wasn’t remorseful at all, not when it was Bakugou they were talking about. But she was embarrassed, she’d acted out like a child and there was no denying it. As much as she disliked the idea, a public apology was probably necessary and a private one to Bakugou was the least she owed him. 

Currently Y/N L/N and Bakugou Katuski were on every headline and front page there were, all because Y/N had elected to get a little too drunk and start talking trash about Bakugou. In the world of Pro Heroes, her word carried a lot of weight, so although it was unprofessional, Y/N had a feeling it was Bakugou’s PR team that was panicking right now. 

"You’re trending.” Comes Lorelai’s words, a hand coming to scratch the back of her neck awkwardly as she looks back up at Y/N, “I suppose that’s good.” 

Y/N had a feeling the people who shipped her with Bakugou were rather devastated upon finding out that the (non-existent) couple that they idolized yet had zero interaction actually hated one another. “Maybe they’ll stop thinking Bakugou and I would ever enter a relationship now.”

Raising a brow, Lorelai looks up to her, typing away at her phone without looking at the keyboard as she replies, “actually they’re shipping you with Pro Hero Deku. They caught quite a few pictures of you two dancing together last night.” Lorelai’s eyes returned to her screen, squinting as she mumbled out, “the Bakugou shippers are disappointed, but they’re still going strong. Something about… enemies to lovers?”

Y/N groans in annoyance, it was beginning to become abundantly clear that nothing good was going to come of this. Not that she expected such a thing, but a girl can hope. With a sigh, she shakes away those thoughts, pushing them to the back of her mind as she looks to Lorelai, “what are we going to do?” 

“I am going to speak with Bakugou’s publicist, and set up a meeting.” Comes Lorelai’s response, bringing the phone to her ear as she made her way towards the door for more privacy. 

Y/N looked to her publicist, brows furrowed, “I don’t want to meet with Bakugou.”

Rolling her eyes, Lorelai gestured to the TV as she replied, “we don’t have much of a choice do we?” Sighing, Lorelai stares at the ringing phone before saying, “you can’t let your issues with Bakugou interfere with your career— you two were bound to work together at some point. Whether you wanted to or not.”

Y/N can easily pick up on the underlying words as Lorelai steps out the door, she’s essentially telling her to suck it up. And though Y/N recognizes that she is absolutely and completely correct— that she unfortunately cannot allow Bakugou’s existence to interfere with her career, that doesn’t mean she can’t be upset about it. 

And besides, avoiding him had gone perfectly fine up until now. Y/N was still wondering what had possessed him to actually attend a public event. Last she’d checked, the boy hated them with a passion, and most of the time they only further damaged his reputation. 

Last night was only more evidence of that fact. 

“You’re right.” Comes Y/N’s words, sighing dejectedly as she sinks further into her couch. “Let me know how it goes.” Even Y/N could recognize that there was no other choice, and well— she had to be mature and realistic about this.

Lorelai steps away, and Y/N finds herself glad that she can’t hear whatever it is the woman is saying as she straightens her posture, sitting up as she crosses her legs on the couch to watch the news. 

“Famed Pro Hero Y/N L/N was caught expressing her true feelings for Bakugou Katsuki, and they certainly weren’t what fans were hoping for.” The woman on the screen leans back in her seat, moving out of the way to gesture to the screen behind her, as she opens her mouth to speak again, Y/N finds herself grabbing the remote and changing the channel with a glare towards the reporter. 

Not that it was her fault, Y/N had a feeling if she had a job with any news station right now, this story would mean everything for her career. But she didn’t, she was a Pro Hero, and she had more important things to do— and even then, weren’t there more important things to report on? 

The screen changes, and this time there’s another woman on the screen, a solemn look on her face as she leans forward on the desk with her hands clasped. “As the anniversary of the villain Stain’s incarceration grows near, civil unrest has begun to worsen. With another copy cat killer on the loose, it seem that people have once again taken to the streets to demand his release, or at least a change in his current life sentence for the murder of—”

Y/N shuts off the TV, grimacing at the reminder of her school years. Each year, crime would spike, so more Pro Heroes would set to work around this time. And each year, the number of casualties for Pro Heroes would practically triple because of all the people that tried to target them. This wouldn’t be the first Stain copy cat they’d seen, and it probably wouldn’t be the last. Most of them didn’t last this long though, caught by the police by their first attempt ideally, if not then their first kill.

Y/N had lost good friends to people like that. 

Exhaling deeply, she comes to a stand, pulling out her phone to see she had several unread messages from Lorelai, all of which were in reference to the current… situation they were dealing with. There were— unsurprisingly— a few messages of concern from Izuku that Y/N can’t help but smile at. The boy had always been too kind for his own good. But what did confuse her were the messages from an unknown number, Y/N’s brows furrowed as she moved to open them. 

UNKNOWN ???

It was only a single message, but it still leaves Y/N confused, few people had access to her number, and for some reason she finds it unnerving as she goes to delete the conversation.

BAKUGOU WISHED HE COULD FORGET the chaos that had been the night before. Alas, every moment was burned into his mind, especially that bit in which Y/N had cursed him out while drunk and maybe something about him trying to fight Deku but that wasn’t really anything out of the ordinary. 

His eyes open to the sound of his alarm, and like clockwork— Bakugou rises from his bed and when his feet hit the floor he’s slipping on a set of house shoes instantly. He’d always been more of the type to live a methodical, routine like, life. Make the bed, cook himself a healthy breakfast if he hadn’t already meal prepped for the week, take a shower, get dressed, go to work. And then do it all over again. 

Bakugou had never felt the need for any spontaneity, seeing as his job provided enough of that. Surprise, there’s a murderer on the loose. Surprise, the murderer targets heroes specifically. Surprise, it's a stain copycat killer. Surprise! He hates Pro Hero Ground Zero more than anything in the world. 

The entirety of last night was not the type of surprise Bakugou was used to. Seeing as his phone is ringing as he tries to make his breakfast, and when he looks to see it’s his publicist— well, that isn’t really something out of the ordinary seeing as Bakugou seems to have a different “scandal” every week. But when the calls don’t stop coming...

