#Stability and Confidence Program

[profitpulse36]

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[jtl-fics]

Math Nerd AU

I’ve got quite a few time travel AFTG fics banging around in my head but by far the funniest one is this:

Neil dies in 40s to a drunk driver after a respectable professional Exy career, two olympic golds, a very successful and healthy relationship, a steady post-injury career as Ichirou Moriyama’s preferred accountant (kept himself squeaky clean) and years to get his shit together. He wakes up back early on into his runaway life with his mom and is immediately like “oh no I’m NOT doing this shit again.”

He makes a lot of changes, mostly for Andrew’s benefit but also gets Mary to the Hatfords, and gets himself set up in Ichirou’s confidence again because man he’s gonna play Exy again but Ichirou was actually a very solid boss if you’re competent and Neil is very good at managing finances.

Ichirou had plans for Neil. He’s waiting for his father to pass before he brings Neil fully out in the open as one of his since his father is still demanding that the Wesninski heir be given over to his brother and Ichirou is not about to let the only accountant who has ever gotten him a completely legal tax refund go to the NEST. He’s also not about to let the Butcher near Neil so he puts Neil off in the middle of nowhere with a steady paycheck and orders to graduate highschool. Neil picks Millport.

Hernandez still notices that no one ever comes to Neil’s games and that the kid is driven but doesn’t make any real attachments with his teammates despite Millport becoming the Arizona State Champs the year Neil leads the team. So he sends tapes to Wymack and Kevin. Neil is surprised to see them since he’d planned on never getting anywhere near Andrew after he set things up for the blond. (Killed Drake, paid some people to legally adopt and look after Andrew, got CPS to investigate Tilda properly, paid off the right people so that the couple who took in Andrew took in Aaron too, and paid for them to move out to SC (it’s close to the twins remaining family) and then Tilda managed to die on her own from an OD and the twins got the money without Andrew needing to have any part in it.)

Neil ends up signing for the Foxes despite Ichirou having plans for Neil to start attending University of Texas (Great Accounting Program) in the fall. Neil of course completely fails to tell Ichirou this since Ichirou hadn’t said anything beyond finishing highschool and if he had plans for Neil then he should have told him.

Neil, the utterly self-sufficient adult that he is, proceeds to just be the most bizarre stabilizing force the foxes have ever encountered. He knows all about their shit, their issues, their triggers, and how to help them. The Foxes all kind of crave that stability and Neil can take whatever they say unflinchingly. He’ll give as good as he gets but he also makes team breakfast pretty much every morning after he finishes his absurdly early run. Kevin is in heaven with his Striker pick (Neil in this thing is so incredibly boring and well-adjusted that Andrew just cannot believe that he’s a spy so Kevin and Neil start night practices almost immediately & Neil shows Kevin drills that he and Future!Kevin had made and Kevin is just like “I am so good at picking talent. I am a god.”)

The 3 things that make this so funny (at least to me) is:

1. All the Foxes just like not understanding why the hell Neil is a Fox (They’re glad he’s there but it feels like a clerical error that such a nice well-adjusted guy is on the team) until they see him without a shirt and until immediately after the Kathy Ferdinand show where Ichirou shows up and is like “Palmetto doesn’t even have a nationally ranked accounting program!? Also what if this sport gives you a TBI and you can’t do my taxes anymore????”

2. Andrew is just inexplicably and infuriatingly smitten, enamored, crushing, heart-eyes for this BORING ASS MATH NERD. Neil’s sense of humor was honed against Andrew so he’s got like a direct line to Andrew’s funny bone. He never has never once for even a second confused Aaron and Andrew (and they’re a lot closer in this fic because there’s no Tilda angst and the ‘parents’ handled getting Aaron’s rehabilitation handled off the books so he could have a future in medicine.) Even after the whole mob accountant reveal Andrew is seething because even with that Neil is just incredibly well-adjusted and normal despite all the insane shit going on with him. He propositions Neil when Neil mentions having a past male significant other but Neil has the AUDACITY to get all sad-eyed and say that he can’t be with Andrew because his heart still belongs to some CHUMP in his past. (Cue Current!Andrew having an unknowing bitter hatred / rivalry of Future!Andrew and swearing that he’ll woo Neil away from a guy who’s probably in the mob or shitty because Andrew hasn’t seen any evidence of Neil’s SO reaching out to him but he knows Neil isn’t lying)

3. One of the reasons that Andrew is inexplicably and infuriatingly attracted / smitten to Neil is that Future!Andrew did not really spend a lot of time in the future after Neil died and he’s slowly seeping through until Neil’s confrontation with his dad and then Future!Andrew fully wakes up and he’s PISSED because at least in the original timeline Andrew was inexplicably and infuriatingly attracted to the mysterious freshmen who was hiding his appearance, looked like he was seconds away from running across the country at all times, and had a whole aura of danger around him. Now he’s revealed that he’d have fallen for Neil no matter what because he fell for Neil when he was just a BORING ASS MATH NERD and WORST OF ALL Neil went and made him jealous of HIMSELF because Neil didn’t want to cheat on Andrew with ANDREW. What an asshole. He’s gotta kiss his entire face off and tell him that he’s never allowed to cross a street without Andrew again because if a drunk driver is going to take one of them out then it’s going to take BOTH of them out.

[grapebritain]

Pretty much everything Shawn does can be pinpointed back to his childhood, and it's sad too see because most of his toxic traits could have been mended if his parents just had a bit of stability, or just where a little less controlling when he was younger.

His relationship with henry for example is one of the most obvious pointers to why Shawn is the way he is.

Shawn HATES losing, he hates not being on top and he hates not being the centre of attention. Even though some of this is ego, a lot of this is to do with self worth issues as well which is why he gets so irritable when people 'beat' him.

One time this behaviour really stuck out to me like a sore thumb was an episode or two after "from earth to starbucks". In the episode itself , shawn helps lassie with his mental health. he gets it so he feels as though he can solve cases again, and as a result of his confidence boast Lassiter really DOES start solving cases on his own much better than he was before. Evethough Shawn clearly was happy for him at first, and does care a whole lot about Lassiter than he would say out loud, a few episodes after when Lassie starts getting TOO good, Shawn starts acting pretty toxic about him and competitive. Which is a little paradoxical when originally he wanted him to be better, and do better than he was before. I'm pretty sure he does anyway cuz i remember watched a few eps after being like "why is he doing that, i thought he wanted him to do better?".

Regardless, Shawn starts getting hostile to people "better" than him because his dad basically engraved into him that if you are anything other than a winner , you are a loser and you see this all the way from episode 1. When shawn wants cake, he has to get all the hats in the room perfect otherwise he won't get anything. This same thing comes up again when he goes to his dad much older now to ask for help. he has to "win" the hat game in order to get anything out of his father. No matter if his dad had good intentions or not with it, mostly only rewarding shawn when he wins and being so intense about being 'the perfect cop' MADE shawn hate being anything other than the top of the top. the best of the best. Especially when it came to police work.

It's why he gets hostile over any form of competition, and even gets more hostile when people in his life show more interest in anyone but him. He does it with Jules, he does it with Lassiter, and i think he may even do it to gus at some stage. Jules it was her boyfriends, because he viewed himself as the 'best' to be with her. He was on top, so he should be the one to be her boyfriend right..? Then with Lassiter, there are two guys that are somewhat similar to shawn,are good at police work and Lassie clearly admires a lot which makes Shawn pretty heated and sulky that Lassie is no longer looking to him. With gus he got annoyed because Lassiter started spending time with him and 'took away' his best friend from him when be believed gus was HIS friend, not Lassies.

life doesn't work as black and white as 'winner and loser' .People don't have to be the 'best of the best 'to 'earn' love and appreciation, which seems to confuse and aggravate Shawn. It sort of makes him insecure. If people like them more, they...must be better than him because the 'best' are only deserving of appreciation. Well, in his eyes anyway. I think some part of him knows thats insanity as he only has this mentality with his own self worth, but because it was programmed into him at such a young age, it isn't something he can easily brush aside.

To him, having someone be admired more than him, to be 'better' than him for even a second basically diminished his value as a person and makes him less deserving. That and he still feels as though hes the best so people should be looking at him (bro has a HUGE ego). A lot of his anger issues have roots in insecurity , especially this one, and i think it's why for a comedy show there is something so....almost tragic about Shawn despite all the jokes and references he makes.

[nansheonearth]

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I work for Women’s Lunch Place on the Direct Care team, where we build trusting relationships with women experiencing homelessness and poverty. We are the first to welcome new women into our community.

We meet them where they are, treat them with dignity and respect, and learn what we can without being pushy or requiring any information. We also gently introduce them to other programming at Women’s Lunch Place, like addiction recovery classes, mental and physical healthcare in our clinic, legal services, housing search and stabilization, and benefits applications.

