#where's our legal advisor

[jessieren]

Tuesdays are such good eye candy....

Happy Tux day everyone :)

I wonder if he realises how much I lose my shit every time I see him in a tux

#shaun evans #itv endeavour #endeavour morse #tux tuesdays #fuck he's gorgeous #and even more gorgeous in a tux #i genuinely lose my shit over him #whhhyyyyyyy #well I know why #kind of... #but still whhhyyyyy #he needs to be less gorgeous #I don't feel he's taking that instruction well #perhaps we can add a tux clause #to the various other clauses we already have #for his future projects #he could alternate between boiler suit of lust tux and naked #I mean I'm happy with any of them... #and all of them... #where's our legal advisor #I've lost the plot entirely #not that I had much plot left to lose #if I'm totally honest #my tags are writing themselves again #sorry... not sorry #hot damn evans

[inkskinned]

she's three years younger than i am, and i put on cascada as a throwback, cackling - before your time! i've been borrowing my brother's car, and it's older than dirt, so the trunk is like, maybe permanently locked. when the sun comes through the window to frame her cheekbones, i feel like i'm 16 again. i shake when i'm kissing her, worried i won't get it right.

in 2003, my state made gay marriage legal. where she grew up, it wasn't legal until 11 years later - 10 years ago. if legal protections for gay marriage were a person, that person would be entering 5th grade. online, a white gay man calls the fight for legal marriage boring, which isn't kind of him but it is a common enough opinion.

it has only been 9 years since gay marriage was nationally official. it is already boring to have gay people in your tv. it is already boring to mention being gay - "why make it your entire personality?" i know siblings that have a larger age gap than the amount of time it's been legally protected. i recently saw a grown man record himself crying about how evil gay people are. he was begging us, red in the face - just do better.

i am absolutely ruined any time my girlfriend talks about being 27 (i know!! a child!), but we actually attended undergrad at the same time since i had taken off time to work between high school and college. while walking through the city, we drop our hands, try not to look too often at each other. the other day i went to an open mic in a basement. the headlining comedian said being lesbian isn't interesting, but i am a lesbian, if you care. as a joke, she had any lesbian raise their hand if present. i raised mine, weirdly embarrassed at being the single hand in a sea of other faces. she had everyone give me a round of applause. i felt something between pride and also throwing up.

sometimes one thing is also another thing. i keep thinking about my uncle. he died in the hospital without his husband of 35 years - they were not legally wed, so his husband could not enter. this sounds like it should be from 1950. it happened in 2007. harassment and abuse and financial hardship still follow any person who is trying to get married while disabled. marriage equality isn't really equal yet.

and i don't know that i can ever put a name to what i'm experiencing. sometimes it just feels... so odd to watch the balance. people are fundamentally uninterested in your identity, but also - like, there's a whole fucking bastion of rabid men and women who want to kill you. your friends roll their eyes you're gay we get it and that is funny but like. when you asked your father do you still love me? he just said go to your room. you haven't told your grandmother. disney is on their 390th "first" gay representation, but also cancelled owl house and censored the fuck out of gravity falls. you actively got bullied for being gay, but your advisor told you to find a different gimmick for your college essay - everyone says they're gay these days.

once while you were having a hard day you cried about the fact that the reason our story is so fucking boring to so many people is that it is so similar. that it is rare for one of us to just, like, have a good experience across the board. that our stories often have very parallel bends - the dehumanization, the trauma, the trouble with trusting again. these become rote instead of disgusting. how bad could it be if it is happening to so many people?

i kiss my girlfriend when nobody is looking. i like her jawline and how her hands splay when she's making a joke. there is nothing new about this story, sappho. i love her like opening up the sun. like folding peace between the layers of my life, a buttercream of euphoria, freckles and laughter and wonder.

my dad knows about her. i've been out to him since i was 18 - roughly four years before the supreme court would protect us. the other day he flipped down the sun visor while driving me to the eye doctor. "you need to accept that your body was made for a husband. you want to be a mother because you were made for men, not women." he wants me to date my old high school boyfriend. i gagged about it, and he shook his head. he said - "don't be so dramatic. you can get used to anything."

the other day a straight friend of mine snorted down her nose about it, accidentally echoing him - she said there are bigger problems in this world than planning a wedding.

#splled ink #writeblr #it's really hard to describe what im feeling

[thatonebirdwrites]

This chapter fought me quite a bit, but we're getting closer to when Lena finally caves and just kisses Kara senseless. She's almost there. She's just being stubborn. Kara, of course, is waiting on Lena's lead.

oh, and I guess other plot things are happening.

EXCERPT:

Lena grudgingly goes with Kara to the DEO meeting room using her portal. As the meeting drones on, she learns how utterly annoying and highly inefficient the DEO's meetings are. Alex presides with J’onn as advisor while Brainy gives the run down of what they currently know. Lena taps her pen against her notebook, her eyes narrowed at Brainy’s report of the last few days. 

Specifically the dinosaur attacks. 

“So,” Lena interjects, “You’re saying that an unknown individual is turning animatronics into living creatures?” She can’t help the incredulity in her voice. 

“Yes, indeed that is exactly what I am saying,” Brainy concurs. He tilts his head to study Lena, thoughtfully. “Has your Ireland escapades provided you with the necessary knowledge to utilize your magical ability?” 

“Yes.” If she’s being honest, not really, but between her mother’s grimoire, her newly regained memories, and maybe consulting with Florence, she’s sure she’ll find her footing soon. But no way in hell is she saying that out loud to anyone. 

“Perhaps you’d like to review the remains? If magic is being used, you should be able to detect it.” 

Lena shrugs. "Sure. Tomorrow perhaps." She's far too tired today.

Sam leans forward, her elbows on the table. “Oh my god, yes, please, I can punch it out, but honestly, that doesn’t help stop the dude. Where is he getting all these animatronics anyway?”

J’onn sighs. “I’ve been talking with my networks, and some of them seem to be from the grey market. It would be easier to track had it gone through black market channels. We have more contacts in those.”

“Grey market?” Kara asks. She is wearing the Supergirl suit Lena made her and stands next to Lena’s chair, her injured arm in a sling.

Lena has to admit the pants outfit looks fantastic on her, especially the way it hugs her muscles. No one needs to know how much she appreciates the look, and how half her brain is narrowed in on the movement of Kara’s muscles rather than listening. Nor does anyone need to know how she tailored this outfit specifically to bring out the best of Kara's assets, while still giving her the pants she so needed.

“Grey market is legal items being sold or bartered from one individual to another, where neither hold a selling license,” Brainy defines. “Common in low income areas and among the houseless.”

“Oh. So okay, do you have any other leads?” She frowns. Her uninjured hand hooks her thumb on her belt, and heavens, does that make her look even hotter. 

#supercorp #lena luthor #Kara Danvers #kara x lena #kara zor el #kara danvers x lena luthor #Brainy #j'onn j'onzz #Nia Nal #supergirl cw #cw supergirl #supergirl #supergirl fic #alex danvers #Andrea Rojas #sam arias #magic!lena #warding #defensive magic #fixing the leviathan storyline feels like a full time job

[iliiuan]

I'm to the point where Gawyn actually makes a decision, and a lot of the criticism he receives seems misplaced to me. He makes shit choices because he has shit information because the women he trusts to provide him with information refuse to communicate. Elayne, then Siuan, and then Egwene all misused him.

He followed Elayne to Tar Valon and undertook his training there, doing his duty without complaint. Then his sister vanished. His mom freaked out. He worried, and also BLAMED HIMSELF.

When Elayne returned, I don't remember if she even bothered to say 'hi' in his direction before running off again. Now he's really worried. Siuan won't tell him anything. Min won't tell him anything. He's trying to keep Morgase from blowing a gasket. Galad's joining the Whitecloaks. And then... there's a coup. Siuan, having given him exactly zero reason to trust or back her, he knew Elaida as a respected advisor, and he thought that her ascent was legal. He also thought that he would be able to get the information he wanted out of Siuan. All of this makes sense.

Then he stumbles. The change in Amyrlin doesn't fix his problems. He still doesn't know where his sister is. He lets Min rescue Siuan (and Leane and Logain). I don't remember his reasoning, probably because it wasn't very good. This particular point was all him.

Now he has his Younglings, and Elaida wants him disappeared, and he's sent on the mission to scoop up the Dragon Reborn for Elaida. He's heard rumor that Rand murdered his mom, maybe his sister as well, and he has a bloodlust for revenge. All of this is really reasonable, frankly. Then he runs into Egwene.

Egwene has the power to divert Gawyn from his path of doom, but she instead chooses to ignore him (in the political sense) and withhold information from him, while also sort of using him as a spy but not very well. Instead of using her rather impressive people skills to push him onto a healthy path, she uses him for some snogging and makes him promise not to harm the person who is supposed to save the world. She doesn't tell him where Elayne is. She doesn't give him any evidence about Morgase beyond being a character witness for Rand. She doesn't explain about the fractured tower, nor emphasize her allegiance to the rebel faction. She makes no effort whatsoever to sway him to her side, to even try to convince him to abandon Elaida. She doesn't even respect him enough to read him in as a spy for her. She also seems to think that a low-level soldier will be able to protect Rand from Aes Sedai. You know the ones, the women who can channel? Yeah. Not fucking likely.

So off he goes, swimming with his misperceptions, making ever more desperate decisions, experiencing increasing trauma and stress, until he finally comes to his senses and seeks out Egwene's side.

What I'm really trying to emphasize here is that Egwene could have had him on her side beginning in Cairhien, but she couldn't be arsed.

