#ID BE ABLE TO GET IT PAID OFF LIKE OWN IT OWN IT IN LIKE 5 MONTHS PAYMENTS TOO AND GO TO FUCKIN TOWN WITH A FUN PAINTJOB FJIAI

[dlxxv-vetted-donations]

Survival costs are taking up most of the Haboub family's donations.

Please see my other promotion lists for the newest version of this post with different goals.

I am no longer focusing on promoting/updating this post. Thanks for everyone's contributions!!!

Update Aug 26: Help promote this family on Instagram. See here.

Updated: Aug 31

Member: @mohammedhaboubsblog (Mohammed Haboub)

Verification: link

Payment methods: Google Pay, credit/debit

Donation matches and drive: 50 SEK, $5 USD art raffle, 105 SEK (under cut)

Current progress:

SEK 78,861 133,838 / 130,000

I've set a short term goal of 130k SEK for rent, which is roughly $12.8k USD. This is URGENT, the family needs to make rent by early September. See post here. The actual goal is 300k SEK.

The currency may appear intimidating, but this is a small-medium evacuation goal of roughly $30k USD. I think it's achievable if we work together.

Please donate if you can and share.

Details about this campaign:

1/3 of their funds have went towards outrageously expensive rent, healthcare, and basic supplies.

Mohammed was shot in the leg.

Mohammed's twin sister was injured during the Khan Younis massacre and went through a surgery the family currently cannot afford. We paid this off!

Rent alone is 1/10 of their campaign goal and the family is struggling to afford it.

On Aug 30, we helped pay off yet another month of rent so they wouldn't get evicted!

Donations are sparse and amount to around $100 USD daily. At this rate, the Haboub family will not be able to evacuate.

Their campaign goal is reasonable: roughly $29k USD to evacuate 4 adults.

I've attached my conversation with Mohammed below. If I get more evidence, I will provide it there.

If the inability to donate with PayPal or confusion around conversion rates is holding you back from donating, I propose that you donate to my Kofi. For anything that you tip me, I will round it up to the nearest whole SEK and donate it to the Haboub family. I will publicly post the receipt. You can donate anonymously (still requires an account) and don't have to notify me of any donations on Tumblr but I would like having a record.

Am I scamming you? Who knows, I'm some random person and I have no way of proving that I'm not interested in running off with your money. But I want to do something that might help tangibly because publicity isn't enough so far. Donate to me at your own risk.

Proof:

Update Aug 29:

[ID in alt text]

Mohammed sent me his and his sister's IDs to prove his identity.

Aug 27: Donation match for 105 SEK ($10 USD)

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

Okay here's one. I really dont think I'm the asshole but my ex sure does.

AITA for refusing to buy my partner a jar of pickles?

So this story has like, a little background and some confounding factors i think but i really could go both ways on whether i was the asshole.

Ill start with both my ex (21nb) and i (23f) had severe mental health issues and were working on treatment when we were together. Theyd been in and out of inpatient stays throughout our three year relationship. Towards the Day of Pickles, i had my first inpatient stay where i got help i desperately needed to keep myself safe. This happened to be about a week after my 23rd birthday, but about two and a half weeks before their 21st birthday.

Anyway, at that time i had just gotten out of the hospital and started a new job at Joanns Fabrics (i outlived that retail fucker and im proud of it). I had been unemployed for the previous year and a half because of the pandemic and so the retail job was really my saving grace to have some sort of income to buy gas and groceries. My parents let me live rent free with them in their basement but i spent a LOT of time essentially squatting at my ex's dorm because my situation with my parents was not great.

Now my ex was also being financially abused by their mom so they had a monthly "allowance" of 200$ (of their own money they made at their on campus job) and no access to their bank statements. So i spent a lot of my own money on gas and groceries for both of us, and anything we wanted to do for fun, like visit the city. Without an income, this was SUPER stressful for me and i spiraled pretty hard with feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness. Supporting two people, even minimal living expenses, on an income of exactly 0$ is the WORST.

Anyway, i got out of the hospital and pretty much immediately went back to picking up as many shifts as i could at work because id been on staff for all of two weeks before hospitalization. Knowing retail, i was probably on the precipice of losing hours or being fired altogether.

My ex wanted me to take time off to celebrate their 21st birthday (they didnt celebrate my birthday that year) and travel to see their family and drink etc. I got scheduled for an inconvenient time. I would have to miss their birthday if i didnt find someone to cover. I managed to switch shifts with another coworker who was nice enough to let me have her morning shift, so i was able to at least travel separately and be a little late to dinner.

The night of their birthday my ex wanted to get drunk and so we went to the liquor store. Now im generally pretty picky about alcohol but if i get anything special i always get enough to share. Mysteriously, no one ever offers to share the expense or pay me back. So with all of 150$ in my account, i purchased enough alcohol for myself and the rest of the party, and a bottle of (cheap af) liquor for myself. I was broke af until my next paycheck and was pretty much planning on giving up meals and staying at home because the commute to work was shorter and meant less gas.

My ex picked out a jar of boozy pickles and asked if i would get it for them for their birthday. I should note that with all the stress i was under i had found a birthday present for them but hadnt actually placed the order (was waiting to get paid). I also didnt lie to them about this and had told them that i hadnt gotten their birthday present yet. They were upset by this and told me they felt like i didnt care about them, to which i snapped and raised my voice a little.

I gave them a bit of a reality check. I told them in no uncertain terms that i was under a lot of stress, from nearly killing myself to being flat broke with little to no help from my family other than a conditional roof over my head, ordering their birthday present wasnt super high on my list of things to do and that i knew what i was going to get them and that i intended to order it as soon as i had the money to do so. After years of the sole attention being focused on keeping them alive, i needed some support and acting like i didnt care completely ignored EVERYTHING i did to keep us both afloat.They cried and played the victim as they tended to do and i was too stressed to do anything but be angry.

So when they asked for the pickles i told them no. I have NOTHING left in my bank account, and anything that was in my account was already allocated for something else.

They told me i was being selfish for buying myself alcohol on THEIR birthday, not even getting them a present, yelling at them, and then refusing to buy the one thing they asked for, especially after i refused to take off work the day before to hang out with them and their family. In front of our friends.

I told them that i was purchasing the alcohol for the whole party, that the present had slipped my mind, and that they were accusing me of not caring about them when i snapped. Then i walked out.

My bff went outside to help me cool down and i told him what was going on and how stressed i was and he said that he agreed with me, it was childish to expect me to pay for everything with no help from anyone and then act like im unreasonable for having to put limits on what i can purchase.

My ex ended up getting so pissed by all of this they broke up with me two days later, saying that their birthday was the final straw for them after I'd been so codependent and relying on them too much to survive.

I think its all ridiculous given all of the stress factors i was dealing with at the time. I feel like we're all entitled to the occasional emotional outburst/bouts of forgetfulness when we're stressed. But my ex seems to think im a selfish asshole. We've been no contact for the last two years so this isnt like a pressing concern or anything but it does make me roll my eyes occasionally.

So tumblr, aita?

(Btw im also much more financially stable now that I'm fully and properly medicated and away from them.)

[fluideli123]

[IMAGE ID: User @yikes077 replied: Did Deadpool want to be a hero? He specifically spent 2 whole movies avoiding the x men, not wanting to be a hero, and actively being bad at being a hero / END ID]

I wanted to answer your reply in a separate post since I had a lot I wanted to explain! For those who want to know the original post this was asked on, here is a link!

For a short, precise answer: Yes, Deadpool wanted to be a hero.

But if you want an response that answers your curiosity and more? I'm more than happy to explain all three movies and how they build up and showcase Wade Wilson's Guide To Wanting To Be A Hero But Never Being Able To Achieve It.

It all started in the first movie in the very first act in which Wade threatens the pants off a pizza delivery man he was paid to make apologize and rethink his life choices. This was because there was a young woman who was being affected by the guys stalker tendencies. The young girl, looking at Wade's hard work for getting the job done, calls him her Hero.

Now Wade immediately deflects, refusing to be under that title because, "I'm just a bad guy paid to fuck up worse guys."

This explains how Wade originally viewed himself before he was forcefully mutated. He doesn't see himself as a hero because he's a bad guy. In his opinion Heroes are good, they don't go about things the way he does, which is threats, blood, guts, and stirring shit up at a merc bar.

Later on, when he discovers he has Cancer and is told he can not only be cured but become a Hero, he cries it out and than leaves in the middle of the night. Why? Because in his eyes being a Hero is saving the people you love and he was saving Vanessa by leaving her. To keep her from the ugliness he oozes with his terminal disease. He chose to do something he deemed Heroic for the reasons Heroes do.

It's seen very frequently that Heroes will sacrifice something they cherish in order to save something else, especially if that other person means more than what they sacrificed. Being Heroic is all about doing stupid shit in the same of love. Spider-Man did it, getting revenge for Uncle Ben. Hell, if you've ever seen The Crow (1994) Eric does everything in his power to bring a bunch of assholes to justice for the shit they pulled. Even Death Sentence (2007) applies!

Is it Spider-Man's finest moment nearly taking that shot to get revenge? Did Eric spend his time correctly instead of getting himself killed? Did the father really need to get the rest of his family killed for his prized son? You can have your own opinion on it, but at the end of the day when you do something for the sake of others, no matter how fucked up it is and how much it sacrifices everything, it is a version of Heroism.

Heroism isn't pretty and can't be fit into perfect boxes because that's just against not only human nature, but the very act of complex Heroing itself. To be a hero it's about being between a rock and a hard place 24/7, being the cause for lives lost and lives saved. And if you think Heroing is entirely selfless than Miles Morales would have to be kicked from the field. He does everything for the people he loves, to make the world a better place for them.

So, Wade goes and gets himself mutated. He does it for Vanessa, to make life better for her. He doesn't see her to make it easier on her and himself, because the thing is that Wade Wilson hates himself even before the mutation.

He doesn't think he's worth a damn and crawling back to someone he became a monster to save is like the hardest fucking thing to do. One, because you're scared shitless of their reaction because you care about it. But also just, because will you be hurting or helping? Wade dances around Vanessa not because he's being an asshole but because he is fucking paralyzed by the thought of hurting her, seeing the hurt he's already caused.

In the second movie because he was witnessed literally saving Vanessa's life which is blatant Heroism 101 despite still believing he isn't worth shit. Because, my beloved, dear, scrumptious reader, self hatred affects people a shit ton and when they place a title in high regard and believe they are so much more below it, unworthy to even reach it because he "is incapable" being the stereotypical hero. Of course he's going to deny it. It's like being denied you're loved, you don't feel like you should be because you feel like you've done nothing to earn it.

