#i am not a good capitalist so i'm not sure i'm the proper person to ask

[sometimesrosy]

Hello Rosy! I feel a bit ashamed about this. I’m 26 and my partner is 29. We’ve been together for almost 5 years and living together for almost 3. We just bought an apartment with the help of our family, and we’ve still got a lot of things to get done and sort on the house. Now we have to be extremely careful with money, as people in our family won’t be able to help us for a while if the need arises. Before, we never failed any rent of any bill, and we still went out to eat, go to the cinema, buy some stuff we didn’t need, etc. We were already careful, but we could spend a bit without dooming us for next month. However, we have very simple jobs. I have a university degree and worked close to my field for a while, but it was always part time or without a contract. I now have a full time job as a receptionist, which isn’t a dream but makes do with the minimum wage. Partner had a really bad job when we started dating, but he’s been looking for better and better and has been founding them, until he settled where he is now. The pay is slightly higher than mine, but with taxes he brings home less. We’ve talked about getting better jobs and I’ve been sending out CVs, but no one calls me. As for him, he’s content where he is. This is where my shaming comes in: my work colleagues have partners and husbands that work for big industrial companies, which is what our city is filled with. Even if they don’t have good positions there, they are already paid much higher at entry level, but most of those jobs are by shifts. If my partner was willing to work by shifts, which is a massive headache, I realize, he’s make approximately 300€ or even 400€ more. Before, it didn’t bother me so much, but now it does because it really makes a difference. I could apply to those jobs but to those I definitely wouldn’t be called. We’ve argued about this before, he says shifts are out of the question so he can be with me, but I’m frustrated because I can’t find a better job and have been doing side stuff to get some more and neglecting myself. I want to make sure we have enough for rent as I’m scared to death of not being able to pay. I want us to be able to still go out to eat once in a while, I want him to be able to buy his booster cards for a fantasy card game he loves. Eventually he’d like to start a family in a few years, but I’ve told him I’m uncomfortable having kids with the financial instability we’re in. My colleagues have a good life and their kids are “safe” due to the job their partners have. One colleague even comments how her husband doesn’t like his job but he won’t let go of it because it allows him to have the lifestyle he wants, and he feels fulfilled in his free time. Right now my life feels really hollow, I don’t fancy my job but I don’t like where everything else is either. But I don’t want to be selfish to the point of asking my partner to get a more demanding job when he doesn’t want to and when my colleague’s partners do it and don’t like it. How can I get off this mindset?

Capitalism is an insidious game. There's really no way to win, because it's never enough.

Not to mention, just because you have a job that pulls in more money doesn't mean you are 'safe.'

There's no such thing. Stable industries fail. You can be let go at any moment. The things they tell you about what you will get when you reach a certain level of monetary success aren't really true.

Right now, you're comparing yourself to other people who are in different situations. You're a receptionist while they are probably farther along in their careers, right? You're min wage, and they're making more.

I mean, you're lucky. You have a good boyfriend and you have a home that you own. You do have some success and some security but you're not looking at what you have, but what capitalism has made you think you should want. Sure you want to be 'more secure,' but what are you willing to give up to have it? How do you win this game? I don't think the answer is to force your boyfriend to get a different job. You may want to plan for your OWN career to move forward. Where can you go with the credentials you already have? What else do you need to do to move to the next step?

Or the other way to change things is definitely to change your mindset and be thankful for what you have, like I said before, a home a boyfriend, lots of possibility for the future, time to spend together or do cool things.

I think housing can be really expensive and it can be stressful to keep up that financial burden. So how do you lessen that stress? Learn to be zen. Not easy but it does help. Earn more money. Not easy and can be a sacrifice. Spend less money. This actually isn't always that hard although it's definitely a sacrifice and you need to cut out things you are used to. Rent out a room in your apartment or take in a roommate? Sure it's not ideal, but it might help with stress and give you more leeway. Sometimes you need to give up the expensive house although I don't think I suggest that for you, but in the past I've found that getting a cheaper apartment can make things better.

I'm kind of throwing out different possibilities though I don't really have a definitive answer. I spent my 20s and most of my 30s in nyc where rent and cost of living is high and my earning were never a match, so I do understand. I'm also a bit disillusioned with capitalism and the idea that if you work hard you can make it. Because it's a rigged system. So I want to point that out. You might be seeing lots of examples of where it works so you think you should have it too, but what do you have to do to get it?

[ceasarslegion]

Now that I'm on a 5 hour train ride before my airport run I can outline a few thoughts about America I've had over the last week:

-everything is so big. Like canada far beats you guys in regards to raw land mass but there's like 12 of us up there. You guys really minmaxed how much you can fit into one place. Meanwhile you leave an urban center in canada and it's just nothing for the next half hour upon which you hit a gas station warning that the next ones not gonna be for another 2 hours so fill up now

-Ive seen more Amish people in my like 4 days in upstate NY than I have in my entire life before now

-ive also seen more confederate, trump, and general American flags in the last 4 days upstate than in my entire life before now. NYC was not that bad. Are you guys okay down here

-why do you have war vets advertised on street lamps

-why do you put your flag on EVERYTHING... im pretty sure there's a part of your constitution that says you're not supposed to do that lmao??

-i bought a big gulp with my last few USD bills yesterday. It gave me a nuclear level tummy ache but the hubris of having that much pop for 2 dollars made it worth it. I get the appeal of Big Drink now

-I was asked how I want my burger cooked when I went for a good ol' american cheeseburger. You guys are just raw dogging rare ground beef here like e coli can't touch you. There was a burger that had mozzarella sticks on it on the menu. Your frankensteinian approach to food captivates me

-i hate how you have 1 dollar bills here. That's wrong to me. 5 is the proper place for bills to start. To me. But the CAD to USD exchange rate is HEAVILY weighted in your favour so it's whatever I guess. Your grocery prices make me want to scream, cry, and throw up in that order. Canada's not much better but at least the prices have the same number on them in a comparatively worthless currency

-there is something so capitalist about this country. Every second of my day I am being blasted with ads from every flat surface. At least we don't have ad screens in our taxis???