Last night was a disaster, it didn’t take a genius to recognize that. Just anyone with a phone and some sort of social media, or a tv that had access to the news. Which was basically everyone nowadays. Bakugou liked to think that he had gone through worse, like when they caught him speaking poorly about Deku— although the boy had assured them that Bakugou meant no harm, and Y/N probably wouldn’t do the same.

Yeah, this was a problem. 

Bakugou had a feeling that if he hadn’t been the person who hired him, his publicist would’ve cursed him out by now. Regardless, the man in question had remained… kind of calm. He was clearly on the verge of some sort of breakdown, staring Bakugou down like a hawk as he sat across from him— hands pressed together as they rested against his chin. The man had arrived shortly after leaving Bakugou about a dozen voicemails.

“How did you manage to piss off one of the most influential women in Pro Hero society?”

Despite being a newer Hero, Y/N had worked alongside several of the Top Pro Heroes already, probably because of her connections with Pro Hero Hawks and her own Charisma, making her one of the most likable of the next generation. That and the fact that she was regarded as a potential Number 1 Hero given the speed she was rising through the ranks. 

Although Bakugou was sure this had damaged her credibility in some sort of way, he had no doubt she’d come back from this, even if he didn’t. After all, he wasn’t necessarily known for his award winning personality. 

In response to his publicist’s question, Bakugou finds himself crossing his arms, shrugging before he replies, “beats me.”

Inhaling deeply, his publicist brings a hand to his temple, rubbing it rather harshly in an attempt to end the major headache that was coming on. “You have no idea? None at all—” One of the other PR assistants is standing beside them once more, the guy had been leaving and coming back for a while actually. This time he seems rather anxious though, “and what the hell do you want?”

“Well— well, sir. You see, we’ve been getting a call from—”

His publicist, Haru Ishida, as Bakugou had come to know him, appears to have a vein popping out of his head as he replies, “I don’t care which major news platform wants to hear what we have to say, tell them the same thing—”

“It’s Ms. L/N’s publicist!” The man cries out, hand pressed against the receiver of the phone to keep said woman from hearing their interaction, face flushed red in embarrassment as he stands straighter and adds, “sir.”

Haru’ jaw drops open as he immediately shoots up from his seat, snatching the phone from the assistants hand and bringing it to his ear before swiftly saying, “Haru Ishida, how can I help you?”

Bakugou gives the man a look, “put it on speaker.” He hisses out.

The man does as he’s told and a woman’s voice fills the room, “I think it’s more of how I can help you, Mr. Ishida.” A pause, “I’d like to set up a meeting between our clients. We can discuss more in person.”

“Hell no.” Bakugou says instantly, seeing as his little reunion with his former classmate yesterday had gone very poorly, Bakugou couldn’t really see a world in which another meeting with Y/N benefitted him in any way. Despite this, his words cause Haru to glare at him, opening his mouth to respond only for Y/N to beat him to it.

“Bakugou.” She muses, “both you and Y/N are experiencing blowback from this.” Comes her words, the sound of typing on the other end of the call as she continues, “but you need us more than we need you. I know Y/N will come back from this, with or without you. But can you say the same about your career?” There’s almost a subtle threat if you read between the lines and it leaves Bakugou cursing under his breath.

If Bakugou was right, this was Lorelai Flores, a renowned publicist though she was rather new to the game. As someone who aspired to be the best, Bakugou initially sought her out. She’d rejected his attempts at hiring her of course, which is why he’d ended up with the second best he could secure. Haru, who was currently inhaling deeply as he replied, “that can be arranged.”

“No it cannot—” Haru ignores Bakugou’s attempt at protesting, simply shooting him a glare before returning his attention to the call.

“Fantastic!” The woman exclaims, “perhaps it can be just you and I, Haru. Clearly our clients aren’t inclined to be anywhere near each other. Of course, if all goes well then I’m sure they’ll be seeing each other plenty.” The sound of a pen scribbling against a paper followed by, “pick me up at 7, you have my address.”

The call ends, and Bakugou’s brow is raised as he looks back to his publicist, who clears his throat before saying, “we’ll come to a consensus sir.”

Meanwhile, the PR assistant from before looks to Haru, “fraternizing with the enemy?”

“I can fire you.” Haru hisses in response, eyes narrowing at the boy before looking back to Bakugou as he straightens himself and collects the paper’s before him, “if you’ll excuse me, I need to prepare for my meeting with Ms. Flores.” He moves to leave, hovering by the door as he says, “by the way, I believe Pro Hero Red Riot is heading this way at the moment.” 

Bringing his hands to his face, Bakugou groans, if he had to guess— Kirishima was going to lecture him, again. He finds himself coming to a stand making his way around the couch, he doesn’t bother to meet Kirishima the door since he’s already making his way inside. At the same time, Bakugou is left to watch as the rest of his PR team is exiting his apartment one by one, taking their equipment with them wordlessly. 

And so, in comes Kirishima, a bright smile on his face as he calls out, “hey Bakubro!” Arms spread wide as he greets his friend, coming to wrap his arms around him. Although Bakugou doesn’t return the hug, he allows the physical contact.

“Hey shitty hair.” Comes his response, mumbled out as he is finally released from Kirishima’s grip. “What do you want?”

With a shrug, Kirishima, steps further inside Bakugou’s apartment, “I figured you might wanna talk—”

“Don’t wanna talk.” Bakugou interrupts, narrowing his eyes at Kirishima. 

Nodding slowly, Kirishima offers him a tight lipped smile, a short silence encompassing them before he says, “but she said some intense stuff so I though—”

“No.” 

“I can talk to her?

“Absolutely not.”

With that, Bakugou found himself wondering how this could possibly get worse at this point, of course, his question would soon be answered seeing as things could definitely get worse.