But Colossus hasn't given up on him, Wade has been trying but he isn't like the other heroes. He doesn't understand the No Kill rule, he doesn't know how to defuse situations without being an ass and he sure as fuck doesn't fit the public image of what a hero is in the MCU. So, yeah, you're right, he is actively bad at being a hero. But a specific label of hero. A specific ideal. An expectation he's incapable of reaching because it means removing half if not all of himself.

That doesn't mean he doesn't want it, though. Because if he doesn't than why try at all? Why try to help Vanessa? Russel? His family? He fucks up on the job in the second movie to PROVE he isn't worth the hero label, that his existence actively goes against it. Using my example from before, it's like doing something actively bad just to prove how much you're unlovable.

If you want further explanation on how this shows up in the third movie, I recommend this post I made.

But either way, I hope this explains how Wade wants to be a Hero but actively sabotages himself and doesn't believe he can be because he's aware of all his faults and so do others. Because, in the end, Wade cares and tries to do something about it. He genuinely does, and I think that's meaningful in a way he isn't able to accept as a character currently.

[softxsuki]

hi!! id like to make an urgent request please :)

tw !! mention of self harm / new sh wounds , mention of a blade

if you’re alright with it, id like to request a (romantic) hawks x gn!reader where hawks walks in on reader relapsing.

ive recently grown more and more stressed and tired lately, like my energy is constantly being drained and no matter how hard i try im not enough to stop it. and i wanna reach out for help cause i know i have friends who care about me but i just cant for some reason—i dont feel the need to ask for help cause i just dont think i deserve it. no matter how many times ill comfort others i was never strong enough to ask for the same comfort, and instead of going to someone and talking about it i turn to my blade.

hawks is a big comfort character of mine and my current hyperfix, and as embarassing as it is—reading comfort fanfics of him is a way of coping with it all. so id gladly appreciate if you could write this for me :) ++ if possible, id love if youd be able to include hawks cleaning reader’s cuts, cleaning them bringd me a sense of comfort and id love to see that in the fic.

but if you’re uncomfy about anything at all, no worries ! you dont have to write this if you dont wanna :) have a lovely day<3

Hawks Comforting Reader After They Self-Harm

please do not read if any kind of mentions of self-harm will do you more harm than good!

Pairing: Hawks x Gn!reader

Warnings: mentions of self harm, blade, blood, scars

Genre: Comfort

Post-Type: Drabble

Word Count: 750

Summary: In which your BF Hawks catches you self harming and cleans up your fresh cuts

[A/N: Hey hey, so sorry for taking so long to write this, I know it was urgent. I just happened to get sick randomly and couldn't focus to write. But I finally got this done for you! I hope you're still around to read it </3. Hopefully it provides you with some comfort. Always go to others for help before taking matters into your own hands. Even if you feel like you can't, I'm sure the people in your life would love to help you out <3 I'm here too if you ever need anything! Enjoy!]

You look back and forth between the bloody mess in front of you to the panicked face of Keigo who had walked in on you. 

He was supposed to be gone for the whole day, patrolling his designated area until later that evening. Who knew he’d stop by to check in on you, hoping to have lunch together before continuing his patrol duties. Yet, coming home to you hovering over the bathroom sink with blood dripping from your delicate skin was not what he expected at all.

Of course he knew about your history with self-harm and could very clearly see all your past scars on your body, but he never expected to see you actively harm yourself in front of him. 

“Y/N…” He starts cautiously, eyeing the blade in your hands as you shake with regret.

“I’m sorry,” you cry, dropping the blade in the sink and moving your bleeding wrists away from his view, but he quickly closes the space between you.

Gentle hands grab your own and inspect the damage done. He rolls up the sleeves of his hero suit and gets to work on cleaning you up. With a clean towel he dabs the blood away, applying slight pressure to help stop the bleeding a little, whispering an apology whenever you flinch from the pain. 

He’s silent; contemplating how he let it get this far. He was a hero for crying out loud and the one person he wanted to keep safe the most out of everyone else in the world, managed to get harmed while he was away. He was angry and frustrated at himself that he couldn’t prevent the fresh cuts on your arms. All those nights he kissed your scars and whispered sweet promises of love and protection were all for nothing. Why couldn’t he be more useful to you?

“Keigo, I didn’t mea-” you start, but he quickly cuts you off as he finishes applying the bandage wrap to your wrist.

“I’m sorry. This isn’t your fault, it’s mine. I should have known something was off, I should have paid more attention and been around to help instead of being out. I’m sorry.”

He presses kisses to your bandaged wrist, just wishing that he could have the magical healing power that Recovery Girl’s kisses had. He wished he could kiss all your pain away and face it all himself in your stead. 

“No, no, this is all on me. You’re always there for me, telling me how much you love me and trying your best to encourage me and lift me up, but I always hold back,” you confess, snatching your arms away from him in guilt, “You’re so busy as it is saving everyone. I don’t want to add to your burdens with my own problems as well. I thought I could deal with it all alone, but I failed. I turned back to my blade because it was too much to bear on my own.”

He sighs, and this time brings you into his arms in an embrace, “That’s because we’re not meant to go through these things alone, babe. Even as a hero I don’t do things on my own either. I have a whole agency backing me up along with my other fellow heroes. No one can accomplish anything on their own without hurting themselves. So please let me be there for you to help you as much as you’ve helped me.”

Silent sobs escape your lips as he continues to hold you and speak.

“All those days when you held me after I failed to save someone. All those nights you patched me up after a mission and I stubbornly refused to go to a hospital; let me be there for you for all your tough times as well. Let me be the one to gather you up again and listen to all your worries, don’t fight your battles alone anymore. I promise you’re not a bother to me at all. I want to be there for you. It’s my job,” he reassures you. 

“All right,” you sniffle, finally wrapping your own arms around him, accepting his comfort.

He calls the agency afterwards, letting them know that he can’t come in for the rest of the day and instead spends his time with you. Listening intently to everything that’s been bubbling up in your heart, right by your side, wiping your tears away and giving you his unconditional support and love. He’s definitely making sure you don’t deal with things on your own anymore :)

REQUESTS ARE OPEN :D

Posted 3/5/2023

[rjalker]

You cannot claim you want books to be more accessible to people and then get mad about the Internet Archive accepting book donations that people have fully bought and paid for and lending those donated books out to people completely for free with no hoops to jump through.

I don't know who needs to hear this but not everyone has access to public libraries.

Assuming you even have a library in your town, not everyone can physically get to them! The poorer and more disabled you are, the less likely you are to even own a car, let alone be able to drive it!

And in most US cities, walking from point A to B is either literally physically impossible or illegal, or so literally life-threateningly dangerous that you're better off not risking it!

And assuming you can get to the library -- guess what! There's no guarentee you can actually get a library card! Yes, despite how everyone always sings endless praises, libraries aren't perfect, and there are still very real obstacles between some of the most vulnerable people and being able to borrow from a library!

In many places, you can't get a library card unless you have a driver's liscence / state ID. And in some places, even that alone isn't enough -- you also have to provide proof that you live in the city!

Which means homeless people who've had their IDs literally stolen by the cops, who don't have a mailing address they can use as proof they live in the same city as the library can't get a library card unless they can somehow get to the DMV and miraculously have the money pay for a new ID. Which they can't do without other forms of ID. Which the cops probably also literally stole.

Even if you're not homeless, if someone steals your wallet, and you can't drive, you can't get a library card either now, because you have no ID, and no way to get a new one!

The Internet Archive's lending library is actually free and accessible to everyone who can connect to the internet, with no hoops to jump through. You just have to make an account and you can start reading.

Stop claiming you want people to be able to read books if you don't actually want the most vulnerable people to actually be able to read books. Which have already been paid for and helped the authors.

If you don't even understand the bare minimum basics of how the Internet Archive's lending library works, maybe don't go around proclaiming yourself the expert. And if you literally do not live in the USA, don't go around claiming our libraries are freely accessible to everyone when they're literally not!

The Internet Archive does not hurt authors. It does not hurt publishers. If you understand how it's perfectly fucking fine to buy a book and then lend it to your friends so they can all read it, you understand why the Internet Archive literally accepting fully paid for donations of books which they archive for all of humanity completely for free is also literally fine.

And if you pretend there's actually some evil difference between the two, you just need to admit you've swallowed the capitalist propaganda that publishing companies, who want to turn books into the next streaming service where you never actually own anything even when you buy it, and you're spreading blatant capitalist propaganda that actual authors hate.

It is literally a fact that if people can borrow a book from a library to read it for free, they are more likely to buy it and the rest of the series than they would if they never got the chance to read it without first forking over hard earned money that could be going towards groceries, for a book it might turn out they absolutely hate every second of.

You cannot claim to support libraries and support making books accessible to everyone and then shit on the Internet Archive. Unless you're also going to claim that lending books out to friends or Little Libraries are also immoral.

You people are really blatantly drinking the capitalist "turn everything into a subscription service possible so they never own anything and have to keep giving us money" koolaid and we can tell.

[butts-bouncing-on-the-beltway]

I think people believe that those who likely won't vote for Biden despite opposing Trump in November are just doing so out of political purity demands are failing to internalize something really important.

People only have so many resources to spare beyond survival. And they will make reasonable assessments based on what an action demands of them versus what it will do to benefit them/improve overall quality of life whether or not to do a thing. Anything.

I've noticed this thing where people are like "voting is the LEAST you can do, it's just one thing, and it barely takes up any valued resources (e.g. time, money, energy, skill, learning/adjustment periods, etc), how can you NOT do it?"

And. Well. Maybe because that equation isn't the same for everyone?

Let me go ahead and lay out for you the process that would all have to take place BEFORE I was able to "just go vote" if that was an action I felt would be valuable.

1) identify/confirm my state's voter identification policies for the coming election to confirm that I fully understand them and that they haven't been altered since my last complete understanding of it

2) save the money (in cash) for the fees involved in attending an id appt at a state office to get the necessary documents which I may or may not have (I have moved about every other year for a long time now, and have not been able to consistently maintain useable paperwork across my residential transitions because many were across state lines)

3) schedule the state office appt for id paperwork. Keep cash fees and necessary evidentiary paperwork on hand (or add an additional set of steps to obtain/reobtain them such as when the move damaged my court paperwork for my name change). Then wait for the appt to arrive, and hope I have enough time in my day and gas in my car to keep it.

4) once I have my appropriate id, register as a regional voter and identify my nearest polling station (by the way, the ONLY available polling stations in my literal entire county are Baptist or Methodist churches. If those spaces are - for some reason, maybe I don't know being actively mid-medical transition of gender, visibly queer, and fucking Jewish - are not accessible to me well then I guess I'm shit out of luck)

5) obtain time off on election day to go vote. You might think this is easy. And maybe for you it is. But the vast majority of election voting lines I have waited in since going with my mom as a kid to waiting to place my own vote as an adult, have been at minimum of 4 hours waiting in line outside the building let alone getting thru identity confirmation with the polling station volunteers once inside. I work on Tuesdays. So taking unpaid time off for a 4+ hour errand is a big deal. And yeah, my supervisor does actively encourage us to and support us in doing it, but given how we are paid (by the completed appt hour) there is a huge financial barrier to taking a day off to vote. The owner of my practice does her best to help, including offering us our paid documentation hours if it helps, but like. That's not going to be enough for a lot of people's checkbooks, and there are not outside resources she can call on to support her in supporting us. We may make the choice to do it when we feel financially able to, but we may not always be in that position.