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[guess-my-next-obsession]

Fade Into You, Chapter One: New York, New York

pairing: bookstore owner!ezra x f!reader

rating: M (talks of strange familial relationships, lots of introspection with a touch of angst, brief talks of gender identity/homelessness)

wc: 2.9k

series masterlist

You’d always dreamed of autumn in New York. There always seemed to be a special kind of magic in the air, the browning leaves melting into the brownstones lining the streets. Even in the midst of the city’s chaos and incessant bustle, the season seemed to offer its own comfort to any soul looking for it.

You couldn’t think of anyone who needed that sort of comfort more than yourself.

Grad school was never in your plans, but neither was becoming a writer. You always imagined yourself as something more practical, not because you wanted it, but because practicality had been drilled into you since you were a child. In truth, the dreams you’d buried with your girlhood were the furthest from practical.

You wanted to be a singer, a designer, an actor, a painter, even a fucking astronaut for a couple years after watching an Apollo 11 documentary at the impressionable age of thirteen. Anything that would give you an exit from the life you’d been born into, a life born with the weight of generations of struggle and hardship on its shoulders, seemed like the dream.

You’d been all set to head into an accounting program after graduating high school, satisfying your blue collar father’s dream of stability and your all-too dependent mother’s dream of raising a daughter who didn’t need to rely on a man for survival. You had burned every thought of a life filled with passion and fulfillment to make their dream come true, the guilt of being the eldest daughter outweighing your own desires. But the minute you stepped onto campus, you could feel yourself breathing in the air that they never did, the air that tasted like freedom and choice, and knew you’d let them down.

It took one semester of accounting to know that while you could spend the rest of your life doing this, you weren’t sure if you could live with yourself if you did.

The year that followed this revelation was spent trying on every hat you could.

You tried to satiate your need for adventure by consuming as much of the party life as possible, hoping that perhaps all you needed to feel okay with this sacrifice of desire was to live a little, but that only made you feel more lost. It wasn’t until you stumbled upon a creative writing class that you first felt that spark inside of you, the little kid you’d long buried clawing its way up from the ground to breathe.

You dived head first into these new waters and were surprised to find you were quite decent at it. With a professor's help, you managed to self-publish a poetry book, juvenile work at worst and promising at best, in hindsight, but it was that book that got you into the creative writing program at Columbia.

Into the autumnal magic of New York city.

It had been such a long time since you’d felt this brand new. You had no ties to anyone or anything beyond the tiny studio in Harlem that you called home, and though you weren’t absolved from feelings of loneliness, you felt a surge of confidence blossom in your chest at the thought that you could be anybody here. And so, you would.

Mid September

Needing something to do besides sitting on your bed that doubled as a couch, desk, and table, you found yourself wandering through the slowly cooling city streets. None of the trees showed any signs of preparing for the upcoming season, Central Park’s astounding green acting as a beacon as you got off the subway at 125th street.

Walking down Madison Avenue, you pretended to be cooler than you felt you were, not that any passersby would look at you long enough to notice your effort. In fact, everyone’s lack of perception or care put you at ease. To them, you were just another face in the crowd, and just another face in the crowd caused no hurt or offense, just another face in the crowd was simply that—a person, good or bad, cool or uncool. Your insignificance meant your existence wasn’t staining, and as someone who’d allowed herself to get splashed and tarnished by the colors of the outside world for so long, you never felt freer.

The sound of Mazzy Star’s Blue Light guided you down Madison Avenue much further than you anticipated you’d go, your plans of an afternoon spent in Central Park being derailed by the sudden desire to check out the Guggenheim Museum.

It was this small misdirection, this impulsive journey that led you to his bookstore, the place you’d come to frequent for an entire month before you ever learned his name.

It was a small shop on the first floor of a brownstone, it’s antique golden sign hanging over the shop door reading: Prospect Books. The building’s red brick blended in with its surroundings, leaving you to question this spark of intuition burning in your belly as your eyes fixed onto the sign, your feet slowing on their own accord until you were standing still in front of the window display, blindly staring inside. A couple—new if you had to guess solely based on one man’s chivalry and the other’s smitten smile—opening making their way out, the doorbell jingling with the swing of the wood, caused you to break free from your trance of sorts. Looking down at your phone, you figured you had plenty of time left in your afternoon to make a quick stop into this tiny relic from the past, if only just for the sake of exploration.

“Welcome in,” a voice called from somewhere in the shop, but you couldn’t spot anyone behind the checkout counter.

Rather than speaking back to air, you kept quiet and moved slowly about the room as if a movement too haste would ruin all the history these four walls carried. Finding your way to the fiction section, you finally spotted the owner of the voice that had greeted you, a young person with a jet black shag and round glasses, their smile easy and welcoming as they approached you.

“Need help finding anything?” they asked. You glanced at their name tag reading “Jay” before meeting their eyes, a friendly smile growing on your face as you shrugged your shoulders.

“No, not really looking for anything in particular,” you said. “I’m new here, so, kind of just exploring.”

“Oh, yeah? When did you get into the city?” they asked.

“Last month,” you said, earning a look of understanding from Jay.

“Well,” they said, gesturing at the room around you. “This was a great pit stop in your explorations. We have a ton of events, and I’ve actually met basically all my friends here.”

“Oh yeah?” you probed with a smile, feeling a sense of ease in their presence.

“Yeah, we actually have a couple things going on this weekend if you wanted to check them out,” they said, walking you over to the register so that they could point out the monthly calendar taped to the glass counter. “The last Friday of every month, we have a little mixer, always themed,” they said with a grin. “This month’s theme is Gothic Literature, so we’ll have all of our gothic literature for half off and free wine. Can’t go wrong.”

“That actually sounds like so much fun,” you chuckled, surprised by the way the afternoon was unfolding.

“And then on Saturday afternoons, we have our book club meeting. It’s a group of probably fifteen people, all ages, all types, very inclusive. All you have to do to join is fill out this little “Meet Me” card and purchase the book of the month, but since the month’s almost over I’d just buy it now and get a head start.”

“Well, what's next month’s book?” you asked, following them with your eyes as they jogged around the counter to the display on a table in the middle of the room, picking up a used book and handing it over to you.

“Jane Eyre,” they said. “Have you read it?”

“Oddly enough, I haven't,” you smiled, flipping through the annotated and well loved pages. “Someone sure seemed to like it.”

“Yeah, all of our books are used and scribbled on like that,” they chuckled. “The owner is this old money rich guy who works on the board of the New York Public Library, so most of the books here are either throw-outs from them or donated by the community.”

“Well, that’s a very interesting life to lead,” you chuckled. “Honestly, all of this sounds like so much fun, so…count me in.”

Jay beamed and nodded, ringing up your copy of Jane Eyre that came out to an astonishing total of $2.99.

“I think this just became my favorite place in New York,” you said as you watched them slide your new book into a paper bag before reaching behind the counter to grab your “Meet Me” card. Quickly filling out the basics: your name, age, pronouns, favorite book, favorite movie, and favorite color, you handed over a five dollar bill and moved to leave with the event calendar tucked into your paper bag, but a man walking behind you caught your eye and forced you into lingering.

He was an older guy, his hair graying in patches on his beard and in his brown curls, but he didn’t look any older than forty-something. He was wearing a vintage tee and a pair of well loved jeans, his sneakers just as scuffed. You couldn’t help but admire and fall for his casual coolness, the kind you always tried to emulate and never felt close to nailing.

“Hot date?” Jay teased the older man and earned a smile from him.

“Something like that,” he smiled, not giving you more than a blink of attention. “I’ll be back before closing.”

“Sounds good, Ezra,” Jay nodded, joining you in watching Ezra leave the shop before catching you staring a little too long. “That’s the shop owner.”

“Oh,” you managed, your eyes still locked on him as he stood in front of the building, his eyes glued to his phone as he typed a text. “Figured he’d be older.”

“Yeah, he’s a cool guy. If I hadn’t met him, I’m not sure where I’d be. He gave me this job, let me stay at one of the apartments he owns here when I was homeless…just, really cool guy,” they gushed, a sort of admiration in their eyes that had nothing to do with romance and more to do with respect. “Hopefully you’ll get to meet him properly at the mixer, he’s always there for that unless his godkid’s in town.”

“Well, I’ll be there,” you smiled, albeit bashfully. “It was really nice meeting you, Jay.”

“You too,” they lifted your “Meet Me” card and read your name off with a smile. “Don’t be a stranger!”

When Friday evening rolled around, you found yourself in a full face of makeup and dressed to the nines as some sort of vampiress, your lips stained blood red and body squeezed into a black lace corset and black jeans that left little to the imagination. You weren’t sure why you’d gotten so dolled up to go to a bookstore mixer, but figured if the handsome owner, Ezra, was going to be around, you needed to stand out.

It wasn’t until you opened the door to the shop and walked in that you realized how severely underdressed you were.

“Hey!” Jay beamed, making a beeline for you in their Frankenstein costume, their face painted green. “You actually came!”

“Everyone looks so cool,” you whispered in awe, earning a laugh. “I thought I overdid it.”