-I bought an Arizona tea flavour we don't have in canada and upon glancing at the nutrition label it had 84% of my daily sugar intake in it. If that's what your convenience store iced tea is like I think whatever sweet tea is would just kill me

-I think the guns in Walmart are perhaps contributing to the way the tankies on this webbed site think guns are cool and not dangerous at all. My god I was uneasy seeing that shit

-i got a big box of american sugar cereal that we dont have in canada and they can pry it from my cold dead hands at the airport I'm qualified to work our TSA checkpoint and I know damn well it's allowed to go in the case of personal consumption this shit fucks so goddamn hard

[kira-bennett]

I'm just going to rant about this here because whenever the topic comes up IRL no one bothers to actually listen to what I am saying and it devolves into people being condescending as ever-loving fuck to me. At least if I post it here I can pretend people actually care what I have to say, and get it out the way I want to say it without being interrupted, having jokes made at my expense, and being ridiculed for having issues of my own.

The concept of awkward, really forced methods of getting people to date, especially in east Asian countries, came up, and it turned into a whole debate about the loneliness epidemic. The key points that were used to justify these awkward methods were, 1. Well the people are not reproducing so if they don't do this the population and culture will die out, and 2. work culture (specifically in east Asian countries) makes it impossible to date normally.

In response to point 1, culture is based on how people are raised, not genetics. You don't have to have a bunch of kids to keep a culture going. Letting people who truly want to embrace the local culture move in isn't going to change the culture much more than it would over generations because every generation, even if raised in the culture, changes it in some way. It's why we can look back on previous generations like they were a bunch of idiots and assholes. Typically my point that reproduction isn't the most important thing in the world, and in fact, expecting constant growth is just capitalist bullshit, is met with "we have the resources, just not the proper distribution" and honestly my point to that is that you have to work within the system you are in, not the system you could be in. Still work towards those better systems, but plan as if there isn't going to be a miracle because change, especially on a global scale, is slow.

Point 2 is an interesting one, because the obvious answer is to improve work culture, and to do that, people are bargaining with the best chip they have, the future. If people are not dating and reproducing because the culture is hostile to that sort of thing, the people in charge will have to decide which matters more to them, the culture or the future/reproduction. These half measures of awkward, forced encounters is just an embarrassing attempt at distracting from the real issue. It reminds me of the 4B movement (which started in Korea but is gaining traction in other countries) where women have decided not to date or reproduce because the current conditions for that are not favorable. More importantly, these measures seem to have been working, as changes seem to have gone in the worker's favor. According to statistica, Japanese employees work on average 136 hours a month, or 31.6 hours a week (for context, the average in America is 34.2), which is notably different from the 147 hours a month (34.2 hours a week) that was considered average in 2012. An anti-karoshi law, the Work Style Reform Law (which capped overtime) was ratified on June 29, 2018. There are other changes that have been made, but I feel like I have made my point. This begs the question of why dating has gotten so much harder despite work conditions, the supposed cause of this issue, getting better?

This study by Japan's Gender Equality Bureau illustrates how, married women, even while working outside the home, do 77% of the household labor and women are pushed out of careers they enjoy because they have kids. Another report by the same organization shows that women report not wanting to get married because they want to maintain their freedom, and don't want to be burdened with childcare and housework. In that study, you will also find that the majority of divorces were caused by personality conflict, mental abuse, and adultery, with illness and financial hardship being the least common causes of divorce (a hard blow for the "women only care about good looking wealthy men" crowd, I am sure.) People around the world are refusing to have kids, as evidenced by total fertility rates slowing worldwide, so it only makes sense to look at this issue on a global scale, and I'm sure that, while the exact numbers may be different depending on the country, many women across the globe can relate to these statistics. What I am trying to get at with this is that, as women gain the ability to support themselves independently from men, but still face a disproportional level of violence and discrimination, it is no surprise that those women will shy away from dating.

This draws me closer to another point I need to make, and the reason this topic bothers me so much. We are Americans, having this conversation in America, and, as such, enter this conversation shaped by the cultural conflicts of western society. A common issue here is what is known as the "male loneliness epidemic" and the incel problem. According to multiple studies men and women experience loneliness at similar rates, but the media frequently talks about the "male loneliness epidemic" and what to do about it, but if men and women experience loneliness at similar rates, why does only one side's loneliness warrant a solution? Well, its the incel problem. A lot of men who don't have much luck in relationships resort to violence (Elliot Rodger, Alek Minassian, Armando Hernandez Jr., and Oguzhan Sert, are some infamous examples), some men profit off of promoting violence and abuse (Andrew Tate, Jordan B. Peterson, etc), and even more justify it. This misogynistic entitlement to sex has gone on for a while in American society (after all, it was legal to rape your wife in the US until 1993) and a lot of women are done. They can support themselves financially, trying to date could put them in contact with someone who will rape and/or murder her for saying no, and if they did get married they would have to do the majority of the housework even if they have a job. It is no surprise that women don't have much motivation to date men, and, if they do, some choose to engage with them in the same, disgusting, transactional ("I'll provide sex if you provide money") way the men that listen to Andrew Tate expect. Meanwhile, the men who seem to be having the most issue finding a date always blame women for "only wanting a 6ft tall, fit, 6 figure man" despite the fact that, if you just take a second to look around, most women are not exactly married to/dating the stereotypical "desirable" man. Most women I know are dating or married to someone generic as hell looking with an income similar to theirs.