6) actually vote. Hey remember those 4hr lines? I'm physically disabled and mobility limited. So if I need to anticipate more than a maximum of 15min of standing or walking, I may need to consider going in my wheelchair. How many of those churches serving as polling stations in my poor, 60% black county are able to be wheelchair accessible? My state voter polling station map supposedly offers a listing of accessible polling stations! But when I click it, it actually just takes me to a webpage describing my legal right to accommodation. Did you know that the only caregiver I could have help accommodate me is my wife or a professional one? I can't (for example) have a friend take me while my wife is working or otherwise unavailable. Or, you know, if a polling station volunteer decides to get up in arms about my marriage for being queer/interracial (this has happened, yes I know it's illegal what the actual fuck do you think that means for the reality of enforcing that though???? Something being a crime doesn't stop it from happening, and being able to "hold someone accountable" won't necessarily mean getting my fucking vote back.)

7) monitor my vote for rejection and supply any necessary corrective measures to confirm my vote (I realize this may be something lots of people go a lifetime never running into, but it has and does and will happen)

8) monitor my voter registration to ensure I stay on the roles up through the next merry go round through these steps (i once had to re-register 3 times in one year without having changed addresses or documentation in any way. Just getting flat out bumped from the roles. When I did voter canvassing in 2020 I took a peek at my own name in the registry and I had a HALF DOZEN different registrations that had been done in the 4 years I'd been living in my house at the time.)

It is REALLY highly likely that none of these things, or AT MOST 1-2 of them are also your (general) concerns/priorities/needs around voting. Mine are like this through a combination of circumstances, location, chaotic lifestyle, and a general inability to stay organized. But that is nonetheless the reality of my effort ro vote every election.

Increasingly, this has simply not been worth my time and money. My vote's presence or absence simply is not impactful enough in the systems and levers of power to justify putting myself through that process and it's impact on my quality of life. My energy is more effectively used in ways that can A) not cost me financial resources I simply do not have, B) do not require me to prove who I am in order to interact with it, thus removing the burden and expense of maintaining paperwork for that purpose beyond what I already posess (passport card without any documentation of residence but with documentation of citizenship), and C) can be performed using only or mostly physical actions that are not inherently medically dangerous for me.

So that's what I've started redirecting my energy towards. There are truly so many options, and I keep myself busy with many different little pieces of that puzzle.

I could not do those things if I also tried to maintain consistent access to voting. I simply couldn't. But those things are so much more immediately impactful, not just on my quality of life, but on the QoL of the rest of my community. I value the ability to spend my resources there more than I value my ability to brute force my way through in interaction with a system that throws up increasingly harmful barriers at every step.

If that math ever changes for me, I probably will try to vote more. It's not like I think voting is bad. But I simply do not see it as more valuable for me and my community given my combination of needs, resources, and capacities.

I really need people to understand that yelling at someone and trivializing their reasons for making the choice that they are making will not increase your voter turnout. Because it means you are inherently rejecting their valid concerns as worth addressing. And yeah! A lot of people are right now specifically talking about this as if their decision is at least in part because of the concern that the Trump years and Biden years have not been different enough or have been different in ways that are harmful to them, because a lot of us made a point of saying in 2020 "damn the consequences, we'll just do it"

But then there wasn't enough change to justify how much we harmed ourselves or invited harm into our lives by doing so. Or at least there is little enough that we are asking ourselves the question of its worth. So now we must also ask "can we make that sacrific again, knowing what we know now?"

For some of us, unless interventions to lower the barrier to entry of voting or to raise the motivation to trust Biden will improve our qualities of life are employed, it is very likely that the answer may be (or may be becoming) no. We can't make the sacrifice again. It took too much and returned too little and we may LITERALLY not have enough to give this time around.

We'll see I guess.

It doesn't escape me that I'm not hearing anything about voter accessability this year. It can sometimes start to feel a little like hedging yalls bets to me, as someone on whom those barriers are deeply impactful and restrictive.

Because if you (general) can point to how we (the vote-alienated) were blocked from the polls after, you can combine that with complaints of "leftists" abstaining for "political purity/perfectionism" to justify to yourselves (general) why Biden lost without reconciling just how much of a void his campaign has in terms of what it's offering people. If they were at least returning to their roots and using the Democratic party base to establish voter support resources and access alternatives, that would probably increase turnout by an order of 10 or so entirely on its own.

But that's being left to communities themselves, despite the gamechanger that would be facilitating such programs with the resources of a multi-billion dollar national political party. Overnight, millions might suddenly see voting as a real possibility, and it's not like the party is spending that money elsewhere in the campaign either. I'm not seeing his ads very often on tv/radio, i haven't seen hardly any online, no one is calling or canvassing, and only Bernie Sanders' team still texts or emails me anything other than requests for money even tho I've been signed up to party and candidate mailing list sets for decades at this point.

I don't know how to help you understand that I was actively EMPLOYED as campaign staff for a democratic presidential primary candidate in 2020 running volunteer events, canvassing shifts, GOTV events, etc. I personally canvassed half of the district I lived in and spoke to so many voters.

Do you want to take a wild guess how many candidates reached out to my community (besides the one I was on staff with) during primary season? One. Out of that entire stage of candidates, only 2 even had campaign staff on the ground in my district. And we were a battleground district in our state. We had the power to swing the entire state. But only like 15% of the candidates gave a fuck.

That hasn't gotten better, it's gotten worse, because now the only one of those two left with any access to an on-site campaign crew is Bernie Sanders, and while he is valiently trying to wrangle it into a GOTV program, he simply cannot do that by himself, especially as alienated as he is from the rest of the dominant wing of the party.

I need people to understand that the work on the ground looks so much different than online political ontological discussion and debate. It MATTERS how you interact with these systems and community needs. We're all doing what we can. What makes sense for us to do. It is REALLY easy to sink into the feeling of "everyone is just too stupid/uninformed to see things my way, or they're voting against they're best interests for some malicious reason" but I promise you that is simply not the reality of how politics happens in communities. Yes, even when someone is 100% objectively being a bigot. People have reasons for what they do, and those reasons mattered to act on to them, even if you don't understand why. If you want to get someone's buy in to change their behavior/beliefs on something, you need to first treat their reasons as a consistent internal logic, even if that means looking past what specific words someone is using towards the underlying values or needs they reflect.

[mamadoc]

The next chapter of my fanfic is posted.

If you were waiting for the happy, angst-free, fluffy village without roller coaster part of the story to arrive to start reading, it’s here! Only minor angst remains.

Angela, Tamara, and Genny conspire to bring Tim and Lucy back together.

Here’s a snippet to pique your interest.

“Bradford,” Tim said as a call interrupted the audiobook he was listening to on his commute home. He couldn’t see his phone to see the caller ID, so he just pressed the button on his steering wheel to answer the call blindly.

“Hey, stranger. It’s been too long,” came the voice over the car speakers.

“Lopez?” Tim confirmed, immediately recognizing his best friend’s voice, but a little bit confused as to why she was calling. “What’s going on? I haven’t heard from you in a while.”

“You know. Same old shit. Just kicking ass, raising two kids, and trying not to kill my husband,” she rattled off.

Tim chuckled. Some things never change, he thought to himself as he shook his head. “What has Wesley done this time?”

“Well, he swears that he talked to me about this months ago, but I swear that I would have remembered this conversation if we had had it. So a couple nights ago, we were chatting about our plans for next month, and he asked me if I had taken the last two weeks of June off for our trip. I told him that we weren’t going anywhere for the last two weeks of June because that’s when Jack and Amelia are at their favorite summer camp. Then he told me that we had already signed them up for some international camp that Patrice paid for them to attend in Italy. After arguing about it for over an hour, apparently Wes and Patrice are taking the kids to Italy.”

“Wow. That sounds like quite the argument. Are you going to be able to join them at all?” he said with a low chuckle, envisioning the solid hour of yelling that would have shaken the walls of the Lopez-Evers house.

“I was able to swap shifts around to join them a little bit late. And, when Wesley explained the situation to his mom, she offered to buy me a first-class ticket if I would still join them. How could I saw no to that? I’ll be traveling to Italy by myself in first-class and can drink as much as I want without dealing with charging the kids iPads or settling arguments about who gets to sit by the window or lugging around two weeks’ worth of their crap. There’s no way I would say no to that. Plus, she rented this villa for us to stay at right next to a vineyard, and she won’t even be there most of the time because she’s meeting a friend to travel around Italy together. It’ll actually be a real vacation.”

“That sounds great, Ang. You deserve to have a break.” He wasn’t sure if she was just calling to vent or to share her luck at having a really nice vacation paid for by Patrice or if she had some other purpose in calling, so he just waited to see what she was going to say next.

“So now I only have a little problem left to resolve that I think you could help me with,” she said.

“How am I going to fix your vacation problems? I can’t exactly take your shifts or work overtime for you,” he said with an annoyed but curious tone to his voice.

Keep reading here.

I’d love to hear back from you.

[tweakerist]

hey guys i just wanna get something out of my chest and im gonna say it as it is, if it sounds mean, i promise you i do not mean it to come off like that. ivw gotten a few asks and even a couple of comments on nyi that rub me the wrong way. i wanna address it this way because i dont wanna make anybody feel attacked, since im pretty sure no one actually meant to cause upsetting feelings.

im deeply, infinitely grateful to everyone who read nervous young inhumans, whether if they read one paragraph and didn't like it or they're actually still here with me. knowing that ppl have given/ are currently still giving my writing a chance is so encouraging to me because i never ever imagined i could finally get over my insecurities and actually put my writing out to the world.

what im trying to say right now is that, sometimes (based on some of the feedback ive gotten, specially recently) a lot of people dont actually stop to consider that every writer is different. ive seen writers on ao3 write hundreds of fics of over hundreds of thousands of words in one year or less, and that is actually amazing, i truly admire them, and i wish i could be like them. but the truth is, ill probably never be able to match up with those writers and that is absolutely fine, because im my own person, with my own life and process, im writing in a language that isn't my own, and going through things in my personal life that thanks to my mental conditions, usually affect my way of living each day.

i understand the frustration of wanting more, of getting the ending you deserve as fast as possible, and im honored that you actually want to stick around for that, but please keep in mind im a human being and im constantly trying my best. for me, having written more than 150k words for a story in a language that isn't my mother language while living in an environment that's unstable, is an achievement in of itself, and i wish more people actually stopped for a few seconds to try to take that in. im a writer, but unfortunately that's not my livelihood, i don't get paid for anything i post and i dont want to, because i do it for myself, because i love it, and i care.

so like i said, im certain that no one who's made these upsetting comments meant to come off as negative, but id like to take this opportunity to ask you to stop and think on how you word your feelings, because i can promise you im always, always, trying to do my best, especially when it comes to writing, it's my favorite thing to do, and if i could, id finish my works 10x faster.