So when he goes back to her, and people criticize her for being with his loser self, my heart deflates a little. He deserves so much better. Even if he is a loser.

I also find the claim that Gawyn exemplifies toxic masculinity to be backwards. If anything, Elayne and Egwene are the ones displaying the traits usually associated with toxic masculinity: arrogance, withholding information or training, refusing help and then being upset when the helper isn't around, seeing the opposite sex as deficient (this one is only Egwene), acting invincible/infallible, not listening to good advice because of the gender of the person giving it ... you see? Don't be fooled by his masculine-coded job of bodyguard; everything else about the gender roles in his world are reversed from ours. He has a prescribed support role, and when he can't fulfill it, he becomes lost. He doesn't get to determine his destiny, so he doesn't train in how to make life decisions, but rather in how to follow orders and to walk his prescribed path.

So much about Gawyn's journey matches with the experience of women in our world who were raised and trained to be homemakers, but then had to claw their way out of abusive relationships, or find meaning after infertility, or push forward as a single parent after being abandoned by a husband or family.

So yeah, I have a really difficult time accepting a lot of the scorn he gets, especially from supposedly feminist critique.

#wheel of time #wot spoilers #gawyn trakand #elayne trakand #egwene al'vere #siuan sanche

[transmutationisms]

could you elaborate more on your analysis on class in academia? especially the thing about TAs being capable of being class traitors. found your post very intriguing and would like to engage more in this topic

most grad students are not independently wealthy, which is why we pay for school by taking positions as teaching assistants (TAs) or research assistants (RAs). these positions are in turn the actual reason why the school admits grad students in the first place: it's cheaper to pay our stipends, which are often below poverty-line wages, than it would be to hire more faculty. grad students are increasingly responsible for teaching, grading, lab work, and research. depending on how nice our advisors and professors are, we might get co-authorship for some of these efforts, or some lines on our CVs. what we often do not get is legal designation as employees: generally we are classified as students or as ambiguous in-between categories, which means we don't get standard labour protections like sick days, and we can be fired expelled at will. in the us, this also results in ambiguity over basic questions like whether the school is allowed to simply stop paying our stipends if we go on strike: if we're not employees, we're not protected by labour law even in jurisdictions that do protect a worker's right to strike. the grad school experience is largely defined by the labour laws in your jurisdiction, by the culture in your department, and by your relationship with your advisor, who is either tenured or tenure-track and thus has far more job security than you do. advisors have tremendous power over their grad advisees, a situation that makes us easy to abuse or simply to economically exploit (this latter is a particular issue in stem fields where your advisor is also your PI, and being a grad student also entails being a lab employee).

despite all this, grad students frequently have absolutely horrendous class solidarity: for example, our unionisation efforts (when we can even get our shit together enough to push for a union at all!) often ignore non-academic staff, who form a critical part of the academy and are just as exploited as we are, if not often more. grad students also have a deeply nasty habit of trying to emulate our professors in the way we interact with undergrads: condescending to them, trying to make their lives harder, refusing to make allowances for students struggling with deadlines or workload for any reason. often grad students see ourselves as 'temporarily embarrassed professors' rather than as what we are: a very low rung on the academic ladder, most of whom will never land a professorship because statistically, there simply aren't enough of those positions. again, remember that the university is incentivised to hire more grad students and grant more phds than 'the market' needs, because the institution is relying on us as a source of cheap labour. in some fields, a phd can lead to a lucrative industry job (pharmaceutical companies, military contractors, &c); in others, it can lead to several years of underpaid post-docs followed by unemployment or 'under-employment'.

whereas a tenured or TT professor often has a group of employees grad students working under them (typically this is grant-funded), contingent or adjunct faculty work on a semesterly or yearly basis and are paid much less, protected much less, and subject to being let go any time the university reviews their contract. adjuncts are another popular way to reduce labour costs, and, like grad students, are becoming increasingly used to replace tenured roles. some departments have been gutted to the point where they run almost entirely on adjunct and grad student labour at this point. you might think adjuncts and grad students would therefore make natural allies in struggles for better work conditions and compensation. however, adjuncts are still more than capable of being abusive or just assholeish to grad students, and both grad students and adjuncts are difficult to organise because of overwork, fear of losing what professional status they do have, and the fact that adjuncts are often forced to work at multiple institutions at the same time, or to hop between institutions frequently. in cases where serious labour coalitions do start to arise, a university will often offer superficial concessions to adjuncts and/or grad students, like a one-time pay increase (which is not something most grad students receive on a yearly basis, which means in real terms our stipends are usually actually decreasing over time).

anyway, to return to undergrads: in the academy's propaganda self-perception, it is a force for cultural enlightenment and individual self-betterment. undergrads are, then, paying for the privilege of receiving education, here configured as a gift bestowed upon the masses to create an uplifted citizenry and an enlightened society. this is, of course, horseshit. the university is conservative in both structure (resembling a medieval guild, eg the tenure system and the entire structure of grad school-as-apprenticeship) and mission (serving as a class barrier system that enforces and ideologically justifies social stratification through the granting of limited and expensive professional credentials). most undergrads are not wealthy, and many are going into debt for their degrees, which are presented as tickets to future jobs and economic security. it's a system that promises a select few the opportunity to become part of the ruling class rather than the exploited one, and that itself generates massive profits for its upper-level administrators (presidents, deans, and so forth). so yea when grad TAs try to act like tenured profs by treating undergrad students like shit i will call them class traitors lmao

#academia

[dewdrop-writes]

i was wondering: what if (friendship lv.10) yanfei was the only one to side with the imposter au reader? i imagine the whole “those who dare wear the face of our god/goddess must be punished blah blah blah” is not only unfair & unlawful but also like,, have any of them *cough* zhongli, ei, xiao and diluc come to mind instantly *cough* ever thought that perhaps their deity decided to bless the “imposter” who’s just been minding their own business and not trying to abuse their lookalikeness by giving them the same looks???? bet they’d feel stupid after the truth comes out and they realize yanfei’s the one who saved their god from getting murdered on spot. . .

srry for rambling. this yanfei main just wants any crumbs for their main;-; + i rlly don’t think she’d go “must kill the heretic” without at least hearing us out bc shes a lawyer and stuff and there’s no way she won’t be able to find a loophole/obscure law to protect us from everyone’s wrath while we’re finally given a chance to share our side of the story

In the name of justice

You are absolutely right, anon! Yanfei cares about justice, and is an overall kind person, so I would imagine she would not be one to jump on the "imposter" hate bandwagon just like that!

PS: this is super late of a response but I was really feeling a Yanfei mood recently so here it is! It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I might write more eventually!

Length: 2k words

cw: slight mention of injury

Screaming.

There was so much noise.

Your shaky feet bouncing off the pavement as a warm hand engulfed yours like a flame, dragging you behind them.

Dragging you through the labyrinthine streets of Liyue.

Only when the crowd's horrific angry sounds were muffled by the distance, did the warm hand release its grip on yours. You were quick to snatch it towards yourself, fearful eyes raking over the figure of none other than the legal advisor of Liyue.

She motioned a raised index to her lips, ushering you towards a smallish cramped building - you were unable to speak due to the ashy metallic taste in your mouth - lungs burning from the recent fleeing.

Finally, as she'd seated you down and bolted up the door, you managed to gather yourself enough to utter out a few words in succession.

"Why are you helping me?"

She frowned.

"Well, you're clearly being unjustly persecuted," she stated, crossing her arms huffily.

"Yes, you may bare a striking resemblance to the creator - but so what? If anything, people should take it as a divine blessing," she ranted, beginning to pace in front of the bolted door.

"Besides, its not as if you were claiming you were the creator," she added, raising her hands in frustration.

"I mean, I tried to reason with the Qixing on this - but I suppose when it comes to the creator, everything goes out the window," she sighed, leaning against the door once more.

You nodded slowly.

You were still somewhat confused by the whole creator aspect, but Yanfei seemed to be on your side at the very least.

You supposed you could do worse in terms of allies.

"I see...thank you, Yanfei."

She smiled brightly, before the expression faltered.

"I never did introduce myself," her brows furrowed as she cast a confused look your way. "How did you know my name?"

You stuttered, nervously glancing around the room, searching for an answer.

"Well...of course I know the legal advisor of Liyue...you're known far and wide," you laughed nervously, shifting in your seat.

"Oh. Well...I'm glad to see my reputation precedes me," she rubbed the back of her head, an awkward smile on her features.

"Where are you from, then, creator lookalike?"

"The name's (Y/n)," you spoke nervously, trying to stall for answers. As your gaze shifted over a worn map hung up on the wall, your eyes scanned the nations.

"And I'm from a small village in...Natlan."

"Oh, that's quite far away! I don't think I've met another person from Natlan before!"

You smiled and nodded nervously.

"Oh! Where are my manners," she chuckled. "Would you like some tea and a bite to eat?"

You nodded eagerly - the long sequence of running having drained you of all energy.

The meal went by without much fanfare - Yanfei made idle conversation, and you spilled stories of the nation you claimed to be from - mostly stringing together what little content there was about it in game and outside of it. For the most part - she seemed content with what you provided her with.

"Well, I say its about time for you to get some rest," Yanfei stated after glancing at the time.

"I'm afraid it isn't that safe in this shabby place - but no worries! I have a safer spot in mind," she explained, rising to her feet and hopping over to an antique teapot.

You recognized the item immediately, having had a similar one yourself in game.

She smiled at you mischievously.

"Hang tight!" she warned you, before raising the lid of it.