#this is not the end series #bakugou katsuki x reader #bakugo katsuki x reader #bakugou x reader #bakugo x reader #katsuki x reader #katsuki bakugo x reader #katsuki bakugou x reader #bakugou x you #bakugo x you #katsuki bakugo x you #katsuki bakugou x you #bakugou katsuki x you #bakugo katsuki x you #bnha x reader #bnha x you #mha x reader #mha x you

[graysonmydarling]

thin line

summary: what happens when you finally cross the thin line between hate and desire?

word count: 2.1K

warnings: swearing, smut, secret relationship

There’s a very thin line between love and hate, a line you were all too familiar with. After all, you’ve been edging the line between being enemies and lovers with Dick Grayson for years now. You weren’t even sure how this ‘feud’ between you and him had started, only knowing that you were both too stubborn and proud to admit that maybe you were wrong, besides you could hardly take back years and years of despising each other just like that. So you kept any objectionable feelings you might have developed to yourself and pretended that his face didn’t haunt your dreams at night. 

A dark expression clouded Dick’s features as he went over the mission plan for what felt like the 1000th time but he was still no closer to figuring out how to get into Deathstroke’s hq without immediately alerting him. Donna sighed, bringing the team’s attention to her, “I don’t understand why you’re trying to make this harder for yourself. One phone call and we can get in and out without him ever knowing we were there.”

“Absolutely not. I’m not calling her.”

Donna scoffed, “Damn right you’re not calling her, I’m gonna call her.” She picked up her phone, hitting your contact number before he could stop her, “Hey Y/n, I’m sending you an address, we need you for this mission.” She hung up, sending him a triumphant smile.

You checked your phone for the 100th time, checking the address that Donna had texted you before sending her a message to tell her you were waiting outside. The door buzzed open and you took the lift up to where you assumed Donna would be, the doors slid open and the smile fell from your face as soon as you saw him. As much as you hated to admit it...he looked good, even if he was scowling at you with his arms crossed over his chest like a child, speaking of his arms....it felt like your brain was short-circuiting as you watched his muscles flexing. He glanced over, meeting your gaze, “I was against you coming here. Just so we know, I think we can do this without you.” And he just had to go and ruin it, didn’t he?

“Then it’s a good thing I didn’t ask for your opinion, isn’t it?”

He straightened up, taking a step towards you, “Oh you’re such a-”

“Uh uh, don’t you dare finish that sentence, Bird Boy. I told you to be nice to her.” Donna marched over to you, pulling you into a tight hug.

“Maybe she shouldn’t make it so difficult to be nice to her.” Dick retorted, still glaring at you.

She gave you both an exasperated look, “Well no one else finds it difficult to at least be civil with her. Look, she’s here now so you two need to put your stupid feud aside, at least until this mission is over and then you can have a fight to death for all I care.” She grabbed your arm, pulling you out of the room with her.

“So Dick....Why do you hate her?” His jaw clenched from Kory’s question and you grinned at him.

“Yeah why do you hate me?” He didn’t answer but you could see how physically tense the question had made him, you turned to Kory with the pure intention of pissing him off further, “You know, I actually have a theory that he likes me and this is his way of showing it. You know like how little kids are mean to people they like, I guess Dickhead Grayson over here never grew out of it.” 

He whipped around with a dark look in his eyes, he was furious and it was kinda hot, “Y/n….a word, in private.”

You got up and Donna called after you, “Remember no murdering each other until after the mission.”

He dragged you down the hall and into his room, locking the door before turning to you, “What the fuck was that?”

You shrugged, feigning ignorance, “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Pretty Bird.”

“Don’t call me that. And you know exactly what I mean.”

“Would you prefer if I went back to calling you a dickhead?”

He let out a frustrated groan, “I’d prefer if you’d shut up for once!”

“Do you know what I think?” You continued, not caring about his response, “I think you only hate me cause I turn you on. I think I frustrate you.” 

His jaw clenched, his voice so low that it sounded like a growl, “Shut up.”

“Make me.”

And then without warning, you found yourself pinned against the wall as he surveyed you with a ravenous look. His face was barely an inch away from yours, his eyes glinting as he smirked at you, “What’s wrong? Had so much to say earlier.” He caught your gaze on his lips and his smirk widened before he pressed his lips against yours, kissing you roughly as his hands slipped down to your waist, pulling you into him, your hands tangled into his hair, kissing him back. Kissing Dick felt like relief, the tension that had built up between you for years was finally broken and you wondered where you’d be now if you had only done this earlier.

Your back hit the wall and you buried your face into his neck to muffle a moan as his hips ground into yours. He abruptly pulled away from you, “I’m not gonna touch you unless you beg for it.”

You didn’t say anything and a devilish smile creeped onto his face as he slowly traced his fingers up your thigh, smirking as he heard your breath hitching, “I said beg, sweetheart.” 

His fingers painfully close to where you needed him, “Dick...please.”

His fingers pressed into your thigh, a shit eating grin plastered on his face, “Please what?”

You glared at him, your fingers trailing along his chest before your hand slipped down to palm him through his jeans, “I don’t care what you do as long as you do me.”

“He picked you up, his lips on your neck as he carried you over to his bed, gently dropping you on top of the mattress. He hovered above you, after he’d helped you out of your clothes before taking off his own, his eyes burning into you before he leaned down, pulling your legs to rest over his shoulders. You frowned at him, “What’re you ohh-” You cut yourself off with an almost embarrassingly loud moan as he buried his head between your legs, your hands immediately fisting into his hair as his tongue roughly flicked against your clit. His fingers slipping into you as you whimpered his name, he moaned against you as you involuntarily tugged on his hair as his fingers hit a particularly sensitive spot.

The coil in your stomach tightened as he brought you closer to the edge, “Fuck- Dick...I’m gonna-.” You couldn’t even finish your thought before you came undone on his tongue. But he wasn’t finished with yet as he trailed kisses up your body, hitching your leg to rest around his waist, biting down on your shoulder as he pushed into you. “Such a good girl for me, aren’t you baby?”

You nodded, not trusting your voice as you prayed that the rest of the Titans were still in the kitchen so they wouldn’t hear the sounds of your moans or the bed-frame slamming against the wall as Dick thrusted into you. You felt your walls clenching around him as he moaned your name into your skin, his hand slipped down to circle your clit, “Good girl, cum for me, baby,” He murmured in the hottest voice you’d ever heard, but you’d always had a secret thing for his voice, digging your nails into his back as he guided you to your release, your name spilling out of his mouth as he came before pulling out of you and tugging you into his arms. 