The worst part about it is, these people are spouting these lies about "what women expect" or, if they are at least trying to cover their misogyny, "what most woman are told to want," but these things are completely divorced from reality. As someone who was born female and socialized as a woman (the fact that I don't identify as one seem to only be respected when I am agreeing with them, so I feel the need to use more precise language here), I remember being told by parents, teachers, and strangers to give men that made me uncomfortable a chance, date the guy who gave off school shooter vibes so (if he decides to do it) I would be safe, a decent woman can change a horrible man (so give the guy covered in red flags a chance), and many other horrible things that basically say "what you want doesn't matter, what he wants does." I don't know where they got this whole "women are told to only accept physical and financial perfection" bullshit from, but it doesn't align with my experience, nor does it line up with the experience of most women. I have done that in the pass, swallowed my feelings in hopes of making the creepy guy feel less alone, and it invariably led to violence and/or sexual assault, which is probably why this conversation sets me off so much. I have also experienced profound levels of isolation and loneliness in my life (try having your only human contact, for years at a time, be your abusive immediate family and tell me again how "I can't get a date" compares on the loneliness scale). I will never condone any argument where someone has to accept putting themselves in that level of danger just to make someone feel less lonely, and that is exactly what these people imply when they complain about women choosing not to date (let's not get into the misogyny of not believing the reasons these women actually give, as shown in the previously mentioned study, just to substitute your own reasoning. It's not like women can make logical decisions and voice their reasoning, right? /obvious fucking sarcasm). I am tired of being told I'm the one in the wrong for saying people need to stop prioritizing sex, dating, and marriage, over someone else pursuing happiness in a way that feels safer for them.

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

A lovely sight

Timari January: Day 20 (This is a date, isn’t it?) by @maribat-calendar-events

Summary: Breaking and entering at the same time is definitely a date.

Back to Timari January 2023 Masterlist

Marinette laced her hands behind her back, following after Red Robin like she was a puppy that was eyeing up the treat in his hand.

“Don’t you have better things to do?” He sighed, glancing around a corner before nodding – mostly to himself – and continuing forward.

“Nah, I’ve got everything I came for,” she said, swinging her bag for emphasis.

“Then why aren’t you leaving?”

She grinned. “I'm not stupid, Red, I know that anything you’re after would be worth quite a lot.”

“Won’t be worth much if you don’t know how to use it.”

“I’m not a bat,” she reminded him. “I’m perfectly willing to get help. I’ll hire someone if I have to.”

“Yeah? Then I guess I’m going to start applying for a specific job position hundreds of times.”

“Aw, you want to spend time with me that bad?”

He rolled his eyes (they were gray) and went back to ignoring her, trying door after door in search of… well, something. Marinette wasn’t really sure. She knew that there was a goldmine of information on site – the people running the place were decently important members of the Court of Owls, and most rich people were absolutely arrogant enough to keep classified documents without proper defenses. She didn’t know the nature of the information, but she knew she could use it as leverage or sell it for personal gain, so she would like to get her hands on it.

“Well, it looks like we’re out of the bed and guest rooms…” she said, quietly relieved. She had already walked in on people ‘making the most of the night’ enough to last a lifetime. In fact, walking in on people zero times would have been enough to satisfy her for life. She was not having a good time. “I’m guessing we’re looking for a study? Or an office?”

“Why do you ask?” He sighed, glancing up from the room he had opened up. It looked to be a greenhouse of sorts. Rich people.

“Because I want to help, obviously,” she said, smiling sweetly.

“You don’t even know what to look for,” he reminded her carefully. “You need me to find anything of use.”

“I’m just going to steal the CPU and every file I get my hands on.”

A simple method, maybe, but hey, it works.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Don’t do that.”

“You could always tell me what we’re looking for,” she said.

“I am looking for stuff that can put them behind bars.”

She hummed a little, nodding to herself. Yeah, that could definitely be used to extort them. Especially since there was no way that a family as rich as this would actually go to jail. Sorry, Red Robin, she should probably tell you of her doubts, but she’s a realist and a capitalist.

They got approximately three doors down before Marinette’s ears picked something up. She blinked and glanced back at the end of the hallway, where she could hear the steel toe boots of the guards clanking as they headed their way. They were moving fast – not quite running, but certainly moving with urgency. Which meant they were suspicious.

She glanced back at the door she had just unlocked. It was a study, almost definitely the one that they were looking for based on the sheer amount of filing cabinets there, but she couldn’t see any hiding places. Besides, the place was supposed to be locked. If they so much as tried the knob, they would realize where they were hiding.

But if they were suspicious already then it would be difficult for them to get into the room later. If the guards didn’t see Red Robin and Marinette there, and saw nothing out of place, then they would expect for them to head there later.

She tipped her head from side to side, considering.

She rushed in and threw open some cabinets, tossing aside manila folders and individual papers alike.

“The hell are you doing?” Red Robin hissed. “They’re going to check here first, we need to go.”

She didn’t bother answering. She glanced around, making sure the place looked sufficiently ruined.

He held a hand out for her, jerking his head in a way that screamed ‘hurry up’ without actually screaming because they didn’t want to get caught –.

She nodded to herself before taking the hand and allowing him to drag her to the door.

They poked their heads out the moment the guards stepped into the hall.

There was a beat as the two pairs locked eyes, frozen in a mix of shock and horror.

And then Red Robin yanked on her arm and they were stumble-running for the nearest place to hide.

They slipped into the greenhouse, and Marinette threw the door closed behind herself, locking it.

Marinette breathed a tiny sigh as she stepped back. It wouldn’t hold them for long, but it would hold them.

“We know you’re in there!” The person yelled, and there was a terrible clanging sound as they beat against the doorknob.

“Get fucked!”

“Open up or we’ll make you!”

“Yeah? Do it!”

The knob broke off, and with it the lock. The door started to open.

Okay, well, yeah, that one was on her.

“Occupied!” Marinette yelled through the new crack, pushing the door closed again and throwing all of her weight into holding it. At least the hinges were on their side. It was much easier to hold the door closed that way.

Red Robin wrung his hands, looking around. There was plenty of vegetation to hide in, but would that really matter? They knew they were there.

And then his eyes lit up with something that might have been realization.

“Hold the door!”

“I’m sorry, the fuck did you think I was doing before?! Leaning against it for fun?!”

He started moving aside plants frantically, shoving a few in front of the door as if a tiny pot of aster was really going to help her hold back the people ramming into the door as hard as they could.

An alarm started to blare.

“Well, I guess this is a lovely place to die,” she muttered.

“We’re not dying here. I am not dying with you.”

But it didn’t work like that, they both knew.

Her eyes slid from place to place, drinking in the sights. They would be the last ones she’d ever see, after all. No one comes back from screwing over rich people.