In a swirl of colors, you awoke on a quaint meadow - the skies painted gold with an eternally setting sun. Occasional sandbearer trees along with bamboos covered the mostly flat ground. Off in the distance, you could see a couple more floating islands.

You stared at your surroundings in awe, coming to a halt on the three story Liyue-styled house that had a lovely garden of wildvests and glaze lilies sprawling around it.

Yanfei came to a stop before you, reaching out a hand. You took it gently, allowing her to pull you to your feet.

"Let me show you my real abode," she said giddily, ushering you inside.

You were greeted by the scent of a roaring fire - and a sight of bookshelves littering the walls.

"That's...quite a lot of books," you spoke, awed.

She smiled sheepishly.

"As a legal advisor, I've collected every edition of Liyue law!"

"And have you had the time to read all of it too?"

She nodded happily.

"I've had more time to study than most people would think," she winked, hinting at her true nature as an adeptus.

You nodded slowly, following her through the entry hall.

"I've got a spare bedroom for you - it's right through here," she explained, before pushing a wooden door open.

The room was simple - clad in amber and brown hues - a bed by the wall, along with a matching dresser, bedside table, and a folding screen with a lovely scene painted upon it.

"It's not much, but I hope you don't mind - I haven't had guests in a while," she admitted, smiling sheepishly once more.

"No, no! It's perfect!" you exclaimed, taking in the room with a befuddled expression.

"That's a relief," she sighed. "Anyway - I have some work to do. I need to start building your case," she spoke, glancing at the looming library behind her.

"We gotta make sure you'll be safe from the rest of Liyue once we leave this place."

You nodded.

"I don't know how to thank you..."

"There's no need for that! I'm simply doing my job. Where there's an injustice - I will always be there to object."

With a brief goodnight, Yanfei set off to do research. Having nothing better to do, you settled in - getting changed out of your dirtied rags and into the silky salmon sleepwear you found in the drawers of the dresser. You crawled into bed, and with a heavy heart, you manage to battle your way to sleep.

Days in the teapot went by peacefully -Yanfei was pouring over legal papers throughout the days, accompanying your for meals and doing her best to host you. You felt yourself opening up to her a little more - sprinkling in little truths about your life back home and the friends and family you'd left behind.

A part of you ached to tell her the full truth - but you'd gone so long with those little white lies that you could never really speak your mind, afraid you'd lose the little haven and support you'd found.

Yanfei seemed to sense there was something you were keeping from her, but never pressed the matter - she was always cordial and understanding with you. It was no wonder most held her in such a high regard. She was kind, intelligent and sociable - everything packed in a fiery little package.

Eventually, the calm days of the teapot had to come to a conclusion, however.

"I think I've finally built up a case strong enough to present to the Qixing," she stated as she poured you a cup of tea, her chipper voice having an excited edge.

"Wow! That's great!" you responded eagerly, grinning up at her.

"I think - if it's fine with you - we should go and meet with them today."

You nodded slowly, feeling excitement mixing with anxiety in the pit of your stomach.

"You'll have to wear something concealing while we get there, though," she hummed in thought. "I should have some clothes with a hood. Something to hide your face with."

You allowed her to pick out a nice silky robe for you - one with a large hood that cast a shadow across your face - making you unrecognizable and unable to stand out too much in a crowd.

With that done, Yanfei gathered up her notes - her tomes, and grabbed your hand in her delicate warm one - exiting the teapot and stepping foot back inside that dingy house in Liyue.

"Well. Let's be on our way, then," she spoke, holding her hand out for you to take.

"Let's prove to the world you're a blessing, not a curse, hm?"

You chuckled.

"I like the sound of that."

"We are here to request a hearing with the Qixing," Yanfei spoke to the secretaries, allowing you to keep a slight distance.

"It's concerning this so called 'imposter' situation."

Soon, there were footsteps hurrying away to gather up the members of the Qixing.

You felt anxiety squeezing at your lungs, restricting your airways.

Yanfei cast you a reassuring smile.

You could do this.

"So, you've brought the imposter to us, very good, Yanfei," Ningguang spoke from her seat across the room, her gaze landing on your uncloaked form. You swallowed thickly, feeling her gaze pierce through you as sharply as the rocks she commanded.

"No, actually," Yanfei spoke firmly, pulling out her paperwork.

"I'm here to prove they're not breaking any law just by existing."

"Oh? Is that so?" Ningguang spoke, leaning forward, placing her elbows elegantly on the table before her.

"I'd like to see how you can argue that, when they're stood right beside you, wearing the face of the creator."

"They were simply born with that face. If anything, it should be a blessing."

Ningguang scoffed - her reaction mirrored by the other members of the Qixing.

"Our law dictates that no one is to be judged by their social or financial standing - nor their appearance," Yanfei spoke, flipping trough her book to find the according law.

"I would say this situation falls under this law."

"Maybe so, but you are forgetting that there is also a law dictating that you may not impersonate someone you are not."

"If I may be so bold - they were not claiming to be the creator. They simply entered Liyue - and were attacked and chased before they could even do anything," Yanfei had a confident smirk on her delicate features, her back straightened proudly.

"Well...yes, I suppose that's true, but still.."

"And as long as they never claim to be the creator - we have no right to persecute them on any grounds," Yanfei continued, confident in her win.

"I know this situation concerns the creator - trust me, I too take such matters very seriously, but we must not act rashly. It could reflect badly on Liyue, if we turn someone blessed by the creator, into a petty criminal."

Ningguang leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms and seemingly deep in thought.

"I suppose you are right in that regard..."

Yanfei grinned.

"Alright. I suppose we will not convict them of any crime. But we will be needing to keep a close eye on them - lest they get any ideas."

You cast your gaze aside, feeling anxious.

Would Ningguang's employees dig into your supposed past? Would they find out you had none in this realm?

"Alright. I suppose we will call off this hunt for them. And the two of you are free to go. But I do warn you - we will keep a watchful eye on you," she spoke, staring directly at you.

You felt a chill run down your spine.

As you turned to leave, you kept your gaze glued in front of you, back straight and trying to seem as confident as you could. However, you cursed your clumsiness as you tripped over your own feet. In mere moments, you were plummeting towards the ground.

Your head made contact with the smooth polished floor below you with a sickening thud.

Your ears were ringing as your vision swam - you were certain you could smell something tangy and metallic lingering in the air around you.

Suddenly - you heard multiple pairs of feet rushing towards you - the soft thuds echoing throughout the room and amplifying the ringing in your ears.

"Someone call a medic!" you heard what sounded like Keqing exclaim.

"Your grace! Oh geo lord..." you heard someone else speak frantically.

Slowly, your vision faded to black, along with the voices echoing around you.

#genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin #sagau #genshin sagau #genshin cult au #sagau villain au #yanfei #yanfei x reader

[beardedmrbean]

In her garden in northern Athens, four-year-old Niovi plays make-believe, selling cakes from her imaginary shop.

For her two mums, Christina Leimoni and Victoria Kalfaki, their dream may soon become real, as Greece stands on the brink of legalising same-sex marriage.

Parliament will vote on the bill, introduced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, on Thursday. Facing dissent from members of his own centre-right party, he will need to rely on support from the left-wing opposition to get it through.

Christina and Victoria will be there inside the chamber, willing it to pass. Two years ago, they returned to Greece from the UK, where they had moved for work - and to live their relationship freely.

They married in the UK and Niovi was born there. If the law passes, they plan to have their marriage recognised under Greek law.

'I have no say'

After Niovi's birth in London, they tried to register her at the Greek embassy, but were rebuffed. "The commentary was, 'You should have thought before having her'," Christina recalls.

"It was awful, I cried in the car for 45 minutes, I couldn't stop - it still brings bad memories," Victoria says, welling up with tears. "It's like being rejected by your country."

Without legal recognition for their marriage in Greece, only Victoria, who gave birth to Niovi, is accepted as her mother, even though the egg was from Christina.

At school, she has no say over decisions and when Niovi has been admitted to hospital, Christina has been barred from entering her room.

"My biggest fear is that if anything really bad happens to Victoria and she dies, our child instantly goes to social services, who then see if any of Victoria's relatives want to adopt her," she says.

"If they don't, she goes into an institution. I have no say. So the child wouldn't just lose one mother, she'd lose both of us."

Opposition by the Church

Fifteen of the European Union's 27 members have already legalised same-sex marriage. It is permitted in 35 countries worldwide.

Greece has lagged behind European neighbours largely because of opposition from its powerful church. If the law passes this week, it would become the first Christian Orthodox-majority country, and the first in Europe's southeast, to have marriage equality.

Same-sex couples would also be legally allowed to adopt children but not to have a baby through a surrogate - a recourse that is only legal here for heterosexual couples who have a medical need for assisted reproduction.

"Greece geographically is in the southeast, but culturally and politically it belongs to the West," says Alex Patelis, the prime minister's chief economic advisor and a member of the committee that drafted the marriage bill.

Mr Mitsotakis, recently storming to re-election, faces a weak opposition that has left him the space to tread onto their political turf without jeopardising his own position.

Mr Patelis says the bill is a cornerstone of the prime minister's beliefs: "It's often thought that human rights and equality are the purview of the parties of the left. This is coming from a centre-right party - and it's important to recognise that equality under law and individual rights are also the ideology of the right."

But Greek society is split. A recent poll for Proto Thema newspaper found 55% in favour of same-sex marriage and an even slimmer majority backing adoption.

Up to 50 of Mr Mitsotakis's 158 MPs are expected either to vote against the bill or to be conveniently absent from the chamber, meaning they can duck the vote.