It was silent for a moment before Dick sighed, “You were right.” You raised an eyebrow in confusion and he continued, “I only hate you cause you frustrate me.”

You laughed and he tensed up, “I knew you liked me, but for the record? It’s definitely mutual.” You paused, “What are we gonna tell everyone else? They’re gonna ask if we’re suddenly all lovey dovey after being at each other’s throats for god knows how long.”

“What if....we just don’t say anything? We could just pretend to still hate each other and avoid an awkward interrogation from Donna.” He captured your lips in a gentle kiss, making it very hard to say no to him.

Pretending to hate Dick was proving to be a lot harder than you’d anticipated, in theory it seemed easy, you’d practically been doing it for years now but now you knew your feelings were reciprocated but you still couldn’t hold his hand in public. Your relationship consisted of dark corners and locked rooms, you knew deep down that it was probably for the best when it was still so new but you couldn’t help the way your blood boiled when you had to sit and watch Kory dancing around him like that. It wasn’t that you were jealous of Kory, more that you were jealous of her ability to openly flirt with him while you could only have a civil conversation with him behind closed doors. Thankfully no one had noticed that you had practically moved into Dick’s room, mornings with him were like your safe haven. You always woke up first, just so you could admire the way the shadows fell across his face, making him look like an angel when he finally opened his eyes.

Today was one of those mornings, he squinted at you, before his arms tightened around your waist, pulling you closer to him as a fond smile appeared on his face. “Good mornin’, darling.”

“Speak for yourself, I still can’t feel my legs!” 

His smile widened, tugging you closer, “Shame, guess you’ll have to spend all day in bed with me, won’t you, sweetheart?” He rolled over, hovering above you before leaning down to kiss you lovingly. Unfortunately you were interrupted by a loud knock at the door, you moved to slip out from under him but his arms tightened around you, keeping you with him, “Just ignore it, they’ll go away.” He mumbled in your ear, burying his head in the crook of your neck. He groaned into your neck as the knocking got louder, begrudgingly letting go of you and pulling on his sweatpants before stumbling over to the door, opening it an inch so you’d remain out of sight. 

You smiled as you listened to him grumbling at his younger brother, pulling your lower lip between your teeth as your eyes trailed over his back, watching how the muscles flexed as he stretched. You were so preoccupied that you didn’t notice Jason leaving until you heard the door locking and your eyes darted up to meet Dick’s gaze. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you that it’s rude to stare?”

“I wasn’t staring, I was admiring. Two completely different things.” A smile tugged at your lips as he crawled back into bed with you, his lips ghosting over yours. “Admiring hmm?”

You rolled over so you were looking down at him, “I’ve heard it’s rude not to admire beautiful things and you, Richard Grayson, are one of the most beautiful people in this world, no doubt about it.”

He laughed and you gave him a questioning look, “I’m sorry but two months ago, you were telling me that I was the ‘most insufferable person to plague the earth’ and now-” He trailed off and you reached over to brush the hair out of his eyes.

“And now?”

He swallowed the lump in his throat, “And now, you’re saying things that make it really hard for me to stop myself from falling in love with you.” He reached for your hand as he spoke, running his thumb over the back of your knuckles.

“You expect me to believe that my favourite boy wonder is scared of falling in love with me?” You asked in a teasing tone, not actually expecting him to respond.

“No, he’s actually terrified.” You paused, searching his face for any hint of insincerity, wondering if he could feel your heart racing. “What are you saying?”

He sat up, “I think I might be in love with you.”

You shifted so you were sitting in his lap, “Well the feeling might be mutual, Pretty Bird.”

His face scrunched up at the nickname, “Didn’t I tell you not to call me that?”

You shrugged and his hand came up to cup your cheek, pulling you into a gentle kiss.

Tagging a couple people (let me know if you wanna be removed!!): @catxsnow​, @starxfires​, @pricetagofficial​

#dick grayson #dick grayson x you #dick grayson x y/n #dick grayson x reader #dick grayson fluff #dick grayson smut #nightwing #nightwing x y/n #nightwing x you #nightwing x reader #nightwing fanfic #nightwing fluff #nightwing smut #titans x reader #titans fic #titans fanfiction #titans x you #titans x y/n #titans fluff #titans smut

[potteresque-ire]

Concerning the incredibly far and deep reach of CCP’s propaganda, the narratives the government can spin and call the truth; does ‘the common normal populace’ actually know what’s really going on?

Hello everyone!!! Happy Chinese New Year!!

I’m grouping these asks because if I hear them correctly, they’re all related to this question: how much do people in China know about the atrocities committed by their government, and why don’t they do something about it?

It’s a difficult question, isn’t it? A potentially upsetting one too, just to think about. My answers are more opinion-based, more personal this time. Since there’re no polls about what people know, they have to be based a little more on my own impression, which has more chances of error. Please bear with me and proceed with caution ...

As with people in most countries, what people know is hugely dependent on individuals. Specifically, re: politics, I can think of at least three reasons why people don’t have the facts

1) they have limited access to information 2) they’re being lied to about what they know 3) they’re not interested in current affairs.

1), of course, is what most people think about when it comes to China. You’re right, Anon(s), that VPN use is indeed rampant in the country and is essentially an open secret; there’re no official numbers but surveys have estimated the number of users can be up to 100 million, most of them being youngsters. They use it to do exactly what most of us would imagine: gain access to things they don’t have otherwise. Instagram has been (sporadically?) blocked since 2014 September and so while users may have set up their accounts while being overseas, it’s indeed, (very) possible, that they’ve set up and maintained their account under VPN use.

Wait, you may ask, so you mean the Great Firewall of China doesn’t exist?

That’s exactly the official stance. Not because of private VPN use, but because individuals/companies can apply for a license via their telecommunications company to visit all internet sites. Hence, the government’s claim that the Great Firewall doesn’t exist—you’ll be let through as long as you ask (and we’ll watch your every step)! There are also no explicit laws prohibiting the use of private VPNs; only a handful of arrests associated with private VPN use have been made and only since 2019, and the punishment is considered light—no imprisonment, just fines. It is, in contrast, against the law to *provide* private VPN services, and while companies have been shut down, the crackdown has still been incredibly sluggish by Chinese government’s standards, especially when the Xi regime has made its intention of banning VPN known and directives have been issued for that in 2017.