So, she should enjoy it while she can.

Flowers of all colors. Blues, purples, yellows, whites, and greens. She recognized a few as aconite plants, though she couldn’t move close enough to see what type.

There was a stone bench crowded underneath a gorgeous cherry tree in the center of the room. Maybe the tree would have been a problem, as it made it difficult for the sun to get through, but in a place like Gotham it didn’t matter.

Sun lamps shone down on them, and it was the closest she had ever been to actually feeling sunlight in a long while. It was nice.

A couple of butterflies fluttered around, disturbed by the banging on the door. One landed on her shoulder, and she smiled at it.

Through the glass wall on the opposite side of the room, she could see bright smears of neon lights.

“What a waste,” she breathed. “That such a lovely, romantic sight should be wasted on us.”

Red Robin pulled back to look at her, his skin flushed from all of the rushing he had been doing. “Well, who says we can’t be romantic? This is a date, isn’t it?”

She giggled. It sounded a little manic, even to her own ears. “Oh? Take all the girls to do B&E on your first dates, then, Red?”

“I mean, why not? What better way is there to tell if you’re compatible than to try and work your way out of a life-or-death situation together?”

She laughed, and this one was far less strained. “Oh, and how are we doing?”

She had expected him to banter back, to say something about how they weren’t meant to be, but he drew back from his spot and revealed a vent he had unscrewed.

“You tell me.”

Marinette’s eyes widened.

And then she glanced back at the door, the butterfly fluttering off in protest of the sudden motion. But she didn’t care.

“Move the bench over here.”

[undergrounddweller89]

Spicy head cannon

Lol also kinda silly...it was meant to be

KALE X CHAI

Phone sex times I guess also irony it was supposed the be chai that ended up fapping huh go figure. With a splash of attempted after care

Also sorry for it not being that good ^^;

(added note , it got spicier than intended...and Chai is 25 and Kale is 38 they're both consenting adults got a problem just block me or unfollow shrugs. )

One point Kale totally called Chai after watching him beat up his security and destroyed Rekka, he couldn't get the man out of his head at all, like he shouldn't be impressed...that... natural ability and strength, despite him calling him a defect, he hates how Chai's defect actually makes him perfect.

He loosened his tie and swallowed thickly he couldn't believe he was about to...ask him for this but it wasn't as if the staff had been exactly capable of capturing Chai in the first place...so he couldn't...make a proposal or a favourable trade in person.

....

Chai had been in the hideout, thankfully there was a spare room that he'd made his own when he got the message through his phone....a call from an unknown person... without thinking (cause come on it's Chai) answered it only to stare dumb foundedly as he saw Kale looking... flushed and a little dishevelled, odd considering he always looked so proper.

"Are you calling to make a deal dude, want us to stop and you'll put an end to Spectrum."

"Spectra and no, but I am willing to trade something for a favour."

Chai sat up, still not exactly sure what was going on...but Kale seemed a little... breathless.

"What kind of deal we talking about , I don't know how to fix the coffee machine, I know someone made it decaf on purpose though, god you gotta he a real asshole for that."

"Yeah...and what else am I besides that Chai."

Kale pressed him , while Chai completely missed the hitch in his voice

"Oh I'll tell you what you are Mr Vandelay, a no good, capitalist bastard that-"

Chai blinked face going red

"Dude are you?!"

Chai noticed the shoulder movement of Kale's right arm and the intense stare and how bright and beautiful Kale's eyes looked against the crimson hue of his cheeks

"I swear to god Chai, if you hang up, I'll hunt you down and face fuck everyone of your insults back down your throat."

Shit...Chai had not expected to find that so.....hot...the growl, the fact that Kale had called him, needed to get off to him...

"Don't get shy on me now... please..."

That near whine in Kale's voice put a shit ton of confidence in Chai, more than he should have as he leaned forward

"So Kale...let me get this straight...you want me to tell your that you're just a piece of shit... huh, nothing more than a desperate pathetic needy brat that needs a Defect to look after him?"

Where the hell had that come from, Kale didn't know but he didn't care Chai had hit his kink right on the fucking head, leaning back he finished undoing his tie, exposing a teasing hint of his metal plating.

He had an arm up above his head waiting for more.

"My favour , you get close to catching us...you let us run."

"Once... I'll let you run once Defect."

Kale spat out but , there was no real venom , he was just getting impatient.

"You're lucky I'm not there."

"Oh and why is that?"

"Am I connected to your blue tooth head piece?"

He asked casually, which drove Kale insane, how dare he be so nonchalant in this , but those eyes still staring at him, still watching him, Chai's focus was solely on him.

"Yes of course."

And then Kale froze as he heard Chai's voice just go a little deeper, how...how could he be such a dumb ass and still do THAT.

"You're lucky I'm not there, I'd have my fingers around your throat, remind you just how pathetic you really are..."

That little sigh Chai followed with , the kind you gave when you appreciated what you saw before you had Kale squeezing his cock a little tighter listening waiting for more

"I'd force your head back against that ridiculous pretentious seat , fingers trailing down your body, you'd have your hands bound, but not with your tie..."

"What with ...what..what would you use?"

Kale glanced at Chai's scarf as he watched him pull it from his neck and wind it between both hands , making it taut in the middle

"The thing that helped me when I didn't have this tech, what supported me would be binding you heh or maybe I'd gag you with it, make it nice and tight so your pretty mouth couldn't say a single fucking thing..."

Kale watched eagerly as Chai leaned in a little closer

"After all the only thing that mouth is good for is sucking my cock....and you'd like that wouldn't you, you little slut, look at you panting over your enemy, begging for me to get you off."

Kale couldn't believe for all of it all those puns , those insanely stupid fucking remarks he'd heard on the camera footage he was getting to see a side of Chai none of them knew about , this was his , this moment was his, pre cum was spilling past his fingers , smearing along the length of his cock, it throbbed, completely engorged, glowing orange lines pulsed.

"You'd have to beg me before I'd let you climb on me Vandelay."

Kale went still and stared at him , something predatory in his eyes and for a moment Chai wondered if he'd gone too far.