A letter by the Church of Greece opposing the move was read out in morning mass across the country earlier this month, condemning what it said would "promote the abolition of fatherhood and motherhood… and put the sexual choices of homosexual adults above the interests of future children".

One of the most outspoken prelates has been Bishop Seraphim of Piraeus. At the city's Agii Anargiri Church, we watch as he leads a packed service, with worshippers in their Sunday best kissing icons and bowing heads.

He recently warned that he would block MPs who back the bill from his church, adding it would be preferable if they had not been born.

And, he said, he would refuse to baptise children of same-sex couples "to help them understand that what their guardians are doing is a sin."

Outside parliament on Syntagma Square, opponents gather to protest against the bill, beneath banners reading "No children for perverts" and chanting "Take your hands off our kids".

A video shows images including religious icons and, oddly, Bill Gates. Conspiracy theories about a new global order being imposed on Greece have blended with pious Greeks who believe their traditions are being destroyed.

"The Bible says marriage is between a man and a woman - and anything else is a big sin," says Rallou Perperidou.

"Like Sodom and Gomorrah, God destroyed people practising homosexuality. God will forgive them if they accept what they do is wrong and denounce it."

Kyriaki Chantzara, 38, is at the protest with her sister, who is expecting her tenth child.

"Homosexual people cannot give the right example for children because we think the existence of a female and male example is crucial to them. It is a human right for every child to have a father and a mother," she says.

Back in northern Athens, four-year-old Niovi is practising her English with nursery rhymes. Her mums help as she reads "Hickory Dickory Dock, the mouse ran up the clock…"

As time ticks towards the parliamentary vote, the women say their excitement is building. "I'm amazingly happy about it," says Christina.

"It's the start of accepting diversity in general as a country and accepting that all people have equal rights. And for us it will mean reality, because I am Niovi's mother, and this should be supported by the law. The legislation will bring truth to the reality."

#nunyas news

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Flickr to copyleft trolls: drop dead

Today’s a big day for users of Creative Commons images: Flickr has declared zero tolerance for copyleft trolls, predators who exploit a bug in out-of-date versions of the CC licenses in order to threaten good-faith users of CC images who make minor errors in the way they credit the images.

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/01/pixsynnussija#pilkunnussija

First things first: Flickr’s new community guidelines prohibit copyleft trolling: “Failure to allow a good faith reuser the opportunity to correct errors is against the intent of the license and not in line with the values of our community, and can result in your account being removed.”

https://www.flickr.com/help/guidelines

If you are targeted by a copyleft troll who demands that you pay them because of minor errors in your Creative Commons attribution, here’s how to report them and get them kicked off Flickr forever:

https://www.flickrhelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/4404057906068-How-to-report-Community-Guidelines-violations

Now, some background. Early versions of the Creative Commons licenses have a bug, a clause that says that the permissions conferred by CC licenses “terminate automatically upon any breach” — that is, if you violate any term of the license, it ceases to be in effect:

https://doctorow.medium.com/a-bug-in-early-creative-commons-licenses-has-enabled-a-new-breed-of-superpredator-5f6360713299

Core to the CC licenses is the idea of attribution. When you use a Creative Commons image, you must name the creator and link to the original, and name the license and link to it. Many CC users don’t understand this; they use an image and add something like “Image: Cory Doctorow/Creative Commons” with no links or specific licenses.

Under the pre-4.0 versions of the license, this can be construed as a “breach” which “terminates” the CC license. That’s where the copyleft trolls come in.

Copyleft trolls post CC-licensed stock art and then wait for a naive person to make a minor attribution error, and then they pounce, sending a legal threat and a speculative invoice demanding hundreds or thousands of dollars, under the threat of a $150,000 statutory damages award.

This is deeply unethical conduct. As I wrote when I was targeted by one of these creeps:

If you put a CC license on your work, its explicit message is, “I want you to re-use this.” Not “I am a pedantic asshole with a fetish for well-formed attribution strings.” The point of CC is not to teach the world to write attribution strings: it is to facilitate sharing and re-use. If you are a good-faith user of CC licenses, then your response to an incorrect attribution string should be a request to correct it, not a threat to sue for $150,000 in statutory damages.

Unethical as this conduct is, it’s also big business. One company, Pixsy, is responsible for a long-running shakedown campaign, working with scammy photographers to send out demand letters to unsuspecting Creative Commons users.

And many of those photographers rely on Flickr to bait their traps.

There’s a reason for this. Flickr’s early years were a period of enormous innovation. Flickr was the first mobile photo-sharing site, and it invented numerous community features that turned it into a thriving hub for photographers, amateur and professional alike. Flickr was also an interoperability pioneer, offering an API that let any user move their photos to a rival service — a tacit pledge to keep your business by being better than the rest, not by locking you in.

I know all this because I was an early advisor to Flickr, and because, in a weird way, I am partially responsible for Flickr. You see, before Flickr, I was carrying on a long-distance relationship from San Francisco with a woman in London, and we were both alpha testers for a social game called GameNeverending.

One day over breakfast with GNE’s founder Stewart Butterfield, he asked me how things were going in my romantic life. I answered that things were great, but mentioned that my girlfriend and I were struggling to share the pictures we took in our daily lives with one another. Stewart said, “Well, there’s a photo-sharing feature for GNE on the roadmap — why don’t I bump it up and we’ll see if other people use it, too?”

They did. In fact, the feature was so popular that within a few months, GNE relaunched as Flickr, jettisoning the game entirely and focusing on just that one feature. I stayed on the advisory, and one of the things I encouraged was the plan to roll out Creative Commons licenses for Flickr images — and I made sure everyone knew about it when Flickr became the first CC-enabled image site.

(I also married the woman I was carrying on that long-distance relationship with and today we have a 15 year old daughter!)

But after Flickr was sold to Yahoo, it joined Yahoo’s haunted armada of Web 2.0 ghost-ships, tossed back and forth in the storms created by the dueling princelings of Yahoo’s bloated management layer, who spent more time sabotaging one another than they did making anything anyone else wanted to use. Yahoo eventually sold off all of those holdings at fire-sale prices to Verizon, who neglected them still further.

An abandoned ship is easy picking for the rats that live in its bilges. Pixsy and its photographers actually became official Flickr partners, pitching themselves as a way for photographers who didn’t want their images shared to hunt down infringers — even as they facilitated a revolting campaign of copyleft trolling that depended on Flickr as their base of operations.

The depravity of copyleft trolls is truly boundless. Take Marco Verch, a prolific copyleft troll who hosts nearly 47,000 photos on Flickr. Verch hires low-waged gig work photographers through platforms like Upwork to take photos, then harasses people who make minor attribution errors:

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252488167/Automated-image-recognition-How-using-free-photos-on-the-internet-can-lead-to-lawsuits-and-fines

Verch boasts that his predation lets him work for four hours a week, leaving him with ample time to focus on his hobby, running. Verch is a truly prolific predator, and his attacks have made untold numbers of victims miserable — including the small Dutch charity that was forced to shut down after paying his ransom demand. Pixsy has been Verch’s US counsel and filed dozens of suits on his behalf.

Back in 2021, I got hit by Pixsy on behalf of a photographer named Nenad Stojkovic, with a claim that I had failed to attribute his image correctly. The email threat was truly vicious, calculated to strike terror into the recipient’s heart and prompt swift payment of $600, for using a freely licensed image whose market value had been set by its creator at $0.00.

There was just one problem: I hadn’t flubbed the attribution string. I helped with the launch of Creative Commons. I was CC’s first European director. What’s more, I have decades of experience fighting bullies and trolls and I knew their threat was bullshit — no court would award them the damages they were seeking.

So I wrote about it, publishing the text of my correspondence with Pixsy’s staff and management, and calling on Flickr to make changes to prevent their tools from being abused to victimize innocent people, like forcing users with CC 2.0-licensed images to relicense them as CC 4.0, which guarantees users the right to 30 days to fix attribution strings.

The reason I thought Flickr might take this in hand is that it is finally under decent, responsive leadership — since 2018, Flickr has been owned by Smugmug, a family-owned business that really cares about photographers and the open internet.

Flickr hasn’t taken all of my suggestions yet — my understanding is that they are laboring under enormous technological debt thanks to years of neglect by Yahoo and Verizon, and even small changes require weeks of all-hands technological work.

But what they have done is modify their policies to create a de facto CC 4.0 environment for their users, by promising to terminate the accounts of any user who repeatedly threatens legal action over bad attribution strings without first offering a 30-day grace period.

Flickr’s done more than that, actually. For one thing, they ditched Pixsy, severing their relationship with the company (Pixsy still lists them on its “partner” page). They also created the Flickr Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to providing long-term, responsible stewardship for their CC and public domain image respositories:

https://www.flickr.org/

For its part, Creative Commons published an excellent “Statement of Enforcement Principles” for its licenses that unequivocally rejected the way that Pixsy and other copyleft trolls abuse the bug in its older licenses:

https://creativecommons.org/license-enforcement/enforcement-principles/

In the months since I published my article detailing Pixsy’s attempt to shake me down, two things happened. First, I got a legal threat from Kain Jones, Pixsy’s CEO, who demanded that I get on the phone with him, the the alternative being “escalating things legally”:

https://doctorow.medium.com/an-open-letter-to-pixsy-ceo-kain-jones-who-keeps-sending-me-legal-threats-5dfc54558f2c

Jones also falsely claimed that naming the employees who’d threatened me violated the GDPR, which is extremely on-brand for this whole mess. While I don’t claim to be the world’s greatest expert on GDPR, I did lobby in Brussels for it, and I do have German specialist lawyers on tap who are happy to explain that Jones’s threat is absolute nonsense.