[shimmerloid-ai]

Preliminary Considerations - Which Vocal Synthesizer Software is Right for You - Paid Synthesizers

Hello everyone, Shimmer/Ripple/whatever you want to call me here. Sorry for not posting for a while, I've had a lot of stuff going on in my life (I turned 20 last week!), and have been busy with using vocal synthesizers than to make a blog post about them. I hope this article was worth the wait.

Last time, I comapred various free vocal synthesizers, and this time, I will be showing off the most popular paid ones. Quick disclaimer; I do not own all of these softwares, and will not buy the ones I have just to test them out as they are not cheap. I got feedback and advice from my friends who do own these synthesizers, along with Reddit posts and other forums. The piano roll images for the softwares I do not own are from various websites and vsynth users who I will be crediting in the captions. VOCALOID4

(Song: Devil's Manner by Konnichiwa Tanita-san; UST by Moru, Tuning by me)

When people think of the VOCALOID user interface, this edition of the software is probably what first comes to mind. It is very popular for a good reason; it’s got a simple UI and release of some of the best VOCALOID voicebanks; including Hatsune Miku V4x, Megurine Luka V4x, Kagamine Rin and Kagamine Len V4x, Fukase, Otomachi Una Sweet and Spicy, Megpoid Gumi V4, and Yuzuki Yukari V4. V4 also introduced the “GROWL” and “CROSS-SYNTHESIS” parameters! Despite being the sister software to UTAU, it is a lot easier to install voicebanks and plugins into VOCALOID4, and you do not need to worry about phonemizers or resamplers.

Pros:

Can use every V2, V3, and V4 VOCALOID voicebank

Growl and Cross-Synthesis (also known as XSY; allows you to combine any two V4 voicebanks of the same character; such as Fukase’s Normal Japanese voicebank with his Soft Japanese voicebank or Gumi’s V4 Sweet voicebank with her V4 Adult voicebank) parameters

Can use job plugins to simplify the overall tuning process like in UTAU, Open Utau, and SynthesizerV Studio Pro

Pitch Rendering function allows users to see the pitch of notes

Really beginner-friendly (this vocal synthesizer was the one that taught me how to tune)!

Cons:

Is no longer available for purchase on the official YAMAHA website; you can only obtain it through Mercari (that was how I was able to get it), eBay, or through piracy

No piano roll tuning; users are restricted to the parameter box

Can not use V1 or V5 and higher voicebanks

The breathiness parameter gives a metallic effect instead of the desired whisper-like outcome

VOCALOID5

(Song: ID Smile by Toa; UST by K3RA; Cover by Shara Delvia)

The next edition of VOCALOID that was meant to change the playing field for vocal synth users. With an entirely new UI and never-seen-before features, VOCALOID5 was designed to simplify and enhance the overall vocal production and tuning process.

Pros: 

Dark mode at last!

Unlike the previous editions where you had to purchase a voicebank to use VOCALOID, VOCALOID5 comes with four free voicebanks

Preset phrases that beginners can play with to learn how different vocal properties can result in different sounds

Preset “attack” and “release” pitch bend effects

Easy pitchbend and vibrato adjustment using the “style” and “emotion” tools

Automatic breaths

Can be used as a VST plugin in almost any DAW or as a standalone editor

Over a hundred style and voice colour presets (Rich, Husky, Hard; Melodic, Diced Up, Bent; Lead Vocal, Chopped, Pitched)

Tons of audio and mixing effects

Fixed breathiness parameter 

Cons

Appears to be no longer up for purchase through normal means, YAMAHA has  pulled it from the VOCALOID website to promote their newest engine, VOCALOID6

Does not support V2 or V1 VOCALOIDS

Does not support job plug-ins

Does not have the Cross-Synthesis parameter

Not worth the price

No piano roll tuning

VOCALOID6

(Song: Unknown Mother Goose by wowaka; VSQx and Tuning by me)

This is the most recent edition of VOCALOID that is up for purchase from the official website. With this installation of the VOCALOID software, the highly anticipated AI VOCALOID voicebanks have come into existence so that we can enjoy GUMI AI, ZOLA PROJECT AI, and Otomachi Una AI at last! It also comes with many other fresh features that were not present in VOCALOID5.

Pros: 

Multilingual(Japanese, English, and Chinese) AI voicebanks!

A total of ten VOCALOID AI voicebanks

VOCALO CHANGER: works similarly to plugging an RVC model on top of an audio file, but legal

The doubling feature allows instant harmony creation

Fixed breathiness parameter 

It can be used as a VST plug-in in most DAWs. or as a standalone editor

Included with the CUBASE AI DAW

Can be purchased at a cheaper price by upgrading from previous VOCALOID editions

Every feature that was present in VOCALOID5 is included in VOCALOID6!

Cons:

The AI voicebanks are of poorer quality compared to SynthesizerV; they are not easy to tune in the slightest, and you can only edit three parameters (pitch, pitch bend sensitivity, dynamics) unlike the normal VOCALOID voicebanks; not including the style presets

For the desired results in VOCALO CHANGER, the audio recordings must be clean without any flaws, otherwise the audio will sound distorted

Does not support V2 or V1 VOCALOIDs

Does not support job plug-ins

Piapro Studio V4x

(Song: Enjou Alice by Maiki-P; UST by KIRI; Tuning by Me)

Following its departure from YAMAHA, Crypton Future Media created a new vocal synthesizer to promote its new V4x Cryptonloid voicebanks. With its VSTi compatibility and E.V.E.C. feature, this software gave a new feel to tuning VOCALOIDs all while maintaining the features from the vocal synthesizers that were developed by YAMAHA.

Pros:

Bundles with Cryptonloids include Piapro Studio V4x and Studio One 6 for free; an incredible DAW

VOCALOID4 with a different, cleaner UI

Compatible with V2 (some of them), V3, and V4 voicebanks

Enhanced Cross-Synthesis parameter; now you can cross-synthesize two completely different VOCALOIDs (such as Hatsune Miku V4x Original with Megurine Luka V4x Hard)

E.V.E.C. with a press of a button; in VOCALOID4 you have to edit phonemes manually

Improved breathiness parameter

Ability to change the wallpaper of the piano roll and icons of voicebanks!

Can be used as a VSTi plug-in in most DAWs

Cons:

Does not support job plugins

Not all VOCALOID2 voicebanks are supported; such as Utatane Piko

Does not support NT voicebanks

Playback is not always on time with piano roll; you have to scroll as the vocals play unlike other softwares (this could be a glitch for me however)

No piano roll tuning

Can not run it through Studio One 6 (despite being included with the bundles), it can only function in Studio 5

Piapro Studio NT

(Song: vivid by Utsu-P x Yuyoyuppe; UST by pifuyuu; Cover by AfiqTV)

Yes, Piapro Studio NT (an acronym for “new type”) is completely different from Piapro Studio V4x. This successor to the latter vocal synthesizer is entirely separate from YAMAHA, and was created for Crypton’s NT voicebanks. It no longer requires the use of a DAW, and was carefully designed with resynthesis technology for efficient vocal creation through the research that was conducted by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST).

Note: As of August 2024; Crypton has shifted their intention to release the other NT singers to getting back with YAMAHA to develop Miku V6 AI. We will be getting a Piapro Super Pack in a week (it is currently available for preorder). The package contains remastered versions of Miku V4x Original, Rin V4x Power, Len V4x Power, and Luka V4x Natural; along with V4 versions of KAITO and MEIKO. The former V3 voicebanks will come with growl features, and although there will be no appends, you can cross-synthesize any of the new Cryptonloids to produce unique sounds. In addition, Miku NT will be receiving a massive new update in the future.

Pros:

Piano roll tuning at last!

New accent feature and E.V.E.C

Comes with Vocal Drive Plugin for growl and scream effects

Cons: 

Not compatible with VOCALOID voicebanks; Miku NT is the only usable voicebank to date

Harder to tune in

Missing parameters such as pitchbend sensitivity 

Plugins are not compatible

SynthesizerV Pro

(Song: Underworld by niki (reverse); SVP and Tuning by PixPrucer)

This is the complete version of SynthesizerV Basic. It has suppressed VOCALOID in every way possible; from having insanely good AI voicebanks, to a multitude of features, this is probably the best paid vocal synthesizer available for purchase as of now. Honestly, I could only find a few downsides to this software because it’s that good, and one of them is more of a personal preference than a major issue. YAMAHA seriously needs to take notes from Dreamtonics.

Pros: 

The synthesizer and voicebanks are much cheaper than any of the VOCALOID engines

Comes with Mai; an amazing female vocalist

Piano roll tuning

Auto-pitch tuning makes the pitchbending process much easier 

Paid voicebanks come with THREE activation codes so they can be used on multiple devices

Allows scripts (basically plug-ins but for SynthesizerV)!

Cross-Lingual Synthesis; allows Japanese voicebanks to sing in English, English voicebanks to sing in Japanese, etc

Really complex phoneme customization

Vocal modes for full A.I. voicebanks

The audio to midi tool we’ve always wanted for VOCALOID; it turns wav. files into an amazing SVP (I know V3 has the Vocalshifter plugin… but it’s kind of trash in my opinion as it only works with Japanese lyrics and goes crazy with trying to copy the vocalist’s tone rather than just the pitchbends)

Frequent updates!

Cons: 

As the voicebanks are ultra realistic, it’s not the best for those who enjoy more robotic voices, as seen in UTAU and VOCALOID

Crashes every now and then

Still no glottal effects 

ACE Studio

(Image Source: https://support.acestudio.ai/article/62-3-2-the-main-ace-studio-screen)

ACE Studio is a newer AI vocal synthesizer. Like DeepVocal, it features characters that originated from other softwares such as Namine Ritsu, Luo Tianyi, Kurobousuku, Yuezheng Longya, and many others. It also has a heavy emphasis on Chinese vocals. Most importantly, Ace Studio had a mobile version called Pocket Singer!

Pros:

Piano roll tuning

Can cross-synthesize voicebanks to your liking to make your own vocal synth (Pocket Singer has a simple yet cute OC maker)

Simpler pitch editing

Cons:

Subscription based model on both platforms

Some of the voicebanks sound too similar to each other

Pitch editing on a phone is not fun

The phone number sign-in thing is a pain… why don’t these guys have my regional  phone code as an option?!

