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#books set in boston
genieinanovel · 9 months
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Review: On Air With Zoe Washington
Two years ago, Zoe Washington helped clear Marcus’ name for a crime he didn’t commit. Now her birth father has finally been released from prison and to an outpouring of community support, so everything should be perfect.When Marcus reveals his dream of opening his own restaurant, Zoe becomes determined to help him achieve it–with her as his pastry chef of course. However, starting a new place is…
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i’ve been re-reading the american girl history mysteries on and off here and well. let’s just say that miss brown and miss guerrier from “under copp’s hill” sure seem gay
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2023 Pinterest 50 Book Reading Challenge
50. A Book You Started but Never Finished
Surpassing the Love of Men by Lillian Faderman
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jinhogwarts · 9 months
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question to my american moots -
when do Halloween costumes sales start? do they even exist? i mean when can you get costumes for cheaper before Halloween?
also do you know any good (and cheap) shops either in Boston (possibly new york too but i'm not sure yet) or that ship to boston for free? both for adults (male & female) and toddlers (around 10 months)
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kazz-brekker · 8 months
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watching the trailer for saltburn catapulted me into an extreme need to consume a story about horrible rich people in a beautiful house doing morally dubious things but luckily my past self was very intelligent and recently bought a copy of tripping arcadia by kit mayquist so i'm currently absolutely devouring it
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Prison-tech company bribed jails to ban in-person visits
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I'm on tour with my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me in BOSTON with Randall "XKCD" Munroe (Apr 11), then PROVIDENCE (Apr 12), and beyond!
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Beware of geeks bearing gifts. When prison-tech companies started offering "free" tablets to America's vast army of prisoners, it set off alarm-bells for prison reform advocates – but not for the law-enforcement agencies that manage the great American carceral enterprise.
The pitch from these prison-tech companies was that they could cut the costs of locking people up while making jails and prisons safer. Hell, they'd even make life better for prisoners. And they'd do it for free!
These prison tablets would give every prisoner their own phone and their own video-conferencing terminal. They'd supply email, of course, and all the world's books, music, movies and games. Prisoners could maintain connections with the outside world, from family to continuing education. Sounds too good to be true, huh?
Here's the catch: all of these services are blisteringly expensive. Prisoners are accustomed to being gouged on phone calls – for years, prisons have done deals with private telcos that charge a fortune for prisoners' calls and split the take with prison administrators – but even by those standards, the calls you make on a tablet are still a ripoff.
Sure, there are some prisoners for whom money is no object – wealthy people who screwed up so bad they can't get bail and are stewing in a county lockup, along with the odd rich murderer or scammer serving a long bid. But most prisoners are poor. They start poor – the cops are more likely to arrest poor people than rich people, even for the same crime, and the poorer you are, the more likely you are to get convicted or be suckered into a plea bargain with a long sentence. State legislatures are easy to whip up into a froth about minimum sentences for shoplifters who steal $7 deodorant sticks, but they are wildly indifferent to the store owner's rampant wage-theft. Wage theft is by far the most costly form of property crime in America and it is almost entirely ignored:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/15/wage-theft-us-workers-employees
So America's prisons are heaving with its poorest citizens, and they're certainly not getting any richer while they're inside. While many prisoners hold jobs – prisoners produce $2b/year in goods and $9b/year in services – the average prison wage is $0.52/hour:
https://www.dollarsandsense.org/archives/2024/0324bowman.html
(In six states, prisoners get nothing; North Carolina law bans paying prisoners more than $1/day, the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution explicitly permits slavery – forced labor without pay – for prisoners.)
Likewise, prisoners' families are poor. They start poor – being poor is a strong correlate of being an American prisoner – and then one of their breadwinners is put behind bars, taking their income with them. The family savings go to paying a lawyer.
Prison-tech is a bet that these poor people, locked up and paid $1/day or less; or their families, deprived of an earner and in debt to a lawyer; will somehow come up with cash to pay $13 for a 20-minute phone call, $3 for an MP3, or double the Kindle price for an ebook.
How do you convince a prisoner earning $0.52/hour to spend $13 on a phone-call?
Well, for Securus and Viapath (AKA Global Tellink) – a pair of private equity backed prison monopolists who have swallowed nearly all their competitors – the answer was simple: they bribed prison officials to get rid of the prison phones.
Not just the phones, either: a pair of Michigan suits brought by the Civil Rights Corps accuse sheriffs and the state Department of Corrections of ending in-person visits in exchange for kickbacks from the money that prisoners' families would pay once the only way to reach their loved ones was over the "free" tablets:
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/03/jails-banned-family-visits-to-make-more-money-on-video-calls-lawsuits-claim/
These two cases are just the tip of the iceberg; Civil Rights Corps says there are hundreds of jails and prisons where Securus and Viapath have struck similar corrupt bargains:
https://civilrightscorps.org/case/port-huron-michigan-right2hug/
And it's not just visits and calls. Prison-tech companies have convinced jails and prisons to eliminate mail and parcels. Letters to prisoners are scanned and delivered their tablets, at a price. Prisoners – and their loved ones – have to buy virtual "postage stamps" and pay one stamp per "page" of email. Scanned letters (say, hand-drawn birthday cards from your kids) cost several stamps:
https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/14/minnesota-nice/#shitty-technology-adoption-curve
Prisons and jails have also been convinced to eliminate their libraries and continuing education programs, and to get rid of TVs and recreational equipment. That way, prisoners will pay vastly inflated prices for streaming videos and DRM-locked music.
The icing on the cake? If the prison changes providers, all that data is wiped out – a prisoner serving decades of time will lose their music library, their kids' letters, the books they love. They can get some of that back – by working for $1/day – but the personal stuff? It's just gone.
Readers of my novels know all this. A prison-tech scam just like the one described in the Civil Rights Corps suits is at the center of my latest novel The Bezzle:
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865878/thebezzle
Prison-tech has haunted me for years. At first, it was just the normal horror anyone with a shred of empathy would feel for prisoners and their families, captive customers for sadistic "businesses" that have figured out how to get the poorest, most desperate people in the country to make them billions. In the novel, I call prison-tech "a machine":
a million-­armed robot whose every limb was tipped with a needle that sank itself into a different place on prisoners and their families and drew out a few more cc’s of blood.
But over time, that furious empathy gave way to dread. Prisoners are at the bottom of the shitty technology adoption curve. They endure the technological torments that haven't yet been sanded down on their bodies, normalized enough to impose them on people with a little more privilege and agency. I'm a long way up the curve from prisoners, but while the shitty technology curve may grind slow, it grinds fine:
https://pluralistic.net/2021/02/24/gwb-rumsfeld-monsters/#bossware
The future isn't here, it's just not evenly distributed. Prisoners are the ultimate early adopters of the technology that the richest, most powerful, most sadistic people in the country's corporate board-rooms would like to force us all to use.
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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/2024/04/02/captive-customers/#guillotine-watch
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ozarkthedog · 1 month
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𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐑
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summary: joel saves you from a crooked qz guard and you want to thank him properly aka joel fucks you in an alley.
warnings: 18+ mdni. older!joel miller x afab!reader. no physical descriptors of reader; but they can raise 1 leg up. public sex; in an alley. handcuffs; reader is bound during sex but is extremely willing. size kink; joel is fucking massive from head to toe. oral sex. quick, feral sex. slight cum play. brief fight scene and mention of blood (qz guard). happy go lucky ending. no beta. w.c: 2.1k
author's note: this man won't leave me alone 🥴
𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭 ⋅ 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 ⋅ 𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐥 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭
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"Shut the fuck up." the piggish guard sneers, roughly shoving you into a desolate, damp alley. Dusk slowly paints the afternoon sky, casting an eerie purple and red hue over the Boston QZ and making the brick dead-end even more sinister.
You knew it was a dumb idea to walk so close to a restricted area. The zones were taped off for a reason, but that didn't deter you from occasionally walking by to catch a glimpse of the outside world you missed, well, the way it was before. 
You scramble for a makeshift weapon but find only piles of trash and an overflowing dumpster. The guard grabs your shoulders and spins you around, causing your feet to slip on the wet concrete as the street lamps flicker on for the night. 
Wrestling shadows dance on the road as the guard snatches your flailing arms as you struggle against him and locks your wrists in unforgiving handcuffs. Your heart sinks when the shackles lock with a cold, deafening click. 
"Maybe you'll learn to avoid restricted areas next time." He shoves you against the brick wall, your shoulders taking the brunt of the hit, snagging your shirt on the rough stone. Before you can think, he invades your space. Your skirt barely protects you from his assault as he grinds into you.
Every nerve in your body turns frigid with icy fear just as a daunting voice fills the alley, halting the guard's advances. 
"Get off 'er," the stranger warns, slowly stepping from the mouth of the alley. "Righ' now."
Your teary eyes meet the one man everyone in the QZ knew not to mess with: Joel Miller. 
You'd briefly interacted with him only once in the last few years, trading a set of ration cards for a series of mystery books. He was intimidating and abrasive, but his demeanor softened around the edges when you let out a little squeal of excitement as he handed you the books.
From then on, he sent you the slightest smile whenever you crossed him on the street.
"Or what, old man?" The guard bites. He unholsters his handgun and threateningly aims it at Joel.