"You'd let me ... wouldn't you? You wouldn't make me beg like that and then not let me...I don't beg for anyone Chai..."

Kale felt a sense of pride as he saw Chai's cheeks go red and nodded.

Chai was sat in the darkness off his room with only the phone screen to light it up, but the way he felt now he might as well he ablaze , Kale had handed him control, given it to him willingly... to him of all people.

"Can I see?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I want to look at you Chai, I want to see the way you look at me, if you ever get caught...I'll have my head of security send you to me personally...and you'll be mine Chai...you do realise that don't you kid."

"I'm an adult , twenty five to be exact thank you."

And there it was that usual Chai charm that pouting stupidity of a man who was a brat just as much as he could be one.

"Fucking idiot of course I know you're an adult, I wouldn't be doing this with you if you weren't."

Kale snapped at him, getting frustrated.

"How old are you?" Chai grinned enjoying that Kale was indeed getting pissy.

"Thirty eight got a problem with that? Can we please resu-"

Oh shit the look Chai just pulled , he'd just loaded the proverbial cannon and Chai was about to degrade him to the end, it seemed no, Chai didn't mind at all...not one bit

"Look at you, not only are you a pathetic ass, but you're a dirty old man, twinks get you off huh? Bet you'd just love it if I pushed you back on your desk and fucked you raw huh..."

Chai looked him up and down biting his lip.

"I'd gag you and have your thighs spread, you'd ache and whine like a desperate whore who hasn't been fucked in years and I'm the best fucking thing you've ever had, that wouldn't be your hand around your cock right now Vandelay.."

He flexed his robotic fingers one by one smirking

"I'd make you cum Kale, until it hurt...and you'd be the one begging for me not to stop because let's be honest, the moment you realised I'd decimated Rekka you wanted me to destroy your ass and ruin any pride you had."

Shit he hoped he'd used decimated in the right way, he wasn't that good with certain words but he got his answer as Kale bent over , fighting to look up at him, moaning, lips parted , wincing as a streak of cum actually splashed across his cheek and nearly hit him in the eye.

A shaky breath left Kale's lips, ha what pride, he'd just called his enemy to degrade him over the phone and loved every moment of it, he thought it'd get him out of his system...but now it was an itch under his skin, his plating, someone who's had a taste of something and they needed more.

"Hey Kale..."

Chai said softly which caught the older man by surprise as he watched him reach a hand forward, and realised...Chai was mimicking the motion of stroking his face and brushing back his hair

"What are you doing?"

Kale asked, still dazed but a little confused.

"After care...you did such a good job, here let me just..."

He motioned his scarf as if he were wiping Kales cheek clean and Kale was lost... he'd lost and he knew it ...he'd keep fighting him but...he'd lost because...now he felt how big the office was, how alone he was and the idea of Chai making a genuine fuss of him after all of that....

"Thank you...Chai."

Chai blinked owlishly, that was the first time Kale had said his name without malice or it sounding like he was still calling him defect.

But before he could say anything Kale had already hung up.

But it was not the last time they had a call like that.

[gildedmuse]

Hey, everyone.

So recently I've (predictably) very not well. Actually, whenever I don't post for long periods, just assume my body is trying to kill me. But I've gotten messages from three people asking if I. Okay, which is super sweet. I am actually trying to work on the next All Hearts, a really long ZoLaw post and two request fics, but mixing chronic kidney pain and capitalist society's mandate to work 40+ hours is not recommended.

But to prove I'm okay and still me, here is some Shanks antics with him being a total slut while Mihawk and Beckman just roll their eyes and go along with it. [Shout out to @jhaernyl who not only listens to me ramble about this stuff, but actively encourages it]. I also have many thoughts on the latest episodes and so many screenshots it's embarrassing. Hopefully, when I'm in less pain, I'll get around to actually posting those. Otherwise I just look like an insane person who literally takes by the second frame shots every time Zoro is on screen.

.... What is that? I look like that anyway? Fair.

Shanks Is A Bad Influence

It feels like Buggy and Shanks split up after Roger's death (the crew was told to, and they are the only ones who went to his execution) and I find it impossible to think Shanks didn't immediately set out and find a crew; like, pirating is the only thing this kid knows in life. This means two things:

He set out from East Blue. Also, he seemed at ease and familiar with the East so it's possible he spent like a year there getting everything together. Maybe he even played around in the other blues for a while before heading back to the Grand Line. I say this because his crew is from all over so either he found and recruited them in the Grand Line or visited various blues. Either way, I'm gonna say it took him about two years before getting a 'proper' start. In that case, he would have started out properly at the age of 17 and we know One Piece likes it's parallels.

That still puts Shanks at 17 to Benn Beckmen's 28. How the fuck did Shanks manage that? I'd call it grave robbing, but let's face it, the little tyke probably got up to some actual robbing of graves as well.

My point being everytime Shanks teases Mihawk about keeping this 19 year old kid on his personal island, mostly shirtless, Benn Beckmen just lifts an eyebrow.

Excuse me, captain, who had prefected the 'opps still don't have my sea legs' trip-and-fall into their first mates lap by the age of 17?

Shanks: Beckmen, you caught me! *Shamelessly nuzzles up* Thank goodness! I could be a devil's fruit user after all and - Ahh!

Benn: *Drops Shanks straight over the side of the ship into the water*

Shanks: *Sputtering* What what that!?

Benn: Checking to see if you had eaten a devil's fruit on us, Capatin.

Benn: You didn't.

Smart ass. But he can't resist Shanks forever. Shanks will wear him down eventually.

Next time Mihawk tracks him down for another match - because you know he gets bored way quicker than he'll ever admit and Shanks is at least amusing a challenge - Shanks makes a big deal out of how Mihawk follows him around, "accidentally" revealing they slept together, sighing about how it's so hard to resist him.

Benn Beckmen is just leaning against the side of the ship, sipping his booze.

Shanks: -and I can't stay for hours like last time!!

Mihawk: Are you quite done?

Shanks: *whispering* Does Benn look jealous?