As I noted in my followup to Jones, he seems incapable of interacting with the public or his critics without making legal threats — and not just any legal threats, but legal threats that are grounded in an unhinged, and, in my opinion, deliberately deceptive theories of the law.

Pixsy continued to rattle its sabers for a while after this, tweeting that I’d made errors in my description of its business operations but declining to correct those records in response to my and others’ requests for further detail. It is my opinion that Pixsy failed to correct the record because my accusations were and are substantively correct.

But even after I stopped hearing from Pixsy, I continued to hear from its victims. I routinely receive distraught emails from everyday people who thought they were doing the right thing by using Creative Commons-licensed images in their work, and who now face a remorseless onslaught of threats from Pixsy’s team. Some of these people have been targeted on behalf of Nenad Stojkovic, just as I was.

These people beg me for advice — will Pixsy sue? Can they ignore Pixsy’s demands? I give them my condolences and tell them that I can’t promise them that a company as vindictive, greedy and morally bankrupt as Pixsy won’t bring a lawsuit. Every time, I wish I could offer them more.

Well, now I can: if you are targeted by a copyleft troll for using a Flickr-hosted image, narc them the fuck out. Tell Flickr about them. Flickr no longer tolerates copyleft trolling, and they will terminate repeat offenders’ accounts.

As I wrote this today, I went back and revisted Pixsy CEO Kain Jones’s letter to me and I was struck again by its absolute rank hypocrisy, the sheer sociopathic lack of self-awareness it displays. Jones presides over an empire of bulk legal threats, carefully drafted to frighten blameless people into sending him money they can’t afford and don’t owe. In this correspondence, his company tells its victims that they are liable “regardless of knowledge or intent.” Victims are told that correcting their error will not suffice, because it “does not resolve the period of unlicensed use.”

And yet, in this letter, Jones calls on me to show understanding because “people occasionally make mistakes.” He scolds me for my “vitriol” in my naming and shaming a senior executive who boasts on Pixsy’s website of having “overseen over 140,000 cases” — that is, who sent these outrageous letters to more than one hundred and forty thousand people and organizations.

Unlike Kain Jones, I am a working artist. I make my living from the sale of my creative works, not from tricking people who’ve made innocent, trivial legal errors into sending me hundreds or thousands of dollars. Unlike Marco Verch, I don’t pay anonymous randos small sums to create new works, slap my name on them, and then threaten blameless people in the name of defending artists’ rights.

And I sometimes have to police my copyrights. The world is full of quick-buck scammers who rip off my work, including my Creative Commons-licensed works, often with the assistance of some of the world’s largest corporations:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/07/25/can-you-hear-me-now/#acx-ripoff

These people are engaged in what Douglas Rushkoff calls “Going Meta.” They don’t do anything useful, but rather, they create a chokepoint between people who do useful things and people who want to pay for those things, and squatting there, collecting rent:

https://rushkoff.medium.com/going-meta-d42c6a09225e

This is the passive-income brainworm — a parasitic, end-stage capitalist hustle that cloaks itself in high-minded rhetoric even though it is the very lowest of bottom-feeders. Pixsy claims that it is primarily an artists’ defense tool, but the company conspicuously refused to tell me what share of its income comes from real copyright defense, and what share comes from copyleft trolling.

Whenever I think back on Kain Jones and his outrageous legal threats to me — first the one that falsely claimed I had violated a Creative Commons license, and then the one that insinuated that calling him out broke the law — the thing that outrages me most is his assertion that he is a defender of artists’ rights.

What an outrageous and grotesque claim that is. A man who presides over a powerful corporation that devotes its considerable energy to tormenting people who used Creative Commons licenses as they were intended to be used sends a legal threat to a working artist and he styles himself a champion of the arts? If I wrote that into one of my bestselling novels — which generate revenue by making people happy through artistic expression, and not by terrorizing people with deceptive and unethical legal threats — I’d be accused of absurd, overbroad parody.

Have you ever wanted to say thank you for these posts? Here’s how you can: I’m kickstarting the audiobook for my next novel, a post-cyberpunk anti-finance finance thriller about Silicon Valley scams called Red Team Blues. Amazon’s Audible refuses to carry my audiobooks because they’re DRM free, but crowdfunding makes them possible.

[[Image ID: John Milton's 'Fall of Lucifer,' modified so that God's light emanating from heaven is coming out of the Flickr blue-and-red-balls logo.]]

#pluralistic #rent seekers #predators #new york time #flickr #pilkunnussija #Nenad Stojkovic #new york times #creative commons #pixsy #kain jones #marco verch #copyleft trolls #going meta

[heresylog]

do you have pokemon sleep?

No, I collected snippets of their privacy policy. I was very uncomfortable with them collecting this data about my sleep habits.

5. WHO WE MIGHT SHARE YOUR INFORMATION WITH

In connection with the purposes and on the lawful grounds described above, we will share your personal information when relevant with third parties such as:

(f) Ad network. Service providers that deliver information to you via ad network system regarding Pokémon's current or future products and services (Adjust KK, based in Japan, and its subcontractors, such as Adjust GmbH, Lease web Germany GmbH, Lease web Netherlands B.V., and Leaseweb USA, Inc., based in Germany, Netherlands, and USA).

(g) Other third parties (including professional advisers). Any other third parties (including legal or other advisors, regulatory authorities, courts, law enforcement agencies and government agencies) based in the UK, USA, Japan, and other countries/regions to enable us to enforce our legal rights, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of our employees, or where such disclosure may be permitted or required by law.

We, and others, use cookies, web beacons, device IDs, and other tracking mechanisms to ensure that you get the most out of our App. Cookies are small amounts of information in the form of text files which we store on the device you use to access our App. Cookies and other tracking mechanisms, such as device IDs, allow us and others, to monitor your use of the software, simplify your use of our App, and to help us and others associate the mobile devices you use, your activities across websites, and your browsers for advertising purposes.

7.2 Our website may contain content and links to other sites that are operated by third parties that may also operate cookies and other tracking mechanisms. We do not control these third-party sites or their tracking activities, and this Privacy Notice does not apply to them. Please consult the terms, conditions, and Privacy Notice of the relevant third-party site to find out how that site collects and uses vour information and to establish whether and for what purpose it uses cookies.

8. HOW WE LOOK AFTER YOUR INFORMATION AND HOW LONG WE KEEP IT FOR

8.1 We use appropriate technological and operational security measures to protect your information against unauthorized access or unlawful use.

8.2 We will retain your information for as long as is appropriate to provide you with the services that you have requested from us or for as long as we reasonably require to retain the information for our lawful business purposes.

#pokemon #Pokémon sleep #privacy #albertas-worst-nightmare

[willkatfanfromasia]

Hey guys! This is my collab with the awesome @nspwriteups - modern, corporate AU! KunxVT

Sudden Sparks✨✨

It was just another day at the Chola corp. household.

They were a successful family run MNC with interests in a wide range of sectors like agriculture, industries, hospitality etc

Kriti's dad Sundar, the CEO, was feeling his age of late and really looked forward to that retirement mansion in the Seychelles-and she agrees. Her mom Vani was the perfect chaebol wife, keeping up social connections and coordinating the multiple companies.

Kriti and her dad’s best friend Anirudh – the chief legal advisor- have been running the show for the last few years.

She was truly appa’s pride, surpassing him in all aspects. It grieved him greatly that his great-grandfather, the founder, had willed the ownership only to sons in order of age.

Her hothead big bro Aditya made their dad age rapidly, as he was a mess through his teens and 20s- oscillating between therapy and overdrinking. His stubbornly insisted on marrying a regular girl Nandini- who oddly resembled his own ex. Huh! Like father like son

Girls like that just won’t fit in our circle, they all thought. Kriti and her great aunt Seema all disapproved and tried to bribe her away. But the young couple stood firm even through separation. Sundar gently explained his doubts to his son, who cockily returned with a DNA test proving his concern false.

Aditya became the chief of mergers and acquisitions, knowing a good takeover when he sees one. Nandini proved to be just as capable as herself (although she’d never say it aloud), smartly planning the legal aspects of her husband’s activities. Nothing gave the couple more joy than sleuthing and negotiating hard bargains, even with the most hostile businesspeople.

However, it is her darling boy Arun who is the all time favourite. Everyone from the janitor to the executive board loves him.

He started off as a cute intern, now he’s their PR face. Journalists flock to just see him smile. He’s been seeing Vinita, the junior at R&D in an office romance that’s the company’s worst kept secret. She rolled her eyes at her fastidious little brother. He was first very stiff with Vinita, the niece of their South zone president, because everyone wanted to get the two heirs together. He slowly fell for her, but tried very hard to hide it – much to kriti’s amusement. The longer than necessary waiting by the coffee machine, the abnormally frequent dropping of papers ( only for the other to come running for ‘help’) fooled no one, she chucked.

She laid back in the plush orange recliner in her living room. Her apartment was well decorated although she lived alone. Her brother and Anni lived in the floor above with their daughter, Kriti jr. Yes Kriti’s ego was greatly flattered by her namesake niece and she became nicer to her sister in law due to it.

Her brother lived in a cottage next door, with a large courtyard and her parents lived in a mansion next door to their company HQ

They had their usual Friday night entertainments. All except Kriti. She’d have occasional movie nights with Vinita and her other mates, poojas with seema paati and family birthday dinners.

She was happy to be the hustler for her family. She loved being swept by complex problems and solving them. She took pride in being their ‘brains’, not once regretting her cold demeanor or workaholic attitude.

Lately though, seeing her brothers' relationships left a pang in her stomach. Cousin Sandeep too was seeing Pooja, their coordinator for offshore branches.