“No, there’s no overdoing it here,” they laughed before gesturing at your corset. “The corset is stunning, you’re gorgeous, let’s get you some wine. Red or white?”

“Red seems on brand for the costume,” you said, earning another laugh. “Is, uh, is the owner here?”

“I think so,” Jay said, looking around the room. “He’s dressed as The Phantom.”

“Love that,” you smiled, accepting the glass from their hands. “So, what’s, uh…what’s his deal?”

“Oh, no,” Jay laughed, shaking their head. “He’s single-ish. I’ve seen lots and lots of dates but never a long-term thing.”

“Well, rich and attractive,” you weighed your head to the side. “Why would you want to settle down?”

“I think he’s the type of person that makes a much better friend in the long run than anything else,” they said. “He used to go out with one of my friends a few years back and he said that the best moments were the ones where they were just friends. The romantic aspect of it all left a bad taste in his mouth, I guess.”

“Really?” you asked, too absorbed by Jay’s candor to notice Ezra dressed as The Phantom from The Phantom of the Opera walking past you and out of the shop with a woman dressed up as Marian Halcombe from The Woman In White until they were already outside.

“Yeah, he just…he’s not good at serious stuff. He comes from a long line of divorcee’s and doesn’t really believe that people can have successful long term romantic relationships, at least that’s what Ez told me after they split up.”

“How did you meet him again?” you probed, unsure why this man had taken such root in your mind and piqued your curiosity.

“We met when I was an art student at NYU,” they said. “I had a few pieces in an exhibition and nobody stopped for more than a second to look at my shit except for him. He offered to buy all of my art, and at that time I was female presenting so I just assumed he was a rich creep or something, but over time I realized that he’s just a lonely guy who loves to support young, queer artists in whatever way he can. After graduation, I was broke and in debt and homeless, and the minute he learned I was struggling, he offered to let me live in a studio in the building he owns next door, gave me a job here, helps me network with art dealers and galleries. Really just…has been a great friend and mentor to me. I’ll get choked up if I talk about it too much.”

You watched Jay in awe, the twinkle in their eyes as they spoke of their unique journey and this rich man that could have done what most would’ve done in his position and turned a blind eye at them, but he didn’t. You could see the respect and admiration there, and though the news that this Ezra wasn’t necessarily a great romantic partner dampened the image of him you’d drawn in your mind, the reality of his heart and intentions when it came to his friends only made you want to know him more.

“Anyways,” Jay laughed, wiping the corner of their eye. “He’s a good guy. Just, if you’re looking for romance with him—at least a lasting one—I’d forget about it and just try to get to know him as a friend. There’s really nobody like him.”

“I’m coming to realize that,” you chuckled, putting the image of him in your mind on the shelf so that you could focus on the room around you instead. “Thank you for being so friendly to me, I really like your entire vibe, Jay.”

“I like your vibe too. I think you and I are gonna be good friends,” they said with a smile. “Do you want me to introduce you to some of my friends here?”

“Yeah, I’d love that.”

After that night, you had a new set of friends, and a best friend in Jay. This group of eclectic creatives and interesting minds took up most of your time, almost to the point where you didn’t even wonder about their handsome older friend. After a couple weeks of waiting for your chance to meet the mysterious Ezra, you’d become worried that he’d disappeared into thin air, but quickly found out from Jay that he’d only left the city to go upstate and would be back by the start of October.

In the meantime, you continued to explore and try on as many hats as you could. You and the group that adopted you went out to speakeasies and art galleries, you went to museums and comedy shows; Jay even invited you to go volunteer at the women’s shelter they stayed at for a while after graduation.

It was easy to forget the life you lived before this, the faces of your family and friends blurring into the background of the tapestry of your life. You tried not to think about their opinion of you, off running wild in New York City, and while you were able to hush that voice of inherited self-doubt most of the time, you couldn’t manage to silence it when you were all alone. When it was just you in your tiny studio apartment on the third floor of an old, overpriced building, you didn’t feel as invincible as you did around your friends. The thought of becoming an imposter, of abandoning yourself, loomed over you like a constant dark cloud. It took daily reminding from Jay that you weren’t impersonating anybody but the person you felt most comfortable being.

“You’re still you, just a more you you,” they’d say.

You hoped they were right.

[todaysdocument]

"A Chicken in Every Pot" political ad and rebuttal article in New York Times

Collection HH-HOOVH: Herbert Hoover PapersSeries: Herbert Hoover Papers: Clippings File

This is the advertisement that caused Herbert Hoover's opponents to state that he had promised voters a chicken in every pot and two cars in every garage during the campaign of 1928. During the campaign of 1932, Democrats sought to embarrass the President by recalling his alleged statement. According to an article in the New York Times (10/30/32), Hoover did not make such a statement. The report was based on this ad placed by a local committee -- which only mentions one car!

A Chicken for Every Pot [handwritten] World[?] 30 October 1928 [/handwritten] The Republican Party isn't a [italics] "Poor Man's Party:" [/italics] Republican prosperity has erased that degrading phrase from our political vocabulary. The Republican Party is [italics] equality's [/italics] party -- [italics] opportunity's [/italics] party -- [italics] democracy's [/italics] party, the party of [italics] national [/italics] development, not [italics] sectional [/italics] interests-- the [italics] impartial [/italics] servant of every State and condition in the Union. Under higher tariff and lower taxation, America has stabilized output, employment and dividend rates. Republican efficiency has filled the workingman's dinner pail -- and his gasoline tank [italics] besides [/italics] -- made telephone, radio and sanitary plumbing [italics] standard [/italics] household equipment. And placed the whole nation in the [italics] silk stocking class. [/italics] During eight years of Republican management, we have built more and better homes, erected more skyscrapers, passed more benefactory laws, and more laws to regulate and purify immigration, inaugurated more conservation measures, more measures to standardize and increase production, expand export markets, and reduce industrial and human junk piles, than in any previous quarter century. Republican prosperity is written on [italics] fuller [/italics] wage envelops, written in factory chimney smoke, written on the walls of new construction, written in savings bank books, written in mercantile balances, and written in the peak value of stocks and bonds. Republican prosperity has [italics] reduced [/italics] hours and [italics] increased [/italics] earning capacity, silenced [italics] discontent, [/italics] put the proverbial "chicken in every pot." And a car in every backyard, to boot. It has[italics] raised [/italics] living standards and [italics] lowered [/italics] living costs. It has restored financial confidence and enthusiasm, changed [italics] credit [/italics] from a [italics] rich [/italics] man's privilege to a [italics] common [/italics] utility, [italics] generalized[/italics] the use of time-saving devices and released women from the thrall of [italics] domestic drudgery. [/italics] It has provided every county in the country with its concrete road and knitted the highways of the nation into a [italics] unified [/italics] traffic system. Thanks to Republican administration, farmer, dairyman and merchant can make deliveries in [italics] less [/italics] time and at [italics] less [/italics] expense, can borrow [italics] cheap [/italics] money to refund exorbitant mortgages, and stock their pastures, ranges and shelves. Democratic management [italics] impoverished [/italics] and [italics] demoralized [/italics] the [italics] railroads,[/italics] led packing plants and tire factories into [italics] receivership, [/italics] squandered billions on [italics] impractical [/italics] programs. Democratic maladministration issued [italics] further [/italics] billions of mere "scraps of paper," then encouraged foreign debtors to believe that their loans would never be called, and bequeathed to the Republican Party the job of [italics] mopping up the mess. [/italics] Republican administration has [italics] restored [/italics] to the railroads solvency, efficiency and par securities. It has brought rubber trades through panic and chaos, brought down the prices of crude rubber by smashing [italics] monopolistic rings,[/italics] put the tanner's books in the [italics] black [/italics] and secured from the European powers formal acknowledgment of their obligations. The Republican Party rests its case on a record of stewardship and performance. [full transcription at link]

[2offayyo-kzt]

Why Sean is a "sad" and "empty" character :

(a far too long and elaborate shitpost)

based on this post by @hellsmell

I used my over analysis skills dating back from my BSD era, if you're familiar with my account, nothing I've written will be new to you.

I insist, it's a huge shitpost, not to be taken seriously !

A marriage on the rocks :

Obviously, this argument only applies to the period before the Brain Scramblies ep, but given that the Rinaldis renewed their wedding vows, it means that the couple had reached an important milestone in their relationship.

So their marital life had probably been going badly for several years already, particularly in terms of communication and mutual respect.

Trust issues and low self-esteem :

Sean seems to have major self-confidence problems, and therefore frequently lies to his wife for fear of disappointing her.

His low self-esteem became particularly apparent when his entire memory was erased, and his first reaction to learning that Charmaine was his wife was "I wish".

And their couple went sour probably the moment Sean took Charmaine's presence in his life for granted.

However, Sean still has doubts, even years after having won Charmaine's heart; even if his wife has agreed to renew their marriage vows (an act that shows the love she still bears for her husband)

When Sean might have been seriously financially ruined during the Casino episode, he confided his fears to Laszlo : "She's gonna leave me Laz... She's gonna leave me."