Mihawk: He looks bored. Much like I am. Is this some strange attempt to get out of my challenge, Akagami?

Shanks: What? No, come on I told you I was game. But, hey, could you do me a favor? Maybe like try and kiss me or something? Like take a swing like your going to hit me but then stop shot and grab me by the waist instead.

Mihawk: .... Trickery is beneath you. Besides, you're absolute rubbish at it.

Shanks: Oh, come on, I would totally help you get laid if you asked!

Mihawk: .... *Sigh* I want a proper match afterwards.

Mihawk: *In a forced, monotone voice* After this I will take you to my lair and have my way with you, Akagami.

Mihawk: ... My lair? Really?

Shanks: *Holding up cue card with quickly scribbled line* What? That is how you talk.

Mihawk: I can't believe I wasted precious hours of light tracking you to this atrociously rural port.

Shanks: See? Now, read the next one.

Benn: Captain? If this is going to take all night, I am going to go join the rest of the men in the tavern.

Shanks: Huh? Wait! Benn! What if Miha really stabs me this time!?

Benn: *Salutes Shanks with his bottle* Sounds like that is his plan captain. Have a good 'challenge'.

Shanks: What? No... *Reaching out hand, like he might die if Benn leaves, looking completely devastated* Not even a little jealous...

Mihawk: You couldn't have thought that pantomime would actually work.

Shanks: Benny, don't leave me.... *Turns to Mihawk, immediately brightening* Oh, well, there's always tomorrow. Hey, Miha, guess whose free all night and horny as a pirate in the calm belt?

Mihawk: .... *Sigh* Very well.

Mihawk might as well get something for the trip he made. Although, he's reconsidering if the sex was actually worth the trouble after he ends up listening to Shanks worry half the night that Benn is shacking up with someone else (after a couple hours of rough and raw fucking, admittedly).

Is it the hat? He likes his captain's hat. Miha, you think his captain's hat is sexy, don't you?

Mihawk: It's utterly ridiculous.

Shanks: ....

Shanks: ....

Shanks: *Smile* Ahh, Miha, I knew you liked the hat!

Shanks: What do you old Northerns find sexy?

Mihawk: I am only four years older than you.

Mihawk: And silence.

Trying to convince Mihawk to go spy on Beckman for him. Shanks doesn't actually care if he does sleep with someone else, it's more that Beckman didn't immediately turn angry and jealous like Buggy would have that has him paranoid.

Mihawk is going to fuck this annoying red head again just to shut him up.

Mihawk: Maybe he doesn't like red haired boys who don't know when to be quiet?

The next morning Shanks is pacing among his poor crew that's gotten stuck listening to Shanks obsess about Beckman again. IS IT REALLY THE HAIR!?

It's not even a matter of Shanks's age (or obvious immaturity). I mean, Beckman got on board and stayed, didn't he? Beckman just enjoys watching Shanks try so hard to get his attention. Like Benn's attention isn't constantly on Shanks. He had to when his captain is always one step away from disaster.

He only left him with Mihawk because it was clear Dracule is not a real danger to Beckman's captain.

Except maybe insulting him to death. But Beckman is pretty sure Shanks can handle it. He's met Buggy. He's suspects Shanks LIKES it if anything.

It gets to the point where when they dock somewhere and see Mihawk waiting, or come back to the ship and spot his familiar silhouette, most of the crew goes off somewhere for another drink (sometimes the newer kids will stay to watch such an awesome fight, everyone else is like... Look, you'll have plenty of opportunities later. This is not a one off.)

Benn just takes a look around, nods to Mihawk (a silent signal for, "he's all yours, do with him as you please, if anything happens to him I will track you down and make sure your last few hours on this blue world are as painful as humanly possible") and heads off.

Oh, it's just the Hawk boy.

That's fine then.

Benn use to be a sailor on a trade ship between the North, East, West and Grand Line. He's seen it all.

They called him The Gun Slinger BEFORE he joined Shanks's crew and became a pirate.

So this young, broke ass kid from the streets of some near artic northern island trying to pass himself off as a Lower North rich type has a thing for his captain? Not really enough to keep Beckman up at night, no matter how good at swords he's supposed to be

Besides, he's pretty sure for the kid to keep tracking down Shanks, he must be bored out of his skull. He's not going to do anything to endanger their captain.

Not if Shanks is the only thing he can find to keep him entertained.

One day, Mihawk is going to be waiting on the dock when a bunch of Red Haired pirates are stumbling home, laughing and chattering amongst themselves (Shanks's crew always seems to be in a good mood). One of them will catch sight if Mihawk and walk by with a smile, patting him on the shoulder.

The captain's occupied. Seems likely he'll be 'occupied' for a good while, too.

Mihawk won't smile, but he will think "So you finally warmed him up to you, Akagami?" and snort lightly.

Poor Benn, though. Mihawk could never imagine being with someone so much younger than him. Shanks is only four years his junior and already it strains Mihawk to put up with his occasional moments of "youthful whimsy" (aka being an annoying, immature child)

"A young, cocky pirate with strangely colored bright hair"

Mihawk just putting that on his Not To Do List.

That lasted until Roronoa.

(Mihawk just looking at Zoro knowing this is bad news.)

Mihawk: *Takes list from Benn*

*Cross out, scribbles*

*Hands back to Benn*

Do Not Do:

- A young, cocky pirate with strangely colored bright hair a silly hat, who is overly dramatic and in any way, shape or form related to Gol D Rogers.

Ace: Hey what's up?

Mihawk: *Takes list from Benn*

Go ahead, Benn, laugh it up. Mihawk is aware he has a type. Young, pretty, and utterly insane.

After that night where Shanks was otherwise 'occupied', it's over six months before Mihawk sees his friend his rival again. He is, as expected, far too smug and proud looking.

Shanks: Oh, Miha, so sorry you came all this way, I'm-

Benn: Well, I'm off, captain.

Shanks: What!? But we, you, I... Benn, hessoeexyarentyouworriedforyourcaptain?

Benn: *patting Mihawk on the shoulder* Have fun with him. Don't forget to return him by noon tomorrow, we have a schedule. Oh, but if you can babysit him for at least four hours? That would be great.