Your eyes flick back and forth between the two men, frightened, until Joel pounces from his position at the mouth of the alley.
He grabs the guard's gun shockingly fast and yanks it forward before thrusting the butt of the weapon back into the man's jaw. A sickly crack sounds, and blood splashes on the wet pavement. 
You want to look away but feel it's a disservice to Joel, your protector, your savior. Joel grabs a fistful of the man's hair and flits his venomous eyes to yours for the briefest second. Your world tilts on a dangerous axis. You've never been the target of such a cold, vile stare, and you unconsciously choke on your heart, praying you never have to again.
Joel cracks a blow to the side of the guard's head, making him stumble on his feet when he lets him go. The guard clutches his face in agony as Joel aims the guard's own gun at him. "Get the fuck outta 'ere." Joel snarls.
The guard's upper lip curls, revealing crimson-stained teeth. "Best watch yourself, Miller." He spits at Joel's feet before slowly backing away and exiting the alley.
The moment the guard is out of sight, air rushes into your lungs. You hadn't realized you stopped breathing.
"You alrigh'?" Joel asks, sending you a worried gaze as he flicks the safety on before tucking the weapon behind his back and into his waistband. His blue jean colored button up barely contains his expansive chest as he moves. 
"Uh, yeah," you answer with a long sigh, shaking off another traumatic episode that has now been added to a long list you've cultivated since the outbreak began.
Your shackled hands rest against your belly as he steps closer, his booted feet scuffing the wet pavement. He reaches for the chain between the handcuffs and jiggles your locked wrists. "Didn' know you were cuffed. I don' got any keys on me."
Sincere eyes wash over you, but they're infused with an intoxic, energetic ferocity from having just saved your life. 
"It's okay," you reply, your tongue peaking out the corner of your mouth. "I'm more worried I don't have a proper way to thank you for saving me."
He flits his wolfish eyes to yours, fingering the chain again before pensively looking down the alley. "There might be a way," he says brazenly, a playful brow arching toward his hairline. "If you're willin'."
A small laugh of nervous disbelief puffs from your lips before snapping shut with a wanton mewl.
His throat rumbles with a ravenous hum. It's lascivious and all consuming as it takes root at the base of your cunt, forcing you to clench around nothing.
"I'll take that as a yes." He steps forward, closing the gap between your bodies and trapping your cuffed hands against his sturdy abdomen. A strong paw curls around your jaw, tilting your head so he can bring his lips a hairsbreadth from yours.
"S'no good gettin' involved wit' me." He husks, his warm breath blanketing your lips. "But if you wanna thank me, I won' say no."
Just as quickly as he took the guard out, he smothers your lips in a fiery kiss. He nips at your lower lip, tugging slightly, earning a whimper from you as he grinds his jean covered cock against your belly. 
You push away, as much as you can, with him trapping you against the brick wall, breaking the kiss with a smirk before sinking to your knees.
"Your full'a surprises, girl." He groans as you rub your face over his clothed bulge. Joel unzips his jeans and fists out a girthy, uncut cock you've never could've imagined. Your cunt throbs at the sight of his veiny length, thick and pulsing, searching for a warm, wet hole.
"Gon' swallow my cock, girl?" He taps the weeping, golden pink head against your parted lips. Your tongue teases out, licking the salty spend, making him snarl, "S'enough, lemme feel that pretty mouth."
He breaches and stretches your shiny, wet lips, gliding over your tongue until he bottoms out, forcing you to gag. "Sorry, sweethear'," he coos, thumbing a stray fallen tear as your fingers dig into his thighs. You flit your bright, bliss filled eyes up at him and vibrate his cock with an eager moan before trying to swallow him again.
He withdraws his cock, much to your dismay, and gathers your caged hands in his much larger ones. He's careful not to jostle the metal that locks your wrists as he raises them over your head. "Gotta wicked lil' mouth on ya. Shit-" he grits before roughly shoving back into your warm gullet and cutting off a surprised squeak from your throat. 
Joel's head tips back with pleasure as he moans into the twilight sky while freely and recklessly using your body. Drool spills from the corners of your mouth and down your chin. You're a soaked, wet mess from your quivering cunt to your watery eyes as they blur the ominous view of him looming over you with a feral grin.
"Already lookin' wreaked. What's gon' happen when I get my cock in ya?" 
You sputter, choking on your spit and heaving at the thought of his massive cock splitting you in two.
"Oh, ya like that?" he groans with amusement at your ravished expression, roughly framing your face with a large paw as he talks down to you. "I'm gonna enjoy splittin' ya in half."   
He drags you to your feet so fast your head spins. He works quickly, lifting one of your legs off the ground and securing it in the crook of his elbow. Your skirt bunches at your hips, allowing him to hook two thick fingers under the elastic of your panties and shove the soaked gusset to the side before grinding his throbbing crown along your obscenely sopping wet folds.
"Keep quiet now." He grits, flicking his eyes to the alley's opening as you let slip a frantic mewl. "Don' need any onlookers. As temptin' as it'd be to claim this sweet pussy in fron'a crowd."
A shocked gasp tears from your lips at his perverted words just as he lines his thickness up and spears into your heat. A low, slithering groan weaves from his parted lips at your tightness as he carves a new path in your cunt. Your head lolls from the immense pressure, but he catches it with a secure grip around the back of your neck. 
"No, keep those eyes on me," he husks, holding your glassy eyes with an insatiable stare. "Wanna watch this pretty face crumble as I fuck ya."
Joel cants his hips and dives into your cunt, biting back a savory moan as he bottoms out in one agonizing thrust. Another unholy quiver rakes your body as spine-tingling bliss races from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.
"Such a sensitive, sweet lil' pussy. Bet you'll be feelin' me for days."
He's rough and powerful, overwhelming your mind and body with his enormous size. His hold on you is so strong you know you couldn't escape unless he wanted you to. The metal cuffs jostle, clinking together as you tightly clutch his jean button-up and do your best to keep your moans at bay.
Auburn wiry hairs grind your overstimulated clit on each devastating shove. He punches the air from your lungs as he snaps his hips, fucking himself deeper than you thought possible. His sac wetly smacks your ass, making the knot in your belly cinch tighter.
"Can feel ya drippin' down my balls, girl," he grunts, wetting his bottom lip like he's unconsciously tasting your slick.
The thought of him between your spread thighs, gray beard shiny with your creamy arousal, eating you out like his life depended on it, makes your insides cramp.
"Shit-" he bites, hips stuttering as your soaked walls clamp down on his length. You hit your peak so suddenly that you wail shamelessly into the dim alley like a wild wolf running into the night with its pack.
"Thought I tol' ya to be quiet," he mutely threatens, sliding his hand from the back of your neck to smother the lower half of your face. His hand is so large your nose barely peaks over the edge of his palm. "Guess I gotta make sure ya don' get us caught."
Your wild eyes flutter as he sets a tremendous pace and fucks into you with abandon. Your body jostles in his grip, and ragged moans vibrate his palm as your body shifts against the wall with every brutal shove, making you take every inch of his massive cock.
His brows pinch, forming a deep crevice as his mouth drops open with a gruff, torrid moan as you squirm in his hold. In a flash, he unsheaths himself and cautiously shoves you to your knees. He gathers your locked limbs in one giant fist again and pins them against the brink wall while his free hand circles his dripping, creamy length.
"Open tha' pretty mouth n' lookit' me," he grunts, hand moving faster and with less precision as you comply, sticking your tongue out with a wide smile.
He huffs a quiet laugh at your smirk. "Gon' be the death'a me." He flicks his wrist, swirling his tight fingers around his slippery crown before hissing and nudging your swollen lips.
The tendons in your jaw ache and your knees are sore and wet from the rough ground, but you wag your tongue, yearning to accept his cum. 
He grunts loudly, much louder than you'd been the entire time, and the sound makes your insides ignite. He fills your mouth with his seed, shooting warm ropes over your tongue and milking every last drop from his balls.
"Lemme see." he purrs, keeping your hands trapped over your head until you show him his immoral offering.
Your lips part demurely, showcasing his pearly spend swirling on your tongue. His features twitch and a shade of darkness overtakes him. His lips pull into a deadly smirk like a Crocodile seconds before it strikes.
"S'good girl." He praises, thumbing the corner of your lips and pushing some spilled seed back into your mouth. You happily swallow his spend after he gives you a slight nod. 
He eases your cuffed arms down to your front so gently and carefully that, for a moment, you forget he just fucked you against the side of a building. 
There's an awkward silence as you both fix your clothes. Joel tucks his damp cock back in his jeans while you nervously smooth down your skirt, wondering what the fuck just happened. 
He tilts his head toward the empty street, now lit in a dewy yellow haze. "Come on, I think I got a pair'a keys back at my place."
A curious brow perks at his words as you step away from the wall like a newborn doe wobbling on its legs. A steady, tender hand curls around your lower back, keeping you safe by his side.
He matches your features with a sly grin. "Unless ya rather stay locked up?”
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feel free to scream at me -> 💌
->reblogs & comments are extremely appreciated!<-
follow @ozzieslibrary for new fic updates!