One of the developers was exposed as a pedophile and proshipper; and some of the voicebanks used A.I. artwork; I personally don’t feel comfortable using a software made by people like this… ew

I’m just going to say it; SynthesizerV Pro is probably your best pick here, in terms of both price and versatility. You get so much out of this editor at a good cost, and it’s super easy to use! However, if you prefer robotic voices and can get your hands on it, then go with VOCALOID4 as it's pretty beginner friendly. If V4 is not an option, then you may have to deal with V6. 

Now, even though the latter software is not as easy to use as the former, a new lightweight singing editor designed for V6 and V5 called TuneLab has been recently released! It allows for piano roll tuning, along with better cross-synthesis usage. I will cover this software in a later post as I am still trying to learn the ropes of it.

Finally, as I have stated in my other post, take my statements with a grain of salt. Pick whatever synthesizer you want based on your interest; whether it is a fun feature or a specific singer you like. 

Hope this helps! In my upcoming post, I will recommend some VOCALOID voicebanks that are easy to use for beginners.

[bra1nw0rmz]

*pokes you in the eyes in a very nice and kind way.* Person that made you plushie god here. (Can I have my children back? You stole dem, gimmy em back ples.) Ur pav biker au thingy I am hyperfictioning on it too much, ty for making me get the sillies from dat. Biker pav awsom. ANND BIKER LEVI ALSO IS COOL, I couldn't leave out my soggy dog core buddy.

Owwwe …… my eye

ALSO HI UM…… using this as an excuse to infodump about my biker au…………. I’m a slight nerd abt motorbikes and It’s pavlevi centred so it’s mostly about them

Levi

- Ok realistically he’d have an A1 licence due to being 18 in Europe which restricts the bikes you can ride which is LAMEEEE!!

- In Czech you have to be 24 to get an A licence, meaning you can ride whatever. But idk that feels like too much of an age jump when everyone else is the same age

- Most other places make it so you have to be 21, so I’ll just use that instead. Levi can be 21 in this au

- I mean honestly I could just get rid of the motorcycle licence tier thing all together

- It’s a modern au but cmonnnn Funger universe does not give a fuck about its youth… but eh it’s whatever

- Prefers bikes around 600-800 cc. Fast !! But not exactly death wish fast…….. I mean kinda but still

- He just likes being able to accelerate fast, he doesn’t speed too much

- The top speed he’ll go is 150-170 km/h but Pav coaxes him in races to go faster

- The type of biker that prefers to go on long drives for hourssssss

- He just likes to go on rides to clear his head :3

- Id say he’d have a Yamaha XJ900 Diversion. But I did think of a Yamaha XJ6 Diversion F too

- either way, a Yamaha fan

- I’m going with the XJ900 tho… but hey, maybe it was his first bike, got an older model for cheap and then after a while of dating Pav he got a XJ6 after persistent bugging to get a faster bike

- XJ6 is still comfy for long rides but lighter and faster… more sporty than touring (They are both sport touring bikes)

- I mean XJ6 is only like 10 km/h faster so still staying with the XJ900

- Coz the XJ900 is FAST, 900cc, a very all around good bike. XJ6 is 600cc but faster due to being lighter and more built for speed.

- And realistically he’d only have the XJ900 bc bro cannot afford 2 bikes!

- He is not made out of money and he is not selling his XJ900 !!!! it’s sentimental !!!!

- got sent to military school as a kid by his bitch ass father, so he’s a little fucked up still

- Lived in a community housing place for a while after military school as he found out his mother died and refused to move back in with his dad

- Lives in a small apartment building now

- It’s really small and Pav keeps coming over for long periods so he’s thinking of moving into a bigger place for the both of them

- Has definitely dabbled into drugs(heroin mainly) before but trying to get clean… the long rides help clear his head

- Works at a gun/hunting shop owned by August

Pav

- All his bikes are 1000cc or more bc he’s actually crazy

- Ofc only owns sport bikes, gives them all names too

- While he does go through a lot of bikes, because he crashes all the time and somehow never gets severely hurt, his go-tos are Honda or Kawasaki bikes

- His favourite and longest owned bike is the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R… because she was the fastest Pav owned and he has a death wish

- He named her ��иктория (viktoria)

- She got into a crash so she’s been sitting in Abella’s shop while Pav saves up to fix her

- Takes his side mirrors off to lane split better

- Was a squid before Levi came around (squids are people who don’t wear protective gear) but still only wears heavy protective wear on night rides when he goes super fast

- During these night rides he so takes his license plate off lmaoooo

- Averages 200-300 km/h on the rides 💀

- Does a lotta bike tricks for fun too

- Served in the military for almost a decade and a half before having to retire for an unknown reason but still getting paid (ooooo mysterious)

- Does odd jobs here and there for extra cash

- But um don’t ask where he gets all the money for his bikes !!!!! He’s super cheap in every other aspect of his life

- He’s milking randoms for their money for alcohol, food, fuel, etc lollll

- Pav has gotten kicked out of apartments a few times in which he would sleep on Daan’s couch at his bar

- the type to stare down cops and purposely speed in front of them so they chase him, always leaves them in the dust bc he drives like a maniac

- Got caught once because he didn’t realise a cop was following him and he stopped for gas

- Got out of the speeding charge by giving the cop a blowjob bc I think that’s hilarious 

- Anything to get outta spending money ig 🔥🔥🔥

- All his bikes struggle to not go over the speed limit so he has to backpack Levi when cruising around town

- Pav complains abt Levi being slow and Levi tells him to shut up lol

- purposely makes his exhausts louder than necessary because he’s definitely compensating for something

Daan

- owns a bar that motorcycle gangs frequent a ton

- It’s not even branded as a biker bar, nor is he a biker, it just naturally became one bc Daan doesn’t give a fuck about appearances and treats everyone the same

- Pav flirts with him constantly purely to try and get free drinks. Daan knows this and ignores him

- Marcoh works as the bouncer there (also a biker)

Abella

- local mechanic !!!! Pav’s go to when he can’t fix his bikes himself

- Pav will drop a completely totalled bike in her workshop and tell her to fix it and Abella will tell him to get the fuck out of her shop

- She also rides a motorcycle, I’m thinking a dirt bike of some kind?

- Definitely owns atleast a few different motorbikes though

- She’s an off road girlie at heart

Karin

- Pav smashed her side window clean off in a drive by after she didn’t let him pass her the road so she’s been trying to track him down for a while now

- just wanted to say her road rage is fucking terrible, you are scared for yours and other people’s lives if she’s behind the wheel

- still a journalist, still has anger issues

O’saa

- Owns an occult shop and rips people off with stupid card readings

- magic and stuff still exists btw, albeit heavily faded, he just overprices everything

- Marina works at the shop

- O’saa hardly even runs the shop tbh, it’s mainly Marina doing it

- He’s off doing fuck knows what

Other thoughts;

Pav has a really good poker face. And Levi is autistic so he just believes everything he says, not a single shred of doubt… and Pav is like… in awe……. He knows he’s good at lying but he’s just… Confused at how fast Levi believes him.

“Can I have a 20, I ran out of money and I need gas, I’ll pay you back.”

“ok”

“…….. this is the 6th time I’ve said that.”

“You said you’ll pay me back”

Pav feels guilty for the first time in his life so he actually does pay Levi back

Pav going on and on abt how much he hates cops (he got a speeding fine) and Daan is getting sick of it so he pulls out a photo of Pav in the military. Pav turns his head and refuses to look at it. He is like totally silent and Daan keeps on trying to get him to look at it and he just turns away more and more… Don’t ask how Daan has that photo

This is how Levi finds out Pav was in the military because Pav never says anything ever abt his life

ANYWAY THERES MORE BUT I FEEL LIKE I LOOK CRAZY RANTING ABT THIS AU SO ILL STOP

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for refusing to buy drinks for my friends?

🍻🤘 to find

Ok, so I (19M) am in college and in a friend group of about 10 people We are all under 21, which means that in the US we cannot buy alcohol. However, I have a fake ID that works at most of the convenience stores in the area and can easily buy beer. My friends, obviously, ask me to get drinks for them since I am the only one in the group that has a fake, and they always pay me back afterwards. None of that is a problem for me—I don't mind being the beer run guy, and as long as they pay me back, it's all good.

This is where I might be the asshole. I got laid off from my job recently, and money's a little tight right now. My friends asked me to get drinks for this weekend, and I said I couldn't unless they paid me up front because I simply don't have enough money to do it our of my own pocket. They were not happy with this. They claimed that it's much easier for them to pay me after, because I can show them the receipts and they know exactly how much they owe me. I said again that I knew they were good for it and that I never minded getting drinks and getting the money later, but this time I needed it up front or I wouldn't be able to do it. I said I would keep all the change and remember who it needed to go back to. They said no, that they would pay me after.

So I didn't get them drinks. I did show up to the party with a six pack for myself, which I could afford, and they said I was a complete jerk for getting drinks for myself and not for anyone else.

I feel like I was justified in my actions, considering there was physically not enough money in my bank account to get drinks for the entire group, and they refused to pay up front. However, the entire group is pissed at me now.

Am I the asshole?

What are these acronyms?

[acavatica]

Does voting make you anxious?

This isn't like me, but I'm going to give my fellow millennials (and younger) the benefit of the doubt: Are you not voting because you don't know how? Have you never done it on your own? Don't know where to start? Read on, I guess.

(This info only applies to the US, btw, I think the rest of y'all have it together better than us. I mean, maybe some of you don't, but I can't help you.)

Register to vote. Vote.gov walks you through the process. Note: There are primaries where each party chooses its finalists. Those happen before the main election in November. To vote in a primary, you have to be registered to one of the 2 real political parties. "Independent" doesn't mean you can vote for whichever one you like, it means you don't get to vote in the primary. I don't "identify" with the Democratic Party, either, but the fact is, any viable progressive candidate is going to be running as a Democrat and being a registered Democrat allows you to vote for people who represent you better. Do not register as an Independent. This doesn't matter for 2022, because primaries are over, but keep it in mind for the future.

Find your voting location. This time the tool is at vote.org. Right now, at least for me, my voting location hasn't been assigned. But when it is, you can put your address in here and find out where to go to vote in person. This page also has a list by state that takes you to your state's voting website. You can probably also do a mail-in or absentee ballot, but those rules vary state by state and I'm just some rando on tumblr. If you have going-outside-anxiety, google "absentee voting [the state you live in]." We are not allowed to vote online in the US.