Shanks: BABYSIT!?

Mihawk: I suppose I can be troubled to do so.

Shanks: TROUBLED!?

Benn: Thanks, Hawkeyes. I owe you.

Shanks: *Fake tears clinging to his lashes* You two are so mean!

No, don't feel bad for him. Shanks is just trying to guilt the two of them into bed at the same time, and they both know it.

Thanks no thanks, they're not into that. But Shanks can be pretty cute when he's trying so hard (Benn) and at least he's not as boring as everything else in this world (Mihawk) so they allow him to keep up the act

Shanks: *looking at Zoro's wanted poster over Mihawk's shoulder* But I feel like you'd gladly go to bed with him and his captain if he asked. That doesn't seem fair to me. You'd never go that far with me and Benn.

Mihawk: *Eyes Benn*

Mihawk: *DEAD. ONLY.*

Mihawk: I have my reasons.

They can and do agree on plenty of things, including reciprocally not being that attracted to each other.

Shanks: Sounds fake to me

Shanks: But guys!

Shanks: This isn't about you

He's gonna need you guys to drop the egos and focus on what HE wants. I.E., being in the middle of two sexy Northern men.

Honestly, so mean to poor Shanks!

[bubbelpop2]

Hey. I'm Adam, Bubbz, Sam, Atticus, and many other nicknames, pseuds, and screen names, but most people call me Adam or Bubbz. I'm an intersex man, a witch, a reclaiming native guy (oceti sakowin, oglala lakota.) and I like educating people and advocating for healthy communication and thought. I like destigmatizing mental illness, and activism.

Native Americans were skilled with agriculture, far more than Europeans with monocrops

I'm a system. I have DID.

I MADE A GAME! PLAY IT! (This is the alpha version of chapter one)

FREE PALESTINE (NOW)

buy Internet for people in gaza

Anti Zionism is not antisemetism. No, really, it's not.

POISON AI

                                                 ART

IF YOU WANT TO SUPPORT ME PLEASE FOLLOW MY WORK BLOG FULL OF EVERY CREATIVE ENDEAVOR I TAKE PART IN

My Ko-fi

MY ART STORE/COMMISSION INFO ON CARRD

My N$FM store

Fandom list ("get rid of the part of you that cringes, not the part that's cringe, my son")

Watchlist

Kin list

Kink list (warning: gross and unethical. I'm.. traumatized.) 

My theme song!!

 Hey there! Did you know I’m a person? If you’re a stupid terf or exclus or 9 year old sending a fucking hate anon, be more original than picking on my kinks like some puritanical conservative!   (ง •̀_•́)ง

Fun fact all but one of my kinks go both ways. I'm a true switch. Oh yeah, check out my bsdm test results.

Two separate older black women have told me that I sound black. And also one white boy named Dilan who described my accent as "using ebonics" as if he had a problem with it.

Here's a get-to-know-me collage.

Religion

I'm a witch with Baptist roots and Buddhist beliefs. I like Alan Watts!

Pronouns: He/🍯/🧸/🍃/🐾/🌕

Politics

I'm an anarchocommunist idealistically, but I'd be happy with a capitalistic welfare state like norway, seeing as how, realistically, communism isn't going to be implemented into any country I'm going to live in any time soon. Just as long as the disabled are cared for, I'm happy with it. Antifa and proud.

My environmental wet dream

Fuck scrotus

BMI is meaningless and it's fake science

Shipping "politics"

Stop treating shipping like politic dogma and go touch grass. I'm part of the dead dove society. Meaning, that I go by the old (and updated, for the times.) rules of the fandom, before "antiship" or "proship" was even a thing.

Don't like, don't read.

Tag your dark content properly. Make sure that nobody could possibly stumble on it unless they are looking for it. Do NOT post dark content in the main tags.

Don't harass people for things you don't like. Block and move on.

Don't feel ashamed about complete fictional thoughts about fictional characters.

if you have a dark pairing don't fucking treat it like normal shipping. That's so tone deaf. Post proper warnings about the content.

CAREER and Dreams

I want to do so many things. Most of them involve drawing, or music, or making videos and video games. I'd love to be a successful YouTuber with animations and speed paints and playthroughs and podcasts and reaction videos and political videos.

Trublums

I am actively looking for a job

I have ADHD, DID, and Manic Depression. I have a lot of undiagnosed blood pressure, breathing, and chronic pain issues. My mom is in debt from medical bills, my grandma can hardly afford her insulin and blood sugar sensors. We are not far from being without electricity and food. Pretty pretty please donate or give me a commission by DMing me. I’m also trying to transition through all of this. Please help. paypal.me/bubbelpop3

         (you can ignore my boundaries as long as you are respectful)

Boring specifics. Fun fact, these things are kind of the basis of being a respectful person.

Nazis, alt-right, and anybody who holds antisemitic views (commit die)

Anti Witch

Pro-contact zoos/pedos/necros

Racists, Homophobes, Transphobes, Islamophobes (change or commit die)

Anti-mogai (wow you're so good at keeping the community together by telling kids who dare to have neo pronouns to kys)

"queer is a slur" learn your culture and stop listening to terfs.

Anti cglre and agereg (other peoples kinks or coping mechanisms are not yours to judge)

Anti kink (consent is important)

"there is no sfw agereg" shut the fuck up and talk to a licensed therapist they'll tell you otherwise.

"Kill all men" You're gross whether or not you exclude trans men from that sentiment. [X] [X] [X]

Pro-cop (die fashie)

“I’m not obligated to be an activist.” It’s your duty as a human being.

"No kink at pride" shut the fuck up [x]

Antiship (I've had so many fucking harassments over absolute bullshit.) look at this [x] and this [x]

Anti-Endo (as long as you respect them and leave them alone/don’t harass or fakeclaim I don’t care what your personal opinions are. But know this is a safe place for people who ID as endo.)

"You shouldn't let minors view your blog"

Pro-capitalists

Christian centered blogs (you make me uncomfortable)

Cancel culture supporters (yes. sending death threats solves so many problems.