Why has VPN continued to enjoy this “grey existence”? Because without VPN, a lot of foreign businesses would leave—some, for example, require the most efficient online tools developed outside China to track the foreign markets, and talents have rejected job offers in the country when they realised they couldn’t get on their favourite social media. The science and tech sectors also rely heavily on VPN—programmers relying on Google to search stackoverflow, for example, to find known solutions to bugs. 

VPNs have also served political purposes—Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-critical communities all over the world are all painfully aware of the Chinese government’s practice of hiring its own collection of internet commentators (”50 Cent Party”), and at times, mobilising their youths (gamers, fan circles) to scale the Firewall and astroturf, throw insults at the “CCP enemies” and bomb message boards with pro-CCP messages.

Also, a significant fraction of VPN companies, both in China and overseas, have been reported to have Chinese ownership, by companies with government connections. These VPN services provide a false sense of security for those who do not enjoy having big brother peeking behind their backs while acting as surveillance tools that extend beyond the country.

(Please be careful about free VPNs).

The next question: If until now, users of private VPNs only rarely get into trouble, what’s holding them from scaling the Great Firewall and learning the facts?

It is this: the law isn’t about “climbing the wall”, but what one does outside the wall.

Article 6 of the 2016 edition of Cybersecurity law states the following: 

第六条　国家倡导诚实守信、健康文明的网络行为，推动传播社会主义核心价值观，采取措施提高全社会的网络安全意识和水平，形成全社会共同参与促进网络安全的良好环境

Article 6: The State advocates sincere, honest, healthy and civilized network conduct; promoting dissemination of the core socialist values, adopting measures to raise the entire society's awareness and level of network security, and forming a good environment for the entire society to jointly participate in advancing network security.

What this article implies is this ~ legally, Chinese citizens are bound to the Chinese government’s rules of good internet conduct, regardless of whether they use VPN to get on the internet. As with many Chinese laws, however, the vagueness in wording invites more questions than answers. Is it getting on Twitter, a banned website, “sincere, honest, healthy and civilized network conduct”? Obviously, it’s illegal to interact with other users about the Xinjiang’s internment camps, but what if one only goes there to talk about their favourite stars, because on Weibo supertopic they can’t even mention the stars’ name, can’t ahkgkhagjkfaskjgdf about their favourite fics? What if one goes there to discuss a M- or E-rated fic? Where is the line drawn and given its vagueness, will that line move tomorrow? How?

Most people, therefore, have opted to simply stay away from VPN. After all, China offers its own version of many of the fun websites out there (Weibo-Twitter; Instagram-Oasis; Tiktok-Douyin; Youtube-Bilibili). For those who do use VPN, they tend to stick to websites that are unlikely to cause issues (such as Instagram; Instagram became an issue when Hong Kongers started to upload information about the protests on there).

Now, let’s proceed to 2): People don’t know the facts because they’re being lied to about what they know.

There’s a difference between having access to facts and knowing that they’re facts. This is among the most painful lessons, perhaps, for those who followed the politics of the United States in the last few years (please forgive me for the US-centric-ness of the following few paragraphs!). Even with equal access to identical information, people can vary a LOT in their understanding of what are facts and what are lies.

This illustrates the power of propaganda—and propaganda in the US isn’t even centralised. Some media outlets and individuals (political leaders and analysts) have more say on what should be viewed as the truth, but parties without significant power—small foreign and domestic interests, fringe political organisations, conspiracy theorists, regular folks—have also made critical contributions to the “fake news” phenomenon in the US. There haven’t been apparent coordinations between these parties;  little concerted effort has been made to create one coherent story out of the many tales told.

In China, the propaganda effort is centralised, coordinated, free of distractions from competing story lines. The One Story the government decides on is repeated, over and over again, on newspapers, in shows, in textbooks, on signs on the streets, on social media. To put it another way, when it comes to political discourse, the country is designed to be an echo chamber with 1.4 billion people. Over time, the One Stories inevitably become firmly held beliefs—so firmly held that even if the people are exposed to facts, they no longer believe in them.

This is especially true when the source of the facts are countries with strong traditions of freedoms of speech and press, where the facts are often laid out with a critical eye to the administration and with vastly different opinions attached to them. While we view the latter as evidences that the values we embrace are alive and well—a critical eye to the administration means the Fourth Estate is doing its job, and the different opinions means freedom of speech gets to live another day—people who haven’t been exposed to these values tend to interpret these things as signs of weakness of the government. They may think the Chinese government is better than its counterparts elsewhere because no one is penning scathing criticisms against it. They may think the Chinese government is stronger because it unifies the opinions of their people—the failure of which, they’ve been taught, would lead to social chaos and economic free-fall.

The Chinese population has also been “immunised” against the truths that may be exposed about their government by a propaganda talking point used since Chairman Mao’s days—that the “Imperialist” western world, particularly the United States, is always scheming its downfall. The phrase often used is 美帝亡我之心不死 (”The heart (intention) of Imperialist US to bring us down will never die”). Unfavourable truths exposed must therefore be part of the “bring down China” scheme. This decades-old demonisation of the political apparatus of the US and Europe also prepares the people to accept what most would see as outrageous conspiracy theories: for example, in March 2020, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that the US Army intentionally planted COVID in Wuhan during the 2019 Military World games. “Foreign interference” becomes a frequent and convenient scapegoat for policy decisions gone wrong, sometimes to a (somewhat) hilarious effect ~ for example, a Taiwanese journalist calculated the cost required for the CIA to fund the 2019 Hong Kong Protests, as the Chinese government had claimed—and it turned out that the CIA was too poor to do it. 

(Many of us in the US would probably laugh at the idea that our government is capable of secretly paying 2 million foreign-language speaking strangers to show up together in one march.) (It can’t even get the COVID relief payments to its own people right over a period of months.)