Extra Credit for the Nerds: Look up who you'll be voting for. Put in your address, it shows you your ballot. Generally speaking, in a national (non-primary) election you can just vote down the party line of your preference, you'll usually only have two options, Democrat or Republican. It's really the primary where you can make the most difference, but we're here now, we vote for the lesser of two evils. But again, for the future, the less hype an election is, the more you can pick people you won't lose sleep over, we're talking local elections, midterm elections, primaries. When people only turn up to vote for the president, we get stuck with what we're stuck with. When people don't even show up for that, we end up where we are. I'm not blaming you. I have anxiety too. IMPORTANT: A lot of states have referendums for abortion rights this year. (California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, and Vermont.) The questions can sometimes be worded really confusingly. The links above go to each state's individual referendum so you can read the question and make sure you understand before you get to the poll.

Make a plan. Find out if you need ID (bring it just in case). Arrange transportation. Get an accountability buddy. Put it in your calendar. My polling places are open 6AM to 6 PM and if you're in line at 6PM you're guaranteed to be able to vote. The list from Step 2 should get you to your state's voting FAQ. If you are scheduled to work on November 8, 2022 (or some voting day in the future), know that 30 states require employers to give their employees some amount of time off for voting. Many states offer paid leave for voting. My state offers 4 hours unpaid, but hey, that's half a day off work. 🤷‍♀️

Vote on November 8, 2022. Here's what to expect: you walk into a school or a church or a retirement home. There are signs pointing you to the right room, and there are tables where poll workers might do some of the following: find your name in a book, check your ID, make you sign next to your name. You will either be given a pen and paper ballot or you will be directed to a computer ballot station. The ballot will probably look much like we practiced in Step 3 (this is where you get your extra credit). If you're voting via computer you might get to time travel to ipod controls times. Either way, it only takes a few minutes, you submit your vote, get your sticker, and then you go home or maybe get yourself a little treat.

This feels pretty cheeseball, honestly. I'm as disillusioned as any other progressive, and I think politics are fake 80% of the time. But I do work in government (in a library), so I know how to do these things, and I know a lot of people don't or are stressed out or intimidated. You don't have to love who you're voting for. You don't have to be enthusiastic about it. You don't have to expect anything to change because of it. But if you're scared, you don't have to be.

My ask box is open and anon is on if you wanna ask specific questions. ✌

[majorarlene]

Re: Mick Gordon, Marty Stratton, Doom Eternal OST

I want to start off by saying that absolutely none of this should have happened. I mean, obviously.

I’m not going to break the entire article down but please be sure to read here: https://medium.com/@mickgordon/my-full-statement-regarding-doom-eternal-5f98266b27ce 1. much of the first couple of sections just highlights the issues the AAA part of the gaming industry has as a whole, therefore unionization is important. 2. know consumer protection laws, whether you’re a subcontractor or not- or seek legal counsel if you are able. this is not to blame Mick for this piece, this was still Marty’s responsibility to communicate those deadlines clearly, but when working in AAA the game is different. 3. volunteering a contractor before a contract is written is absolutely ghoulish behavior on id’s part. 4. a few people will likely ask “why didn’t Mick complain about not getting paid sooner” and as an accountant, I can tell you that if you’re trying to get work out the door on insane deadlines, you’re going to either forget to invoice things or if on contract, you shouldn’t have to fucking worry about that? contracts are there for a reason and id knew the agreement, it should not be an employee or subcontractor’s job to remind their employer to pay them. dunno how accounting works in the AAA industry but it would never fly where I work. 5. Marty posting his statement on REDDIT as the original source is awful behavior and completely unprofessional. Not even on a company-run Reddit, but a Reddit run and moderated by volunteers (r/Doom) whom ultimately should have never been dragged into this issue. Since Mick’s statement, mods have been harassed and have quit moderating. I know some of the mods and they absolutely do not deserve this treatment. I imagine being told by the executive producer of the game you love that if you take his post down you’ll likely be threatened with legal action would not be a great situation to be in. 6. The lawyers at Zenimax sound like they’d have been great on Theranos’s team (hint, not a good thing). some other thoughts: - from how it sounds, id needs to be clearly communicating to Bethesda/Zenimax its legal needs because it cannot handle them on its own. - Marty should never produce a game again. or if he does, he needs to be kept a mile away from press because he cannot be trusted to handle it safely. - I hope Mick finally gets the compensation he deserves. Musicians are just as much contractors as they are creators, especially in circumstances where they are being told they need to create music for levels that haven’t even been conceptualized yet. Musicians should be paid for the hours they spend formulating as well as the songs they ultimately produce. - the harassment of the creator of an OST is absolutely disgusting and gamer entitlement needs to be addressed. fuck anyone who engaged in the behavior described. - Review bombing on Steam will not fix this issue. harassment of anyone involved will not fix this issue. frank discussions about how creators of all kinds in the industry will.

[pbandjesse]

I'm at Jess's house watching Mama Mia. Which is very fun. But man am I tired. Today was a long day. I was happy but also nervous about the trip. And just very tired.

I slept better. I woke up at 6 to see if James had made it to the water yet for their kayak trip. And they had! I took a screen shot of their location dot in the harbor and went back to sleep.

When I woke up I was a little uncomfortable. James was home though and I would go and get washed and dressed and felt alright. I was mostly just happy to see my husband.

James would come upstairs to sit in the floor with me for a bit while we decided what we were doing this morning. It was decided we would go to Southside and then run a few errands.

I had to rewash my face because my blush stained in weird dots. But soon I was ready and we were off.

It was humid. It would rain hard later. But it was fine for now and we went to brunch.

I dont know why but I tend to feel sick half way through the meal at Southside almost every time we eat there. And it sucks and I don't understand why it happens. I was also just a little stressed when I got an email that the organizer from yesterday sent payment to the wrong venmo. And so I had to figure out how to log in and James and me were able to work together to get that settled but it was very stressful. And I would take half of the food home. They even gave me a soda for the road.

James would run the leftovers to the car and we would walk around five below. James had promised to come back for an inflatable raft I wanted and we got a bunch of freeze dried candy to try out. Which I was excited about but ended up being very very strange! The gummy worms were like a cheese curl.

We would go to ace hardware next to get the latches for all of our doors. We were struggling to find them but James went and asked for help and we were able to get exactly what I wanted.

Our last stop was to go to the dispensary. I have never been in one before so I was nervous but I just followed James's lead. Brought my id and everything. And the customers were all very strange in their own special ways.

I was very tired though and was ready to go home.

When we got back we brought in our things and put things away. I would collect my temperature blanket yarn and brought it outside to work on measuring out june. James brought Crabcake outside and I would hang out on the porch swing. Measuring and cutting and getting through the whole month.

I was very tired though and I kept wanting to quit but I knew I would feel better if I finished it. And I would feel better in the end.

It started drizzling and I decided that that was going to be my deadline. And would rush to finish cutting and then assembling everything. Which did take most of an hour. But it was nice being out there. And just as I was finishing the big rain drops started. And we brought everyone inside.

I would hang out on the couch with James for a while. Tried the candy. James downloaded a new video game. We cuddled and talked. And at 1 I went upstairs to take a shower.

I for sure felt a little better after the shower. Still sleepy but better. James would come upstairs to lay with me. And that's when the rain really started to pick up.

We talked through my packing and I felt pretty confident I had everything. While we were sitting and talking I got a call from Kathleen, from the markets, who had a few questions she wanted answers from a vendor perspective. And it was a really eye opening conversation for me too. She told me how she gets paid to run the markets and encouraged me in trying to organize more of them after doing the one in the spring. An interesting concept for sure. A little scary! But neat.

After I got off the phone with her I decided I should probably leave a little early for my appointment. The rain had gotten really heavy. And I for sure made the right call.

We said goodbye in the living room. And I got my umbrella but the rain was so heavy it collapsed! And me and James were screaming and running to the car and James basically threw my suitcase in the car and ran inside. I'm glad we had already kissed goodbye. It was nice to leave with so much laughter.

I was also just really glad I had a towel in my car. I sat for a moment and tried to dry off. I was still laughing. And then I headed to the doctor.

It was not an amazing drive. Everyone today was driving stupid. But I made it in one piece and it wasn't even raining anymore.

My appointment went fine. And I got my shots. The nurse accidentally got me in the nerve of my right leg and my leg spasmed and twitched for a half hour! We were both very confused. But it didn't hurt. Just felt like worms wiggling in my leg, all the way through my knee. It was very odd.

After checking out and using their bathroom I decided to check the map. I was unsure how I was getting to Jess's. But it turned out there was no quicker way. Traffic was horrible and would be horrible for 80% of the drive.

First people just absolutely were not paying attention and not letting people merge and I sat in a back up that I can't even explain, no evidence of a crash or anything, for a half hour. Then I was still in the tunnel for a while. And people were just being horrible. Then it started pouring again and we were down to 30 mph on the highway. But once I was over the Susquehanna River things got easier.

It still took me over two hours to get here when it should have taken an hour and 15. But I made it.

I was very happy to see Jess. We would hug and she helped me bring my bags inside. And we would laugh and joke and it was just really nice to be here.

We decided to go to Applebee's for dinner because we thought that was funny. And it actually turns out to be really good. We had a nice conversation on the way there and it only continues throughout the whole night.

The reason we went to Applebee's was because I wanted mozzarella sticks. Which turned out they were having a 50cent mozzarella sticks night. How lucky am I. And we would get salads and fries and cheese curds. Which was a lot of cheese to be fair but it was a lot of fun. And we discussed the cruise and Jess's new medical stuff and my medical stuff. And a guy who was sitting at the bar (who clearly was treating this Applebee's as his hometown bar) as weirdly flirting with me?? But I was still having a lot of fun.

Jess needed to get bananas for her house sitter, Nick. Who apparently eats one every day. And so as we were leaving the restaurant she says "banana time!" And in my mind I go and maybe a little ice cream. And she says workout me saying anything "and then ice cream time!" I love how in sync we are.

We would find the bananas. Jess did not know how much a banana would cost and was excited to find that she could get 6 for $1.50. we also got pomegranate ice tea lemonade to have tomorrow. It's the little things.

We would go and get custard instead of ice cream. Jess got chocolate and I got white chocolate. And then we went home.

When we got back where we looked at our packing and discussed some stuff about the trip and the house. And then we would hang out on the couch. She just got a replacement for the fancy one that turned out was broken. And this one is bigger and so much more comfortable. It's great.

Jess would ask if I wanted to watch Mama Mia and I had never seen it so I said yes and it was great but I mostly took away from it that I want to be Meryl Streep. Not shocking, she's beautiful in this movie.

And it was just nice hanging out and watching a movie with my best friend.

We both just said goodnight and brushed our teeth and are in our own beds. The guest room is pretty comfortable. And I am very much looking forward to sleeping.

And then tomorrow is cruise day!! I'm very nervous. But it will be a very good time I'm sure. We will leave here by 9. Get to Jess's parents. And leave there around 11. And our port call is 230. It's the last one and I'm nervous about that but it will all be okay. It's going to be a great day.

I hope you all have a great day. Sleep well and be safe!! I should have WiFi on board tomorrow (I paid for it) so let's hope posting is not interrupted!!