Kriti blankly stared at the ceiling she’d seen a million times before. Smooth peach walls, a bronze ceiling fan and wall moulding on all sides. Her laptop glared, asking her to get back to work before the Monday noon deadline. Uncle Anirudh won’t like me slacking, she sighed and sat up. The IT girl of Chola corp can’t disappoint!

She began reading through the document sent by the budget team, noting where to edit or add comments. It was pretty linear, except this time some reps of their rival was out scouting start ups and releasing bad predictions for Chola’s next quarterly.

Enthusiastic footsteps and tinkling of metal made kriti exhale and go “gosh! Again?’.

Friday nights usually meant the same for her, her older brother and nandini would usual drop off her niece as they went off on their mandatory dates. There’s no way those 2 randy creatures have been together for 2 decades now, she groaned.

Kriti was soft, everyone knew most of her

evenings were spent working and she had a huge weakness for her niece.

She would often play sitter for Kriti jr. and Timmy (Arun and vinita's dog). She was just grateful Arun didn't make her babysit Airavat, the rescue elephant he adopted!

This time though, work was getting tight. She had to sort out Chola corp 's finances while also figuring who was spreading bad predictions for their stock.

Her train of thoughts was disrupted by the doorbell ringing. She knew who the visitors were and put on the best fake smile she could when she opened the door to see her brother and sister in law with a five year old girl in Nandini's arms. "I was hoping you forgot about your Friday routine" She said in mock annoyance. "Well actually I did ask my best friend to babysit Kriti jr here since I know how much of a busybody you are" Adithya told her, pinching his daughter's cheek as he spoke while Kriti frowned. A best friend of Adithya's that she hasn't met yet? Now that's odd. "We asked him to come here so you can have an extra hand to take care of her" Nandini joined in, kissing her daughter's forehead and handing her over to Kriti who was still wondering about this mysterious "friend" who is apparently a familiar face to everyone but one she hasn't heard about at all.

"He can be trusted Kriti. Why else would I entrust the safety of my beloved sister and daughter to him?" Adithya said after seeing a look of uncertainty on Kriti's face.

After Adithya and Nandini left them, Kriti turned to her niece sitting on the couch, "So my dear sugarplum, what will we do now?" Kriti jr ran to the showcase and took out board game from the drawer. They played the game for a while, watched Tom and Jerry on the tv. Kriti looked over at the clock. It's been half an hour since she started babysitting. Where was this so called trusted friend who was supposed to give them company? She contemplated on calling up Adithya and give him a piece of her mind but then she didn't wanted to interrupt theie date night. "Best friend…Trusted indeed" She muttered "He's going to ghost me for sure"

"Ugh! Why can't I stick to one decision? Now I'll have to host a stranger" she inwardly groaned

Kriti jr looked up at her aunt "Why are you angry Aunty?" She squeaked

"How do you know I am angry?" Kriti enquired

"Because Amma says you murmur when you are upset. So I know you are angry" the little girl said as a matter of fact. Kriti laughed, how well Nandini knows her.

"I am not angry Kanne, I'm just irritated" Kriti sighed, glancing at the clock again. He looked at her niece again when she felt a tug on her kurti. "I am hungry" Kriti jr said with puppy eyes.

"Okay, let's go have dinner" Both girls made their way to the kitchen and was deciding whether to make dinner or order out when the doorbell rang again. "Yay, Kamsa Mama is here!" Saying this Kriti jr sped out of the kitchen, leaving behind a perplexed Kriti behind.

Kamsa who?

The glee in the child's eyes made her irrationally jealous

She heard her niece calling out "It's open, Mama. Come, come" and went to investigate, stopping midway to see a young man twirling her niece, laughing with her. The guy was tall, looked the same age as her and was casually dressed in denim jeans and sweatshirt. She only had a few seconds to admire his curly hair and sparkling eyes before those same eyes met with hers. He set down Kriti jr, looking at her with curiosity and suddenly Kriti felt consious of how she was looking - Not expecting him to show up, she was dressed in an old kurti with three-fourth leggings and her hair in a bun, with a few strands already escaping here and there. My God! What a first impression I am giving this guy. She thought. But then again, why am I stressing on how I look? Not like he's here to flirt with me.

The newly arrived person, walked over to her and extended his hand, still smiling wholeheartedly "So you must be this little mischief queen's godmother. Adi and Nandu can't stop talking about you" He said "Hi, I'm Vaishakh "

"Hi, I'm Kriti"

"Do you know the word Kriti means creation, a work of art?" He asked suddenly

"Yes" Kriti replied, wondering where this was going

"Art is beauty. So I don't think I have to tell you how beautiful you are, Miss Kriti" He said with a grin .

Kriti is no stranger to compliments but she would be lying if she said that pickup line wasn't good. Either he was buttering her up for coming in late or he was a natural flirt.

"Thank you" She said, not letting him give the impression that he had won her over "And if I'm not wrong, people with the name Vaishakh has a good and nice disposition"

He grinned wider "So you like giving out compliments as well. Good for you. We are going to get along just fine" He winked at her and walked towards the kitchen, with a gleeful Kriti jr following him.

Kriti let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in "This is going to be a long night" She wondered as she shut the door.

Anni- sister in law

@nashibirne @nspwriteups @vibishalakshman @thelekhikawrites @dr-scribbler @kovaipaavai @budugu @dosai-maavu @matka-kulfi @curiousgalacticsoul @harinishivaa @chiyaanvikram @celestesinsight @inveter @deepti1011 @itszhunotz @babayagahunt @thegleamingmoon @maisadalawa @ragkee @inlovewithfictionalbeings @happysharkdragon @gowrimenonop-1 @ramcharanobsessed @nature-writes29 @voidsteffy @whippersnappersbookworm @hollogramhallucination @thereader-radhika @sowlspace @rang-lo @nirmohi-premika @love-ps1ff @canonless5

#ponniyin selvan #ponniyin selvan fanfiction #kundhavai #kundavai x Vanthiyadevan #Kundhavai x Vanthiyadevan #nandhini #aditha karikalan #nandini x aditha #vanmozhi #arunmozhi varman #vanathi #Vallavarayan Vanthiyadevan #vanthiyadevan

[genderqueerpositivity]

CW: not a positive post, some very realistic worries about what it is to be trans in this country during this time period

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.

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This is such an absolutely terrible time to be a trans person in the United States.

And it was oh so predictable; it's not a win by far, but I called this years ago, around the time that Trump took office. Back then, I was accused of catastrophizing; today, Roe v. Wade is only a memory and the Republican party has united against a new target: the trans community and trans healthcare.

It was always the next logical step in the fight against a legal right to bodily autonomy and privacy, the fight to legally impose Christianity on all of us. Without Roe as a call to arms to "protect babies" from "murder", now we must "protect our daughters" from "gr**mers" and from "irreversible damage".

They'll succeed too. I have little faith that the left will successfully organize against this wave of anti-trans hate. Not only is the legal system rigged against us from the local level all the way up to the Supreme Court (should any of these potential laws be challenged that far), not only do we not have the media and public opinion on our side--we simply don't give a fuck. We're too busy silencing our own, canceling each other, and discoursing over petty shit that never really mattered.

I predict that, for much of the country, by February 2024 this will be a very different country to exist in as a trans person than it even is today. Many of us are going to lose our access to gender affirming health care, we'll be erased from libraries and curriculums, in some places our very presence in public spaces may be criminalized.

I have very little hope, honestly. I find myself planning for the possibilities. Which states might I have to travel to to access care? What kinds of laws have been proposed in nearby states recently? Should I leave my family and my job of 5+ years to move out of state? Can I leave at all when I'm literally a caregiver for a disabled parent? Where would I even go? If it comes down to it, will anyone be able to track the fact that I've medically transitioned in the past? Will the state be able to discover that I've been diagnosed with gender dysphoria? Will I end up on a list somewhere? I'm certainly relieved that I've never changed my name or gender legally; will I ever be able to?

I've had to limit the amount of time I spend reading news and even scrolling on TikTok (because my fyp has a ton of videos about anti-trans laws) because I've literally worried myself sick recently.

Trump was in my state a few days ago, already campaigning again, on an anti-trans platform. A preview of things to come. He seems to be fully and totally on board with the Christian Republican agenda; I suspect he's hired himself some better advisors this time around. Already he promises to elevate the anti-trans legal agenda to the federal level.

His supporters couldn't be more thrilled.

#we are literally in danger #and life continues #somehow i still have to work and cook and wash clothes #and try to be normal #with a very uncertain future ahead #transphobia tw #op

[ech0fae]

imagine something, if you will.

a scarian royalty au where grian is a prince and scar is his advisor. they're in a secret relationship that no one, not even grian's siblings, know about.

here's the catch: grian's next in line for the throne after his older brother, martyn, ran away, and he's got one hell of an arranged marriage ahead of him, getting married to the one and only samgladiator a month after they meet. little does grian know, sam's got a backstory and motives that may be seen as less than morally right...

their story goes through twists and turns, and we, as readers, observe the changes and choices they have to face throughout this. should grian choose his advisor, a man that's stuck by his side for a year, against the law? or should he pick the partner he's legally bound to?

To Touch The Stars

#scarian #grian #goodtimeswithscar #samgladiator #samgladiator yhs #royalty au #this is completely and utterly a shameless promotion and a silly goofy idea i had on the toilet #ao3 works #hermitcraft #hermitblr #hermitshipping #hermitshipblr

[sarahwritessirens]

I'm back!

I was locked out of this blog forEVER! SOOOOO much has happened!