[autisticchangeling]

I assume this will be the kind of post that you read and then go "wow, glad I'm not familiar with that drama" but I got my eyes checked and bought glasses today and now I have thoughts about it.

Sometimes I see posts about buying glasses online from like, Zenni and all of that, and I'm glad that that option exists for people who need it. Glasses are expensive, and it's good that people can obtain them for a price they can afford.

However, sometimes I feel like there's an undercurrent there that like, buying your glasses online is somehow anti-capitalist and you're fighting back against the big bad glasses industry by buying from an online retailer instead of buying them in person.

And that annoys me a little. I'm glad that's online glasses are in option, and I know they are more accessible to a lot of people, but for some people they actually are a worse option. There are benefits to buying glasses in person, and I think it does everybody a disservice to ignore that.

The main benefits I think to buying glasses in person are being able to try on the frames, which isn't just a matter of comfort but sometimes also a matter of vision quality. Bifocals and progressives are more common examples of this, but I am going to have prism in my lenses and it's very important that they sit correctly so that I'm looking through the right part of the glasses. I can't really confirm that online and it's not something that can be easily adjusted.

In person though, I was able to try on different frames and the professional was able to confirm whether or not that particular frame would be a good candidate for my lenses. And then when we couldn't find one that worked off the shelf, he said they could add a nose piece to one of the frames to bring it up a little so it would fit correctly.

There's also the matter of the prism lenses themselves, which are pretty hard to get from online manufacturers. I have 12 diopters of base out prism in each lens for a total of 24, which isn't the highest prism prescriptions can go but it's up there enough that I think I would be hard-pressed to find an online retailer capable of doing it well.

In the end, I know my situation is fairly niche and the vast majority of people don't have these considerations. But it does feel frustrating sometimes to see people acting as though they are Fighting The System by... buying from a budget brand instead of an expensive one.

I don't think it's bad to buy glasses online, but I'm not sure we need to devalue the work that opticians do in-store to make that point. 

Me buying glasses from my local eye shop isn't going to fix eyecare, but I don't think buying them from Zenni is either.

What we really need is proper universal eye coverage, but that's not something easily accomplished and in the meantime we all just have to do what we tend to get what we need.

Tl;dr: buying glasses online is fine and an important and acceptable option for many people. However, sometimes people do need to buy glasses in store for a variety of practical reasons, and neither option is really fighting capitalism

[j-the-wanderer]

A great bit of fear comes from that which must exist. That which humanity cannot avoid or dodge, the inevitabilities of human evil. Of course, it is less human evil, than it is human curiosity, which drives the science which drives the evil. Market studies that lead to capitalist expansion which leads to the many ways our entrepreneurs have slapped together to make production meet demand. The pursuit of science becomes the development of weapons, to be released upon the people either intentionally through sale or unintentionally, through the unfortunate mistakes, negligence, and perhaps, discoveries of others.

Regardless, in the universal human craving in the discovery of, or pursuit of value, the goal reaches above humanity, not from explicit evil, but from negligence. From ignorance, perhaps, which we believe can be thoroughly cured via a further dose of curiosity. Humans are endlessly curious of that which a human can be, and are intent on using themselves as the foundation of their art.

Maybe the horrors of war? Derived from an ideological conflict, or from economics? Yet this cannot wholly be blamed on market forces and core cultural differences. A war of religion, of ancestral right to land and resources, regardless stems from curiosity. What might one excavate from the land one’s ancestors claimed hundreds of years ago? For many, the question instead, is what can one excavate from oneself?

All human conflict, all human knowledge, indeed, all human evil may originate from curiosity. What happens if I do this? How do I solve one problem or another? Can I stop a fight, or gain from starting one? How would I win?

All the way down, perhaps, to and beyond, the borders of ethics. How much can pain shape a person? Is this right to do? Am I saving a life by ending one? Does one prolong pain by prolonging life, or indeed, does one ease pain by ending it?

"No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks." - Mary Shelley

"Okay, Doc, but, that's still messed up, though." Sevens was unimpressed.

The old man adjusted his glasses. "You understand, that my full potential is in the work that I do, therefore, and indeed perhaps in all progress, sacrifices must be made."

"I took down a crime family with subterfuge and assassination techniques that they taught me. You unethically cloned stem cells so you could do half a million twin-studies for your freak mutant experiments." He did not even spare the old doctor a glance from the work he was doing, as he polished a glass from the Pullman drink car they had restored. "We are not the same, and I am insulted by the comparison."

"In terms of net gain and loss, we are similar monsters indeed. I have possibly created far more life than I have ended, and though I bent it to my bidding, you have destroyed-"

"I have created more life in rescuing my brother than you ever have in your facility. Variety is the spice of life, quality over quantity. A bunch of identical twins who failed to live for even 2 months, from a test tube that I'm sure you forgot to check and maintain in the process of double-blinding, is just cruelty and waste, of life, resources, and time."

"Any scientist would kill, to have the resources I had, the sample I was able to use."

"And you did. And it wasn't worth it. I suppose the difference here is that I did, and it was. But let me make a new deal, here:" Sev leaned on the bar towards the frail old man, so the doctor could get a good look at his face through his spectacles, from the mechanized wheelchair he was sat in. "You shut up about this whole 'we're not so different, you and I' thing, and I make sure the next drink I serve you won't be your last."

He laughed at this, "You can't kill me, and you know it!"

"No, but I can stop being your bartender."

The emotion drained from the old man's face, from a smug superiority to surprise. Where he once sat upright and proper, to deliver a speech and present his debate, now, slowly and silently, he sank back into his chair. He'd come to value a nice drink as he reviewed his research, and he'd soon taken Sevens' presence and talents for granted. In fact, in his self-absorbed, obsessive pursuit for an ally onboard this train, Doc had not prepared any other topic for conversation.

He had been prepared for a debate on philosophy and ethics, on the depths of human nature and psychology, and he had been soundly defeated by a whiskey glass.

The car then fell into an extended silence, interrupted occasionally by the clinking of glasses as the hitman stored his newly-cleaned glassware and retrieved another to polish.