(Fun trivia for turtles! As 美帝=“Imperialist US” is the synonym of a feared, imaginary super-villain—super organised, super efficient, super everywhere and super impossible to take down—c-BJYX, the indestructible No. 1 CP fandom in China, has been nicknamed “美帝 cp” by those not so enamoured with it.)

Finally, there’s the psychological factor. Once a set of beliefs becomes personal truths, listening to alternatives can be very upsetting (for those in the US: imagine the blue voting block made to listen to Fox News). Hence, even when people gain access to the facts later—for example, when they study/work abroad, even emigrate—they often don’t take advantage of the access. Instead, they remain logged in in the Chinese social media sites where they’re comfortable with not only the politics but also the language and the friendships they’ve built, and continue to immerse themselves in an environment heavy with CCP propaganda. They remain defenders of the Chinese government; some have even gone out and harass people who disagree with it, in the name of freedom of speech that their country of origin never offered to them.

Censorship, of course, is an important component of building a One Story echo chamber, and I should add a note about it: censorship in China comes in vastly different strengths. The restrictions on LGBT+ issues, for example, are fairly lax, relatively speaking—“homosexuality” remains a term one can find on their internet and a topic the administration continues to address, and while BL dramas are censored, their adapted versions, along with highly publicised discussions of their original material, have so far been tolerated. The strictest form of Chinese censorship would’ve allowed neither: any mention of the 1989 June 4th Tiananmen Square massacre , for example, is immediately removed, including any hints that the event may have happened. When the former leader of the Chinese government, Jiang Zemin (江澤民), was rumoured to have passed away, the censorship apparatus went so far as to remove all mentions of Jiang, which also happened to mean “large rivers”. Chinese netizens therefore joked that major rivers had ceased to exist in China that day, as one couldn’t find any information about them online.

(LGBT+ activists have therefore remained optimistic about the future of their campaign, despite the current state of affairs. To put it simply: the Chinese government has bigger fish to fry. Sexual minorities haven’t had major clashes with the administration, haven’t embarrassed the Chinese government with their demand for rights as the ethnic minorities—the Uyghurs, the Tibetans, the Mongolians etc did. Political dissidents, including the millions in Hong Kong, are also (far) ahead in the ranking of fish size.)

For most issues, the censorship effort sits somewhere in the middle and is often inconsistent over time. The people, therefore, often have knowledge that an event has happened — even when the event is considered, beyond the Great Firewall, damaging to the reputation of the Chinese government. However, critical information is often missing in their knowledge, or is heavily distorted. For example, overseas Chinese citizens have insisted that the motivation of the 2019 Hong Kong Protests was economic, echoing the longstanding CCP propaganda that Hong Kongers have been jealous of China’s prosperity (reality: China’s GDP per capita was $10,268 USD in 2019, and Hong Kong’s, $48,713—more than 4 times higher). They missed out a critical fact: while the fast economic growth of China has created some unease—Hong Kongers have always known the Chinese government has only tolerated them and their freedoms for their ability to generate wealth—what has truly ignited Hong Kong’s anger is the Chinese government’s violation of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, and the terms it had agreed upon to get back the then British crown colony. Hong Kong hasn’t been demanding autonomy and freedoms because it’s a troublemaker, but because these things were promised to the city as conditions of the 1997 handover. As residents of the world’s third largest financial centre, Hong Kongers are diligent drafters and executioners of contracts (which international treaties are) and above all, faithful believers of them. For an asker (the Chinese government) to claim a contract as “historical”  because it has received the goods (Hong Kong) and no longer feels a need to pay (allow Hong Kong 50 years of freedoms and autonomy) is offensive to the principle, the very heart and soul of the city. 

(Gg’s former boss was a Hong Konger, and his experience working for him was a rather accurate reflection of Hong Kong’s view on business. What made an impression to Gg—that the posters should be without rips and misprints, even if these imperfections were not the fault of the design company—is a no-brainer to the Hong Konger in me reading the interview. Delivering high quality goods and services isn’t an act of kindness but rather, of professionalism and respect for the contract.)

(This interview is a highly recommended read, for those who’ve missed it!)

(One more example of “conveniently missed critical information”: remember GG’s show on Chongqing? Did you know the underground bombing shelters were not built by the Communist government, but the Nationalist government that was still ruling China during WWII?)

Anyway, where was I?

Right. We’re getting to 3): People are not getting the facts on the political situation in China because they’re not interested in current affairs.

Some—well, many— people are not interested in politics.

Some of you may be thinking: well, I’m not interested either. I follow politics because it’s important.

Why is it important? Because political engagement means you can do something about the many ills of the society, speak for those who cannot, force the government to change by voting, by voicing your opinion, by going to marches and protests etc.

What if you follow politics and still can’t do most of these things? What if, if you do choose to do these things, the price you pay may be astronomical? Will you still follow politics or devote your time, your energy to something else, something you’ve got more control over, something that won’t be as saddening, frustrating because it’s something you can actually change?

3) is therefore intricately related to why people often don’t do anything, even if they manage to find out about the facts.

There’re no national elections in China. Marches and protests are practically banned because while the Chinese Constitution guarantees the freedom of assembly (as it does freedom of speech and press; Article 35), it also explicitly states that "Citizens of the People’s Republic of China, in exercising their freedoms and rights, may not infringe upon the interests of the State, of society or of the collective, or upon the lawful freedoms and rights of other citizens.” (Article 51) — ie. the freedoms and rights only go as far as if they do not stand in the government’s way. Social media and all communications platforms are under constant surveillance, and so only opinions tolerated by the government is allowed... 

And so, the fact, social ill that has broken your heart—you can’t tell for sure if it isn’t talked about because the government has censored it, how many people know about it and more importantly, how many among the people who know about it will agree with your take. If you break your silence and voice your concerns, how many people will have your back, even if you also conceive them as victims of the social ill? If the social ill is the lack of rights of a minority group, for example, will they appreciate your speaking out, or will your “rocking-the-boat” make things even worse for them? A heavily watched net means communications with the oppressed/vulnerable social groups are often filled with obstacles, if not outright impossible. You don’t know how these groups feel; you don’t even know how many affected individuals are there. You watch the and news and shows and they all talk about how wonderfully things are going; how everyone seems so hopeful and positive and happy with their lives—are you the only person feeling that way? Are you wrong? If you speak out then, will you be yelling into the void, or worse, yelling at the police who “invites” you for a chat in the police station? To speak for those who do not have a voice to speak, are you ready, willing to take the risk of also becoming one who no longer has a voice to speak? Is your family ready? 