Axis is almost ready to be published. All that's left for the manuscript is the proofreading and formatting. I also received my first draft for my cover, and it's looking great! A couple minor changes were sent in, but the artist and designer are amazing, so not much was needed.

We at the publishing company have a big ask. Originally, the company was based in Texas. With the anti-trans laws and attack on all things LGBTQIA+, you can imagine that our press who publishes lots of trans authors such as Dr. Nyri A. Bakkalian and Leo Otherland and non-straight authors such as yours truly had to make some difficult decisions. This involved meeting with legal advisors and moving the press to Vermont, which accrued a lot of fees. As such, we've been running an indiegogo to raise funds to cover these fees and continue publishing our current line-up of books. So far, we've raised enough to cover Axis, but we still have three amazing books that are lined up:

Princess of the Pomegranate Moon, by Emily Wynne, coming November 17, 2023: A mystic sword-and-sorcery fantasy set in a dying Earth, where the present day has been all but forgotten. A young trans woman explores the legacy of her past and the ghosts of a half-remembered history that intersect it.

Bookstories, by Sarah Tollok, coming March 8, 2024: This cross-genre tale interweaves literary and speculative elements in a braided narrative about the interconnectedness of stories and life. A publishing house slush reader with an empathic gift for understanding people by reading their writing has met her match. A series of breathtaking but incomplete stories that reveal to her not a single detail about their author leads her on a decades-long search that questions the importance of a story’s ending.

Beautiful Serpent, Restless Embers, by D.Y. Freeman, coming April 5, 2024: A gothic, esoteric fantasy about a young woman who defies her fate. As she flees those who wish to control her, she must embrace the staggering power within that others have taught her to fear—or fall to the madness that haunts her.

There are quite a few tiers to choose from with new ones just recently added. Even if you can't give anything right now, reblogging could really help get the word out so that we can continue to publish stories that need to be told.

Lastly, I have FINALLY been added to my job's full-time status after almost 2 years of working there, so updates will still be sporadic/mostly weekend things.

Thanks for your time, all!

#writeblr #publishing #writing community #lgbt books #trans author #queer books #queer fiction #urban fantasy #writers on tumblr

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

March 27, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

MAR 28, 2024

The news that NBC News reconsidered its invitation to former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel to become a paid contributor has buried the recent news about some of the other participants in Trump’s attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. 

Yesterday a judge in Minnesota ruled in favor of a warehouse owner who sought to evict MyPillow after it failed to pay more than $200,000 in rent. MyPillow chief executive officer Mike Lindell has complained that his company has been “decimated” by his support for Trump. His insistence—without evidence—that the 2020 presidential election was stolen has entangled him in expensive defamation lawsuits filed by voting machine companies Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic. 

Lindell cannot pay his lawyers and claims to have “lost hundreds of millions of dollars,” but insists he is being persecuted “because you want me to shut up about [the] security of our elections.”

Also yesterday, Trump loyalist Kari Lake, who has pushed the idea that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, ran for Arizona governor in 2022, and is now running for the U.S. Senate, admitted she defamed Maricopa County recorder Stephen Richer and that she acted with actual malice when she claimed he “sabotaged” the 2022 election. The request to admit to defamation came on the day that discovery, the process of sharing information about a case with each side, was to begin, suggesting that she preferred to admit wrongdoing rather than let anyone see what might be in her emails, texts, and recordings.

Arizona journalist Howard Fischer reported in the Arizona Daily Star that in a video statement, Lake said her admission did not mean she agreed she did anything wrong, although that is expressly stipulated in the court papers. She said she conceded because Richer’s lawsuit was keeping her off the campaign trail. “It’s called lawfare: weaponizing the legal system to punish, impoverish and destroy political opponents,’’ Lake said. “We’ve all seen how they’re doing it to President Trump. And here in Arizona, they’re doing the exact same thing to me.’’

One of Lake’s senior advisors said: “Kari Lake maintains she has always been truthful.” 

Also yesterday, a three-member panel of the D.C. Bar’s Board of Professional Responsibility began a disciplinary hearing for former Department of Justice environmental lawyer Jeffrey Clark, who was so key to Trump’s plan to get state legislatures to overturn the results of the 2020 election that Trump tried to make him attorney general.  

Clark joins Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who led the media blitz to argue—falsely—that the election had been stolen. Giuliani’s New York and Washington, D.C., law licenses were suspended in June 2021 after a court found that he made “demonstrably false and misleading statements to courts, lawmakers, and the public at large.” He is now facing disbarment. 

Earlier this month, he said on his podcast that he expected to be disbarred because “[t]he Bar Association is going to crucify me no matter what. I will be disbarred in New York. I will be disbarred in Washington. It will have nothing to do with anything I did wrong.”

Today, after a long trial, attorney discipline judge Yvette Roland recommended that John Eastman, the lawyer who came up with the justification for using fake electors to overturn the 2020 presidential election, be disbarred. Eastman will immediately lose his license to practice law. The California Supreme Court will decide whether to disbar Eastman. 

Eastman’s lawyer said it was unfair to take Eastman’s law license because he needs to make money to fight the criminal charges against him in Georgia, where he has been indicted for his part in the effort to overthrow the results of the 2020 presidential election there. For his part, Eastman maintains he did nothing wrong.

In her recommendation, Judge Roland compared Eastman’s case to that of Donald Segretti, the lawyer whose efforts to guarantee President Richard Nixon’s 1972 reelection included, as Roland’s recommendation noted, distributing letters that made false accusations against Nixon’s rivals (including a forged letter attributing a slur against French-Canadians to Maine senator and candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination Edmund Muskie). At the time, the court noted that Segretti was only 30, thought he was acting for Nixon, and did not act in his capacity as a lawyer. The court also emphasized that Segretti “recognized the wrongfulness of his acts, expressed regret, and cooperated with the investigating agencies.” 

In contrast, Roland wrote, “[t]he scale and egregiousness of Eastman’s unethical actions far surpasses” Segretti’s misconduct. Segretti acted outside his role as an attorney, while “Eastman’s wrongdoing was committed directly in the course and scope of his representation of President Trump and the Trump campaign.” Roland also noted that while Segretti expressed remorse and recognized his wrongdoing, Eastman has shown “an apparent inability to accept responsibility. This lack of remorse and accountability presents a significant risk that Eastman may engage in further unethical conduct, compounding the threat to the public.”  

One by one, those who worked with Trump to overturn the election are being held to account by our legal system. But still, they refuse to admit any wrongdoing. 

In that, they are following Trump.  

Despite Judge Juan Merchan’s gag order, Trump continued today to attack both Merchan and his daughter. On his social media site, Trump posted that Merchan was trying to deprive him of his “First Amendment right to speak out against the Weaponization of Law Enforcement, including the fact that Crooked Joe Biden, Merrick Garland, and their Hacks and Thugs are tracking and following me all across the Country, obsessively trying to persecute me, while everyone knows I have done nothing wrong!” Trump posted in great detail about the judge’s daughter, accusing her of making money by “working to ‘Get Trump,’” based on images shared by an old social media account of hers that had been hacked. 

It was President Nixon who perfected the refusal to admit wrongdoing in the face of overwhelming evidence. Even after tapes recorded in the Oval Office revealed that he had plotted with an aide to block investigations of the break-in at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate Hotel by invoking national security and Republican Party leaders told him he needed to resign, he refused to admit wrongdoing. Instead, he told the American people he was stepping down because he no longer had enough support in Congress to advance the national interest. He blamed his fall on the press, saying its “leaks and accusations and innuendo” were designed to destroy him.

Gerald R. Ford, the president who replaced Nixon, inadvertently put a rubber stamp on Nixon’s refusal to accept responsibility. Believing it was better for the country to move past the divisions of the Watergate era, Ford issued a preemptive pardon for any crimes the former president might have committed against the United States while in office. Ford maintained that the acceptance of a pardon was an admission of guilt. 

But Ford’s pardon meant Nixon never faced legal accountability for his actions. That escape allowed him to argue that a president is above the law. In a 1977 interview with British journalist David Frost, Nixon told Frost that “when the president does it…that means that it is not illegal,” by definition. 

As Nixon did, Trump has watched those who participated in his schemes pay dearly for their support, but he appears angry and confused at the idea that he himself could be held legally accountable for his behavior.

But without accountability, as Judge Roland noted, there is no incentive to stop dangerous behavior. Josh Dawsey reported last night in the Washington Post that since Trump has taken over the Republican National Committee and purged it of former employees, those interviewing for jobs are being asked if they believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Other questions, Dawsey reported, include “what applicants believe should be done on ‘election integrity’ in 2024.” 

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#Letters From An American #Heather Cox Richardson #Jan 6 2021 #MAGA #lawyers #accountability #election fraud #election tampering #unethical conduct

[firstprince-history-huh]

Fic Rec Friday

This week’s theme: Rec a fic that starts with the same letter as your username (or, if you like, a part of your username).

The rules: Tag a fic that starts with the same letter as your username and describe why it’s so good / how it has a hold on you. Then tag some people to see what everyone else is reading. Spread the love! Please tag @welcometololaland or tag #fic rec friday so she can compile the masterlist.

I was tagged by @welcometololaland & @irispurpurea ❤💕

So for this I'm going with the fics that begin with the same letter as my Tumblr username & also my ao3 username because I've got good ones based on both!

So here we go:

911 Lone Star:

Fire Meet Gasoline by @howtosingit

An amazing firefighter!Carlos AU in which he gets transferred to the 126. It is a fantastic fic & I love the character portrayals! Such a wonderful fic & I LOVE IT SO MUCH!