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querenciasturniolo · 5 months
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headcannons ⮕ m.s
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a/n: 75% boyfriend headcannons, 25% plus sized reader headcannons, but i definitely did my best !! @rainsoakedphoenix , i hope you enjoy, love 🫶🏻💓
❥ matt in the talking stage is very quick to reply, and always has something to add to the conversation. he’s flirty, but subtle about it, not wanting you to think he’s moving too fast, or give you the wrong impression.
❥ this dude is an absolute open BOOK. any question you ask him, he answers openly and honestly.
❥ he hates small talk, absolutely despises it. would rather talk about incredibly deep, philosophical things instead of a simple “how are you ?”
❥ would ask you “what are we ?” instead of just asking you out, idk man, dude’s complicated.
❥ he would not give a fuck about you being plus sized, not a single one. he likes you bc you’re a good person, and nothing else matters to him in the slightest than that.
❥ “get out of here, you’re perfect just how you are.”
❥ hands on your hips and waist when you’re out in public. i wouldn’t say he’s a fan of pda, but he isn’t one to not have a hold of you somewhere.
❥ in a more private setting ? dude is cuddly and needy as HELL. constantly holding you, whether it’s just your hand, his arm around your shoulder, standing behind you with his hands on your hips, shoulders, waist, you name it.
❥ on days where you’re insecure, he’s quick to snap you out of it. he can tell whether you need reassurance or a distraction without you even having to explain.
❥ HUGE on reading body language and tone of voice, can tell immediately if something is wrong just by the way you’re breathing.
❥ pet names for days. “baby”, “babe”, “love”, “beautiful”, “bunny” (fight me, i dare you), dude will throw in “toots” in an awful boston accent, just to make you laugh and see you roll your eyes
❥ whiny, whiny, W H I N Y. constantly asking for cuddles, kisses, hugs, scratches, everything.
❥ huge words of affirmation guy, never gets tired of hearing that you love him or your thanks for him doing something for you. essentially, he’s a giant puppy dog.
❥ always has his hand on your thigh when he’s driving oh my GOD
❥ instead of physical gifts for anniversaries, he’d give you love letters (i’m sobbing)
❥ dude is not afraid to post you anywhere, absolutely ADORES showing you off, even if it’s just of you sleeping in his lap, or an underview of you watching the tv and playing with his hair
❥ “what ? i can’t show off what’s mine ?” (kill me)
❥ supportive of you in every single aspect, not once has he ever looked at you and made you feel like you couldn’t do what you wanted
❥ lowkey possessive, but not in a toxic way ! just wants you all to himself, and gets whiny when you have to go or you have other plans and can’t come over. it’s mostly a joke, and he’d never ever do it if it actually upset you, he just truly does want you around all of the time.
❥ HUGE on setting boundaries early in the relationship, wants to know your ‘hell yes’s and ‘hell no’s IMMEDIATELY
❥ says “i love you” first, no ifs, ands or buts.
❥ “i love you, ya know ?”
❥ is blushing the entire time he’s trying to get it out, but relaxes when he sees your grin
❥ refuses to “argue”, dude only has constructive conversations where the two of you find a solution
❥ “it’s us against the problem, babe. not us against each other. what’s going on ?”
❥ three quick pecks every time one of you asks for a kiss, sometimes more, but never less, and he will absolutely pout if you ever short him.
❥ “what was that ? give me a real kiss.”
❥ some nights when his energy is low, and his social battery is almost completely gone, he’ll just lay with you with his head on your chest and listen to your heartbeat.
❥ he’s a little snippy on bad days, but he always catches himself.
❥ “i’m sorry, love. i shouldn’t have reacted like that.”
❥ B A N T E R, he’s a shit, for sure
❥ “oh yeah ? wanna say that to my face ?” (think lori and noah from tiktok)
❥ on days where your body image is bad, he stops what he’s doing and takes the time to just hold you, and reassure you that your body is beautiful.
❥ “look at me, hey. i love you, every single part of you.”
❥ star gazing dates, midnight drives to nowhere, movie nights in the living room, nights where the two of you just stare at the ceiling and enjoy each other’s company.
❥ “penny for your thoughts ?” “what are you thinkin’ about over there ?” “what’s on your mind, beautiful ?”
❥ never shies away from mentioning you on the podcast/in videos.
❥ “oh my god, my girlfriend loves that.” “holy shit, me and y/n were just talking about this !”
tags: @strniolo , @ssturniolo , @thetriplets3 , @stvrni0lo , @gabbylovesreading , @dwntwn-strnlo , @tylerscreat0r , @toyourloves , @lvrsparadise , @angelcake-222 , @20nugs , @obsessivencrazy , @lollibumblebee , @stargirlv0id , @jellybeanbby , @idontexistman , @emssturniolo
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reidsqlick · 2 months
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You’ll be back, right? || (S.R)
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pairing(s): Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader
summary: Spencer and you had been close friends, but due to an unexpected, sudden reason that friendship had fallen through, and led to what seems to be a rivalry.. what happens when you confront him of this?
warning(s): (MDNI 18+), softdom!spencer, unprotected sex, p in v, swearing, I don’t believe there’s any more but if there is please enlighten me 💔💔.
word count: 3,7k
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Working for the FBI was a challenge, everyone who looked into the FBI, or had been an agent would tell you the same. As an agent, you’ve definitely come close to death many times throughout your career, you had known that’s what came with the job, and you more than ready for that. You were quite honestly ready for whatever this job could bring your way. Ready to tackle each obstacle with such ease, so much to the point you didn’t even care what could be thrown your way.
That’s what you thought until you had met Dr. Spencer Reid. Being transferred to this unit of yours was something you had no issue doing. Ready for whatever it brought you, whatever new challenges this career brought you. Nothing, and I mean nothing was going to get in the way of that mindset of yours you were so, ultimately set on.
Unfortunately, that mindset hadn’t met Spencer Walter Reid. The genius of the BAU. Mr. “187 IQ”. Once a twenty-four year old kid prodigy who knew more than most at that age. Now, obviously not twenty-four, and not quite a ‘kid prodigy’ anymore.
The man had gotten on your nerves since the day he chose his ego over you. Not cause he was necessarily a bad guy, he was actually friends with you. However, the shit that got on your nerves was the fact he was open about disliking you, his ego slowly becoming more important than your friendship sometime during your duration of working there.
Forever you thought about what you had done. At first, you two were oh so close, as close as one can get with Reid, at the time he at least could have tolerate saying more than at minimum, five word sentences to you in passing, or because Hotch had asked you two to pair up to go check things out.
He always teased you at work. Either making some snide comment about your intelligence, or critiquing the way you had gotten your part of the job done. God, it was aggravating to say the least. With each snide comment that was said in passing, the more he pissed you off.
You really hadn’t hated him. You had hated the way he was so rude towards you. You truly never got it, never understood how he could be so nice to you when you had joined, talking to you more than a friend should, but, hey.. he probably talked to everyone like that, right?
One day it snapped. He just… started being an absolute piss poor son of a bitch who couldn’t get enough of himself. Wafting in every comment of some girl on a case in passing, it stroking his ego. God, the man was so aggravating in every way possible. You just couldn’t understand what changed with him.
Yeah, okay. If we’re being honest with one another, I liked him, okay? I more than liked him. I kind of slightly loved him. When I first joined the unit, I had clicked with him the most. It was almost instant. Your shared love for ‘Doctor who’, and books. Most of all, you listened to him ramble. Not many do that, and when they do they always tease him for it.
Now he’s teasing you? Jesus, you couldn’t get over it. The man you once let into your heart, expressed your interests to him, let you be yourself around him, becoming such an asshat. That was beyond what you could’ve expected. Especially since it was so out of the blue.
Life is very against you as of late. You and the team are out on a case in Boston, where you’ll have to be staying in one of the “lovely” hotels there. The issue is that the team actually had gotten done with the case early. The hotel had been booked for a whole extra day.
So, due to Penelope Nagging Hotch so much to the point he actually gave in, you’re all going drinking. The hotel bar, obviously. Can’t stray too far from one another, yes we’re all FBI agents, but… safety first, always.
You weren’t one for drinking if you were honest, but it was a team thing, so you’d go. This case had ended up being much more stressful than it let off, and you kind of needed to cool off, and with the people you considered family.
You hadn’t dressed up, Jesus, no. Never. You aren’t one for dressing up. Yeah, you’re feminine.. just, sometimes dresses aren’t the comfiest, that’s one. Two, for fucks sake.. this is a hotel bar. It’s truly not serious enough to dress up for.
Just your leisure wear you brought, jeans, and a t-shirt. Don’t even get me started on the “Pick me” or “You’re so basic” shit, it’s just leisure wear, at a hotel bar. Fuck if I care, I’ll dress how I please.
Leaving your hotel room, you walk up to the elevator, pressing the ‘down’ arrow. Awaiting the elevator, to your surprise the one and only Spencer Walter Reid decided to waltz to catch it as well. Jesus Christ. He’s really not one for drinking. I know I’m not one for drinking, but he isn’t last time I checked.
The elevator dung open, and you stepped in, Spencer walking in behind you. You click the ‘one’, and wait for this ride to be over. You look around, trying to ignore the fact he was here. You look over at him for, what? A split second, and he catches your eyes.
Fuck. That was accidental… oh, what? He’s still wearing his suit. Jesus, you’d think the man would get into something more comfortable, yet… he’s Spencer Reid. He’s not getting more comfy than this.