[blankdblank]

Cider

The universe seemed to be plotting against you today. Phone didn’t charge overnight after a storm killed the power through the night, so you missed your alarm and woke up to your neighbor pounding on the door after your jerk of a boss tipped an intern $20 who called everyone in your building on their intercoms nonstop until they got you up. The power shut off so the dryer didn’t finish drying your clothes so now you’re in a slightly itchy pantsuit in bright fuchsia of all colors gifted to you as part of a bridal party a few years back. All on the first day of fall when you usually break out your still damp spooky themed but professional work dresses. Nearly late for the train the handle of your bag was just hanging on by threads and you stabbed your finger stitching it back into place with your emergency sewing kit.

You hoped to at least enjoy a cider on the way into work but here you crouched taking a five minute sob break in an alley when some jerk power walking with his briefcase whacked you in the ribs and you dropped everything including your favorite drink and had to gasp for air like a suffocating fish for a few moments. Sure a stranger helped you up but you were certain they also stole your favorite pen out of your pocket but left the ratty pocket journal you’d been trying to lose for weeks now but kept finding its way back to you.

Blind totally in your own misery to notice the slip of another thief aiming to take your bag not so snuggly pressed underneath your knees. As well as the bottle cap tossed from a fire escape above that hit the thief in the head snapping his eyes wide as saucers when he saw Batman and Superman both standing there allowing the miserable stranger a moment to resettle themselves. On his heel the thief turned to sprint away and the pair continued to sit quietly, Superman using his X-ray vision to peer through your bag and the cup now tossed into an open trash can along the wall to see what you had ordered.

Up onto your feet you rose after collecting yourself. Hastily out of your bag a foldable compact was used to check your face and hasty eye shadow and liner job for the top eyelid that was the only hint of spooky spirit done while on the train. Then shut to be put away so you could now try not to break both ankles sprinting across three blocks of gridlock traffic and surely some hoods of parked cars to get to work unreasonably late.

Superman named your place of business off your ID badge, and after he’d checked on social media off the notifications on your phone inside of your bag he found a trend of friends from afar hoping for an update on your first day of your favorite season. Batman was hasty to go and hide himself to change inside the Batmobile he parked stealthily and strolled as Bruce Wayne into your work place to demand to see your boss right away.

Superman however with a check of his own found the best shop for the task all the way in Japan, bought a dress, some detergent. And in the blink of an eye inside a sink nearby was able to scrub the dress and then soar off towards the sun for a three second dry circle of the powering red star that gave him just enough energy to blast himself back down to Earth. To be just a sliver impatient to have the cider he had placed inside of a thermos cup the coffee shop you had just come from, with a black cat in a poofy pumpkin hat on it they washed for the task, so that when he flew off to your workplace it would still be hot. Right inside a window free side office Bruce was now bribing a worker to guide you into when you arrived he left the drink and dress then turned to soar off. Mere seconds passed and a lone peach rose was carefully cradled to be settled beside the gifts and a note that there was another surprise upstairs for you that he signed from a secret admirer.

“I’ve been told to show you to office H, that one.” A man from the front desk said just about as in shock who paid him to do so as about what you were wearing so out of pattern. You tried to step to the side and he pointed to the office making you huff, “Please, just go in there.”

“If I’m being fired I want to be fired at my desk!” You tried to argue and he shook his head.

“No firing, not from Mr Glump, someone else wanted you in there. Can’t say who, don’t ask me, just, they paid me 30 bucks to get you to go in there.”

“If there’s anything like a bucket of blood or a pie in my face in there I am going to be in the noon news, just know that! And I’m saying you’re my accomplice!”

He chuckled and said, “Nothing like that, just careful of the hinge and the ac, door’s been doing a weird wobble and there was this huge gust of cold air a bit ago. You really don’t need a rats nest on top of that outfit.” He said with a supportive tone seeing how frustrated you were.

“My power shut off last night and my spooky stuff didn’t dry.” You huffed and turned to storm like a toddler into the supposedly gusty wonky door having office.

No harder than normal the door eased open and closed after you entered and was about to turn in a circle unamused only to drop your bag covering your mouth to not squeak in shock at a dress you had been searching for patterns online to try and make yourself from the brand you adored but couldn’t afford and an adorable thermos you dropped your hands and hurried over to without realizing it. Just a whiff of the drink inside and freshly laundered dress drew tears to your eyes that obscured the note that wished you a great start to your spooky season and shared there was another surprise upstairs. You didn’t have to have any suggestion to get out of this outfit and the guy from the desk when he had come to check on you ducked inside to help you change real quick and ball up the pantsuit to dispose of himself at the sight of you in full seasonal splendor.

Arms loaded up with the gifts and rose tucked safely into the top of your bag upstairs you went, now a bit more confident and curiously excited thanks to a sip of the drink some admirer had left for you that you honestly would die happy even if it was poisoned inside the elevator. The doors did open though and even from across the floor you could see Bruce Wayne talking to your boss, both who turned to watch you cross the floor.

“Miss Pluto, don’t you look festive.” Bruce said pleasantly and said, “I think I’ve earned the right to give the good news, I need a great mind like you at my company. Been searching for ages to head a new branch that has been floundering without a strong backbone to the team.”

“But, I don’t have the experience,” you parroted back the same excuse in a broken whisper that you had heard from five companies before this one took you three levels lower than your degrees should have granted you access to.

“Well you’re about to get some. Surely over qualified for record auditing and number crunching other people’s design ideas for budgeting outlines.” He answered confidently, “My car’s downstairs you start five times your salary here. Even brought you a box,” off the desk to his side he lifted a box you managed to take hold of as well to blankly carry to your waiting desk to fill up your belongings between numerous glances their way. His grin lingered the entire time, even when he walked you back to the elevator. Inside which you got to see the reflection of the dumbstruck look on your face. “Should let you know the job is a fair distance from your place you live at now so Wayne Corps will rent you a place close by and will pay the move costs for helping me out of this bind.”

“Is this hell?” You asked now looking up at him and turning his head now with a dumbstruck look of his own. “I got hit by a bus or something and now I’m doomed to live the day I never got to finish but there’s some big trick of a trap at the end, right?”

That had him laugh and extend a hand that had been resting in the bar behind him to pat you on the shoulder. “You are most certainly not dead, can’t say this place must resemble hell by my guess. But no, no trick, no trap. My assistant actually went to school with you, Rebecca Rope.”

“Oh yay, she keyed my scooter thinking selling a muffin to her professor of a boy toy meant I tried to bed him after I beat her for top thirty of the class.”

He nodded, “Find a new assistant, adding that to the list.”

“What?” You asked and he nodded his head to the side when the doors opened again.

“Keeps hassling me about my pocket squares and my ties, been meaning to have a talk with her. I can move her to Buckley’s floor, he could use a wardrobe overhaul and is just enough of a slug she’ll have to focus on her job. Can’t tell you how many meetings I keep missing since I hired her.” The end of the sentence accented with a smile your way.

“Did they fire you?!” The front desk guy practically shouted across the lobby and Bruce looked at you.

“Friend of yours?” Bruce asked and you gave a questioning nod and shrug combination. Then looked to the guy asking, “Want a new job?”

“Hell yes!” The guy said taking off his name tag to hurry across the lobby to accept the card Bruce offered him.

“Email your resume to that address and take the day off. Have you the details by two and you start tomorrow.” Out of the building Bruce guided you to his waiting sports car where he accepted your box to put inside the trunk on his way around the car he’d opened the door for you to climb into and closed when you’d gotten in. Not a minute later after a few grins for the people who snapped a few pictures on their phone of him he got in himself and turned over the engine to drive you across town sharing all the information of the new job. All the while he had a grin on his face seeing you cradle and gently spin the rose his friend gave you between your fingertips now your thermos was settled into one of the cup holders between sips you timed to not scald yourself on the still hot drink.

“Did you..?” You asked when he parked inside the parking garage he drove you to joined to his company. The timid tone had his smile widen and he shook his head.

“No. Someone far warm hearted and kinder than me sent that. And if I can spoil something a bit,” he said at your timid nod. Leaning in an inch to help you undo the seatbelt you’d had trouble putting on as so many of his pretend dates did since buying this extravagant took to play to his playboy reputation for the press, “I would say there are a few more surprises to come from that warm hearted admirer of yours.”

“So,” awkwardly you eased your arm out of the belt continuing to ask your main focus and not why he’d undone your belt for you, “Do they work here?”

“Nope,” he answered with his grin still in place.

“But you know who it is?”

“Yes.” And he nodded his head to the door behind you, “Let’s go meet your new team.” Climbing out himself for you to follow and head to the trunk when you’d carefully shut your door to ask him, “So, you know who it is, and they don’t work here, did they put you up,”

“Nope.” He cut you off closing the trunk in a settle of your box against his side. “And you won’t get their name out of me. Noticed you were way overqualified where as the head of this department is not very qualified at all. It’s just your lucky day.” Around you he walked and you let out a squeaking puff of air.

“Oh it most certainly is not.” You said widening his smile as you followed after him and most of your things and you tucked your rose back safely into your bag.

“If you say so.” He replied when he got to the elevator to press the button there to call it to that floor. All day it seemed to be like something out of a dream. Two hours meeting the team and then the next three looking at virtual showings of listings nearby then four physical trips until you decided on the place Wayne Corps booked movers to help you pack and move this weekend so you could start next Monday. With a half week’s pay already printed in a check Bruce signed without so much as a flinch at the staggering amount after nearly blowing you over by saying he was paying the place outright for two years in your name so you wouldn’t have to worry about rent after swapping jobs so swiftly.

Back atop your bed you stared at the bank app on your phone warning to log you out for inaction only to drop the phone entirely and painfully at the corner onto the top of your foot due to the intercom buzz triggered flinch your body gave at the startling sound. Once again you double checked the app and shut off the display of the phone you fumbled off the ground into your hand again to carry with you on your hobbled path to the door to see who it was.

“Who is it?”

“Flower delivery.”

“Flowers?” You asked yourself and buzzed them up to soon be at your one seater table of a waist high bookshelf staring at the flower arrangement that hah another note in the same hand writing inviting you to dinner and a sleepover the next night.

.

Nervous beyond words you entered a place you knew like the back of your hand. Only to go the one place you were restricted, the private dining floor the rich and exclusive had booked for well into the reach of eternity and beyond every time you tried to just get a quote of what a night inside the best museum in town, and in your mind the world.

The whale shark shaped sleeping bag you rarely had the chance to use had been handed over same as your bag of necessities when you’d passed through those elusive doors. People you justifiably shouldn’t recognize, the rest of the Justice League, minus Bruce, all out of their armor, filled the rest of the tables in pretend couples or groups to ensure your date had the best shot with privacy amongst his closest friends. The one person alone, spectacle, cotton shorts, cow slipper and flannel clad sizeable but slightly hunched wall of a man gave you a timid grin with peach rose in hand to signal he was your date.