To put it another way: the opportunity cost of “doing something” about the political situation can be astronomically high in China, compared to the opportunity cost of us doing something similar in our own country. 

If I want to support the LGBT+ population in my part of the US, for example, I can do so effectively with minimal investment and most importantly, with minimal risk. By pasting a rainbow flag on this Tumblr post, for example, I’ve already signalled to those who need support on this issue that I’m ready to give mine. And this “signal” of mine will join the hundreds and thousands on the site, collectively telling the activists doing the “on the ground” fighting that they’re not alone; that they have my vote of support. I pose no danger to myself in doing so; no one will accuse me of, arrest me for infringing upon the interests of the State and the Collective. The rainbow flag, a display of my stance, will not turn into a blurred blob the next time I look at it, transform overnight from a symbol of solidarity to a warning sign to those who may wish to join the cause. There’s no danger for me, even, to carry an actual, huge rainbow flag to Pride, perform my activism in person. I don’t have to worry about my phone already giving away my identity as a protester to the government, especially in post-COVID times. I don’t need to watch out for plain clothes pretending to be my allies. I don’t have to look at the many surveillance cameras present and wonder if I’ll get blacklisted as a troublemaker.

Am I still being tracked and taken pictures of? Possibly. But for this cause, at least, I’m not afraid that these information will be used to arrest me. If I were arrested, I know there'll be lawyers and activists who would come to my aid. LOUDLY. ANGRILY.

I’m not afraid. Period. I’m having fun. And I doubt I can say the same if I try to carry a rainbow flag to Tiananmen square and march there.

This vast difference in the opportunity cost of taking political action is the reason why I’ve refrained from demanding those who live under authoritarian dictatorships to stand up for their neighbours who’ve been oppressed / bullied by their governments. I’ve refrained from criticising them for looking away, minding their own business. Do I wish they’ve take action? Of course I do. Am I aware that their lack of action is potentially more harmful because of the frequent atrocities happening around them? Yes. But I also understand that going on a fight is far more frightening when one doesn’t even have a sense of how many will join their side of the fight; I understand that fighting for what one deserves—freedoms, rights, justice—should never equal martyrdom, and just because a regime has elected to put equal signs between the two doesn’t mean those equal signs should ever be there. I remind myself that, to ask the people in any authoritarian dictatorship to stand up for a political cause is to ask them to make sacrifices that we, as people in relatively free societies, do not need to make when standing up for the same cause. In a country where a father demanding the truth about the milk product poisoning of his own son got jail time for “eliciting social disorder”, to stand up for even a single issue, no matter how small that issue is, requires courage that I’m not sure I have.

I can’t ask anyone to do anything I may not be able to do myself.

And this is why I, too, have chosen to support these people, even if many of them are single-issue activists, even when many support the Chinese government on other issues that matter. For example, the late Dr Li Wenliang, one of the eight COVID whistleblowers in China who passed away from the disease, was an opponent of the Hong Kong Protest, but I still (greatly) appreciate, respect him for what he did. As long as they’re not actively helping the government to cause (more) harm to others, as long as their cooperation with their government falls within what is demanded of them as citizens, they have my support. Why? Because most people who speak out in China cannot afford to stand up for more than one cause before it becomes dangerous for them. Because even if it’s only a tiny vulnerable social group, one small minority that makes a tiny step towards more rights, more freedoms, more justice, it’s still a victory in a country where rights, freedoms and justice are luxury items for those with neither political nor economic power. Because those who’re not part of the ruling class cannot afford to cherry pick their allies, cannot afford to in-fight when the ruling class already holds absolute power. Because I still believe in pay-it-forward, that most people who’ve benefited from someone standing up for them, even for one small incident, one minor cause, is more likely to stand up for someone else.

This is, admittedly, not always an easy choice to make—not for me, at least. I do get frustrated, can’t help but think at times that those who subscribe to and spread propaganda are, to a certain extent, corroborators of the atrocities committed by their government. (So, to those who’ve felt this frustration, you’re not alone!). And the Hong Konger in me has every reason to be furious with everything about China right now—all I could think of, when I listened to Gg singing 異鄉人 Foreigner the other night, are all the Hong Kongers fleeing the city now, as refugees, because of their political beliefs.

But for now, I’m hanging on. I’ve been able to tell myself that given the country’s political reality, given its tradition of collectivism (which tends to view confrontational dissent with scorn), the paths to freedoms, to equal rights and acceptance, will not be the same as what I’ve seen, what I’ve wished for. They’ll likely be slow; They’ll likely be long and winding, taking three steps forward and two steps back; they’d likely be unexpected in places, offer us surprises —

And since it’s Chinese New Year / Valentines and I’m feeling brave (irresponsible?), I’d venture a little bit of speculation and say this ~ yes, I’ve wondered if one of these many paths may be trodden, intentionally or not, by two beautiful male idols and their millions of turtles. Is it wishful, fantastical thinking? I’d be the first to admit the answer is yes. But the BJYX scheme has been so well executed as of now, so effective that I can’t help but wonder if it’s leading towards some sort of a goal, whether devised by the humans involved or by the gods/Fates who, as c-turtles have said so romantically, have been writing an original BL story with our favourite boys. The goal may be personal —simply two people being able to act more like themselves again under the spotlight—or a bit more ambitious…