Shit, this elevator ride is longer than you remembered it being. Yeah, you were on the twelveth floor, but why is it taking so long. You speak up, hating the silence. Might as well embarrass yourself more than you already had, mhm. Great fucking idea!
“Didn’t take you as much of a drinker, Boygenius.” You said, loud enough for him to hear you, but not quite loud at all. “You don’t know me, (Y/LN). You can’t ‘take’ me as much of anything.” He said, obviously annoyed. Shit.. why’d he have to be such an asswipe about everything he did. Jesus Christ you can’t say anything anymore, can you?
“Actually I do-“ he cut you off, “You do not know me. You think you know me, and I hate to break it to you, but you don’t know me. Don’t know why you somehow think cause we were close years ago when you first started working here, that you know anything. You don’t know me enough to classify me as a drinker, that’s one. Even if I wasn’t before, people change (Y/LN).”
Before you could even add, you were disrupted by the ding of the elevator. Thank god. But, seriously? Where does he think he gets off? You both leave the elevator, him in-front of you now. Walking to the bar, you were greeted by the rest of your team. Penelope enveloping you in one of her hugs.
Chatter between the team had went on for an hour or two, you hadn’t gotten drunk, but you were… tipsy to say the least. You really, seriously weren’t one for drinking, but Spencer being there, and his snarky ass comments from earlier truly set you off. You decide it’s better to go to your room before you get shit-faced drunk, so you say your ‘goodbyes’ to the rest of the team.
Pen pulled you aside, “Hun.. what’s up? You’ve barely spoken a word tonight. You’re just away from us, the group. Did we.. do something on the case that we missed? I can make someone apologize, cause (Y/LN)… I’m not gonna let stuff like that slide-“ you just sit silent. Giving her that look.
She looked confused. “(Y/N).. who,” you cut her off “Spencer. It’s nothing. Just.. we got on the elevator together and it got awkward again. Pen, you’re so lucky I love the rest of you cause I’d have already left cause of Spencer ‘I’ve got a stick in my ass’ Reid.” She and I chuckled.
She nodded, waving you goodbye. Telling the rest of the team about your departure for the night. You left the bar, walking towards the elevator, and clicking the ‘up’ arrow. It dinged not too long after, you entered, and clicked number twelve. As the doors were close to shutting, a hand came between them, forcing them to open back up.
Cause life hates me, who else could it possibly be except Spencer goddamn Reid? Jesus. Why’d we have to leave at the same time, why’d we have to get stuck in the same elevator again!? The ride was silent, well… for a while it was, until he decided it was just lovely to open his mouth, yeah this is just what you needed right now after your previous six drinks.
“Didn’t take you for much of a drinker, either (Y/L/N).” He chuckled, opening up the topic of conversation started just hours ago. “Hah, very funny Reid, I’m really not one.” He shrugged. “No? You didn’t sit at the bar and consume six too many drinks? That wasn’t you? Guess I’m imagining someone else as you.”
You sighed, staying silent. Not wanting to speak to him anymore than you already have tonight. You’re intoxicated, scratch that, you were more than intoxicated, and this really is NOT the proper setting for this. “Don’t wanna talk? Oh, wait.. you don’t want to speak to my face? That’s right. Okay, (Y/LN). I see, you can easily just tell people I have a “stick in my ass” and yet, won’t respond to me? That’s fine with me..”
Those words lingered.. oh they’re pissing you off. You looked at him, he was already looking down at you with the most aggravating smirk on his face. “You do have a stick up your ass. There? What do you want me to tell you!? What can I tell you? Last I remember I ‘don’t know you’ so how will I speak to you if I don’t even know you. Oh, and what can I say? Hmmm? Enlighten me, Spencer. Every time I do something you don’t like, you start running your mouth. Last time I checked, that’s the only time I’ve spoken about you behind your back, so you obviously need to get a grip, Reid.”
“You need me to enlighten you, do you?” He began, “Let me enlighten you, (Y/LN). You can say whatever you want, that’s fine with me, you simply just don’t bring me into it. We got that clear? I don’t need my coworkers thinking im some sort of dick cause you’re butthurt,” he looked at your eyes carefully “and intoxicated.”
“Why don’t you like me anymore,” I let out quietly. “Hm?” He said, clearing his throat. “Why. Don’t. You. Like. Me. Anymore!?” I said, louder. Tears violently threatening to spill. “What’re you talking about?” A tear rolled down your face “What am I talking about!? Jesus, how many times do I have to say it. We were friends, Reid. I liked you,” he was taken aback “I loved you. Jesus, did you forget about our friendship? I know it’s been a while.. but how many girls have to flirt with you to forget your friend? God, Spencer.”
He didn’t even say anything. You stood there, unaware of what was happening, obviously intoxicated. Tears spilling out of your eyes slowly. He looked over at you, looking at you, reading your expressions. He took two steps, making you two mere inches apart. He then leaned down, putting his forehead on yours.
You sniffled, “Reid, what’re you doing-“ “Can I kiss you, (Y/N)? Please say yes..” you nodded. “I need you to tell me I can kiss you, need you to tell me you want me to kiss you.” “Yes, Reid,” before you could even finish he grabbed the sides of your face, pushing his lips onto yours.
You kissed him back, with just as much eagerness as confusion. Don’t you hate him? What’s happening? Before you could even think properly the elevator dinged, you’ve made it to your floor.
He then moved his hands to your waist, leading you out of the elevator, lips still on yours, you pulled away. “Reid. What’re you doing?” Then, it came out. The years you wanted to know what happened, and he’s about to tell you. “I love you, too.” Your response? You pulled his lips back onto yours, walking backwards, finding your room.
You broke the kiss for a second, turning around to unlock the door, reaching for the keycard in your pocket, as Spencer wrapped his hands around your waist. When the door unlocked you basically ran into the room, closing the door behind you two. Once you turned around, your lips were already back on his.
You might be asking, why aren’t you talking this out? Why aren’t you asking what this is? His lips are telling you all you need to know, and you weren’t mad at all. Stumbling around the room, you made it to the bedroom and closed that door, as well. His hands still firm on your waist, he then pushed you against the bedroom door.
His mouth moved from your lips to peppering kisses on your jaw, to then sucking down onto your neck. You were letting out small whimpers, nothing too loud, but it was making him absolutely crazy. As he was marking your neck with visible bruises that weren’t going to be gone anytime soon, he moved his knee between your legs.
You began to grind down on this knee to create some form of friction. Fuck, you were getting louder. Seriously, (Y/N). I mean… seriously? You hate him. You hate how snarky he gets, hate how he makes snide comments, hate how good his lips feel traveling down your neck, hate how good his knee feels against your already aching cunt.
He then started to move his leg with the movements of your hips against him. Jesus. You’re putty in his hands, aren’t you? You’re done for. He then moved his hands under your shirt, starting to ride it up, asking you a question “Can I take it off,” he asked, all you could do was let out sorry whimpers as you were essentially getting yourself off on him, he stopped the movements of his leg, his grip on your hips tightening again “Hm?” All you did was nod, giving him your approval.
Once that was gone, he went back to working on your neck, sucking small bruises, moving down to your collarbone, receiving whimpers and low moans from you. He then moved his hands to the buttons of your jeans. “Can I?” He asked, you nodded again. “Can I?” He repeated. You speak up, “Mhm-“ he nodded, beginning to unbutton your jeans, and then unzipping the zip on them, causing them to fall to the floor.
There wasn’t much light in the room, only a lamp in the corner illuminating the dark room. Enough light for him to be able to see the wet spot in your underwear. He smiled, “You’re already so wet.” He said, circling small circles on your clothed clit, making whimpers fall from your mouth so desperately.
“You know,” he said, pushing your panties to the side, gathering up your arousal on two of his fingers “I love you. It’s why I ignored you so much,” he said, bringing his fingers up and down your slit, “too distracted to do my job sometimes, you know.” He said, inserting one finger into you, causing a breathily gasp leaving your mouth with such ease.
“Just thought if I ignored you, it’d help me from getting distracted with my job.” He said, moving his finger at a slower pace, curling it so every so often to get a reaction out of you. “It didn’t help much, though-“ he said, “I was still getting distracted, all the time. Couldn’t even focus on work, princess.” He added another finger, stretching you out even more. “You know what happens when I can’t focus on work? I get upset, love. Wasn’t even you I was mad at, I was mad at myself, for getting so fucking pent up over you.” He said as he continued his pace, curling his fingers every so often.
He then pulled them out, a soft, disappointing whimper leaving your lips. “Shh, I know. Let’s get you comfy, yeah?” He said, moving you onto the bed, beginning to fully undress you, leaving you exposed. “What about you…” you chimed in nervously. He chuckled. “Oh, right. Sorry, princess. Let me just,” he said as he begun to rid himself of his own garments.
When he rid himself of his prior clothing, all but his boxers, he then hovered over top of you, beginning to gather up more of your slick, rubbing your clit in small, tight circles leaving you an absolute mess. You then began to grip the hand he was using to prop himself up with, needy with greed, your eyes practically begging.
“You close already, princess?” He asked in that cocky tone of his, smirking. If he hadn’t been making you feel this good, bringing you this close to release, making you feel better than you could ever do yourself, you would’ve already hit him upside the head. You then nodded, moans leaving your mouth the easiest they ever had. He had then removed himself of his boxers, his cock springing up and hitting his chest, glistening with all his pre-cum.