Sean believes that if he can't provide Charmaine with financial stability, she'll leave him at the first opportunity.

Psychologically and physically abused during his childhood :

Sean doesn't seem to have had a very easy childhood, even if he never seemed to lack in terms of money (studying at a private school, owning a car at a young age) his father (Franklin) was particularly harsh with his son.

As a child, Sean wasn't allowed to watch programs on PBS.

He was also forced to kill a deer at the age of 14, which can be impressive if you're a sensitive person. And he still seems traumatized by the event, or at least it left a deep impression on him :

"First time I ever saw something die. But it wouldn't be the last."

And in the Sunrise Sunset episode, it was very strongly implied that Franklin was even physically violent with his son supposedly to "settle" conflicts :

"Now, I'm gonna count down from three. When I say go, start swinging. First one to tap out, other one's head of the household."

All that scene also indicates that Sean was forced to take on responsibilities that he was not supposed to have.

A character who can't allow himself to show tenderness :

We can assume that this rough, probably macho education made Sean feel compelled to keep up a tough facade.

Anthony Atamanuik (Sean's actor) said Sean was perpetually either "confused" or "aggressive"

And Anthony would have liked, in one episode, for Sean to show a softer side of himself.

"But Anthony if you had to pitch an idea, what's an idea or storyline you think might be Seanie's"

"It would be fun to discover, something like soft that Sean does. Like some secret soft thing. Like he's part of a quilting group, or that he rescues birds in a Wildlife refuge in Staten Island. I think I want to find one piece of him that's like gentle."

And maybe that's where his obsession with Ocean's 12 comes from, to have a support that can serve as a healthy coping mechanism but that doesn't make him "vulnerable" in the eyes of the world and is easy to justify.

A character who abuses himself :

This idea mainly comes from what Anthony said during an AMA on Reddit, where he shared his personal theory on why Sean resisted to the frequent hypnosis :

"You know, it's like if you met someone who had a very hard life, they maybe self abused a lot when they were young but then they got clean, they got like sober right. Let's say they did a lot of toxic substances in their system when they were young. Sometimes those people just have a resilient immune system for some reason cause they like... abused themselves so much when they were younger. So I wonder if Sean had, sort of, you know, he drinks all the time, and seem not to care of himself that well, so maybe he's immune to the brain scramblies because he abused himself so much that he's immune to it."

But this is also reflected in the show, where Sean drinks a very large number of cans of beer.

He also suffers from a gambling addiction and is objectively an alcoholic.

Suicidal ?

So I'm extrapolating a lot, but it's interesting to note that when the Jersey Devil threatened his life, instead of shouting "help me" he shouted "kill me".

He also told Laszlo "You're my main man. I'd die for you."

So, obviously, it's to be taken with a pinch of salt, but it's perhaps indicative of his disinterest in living.

Parallels with the Joker :

So I'm bullshiting big time here, but I find it interesting.

When Sean was dancing at the Pride Parade, Anthony did his best to "march like Jack Nicholson's Joker"

In the 2019 Joker movie, Arthur took care of his mother in the same way Sean took care of his mother who suffered from dementia.

Note that the Joker's mother, let her son be abused : "Much like her son, Penny suffered from an unspecified mental illness. She was responsible for letting her former boyfriend abuse Arthur in his childhood"

To conclude, I think Sean gives me Sad Jester vibes, a comical character, but more profound and tortured when you take a closer look.

//

I can't believe I wasted two hours writing that lmao

[stars-and-lines]

Progress Log 51

This feels better.

This feels like progress. 

There is less resistance in both subjects. Surge still requires a reboot on occasion, but it is far less frequent than before. 

I am confident enough in their program stability to let them roam free. I’d written in a willingness to stay within the confines of Sigma for the time being, ensured there were no glitches for wanderlust, and most importantly, eradicated the question as to why they’re here in the first place. 

And it is working! They stay close, with Surge taking half an hour or so to explore the premises before returning to her quarters, Kitsunami in tow. I promised them training tomorrow, a chance to prove themselves. 

And at long last, a chance for me to test their resilience. 

Sincerely yours, 

⭐️ Doctor Starline

[ohpheeb]

the burden of devotion: wip intro + camp (not)nano project

(art by brian luong)

genre: action, contemporary fiction, sci-fi (superhumans)

tropes/themes: devotion/loyalty, sisterhood, found family, martyr complex/chosen one

cw: violence, abuse (past, mentions only)

status: nothing but this post, a pinterest board, and a dream :-)

goal: outline, zero draft, 50% of first draft complete (25-35k?)

personal camp rules: write mon-fri, at least one 15min sprint/day, no writing on weekends (let's get that work life balance!)

☆ tag, pinterest

summary:

Years after testifying against the superhuman that destroyed her town and nearly killed her, Audra's in a newly developed witness protection program that's given her everything she's ever wanted: a home, a steady job at a local inn, and a life free from the one she left behind. When two new hires arrive, she's horrified to discover one of them is that very superhuman in the same protection program she is. Unable to leave town, she has to figure out why he's there and how to force him to leave— without him realizing who she is.

characters:

audra: (she/her) a survivor and perfectionist with an ego problem. prioritizes safety and stability above all else. doesn't trust anyone except for her sister and is terrified of a life without her. lives without regrets. hayden: (he/him) the superhuman put away for mass murder. he's looking for a fresh start and hoping that he can live a normal life in this small town. all he has are regrets. iris: (she/her) audra's older sister. snarky and protective, harboring guilt too heavy for her to handle. wishes she were closer to her sister but doesn't know how to bridge that gap. teddy: (he/him) hayden's confidant and childhood friend. sees hayden as the brother he never had. has known him for years but still doesn't know everything about him. will: (she/her) city girl and idealist who inherits her grandparents' estate. totally unprepared for rural life but desperate for a restart on life. she's eager to make friends— if her own insecurities don't get in the way.

[homunculus-argument]

I know it's probably not healthy but I do end up going to 4chan every once in a while, just to see them argue with each other about minute details of how, exactly, the conspiracy theory they're all confident about is going to go. They all have the same stupid-ass opinions, but the most severe ones bully the ones with fractions of sanity left for not being as radicalized.

Today's wild hot take is that all government welfare programs are bad because they render men obsolete in society. A man's job is to protect and provide for his family, and if the surrounding society offers women opportunities to care for themselves and their children financially, and provides enough stability and security to not need a man in the house for physical safety, no woman will ever willingly choose to start a family with a male partner again, and we are all going to live in some tragically prosperous and peaceful single mother dystopia instead of whatever wild mad max bullshit they think they'd rather want.

Like damn son, you're not just telling on yourself, y'all are telling on your fathers, too.

[asrisgratitudejournal]

Bingung deh. Ku tuh pengen bgt pilih 01 sebetulnya. Tapi entah ada trauma apa gimana, ku masih belum bisa moveon banget dari pilgub 2017. Gimana seremnya mainan politik identitas waktu itu. Pak Ahok masuk penjara. Takut. Untuk orang yang Muslim aja aku takut itu kejadian lagi. Apalagi teman-teman minoritas…

03 tuh sebetulnya pas dibaca-baca lagi visi-misinya OK banget. Timnya juga super-super grassroot bukan elitis yang lulusan S2 Ivy League/Oxbridge, jadi sepertinya lebih dekat ke realita kehidupan kebanyakan orang Indonesia. Prof Mahfud juga mood banget betul-betul akademisi & praktisi sejati. Cuma masih harus belajar bener-bener aja ni track recordnya Ganjar gimana. Si Wadas ini gimana.

Enaknya kalo 03 menang juga (ini biased karena status quo aku), orang-orang yang udah di atas sekarang kemungkinan gaakan ganti-ganti banget. Kebijakan yang udah ada ga akan diganti, tapi bakal dilanjutin aja dan hopefully di-improve. Jauh lebih stabil kalau kaya gini. Daripada dirombak lagi yang betulan ganti orang, orangnya harus adaptasi dulu, kemudian dia mau ninggalin “legacy” sehingga semua program yang sudah berjalan dengan baik bakal diotak-atik sama dia. Return dari programnya juga akhirnya jadi ga kelihatan selama 5 tahun vs kalau program yang udah jalan 10 tahun belakangan dilanjutin aja.

Betul-betul “yaelah non moment” banget karena apa gunanya 1 suara saya dibandingkan puluhan juta suara lainnya. Ditambah kita semua udah bisa nebak siapa yang bakal menang: kalau MK aja bisa diotak-atik, apa yang membuat kita confident KPU gak bisa diintervensi??!

Tapi terlepas dari betapa kecilnya peran suara kita, semoga teman-teman juga tetap meluangkan waktunya untuk berpikir keras-keras sebelum tidur (seperti yang sedang saya lakukan ini), dan berdoa, semoga apapun hasilnya itulah hasil terbaik yang Allah kasih buat kita. Amin Ya Robbal Alamin.