… Because the sneakers + ice-cream post did catch my attention (will probably have to devote a post on that?). Another small incident that has caught my attention, unrelated to Gg and Dd but can significantly change the path they may be trodding, is this — in June 2020, People’s Daily, the state controlled newspaper, boasted its country’s increasing friendliness towards the LGBT+ communities on Twitter . While the tweet was met with skepticism and soon removed, the message it sent is this: the Chinese government may have figured out the the Western world (in particular, the younger generations) view LGBT+ rights as a measure of progressiveness. While I’m still leaning towards the government maintaining a tight grip on LGBT+ rights within its borders, with the strengthening call to boycott 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics because of the country’s poor human rights record, I can see a glimmer of possibility that the same government may do the unexpected and cater to the queer community for the sake of propaganda.  As I mentioned, the queer community hasn’t caused much headache for the Chinese government, and so it’s far more likely to be chosen as the “benefactors” of such a “we’re a human rights champion too!” propaganda campaign than, say, ethnic minorities and political dissidents. Promoting dissemination of core socialist values has always sat high on the CCP’s agenda list, and its target audience has always included foreign, non-Chinese populations; this effort is known as 大外宣—“The Great External Propaganda”. And who better to cast as leads of an international propaganda campaign on LGBT+ rights than two of its own stars who’ve already demonstrated loyalty to the government, who’ve already garnered international fame from a TV series widely viewed as queer, and who may actually be queer?

(And if—if!!!— this ever happens, may I ask everyone to please consider doing the following? Please do not feel a need to express gratitude. Please do not act as though it’s a gift. Celebrate as you would celebrate anyone in a free country exercising their birthright to live, to love the way they want — no less than that, no more than that.)

(For those who’ve asked ~ as international fans, not allowing the CCP to modify our expectations of how a government should behave may be one of the most effective ways to protect Gg and Dd.)

(I call this learning from the best: get the goods we want (more rights for the people in China), refuse to pay the cost (subscribe to CCP’s propaganda), and RUN! ❤️💛💚)

#pie metas #yizhan #bjyx #pie answers

[capncassas]

Teammates Nothing More P.3

Summary: After your last training session with Steve, you make a very important decision. Don’t train with Steve anymore, but whose going to train you? You don’t let that stump you for too long. Bucky.

Word Count: 764

Warning: None

Please don’t repost my writing anywhere, but do feel free to like, comment and re-blog, I am a fragile bean who needs love and support. If you would like to be added to my tag list send me a message.

Tag List: @littlebirdofrivia @smile-sugar @ughdontbeboring​

You’ve decided, it isn’t an easy choice, but you still have to make it. It’s for your own good. You inhale and swallow hard, crossing the dining hall toward Bucky. It’s morning in Stark Tower and all the Avengers are busy at work, along with all of Stark Enterprises. It’s breakfast time so almost everyone is here, so you figured that this would be the best time to talk to Bucky.

You clear your throat softly, you don’t want to interrupt Bucky, you’ve heard all the old stories about the Winter Soldier, but–he really isn’t that person anymore. He’s kinder, gentle–with the people who know him, that is. But he is also Steve’s best friend. Now that you’re standing here, you question if this is a good idea after all.

“Ex-excuse me, Bucky?”

Since clearing your throat didn’t make him turn his head to you, you speak to call his attention.

The raven-haired male turns to look at you. Those baby blues take you in for a moment and a smile crosses his lips. Up close and personal, even though you only have eyes for one man, Bucky is very easy on the eyes. You can see how anyone would be attracted to him.

“How can I help you, Miss YN?”

That civility, the politeness. It’s jarring considering the time you come from when it’s easy to forget. Everyone is offended by something, the tiniest little thing. Mountains turned into mole hills while the real issues are forgotten. You wonder if that isn’t a matter of society picking.

It doesn’t want to handle the real issues, so it creates new ones to focus on that means very little in the grander scheme of things.

“Could I speak with you privately?”

Anxiety ripples through your chest and abdomen. You hate this, but honestly, after last night you can’t take anymore of Steve’s abuse. You would have thought because he knew how you felt about him, regardless that he didn’t feel the same way–Steve might be a little easier on you? But that wasn’t the case here at all.

Bucky nods and stands, his napkin falling onto his plate. You notice it was empty anyway and you can rid yourself of guilt thinking that you disrupted his breakfast. Bucky tosses his trash and follows you into the empty hallway where only a few people are passing by now.

“I wondered if from now on, you could train me.”

You tell Bucky, fidgeting with the zipper on her sweatshirt.

Bucky’s brows arch up, wrinkling his forehead in an attractive yet inquisitive manner. Of course, Bucky knows that you’ve been training with Steve, he is team leader and certain duties fall under his belt, so to speak and he replies with as much and you feel yourself pale as you look down at your feet.

“I know, it’s just. Steve and I are having some… personality conflicts and I just think it would be best if we don’t train together anymore and well, I just figured that you naturally are Steve’s second so… I just thought that I would ask you. If it’s not asking too much. If it is, I can ask someone else,” you ramble, staring at your feet and suddenly Bucky gently tucks his knuckle under your chin, lifting your eyes to his.

“I’d be honored.”

“Really? Thank you so much, Bucky!”

Before you can stop yourself, you’ve stretched up onto your toes and flung your arms around Bucky’s neck. Hugging him quickly.

Bucky laughs, giving your back a gentle pat before you let him go and hits you with the full force of those big baby blue eyes that twinkly with mischief. “But you get to be the one to tell Steve.”

The way Bucky says it, it sounds like he is implying something else and before you open your mouth; he turns and walks away.

“Meet me in the danger room one hour, missy. Don’t be late.”

Well shit, you think. You were genuinely this would be the hardest part. Steve would probably be ecstatic to have you out of his hair, but something about Bucky’s abrupt departure tells you otherwise.

“Tell me what?”

Every hair on the back of your neck rises as you hear America’s ass’s voice right behind you. So that’s why Bucky hightailed it out of there.

You swallow hard and turn around, inhaling fast.

“I’m training with Bucky now, so…. so that’s it.”

You did it. You said the words. You also forget breakfast and immediately head to the lab. Who needs to eat right?

—

AN: Important PSA from the writer, PLEASE DO NOT SKIP EATING! Remember to eat, take healthy snacks on your journey’s in adulting and drink plenty of water!!!! I love you, you precious little beans! <3

#Teammates Nothing More #Part 3 #Reblog #Captain America #Captain America x Reader