Your mouth all but fell to the ground in shock, it was so pretty, he was so pretty. Looking down at you, he had begun alligning himself with your glistening cunt, gathering your slick, finally positioning himself at your entrance, “You ready for me, princess?” You bucked your hips, nodding quickly, “Are you ready?” He asked again, the need to be in you was strong, but the need for your consent was stronger. “Yes, please Spencer—“ He smiled, “Good,” he said, slowly sinking into you, disappearing into you inch, by inch.
He fully sunk into you with a low groan, and slowly begun thrusting into you, warming you up for him, he had then moved his hand between your bodies, and began rubbing your clit in painfully slow circles, watching your face contort with a dumbfound smile on his face. He had then began to move faster, causing you to get even louder than before, and then he finally found his pace, the perfect pace, the pace that hit that spot of yours so well, the spot you were sure never existed, as the men before him were never able to find it, let alone you.
But, fuck. You had to admit, it felt so good. “Spencer— fuck… keep, keep going,” you were putty in his hands, you were his to mold, “yes— like that! Fuck…” he couldn’t help but let out small grunts, and groans. He never knew he could have such an effect on you, he had played this moment so many times in his head, but he’s so, so thankful for his eidetic memory so he can actually remember this moment exactly.
“Feel good doesn’t it, Angel?” He groaned, “Hits where it’s supposed to,” your whimpers got needier, his thrusts got sloppier, “ts’ like this cock was made just for you.” that was it, that was truly it, drunk off his words, his every moment, “Spencer, I’m—“ he got even sloppier, faster, rubbing your clit with such speed you could explode right then and there, your legs began to shake around him.
“Let go, princess. I know you can, ‘know you want to, let it all out for me,” he said, groans getting louder, getting close to his own release himself, two more strokes and you were a dead woman, your orgasm hitting you like a tidal wave, head thrown back, moans louder than ever.
“Fuck, Angel..” he said, pulling out, stroking himself fast, needing his own release, and seeing you like this, cum dripping out of you, it’s just what he needed, it’s the prettiest thing he had ever seen, and now it was ingrained in his mind forever. “Where do you want me, I—“ you whimpered, he was so pretty like this, fucking his hand, head cocked back, groans leaving him.. “T-tummy’s fine—“ and there it was, leaving his cock just seconds later.
His body plopped next to you, hand finding your cheek, caressing it softly. “You did so good for me, Angel..” he smiled softly, you giggled at his compliment, words more innocent than the action you had shared just moments earlier. “Hey, hey let’s get you cleaned up, don’t need you a mess, now do we?” He chucked, leaving the room to grab a washcloth, and coming back with it, wiping his cum off your stomach.
Once you were cleaned up, he had grabbed clothes from your go bag, dressing you slowly, not wanting to overworked your already tired self, “Thank you, Spencer—“ you said softly, almost a whisper, he smiled with pride, “No need to thank me, princess. It wasn’t a favor.” You couldn’t help but giggle, “Mhm, I know— just thought I should thank you, mm never felt that good before, thought that was worth a thanks.”
Once you were in comfy clothes, he had lied next to you, caressing your face, “Angel..” he started, “I’ve gotta go back to my room..” he trailed off, not wanting to leave you like this, sleepy, and alone..
Before he could even finish what he wanted to say, you interrupted him “Don’t—!” He chuckled softly, “I don’t want to, I promise you.. I just need to grab something, okay?” You nodded, but a low groan left your tired lips.
He had gotten up from the mattress, it springing up due to the loss of his weight. Once he reached the handle of the door you yelled out to him, “You’ll be back, right?” your voice drowsy, dripping with tiredness.
He looked back for a moment, smiling softly, “Right.”
A/N: oh my god this is my first published smut my teeth are jittering, hands shaking… please please PLEASE tell me how I did if you could cause I actually can’t tell how bad or good this is. but yeah, I tried. P.S: this smut has been sitting in my drafts for over a MONTH.
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writingwithcolor · 4 months
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My alternate universe fantasy colonial Hong Kong is more authoritarian and just as racist but less homophobic than in real life, should I change that?
@floatyhands asked:
I’m a Hongkonger working on a magical alternate universe dystopia set in what is basically British colonial Hong Kong in the late 1920s. My main character is a young upper middle-class Eurasian bisexual man.  I plan to keep the colony’s historical racial hierarchy in this universe, but I also want the fantasy quirks to mean that unlike in real life history, homosexuality was either recently decriminalized, or that the laws are barely enforced, because my boy deserves a break. Still, the institutions are quite homophobic, and this relative tolerance might not last. Meanwhile, due to other divergences (e.g. eldritch horrors, also the government’s even worse mishandling of the 1922 Seamen's Strike and the 1925 Canton-Hong Kong Strike), the colonial administration is a lot more authoritarian than it was in real history. This growing authoritarianism is not exclusive to the colony, and is part of a larger global trend in this universe.  I realize these worldbuilding decisions above may whitewash colonialism, or come off as choosing to ignore one colonial oppression in favor of exaggerating another. Is there any advice as to how I can address this issue? (Maybe I could have my character get away by bribing the cops, though institutional corruption is more associated with the 1960s?) Thank you!
Historical Precedent for Imperialistic Gay Rights
There is a recently-published book about this topic that might actually interest you: Racism And The Making of Gay Rights by Laurie Marhoefer (note: I have yet to read it, it’s on my list). It essentially describes how the modern gay rights movement was built from colonialism and imperialism. 
The book covers Magnus Hirschfeld, a German sexologist in the early 1900s, and (one of) his lover(s), Li Shiu Tong, who he met in British Shanghai. Magnus is generally considered to have laid the groundwork for a lot of gay rights, and his research via the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft was a target of Nazi book-burnings, but he was working with imperial governments in an era where the British Empire was still everywhere. 
Considering they both ended up speaking to multiple world leaders about natural human sexual variation both in terms of intersex issues and sexual attraction, your time period really isn’t that far off for people beginning to be slightly more open-minded—while also being deeply imperialist in other ways.
The thing about this particular time period is homosexuality as we know it was recently coming into play, starting with the trial of Oscar Wilde and the rise of Nazism. But between those two is a pretty wildly fluctuating gap of attitudes.
Oscar Wilde’s trial is generally considered the period where gay people, specifically men who loved men, started becoming a group to be disliked for disrupting social order. It was very public, very scandalous, and his fall from grace is one of the things that drove so many gay and/or queer men underground. It also helped produce some of the extremely queercoded classical literature of the Victorian and Edwardian eras (ex: Dracula), because so many writers were exploring what it meant to be seen as such negative forces. A lot of people hated Oscar Wilde for bringing the concept to such a public discussion point, when being discreet had been so important.
But come the 1920s, people were beginning to wonder if being gay was that bad, and Mangus Hirschfeld managed to do a world tour of speaking come the 1930s, before all of that was derailed by wwii. He (and/or Li Shiu Tong) were writing papers that were getting published and sent to various health departments about how being gay wasn’t an illness, and more just an “alternative” way of loving others. 
This was also the era of Boston Marriages where wealthy single women lived together as partners (I’m sure there’s an mlm-equivalent but I cannot remember or find it). People were a lot less likely to care if you kept things discreet, so there might be less day to day homophobia than one would expect. Romantic friendships were everywhere, and were considered the ideal—the amount of affection you could express to your same-sex best friend was far above what is socially tolerable now.
Kaz Rowe has a lot of videos with cited bibliographies about various queer disasters [affectionate] of the late 1800s/early 1900s, not to mention a lot of other cultural oddities of the Victorian era (and how many of those attitudes have carried into modern day) so you can start to get the proper terms to look it up for yourself.
I know there’s a certain… mistrust of specifically queer media analysts on YouTube in the current. Well. Plagiarism/fact-creation scandal (if you don’t know about the fact-creation, check out Todd in the Shadows). I recommend Kaz because they have citations on screen and in the description that aren’t whole-cloth ripped off from wikipedia’s citation list (they’ve also been published via Getty Publications, a museum press). 
For audio-preferring people (hi), a video is more accessible than text, and sometimes the exposure to stuff that’s able to pull exact terms can finally get you the resources you need. If text is more accessible, just jump to the description box/transcript and have fun. Consider them and their work a starting place, not a professor. 
There is always a vulnerability in learning things, because we can never outrun our own confirmation bias and we always have limited time to chase down facts and sources—we can only do our best and be open to finding facts that disprove what we researched prior.
Colonialism’s Popularity Problem
Something about colonialism that I’ve rarely discussed is how some colonial empires actually “allow” certain types of “deviance” if that deviance will temporarily serve its ends. Namely, when colonialism needs to expand its territory, either from landing in a new area or having recently messed up and needing to re-charm the population.
By that I mean: if a fascist group is struggling to maintain popularity, it will often conditionally open its doors to all walks of life in order to capture a greater market. It will also pay its spokespeople for the privilege of serving their ends, often very well. Authoritarians know the power of having the token supporter from a marginalized group on payroll: it both opens you up directly to that person’s identity, and sways the moderates towards going “well they allow [person/group] so they can’t be that bad, and I prefer them.”