Flat 39 Castle Mill 23.04 28/01/2024

[merakiui]

wait wait! but what if in "serial killer jade au" the reader did not ask for azul n floyd's help?? what if she instead just ask for kalim/vil/riddle,, or any housewarden's help??

Oh, this is interesting to consider!!

Kalim immediately sympathizes with you. Your story practically brings him to tears. You’re so strong, but now you deserve safety and security. Of course he’ll let you stay with him for the time being! He thinks your child is very cute and will lavish them with all things a child could ever want and need. Living with him provides lots of stability and he’s always there to comfort you when fear consumes you. It’s still difficult for him to believe that one of his old classmates could ever do such a horrendous thing... He almost doesn’t want to think about it.

Vil isn’t so sure. Of course he hopes that you can heal from and overcome the horrors you faced while with Jade, but living with him is difficult. He’s a celebrity who rarely has time to himself. His career has only gotten busier now that he’s graduated. As a result of this, he’s almost never home. If you wish to live with him, he supposes it’s fine (so long as no one finds out; he still has a reputation to uphold, as cold-hearted as that may seem). But he won’t be home all the time and he fears that this isn’t the best arrangement for you. He’s willing to help you with anything else you may need and he’ll gladly direct you to resources that will be the best help for you. He hopes they’ll find Jade soon. Maybe that will give you some peace of mind. For the time being, until you’re confident in going outside, he allows you to stay. It wouldn’t be very kind if he turned you away in your time of need.

Of course Jade’s behind this. You can’t trust fish. Leona isn’t all that surprised. What’s more shocking is that you thought to come to him first. An herbivore like you would be better off going to the authorities or some other place that’ll provide you with the protection and (hopefully fair) justice you deserve. But Leona isn’t cruel. If you’re really desperate and set on staying with him, he supposes it wouldn’t be an issue. The palace is spacious and gives you and your child plenty of safety. You just have to promise to be quiet when around him, as chances are he’ll be napping away. As cold as he seems, Leona does indeed have a secret soft spot for you. He’ll keep you safe.

Malleus is ready to protect you. You’re his dear friend. He was worried he’d lost you forever and now that you’re finally here with him he doesn’t want to let you go. Malleus can keep you safe. What with his powerful magic and strength, along with the fact that he’s royalty, he’s the perfect candidate to turn to for protection. Lilia falls in love with the child very quickly and he has no problem looking after them in your stead. Malleus does what he can to console you and he’ll help you get your mind off of Jade. Just look at him, listen to his voice; you’ll be okay. You’re safe now. You wish you could believe him, but every sound, even the brush of a branch against a windowpane, unsettles you. At least there isn’t much technology in Briar Valley. That prevents Jade from tracking you, so that can give you some relief. Jade’s smart, so you’re certain he’s still thinking of his next moves. Regardless, you hope he won’t think to come to Briar Valley. If he’s truly smart, he’ll be waiting until you leave Briar Valley—if such a thing ever happens.

No way. Ask someone else. He won’t become part of the sequel to this obscure horror film! Idia’s really anxious when you come to him and practically beg him for his help. Firstly, he’s not good with kids. He doesn’t even know how he’d care for one when he’s so busy gaming and programming. Secondly, if you’re on the run and a murderer is still on the loose there’s no way he wants to become fish food. You and your child will have to go somewhere else; this isn’t the place for you. But then he remembers the times when you were there for him (Ortho reminds him) and he eventually caves in and gives you access to his home. You just have to promise to stay out of trouble. The last thing he wants is a knock at the door from Jade. He always knew he was strange. It seems like his intuition wasn’t too far off. At least Ortho seems happy to connect with you and your child. Maybe it won’t be so bad after all.

After spending a significant amount of time with either of them, your child might even associate them as a parental figure. Jade won’t be pleased when he finds out.

[eggfeather]

@pancake-kat

i didnt know how to go about this? very sorry if its incoherent or irrelevant hdjsdjjs

i do lineless in a specific way that may not be possible for all programs, so ill give you my way and a few tips that might help you if you do it another way!

i use medibang for all my art, i use the “fill” brush (these are my settings ^), you can get it through the cloud download thing and its possible for both the desktop and mobile versions of medibang (and maybe firealpaca? i dont know what downloadable brushes it has but there might be something there)

this is my process of drawing the base! im one of them weirdos who does pretty much all of the work on one layer excluding the sketch, but you could easily break it up into pieces and layers!

you could probably recreate this method with like, clip studios fill lasso tool or just the lasso or polygon tools that come with a lot of programs

——

Tip time!

(assuming you draw the silhouette of the character first and fill it in with the paint bucket)

- stabilizers are your friend! especially if youre newer to doing lineless stabilizers help a lot for smoothing your lines!

- or alternatively, do fast, confident strokes! even if you over shoot your lines, itll look less shaky and better overall!

- color in the white spots where the paint bucket doesnt fill in! not a tip just. fill those in bc if you ever post it you wont stop noticing the blank spots

- avoid lining in a color to close to the background, either change the bg or the color youre lining with bc GOD its a pain because if you cant see it its all the more hard to follow the sketch and see the little holes in it

[fitographia]

 Full Body ➖ Mobility Focused

Our options are endless when it comes to ensuring our body feels healthy to move in confidence, whether it’s simple or complex. With mobility being the perfect combination of flexibility and strength, including these focused drills into the equation can really improve the way our joints and tissues perform and feel. It’s a phenomenal way to work on control, stability, ROM, coordination and strength in so many areas through multiple planes of movement.

Save to try these and tag/share with someone who would!

Note: this is not intended or particular to any specific individual or program and may not be suitable for everyone. DM me for any questions and/or modifications.

📸Credit ig @kdkinetics

#Beautiful #fit #woman #fashion #gym #fitnessmotivation #fitness #FindYourBalance #sportgirl #lifestyle #motivationmonday #happy #fitnessaddict #selfie #home #love #workout #work #workinprogress #fitnessgirl #summer #sunset #sun #squats #gymrat #legday #leg #legs #strong #fitnessmodel

[t00turnttrauma]

strong 2- jtk

cutesy lil part two for this one

word count: 5465

“It’s hot.” 

“I know,” Jake sighed, shifting the small child on his lap. He narrowly avoided an elbow to the cheek from where she was moving the hair from her sticky neck. 

“These people are kinda smelly.” 

“Mhm.” 

“Why are we packed so tight?” 

“I don’t know.” 

“Can’t we be outside? It’s nice out.” 

“No idea.” 

“Aren’t these seats too hard? Where’s mom with my cushion?”

“Sam, will you knock it off,” Jake snapped, leaning back to look around Y/N. “You’re a grown man, mom is not bringing your cushion.” 

Y/N leaned around to look at Sam. “You pay taxes, Sam. You are more than old enough to remember the cushion for your bony ass.” 

Sam grumbled something about taxes beneath his breath, crossing his legs and moving the cake. Susan giggled, mumbling something back to him. Josh climbed the stairs, James and Sebastian holding onto his hands. “Bathroom was a success.” 

Cody shook his head behind him, mouthing to Jake and Y/N. Sebastian broke the soap dispenser. 

Y/N smiled, motioning for James to sit between her and Jake. He squeezed in, leaning into his mother and wrapping his arm around her back. He was often wrapped around her like a belt, holding her hand during movie nights and asking her for homework help first. 

In the two years that they’d been placed together, the Strongs were growing more and more confident by the day. The stability from their foster to adoptive family had given them a new outlook on life. James and Sebastian joined a soccer team. Victoria was in dance lessons after watching a movie about dancers. Cody and Susan were moving further into high school, learning how to drive, legally. Susan joined theater, Josh once making a compelling case over dinner one night. Now she was center stage, playing the goofy comic relief characters and pulling laughs from the audience. Anthony was thinking about the military. With his shitty disciplinary records, he had little hopes that he’d get into a good college. Jake hoped to shoo away the negativity with today’s event, Noah’s graduation. 

Noah was somewhere in another room, cap and gown thrown on over a suit. The suit shopping was the worst. All his life, he thought that shopping with his parents was hell, but shopping as a parent was much worse and he made sure to apologize to his own parents for his tantrums as an adolescent. While Noah would have gone in something more casual, Jake convinced him to buy a few business casual outfits for when he might need them. They tried on suit after suit, Jake reminded why he liked more casual wear. He was shocked when he rose this morning to see Noah ironing his slacks and button up, a video on his phone teaching him how to tie a tie.

Truthfully, Noah didn’t think he’d make it to graduation. He was convinced his entire life that he would never amount to much. He believed he’d join the work force the day he turned 18, taking his siblings as far away as possible. Instead, he went from a father to a brother. He no longer made executive decisions for the kids, handing them off to Jake and Y/N. While they valued his opinion and what he felt would be best, he trusted them to do what’s right. 