“Hello, thank you for showing and saving me from spending the night alone with this bunch.” He said sweetly widening your grin as you reached out to accept the rose from his extended hand.

“Same hat,” you felt yourself saying aloud and not just in your head at the matching baggy flannel you had on to go over some comfy sweatpants you tugged up to your knees. The strict no heels or fancy dress dress code rule to the night granted you a slightly frightening chance to show off your pj’s and Marvin the Martian head slippers to a complete stranger inside a room of strangers. “I, mean, I’m not exactly the person people picture when saving people comes to mind.”

Widely he smiled at you only making your heart beat faster than it already was and offered a hand, “Same here. Clark Kent.” Into his hands yours rested without pause and he felt your pulse jolt even faster.

“Clark Kent?!” You questioned loudly stirring a few subtle glances your way to see how this blind date might turn depending on how you knew their friend they’d be down to burst out of here if need be to spare him an awful night. “Writer of the piece on when Lex Luthor tried to buy off the train companies and set off that near catastrophic day trains started raining from the sky, Clark Kent?!”

Instantly he was blushing and stammered out of his widening smile, “I, yes..”

“I have all your stories in a notebook in my bag! How you haven’t won any awards over that Lane lady is beyond me! You write circles around her! I mean what does a guy have to do to get some recognition around this town, slap on a primary colored suit of armor and stop an atomic spaceship aimed at the planet?!” Awkwardly he chuckled in the ease of your hand out of his loosening grip so he could fidget with his glasses and sleeves only making his friends fight harder to not smile dumbly at this twist of the evening. “I wrote so many letters because of that last award, if they don’t name you for the Jupiter award in two months I will be on the news striped shirt, fake mustache and all stealing that statue and engraving your name onto the side of their damn building over Lane’s.”

“I’ll do my best to forget you said that to help your alibi.”

“Oh they’re not catching me, I know some people and places to send it to they won’t ever find it.” Green Lantern took a big swig of his drink to cover the cough he gave to conceal his chortle at what you said while a few others took their own measures of tries to distract themselves to keep from reacting loudly to spoil things.

Feeling hotter than the sun his face was still slightly red as Clark cleared his own throat to joke, “Well, all of this, off the record, very touching. Have to say it’s the nicest thing I’ve heard all week. Thank you, I just, thank you.”

“Well you are very much welcome Mr Kent, don’t know how I managed to get a second of your attention, but at least I get to put a face to a name if you change your mind come sunrise.”

Again he chuckled at your ease up into the empty seat meant for you, “Oh I’d just bribe Bruce to have Superman turn the Earth the other way to keep the sun from coming up. Heaven knows Bruce has him on speed dial having been kidnapped so often.”

For how cocky that must have sounded in his head mid internal panic it was too much to say the quick giggle you tried to clear your throat to stop before you turned into a giggling mess had his worries ease. Then even more when you joked back, “I’m sure the man in the cape is not going to jump at Bruce Wayne snapping his fingers or smirking his way.”

“No,” Clark chuckled out, “But, for letting me have an incredible night with you, he just might be tempted to break a few rules and let Bruce be the hero.”

“Bruce Wayne couldn’t help himself out of a paper bag, not sure how he’s some big corporate genius at all for how often he plays damsel, no wonder some of his departments are in shambles.” Clark chuckled again. And let the shift to the evening ahead at the final headcount for the tables had the doors locked take the conversation with it as the men in charge named the first snack course. That would lead into a quick tour of a special area of the museum heavily detailed beyond the usual tours that would be followed by the start of a five course five star meal. The entire time he could feel his skin tingle with excitement for every elated comment from your smaller but just as museum enthusiastic self that he almost wasn’t able to get to sleep in his shark shaped sleeping bag so he could wake up for the following breakfast and next leg of the tour ending in a trip to the gift shop.

.

“You free this weekend?” You started to ask but cut him off when his mouth opened, saying as it dawned upon you again. “No. I’m moving this weekend, um…”

That had him chuckle and he said, “How about dinner, Tuesday, somewhere reasonable and not an overnight date so you can get back to your own bed afterwards?” Adding on as a joke afterwards, “Eventually I’ll earn my way up to a brunch.”

“Dinner sounds like fun, but careful Mr Kent. You might slip up and find yourself sharing a breakfast with me one day.” Awkwardly again he chuckled and watched you turn to head to the bus that was aimed at the bus stop on the corner.

“I don’t have your number.”

“Oh I’m certain you could flag down Superman and have him shake it loose from Bruce Wayne since you all seem to be in cahoots.” Again he chuckled, not just at the joke but you muttering under your breath in question of what you’d said, “Cahoots?”

“I just might do that.” He called out catching your grin his way in the turn to head back to your seat once you’d climbed into the bus.

The group behind him waited for the bus to pull away and Aquaman inched over to subtly ask in a low tone, “You really don’t have her number?”

“Bruce said he’d send me a copy, wanted to get it from her myself.” Making the fellow hero beside him chuckle in amusement of Clark’s lingering grin.

“Then you just might want to hurry and go find your cape,” Hawkman teased. “Letting her walk away like that.”

“Oh I’m working on a plan,” Clark hummed in a turn to head for his parked car in the garage nearby.

.

Come the day you moved in though an odd set of winds for the couple hours after the moving crew left and you tried to settle everything ended to a knock on your balcony door. Instantly every inch of you tried to leap into panic mode. And still the first to die in a horror film side of you still turned and about melted to jelly at the layer of shark plushies across the blanket weighed down by pumpkin themed candles out underneath the stars.

“What?” You squeaked to yourself in a move closer to let yourself out onto the balcony and find the business card there. Out from underneath one of the pumpkins you curiously lifted what looked to be Bruce Wayne’s business card that you turned over in hand and giggled to yourself seeing Clark Kent’s name and phone number.

As many as you could carry you lifted the plushies to get them safe inside only to see in paint across the blanket. ‘Just in case you need a wingman for Jupiter Awards night, I’ll bring my own mustache’ all around a fake mustache taped there that had you start to giggle, on the other side of which was a number labeled for emergencies.

.

More than a bit tipsy and fumbling for your phone inside a far too small to be troublesome clutch purse hooked on a strap to your elbow you teetered to the edge of the dock where a yacht had been parked. A sight that had Bruce still aboard in the middle of a flock of models bring out his phone to whisper a message to his capes friend in a dove second call nobody could link to anyone but the name ‘Butler4’.

Wind once again kicked up behind you urging your body to dumbly turn and glide your heels right off the end of the dock. No source of the wind was seen by your now wide eyed self that within seconds was swept up safe and secure in the arms of Superman who kept his newly named girlfriend, who he couldn’t attend an evening event on the water with as he had to help Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel with some ladies setting man eating unicorns loose in California, flush against his chest to make you feel safe and to not panic.

Safely he landed on the balcony and helped you to bring out your keys to have him let you both in to get you safe on top of your bed. Silently and gently he helped your bubbly giggling self to take off your heels and into a warm sweater over your silk dress Bruce helped you pick to really drive home for Clark in pictures what he’d missed at the first event you’d tried to invite him to for work, of which Bruce said there’d be many.

Snuggly he tried to tuck you under the covers only to pause when you lifted both hands, fingers in rings like lenses on glasses. Even when he wished he could stammer some excuse, though lost for words he simply felt his eyes clamp shut when his body melted into the kiss you rose up to plant onto his lips. Just a few moments but enough to stop the world for years the kiss lasted, abruptly leaving him yet again in silence to the gentle stroke of your hand along his cheek to a content hum of a parting. Just a blink after sleep became the obvious goal as you’d body tucked to the side to nestle into bed under the covers he adoringly adjusted around you to make sure you kept warm.

“I’ll leave some water and an aspirin by your bed,” he finally was able to whisper at the final touch he added to your bedside table on his way to creep out, locking the balcony door behind himself only to realize halfway on the flight home he’d taken your keys with him.

.

“Mmm,” you grumbled and peeked out of your covers to reach for the waiting pill and water there beside your bed.

Stirring from sleep the sound of someone in your kitchen had your stiffening self spoken to lovingly, “Flapjacks and some eggs coming up. Bruce called me about your dock time, said you needed a ride.” Onto the table he’d helped you pick out a few weeks ago Clark set the food and came around the counter out of the kitchen to head to your room smiling as he had you in his sights again even with pillow indents on your face and hair half a frizzy poofed up mess.

“Bruce called you, back from Kansas, hmm.” His smile grew the closer he came to help you out of bed, but flinched when your hand rose to lift his glasses off his nose and up over his forehead. “Now I want you to be honest with me, Clarky shark, is my boss blackmailing you with this information?”

Smirking at the insinuation and adorable nickname you’d given him reminding him of your first date he hummed back playfully, “Much as I’d love to say no, I am curious what you might plan if I said yes.”

“Well, for one thing, we’re gonna need those fake mustaches again.” you hummed back in a lean in to close the distance and plant your lips onto his for a welcomed good morning.

When it ended he tenderly stroked your cheek, “Come eat breakfast.”

Shaking your head made his brow rise then fall after you said, “I told you you’d slip up and end up at breakfast with me.”

Lowly he chuckled and leaned in to steal another sweet kiss, “Yes you did, and come eat before it gets cold.”

“Well I have Superman’s number, I could just call him to turn the Earth the other way and make it warm again,” you teased and he gave you a playful growl brushing the blankets up to scoop you up into his chest again to carry you to the table. Smiling wider each step to the glide of hands around the back of his neck and lips peppering kisses to his cheek, knowing deep inside his heart he’d turn the world back a million times for countless more years with you in his arms and stolen breakfasts together.

[raisinchallah]

oh my god i love television the way the greater good somehow manages to set up like soooo much about like the entire show and u can see echoes of it in so many episodes and all it sets up is eventually paid off its such a pivotal shift in their relationship the first step to being more equal like the way even just episode structure it starts out comedic and gets more and more serious mimicking gabrielles own arc thru the season and beyond like the instant echoing of one of them must try and save the other getting mirrored immediately in is there a doctor in the house and of course one against an army xenas dying wish to be buried at home beside her brother and then in one against an army gabrielle says she wants to be buried next to xenas family because thats how close they have become and change over the two seasons aaaaaaaaaah and that what pushes gabrielle to be xena for the episode is callisto!!! literally all callistos wanted is to see gabrielle become like her and xena make her just as dark and violent as they are and that this is what gabrielle must endlessly wrestle with and this being gabrielle wrestling with the idea of xena the legend and how to be that but also who xena the person is and then my god the ending where gabrielle suddenly was able to fight off ten men just to try and bring xenas body back home her greatest display of violence and strength never seen before on the show and its soooo eerily similar to her fight in ides of march aaaaaaaah literally television