Like it or not, any marginalized group can have its fascist members, sometimes even masquerading as the progressives. Being marginalized does not automatically equate to not wanting fascism, because people tend to want fascist leaders they agree with instead of democracy and coalition building. People can also think that certain people are exaggerating the horrors of colonialism, because it doesn’t happen to good people, and look, they accept their friends who are good people, so they’re fine. 
A dominant fascist group can absolutely use this to their advantage in order to gain more foot soldiers, which then increases their raw numbers, which puts them in enough power they can stop caring about opening their ranks, and only then do they turn on their “deviant” members. By the time they turn, it’s usually too late, and there’s often a lot of feelings of betrayal because the spokesperson (and those who liked them) thought they were accepted, instead of just used.
You said it yourself that this colonial government is even stricter than the historical equivalent—which could mean it needs some sort of leverage to maintain its popularity. “Allowing” gay people to be some variation of themselves would be an ideal solution to this, but it would come with a bunch of conditions. What those conditions are I couldn’t tell you—that’s for your own imagination, based off what this group’s ideal is, but some suggestions are “follow the traditional dating/friendship norms”, “have their own gender identity slightly to the left of the cis ideal”, and/or “pretend to never actually be dating but everyone knows and pretends to not care so long as they don’t out themselves”—that would signal to the reader that this is deeply conditional and about to all come apart. 
It would, however, mean your poor boy is less likely to get a break, because he would be policed to be the “acceptable kind of gay” that the colonial government is currently tolerating (not unlike the way the States claims to support white cis same-sex couples in the suburbs but not bipoc queer-trans people in polycules). It also provides a more salient angle for this colonial government to come crashing down, if that’s the way this narrative goes.
Colonial governments are often looking for scapegoats; if gay people aren’t the current one, then they’d be offered a lot more freedom just to improve the public image of those in power. You have the opportunity to have the strikers be the current scapegoats, which would take the heat off many other groups—including those hit by homophobia.
In Conclusion
Personally, I’d take a more “gays for Trump” attitude about the colonialism and their apparent “lack” of homophobia—they’re just trying to regain popularity after mishandling a major scandal, and the gay people will be on the outs soon enough.
You could also take the more nuanced approach and see how imperialism shaped modern gay rights and just fast-track that in your time period, to give it the right flavour of imperialism. A lot of BIPOC lgbtqa+ people will tell you the modern gay rights movement is assimilationalist, colonialist, and other flavours of ick, so that angle is viable.
You can also make something that looks more accepting to the modern eye by leaning heavily on romantic friendships that encouraged people waxing poetic for their “best friends”, keeping the “lovers” part deeply on the down low, but is still restrictive and people just don’t talk about it in public unless it’s in euphemisms or among other same-sex-attracted people because there’s nothing wrong with loving your best friend, you just can’t go off and claim you’re a couple like a heterosexual couple is.
Either way, you’re not sanitizing colonialism inherently by having there be less modern-recognized homophobia in this deeply authoritarian setting. You just need to add some guard rails on it so that, sure, your character might be fine if he behaves, but there are still “deviants” that the government will not accept. 
Because that’s, in the end, one of the core tenants that makes a government colonial: its acceptance of groups is frequently based on how closely you follow the rules and police others for not following them, and anyone who isn’t their ideal person will be on the outs eventually. But that doesn’t mean they can’t have a facade of pretending those rules are totally going to include people who are to the left of those ideals, if those people fit in every other ideal, or you’re safe only if you keep it quiet.
~ Leigh
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genieinanovel · 9 months
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Review: From the Desk of Zoe Washington
Zoe Washington isn’t sure what to write. What does a girl say to the father she’s never met, hadn’t heard from until his letter arrived on her twelfth birthday, and who’s been in prison for a terrible crime?A crime he says he never committed.Could Marcus really be innocent? Zoe is determined to uncover the truth. Even if it means hiding his letters and her investigation from the rest of her…
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gigabyte-flare · 1 year
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There’s No Escape (Part 1)
Summary: You are going through a rather nasty breakup as you escape your ex-boyfriend’s apartment while he’s away on a top secret government assignment. You move to a completely new state in hopes he won’t find you. You clearly underestimated his determination because he has no intention of letting you go. 
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Pairing: yandere!Leon Kennedy x fem!reader (afab)
Word Count: 1.1k (Next part should be longer! Wanted to get story building stuff out of the way before getting to the good stuff ;) )
If any of the warnings below trigger you, please kindly pass on this fic 
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, actions depicted in this story are not condoned in real life; if you feel this way, please go touch grass
MINORS DO NOT INTERACT OR I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL YEET YOU INTO THE GODDAMN SUN. Thank you!
Warnings (may not apply to all parts): Sex, gaslighting, swearing, stalking, acts of violence, blood, dubcon, kidnapping, pet names (baby, doll, angel, sweetheart, etc.), PTSD triggers, unprotected sex, forced breeding, daddy kink, manipulation, oral (m and f receiving), choking, overstimulation, knife play, gunplay. Long story short, DEAD DOVE: DO NOT EAT. More warnings may be added in the future
A/N: @dollrxst, @hxllfiredoll, @nexyswrites, @ghostkennedy, @lipglossanon and like a bunch of others who’s fics I’ve consumed and have been inspired by, this is all your fault and I’m not even mad about it. Please excuse grammatical errors and such, it’s been a hot second since I’ve written stuff like this. Enjoy!
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It was now or never.
Leon Scott Kennedy, your soon to be ex-boyfriend, is away on some top secret government assignment and isn’t due back for about three days. You had been seeing each other for about six months and he insisted you move in with him after three months. He seemed wonderful at first, but living with him proved to be way more than you had signed up for.
He was bat shit insane.
You weren’t sure if it was due to unaddressed trauma from his line of work or whatever but his controlling and sick nature was ludicrous to you. He was controlling, manipulative and sick in the head. His idea of fun was holding a knife to your throat while fucking the absolute shit out of you. That was just the tip of the iceberg on the things he forced you to do for his pleasure. 
Anything you absolutely could not live without was getting stuffed into your little Jeep Renegade. If it didn’t fit, it was getting left behind because you had absolutely no intention of coming back. Clothes, toiletries, some of your books, your video game console and games, a couple pillows and some sheets all got stuffed in. When you were confident you had everything essential for your impromptu move, you closed the back hatch on the Renegade and grabbed your purse, phone and car keys from the kitchen counter, making sure to leave the copy of the apartment key you miraculously found behind. You lock the apartment door and shut it. You lean up against it and take a deep breath before you rush back down to your car. You had a long ride ahead of you; Washington D.C. to Boston was about a 9 hour drive.
It was now or never; you weren’t about to squander this opportunity to escape.
🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤
It was dark by the time you finally arrived in Boston. You navigate the confusing winding streets and find your apartment that you got with your best friend, Becky. You see her come out of the front door as you pull up in your car and park. You see her wave as you step out.
“Hey, you made it! I trust you had a good ride,” she inquires.
“Yeah, long as hell, sorry I’m so late. What time is it?”
“It’s like 9:30, come on in! I ordered pizza for us,” she says, motioning you in. 
You grab your purse, keys, phone and one of the pillows you had stuffed into your car and go inside the apartment. You decide you can unload your stuff in the morning. The kitchen is the first room you end up in and you set your stuff down on the small island before stumbling your tired legs into the living room where the smell of pizza was calling your name. You practically collapse in a reclining chair after grabbing a slice of pizza from the box on the coffee table. You let out a loud sigh of relief. You made it. You escaped.
“How are you feeling?” Becky asks before taking a bite out of her slice of pizza.
You finish chewing on yours and swallow hard, “I’ve never been so happy in my life. I’m honestly surprised I’m not dead from some of the bullshit Leon pulled.”
Becky shifts nervously on the couch. She was the only person you confided in about your sick, demented ex-boyfriend. You didn’t even tell your parents, you didn’t want to worry them. 
When you moved in with Leon, he forced you to quit your well paying I.T. job and forbade you from ever leaving the apartment alone. He took your phone away, but you found ways to sneak it back so that you could at least contact Becky. You didn’t want to think about the things he made you do; it was an absolute miracle you weren’t dead or pregnant from the amount of abuse you endured. 
“He hasn’t contacted you yet, has he?” 
You shake your head, closing your eyes as you lean back in the recliner, “nah, he won’t be back from whatever assignment he’s on for another few days, and I blocked his number.”
“Good,” Becky replies with a nod.
“I’m going to hit the sack,” you say suddenly as you get up from the chair and begin to walk back into the kitchen to collect your stuff. 
“No problem, I’ll help you unload your car tomorrow. I was able to get the day off from work.”
“Thanks, Becky.”
🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤
It’s late in the afternoon when Leon finally gets home from his excursion, his forearms covered in scraps and bruises. He couldn’t wait to see his baby girl, his cock growing hard from the anticipation. 
He fumbled with his keys in the low light until finding the correct one to unlock the front door to the apartment. He unlocks the door and opens it.
“Sweetheart, I’m home!” Leon calls out.
But there’s no response.
“Sweetie? Are you asleep?”
Nothing.
Leon could feel adrenaline rush through his veins as he starts to frantically search each room for his sweetheart. He became hyper aware of the dead silence of the apartment the further he searched. When he got to the bedroom, he ripped the closet doors open and found most of your clothes were gone. He ran into the bathroom; your toiletries were gone. Almost all your belongings were gone.