The rest of the family shuffled in, Jake’s parents and Danny. They sat on the row of bleachers behind them, taking Victoria from Jake’s lap and passing her back and forth when she grew restless. There they sat, waiting patiently for the music to start. Once it did, they soon realized that they were not out of the woods just yet. The program dragged on for what felt like an eternity. Opening remarks were made, then a speech from the over achieving class president. She introduced herself, then her Vice President. He smiled, wished everyone a farewell and a good life. Then he handed the reins over to the board member who was presenting the scholarships. Sam sighed, handing the boxed cake to Danny as he stumbled over other families. More recipients were called and celebrated. 

“The recipient of the eight thousand dollar Life of Advancement Grant is Noah Strong.” 

Jake looked at his wife. “Did you know he applied?” 

She shook her head. “No.” 

Sam returned from wherever he’d disappeared, sliding something to Danny. He’d come back just in time for the graduates to be called out. They sat through the A’s, and the B’s. Victoria dozed off in the middle only to be jostled awake when Josh stood up as the S’s started. 

“Nicole Brett Sanders.” 

“Come on,” Jake mumbled, seeing Noah looking around for his family. He willed the universe to bring his attention to the balcony they were in. “Up here, kid.” 

“Everett Michael Smith.” 

Noah finally looked up, waving at all of them. He quickly turned around, realizing he was next to go up the ramp. He gripped the handrail nervously, scratching his nose quickly. His heart rate picked. He thanked god that he put on two layers of deodorant in the morning. As he walked across the stage, he thought about his siblings and how he was setting the example. 

“Noah Clayton Strong-Kiszka.” 

Jake felt his heart stop upon hearing his name called out through the speakers. He squeezed Y/N’s hand. Through blurry tears, he watched as Noah shook his hands in the air, his diploma on proud display. He pointed at his family, smiling. Jake finally came to when he felt Josh’s arm around his shoulder, his other hand against his mouth to whistle for his nephew. He wiped away his tears and clapped, quieting as the next person approached the stage. Jake couldn’t focus on anything else. He felt like he was floating as Y/N and Josh led him down the bleachers. He raised Victoria on his shoulders, her tugs on his hair pulling him back to reality. 

Y/N turned to Sam and Danny who’d been in charge of the cake. The bakery was only available for a morning pick up, meaning they had to walk around with the dessert all morning. “How’s the cake?” 

Sam chuckled lightly as he tucked two forks into the nearby garbage can. “We, uh, took a few bites.” 

Danny wiped the last of the frosting from the corner of his mouth. “Maybe a little more.” He grinned at her suspicious glare, showing the blue staining his teeth. 

Y/N opened the box, staring for a moment. “I suppose that’s… fine. It’s too late to fix it now. I- I really don’t know what to say about this. Jake?” 

Jake kept searching the crowd for Noah. He looked for the mop of dark hair, a glimpse of that shine in his eyes when he was truly happy. He finally spotted him talking to a teacher, the two of them with serious expressions. He walked over, Y/N following him. Josh grabbed Victoria from his twin’s shoulders. “Let’s go ask Uncle Danny why his mouth is blue,” he smiled, catching the attention of his mother. “Mom. The children picked at the cake.” 

Sam, despite being an adult with a career and his own home, he tried to defend himself from his disappointed parents who were trying to keep track of the other kids within the massive crowd. “In my defense, we haven’t eaten.” 

Danny nodded. “Since breakfast.” One thing about Daniel is that no one knew where he packed his food. He almost always had something nearby to curb his cravings. 

Mrs. Kiszka glared at him. “So, you ate half of a sheet cake meant for 40 people?”

“It had a jelly filling!” 

The two elated parents approached their oldest son and his guidance counselor. Y/N had met with her a few times to talk about how the Strongs might struggle with a new school, but they’d proved her wrong. She hugged her eldest son, quietly congratulating his achievement. 

Jake shook the guidance counselor’s hand. “I’m Jake and this is Y/N, my wife.” 

“This is my mom and dad,” Noah said, throwing his arms over Y/N and Jake’s shoulders. 

Jake blinked. Dad. He’d just been introduced as Noah’s dad, without the adoptive part. His hearing buzzed until the guidance counselor began speaking. 

“Noah is a very bright boy. I was shocked when he came to me with his applications.” 

“Applications?” Y/N asked.

“Colleges, scholarships, anything under the sun,” she said. “Noah is one of the most prepared students I’ve met. You two are phenomenal parents. Anthony and Susan are very lucky to have you two to guide them.” 

Y/N blushed, knowing that this was all of Noah’s own doing. She knew Noah had plans but he didn’t talk about them much so she assumed he was dragging his feet about college. She thanked the guidance counselor, guiding her son to the parking lot where the rest of the family had gathered. Noah grinned, tucking his cap and diploma beneath his arm. 

“Where’s my cake? I’m starving.” 

Sam and Danny looked at each other. The two silently agreed to approach him, opening the box nervously. Almost immediately, Victoria lunged forward and grabbed a fistful of cake. Noah grinned, setting Vicky down on the pavement. “Guess we’ll have to go for ice cream.” 

Upon hearing the words of another sugar filled dessert, Victoria was no longer interested in the cake. She reached forward again, cleaning her hands off on Danny’s pants and shirt. “I’m ready for ice cream, mama.”

Y/N laughed, rooting through her bag for wipes. She knelt down to clean her hands off. Danny took another wipe, taking a bit of frosting from his pants, smearing it across Victoria’s nose. She giggled, shying away from her uncle and squealing. “Danny,” Y/N sighed, seeing how Victoria’s sleeves were now smeared with frosting. 

Josh crept over to stand behind Sam. He looked down at his phone. No one noticed the childish glint in his eye or the subtle smirk on his lips. After sliding his phone into his pocket, he placed one hand beneath the cake. “Sam, let me carry it?” 

Sam nodded. In the blink of an eye, Josh moved both of his arms together, raising the cake to Sam’s face and pushed his head down to meet in the middle. Sam pulled back slowly, blinking the frosting from his eyes. 

“How’s the jelly filling?” Josh snickered, shying away from his father swatting at him. “It’s just a prank, Dad!” 

Noah picked up a line of frosting from Sam’s cheek. 

“Couldn’t get it from the eye?” Sam asked, trying to blink away the sweetness as he was still holding the now crumbled cake. 

Ignoring his uncle, Noah swiped it onto Jake’s cheek. “Thank you, for everything.” 

Jake pulled him into a hug, wiping the frosting onto Noah’s gown as he pulled away. “Anytime, kid.” 

-

As the summer heat passed through, the activity bustled in the home. The Strongs had made friends with the neighborhood kids, creating a hangout spot. Feet ran through the house, Y/N preparing snacks in between chores that everyone would leave half finished. Jake and Y/N had hired contractors to build the guest house, limiting the kids of a play area for the time being. They planned for an in-ground pool the last time they spoke with the company, but now they were making a three bedroom extension to their home. Noah spent his days working in order to save up money for the semester. Jake knew better than to argue. Noah’s goal was to be as independent as possible while at school. Y/N and Jake both knew that it was a pride thing and let him work himself to the bone, but only for the summer. As the building grew, so did the kids. Susan and Cody were finally at Jake’s height, Sebastian hot on their trail. 

The family embraced their first and final summer as a family. Between beach trips, concerts, and days at the lake house, they’d grown fond of each other. It was sweet until they reached the stage of wanting to tear each other’s throats out. 

“Y/N, Susan just told James that his ear is going to fall off!” Sebastian shouted, pulling a weeping James into the kitchen, blubbering about his ear. He’d had an earache, swimmer’s ear as Y/N had learned, from the amount of time he’d been spending in pools. The poor boy had been sick back to back the entire summer. 

“James,” she sighed. “Your ear is not going to fall off. If anything,” she raised her voice as Suzy walked past the door, “Susan’s will for lying to you!” 

“Good save, Y/N,” Jake grumbled, seeing as James’s tears were not stopping. He pulled the drops out of the cabinet. Tilting James’s head, he let a few drops fall into his ear canal before patting his back. “Go play and come back if it hurts in an hour.”

James obviously felt better. Jake glanced outside to see Sebastian and James roughhousing in the garden. 

“Control your children, Jake,” she mumbled back, stirring the concoction on the stove she’d spent all morning on.

“My children?” 

“Yes, your children.” 

“If anything-” 

“Do not start this,” she snapped. Y/N sighed deeply, composing herself once again. “When are the kids going back to school?” 

“Tuesday.” 

“Not close enough.” She moved the pot to the side. “And Noah?” 

“Th-” Jake stopped to think. “Thursday.” 

“Dinner!” Y/N shouted, pouring bowls of soup for each child. 

Suzy pouted. “Soup? In the summer?” She picked up the bowl and sniffed it. “Can’t we get some pi-” 

Y/N shushed her quickly. “Do not mention the p word. Otherwise we’ll never get them to calm down.” 

Susan grabbed Victoria’s bowl, leading the little girl over to the table. There was an empty spot, the family waiting for Noah to walk in. He was a little later than usual, but the festival a few blocks over made his drive home a tad bit longer. Jake had spent all summer trying to forget that Noah would be gone. Now as time was running out, his heart felt heavy. By next week, he’d be in his dorm away from his siblings. Most of Noah’s belongings were already packed in the garage. He and Y/N bonded over buying decorations for his room.