Forever Will Never Be Long Enough (With You) by falloutmars (not sure if they have a Tumblr)

It's a Tarlos honeymoon fic. Some teasing & swimming pool shenanigans which are simply so 🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Find Another Dose by @paperstorm

A 1x09 missing moments fic. TK in his feral cat boy era. A heartbreaking, sad & such an AMAZING fic! Also, Gwyn in this! It made me miss her so much! This was one of those 'This makes me want to hug TK so much' fics. Or as someone else said in the comments, "He needs a Carlos-shaped hug''.

Delicate by @paperstorm

A 1x06 missing moments fic. It has smut with feelings (my favourite kind of smut). Both boys are obviously developing feelings but they're not going to talk about it. The fic was so achingly beautiful it wrecked me. The way Andie has mixed in the feels is 🥺🥺🥺❤❤❤

RWRB:

Forgiveness (Can You Imagine) by viciouslyqueer (I don't know if they have a Tumblr)

A FirstPrince talk of rings & proposals with a little bit of angst. I had so many feels about this! It's si lovely & beautiful & amazing!

Hashtag Soulmates by @everwitch-magiks

A copywriter!Henry & legal advisor!Alex AU. It has literally all my favourite fanfic tropes! And that one particular chapter which has a moment which is so meta I just love it! And all the references & easter eggs in that chapter!

For One Night Only by @indomitable-love

A Catherine/Arthur fic. The meet-cute 🤣🤣😂😂

All the talk of grief made me think of it as foreshadowing. All the parallels! George's story 🥺🥺🥺🥺

The name origin for Beatrice & then after reading the fic, I realized this was also a Henry name origin story! 🥹🥹🥹❤❤❤

For All The World To See by @everwitch-magiks

An FirstPrince neighbor AU with actor!Alex & author!Henry. The fic references! And all the secrets which eventually do come out & lead to the angst! And then the happy ending! 🥺🥺🥹🥹❤❤

Faster, Higher, Stronger by @everwitch-magiks

A FirstPrince sports AU where they're both ice-skaters. So amazing & brilliant & beautiful! I loved it so much! Also, this is the fic that lead me to take an interest in ice-skating. The number of YouTube videos I've watched of Nathan Chen flawlessly executing his routines because of this!

Forever Yrs, For Evermore by @indomitable-love

A FirstPrince lake house proposal fic. It's so beautiful & soft & sexy & lovely all at the same time! I think this is one of the first fics I remember reading for this fandom!

Not sure who hasn't done this yet, but no pressure tagging: @ladytessa74 @sarnagati @jordanshenessy @fangirl-paba @detective-giggles @paperstorm @goodways @first-kanaphan @actuallysara @actual-sleeping-beauty & anyone who wants to participate!

#fic rec friday #911 lone star #tarlos #911 lone star fic #rwrb #red white & royal blue #red white and royal blue #firstprince #rwrb fic #firstprince fic

[cyansadness]

Prologue

two royal families, one future king, one future royal advisor, and one proclamation that is about to change everything

author's note: first official chapter!! woo!! but now get ready for the drama

word count: 1225

Once upon a time, long long time ago, after Cindy got away from stepmother and stepsisters from hell, she and her sweet prince decided to merge their kingdom with Belle and her newly transformed beast and created Auradon.

Blah, blah, bunch of legal stuff. Obviously, they booted all the cool people like the villains, the sidekicks, and everyone in between out of Auradon and to this little island off the coast called the Isle of the Lost with a magic barrier around it.

No wifi, no magic, no way in or out. Until now. Don’t worry, you’ll get to meet us real soon. But before that, you have to see this first.

:readmore:

Buddy Charming stood on the pedestal, looking towards the Isle through the window. He was wearing a rough version of his coronation suit as the tailor took measurements. “Are you sure this is a good idea Janey?” Buddy asked, turning towards his girlfriend and future royal adviser. 

The tailor scolded Buddy, turning him back towards the front. Jane Laurent sat in an armchair behind Buddy, still wearing a rough version of her own coronation dress even though she had finished her fitting ages ago. 

Jane looked up from her notes, pushing her glasses up her nose. “Yes Buddy, it will. We have a strong plan, good candidates, and multiple contingency plans.” Jane reassured him. “We are going to be running this kingdom in less than two months. We need to show our parents we can make good and drastic decisions that will help the kingdom.” Jane said confidently. 

She wasn’t sure how much of that confidence was real. There is so much that can go wrong. But she knew this was something she had to do. No more fear. That’s what she promised herself when she was offered to be Buddy’s advisor. 

“There they are. I can’t believe you two are going to rule the kingdom soon.” King Kit Charming said as he and Ella walked into Buddy’s room where the fitting was taking place. Adam and Belle, Jane’s parents along with Jane’s younger sister, Francesca or Frenchy as Jane called her, walked in with them. 

“Kit, they’re growing up.” Adam chuckled, clapping him on the back. Jane stood up, lifting her dress slightly so she could walk towards her parents. “Oh Jane, my little princess is all grown up.” Adam smiled at his eldest daughter. Jane smoothed the tulle of her dress, blushing at the compliment. 

“Mom, Dad, Jane and I have been talking and we’ve chosen up with our first official proclamation.” Buddy went to step off the podium but was held back by the tailor. Jane turned to look at Buddy, who gave her a nod of encouragement to continue. Both sets of parents look proud and excited to see what their children have come up with.

“We’ve decided that the children on the Isle of the Lost be given a chance to live here in Auradon.” Jane said with as much confidence as she could muster which was increasing harder to find now being in front of both sets of monarchs.

The looks of pride and excitement turned to shock as five jaws simultaneously dropped. “What?” Belle said after a few moments of silence. “Those kids are about to be our subjects too. We can’t just abandon them on that island.” Buddy told their parents as he walked to stand next to Jane. 

Buddy grabbed Jane’s hands, interlacing their fingers. “You want the new generation of monsters to live amongst us?” Kit remarked, a slight venom to his words. “We start out with a few. The ones that would benefit the most.” Buddy said to his father. 

“We’ve already chosen them. And they’re not monsters. They’re just children.” Jane said, much to her mother’s dismay about talking back to the King. “Really?” Kit asked, stalking closer to the young couple. 

Buddy stood slightly in front of Jane as she grabbed Buddy’s arm. “Wait, hear them out. Second chances are kind of our thing.” Belle said, stopping Kit from getting closer to the two. “So who are these kids? And who are their parents?” Ella asked the two teenagers in front of her.

Buddy and Jane looked at each other, trying to figure out how to do this without getting yelled at by their parents. “Uh, Mr. Smee, Cruella De Vil, The Evil Queen, Captain Hook.” Jane started, poking Buddy to finish for her.

“Drizella.” Buddy said, making his father gasp and his mother’s eyes widen slightly. “Gaston.” Belle grabbed her husband’s arm and held Frenchy closer to her. “And Maleficent.” Buddy finished, making everyone in the room shout in either fear or anger.

“Maleficent? People call her the Mistress of all Evil for a reason Buddy. All of them are guilty of unspeakable actions.” Kit yelled at the two. “Yes, they are. Their children are not. These kids are our age. They haven’t done anything wrong.” Jane shouted, letting go of Buddy’s arm and stepping towards the king.

“Whether we like it or not, the Isle is still part of our kingdom. We owe it to them to be the good leaders you all raised us to be.” Jane stood her ground, confidence coming from seemingly nowhere. Her voice quieted down a bit as she calmed herself down. 

“Don’t they deserve a chance at a good life like the rest of us? Why should they be punished for their parents’ actions?” Jane questioned, her voice portraying a childlike innocence. 

The adults all look at each other, silently communicating with each other. Buddy walked towards Jane, putting his arm around her shoulder. “You did good. I’m proud of you.” Buddy whispered, kissing the top of Jane’s head. 

Kit turned towards the two. “I supposed their children haven’t done any wrong.” He said, still uneasy with the idea. Jane and Buddy both smiled. He was coming around. That’s a good thing.

Ella walked towards the two, cupping Jane’s cheek softly and placing a hand on her son’s biceps. “You are going to change this kingdom for the better.” She smiled at the pair but they all knew. They knew that she was talking about Jane. Jane would change everything for the better. 

Ella walked away and towards her husband, grabbing his awaiting arm. Jane turned towards her parents. Her mother gave her a curt nod, making Jane deflate a little. Jane didn’t need her mother’s approval over her own laws but a little pride would be nice. Belle and Adam made their way out, Frenchy bouncing alongside them after giving her sister a shining smile. 

As soon as the pair were alone, they walked over to the window that looked across from the Isle. “We’re making the right decision right?” Buddy asked. “Of course we are.” Jane said, smiling as she turned towards her boyfriend. 

Buddy cupped Jane’s cheek, running over her cheekbone with his thumb. “Okay.” Buddy said. Jane smiled, grabbing Buddy by the lapels of his suit jacket and pulling him down for a kiss. Buddy smiled into the kiss as his hand stayed on Jane’s face as his other arm went around her waist, pulling her small frame flush against him.

Okay, enough of that. We don’t need to see all of that. Now for the actual interesting part of the story. This is me and my gang. 

i don't think i have to tell you who is this narrator but take your guesses in the comments

#grease rise of the pink ladies #jane facciano #olivia valdovinos #grease: rise of the pink ladies #richie valdovinos #cynthia zdunowski #grease rise of the pink ladies fics #nancy nakagawa #rise of the pink ladies #faccivinos #hazel robertson #buddy aldridge #susan st clair #gil rizzo #potato rotpl #shy guy rotpl