“No, no, no, no, nO, NO, NO!”
Where could you have gone? He never in a million dreams imagined you would ever leave him. You belonged to him. You were his everything. Everything he did, he did it for you, he did it to keep you safe from the disgusting world. Pure rage began to flow through him as he stalked back into the kitchen. Unsheathing his knife, he stabbed it into the center of the small dining table before he used both hands to flip it, letting out a primal growl as he did so. 
“That fucking ungrateful bitch!” he growls before walking over to the overturned table to retrieve his knife. 
“I loved you, took care of you, protected you… and this is the thanks I get…”
He pulls out his cellphone, dialing your number and putting the phone to his ear.
“We’re sorry, the number you have dialed cannot be reached at this time. Please check the number and try again.”
Taking a deep breath, he then attempts to send a text to the number.
We’re sorry, the number you have entered is not valid.
Breathing heavily, he puts his phone back in his pocket, balling both his fists and closing his cobalt eyes. He stood there for a moment, seething when he suddenly appeared to have a revelation. His eyes snap back open and he digs his phone back out from his pocket and opens an app. A smile slowly overcomes him as stares down at the phone like he was staring down at a long lost lover.
“There you are. Don’t worry baby girl. Daddy’s coming to get you.”
Part 2
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cupid-styles · 7 months
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cupid-styles fic recs!!!
I read a lot of harry fic.....like a lot.......so here are some of my favorites on wattpad and tumblr!! enjoy ! :)
wattpad
breaking the ice by sarbearfive: long form fic, hockey player fmc x hockey player harry
boston by witchysunflower: long form fic, SMUTTY (like check content warnings before you read bc the kinks explored aren't for everyone), cheating teacher fmc x cheating hockey player harry, angsty with a happy-ish ending
boys don't cry, posted by cuddlingzjm: was originally posted on tumblr but this user uploaded it to wattpad when the author (oxygenstyles) deleted. long form fic, lots of back and forth and angst with a happy ending, university au
love, sex, dreams by tempress_: short story, stripper fmc x rich harry, smutty!!
pierced by tpwkmila: long form fic, SMUTTY!!!, piercer/gang harry x innocent fmc. for some reason I can't hyperlink, so here's the link: https://www.wattpad.com/story/255321426-𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐄𝐃-𝐇-𝐒.
devil's due by petit_cerise: long form fic, broke my heart a million times and put it back together just as many times. gang harry x artist fmc, super angsty with a kind of happy ending. (there's a sequel currently being written with really slow updates)
earned it by alisonfelix: long form fic; if you haven't read her work yet........ you need to. escort/sex worker fmc, make sure to look at content warnings before reading!! contains A LOT of cheating, smut, and angst, but such an original plot (and a happy ending!).
informed consent by alisonfelix: short fic; university au, innocent/shy fmc x experienced harry who is kind of mean at the start. (read her extras for informed consent here!)
one night stand by alisonfelix: short fic; I told you, everything she writes is INCREDIBLE. pregnant fmc x (sort of) mean harry, some angst and a lot of back and forth, smut, but a happy ending :)
daydreams by temptress_: one-shots with some of THE best smut I've ever read. I know they have an account on here and posts some of their writing to tumblr, but I believe they have more on wattpad!!
ecstasy, misery by kenneedyxx: long form fic, work in progress. I don't usually recommend WIPs but WHEN I TELL YOU THIS BOOK IS AMAZING..... SUPER smutty, set in the 90s, so much fun. updates are slow tho!
tumblr
thinkin' bout you (pt 1) and pink + white (pt 2) by @angelisverba (florist!h, super cute, lots of pining)
love on tour: the groupie by @meetmymouth (smut!!!! groupie!yn x famous!harry, a series of blurbs and I love them)
love's an ache in the jaw by @harryforvogue (TA!h x TA!fmc, I would die for them)
this relationship of ours by @harryforvogue (dom!h x sub!fmc, second chance romance type of deal — again, I would die for them)
serendipity by @adorebeaa (such a cute plot, smut and some fluff!)
wake up call by @harryistheonlyoneforme (smut, nhl!harry x wife reader... what can I say, I love hockey au harry)
the devil is a gentleman by @1800titz (smut, if you're not reading this you're probably living under a rock, SUCH a good plot)
professor harry by @novelistrry (smut and fluff, professor!h x student!yn, short form fic)
literally anything on @freedomfireflies masterlist
tangointhenight by @teaspoon-full-of-sugar (on going short fic, erotic audio recorder (??)! harry, smut!)
anything on @haaarry masterlist
obviously anything on @moonchildstyles masterlist
pleasing by @stylesloveclub (chef!harry x waitress!yn, smut and fluff)
sunshine by @stylesloveclub (grumpy!harry x shy virgin!yn, a classic trope for the girlies, lil bit of smut and fluff)
anything on @jarofstyles masterlist, but some of my favorites include: -reaper (gang/biker!h x innocent-ish!yn) -sk8er boi (high school au, skater!harry x popular!yn) -level up (nerd!harry x popular!yn, high school au)
anything on @jawllines masterlist, but some of my favorites include: -mechanic!harry -boxer!harry -witch!harry x witch!yn -bookstore owner!yn x tattoo shop owner!harry -dom!harry x sub!yn -pornstars!harry and yn
mutually beneficial by @cherryjuiceblues (ceo!harry, dom x sub dynamics, smut obv)
I'll probably add more to this as time goes on but that's all I can think of atm and I need to go make dinner!!!! enjoy!! :D thanks to all of the incredible writers in the harry fic community for sharing your talents <3
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ladymunson · 8 months
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Mile High 18+
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Fic summary: You Spot the most gorgeous man you’ve ever seen in the business class lounge at the airport and then he happens to be on the same flight as you. Things are about to get very interesting.
A/N: This is a short one shot Drabble, there will be no additional parts. No use of y/n. No minors, shoo!
Warnings: strangers to lovers, SMUT 18+, mutual public masturbation, public nudity, airplane bathroom, unprotected sex (wrap it up!) cream pie.
Word count: 1244
I do NOT give permission for my work to be copied, translated or posted to any other platform.
Support content creators by hitting that reblog tab.
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You arrive at Boston Logan airport an hour earlier than you need to, and spend time in the lounge after checking in. It’s mid evening so they offer you a glass of wine, business class sure has its perks. You take a seat at the bar and sip on your wine as people come in and out of the lounge. While waiting for your flight to be called, something catches your eye. He enters the lounge and stops, standing over by the door, his expensive suit opening up as he stretches revealing his tight and broad shoulders. He’s fucking gorgeous! And possibly the sexiest man you’ve ever laid eyes on. His beard full and luscious, his eyes a sparkling blue matching his tie.
He looks around the lounge and stops when he sees you. The top button of your white blouse is open, he catches a glimpse of cleavage, his eyes widen as he continues staring at you.
Your black skirt was short enough to reveal your thighs and he looks at your legs, the black stilettos on your feet... Hunger in his eyes. You both eye fuck each other across the lounge, he keeps his distance and doesn’t approach, at which you quickly glance down at his left hand that is holding a briefcase. He’s not wearing a wedding ring.
The flight is called so you pick up your handbag and head towards the door, brushing past him. Making sure there was a little contact. You can feel the electricity as you touched, had he felt it too? Doesn't matter you think to yourself, because you won't see him again.
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You board the plane, the flight attendant pointing you the the right direction. After settling in your seat, you feel someone was standing next to you, you think it might be the flight attendant. But it isn’t... It’s him.
He smiles at you, and you return his smile.
The flight attendants go through the preflight routine which you’ve seen many times before, so you concentrate on the book you’re reading.
As the plane takes off, the rumbling of the engines starts to turn me on. A dampness in you underwear causing you to shift. You haven’t realised, but you’ve been caressing your collarbone and the contours of your breasts (you do that sometimes when you’re thinking about sex). But he’s noticed and been staring at you.
He looks a little uncomfortable; you look around to see if you can figure out why.
Then you see it...
The hard on he had been trying to conceal with his copy of 'The Boston Herald’.
You look him in the eye, and smile. A boldness building within you, so you kick off your shoes and rearrange yourself into a more comfortable position with your legs crossed. So, he can see your black lacy French panties. You pull the gusset of them side to side gently, enjoying the friction against your pussy.
His hand disappears underneath the paper and you hear the sound of a zipper.
He was stroking himself under there, and you couldn't see.
You pull your panties to one side...
For a few seconds you just let him look at your Pussy, wet and pulsing, aching for his touch but having to make do with your own.
You begin to rub your clit, gently at first but soon that wasn't enough. You raise an eyebrow, challenging him.
He lifts up the paper to show you his cock, it’s large and thick and looks like it could give you immense pleasure. His hand works up and down on his shaft, as you work mine on your Pussy. Doing this in such a public setting is so naughty but so exciting, it’s heightening the pleasure you’re feeling.
You’re seconds away from coming; he must've sensed it cos he snatches you hand away and transfers it to his cock...
When your fingers close around his warm skin, you hear him moan.
Then he throws your hand away, zips himself up, and moves out of the chair.
Why?
Disappointment must've shown on your face because he winks and nods towards the lavatory door.