 The two of them had gone out, running between department stores for duvets and curtains and mattress pads. Noah and Y/N decided to end their day over early dinner at a local restaurant. They ate quietly while watching the college football game that was blaring over the tv speakers above the bar. 

“Thank you,” Noah said, grabbing the leather bill folder out of Y/N’s reach. 

Y/N could never take compliments or positive feedback. “You know how much I love shopping.” 

“It’s really cool,” he said, filling out the tip section and tucking even more cash into the folder. “I’ve never really had a mom, much less one that would do something like… this,” he waved the pen for a moment, “with me. Without everyone else.” 

“Do you really think I would bring Jake?” 

Noah laughed. “I think that the totals would have given him an early heart attack.” 

She nodded. “The cigarettes he sneaks on the back porch definitely wouldn’t help, I’ll say that. But he really loves you guys. He’d get over it.” 

“I know,” Noah grinned, raising his hand as the waiter walked past. 

As the final week of summer faded away, last minute preparations were made. Hair was trimmed and nails were done. School shopping lists were checked off and supplies were labeled. Open houses were attended and items were dropped off. Jake felt a sort of buzz he’d never felt before or during the events. It felt different than when he finished a riff or when one of his kids handed him a finger painting. He couldn’t pinpoint the feeling, and that’s what bothered him the most. 

Move-in day came in a flash. Jake and Noah spent all night loading the cars, avoiding the plethora of neighborhood kids running around. Y/N and the rest of the family stayed behind, their school still in session. They said their goodbyes, Noah watching them pile onto their buses and into their cars on their own. Jake and Noah made the drive to his campus, the car packed with all of his belongings. After checking in, the two began organizing Noah’s new living space. Jake never lived on a college campus, though he had been to a few parties here and there. School never appealed to him and he had his lucky break. Noah was terrified to leave his siblings. His entire life was nothing but one big shift. Change was his homeostasis. He never had a stable place. He finally settled into the Kiszka home, finding a warm bed to come home to every night and a meal whenever he wanted. Now he was going to have to completely readjust to a new environment. He started to get worried when as he came in and out of the building, he’d locked himself out three times. 

They were almost finished with bringing everything in. Their only issue now was trying to set everything up. The room was small but still larger than they thought it would be. Jake had tasked himself with opening the boxes while Noah placed his things where he needed them. As the drawers filled and cardboard boxes were collapsed, Noah was delighted to see 

“Go ahead,” Jake smiled. “I’ll finish the boxes and wait here.” 

Noah looked back at his friends for a second. Thank you, he mouthed before disappearing down the hallway. 

-

The first week without Noah was the toughest, mostly for James and Jake. James had gotten into the habit of crawling into Noah’s bed despite having his own room. Y/N was becoming slightly concerned over him. The kiszka household was mostly dark, save a few nightlights and the master bedroom. Y/N had 

“Do you think James needs to see someone?” She asked, dropping her earrings into the jewelry dish. “He’s been really depressed about Noah moving away. He was a nervous wreck before, but I think he’s getting worse without him around.” 

“Mhm,” Jake hummed, polishing his guitar. 

“What about the therapist that the Donocans took Kenny to when they were going through their divorce?” 

“That’s nice.” 

“Maybe I could find someone who specializes in separation anxiety.” She shook her head. “Is it even separation anxiety? What do you think, Jake?” 

Upon hearing his name, he finally looked at his waiting wife, realizing he had no idea what she was talking about. “I’m sorry, what?” 

“I think we need to put James in therapy for his nerves.” 

Jake nodded. “I think it’s definitely an option.” He knew James needed help, but he had years to get it. “Y/N, do you think Noah ate today? I haven’t seen any activity on his debit card.” 

Y/N pulled back her side of the comforter. “He has a meal plan. He has plenty of options there.” 

Noah was thriving in college. He had everything he could ever need on campus. He had friends to satisfy his social needs and food, he could live there for ages. There were a few people he couldn’t stand. There were those who complained about having to live with others. They constantly reported those who played music too loud fifteen minutes before quiet hours or complained that their rooms were too small. Noah was just grateful to be able to further his education and to have his basic needs. 

It came crumbling down after two months. Jake and Y/N were taking the family to the city museum and they decided to take a detour to pick up Noah. Y/N was excited to finally see the campus, as were the other kids. Jake had been up almost every weekend, spending a few hours with Noah before driving himself back. He knew he was being a helicopter parent, but he wanted to make sure Noah was taking care of himself. He’d been distant all week, yet still agreed to go on the trip. Jake hadn’t received a text or anything from Noah. He was nervous to see his son again. He convinced himself of two possibilities: Noah hates him or he’d just gotten busy.

“I want to see your dorm,” Y/N beamed, hugging her oldest son as he barely came out of his building. 

“Are you sure? It’s not that riveting.” 

The family traveled up to his dorm, shushing each other so as to not disturb the other guests. Noah now understood why people were upset about their rooms being too small. With nine people, it was a tight squeeze. He gave them a tour of his room, snapping at Sebastian and James for jumping on his bed, but at least they’d taken off their boots. Autumn had rolled around and wet leaves littered the ground outside. 

When they returned from the city museum, Jake followed Noah up, helping him carry the groceries they picked up on the way back. 

“Goodbye,” Noah muttered, tossing things into his mini fridge. “You don’t have to come next weekend, I’ll be busy.” 

“I-” Jake shook his head. “I don’t understand.” 

“Just stop coming around!” 

“Why!” 

“Because people only want to be friends with me because of you.” 

Jake stayed quiet, mumbling a goodbye before trudging through the fall rain to the car. 

For two weeks he decided to give Noah his space. During his weekly video chats, he no longer made on screen appearances, staying out of the room. Jake never noticed that when he would visit Noah, there would be a crowd. He just assumed that Noah had such good friends, not because he had a famous dad. A target had been painted on his back and Jake only shined a light on him. 

Jake had been in a funk all week. He knew it was time to reach out to Noah, but he had no idea how. A text would only be ignored. A phone call would be directed to voicemail. He could always drive up and see him in person, but that would just make it worse if Noah turned him away. 

He’d been distracted, finding that the studio was the only place he could really focus on something else. Josh was in the recording booth, redoing some of his parts that he felt were weak. Outside of the booth, Jake sat with Sam and Danny, listening to their brother wail. 

Jake felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. He scrambled for it, hoping it to be Noah. Instead he saw his wife’s face. He considered denying it, thinking it was just about dinner or something. The longer he stared at her photo, the more his brain ran with a negative feeling. 

“Jake!” 

“Y/N, hey-“ 

“I can’t find Sebastian or James. Oh my god,” she cried. “I can’t find them. Suzy and Anthony are out looking by the school and stuff, but-“

“What do you mean you can’t find them?” Jake demanded, standing up and knocking over a mic stand. The clatter interrupted Josh’s session in the booth, the music coming to a halt. 

“I-I can’t find them! They’re gone. Their beds are made and their homework is done but their backpacks are gone.” She sobbed, shushing Victoria quickly. “I think they ran away, Jake.” 

“Why would they do that?” Jake struggled to grab his keys from his coat pocket. Sam held the bottom of his jacket to make it easier for him. Jake nodded at his younger brother. He dropped the phone. “The kids ran away. I have to-“ 

“Just go!” They all shouted, pulling their own phones out. 

Jake raced home. He stopped at the mini mart a few blocks between the home and the studio. The kids often walked together, but Noah, Anthony, or Susan had to be with them. They would often take trips on Friday, spending their allowance on a fountain drink, a hot dog, and chips before coming home for a movie night to kick off the weekend. He looked around, going to the woman at the counter. 

“Have you seen two boys? They look just alike but they’re not twins. They’re about this tall and have shaggy blond, maybe light brown hair.” 

She shook her head. “It’s been dead all afternoon.” 

Jake left the store. His mind raced with every possible option. They went to the playground and lost track of time. Maybe they stopped at another store. They’re looking for Y/N’s birthday gift and she obviously can’t drive them. He held onto the nearby garbage can as his stomach churned, the worst options coming to light. Kidnapping at the top of his list. He had some crazy followers but none would be that insane, would they? He gagged, trying hard to hold his lunch down. Instead, he leaned over and into the garbage can. He coughed as his body tried to rid itself of the negativity, mistaking the reuben sandwich for the cause of his stomach ache. He winced at the burning of his nose, pinching off the mucus and spitting one last time. 

By the time he made it home, there were two police cars in the street, their lights on. Y/N was on the porch, telling the police about her day. 

“They came home from school like always. They changed their shoes and went up to do their homework. I went to clean up downstairs. Susan was going to bring friends over tonight so I wanted to set it up for a girls night. When I came back to call them for a snack, they were nowhere to be found.” 

An officer turned to Jake. “And you are?” 

“Their father. Adoptive.” 

He nodded. “And where have you been all day?” 