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You can’t follow straight away; you don’t even bother to put your shoes on when you get out of your seat and walk down the gangway towards the lavatory.
You knock lightly on the door, the door folds to one side and a strong arm pulls you in...
He’s got his pants down round his ankles, his beautiful dick standing to attention before you.
He pulls you close and kisses you, urgent and probing around in your mouth.
He sits down on the lavatory seat and pulls you towards him; he rolls your panties over your hips, and you step out of them.
You part your legs so they are either side of his lap and lift your skirt so he can see how wet you are....
You lower yourself down onto his cock, letting the head rest against your dripping cunt for a moment. You had meant to hover, teasing him but you can’t. You desperately need him inside you.
You lower yourself down, letting his cock prise open your wetness and penetrate you. Filling you up, giving you what you need.
You lift yourself and begin to pound your Pussy onto his cock, hard and fast.
He bites your hard swollen nipples through your blouse, which sends thrills through you...
One hand on the mirror steadying yourself as you bounce up and down on his cock. Your other hand on his shoulder.
You kiss again. His hands on your hips, guiding you up and down, beads of sweat rolling down your forehead.
He starts rubbing your clit making you moan, you started squeezing your cunt around his cock, making him groan as he starts to shake...
You can feel your orgasm getting closer and closer, and from the look on his face he isn’t far off either.
"The plane will begin its descent in ten minutes, please return to your seats" came over the tannoy. It was now or never, you grind your pussy down hard onto him, his pubic hair tickling your clit and triggering your orgasm..
You come hard; the contractions of your cunt sets off his climax. You come together, his cock filling your pussy with hot white cum. He lets out a long moan, your head buried in his shoulder, muffling your screams of pleasure.
You take a moment to catch your breath before you stand up and he helps clean you up and rearrange your skirt down, gives you a quick kiss and shoves you out of the bathroom into the corridor.
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Walking in a straight line after such an intense orgasm is a challenge but you manage to get back to your seat. By the time you check your make-up and straightened your blouse he was back in the seat next to you.
When you disembark the plane, he walks straight past you and gets into a car that’s waiting for him.
'There he goes' you think 'The best fuck of my life.'
You smooth your skirt down and stop, feeling something, so you reach into the pocket of your skirt and pull out a business card, Andrew Barber; Assistant District Attorney. His cell phone number is written on the back, along with the hotel he was staying at and room number.
'I know what I'm doing tonight' you think to yourself smiling.
THE END
Tags: @cevansbaby-dove @patzammit
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browsethestacks · 3 months
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Hey Kids Comics
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Comics At The Flea Market (c.1977)
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Waiting patiently at the Greyhound Bus Terminal, 1947.
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Ann Arbor News, August 26, 1985
The Eye of Agamotto has a regional reputation for its wide selection of comic books. Above, Josh Darsky (left) and Brett Grossman of the Detroit suburb of Huntington Woods browse through the titles during a recent visit to the store
Photography by Larry E. Wright
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Jack Riddle reading a Marvel comic book at his home at 509 Hovland Street in Warren, Arizona. Riddle injured his eye in a rubber gun fight he had with his good friend Harold Wilson.
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“All Eyes As They Look Over A Comic Book Are George Scarmoutzos And Lee Marble 9 Both Of Lynnfield. They Were At The Recent New England Comic Convention At The Sheridan Boston.”
Boston MA (1978)
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Comic Book Readers, NYC (1947)
Photography by Ruth Orkin
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12-year-old Freddie Lewis, left, and Marshall Beck, both of San Diego's Normal Heights neighborhood, set aside superhero comics to check out a copy of "Howard the Duck" (Dennis Huls / San Diego Historical Society)
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Two Girls Reading Captain America (1982)
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A Shopper Browses Comic Books At The Eye Of Agamotto (July1985)
Photography by Larry E. Wright
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Too big to care
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I'm on tour with my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me in BOSTON with Randall "XKCD" Munroe (Apr 11), then PROVIDENCE (Apr 12), and beyond!
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Remember the first time you used Google search? It was like magic. After years of progressively worsening search quality from Altavista and Yahoo, Google was literally stunning, a gateway to the very best things on the internet.
Today, Google has a 90% search market-share. They got it the hard way: they cheated. Google spends tens of billions of dollars on payola in order to ensure that they are the default search engine behind every search box you encounter on every device, every service and every website:
https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/03/not-feeling-lucky/#fundamental-laws-of-economics
Not coincidentally, Google's search is getting progressively, monotonically worse. It is a cesspool of botshit, spam, scams, and nonsense. Important resources that I never bothered to bookmark because I could find them with a quick Google search no longer show up in the first ten screens of results:
https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/21/im-feeling-unlucky/#not-up-to-the-task
Even after all that payola, Google is still absurdly profitable. They have so much money, they were able to do a $80 billion stock buyback. Just a few months later, Google fired 12,000 skilled technical workers. Essentially, Google is saying that they don't need to spend money on quality, because we're all locked into using Google search. It's cheaper to buy the default search box everywhere in the world than it is to make a product that is so good that even if we tried another search engine, we'd still prefer Google.
This is enshittification. Google is shifting value away from end users (searchers) and business customers (advertisers, publishers and merchants) to itself:
https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/05/the-map-is-not-the-territory/#apor-locksmith
And here's the thing: there are search engines out there that are so good that if you just try them, you'll get that same feeling you got the first time you tried Google.
When I was in Tucson last month on my book-tour for my new novel The Bezzle, I crashed with my pals Patrick and Teresa Nielsen Hayden. I've know them since I was a teenager (Patrick is my editor).
We were sitting in his living room on our laptops – just like old times! – and Patrick asked me if I'd tried Kagi, a new search-engine.
Teresa chimed in, extolling the advanced search features, the "lenses" that surfaced specific kinds of resources on the web.
I hadn't even heard of Kagi, but the Nielsen Haydens are among the most effective researchers I know – both in their professional editorial lives and in their many obsessive hobbies. If it was good enough for them…
I tried it. It was magic.
No, seriously. All those things Google couldn't find anymore? Top of the search pile. Queries that generated pages of spam in Google results? Fucking pristine on Kagi – the right answers, over and over again.
That was before I started playing with Kagi's lenses and other bells and whistles, which elevated the search experience from "magic" to sorcerous.
The catch is that Kagi costs money – after 100 queries, they want you to cough up $10/month ($14 for a couple or $20 for a family with up to six accounts, and some kid-specific features):
https://kagi.com/settings?p=billing_plan&plan=family
I immediately bought a family plan. I've been using it for a month. I've basically stopped using Google search altogether.
Kagi just let me get a lot more done, and I assumed that they were some kind of wildly capitalized startup that was running their own crawl and and their own data-centers. But this morning, I read Jason Koebler's 404 Media report on his own experiences using it:
https://www.404media.co/friendship-ended-with-google-now-kagi-is-my-best-friend/
Koebler's piece contained a key detail that I'd somehow missed:
When you search on Kagi, the service makes a series of “anonymized API calls to traditional search indexes like Google, Yandex, Mojeek, and Brave,” as well as a handful of other specialized search engines, Wikimedia Commons, Flickr, etc. Kagi then combines this with its own web index and news index (for news searches) to build the results pages that you see. So, essentially, you are getting some mix of Google search results combined with results from other indexes.
In other words: Kagi is a heavily customized, anonymized front-end to Google.
The implications of this are stunning. It means that Google's enshittified search-results are a choice. Those ad-strewn, sub-Altavista, spam-drowned search pages are a feature, not a bug. Google prefers those results to Kagi, because Google makes more money out of shit than they would out of delivering a good product:
https://www.theverge.com/2024/4/2/24117976/best-printer-2024-home-use-office-use-labels-school-homework
No wonder Google spends a whole-ass Twitter every year to make sure you never try a rival search engine. Bottom line: they ran the numbers and figured out their most profitable course of action is to enshittify their flagship product and bribe their "competitors" like Apple and Samsung so that you never try another search engine and have another one of those magic moments that sent all those Jeeves-askin' Yahooers to Google a quarter-century ago.
One of my favorite TV comedy bits is Lily Tomlin as Ernestine the AT&T operator; Tomlin would do these pitches for the Bell System and end every ad with "We don't care. We don't have to. We're the phone company":
https://snltranscripts.jt.org/76/76aphonecompany.phtml
Speaking of TV comedy: this week saw FTC chair Lina Khan appear on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. It was amazing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaDTiWaYfcM
The coverage of Khan's appearance has focused on Stewart's revelation that when he was doing a show on Apple TV, the company prohibited him from interviewing her (presumably because of her hostility to tech monopolies):
https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/apple-got-caught-censoring-its-own
But for me, the big moment came when Khan described tech monopolists as "too big to care."
What a phrase!
Since the subprime crisis, we're all familiar with businesses being "too big to fail" and "too big to jail." But "too big to care?" Oof, that got me right in the feels.
Because that's what it feels like to use enshittified Google. That's what it feels like to discover that Kagi – the good search engine – is mostly Google with the weights adjusted to serve users, not shareholders.
Google used to care. They cared because they were worried about competitors and regulators. They cared because their workers made them care:
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/4/4/18295933/google-cancels-ai-ethics-board
Google doesn't care anymore. They don't have to. They're the search company.
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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/2024/04/04/teach-me-how-to-shruggie/#kagi
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