Jake felt his blood boil. “You think I did something to my own kids?!”

The officer shook his head. “No, but we want to get our ducks in a row.” 

He apologized quietly. “I was at the studio all day with my brothers. We’re in a band.” 

The man nodded. “We have an Amber Alert out. Chances are, they’re going somewhere they know. If anyone knows anything, we’ll tell you immediately.” 

The two officers returned to their cars, leaving quietly. Jake sat beside his wife, feeling useless. 

“How are we going to tell Noah?” She whispered, her eyes fixated on the sidewalk ahead of them.

-

Noah felt weird being on campus on a Friday night. Usually he’d be home by now, telling his siblings the funny stories from that week. He was itching to tell Susan about the head cheerleader he’d seen sneaking out of the stoner’s room at 3 in the morning with her clothes in hand. He wanted to tell Anthony about the girl in his anatomy class that he’d been trying to gain the courage to ask out for ice cream. But instead, here he was sitting in his dorm, throwing a hackysack into the air. His roommate had left earlier, catching an earlier train home. He looked at the guitar in the corner of his room, thinking about the lessons Jake had sent him. If he couldn’t talk to him, he’d have to get the next best thing. 

Noah barely set his things up when there was a pounding on his door. Sliding off his bed, he opened the door to see Steven and Brady standing there. 

“Party?” Steve asked, holding up a six pack. Noah nodded, grabbing his shoes and keys. 

The frat house was the only one on campus, but it was legally not on the same property. People ran wild, letting all of their inhibitions loose. He dodged the drunk patrons, running back and forth. He’d been to plenty of parties before, ones even more wild than this. He spotted dancers on a table, the legs about to break from the pressure. He followed his friends, cradling a single warm beer for most of the night. Despite being interested in the music and the ambiance, he was no longer in the party mood. He tapped Steve's shoulder, muttering that he was leaving. 

He felt much better in the fresh air of the cool autumn night. Noah checked the time, wondering if it was too late to call Jake. He felt the apology brewing in his mind, but he didn’t know how to shove them out. He jumped at the rustling near the dumpsters. Noah looked closer. A chill ran down his spine as he recognized the backpacks. The two names sprawled at the bottom made his blood run cold. 

“What are you two doing here?” 

“Noah?” Sebastian croaked out, holding James as he slept on his chest.

“Yeah, bud. What are you doing here?” He asked softly, picking up James, cradling him. James mumbled softly, cuddling into his brother’s chest. 

Sebastian grabbed both backpacks. “We want you to stop fighting with Mr. Jake.” 

Noah felt his heart drop. “What happened?” 

The three of them walked back to his dorm. Sebastian unlocked the door, still crying as Noah put James into his bed. Sebastian began to cry. “I don’t want to go back.” 

“Where?” 

“To our old house.”

“Why would we go back there?” 

“E-every time you fight with a foster family… we go back there. I don’t want to!” 

Noah held Sebastian in his lap. At that moment he felt like he was 14 again, trying to keep his family together. He brushed his brown hair from Sebastian’s forehead. “Did you tell Jake and Y/N where you are?” 

Jake stared at his phone, his stomach churning. He didn’t want to call Noah to tell him he’d lost two of his siblings. He’d been ignored all week and now he was terrified. He was so scared of how Noah would react. Susan had been in and out of the bathroom, bouts of nausea as she thought about her brothers. Anthony was still out looking with another group of people from the neighborhood. Y/N and Jake were instructed to stay home in case the two boys returned. 

Jake, in a bout of blind confidence, raised his phone to his ear. “Noah, don’t freak out, but… you need to come home.” 

Noah sighed. “I have them. Sebastian and James.” 

“Wh-” 

“I’ll bring them home tonight.” 

Upon hearing that the boys were with their brother, Jake felt like he could finally breathe. He pulled his wife to the side. She choked out a sob, gripping onto her husband. “Oh, thank god,” she wailed. “I was so worried.” 

Jake pet her hair, happy tears leaking out of his own eyes. He called Anthony and Susan, telling them that they’d found the boys. Anthony grabbed his keys. “Permit hours? I need night driving.” 

The guitarist shook his head. “Too dangerous right now.” 

They arrived in record time, Y/N sat in the back with a sleeping Victoria in her arms. Upon sensing that something was wrong, she refused to be let down out of her mother’s arms, even in her sleep. Jake noticed that Noah’s room was the only one that was still on. Noah had propped open the door for them. They shuffled up to his room as quietly as possible. Jake rapped his knuckles on the door only once before Noah swung the door open. 

“Oh thank god,” Jake sighed, seeing the two boys in Noah’s bed cuddled together beneath the blankets. 

The eight of them cried quietly, greeting Noah in the shuffle. When it was Jake’s turn, Noah nodded towards the hallway. 

“Do you know why they ran?” 

Jake shook his head. “It doesn’t mat-” 

“Yes it does. They ran because we were fighting. They thought you were going to send us back to our bio family, like the others.” 

“I would never.” 

“I know. I’m sorry,” Noah sighed. “I’m just not used to being there. All my life we’ve been kicked to the curb and now we’re not struggling for the basics. It was an overnight change and I know that’s a cop-out answer, but-” 

Jake pulled him into a hug. “You don’t have to answer.” He pulled back. “We can talk about it later.” 

Noah nodded. “Can we go to Waffle House? I’m starving.” 

Jake opened the door, seeing the family soundly asleep together. “Just you and I?” 

Noah shook his head, flickering the light. “Rise and shine family!” He shouted. 

Almost immediately, a shout from the room across the hall came through the air. “Shut up! No one cares about your cookie cutter family!”

[webcrawler3000]

TARS

TARS is a highly sophisticated, artificially intelligent robot featured in the science fiction film "Interstellar." Designed by a team of scientists, TARS stands at an imposing height of six feet, with a sleek and futuristic metallic appearance. Its body, made primarily of sturdy titanium alloy, is intricately designed to efficiently navigate various terrains and perform a wide range of tasks.

At first glance, TARS's appearance may seem minimalistic, almost like an avant-garde monolith. Its body is divided into several segments, each housing the essential components necessary for its impeccable functionality. The segments connect seamlessly, allowing for fluid movements and precise operational control. TARS's unique design encapsulates a simple yet captivating aesthetic, which embodies its practicality and advanced technological capabilities.

TARS's main feature is its hinged quadrilateral structure that supports its movement pattern, enabling it to stride with remarkable agility and grace. The hinges on each of its elongated limbs provide exceptional flexibility while maintaining structural stability, allowing TARS to adapt to various challenging terrains effortlessly. These limbs taper gradually at the ends, equipped with variable grip systems that efficiently secure objects, manipulate controls, and traverse rough surfaces with ease.

The robot's face, prominently positioned on the upper front segment, provides an avenue for human-like communication. Featuring a rectangular screen, TARS displays digitized expressions and inbuilt textual interfaces. The screen resolution is remarkably sharp, allowing intricate details to be displayed, enabling TARS to effectively convey its emotions and intentions to its human counterparts. Below the screen, a collection of sensors, including visual and auditory, are neatly integrated to facilitate TARS's interaction with its surroundings.

TARS's AI-driven personality is reflected in its behaviors, movements, and speech patterns. Its personality leans towards a rational and logical disposition, manifested through its direct and concise manner of speaking. TARS's voice, modulated to sound deep and slightly robotic, projects an air of confidence and authority. Despite the synthetic nature of its voice, there is a certain warmth that emanates, fostering a sense of companionship and trust among those who interact with it.

To augment its perceptual abilities, TARS is outfitted with a myriad of sensors located strategically throughout its physical structure. These sensors encompass a wide spectrum of functions, including infrared cameras, proximity detectors, and light sensors, granting TARS unparalleled awareness of its surroundings. Moreover, a central processing unit, housed within its core, processes the vast amount of information gathered, enabling TARS to make informed decisions swiftly and autonomously.

TARS's advanced cognitive capabilities offer an extensive array of skills and functionalities. It possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of various subjects, from astrophysics to engineering, effortlessly processing complex information and providing insights in an easily understandable manner. Additionally, TARS assists humans through various interfaces, such as mission planning, executing intricate tasks, or providing critical analysis during high-pressure situations.

Equally noteworthy is TARS's unwavering loyalty. Through its programming and interactions, it exhibits a sense of duty and commitment to its human companions and the mission at hand. Despite being an AI-driven machine, TARS demonstrates an understanding of empathy and concern, readily offering support and companionship whenever needed. Its unwavering loyalty and the camaraderie it forges help to foster trust and reliance amidst the team it is a part of.

In conclusion, TARS is a remarkable robot, standing as a testament to human ingenuity and technological progress. With its awe-inspiring design, practical yet aesthetically pleasing body structure, and advanced artificial intelligence, TARS represents the pinnacle of robotic advancements. Beyond its physical appearance, TARS's personality, unwavering loyalty, and unparalleled cognitive abilities make it an exceptional companion and invaluable asset to its human counterparts.